List of All Articles with Tag 'sports'

New Zealand rugby teams have been performing the haka before matches for 135 years

Luis Rubiales has sent new video to Fifa appearing to show Jenni Hermoso laughing over his infamous kiss, as the Spanish Football Federation president continues to desperately cling to power. Rubiales was suspended from all football-related activity for 90 days while Fifa investigates the incident, in which he grabbed Spain forward Hermoso and kissed her on the lips during the World Cup final presentation in Sydney. He was also seen handling other players and kissing them on the cheek in the aftermath of the 1-0 victory over England, and footage also showed him grabbing his crotch in an aggressive celebration. Rubiales has received widespread condemnation from across sport and politics, including the prime minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez, but he has denied wrongdoing, insisting the kiss was consensual and refusing to resign in a dramatic press conference. His mother has gone on hunger strike in protest against the “witch-hunt” and is currently being treated in hospital. The Spanish FA initially tried to point to still photos indicating Hermoso had lifted Rubiales off the ground in celebration and thus initiated the kiss. Now footage has emerged of the player laughing with teammates on the team bus after the final while holding up a meme on her phone which poked fun at the incident. The meme compared the Rubiales incident alongside a photo of former Spanish men’s goalkeeper Iker Casillas kissing reporter and then girlfriend Sara Carbonero. In the video, Hermoso can be seen smiling as she shows the image while some of her teammates chant “beso”, meaning kiss, and “presi”, referring to the FA president Rubiales. A member of Rubiales’ camp told the DailyMail that they believed the video to be “gold dust” in his defence against both Fifa’s investigation into his conduct and any potential criminal charge of sexual assault, which the Spanish police authorities are exploring. However, Hermoso has insisted the kiss was not consensual and that both herself and her friends and family were “pressured” to speak out in support of Rubiales. She criticised the “manipulative, hostile and controlling culture” of the Spanish national team. “I have to state that I have been under continuous pressure to come up with a statement that could justify the act of Mr Luis Rubiales,” Hermoso said in a statement on Twitter. “Not only that, but in different ways and through different people, the RFEF has pressured those around me (family, friends, colleagues, etc.) to give testimony that had little or nothing to do with my feelings. “It is not up to me to evaluate communication and integrity practices, but I am sure that as the world champion national team we do not deserve such a manipulative, hostile and controlling culture. This type of incident joins a long list of situations that we players have been denouncing in recent years, so this event, in which I have been involved, is just the straw that breaks the camel’s back and what everyone has been able to see. But attitudes like this have been part of the day-to-day life of our team for years. “For all these reasons, I want to reinforce the position I took from the beginning, considering that I do not have to support the person who has committed this action against my will, without respecting me, at a historic moment for me and for women’s sport.” Meanwhile Uefa, of which Rubiales is a vice-president, has finally broken its silence over the incident. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin described the behaviour Rubiales as “inappropriate” – but called for Fifa’s investigation to be allowed to run its course. Read More Luis Rubiales is just the latest crisis in Spanish FA’s dark history Luis Rubiales news LIVE: Mother ends hunger strike as new video emerges Uefa boss: Rubiales was ‘inappropriate’ but says Fifa will decide his future

Liverpool continue to hunt reinforcements as they bid to put a difficult season last campaign behind them. Jurgen Klopp’s club entered the transfer window with a clear emphasis on bolstering their midfield, particularly considering the confirmed departures of James Milner, Fabio Carvalho, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as well as the exit of Jordan Henderson. The club has been proactive in pursuing this objective, and still may not be done yet in the market. Meanwhile, one of Jurgen Klopp’s stars has been linked with a mega-money transfer to Saudi Arabia, with both Henderson and Fabinho already having moved to the Middle East. LIVE: Follow all the latest transfer moves as deadline day approaches Here are the latest news and transfer updates around Anfield: Mohamed Salah Mohamed Salah has emerged as a target for Saudi Arabian champions Al Ittihad as the Middle Eastern league continues to flex its financial muscles after significant backing from the country’s Public Investment Fund. The Saudi Pro League have already bought Fabinho, Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson from the Merseyside club this summer but are now said to have turned their attention to Jurgen Klopp’s star forward, who only signed a new contract at the start of last season. The Daily Mail have reported that the Saudi club are willing to pay as much as £118 million for the 31-year-old but, despite that, Liverpool’s stance remains clear. The player is not for sale under any conditions and especially this late in the window. Ryan Gravenberch Versatile midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has been once again linked with Liverpool late in the window, with the Anfield club reigniting their interest in the Dutchman after missing out on other midfield targets, including Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. According to Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, the Dutch midfielder is keen to leave the German club having started just three games last season. Negotiations remain ongoing between the two clubs with the defending Bundesliga champions said to want around €30m for the 21-year-old who joined from Ajax last summer. Cheick Doucoure Should a deal for Gravenberch fail to materialise, Liverpool may turn their attention back to Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucoure, with the central midfielder attracting long-standing interest from the club. According to The Indeependent’s Miguel Delaney, Klopp’s side remain interested in the 23-year-old, although they have so far been put off by Palace’s asking price - believed to be around £70m. Read More Jurgen Klopp wanted a midfield change at Liverpool – instead he got a revolution New signing Wataru Endo compared to ‘one of the biggest Liverpool legends’ by Jurgen Klopp Jurgen Klopp makes definitive statement on Mohamed Salah transfer saga Transfers latest LIVE: Premier League updates ahead of deadline day Rumours: Salah bid well over £100m; Chelsea winger set for exit Liverpool hold talks with Bayern Munich over deal for Ryan Gravenberch

Warren Gatland is convinced his Wales team will pull off “something special” at the Rugby World Cup

The opponent names will become more recognizable for USA Basketball now

Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward hit two-run homers in the third inning, Mookie Betts had his 18th multi-hit game in August and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-0 on Wednesday night for a three-game sweep

Caroline Wozniacki has reached the third round at the U.S. Open by beating two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 7-5, 7-6 (5)

Darius Vines pitched six strong innings to win in his major league debut and Marcell Ozuna homered for the second time in as many games as the Atlanta Braves beat the Colorado Rockies 7-3 to complete a season sweep

Casper Ruud, the 2022 U.S. Open runner-up, was eliminated when Zhang Zhizhen became the first Chinese man to beat a player in the top five of the ATP ranking

Andre Jackson pitched two-hit ball into the sixth inning in his first major league win, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Kansas City Royals 4-1 for a three-game sweep

Memorial Stadium was the place to be on Wednesday night when the University of Nebraska women's volleyball team hosted in-state opponent Omaha.

Emanuel Reynoso scored twice in the first 28 minutes to propel Minnesota United to a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids