分类： sports

As European domestic football seasons enter their final four weeks, the most captivating and history-making title fights are unfolding not in the continent’s big-five power leagues, but across smaller national competitions, with a personal mentor-mentee rivalry driving the drama in Portugal.

At the center of Portugal’s tight title chase is a unique subplot: Andre Villas-Boas, president of FC Porto, is competing directly against his one-time coaching mentor Jose Mourinho, now manager of Porto’s closest rival Benfica. Villas-Boas’ journey back to his boyhood club has been full-circle: at 24, he joined Mourinho’s backroom staff at Porto, where the pair delivered back-to-back UEFA Cup and Champions League titles in 2003 and 2004. He followed Mourinho to Chelsea and Inter Milan before launching his own high-profile coaching career, mirroring Mourinho’s path with stops at Porto, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Zenit St. Petersburg and Marseille before retiring from coaching in 2021.

In 2021, at 46, Villas-Boas was elected president of Porto, and in just two years, he has revived the club’s domestic title fortunes. Back in 2011, as a 33-year-old head coach, Villas-Boas led Porto to a domestic treble of league, cup and Europa League crowns. Now, 13 years later, he is on track to deliver Porto’s first league title in four years, even after Benfica lured Mourinho out of his role at Fenerbahce last September, shortly after Mourinho’s side suffered a Champions League qualifying exit at the hands of Benfica.

With four matchdays remaining, Porto holds a seven-point lead over Benfica, a margin that defies expectations given Benfica has gone unbeaten through the entire domestic league season so far. However, Benfica could even finish outside the top two: Sporting CP sits just one point behind Benfica with a game in hand, putting the Lisbon side firmly in contention for second place. Porto only needs six points from its final four fixtures, none of which come against its top title rivals, and kicks off its final run of games on Sunday away to Estrela da Amadora.

Villas-Boas said the pair hold no bad blood amid the title fight, telling Italian sports daily *Gazzetta dello Sport*, “We are competing for the championship but we respect each other. Mourinho has taught me a lot and sometimes we exchange messages.” He added of his own connection to the club, “Mine at Porto is a story that I’m proud of. I want to keep on giving more satisfaction to the fans.” The Porto president pinned much of the club’s 2024 success on head coach Francesco Farioli, who has rebuilt his reputation after a catastrophic collapse at Ajax last season, where he blew a nine-point lead over PSV Eindhoven in the final five matches to lose the Eredivisie title. “I want him to win more than I won with Porto,” Villas-Boas said of Farioli. “He’s the coach that will take us into the future.” Veteran 41-year-old defender Thiago Silva, who returned to Porto midseason from Brazil 19 years after he first left the club, has also been a key leader for the side this season.

Portugal’s title race is far from the only historic fight unfolding outside the top five leagues. In Scotland, Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) is 90 minutes away from ending one of the longest and most painful title droughts in world football. The Edinburgh-based club has led the Scottish Premiership for almost the entire season, and has not won the top-flight title since 1960. For 40 straight seasons, the Old Firm pairing of Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers have split every league title between them, a duopoly that traces back to a heartbreaking last-day collapse for Hearts in 1986, when the Edinburgh side conceded two late goals in the final 10 minutes of the season to hand Celtic the title on goal difference.

Entering the final split of the 12-team league, where the top six sides play each other once more to close the season, Hearts holds a one-point lead over Rangers and a three-point lead over Celtic. Rangers are the in-form side, but face tough back-to-back away fixtures at Hearts and Celtic between May 4 and 10, while Hearts will travel to Celtic for the final match of the season on May 16, leaving open the chance for another title-deciding final day showdown.

In Switzerland, newly promoted side Thun is on the cusp of the most unlikely title win in the club’s 128-year history. Thun, which was formed in 1898, has never won the Swiss top-flight title, but holds a 14-point lead over second-placed St. Gallen with just five matches remaining. If Thun defeats Lugano at home this Saturday, they will seal the historic crown, while St. Gallen does not play until Sunday against Young Boys, leaving Thun in full control of its own destiny.

