List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Manchester City are celebrating another Premier League title but their season is far from done as they also target FA Cup and Champions League success. Here, the PA news agency looks at their plans for their coming weeks. How will Pep Guardiola approach their final two Premier League games? With the Premier League title race over, City can afford to ease up for their two remaining league games – away to Brighton and Brentford – before switching attention to their two finals. The line-up for Sunday’s dead rubber against Chelsea, when manager Guardiola named most of his big guns on the bench, showed he intends to lighten his star names’ load. Yet there is also a need to keep players sharp and prevent rustiness. There may be a clue to his thinking in the line-ups for the two Premier League games immediately prior to the Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid. In those matches, against West Ham and Leeds, Guardiola gave all his starting XI against Madrid game time but only one – Erling Haaland – started both. We could see a similar approach with half the first-choice side starting the first game, and the other half the second. Are there any injury concerns? City have had a good season in terms of squad fitness with relatively few injuries. Defender Nathan Ake is currently their only sidelined player with a hamstring problem. The Netherlands international has enjoyed a fine campaign but time is short. He may need to get some action against either Brighton or Brentford to have a chance of starting against Manchester United at Wembley or Inter Milan in Istanbul. What will the approach to the finals from City be? Obviously it is hard to make predictions but it is notable that Guardiola named the same side for City’s three biggest games of recent weeks – the crunch Premier League clash with Arsenal and both legs against Real Madrid. With performance levels in those games outstanding, it would appear he has found his ideal big-match XI. There could be some room for deviation in the FA Cup – for instance Stefan Ortega has been the regular domestic cup starting keeper and Riyad Mahrez’s semi-final hat-trick may earn him another outing – but the side for Istanbul would seem at least pencilled in. Can Manchester United stop City winning the treble? United’s fans may view their own team as the best hope of stopping City emulating their famous 1999 treble. City will be firm favourites to win both finals but Manchester derbies can be unpredictable. City thrashed their neighbours 6-3 in October but United got revenge when they met again at Old Trafford in January. There was some controversy over United’s equaliser in the 2-1 win but the Red Devils proved they can compete with City on a given day. City, of course, have hit their stride since and United’s mid-season charge has slowed, but Erik ten Hag’s team can shine on a one-off occasion. Do Inter pose a threat to City? After thrashing Madrid in the previous round, City seem destined to finally claim the Champions League prize this term. It is difficult to see Inter, currently the fourth best team in Serie A, containing them. Yet the Italians are defensively strong and do pose a threat through the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez and former City striker Edin Dzeko, so they may have a puncher’s chance. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live I have lived an absolute dream – Mark Cavendish sets date for cycling retirement Mark Cavendish: The journey from ‘fat banker’ to cycling’s greatest sprinter Mark Cavendish to retire from cycling at the end of the year

A son of longtime Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler has resigned from his position with the Wolverines, with the school saying it was aware of his social media activity that may have caused “pain” in the community

Manchester City’s ruthless run to the Premier League title can be traced back to the morning of Feb. 6

Francis Ngannou has corrected Dana White’s false claim that the heavyweight was released by the UFC, after White criticised Ngannou for signing with the PFL. Ngannou left the UFC at the end of his contract in January, relinquishing the heavyweight title before announcing last week that he had signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). As part of Ngannou’s PFL deal, the Cameroonian will be able to box on the side, and his opponents will receive a guaranteed pay of $2million. Furthermore, Ngannou, 36, will serve as chairman of PFL Africa and have equity in the promotion. The “Predator” is expected to box this year and make his PFL debut in 2024. UFC president White said on Saturday that the deal “makes no sense to me” and that Ngannou “wants to take zero risks”. The American also referenced “the day that we released him”. Ngannou took exception to the 53-year-old’s comments, however. “What is your problem with me?” Ngannou tweeted on Sunday (21 May). “I completed my contract, was a free agent, and chose to walk away. You didn’t release me. “I hate taking risks? That’s why I defended my title to [fulfil] my contract with no acl or mcl? “I’m finally getting paid and respected, and have a deal that’s fair and equal for all parties. Why are you so against me being free and happy?” Ngannou also hit back at White’s claim that the Cameroonian had turned down fights in the UFC prior to his exit. “The reason I fought three times in three years is because you wanted to control my deal and [sign] a new one. And freeze me out,” Ngannou wrote. “‘I owe these guys three fights a year.’ Isn’t that what you say? What happened? I always asked for & never said no to any fight in the 3 years.” Ngannou most recently fought in January 2022, outpointing former teammate Ciryl Gane to retain the UFC heavyweight title with an injured knee. He later underwent treatment for the injury, before leaving the UFC this January. In March, UFC light-heavyweight icon Jon Jones won the vacant heavyweight title by submitting Gane in Round 1. Jones and Ngannou have long gone back and forth on Twitter and in the media, with White previously accusing Jones of avoiding a fight with Ngannou. On Saturday, however, the UFC president claimed the opposite, leading Ngannou to write: “If you ever really want that Jon Jones fight to happen, reach out to @PeteMurrayPFL. Whenever, wherever.” Ngannou also shared footage of White suggesting, after Ngannou had beaten Gane, that Jones had no desire to fight the Cameroonian. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Francis Ngannou: Who will the heavyweight fight next after signing with PFL? Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary Who will Francis Ngannou fight next after signing with PFL? Francis Ngannou explains unprecedented PFL deal and how it will help his opponents Conor McGregor makes guarantee for Michael Chandler fight

Real Madrid say racism directed at Vinicius Junior constitutes a ‘hate crime’ and have filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office. Brazil forward Vinicius was the subject of an alleged racist attack during Real’s 1-0 LaLiga defeat at Valencia on Sunday. The game was paused after the break as Vinicius pointed out to the referee those who were allegedly abusing him in the stands at the Mestalla – and the 22-year-old later took to social media to say racism is ‘normal’ in LaLiga. “Real Madrid CF shows its strongest revulsion and condemns the events that took place yesterday against our player Vinicius Junior,” the club said in a strongly-worded statement on Monday. “These facts constitute a direct attack on the coexistence model of our social and democratic state of law. “Real Madrid considers that such attacks also constitute a hate crime, for which reason it has filed the corresponding complaint with the state attorney general’s office, specifically with the prosecutor’s office against hate crimes and discrimination, so that the facts can be investigated and clear responsibilities. “Article 124 of the Spanish constitution establishes the functions of the public prosecutor’s office to promote the action of justice in defence of legality and the rights of citizens and the public interest. “For this reason, and given the seriousness of the events that occurred, Real Madrid has turned to the sate attorney general’s office, without prejudice to its appearance as a private prosecution in the proceedings that are being initiated.” In a statement on Instagram, Vinicius – who was sent off for violent conduct in added time of Real’s defeat following an altercation with striker Hugo Duro – said: “It wasn’t the first time, not the second and not the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga. “The competition thinks it’s normal, so does the Federation and the opponents encourage it. I am so sorry. “The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Lionel) Messi, today belongs to the racists. “A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and I love, but which accepted to export the image to the world from a racist country. “Sorry for the Spaniards who do not agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists. “And unfortunately with everything that happens on a weekly basis, I have no way to defend. I agree. But I’m strong and will go to the end against the racists. Even though it’s far from here.” LaLiga president Javier Tebas responded to Vinicius’ post on Sunday by accusing the forward for “criticising and insulting” the league. In another tweet on Monday, Tebas said: “Neither Spain nor @LaLiga are racist. It is very unfair to say this. “How @LaLiga we denounce and fight racism with all rigidity within our competences. This season there were 9 cases of racist insults (8 of them for insults against @vinijr) “We always identify the violators and take the complaint to the legislating bodies. It doesn’t matter that they are few, they are relentless. “We cannot allow the image of a competition that is about the symbol of peoples union to be tarnished, where more than 200 players are of black origin in 42 clubs that receive in each round the respect and affection of the fans, being the racism an extremely specific case (9 complaints) that we are going to eliminate.” Valencia released a statement on their club website condemning what happened and confirming they will investigate what happened. Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand took to Instagram in support of Vinicius and questioned player protection. “Bro you need protecting….who is protecting Vinicius Junior in Spain??” Ferdinand posted. “He receives a red card after being choked and receiving racial abuse during the game… wtf. “How many times do we need to see this young man subjected to this s**t?? I see pain, I see disgust, I see him needing help… and the authorities don’t do s**t to help him. “People need to stand together and demand more from the authorities that run our game. “No one deserves this, yet you are allowing it. There needs to be a unified approach to this otherwise it will be swept under the carpet AGAIN.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Glamorgan aiming to make cricket more diverse in Wales John Stones wants Man City to ‘make some more history’ as they chase treble Norrie up and down as Murray and Raducanu sit out – British tennis picture

