List of All Articles with Tag 'al'

More a half-measure than a full thing.

The Denver Nuggets don't know how good they've got it.

Will the Chicago Cubs be buyers or sellers? That much isn't so clear, as Jed Hoyer suggested the team isn't a position to trade away young assets.While the Cubs won on Wednesday night, they remain four games under the .500 mark. Should they not dramatically improve before the deadline,...

Caleb Martin has shone for the Heat in these playoffs because of his flexibility and versatility at both ends of the floor.On the surface, it may be difficult to comprehend how the player who went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft is now the fourth leading scorer in the playoffs (12.9 points per g...

Ona Batlle has agreed to join Barcelona this summer when her Manchester United contract expires.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas claims with the correct legal framework he can eradicate racism in Spanish football within six months. The problem has been an issue for some time but hit the headlines on Sunday when Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior spoke out after being abused at Valencia, saying Spain was a racist country because of “continuous episodes across several cities”, and his club filed a hate crime complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office. That prompted a tetchy response to Vinicius on social media from Tebas, for which he subsequently apologised, but after complaining the league’s hands were tied by the country’s law which means LaLiga can currently only identify and report incidents and punishment is rarely handed out, the outspoken president is adamant he can rapidly eliminate the problem. “What we want is the power to do more things. With the power we are convinced within months this would be solved,” he told a specially-arranged press conference. “We are going along the legal route and I think in six months’ time this will be at zero and we will be the best league in the world. “The competencies we want are for those intolerable behaviours – racism, homophobia.” When challenged on his six-month solution claim, Tebas added: “We have been able to have economic control to stop our clubs gong bankrupt so if we are given the competencies we can put an end to this because it is easier to stop than financial control. “Tomorrow, a communique will go to the head of government and political parties requesting the law is urgently modified against racism, xenophobia and intolerance and requesting the (Spanish Football) Federation and LaLiga to have competencies.” Asked why LaLiga had not made such a request before, Tebas said: “That was probably a mistake of ours too but we thought we were making progress in the courts when we made complaints directly. “We have seen it is not enough and we need greater agility and more speed to solve these problems more quickly.” We are going along the legal route and I think in six months' time this will be at zero and we will be the best league in the world LaLiga president Javier Tebas on tackling racism In the interim, Tebas said Vinicius would have his full backing should he decide to walk off the pitch in the face of further racist abuse. “If he feels affected of course I’d encourage him to leave the pitch,” he said. “He and the whole team could abandon it. That is the decision of the referee but I’d encourage him to leave the pitch – he will be supported by me personally and LaLiga.” LaLiga has set up dedicated reporting channels, via email and its website, in order to speed up the identification of people who engage in racist behaviour but since the creation of LaLiga’s integrity and security department in 2015, there have only been, according to documentation provided by LaLiga, more than a dozen racist incidents linked to matches reported. However, LaLiga also lists nine separate incidents relating to Vinicius since December 2020, four of which have been resolved but with only two found to have featured racism, with the clubs involved allowed to issue sanctions themselves. Tebas denied Spain was a racist country but admitted he was concerned about the league’s worldwide image in the light of the latest accusations, although he did not think it would deter black players from signing for LaLiga clubs. “If I weren’t concerned I’d be crazy. Of course I am concerned and we will work to find a solution to turn this image around. Spanish football is not racist,” said Tebas, who said he would speak to Vinicius when things had “calmed down” but had contacted sponsors to offer reassurances. “We think it doesn’t reflect reality. This is unexpected and difficult but something we have to face up to, we can’t just hide and cry in the corner. “We do protect black sportspeople from any racism. We will continue to protect them from any insults they receive on the field, in their professional career and outside their professional career.”

General manager of the New Jersey Devils, Tom Fitzgerald, shockingly is not a finalist for the NHL's 2023 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald should have been a finalist for the 2023 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award for...

The Chicago Cubs are about to get long-awaited reinforcements on the mound.At 22-26, it would be difficult to categorize the Chicago Cubs' season up to this point as anything other than a disappointment. There have been rumors of potential roster shake-ups and there is a palpable angst plag...

