List of All Articles with Tag 'eppersons'

The MLB playoff bracket continues to evolve with a little over a month left until October and the arrival of postseason baseball.

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie linebacker Ventrell Miller will miss the season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon in the team’s preseason finale against Miami

Liverpool FC was down 1-0 late to Newcastle but star forward Darwin Nunez came on the pitch and scored two goals to give LFC the victory.

One week after the president of the Spanish soccer federation kissed a player during the Women’s World Cup awards ceremony, his reputation is in tatters and he's out of his job. Luis Rubiales, whose leadership of Spanish soccer had already been marked by successes tinged with scandal, wrecked his career by offending millions worldwide with his conduct at the final in Sydney, Australia, when he also grabbed his crotch in a victory gesture. “Rubiales cannot run Spanish soccer again,” Spanish minister María Jesús Montero said Sunday, a day after he was provisionally suspended by FIFA for 90 days. “We had enough of him when he marred the great triumph of women’s soccer with his intolerable attitude.” Rubiales was replaced by his vice president Pedro Rocha, who will act as interim chief in his absence. Rocha is considered to be a confidant of Rubiales. Rocha has called an emergency meeting of the soccer federation's regional heads to discuss the crisis on Monday, when women’s groups will rally in downtown Madrid in support of forward Jenni Hermoso, who was kissed on the lips by Rubiales after Spain's 1-0 win over England in the final. FIFA moved against Rubiales after he refused to step down and defiantly told an emergency assembly of his federation on Friday that he was the victim of a “witch hunt” by “false feminists.” On a day that will go down as one of the ugliest in Spanish soccer, Rubiales said that Hermoso had consented to the “mutual” kiss. Hermoso replied in two statements to say that was false and that she considered herself the victim of an abuse of power. She also accused the federation of trying to pressure her into supporting Rubiales. The federation hit back by saying she was lying and that it would take legal action against her. As part of his suspension of Rubiales, FIFA disciplinary judge Jorge Palacio ordered Rubiales and the federation not to contact Hermoso. Spain’s government is also pursuing his permanent removal in Spain’s Administrative Court for Sports. The court will meet in the coming week to consider the government’s lawsuit for an alleged abuse of power and for allegedly committing acts that tarnished the dignity and decorum of a sporting event. If found guilty, Rubiales could be ruled unfit to hold office. Spain great Andrés Iniesta, a 2010 World Cup winner, said “after what has happened this week I would like to express my sadness, as a person, as a father of three girls, as a husband and as a soccer player. “We have had to bear this president who clung to power, didn’t admit that his behavior had been unacceptable and was damaging the image of our country and our soccer before the world,” Iniesta said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Rubiales' behavior has tarnished not only the greatest feat of Spanish women’s soccer, it has also torn apart his federation. The only public support Rubiales has received came during Friday’s general assembly when he was applauded several times by parts of the mostly male crowd, which was made up of regional federation officials, coaches, referees and players from lower divisions. But his refusal to go quietly led to some resignations from his board, including the vice president in charge of women’s soccer. The federation will also keep open its own internal probe into the incident as part of its sexual violence protocol. Those who applauded his diatribe included women’s coach Jorge Vilda — Hermoso's coach — and Spain’s men’s coach Luis de la Fuente. But once FIFA took down Rubiales, it took only hours for both coaches to issue statements sanctioning their now former boss. Rubiales is a 46-year-old former player who headed a players’ union – which this week joined the chorus demanding his resignation – before he was elected to run the federation in 2018. He has not shied away from controversy since, but has shored up internal support by boosting revenues. Rubiales made 339,000 euros ($365,000) in 2021 after taxes, for presiding over the federation with a budget of 382 million euros ($412 million). The federation runs Spain’s men’s and women’s national soccer teams and its semi-professional and amateur soccer leagues. It also organizes the referees. The government maintains some oversight of the entity but it cannot name or remove its executives. Weeks after becoming the most powerful man in Spanish soccer, Rubiales showed he wouldn’t tolerate any act that he considered disloyal when he fired the coach of Spain’s men’s team just two days before its first match at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Julen Lopetegui had just agreed to join Real Madrid after the tournament, but Rubiales felt he had betrayed the national team and dismissed him. Rubiales revolutionized the Spanish Super Cup in 2019 by expanding it from two to four teams and taking it to Saudi Arabia – now the big draw for top European talent like Cristiano Ronaldo – in exchange for 40 million dollars a year. The clubs and federation loved the cash, but the move was criticized by women’s and human rights groups for the regime’s treatment of women and minorities. Spanish authorities also scrutinized the deal, and an investigative judge is probing the legality of the Super Cup contracts. In part, Rubiales was tolerated because he was considered better than his predecessor, Ángel Maria Villar, who was in power for nearly three decades before he ended up behind bars for widespread corruption. Rubiales increased his hold on power by becoming a vice-president with UEFA, which has remained silent on the scandal. Rubiales was spearheading what promised to be his greatest prize: a joint bid to host the 2030 men’s World Cup with Portugal, Morocco and possibly Ukraine. But it seems the greatest sporting achievement of Spanish soccer under his watch has led to his downfall – unless he can successfully fight against both FIFA and Spain’s government. Not only were his actions deemed out of line, his erratic handling of the scandal — which swerved from insulting his critics, to an awkward apology, and eventually his tirade against feminism — did him in. The response from Spanish society has been overwhelmingly supportive of Hermoso and against Rubiales. Her Spain teammates, along with more than 50 others women players, said they would not play for Spain as long as he remains. Messages in support of the player and condemning Rubiales have poured in from Spanish and foreign players, the most powerful soccer clubs – Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, among others – and from political parties from the far left to the center right. “Luis Rubiales is finished,” the president of Spain’s women’s league, Beatriz Álvarez, told The Associated Press. “He has dug his own grave with his acts and his words.” ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer ___ AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Uefa rejects Spanish expulsion plea as Luis Rubiales crisis takes bizarre new twist Luis Rubiales’ mother locks herself in church and goes on hunger strike Luis Rubiales news LIVE: Police investigate president for alleged sexual assault

