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Watch out, the Oakland Athletics are hot!Well, relatively hot by their standards. They're on a four-game win streak for the first time all season and now they have a chance to sweep the Milwaukee Brewers, which would be their first series sweep of the season.The Brewers are tied atop th...

Inter Milan’s impressive performance in a losing cause at the Champions League final stood out even in the current renaissance for Italian club soccer

Gareth Southgate believes England can benefit from Manchester City’s Champions League success after they beat Inter Milan in Saturday’s final. Southgate has included five members of Pep Guardiola’s side in his squad for this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, with John Stones, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips all due to join up with the squad after enjoying their celebrations. With City’s success coming after Declan Rice lifted the Europa Conference League with West Ham earlier in the week, Southgate said it can be good for the national team. “It’s absolutely brilliant for all our guys who have been involved,” Southgate said in a video on England’s social media. “To start with Declan, his first experience of lifting a trophy so… fabulous for him. You can see the emotion having been at the club for so long and what it meant to him. “Then the boys at Manchester City have had a phenomenal season, an absolutely incredible season, and of course that’s been the Holy Grail for them to get this final trophy that they hadn’t won up until now. “I’m delighted for all of them. It’s great to see them enjoying themselves and also it’s brilliant for us as a group. “We’ve got so many experiences now of individual players winning big trophies, and that’s so important for our development as a team. It’s fantastic on all counts.”

John Sterling, the radio voice of the New York Yankees, was hit by a foul ball during Saturday's game against the Red Sox.John Sterling will not be headed for the injured list, per the legendary 84-year-old Yankees radio voice himself, despite being plunked with a foul ball in the middle of...

Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson was ejected for defending his pitcher, Aaron Nola, who requested a new baseball.Through two innings of baseball in Philadelphia, Aaron Nola managed the pitch clock quite well. However, as crew chief Bill Miller would later explain, in an attempt to circu...

The latest on Liverpool's interest in Ward-Prowse, Pavard, Kone and more.

Ferrari ended a 50-year absence from the 24 Hours of Le Mans by toppling mighty Toyota in the centenary running of the most iconic sports car race in the world

