List of All Articles with Tag 'por'

Preakness winner National Treasure breezed five furlong Monday in his final workout for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes this weekend

Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter is under way, as Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler coach opposing teams of competitors on the UFC television show. McGregor and Chandler’s teams consist of up-and-coming mixed martial artists who are bidding for a contract with the UFC, and fighters who have fought in the promotion in the past and are looking to make their way back. Only one fighter will emerge victorious on the show. McGregor has coached on the programme in the past, going up against Urijah Faber in 2015 and winning with his team. That was a rare case of two coaches taking part in the programme but not fighting each other afterwards, and McGregor vs Chandler has been announced for later this year. No date, location or weight class has been confirmed, but both fighters have promised that the bout will go ahead. The first episode of The Ultimate Fighter season 31 aired on Tuesday 30 May in the US, and on Thursday 1 June in the UK. The series will air weekly episodes until the season finale on 15 August. In the US, the programme is airing on ESPN and ESPN+. In the UK, BT Sport is broadcasting the show on TV, as well as on its website and app. Episodes go live at 10pm BST each Thursday. It is worth noting that BT Sport is being rebranded to TNT Sports in July. At the end of Episode 1 of the new season of The Ultimate Fighter, one of McGregor’s mentees was knocked out within eight seconds. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Conor McGregor mentee loses in eight seconds on The Ultimate Fighter Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler will be ‘over in two rounds’, says Dustin Poirier McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary

The Anaheim Ducks have hired Greg Cronin to be their head coach

The Buffalo Bills have reached an agreement to sign linebacker Leonard Floyd to a one-year contract in reuniting the player with fellow edge rusher, Von Miller, a person with direct knowledge of the agreement tells The Associated Press

Kevin De Bruyne does not believe Manchester City are favourites to beat Inter Milan in the Champions League final and secure the win they need to complete the treble. City are well fancied to beat the Serie A side on Saturday in Istanbul and become the first English club to win all three major trophies in a single season since Manchester United in 1999. They moved a step closer on Saturday by adding the FA Cup to the Premier League title already won, with Ilkay Gundogan’s goals helping Pep Guardiola’s side to a 2-1 victory against United at Wembley. Until now Guardiola and his players have largely sidestepped any talk of matching their city rivals’ feat of 24 years ago. But after the cup final victory, De Bruyne acknowledged how close he and his team-mates were to a remarkable achievement, yet stopped short of saying they were favourites to beat Inter. “There was belief anyway but there was no point talking about it before,” he said. “We know now. I want to win the Champions League and I want to win the treble but we were getting ready to win this game (against United). “We deserved to win. I am very happy and very proud. We should enjoy next week and hopefully we can perform the best we can. “Inter are a very good team. Finals are 50-50. We were favourites today. It is always difficult. You have to manage these moments. There will be moments when it is tough but in the big moments we try to do our job. “Inter have great players and we have respect for them. They haven’t got to the final by beating easy teams.” De Bruyne will be looking to exorcise personal demons from the last time he played in a Champions League final, fracturing an eye socket and breaking his nose as City went down 1-0 against Chelsea in an all-Premier League final in Porto. “That is football,” he said. “I have never broken anything in my life and I come out of the Champions League final with a broken nose, a broken eye socket and concussion. “It happens. There is nothing more I can do. I wished it was better but it wasn’t.” Guardiola’s team were knocked out in the last four by Real Madrid last season despite holding a two-goal aggregate lead going into the final moments of the second leg. I want to win the Champions League and I want to win the treble Kevin De Bruyne The Champions League is the only major honour that still eludes the club, with Guardiola not having lifted the trophy since his second triumph with Barcelona in 2011. Asked if he believed City were finally ready to take the next step in Europe, De Bruyne said: “I can answer that question next week. “I don’t see it that way. We have performed really well. We have been in so many quarter and semi-finals and two finals. We have been there most of the time. “Depends who you ask (whether City need to win in Europe to earn recognition). Most of the guys have been incredible anyway. Will it help, yes. “But one 90 minutes doesn’t define a career. I am on around 700 games. One 90 minutes out of 700 doesn’t define my career. But obviously it helps.”

