The Guardian

Bice, Blakey, Heeney, Jordon and Warner hit by suspensions None of the five players have been arrested or charged Five Sydney Swans players have said they are “deeply sorry” after they were suspended for the rest of the AFL season. The club stood down players Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon and Chad Warner on Wednesday morning. None of the men have been arrested or charged, bu…

A summer of five heatwaves and barely a drop of rain have left groundstaff wrung out as they work all hours to keep packed schedule going On Thursday, the County Championship resumes for its final six-week run, charging towards 27 September with barely a pause for breath. It’s tight at the top of Division One, with only 11 points between first placed Nottinghamshire and sixth placed Essex, while …

Mohamed Salah’s arrival made a splash, but the Turkish Super Lig will probably become the latest league to end up as a bailout fund for Europe’s powerhouses Mohamed Salah plays in Turkey now. So do Romelu Lukaku and Leandro Trossard and Leroy Sané and Nathan Aké. Mason Greenwood and N’Golo Kanté and Dusan Vlahovic, too. Bruno Fernandes and Gabriel Martinelli may yet follow them there, depending o…

Australian reveals ‘huge mistake’ in Instagram post Kyrgios tested positive at ATP 250 event in June The former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has been suspended from tennis after testing positive for cocaine. The 31-year-old Australian revealed on an Instagram post on Wednesday that he had “made a huge mistake” before his suspension was confirmed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (IT…

Baseball showman Bill Veeck’s most audacious stunt sent Eddie Gaedel to bat for the lowly St Louis Browns in 1951 – and created an unforgettable diamond spectacle Bill Veeck had a track record for designing some of the most elaborate marketing promotions during his four stints as a Major League Baseball owner, including an exploding scoreboard in 1960. But his most outlandish publicity stunt was …

Updates from Headingley; play starts 11am BST Ali Martin on ‘El Dysfunctiono’ | The Spin Heatwave my arse! It’s a brisk 18 degrees at Headingley, with a chance of showers later in the day. We should stress this is a meteorological term, not a comment on England being a shower of the absolute variety. And now for something completely different. A new era starts at Headingley today, one in which En…

Today’s gossip is still on the beach It seems the possibility of winning the Ballon d’Or is not the only thing the England captain Harry Kane has been talking about recently. Well, his representatives at least. It is thought the Bayern Munich striker’s team have been in talks with the Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal with Kane reportedly open to a future move. However, it’s also understood the 33-year…

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson, Philippe Auclair for the first of our Premier League preview podcasts. Continue reading...

Two clubs are far ahead in wages and turnover, but London City Lionesses could be new force after big transfer moves After reviewing eight seasons’ worth of Women’s Super League clubs’ financial accounts, it seems appropriate to start by offering a sincere apology to any reader who has become accustomed to seeing the phrase “the big four” in Women’s Super League coverage in reference to Arsenal, …

Plus: goalkeepers sent off far from their penalty area, and the fastest spot-kicks ever awarded Mail us with your all of your questions and answers “Birmingham’s August Priske scored the only goal at Swansea in the League Cup on 8 August. Can you think of any other examples of players scoring in their namesake months?” wonders Paul Tiffen. Our wonderful readers have managed to cover the entire ye…

Royal family-backed Johor Darul Ta’zim are on the verge of a world-record 109 league games unbeaten and their former Watford manager is aiming higher Many Watford fans felt Xisco Muñoz was dismissed too soon after leading them into the Premier League as Championship runners-up in 2021, only to be ousted less than two months into the new season. He is remembered fondly at Vicarage Road, an emblem …

With the departures of Pep Guardiola and Rodri it looks like the end of an era at City. Will Enzo Maresca be able to sustain their position as a domestic and continental superpower? Guardian writers’ predicted position: 2nd (NB: this is not necessarily Jamie Jackson’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 2nd Continue reading...

The Community Shield isn’t always a sign of things to come, but City’s form in their defeat to Arsenal is concerning in the wake of Pep Guardiola’s departure Sign up for our free newsletter here There are caveats. It was only the Community Shield – and no side has gone on to win the league after lifting the Community Shield since 2018. It was against the league champions, whose pre-season has inv…

Despite overwhelming odds against them, Bangladesh still found a way to win – but their success wasn’t down to any Australian complacency Sport coverage is powered by hyperbole and recency bias, but the following statement is justifiable: Bangladesh’s defeat of Australia in Darwin is the most profound upset, the greatest revolt against the pre-game odds, in international cricket history. Australi…

Joe Root should try to enjoy his second spell as England captain with Stephen Fleming bringing a more proactive approach As England’s batting coach for a good deal of Joe Root’s first spell as Test captain, I saw directly how conscientious he was in the role. It was impossible not to feel for him at the end, when results dried up and he was almost alone on a burning deck. Whenever I am asked who …