The Guardian

OFC’s 11 votes could prove crucial in Fifa election Stance shows continued backing from smaller nations The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has declared their support for Gianni Infantino following demands for the Fifa president to resign from Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation in a development that further highlights world football’s civil war. After a meeting of its execut…

Tourists have prioritised winning at home with spin in recent times, leaving their attack leaning heavily on Abbas’s guile for England tour When Pakistan last arrived in England for a Test tour, in the Covid-bubble summer of 2020, they brought along the future. Shaheen Shah Afridi, 20, was the towering left-armer set for world domination. Naseem Shah, 17, was armed with a Test hat-trick and a vel…

The club will be led by two joint head coaches, Tom Shaw and Chris Cohen, during their Championship campaign The last thing the Championship needs is another spying scandal, so when a lorry emblazoned with KGB parked up alongside Lincoln City’s training ground on Tuesday lunchtime there was laughter as staff pondered whether the Soviet Union were examining their set pieces. It shows the relaxed a…

Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, is youngest ever British women’s champion while Supratit Banerjee, 12, becomes England’s youngest ever international master A new generation took over at the top of British chess on Sunday, when a trio of youthful talents demonstrated their skills on a national stage. Shreyas Royal, 17, of Dartford, Kent, became the youngest ever British champion, breaking Michael Adams’s …

They may have sold Robbie Ure, their top scorer, to Sevilla, but the team from Uppsala have good reason to believe they can finish the job For most teams, losing a forward with 15 goals in 15 games midway through the season, amid a historic title chase, might be cause for panic. Sirius, the runaway Allsvenskan leaders, are not most teams. “I’m actually really confident,” says Henrik Castegren, th…

Updates as the Test at Marrara Cricket Ground continues Play starts in Darwin at 10am ACST/10.30am AEST Any thoughts? Email Jonathan Beau Webster is the unlikely opening bowler for Australia. Here we go… The teams are making their way out to the middle of the NT MCG. A hot and humid day two will begin shortly. Continue reading...

Modest but sensible-looking recruitment befits the club’s new air of stability but a continuation of their spring slump could test David Moyes’s appetite for the fight Guardian writers’ predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Andy Hunter’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 13th Continue reading...

Hunt had won 100m already; Asher-Smith wins bronze Mark English wins 800m for Ireland’s first men’s gold Two down. Two to go. Amy Hunt’s dream of winning a record four gold medals at a single European championships gathered further momentum with a bravura performance in front of a raucous Alexander Stadium crowd. Hunt was given a huge cheer by the 20,082 in attendance, by far the biggest of the c…

Rangers 1-1 Jagiellonia Bialystok (2-3 agg) Spirited Hearts hold Benfica but also out of competition Derek McInnes’s fledgling tenure as Rangers manager is in disarray after his side exited the Europa League qualifiers with a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok after drawing 1-1 at Ibrox. Rangers had lost 2-1 in the first leg in Poland last week but there was optimism when the captain, …

Leeds 16-20 Leigh Clubs optimistic of securing better offer soon On what may prove to be the most significant day in Super League’s modern history away from the field, Leigh Leopards blew wide open the race for top spot in this year’s competition on it with a stunning victory against the league leaders, Leeds Rhinos. Super League clubs were finally informed of a long-awaited opening offer from th…

Former world No 4 slumps to 6-3, 7-5 first-round loss Draper still recovering from long-term arm injury The minuscule amount of confidence and self-belief Jack Draper currently has to call upon in the most difficult period of his career was underscored in the very first game of his opening match in Cincinnati. Draper began his service game by shanking a forehand into the back fence, which he foll…

United unable to financially compete with rivals Rashford back after Barcelona loan but could leave Michael Carrick has stated that Manchester United will not make a £100m signing this summer due to their finances, with the manager also insisting that Marcus Rashford “is our player” despite the forward and club preferring him to depart. In the current window United have invested a total of £85m o…

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Aston Villa supporters could have been forgiven for approaching the new season with feelings of great anxiety, nagging angst and face-twitching trepidation. Youri Tielemans has gone : such an elegant player with an eye [ and nose? – Football Daily Ed] for the spectacular. Morgan Rogers has also departed : so energetic and skilful, always carryin…

League says no immediate eligibility matters Two former NBA players declared for 2027 draft Union says players will not be ‘political pawns’ The WNBA on Wednesday criticized those trying to create a narrative about transgender women playing in the league. “There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or…

Fungal outbreak damages surface at Estadio de Balaidos Turf for Osasuna match left ‘unfit for football’ Celta Vigo’s ⁠season-opening La Liga match against Osasuna has been postponed after ⁠a fungal outbreak ⁠affected ​the pitch at Estadio de Balaidos, the Spanish club ⁠said on Thursday. Celta had been due to host Osasuna on Sunday, ⁠but the fixture was postponed with ​the decision ‌agreed by both…