The easiest way to explain what the Miami Heat are doing in the comeback department during these playoffs is simply to put up their numbers against the rest of the league

Roger Penske accomplished a career first last week when his drivers swept the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend

The Saudi sovereign wealth fund which owns Newcastle has taken majority stakes in four of the Middle Eastern country’s biggest clubs, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s team Al Nassr. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is taking 75 per cent stakes in Al Nassr, Asian Champions League finalists Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad, who are understood to be interested in signing Karim Benzema after his intention to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season was confirmed. The PIF also own an 80 per cent stake in Newcastle following the completion of a protracted and controversial takeover in October 2021. Sources close to the fund have told the PA news agency that the move to take controlling stakes in the four Saudi clubs does not constitute the creation of a multi-club ownership model involving Newcastle. Each club will be managed by an independent board and have separate executive management, the sources said. Clubs in the Saudi top flight, who have technically been owned by the country’s Ministry of Sport until now, are being privatised as part of a government initiative to help the sport further develop. FIFA has been approached for comment on the issue. A statement on the PIF Twitter account read: “As part of today’s announcement of the Sports Clubs Investment and Privatization Project, four Saudi clubs – Al Ittihad, Al Ahli, Al Nassr, and Al Hilal – have been transformed into companies, each of which is owned by PIF and non-profit foundations for each club.” PIF said existing members of each club would be included in the four foundations and that the fund was working closely with the Ministry of Sport on the necessary regulatory procedures to complete the clubs’ transfers to their new structures as newly-founded companies alongside non-profit foundations. “The transfer of the four clubs will unleash various commercial opportunities, including investment, partnership and sponsorships across numerous sports,” the PIF statement concluded. The Saudi government said in a release from the country’s national press agency issued earlier on Monday that it hoped that as well as further bolstering participation in sport at grassroots level, the move to privatisation would raise the league’s revenues from 450million riyals (£96.7m) last year to 1.8 billion riyals (£386.7m) and increase its market value to more than 8bn riyals (£1.72bn) by 2030. The extent to which the Saudi government controls Newcastle came back into the spotlight in February this year after the publication of court documents in the US. The Premier League approved the PIF-led takeover of the club only after receiving “legally-binding assurances” that the Saudi state would not have control of the club. However, documents from PIF’s legal team published in a court case related to the LIV Golf and PGA Tour dispute described PIF as “a sovereign instrumentality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” and PIF governor and Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan as “a sitting minister of the Saudi government”. The Premier League has declined to comment on whether it had opened an investigation following the publication of the court documents. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Andy Murray determined to show he remains among the elite on grass courts Ange Postecoglou: Who is he and what can Tottenham fans expect? Alfie Hewett adapting to his new status as the man to beat in wheelchair tennis

