Global Pulse

分类： sports

  • LIV Golf postpones June event set for New Orleans: reports

    LIV Golf postpones June event set for New Orleans: reports

    The upstart Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit has been forced to delay its planned debut tournament in New Orleans, Louisiana, multiple U.S. outlets reported Monday, a decision that comes as the series faces looming financial uncertainty following reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is preparing to end its financial backing of the league ahead of its fifth season.

    The new four-day event was originally scheduled to take place June 25–28 at Bayou Oaks Golf Course, located within New Orleans’ City Park. Both sports outlet The Athletic and local New Orleans broadcaster WDSU confirmed the postponement, which was agreed upon during a meeting last Friday between LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil and Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois. An official public announcement of the change is expected as early as Tuesday.

    As of Monday evening, the New Orleans tournament still remained listed on LIV Golf’s official 2026 schedule website. While both sides have expressed interest in revisiting the idea of hosting a revised LIV event in the city this fall, the league’s entire 2026 season is currently scheduled to wrap up in August, putting that timeline in question.

    Louisiana had invested heavily to attract the tournament, earmarking $2 million in public funds for course upgrades at the state-owned City Park venue and setting aside an additional $3 million hosting fee. State officials projected the event would generate up to $70 million in local economic activity for the New Orleans region. Under the terms of the postponement agreement, LIV will return $1 million of the $1 million already disbursed to the league according to WDSU, while The Athletic reports the refund total will be $1.2 million, with the remaining upgrade funds counted as a permanent public improvement to the state-owned golf facility. No additional public funds will be allocated to the tournament going forward.

    The postponement has amplified growing questions about the future of LIV Golf, which launched in 2022 with the goal of disrupting the professional golf world by poaching top PGA Tour talent with massive, nine-figure contracts. Jon Rahm of Spain, one of the highest-profile defections, has won the last two LIV season titles, but the league has struggled to build consistent global viewership and fan engagement. In a sign of those ongoing challenges, several high-profile players including Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed have already returned to the PGA Tour, with more potentially following.

    The 2026 LIV Golf season remains on track for its next scheduled stop, set for May 7–10 at Trump National Golf Club in Washington D.C.’s Virginia suburbs. The circuit currently has other planned stops in South Korea in May, Spain in June, and England in July before wrapping the season with three U.S. events in August: a tournament at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey, an event in Indianapolis, and the season-ending team championship in Michigan scheduled for August 27–30.

  • Man Utd beat Brentford to close on Champions League berth

    Man Utd beat Brentford to close on Champions League berth

    Manchester United has brought Champions League qualification firmly within their reach after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Brentford at Old Trafford on Monday, with veteran midfielder Casemiro and striker Benjamin Sesko notching the decisive goals to cement the club’s grip on a top-four spot.

    The match got off to a electric start for the hosts, with Kobbie Mainoo carving open Brentford’s defensive line with a blistering 2nd-minute run, only for Amad Diallo to waste the opening chance when his close-range effort was cleared off the goal line by Sepp van den Berg. Moments later, returning from suspension, Harry Maguire came agonizingly close to scoring, his powerful looping header clawed away from the line by Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

    United’s sustained pressure finally paid off in the 11th minute, when a well-drilled corner routine ended with Casemiro finding the back of the net. Bruno Fernandes delivered the set piece to Maguire, whose header skipped past a cluster of Brentford defenders at the far post, leaving the Brazilian veteran to rise above the defense and nod home from a tight acute angle. The goal marked Casemiro’s fourth strike in his last six appearances, a reminder of the enduring quality he brings to a side that will see him depart at the end of the season when his contract expires. The 32-year-old celebrated by kissing the United club badge on his jersey, as the packed Old Trafford crowd chanted for him to extend his stay with “one more year”.

    Brentford had their chances to level before the break, though. Michael Kayode’s header forced United keeper Senne Lammens into a full-stretch save to keep the hosts ahead, while Brazilian forward Igor Thiago, who proved a constant physical threat throughout the first half, failed to convert two clear openings: he scuffed a first effort under pressure from Diogo Dalot, then saw a close-range shot stopped by Kelleher. A last-ditch challenge from United teenager Ayden Heaven on Thiago nearly resulted in an own goal, but Lammens pulled off another fine save to keep Brentford off the scoresheet.

