List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Marty Walsh was less than halfway through his term in the Biden administration as labor secretary when the phone rang with an interesting opportunity

Wrestler CM Punk returned to AEW on Saturday night to main event in the debut episode of the promotion's new show Colission and used the opportunity to spread an important message about LGBT+ rights. Punk, real name Phil Brooks, has been sidelined for nine months with a tricep injury and hasn't been seen on television since his infamous comments about his colleagues at All Out 2022. The 44-year-old former AEW, WWE and ROH champion started the show with a fiery promo about his intentions upon returning to the ring but it was what he said after the cameras stopped rolling at the United Center in Chicago which should resonate with people more. After winning the main event trios with his partners FTR over Samoa Joe, Jay White and Juice Robinson, Punk addressed his hometown fans and brought one supporter into the ring who was holding a sign that read 'Support LGBTQ+ Kids.' Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter He added that he had recently received backlash for an Instagram story that promoted an ice cream bar with sales of the dessert going to a trans youth charity. Punk said that he didn't respond to any of the comments because "You can't argue with stupid." Punk then launched into a heartfelt message about why he supports trans kids, bringing up his own experiences of growing up as a straight-edge punk. He said: "The reason I support trans kids, trans-grown-ups, gays, and lesbians is because I know when I was growing up, I didn't fit in anywhere. That it was because of the clothes I wore, what my hair looked like, and the music I listened to. Those are all things I can rectify. I can comb my hair, I can listen to jazz, I don't know what. But to be somebody who's gay, lesbian, and especially trans, I don't know what it feels like to be trapped in a body that I don't feel I belong in. That is why I support that Support Trans kids, support gay and lesbian rights. I want everyone to be themselves." Refreshingly, Punk's message appeared to go down well with the Chicago faithful and has been widely supported by wrestling fans on social media. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Stephen Kenny has brushed off speculation over his future as Republic of Ireland manager amid a tide of criticism in the wake of a disastrous start to the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Kenny woke on Sunday morning to reports he could be replaced following Friday night’s 2-1 defeat in Greece, which left his side without a point from the first two fixtures and with their hopes of making it to the finals fast receding. However, despite seeing England Under-21s manager and former Ireland international Lee Carsley, Ghana boss Chris Hughton and Sam Allardyce linked with his job, Kenny remained bullish ahead of Monday night’s must-win fixture against lowly Gibraltar. Asked if he expected to be in charge for the remainder of the campaign, he said: “Yes, I definitely do. My contract is up to the end of the campaign and whether it’s renewed will depend on how people feel the campaign went overall, but certainly I fully expect to be. “We want a positive result tomorrow and that’s firmly what I’m focused on.” Anything other than a win over Gibraltar, ranked 201st by world governing body FIFA, some 152 places below Ireland, would simply fuel the fires of those who want a change of manager. Asked if anything less was unthinkable, Kenny replied: “In terms of European Championship qualification, yes, it is, yes.” It is not the first time during the three years since he replaced Mick McCarthy at the helm that Kenny has found himself in the firing line, and that clamour would increase significantly if his team did not come out on top – and handsomely so – on Monday evening. His background, unlike recent predecessors Giovanni Trapattoni, Martin O’Neill and McCarthy, is largely in the League of Ireland, and the success or otherwise of his attempts to play an enterprising brand of football has been a topic for debate throughout. Asked how he maintains his optimism in the face of such a backlash, Kenny said: “It’s irrelevant, to be honest, it’s irrelevant, I just really focus on developing the team and preparing the team for tomorrow. “There is a lot of criticism, some of it justified, and I have to accept that. Likewise some of it inaccurate, that’s the nature of it. From my point of view, I’m not fixated with it. I’m just firmly focused on what we have to do and just focused on the task at hand, which is managing this group of players. “We’re not perfect, but I really believe in the players. I know people have other viewpoints, but I believe in the players. “We wanted to win against Greece, we didn’t win. That’s a reality. If we had won the other night against Greece, everything would have been on track, we’d have been going into the Gibraltar game with everything great. “Now because we didn’t, it’s a catastrophe, and I do get that, but we’ve got to focus on tomorrow and Gibraltar, make sure we are ready.” Kenny has no fresh injuries, but has indicated he will make changes, one of which will see Wigan midfielder James McClean wear the captain’s armband as he wins his 100th cap.

