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The Vegas Golden Knights are one win from the Stanley Cup with a big defensive corps that bucks the trend of smaller blue lines

Nacho Fernandez has confirmed that he will stay at Real Madrid for another season following speculation about his future.

Conor McGregor sent the Miami Heat mascot to the hospital in a bizarre promotional shoot gone wrong. The former UFC champion made an appearance at the NBA Finals in Miami where the Heat took on the Denver Nuggets. During the third-quarter stoppage, McGregor went head-to-head with the Heat mascot to promote his new product, a pain relief spray. The footage saw the fighter punch the mascot, before hitting him again. McGregor then used the heat spray on Bernie the mascot while he was knocked out on the floor, and who didn't get up immediately. The man behind the mascot was taken to a nearby hospital, according to The Athletic. The Heat said on Saturday (10 June) that the mascot received pain relief and rested at home. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The footage soon went viral across social media, with many concerned for the man's well-being. "I don't see the humor in this at all," one Twitter user wrote. "Looked like assault to me." Another added: "I really hope that the performer is okay, there’s no real way to brace your neck in costumes like that. Wouldn’t be shocked if they had a concussion." Meanwhile, one sports fan wrote: "Adding insult to injury, this is more entertaining than the actual NBA finals." Dana White has since responded to the incident, saying: "What’s up with mascots wanting to get punched in the face by professional fighters? What do you expect? "What are those mascot things made out of? Unless you’re like the Golden Knights mascot... I’m assuming it’s a metal helmet... I wouldn’t have professional fighters punch me in the face if I was a mascot." He added: "It doesn’t seem like the brightest thing in the world." McGregor hasn't fought professionally since July 2021, after suffering a leg injury to Dustin Poirier. His last fighting victory came in January 2020. 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.

Eintracht Frankfurt has appointed former Bayern Munich assistant coach Dino Toppmöller as head coach to replace Oliver Glasner

It was a bad night for Josh Taylor in the Garden ring in New York City on Saturday. Taylor was beaten by Teofimo Lopez over 12 rounds in a shock. It was certainly not the fight that Taylor expected. Taylor suffered defeat for the first time in 20 fights, he lost his one remaining world championship belt and at the end he offered no excuses. “The better man won,” he managed, his voice crackling with emotions. Taylor was putting on a brave face to mask the despair. It had been a fiery and ugly build-up and Lopez had talked of killing Taylor in the ring. Lopez, who has his own personal battles away from the ring, apologised for the comment and received a peck on the cheek for his honesty. “It’s all song and dance,” Taylor told him. It was an oddly respectful end to a week of promises, insults and stupid claims. It was also glorious redemption for Lopez, once the No 1 at lightweight. Lopez had lost his way on both sides of the ropes, and finished his last fight asking his team live on air if he still “had it”? It was a difficult interview to watch; on Saturday in the ring in the Garden’s basement theatre, Lopez rediscovered the form most people thought had vanished. He is still only 25, by the way. It was a close fight that Lopez won clearly and that often happens when two very good boxers meet. One judge, Benoit Roussel, scored it wide in Lopez’s favour. His 9-3 verdict was too wide, to be honest. The other two judges, Steve Gray and Joseph Pasquale, returned identical scores of 115-113, which means 7-5 in rounds in Lopez’s favour. Taylor never complained, but had he won the last round, he would have retained his title with a majority drawn verdict. Instead, Taylor had to surrender his beloved world championship belt; last year, Taylor held all four belts at super-lightweight before slowly losing the struggle to keep the quartet of baubles in a protracted series of skirmishes with the sanctioning bodies. Taylor has not fought since February of last year and had been placed under relentless pressure to carry out his mandatory requirements. He surrendered, under threat of being stripped, three belts and was left with just the WBO; he was still considered the best at his weight. Taylor, incidentally, had won all four belts in a series of fights against six men with a combined record of 133 wins and not one loss. Taylor was, make no mistake, the best in the world at his weight. That changed in the Garden ring. Lopez was too mobile, too slick and Taylor was just off the pace. It is not a tricky fight to understand; Lopez just worked that bit harder. Taylor had talked before about moving away from the 140-pound limit of super-lightweight and going to welterweight. In New York late on Saturday, there was also talk of a rematch. Taylor will let the loss settle and then make a decision, but hopefully he will not take another sixteen-month break. On the same night, it was the Sunny Edwards show at Wembley Arena and he retained his IBF flyweight title for the fourth time. On his undercard, Nina Hughes retained her WBA bantamweight title over 10 rounds against Katie Healy and in the bloody fight of the night, Ellie Scotney won the IBF super-bantamweight title. Scotney, having just her seventh fight, was too smart, tough and determined for New Zealand’s Cherneka Sugar Johnson. There was a dark and deep cut by Johnson’s right eye for most of the blood-splattered fight. Scotney was quite brilliant, Johnson’s five Māori-haka men stole the show with their routine before she walked to the ring. It was her highlight, they were exceptional. Edwards was a clear winner of nine of the 12 rounds, but the Chilean, Andres Campos, kept it competitive. “I need tests,” Edwards admitted. And he does and the tests might start later this year. And I hope so - Edwards has the style, craft and personality to be a big attraction. Edwards has a deal with his new promoter, Eddie Hearn, for the big fights; there are three other world champions at flyweight, but Edwards wants Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – the WBO flyweight champion and a genuine threat. Rodriguez is unbeaten in 18, just 23, the former world champion at super-flyweight and, according to heavy rumour, he wants our Sunny. As a twist - and it is a good one - Sunny has signed and agreed to the fight, which includes the money terms, with Rodriguez as part of his deal with Hearn. Rodriguez can be enticed over for a December showdown. That, by the way, is a super fight. Edwards won clearly, Hughes did the same, Scotney’s win was hard but clear and in New York, in the basement theatre at the Garden once evocatively known as the Felt Forum, Taylor was left wondering what went wrong. There were no excuses, but there will be some questions. Read More Teofimo Lopez hands Josh Taylor his first defeat with decision win in New York Josh Taylor says move up to welterweight is ‘imminent’ after first career defeat Miami Heat mascot hospitalised after Conor McGregor punch Josh Taylor says move up to welterweight is ‘imminent’ after first career defeat Teofimo Lopez hands Josh Taylor his first defeat with decision win in New York Who is fighting on Josh Taylor vs Teofimo Lopez undercard tonight?

