Global Pulse

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  • Liverpool target Minteh can still get dream move – Hurzeler

    Liverpool target Minteh can still get dream move – Hurzeler

    The 2025 summer Premier League transfer window has closed with one of its most high-profile sagas ending in a standstill, as Brighton & Hove Albion held firm on their valuation of young Gambian winger Yankuba Minteh, turning down two successive bids from Liverpool totalling up to £60 million. The outcome has left the future of the 22-year-old wide player unresolved, but Brighton’s young head coach Fabian Hurzeler has left the door open for a potential future move if Minteh continues his upward trajectory at the AMEX Stadium.

    Liverpool, under manager Andoni Iraola, had identified Minteh as a key target to strengthen their attacking options ahead of the new season, tabled an initial £50 million offer before upping their proposal to £60 million. Both bids were firmly rejected by Brighton, who are understood to value the pacey right winger at a figure closer to £70 million. Minteh only joined the Seagulls 12 months prior to this transfer window, arriving from Newcastle United in 2024 for a £30 million fee. Since his move to the south coast, he has established himself as a fan favorite and key first-team contributor, notching 10 goals and nine assists across 73 appearances for the club.

    Speaking ahead of Brighton’s opening Premier League fixture of the new season against Leeds United, Hurzeler made clear that while Minteh had been the subject of major transfer interest, the winger remains fully committed to the club’s project for the coming campaign. “He wears the Brighton colours, he wears the Brighton badge. He has been with us for two years now as part of the squad, he has achieved great things together with the boys,” the German head coach told reporters. “It’s also about him now to commit. In the end, we always say we want to be successful as a club, and then you can shine as individuals. That is what we have proved in the past. If we achieve things together, the attention will come to the individual players, and that will be the case also this season.”

    Hurzeler added that Minteh’s dream of a big-money move to a top club could still come to fruition down the line if both he and the club continue to deliver results. “If the whole team is successful and the individual shines then Yankuba will get a lot of attention again and he can then maybe fulfil his dream in the next transfer window,” Hurzeler said.

    While Minteh’s departure fell through, Brighton still pulled off a successful summer window in terms of transfer balancing, generating significant revenue from other player sales to reinvest in new talent. Their biggest outgoing saw highly rated central midfielder Carlos Baleba complete a £70 million move to Manchester United, opening up a spot in Brighton’s midfield that the club moved to fill on deadline day with the signing of 21-year-old Spanish defensive midfielder Chema Andres from Bundesliga side Stuttgart for a fee of £15.5 million.

    Andres’ career path has been rapid: a product of Real Madrid’s famed youth academy, he made his La Liga debut for the Spanish giants in January 2025 before moving to Stuttgart that same summer. In his single season in the German top flight, he made 41 first-team appearances and helped Stuttgart secure a top-four finish and qualification for the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League. His dominant performances in front of the defence earned him comparisons to Manchester City and Spain superstar Rodri, with fans and pundits dubbing the young Spaniard “baby Rodri”.

    Hurzeler says he understands the comparison, but stressed that Andres still has room to develop into the elite level midfielder many expect him to become. “He has this motivation of wanting to improve every day,” Hurzeler said of his new signing. “He comes on the first day and wants to go outside on the pitch, he wants to have ball touches and you can really feel that he is very ambitious. Therefore, I can understand this comparison [with Rodri] but he has a long way to go and hopefully he can get there one day. It would be a big one for us but also for the whole football world.”

    The summer 2005 transfer window marked the second consecutive season that the Premier League broke its all-time total spending record, capping a busy period of movement across the top flight that saw Brighton reinforce their reputation as one of the league’s shrewdest operators in the transfer market.

  • 100 influencers invited to US Open spark debate on ‘tennis etiquette’

    100 influencers invited to US Open spark debate on ‘tennis etiquette’

    The US Open, one of tennis’ four prestigious Grand Slam tournaments, is facing a growing debate centered on a major shift to expand its audience reach: doubling the number of accredited influencers and content creators for this year’s New York event. The move, designed to introduce tennis to younger, digitally native audiences, has ignited discussion over how to grow the sport without compromising its long-held, unwritten etiquette rules that govern both player and fan behavior.

