List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

The Arizona Cardinals have released three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in a salary cap move made after they failed to find a trading partner in the offseason

Things aren't going much better for Baker Mayfield with Tampa Bay

President Joe Biden is preparing to host the NCAA men's and women's championship teams at the White House

Play in the year’s second Grand Slam tournament begins Sunday at Roland Garros, and for the first time in nearly two decades, Rafael Nadal will not be competing in the French Open

Two-time champion Takuma Sato led a strong showing from the Chip Ganassi Racing quartet in final practice for the Indianapolis 500 on Friday

It’s the final day of the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich contesting the closest title race for years

Wigan Athletic’s campaign ended in disappointing fashion after they were relegated from the Championship, bottom of the table - and 2023/24 is set to start in equally bad fashion. The Latics were handed a four-point deduction for next season by the EFL after failing to pay players’ wages on time, with that reduction set to impact on their immediate start to life in League One. However, they were also given a second suspended four-point penalty which would come into effect if either the club owner failed to deposit a required amount to more than cover payments into a designated account by 24 May or if Wigan failed to pay wages again between now and the end of next term - and that second penalty has now been activated, meaning they’ll start 23/24 on minus eight points. The EFL confirmed on Friday that they had requested Wigan owner Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi deposit funds equating to 125% of their “forecast monthly wage bill” into the club account. A statement from the organisation added they had “spent the past 48 hours in dialogue with the Club in an attempt to find a positive outcome” before confirming the additional points penalty had been executed. This follows Wigan being late with two instances of paying players, on Friday 24 March instead of Friday 10 March and on Tuesday 16 May instead of Friday 5 May. They had also been charged with misconduct following three late instances of payments in 2022. A statement from the club confirmed they intended to consider an appeal. “The football club has been very transparent with the EFL, who have had clear visibility of the eight-figure sum to finance the remainder of this season and the whole of next season,” it said. “The club will now consider all options open.” Wigan also revealed their intent to restructure the club financially, appearing to suggest that promotion to the Championship ahead of schedule caused cash flow problems as a result of the need to “strengthen again in the summer and in the January Transfer Window” which left “the wage budget...unfortunately becoming more and more unmanageable”. A series of meetings have agreed a wage budget for next season which will be 65% lower than this year, while the club anticipate beginning life back in the third tier with a new CEO and sporting director in place as well as greater emphasis on youth development. While that should lead to a more sustainable future, given they’ll start the year eight points adrift already, fans will no doubt be fearing that could lead to a second successive season with Wigan fighting against relegation. Read More It’s his problem – Frank Lampard says next Chelsea boss has to turn club around ‘Business as usual’ as Chelsea look to wrap up Women’s Super League title Andy Pilley steps down as chairman and director of Fleetwood

Iowa says athletic director Gary Barta will retire on August 1 after 17 years at the university

Frank Lampard said turning around Chelsea’s fortunes will be the next manager’s problem as he prepares to bow out from his interim role after Sunday’s game against Newcastle. The team’s wretched season slumped to a new low with a 4-1 thumping against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Thursday, the ninth defeat of Lampard’s 11 games in charge. If results go against them on the final day they could finish as low as 14th and equal their worst placing in the Premier League era. They are already guaranteed to end with their lowest points tally in the competition, with the fewest number of goals the club have scored in a Premier League campaign. Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be appointed as the club’s next permanent manager in the coming days and his in-tray will include quickly slimming down a bloated first-team squad and installing cohesion in a team that has lost its way since Graham Potter was sacked in April. Chelsea have won only once in the almost two months since Potter was removed seven months into a five-year contract, and the task of rediscovering the team’s form has seemingly grown more daunting with each defeat. A remedy has proved beyond Lampard in his short time in charge, and he was asked whether the incoming manager will have the toughest job of any Chelsea boss in the last 20 years. “It’s a good headline but I don’t know,” said Lampard. “It remains to be seen, I can’t jump into the future. “I think it is a fantastic job because it is the Chelsea job and when I took it first time (in 2019) I came I probably got it it was because a lot of top managers didn’t want that, I know that for a fact. “I enjoyed the process and I enjoyed coming in and I wish the new manager well. “I don’t know… it’s his problem I guess – is that the headline you wanted?” One of the hindering factors during Lampard’s reign has been the size of the squad, with 34 first-team players vying for selection following co-owner Todd Boehly’s whirlwind transfer activity during his first 12 months in control. It has meant limited playing time for younger members of the squad, even those signed for large fees and with high expectations. Carney Chukwuemeka joined from Aston Villa for £20million last summer but has struggled for minutes, whilst Noni Madueke arrived for £29m from PSV Eindhoven and has featured just 11 times. Both players started the loss at Old Trafford and played 82 minutes before being substituted and Lampard said he was pleased with the application of players that came in having not been regulars in the side. “I don’t want to go into individuals,” he said. “I thought Carney did really well (against United) coming in to midfield with personality. It has been one of the harder parts of my job with the numbers in the squad. “Going with a team to win important games and working with the younger players who we haven’t seen before because normally there is a process and a pre-season. “We haven’t had that time. I thought Carney did well, I thought Noni did pretty well again and the flip of that was that Azpi (Cesar Azpilicueta) was fantastic with his captaincy and attitude. “It is 70 per cent of the game how you apply yourself and your attitude.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Aryna Sabalenka to begin French Open against player who ‘hates’ her Andy Pilley steps down as chairman and director of Fleetwood ‘Business as usual’ as Chelsea look to wrap up Women’s Super League title