    United capitalized on those missed opportunities to double their lead just two minutes before halftime. The counter-attack began when Diallo won a tough tackle deep in United’s own half, before Fernandes drove into the Brentford penalty area and slipped a perfectly weighted pass to Sesko, who lashed a clinical finish past Kelleher from 10 yards out. The assist pushed Fernandes’ season total to 19, leaving him one short of the all-time Premier League single-season record of 20 set jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

    The second half saw United cede much of their territorial dominance, and Brentford finally got their goal in the 87th minute, when Mathias Jensen curled a stunning 20-yard strike past Lammens to set up a tense closing period. Carrick’s side wobbled under late pressure, but held on to secure three points: in stoppage time, Lammens comfortably clutched a Mikkel Damsgaard header to confirm the win.

    The result leaves United firmly in third place in the Premier League table, 11 points clear of sixth-placed Brighton, with the top five set to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Interim manager Michael Carrick, who took over in January after Ruben Amorim was sacked, needs just two points from United’s remaining four matches to lock in a return to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since the 2023-24 season.

    Up next, United host bitter rivals Liverpool, who sit three points behind them in fourth, in a crunch clash that could go a long way to deciding the final top-four standings. Since stepping into the role, Carrick has stabilized the club after Amorim’s turbulent reign, putting in a strong case to be given the manager’s job on a permanent basis. Co-owner Jim Ratcliffe is currently weighing up his options for the role, and securing Champions League qualification would be a major boost to Carrick’s claim.

    The win comes on the back of a 1-0 away victory over Chelsea, which reinvigorated United’s push for a top-five spot after a dip in form that included a home defeat to Leeds and a draw at Bournemouth. For Brentford, the result extends their long barren run at Old Trafford – the London club has not won a away match at United since 1937, and their latest visit ended in disappointment after a slow opening cost them any chance of a shock result.

  • ‘It’s a funny story’: NRL gives its verdict on new Jason Saab tactic after Sea Eagles winger stuns fans with deliberate Falcon

    ‘It’s a funny story’: NRL gives its verdict on new Jason Saab tactic after Sea Eagles winger stuns fans with deliberate Falcon

    A bold, pre-planned unorthodox rugby league play from Manly Sea Eagles winger Jason Saab has sent NRL fans into a frenzy — and drawn an official warning from the competition’s governing body, which has confirmed the tactic will draw a penalty in any future matches.

    The viral play unfolded during a weekend fixture at Sydney’s 4 Pines Park, when Sea Eagles halfback Jamal Fogarty launched what appeared to be a standard attacking kick into the opposition’s 20-metre zone. The 199cm-tall Saab, instead of opting for the expected catch of the high ball or tapping it back to a supporting teammate, instead deliberately headed the ball forward into open space. The unorthodox move caught opposition Parramatta Eels defenders completely off guard, gifting Manly an extra 15 metres of territory, shifting the attack from the Sea Eagles’ 20-metre line to just five metres out from Parramatta’s try line.

    Far from a spontaneous accident, the play was actually the product of careful tactical planning from Manly assistant coach Jim Dymock. Dymock had identified a clear pattern in opposition defences: teams consistently held back to tackle Saab immediately after he caught attacking kicks, allowing them to shut down Manly’s attacking momentum early. To break this predictable pattern, he encouraged Saab to test the deliberate forward header, a trick Saab had openly discussed with teammates during the week leading up to the match.

    Saab, who does not come from a traditional rugby league background, embraced the out-of-the-box idea. After the match, he called the tactic a success despite not leading directly to a try, noting that it thrilled the packed crowd at 4 Pins Park and achieved more territorial gain than a standard catch would have.

    While teammate Haumole Olakau’atu knew the plan was in the works, he admitted he was so caught off guard by the unexpected moment that he forgot to chase the ball down for a potential try. Still, he praised the play as a clever tactical gambit that entertained fans and delivered valuable field position. Interim Manly head coach Kieran Foran also laughed off the play in his post-match press conference, noting that the coaching box reacted positively to the creative tactic, and credited Dymock for encouraging players to experiment with innovative plays to keep defences guessing.

    But the creative trick will not be allowed to feature in future matches. A spokesperson for the NRL confirmed to NewsWire that the deliberate heading of the ball forward is against the sport’s rules, and that Saab should have been penalized for the move during the fixture. Any repeat of the deliberate “Falcon” will result in an official penalty against the offending team going forward. Fans and analysts have suggested the club may tweak the tactic to present it as an accidental deflection to stay within the rules, keeping the surprise element of the play alive without drawing official sanction.