Spanish soccer is again embroiled in racism and the support for Vinícius Júnior is growing rapidly after yet another case of abuse against the Brazil forward this weekend

Real Madrid have filed an official complaint to the Spanish attorney general’s office after Vinicius Jr suffered racial abuse. The Brazilian was abused during Sunday night’s defeat to Valencia, halting the game temporarily to draw the officials’ attention to a section of supporters. The 22-year-old was later sent off after a clash with Hugo Duro, and afterwards accused La Liga of not doing enough to fight racism, describing Spain as a “country of racists”. His club has now released an official statement confirming that they have referred what they consider a “hate crime” to the authorities. “Real Madrid is strongly repulsed and condemns the events that took place yesterday against our player Vinícius Jr,” the Spanish capital club said in a statement. “These acts constitute a direct attack on the coexistence model of our social and democratic state of law. “Real Madrid considers that such attacks also constitute a hate crime, for which reason it has filed the corresponding complaint with the State Attorney General’s Office, specifically with the Prosecutor’s Office against hate crimes and discrimination, so that the facts can be investigated. “Given the seriousness of the events that occurred, Real Madrid has turned to the State Attorney General’s Office, without prejudice to its appearance as a private prosecution in the proceedings that are being initiated.” La Liga has confirmed that it will investigate the incident and take “appropriate legal action” if required. Vinicius has been subjected to racist chanting and gestures on multiple occasions during this campaign. “What we saw today is unacceptable - an entire stadium chanting racist slurs,” manager Carlo Ancelotti said of the treatment of his player during the 1-0 defeat. “I don’t want to talk about football today. There is no meaning in talking about football today. I told the referee he should have stopped the match. “La Liga has a problem. For me, Vinicius is the most important player in the world. These episodes of racism have to stop the match. “It’s the entire stadium that is insulting a player with racist chants and the match has to stop. I would say the same if we were winning 3-0. There is no other way.” Read More Commentator sparks outrage for criticising Vinicius Jr reaction after facing racist abuse Brazilian president Lula and players support Vinicius Junior after racist attack in La Liga match Rio Ferdinand sends angry message demanding protection for Vinicius Jr after racism storm

Conor McGregor has insisted that he will fight Michael Chandler before the end of the year, amid fan concerns that the UFC clash will not take place at all. It was announced in early February that McGregor and Chandler would serve as opposing coaches on the new season of The Ultimate Fighter, which airs between 30 May and 15 August, before fighting each other. However, no date, location or weight class has been confirmed for the bout. McGregor is also absent from the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool. Fighters must be in the pool for six months and return two negative tests (and zero positives) in order to compete in the UFC. As a result, McGregor must enter the pool imminently if he is to fight before the end of 2022. “That’s done, man,” Conor McGregor claimed in an interview with the Daily Mirror at the weekend. “That’s done. I’m ready. “By year-end, I’m back in that cage, having competed. I’m gearing up now, ready to go. “The fight’s signed now. It’ll be announced during The Ultimate Fighter. So, The Ultimate Fighter is airing in a few days on ESPN; by the time that show finishes, we’ll have a date and everything set for the fans.” Irishman McGregor, 34, has not fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier. Meanwhile, Chandler also lost to Poirier in his most recent bout, having been submitted by his fellow American in November. Last week, the second documentary covering McGregor’s career was released on Netflix. McGregor Forever covers the former dual-weight champion’s fights with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Donald Cerrone, his back-to-back losses to Poirier in 2021, and his recovery from his broken leg. Read The Independent’s review of the four-part series here. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary Conor McGregor cheers on Katie Taylor from ringside during Chantelle Cameron fight Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones