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Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith will clash in a highly-anticipated rematch this weekend, following two delays to the all-British bout. Smith shocked a number of fans and pundits by stopping Eubank Jr in January, dropping his opponent twice en route to a fourth-round TKO win. Now Eubank Jr, 33, is out for revenge, as he and Smith, 35, meet at Manchester’s AO Arena for the second time. Injury issues caused Smith to delay the middleweight rematch, but it is finally here. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers 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 the fight? The fight is set to take place on Saturday 2 September at the AO Arena in Manchester. The main card is expected to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET), with ring walks for the main event due at around 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? In the UK, the event will air live on Sky Sports Box Office, at a cost of £19.95. Viewers do not need a Sky subscription to purchase the pay-per-view. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help: Get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Odds Eubank Jr – 11/8 Smith – 4/6 Draw – 16/1 Via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr (middleweight) Mark Heffron (C) vs Jack Cullen (British super-middleweight title) Adam Azim vs Aram Faniian (super-lightweight) Mikaela Mayer vs Silvia Bortot (women’s super-lightweight) Frankie Stringer vs Christian Lopez Flores (lightweight) Frazer Clarke vs David Allen (heavyweight) Florian Marku vs Dylan Moran (welterweight) Lauren Price vs TBA (women’s welterweight) Read More Liam Smith: ‘Chris Eubank Jr is a nightmare – not for me, for other people’ Oleksandr Usyk remains heavyweight champion but where does he go from here? Major controversy as Oleksandr Usyk beats Daniel Dubois after ‘low blow’ body shot Adam Azim seeks Aram Fanyan ‘demolition’ in grandfather’s memory What time does Eubank vs Smith 2 start this weekend? How to watch Eubank vs Smith 2 online and on TV this weekend

Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith are set to square off again this weekend, eight months after the latter secured a TKO win over his fellow Briton. Smith, 35, upset the betting odds by beating Eubank Jr, 33, in the fourth round in Manchester, and the pair return to the scene of that clash on Saturday, as they meet at the AO Arena once more. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers After a bitter build to the boxers’ middleweight bout in January, in which Smith dropped Eubank Jr twice, fans are expecting more fireworks this week. 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 the fight? The fight is set to take place on Saturday 2 September at the AO Arena in Manchester. The main card is expected to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET), with ring walks for the main event due at around 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? In the UK, the event will air live on Sky Sports Box Office, at a cost of £19.95. Viewers do not need a Sky subscription to purchase the pay-per-view. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help: Get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Odds Eubank Jr – 11/8 Smith – 4/6 Draw – 16/1 Via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr (middleweight) Mark Heffron (C) vs Jack Cullen (British super-middleweight title) Adam Azim vs Aram Faniian (super-lightweight) Mikaela Mayer vs Silvia Bortot (women’s super-lightweight) Frankie Stringer vs Christian Lopez Flores (lightweight) Frazer Clarke vs David Allen (heavyweight) Florian Marku vs Dylan Moran (welterweight) Lauren Price vs TBA (women’s welterweight) Read More Liam Smith: ‘Chris Eubank Jr is a nightmare – not for me, for other people’ Oleksandr Usyk remains heavyweight champion but where does he go from here? Major controversy as Oleksandr Usyk beats Daniel Dubois after ‘low blow’ body shot