List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

The WNBA tipped off its 27th season this past weekend with the return of Brittney Griner, a historic effort by Breanna Stewart and a dominant performance by the defending champion Las Vegas Aces

Jimmy Butler has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for not participating in required media availability after Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals

The Buffalo Bills are taking it slowly with safety Damar Hamlin, who is being held back from participating in the team’s first few days of voluntary practices some five months after having a near-death experience on the field

Finally, someone asked him the important question.

Graham Rahal will replace the injured Stefan Wilson in the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday

Roberto De Zerbi believes Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister “deserve to play in another level” but hopes European football can convince the in-demand duo to stick with Brighton. Ecuador international Caicedo and Argentina World Cup winner Mac Allister continue to be heavily linked with summer transfers following standout seasons in Sussex. Albion potentially strengthened their hopes of retaining two of their star performers by securing continental qualification with Sunday’s 3-1 Premier League win over relegated Southampton. While De Zerbi feels that may prove persuasive, he does not wish to hamper the careers of the pair and concedes Wednesday evening’s match with Manchester City could be their final appearances in a Seagulls shirt at the Amex Stadium. “It can be the last game but I don’t know,” said the Brighton head coach. “They can have the possibility to change (clubs) because they deserve to play in another level. “But now we can offer them the possibility to play in Europe because our level is bigger now. We can offer them one possibility more.” Asked if a European place can make the difference, De Zerbi replied: “It can be. They can have more motivation. But they are very good guys. “When I work, I think for myself, I think for my club but I think still for the players because the players have one career, one life and we can’t decide for them. “I don’t know what Tony (Bloom, Brighton owner) can decide but if they want to leave, for myself, it’s right they leave.” Albion will almost certainly finish sixth and be in the Europa League next term due to their goal difference being significantly better than Aston Villa’s but need one more point to banish any prospect of slipping into the Europa Conference League. De Zerbi insists his side will not play for a draw against champions City as they attempt to cement their spot in the superior competition. “The focus is to play seriously,” said the Italian, whose team conclude the campaign at Villa on Sunday. “We want to play in the Europa League and to play in the Europa League we have to make another point. “We can’t start the game to make one point. We have to think to win the game. “We have a big, big, big target – bigger than Conference League because we expect Conference League. “If we have the possibility to play in a more prestigious competition, we have to try it.” City boss Pep Guardiola compared De Zerbi to a chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant ahead of the midweek clash on the south coast, while hailing him as one of the most influential managers of the last 20 years. De Zerbi reciprocates that respect and praised the Spaniard for aiding his transition to life in England. “I can’t forget that before I arrived here, I received his call and he helped me a lot in the first period,” De Zerbi said of Guardiola. “He was very nice with me. “I can’t explain Guardiola. My opinion is he is the best coach in the Premier League and the best coach in the last 30 years. It’s my opinion but I think a lot of people think like me.” Meanwhile, De Zerbi backed Seagulls captain Lewis Dunk for an international recall. England boss Gareth Southgate will on Wednesday name his squad for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia. “He deserves to play in the national team,” De Zerbi said of defender Dunk, who won his only international cap in 2018. “It’s not my work to decide the players of the national team but for us it should be a target. I hope he can play in the national team.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live ECB CEO sees bright future for The Hundred despite Sanjay Patel’s impending exit Pep Guardiola expecting City’s intensity to drop but warns of challenges to come ‘This is the right club’ – Bukayo Saka signs new long-term Arsenal contract