In Turkey, Galatasaray is on track to extend Fenerbahce’s title drought to 12 straight seasons. Galatasaray holds a four-point lead over Fenerbahce with four matches left, and only needs to avoid defeat in this Sunday’s Istanbul derby against Fenerbahce to move one step closer to the crown.

Austria has already seen a historic end to a long title reign: Red Bull Salzburg’s 10-year consecutive run of Austrian Bundesliga titles ended in 2023, and the club has started the championship playoff round with back-to-back home losses, leaving current leaders Sturm Graz well positioned to claim a second straight crown.

MADRID – As Spain’s men’s national soccer team prepares to compete for the 2025 World Cup title, a string of high-profile discrimination incidents has plunged Spanish soccer into a global reckoning, overshadowing the team’s on-pitch success and raising urgent questions about cultural change within the sport. The latest controversy came in a March friendly match against Egypt, held in Barcelona, where a faction of Spanish supporters directed anti-Muslim chants at the Egyptian team and jeered the Egyptian national anthem – an incident that sparked international outrage just months before the World Cup kicks off. This incident marks the third major discrimination scandal to hit Spanish soccer in two years, following 2023’s racist abuse targeting Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior and the unwanted sexual advance by former Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales against Women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso. With Spain set to co-host the 2030 World Cup, cleaning up its international reputation as a tolerant host nation has become a top priority for Spanish authorities and soccer leaders, who have pushed back against framing the entire country as racist or discriminatory. Esteban Ibarra, leader of the Madrid-based Movement Against Intolerance, Racism and Xenophobia, argues that the harmful acts are limited to small, radical fan factions rather than the broader Spanish supporter base. “It’s not a very good image for Spain right now, but we can’t mistake these acts by minority groups, usually the ultra groups, with the actions of the majority of fans in Spain,” Ibarra noted. Spain’s highest sports governing body, the Higher Council for Sports, echoed that position in a statement to the Associated Press, stressing that the disruptive fans do not represent the vast majority of Spanish supporters. “These acts, which we condemn in the strongest possible terms, have been perpetrated by a group of people who in no way represent the vast majority of Spanish soccer fans,” the council said. “The chants were deplorable and cannot be repeated. We are confident that the Spanish men and women attending the World Cup this summer will support our team with passion and always with respect.” Critics and affected parties have pushed back against framing the incidents as isolated, however. The Egyptian Football Association called the chants “entirely unacceptable in football stadiums” and emphasized that this negative phenomenon must be collectively addressed and fully eradicated. Notably, the incident occurred even with 18-year-old Spanish star forward Lamine Yamal – a practicing Muslim – in Spain’s lineup. The day after the friendly, Yamal publicly condemned the chants as disrespectful and intolerable, arguing that the bigotry was unacceptable regardless of whether it was directed at him personally. “I understand that not all fans are like that, but to those who chant these things: Using a religion as a taunt on the field makes you look ignorant and racist,” Yamal said. “Football is for enjoying and cheering, not for disrespecting people for who they are or what they believe.” The RFEF has pointed to Yamal’s widespread popularity as proof that discrimination does not reflect the views of most Spanish fans, noting that Yamal’s jersey is the highest-selling Spain national team shirt and that he draws massive crowds everywhere the team travels. The federation also highlighted ongoing anti-discrimination campaigns run in partnership with the Spanish government and other soccer entities. In response to the incident, Spanish authorities launched a criminal investigation into the fan behavior, and FIFA has opened formal disciplinary proceedings against the RFEF. The anti-Muslim incident comes on the heels of two major scandals that already put Spanish soccer’s culture of discrimination under the global microscope. In 2023, Vinícius Júnior, Real Madrid’s Black Brazilian forward, was subjected to racist slurs from ultra fans during a La Liga match in Valencia, prompting the star to speak out forcefully about the pervasive problem of racism in Spanish soccer. At the time, Vinícius said that the Spanish league “now belongs to racists” and that Spain was widely perceived as a racist country globally. He has since softened that framing, noting that racism exists in every nation, but continues to advocate for stronger action. After praising Yamal’s condemnation of the anti-Muslim chants, Vinícius said: “I’m not saying that Spain or Germany or Portugal are racist countries, but there are racists in these countries, and in Brazil and other countries as well. But if we keep fighting together, I think future players and people in general won’t have to go through this again.” Vinícius’ protest sparked widespread global support and pushed Spanish authorities to take stronger action against on-pitch discrimination. For the first time in Spanish professional soccer history, a court handed down a conviction for racial abuse in soccer following Vinícius’ repeated calls for accountability, and multiple other radical fans have received penalties for discriminatory acts. A recent ruling from the Spanish Supreme Court also set a new precedent for harsher sentences for intolerance in sports, marking a tangible step forward in the fight against discrimination. Just months after the Vinícius controversy, Spanish soccer faced another major cultural reckoning with the Rubiales scandal. After Spain won the 2023 Women’s World Cup, then-RFEF president Luis Rubiales grabbed Jenni Hermoso, a star Spanish player, by the head and kissed her on the lips without her consent. Rubiales ultimately resigned and was found guilty of sexual assault, with critics arguing the incident exposed deep-rooted sexism in Spanish soccer leadership. The RFEF says the scandal prompted sweeping internal reform: today, 50% of the federation’s board of directors are women, and women hold multiple senior leadership positions within the organization. As the World Cup approaches, Spain is grouped with Saudi Arabia, a majority-Muslim nation, adding extra urgency to addressing the recent anti-Muslim incident. Spanish soccer and government officials say they have put in place robust measures to prevent similar incidents during the tournament, including monitoring bulk ticket purchases to block known radical ultra fans from accessing matches. Ibarra argues that the high global attention on recent scandals has put Spain on alert, making it less likely that similar incidents will occur during the World Cup. “Especially now that Spain is on alert because of the international repercussion of the recent incidents, more severe measures are expected against these Spanish ultra groups that are responsible for these acts,” Ibarra said. The Spanish government said it has coordinated for years across law enforcement, soccer governing bodies, clubs and fan groups to stop a small faction of hooligans from tarnishing the sport. The government claims it has “one of the most advanced systems in Europe” to combat sports-related intolerance, with a dedicated anti-violence commission that coordinates action between law enforcement, prosecutors and other relevant institutions. Spain enters the 2025 World Cup as one of the pre-tournament title favorites. The team, which currently holds the European Championship title, recovered from a disappointing round-of-16 exit at the 2022 Qatar World Cup to win the 2023 Nations League and finish as runners-up in the 2024 iteration, building strong momentum on the pitch ahead of the tournament. But that on-pitch success has been partially overshadowed by the ongoing reckoning over discrimination, leaving observers waiting to see if the recent string of scandals will translate to lasting cultural change in Spanish soccer.

