List of All Articles with Tag 'epcelebs'

Promotion places are still to be decided in the Football League as the ever-entertaining play-offs begin. Four teams in the Championship, League One and League Two will bid to finish the season strongly as they vie to be elevated to the next tier. Wembley will again host all three play-off finals across the late May bank holiday weekend. But to get to those showpiece dates, the 12 remaining clubs in contention for promotion will have to survive two-legged semi-finals that always seem to deliver drama. Here’s everything you need to know: When are the play-offs? The play-offs begin on 12 May with the first leg of the League One semi-finals, and conclude with the third tier’s final at Wembley on Monday 29 May. Who has qualified for the play-offs? In the Championship, the teams who finished third, fourth, fifth and sixth will compete for the final promotion place to the Premier League. They are: Luton, Middlesbrough, Coventry and Sunderland. In League One, it is the finishers in that same spread from third to sixth: Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley, Bolton and Peterborough. League Two, meanwhile, awards an extra automatic promotion place, meaning the fourth to seventh-placed clubs progress to the play-offs: Stockport County, Carlisle United, Bradford City and Salford City are the quartet. How can I watch it? All of the play-off action will be live for viewers in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports. Subscribers can stream every game via the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription. Championship play-off schedule: Semi-final first legs: Saturday 13 May, 5.30pm BST: Sunderland vs Luton (Stadium of Light, Sunderland) Sunday 14 May, 12pm BST: Coventry vs Middlesbrough (Coventry Building Society Arena) Second legs: Tuesday 16 May, 8pm BST: Luton vs Sunderland (Kenilworth Road, Luton) Wednesday 17 May 8pm BST: Middlesbrough vs Coventry (Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough) Final: Saturday 27 May, 4.45pm BST League One play-off schedule Semi-final first legs: Friday 12 May, 8pm BST: Peterborough vs Sheffield Wednesday (London Road, Peterborough) Saturday 13 May, 3pm BST: Bolton vs Barnsley (University of Bolton Stadium) Second legs: Thursday 18 May, 8pm BST: Sheffield Wednesday vs Peterborough (Hillsborough, Sheffield) Friday 19 May, 8pm BST: Barnsley vs Bolton (Oakwell, Barnsley) Final: Monday 29 May, 3pm BST League Two play-off schedule Semi-final first legs: Saturday 13 May, 7.45pm BST: Salford City vs Stockport County (Moor Lane, Salford) Sunday 14 May, 7pm BST: Bradford vs Carlisle (Valley Parade, Bradford) Second legs: Saturday 20 May, 12.30pm BST: Stockport County vs Salford City (Edgeley Park, Stockport) Saturday 20 May, 3pm BST: Carlisle United vs Bradford City (Brunton Park, Carlisle) Final: Sunday 28 May, 1.30pm BST Read More Vincent Kompany planning ‘smart’ recruitment for promoted Burnley EFL clubs agree record £935million broadcast deal with Sky Sports Milan derby creates thrilling sensory overload that shows how football should be On this day in 2013: Wigan celebrate FA Cup win with shock victory over Man City A closer look at this season’s play-off contenders as promotion battle resumes Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney join jubilant fans as Wrexham enjoy promotion party

A coincidence, a repetition, whatever. I'm going to make baseball fun this week because MLB is still playing games, or so I've been told.While your favorite NFL team drafted badly, your favorite MLB team kept playing games with us.I don't know if it's a good thing or a ba...

