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Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo has been the subject of trade rumors. The latest rumors include a team he's already familiar with.

Tonight’s Carabao Cup ties will go straight to penalties should they finish as a draw after 90 minutes, with extra-time only coming into play from the semi-final stage of the competition. Premier League leaders Tottenham were knocked out on penalties by Fulham earlier in the tournament, after the second-round match finished as a 1-1 draw following 90 minutes at Craven Cottage. Those rules will apply again tonight as plenty of Premier League sides are in action. Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea will all attempt to reach the quarter-finals, while the draw will take place at the conclusion of Manchester United vs Newcastle - in what is a rematch of last season’s final. League One’s Port Vale were the first team to reach the last eight of the Caraboa Cup, for the first time in their history, after defeating Mansfield Town on Tuesday evening, while an 83rd-minute penalty earned Middlesbrough a 3-2 victory away at Exeter. The quarter-final stage of the Carabao Cup will be played in the week commencing Monday 18 December, before the semi-finals are played across two legs in January. In the semi-finals, extra time will be played should the aggregate score be level at the end of the second leg, followed by penalties if required. The same rules are used for the Carabao Cup final, which is scheduled for 25 February 2024 at Wembley Stadium. Which teams are in the draw and what are their ball numbers? 1. Middlesbrough 2. Port Vale 3. AFC Bournemouth or Liverpool 4. Chelsea or Blackburn Rovers 5. Everton or Burnley 6. Ipswich Town or Fulham 7. Manchester United or Newcastle United 8. West Ham United or Arsenal Read More What time is the Carabao Cup draw? Date, time and how to watch Is West Ham vs Arsenal on TV? Channel, time and how to watch Carabao Cup The eight-month gap that sums up Manchester United’s alarming decline Why Declan Rice returns to West Ham as Arsenal’s ‘Van Dijk’ signing Man Utd vs Newcastle LIVE: Latest Carabao Cup fourth round updates Is Manchester United vs Newcastle on TV? Channel, time and how to watch Carabao Cup

Santos are preparing to sell striker Marcos Leonardo, an emerging talent catching the eye of several top Premier League clubs, in the January transfer window, 90min understands.

The Philadelphia 76ers now have the assets available to them to acquire a third star to pair with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey after the James Harden trade.

The St. Louis Cardinals will have to explore all possible avenues when it comes to acquiring pitching. Here are three players who will be traded and one who might stay put.

Eniola Aluko still believes England can secure qualification for Great Britain at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Lionesses – who need to finish top of Nations League Group A1 to have a chance at claiming GB an Olympic spot – slipped to third after losing 3-2 in Belgium on Tuesday. Sarina Wiegman’s side, with six points from four games, are three behind leaders the Netherlands and one behind second-placed Belgium. Their final two group fixtures see them play the Dutch at Wembley on December 1 and then Scotland at Hampden Park four days later. Former England and Team GB forward Aluko said: “It is a tough group with the Netherlands, Belgium and Scotland. It is not an easy group at all. I think the Nations League is deliberately competitive. “Really, England have got to win the last two games to have any chance of qualifying, but if any team is going to prove anyone wrong it’s the Lionesses, and they have done so well in the last two years.” Aluko is not doubtful that England – who were World Cup runners-up over the summer, a year on from winning the Euros – could pull through because they “have everything to win those last two games”. She added: “I think sometimes there can be a bit of a hangover from the World Cup where you have a massive high and then come back to normality. “Sometimes it takes players a little bit to get going again. The season only just started again and we are only five games into the Women’s Super League. “Fatigue is not just physical – it is mental as well. There are so many games and so many tournaments. “Frankly, the women’s game is really competitive. On any given day, Scotland can beat England and Holland can beat England – that is the sort of level of competition we are dealing with.” Aluko was speaking after she collected an MBE for her services to association football and to charity on Wednesday. The Prince of Wales, who presented Aluko with her MBE at a ceremony at Windsor Castle, told her “this feels like this is overdue”, and she later said of that moment: “It was lovely and a really, really nice thing to say.” Broadcaster and football executive Aluko’s playing career included featuring at three World Cups, three European Championships and the London 2012 Olympics. She began her career at Birmingham and had subsequent spells at Charlton, Chelsea and in the United States before returning to Birmingham in 2012. Aluko rejoined Chelsea from 2012 to 2018, during which time she won two WSL titles, the WSL Spring Series and two FA Cups. After announcing her retirement from playing in January 2020 following a spell with Juventus, Aluko had stints as sporting director at Aston Villa and Los Angeles-based Angel City FC. The 36-year-old has also worked heavily with charities and organisations such as Charity Water, Common Goal and Unesco. Read More Football fan convicted of racially abusing Rio Ferdinand Welsh rugby still has deep-rooted issues that need to be sorted – Alun Wyn Jones A bit far-fetched – Eoin Morgan dismisses link with England white-ball coach job England star Alex Greenwood well enough to return home after head injury Tiger Woods-designed course gives ‘a lot of options’ ahead of PGA Tour debut Golf, fish tanks, slippy socks and stray balls – freak injuries to cricket stars

