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The Latest: Trump speaks to sports commissioners

| April 4, 2020 12:03 PM

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:

The White House says President Donald Trump spoke with commissioners of the country’s sports leagues on Saturday and told them he recognizes “the good work being done by many teams and players” to care for their communities and fans dealing with the new coronavirus.

The virus has decimated the sports world with the NBA and NHL suspending their seasons indefinitely and Major League Baseball postponing the start of its season.

The NCAA basketball tournament was also canceled, as were college spring sports such as baseball and softball, lacrosse and track and field.

The White House says the commissioners thanked Trump for his “national leadership and for his interest in the sports industry.” He called on them to continue efforts to support their fellow Americans during the current challenge.

A wide range of sports league officials participated in the call, including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

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Stephen Kenny is the new Ireland soccer manager after replacing Mick McCarthy in a planned move brought forward by the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Football Association of Ireland announces that Mick McCarthy is to be succeeded as national team manager by Stephen Kenny with immediate effect,” the FAI said in a statement. “The handover has been agreed with both men in light of the delay to the European Championship playoffs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

McCarthy had originally been due to stay in charge until July 31, after the Euro 2020 finals — now put back a year — were originally due to finish. Kenny had been set to take over on Aug. 1 after being in charge of the under-21 national side.

Ireland faces Slovakia away in the Euro 2020 qualifying playoffs, with the winner to face either Northern Ireland or Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, the fixture has been postponed for a second time due to the pandemic.

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Tajikistan has started a new soccer season, joining a small group of countries around the world where play has continued despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Istiklol Dushanbe retained the Central Asian nation’s season-opening Super Cup on Saturday with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Khujand.

The game was played without fans and a large banner reading “stop coronavirus” in Tajik and Russian covered part of the stands.

Players and staff from both teams mingled freely after the final whistle before officials hung medals around their necks and shook their hands.

Professional soccer is only continuing in a few countries around the world, with Belarus, Nicaragua and Burundi among the holdouts, attracting interest from foreign fans and international gambling markets.

Tajikistan has not reported any cases of the new coronavirus, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports