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A superb Bruno Fernandes once again inspired Manchester United to victory Thursday as the Premier League side took full control of its Europa League round of 32 tie against Real Sociedad. The playmaker scored twice in United’s 4-0 first-leg win, handing it an almost unassailable lead ahead of the return fixture at Old Trafford on

More than 800 professional footballers in Germany have backed a campaign offering support to LGBTQ players. The campaign has been launched by the magazine 11Freunde (11 Friends) and includes statements from several Bundesliga stars, including Hertha Berlin’s Dedryck Boyata, Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Christoph Kramer and FC Köln’s Jonas Hector. The latest issue of the magazine features

Serena Williams has been denied her opportunity to match Australian Margaret Court’s record of 24 major singles titles after she was beaten by 23-year-old Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday. The highly anticipated women’s singles semifinal at Rod Laver Arena had a noticeable buzz from crowds returning to the stands for

South Korean volleyball twins Lee Jae-yeong and Lee Da-yeong have been dropped from their national and club sides amid claims of teenage bullying. The 24-year-old sisters, two of the country’s best known female athletes, have both apologized after being anonymously accused of bullying previous students at their school. In Jae-yeong’s apology she referred to “actions

The unthinkable could be about to happen. Chilean football club Colo-Colo, the biggest and most successful club in the country, faces relegation from the top division for the first time in its 96-year history. Though the parallels are by no means exact, it would be something similar to seeing Manchester United relegated from the Premier

Kylian Mbappe has been hailed as the next Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi after scoring a wonderful hat trick in Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-1 victory away at Barcelona in the Champions League. Mbappe’s pace and finishing proved a constant threat throughout as he left Barça with a mountain to climb ahead of the second leg of

Kylian Mbappe scored a wonderful hat trick against Barcelona on Tuesday as Paris Saint-Germain secured a devastating 4-1 away win in the first leg of its Champions League round of 16 tie. The ruthless Frenchman was a constant threat throughout as he once again showed his ability to perform on the biggest stage. His first

Kylian Mbappe scored a wonderful hat trick against Barcelona on Tuesday as Paris Saint-Germain secured a devastating 4-1 away win in the first leg of its Champions League round of 16 tie. The ruthless Frenchman was a constant threat throughout as he once again showed his ability to perform on the biggest stage. His first

Some of European football’s top fixtures will have an unfamiliar look in the coming weeks as several teams will be forced to play matches in neutral venues due to new travel restrictions. The coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on international travel and while elite athletes had previously been exempt from restrictions in certain countries,

It might be one of the luckiest escapes in skiing, but it’s not the moment Maxence Muzaton wants to be remembered for. The French skier was competing in the men’s downhill world championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Sunday when a slip at a turn caused him to lose control. Traveling at around 120 kilometers

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has received racial abuse over social media following his side’s 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. It’s the second time in recent weeks that Martial, alongside teammates Marcus Rashford and Axel Tuanzebe, have been targeted by abuse online. After Sunday’s game, racist symbols were left in the comments

American golfer Daniel Berger came up clutch with an impressive eagle putt on the final hole to win the AT&T Pebble Beach on Sunday. The 27-year-old secured his fourth PGA Tour title with the 30-foot putt, recording his fourth eagle of the week. He went into the final hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links tied

Less than six weeks before the Olympic torch relay was due to begin in Fukushima, showcasing the region’s recovery from a catastrophic nuclear disaster a decade ago, the Japanese prefecture has once again been rocked by a powerful earthquake. The 7.1 magnitude quake which hit the region on Saturday was, for many, a painful reminder

Liverpool’s defense of its Premier League title is rapidly evaporating after yet another calamitous defensive performance condemned Jurgen Klopp’s side to a third consecutive defeat. Things had looked promising early on, as Liverpool outplayed Leicester for much of the game and looked to have found some form after two disastrous displays against Brighton and Manchester

