Chris Jones' absence from training camp and two other flaws could prevent the Kansas City Chiefs from repeating as Super Bowl champions this season.The Kansas City Chiefs overcame a lot to win their third Super Bowl title in franchise history. Some examples include trading away a top-tier w...

Afghanistan's Karim Janat grabbed a hat-trick in the final over but Bangladesh held their nerve to sneak a two-wicket win with just a ball to spare in the first...

Wales have been drawn to host Finland in the semi-finals of the qualification play-offs for Euro 2024. The match will take place on Thursday, March 21 at Cardiff City Stadium. Should Rob Page’s men win that single-leg tie, they would then host either Poland or Estonia five days later at the same venue to play for a spot at next summer’s tournament in Germany. Finland finished third in Northern Ireland’s qualifying group – four points behind both Denmark and Slovenia – after winning six of their 10 fixtures. They sit 62nd in the FIFA rankings, 34 places below Wales, and are aiming to qualify for the European Championship finals for only the second time following their debut at Euro 2020. Wales are seeking to secure a third successive appearance at the finals of the competition and reach a fourth major tournament out of the last five after last year ending their 64-year wait to play at the World Cup. They finished third in Group D of qualifying, behind pool winners Turkey and second-placed Croatia. Just three of the 24 places at Euro 2024 remain up for grabs, with Wales attempting to navigate Path A of the play-offs. In Path B, Israel face a semi-final against Iceland following Thursday’s draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, while Bosnia and Herzegovina will host Ukraine. Georgia take on fellow potential tournament debutants Luxembourg in Path C, while Kazakhstan travel to 2004 European champions Greece in the other semi-final of that route. Read More Who are the contenders to replace Stephen Kenny as Republic of Ireland boss? On This Day in 2008 – Ricky Hatton dominates Paulie Malignaggi in Las Vegas New sponsor to help 460 clubs in Women’s FA Cup market themselves with AI app

Hakim Ziyech has agreed to leave Chelsea for Saudi Arabia, with Kalidou Koulibaly expected to follow.

Australian swim king Kyle Chalmers on Wednesday said the Paris Olympics will be his third and last, but the sprint star insisted it did...