    Tennis has always relied on a foundation of quiet decorum during active play, a core norm that sets it apart from many other professional sports. For spectators, the expectation is simple: avoid disrupting players mid-point, a rule that reflects respect for the intensity and focus required to compete at the highest level. This year, the US Open’s decision to grant press-level accreditation to roughly 100 digital creators – twice the number invited in 2025 – as part of its broader push to turn the event into a fan-focused “tennis Disneyland” has tested that norm.

    Tension boiled over during two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka’s opening round match on the main court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the world’s largest tennis venue with a capacity of more than 23,000. A group of content creators set up a portable ring light for a photoshoot in their hospitality suite while Osaka was in the middle of serving, prompting an official reprimand from the chair umpire. A viral video captured the same group talking loudly while filming content during active play, forcing the umpire to publicly call for them to stop. When Osaka returned to the court for her second-round match Thursday, the umpire was forced to repeat calls for crowd silence multiple times – a frequency Osaka said she had never experienced before.

    “I tell people I normally just focus on the match and the court, but there was a moment where there was people shouting and you could hear it quite clearly,” Osaka told reporters after the match. “I think it bothered my opponent, too.”

    The four-time Grand Slam champion echoed a common middle ground held by many players, acknowledging that influencer outreach can help grow the sport, but calling for stricter management of fan and creator behavior. “It could be a good thing for people to make the sport of tennis popular to their specific audience, but I think it has to be managed a lot better, especially in the situation like my first-round match,” she said. “Overall, I think there are huge positives. You want people to continue to grow the sport. I just think it has to be in a way that everyone knows the rules and the etiquette.”

    That sentiment was echoed by American world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who described some disruptive behavior as outright “disrespectful.” “I can appreciate the influencers coming and showcasing the US Open experience,” Pegula said. “But I do think that it’s tough when you see videos when they’re taking pictures and using the selfie lights. People are down there trying to perform. It’s their career and their job. It seems a bit disrespectful. I think it’s become a little too much this year.”

    Coco Gauff, the world No. 4 who has become one of the sport’s biggest young stars, framed the expectation as a simple matter of following event norms. “I definitely think it’s cool to have a new demographic and I definitely think it helps grow the sport,” Gauff said. “But if you’re being invited to a red carpet, you wouldn’t show up in jeans. I think it’s just follow the etiquette of the sport. That’s all.”

    Not all players have pushed back on the expanded influencer policy, however. Many veteran competitors have embraced the push to expand tennis’ reach, arguing that growing the fan base outweighs growing pains. Men’s seventh seed Daniil Medvedev, who has had a complicated relationship with New York crowds in the past, said he supports the US Tennis Association’s (USTA) new approach. “I think the more we try to raise awareness about tennis, the better it is, the more popular the sport is,” Medvedev said. “The more the sport grows, the better it is. I trust USTA with what they are doing. I think [there is] a lot more upside than downside, so go for it.”

    American 11th seed Frances Tiafoe echoed that optimism, praising the US Open for welcoming a diverse mix of attendees. “I think the Open is great because you get all types of people that want to come and watch tennis,” he said. “All different walks of life, different types of people, different type of occupations. Personally, I love that. I have no problem with anybody doing anything, coming to watch the tennis.”

    The expanded influencer accreditation is just one part of a years-long series of overhauls the US Open has rolled out to rebrand itself as a more accessible, fan-friendly event. In 2024, the tournament introduced free fan movement, allowing spectators to take their seats at any time rather than waiting for changeovers. The following year, it expanded the tournament to 15 days, adding a “Fan Week” before the main singles draw that features revamped mixed doubles competition and exhibition matches with retired and current stars. Tournament chief executive Craig Tiley has publicly framed these changes as part of a goal to create “the tennis Disneyland” that draws casual and hardcore fans alike.

    Speaking ahead of the tournament, Tiley defended the creator credential program as a necessary adaptation to modern media consumption. “We need to find ways of reaching new audiences, reaching people in a way that they connect with media today,” he said. “The creation of the creator credential has been a key part of that because it’s enabled us to talk to people in a way that they’re listening. That’s been a big focus.”

    In the wake of the high-profile disruption during Osaka’s opening match, tournament organizers have already stepped up efforts to reinforce etiquette rules. Digital screens across the Arthur Ashe Stadium complex now display frequent reminders asking attendees to “refrain from any activity that could disrupt the game, including noise levels, flash photography and ring lights.”

    In a formal statement, the USTA reiterated its commitment to balancing growth and respect for competition. “The USTA is always striving to grow tennis in this country and bring new audiences into the sport,” the organization said. “We want all of our fans and guests to have an incredible time when they attend, but we also need to ensure they do not interfere with the action and competition on the court. We are continually looking for ways to ensure fans in the stands know what is permitted and what is prohibited.”

  • Ukrainian quits college team over Russian signing

    Ukrainian quits college team over Russian signing

    A 20-year-old Ukrainian women’s college basketball player has opened up about her choice to exit Louisiana State University’s program, confirming that the team’s decision to add Russian player Anna Minaeva to its roster was the direct catalyst for her departure after just one season with the Tigers.

    Kate Koval, who averaged 8.3 points per game during her debut 2024-2025 season and was projected to start at center for LSU in the upcoming campaign, initially had her exit listed as being for “personal reasons” when the announcement was made. In a candid public post shared to her Instagram account, Koval tied her departure directly to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has directly impacted her immediate family and childhood home.

    Koval explained that her father currently serves in the Ukrainian armed forces, defending the country against what she described as Russian military aggression. For the young player, the war is not a faraway international dispute—it is a deeply personal trauma that has touched every part of her life. “People close to me have been killed and wounded in Russian attacks, and places where I grew up and first began playing basketball have been destroyed by missile strikes,” she wrote.

    After Minaeva’s signing, Koval said she was forced to confront whether LSU could still be the right fit for her, given the profound personal toll the conflict has taken on her, her family, and her loved ones still living and fighting in Ukraine. She emphasized that her choice was not an easy one to make. “While I understand and respect that roster decisions are a part of college basketball, I have to remain true to myself, my values and my country,” she added.

    Koval still has two years of NCAA eligibility remaining, but faces a hurdle in transferring to a new program for the 2025-2026 season: the NCAA’s transfer portal has already closed for upcoming roster changes. In her statement, she appealed to the collegiate sports governing body to grant her an exception, noting the unique and serious circumstances surrounding her decision, and asking the association to recognize the deep personal stake she has in the situation.

    Despite her departure, Koval spoke warmly of her time at LSU, saying she had once felt she found a home within the program’s community. She expressed gratitude to her former teammates, who she said became like family, as well as to the program’s coaching staff, administrative team, university professors, and the wider LSU community. “I will always cherish the relationships, experiences, and memories I made there,” she said.

  • A 30-game win streak for US on the line at the FIBA women’s World Cup with France and others waiting

    A 30-game win streak for US on the line at the FIBA women’s World Cup with France and others waiting

    The 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup is set to tip off this Friday in Berlin, bringing together 16 of the world’s top national women’s basketball teams for 10 days of elite competition that runs through September 13. Entering the tournament as the undisputed dynasty, the United States women’s national team is gunning for an unprecedented fifth consecutive World Cup championship, a feat that would further cement their status as the dominant force in international women’s basketball.

    The U.S. enters the tournament riding a 30-game winning streak in FIBA World Cup play, a run that stretches all the way back to a 2006 semifinal loss to Russia. This year’s squad blends exciting young rookie talent and veteran championship experience in a unique mix that has basketball fans across the globe eager to see how the team performs. Making their senior World Cup debuts are NCAA standouts turned WNBA stars Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers, three of the most high-profile players in the women’s game today. Leading the team alongside the young core is veteran forward Breanna Stewart, one of the most decorated players in international basketball history, who already boasts three Olympic gold medals and three FIBA World Cup titles to her name.

    While the U.S. remains the clear favorite to claim gold, multiple top-ranked nations are poised to challenge the American dynasty and end their decades-long winning streak. France, which narrowly lost to the U.S. by just a single point in the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medal game, enters the tournament hungry to avenge that near-miss and claim the first major global title in program history. Other legitimate contenders include Spain, Belgium, and China, the latter of which faced the U.S. in the 2022 World Cup final and pushed the Americans to a tight contest before falling.

