Firstpost Spodcast Episode 14: Mystery over Asiad contingent, Thibaut Courtois' transfer and more on our daily sports podcast

Welcome to Spodcast, the Firstpost sports update where we discuss the biggest news in sports in the last 24 hours. On this episode we discuss India’s preparations for the Asian Games, where suspense still reigns over the Indian contingent. With the Asiad less than 10 days away, the final list of athletes has still not been announced. We also discuss Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s blockbuster move to Chelsea as the English club moved to replace Thibaut Courtois, who is shifting to Real Madrid. We start with news on India’s preparations for the Asian Games. There is still some suspense over the Indian contingent that will finally head to Jakarta for the 2018 Asian Games. The Indian Olympic Association, after many changes, submitted a list comprising 575 athletes and 213 officials to the sports ministry earlier this week. However, deliberations seem to be continuing at the ministry, which is yet to grant clearance. A source from the sports ministry told PTI, “It may take a day or two to give the final clearance of the contingent.” Reports suggested that the ministry is not happy with Rajkumar Sacheti as one of the four Deputy Chefs de Mission of the Indian contingent. The reason could be a disproportionate assets case filed against Sacheti in 2013 in relation to the 2010 CWG corruption scandal. Sacheti was one of the aides of former IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi. Kalmadi served as head of the 2010 CWG Organising Committee and was jailed and then released on bail. Sacheti served as Joint Director-General of the Organising Committee under Kalmadi. On the other hand, the IOA is reportedly considering sending Sacheti to Jakarta at its own cost in case the ministry decides to exclude him. The IOA has said it will hold a send-off ceremony on Friday, indicating that the final list is likely to be cleared by then. We also discuss Spanish goalkeeper Arrizabalaga’s move to Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao of the La Liga. On Wednesday, the Spanish club confirmed that Kepa had paid his €80 million buyout clause. This clears the way for the 23-year-old Spaniard to join Chelsea as the world’s most expensive goalkeeper. He will replace Chelsea’s goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, at Stamford Bridge. Courtois, who was voted the best goalkeeper at the 2018 World Cup, will be moving to Real Madrid for €35 million. The Belgian goalkeeper has been open about his desire to move so he can be closer to his children who live in Madrid. Real Madrid announced that Courtois will sign a six-year contract. He will face competition from Keylor Navas, a favourite with Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui. As a part of this deal, Croatian player Kovacic, who was part of the Croatia team that lit up the World Cup, will be on loan from Real Madrid to Chelsea in the coming season. We also discuss the Ben Stokes trial. The English all-rounder is on trial for assaulting two men outside a Bristol club in September 2017. The prosecution had claimed that Stokes had mocked two gay men outside the Mbargo club and then attacked them. In response, Ben Stokes claimed he punched a man for abusing another individual “for being gay.” Stokes apparently told the police that he felt forced to defend himself as it was “two on one” in the brawl with Ali and Hale. Stokes claimed that the men he was defending thanked him “for preventing them from being beaten up.” And in news about the second Test match between India and England, captain Joe Root has confirmed that 20-year-old Ollie Pope will play as the number four batsman in the Lord’s Test. The Surrey batsman, who has had a successful county season where he has scored 684 runs at an average of over 85, will join fellow Surrey player Sam Curran in the playing XI. Pope will replace the out-of-form Dawid Malan who has scored just 74 runs in his last five Test innings. Root said “He’s obviously batted at six for Surrey this season – but having seen him play a little bit, and the way his game is set up, I think it’s very much transferable to bat at number four in Test cricket….I think he fits nicely into that position in our team."