Lydia Ko signalled she is ready to collect her second Evian Championship after a bogey free 66 in the first round of the fourth major...

Manchester City legend Francis Lee has died at the age of 79, the club has confirmed. Lee is widely regarded as one of City’s greatest players of all time, having scored 148 goals in 330 appearances for the club in a trophy-laden eight-year spell between 1967 and 1974 that saw them claim one First Division title, one FA Cup, one League Cup, a European Cup Winners’ Cup and two Charity Shields. He also earned 27 caps for England, scoring 10 goals, and enjoyed further trophy success at Derby County after leaving City, helping the Rams to the league title in 1975. Man City confirmed his passing in a club statement: “It is with the deepest sadness and heaviest of hearts we announce the passing of former Manchester City player and chairman Francis Lee, aged 79. “Franny passed away in the early hours of this [Monday] morning after a long battle with cancer. His wife Gill and children Charlotte, Jonny and Nik say he will be sorely missed and would like to thank everyone for their kind words. “Everyone at Manchester City would like to send their condolences to the friends and family of Francis at this very difficult time. As a mark of respect, flags around the Etihad Stadium and City Football Academy are flying at half-mast.” Lee had begun his career with Bolton Wanderers before Manchester City manager Joe Mercer signed him for a club-record transfer fee of £60,000 in 1967. He also made history at Mexico in 1970 where he became the first England player to receive a card at a World Cup. After his playing career finished Lee ran a successful toilet roll business, becoming a millionaire, and returned to Man City as club chairman in 1994, spending four years at the helm. In the 2016 New Year Honours list, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to football and charity. Lee’s first club Bolton posted their condolences on X, formerly Twitter, stating: “All at Bolton Wanderers are saddened to learn of the passing of former forward, Francis Lee. The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Francis’ family, friends and loved ones at this difficult time.” Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, who is a big Man City fan, also posted on X: “FRANNY LEE RIP”. “Former Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and England striker Stan Collymore – who now works as a football pundit – also expressed his sorrow at Lee’s passing. He wrote: “Sending sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Franny Lee. Had some lovely chats over the years on here and at City where he rightly had his status acknowledged by the club over the years. Another legend gone too soon. Rest in peace, Franny.” Recent City captain Vincent Kompany wrote on X that he was “Saddened to hear of the passing of Francis Lee today, aged 79. I had the honour of meeting him and speaking to him on more than a few occasions and will cherish these moments”. Another City stalwart Paul Dickov wrote: “A gentleman, proper football man with a great sense of humour. The main reason I signed for @ManCity with his sheer love for the club & will be forever grateful.” Read More Chelsea finally catch a break as Mykhailo Mudryk gets his moment Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly considering minority stake bid for Manchester United Premier League now faces a credibility ‘crisis’ after latest VAR farce Chelsea finally catch a break as Mykhailo Mudryk gets his moment Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly considering minority stake bid for Manchester United Premier League now faces a credibility ‘crisis’ after latest VAR farce

An inspired Antoine Griezmann helped Atletico Madrid come from behind to beat Villarreal 3-1 in...

Tottenham are confident Harry Kane will see out his career at the club, former captain Gary Mabbutt said Wednesday, despite persistent rumours of a big-money...