  • Global leaders, athletes hail Sawe’s historic marathon record

    Global leaders, athletes hail Sawe’s historic marathon record

    On a historic day for long-distance running at the 2026 London Marathon, Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe has redefined the outer limits of human endurance by crossing the finish line in 1 hour 59 minutes 30 seconds, marking the first time a runner has completed a full 42.195-kilometer marathon in under two hours under official competitive race rules. The unprecedented result shattered the previous world record of 2:00:35 set by fellow Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum in 2023, sending waves of celebration across the global running community and cementing East Africa’s legacy of dominance in elite long-distance athletics.

    Within hours of Sawe crossing the finish line, tributes and congratulations flooded in from across Kenya, starting with the country’s highest office. Kenyan President William Ruto released an official statement describing Sawe’s run as an extraordinary moment that made history, celebrating the runner for breaking the long-elusive two-hour marathon barrier that has stood as a holy grail for the sport for decades. Ruto emphasized that the breakthrough achievement has reinforced Kenya’s long-held reputation as a global powerhouse in track and field, calling Sawe’s performance a defining turning point for world athletics.

    “We celebrate you, Sabastian Sawe, for a performance of rare brilliance at the London Marathon. You have not only claimed a historic victory; you have redrawn the limits of human endurance, smashing the world record and breaking the two-hour barrier with extraordinary resolve,” Ruto said in the statement.

    Other senior Kenyan leaders and public figures joined the national celebration, framing the historic win as a demonstration of African excellence on the world’s biggest athletic stages and a source of immense collective national pride. The praise extended beyond political circles, with icons of the sport adding their voices to the acclaim. Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge, who became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours in a specially designed non-competitive controlled test event in 2019, called Sawe’s official race achievement a historic turning point for the entire sport.

    Kipchoge noted that Sawe’s run proves the once-impossible two-hour barrier is now an achievable target in official, regulated competition, a milestone that opens new doors for the next generation of runners. He also extended congratulations to Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who finished second behind Sawe with a time of 1:59:41 — a result that made Kejelcha the fastest marathon debutant in history and the second-fastest marathon runner ever recorded. “Seeing two athletes break the magical two-hour barrier… proves we are just at the beginning of what is possible,” Kipchoge shared.

    For Sawe himself, the historic victory is the product of years of consistent, incremental progression in elite long-distance running. Speaking to reporters immediately after crossing the finish line, the Kenyan runner dedicated his record-breaking achievement to the entire global running community, emphasizing that his success would not have been possible without the wide network of support that carried him through his years of training.

    Reflecting on what his breakthrough means for up-and-coming runners, Sawe said his performance proves that seemingly impossible feats are within reach with intentional preparation and unwavering discipline. “I think I’ve made history today in London, and for the new generation (it shows) to run a record is possible. It depends on the preparation you had and the discipline you had, so for me I think I have shown them that nothing is impossible,” Sawe said.

  • How special Sawe broke iconic sub-two-hour barrier

    How special Sawe broke iconic sub-two-hour barrier

    On a crisp, ideal April Sunday morning in London, long-distance running entered a new era. Thirty-year-old Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe crossed the finish line of the London Marathon in 1 hour 59 minutes 30 seconds, becoming the first runner in history to complete a World Athletics-sanctioned competitive marathon in under two hours, shattering the previous world record by an astonishing 65 seconds. This milestone, long dismissed by many as an impossible barrier that would not fall in their lifetime, redefines the limits of human endurance. Even Sawe himself said the result exceeded his own expectations, noting that his primary goal entering the race was defending his 2025 title, not chasing a world record. “It was not in my mind. I was well prepared for this year’s London Marathon, but what came surprised me because I was not thinking to run a world record,” he told BBC Sport 24 hours after his historic run. When asked about his performance, Sawe added that even faster times are within reach: “It was possible to run faster yesterday. Even 1:58 is possible.”

    Sawe’s path to this iconic victory was far from straightforward. Born in Kenya’s Rift Valley to a maize-farming father, he was raised mostly by his grandmother and moved to Iten, Kenya’s famous running hub, in 2017 to pursue his athletic dreams. For years, his progress stalled, and the coronavirus pandemic left him struggling to make ends meet as races were postponed and injuries interrupted his training. A turning point came when his uncle, Ugandan 800m record holder Abraham Chepkirwok, introduced him to esteemed Italian coach Claudio Berardelli. Berardelli immediately recognized Sawe’s unique marathon potential and shifted his training away from the track, crediting the athlete’s rare physiological advantages paired with his relentless work ethic. Even now, with only four marathons under his belt, Berardelli insists Sawe has not yet reached his full potential.

    In the years before his London breakthrough, Sawe had already given hints of his extraordinary talent. In 2022, he entered the Seville Half Marathon as an untested pacemaker with no professional road race experience, dropped every competitor within the first 10 kilometers, and won the race with a new course record. In 2024, he ran the second-fastest marathon debut in history in Valencia, clocking 2:02:05 — just 12 seconds slower than the late Kenyan great Kelvin Kiptum’s debut, two years before Kiptum broke the world record in 2023. After his debut, Sawe notched wins at the 2025 London and Berlin Marathons, but his first attempt at the world record in Berlin was derailed by unseasonable 25°C heat. Even more remarkably, his 2026 London preparation was delayed by a stress fracture in his foot sustained after Berlin and a back injury that left him nearly ready to abandon training in January, pushing his full training start back to early February. Compounding the surprise of his record is the fact that the London course is widely considered slower than the flat, fast routes of Berlin and Chicago, and had not hosted a men’s marathon world record since 2002.

    This historic day was made even more extraordinary by the performances of other top runners. Debutant Yomif Kejelcha also finished under the two-hour mark, while half marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo crossed the line faster than Kiptum’s previous world record. Eliud Kipchoge, who became the first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon in a controlled, non-competitive exhibition event in 2019, congratulated the pair on Instagram, writing: “Seeing two athletes break the magical two-hour barrier at London Marathon is the proof that we are just at the beginning of what is possible when talent, progress and an unwavering belief in the human potential come together. Breaking the sub-two-hour barrier in the marathon has long been a dream for runners everywhere, and today you’ve made that dream come true.” London Marathon race director Hugh Brasher called the moment “unbelievable”, adding, “Nobody thought that a sub-two-hour marathon under World Athletics conditions would be done in their lifetime. This is sport and history in the making.” Former women’s marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe echoed that sentiment, noting that the two-hour barrier had been debated for decades, with many questioning if it was even physiologically possible.

    Sawe’s breakthrough comes as much from cutting-edge innovation as it does from raw talent and relentless training. After crossing the finish line, he held up his Adidas Adios Pro 3 “supershoe”, which had his historic finishing time written on its side, acknowledging the role of footwear technology in his performance. Weighing just 97 grams, 30% lighter than the previous generation of the shoe, Adidas claims the model delivers an 11% greater forefoot energy return and a 1.6% improvement in running economy compared to its predecessor, and it retails for £450. Ethiopian star Tigst Assefa also wore the same shoe when she broke the women’s marathon world record on the same London course on Sunday. Beyond footwear, advances in endurance race fuelling have also helped push boundaries: Sawe consumed 115 grams of carbohydrates per hour during the race, following a pre-race breakfast of two honey-topped bread slices and tea, and he maintains a 200-kilometer weekly training volume at altitude, an effort he calls central to his progress. That consistent, high-volume training allowed him to hold an average pace of 2:50 per kilometer (4:33 per mile) for the full 26.2 miles, and even pick up speed in the final 5 kilometers between 35km and 40km, posting a split of 13:42 on his way to the finish line.

    Amid a wave of high-profile doping scandals involving top Kenyan distance runners — including women’s marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich — Sawe has moved proactively to prove his performance is clean. Sponsor Adidas committed $50,000 to the Athletics Integrity Unit, the global governing body’s anti-doping arm, to fund frequent out-of-competition testing for Sawe over a 12-month period leading up to the London Marathon. That program included 25 unannounced tests in the lead-up to his 2025 Berlin race, and continued at the same frequency through his London preparation. Sawe says transparency is non-negotiable for his career: “It’s very important to me because it gets out the doubt in my career of athletics and yesterday’s performance. It shows Sabastian Sawe is clean. It shows running clean is good, and we can run clean and we can run faster. It keeps the awareness that Sabastian Sawe is not to be doubted, and he is a clean athlete.”

    With just four marathons completed and his coach confirming there is far more speed left in the tank, the running world will be watching closely to see what Sawe achieves next. Already, he holds four of the 17 fastest marathon times in recorded history, and his landmark run in London has opened a new chapter for the sport, proving that the limits of human endurance are still far further than we once imagined.

  • Wushu event fosters international fellowship

    Wushu event fosters international fellowship

    Fresh off the closing ceremony of the 10th World Youth Wushu Championships in Tianjin, an impromptu, unplanned game unfolded on a nearby outdoor basketball court. With no official equipment to hand, a ragtag group of teenage athletes drawn from four continents chased after nothing more than an empty plastic water bottle, laughing and competing with none of the formality of the tournament they had just exited.

    Just hours before, these same young competitors had stood opposite one another on the competition mat, locked in focused, disciplined combat for championship placement. Now, all tournament rivalry had melted away. This casual, joyful scene perfectly encapsulated the core philosophical paradox at the heart of wushu: it is a martial art that teaches practitioners how to strike, first and foremost to build the self-discipline to avoid unnecessary conflict.

    For 20-something Swiss competitor Leandro Gia-Hy Luong, who inherited his love of wushu from his father, the most valuable lesson the sport has taught him is not a powerful high kick or a lightning-quick palm strike. It is a simple two-word rule drilled into him by his coach: “Don’t fight.” For Luong, wushu is first and foremost an exercise in intentional self-restraint. It is defined as the art of “stopping conflict” — a philosophy that is even written into the etymology of the Chinese character for “martial” (wu), which combines the character radicals for “stop” and “spear”.

    Anthony Sims, a veteran American referee with more than two decades of experience officiating wushu competitions, echoed this perspective. “In almost every sanda match I officiate, I see the exact same pattern,” he shared. “After an intensely competitive bout on the platform, competitors walk off the mat and immediately embrace, or exchange warm shoulder pats to encourage one another.”

    When asked to sum up wushu in just three words, Sims did not select common descriptors of martial skill like “strength”, “speed” or “agility”. Instead, he chose “perseverance”, “humility” and “growth”. After 20 years on the job, Sims says he has seen firsthand that wushu delivers far more than physical fitness. It builds mental fortitude and instills core values such as self-restraint, regular self-reflection, and lifelong personal growth — and that mental development, he says, matters far more than any competition medal. For the hundreds of young international athletes who gathered in Tianjin for this year’s youth championships, the event proved less a fight for placement and more a gathering that built cross-cultural connections and life-changing personal lessons that will outlast any tournament result.

  • AFL says it needs to act patiently on the Elijah Hollands investigation

    AFL says it needs to act patiently on the Elijah Hollands investigation

    The Australian Football League (AFL) has announced it will not rush its assessment of a formal submission from the Carlton Blues regarding young player Elijah Hollands, whose recent public mental health episode has sparked scrutiny of the club’s handling of the incident. The situation is unprecedented in its public profile, league officials say, requiring careful, deliberate consideration rather than a quick response.

    Hollands, a Carlton player, was hospitalized last week after experiencing a mental health episode during Carlton’s tight five-point round six loss to Collingwood. After completing an internal review of the circumstances surrounding the incident, Carlton submitted its findings to the AFL on Friday – just hours before the club faced the Fremantle Dockers in an away match in Perth on Saturday night.

    AFL general manager Greg Swann emphasized the sensitivity of the situation in comments to reporters on Monday, prioritizing Hollands’ well-being over a speedy resolution. “First of all, we’re still giving our best wishes to Elijah,” Swann said. “It’s been a harrowing week for him and his family, so we’re wishing him the best. Look, we got a submission from Carlton on Friday, Laura [Kane] and her team are handling that. There’s no rush on this, this is a really delicate matter. I haven’t seen anything play out like this publicly as this instance. It will take as long as it does, but that’s been received and we’ll work through it from there.”

    The incident and subsequent review have not been without controversy: following Hollands’ episode, Carlton coaching and club staff faced intense public scrutiny over how the situation was managed. Addressing the criticism last Thursday, Carlton head coach Michael Voss pushed back hard against external observers, arguing that the scrutiny of his staff had crossed a line.

    Voss described the ongoing criticism of his team as “bordering on bullying”, and urged the public and media to approach the case with empathy, framing it as a deeply personal mental health issue rather than a public spectacle. “I think we’ve all been impacted in some way as families and you individually, maybe there’s a few here who have struggled with some mental health in recent times,” Voss said. “Maybe it’s been a family member, maybe it’s been a friend, maybe it’s been a loved one. All I just ask is that: What would you want? What would you want right now? And that’s all we ask.”

    In a related update, Hollands’ brother Ollie, who has joined the Blues for training in recent days, was not selected for Carlton’s match against Fremantle over the weekend. As of Monday, no timeline has been set for the AFL to conclude its review and release its findings, with league officials reiterating that supporting Elijah Hollands’ recovery remains the top priority.

  • Making history and facing Neymar – Lingard on life in Brazil

    Making history and facing Neymar – Lingard on life in Brazil

    Veteran English forward Jesse Lingard is making history as the first English player to compete in Brazil’s top-tier football league, and he is opening up about his new chapter with Corinthians, his reflections on former club Manchester United, and his outlook ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

    The 33-year-old, who joined Corinthians after a spell at FC Seoul following his exit from Manchester United in 2022, has already notched his first goal for the Brazilian club in the Copa do Brasil, just weeks after his arrival. When the transfer was first announced, it raised eyebrows across Brazilian football — local pundit Mauro Cezar Pereira even labeled the move a “strange signing”. But Lingard has quickly settled into his new surroundings, saying the challenge of playing for a massive club in one of the world’s most competitive leagues drew him to the opportunity.

    “I had other offers on the table, but I came here to push myself,” Lingard told BBC Sport in his first major interview since relocating to Sao Paulo. “This is still high-level football, and I know I can perform at this standard. My goal here is simple: I’ve come to lift a trophy.”

    Lingard credits former Manchester United teammate Memphis Depay for convincing him to make the move to Corinthians, with the Dutch winger helping him navigate the early days of adapting to life in Brazil. The Englishman made his debut for the club earlier this month at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana Stadium, facing off against Fluminense. After months of limited game time and periods of solo training, Lingard described stepping out onto the famous pitch as an “amazing” experience.

    Turbulence hit the club just a week after his debut, however: manager Dorival Junior was sacked following an eight-match winless streak that left Corinthians lingering in the relegation zone. Since former Brazil interim manager Fernando Diniz took charge, the club has notched back-to-back wins in Copa Libertadores matches, turning early momentum around.

    One of the most striking adjustments for Lingard has been the raw intensity of Corinthians’ global fanbase, with supporters regularly turning up at the club’s training ground to interact with players. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” he said. “Fans coming into the training ground to talk to us, you can feel just how passionate they are about the club. That passion pushes us harder to get results on matchday, even when it means extra scrutiny when we don’t perform.”

    Language has been another key challenge for Lingard. Unlike his time at FC Seoul, where he relied on a full-time translator, the forward is adjusting to life in Brazil without dedicated translation support. While a handful of his teammates speak basic English to help him communicate, he says he is determined to learn Portuguese — a goal he finds more attainable than mastering Korean. He has already picked up basic phrases, including how to greet people and order coffee.

    Lingard, who spent 20 years at boyhood club Manchester United before leaving in 2022, continues to follow the club’s fortunes closely, describing his two decades at Old Trafford as an “amazing chapter” of his career. After departing United, he briefly played for Nottingham Forest before moving to FC Seoul, a move that surprised many but one Lingard says he needed to reset his focus on football.

    Manchester United has endured a turbulent 2025-26 season, but has seen a dramatic upturn in form since Michael Carrick — another former Red Devils teammate of Lingard’s — took over as interim manager in January. The club is now on track to secure a return to the UEFA Champions League, and Lingard has thrown his full weight behind Carrick getting the job on a permanent basis.

    “United have come on leaps and bounds under Michael, and he absolutely deserves to keep the role long-term,” Lingard said. “I know him from our time playing together at the club. He has Manchester United DNA running through him, he knows every part of this club, and the squad is thriving under his direction. Constant managerial turnover brings challenges with new ideas and new personnel, but right now United are definitely on the right track with Michael in charge.”

    Lingard remains in close contact with current United captain Bruno Fernandes, who is having a career-best season in the Premier League, notching 18 assists with five matches remaining — just two short of the league’s all-time single-season assist record. When former teammate Paul Pogba recently claimed Fernandes would be a serious Ballon d’Or contender if he played for a club like Manchester City, Lingard says Fernandes deserves a spot in the running regardless of his club.