    This year’s tournament introduces an expanded format compared to the 2022 edition, which featured only 12 teams split across two groups. For 2026, 16 teams have been divided into four groups of four, with each group playing a full round-robin preliminary stage. Group winners earn an automatic bye to the quarterfinals, while the second and third-place finishers from each pool advance to a knockout qualification round, with the four winners of those matches filling out the quarterfinal bracket. All 36 tournament games will be hosted across two dedicated venues in Berlin, giving fans across Germany and the world a front-row seat to the action.

    For viewers in the United States, every game of the tournament will be broadcast across TNT, truTV, and HBO Max, as part of the network’s multi-year media rights agreement with FIBA. To bolster studio coverage, TNT has brought on two former U.S. national team standouts, Tina Charles and Renee Montgomery, as game analysts. Charles, who helped Team USA claim three consecutive World Cup titles between 2010 and 2018, highlighted the unique pressure the American squad faces entering every major tournament.

    “There’s definitely going to be challenges. You know, gold is earned. It’s not assumed,” Charles told the Associated Press in a pre-tournament interview. “When you put USA across your chest, there’s an expectation that you’re supposed to win, regardless of what your experience has been internationally. But I think people just don’t really understand how difficult that is. You’re playing the best players from around the world. You’re adjusting to different styles, you’re adjusting to the physicality of the game and how the referees will call these games, and everybody wants to be the team that beats you. You have that bullseye on your back.”

    This year’s World Cup also marks a major step forward for FIBA’s investment in women’s international basketball, with the organization committing expanded resources to improve the player experience to match the standards of the men’s World Cup. For the first time in tournament history, every player from every participating team will be provided with a private hotel room, a change from past tournaments where players often shared accommodations. Additional upgrades include a dedicated on-site weightlifting facility and a private relaxation lounge for all teams. FIBA has also introduced a new financial assistance program to help member national federations prepare their squads for the tournament, a first for the women’s competition.

    “We’re providing the same conditions as in the men’s World Cup,” FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis told the Associated Press. “We are providing also for the first time financial assistance to our members to prepare their teams.”

    With more than 50 current WNBA players competing in the tournament across all participating nations, the WNBA has paused its 2026 regular season from August 31 through September 16 to accommodate the event. This is the first time the FIBA Women’s World Cup has been scheduled during the WNBA regular season; past iterations were held after the conclusion of the WNBA Finals. The tournament will shift to a new late-November time slot when Japan hosts the 2030 edition of the event.

  • Kyrgios given one-month ban for positive cocaine test

    Kyrgios given one-month ban for positive cocaine test

    Controversial Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has cleared his suspension and is eligible to return to professional competition, after accepting a one-month ban triggered by a positive cocaine test from a June tournament.

    The 31-year-old, whose ranking has plummeted to 918th in the world after years of injury struggles, was first placed on a provisional suspension on August 4, following a routine out-of-competition sample collected at the Mallorca Open that tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a well-documented metabolite of cocaine.

    Kyrgios did not dispute the finding during his investigation with the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). He confirmed to investigators that he consumed cocaine during a late-night visit to a nightclub in Magaluf in the early hours of June 20, just two days before his first-round singles match at the Mallorca Open. He ultimately lost that match in straight sets to fellow Australian Adam Walton.

    After an independent expert consultation, the ITIA confirmed that Kyrgios used the banned substance outside of official competition, a ruling that supported a reduced penalty. While the maximum possible suspension for the offense was three months, the ban was cut to one month after Kyrgios committed to and enrolled in a formal treatment program for substance use. His suspension officially concluded on September 3, making him immediately eligible to return to tour events. In addition to the suspension, Kyrgios has been stripped of his 6,570 euro (approximately £5,650) prize money from the Mallorca Open.

    When the positive test was first announced, Kyrgios pledged to step away from social media and public life for the 28-day suspension period to “focus on getting myself right.” This season, the former world No. 13 has only competed in four singles matches, as persistent knee and wrist injuries have sidelined him for most of his schedule since the 2022 Wimbledon final. His most recent competitive appearance was in men’s doubles at this year’s Wimbledon, where he and partner Alexander Bublik exited in the opening round.

    In a public statement released shortly after his initial suspension, Kyrgios acknowledged that years of recurring injuries have taken an immense toll on both his physical and mental health. “My body hasn’t been able to do what my mind expects it to do,” he wrote on Instagram. “Coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined. None of that excuses what I did.”

    Cocaine is categorized as a prohibited stimulant and substance of abuse on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) official banned list.