Gareth Southgate cannot understand why fans turned on Jordan Henderson after the long-serving England vice-captain was booed off against Australia at Wembley. Eyebrows were raised when the 33-year-old swapped his role as Liverpool skipper for the Saudi Pro League, joining Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in a controversial £12million deal. Henderson had been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield and last month apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal. There was no noticeable negative reaction towards him during September’s doubleheader against Ukraine and Scotland, but things were different in England’s first home match since his controversial move. There were murmurs when Henderson’s named was read out before Friday’s 1-0 friendly win against Australia at sold-out Wembley, where he was jeered by some fans when replaced in the second half. “I really don’t understand it,” Southgate said of the reaction. “He’s a player who I think has 79 caps now for England. “His commitment and what he has delivered for England is exceptional. “His role within the group on and off the pitch is phenomenally important. “He’s the one that has taken the likes of Jude Bellingham under his wing as soon as he came in the squad, provides a brilliant role model for all of the group in his professionalism and his approach to every part of his work. “Some people decided to boo. I really don’t understand what that is for. This is a team that are delivering a lot and they all deserve everybody’s support Gareth Southgate “We’ve got players in England shirts. Yeah, come on, we play Italy on Tuesday (in a key Euro 2024 qualifier). Let’s get behind this team. “I know we weren’t at our best tonight but that was due to a lot of changes we made and we gave the players out there a difficult task because to be cohesive with so many changes is tough. “But I would just say that this is a team that are delivering a lot and they all deserve everybody’s support.” Speaking upon calling up Henderson for September’s fixtures, Southgate said “I don’t really know why a player would receive an adverse reaction because of where he plays.” Asked if perhaps the player’s recent promotion of Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid might have had an impact, Southgate said: “What has that got to do with supporting a guy wearing an England shirt?” Put to him that England fans may not agree with Henderson’s principles, he said: “Well, yeah, I don’t really know where we are heading with everything. “I’m hugely impressed with the impeccable values and decisions that everybody in our country is making then. “Yeah, clearly, I don’t understand it. I know what’s created it and I know why it has happened, but it defies logic to me that you would give a player who is playing and putting his heart and soul into playing for England… why boo him? “How is that going to help him or help the team?” Southgate was later quizzed about his comments relating to what created the reception, only to respond “there’s nothing to gained by going over it, really”. The England manager was heard loud and clear in the post-match press conference, but the same could not be said for counterpart Graham Arnold. The passionate Australia boss lost his voice on a night when his side pushed England close, only to lose to returning Ollie Watkins’ 57th-minute effort. Arnold’s assistant Rene Meulensteen instead faced the media and was asked if it felt like a missed opportunity given the Socceroos’ performance under the arch. “Yeah, I think so,” the former Manchester United coach said. “Having said that, I think we’d be very, very proud of this performance. “Sometimes in football you play games and the results are not going for you, then you try to look for what the causes are. “But this, I think, is one of those losses where you can be really, really proud of the performance. “I mean, we played against a very strong nation. “They’ve obviously got a very big game coming up in a few days against Italy as we all know but they can field two world-class teams, without a shadow of a doubt.” Read More Stephen Kenny admits Republic of Ireland ‘needed to win’ against Greece Ben Davies: Wales go into Croatia clash believing anything’s possible Matty Jones says late Wales Under-21s draw in Czech Republic ‘feels like a win’ Stephen Kenny under pressure as Ireland’s qualification hopes come to end England and Australia observe silence for those killed in Israel and Gaza Simon Raiwalui ‘in no doubt’ grieving Sam Matavesi will be ready to face England

What can't he do?

Juventus will be fined 718,000 euros but will agree not to make any appeals as part of a plea bargain with the Italian soccer federation after the club and seven former team directors were charged with alleged fraud for the way they handled player salary cuts during the coronavirus pandemic

Running back Kareem Hunt's free agency tour continues, as he's scheduled to visit with an NFC North team.Training camp is underway, and teams are ready to play in their first preseason games this week. Even so, there are still some big-name players left in free agency, looking for an o...

The Boston Bruins say Milan Lucic is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team after an incident Friday night

The Arizona Diamondbacks were supposed to be contenders next year, when their young players would be more seasoned and their top prospects ready for the big leagues

Captain Jordan Henderson believes Liverpool have to use the variety of goalscoring options they have available to their advantage next season. The return to fitness of Luis Diaz in recent weeks means manager Jurgen Klopp can now choose between five of his six first-choice forwards (the departing Roberto Firmino is injured). That has contributed to an upturn in form which has brought six successive victories and pushed them into unlikely contention for the top-four, sitting just a point behind Manchester United having played one match more. If that quintet – Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo and Diaz – can remain fit Henderson expects Liverpool to be vastly improved next season. “Things evolve all the time and we’ve had new players come into that forward line and they are very exciting players,” the midfielder told Sky Sports. “There are a lot of different things we can use and different personnel that can do different things really. “We have a lot of quality players that can go up front and all of them can score goals, so we need to use that to our advantage next season. “It’s been a bit of a roller coaster for us this season to be honest. We’ve probably struggled to find consistency for the majority of it. “The good thing is we look a lot more like ourselves and I think there is still a long way to go in terms of improvement for us but the signs are good. “Hopefully we can finish these three games off strongly and take that into next season.” Read More Jurgen Klopp: Darwin Nunez was ‘like a racehorse’ in win over Fulham Slow-starting Spurs – the statistics behind Tottenham’s early travails in games Diaz highlights every area Liverpool’s top-four bid is falling short

Ezequiel Tovar hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh to help Austin Gomber win his third straight start, and the Colorado Rockies ended an 11-game losing streak San Francisco Giants by beating the Giants 5-2