    “100% he should be up there,” Lingard said. “His performances this season for United have been extraordinary. He has to be considered among the best players in the race for the award.”

    Asked about his favorite Brazilian footballers, Lingard named global superstars Neymar and 2005 Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldinho. He says he occasionally stays in touch with Neymar, who currently plays for Santos, and he is excited by the prospect of facing the world-class forward if the two clubs meet later in the season. “It’s always a great test to play against the best players in the world,” he said.

    Lingard previously went viral for teasing former United teammate Marcus Rashford over a viral moment where Rashford was spotted only talking about the weather with Neymar in a match tunnel. When asked what he would say in the same situation, he laughed: “There would be too many memes about it anyway, to be honest. I might actually mention the Brazilian weather — it is always sunny here!”

    Looking ahead to the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer hosted in North America, Lingard named Brazil, England and France as the tournament’s top contenders, and he is backing his home nation England to go all the way and lift the trophy. “We’ve always had a very strong chance in big tournaments, and we always perform well when it matters,” he said. “I believe in the lads, I know how good they are, so there’s no reason we can’t win it this time around.”

    Lingard is currently signed to Corinthians on a short-term contract running through the end of 2025.

  • ‘I haven’t felt this much criticism’: Stephen Crichton defends Lachlan Galvin amid Immortal’s call for him to stop playing halfback

    ‘I haven’t felt this much criticism’: Stephen Crichton defends Lachlan Galvin amid Immortal’s call for him to stop playing halfback

    A fierce debate over the future of young Canterbury Bulldogs playmaker Lachlan Galvin has erupted in the NRL, after rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns called for the 20-year-old to be shifted out of the halfback position, drawing a staunch defense from the club’s senior leadership.

    Johns, one of the sport’s most legendary halfbacks, made the recommendation that Galvin move to five-eighth, with rookie Mitchell Woods brought into the starting halfback spot to boost the side’s attacking creativity. The suggestion came in the wake of Canterbury’s underwhelming loss to an injury-depleted Brisbane Broncos side last week, a result that added to growing criticism of Galvin’s recent form.

    But Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton has doubled down on the club’s public support for the young playmaker, echoing head coach Cameron Ciraldo’s strong defense of Galvin after the Broncos match. Crichton pointed to Galvin’s standout round 6 performance, where the young halfback turned in the best NRL showing of his fledgling career to spearhead a shocking upset win over premiership favorites Penrith Panthers.

    Crichton argued that the swing in public opinion on Galvin, from widespread praise just two weeks ago to heavy criticism after the Broncos loss, ignores inconsistent support from the rest of the Bulldogs squad. He emphasized that the club remains fully committed to Galvin as their long-term starting halfback, noting that the young playmaker’s dominant performance against Penrith embodied the level of play the side expects from the position.

    “He’s been getting criticised a lot lately for the way that our team’s been performing,” Crichton said. “Ever since he’s come to the club, I’ve always said that if you’re not getting criticised, you’re not doing your job right. I feel like he’ll be learning off this… As a young 20-year-old, he’s going to become a player – one of the greats – sooner or later. I feel like all the lessons that he’s taking right now are pretty harsh, but it’s going to build him up to be the player that he wants to be.”

    Galvin, who has built a strong on-field combination with edge forward Jacob Preston since joining the Bulldogs, still has gaps in his game that require development, Crichton acknowledged, adding that Galvin was far from the only Canterbury player to underperform against Brisbane.

    The position debate comes as Canterbury navigates a dramatic form slump 12 months on from a flying start to their 2023 campaign. This year, the Bulldogs have claimed just three wins from their opening seven matches, leaving them outside the NRL’s top eight, a stark contrast to this point last season when they sat atop the league table with only one loss through the first eight rounds and were considered genuine premiership contenders.

    Crichton, who will lead the side against the North Queensland Cowboys this coming Friday, admitted he has not faced this level of public criticism at any point during his time at the club. But the captain said the squad is tuning out outside noise from media and social media, focusing instead on internal accountability to address their inconsistent performances.

    “We’re at a big club with a big fan base. There are always going to be people with their opinion,” Crichton said. “Regardless of media attention and regardless of social media posts and things like that, as long as you have the opinion of your players and the coaching staff, that’s the only opinions that you can listen to… We know what our best is, and our worst is a long way away from that as well. We’ve just got to try and bridge that gap between our mindset and our preparation to the game.”

