List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Now that Lionel Messi is playing for Inter Miami, Dan Hunt is eager for a chance to cash

The cycling world championships begins Thursday in Scotland, and for the first time, nearly all of the UCI's titles will be contested at one time and in one place

When Ken Riley entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick by Cincinnati in 1969 after a successful college career as a dual-threat quarterback at Florida A&M, he was greeted with a harsh reality

Thembi Kgatlana has scored early in stoppage time to give South Africa a 3-2 win over Italy and send it into the knockout rounds of a Women’s World Cup for the first time

A 'sprinter' at the 31st Summer World University Games in Chengdu, China, is going viral online after she appeared completely untrained for the 100-metre sprint. The athlete, identified by local media as Nasra Abukar Ali, was Somalia's entry to the race, but within seconds, she had fallen so far behind that she was totally out of the camera shot. Later, as it pans back to her, she appears to be casually skipping over the finish line with little effort. She is reportedly the niece of the president of the Somali Athletics Federation. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Rebecka Blomqvist’s second-half goal lifted Sweden to a 2-0 win over Argentina on Wednesday

Conor Benn may have one more hurdle to overcome in order to fight in Britain, Eddie Hearn has confirmed, despite the boxer being cleared by UK Anti-Doping this week. After Benn failed two drug tests in 2022, which led to the collapse of his planned bout with Chris Eubank Jr, the welterweight was cleared by the WBC earlier this year and by UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) this week. Benn, 26, and his promoter Hearn celebrated the Ukad ruling as the end of a saga, but the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) said in a statement on Tuesday (1 August): “We wish to reconfirm that the Ukad Rules which apply to those proceedings provide all parties, including the BBBofC, with a right of appeal. “The BBBofC takes all anti-doping matters extremely seriously and is considering the exercise of its rights.” Hearn then told iFL TV: “He’s cleared to fight in Britain, subject to the approval of the BBBofC, which is the next process to undertake. “I would like Conor Benn to go through the process with the board, and we’ll do that, and hopefully – after being cleared from the WBC and in that [Ukad] hearing – we can move forward with a licence. “Maybe [the BBBofC will appeal]. I can imagine the whole world and their dog is calling the board, telling them to appeal it. We live in a strange, strange business, but ultimately everything that has been asked of Conor Benn, he’s done. He’s been cleared by the WBC, the suspension has been lifted by Ukad. “It’s up to the board if they want to. We’re ready for everything. We’re a year in, fighting every day, so we ain’t going anywhere.” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend Errol Spence Jr drops hint over next move in social-media update Terence Crawford’s masterclass puts him in conversation to be an all-time great

Marina Hegering is fit to play for Germany against South Korea in a Group H finale that the Germans are treating as a must-win Women’s World Cup game

India’s cricket governing body is trying to lure global giants Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc. to bid in

Colombia coach Nelson Abadia says 18-year-old star Linda Caicedo is fit and able to play the final Women’s World Cup group game against Morocco

The group stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup is almost complete, with just three more quartets needing to wrap up their opening games and discover which nations make the knockouts. On Wednesday it’s the turn of Argentina to try and force their way through to the last 16 as they face Sweden, while Italy play South Africa also needing a result to progress. Later, Brazil must overcome Jamaica to seal progression from Group F after being beaten by France - who are top and face minnows Panama. Meanwhile, Lauren James shone again on Tuesday with two stunning goals as England put in their best performance of the Women’s World Cup so far to sweep aside China 6-1 and march into the last 16. USA only just managed to sneak through with a draw against Portugal, leading to criticism from former stars. Follow all the latest news and match updates below: Read More Genius Lauren James takes over Women’s World Cup — but England must learn from rivals Sarina Wiegman’s brave England switch solves key Women’s World Cup problem USA’s narrow escape spells the end of Women’s World Cup dominance