Italy beat the Netherlands 3-2 in the Nations League third-place play-off in Enschede. Roberto Mancini’s side, who sealed Nations League bronze for the second tournament running, made a flying start as Federico Dimarco and Davide Frattesi put them 2-0 up in 20 minutes. Steven Bergwijn reduced the deficit for the Netherlands midway through the second half, but Federico Chiesa struck Italy’s third four minutes later. Georginio Wijnaldum ensured a nervy finale with the Netherlands’ second goal in the 89th minute, but it was not enough to prevent a third defeat in four games under boss Ronald Koeman, in his second stint in charge. Croatia face Spain in the final at Feyenoord’s De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam at 1945 on Sunday. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins has resigned following a drunken driving arrest

Gareth Southgate advised players not to be stressed by summer transfer talk after joking the England squad have been “tapping each other up” throughout this camp. This mammoth, unprecedented season finally comes to a close with Monday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against North Macedonia at a sold-out Old Trafford. England won 4-0 in Malta on Friday and are expected to take another step towards next summer’s tournament by winning a Group C clash played out against a backdrop of transfer talk. Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Kyle Walker are subject of summer interest, while Harry Maguire, Conor Gallagher and Kalvin Phillips have decisions to make over their lack of game time at club level. There is also speculation about Jordan Pickford and James Maddison, but Southgate has not felt the need to speak to players about it – even though the former defender does have some advice. “I haven’t felt the need to say anything,” Southgate said. “I mean, the players are tapping each other up anyway on the quiet, so I can’t do anything about that! “What I have said is that these things run their course, they happen in their own time, you can’t force it as a player. “Don’t get frustrated, don’t be asking all summer. You don’t need to be updated on every call that happens. “There’s a lot of negotiation that goes on. I remember as a player getting too wrapped up in every detail of that. “In the end, there’s only a small amount that you can actually control. “I think all of those things will happen later on in the summer and I think the players understand that, really. “And they know the focus for the next 36 hours is this game, finishing the season well, making sure we’re set on 12 points and we’ll be in a very healthy position if we do that.” Southgate was speaking alongside left-back Luke Shaw at Sunday’s pre-match press conference and the defender smiled when “tapping up” was mentioned. England are training at Manchester United’s Carrington base and the 27-year-old posted an Instagram story on Saturday showing pictures of him next to Kane and another with Rice. The Old Trafford giants have a longstanding interest in both, and Shaw tagged them in the post with the caption “Carrington tour” and an eyes emoji. Asked who he has been tapping up, Shaw said with a laugh: “There’s a few.” When Mason Mount, another United are interested in, was mentioned to him, Shaw said: “Obviously he’s not here but I think it is all just a bit of banter, really. “Obviously we have a joke and a laugh about it, not too sure what goes on behind the scenes. “It’s to do with the club, really, but of course when we are here we are always together and we have a joke about it. “I don’t really know too much what is going on. That’s just it really.” Shaw looks set to start on Monday as Old Trafford hosts the national men’s team for the first time since 2007. England also played there the previous year against Macedonia – a drab 0-0 draw in what proved to be a failed Euro 2008 qualification campaign. They drew 2-2 in their only other home meeting against the Balkan nation, who Southgate is not taking lightly as he looks to make it third time lucky. “They should have won the other night against Ukraine really,” the England boss said. “So we know the quality of some of the individual players. “They have got some players playing at big European clubs. As a team they function well. “They obviously knocked Italy out of the last World Cup and pushed Portugal close in those knockout games. So, they have got pedigree. “They bring the game to you a bit more than perhaps we had the other night as well. “So, it isn’t just a case of rolling on from Friday, it is a step up in intensity and quality and we’ve got to be right on our game to win the match.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Italy finish third in Nations League after beating the Netherlands Katie Boulter fulfils childhood ambition with ‘special’ victory at Nottingham Gareth Southgate sees a tougher test for his team at Old Trafford

Fans of the San Antonio Spurs couldn’t wait for the NBA draft

The German soccer federation’s sporting director says firing Germany coach Hansi Flick is out of the question despite the team’s lack of recent wins