Uefa are facing more pressure about their ability to stage major events, as another Champions League final descended into “dangerous” chaos, and supporters complained that the situation again put their safety at risk. Among a series of serious issues faced at Istanbul’s highly-criticised Ataturk Stadium for Manchester City’s victory over Internazionale were: Supporters forced to travel on shuttles for up to three hours without water or toilets A total lack of guidance and minimal travel options post-game, which left elderly fans and those in wheelchairs forced to traverse a mile of slip road in order to hail down gridlocked taxis, which charged up to €200 Only two concession stands for an entire end of fans, creating waits for simple cartons of water for up to two hours Fewer than 20 toilets serving 20,000 people in the fan zones Fans having to abandon transport and climb over scrubland and “building site” surroundings to even make kick-off The organisation of the event has been described by attending fans as a “dangerous mess”, with supporters incredulous at how a major event in 2023 could be held in such a poorly-equipped stadium over 20km from the city centre. One of the problems that immediately became visible was that the Ataturk really only has two access routes from a notoriously congested city infrastructure, a narrow road system and a recently built metro. Both inevitably became completely gridlocked as early as six hours before the 10pm kick-off with the problem getting worse three hours after the game ended. Some stories involve supporters vomiting on the two-hour-plus shuttle trips due to the lack of water, and people bursting into tears due to the stress from waiting so long to go to the toilet. Questions have been raised within the game about how and why the Ataturk Stadium was selected, especially as President Recep Erdogan has been so keen to host major football events for so long. As one prominent football figure confided to the Independent: “No way should this stadium be hosting a Champions League final”. The problem was all the worse given Istanbul’s staging of the final was already postponed twice in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid, which should have allowed ample preparation time. It only follows the near-disaster that was the 2022 final at Paris’ Stade de France involving Liverpool and Real Madrid, which prompted a wide-ranging and excoriating review from Uefa. The European governing body has been contacted for comment, but sources within the organisation insist that the review made a series of recommendations they are continuing to act on. It was in the aftermath of Paris that Uefa signed a memorandum of understanding with Football Supporters Europe, and the representative group were an active party in site visits to the Ataturk prior to the final. While sources insist the venue “seemed OK” on those visits, fans have been amazed at the acceptance it was a suitable given how obvious the travel issues alone were. A number of people came forward to the Independent to explain the worrying chronology of the day, such was the concern with what happened. Nick Stapleton, a City season-ticket holder and freelance journalist first introduced to the club as a child by his father, the longtime TV presenter John Stapleton, who has been attending since the 1950s. They could sense issues developing early in the day. One of the immediate complications was that Uefa had advised Inter supporters to travel by metro and City by shuttle. “There was already a huge queue for the buses at 4pm, and there were no facilities at all, which we were warned about,” Stapleton says. “So we brought water and prepared for the fact there wasn’t a loo. But we were stood there in the heat for 45 minutes and when we eventually got on the buses, police and stewards took our water off us as we couldn’t bring anything from outside into the stadium. “Our bus took two hours, but others took three, with no water or toilets for all that time. One guy threw up on the bus because of the heat, with that then spilling around the surface. Others were so desperate for the toilet that they were peeing out windows and gaps, and we were told of another bus where someone had to demand the driver pull over.” The long travel time for a journey that can usually take 40 minutes was because of complete gridlock around the stadium. Metros were also over-capacity at least five hours before kick-off. Ger Gilroy, an Irish broadcaster, was one of many who had to resort to desperate alternatives. “We had to abandon our minibus and scale a steep briar-infested scrubland to make it in time for kick-off,” he said. “Before we got there we had to shimmy down a stone wall and jump over an open sewer!” A number of those attending complained that the “horrible logistics” around the stadium even after arriving were just not fit for purpose, with too few signposts or even access routes. A common line, articulated by Stapleton, was that it was “a building site”. One elderly fan, who declined to be named, said he had to walk 6km around the stadium to get to their entry point. Inter fans meanwhile found that metro stations closest to the stadium were eventually closed due to congestion. Stapleton, whose father is 77 and recently had a hip operation, encountered similar difficulties. “The first thing we did when we arrived was go to the fanzone for the loos. Dad was already feeling the heat, and feeling frail and tired. But the loos were just a collection of caravans, maybe 10-15 toilets for 20,000 people. “Female fans couldn’t just pee on the fence, so they were queuing for an hour. One woman told me she burst into tears at one point as she was so desperate. “We then went into the stadium around 7:30pm, although a bottleneck already started to build up as there was a bag search, ticket check and pat-down search again. At that point it was fine, so I said to dad he should go and sit down and I’d get water. We hadn’t had any since ours was taken off us three hours prior. We also hadn’t had food. “We were in block 333, the far left side of the lower tier, where 10 to 15,000 of City’s 20,000 fans were. There were only two concession stands - two - with six people serving each, and only four card machines. This was an event sponsored by Mastercard and had four machines, and one of those broke down. That meant it took me one hour and 45 minutes to buy water. People were going mad. I felt for the guys running the stall, as they were completely overwhelmed. It then cost almost 50 euro for two pieces of cheap meat, two cartons of water and a bottle of Pepsi. “The game itself was an incredible experience. My dad was crying at the final whistle, and it was amazing to experience it with him. “But that’s part of it as regards any incentive to change. Loyal football fans are always going to go through hell and high water for the once-in-a-lifetime experience of watching your club win the Champions League. “After the players lifted the trophy, we made our way out of the ground about 1pm, expecting the same system as before the game.” It was here when the worst problems actually began, though. One individual who was among the party for Inter players’ families, but declines to be named for reasons of discretion, explains the situation at their end. He says: “Our exit from the stadium was dangerous. Everyone was filtering through one small exit, which wasn’t big enough for two people to pass through. Thousands were trying to get through this, and then onto crumbling steps into the car park. “From there, families were walking down the sides of motorways trying to find cabs. It was dangerous.” Stapleton found the same experience from the other side. “What emerged when we got to the waiting area was there was no help, only a few signs, and the two buses for our area were already full. Loads of City fans were confused, not knowing what was going on. “There was also gridlock due to a huge queue of taxis coming and buses trying to get out. The road was only so wide, with two cars door to door if they tried to go through at the same time. Nobody seemed to be taking any control of this. “So even people on the buses were stuck there until 3am. We were among thousands of City fans walking down the motorway and picking our way through traffic, a lot of them elderly or even in wheelchairs. This was another thing as the stadium was not really wheelchair-accessible. “This was not safe, and my dad did not seem comfortable. He was exhausted, and when you have a hip replacement one of the big risks is a fall as you need to have it reconstructed. “When we eventually found a taxi, one wanted €200 to take us back. A second said €100 and we took it as we were scared and in a bit of a panic. “So many fans were in the same situation. Istanbul is a great city but I don’t understand why they chose to send us to that stadium, it’s insane. When it’s that much of a challenge to even have water.” Uefa, Football Supporters Europe, Manchester City and Internazionale have been approached for comment. Read More Pep Guardiola ended 12 years of hurt thanks to masterful midfield reinvention Man City secure landmark Champions League victory that stretches beyond historic treble Romelu Lukaku has another harrowing moment to ponder as Inter fall short Inter Milan can hold heads high after Champions League loss, says Simone Inzaghi Manchester City’s Champions League celebrations in pictures Kevin De Bruyne could miss start of new season after hamstring injury

NBA Draft Rumors: Mavericks targeting Kyrie Irving replacement?According to Dalton Trigg of Dallas Basketball, the Mavs really are sold on Anthony Black. Black, who plays point guard, cannot shoot very well from three but has a very solid game outside of that. This would be a potential replacement...

Sports betting is all about trying to find an edge, which is often easier said than done.Well, when it comes to wagering on Major League Baseball, there's one bet that I've been following all season long that has been extremely profitable for me, so allow me to share it with you.Be...

Amanda Nunes beat Irene Aldana by unanimous decision at UFC 289 on Saturday night to hold on to her bantamweight title before announcing her retirement

If you want a stacked Sunday leaderboard at a golf tournament, then you have everything you could ever hope for at this week's RBC Canadian Open.C.T. Pan enters the final round of the event at 14-under par, but then six (!!) golfers are sitting at T2, two strokes back from Pan. That list of...