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Russell Martin has been confirmed as Southampton’s new head coach. The former Scotland international joins on a three-year deal after leaving Swansea. Martin verbally agreed to take over at St Mary’s last month, while the clubs remained in discussions over compensation. “It’s a privilege to accept this opportunity at Southampton, a club with such a long and rich history,” he said. “My aim is to get this club back where it belongs – in the top flight of English football. I am ready for this challenge and will give everything to achieve this aim and to give the supporters a team that makes them proud. I’m thrilled to be here and cannot wait for the work to begin.” Leicester were also interested in the 37-year-old but Southampton moved quickly following their relegation from the Premier League. Several of his backroom staff, including assistant Mat Gil, are expected to join Martin. Southampton and Swansea disagreed over the amount of compensation which should be paid, which has seen the move dragged out. They had been haggling over £700,000 with Martin’s release clause for Championship clubs and Premier League sides different. The Saints felt they should pay the smaller amount, around £1.25million, after their relegation from the top flight while the Swans were believed to be holding out for £2million. Martin guided Swansea to 10th in the Championship last season despite having a bottom-four budget and the youngest squad in the division. He has been praised for his style and Southampton will be hoping the ex-Norwich defender can guide them back to the Premier League at the first attempt. They finished bottom after a disastrous season which has seen them use three managers. Nathan Jones replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl in November but lasted just 14 games, winning one, and was sacked in February. Ruben Selles took charge for the final months of the campaign but was unable to keep Saints up. Last month chief executive Martin Semmens stepped down from his role following relegation having been in the post since 2019. Jason Wilcox was announced as Southampton’s director of football in January, joining from Manchester City, and will officially start work next week. He is a fantastic fit for what we are trying to achieve Jason Wilcox, Southampton director of football Wilcox added: “Russell has shown fantastic qualities in his managerial career so far and is someone who we believe will thrive in the great environment we have here at Southampton. “He is a fantastic fit for what we are trying to achieve, with a strong record of developing and nurturing young, talented players to fulfil their potential and deliver results on the pitch. We can’t wait for Russell to get started working with the team at Staplewood as we get ready for the new season.” Swansea are in talks with Barnsley boss Michael Duff, as revealed by the PA news agency on Sunday, with the former Burnley midfielder expected to be Martin’s replacement. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live The greatest show and spotlight on bowlers – Women’s Ashes talking points England approach ‘validated’ despite defeat in opening Ashes Test Harriet Dart beats Anhelina Kalinina again to book quarter-final spot

A US Senate panel investigating the merger of PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf asked officials from the

The LSU Tigers baseball team has star pitcher Paul Skenes and... a bunch of alcoholic fans, apparently. They're in college -- can you blame them?The LSU Tigers are on track to make a finals appearance in the College World Series this year, and their fans couldn't be happier. They witne...

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Success breeds success and England legend Rachel Yankey believes that the momentum from the Lionesses’ Euros crown can carry them at the World Cup despite a host of big-name absentees. Skipper Leah Williamson will miss the showpiece Down Under through injury, as will Beth Mead and Fran Kirby. It is the biggest concern for Sarina Wiegman’s squad as they look to add the global success to the European title they memorably claimed on home soil. But Yankey, who won 129 caps in a 16-year international career, has backed the team to use their experience of going all the way in 2022 to make up for the losses of established leaders. “Obviously they are missing players, which is disappointing for those individuals, but you want them to come back the fittest and strongest so you don’t want to rush them back for a massive tournament,” said Yankey, who has been assigned as a ‘Confidence Coach’, a move by Gatorade which comes in response to new data revealing that over four in ten (41%) parents believe that a lack of confidence and self-esteem are barriers which prevent teens from taking up sport. “What it is, is an opportunity for other players to really be involved in a key tournament, whether that is to gain experience or be a big part of it. “I think the squad would have learned so much from the Euros, there are different ranges of age within the squad, there are a lot of experienced players, so I think that they will be fine. “They can draw on their experiences, there is a lot of resilience within the players in that squad and I think there is good leadership and good youth. Fingers crossed they can go far. “For the players that weren’t there last year, they can look around that changing room and see so many different faces that were involved and played big parts in moments within the squad. Anybody that has been there and done it, and obviously the manager has done it twice, I think you can believe and have trust, you can settle people’s nerves by looking around and sharing experiences. “I don’t think there is just one leader in that England team. Collectively, that is their strong point. I think it will come down to how well they gel off the pitch and I’m sure they are going to do a fantastic job because they can look back on their previous experiences.” One noticeable aspect of the England squad named by Wiegman was the inclusion of just two Black players, Jess Carter and Lauren James. That is a continuation of a theme that was evident at the Euros, when Carter and Nikita Parris were the only Black players to get onto the pitch for England. The FA are aware of the issue, with Wiegman stressing that work is being done to change the make-up of the squad, while admitting it will not happen overnight. For Yankey, at one point England’s most capped footballer of either gender, and a trailblazer for Black women’s footballers, part of that trend may be due to the increased organisation of football. “There’s many different barriers that are leading to why young girls from all different backgrounds are not taking up the sport or not staying in the sport, or not getting the same opportunities to play the sport,” added Yankey, who delivered a moving Team Talk at the Gatorade’s 5v5 all-female tournament in Eindhoven, an annual five-a-side competition for 14- to 16-year-olds that featured nine female teams from across the Netherlands who all fought hard to qualify for the final and represent their local communities on a global stage. “One of the things that relates straightaway, when I think back to when I played football as a kid, I used to go out of my front door and with two boys across the road, we would go to the bottom of the street and play football. You don’t see people do that anymore. We used to go to the park and play football, you don’t really see people do that anymore. “We used to play unorganised football where we would create our games and make up our own skills. Everything is very organised at the moment and everything has a cost. “In the final years of my playing and even after retiring, I think more and more people have told me how important I was to them. Things that I didn’t necessarily think about, the way I used to have my hair braided, the colour of my skin. For some people, just the fact that I was a woman playing football. “At an early age, I understood that there was a role to play when you are playing for Arsenal and playing for England, you don’t want to let people down. But I didn’t really understand how deeply it could go into my gender and obviously my race. They weren’t things I thought about, that was really helping other people. We need more people to be going out and playing football, we need more people from different backgrounds. We need to be highlighting the game and to get more players.” Read More ‘Go get them’: William visits Lionesses to wish them good luck ahead of World Cup England World Cup goalkeeper set to leave WSL side this summer Ella Toone ‘ready and prepared’ for World Cup summer with England Qatar World Cup workers suffered ‘human rights abuses’, new Amnesty report finds Fifa accused of lying about environmental impact of Qatar World Cup Why Fifa is right about stand-off with Women’s World Cup broadcasters

