List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

As birthday presents go, defeating the world No. 1 and five-time world champion must rank up there among the best for chess grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh.

Former England international Jesse Lingard will leave Nottingham Forest at the end of his contract. Lingard raised eyebrows when he joined Forest last season following their promotion to the Premier League, turning down West Ham to sign a lucrative one-year deal. But his time at the City Ground did not work out and he made just 20 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals in the Carabao Cup. He featured just four times in 2023, but was a constant presence on the touchline as Forest beat the odds to retain their Premier League status. The 30-year-old will now look for a third club in three years, with reports linking him to a number of cash-rich leagues abroad. Andre Ayew, who signed a short-term contract in January, will also depart the City Ground this summer, along with Jack Colback, Cafu, Lyle Taylor and Jordan Smith. Right-back Serge Aurier, who was a key performer in Forest’s survival mission, has triggered the one-year option in his contract so will stay for the 2023/24 campaign. Loanees Dean Henderson, Keylor Navas and Renan Lodi come to the end of their deals, though Forest are understood to be interested in exploring permanent moves for Manchester United goalkeeper Henderson and Brazilian Lodi. Forest are not expected to have a repeat of last summer’s recruitment drive, which saw them sign 22 players by the end of the transfer window and go up to 30 by the end of January. But it is still likely to be busy as boss Steve Cooper targets a smaller number of quality additions and will be keen to move several players on as he trims a bloated squad. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Polish referee will keep his role in charge of the Champions League final after apologising for appearing at a far-right event in Poland. Marciniak spoke at a recent event organised by a Polish far-right leader Slawomir Mentzen. Uefa appointed Marciniak last month to referee the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan in Istanbul, which takes place next Saturday, 10 June. He said in a statement: “I want to express my deepest apologies for my involvement and any distress or harm it may have caused. “Upon reflection and further investigation, it has become evident that I was gravely misled and completely unaware of the true nature and affiliations of the event in question. I had no knowledge that it was associated [with] a Polish extreme-right movement. Had I been aware of this fact, I would have categorically declined the invitation. “It is important to understand that the values promoted by this movement are entirely contrary to my personal beliefs and the principles I strive to uphold in my life. I am deeply remorseful for any perception that my participation may have contradicted them.” Mentzen, co-chairman of the Confederation party, launched the political slogan ‘We stand against Jews, gays, abortion, taxation and the European Union’. Anti-racism group Never Again had urged Uefa to drop Marciniak after claiming he had promoted and was one of the keynote speakers at an event held by Mentzen at the International Congress Centre in Katowice. But Marciniak has kept his role and Uefa said: “After conducting a thorough review, we have received a statement from Mr Marciniak expressing his deepest apologies and providing a clarification regarding his involvement in the event.” Marciniak, 42, became the first Polish referee to take charge of a World Cup final in Qatar last December when Argentina beat France on penalties. He refereed the second leg of City’s semi-final win against Real Madrid and has taken charge of seven other Champions League fixtures. Read More Erling Haaland: Winning treble with Manchester City would be my biggest dream Why Man City’s FFP case could be another Super League moment for football

UEFA has confirmed referee Szymon Marciniak will remain in charge of next week’s Champions League final after investigating his alleged links with a far-right movement. Marciniak was under review after speaking at a recent event organised by Polish far-right leader Slawomir Mentzen and his role as match official for Manchester City’s clash with Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10 was in doubt. But UEFA is satisfied that Marciniak had been “gravely misled and completely unaware of the true nature and affiliations of the event in question” and will keep the 42-year-old Pole as referee. UEFA said: “Following Mr. Marciniak’s statement, UEFA acknowledges his profound apologies and clarification. “UEFA also reached out to “NEVERAGAIN,” an NGO affiliated with the FARE network, which raised the initial concerns about Mr. Marciniak’s involvement in the event. “They requested that Mr. Marciniak remain in his role as the referee for the upcoming UEFA Champions League final, firmly asserting that removing him would undermine the promotion of anti-discrimination. “Based on the information provided, UEFA confirms that Mr. Marciniak will fulfil his role as the referee for the 2023 UEFA Champions League final.” It is important to understand that the values promoted by this movement are entirely contrary to my personal beliefs and the principles I strive to uphold in my life Champions League final referee Szymon Marciniak The organiser of the event at which Marciniak was a guest speaker, co-chairman of the Confederation party Mentzen, launched the political slogan ‘We stand against Jews, gays, abortion, taxation and the European Union’. Anti-racism group Never Again had urged UEFA to drop Marciniak after the event at the International Congress Centre in Katowice. Marciniak said in a statement: “I want to express my deepest apologies for my involvement and any distress or harm it may have caused. “Upon reflection and further investigation, it has become evident that I was gravely misled and completely unaware of the true nature and affiliations of the event in question.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente recalled veteran Jesús Navas to his squad for the Nations League final four