    Kyrgios has long been one of the most polarizing figures in men’s professional tennis. He has faced widespread criticism for repeated on-court misconduct, including multiple large fines for racket-smashing, verbal outbursts, obscenities, and arguments with umpires. Off the court, his history of controversy includes a 2023 admission of assaulting a former girlfriend in 2021, a case that ended with no criminal conviction, and multiple accusations of misogynistic remarks. Most recently in 2024, he faced backlash for sharing a post from controversial influencer Andrew Tate, though he later stated he had gone to great lengths to distance himself from Tate, who has openly described himself as a misogynist.

    Kyrgios was also an outspoken critic of the anti-doping rulings in two high-profile cases involving top tennis players Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, labeling the handling of those cases “disgusting” for the sport and calling the global tennis integrity system “awful.” Notably, his one-month ban matches the length of suspension given to Swiatek, and is two months shorter than the three-month ban handed to Sinner, a outcome that aligns with Kyrgios’ own prior criticism of lenient penalties for top players.

    The timeline of Kyrgios’ cocaine use places it less than 24 hours before the official start of the Mallorca Open singles draw on June 21, even though his first match was not held until June 22. The ITIA granted the reduced penalty after Kyrgios provided official documentation confirming he had paid for and started his treatment program on August 28.

    Despite his immediate eligibility to return, Kyrgios has struggled to remain competitive on tour since his historic run to the 2022 Wimbledon singles final, where he lost in four sets to Novak Djokovic. He has undergone reconstructive knee and wrist surgery in the years since that run, and has only won two of the eight total matches he has competed in since the start of 2023. Beyond his 2022 Wimbledon singles final appearance, Kyrgios holds seven ATP Tour singles titles, and won the 2022 Australian Open men’s doubles title alongside compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis. He has also spoken openly about his long-standing struggles with mental health, revealing that he genuinely contemplated suicide and spent time in a London psychiatric facility following an early loss at Wimbledon in 2019.

  • Donaldson comes in at flyhalf as Wilson returns as captain for Australia vs Argentina

    Donaldson comes in at flyhalf as Wilson returns as captain for Australia vs Argentina

    MENDOZA, Argentina — As Australia’s Wallabies prepare to face the Pumas in the second and final match of their rugby test series in Mendoza, head coach Les Kiss has rolled out a series of tactical lineup adjustments, headlined by the return of Harry Wilson to the starting side and the team captaincy. The match is set to kick off this Saturday, fresh off Australia’s narrow 27-21 victory in the opening test last week.

    One of the most notable changes comes at the flyhalf position, where Ben Donaldson will earn his first starting test nod in the 10 jersey in 2026. He replaces Carter Gordon, who has fully recovered from a recent injury but will drop to the bench for this weekend’s encounter.

    In the center pairing, Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Sua’alii will share the midfield for the 17th time across 26 test appearances, marking the first occasion the duo has started together under Kiss’ leadership. Ikitau was sidelined for the first test by injury, while Sua’alii entered the opening match from the reserves bench. Additional backline adjustments see Filipo Daugunu reclaim the starting left wing spot, replacing Harry Potter. Daugunu will line up alongside right winger Max Jorgensen and fullback Tom Wright, who is set to celebrate a career milestone with his 50th test cap for Australia.

    Up front, Wilson returns to his backrow position at the back of the scrum, and with his return to the starting lineup, he resumes the captaincy duties that prop Allan Ala’alatoa held in the first test. Wilson will link up with returning backrow starters Rob Valetini and Fraser McReight. In the front row, props Taniela Tupou and Angus Bell are back in the starting 15, alongside hooker Billy Pollard. First test starting hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa has been rested and omitted from the 23-man match day squad, with Josh Nasser, Aidan Ross and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto named as reserves.

    Kiss explained that the changes balance the need for fresh energy after last week’s physical opening test with the goal of building consistent test experience across the entire Wallabies squad. “After a physical test last week, we’ve brought in some fresh bodies alongside some existing combinations as we continue to look to build test experience across the group,” Kiss noted. The coach added that he anticipates a fierce backlash from Argentina, which will be hungry to level the series on home soil. “We’re expecting a strong response from Argentina on Saturday and we know we will need to keep stepping up our game in all areas,” he said.