As an emotionally charged season reaches its climax Notts County boss Luke Williams knows there are no guidelines for grief. The Magpies lost chief executive Jason Turner suddenly in March, aged just 50, with his funeral held last week. Williams, who was among those who carried his coffin, has helped lead a club through heartache while trying to win promotion from the National League. A staggering 107 points still saw them finish second, behind Wrexham, but they then claimed a blockbuster 3-2 win over Boreham Wood in their play-off semi-final on Sunday as Jodi Jones’ strike in the final minute of extra time capped a comeback from 2-0 down. Now, Saturday’s play-off final against Chesterfield is their chance to end a four-year EFL exile with the memory of Turner a driving force. “I don’t think there’s a manual,” Williams told the PA news agency. “You can be involved in 1,000 games of football but this is something that is about life and there’s no rule book for this. I try my best to support people and to try to support Jason’s family as best I can. After this type of rollercoaster you need to be with people that care about you and people you trust with your life to be able to help you to recover before it all begins again. Notts County boss Luke Williams “It’s been a huge challenge for me but at the same time I got to work with Jason and got to know him as a man. He’s made a huge impact on my life in a very, very positive way. “Nothing that I’ve had to do has been a burden to me. It’s actually, in a way, helped me to mourn Jason’s passing.” Saturday’s final at Wembley will mark the finale of a thrilling campaign, one where Williams and the club have kept going in tragic circumstances. Yet it leaves the former Swindon boss wary for when the adrenaline wears off and he and the Magpies have time to reflect. He said: “When you experience very, very strong emotions, very, very high emotions and very low emotions – when they’re all very extreme – I feel like you’re always very vulnerable when you come to an end of a chapter like this. “I have experienced things similar in the past and I have a brilliant family and that is the key thing. “After this type of rollercoaster you need to be with people that care about you and people you trust with your life to be able to help you to recover before it all begins again. “Will I be able to draw on these experiences? I’m sure, yes. l hope nothing like that happens but you know life is so fragile so there is every chance I’ll be involved in something of a similar nature. “So I think this stressful experience will help me to cope with that in the future.” While champions Wrexham have been partying in Las Vegas, courtesy of owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Notts County have one last game. Reynolds and McElhenney are expected at Wembley to support the Magpies, something which Williams welcomes as he looks to join them in League Two. “It’s brilliant we’re able to be really fiercely competitive and do everything we possibly can to try to get to the title and then be able to be respectful and supportive at the same time,” added Williams. “Not that I think anybody wants to take the passion and the competition out of football, we all want rivalry. “We want passionate performances and brilliant moments to celebrate and the fans to be able to wind each other up. Then, afterwards, it is a nice development to see the class of the two clubs and the respect they have shown towards each other.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live ‘Struggling’ Tommy Spurr steeled for charity fundraiser in aid of his son Football rumours: Tottenham ready for fight to keep hold of Harry Kane 5 contenders as Justin Thomas sets out to defend US PGA Championship crown

YouTube star KSI returns to the ring on Saturday, fighting boxer and businessman Joe Fournier at the O2 Arena. KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) has taken on Logan Paul twice in the past and most recently fought gamer FaZe Temperrr, winning via knockout in January. His rematch with Paul – a win that followed their initial draw – is the only professional bout of his career, with the rest having been exhibitions. Meanwhile, fellow Briton Fournier has a 9-0 professional record and lost an exhibition bout with former world champion David Haye on points in 2021. The 40-year-old got his start in the fitness industry before moving into nightclub business. KSI, 29, is facing his most credible opponent by far this weekend, in another exhibition fight. Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is it? The event will take place on Saturday 13 May at the O2 Arena in London. The main card is scheduled to begin at 7.15pm BST (11.15am PT, 1.15pm CT, 2.15pm ET), with the main event due at approximately 9.40pm BST (1.40pm PT, 3.40pm CT, 4.40pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will be available on Dazn pay-per-view, priced at £19 for existing subscribers. New customers can purchase the event for £19, too, while receiving one month’s access to the streaming platform. How much are the fighters earning? No earnings for this fight have been disclosed, but KSI is said by Draft Kings to have made around $1million last August when he beat Swarmz and Luis Alcaraz Pineda on the same night. He looks likely to earn a similar amount for his fight with Fournier, whose purse – based on those of KSI’s recent opponents – could be around $400,000. Full card (subject to change) KSI vs Joe Fournier Deji vs Swarmz Salt Papi vs Anthony Taylor Tennessee Thresh vs Paigey Cakey Viruzz vs DK Money Little Bellsy vs Lil Kymchii Who is KSI fighting next? KSI’s next fight is not yet scheduled, but for some time he has been exchanging words with Jake Paul in hopes of arranging a bout. KSI fought Logan Paul, Jake’s older brother, to a draw in an amateur fight in 2018, before outpointing the American in a professional rematch a year later. Logan Paul went on to fight boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition contest in 2021, while Jake has been much more active – going 6-1 as a pro after stopping KSI’s brother Deji in his amateur debut in 2018. Last time out, in February, 26-year-old Paul suffered his first loss, a points defeat by Tommy Fury. The YouTube star is now set to box ex-UFC fighter Nate Diaz in August. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Jake Paul threatens to ‘fire’ employee for bothering Nate Diaz at press conference Conor McGregor shoves Michael Chandler in trailer for The Ultimate Fighter Mark Zuckerberg wins first jiu-jitsu tournament, takes home multiple medals KSI, from ‘endearing’ class clown to YouTuber who has changed the face of boxing Who is KSI fighting after Joe Fournier? How to watch KSI vs Fournier online and on TV this weekend

