List of All Articles with Tag 'eppersons'

Novak Djokovic powered into his ninth Wimbledon final as the fiery defending champion feuded with the umpire and spectators before beating Jannik Sinner to reach a record 35th Grand...

Former Manchester City and France footballer Benjamin Mendy broke down in tears on Friday, as a UK jury cleared...

As football fans across the globe gear up for the Women’s World Cup, some of the biggest names in the game including England captain Leah Williamson will be absent because of a wave of ACL injuries which has rocked the sport in recent years. It is a common sight in the women’s game when clubs and countries are forced to announce that their biggest stars will be out for months on end. Williamson ruptured her ACL – or anterior cruciate ligament – in April, and will miss the World Cup as a result. Other stars to miss the tournament are England’s Beth Mead and the Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema, who both suffered the injury in November. Canada's Janine Beckie and the USA’s Catarina Macario are in the same boat. The issue also blighted the Euros last summer, as Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas missed the tournament after rupturing her ACL days before the opening game. Northern Ireland’s Simone Magill was also ruled out, along with France striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who had been one of the favourites to win the Euro 2022 Golden Boot. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter But what is this injury, and why are so many women’s footballers getting it? A recurring problem The ACL is a small band of connective tissue in the centre of the knee. It can tear during routine activities like jumping. Any athlete that gets it faces surgery followed by six-to-12 months of rehab. Men also sustain ACL injuries – the likes of Virgil Van Dyke and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are high-profile examples in recent years – but it is more prominent in the women’s game. Speaking to Sky Sports last year, female health specialist Dr Emma Ross said: “We know female athletes are up to six times more likely to have a non-contact ACL injury than their male counterparts.” “In sport and exercise science research, only about 6 per cent of the studies are done exclusively on females – meaning they study things that are happening to the female body – so we don't have a lot of research on female athletes. “But what we do know about the menstrual cycle and injury is that the changing hormones across the cycle can impact the physiology and biomechanics of the body. “For example, when oestrogen is elevated in the menstrual cycle, and that happens in about the second week, it can affect the stability of joints. It can interfere with the collagen in our joints and it can create looser, more lax joints. A loose joint is therefore less stable and more inclined to injury. “So we do have some information about loose joints, but what we don't have is the end step of whether that really does increase the risk for injury in female athletes.” ‘Please no more’ Meanwhile, the workload for elite women’s footballers has grown because of the spiralling popularity of the game. Top players can play up to 44 matches a year, while three out of every four summers there is a major tournament, whether it is the Olympics, Euros or World Cup. The game has grown more professional in lockstep with the ever-busier schedules in recent years, with more Premier League clubs than ever pouring significant cash into their women’s teams. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur spent a combined £33m on running their women’s football teams in the year to July 2022. Nonetheless, it remains lightyears behind the men’s game in terms of funding. The teams paid £186m to agents for men’s team transfers in the same season, according to the Telegraph. There are other factors at play too – women’s feet are significantly different from men’s in shape and size, and experts are concerned that ill-fitting boots could be contributing to the wave of injuries. Sports rehabilitation expert Dr Katrine Okholm Kryger told Sky Sports that “we know that women have a two to five times higher risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries”, which affect the knee. Many of the major manufacturers are developing women's specific boots which should be available for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023, but Dr Okholm Kryger said the lack of available football boots is a general concern. She said she hopes to start a discussion and “kindly nudge manufacturers and research towards the need to pay more attention in this area”. Until they listen, the problem could continue depriving women’s football of its biggest stars. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Bundesliga club RB Leipzig on Friday bought Belgian striker Lois Openda from...

These three Cowboys players will be free agents in 2024 and the team should be worried about losing them, but one other is fine to leave.Famous last words,on paper, the Dallas Cowboys should be a Super Bowl contender.Though blowhards would like to have you believe that Dak Prescott should be...

Look for Bijan Robinson to become a household name as the new face of the Atlanta Falcons.The future is now for the Atlanta Falcons, and Bijan Robinson is excited to play a huge part in that.The NFL may be a quarterback-driven league, but who the Falcons drafted at running No. 8 out of Texas...

Jurrien Timber has joined the club he “loves” after the Netherlands defender completed a £38.5million move to Arsenal. The 22-year-old joins from Ajax on what the PA news agency understands is a five-year contract. He becomes Arsenal’s second summer signing and joins Kai Havertz in moving to the Emirates Stadium. Timber has 15 senior international caps and is believed to have been signed predominantly to play at right-back for Mikel Arteta’s side. “I just love the club,” he told arsenal.com upon signing for the Gunners. “It was because of my brothers. They were always Arsenal fans, and I just loved seeing Arsenal play. They had big players, the way they played, the style. “I had this from a young age, but my brothers kind of put that in me. I liked watching Robin Van Persie of course, and Thierry Henry. They were my favourite players.” It was because of my brothers. They were always Arsenal fans, and I just loved seeing Arsenal play Jurrien Timber Timber has been a long-term target for Arsenal, with his ability on the ball and his pressing already aligned with what Arteta is aiming to achieve. “I think that I’m lucky to say that I can play as a central defender, as a right full-back, sometimes even on the midfield,” he added. “So I think that’s a good thing and I need to keep that. I just like the way Arsenal play, is a bit similar to Ajax’s style and I like to play from the back. I can see a lot of similarities, especially in the way Arsenal and Ajax want to play. “I’m really excited, especially now I’m here. Everyone is so nice and you can see it’s a big club. I’m excited to play for this beautiful club, and I can’t wait to start, and to see the fans obviously in the stadium.” Timber has two Eredivisie titles to his name and was part of the Dutch side that won the European Under-17 title in 2018. He played under Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag at Ajax and had been linked with a reunion last summer before putting pen to paper at the Emirates Stadium. Timber will now travel with the rest of the Arsenal squad for their pre-season fixtures in the United States. The team depart on Sunday but it remains to be seen if Declan Rice will be part of the initial party as his transfer from West Ham has yet to be completed. The Hammers skipper is set for a £105million move across the capital but he has only just returned from holiday to complete the formalities.

Padraig Harrington is not ruling out his chances of playing in another Ryder Cup

Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty on one count of rape and another of attempted rape.

Ons Jabeur hopes Saturday's Wimbledon final will be a game-changer: at the third time of asking she is bidding to become the first African or Arab woman to...

Arsenal announced the signing of Dutch international defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax on Friday as the Gunners continue to strengthen for...

Singapore was rocked by news this week that a cabinet minister and a property tycoon were arrested in