Two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso has undergone a “successful corrective operation” on a fracture of his upper jaw after being involved in a cycling accident on Thursday. Alonso was hospitalized after the incident in Switzerland, according to a tweet from the Alpine F1 Team, but is now recovering well. His team posted an

The Australian state of Victoria will lock down for five days in a bid to curb the spread of a more contagious coronavirus variant, meaning the Australian Open will go without fans during what is usually its busiest few days. Authorities have identified 13 new cases tied to an employee of a quarantine hotel in

Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori said he will resign due to the fallout after sexist remarks he made at a meeting were leaked to the public. Mori expressed his “deepest apologies” on Friday and said he would hand in his resignation by the end of the day, acknowledging that his “inappropriate statement has caused

Bayern Munich claimed a sixth trophy in 12 months with a 1-0 victory over the Tigres in the Club World Cup final. Benjamin Pavard’s second-half goal ensured the German side continues its remarkable run under Hansi Flick, adding to the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and three domestic titles all won in the space of

It was soon after his grandmother passed away that Nick Kyrgios felt his passion for tennis begin to wane. Julianah Foster was not only his biggest supporter, but also his greatest source of motivation and Kyrgios openly admits he lost his way in the years following her death. It’s clear that the Aussie star, regularly

A psychologist and two nurses have been added to the investigation to determine if there was any malpractice in the death of soccer star Diego Maradona, a source with direct access to the legal file told CNN. There have been no charges filed in the wrongful death investigation of the legendary Argentinian forward, who died

A leading English referee and his family have been subjected to online death threats following two erroneous decisions in successive games he took charge of. Mike Dean had received criticism for sending off West Ham’s Tomas Soucek on Saturday and Southampton’s Jan Bednarek on February 2, despite reviewing both incidents on the pitch-side monitor. Both

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to fuel uncertainty and anxiety, how it impacts our mental well-being is hard to ignore — something athletes, bereft of competitions and regular training routines, perhaps know better than most. For Colleen Quigley, a 3000-meter steeplechase runner from the United States, there’s some relief that she “discovered mental health” a

Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton will continue to race for Mercedes in the 2021 season after agreeing a new, one-year deal, the team announced on Monday. The deal will see Hamilton partner with Mercedes for a ninth season and puts an end to months of speculation over the Briton’s immediate future in the

The Williams sisters rolled back the years on Monday as both stormed to straight-set victories in the Australian Open first round. Serena, 39, thrashed Laura Siegemund 6-1 6-1 shortly after her older sister Venus, 40, powered past Kirsten Flipkens 7-5 6-2. It was a statement win for Serena who is bidding for a record-equaling 24th

Barcelona says it “categorically denies” responsibility for the publication of Lionel Messi’s $672 million contract, which was reported by Spanish newspaper El Mundo. The contract would make Messi the highest paid athlete in sports history. The club also said it will take legal action against the newspaper “for any damage that may be caused as

Talk about a roller-coaster performance — Ilkay Gundogan provided the dictionary definition on Sunday for Manchester City against Liverpool. The Germany international was the subject a heavy challenge inside the first two minutes, blazed a penalty way over the bar just before half-time before scoring twice in Manchester City’s 4-1 victory at Anfield. After Gundogan

Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has vowed to prove his innocence and clear his name after UEFA on Friday handed him a 12-month ban following a doping violation. Onana failed an out of competition doping test in October last year after Furosemide was found in his urine. In a statement posted on Twitter, the Cameroon international

It looks as if it’s all systems go for the Australian Open next week after all players forced into a recent quarantine returned negative results, organizers announced on Friday. Earlier this week, more than 500 Australian Open players and staff went into quarantine after a hotel worker tested positive for Covid-19, causing play to be

The sports world is rightly raving about Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for reaching his 10th Super Bowl this Sunday against Patrick Mahomes and the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. But when Brady — who seeks his seventh ring in a surefire Hall of Fame career — trots off the field at