When it was confirmed in mid-July that Wesley Fofana would face a significant period on the sidelines owing to an ACL injury, Chelsea started to be linked with a host of centre-backs to replace the Frenchman. Harry Maguire was a reported target, so too was Blues academy product Marc Guehi. However, on Sunday evening, reports started to circulate that Chelsea had an agreement in principle with Monaco for towering France international Axel Disasi. The 25-year-old has been on Premier League radars in recent months, with Manchester United and Newcastle both credited with an interest in the Gonesse-born centre-back. Chelsea have since taken the plunge on the defender, bringing him in for €45m. That in itself serves to highlight the extent of Fofana's injury, but even so; Chelsea couldn't afford to pass up the chance to secure Disasi's services. Even with his compatriot available, Mauricio Pochettino's top quality options at the heart of the defence are thin on the ground. Levi Colwill, who is set to pen a new deal at Stamford Bridge, should go on to become a mainstay in the Blues backline, but a partner for the 20-year-old was key. Trevoh Chalobah isn't quite of the standard expected for a club seeking to return to the Champions League, while the west London outfit can't rely on 38-year-old Thiago Silva to manage the backline for another season, particularly in a four-man defence. Benoit Badiashile will return sooner rather than later, but he'll need some time to get up to speed under Pochettino having missed much of pre-season due to a hamstring issue. For the right-sided centre-back role, Disasi can be viewed as a superb acquisition. Standing at 6ft 3in, the France international maximises his stature having won the second most aerial duels (97) of defenders in Ligue 1 last season. And he was consistent in beating opponents in headed battles, too. Of the 143 players to contest 50 or more aerial duels, Disasi's aerial success rate of 70.3% ranked ninth in the division. Considering Chelsea returned an aerial success rate of just 52.1% last season, Disasi's dominance in the air will certainly boost that return. There's also a willingness to get the ball forward quickly from deep. Not only did Chelsea struggle for goals last season, hitting the back of the net 38 times in the Premier League, but they were compounded by an inability to put an opponent to the sword at speed. No team scored fewer counter-attacking goals than Chelsea (1) in England's top tier last term, and even that came in a 4-1 defeat at Manchester United back in May. Disasi, though, is one willing to pick a pass from range, and does so to a decent standard to help quickly turn defence into attack. Indeed, 141 accurate long balls ranked 14th of outfield players in France's top tier last term, and this in itself played a part in Monaco scoring seven counter-attacking goals; only champions PSG (10) netted more. Dominant in the air and sound with the ball at his feet, Disasi seems the perfect fit for a Chelsea side that will seek to control matches where possible. Another key reason behind the drive to sign Disasi, though, will have been his versatility. Primarily a centre-back, he’ll line up at the heart of the defence with everyone fit in Pochettino's 4-2-3-1 setup, but players who can operate in multiple positions are a precious commodity in the modern game. As such, Disasi's ability to play at right-back as well as centre-back will have been another reason behind Chelsea's interest. The departure of Cesar Azpilicueta over the summer means the Blues needed another defender to operate in a couple of roles, and a defensive-minded right-back is a handy squad option. Pochettino has also previously used a three-man backline during his time at Tottenham, a system that does suit the full-backs at his disposal, so the ability to switch between two formations is ideal. Disasi's flexibility will help Pochettino's decision making when it comes to tinkering with his side, particularly in-play, and it cannot be overstated how important this positional interchangeability is for Chelsea. Given how often managers tinker with their setup across the 90 minutes, the potential ability to swap between a four-man and a three-man defence will aid the Blues, not just on a week-by-week basis, but across the season. There are concerns over the defensive side to his game, particularly when up against direct attackers in one-on-one situations, yet from an offensive perspective; Disasi will benefit Chelsea. Given the right protection in front of him, Disasi should be given the crucial time on the ball to help set the Blues on the front foot. Alongside ball-playing star-in-the-making Colwill, Chelsea will have a solid centre-back foundation to help in their quest to return to the Champions League. Read More Chelsea and Barcelona push for Kylian Mbappe player-plus-cash transfer deals Football rumours: Tottenham name Harry Kane price as Bayern Munich prepare bid Chelsea have a Conor Gallagher problem and Tottenham could be the perfect solution Chelsea agree fee with Monaco for France international defender Axel Disasi Football rumours: Chelsea make revised offer for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo England’s attack goes from tired to inspired as new-look front three devastates China