List of All Articles with Tag 'port'

Former Manchester United winger and Wales manager Ryan Giggs’ retrial later this month on domestic violence charges has been abandoned after lawyers withdrew the prosecution. Giggs, 49, was due to go on trial for a second time on July 31, accused of controlling or coercive behaviour towards his ex-girlfriend Kate Greville, 39, between August 2017 and November 2020. Giggs was also accused of assault by “losing control” and headbutting her and the common assault of Greville’s sister Emma by elbowing her in the jaw, during a row at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester, on November 1 2020. He denied the offences and underwent a month-long trial, ending last August when the jury failed to reach any verdicts. Prosecutors then sought and were granted an application for a retrial, scheduled to begin on July 31, after telling Judge Hilary Manley that the complainants were willing to give evidence at a second trial. But on Tuesday, prosecutor Peter Wright KC told Manchester Crown Court that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) were not now proceeding with the case. During Giggs’ time at Old Trafford, Manchester United won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, four FA Cups and three League Cups. Giggs stood down as Wales boss following a period of leave since November 2020. He won 64 caps for Wales and is co-owner of Sky Bet League Two side Salford. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The World Cup begins on Thursday and captains will wear FIFA’s new ‘Unite’ armbands, but the governing body of world football has been criticised for a lack of pro LGBTQ+ stance. It was announced last month that FIFA had partnered with the United Nations to create eight stakeholder-sanctioned armbands that can be swapped out or worn during the month-long tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The ‘Unite’ armbands are a solution to the ‘OneLove’ armband debate that sparked the threat of sanctions being issued to countries, including England and Wales, during the men’s World Cup in Qatar last winter. While FIFA’s ‘Unite’ armbands will highlight a number of social issues, amongst them inclusion, gender equality, indigenous people and peace, there is no specific armband that advocates for the LGBTQ+ community and none contain the rainbow colours commonly associated as the colours of pride. Stonewall ambassador Amazin LeThi has been left disappointed, especially given many players involved at the tournament will be part of the LGBTQ+ community. “Unite for inclusion is not enough,” LeThi told the PA news agency in reference to one of the eight ‘Unite’ armbands. “And who are you not wanting to offend by not having the rainbow flag colours for the unite for inclusion armband? It is like, ‘we are uniting for inclusion but only for certain communities,’. “So many fans as well are part of the LGBTQ+ community. FIFA has had World Cups in countries where there are anti-LGBTQ+ laws so what a statement it would have made this time if the athletes came out wearing an armband in support of the LGBTQ+ community.” FIFA consulted with national associations ahead of this World Cup in an effort to avoid the row that occurred in Qatar over the ‘OneLove’ armband, with the captains of the nations involved threatened with a yellow card if the bands were worn. The armbands were viewed by FIFA as a potent symbol of tolerance in a country where same-sex relationships were criminalised, but LeThi, an advocate of Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign, questioned why the same should apply this time. Regardless of what FIFA has come up with, I think teams should come out wearing the OneLove armband because it would make such a statement. Stonewall ambassador Amazin LeThi She added: “It didn’t surprise me at all because there are obviously politics behind it as well. It was completely disappointing that so many big sports organisations caved in to not supporting LGBTQ+ rights. “Just the same with the trans exclusion we have just seen with World Athletics recently. “There is no reason why they can’t this time. Australia has inclusion and equality for the community so they can’t make excuses around sensitivity there.” England head coach Sarina Wiegman revealed last week the team were happy with the ‘Unite’ armband solution, but captain Millie Bright has not yet announced if she will wear one armband or alternate for the different cause being highlighted in each round of matches. Injured Euro 2022-winning captain Leah Williamson had signalled in February her intention to this summer wear the contentious ‘OneLove’ armband – which become symbolic for the LGBTQ+ community last winter – but sanctions would be issued for wearing it or any other unsanctioned band, the PA news agency understands. England men’s captain Harry Kane wore a rainbow-coloured armband during their Euro 2020 last-16 tie with Germany two years ago and LeThi would like Bright to wear the OneLove armband in their World Cup opener against Haiti on Saturday. “There is no reason why England shouldn’t still wear it,” LeThi said. “The UK prides itself on equality and inclusion. We have just had London Pride where nearly three million people attended, you have LGBTQ+ athletes as part of this team, there isn’t any reason why they can’t wear it. “When you think about it, it is just an armband with some bright colours on it. Where is the problem? “Regardless of what FIFA has come up with, I think teams should come out wearing the OneLove armband because it would make such a statement.” FIFA has been approached for comment. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live England blind footballer targeting Paris 2024 alongside educational ambitions A look at Rory McIlory’s major record as he bids to end wait for fifth title A closer look at Old Trafford’s Ashes history ahead of fourth Test

