分类： sports

English Premier League giant Liverpool has confirmed the appointment of Spanish manager Andoni Iraola as its new first-team head coach, ending a week of speculation following the shock dismissal of predecessor Arne Slot after a catastrophic failed title defence. The 43-year-old Basque-born coach steps into the role having just wrapped up a historic spell at Bournemouth, where he guided the south coast club to its first ever European qualification with a surprise sixth-place finish this season. While Liverpool has not officially confirmed the length of Iraola’s contract, reports from mainstream British football media indicate the new boss has put pen to paper on a two-year deal at Anfield.

Speaking to Liverpool’s official club website following his appointment, Iraola expressed his overwhelming excitement at taking charge of one of the world’s most iconic football institutions. “Really excited, really excited, because obviously you know about Liverpool, you know that it’s a big club, a massive club, one of the biggest in the world,” he said. “But feeling inside and understanding a little bit more of this club, I always thought it’s a special club. You don’t need a lot of things to get attracted by Liverpool. Liverpool is Liverpool.”

Iraola’s appointment comes as Liverpool’s fanbase and squad have openly called for a return to the energetic, front-foot football that defined Jurgen Klopp’s legendary nine-year tenure at the club, which ended with the German lifting the Premier League and Champions League before stepping down in 2024. Slot, the former Feyenoord manager, delivered a stunning debut season in 2024/25, guiding the Reds to a joint-record 20th English top-flight title with star forward Mohamed Salah notching 29 goals. But his second season crumbled into disappointment, marked by flat, underwhelming performances that left the club trophyless and 25 points adrift of 2025/26 champions Arsenal in a limp fifth-place finish.

Multiple factors contributed to Slot’s downfall: the tragic death of key forward Diogo Jota in a car crash last July left an irreplaceable void in the squad, a £450 million ($605 million) spending spree on new transfers failed to deliver on expectations, relationships between Slot and Salah deteriorated sharply, and fans grew increasingly frustrated with the team’s lifeless on-pitch displays. Even before the end of the season, Salah publicly called for a return to Klopp’s famous “heavy metal football”, piling additional pressure on the already beleaguered manager, who was sacked a week after the final league match.

Iraola, by contrast, has built a reputation for the high-intensity, pressing and attack-focused style of play that Liverpool supporters are eager to see return, in direct contrast to Slot’s more methodical, controlled tactical approach. After joining Bournemouth from La Liga side Rayo Vallecano in 2023, he oversaw steady, year-on-year improvement at the club: the Cherries finished 12th in his first season, ninth the next, and hit a new historic high of sixth this term to secure a spot in next season’s UEFA Europa League. Beyond results, Iraola also won widespread acclaim for his sharp tactical acumen and his success in nurturing young talent, including rising stars Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott. Before his move to Bournemouth, he held managerial roles at Mirandes in Spain and Cypriot side AEK Larnaca, cutting his teeth in the professional game after a decorated playing career.

As a player, Iraola made more than 500 first-team appearances for his boyhood club Athletic Bilbao in Spain’s top flight, before finishing his playing career with a stint at Major League Soccer side New York City, where he shared the dressing room with football legends Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo. Now, he arrives on Merseyside at a pivotal crossroads for Liverpool, tasked with rebuilding the squad and restoring the club’s status as England’s dominant football force after a turbulent season that fell well short of expectations. While fifth place was enough to secure Liverpool’s spot in next season’s Champions League, the club and its fanbase are hungry for a return to title-contesting football that matches the glory days of Klopp’s reign, a challenge Iraola has already been framed as the right man to meet.

The 2025 French Open has delivered one of the most stunning underdog stories in Grand Slam history, as Polish world No. 114 Maja Chwalinska etched her name into the Roland Garros record books on Thursday, becoming the first qualifier in the professional Open era to advance to the women’s singles final. Her run sets up a blockbuster title clash against 19-year-old Russian rising star Mirra Andreeva, who booked her own first-ever Grand Slam final spot with a dominant semi-final win earlier the same day.

Chwalinska claimed her place in Saturday’s decider with a hard-fought 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over 25th seed Diana Shnaider, a result that comes on the back of a grueling nine-match campaign that stretches back to the qualifying rounds three weeks ago. The 24-year-old Pole, who was making her first main draw appearance at Roland Garros, had to win three qualifying matches just to earn her spot in the main draw, and has defied all pre-tournament odds to reach the final stage. A win this weekend would make her only the second women’s qualifier to claim a Grand Slam singles title since the Open Era began, following Emma Raducanu’s fairytale 2021 US Open victory.

Fresh off her upset win over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals, Shnaider pushed Chwalinska to the limit in a contest that lasted two hours and 10 minutes. After a tightly contested first set that went to a tiebreak, the second set remained on serve until Shnaider called a medical time-out for a back massage at 3-4. When play resumed, Chwalinska found another gear, winning three straight games to close out the match and secure her place in history. Speaking to the crowd after the match on Court Philippe Chatrier, an emotional Chwalinska described her run as nothing short of a dream. “I don’t know what’s going on, I just, I dunno what to say. I’m sorry, I’m just very happy,” she told the raucous crowd, admitting that after nine matches of high-stakes tennis, her physical condition was far from ideal. But she brushed off any complaints, adding: “It’s so challenging to play against the best players in the world day by day, but it’s a Grand Slam so you just have to give your best day by day. But I’m not complaining at all!”

Chwalinska’s historic run has been marked by a string of stunning upsets that began in the very first round of the main draw, where she knocked out Olympic medalist Zheng Qinwen. She went on to upset 23rd seed Elise Mertens, former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari, French hometown favorite Diane Parry, and 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya to reach the semi-finals. Before this tournament, Chwalinska had only ever won one Grand Slam main draw match (at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships) and just two tour-level matches on clay in her entire career. Regardless of the result in the final, her standout performance is projected to lift her to at least a new career-high ranking of No. 21 in the world when the new rankings are released next week. For her part, Shnaider praised Chwalinska after the match, acknowledging she had produced a level of play that was unbeatable on the day. “Very proud of myself, what I achieved here,” Shnaider said of her own career-best Grand Slam run. “(Chwalinska) played unreal, and she definitely deserved this win today and to be in the final.”

Earlier in the day, Andreeva delivered a dominant performance of her own to dispatch Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 and book her spot in her first major final. The 19-year-old 15th seed, who had lost twice to Kostyuk already this season including in the Madrid Open final, completed her lopsided revenge win in just 76 minutes, saying her focus was so sharp that she could make out individual hairs on the ball during rallies. “I’m super happy with the way I played and then that I got revenge for Madrid final and I’m happy that I’m in my first-ever Grand Slam final,” Andreeva said after the match.

Kostyuk came into the semi-final riding a 17-match winning streak on clay, fresh off her own massive upset win over four-time defending French Open champion Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals. But the 23-year-old Ukrainian, who was also playing in her first Grand Slam semi-final, struggled with unforced errors all afternoon, finishing the match with 34 unforced errors that derailed her run. “Obviously not the greatest match from me today,” she admitted after the match. Despite the loss, Kostyuk can take pride in a breakout clay-court season that includes titles in Rouen and her first WTA 1000 title in Madrid. For Andreeva, the win extended her 2025 tour-leading win total to 35 match victories for the season, cementing her status as one of the most in-form players on the tour this year. Saturday’s final will now pit two of the tour’s most surprising breakout stars against each other, with one set to claim the most prestigious clay-court title in the sport.

Roland Garros witnessed one of the most remarkable underdog stories in modern Grand Slam tennis on Thursday, when Poland’s unseeded world number 114 Maja Chwalinska outlasted Russia’s 25th seed Diana Shnaider in straight sets to etch her name into French Open history books. The 24-year-old secured a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 victory to become the first qualifier in the Open (professional) era to advance all the way to the women’s singles final at Roland Garros.

This historic run is far more than a one-tournament upset: Chwalinska is competing in just her third main draw appearance at any major tournament, and her first ever main draw start in Paris. She also joins an elite club, becoming only the second woman to navigate qualifying and reach a Grand Slam singles final in the Open era, following Emma Raducanu’s legendary title-winning run at the 2021 US Open. Having failed to qualify for Roland Garros on three previous attempts, Chwalinska has now won nine consecutive matches across three weeks of qualifying and main draw play, putting her one win away from the sport’s most prestigious clay-court title.

The match itself pitted Chwalinska’s versatile, crafty all-court game against Shnaider’s signature power hitting. The Pole claimed an early break to go up 3-1, capitalizing on deft touch: a well-placed drop shot followed by a cleverly disguised deep backhand slice created three break opportunities, which she converted when Shnaider sent a forehand wide. Shnaider responded quickly, breaking right back to level the set, even earning an impressed thumbs-up from Chwalinska after a perfectly weighted drop shot of her own.

In the opening-set tiebreak, a wild off-target forehand from Chwalinska put Shnaider ahead 4-1, but the patient Pole flipped the script, winning six of the next seven points to close out the first set. To open the second set, the two players traded breaks of serve under partially cloudy skies that left the centre court roof partially open. When Shnaider held a 4-3 lead, she called a medical timeout to receive treatment for back tightness. Chwalinska adjusted her game plan after the break, extending rallies to tire her opponent, and broke Shnaider in the very next service game to move within one game of the upset. She sealed her historic spot in the final with a clean forehand winner.

