List of All Articles with Tag 'sports'

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo is throwing a wrench in lawmakers’ summer vacation plans after calling for a special

Rory McIlroy says the PGA Tour's collaboration with Saudi Arabia's wealth fund makes him feel like a sacrificial lamb

The Panthers need a miracle

Ederson has vowed to dye his hair blue again if Manchester City win the Champions League. The goalkeeper marked his fifth Premier League title by adopting a new look and will celebrate in the same style if Pep Guardiola’s team beat Internazionale in Istanbul. The Brazilian revealed the inspiration came from his daughter but is adamant his brighter hairstyle will only be a short-term affair. He explained: “My daughter asked me to dye my hair blue for that. It was a kid’s spray that comes out with water. Of course, if we are champions again, I’ll dye my hair blue again, but only with the kid’s spray that comes out with water – nothing permanent.” Ederson is waiting to discover if any of his teammates will join him in looking, if not feeling, blue. “I’m not sure,” he said. The 29-year-old has been practicing in case the game on Saturday goes to a penalty shootout, which would give him the chance to be the hero. He added: “We will work on every requirement: whether that is finishing, crosses, penalties. In this game, we need to be prepared for any circumstance over 90 minutes, and 120 or penalties if necessary. We need to be ready for any situation so that nothing surprises us.” Ederson is known for his composure as City try to pass the ball out from the back and he said he does not feel nervous. “I think any City keeper needs to be calm, to play with personality,” he added. “There are a lot of teams that try to pressure us, so you need to be calm, get the ball under control and have the vision to find the right pass. I remember a game against Tottenham where I misplaced a pass and it led to a goal. “I said to my teammates after, ‘You can still pass to me’, because errors are part of the process. Errors help us to grow, we learn a lot from mistakes. I mainly learn from errors. You can learn a lot more from making a mistake than you can from doing thigs right, or from winning. So I always try to keep calm, to pass this calmness onto my teammates as well, so that they know that they can play the ball to me and that I’m calm enough to make the right decision.”

The IOC finally ran out of patience with the International Boxing Federation and has set a date to terminate its Olympic status this month

Ed Carpenter Racing says it has ended its relationship with driver Conor Daly effective immediately and will announce a replacement for the No. 20 Chevrolet by IndyCar’s next race

Kyle Walker was considering Manchester City’s place in the pantheon. He was thinking about Manchester United; not the United group he and his teammates beat in the FA Cup final a few days ago, either. Pep Guardiola’s City are taking on the Internazionale side of 2023 and the great Premier League sides of the past alike. Walker has his eye on a place in history, a status among the greats. Which, he feels, their achievements in England have earned them. But there is a conspicuous absence from their trophy cabinet, the Champions League that United’s treble winners claimed in 1999, that has eluded City so far. And that, Walker believes, will elevate them in the eyes of many. “It doesn’t define what this squad has achieved over the last six years, it doesn’t define us if we go on and win this or not,” the right-back reflected. “It helps massively to say that we can be put in that category of probably one of the best Premier League teams of all time. We don’t win five Premier Leagues in six years if we are not a good team. We know we are a good team but to be recognised globally as one of the best you need to win the Champions League.” Which City could have done in 2021, but they were beaten in the final by Chelsea. They were below their best that day; two years on, they are again the favourites. “We are not beating around the bush with that, we know this is now a great opportunity, we have a second chance definitely with Pep and the group of players who have stayed around,” added Walker. “We need to put right the wrongs we did against Chelsea.” There is little doubt that, domestically, City are the best team of their era. Liverpool proved valiant opponents in an epic duel but the trophy count can look one-sided: Guardiola has five Premier Leagues, Jurgen Klopp one. Yet in Europe, the scoreline is very different: City 0, the modern-day Liverpool 1. Greatness comes in different guises, of course, and Walker bracketed the Arsenal team of 2004 alongside United’s class of 1999: Arsene Wenger’s team never conquered Europe but have the unique feat of completing an English top-flight season in the 20th or 21st centuries unbeaten. City, meanwhile, have set points records and equalled Sir Alex Ferguson’s return of five titles in six seasons. “Of course, I think that United team, along with the Invincibles, is probably up there with the best Premier League teams of all time,” Walker said. “What us and Liverpool, to a certain extent, have done where we have been battling for the last number of years, I think we should be in consideration - both teams as we both have fantastic players – but they have silverware and they have got the big Champions League trophy that we can never say we have got. For us to be in contention of that, we need to go and pick up this.” For Walker, there was a particularly painful coda to City’s failure to perform in the 2021 final. There are times when he has been pleased to see Mason Mount, Reece James and Ben Chilwell. When the England squad met up for Euro 2020, however, it was not one of them. They had shared a pitch a few days earlier, but their emotions were very different: James, not Walker, was the Champions League-winning right-back, Mount the man who set up the only goal in the final. The Chelsea trio emerged triumphant and Walker soon had to see them again. “I didn’t really have much time to get over it as I had to tune back into England and go and compete in a tournament for my country,” Walker recalled. “It was hard seeing all the Chelsea boys there. You say congratulations to them because they are your teammates now but it was tough.” If Walker’s powers of recovery were such that he was named in the team of the tournament for Euro 2020. And yet it was a summer of disappointment. “Then I experienced a loss against Italy in the final and then I had to pick myself up again and get ready for the season. That’s football, it’s part of your career that everything is not going to go swimmingly well.” It was a reminder that even the most successful can miss out on more trophies than they win. For club, as well as country, he hopes for a case of second time lucky. “I don’t think any great team goes straight to the final and wins it,” he said. “I think you always have to go through setbacks, those nearly games, those losses.” Claim the Champions League and Walker and his friend John Stones will be arguably the most decorated English players of their generation, though the right-back did not get a first major trophy until he was almost 28. A wait for glory has been a theme: for him, for City, 12 years into their Champions League adventure, and on Saturday. “I’m 33 now so I wouldn’t say I get nervous,” said Walker. “I hate eight o’clock games because it is the wait of all day to go to the game. I’d rather it kicked off at three o’clock and then it is done then.” Instead, it begins at 10pm Turkish time, leaving Walker contemplating a sleepless afternoon. “You can’t bring the game forward. I just have to deal with it and have a little nap in the afternoon,” he said. “Then I don’t sleep after the game. It’s Sod’s law, isn’t it?” Sod’s law may appear to be a theme of City’s last few years in the Champions League: if something could go wrong, it often did, sometimes in strange circumstances. But if it goes right on Saturday, City will have emulated United and with a stronger case for greatness. Read More Ederson ready to bet Champions League glory on continuing to ‘play with personality’ Man City’s Kyle Walker vows to make Champions League final after injury scare Finals are 50-50 – Kevin De Bruyne not saying City are favourites to beat Inter Jude Bellingham to become the eighth Brit to play for Real Madrid Ederson ready to bet Man City glory on continuing to ‘play with personality’ Sheikh Jassim wants answer by Friday after submitting final bid for Man Utd