Could you imagine if several of the Kansas City Chiefs — including quarterback Patrick Mahomes — had not been able to practice or play in Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of a haircut? The Chiefs got a Covid-19 scare a week before the Super Bowl when it was learned that a

A letter signed by more than 180 campaign groups calling for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing warns the Games could “embolden” human rights abuses in China. The letter was put forward by “a coalition of Tibetan, Uyghur, Southern Mongolian, Hong Kong, Taiwanese, Chinese Democracy, and human rights campaign groups” as

Yoshiro Mori, the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, apologized Thursday after comments he made suggesting women talk too much during meetings were leaked to the Japanese media. Mori, a former Prime Minister, made the comments at an Olympics board of trustees event Wednesday. When asked about the Japan Olympic Committee’s goal of increasing

A single case of Covid-19 at a quarantine hotel in Melbourne has forced organizers of the Australian Open to quarantine 507 players, officials and support staff, just four days before the tennis championship is set to begin. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said late on Wednesday evening that a 26-year-old volunteer firefighter who had been working

French sailor Clarisse Cremer made history at this year’s Vendée Globe by becoming the fastest solo woman to ever complete the round-the-world race. The 31-year-old finished on Wednesday in a time of 87 days, 2 hours and 24 minutes, smashing Dame Ellen MacArthur’s previous record of 94 days and 4 hours, set in 2001. Cremer

A single case of Covid-19 at a quarantine hotel in Melbourne has forced organizers of the Australian Open to isolate 507 players, officials and support staff, just four days before the tennis championship is set to begin. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said late on Wednesday evening that a 26-year-old volunteer firefighter who had been working

Athletes and officials will not be required to receive a Covid-19 vaccine in order to take part in this year’s Tokyo Games, organizers announced on Wednesday. It comes as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) published its first version of the Tokyo 2020 “Playbook” which outlines the rules and safety regulations that will be put in

Stuart Baxter has been sacked from his position as manager by Indian Super League club Odisha after making comments about rape during a post-match interview. The British former professional footballer made the comments about refereeing decisions during his side’s defeat to Jamshedpur on Monday. “You need decisions to go your way and they didn’t,” Baxter

Roger Federer will make his long-awaited return to tennis following double knee surgery at an ATP tournament in Doha, Qatar in March, his agent has confirmed to CNN Sport. The 39-year-old, who is level with Spain’s Rafa Nadal on 20 grand slam titles, has not played a competitive match since losing to Novak Djokovic in

Palmeiras fans ignored social distancing rules and gathered in large groups to celebrate the Brazilian team’s dramatic victory in the Copa Libertadores on Saturday. Only 5,000 invited guests were permitted into Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana stadium to watch the match but that didn’t stop supporters from partying into the night back in the team’s

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has become the latest football player to receive racist abuse online and described the incident as “humanity and social media at its worst.” The 23-year-old, who recently received an MBE in recognition of his campaign to feed vulnerable children during the pandemic, posted a series of messages on Twitter after

Chelsea has called on social media platforms to do more to tackle racism online after defender Reece James was subject to abuse on Friday. The 21-year-old said “something needs to change” after he posted a screenshot of abusive messages he received via Instagram. His club said it was “disgusted” by the abuse and condemned all

Liverpool showed glimpses of last season’s title-winning pedigree to return to winning ways on Thursday, beating Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 in the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp’s side had previously been winless in its past five league games, which culminated in a home loss to Burnley last week, ending its 69-game undefeated run at Anfield.