Sadio Mane was maybe only inches from the Ballon d’Or; the inside of the Paris post, which his shot struck in the Champions League final; the fingertips of Thibaut Courtois, tipping a goalbound effort on to the woodwork. Inches from immortality, perhaps, from being only the second African to become officially the best player in the world. And if it is not certain he would have topped the poll, the eventual runaway winner Karim Benzema was propelled to pre-eminence by Champions League glory in a year when the poll took place before the World Cup. As it was, Mane was named the second-finest player on the planet in 2022. He finished the 2022-23 campaign as perhaps 16th in line at Bayern Munich: 15 others took the field in the win at Koln that clinched the Bundesliga, with the teenager Mathys Tel and veteran Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting summoned from the bench while Mane remained an unused substitute. He had been the fifth substitute used the previous week, sent on with four minutes to go in defeat to RB Leipzig. The decline of Mane has been a swift, undignified and unexpected affair. A lucrative one, too, given that Bayern are paying him far more than Liverpool did and Al Nassr will in turn pay him rather more again, after he joined the migration to Saudi Arabia. Mane represents one of the Pro League’s flagship signings, but is an arrival with a difference: like many others, he is in his thirties, but whereas Benzema is 35 and could argue his ambitions were realised with Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo is now 38, albeit stung by the recognition the European elite did not want him when he left Manchester United, the Senegalese is only 31. So, if only for another couple of months, is Roberto Firmino, but Mane’s old sidekick’s race had appeared run. He, on the other hand, was seemingly at his peak. This, it is safe to say, is not what Mane had planned when he teased his audience ahead of the Champions League final, saying he would reveal his future after it, and when, after emerging from Mohamed Salah’s shadow to become the brightest star at Anfield, he declared he “would be the most happy player in the world” to win the Ballon d’Or. Klopp can be loyal to players who have served him well and few were as influential as the catalytic Mane. There was no hint of gloating about a decision to leave that backfired, but nor was there a pretence Mane has prospered in Bavaria. “I don’t know what went wrong,” the Liverpool manager said on Tuesday. “When Sadio left us he left on a high in really good shape: world-class player, no shadow of a doubt. To fulfil your full potential everything has to fall in place, you need a bit of luck and that wasn’t the case.” Certainly there was misfortune as injury ruled Mane out of the World Cup. His old manager nevertheless could have pointed out that most of the great Klopp players are only great Klopp players: there are notable exceptions, such as Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan, but they are outnumbered by those who never scaled such heights elsewhere or under anyone else. That category now includes Mane. “Basically, Sadio had an unsatisfactory season and fell short of expectations,” Thomas Tuchel said last month. “The player knows my opinion and the opinion of the club.” Tuchel sounded more forgiving before Bayern face Liverpool in Singapore, a reunion without Mane after he has left both clubs in successive summers. “I totally understand that he feels hurt,” he said. “I also don’t feel happy. We didn’t bring it to the full potential which is my responsibility.” Mane suffered after Tuchel’s appointment, starting just four times, scoring just once and being suspended by the club for punching Leroy Sane after the defeat to Manchester City. Regime change worked against him, but his tally of goals for the sacked Julian Nagelsmann – 11 – was also underwhelming. As Klopp hinted, circumstances can play a part. Mane could flourish in a system without a conventional striker at Liverpool, with Firmino usually the false nine before the Senegalese finished his Anfield career in that role. But Bayern, where a No 9 has traditionally been a pillar of the team, the experiment of replacing Lewandowski with a more fluid forward line failed: hoping some combination of Mane, Sane, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller and Jamal Musiala could dovetail slickly instead made Choupo-Moting more important than ever before and led to a summer pursuit of Harry Kane. Bayern is a club with its own dynamics, with entrenched power bases in the dressing room, a club with stars and yet one who did not buy those of Mane’s stature. Not since Arjen Robben 13 years earlier had they bought such a major attacker who was neither German nor recruited from the Bundesliga. If Mane was the outsider, he has headed out after a lone, increasingly ignominious year. And the 193 votes Mane received in the Ballon d’Or for 2022 are likely to be 193 more than he gets for 2023. Read More Liverpool make second Romeo Lavia bid as Southampton set transfer price Jurgen Klopp responds after Kylian Mbappe to Liverpool rumours Liverpool name Virgil van Dijk as new captain after Jordan Henderson exit Why Axel Disasi could solve Mauricio Pochettino’s defensive problems at Chelsea Football rumours: Harry Kane will stay if no deal agreed by start of season Young England fans react to World Cup win over China: ‘We’ve got our mojo back’

Reigning US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick said the crucial lessons he learned contending for a title at last year's PGA Championship helped him win his...

BALTIMORE (AP) — Zach Eflin and two relievers combined on a two-hitter, Brandon Lowe and Harold Ramírez homered, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-1 on Friday night to pull into a virtual tie atop the AL East.

Julio Urías’ locker has been removed from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ clubhouse, and two murals featuring the World Series-winning pitcher have been covered up at Dodger Stadium ahead of the team’s homestand this week

Terry Francona of the Cleveland Guardians is stepping away after 23 seasons as a major league manager

Chelsea have signed France defender Axel Disasi from Monaco. The 25-year-old has signed a six-year deal at Stamford Bridge as the Blues moved quickly to cover the injury to Wesley Fofana. Disasi has played 130 times in Ligue 1 and was part of the France squad that were runners-up in last year’s World Cup. The centre-back told the club’s official website: “I am so happy to be here, at this big club. I am really proud to be able to be a part of this great family, and I hope to achieve very big things here. To win titles. “I will do everything I can to achieve those objectives. I am very ambitious. “It’s a club that has been very popular for French players because they have all done well here – (Frank) Leboeuf, (Marcel) Desailly, (Nicolas) Anelka, (N’Golo) Kante, (Olivier) Giroud. And the colour is blue like the national team! It’s good. “It’s a familiar club for French people, and I hope all the French players here now can join that line of great players.” Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley added: “Axel has showcased his quality over several seasons in France and that has deservedly led to recognition on the international stage. “He is ready to take the next step in his career and we are delighted that will be with Chelsea. We welcome him to the club and look forward to him joining up with Mauricio Pochettino and his new team-mates in the days ahead.”

Adam Frazier hit a three-run homer as part of a seven-run first inning for Baltimore, and the Orioles went on to a 9-3 victory over the New York Yankees