The world of professional golf is set for the 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland, with multiple sources close to the selection process confirming to The Associated Press that Jim Furyk will return as captain of the United States team. His appointment comes after Tiger Woods removed himself from consideration for the role, following a late March arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence that led the 15-time major champion to step away from competitive golf indefinitely to prioritize his health and recovery.

Furyk’s selection makes him only the fourth American skipper to earn a second captaincy since 1979, the start of the modern Ryder Cup era when continental European players joined the competition. He follows Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and Davis Love III, all of whom held the role twice over the past four decades. All three previous two-time captains led the U.S. team on home soil both times, leaving Furyk with a historic and daunting challenge: the Americans have not won a Ryder Cup held on European soil since 1993, a drought that has stretched more than three decades.

The path to Furyk’s appointment began with the PGA of America’s original priority on Woods. For the 2025 Ryder Cup, the governing body delayed its selection to wait for Woods to confirm if he wanted the role, ultimately nominating surprise pick Keegan Bradley when Woods declined. For 2027, organizers set a soft late-March deadline for Woods to make a final decision, with a shortlist of vetted candidates ready to be considered if he turned down the post.

That contingency plan was activated after Woods’ March 27 incident in Florida: his SUV struck a pickup truck’s trailer on a residential street, flipping the vehicle onto its side. Authorities determined Woods was impaired, leading to his arrest and brief jailing. Four days after the crash, Woods announced he would step away from competitive golf indefinitely “to seek treatment and focus on my health,” and formally notified the PGA of America he could not take on the 2027 captaincy. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the official announcement has not yet been made, confirmed the Ryder Cup committee moved directly to select Furyk after Woods’ withdrawal. When contacted by AP, Furyk declined to comment via text message, and the PGA of America issued a vague statement Friday saying, “We look forward to sharing details regarding our 2027 U.S. Ryder Cup captain announcement soon.”