President Joe Biden, Taylor Swift and Megan Thee Stallion were among a star-studded cast of names to announce the United States’ Women’s World Cup squad as the defending champions revealed the 23 players who will look to win a third tournament in a row this summer. Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe will be making their fourth appearance at the World Cup after being included in head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s squad, while key players such as Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle also return from their group that won the US’s fourth World Cup in France four years ago. But the US saved their biggest surprise for their announcement video, with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden featuring alongside some of the biggest names from sports and entertainment, including Blake Lively, Shaquille O’Neal and Lil Wayne. “From lifting trophies to fighting for gender equity, these women have been a source of inspiration for Americans of all ages,” President Biden said in the opening of the eight-minute video. While Morgan, 33, and Rapinoe, 37, bring plenty of tournament-winning experience to the US side, Andonovski’s squad features 14 players who will be appearing at the World Cup for the first time. Among them are 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson and 22-year-old Trinity Rodman, while the uncapped Savannah DeMelo is also included in the squad. The US will be without the experienced captain Becky Sauerbrunn due to injury, as well as star forward Mallory Swanson. The United States are four-time winners of the World Cup and remain favourites ahead of this summer’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand. The defending champions face the Netherlands, who they defeated in the 2019 final, Portugal and Vietnam in Group E. United States Women’s World Cup squad Goalkeepers: Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars) Defenders: Alana Cook (OL Reign), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Kelley O’Hara (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign) Midfielders: Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC), Julie Ertz (Angel City FC), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit) Forwards: Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC) Read More N’Golo Kante, the midfield miracle worker who changed football Jose Mourinho hit by Uefa punishment for abusing referee Anthony Taylor Man Utd see £50m bid rejected for Mason Mount as Chelsea set asking price N’Golo Kante, the midfield miracle worker who changed football Jose Mourinho hit by Uefa punishment for abusing referee Anthony Taylor Man Utd see £50m bid rejected for Mason Mount as Chelsea set asking price

Roma coach Jose Mourinho has been given a four-match suspension by UEFA for his behaviour at last month’s Europa League final. The Portuguese faced widespread criticism after he directed abuse at English referee Anthony Taylor following his side’s defeat to Sevilla. UEFA also announced West Ham fans would be banned from their next away match in European competition, with a further match suspended for two years. That related to Hammers fans throwing missiles on to the pitch during their Europa Conference League final win over Fiorentina in Prague earlier this month. The Italian club’s defender Cristiano Biraghi suffered a cut to the head from an object thrown from the crowd. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The nation's No. 1 high school football recruit, Dylan Raiola, is doubling down on his commitment to Georgia football.Dylan Raiola, the No. 1 high school football recruit in the 2024 high school class, is committed to the University of Georgia. While the Dawgs had to feel good about his ann...

The Chiefs may have their eye on another veteran defensive end to reinforce the pass-rushing unit after a Chris Jones extension gets done.Coming off a Super Bowl victory in 2022, why would anyone from the Kansas City Chiefs' championship-winning roster want to leave? That seems to be the me...