All of those questions about who would step to the fore once Serena Williams walked away from the tennis tour seem to be getting answered with three names: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes says it is “business as usual” for her side as they prepare for Saturday’s Women’s Super League finale, looking to wrap up another title. Ahead of the season’s concluding round of fixtures, the Blues – who have won the WSL five times and for each of the last three seasons – are two points clear of second-placed Manchester United, with a goal difference better by five. Chelsea, aiming to complete a league and FA Cup double, play bottom side Reading away, while Marc Skinner’s United are at Liverpool. Hayes told a press conference: “I think back to every campaign, we’ve only won the league by a couple of points at best, maybe (with) a game (to spare) somewhere along the line, so this is just business as usual for us. “The preparation is what we’d prepared for at the very beginning of the season. “It’s not like we’ve won leagues comfortably in the past – so nothing is different from our perspective. We’ve always known from previous experience it goes to the last game.” A win to seal the title would be a seventh successive league victory for Chelsea, who have scored 24 goals in the past six games, conceding once. Reading, meanwhile, have lost each of their last five games, conceding 16 times across their last four. The Royals pulled off a shock 1-0 win at home against Chelsea last season, and Hayes said: “We don’t think about that. What we think about is we are exactly where we want to be – a position to control the outcome. “I have to keep reminding the team we’re 90 minutes away from winning the title and all of my energy’s focused on doing that.” Regardless of what happens on Saturday, United – guaranteed at least second, their first finish in a Champions League berth – have had their best WSL campaign to date, as well making a debut FA Cup final appearance, when they were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea and Skinner has said he feels his side do not “get enough credit”. Asked about that comment, Hayes said: “They should. They’ve had an outstanding year. I’m sure Marc will build on that and make them even more competitive next year.” Reading need to win to have any chance of surviving, lying two points adrift of 11th-placed Leicester, who have an inferior goal difference by three and go to Brighton. Reading boss Kelly Chambers said: “If you just give up now or don’t believe then, for me, what’s the point of stepping out there on Saturday? “There’s still a glimmer of hope there for us and we just have to give everything we can. If we are beaten by the better team, I can accept that – what I can’t accept is that we don’t turn up and fight for everything.” Third-placed Arsenal look set to seal the final Champions League spot, currently three points clear of Manchester City and holding a goal difference advantage over them of 11. Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners host fifth-placed Aston Villa, whose 21-goal forward Rachel Daly was named WSL player of the year on Friday, while Gareth Taylor’s City play Everton at home. It would be the first time since 2014 that City have finished outside the European places. Taylor said: “It’s fine margins between being successful in the season like Chelsea and where we’re at coming up short. “With the group we have and the support, if we can squeeze more out of these players with another season, it’s exciting times.” Saturday’s other match sees West Ham entertain Tottenham. Meanwhile, according to Football Association statistics released on Friday, WSL attendances are up 173 per cent this season compared to the last, with the 2022-23 average being 5,272, up from 1,931. The cumulative attendance for the current WSL campaign stands at 664,211, and all of the three highest-ever WSL crowds were achieved this season. They were 47,367 for Arsenal against Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium in September, 44,259 for Manchester City v Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium in December, and 42,700 for Arsenal against Chelsea at the Emirates in January. Read More Chelsea the title favourites as Leicester look to survive – WSL talking points Departing Magdalena Eriksson and era-crowning win show why WSL title heading back to Chelsea

A Spanish court has opened a judicial investigation into an alleged hate crime perpetrated by the three people arrested this week for racially abusing Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior during a game