Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone’s best moment Sunday came when he hugged his parents after Detroit's 20-6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy has officially resumed his throwing program as he tries to return from offseason elbow surgery in time for the season opener

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored his second goal in the last four games, Anton Lundell had two assists and the Florida Panthers continued their hot November with a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.

The countdown to Max Verstappen’s likely third straight Formula One title begins on Sunday at the Netherlands Grand Prix

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso was philosophical on Sunday after failing to extend his run of podium finishes when he came home seventh for Aston Martin at...

Manchester United's flight to Newcastle was cancelled hours before their match at St James' Park kicks off on Saturday.

Max Verstappen will start Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix from a shock 11th place after Lance Stroll crashed out at 110mph and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took pole position. On a wild night at the Marina Bay Circuit, both Red Bull drivers were eliminated in Q2 leaving the world champions facing an enormous task to retain their unbeaten record this season. George Russell qualified second, missing out on pole by just 0.072 seconds with Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari, one place ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, half-a-second back. Verstappen was eliminated in Q2 after he bemoaned the handling of the Red Bull machine which has carried him to a record 10 consecutive wins, but has struggled under the bulbs that light up this unique 3.07-mile high-downforce track. Follow live updates from the Singapore Grand Prix with The Independent Read More ‘I had a really good run’: Max Verstappen rules out win at Singapore Grand Prix Max Verstappen endures horrid qualifying as Carlos Sainz claims pole in Singapore Zhou Guanyu interview: ‘There is a lot of pressure in F1 – only winners stay in this sport’

Italy’s national football federation penalized Juventus Football Club SpA, one of Europe’s most successful teams, by effectively pushing

Match report and player ratings from Manchester City's Champions League meeting with Red Star Belgrade.

Hakim Ziyech has joined Galatasaray on a strange loan deal from Chelsea.

Former England footballer Fara Williams has spoken out about the sexist and homophobic abuse she has suffered online, saying she’s been told to “get back in the kitchen”. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, the ex-midfielder turned football pundit said trolls question her knowledge of the sport, telling her she knows “nothing about the game”. The 39-year-old, who is England’s most capped player, said the online abuse is “definitely sexist” and gets worse and is “more aggressive” when she is reporting on men’s football rather than the women’s game. “When I’m doing punditry in a women’s game, the percentages in terms of the abuse you get is really, really minimal compared to when as a female, I talk on the men’s game as a pundit,” Williams said. “The abuse heightens and it’s more aggressive, more direct. Definitely more abusive.” The football commentator said she thought “jealousy” was “probably one of the main things” which drives people to perpetrate online abuse. She said many people think trolls are people who you are “really close to”, adding: “You get trolled by people that you think are your friends and they are the ones that know the most about you.” The former Lioness said she is able to cope with the online hate because she has a “thick skin”, but her ability to handle abuse could potentially change if the harassment were to ramp up. The “daily” abuse suffered by footballers she used to play with who are now prominent in the media is “not acceptable”, she stated. Ms Williams added: “I’ve seen a change in them as people because of social media – close friends that have really been affected by some of the awful abuse that they get online.” She said: “If you are bombarded with abuse daily, at some point it will affect your mental health, whether you think you are strong headed or not.” Ms Williams said: “As I said, I’m quite strong headed now, but there is nothing to say that if I was to be absolutely bombarded with abuse on a daily basis, that couldn’t change how I start to think and see myself.” Her friends are targeted with “horrific abuse” for simply “having an opinion in a workplace that they are supposed to have an opinion in”, she added. Discussing homophobic online abuse, she said: “I’m sure they’re aware that there are a lot of gay people within the women’s game, and it’s easy for them to drop a comment in.” Ms Williams, a member of Hope United, a team of footballers committed to tackling online sexist hate, reflected on whether the abuse she endures would worsen if her punditry for men’s football ramps up. "They could talk about the way I talk, the way I look, the way I sound,” she added. “Who I think I am.” Ms Williams said she hoped abuse on social media would improve when the online safety bill is rolled out as a change in the law would make people “accountable” for their comments. The legislation, which aims to tackle hate speech, cyberbullying, and disinformation, is in its final stages in parliament and would see social media companies also held accountable for abuse published on their sites. The ex-footballer attended a roundtable meeting at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday to demonstrate her backing for proposed changes to the online safety bill, which would boost the online protection of women and girls. “For me, social media has become a fantasy world where you can do whatever you want and get away with it without any consequences,” Ms Williams said. Turning her attention to the World Cup kiss saga, she said it was “disappointing” that it “took so long” to be dealt with. Her comments come after the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales has come under sustained criticism for kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips after Spain secured their 1-0 win over England last month. Rubiales, who was also condemned for grabbing his crotch after Spain won the women’s world title for the first time in history, refused to step down over his behaviour but was suspended by Fifa. He eventually resigned as president on Sunday, after weeks of pressure, after Hermoso filed a legal complaint. Jorge Vilda, head coach of Spain’s women’s team, was fired last week after he was among those who praised Rubiales’ refusal to step down. “It’s the only thing that’s been spoken about when Spain were phenomenal in the World Cup and these women should be celebrated,” she added. “For me, it’s a celebration of their success and I think that’s been forgotten and the girls probably haven’t been able to celebrate.” Discussing Rubiales, she said: “I think the right thing has been done now. He stepped away from it. He still hasn’t apologised.” Read More Fara Williams: England’s most-capped footballer announces retirement England winning Euro 2022 ‘a real proud moment’ for ex-midfielder Fara Williams Jill Scott says World Cup kiss saga ‘overshadowed’ Spanish women’s team playing ‘great football’ Lioness Demi Stokes says misogynistic abuse online ‘really affected’ England players’ game ‘History in the making’: Lionesses’ Euros success sparks booming interest in women’s football Women’s sport is bigger and better than ever in 2023 – rundown of the best in the calendar