  • Team-first Kane propelling Bayern to glory as PSG showdown looms

    Team-first Kane propelling Bayern to glory as PSG showdown looms

    As Bayern Munich prepares for one of the most high-stakes matches of the European football calendar, star striker Harry Kane’s unselfish, team-first approach has emerged as the defining factor behind the German giants’ push for Champions League glory, ahead of Tuesday’s semi-final opening leg against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in Paris.

    At 31, Kane only claimed his first major senior team trophy last season, when he helped Bayern secure the Bundesliga title in his debut campaign after moving from Tottenham Hotspur. He has already added a second consecutive German league crown to his collection this term, and the centuries-old winning culture at the Allianz Arena has clearly shaped his priorities ahead of the May final in Budapest. The winner of this semi-final tie is widely tipped to go on to lift Europe’s most prestigious club trophy.

    Kane’s individual performances this season remain nothing short of spectacular. Across all competitions, the England captain has netted an incredible 53 goals in 45 outings, a goalscoring haul no English player in a top European league has matched in nearly 100 years. Critically, most of his standout strikes have come when Bayern needed them most: his clinical long-range finish against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu secured a crucial away win in the quarter-finals, and his first-half opener in the return leg pulled Bayern level on the night and flipped the tie back in their favor when elimination looked increasingly likely.

    When Kane left Tottenham for Bavaria in summer 2024, many football pundits questioned his decision, noting he was just 47 goals short of breaking Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League scoring record. At his former club, Kane was often criticized by observers for piling up personal goalscoring records without delivering major team silverware. But in hindsight, his consistent goalscoring at Spurs was always rooted in a desire to lift his team, a trait that has become even clearer at a title-contending Bayern side packed with attacking talent across the pitch. Unlike his spell at Tottenham, Kane now regularly drops deep into midfield to help build up play, creating space for his teammates to exploit rather than constantly positioning himself for goal chances.

    That willingness to put team ambitions above individual glory has been on full display in recent weeks. After Bayern wrapped up the Bundesliga title earlier than expected, the club shifted its full focus to the Champions League, and Kane has willingly accepted a reduced role in domestic fixtures. Back in February, following a 4-2 win over Borussia Dortmund, Kane had scored four straight doubles, notching 30 goals in just 24 Bundesliga outings and putting him well on track to beat Robert Lewandowski’s long-standing single-season record of 41 league goals. Since that point, however, Kane has only started one of Bayern’s seven remaining league matches, with head coach Vincent Kompany resting him to keep him fresh for European competition.

    Far from pushing for more minutes to chase the record, Kane has fully backed the decision. After coming off the bench to help Bayern stage a dramatic 4-3 comeback win over Mainz on Saturday, Kane made his priorities clear to reporters. “It’ll be tough to chase down Lewandowski’s record,” he admitted. “Obviously I’m here to try and win the Champions League and try and win the German Cup. So, ultimately that takes priority. All I can do is when I’m on the pitch, try and score, try and impact the game.” As Bayern’s biggest global star, the striker could easily demanded more playing time to chase personal milestones, but his commitment to the club’s bigger goals has kept the squad unified heading into the PSG clash.

    Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund highlighted the unique cohesion within the camp after the Mainz comeback, which saw the side overturn a 3-0 deficit to claim all three points. “This team is truly something special — that team spirit, that mentality — it is truly unique,” Freund said. “That gives us a tremendous amount of energy for Tuesday.”

    Kane has struck a respectful tone when talking about Tuesday’s opponents, acknowledging PSG’s status as the tournament’s defending champions. “They are the reigning European champions for a reason,” Kane said. “They’re a really strong side with some great quality and are well-coached. There’s going to be a lot of activity. It’s going to come down to moments and quality.”

    One major hurdle for Bayern is that head coach Vincent Kompany will be suspended for the first leg, leaving his English assistant Aaron Danks to take charge of the team from the dugout. Kane, however, insisted that the side is well-prepared to cope without Kompany on the touchline, pointing to the team’s impressive form this season that has seen them lose just twice across all competitions. “Of course we’ll miss him on the sideline. He’s our boss and our leader,” Kane said. “But everyone knows what needs to be done, even if the boss isn’t on the sideline.”