    A win on Saturday would hand Australia a fifth consecutive test victory, and would mark the first time the Wallabies have claimed a full series sweep on Argentine soil.

  • World Cup winner Marcos Llorente retires from Spain team

    World Cup winner Marcos Llorente retires from Spain team

    MADRID – In a sudden announcement that has caught the global football community off guard, 31-year-old Atletico Madrid right back Marcos Llorente, a key contributor to Spain’s 2024 World Cup triumph, has confirmed his retirement from international football. The decision, which he describes as a deeply personal, extensively deliberated choice, was made public via his official Instagram account on Thursday.\n\nLlorente, who earned 27 senior caps for Spain throughout his international career, shared the announcement alongside a poignant photo of himself lifting the World Cup trophy that Spain secured back in July. He revealed in the post that he had finalized his choice to step away from the national setup even before the 2024 World Cup tournament kicked off.\n\n“I know I am still at an age where I could continue playing, and if I maintained my current form, I likely would have had several more years of representing my country in this jersey,” Llorente wrote in his statement. “I understand that many of my fans and followers will not understand this call, and I admit that I would probably feel the same way if I were looking at this decision from the outside. But this is a personal choice, one that I have thought through for a long time, and most importantly, one that feels right for me deep down.”\n\nThe defender went on to express overwhelming gratitude for the opportunities he received during his time with the Spanish national team, emphasizing that the experiences he shared with his teammates will stay with him forever. “I can never thank all the people I have met over these years enough for giving me and my family the chance to live through these one-of-a-kind, unforgettable moments,” he said. “I will treasure every experience I had, but nothing will compare to these last 52 days, getting to play alongside an incredible group of teammates that fought all the way to the end to put Spain on top of the world. And we did it.”\n\nLlorente earned his first senior call-up to the Spanish national team back in 2020. He was included in the Spanish squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, though he was not part of the side that claimed the 2024 European Championship title ahead of this summer’s World Cup run.\n\n“Representing my country and getting to be a part of this historic achievement has been the greatest honor of my career,” Llorente added.

  • It’s time to really start judging Maresca and new-look Man City after $600M refresh

    It’s time to really start judging Maresca and new-look Man City after $600M refresh

    Early doubts over Manchester City’s ability to chase the Premier League crown in its first era without Pep Guardiola have rapidly faded, following two opening-match wins and a historic $400 million spending spree compressed into just two weeks of the summer transfer window. By the close of the window, City ended up as Europe’s biggest single summer spender, with total outlay across the entire transfer period surging past $600 million. The club wrapped up its buying blitz with deadline-day additions of Enzo Fernandez and Iliman Ndiaye, and added two more high-profile young talents just days earlier: Morocco international midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and Brazilian winger Allan, who cost a combined $160 million, primarily brought in as depth for the first-team squad. This unprecedented spending has transformed first-year manager Enzo Maresca’s situation entirely; just a few weeks ago, he was forced to improvise by fielding center back Marc Guehi in central midfield, after City sold or released a core group of midfield stars including Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders without immediate replacements. Now, Maresca faces the far more welcome problem of selection depth as City prepares to host newly promoted Coventry this Saturday. He will have to choose two from Elliot Anderson, Fernandez and Bouaddi to slot behind in-form attacking playmaker Rayan Cherki, while Ndiaye and Allan will push established first-team wingers Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku for starting spots. The challenge could not be starker for Coventry: the promoted side already traveled to the Emirates to face Arsenal earlier this season, and escaped with only a 3-0 defeat, a result many considered a favorable outcome for the newly promoted side. City has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign regardless, opening with a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth before securing a 4-1 away win against Crystal Palace. While pundits once argued the first two weeks of the season represented the best window to take points off a rebuild City with an incomplete squad, a new manager still settling into the role and players undercooked after post-World Cup rest, the club has still posted maximum points — even after a tepid 3-0 Community Shield loss to Arsenal that left many fans and analysts questioning City’s title credentials. From this weekend onward, analysts and fans will get their first real look at how Maresca’s fully refurbished side can compete over the long haul of the season. This weekend’s fixture list brings a number of mouthwatering matchups beyond City’s game with Coventry. The standout tie of the round sees defending Premier League champions Arsenal host Chelsea on Sunday, with both sides entering the game on maximum six points from their first two matches. Arsenal has started the season with a typically solid defensive foundation, holding opponents scoreless through two games, while Chelsea has jumped out to an early lead as the league’s joint-top scoring side with seven goals, setting up a compelling clash of contrasting early-season form. Outside of Manchester City, newly promoted Hull City is the only other side in the division to win both of its opening two matches, and it will host a point-less Aston Villa side looking for its first win of the campaign. Liverpool, meanwhile, will look to snap a run of two opening draws when it travels to face newly promoted Ipswich Town on Friday evening. The weekend will also offer supporters the first chance to see some of the window’s most high-profile signings make their debuts for new clubs. Most notable among these is Bradley Barcola, the French winger who joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain for $166 million. Barcola did not make a single appearance for PSG at the start of this season amid prolonged transfer speculation, and he could make his first Liverpool appearance off the bench this weekend. Jack Grealish, who has returned to Everton on loan after several seasons at City, could also be thrown straight into action for his new side when Everton hosts Manchester United, with Ndiaye having departed the Merseyside club in this window. Off the pitch, this weekend will also bring expected protests from Everton fans, who are furious with the American ownership’s transfer window strategy. The club allowed its top attacker Ndiaye to depart for Manchester City, and also sold backup striker Beto, and failed to sign any replacements to fill the gaps left by those departures. Deadline-day moves for Folarin Balogun and Joshua Zirkzee fell through, leaving Everton with just one senior striker on the books: Thierno Barry. Everton’s independent fan advisory board released a public statement highlighting the “serious concerns” held by supporters over the club’s transfer management, arguing the current squad is weaker than it was at the start of the previous season. “The gap between ambition and execution is now impossible to ignore, and it has damaged confidence in the planning, leadership and alignment of football operations,” the fan group said. “Supporters deserve clarity, accountability and evidence that lessons have been learned before further trust can be rebuilt.” The Texas-based Friedkin Group is currently heading into its second full season as the club’s majority owner.

