List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the French Open because of a lingering hip injury that has sidelined him since January and says that he expects 2024 to be his last year on the tennis tour

Sergio Aguero has been hit with a ban that is the biggest of his career since his forced retirement. It comes after the Argentian football player was banned on the streaming platform Twitch following his venture into content creation. The former Manchester City legend was forced to retire from football in 2021 after being diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. The end of his footballing career saw the beginning of a new journey into streaming as Aguero earned a strong number of followers on streaming site Twitch largely sharing football-based content. Now, however, users attempting to access his profile (slakun10) are being met with the service’s generic message about “copyright” issues. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The message reads: “Content from this channel has been removed at the request of the copyright holder.” While no specific information has been given about his indefinite ban, it is likely that it could be due to Aguero using content that he was not permitted to. Due to the timing of the ban, some have hypothesised that Aguero may have live-streamed part of his former side Manchester City’s 4-0 Champions League semi-final second-leg win over Real Madrid on Wednesday 17 May. It is the first time the former football player has been banned from Twitch since many of his on-field fans followed him to the site to view his content, including watching him play FIFA video games, both old and new. Despite having won 12 major trophies with Manchester City and scoring 260 goals for the club, he is perhaps best known for his last-ditch winner against Queens Park Rangers during the 2011/2012 season which help City win their first league title since 1968. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Dean Smith defended his under-fire Leicester players as they fight for their Premier League lives. The Foxes go to Newcastle on Monday knowing their top-flight future hangs in the balance as they sit two points from safety with two games left. If Everton win at Wolves and Nottingham Forest avoid defeat against Arsenal over the weekend Leicester will need to win at St James’ Park or they will go down. The squad – with one win in their last 14 games – has been accused of lacking fight in their relegation battle but Smith has given them his support. “I don’t need to pay homage to the players, I’ve inherited a squad and not brought any of them in,” said the boss, who saw the Foxes limply lose 3-0 to Liverpool on Monday. “I can openly criticise them if I need to, I don’t think I need to and I choose not to because the work ethic I see is there. “The numbers I get from my performance department prove to me it’s there. The thing which is missing is keeping clean sheets and making fewer mistakes in the defensive third. “It’s out of our hands because if other teams get the results there’s nothing we can do. We just have to concentrate on Newcastle and get the win. “If we get the performance we are capable of and minimise mistakes, not a problem. “We are in a position we don’t want to be in. Our job is to get out of it. Our job hasn’t changed from eight games (when he came in) to two games. “If you look at it realistically it was going to be tough to get points from Manchester City and Liverpool. Other games we would have expected to get points.” Kelechi Iheanacho (groin) and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (ankle) are expected to resume training on Saturday after missing the Liverpool defeat while Caglar Soyuncu (hamstring) and Danny Ward (dislocated finger) remain out. It is a fourth straight Monday game – meaning Leicester will know all the results before they play – but Smith insisted other scorelines will not impact his approach. He added: “We’re preparing for Newcastle now, I don’t want to suddenly change tactics with what we’ve been working on for four or five days.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live A look at how Pep Guardiola has fared previously against Inter Milan Dominic Calvert-Lewin set for Everton return ahead of crunch clash with Wolves Manuel Akanji wants three trophies to make it an ‘unbelievable’ debut season

