分类： sports

An Australian Football League (AFL) player is taking one final stand to reverse what his legal team calls an excessively harsh and unprecedented suspension over an alleged homophobic slur, with his appeal hearing scheduled for Thursday evening.

Lance Collard, a 21-year-old forward for St Kilda, was handed a nine-match ban last week after the AFL Tribunal found him guilty of conduct unbecoming. The charge stemmed from an on-field incident where he was accused of directing a homophobic slur at an opponent from the Frankston team during a match. Collard has consistently denied using the slur, claiming the word he shouted was a different insult — he says he called Darby Hipwell, his former Sandringham teammate, a “maggot”.

This is not the first disciplinary issue for Collard: he already served a six-match suspension in 2024 for the same type of alleged homophobic slur offense. Two of the nine matches in the current ban are tied to an existing two-game suspension he received for a striking offense in the same match, meaning the new penalty for the slur itself accounts for the bulk of the suspension.

During the original tribunal hearing, Collard’s defense led by Michael Borsky KC argued the young player was physically jostled, roughed up and subjected to verbal abuse from opposing Frankston players before the alleged incident. Borsky described the nine-match ban as unfairly punitive, warning it could be a life-altering “sliding doors” decision that would effectively end Collard’s promising AFL career, which to date includes 15 senior-level appearances. He also noted that no player in league history has ever received a suspension of this length for a homophobic slur offense, marking the penalty as unprecedented. Borsky additionally requested that any new suspension be served concurrently with the existing striking ban, given the entire incident was triggered by the initial on-field collision and subsequent melee.

The Australian Football League Players’ Association (AFLPA) has publicly thrown its support behind Collard throughout the process, with chief executive James Gallagher releasing a formal statement last week reaffirming that backing.

Gallagher acknowledged that the entire AFL industry shares the common goal of eliminating homophobia from the sport, but noted the case highlights critical flaws in the current disciplinary framework. “The Tribunal has, rightly, acknowledged that issues such as racism and homophobia are difficult and sensitive issues and the manner of dealing with them is not enhanced if the starting point is a fierce debate over whether the words were used,” he said.

“Lance has maintained his innocence, and this has been consistent throughout. We’re disappointed the Tribunal did not accept that evidence. We’ll continue to fully support him and the club through this process including exploring any options to appeal.”

Gallagher added that meaningful long-term change requires a holistic approach, not just harsh punitive measures. He argued that lasting progress requires collaborative engagement with LGBTIQA+ community leaders, targeted education that centers the diverse backgrounds and experiences of players, and a disciplinary process that is fit for purpose: one that reduces harm, remedies harm when it occurs, and drives lasting behavioral change. He noted that through collective bargaining agreements, the AFLPA has already negotiated a shared commitment with the AFL to advance equality, inclusion and safety for all people in the sport, and work on these commitments remains ongoing. He also acknowledged the far-reaching impact of the case on all stakeholders, including the LGBTIQA+ community, First Nations communities, and Collard and his family.

The appeal hearing on Thursday will mark Collard’s final opportunity to overturn or reduce the historic ban, with the outcome set to shape not only his career but also potential future debates around how the AFL handles on-field discriminatory language. This story remains developing, with further updates expected after the appeal board delivers its decision.

As the only side still searching for its first win after six rounds of the current Australian Football League season, the Richmond Tigers head into one of the most anticipated games on the early calendar with an unorthodox mindset: nothing to lose, everything to gain. Head coach Adem Yze, now in his third season leading the rebuilding club, has urged his young, developing squad to embrace a no-fear approach ahead of the annual ANZAC Day eve blockbuster against an in-form Melbourne side at the Melbourne Cricket Ground this Friday night.

Melbourne enters the clash as heavy favourites, and Yze has not shied away from acknowledging the size of the challenge his team faces. Melbourne has enjoyed a strong start to the 2025 season, fresh off an upset victory over last year’s premiers that cemented their early form. The side retains a core of experienced premiership winners, complemented by emerging young talent that has filled key roles seamlessly, with their skipper hitting arguably the best form of his career to open the year.\n\n“It’s going to be a big test for us, on a big stage, against a team that’s in form – they’ve just beaten last year’s premiers,” Yze told reporters ahead of the clash. “Our boys are really looking forward to that, we’ve got nothing to lose, we’ve got some young lads playing. It’s an amazing game, we’re really privileged to be playing in it, we’ve got to do it justice.”

To help the young Tigers rise to the occasion, Yze has confirmed a series of changes to the match-day squad that inject both new blood and much-needed veteran leadership. Two first-year players, Sam Cumming and Tom Burton, will make their senior AFL debuts on Friday night, with Yze saying he expects the pair’s high-energy running game to put Melbourne’s defenders under pressure across the entire MCG pitch. The biggest boost, however, comes from the long-awaited return of star spearhead and key leader Tom Lynch, who has been sidelined by injury in recent weeks.