Thousands of cheering fans packed the stands on Friday to watch some of tennis’ biggest stars warm up for the Australian Open — with hardly a face mask to be seen. In an unusual scene for the coronavirus pandemic, the 4,000 crowd sat cheek by jowl as big hitters including Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and

Three-time tennis grand slam champion Naomi Osaka says she has invested in National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) franchise North Carolina Courage. Named Forbes’ highest paid female athlete in 2020, Osaka is the daughter of a Haitian father and Japanese mother and, like the members of the Courage, used her platform prominently in 2020 in support

UFC had “fight island.” The NBA had “the bubble.” Tokyo 2020 might need a miracle. After the Covid-19 pandemic forced organizers to delay the Summer Olympics last year, the Games are now set to begin in less than six months on July 23, and major questions remain as to how Japan plans to pull off

Sekou Smith, a NBA reporter and analyst for more than two decades, has died from Covid-19. He was 48. Smith worked for NBA TV and wrote for NBA.com since 2009. “We are all heartbroken over Sekou’s tragic passing,” Turner Sports, which broadcasts and operates NBA TV and NBA.com, said in a statement. “His commitment to

Krishna Kumar had long dreamed of watching the Indian cricket team play in Australia. But when that dream materialized at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) earlier this month, the experience, he says, was belittling. A well-traveled sports fan, Kumar has attended Cricket World Cup games in India, Australia and Sri Lanka and has also supported

Talk about a busy evening. Zlatan Ibrahimović generated plenty of headlines on Tuesday in the Milan derby — and then some. From scoring to getting into a spat with a former teammate and then being sent off, the Swedish superstar did it all in AC Milan’s dramatic Coppa Italia defeat to cross-city rivals Inter Milan.

Rafael Nadal says he feels “privileged” to be playing in this year’s Australian Open as he called on his fellow stars to have a “wider perspective” on the mandatory quarantine period ahead of the tournament. The Spaniard, like every competitor from overseas, is having to isolate with his support team for two weeks after arriving

“Man, it’s a saying that time heals all,” LeBron James said following the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over Chicago on Saturday. Still, one year on from Kobe Bryant’s sudden death, those inside the Lakers organization still acutely feel his absence. While enough time still hasn’t passed to allow James to move on completely, remembering Bryant

Tennis star Nick Kyrgios says he feels safe at the prospect of playing in this year’s Australian Open as he played down complaints from fellow stars who are quarantining ahead of the tournament in Melbourne. Already delayed by three weeks, the season’s first grand slam starts on February 8, though 72 players have been confined

It’s the meeting of the G.O.A.T. and his potential successor — and fans are salivating at the prospect. Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes will meet in Super Bowl LV on February 7 after leading their sides to victory on Championship Sunday. Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers stunned the red-hot Green Bay Packers 31-26 in the NFC

Chelsea has parted company with manager Frank Lampard, the club announced on Monday. Lampard’s last game in charge was Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Luton Town in the FA Cup fourth round. Considered one of the greatest players to have ever played at Stamford Bridge, he left the Blues in 2014 having won three English Premier

The reviews are in for gymnast Nia Dennis’ “Black excellence” floor routine and they’re nothing short of sensational. Dennis, a senior at UCLA, was competing against Arizona State when she executed the routine celebrating Black culture. It featured Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Missy Elliott, Soulja Boy, Tupac Shakur and Megan Thee Stallion. “Do the damn thing

American mixed martial arts fighter Dustin Poirier defeated Conor McGregor early Sunday in a much-anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship re-match that left McGregor down for the count in the second round. “I just wasn’t as comfortable as I needed to be. It’s the inactivity,” McGregor, of Ireland, said in an interview posted on Twitter following the

Arsenal’s FA Cup title defense came to an end with a 1-0 defeat by Southampton in the fourth round. After a poor start to the season, the Gunners appeared to have turned a corner ahead of Saturday’s game, having gone six matches without defeat and five without conceding. But a first-half own goal from defender

Reports of this summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games being canceled due to Covid-19 are “categorically untrue”, the International Olympic Committee said in a statement to CNN on Friday. The Japanese government also said on Friday that it is determined the Games will go ahead following an unconfirmed report that a cancellation might be imminent. On Friday,

The Japanese government is determined that the Tokyo Olympics will go ahead, organizers said Friday, following an unconfirmed report that cancellation of the Games might be imminent. On Friday, the Times of London, citing an unnamed senior member of the ruling coalition, reported that Japanese authorities had privately concluded that the Olympics could not proceed