Feyenoord’s Arne Slot is being viewed as a leading candidate for the Tottenham Hotspur job, although the club are monitoring what happens with Julian Nagelsmann, as they seek to find clarity in a chaotic period. Spurs on Friday morning announced that Fabio Paritici - who would have led the managerial search - was standing down as Managing Director of Football after having his appeal to overturn a worldwide ban on football-related activities rejected. With the Italian federation and Fifa ban from his time at Juventus, Spurs had ample time to prepare and the situation has just fed into what has been a crisis time for the club. New Chief Football Officer Scott Munn will now take on a lot of Paratici’s responsibilities, including the managerial search, although many in the game believe it will all ultimately come down to Levy. Spurs have already found a number of other issues in the process, however, not least the fact they are looking for a manager at the same time as Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge hierarchy are currently in talks with Tottenham legend Mauricio Pochettino but it is understood a return to White Hart Lane was never seriously broached. The situation creates the possibility of a moving chairs situation as that could leave Nagelsmann free, who Spurs have long admired. The German has also been in talks with Chelsea and is being heavily pushed - with some thinking it could come down to a straight choice between Nagelsmann and Pochettino. While these are both managers out of work, however, Spurs have found that other prospective candidates are not willing to seriously think about their futures at such an intense point of the season. That has led to the club doing a lot of reconnaissance and talks through back channels, and Slot is known to have struck the club as a possible manager who best fits what they want. While Levy’s recent thinking has been for big names such as Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho, the ultimate disappointment of both may see the club shift to a coach who was on an upward curve working with younger players as with Pochettino in 2014. Roberto De Zerbi has equally been considered but that is seen as a difficult deal to strike, and he has a huge support staff. Read More Fabio Paratici resigns from Tottenham role after losing appeal against ban Mauricio Pochettino impresses in further talks over Chelsea job Fantasy Premier League tips gameweek 32: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gabriel Jesus, Kurt Zouma and more Tottenham identify leading candidate to be next manager Tottenham lose at home to Brentford as fans turn on club’s board Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

France’s government has for the first time publicly laid out some of the gritty details of its security planning for the unprecedented opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics

LaLiga will request greater jurisdiction to punish clubs whose fans are guilty of racist abuse after feeling “powerless” at the lack of current sanctions in the wake of the latest Vinicius Jr incident. The Spanish league is engulfed in a racism scandal after Real Madrid forward Vinicius was allegedly subjected to racist chants during Sunday’s game at Valencia and later claimed it was an example of “continuous episodes spread across several cities in Spain”. LaLiga, according to the country’s law, can currently only identify and report incidents, and punishment is rarely handed out. Now it wants legislation changing so that it has the power to impose punishment such as forcing games to be played behind closed doors or financial penalties. It said in a statement: “LaLiga will request more sanctioning powers, with the aim of being more agile and effective in the fight against violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sport, where LaLiga has been leading the identification and reporting of such behaviour in football stadiums for years, but feels powerless when observing how its reporting ends. “Despite its intense and continuous fight against violence and racism to the full extent of its powers (currently, according to Spanish legislation, limited to identifying and reporting the facts that occur), LaLiga feels tremendous frustration at the lack of sanctions and convictions by the sports disciplinary bodies, public administrations and jurisdictional bodies to which it reports. “Faced with this serious situation, in the coming days LaLiga will formally request the amendment of Law 19/2007 of July 11, against violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sport and Law 39/2022 of December 30, on sport. “The purpose of the proposal is to request that LaLiga may exercise disciplinary authority over incidents of this type which occur in matches of the professional competition, so that the disciplinary bodies of LaLiga may proceed to sanction them, among other things, with the total or partial closure of the sports venue, the prohibition of access to it in the case of members/fans and the imposition of financial penalties, without prejudice to the adoption of provisional or precautionary measures that may be appropriate, depending on the nature and seriousness of the incidents. “As we have been repeating in recent days, LaLiga has been leading the fight against violence, racism and intolerance on football pitches, both inside and outside the stadium, identifying such behaviour through its match directors, security officers and television cameras, and subsequently reporting it to the relevant bodies.” It comes on the day four people were arrested in Spain under suspicion of hanging an effigy of Vinicius off a bridge in January. An inflatable doll dressed in a Vinicius shirt was hung from the railings with a banner that read ‘Madrid hates Real Madrid’ ahead of Real’s Copa del Rey game with city rivals Atletico at the start of the year. And Spanish police confirmed on Tuesday that four suspects had been apprehended. They tweeted: “Arrested in #Madrid 4 people who allegedly hung a mannequin with the #Vinicius shirt on a bridge near the Ciudad Deportiva del @realmadrid.” The arrests follow the latest racism scandal that has engulfed Spanish football, with Vinicius targeted by racist chants during Sunday’s LaLiga game with Valencia. The Brazil international threatened to leave the pitch in the second half after being subjected to alleged monkey chants at the Mestalla. Real Madrid said the abuse constituted a “hate crime” and filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office. Valencia on Tuesday confirmed that police have identified three fans suspected of racial abuse, but denied their fanbase is racist. In a statement, the club said: “The match against Real Madrid was broadcast live and it is totally false that the entire stadium was shouting racist remarks. “There has been a lot of confusion and misinformation in the last few days. Valencia demand a responsible and serious approach to the matter. “This is a very sensitive issue and everyone must remain factual. We cannot accept the labelling of Valencia fans as racist. It is not true. We call for respect. “Racism has no place in football or in our society. Valencia strongly condemn racism.” Vinicius tweeted on Monday night: “Every round away from home is an unpleasant surprise. And there were many this season. Death wishes, hanged doll, many criminal screams… All registered. “But the speech always falls on ‘isolated cases’, ‘a fan’. No, these are not isolated cases. They are continuous episodes spread across several cities in Spain (and even in a television programme). “The evidence is there in the video. Now I ask: how many of these racists had names and photos exposed on websites? I answer to make it easier: zero. None to tell a sad story or make those fake public apologies. “What is missing to criminalise these people? And punish clubs sportingly? Why don’t sponsors charge LaLiga? Don’t televisions bother to broadcast this barbarity every weekend? “The problem is very serious and communications no longer work. Not blaming me to justify criminal acts either. You are not football, you are inhuman.” Read More Vinicius Jr news LIVE: Four arrested over racist effigy as La Liga request more powers to fight abuse Vinicius Jr needs protecting — or racism will drive him from LaLiga Commentator sparks outrage for criticising Vinicius Jr reaction after facing racist abuse

