The Guardian

French forward on how the 1998 World Cup inspired her football dream, her Gabonese background and finding a new family in east London On Saturday, once West Ham’s Viviane Asseyi was home from the match, she picked up her phone and called her mum. It has become almost ritualistic for them to speak after a game. On the other end came a familiar sound. “She was just laughing,” says Asseyi. “She was …

South African stands out, not just because of his height, but England and Australia now find themselves looking for an equivalent If you were to bioengineer a cricketer in a laboratory, which attributes would you give them? You would make them tall, with long limbs and a whiplash action to extract steep bounce. Add speed, movement both ways and a left arm to offer a point of difference. With the …

Real Madrid forward was dropped by brands for comments Chinese media generally steered clear of outlining It’s been a bad start to the week for the France forward Kylian Mbappé. He missed out on joining the elite roster of Ballon d’Or winners, and instead became the latest high-profile addition to a far less illustrious list – that of foreign brands and individuals charged with “hurting the feeli…

The rapper lends the NFL a veneer of credibility but is unlikely to push back on the establishment figures who run the league On Monday the NFL named Jay-Z as the headliner for this season’s Super Bowl half-time show. His company, Roc Nation, produces the show under a 2019 deal reportedly worth $5m a year, and the agreement was extended for another five years in 2024. NFL commissioner Roger Goode…

Manager Lawlor reflects on ‘unbelievably special’ night Arsenal youngster sent off for retaliation before shootout Fleetwood’s manager, Matt Lawlor, hailed the club’s victory as one for all football after his side shocked the Premier League champions, Arsenal, on penalties in the Carabao Cup. The side 18th in League Two held their nerve in the shootout, Conor Haughey hitting the winner to reach t…

Updates from the final match of the series at Newlands First ball in Cape Town is 10.30am local/7.30pm AEDT/8.30am GMT Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email For those pondering why that batting sequence would be questionable, consider this. Travis Head: lots of runs as opener in his second innings of matches, bugger all the first time he bats. Matt Renshaw: was supposed to be the opener, then …

Lancashire have moved on without him, but the 44-year-old England stalwart wants to keep going as long as his body allows Jimmy Anderson could teach Philip Marlowe a thing or two about The Long Goodbye. England’s leading wicket-taker in Tests is of that sporting breed who have no interest in bowing out at the top. Like Andy Murray before him , he has shown little enthusiasm to bow out at all, as …

Norwegian federation president distances self from Fifa presidency but believes governing body can be reformed As the rain whips around Oslo’s government quarter, Lise Klaveness is shielding herself from the wind, trying to work out tactics. “Of course we cannot probably do everything alone, but we have a voice, we have the right to speak, we have the right to suggest, so let’s see,” she says. “W…

Plus: the longest home droughts, pre-Christmas goal centuries and the first official club websites Mail us with all of your questions and answers “Justin Seven-Seven came on in the 75th minute and then scored in the 77th minute for West Brom Under-21s against Sutton United in the National League Cup. You have probably already guessed my question, but has anyone else ever scored in the same minute…

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

Tampa Bay force Game 5 with extra-innings rally Milwaukee denied first World Series championship Brewers still hold 3-1 lead in best-of-seven series Jonny DeLuca and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson singled home runs in a stunning 12th-inning rally, and the Tampa Bay Rays staved off World Series elimination with a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night that forced Game 5. Cooper Pratt hit…

Veteran playmaker could add to 95 caps as he returns aged 37 James Ramm and Kalani Thomas will also join Australia’s spring tour Veteran playmaker Kurtley Beale has been summoned for the Wallabies’ spring tour of the UK in a massive development ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia. Beale on Wednesday answered an SOS call from coach Les Kiss to join the squad for next month’s three Te…

Governing body reports $82m surplus for the 2025-26 season CA projects two years of deficits with less interest in upcoming tours The financial blow struck to Cricket Australia due to the pair of two-day Ashes Tests last summer amounted to $20m, hurting the sport’s bottom line as it prepares for multiple years of losses. The governing body reported a $82m surplus in 2025-26 supercharged by strong…

Thirteen years later, José Mourinho led Real Madrid into the Camp Nou as one team and them out again as another having secured the kind of late victory he loves and which opens up a whole new world. With just three minutes and the final reserves of energy remaining, a wonderful moment of skill from Jude Bellingham found Eduardo Camavinga and set them on one last run. Camavinga sprinted free, skil…

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…