Kevin De Bruyne has revealed he'd been playing with a partially torn hamstring for the final two months of the season.

The biggest charity football match in the world took place on Sunday night, with Soccer Aid raising £14,619,005 by full-time. The World XI earned a fifth successive victory over England after winning 4-2, with reality star Kem Cetinay creating Soccer Aid history. He is now the record goalscorer with five goals in the competition and he led the way on a night that saw England well beaten by the final whistle. Usain Bolt opened the scoring for the World XI, but Sex Education star Asa Butterfield equalised for the World XI before Robbie Keane scored a brace. Cetinay then scored a breakaway goal to secure the win. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was in the dugout ahead of his return to management next season and he helped to guide the World XI to victory from the sidelines. The game sparked a lot of reaction on social media – these are the best memes and reactions to the result. 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.

Monday's football transfer rumours include Man Utd's Jadon Sancho, Neymar & Saudi Arabia, Kim Min-jae, Federico Chiesa, James Ward-Prowse, Joao Cancelo & more.

Manchester City reached the pinnacle of the European game with victory in the Champions League final on Saturday, which also saw them complete the treble. Here, the PA news agency looks at what could come next for the club. Could this be the first of many European triumphs for City? The club will certainly hope so. While winning the Champions League may have been a long-held ambition and the culmination of everything hitherto done in a now 15-year project under Abu Dhabi ownership, it was not a one-off target. The club have advanced considerably on and off the field and they intend to establish themselves firmly among the continent’s heavyweights. Winning every season is obviously not realistic but they want reaching the latter stages each time to become the norm. Will Pep Guardiola carry on at the helm? The inspirational Catalan has been the central factor in City’s success. The club identified Guardiola as the man to bring them European glory long before they even appointed him and their set-up is tailored to him. Their trust in him has paid off handsomely and they will naturally want him to stay as long as possible. There is uncertainty as Guardiola has never favoured long-term commitments. All his contract renewals at City have been relatively short. After winning the Champions League there is a feeling he could see his business as done when his current deal expires in 2025. On the other hand, he does seem firmly wedded to the City project and spoke on Saturday of not wanting the club to win one Champions League “and disappear”. City fans can expect at least a couple more campaigns from him. Will he need to reshape the team? With the way City have charged through the closing stages of the season to sweep up three trophies, there would seem little reason to make major changes. A specialist left-back would be desirable after Joao Cancelo left on loan in January and seems likely to move on, but that position has been a recurring problem throughout Guardiola’s tenure and has hardly hindered them. Some new signings may be necessary if the influential pair of Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva leave. Gundogan is out of contract this summer and yet to commit while Silva is apparently open to a new challenge and could go if a suitable offer arrived. City are hopeful both will stay, however. Other than that, there seem no pressing issues. Can they maintain their standards? It would surely be impossible for City to remain at the same level they have been this season. Last year Liverpool produced a very high standard and came within a whisker of winning the quadruple but, after their exertions took their toll, fell away this term. City will be anxious to ensure any downturn is not as dramatic. Five Premier League titles in six years, however, suggests Guardiola has a good idea how to prevent this. There is an elephant in the room though isn’t there? Yes. The Premier League’s Financial Fair Play investigation into City may be out of sight at times but it has not gone away. City are facing more than 100 charges for alleged rule breaches. This could loom over them for some considerable time but, with little clarity over the process or the nature of the charges, it will be business as usual in the meantime. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Zach Mercer and Danny Care included in England World Cup training squad Football rumours: Wilfried Zaha eyes move to Paris St Germain On this day in 2019: Chris Froome ruled out of Tour de France after crash