The fight for Premier League survival reaches its climax on Sunday with three clubs still scrapping for their top-flight lives. Two of Everton, Leicester and Leeds will join already-relegated Southampton in the Sky Bet Championship next season on what is set to be a dramatic final day of the campaign. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at what each club needs to happen if they are to avoid the drop. Everton Opposition: Bournemouth (h) Position: 17th Points: 33 Goal difference: -24 The equation is simple for the Toffees: win and their fears are over regardless of what happens elsewhere. Anything less could prove fatal. A draw would open the door for Leicester to leapfrog them on goal difference with a win, while Leeds could also overhaul them on goals scored with victory by three or more. However, Everton would be safe even in defeat if both the Foxes and Leeds failed to win. Leicester Opposition: West Ham (h) Position: 18th Points: 31 Goal difference: -18 Victory is the only option for Dean Smith’s men and even then, it might not prove enough. Leicester also need Everton not to win – defeat for the Toffees would keep them up by a point, while a draw at Goodison would edge City to safety on goal difference. Leeds Opposition: Tottenham (h) Position: 19th Points: 31 Goal difference: -27 Like the Foxes, Leeds must win and even then, they would have to keep their fingers crossed that both Everton and Leicester did not. In the event that Everton drew, they would need to make up three clear goals to leapfrog them. At the same time, Sam Allardyce’s men would have to achieve an improbable goal swing – they head into the weekend nine worse off – to edge past Leicester if they managed to beat West Ham. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jack Nowell rules himself out of England’s World Cup plans Dean Smith feels Leicester have put pressure on Everton ahead of final-day scrap Newcastle striker Callum Wilson set for England recall

Tom Brady has agreed to purchase a minority ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, a source familiar with the deal told CNN on Monday.

They say lightning does not strike twice but -- for the second time in under a week -- a bird has died after meeting the cruel fate of being hit by a flying baseball in an MLB game.