  • Anthony Joshua’s driver attempted overtake before fatal crash, trial hears

    Anthony Joshua’s driver attempted overtake before fatal crash, trial hears

    A high-profile court case in Nigeria has unfolded to unpack the circumstances of a devastating December car crash that claimed the lives of two long-time members of British heavyweight boxing star Anthony Joshua’s entourage, as new procedural and testimonial details emerge during ongoing proceedings.

    At the center of the case is 46-year-old Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, the driver of the Lexus SUV that was carrying Joshua, his personal trainer Latif Ayodele, and strength coach Sina Ghami when the crash occurred. Kayode faces a series of serious charges, including two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and operating a motor vehicle without a valid national driver’s license, all of which he has formally denied in court. A second defendant, 35-year-old Abubakar Adamu, who was the owner and driver of the parked lorry that Kayode’s vehicle collided with, also denies a single charge of obstructing public road traffic flow.

    Witness testimony from Inspector Christopher Ajayi Taiwo, a senior officer with the Ogun State Motor Traffic Division, laid out a timeline of the incident and the immediate aftermath. The court heard that the entire group was traveling from Lagos to Ogun State, a southwestern Nigerian region where Joshua has deep family roots, to visit the boxing champion’s father. All passengers, including Joshua, were asleep at the time of the collision, when Kayode attempted to overtake a moving heavy goods truck on the public highway, lost control of his SUV, and crashed headlong into an unoccupied parked lorry registered to Adamu. Both Ayodele and Ghami died at the scene of the crash.

    When first responders arrived at the crash site, Taiwo told the court, both the damaged Lexus SUV and the stationary lorry had already been removed from the highway. Investigators were only able to recover physical evidence consisting of scattered crash debris, spilled soya beans that made up the parked lorry’s cargo spread across the road surface, and three small items recovered near the driver’s side of where the Lexus had come to rest: the vehicle’s logbook, a bottle of painkillers, and an energy drink.

    One key procedural development that has been questioned by the defense is the fact that investigating officers have not yet taken a formal witness statement from Joshua, who was a passenger in the vehicle and survived the crash unharmed. During cross-examination of Taiwo, Kayode’s defense counsel pressed the inspector on why no statement had been obtained from the high-profile witness. Taiwo responded that efforts to secure a statement were still ongoing, and that he had not reached out to Joshua directly because he did not have the boxer’s contact information.