Furyk first led the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2018 at Paris’ Le Golf National, where Europe secured a lopsided 17 1/2-10 1/2 victory. That tournament was marred by internal friction for the U.S. side: all four of Furyk’s captain’s picks combined for a dismal 2-10-0 record across match play sessions, and star Patrick Reed publicly blamed teammate Jordan Spieth for poor paired play and Furyk for benching him twice during the event.

Despite that 2018 defeat, Furyk has rebuilt his reputation as a strong leader in subsequent team events. He captained the U.S. Presidents Cup team to a victory in 2024, and served as a trusted assistant captain under Keegan Bradley for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. That event saw Europe take a commanding seven-point lead after the first two days of play, holding on to claim a second consecutive victory under captain Luke Donald, who will return for his third straight Ryder Cup at Ireland’s Adare Manor in 2027. If Donald leads Europe to victory in 2027, he will become the first captain ever to win three consecutive Ryder Cups.

The challenge facing Furyk is steep by any measure. Dating back to the 1995 Ryder Cup at Oak Hill, Europe has claimed 11 victories from the 15 contested matches, cementing a decades-long era of dominance over the American side. While the U.S. scored a resounding home victory at Hazeltine in 2016, they collapsed two years later at Le Golf National, a course designed with narrow fairways and thick rough that neutralized the American team’s power. After opening with a 3-1 lead on the first day, the U.S. failed to win a single session for the rest of the tournament, with all four captain’s picks including Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau combining for just one half-point from nine matches.

The Turkish Grand Prix is set to make a permanent comeback to the Formula 1 schedule starting in 2027, marking a six-year absence from the global racing series, Formula 1 has officially announced. The iconic Istanbul Park circuit will host the annual race through at least 2031, locking in a multi-year agreement between motorsport’s governing body and Turkish event organizers.

Istanbul Park holds a special place in modern F1 history: it was the venue where British racing legend Lewis Hamilton secured his seventh world drivers’ championship in wet, treacherous conditions back in 2020, tying Michael Schumacher’s long-standing all-time record. Turkey’s first run on the F1 calendar stretched from 2005 to 2011 before the event was dropped from the annual lineup. It made a brief return in 2020 and 2021, when F1 scrambled to fill out its race schedule amid widespread event cancellations triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contrary to early speculation that the addition of Turkey would expand F1’s controversial 24-race maximum calendar cap, series officials confirmed the total number of annual races will not rise beyond the current limit. The Turkish Grand Prix will take the place of existing events as their hosting contracts expire, or will be integrated into a new rotational race system that F1 has begun rolling out for several European venues. This model mirrors the new agreement for the Belgian Grand Prix, which will host four races across the six-year period from 2026 to 2031 rather than holding an annual event.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed the announcement as a vote of confidence in his country’s capabilities. “Formula 1 ranks among the world’s foremost sporting events, distinguished by its spectacle, its young fan base, and its leadership in automotive technologies,” Erdoğan said in a statement. “In our country, too, Formula 1 enjoys a broad following across all age groups – especially among our youth – with a truly passionate fanbase. The races reach nearly 19 million people in our country, while around 7.5 million follow them closely on social media. I regard Turkey’s return to the Formula 1 calendar as a clear reflection of the strong confidence placed in our country – in our robust organisational capacity, in our modern sports and healthcare infrastructure, and, of course, in the renowned hospitality of the Turkish nation.”

Stefano Domenicali, CEO and President of Formula 1, echoed the enthusiasm for the return to Istanbul. “We are delighted to be returning to the incredible and vibrant city of Istanbul from 2027 to thrill all our fans in Turkey and around the world on one of the most exciting and challenging circuits in Formula 1,” Domenicali said. “As a city, Istanbul represents a cultural gateway between Europe and Asia, offering a unique blend of history and tradition with a forward-thinking approach to sport, business, and entertainment.”