In stark contrast to their money-laden neighbours, Sunderland are within touching distance of the Premier League’s riches with one of the youngest squads in the Championship. Luton stand in their way of reaching the richest game in football – the play-off final – and the means to unlock hundreds of millions of pounds available to those who play in England’s top flight. The Black Cats spent a decade in the Premier League, before they were relegated with four games remaining at the end of the 2016-17 season. Sunderland’s plight is better known than most, in large part due to Netflix’s Sunderland ‘Til I Die fly-on-the-wall documentary which started with optimism of an immediate return to the top tier, but instead catalogued the disastrous, often embarrassing relegation to League One. That documentary helped inspire Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to buy Wrexham but now the Black Cats are hunting a Hollywood fairytale of their own. The third level of the English footballing pyramid is arguably one of the most difficult divisions to escape, as Leeds too found in recent years, and Sunderland finished in the play-offs three times before moving back into the Championship in the 2021-22 season. However, Tony Mowbray is on the brink of something extraordinary. After Alex Neil’s departure on 21 August to take charge of Stoke - despite having led the Black Cats back into the second tier - Sunderland have flourished. Despite one of the youngest squads, with an average age of just 23.4 years, they are unbeaten in their last nine matches, including a 1-1 draw to Luton who they will face at the weekend. The Hatters’ meteoric rise eclipses even that of Sunderland, having been outside the Football League as recently as the 2013-14 season, though they are more established in the Championship, playing in their third season. But Sunderland will be encouraged by their 1-1 draw with Premier League side Fulham in the FA Cup – although the Cottagers made a number of changes from their usual starting XI – and Mowbray has argued against those who believe promotion would come too soon for his youthful side. They have the potential. And a 46,000 seater stadium with passionate fans who would relish the opportunity to take on their old rivals Newcastle in the first northeast derby since March 2016. However, Sunderland – if they return – will be returning to a wholly different local footballing landscape. While they have travelled to Grimsby and Port Vale, their local rivals are on the cusp of a return to the heights of Europe and have become one of the richest football clubs in the world. In contrast, Sunderland have had a chaotic near-constant change of ownership which has been a source of contention for the fans. Their path to the play-offs was also far from straightforward, having started the final round of matches outside the top six, but Millwall’s capitulation from a two-goal lead to suffering a 4-3 defeat against Blackburn, who went into the game without a win in eight, allowed Sunderland to sneak into sixth. Securing promotion could also be a fitting final tribute for Manchester United’s Amad Diallo and Paris Saint Germain’s Edouard Michut. Diallo has netted 13 times this season in 40 appearances and is likely to be welcomed back to Old Trafford after impressing during his spell on loan. Sunderland have the experience and they won a play-off final as recently as last year, but the knockout matches are notoriously difficult and Luton will prove tough opposition. Read More Coventry City aiming to come full circle after journey to hell and back When are the play-offs? A tiny ground and a squad costing less than a Man City sub. So how are Luton within reach of the Premier League? Football rumours: Tottenham ready for fight to keep hold of Harry Kane Michael Smith wraps up quickfire Premier League hat-trick with Sheffield success West Ham overcome ghosts of Frankfurt to eye another shot at European glory

Kentucky Derby winner Mage remains on track to run in the Preakness next week to continue a pursuit of horse racing’s first Triple Crown

The Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 5 to the Golden State Warriors last night and more problematically watched as Anthony Davis exited the contest with an injury.

YouTube star KSI returns to the ring on Saturday, fighting boxer and businessman Joe Fournier at the O2 Arena. KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) has taken on Logan Paul twice in the past and most recently fought gamer FaZe Temperrr, winning via knockout in January. His rematch with Paul – a win that followed their initial draw – is the only professional bout of his career, with the rest having been exhibitions. Meanwhile, fellow Briton Fournier has a 9-0 professional record and lost an exhibition bout with former world champion David Haye on points in 2021. The 40-year-old got his start in the fitness industry before moving into nightclub business. KSI, 29, is facing his most credible opponent by far this weekend, in another exhibition fight, but who’s next for the YouTuber? Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is KSI vs Fournier? The event will take place on Saturday 13 May at the O2 Arena in London. The main card is scheduled to begin at 7.15pm BST (11.15am PT, 1.15pm CT, 2.15pm ET), with the main event due at approximately 9.40pm BST (1.40pm PT, 3.40pm CT, 4.40pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will be available on Dazn pay-per-view, priced at £19 for existing subscribers. New customers can purchase the event for £19, too, while receiving one month’s access to the streaming platform. How much are the fighters earning? No earnings for this fight have been disclosed, but KSI is said by Draft Kings to have made around $1million last August when he beat Swarmz and Luis Alcaraz Pineda on the same night. He looks likely to earn a similar amount for his fight with Fournier, whose purse – based on those of KSI’s recent opponents – could be around $400,000. Full card (subject to change) KSI vs Joe Fournier Deji vs Swarmz Salt Papi vs Anthony Taylor Tennessee Thresh vs Paigey Cakey Viruzz vs DK Money Little Bellsy vs Lil Kymchii Who is KSI fighting next? KSI’s next fight is not yet scheduled, but for some time he has been exchanging words with Jake Paul in hopes of arranging a bout. KSI fought Logan Paul, Jake’s older brother, to a draw in an amateur fight in 2018, before outpointing the American in a professional rematch a year later. Logan Paul went on to fight boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition contest in 2021, while Jake has been much more active – going 6-1 as a pro after stopping KSI’s brother Deji in his amateur debut in 2018. Last time out, in February, 26-year-old Paul suffered his first loss, a points defeat by Tommy Fury. The YouTube star is now set to box ex-UFC fighter Nate Diaz in August. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Jake Paul threatens to ‘fire’ employee for bothering Nate Diaz at press conference Conor McGregor shoves Michael Chandler in trailer for The Ultimate Fighter Mark Zuckerberg wins first jiu-jitsu tournament, takes home multiple medals When is the KSI vs Fournier fight? Start time, undercard and more KSI, from ‘endearing’ class clown to YouTuber who has changed the face of boxing How to watch KSI vs Fournier online and on TV this weekend