Ange Postecoglou appears set to leave Celtic and take over at Tottenham. Spurs fans appear to be split on the selection with some questioning his pedigree, but that will not faze the single-minded 57-year-old. So what do Tottenham supporters need to know about their prospective new boss? – Who is Ange Postecoglou? The Australian, who emigrated from Greece at the age of four, won two titles as a South Melbourne player, where he worked under Real Madrid great Ferenc Puskas, and won four Australia caps before injury forced him to move into coaching at a young age. – What success has he achieved?Postecoglou led South Melbourne to two titles as manager in his early 30s and then spent seven years coaching Australia’s youth teams. He burst back on to the domestic scene, leading Brisbane Roar from finishing bottom of the A-League to consecutive Grand Final victories in 2011 and 2012, with the help of a record 36-game unbeaten run. He took charge of Australia at the 2014 World Cup, won the Asian Cup the following year and led his country to 2018 World Cup qualification before taking charge of Yokohama F Marinos, guiding them to their first J-League title in 15 years in 2019. – And how about in Scotland? He won five out of six domestic trophies during his two years in charge of Celtic, including a treble in what appears to have been his final campaign. European football was the missing piece of the jigsaw. However, Celtic generally performed well in the Champions League this past season – against Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk – while squandering chances that should have got them more than two points on their return to the elite stage. – Does he have the experience for the Premier League? Postecoglou addressed the fact there was a mixed response to his appointment as Celtic manager and was also unfazed by the fact a deal for Eddie Howe had fallen through. “You’re assuming I was second choice, I might have been fifth choice, you never know,” he said at his unveiling. “It doesn’t really bother me. What’s important is that I have been given the responsibility and opportunity.” He also dismissed suggestions he was making a “jump” in standard. “I have coached at a World Cup, I have coached against some of the best teams in the world,” he said. He will not be concerned by the reaction to his Tottenham appointment given his total focus and belief in his process. – What style of football does he employ? Postecoglou has matched success with an attacking style and prides himself on building teams that get people talking and excite the fans. Celtic scored a post-war club record 114 league goals this past season. His goalkeeper will need to pass the ball out, his centre-backs get on the front foot and are aggressive, while he employs inverted full-backs. His team played with two attacking central midfielders and two wingers who have to get in front of goal when balls come in from the other flank, while the centre-forward can expect plenty of chances. His mantra is “we never stop” and even the Celtic ball attendants are in tune with his demand to keep the game moving. – What kind of manager is he? Postecoglou has spoken of his love of a challenge and building something special from scratch. “Just about every job I have had has been an extensive rebuild,” he once said. “Usually you come in when people are needing change. Secondly, the way I get my teams to play is challenging, and requires a major shift, usually both in playing staff and the way we work.” He exerted control over a number of areas of the football department at Celtic and oversaw a massive rebuild while winning the title against a Rangers side who finished 25 points ahead the previous season and reached a European final in his first Scottish campaign. He quickly won respect from Celtic players and fostered a culture of togetherness but also takes a step back from them and lets the dressing room run itself on match days. Australia international Ryan McGowan remarked how he sat next to Postecoglou on a long-haul flight in total silence as his manager does not want to be swayed by personal relationships when making decisions. – What relationship can Tottenham fans expect to have with their manager-in-waiting? Celtic fans bought into their manager’s style of play, how he represented the club and stood up for it in the media, although he very rarely talked about referee decisions. He also understood how important the club is to people’s lives and used that as a motivation. They gave him total backing in return, although success is obviously paramount to that. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Alfie Hewett adapting to his new status as the man to beat in wheelchair tennis Where might Lionel Messi go next after Paris St Germain spell ends? Ange Postecoglou agrees to leave Celtic for Tottenham – reports

David Beckham has rattled Manchester City fans after commenting that United were the 'first' treble winners, just hours before City lifted the FA Cup. "There’s only one club that can ever win the first time - and we were that club", Beckham commented in an interview. “We were all homegrown players that had lived and breathed United all the way through and then to win the treble, the way we won it, and also for the first time, can never be done again." Fans were quick to brand the former player 'bitter'. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

Ons Jabeur has reached the French Open quarterfinals for the first time

Liverpool are closing in on Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. The 24-year-old’s father, Carlos, who acts as his representative, arrived at the weekend for talks regarding the World Cup winner’s future. It is understood the Argentina international has a release clause, believed to be between £45million and £55m, in a contract he only signed in October and Liverpool are close to triggering that. Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi admitted last month he is already resigned to losing a player who was key in securing their first European participation with a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League, just five points behind Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp is looking to rebuild a midfield which misfired this season and Mac Allister has been a long-term target, with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain departing at the end of their contracts. Liverpool were also interested in Mason Mount, entering the final 12 months of his contract at Chelsea, but Manchester United appear to be the front-runners and Klopp does not want to get into a protracted – and often expensive – process so has moved on to other players. The Reds have been linked with Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch, Nice’s Khephren Thuram and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone and will be looking to get their business done early in time for the start of pre-season on July 8. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live