This year has not started well for Real Madrid. The Spanish giant was booted out of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday after a humiliating defeat to third-division club Alcoyano. Zinedine Zidane’s side had taken the lead through Eder Militao late in the first half but was forced into extra time by a late goal

Although the freakish past 12 months has led to tragedy for many and huge disruption to the sporting calendar, golfer Tyrrell Hatton will look back on 2020 as a breakthrough year. He began it recovering from wrist surgery and sat 32nd in the world rankings, but by the end of the year he was in

Novak Djokovic says his “good” intentions were “misconstrued” after a list of proposals he sent to Craig Tiley, the CEO of Tennis Australia, prompted a backlash from sections of the public. The Serb’s suggestions would have loosened the restrictions on the quarantining tennis players ahead of next month’s Australian Open and make their acclimation to

Golfing great Annika Sorenstam has defended her decision to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom a day after rioters stormed the US Capitol. Sorenstam, a 10-time major winner, said she wasn’t going to “second guess” accepting the honor on January 7. Five people were killed as a result of the insurrection and authorities are investigating

The quarantine controversy over tennis’ Australian Open has raised questions about whether large-scale international sporting events can take place in the middle of a pandemic and could offer a preview of the difficulties facing this summer’s Tokyo Olympics. Players arriving in the Australian state of Victoria have been placed into a 14-day quarantine ahead of

The New York Mets have fired general manager Jared Porter after he reportedly sent explicit pictures to a female reporter in 2016. ESPN reported that Porter sent unsolicited, explicit texts and photos “culminating with a picture of an erect, naked penis” to the female reporter when he worked for the Chicago Cubs as the team’s

The rivalry between elite football clubs is already fierce, but it’s just been shot into new territory. As global fanbases shelter from the pandemic at home, a collaboration between Epic Games – the creator of the video game Fortnite – and the world of football has opened another sphere of competition online. “Fortnite has been

A record-breaking run chase at the Gabba saw India topple Australia to take an unlikely 2-1 series victory. India needed 328 to win on Tuesday — the final day of the four-test series — as Shubman Gill’s 91 and an unbeaten 89 from Rishabh Pant led the charge for the touring side. Pant hit the

Greek Olympic gold medalist Sofia Bekatorou’s very public detailing of her alleged sexual assault in 1998 by a high-ranking Hellenic Sailing Federation (HSF) official has sparked an outcry in the Mediterranean country over the way her revelations were initially dealt with. Bekatorou did not name the person she is accusing. On Saturday, Aristides Adamopoulos —

Instead of training for up to five hours a day as they prepare for the Australian Open, 72 players find themselves unable to leave their hotel rooms under quarantine rules — and a number of them are vocally expressing their frustrations. Some are not only frustrated. Covid-19 Quarantine Victoria Commissioner Emma Cassar said on Sunday

Emergency management plans were put into operation during the America’s Cup challenger series on Sunday when American Magic’s Patriot yacht dramatically capsized in gusty conditions in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour. The team’s AC75 “flying” yacht was damaged in the incident during the Prada Cup race and began taking on water, with American Magic receiving help from

The 2020-2021 Premier League season is a proving a bumper campaign for penalties. We’re not even at the half-way point yet but already there have been 69 spot-kicks awarded. Compare that to the 2019-2020 season when 92 penalties in total were given. Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has credited former manager Jose Mourinho for making

Preparations for the Australian Open hit a major stumbling block on Saturday after 47 players were told they couldn’t train or practice after some passengers on two charter planes arriving in Melbourne returned positive Covid-19 test results. Twenty-four players on a charter flight from the US to Melbourne are required to quarantine for two weeks

There’s a distance of just over two miles between the Lincoln Memorial and the US Capitol. It was in 1963, on the Lincoln Memorial’s steps, that The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. told the 250,000 people gathered there: “I have a dream that one day […] the rough places will be made plain and the