First the romance, then the new reality. N’Golo Kante’s eight years in England were bookended by two phenomena, two dramatic shifts in the footballing world. In his debut season, came Leicester’s improbable Premier League win, powered by Kante, destined to be a one-off. As he goes, it is to Saudi Arabia, to Al Ittihad, to a project that has greater funds and may have more longevity. Kante, the footballer who famously drove a Mini, will get a supersized salary, reportedly £86m. Selfless running has proved to be a profitable business. That it came in the same summer Leicester were relegated is a coincidence. Yet an era has ended: the three catalysts for English football’s greatest fairytale may not play in the Premier League again, with Jamie Vardy going down with the Foxes and Riyad Mahrez perhaps destined to join Kante in Saudi Arabia. A new force in the global game now is in the Middle East, not the East Midlands. Kante goes as Leicester and Chelsea’s likeable legend, the unassuming and perhaps inimitable – though maybe Moises Caicedo will be charged with emulating him at Stamford Bridge – architect of unexpected triumphs. If xG has been a factor in football in recent years, so has ‘NG’; the latter was a way of confounding predictions. It says something that winning the World Cup may not rank in Kante’s top three achievements; not given the context, anyway, because France were at least among the favourites in 2018. Their prowess, however, relied upon a recurring theme in Kante’s career: his ability to do the work of two men, which in turn released Paul Pogba to adopt a more attacking brief. But the Kante hat-trick consisted of his back-to-back Premier Leagues, with Leicester and Chelsea, who had finished 14th and 10th respectively the previous seasons, and then the 2021 Champions League. Arguably, he was the outstanding player in each competition. In 2015-16, the individual honours went to Vardy and Mahrez, before Kante was named both PFA Player of the Year and Footballer of the Year the following season. Aided by Italy’s triumph at Euro 2020, Jorginho won Uefa’s Player of the Year for 2020-21; it is no slight on the regista to say he was not even the best player in Chelsea’s midfield. Kante, man of the match in the final and both legs of the semi-final, was the small man who doubled up as a big-game player, and not merely because a disproportionate share of his few goals came against Chelsea’s peers. Chelsea won the Champions League by conceding two goals in seven knockout games. Thomas Tuchel branded Kante “our Salah, our Van Dijk, our De Bruyne”. He was right: Chelsea’s x-factor footballer was a runner who was playing in France’s third tier when he turned 22. Kante’s defining attributes seemed prosaic: running – he could cover 13km in a game – tackling and intercepting, which he did more than virtually anyone else. But he felt flawless: the king of tackles was never sent off for either Chelsea or Leicester. And his brilliance was illustrated by his uniqueness: as others sought their own Kante, players who had similar statistics for regaining possession, such as Idrissa Gueye and Wilfred Ndidi, were acquired, but no one else had the full package. Instructive as Tuchel’s tribute was, it was not the most pertinent praise of Kante. That came from the man who brought him to England, Steve Walsh, who took to whispering “Kante” to a sceptical Claudio Ranieri when their paths crossed in corridors and in ultimately successful attempts to persuade the manager to sign him. A year later, with Leicester champions, Walsh reflected that City played three in the heart of midfield in their seemingly anachronistic 4-4-2 formation: “[Danny] Drinkwater in the middle with Kante either side”. And Kante, with his extraordinary energy, held back trends in tactics. There was a sense that teams with him had 12 men. A central-midfield trio tends to be a prerequisite at elite level these days: unless, that is, one of a duo is Kante, covering the ground of two men, compensating for the times he was actually outnumbered. The last two teams to win the Premier League with a central-midfield duo are Leicester and Chelsea; the first as a low-possession team, the second sometimes with the immobile Cesc Fabregas alongside the all-action Kante. In the last decade, only one team has won the Champions League with just two out-and-out central midfielders: Chelsea in 2021. Factor in France in 2018 and Kante made tactics and teams work. Al Ittihad will have to confront the question if such feats are consigned to the past, if a man whose physicality – along with his reading of the game – made him so good is now in decline. He only made nine appearances for Chelsea last season. Graham Potter is entitled to feel himself luckless in at least one respect: Kante was only able to play 33 minutes in his ill-fated tenure. Frank Lampard rather strangely used him as a No 10 against Real Madrid and Brentford. It was a glamour position but Kante was the man who long excelled at the unglamorous. He became a miracle worker by being the greatest worker of his generation. Read More Man Utd see £50m bid rejected for Mason Mount as Chelsea set asking price Ryan Porteous not too envious of Scotland team-mates as he heads back to Watford Almost two thirds of football fans oppose VAR, survey finds

Florida is one win away from the College World Series finals, but needs to get past TCU in order to do so.The Gators have looked the part in Omaha, Nebraska, beating Virginia and Oral Roberts in two thrilling games, each by one run, can the team hold off the Horned Frogs, who have been one of th...