Czech police have detained 16 people after violent clashes between West Ham United and Fiorentina fans marred the build-up to the Europa Conference League final in Prague. A group of black-clad Fiorentina fans attacked Hammers supporters in a bar in central Prague on Wednesday afternoon, injuring three patrons, authorities said. Videos on social media showed fans setting off flares and throwing tables at the bar located just off Prague’s Old Town Square. A police officer was also attacked. “Italy fans attacked West Ham fans in a bar on Rytirska street, injuring three,” Czech police said on Twitter. “A police officer was also attacked. We have restricted the personal liberty of 16 people.” More than 10,000 officers are on duty in the Czech capital with major security concerns around the game given the vast numbers of supporters who have travelled without tickets. An estimated 20,000 West Ham fans are believed to have travelled to Prague, even though the club’s allocation of match tickets was fewer than 6,000, given the small size of Slavia Prague’s stadium hosting the showpiece. Uefa have also promised a beefed-up security presence at the Eden Arena as the governing body are desperate to avoid a repeat of the chaotic scenes that marred last season’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris. Additional reporting by Reuters and PA Read More Carlton Cole on West Ham’s final, a coaching career and his surprise ‘love’ of the world’s most sustainable sport I might miss flight home if West Ham win European title, says fan in Prague West Ham fans take over Prague ahead of Europa Conference League final

Police say Fiorentina fans attacked West Ham supporters in a bar in downtown Prague ahead of the Europa Conference League final

Coco Gauff has lost in the French Open quarterfinals to two-time champion Iga Swiatek in a rematch of last year's final at Roland Garros

Jude Bellingham will join Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund this summer after the Germans announced a deal in principle worth €103 million (£88.5m) plus add-ons. The German club, who missed out on the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich after a heartbreaking final day of the season, confirmed the terms on the club website. The statement outlined how the add-ons could rise to 30 percent of the fixed amount. The 19-year-old will now undergo medical tests and agree personal terms with the Spanish giants. The England star joins Real’s collection of young midfield stars, including Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde. Read More Real Madrid agree deal to sign England’s Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund Why has Saudi Arabia become big player in world sport and what does future hold? Al-Ittihad confirm Karim Benzema deal after striker’s Real Madrid farewell

Meet Baby Gronk, the new Rizz King.