Both Newcastle and Brighton will be looking to finish their campaigns strongly as the two meet with the Premier League season nearing an end. The home side had looked in good position to make certain of a top four finish, but a defeat to Arsenal and draw against Leeds means Eddie Howe’s team cannot afford to stumble home with Liverpool closing fast. Newcastle have a game in hand on the fifth-placed side, but are now only one point ahead in third. Brighton, meanwhile, have European ambitions of their own - they still have four games to play and a win here would solidify their place in a Europa League qualification spot. Here’s everything you need to know. When is Newcastle vs Brighton? Newcastle vs Brighton is due to kick off at 7.30pm BST on Thursday 18 May at St James’ Park in Newcastle. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage on the channels from 7pm BST. Subscribers can also stream the action via Sky Go. Team news Newcastle are not thought to have any fresh injury concerns, with Matt Ritchie, Emil Krafth, Sean Longstaff and Jamaal Lascelles the current absentees from Eddie Howe’s squad. The manager paired Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson together against Leeds and could again deploy the pair in forward tandem. Roberto De Zerbi is dealing with a number of injuries, with the Brighton manager particularly short of options on the right side of his defence. There are no new complaints following the win over Arsenal, though, with Julio Enciso’s issue that forced his late removal in that fixture played down by De Zerbi at the conclusion of the match. Predicted line-ups Newcastle XI: Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Joelinton, Guimaraes, Willock; Almiron, Wilson, Isak. Brighton XI: Steele; Caicedo, Dunk, Colwill, Estupinan; Gross, Gilmour; Mitoma, Mac Allister, Enciso; Ferguson. Odds Newcastle win 21/20 Draw 3/1 Brighton win 5/2 Prediction A score draw. Newcastle 2-2 Brighton Read More Liverpool won’t let up in battle for top-four spot, says Jurgen Klopp Howard Webb keen to air more conversations between match officials and VARs Mikel Arteta apologises for Arsenal’s Brighton disaster - ‘You cannot do what we did’ From Netflix disaster to the Premier League? Sunderland seek to leave chaos behind Police charge Leeds fan with assault over Eddie Howe confrontation Fan confronts Howe in technical area during Newcastle’s draw at Leeds

Manchester City will face Inter Milan in the Champions League final on June 10. The two clubs have never played each other in a competitive match but manager Pep Guardiola does have some experience of facing the Italians. Here, the PA news agency looks back on those meetings. September 2009: Inter 0 Barcelona 0 (Champions League, group stage) All four of Guardiola’s past encounters with Inter came during his Barcelona side’s 2009-10 Champions League campaign, at a time when both clubs were among the most powerful forces in Europe, and pitted him against someone who would go on to become his fiercest rival, Jose Mourinho. The first of those games was a goalless draw at the San Siro. November 2009: Barcelona 2 Inter 0 (Champions League, group stage) Barca, the reigning champions, asserted their authority in the return fixture. A team that left Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the bench won comfortably with first-half goals from Gerard Pique and Pedro. April 2010: Inter 3 Barcelona 1 (Champions League, semi-finals) It was a different story when the sides met again in the last four. This time Inter ran out convincing winners at the San Siro after coming from behind in the first leg of their semi-final. Pedro struck first for the holders but Inter levelled through Wesley Sneijder and took victory after further goals from Maicon and Diego Milito. April 2010: Barcelona 1 Inter 0 (Champions League, semi-finals) Mourinho’s side were at their defensive best as they frustrated Barca with 10 men to end their reign as champions. Guardiola’s side won on the night with a late goal from Pique but it was not enough as the Catalans failed to take full advantage of Thiago Motta’s 28th-minute sending off. Inter went on to lift the trophy. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is set to rejoin training on Friday ahead of the crucial trip to Wolves this weekend. The England international was replaced at half-time of last weekend’s defeat by Manchester City due to a groin problem, and having been given a reduced workload this week, manager Sean Dyche is ready to bring him back into the squad. “He’s had a few down days and it is looking more promising so he will be with us again tomorrow,” he said. “He has come through the last couple of days well.” Defender Vitalii Mykolenko’s continued absence, he missed the City game with a thigh problem, means Everton are without any first-choice full-backs as Seamus Coleman’s season was ended by a knee injury earlier this month. Dyche admits it would be a risk to play the Ukraine international this weekend. “I doubt he will be right for this one. He has got a chance for the next one,” he said. “It’s a risk-and-reward scenario but he hasn’t trained so I doubt he’ll be ready for this one. “Myko is close but it is whether we take a gamble on that with only one to go (after this weekend).” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Feyenoord's Arne Slot has emerged as the prime candidate for the Tottenham Hotspur job, after initial discussions among the hierarchy. Daniel Levy has been leading the first stage of interviews in the last few weeks, and the 44-year-old is seen as meeting the most of Spurs' requirements for the profile. They include a progressive and up-and-coming coach, and one with a record of bringing on a new team with a modern style of play. Some football figures in the Netherlands believe Slot's work with Feyenoord in that regard, as he leads them to a first title in six years, is superior even to Erik ten Hag's at Ajax. It is for that reason the Dutch club are determined to keep Slot, and willing to offer him a huge pay increase, while seeking to persuade him to give the club a season in the Champions League. Feyenoord have already been successful in fending off Premier League interest, most strongly from Leeds United, but also, more tentatively, from Crystal Palace. It would cost any club at least £4.5m to sign him. Spurs are also seeking to speak to Sporting Lisbon's Bruno Amorim among a series of similar candidates, having already ruled out any possibility of attracting Julian Nagelsmann. Mauricio Pochettino, who is set to be appointed by Chelsea, has not been seriously pursued for a return. While the possibility did come close in 2021, and both parties like the idea of the Argentine coming back, it was mutually felt it is better to look forward. Spurs are meanwile closer to a new director of football, having narrowed their pursuit to three main candidates. They are Roma's Tiago Pinto, Tim Steidten, recently of Bayer Leverkusen and one other as yet unknown figure who is said to be best considered. Read More Dominic Calvert-Lewin set for Everton return ahead of crunch clash with Wolves Ivan Toney’s eight-month ban could be extended worldwide by Fifa Manuel Akanji wants three trophies to make it an ‘unbelievable’ debut season

