The Guardian

The interminable sandpaper scandal will drag on to the next press conference, social media post or book, until it festers into something much bigger than it needs to be There are some stories that you look back on and wonder whether we lost our collective minds. In Australia, 2018 was not a good year for banking executives, for prime ministers, for oily lord mayors and for cardinals. But the grea…

American rebounds from opening defeat to Coco Gauff Pegula beats Kostyuk 6-2, 7-5 to stay in contention Ukrainian eliminated after entering as late replacement Jessica Pegula reignited her challenge at the season-ending WTA Finals on Tuesday, battling past Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in straight sets to stay on course for a semi-final berth. Pegula, beaten by Coco Gauff in her opening group match at …

‘We weren’t aware anything was taken on the field’ CA: no ‘compelling reason’ to establish new inquiry Mitchell Starc has denied claims made in Usman Khawaja’s new book that more than the three players suspended for ball tampering had knowledge of the sandpaper plan in South Africa in 2018. Starc became the first of the Australia bowling group who played in the 2018 Cape Town Test to speak out fo…

Minnesota acquire veteran quarterback for 2027 pick Cousins returns to Vikings after six seasons with team No 1 pick Mendoza set to make first NFL start NFL trade deadline 2026 – as it happened Kirk Cousins is heading back to Minnesota. The Vikings have acquired the veteran quarterback from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2027 draft, according to multiple reports, …

Twenty-two-year-old suffered severe injuries at race on Sunday ‘Words are not enough,’ says trainer Richard Freedman Apprentice jockey Izzy Neale has died following a fall at a regional racecourse. Neale suffered severe injuries when her mount Marnoo fell entering the home straight in the Warren Shire Cotton Cup in NSW. Continue reading...

Manchester City’s European campaign finally came roaring into life as they put four goals past Inter to record their first Women’s Champions League victory of the season and greatly improve their prospects of reaching the knockout stages. The English side had to come from behind after a slow start but two goals from Aoba Fujino put them ahead before half-time, and second-half efforts from Kerstin…

F10 unions fear financial loss if they play in second tier Promotion/relegation set for 2030 Nations Championship The Six Nations and Sanzaar are facing another battle with World Rugby over a desire from some unions to ensure that none of them can be relegated from the Nations Championship. As reported last week by the Guardian, the 10 leading unions have set up a new company, F10, to run the Nat…

Fearless winger has forced his way into Thomas Tuchel’s plans and believes he can become best player in the world Rio Ngumoha is fearless, exciting and ready to make his mark as an England player. The Liverpool winger narrowly missed the cut for the World Cup squad last summer but he impressed during the pre-tournament camp in Florida and has forced his way into Thomas Tuchel’s plans after an exc…

Midfielder was in hospital before Haiti match ‘I had to get the shock on my heart,’ says McTominay Scott McTominay has revealed he was in hospital under sedation to have a “shock on my heart” just 48 hours before Scotland began their World Cup campaign against Haiti in June. McTominay’s absence from training at the time was put down to a stomach complaint. It emerged in August that the Napoli mid…

England require back-line reshuffle after several injuries Kevin Sinfield says collaboration with clubs will be key England need to find a talented understudy for their injured star winger Manny Feyi-Waboso and are poised to invite Gloucester’s Will Joseph to audition for a leading role against Japan on Saturday. The latter was a travelling reserve for last weekend’s Australia game and appears se…

Imola stood down as back-up plan to finish the year Qatar and Abu Dhabi races set to go ahead as planned Imola has been stood down as a back-up plan for the Formula One season finale as the sport pushes ahead with its scheduled Middle East races. The Italian venue, 20 miles from Bologna, was lined up to replace Abu Dhabi as the final race amid concern over the ongoing conflict in the region. Cont…

Coach’s contract has release clause of about $10m United expected to sack Michael Carrick after awful start US men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino is interested in a move to Manchester United, multiple sources told the Guardian, with those same sources characterizing the interest as mutual. United are expected to sack their head coach, Michael Carrick, after a disastrous start to t…

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Forget about Michael Carrick. Don’t dwell on Women’s Bigger Cup. Fret not about Pierre Sage. No, the big football story of the day is Big Website’s Ultimate 1-50 , a rundown of the male footballers best associated with each squad number. It’s lighthearted reading designed to entertain, maybe even inform, and perhaps spark a few memories and a to…

Sage’s exit from Premier League club still not confirmed Manager’s potential return to France could benefit Palace Crystal Palace could avoid having to pay Pierre Sage significant compensation if he is re-appointed by former club Lens, with the Frenchman’s departure from Selhurst Park still yet to be confirmed. The decision to sack Sage was made on Sunday evening after Palace slumped to a 3-1 def…

Finals have hit California desert after stormy few years and pre-tournament kerfuffle has added to the fun Towards the end of a positive day for Mirra Andreeva, one of the brightest young stars of women’s tennis, the 19-year-old approached the broadcast cameras to dissect her excellent 6-4, 6-0 win over Elina Svitolina in her first match at this year’s WTA Finals. Andreeva took her place alongsid…