After Australia confirmed they would not bid for the 2034 World Cup to leave Saudi Arabia as the sole candidate, a number of “concerned” football officials said they would wait to publicly speak until the bid process became clearer. Then, a few hours later, Fifa president Gianni Infantino appeared to confirm it all on his Instagram account. “The next two editions of the Fifa World Cup are set to be hosted in Africa (Morocco) and Europe (Portugal and Spain) – with three celebratory matches played in South America (Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) – in 2030 and in Asia (Saudi Arabia) in 2034.” It was seen as an interesting way to announce what is one of football’s major decisions. So much for going to the member associations for ratification, for a confirmation that was scheduled to come in the fourth quarter of 2024... A decision that very few in football seem to actually want has involved very little discussion at all, at least in public. Like the 2030 World Cup that paved the way for it, it has almost been imposed on the game. That is despite the reality that Saudi Arabia 2034 will involve most of the same discussions as Qatar, but on a completely different scale. The bidding terms were already altered so the kingdom only needed to have four of the 14 required 40,000-seater stadiums, but that means 10 new arenas have to be built. That will involve the same migrant labour system that was such a core criticism of Qatar, but without yet any of the reforms. Saudi Arabia meanwhile has a far more criticised human rights record than its smaller neighbour with far graver issues like capital punishment now coming to the fore. That is because the kingdom is way behind Qatar in terms of progressive reforms, which will foster a much more difficult conversation about women’s rights and who actually feels comfortable attending the World Cup. But corruption? The accusations of bribery that shrouded how the 2022 World Cup was won? There’s no need to get into any of that because it’s all been so smooth, which of course brings us to the modern Fifa, as well as the very governance of football in the 21st century. While Sepp Blatter was actively against Qatar getting the World Cup in 2022, it is pretty clear that Infantino looked on this favourably. It has come as part of strengthening the relationship with the kingdom and Mohammed bin Salman, amid an alignment of ambitions. The crown prince has sought to make the sport a core of his Vision 2030 reform, in part for its immense global popularity, in part for his country’s genuinely vivacious football culture. Infantino is meanwhile seeking to evolve Fifa and the greatest part of that is harnessing the immense power of the club game. A World Cup is only every four years, after all. The club game is all the time and everywhere. “How many people outside of Italy are supporting the Italian national team,” Infantino pondered in October 2019. “Not many, but when you look at how many people are supporting Real Madrid or Barcelona in Spain, this goes much beyond the Spanish borders. These are hundreds of millions of people all around the world…” Eyeing the huge revenues of the Champions League, Infantino has wanted his own version, which is why the Club World Cup is to be expanded to 32 teams from 2025. To make that as glamorous as Uefa’s showpiece event, though, the Fifa president knows he needs the big European names. So he needs funding to make it attractive, especially when previous talk has been about offers of £80m for competing. Saudi Arabia is one of a few states from the global south that have been doing more business with Fifa. A sponsorship deal with Visit Saudi for the Women’s World Cup – ironically held in Australia and New Zealand – already caused a player revolt. Saudi money meanwhile formed part of a Softbank fund that was supposed to finance the previous version of this tournament. From all this, a path has been smoothed for Saudi Arabia to get what it really wants, which is the World Cup. The stadium rules were changed. Rivals were taken out of the running. The Saudis had previously been in the running for 2030, which already had Morocco-Spain-Portugal offering a persuasive commercial argument and Argentina-Paraguay-Uruguay offering a persuasive romantic argument due to the centenary of the first World Cup in Montevideo. From what was potentially the most split voting process of all, a much cleaner solution was raised. The South American countries would get three games to recognise the centenary, and the rest of that World Cup would be held in Morocco-Spain-Portugal. Given Fifa’s continental rotation rules and how 2026 is to be staged in Canada-Mexico-USA, that left only Asian and Oceania countries eligible for 2034. Asia quickly fell in behind Saudi Arabia and it should be noted that Infantino has long built a strong alliance with the Asian confederation. They vote for him as a bloc, in presidential elections that don’t