The Guardian

The England captain spoke movingly on a night of deserving winners and unintentional hilarity in London Well, there’s something new. Football: now available in new, genuinely heartwarming flavour. There was a lovely moment at London’s Palladium theatre on Monday, with the clock creeping towards 11pm at the end of a startlingly shrill and bloated evening of never‑ending awards and never-ending awa…

Only Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson have truly succeeded in the Old Trafford hot seat with each casting uneasy shadows Should any football club fit the Great Man theory of history it is Manchester United. In the past 100 years, only Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson have knocked the club into shape. A pair of 20th-century Scotsmen, born 15 miles apart in Bellshill and Govan respectively, found the key. …

Bath flanker Pepper injured ankle at Gloucester on Friday Bristol’s Van Rensburg advised to rest after two concussions England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, said he will be monitoring this weekend’s domestic Prem games with some trepidation. Already he has lost at least two potentially key squad members for the entire autumn period in the form of Guy Pepper and Benhard van Rensburg, with doubts …

30-year-old is an eight-time Pro Bowl selection Indianapolis fired GM Ballard last week amid skid The Indianapolis Colts have traded All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks, a person with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press on Tuesday. The person requested anonymity because the deal had not been announced by either team and said the Colts would receive a third-round draft…

⚽ League Cup updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off ⚽ Cod Army welcome Gunners to Highbury | Mail Niall Some Arsenal fans spent years pining for one more game at Highbury Stadium; tonight, they finally get their wish. This particular Highbury is 250 miles northwest of Islington – the home of Fleetwood Town, a team the Gunners have never played before. While their League Two form could hardly be less r…

The Dream and Valkyries are tied at 2-2 after four absorbing games. Many in America would rather we revisited the national anthem debate When Tyler Perry leading lady Crystal Renee took center stage at State Farm Arena to sing the national anthem before the Atlanta Dream’s WNBA finals clash with the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday afternoon, a smattering of photographers, game officials and ev…

Decision to bowl first looked like backfiring But hosts all out for 329 after being 140-0 at lunch For a time, it was heading up there with the worst. David Gower at Leeds in 1989, when Australia topped 600 and declared. Nasser Hussain in Brisbane, 2002, when Australia were 364 for 2 by the end of the day. Edgbaston 2005, where England lamped 407 from 80 overs. Those were the looming comparisons …

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning , Ali Maxwell and George Elek to reflect on the England captain’s Ballon d’Or award and to discuss the weekend’s EFL action Continue reading...

Andy Burnham sends congratulations to England captain Bayern player is first Englishman to win award since 2001 Downing Street has hinted that Harry Kane deserves a knighthood, praising the footballer’s “extraordinary achievement” as the first English winner of the Ballon d’Or in 25 years. The prime minister’s spokesperson said Andy Burnham sent praise and congratulation to the England captain, w…

Neglect of African football and a third win for the Spanish great does little to challenge narrative that the prize is reserved only for top nations’ players After a four-year wait, Alexia Putellas is the queen of women’s football once again. Receiving the Ballon d’Or for a record-equalling third time to continue Spain’s domination of this award, the 32-year-old reinforces her status as one of th…

Goalkeeper gets manager’s backing after errors Five players were granted three days off after Saturday • This story will update through the day Continue reading...

Sri Lanka win means England cannot reach final Madushanka takes five wickets as Pakistan crumble A rejuvenated Sri Lanka routed Pakistan by eight wickets on Tuesday to end England’s hopes of reaching the ODI tri-series final. Fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka grabbed a career-best five for 34 as Pakistan were skittled for 110 after captain Kusal Mendis had won the toss and elected to field. Continue…

Frenchman’s future was in doubt after bad start to season He could be sacked if Palace lose at Spurs on Saturday Pierre Sage has been given more time to turn around Crystal Palace’s fortunes but remains under huge pressure and could be dismissed if they lose to Tottenham on Saturday. The Frenchman’s position was in serious doubt after another poor performance in the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle at the…

Organizer says parents were causing disturbance No one arrested or made to leave game in Florida Police were called after a dispute involving the parents of a three-year-old player at a soccer game in Florida over the weekend. The boy’s parents can be heard on police body cameras saying their son, Nevada, had been kicked out because he was too good at soccer and was embarrassing the other childre…

Our cartoonist on the expected end for Michael Carrick at Old Trafford and what could come next Buy a cartoon | Some of David’s favourite works And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now Continue reading...