Saud Shakeel has continued his strong run of form by posting a second century and helping usher Pakistan to a narrow first-innings lead at lunch on Day 3 of the series-opening cricket test against Sri Lanka

TNT Sports’ football coverage will be led by four female presenters in the new season as it seeks to “push the boundaries” of sports broadcasting. TNT Sports replaces BT Sport from Tuesday, with Laura Woods confirmed as host of its Champions League coverage alongside Reshmin Chowdhury. Jake Humphrey, who fronted BT’s Champions League coverage last season, announced he was stepping back from his role in May. Lynsey Hipgrave will continue to host live Premier League coverage on TNT Sports, having done so since the start of last season, while Jules Breach replaces Des Kelly as the broadcaster’s pitchside reporter. Ally McCoist joins the TNT punditry line-up for Premier League and Champions League matches, which will still feature the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch and Joe Cole. “We do want to be contemporary, we do want to be bold, we definitely want to push the boundaries of what sports broadcasting has been in this market over the previous years,” Andrew Georgiou, the president and managing director of Warner Bros Discovery Sports Europe, said. “It’s a really good opportunity for us to reflect on what’s happened and it’s almost like, ‘Okay, we’ve got a moment in time to refresh and rethink’.” The rebrand follows the completion of a deal in September last year to form a joint venture that combines the assets of BT Sport and Eurosport UK. From Tuesday, TNT Sports is available to stream via the discovery+ platform. UK subscribers with a premium plan will be able to access TNT Sports and Eurosport via the discovery+ platform, allowing them to watch both networks’ live sport in the same place as well as discovery+ entertainment content. The cost of the premium plan is £29.99 a month, the same as was previously charged for the BT Sport Monthly Pass. Eurosport’s live rights include the Olympic Games and the Tour de France. Georgiou said TNT Sports would be keenly focused on the Premier League’s invitation to tender for its next set of domestic television rights later this year. “We are a premium sports broadcaster and our 100 per cent stated ambition is to remain a premium sports broadcaster, and reviewing our rights portfolio to make sure that remains (the case) is in the bullseye of our agenda,” he said. “We look at everything that comes up. Obviously the Premier League tender is up at the end of the year. That is a key part of our rights portfolio and something we’re focused on.” It is understood the new domestic offering will feature at least 60 more live matches than the current deal but split into a smaller number of packages available for broadcasters to buy, from the current seven down to five. Read More Why is BT Sport being rebranded to TNT Sports? Eurosport merger explained TNT Sports reveals first Premier League game after Eurosport merger Leeds gamble on £100m loan spree highlights broken transfer market Football rumours: Harry Kane rules out PSG move, open to Bayern Munich switch France’s Women’s World Cup advert makes powerful gender statement with surprise twist