The Premier League has joined refereeing body PGMOL in condemning abuse directed at Anthony Taylor after video footage emerged of him being accosted by angry fans at Budapest Airport. Taylor and his family can be seen trying to evade a mob, who were shouting at him as he travelled home after refereeing Wednesday night’s Europa League final between Roma and Sevilla in the Hungarian capital. A Premier League spokesperson said it was “shocked and appalled by the abuse suffered by Taylor, whilst PGMOL described the incident as “unjustified and abhorrent”. The Premier League official was criticised for his performance in the final by Roma boss Jose Mourinho during his post-match press conference after the Italian side lost on penalties to Sevilla. And in video footage which later emerged on social media, the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager is seen gesticulating at Taylor and officials in the stadium car park and heard saying “disgrace”. In the incident at the airport, clips on Twitter show a chair and drinks being thrown in the direction of Taylor and his group as they make their way through a gathering of Roma fans. A Premier League spokesperson said: “We are shocked and appalled by the unacceptable abuse directed at Anthony Taylor and his family as they travelled back from the UEFA Europa League Final. “No one should have to suffer the inexcusable behaviour they had to endure yesterday. “Anthony is one of our most experienced and accomplished match officials and we fully support him and his family.” The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said in a statement on Thursday evening: “PGMOL is aware of videos circulating on social media showing Anthony Taylor and his family being harassed and abused at Budapest Airport. “We are appalled at the unjustified and abhorrent abuse directed at Anthony and his family as he tries to make his way home from refereeing the UEFA Europa League final. “We will continue to provide our full support to Anthony and his family.” UEFA is awaiting Taylor’s reports before deciding whether to take action against Mourinho for his rant. Taylor booked Mourinho during the game, which finished 1-1 after extra time before Sevilla sealed their seventh Europa League triumph by winning 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out. Tempers simmered on and off the pitch in a disappointing final, with 13 players shown yellow cards, seven of them to Roma players, while fourth official Michael Oliver had his work cut out to keep control of both dug-outs. The game was littered with delays, with a total of 25 minutes’ stoppage time added to the 120 minutes of playing time. West Ham boss David Moyes condemned the treatment of Taylor as he prepares his side for Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in Prague. “I didn’t see the game so I can’t comment on the game itself or the officiating,” Moyes said. “All referees have a really difficult job and shouldn’t be put through any difficult situations, which I heard about this morning. That’s not correct.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Discipline is key for David Moyes as West Ham promise fair play in Prague final Champions League final referee could be removed over alleged far-right links Jude Bellingham determined to inspire the next generation of footballers

David Moyes insists West Ham will not resort to the use of dark arts following Fiorentina’s admission they will employ tactical fouls in next Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final. The Serie A club’s boss Vincenzo Italiano has outlined his strategy for the showpiece in Prague, stating it will be necessary to combat the Hammers’ most potent threat. “We will try to not give them dangerous balls and to work on tactical fouls, preventative tackles, to avoid counter-attacks. These are the counter-measures to play against this kind of attitude,” Italiano said. But Moyes promises that West Ham, who are aiming to win their first trophy since defeating Arsenal in the 1980 FA Cup final, will stick to the rules. “It will be down to the referees to sort that out and not for us to have a huge opinion on it,” he said. “We’ll try to play a fair game and from my point of view that’s always the best way to try and do it.” West Ham have completed the Premier League season without receiving a single red card while also incurring the lowest number of yellows in the competition with 43. “I didn’t know that stat and it’s obviously a good stat. You always want to be well disciplined in finals and in any games. Hopefully that’s the way it remains,” Moyes said. “You also hope that the referees are looking at that and saying, ‘they’re a well disciplined side going about their job correctly’. Hopefully they’re doing their homework as well.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Polish soccer referee Szymon Marciniak has apologized for speaking at a business event tied to a far-right politician and was confirmed by UEFA to officiate next week's Champions League final

Tom Brady has shut down speculation and rumors of a potential return to football.

The highlight of Game 1 for Jamal Murray came when he dribbled into the middle, planted his surgically repaired left knee in the paint, made a full clockwise turn, then faded away and swished a mid-range jumper

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that the league has "uncovered a fair amount of additional information" in relation to Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant and a video which surfaced on social media in May appearing to show him flashing a gun while in a vehicle with others.

Claressa Shields is perhaps in the prime of her career, establishing a big enough name as a two-time Olympic gold medalist and world champion in three weight classes to headline the first boxing card in the six-year history of Little Caesars Arena in the Motor City