Manchester City are Premier League champions once again after Arsenal’s title challenge fell short under Mikel Arteta. The Gunners were top of the table for 248 days this season - the longest time a team has led the Premier League without winning it - but won just two out of their last seven matches over the run-in. Pep Guardiola’s side have been on unstoppable form since mid-February and defeated Arsenal twice to surge to their third title in a row and fifth in six seasons. It extended City’s era of dominance under Guardiola, but Arsenal will wonder what might have been. Here are five ways Arsenal can improve over the summer to challenge City for the title again next season. Reach 90 points Really, it is an absurd situation that 80-plus points is not enough to win a league. It warrants grander debates than just unthinking declarations about how competitive the Premier League is. It has come from a growing financial gap since the early 2000s that has now been taken to extremes by the Abu Dhabi project at Manchester City. You need at least 85 points to properly challenge Pep Guardiola’s and probably over 90 – if not even higher – to beat them. “That team has the capacity to get 105 or 110 points,” Arteta warned. This is immensely demanding. Arsenal were the first club to reach 43 points after 16 games and not win the title. The default position at the start of any season is that City under Guardiola will win the title. In the end, they went on the unstoppable run everyone expected. Arsenal literally couldn’t compete against that, despite their own version early on. At least this season. Improve squad depth The true value of this campaign may be in highlighting to Arteta exactly where his team is short – and to use that knowledge to go one step further in the future. He has seen they lack depth overall, but also in key areas. While the variety of forwards means they can weather the loss of Gabriel Jesus, it doesn’t look like they can do similar with William Saliba and Martin Odegaard. They also need another strong midfielder - with the club set to battle West Ham’s Declan Rice this summer. The season has at least served to show what Arteta requires. Arsenal are also one of few clubs that at least have the resources and size to sustain something like a challenge over a medium-term spell. This is central to sizable summer ambitions, that involve a higher class of player. Arteta wants at least four. Arteta needs that: “What we have ahead of us next summer is extremely important and we have to absolutely nail it,” he said. Lock down key stars Two of Arsenal’s best players this season – Bukayo Saka and William Saliba – see their contracts run out next season. Saka is currently in negotiations and is expected to sign a new deal making him among the very highest earners at the club, but supporters will only relax when pen is put to paper for one of the best young wingers in Europe. The club have an option to extend Saliba’s contract for a further year, but will look to agree a new deal to tie down the 22-year-old centre-back for the long term. Gabriel Martinelli’s new contract has already been agreed but there remain deals to be done with Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Aaron Ramsdale and Takehiro Tomiyasu over the coming months too in order to keep the core of this squad together for years to come. Rewarding key players for their contribution to this title push while retaining a well-balanced wage structure will be a new challenge for Edu and the Arsenal hierarchy. Make tough decisions Granit Xhaka has been one of Arsenal’s players of the season, unquestionably one of the reasons for the club’s improvement this year. The midfielder’s journey from being booed off at the Emirates and to becoming a fan favourite is symbolic of what Arsenal have achieved this year - a clear reference point of where they came from to where they are now. And yet, it hasn’t been enough to get Arsenal to where they want to get to, and Xhaka is now symbolic of another phase of the journey. The midfielder is 30, he has one year left on his contract, and there is reportedly a £13m offer from Bayer Leverkusen on the table this summer. Arsenal need to twist, and selling Xhaka to recoup a fee is a necessary step as they plot moves for Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo. It is therefore a crossroads both for Arsenal and Xhaka - a reminder of how brutal football can be, that the best times can end so suddenly, but the club needs to make tough decisions to take this team to another level. Learn from the experience Rewind 12 months and Arsenal’s collapse at Newcastle cost the Gunners fourth place and Champions League football. Few predicted Arteta’s side to challenge again and many assumed that the door had closed, only for Arsenal to make a spectacular start to the next season and exceed expectations by competing for the title. The fact that Arsenal are back in the Champions League is barely mentioned now, as was the rate of their progress under Arteta. If Arsenal were a year ahead of their development by competing for the title this year, next season may see the Gunners present a truer reflection of where they are at. Given that, the past few months will be invaluable for the squad and those costly draws at Liverpool and West Ham in April should strengthen their resolve when they face difficult moments next campaign. Arteta will set the standards. “The demands, the expectations, the challenges next season will be even higher,” he said. Read More Five titles in six years: Are Manchester City destroying the Premier League? Man City’s quest for legitimacy is a battle they may never win Pep Guardiola says Arsenal ‘took us to our limits’ and targets Champions League