Lynch was a late omission from Richmond’s squad a week earlier, with coaching staff opting to hold him out to avoid rushing his recovery. At the time, a return would have come with just five days of recovery between his final training run and the match, so the club chose an extra week of preparation to get him fully up to speed. Now, the star forward is cleared to return, and his presence will be felt both on the scoreboard and in the young forward group that has been forced to step up in his absence.

“(Lynch) is ready to go, he was almost ready last week and the decision was to be really cautious with him,” Yze explained. “He would’ve been coming off a five-day break if we played him last week, so we took that extra week to get another week of training in him. We’ve obviously got a really young forward line at the moment, so to have him down there is really important for leadership. But his contest and the form he was in before he hurt himself was really strong. We can’t wait to see him back out there in our colours.”

With just five matches left in the 2024-25 Serie A campaign, Italian football’s biggest domestic prize is on the brink of being claimed, as Inter Milan stands 12 points clear at the top of the table and could seal their 21st Scudetto as early as this weekend. The race for the title, the final Champions League qualification spots, and relegation safety all converge on a critical matchweek that kicks off Friday evening, when title holders Napoli host relegation-battling Cremonese.

Cristian Chivu’s Inter side hold a commanding advantage over both second-placed AC Milan and last season’s champions Napoli, putting the Nerazzurri in a position where even the slightest slip from Napoli on Friday will open the door for Inter to wrap up the league crown with four matches still to play. If Napoli fails to pick up all three points against Cremonese, a victory for Inter away to Torino on Sunday would confirm Inter as champions. Even if Napoli does win, the math remains firmly in Inter’s favor: the leaders only need four more points from their remaining five fixtures to secure the Scudetto regardless of other results.

Inter’s path to this point has defied early expectations from just a month ago. Ahead of the most recent international break, the side appeared to be wobbling, with both Napoli and AC Milan closing the gap and threatening to knock them off their perch at the top. But since domestic club football resumed after the break, Inter have been unstoppable, picking up all nine available points and hitting 12 goals across three matches to restore their unassailable lead. Compounding their rivals’ woes, Inter are also targeting a domestic double: a recent thrilling win over Como booked their place in next month’s Italian Cup final, where they will face Lazio.

All eyes will also turn to San Siro on Sunday evening, where second-placed AC Milan hosts Juventus in a clash that will have major implications for next season’s Champions League. While Milan can mathematically gift the Scudetto to their cross-city rivals if results go against Napoli and in Inter’s favor, the Rossoneri have their own top-four target to secure. AC Milan currently hold an eight-point lead over fifth-placed Como, meaning even a defeat on Sunday would likely leave them in a top-four spot. Juventus, by contrast, are in a far more precarious position: sitting fourth, they hold just a five-point lead over both Como and sixth-placed Roma, making three points a near-necessity to solidify their Champions League hopes.

The headline player to watch in the San Siro clash is French midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who will line up against his former club Juventus this weekend. Signed by AC Milan last August after an acrimonious exit from Marseille that followed a violent altercation with teammate Jonathan Rowe, Rabiot has repaid Massimiliano Allegri’s faith in him in spades this season. Across 25 league appearances, the 31-year-old has notched six goals and four assists, with his recent strike against Verona highlighting his trademark powerful running and clinical finishing. Rabiot was a key part of Juventus’s last Serie A title win in 2020, and went on to spend four more seasons with the Turin giants before moving to Marseille, adding extra narrative weight to his return on Sunday. Alongside Luka Modric, he is expected to lead Milan’s midfield charge against his old side.

Elsewhere in the matchweek, Como will face a tough test away to in-form Genoa, who can secure their own top-flight safety with a positive result this weekend. Como, who threw away a two-goal lead before being eliminated from the Italian Cup by Inter earlier in the week, will be looking to close the gap on Juventus and keep their own Champions League dream alive.

The full matchweek fixture list (all times GMT) is as follows: Friday sees Napoli host Cremonese at 1845. On Saturday, Parma faces Pisa at 1300, Bologna takes on Roma at 1600, and Verona hosts Lecce at 1845. Sunday’s action kicks off at 1030 with Fiorentina vs Sassuolo, followed by Genoa vs Como at 1300, Torino vs Inter Milan at 1600, and the headline AC Milan vs Juventus clash at 1845. The matchweek wraps up on Monday with Cagliari vs Atalanta at 1630 and Lazio vs Udinese at 1845.

Two of Max Verstappen’s current on-track rivals from the McLaren team have issued a stark warning: if the four-time Formula One world champion makes good on his repeated hints to leave the sport, the entire series would be significantly worse off.

The 28-year-old Dutch driver, who claimed four straight consecutive drivers’ titles between 2021 and 2024 after a narrow miss of a fifth championship the season before, has had a rocky start to the 2025 campaign with Red Bull, as Mercedes, Ferrari and his current rivals McLaren have closed the performance gap on his team.

