Sports

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo will be unavailable for the national team’s upcoming friendlies against Mexico and the United States as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. Reports indicate that Ronaldo, 41, flew out of the Middle East amid the Gulf States conflict. Shortly after, his club Al Nassr manager, Jorge Jesus, confirmed that the Portuguese star had traveled to Spain for treatment, missing recent Saudi Pro League matches against Neom and Al Khaleej. Both club and country have agreed that Ronaldo should focus fully on regaining fitness ahead of the World Cup, now only months away. As a result, he will also miss Portugal’s marquee friendly against Mexico on March 28, which marks the reopening of the Estadio Azteca. Ronaldo will not travel to Mexico City, with...

Liverpool F.C. have strongly condemned the racist abuse aimed at Ibrahima Konaté following his challenge on Victor Osimhen during their Champions League victory over Galatasaray. Konaté faced online backlash after a first-half collision with Osimhen in Wednesday’s 4-0 win at Anfield. The Nigerian forward initially continued playing but was substituted at half-time and later diagnosed with a fractured forearm. In response to the abuse, Liverpool issued a firm statement describing the behaviour as “completely unacceptable.” “It is dehumanising, cowardly and rooted in hate,” the club said. “Racism has no place in football, in society, or anywhere—online or offline. Our players are not targets; they are human beings. The continued abuse, often from anonymous accounts, is a stain on...

FIFA has fined the Israeli Football Association 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,700) for breaching its anti-discrimination rules, following findings that it failed to take adequate action against racist behaviour in domestic football. The decision followed an investigation launched after the Palestine Football Association submitted complaints in 2024 alleging discrimination. FIFA’s disciplinary committee concluded that the IFA did not meet its obligations, particularly in its handling of repeated incidents involving Beitar Jerusalem. According to the report, supporters of the club engaged in persistent racist conduct, including the use of discriminatory slogans and chants targeting Arab players. FIFA said the sanctions previously imposed on the club were “deficient and substantively i...

FIFA has confirmed that the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup will be held in Morocco from October 17 to November 7, officially setting the timeline for the next edition of the competition. The announcement was made on Thursday via FIFA’s official account on X, with the message: “Save the date. This year’s #U17WWC in Morocco will take place from 17 October to 7 November.” The tournament will mark the second time Morocco hosts the expanded 24-team event, following the 2025 edition. This arrangement is part of a multi-year agreement approved by the FIFA Council in March 2024, granting Morocco the rights to stage the tournament annually from 2025 through 2029—making it the first African nation to host the women’s youth global competition on a sustained basis. A total of 24 teams fr...

World record holder and reigning champion Tobi Amusan is set for another high-profile test as she prepares to compete in a stacked women’s 100m hurdles race at the Prefontaine Classic in Hayward Field on July 4. Amusan will face a formidable lineup that includes Olympic champion Masai Russell, two-time world champion Danielle Williams, and World Championships bronze medallist Grace Stark. The event, which marks the ninth stop of the Wanda Diamond League season, brings together some of the top names in the discipline at a venue where Amusan has previously made history. It was at Hayward Field that the Nigerian star set a world record time of 12.12 seconds at the 2022 World Championships. She returned a year later to secure the Diamond League title, completing a dominant streak of t...

Eddie Hearn has dismissed reports suggesting a confirmed heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, stressing that no agreement has been finalized despite growing speculation. Rumours intensified after boxing journalist Gareth A Davies claimed the highly anticipated fight had already been secretly sealed and could be broadcast on Netflix. Speaking on talkSPORT, Davies said the bout was “signed in the background” and backed by major financial stakeholders. However, Hearn firmly rejected those claims in an interview with The Stomping Ground, stating that no contract has been signed and no official deal is in place for Joshua to face Fury. He did reveal that serious talks had taken place before plans were disrupted by a tragic car accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expr...

Senegal's head coach, Pape Thiaw, has reportedly moved the AFCON trophy to a military base amid an ongoing dispute with Morocco over the title. According to multiple reports, the trophy was moved to a secure military facility, where soldiers were also spotted handling the silverware and posing for photographs with it. The trophy is currently under armed protection. “Senegal Coach took the AFCON to their military base today..It’s now positioned in the centre of their military camp. Protecting what rightfully belongs to them” Topskills sports UK wrote on their X page. https://twitter.com/i/status/2034715016406925601

Guinea Football Federation has called on the Confederation of African Football to review the outcome of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations, citing what it describes as inconsistencies following a recent ruling involving Senegal. The appeal comes after CAF stripped Senegal of the 2025 AFCON title over a walkout incident and awarded victory to hosts Morocco, despite Senegal having won on the pitch. Guinea’s football authorities argue that similar disciplinary standards should be applied retroactively, pointing to a key moment during the 1976 tournament, which was decided through a four-team round-robin format. In the decisive match between Morocco and Guinea, the latter took the lead in the 33rd minute through Chérif Souleymane. Moroccan players briefly left the pitch in protest over a ...

FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday underlined the body’s commitment to making sure the World Cup goes ahead “as scheduled” with “all teams” taking part amid doubts about Iran’s presence at the tournament. “FIFA is looking forward to all teams participating at the World Cup to compete in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect,” Infantino said from Zurich during an online FIFA Council meeting. “We have a schedule. We will soon have the 48 competing teams confirmed, and we want the World Cup to go ahead as scheduled.” Iran’s participation has been shrouded in doubt due to the conflict in the Middle East. They are due to play group games in the United States, against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and in Seattle against Egypt. However, Iranian football...

Morocco’s new head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, has endorsed the decision by the Confederation of African Football to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, describing the outcome as justified. The ruling, confirmed on March 17, overturned Senegal’s 1-0 victory in the final played in Rabat after CAF sanctioned the team for briefly walking off the pitch in protest over a late penalty awarded to Morocco during stoppage time. Although captain Sadio Mane later led the team back onto the field, Morocco failed to convert the penalty, before Pape Gueye scored in extra time to initially secure the win for Senegal. Speaking while unveiling his first squad ahead of friendlies against Ecuador and Paraguay, Ouahbi congratulated Morocco’s players, staff, and football authorit...