Minutes after the match concluded, Chwalinska told reporters on Court Philippe Chatrier that her breakthrough run feels nothing short of miraculous. “It’s like a dream,” she said. “I don’t know what’s going on, I just… I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry, I’m just very happy.” The statement drew raucous applause from the packed centre court crowd. When asked about the ice-cold composure she has displayed throughout her underdog run, Chwalinska admitted her outward calm hides a flurry of emotion. “I’m crazy sometimes also, yeah,” she said. “But I try to stay composed because I know it’s the best way for me… But inside there’s a storm believe me.”

Chwalinska will next face Russian eighth seed Mirra Andreeva in Saturday’s championship match, for what will be her 10th and final match of the tournament. When asked about her preparations for the title decider, Chwalinska said she plans to savor the moment before turning her focus to recovery. “I will give my all, it’s a Grand Slam final,” she said. “Let me enjoy this moment for now… I just want to breathe a little, enjoy it today then just recover as best I can.”

One of football’s most high-profile and controversial managers, Jose Mourinho, has taken his battle with Turkish football authorities to Europe’s highest human rights court, arguing that disciplinary sanctions imposed on him during his tenure at Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce violated his fundamental rights. The case was originally lodged with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in March 2025, almost half a year before the Portuguese manager was dismissed from the Istanbul-based Super Lig club following its failure to secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League.

New details of the legal challenge, first obtained by Agence France-Presse via court documents on Thursday, confirm the lawsuit centers on disciplinary action handed down by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), which penalized Mourinho for what it labeled unsportsmanlike conduct. The controversy dates back to November 2024, when Mourinho made public comments about fans of a rival Turkish club and the country’s match officials. Those remarks triggered an immediate five-match suspension and two separate fines totaling approximately $21,000.

According to an ECHR document dated May 13, Mourinho has raised two core legal complaints rooted in the European Convention on Human Rights. First, under Article 6 of the convention, he argues that the disciplinary dispute against him was not adjudicated by an independent and unbiased judicial body. Second, he claims he never received formal notification of the TFF’s final ruling, and that the penalties imposed on him directly infringed on his right to freedom of expression protected under Article 10 of the convention.

The Strasbourg-based court has already moved forward with the case, confirming it will accept the complaint and issuing a formal list of questions for Turkish state authorities to answer as the legal process progresses.

Mourinho’s 14-month spell at Fenerbahce was marked by fan excitement from the very start, but ultimately ended in disappointment. When the self-styled “Special One” first arrived in Istanbul in June 2024, he was greeted by thousands of cheering supporters clad in the club’s iconic yellow and black kit, reception comparable to that of a global rock star. Despite the high expectations, Mourinho failed to deliver on the club’s top priority: ending a 10-year league title drought that stretches back to Fenerbahce’s last Turkish Super Lig championship in 2014.

Since his departure from Fenerbahce, Mourinho has already taken up a new post as head coach of Portuguese top-flight club Benfica. Recent industry reports, however, suggest the veteran manager could be on the move again within days, with speculation mounting that he will return to Real Madrid, the Spanish giant he managed from 2010 to 2013, to retake the club’s head coaching position.

After more than two years away from competitive tennis, 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams is gearing up for a stunning return to action, set to compete in women’s doubles at the Queen’s Club Championship with 19-year-old Canadian rising star Victoria Mboko.

The 44-year-old American legend stepped onto the grass practice courts at the west London venue alongside Mboko on Thursday, kicking off preparations for next week’s Wimbledon warm-up tournament. Mboko, the 2025 WTA Newcomer of the Year, later shared a photo of the pair on her Instagram page, showering Williams with praise ahead of their tournament debut.

Calling Williams the “Queen” of tennis, Mboko wrote that sharing a court with one of the greatest athletes of all time is a profound honor, adding that she is extra excited to compete alongside Williams and noting how special the sport of tennis is. The age gap between the new doubles partners is 25 years: Mboko was born decades after Williams launched her legendary professional career.

Williams originally stepped away from competitive tennis following the 2022 US Open, where widespread coverage framed the exit as a retirement. But the icon never explicitly used the term “retirement,” instead describing her exit as “evolving away” from the sport to focus on other life chapters, including raising her two young children with husband Alexis Ohanian. For months, tennis fans and analysts have speculated about a potential return, and Williams officially confirmed her comeback in a public announcement earlier this week.

“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in her statement, adding that grass courts have produced some of the most meaningful moments of her decorated career, and she is eager to compete again on one of the sport’s most iconic stages. Williams has claimed seven Wimbledon singles titles over her career, making the grass surface a fitting venue for her return.