England go into the season’s first international break with cause to worry once more about the lack of homegrown players in the Premier League. Less than 30 per cent of playing time in the early stages of the campaign has gone to players eligible for England, continuing a running concern for national team boss Gareth Southgate. Here, the PA news agency looks at what the data can tell us. Struggle for playing time Of 86,710 minutes played by Premier League players this season, 25,399 have gone to players eligible for England. That equates to 29.3 per cent of the available playing time, a slight decline on recent seasons as a peak to nearly 40 per cent in the 2020-21 season was not sustained. Southgate said during March’s international window: “It has been around 32 per cent (in 2022-23) but that’s down from 35 per cent when I took over and 38 per cent in the years before, so the graph is clear.” The issue has been part of the ongoing ‘New Deal For Football’ discussions between the FA, Premier League and EFL, which covers the post-Brexit system of Governing Body Endorsements (GBEs) for overseas players, as well as financial distribution, cost controls and the domestic calendar. There have been 161 England-qualified players (EQPs) used in the 39 games so far, with 20 of those playing over 400 minutes including stoppage time. Eight of those 20 made Southgate’s squad for the upcoming games against Ukraine and Scotland, including Chelsea defender Levi Colwill, who joined Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah in earning a first senior call-up. Leading clubs Six clubs have so far given over 40 per cent of playing time to EQPs, a list headed by Everton at 49.4 per cent. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been ever-present for the Toffees along with veteran compatriot Ashley Young, with James Tarkowski just seven minutes behind. James Garner has been a mainstay in midfield, while defender Michael Keane was replaced after two games by fellow Englishman Jarrad Branthwaite. Newcastle have three English ever-presents in Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn. Trippier is in this month’s England squad though Pope was surprisingly left out. Anthony Gordon is another regular, with significant playing time too for Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes and Sean Longstaff. Newcastle’s total includes just under 90 minutes for Elliot Anderson, the midfielder selected by Scotland for this window but who remains eligible for England until he makes a competitive debut – potentially against the Three Lions next Tuesday. Crystal Palace have three players in Southgate’s latest squad – Pope’s replacement Sam Johnstone, Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze – after giving over 45 per cent of playing time to EQPs. Arsenal are at 43 per cent, Luton 42 and Chelsea 40. Fulham lagging behind At the other end of the scale, Fulham have used only two EQPs so far this season and one of those, Tosin Adarabioyo, has played only 12 minutes. That leaves Harrison Reed carrying the load in a paltry total of just over seven per cent, the only single-figure mark in the top flight. Tottenham have fared little better at 11 per cent following the departure of Southgate’s captain Harry Kane for German side Bayern Munich – one of four members of the England squad playing his football overseas, along with Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, Fikayo Tomori of AC Milan and Jordan Henderson following his controversial move to Al-Ettifaq. Brentford are at 13 per cent without suspended England striker Ivan Toney, with the ever-present Rico Henry instead leading the way. Burnley are next lowest at 15 per cent with Wolves, Aston Villa and Henderson’s former club Liverpool all giving between 17.5 and 18.5 per cent of playing time to EQPs. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Luke Donald ‘blown away’ by Ludvig Aberg as Swede handed Ryder Cup wild card Ireland hooker Ronan Kelleher feeling ‘unbelievably healthy’ ahead of World Cup Owen Farrell says high tackle that led to World Cup suspension ‘a mistake’