England boss Gareth Southgate says Monday’s European Championship qualifier against North Macedonia will be a “step up” from the win over Malta. Southgate’s men conclude their season with the fixture at Old Trafford, three days after beating Malta 4-0 away to make it three victories from three matches in Group C. Southgate told a press conference on Sunday regarding North Macedonia: “They should have won the other night against Ukraine, really. “We know the quality of some of the individual players, they have some players playing at big European clubs. As a team they function well. They knocked Italy out of the last World Cup, and they pushed Portugal close in those games. “So they have got pedigree, they bring the game to you a bit more than perhaps we had the other night as well. So it isn’t just a case of rolling on from Friday, it’s a step up, it’s a step up in intensity and quality, and we have to be right in our game to be able to win the match.” Monday’s match marks England’s first game on home soil not to be staged at Wembley since they were thumped 4-0 by Hungary at Molineux a year ago, which prompted jeers from the crowd. It’s a step up in intensity and quality, and we have to be right in our game to be able to win the match Gareth Southgate When asked about that, Southgate said: “It’s for us always to bring the crowd with us. The onus is on us to give the crowd something to be excitedabout and to play well. “It’s a great crowd up here anyway. When we went to Leeds a few years ago that was an exceptional atmosphere, and I’m sure Manchester will be the same. “The fact it’s a sell-out is exciting for us, it adds an edge to the game. But of course, also our opponent will be lifted by that. They will want to put on a good display. So we have to be ready for them. “We want to play well, we want to entertain our supporters and we need to win.” Southgate said it was “possible” some of the Manchester City treble-winners in his squad would be in the starting line-up on Monday, and also spoke again about Trent Alexander-Arnold after the Liverpool man impressed in a midfield role against Malta. Asked what he made of the reaction to that performance, Southgate said: “He played exceptionally well, so he deserves all the credit he’s getting – the rest is noise, so I don’t really get too distracted by that. “It’s another option, and it’s an exciting one. We know the outstanding qualities he has. I thought he adapted really well to the role, it is different to what he’s been asked to do for his club to this point. But he was excited by that and he delivered, so great credit to him.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live England take the show on the road as Eze pushes for a start – talking points Father’s Day surprise for Andy Murray as his kids show up for Nottingham win Emma Raducanu admits to ‘being burnt a few times’ after US Open glory

England host North Macedonia at Old Trafford on Monday night looking to maintain their perfect start to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Gareth Southgate’s side have taken a stranglehold on Group C after a comfortable victory over minnows Malta on Friday. Here, the PA news agency look at some of the major talking points ahead of England’s final fixture of the season. Halfway house The visit of North Macedonia marks the midway point of England’s quest to qualify for the finals in Germany next summer. Heading into the game, the Group C favourites sit six points clear at the top having already recorded victories over Ukraine and Italy before easing past Malta. A win against North Macedonia would complete a clean sweep of their group opponents at the halfway point and see Southgate’s side close in on securing their place in December’s draw. Alexander-Arnold a natural Despite being regarded as one of Europe’s best right-backs, Trent Alexander-Arnold has had to be patient in his attempts to lock down a regular place in the England squad – let alone the starting XI. The Liverpool defender, however, shone in a midfield role in the win over Malta and said the position felt “natural” to him. Sterner tests await but, with Southgate enthused by his display, Alexander-Arnold could become a mainstay in the middle of the park for England. Eze does it Eberechi Eze became the latest senior England international as he came off the bench to replace James Maddison in the latter stages of the routine win in Malta. It was fine reward for the 24-year-old following a purple patch at Crystal Palace and now he will be pushing to make his first start. Released by Millwall in 2016, it would mark a meteoric rise for Eze, who has a long-term admirer in Southgate. Treble trouble for North Macedonia The Manchester City contingent within the England ranks were named on the bench in Malta, with just Phil Foden playing any minutes. Having been involved in the Champions League final less than a week earlier – and the ensuing celebrations – Southgate opted to keep Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, John Stones and Jack Grealish in reserve. That may not be the case at Old Trafford, however, with the City quintet wanting to end a memorable season on another high. On the road The trip to Old Trafford marks England’s first game on home soil not to be staged at Wembley since the humiliating 4-0 Nations League loss to Hungary a year ago. Molineux was the venue for that shock scoreline on June 14, 2022 as loud jeers and chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” echoed around Wolves’ stadium. Old Trafford is a more familiar setting for England games but Southgate will hope the result – and the reception – will be a much more positive experience this time out.

Lou Williams announced his retirement from the NBA on Sunday

England spinner Moeen Ali has been fined 25% of his match fee on his test return for applying an unauthorized drying spray to his bowling hand during the Ashes opener at Edgbaston