Stockport boss Dave Challinor always believed his side would be fighting for promotion as the Hatters prepare to face Carlisle in the Sky Bet League Two play-off final. County are bidding to make it back-to-back promotions on Sunday and booked their place at Wembley after coming from behind to beat Salford 3-1 on penalties after the two sides were locked at 2-2 on aggregate after extra time over two legs. Challinor took over at Edgeley Park in November 2021, just five months after he guided Hartlepool into League Two and the County boss repeated that feat with his current club – this time finding himself one game away from his first English Football League promotion. The 47-year-old admitted they suffered a poor start to the season but never stopped believing he could guide the club to successive promotions. He told a press conference: “The start of this season was tough but we have got over that and we have built. “Now it’s come up to this point where we have to back ourselves and we all hoped of having the shot of getting into League One because that was our ambition at the start of the season. “It was a big ambition some would say, now we have the opportunity to take it. Promotion was always the plan, the hope, the ambition and that’s the big thing.” Stockport ended the season unbeaten in 13 games but narrowly missed out on the automatic promotion places, finishing just four points behind Northampton in third place. Challinor admits the Wembley stage is a far different atmosphere to many that greet his players on the pitch on a weekly basis in the fourth tier, as around 40,000 fans are expected to descend onto Wembley Way. He continued: “You can have an impact in front of 10,000 at Edgeley Park, a bigger impact elsewhere in front of 2,000, it’s going to be difficult in front of the Wembley crowd. “What we do everyday on the grass outside gives us bigger belief and trust that the players are good enough and that’s not going to stop me from wanting to kick a bottle or an advertising board. “We are in a really strong situation, the fact we have got two players in (Antoni) Sarcevic and (Chris) Hussey that have played in a play-off final, so in terms of that, they can pass on completely different feelings and emotions, and we need to use those experiences in a positive way.” Striker Paddy Madden has scored 10 league goals this season so far, and was also a part of the side which won promotion to League Two last year. The 33-year-old made the switch to non-league from League One Fleetwood in the 20-21 season, and Madden insists his move was always based around the vision of the football club when many thought it was for financial reasons only. He said: “At the time there were a lot of eyebrows raised about dropping down the leagues but I knew what kind of plans were in place here. “I had the chance to watch a couple of game at Edgeley Park, heard the atmosphere and that played a massive part in me coming here because I knew how well the team was followed. “We always backed ourselves that we would get into a good position, we are annoyed with ourselves that we did not get top three but at the same time getting promoted through the play-offs is better.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Javier Tebas wants LaLiga to have power to eradicate racism in Spanish football Jason Roy looks Los Angeles-bound but says ‘I never will walk away from England’ Callum Smith’s ‘excited’ about his Canada bout

Green Bay Packers fans have to be wondering why these four former players are still available in free agency this late into the offseason.There is obviously one former Green Bay Packers player who the Cheeseheads will have a close eye on throughout at least the 2023 season with Aaron Rodgers now...

The Orlando Magic can put the finishing touches on their rebuild with two lottery picks in the 2023 NBA Draft. Which prospects should they target?The Orlando Magic built strong winning habits last season. While their record didn't always reflect it, the Magic were scrappy defenders who show...

Manchester United need only a point to make certain of Champions League qualification as they host Chelsea. Erik ten Hag’s side have already won the Carabao Cup this year, and a win or draw would be enough to ensure the club finish ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League’s top four. It would continue a promising first season under the Dutchman, with another trip to Wembley for the FA Cup final still to come. Chelsea, meanwhile, are certain to finish in the bottom half with Frank Lampard’s time in interim charge almost at an end. Here’s everything you need to know. When is Manchester United vs Chelsea? Manchester United vs Chelsea is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Thursday 25 May at Old Trafford in Manchester. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage on the channels from 7pm BST. Subscribers can stream the game via Sky Go. Team news Marcus Rashford missed Manchester United’s win against Bournemouth due to illness, but has been back in training and could return to the matchday squad. Lisandro Martinez, Marcel Sabitzer and Donny van de Beek will all miss the club’s remaining business this season. Chelsea are rather limping to the end of a difficult season, with Benoit Badiashile needing groin surgery and added to a significant injury list. Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount are all thought to be doubts, with Reece James and N’Golo Kante two regular starters certainly sidelined. Predicted line-ups Manchester United XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lindelof, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford. Chelsea XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Fofana; Azpilicueta, Fernandez, Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek, Hall; Havertz, Sterling. Odds Manchester United win 4/6 Draw 7/2 Chelsea win 17/4 Prediction Manchester United secure a top four finish with a home win.Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea Read More Premier League 2022/23 season awards: Best player, manager, transfer flop and breakthrough act How Chelsea match is pivotal to Man Utd’s hopes of signing Mason Mount How Erik ten Hag survived stunning lows to lead Manchester United’s unconventional revival Is Manchester United vs Chelsea on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Pep Guardiola: Disallowed Haaland ‘goal’ proves Man City success is on own merit Chelsea the title favourites as Leicester look to survive – WSL talking points