It may be of scant consolation in the Ruhr Valley but Borussia Dortmund’s status as the footballing world’s preeminent feeder club seems cemented. A few days before Erling Haaland, their 2022 flagship sale, played in a Champions League final, there was confirmation that Jude Bellingham, his 2023 counterpart, is going to serial Champions League winners Real Madrid. He was perhaps overshadowed by the Miami-bound Lionel Messi but it probably still represents the summer’s most momentous transfer. There have been times over the last two seasons when Real have seemed to be mounting a lone campaign to prevent the Premier League from dominating Europe; they eliminated three English opponents last season and two this before the emphatic 4-0 defeat to Manchester City. It doesn’t quite reverse the scoreline, but as City were also suitors for Bellingham, Real gained revenge of sorts. Perhaps they are never more potent in the transfer market than when hammered on the pitch: in 2009, after being thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool, they went out and bought Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Kaka. Fourteen years and five Champions Leagues later, Benzema is finally leaving. That Bellingham is still a teenager, if only for a few weeks, opens up the prospect of a sequel, a continuum of success. Maybe a generational talent will help swing the balance of power back to where it has often resided, in the Bernabeu. It also shows that his is a career unlike any other English player: even if the Premier League eventually does beckon, it will only be after playing in the Championship, the Bundesliga and La Liga. There is an English trait towards insularity, but Bellingham feels increasingly cosmopolitan. And Real still seem the ultimate destination club. In a world of various rivalries – England versus mainland Europe, new money against old – the siren call of Spain’s two superpowers remains strong. Being Real – or Barcelona – comes with certain advantages; they have long exerted a gravitational pull for Spanish, Portuguese and South American footballers but Bellingham is proof it still extends beyond them. It also confers an economic advantage. If Barcelona’s current financial strategy is to get everything and everyone on the cheap, Real may have got Bellingham for a relative bargain. Sizeable as an initial fee of £86 million is, it is less than many anticipated. When Liverpool bowed out of the race for him, the sense was that Bellingham could go for £130 million; even £86 million would have been beyond Liverpool’s parameters, as some other clubs had already concluded, while Manchester United’s need for a striker meant he could not be their top priority. It may have only left a market of two: Real and City. In his own way, Bellingham is the anti-Haaland. Whereas there was a clear vacancy for a centre-forward in Manchester, there is congestion in the queue for midfield spots in Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti might be the greatest diplomat of his age. He might also need to be, with the next generation of Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde, while there is also the ancien regime of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric to placate. In one respect, it may have been better for Real had Bellingham joined in 2024 when one or both of Modric and Kroos could leave. In the meantime, even the compromises of fielding Camavinga at left-back and Valverde on the right wing may not shield the reality each has a compelling case to start in midfield in the major matches. Six into three does not go. Nevertheless, Real still look masters of succession planning. It is a way in which they have reinvented themselves. Vinicius Junior is proof they are now signing Galacticos before they become Galacticos and, for all his talent, Bellingham has not yet gravitated to the level of fame players such as Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham had when Real bought them. But it is notable that Bellingham joins as perhaps the last of the old-school Galacticos goes: Eden Hazard was the trophy signing, the €100 million man who left on a free transfer. Real got four goals in La Liga from Hazard over four seasons and if injuries rendered him and them luckless, Bellingham offers the prospect of more longevity and resale value as well as a greater impact. Hazard apart, Real have been smart buyers in recent years, with a judicious mix of long-term investments, astute free transfers and players acquired for less than their actual value. They have debunked their own dishonest rationale for trying to found the Super League by handling transition within the existing parameters of their budget, and perhaps emerging stronger at the end of it. Now Real are simultaneously delaying the future with Kroos and Modric, being forced into it by Benzema’s departure and preparing almost perfectly for it. They seem to have the midfield for the 2020s. If, in due course, Bellingham is joined at the Bernabeu by either Haaland or Kylian Mbappe, they may have the forward for the decade, too. Read More Jude Bellingham to become the eighth Brit to play for Real Madrid Lionel Messi to Inter Miami: Apple deal, MLS contract, salary, debut and everything we know The trick that made Erling Haaland the ultimate finisher – in more ways than one

Beijing police have urged fans of Lionel Messi not to be cheated by expensive scams after the soccer superstar landed in China last weekend.

Watch the moment the World XI lifted the Soccer Aid trophy after beating England 4-2 at Old Trafford. The charity football match returned on Sunday (11 June), raising an incredible £14,619,005 for Unicef by full-time. Kem Cetinay made Soccer Aid history by becoming top scorer - he now has five goals over the years - as the World XI won 4-2 on the night. Cetinay rounded off the scoring after his captain and Olympian Usain Bolt scored the first goal before half-time. Sex Education star Asa Butterfield got England level after the break and Paul Scholes then put the Three Lions ahead. However, Robbie Keane stole the spotlight, scoring a double to put the World XI back in front, before Cetinay confirmed the team’s fifth consecutive win. Read More Soccer Aid: Who are the celebrities playing in charity football match Novak Djokovic lays down on French Open tennis court after historic win Champions League: Manchester City leave hotel after historic treble