Sunderland is within reach of a return to the Premier League after a chaotic and often farcical six years during which the club has been the subject of a Netflix documentary

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has been named Vanarama National League manager of the season. But Wrexham striker Paul Mullin, who scored 47 goals in all competitions, lost out on the player of the season award to Macaulay Langstaff. Notts County striker Langstaff scored 42 National League goals – four more than Mullin – as Luke Williams’ side finished four points short of champions Wrexham’s record total of 111. Parkinson steered Wrexham over the line amid the fierce spotlight on the Welsh club because of their Hollywood star owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Wrexham missed out on promotion in the play-offs last season, but the Red Dragons ended a 15-year absence from the English Football League on the season’s penultimate weekend this time. Notts County, who pushed Wrexham all the way in a thrilling title race, will contest the play-off final against Chesterfield on Saturday for the second promotion spot. The top two dominate the National League team of the year with eight players. Notts County supply five players, two more than Wrexham. National League Team of the Year: N Ashmore (Boreham Wood), J King (Chesterfield), A Chicksen (Notts County), B Tozer (Wrexham), K Cameron (Notts County), E Lee (Wrexham), M Palmer, R Rodrigues, M Langstaff (all Notts County), P Mullin (Wrexham), R Colclough (Chesterfield). Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Former NFL star JJ Watt has put his old Chelsea allegiances to one side because he believes he can make a big difference at Championship-winning Burnley. The 34-year-old, who retired from playing last year, has been in Lancashire this week to enjoy Burnley’s final game of the season and take part in Tuesday’s trophy parade after he and his wife Kealia, a former United States international, became investors in the club. Watt has previously said he was a Chelsea fan but that is in the past for the three-time NFL defensive player of the year. “I’m a massive football fan and I’ve been looking for the right opportunity for a long time,” Watt told the PA news agency. “Burnley is a club that has been around since 1882, it’s got incredible support in a great town and I’m very much looking forward to helping create the vision that Alan (Pace, chairman) and Vincent (Kompany, manager) have for the club. “With a club like Chelsea if I got involved, I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t have any impact in what is a $6billion club. But if you come to a club like Burnley you have the chance to make a difference, the chance to make an impact. “I don’t hide the fact I used to be a Chelsea supporter but I’m all Burnley now.” While the Premier League is now awash with investment from around the world, most of that is channelled into the big six clubs or those in London. Turf Moor is a long way from the more glamorous image of the top flight, but Watt, who grew up in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, said that appealed to him. “I’m from a small town in Wisconsin and I grew up watching the Green Bay Packers,” said Watt, who spent 10 seasons with the Houston Texans and two with the Arizona Cardinals. “Every bit of evidence says Green Bay is not a big town and there’s no reason for them to be great but I think that something special can happen in a small town, especially when you have a manager like Vincent Kompany and a chairman like Alan Pace, and supporters like we have here.” Watt admitted he felt a bit of out of place at Tuesday’s parade – “I don’t feel like I deserve to be here because I just joined” – but he has quickly got involved in several aspects of the club, even sitting in on a meeting looking ahead to the summer transfer window. Having taken some inspiration from the impact Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have had at Wrexham, just promoted to League Two, Watt said he wanted to take Burnley global. There will also be a particular focus on improving the women’s team at Burnley, who play in the National League North, the third tier of the pyramid. “I’m going to be helping to increase the global brand,” Watt said. “We want to help create interest and excitement around Burnley Football Club and tell the story of the town and get people to understand how great of a place it is. “(The women’s team) is a big part of what we want to do. Women’s football is on the rise globally and we want to make sure Burnley is a part of that rise.”

Shakira was previously spotted having dinner with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who came in fourth at the Miami Grand Prix