actually have competitors. Rather than the transparency that was supposed to define World Cup democracy after the scandals of 2018-22, football was effectively presented with one choice, all the major moves having taken place in meetings behind closed doors. The point to all of this is not to already have the discussion surrounding Saudi Arabia or other World Cups. It is about, as various sources put it, “the failure of football governance”. It certainly doesn’t feel like true democracy and this is regarding decisions that change the face of the entire game. So, amid all of the discussion about Saudi Arabia, the wonder is why there is not more debate about football’s presidential structure just not working for the sport. This is not unique to Fifa after all. The global body, appropriately enough, just represents the most high-profile example from the top down. Uefa and the continental confederations have similar structures. Most of these presidential elections since the 2015 football governance reforms, including the last two from Uefa for Aleksander Ceferin, have been single-candidate campaigns. This gives the eventual incumbent a significant mandate in itself but also comes in a context where there is no “opposition” or multi-party system to keep democratic processes in check once the president is in power. They in effect become executive presidents, with a huge amount of influence to set the direction of the game for decades. Everything flows from the top down, although presidents inevitably spend a lot of time cultivating power blocs. It is why many describe Infantino’s “today I feel…” speech as political genius rather than simply bizarre, since he was speaking to a huge core of constituents that reject western Europe’s perception of the game. Infantino is widely seen as having Africa and Asia sown up in terms of votes. More generally, confederation meetings are described by various people involved as “muted” with only the presidents really speaking, unless it is to express agreement. Dissent or disagreement, as figures like Norwegian president Lise Klaveness have found, is rapidly shut down. This is in part because the president gets to appoint the committees, which everyone wants to be on, so it means no one steps out of line. This problem of power invested in the role is then compounded by the power of tournaments themselves. It is quite an intoxicating thing to be able to fly around the planet on private jets, “have every door opened” – in the words of one prominent source – and be able to bestow the most popular events in the world on countries. This brings all the pomp and circumstance of a major head of state, but with none of the responsibility or the internal resistance. Figures with long knowledge of how football governance talk of how presidents get “power corrupted”, if not financially corrupted. “Ceferin has changed,” one source who knows him says. It was similarly noted by people in English football how, after the Super League, Ceferin was much more content to thank heads of state rather than football administrators. A tension between Fifa and Uefa over the game’s calendar has meanwhile evolved into an increasingly personal rivalry between Infantino and Ceferin, that drives a lot of modern football. All of this has created a situation where, to bring it full circle, a series of tournament votes where there have been single candidatures too. Although 2026 did have Morocco, it was seen as a fait accompli for Canada-Portugal-Spain and that was the start of a series of five successive European Championships and World Cups where there was only one bid. Is this really how the world’s only truly global game should be governed, especially when that status gives it such profound political power, and it consequently faces a number of existential threats? Decisions of huge importance are taken out of the hands of those most affected. It all speaks to a dangerously split game, prone to all sorts of influences, but this is one huge reason why it is split in the first place. There’s similarly an argument that this isn’t really about individuals in the roles, even if everyone obviously has personal responsibilities. It is what the system produces. The system needs to evolve. There should be wider-reaching outcomes than the mess of 2030, or Saudi Arabia getting 2034. If the Russia-Qatar decisions prompted regime change at Fifa, this should prompt a change of the entire governance model. Read More Saudi Arabian World Cup in 2034 sparks ‘significant concern’ from major leagues Lionel Messi, the complete footballer who completed football, finally leaves the Ballon d’Or stage Enjoying the Qatar World Cup? Here is the reality hiding in plain sight The year that sportswashing won: A season that changed football forever Sportswashing is about to change football beyond anything you can imagine First golf, now football? Saudi Arabia’s grand plan and the 72 hours that changed everything