The Football Association is expected to ask FIFA to extend Ivan Toney’s ban globally unless an appeal leads to the suspension being overturned. As things stand the 27-year-old will not be able to play again until January 17 next year after he was banned for eight months by an independent regulatory commission for admitting 232 breaches of FA betting rules. The PA news agency understands the FA could only apply to FIFA for a worldwide extension if a ban is still in place once the appeals process is complete. Once the written reasons in the case are published, both parties have a window of time to issue an intention to appeal. Only once that window closes without an appeal, or the appeals process concludes with a ban still in place, could the FA apply to extend the ban globally. The extension of the ban worldwide would rule out the possibility of Toney moving overseas to play on a temporary or permanent basis while any ban imposed in England is still in force. The granting of an extension would require approval from FIFA’s own disciplinary committee, but would appear to be a formality with no obvious precedent where FIFA has refused a national association’s request to extend a ban globally. The FA did apply to FIFA for a worldwide extension in the cases of two other English players banned over betting rule breaches – Kieran Trippier and Daniel Sturridge – while more recently FIFA accepted an application to extend a ban imposed by the Italian federation on former Tottenham managing director Fabio Paratici, a decision which prompted his resignation from the north London club. Paratici’s ban was imposed following an investigation into allegations of financial mismanagement at his former club Juventus. It is unclear at this stage whether Toney – who won his first England cap in March – will appeal against the ban. He said he was “naturally disappointed” about the sanction in a statement issued on Wednesday, but said he would await the publication of the commission’s written reasons concerning the case before commenting further. The FA is also awaiting the written reasons. Toney will be allowed to return to training on September 17, four months before the playing ban expires. The ban takes effect immediately, meaning Toney is out of Brentford’s final two Premier League matches this season starting with the game against Tottenham on Saturday. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Manuel Akanji wants three trophies to make it an ‘unbelievable’ debut season Domingo Miotti given the nod to start at 10 for Glasgow in showdown with Toulon Sam Hain at peace with his game and keen to get wins for Warwickshire

A Florida judge has blocked an attempt by the ex-girlfriend of professional golfer Tiger Woods to nullify a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that would require her to arbitrate complaints she has filed against the golfer.

NASCAR is returning to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the first time in 27 years to host this weekend’s All-Star race

The PGA Championship is officially underway at Oak Hill

The focus in the Spanish league now shifts to the drama at the bottom with the title already clinched by Barcelona