Verstappen’s growing frustration with F1 centers largely on the sport’s sweeping 2026 regulatory overhaul, a set of rule changes that will shift competition to prioritize electric energy management during both qualifying sessions and grand prix races, while also imposing new limits on maximum car speeds. He has not shied away from public criticism, even comparing the new direction of F1 to “Formula E on steroids” and the casual arcade racing video game Mario Kart. Beyond rule changes, he has also openly voiced dissatisfaction with the performance of his 2025 Red Bull race car, and hinted at a growing desire to shift focus to endurance racing to spend more time with his family, comments he made most recently following last month’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Speaking to reporters this Wednesday, McLaren’s young driver line-up of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both echoed the same sentiment: losing Verstappen would be a major blow to the sport. 25-year-old Australian Piastri argued that every driver on the grid wants to test themselves against the best competition possible, and Verstappen has more than earned that status over the past decade.

“I think it would be a big loss for the sport as a whole. I think for us as drivers we want to race against the best and try and prove ourselves against the best,” Piastri said. He added that Verstappen has “shown his calibre in the last 10 years” and has stood as the benchmark for F1 performance “for the last five or six” seasons.

Norris, the 2025 defending world champion, echoed that assessment, noting that Verstappen’s legacy already places him among the greatest drivers to ever compete in F1. He also praised the Dutchman’s candid approach to speaking his mind, a trait that has made him a distinct, compelling figure for fans even among those who disagree with his views.

“It would be a shame for the sport, it would be a miss for the sport if that does happen, because he probably is one of the best drivers you’ll see in Formula One ever,” Norris said. “He’s always been very open to say what he thinks, whether you agree or not.”

The 2024-25 Premier League title race took another dramatic twist on Wednesday, as a narrow 1-0 away win for Manchester City over already struggling Burnley delivered two huge outcomes: Pep Guardiola’s side climbed to the summit of the table, while Vincent Kompany’s former club confirmed their drop back to the Championship.

Coming off a pivotal 2-1 win over Arsenal in Sunday’s widely billed title decider, Manchester City came out flying at Turf Moor, immediately putting the hosts under relentless pressure. Just five minutes into the match, Jeremy Doku played a perfectly weighted through ball that sent Erling Haaland clear on goal, and the Norwegian striker coolly chipped an effort over onrushing Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka to open the scoring.

City controlled possession for much of the contest, launching a steady stream of long-range attempts that forced Dubravka into a string of impressive saves, including a stunning first-half stop that pushed Rayan Cherki’s shot onto the woodwork. But despite creating a host of clear opportunities, Guardiola’s side failed to add to their early tally, with Haaland hitting the post after halftime and Burnley’s Zian Flemming missing a golden chance to equalize before the break. The narrow final score left Guardiola both satisfied with the result and frustrated by his side’s wastefulness in front of goal.

The three points lift Manchester City one spot above Arsenal at the top of the table, with the two title contenders separated only by goal difference after 33 matches, and both still have five remaining games to play. For City, the push for a seventh Premier League title in nine years comes with a tougher remaining schedule, keeping the title race finely poised heading into the final stretch of the campaign.

For Burnley, the defeat sealed their fate: this marks their third Premier League relegation in five seasons, and they will join Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship next term. The Clarets entered this season as newly promoted sides, and got off to a promising start with three wins from their opening nine matches, raising hopes they could avoid the immediate drop that plagues most promoted clubs. But a stunning collapse followed, with just one win recorded in their 25 matches since, leaving them 13 points adrift of safety with only four games left to play.

Burnley manager Scott Parker, who has earned promotion to the Premier League with two previous clubs (Fulham and Bournemouth), acknowledged his side had fallen short of expectations. “The facts are we had to overachieve this year and we’ve not managed to do that,” Parker said. “In certain moments we’ve lacked a certain quality about us and not managed to get enough points.” The result extends the club’s five-year pattern of oscillating between promotion to the Premier League and relegation back to the second tier, forcing another off-season rebuild ahead of their next Championship campaign.

In another key midweek fixture, Bournemouth’s push for a first ever top-six Premier League finish suffered a late blow, after Sean Longstaff scored a 97th-minute equalizer to secure a 2-2 draw for Leeds United at Elland Road. Junior Kroupi gave the Cherries an early opening goal, which was quickly canceled out by an own goal from Bournemouth defender James Hill. A second-half strike from Rayan looked set to give Bournemouth all three points, which would have consolidated their place in the top six, until Longstaff’s late volleyed leveller.

The single point moves Bournemouth up to seventh place in the table, one spot above Chelsea, who sacked manager Liam Rosenior earlier on Wednesday. For Leeds, the draw leaves them nine points clear of the relegation zone, all but guaranteeing their Premier League status for another season.