Nothing gold can stay, as these preseason Heisman Trophy hopefuls were anything but that during the first two months of the season. These six former top-10 candidates for the award have seen their odds of winning it drop of precipitously.

A football fan has been convicted of racially abusing Rio Ferdinand at a Premier League match. Jamie Arnold hurled racist remarks and hand gestures at the former England defender, who was working as a pundit for BT Sport during the match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United on May 23 2021. The 33-year-old had denied a racially aggravated public order offence but was unanimously convicted on Wednesday following a two-day trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court and will be sentenced on December 8, West Midlands Police said. Arnold is old enough to know such appalling behaviour is inexcusable and certainly won't be tolerated Pc Stuart Ward, West Midlands Police Pc Stuart Ward, the UK’s first dedicated hate crime officer within a football unit for West Midlands Police, said: “Abusing anyone for the colour of their skin is disgusting and can never, ever be condoned. “Arnold is old enough to know such appalling behaviour is inexcusable and certainly won’t be tolerated. “I know from personal experience how being a victim of racism hurts while offenders risk their own aspirations through getting a criminal record. “I would like to thank Rio for his assistance in this investigation. “Through his support, we’ve ensured a man has this conviction to his name.” Arnold, of Stone, Staffordshire, was arrested at the scene following the offence, which occurred during the first game played at Molineux with fans present since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Crown Prosecution Service said he was caught making racist gestures on CCTV and was seen by several witnesses in the stands. Mr Ferdinand told a previous trial that he did not see the gestures made by Arnold, but had noted one fan’s “more aggressive body language”. Arnold was previously banned from games for three years after being found guilty of homophobic abuse and making gestures which mimicked disability during the same game. He was also ordered to pay almost £900 in fines and court costs, West Midlands Police said. A spokesman for campaign organisation Kick It Out said: “Kick It Out welcomes the guilty verdict handed to Arnold today. “It is imperative that perpetrators of discriminatory abuse are held to account for their actions and we hope this result sends a strong statement that racism has no place in our society. “We commend the CPS and West Midlands Police for their work securing justice in this case and would urge authorities across the country to take similar incidents of discriminatory abuse just as seriously. “We continue to work with partners across football to tackle discriminatory abuse as it happens and to ensure that victims receive the support they need. “We would encourage anyone who witnesses discrimination of any sort in future to report it directly to us at Kick It Out.” Read More Welsh rugby still has deep-rooted issues that need to be sorted – Alun Wyn Jones A bit far-fetched – Eoin Morgan dismisses link with England white-ball coach job England star Alex Greenwood well enough to return home after head injury Tiger Woods-designed course gives ‘a lot of options’ ahead of PGA Tour debut Golf, fish tanks, slippy socks and stray balls – freak injuries to cricket stars Nottingham Panthers invite all fans to gathering in honour of Adam Johnson

Could the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals work out a deal involving Nolan Arenado? The rumors and innuendo about the potential just keep coming.

How Bayern Munich's Harry Kane can emulate the game-winning influence of his England teammate Jude Bellingham for Real Madrid against Barcelona ahead of a Bundesliga meeting with Borussia Dortmund

The Las Vegas Raiders fired former head coach Josh McDaniels and former general manager Dave Ziegler in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Here are some candidates who could conceivably replace McDaniels as the face of the Silver and Black next year.