    Joshua, who was born in Watford, UK, to a Nigerian father, has maintained close family and cultural ties to the Ogun State town of Sagamu, located close to the crash site. Shortly after the crash, he shared a heartfelt public tribute to his late team members on his social media channels, opening up about his personal grief. “I didn’t even realise how special they are,” Joshua wrote. “I’ll just be walking with them and cracking jokes with them, not even knowing God kept me in the presence of great men. 100% it’s tough for me, but I know it’s even tougher for their parents.”

    Following the most recent court session, the judge adjourned the trial until September 10, when proceedings will resume with further testimony and procedural steps.

  • Tebogo says late mother ‘always there’ ahead of emotional return to Budapest

    Tebogo says late mother ‘always there’ ahead of emotional return to Budapest

    For Olympic 200-meter champion Letsile Tebogo, next week’s trip to the Hungarian capital of Budapest for the first-ever Ultimate Athletics Championships is far more than just another stop on the global track and field circuit. It is a return to the city that launched his international career, and a bittersweet journey back to the place where his mother watched him make history for Botswana.

    Three years ago, 20-year-old Tebogo stepped onto the track at Budapest’s 2023 World Athletics Championships for his first senior global competition, when his mother Seratiwa surprised him by making the trip to watch him compete. That outing became a landmark moment for both Tebogo and his home nation: he claimed silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m, becoming the first male athlete from Botswana to win World Championship medals, and the first African man ever to reach the 100m podium at the event. Seratiwa, who shared an extraordinarily close bond with her son that she once described as more like a “brother and sister relationship,” told BBC Sport Africa at the time that she was overflowing with pride for his achievement.

    This time, however, Seratiwa will not be in the stands to cheer him on. She passed away in May 2024 after a sudden, short illness, and Tebogo has opened up about the difficulty of returning to the city that holds so many shared memories without her. “I haven’t really looked into the fact that I’m going now to Budapest without my mom,” he said. “It’s just been a bumpy ride having to think about it and having to continue with the grind.”

    Even amid the grief, Tebogo says the city remains a source of strength, a place where he can carry his mother’s memory forward as he competes. He believes her spirit stays with him, pushing him to give every race his all even on days when stepping away feels like an option. “She pushes me to give my absolute best and I believe the memories that we had in Budapest, they will still come again,” he said.

    In the years since that breakthrough 2023 World Championships, Tebogo has only scaled greater heights. In 2024, he made history once again as he won the 200m title at the Paris Olympic Games, becoming Botswana’s first ever Olympic gold medalist. He carried his mother’s legacy with him that day, marking her initials onto both his running shoes and his fingernails as a quiet tribute. Earlier this year in May, he also helped lead Botswana to 4x400m gold at the World Relays, hosted on his home soil in Gaborone, and has notched up 200m wins at top-tier Diamond League events in Oslo and Lausanne this season.

    The Ultimate Championships, the new biennial event hosted in Budapest from September 11 to 13, was created to cap off the track and field season by bringing together the very best performers from across the globe to determine the year’s undisputed best. The inaugural edition boasts a total $10 million prize pool, the largest single-event prize pot in track and field history according to organizers World Athletics, with individual gold medalists set to take home $150,000 each. Tebogo enters the competition as one of the sport’s biggest young stars and a clear favorite to contend in the men’s 200m.

    Beyond his own race, Tebogo will take on another role at the event: he is serving as a team captain for the Kids’ Athletics Ultimate Challenge, an event that invites young athletes from across Budapest to take part in fun developmental activities at the Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre the day before the main competition kicks off. The role gives him a chance to pass on the core lessons he has learned throughout his rapid rise from young hopeful to global champion.

    For the next generation of athletes, Tebogo highlights two key values he hopes to instill: accountability and unwavering sportsmanship. “I believe firstly you should start with accountability,” he explained. “Think about your preparation, how you want your journey or your season to be, and then also think of unwavering sportsmanship. I would love them to have that unwavering sportsmanship, so that they can share lanes, they can cheer for one another.”

    For Tebogo, this trip to Budapest is about more than competing for another major title. It is about honoring the woman who supported him from his earliest days, celebrating the shared memories that made him the athlete he is today, and chasing new glory while carrying her spirit with him every step of the way.