Williams and Mboko received a wildcard entry into the 16-team Queen’s Club women’s doubles draw, securing their spot in the main tournament draw. While Williams is best known for her record-breaking singles career, she boasts an equally impressive resume in doubles: she holds a career 192-35 win-loss record and claimed 22 of her 23 career doubles titles alongside her sister, Venus Williams. The iconic Williams sisters pair won all 14 Grand Slam doubles finals they competed in, a record that remains unmatched in modern tennis.

With the Wimbledon Championships set to kick off on June 29, Williams has not yet revealed whether her comeback will include entering the singles draw at the sport’s most prestigious grass court tournament. Her last Grand Slam singles title came at the 2017 Australian Open, where she won the championship while pregnant with her first child.

In a tense Thursday night NRL clash that ended with Manly Sea Eagles notching up a 28-14 victory over South Sydney Rabbitohs, a contentious uncorrected officiating error has dominated post-match conversation, with veteran Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett launching a scathing attack on the sport’s multi-million-dollar bunker review system. The result extended South Sydney’s losing streak to three consecutive games, a run that has left Bennett openly frustrated with his side’s sliding form as the NRL season hits its midpoint. For Manly, the triumph capped off a fairytale week for incoming head coach Kieran Foran, who signed a three-year contract extension to stay at the club he once captained as a player.

The game hung on a knife-edge at 10-8 when Manly’s stand-in fullback Clayton Faulalo broke through the Rabbitohs defensive line to score a pivotal try that pushed the Sea Eagles further ahead. What went unseen by on-field officials at the time, however, was a clear mistake in the preceding play-the-ball from Manly edge forward Ben Trbojevic: match replays clearly showed Trbojevic bobbled the Steeden, with the ball appearing to stick to his hand rather than being placed correctly as NRL rules mandate. On-field referee Adam Gee failed to spot the infraction, and crucially, the bunker review officials did not have the authority to intervene and correct the call on a play-the-ball error.

Speaking to reporters after the final whistle, Bennett did not mince his words when questioning the purpose of the league’s heavy investment in the bunker system. “He didn’t play the ball properly, did he? It’s as simple as that, they pay all this money for the bunker and we still don’t get it right,” Bennett said. While the veteran coach stressed his underperforming side did not deserve to win on the night of the game, he argued that the system had failed its core purpose of getting critical decisions right.

“We weren’t playing well, so I’m not going to use that as an excuse. But the bottom line is that’s what they’re there for,” Bennett explained. “They play the ball, they’ve got to go back to the play the ball because a try was scored and that was all in the one movement. And if that’s an acceptable play the ball, then the game is going to change enormously really quickly.”

Bennett doubled down on his long-standing criticism of the review system, arguing that bunker officials have every advantage including multiple replay angles, hindsight and unlimited time to reach a correct ruling, yet still made costly mistakes. “We’ve got a bunker, it’s supposed to be perfect because they expect us to be perfect,” he said. “They have all the opportunity to make a decision and to see it. And they still get it wrong. I’m a fan of no bunker, I can tell you. I’d rather just the game played on with life and accept it like we always accepted it. Because they don’t get it right all the time, and they should, because they’ve got the benefit of hindsight, and there’s no time limit on their decision making.”

Beyond the officiating controversy, Bennett made clear his deep frustration with his own side’s form, which has seen the Rabbitohs slip down the ladder after a promising start to the season. “We’re not anywhere near where we should be, and we’re well into the season,” he said. “We should be playing some good football and we’ve gone backwards, we’re not going forward at the moment. Our performances are going backwards.” The Rabbitohs’ high error rate choked their much-vaunted attacking line-up for the majority of the clash, leaving them unable to mount a comeback after the controversial try.

For Manly, the win was the eighth in 10 games under Foran’s interim leadership, pushing the Sea Eagles back into the NRL’s top four ahead of their scheduled bye next week. The victory capped off a week of celebrations for Foran, who had confirmed he would continue as head coach for the next three seasons, with the club’s home ground temporarily renamed “Foz Pines Park” for the occasion, and a local KFC even superimposed Foran’s face onto the chain’s iconic Colonel Sanders logo in a playful tribute. Manly captain Jake Trbojevic said the team was determined to deliver a strong performance to reward Foran after a week of hype surrounding the new contract.

“On the way here, everywhere I drove had ‘Fozball’, ‘Foz Pines’, Kieran Foran Chicken, so I’m like, ‘geez, we better play good,’” Trbojevic told reporters after the match. “There was a lot going on but it was a really good performance.” Faulalo, who scored the controversial match-turning try, suffered a low-grade hamstring strain during the build-up to his score, but club officials have confirmed the injury is not expected to keep him sidelined for an extended period.