The Guardian

Luther Davis, a national champion with the Crimson Tide, is said to have worn wigs and make-up to secure fraudulent loans A former University of Alabama national champion plans to plead guilty later this month to orchestrating an alleged scheme in which he impersonated NFL players and defrauded lenders out of nearly $20m. The alleged scam is described in detail by the US attorney for the northern…

The crowd were getting anxious and players are either missing or off form but they have still reached the Champions League semi-finals And so I am become a meme. Towards the end of this game, already booked for standing on the edge of the pitch whirling his arms in a balletic, immaculately groomed pose of horror, like an oversized wedding cake figurine at the world’s most distressing wedding, Mik…

Australia defeat hosts 2-0 at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi Captain scores 75th international goal before Wheeler seals victory Sam Kerr’s 75th international goal may have been her softest as she set her Matildas on the way to a surprisingly tough, controversial 2-0 victory over Kenya in the Fifa Series final. In front of 20,000 excited home fans in Nairobi’s Nyayo Stadium, a goal in each hal…

Captain’s brave display helps Arsenal reach semi-final ‘We are not perfect we need to improve, that’s for sure’ Mikel Arteta praised his side’s durability after Arsenal reached back-to-back Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their history and revealed that Declan Rice had come off his sickbed to play his part. Arsenal rarely looked like adding to their advantage from last week’s f…

Aces retain championship core with Wilson signing Contract is the most lucrative in league history Sign up for our WNBA 30 newsletter The defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces completed the process of bringing back their core group by re-signing four-time MVP A’ja Wilson on Wednesday. Terms were not released, per club policy, but ESPN reported the deal is a three-year, $5m supermax contract, whi…

To borrow a line from Mikel Arteta, it is not meant to be easy. And it was anything but on the latest anxiety-ridden, claustrophobic occasion for his Arsenal team. The club’s recent wobble has been pronounced. The loss to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final. The FA Cup exit at Southampton. The Premier League defeat against Bournemouth. The nerves are pounding like a migraine and this was a n…

A breathless, consistently thrilling game ended with Bayern Munich booking a semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain but that tie will be hard pushed to eclipse what happened here. Real Madrid were ahead three times through Arda Guler, twice, and Kylian Mbappé; they were pegged back by Aleksandar Pavlovic, Harry Kane and, at the death, Luis Díaz and in the end had only themselves to blame. Michael…

Forward could be out until 2027 with suspected achilles tendon rupture Ekitike is club’s leading goalscorer this season with 17 goals The Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike will miss the rest of the season and the World Cup with the injury he sustained against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, Didier Deschamps has confirmed. Ekitike suffered a suspected achilles tendon rupture in the first half of Live…

Senior leadership not in Mexico City for LIV tournament Saudi focus now more on football and e-sports LIV Golf executives have been called to a meeting in New York amid growing speculation over the future of the Saudi Arabia-funded rebel tour. Rumours that LIV could soon be shut down had begun to circulate on social media on Tuesday evening with officials from the tour declining to respond. LIV’s…

Club unveil plaque outside South Stand at new stadium Representatives of families attend ceremony Everton have marked the 37th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster by unveiling a permanent tribute at Hill Dickinson Stadium to the 97 Liverpool supporters who were unlawfully killed. Representatives of the Hillsborough families and Liverpool FC were invited to a ceremony at Everton’s new stadium…

Defender shown straight red card against Bournemouth Officials claim Maguire called them ‘a joke’ as he left field Harry Maguire will miss Manchester United’s trip to Chelsea having been handed an additional one-match ban by the Football Association for his reaction to being sent off at Bournemouth . The 33-year-old was shown a straight red card at the Vitality Stadium last month for a foul in th…

Olympic administrator who helped secure the Games for London in 2012 and stood up to Russia over doping Sir Craig Reedie, who has died aged 84, was a key figure in London’s successful bid to stage the 2012 Olympics. As a member of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games from 2005 to 2013, he formed a brilliantly effective campaign partnership with Sebastian Coe , the bid leader, doi…

Red Bull driver outspoken about regulation changes ‘In a meeting he was very keen to give suggestions’ Formula One must listen to Max Verstappen’s grievances about the sport’s new regulations and their impact on racing, according to F1’s chief Stefano Domenicali as key players hold meetings to consider adjusting the rules for the remainder of the season. Verstappen has been outspoken in his dissa…

England have a long way to go yet before booking flights to Brazil, but Esme Morgan, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Lucia Kendall impressed against Spain Everybody keep calm. England sit top of their qualifying group with a 100% record after beating Spain , but there remains a very long way to go before anyone can start booking flights to South America for 2027 … Let us cast aside that sensible advice, tho…

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! While Barcelona’s night at the Metropolitano was pretty well summed up by the accompanying image of poor Fermín López shipping six studs in the mush, Lamine Yamal’s cross in the buildup should be framed and hung in the Louvre. Using a minimum of backlift, the preposterously precocious 18-year-old had arced the ball directly into the path of the …