John Stones is determined not to ease up as Manchester City chase the treble. City claimed the first of a potential three trophies in the coming weeks as they wrapped up the Premier League title over the weekend. They now have their sights on the FA Cup final against Manchester United on June 3 and the Champions League final in Istanbul the following week, in which they will face Inter Milan. Defender Stones, now a five-time Premier League winner, said: “We’re back in training on Monday and we’ll go from there. We’ve got to keep the rhythm. “The hunger is there and we know what’s ahead of us now, that we can try and make some more history.” City were presented with the Premier League trophy after celebrating their success with a comfortable 1-0 win over Chelsea, courtesy of a Julian Alvarez goal, at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Their title triumph – their fifth in six seasons and a third in succession – had been confirmed the previous evening when second-placed Arsenal lost at Nottingham Forest. City trailed the Gunners by eight points last month but have surged past their closest rivals on a run of 12 straight wins. I've been here nearly seven years now and we just keep going from strength to strength with the players that we've got, the team that we've got and the improvement John Stones Stones said: “I don’t think I had time to doubt what we can do. I think it was just focusing on what was ahead of us, focusing on winning. “We’ve done it so many times now. We just came on this run, and it’s just incredible what kind of team we’ve got. “I’ve been here nearly seven years now and we just keep going from strength to strength with the players that we’ve got, the team that we’ve got and the improvement. “The titles that we’ve won – I think it speaks for itself.” Stones has been one of City’s key players during their strong run throughout the spring, playing in a hybrid defence-midfield role. The England international has been part of the back line, at either centre-back or right-back, when opponents have been attacking but has stepped into midfield when City have been in possession. Consequently he has made a big impression at both ends of the field. “I absolutely love it,” he said. “It’s something new for me that I’m learning, giving my everything, every game. “I don’t know if it’s my best football but I’m absolutely loving playing. “It’s always easy when you’re winning and playing the football that we are, but it’s another string to my bow and I am absolutely enjoying it.”

Vasiliy Lomachenko’s team plan to appeal his decision loss to Devin Haney, according to the Ukrainian’s manager. Lomachenko suffered a unanimous points defeat by the American in Las Vegas on Saturday, as Haney remained unbeaten and retained the undisputed lightweight titles. Many fans, boxers and pundits felt that Lomachenko had done enough to win, however, and the 35-year-old’s team plan to appeal the decision, which had “Loma” losing 116-112, 115-113, 115-113. “The biggest robbery in the daylight,” said Lomachenko’s manager Egis Klimas, via Sky Sports. “Haney’s team got Christmas in the summer. “We’re going to appeal this decision. Those judges, they do not understand how the boxers are working hard. “I guarantee we’re not going to let that go. We want to show there has to be justice.” The result marked a third professional defeat for Lomachenko, a former multiple-weight world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Lomachenko, who was filmed crying backstage after his loss on Saturday, also said he felt he had beaten Haney. “I win this fight,” he said in the ring. “Twelve rounds end, I was sure I won this fight. I feel I controlled this fight.” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Devin Haney edges past Vasiliy Lomachenko to remain unbeaten and undisputed Katie Taylor chases rematch after decision loss to Chantelle Cameron Katie Taylor’s long reign as boxing queen over despite heroic last stand

Brooks Koepka now has five major championships with his two-shot win at the PGA Championship