The £100m spending spree has lost its novelty value. When it may only yield a solitary player, when the biggest buyers’ summer expenditure could be double or even triple that, when £100m was far less than promoted Nottingham Forest paid out last summer, it may not feel like such an extraordinary event after all. But the £100m loaning spree represents an altogether newer development. The dynamic is different, too: the nine-figure sum may reflect the purchase prices of the players being borrowed, not the amounts their temporary employers will have to fork out to acquire their services for the season. Leeds United spent well over £100m buying players last season. The chances are that, by the time the window closes, they will have loaned out some £100m of signings – in terms of transfer fees paid rather than resale value now – this year. Which, in part, reflects the reality they could not sell them all, and perhaps any, for similar sums now. But Rasmus Kristensen, who cost around £10m, has joined Roma. Marc Roca, an £11m addition, headed to Real Betis for the season. The £13m defender Robin Koch has sealed his move to Eintracht Frankfurt. The £18m centre-back Diego Llorente is back at Roma, where he spent the second half of last season. The £25m Brenden Aaronson has gone to Union Berlin for the campaign, trading the Championship for the Champions League. Between them, they cost around £77m of Leeds’ Premier League revenue. Another loan or two – and if, for different reasons, Tyler Adams, Luis Sinisterra, Jack Harrison, Junior Firpo and Georginio Rutter might be expected to either be sold or stay but could yet prove contenders – then maybe Helder Costa and Dan James could take the total over £100m. All of which would reflect a shift in the transfer market. Relegated clubs have long been raided for players, sometimes for cut-price fees, but they tended to be bought, not borrowed. So far, Leeds’ only sale is Rodrigo, a scorer of 13 Premier League goals last season leaving – albeit in his thirties and with a lone year left on his contract – for just £3m. But they have been busier in a newer market: for loanees. It highlights several elements. Premier League clubs have had increasing difficulty selling to mainland Europe for meaningful fees in recent seasons; Championship clubs with footballers acquired for the top flight and caps for major countries stand still less chance of trading on their preferred terms. Perhaps Leeds came to that pragmatic conclusion early in the window; certainly opportunistic continental clubs realise they can acquire high-calibre players for nothing more than their salary and the occasional loan fee. In addition, there seems a recognition that players who signed up for a newly promoted outfit – as Koch and Llorente did in 2020 – or one who had just dodged the drop, as Leeds had when Aaronson, Kristensen and Roca joined in 2022, would not be expected to brave the EFL. With a dramatic drop in income, even with parachute payments softening their fall into the lower leagues, Leeds needed to reduce the wage bill. In some circumstances, it can be more of a priority than the prospect of transfer fees. Leeds will not recoup £77m for the quintet, but there are different tales among them: with Koch entering the last year of his deal, his Leeds career is in effect over; Llorente signed a new deal until 2026 in December, when demotion was a possibility and shortly before being loaned out; Aaronson, a 22-year-old, with four years left on his contract, could yet have plenty of Premier League football ahead of him at Elland Road. If part of the gamble is that Leeds can come back up, perhaps allowing them to inject loanees back into their squad with their (supposedly) greater quality in 12 months’ time, there is also the prospect that if they do not, then they are sent out for a further year elsewhere in 2024 because there are no buyers. It underlines an economy of risk: if some purchases don’t just lose some but all of their transfer value when a club is relegated, the money spent by the bottom-half Premier League clubs is likelier to end up wasted. In the meantime, there is a logic to Leeds’ actions, disposing of players who may not want to play in the lower divisions early in the window, to rebuild around their core of Championship stalwarts, young players and Brits, to giving new manager Daniel Farke something of a clean slate. For now, their squad is looking slender. There is a way to alter that. Because the recent history of the Championship shows one of the keys to exiting it in the right direction is to make astute loan signings – as Burnley did with Nathan Tella, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Ian Maatsen, Sheffield United with Tommy Doyle and James McAteer or Luton with Ethan Horvath, Marvelous Nakamba and Leeds’ Cody Drameh last season – from Premier League clubs. If the age-old wisdom was to neither a borrower nor a lender be, Leeds may hope it will pay to be both. Read More Harry Maguire’s fall from grace shows Manchester United captaincy is a hospital pass Looking back with pride and forward with anticipation – Friday’s sporting social NBA star Russell Westbrook joins Leeds United ownership group It’s done – Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas take minority stake in Leeds

What the papers say Harry Kane does not want to join Paris St Germain which means Tottenham face a battle with Bayern Munich for the striker’s services, the Telegraph has said. Despite only having one year left on his contract, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy wants more than £100million for the 29-year-old, who Bayern believe is open to a move to the German giants. Chelsea are hoping Moises Caicedo could help turn around their form from last season but the Evening Standard says it will come at a hefty price. Chelsea are set to make a bid of more than £70million for the 21-year-old Brighton and Ecuador midfielder, who has reportedly agreed to personal terms with the Blues. West Ham’s bid to fill the void left by Declan Rice is yet to come to fruition after their £45million offer for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha was rejected, according to the Guardian. The club also had a loan deal for Harry Maguire from Manchester United turned down. The Evening Standard says Brighton are reportedly set to win the race to sign Fiorentina defender Igor, with Fulham also interested in the 25-year-old Brazilian. Fulham had a £7million offer rejected by the Italian club last week. Social media round-up Players to watch Ivan Toney: The Brentford striker will return from a ban from football in January and Tottenham could make a bid for the 27-year-old if they lose Harry Kane, Football Transfers said. Kylian Mbappe: Sky Sports reported the French superstar will meet with the president of Paris St Germain for the first time since he sent a letter to the club declaring that he will not be extending his deal after next season. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Shohei Ohtani tied the score in the seventh inning with his major league-leading 35th home run and pinch-hitter Michael Stefanic hit a game-ending single in the 10th to give the Los Angeles Angels a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees, Los Angeles trailed 3-1 when Ohtani hit a two-run drive off Michael King, then made a demonstrative flip of his bat

Jarred Kelenic’s two-run single capped Seattle’s big fifth inning against All-Star Sonny Gray, and Eugenio Suárez added a two-run homer in the seventh as the Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins 7-6

Connor Wong hit a two-run double and singled in a run for a career-high three RBIs, leading the Boston Red Sox past the Oakland Athletics 7-0 for their eighth win in nine games

First-round draft pick Colin Houck will receive a $2.75 million signing bonus from the New York Mets, above the slot value of $2,607,500 for his selection at No. 32 overall last week

Australia’s Victoria state has withdrawn as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games because of a massive increase in the projected cost of staging the multi-sports event

Matt Vierling capped a three-run eighth inning with a two-run double that lifted the Detroit Tigers over Kansas City and sent the Royals to their ninth loss in 11 games