CNN – Sports

By Issy Ronald, CNN Emma Raducanu secured back-to-back victories for the first time since September as she advanced to the third round at Indian Wells on Saturday, but the youngster says she still isn’t “pain free” after a series of injuries and illnesses derailed the start of her season. The 20-year-old triumphed 7-6 (7-3) 6-2

By Jacob Lev, CNN The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) will be returning to Utah in 2024 after the league revealed the Utah Royals as the latest expansion team on Saturday. The Royals were part of the NWSL from 2018 to 2020 and will be the league’s 13th team. Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Real Salt

By Ben Church, CNN Mikaela Shiffrin won her 87th World Cup race on Saturday to break the overall record set by skiing legend Ingemar Stenmark. The American triumphed in the slalom in Åre, Sweden, to become the sport’s all-time winningest athlete. “Pretty hard to comprehend,” Shiffrin said in her post-race interview. “My brother and sister-in-law

By Issy Ronald, Jorge Engels and Jessie Gretener, CNN The BBC’s weekend soccer coverage has been plunged into chaos following its announcement Gary Lineker would “step back” from presenting, after he became embroiled in an impartiality row when he criticized British government policy on Twitter. The broadcaster now faces a boycott from pundits, presenters and

By Jaide Timm-Garcia, CNN It was a eureka moment for the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT). In November the team earned more money — $6.5 million — from its male equivalent reaching the knockout stages of Qatar 2022 than it did from winning its own World Cup tournaments in 2015 and 2019. However, for

By Ben Morse, Patrick Sung and Al Goodman, CNN FC Barcelona was charged on Friday by the Barcelona provincial prosecutor’s office with “continued corruption between individuals in the sports field” in addition to other charges in relation to an alleged payment scandal which has rocked Spanish soccer. Former FCB presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria

By Ben Morse, CNN The preseason AP No. 1-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (UNC-Chapel Hill) look likely to miss out on March Madness after suffering a damaging loss to the Virginia Cavaliers in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) tournament quarterfinals. UNC was defeated 68-59 by the Cavaliers on Thursday, leaving its hopes of playing in

By Darren Lewis and Zayn Nabbi, CNN The story of David versus Goliath is old as time immemorial, but it never gets old when it comes to sport as every fan loves hearing about how the brave underdog fights against all odds to conquer the bigger and supposedly better giant. In the Premier League a

By Ben Church, CNN After his credibility as Manchester United captain was widely questioned following the 7-0 drubbing against Liverpool on Sunday, Bruno Fernandes showed a very different side of his game against Real Betis in the Europa League. The midfielder once again led his side out at Old Trafford on Thursday and produced a

By Alasdair Howorth, CNN So dominant in French soccer, Paris Saint-Germain continues to fall short in the UEFA Champions League. An all too familiar story was rehashed on Wednesday as the French giant endured yet another humiliating round of 16 exit following Bayern Munich’s 2-0 victory — 3-0 on aggregate. Second-half goals at the Allianz

By Matt Foster, CNN Erica Herman, who was a longtime girlfriend of golfer Tiger Woods, has filed two separate complaints after the six-year relationship between the pair came to an end. Both filings were made to the circuit court in Martin County, Florida. The first suit, filed in October 2022, alleges a trust owned by

By Jacob Lev, CNN Hall of Fame men’s college basketball coach Jim Boeheim has retired after spending the last 47 years coaching Syracuse University, the school announced on Wednesday. The 78-year-old Boeheim finishes his coaching career second on the NCAA Division I men’s basketball wins list with 1,015 — trailing only former Duke head coach

By Ben Morse and Jacob Lev, CNN Kevin Durant missed the opportunity to make his home debut for the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night after he slipped and injured his ankle during pre-game warmups. Ahead of Wednesday’s NBA clash against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Suns’ Footprint Center, Durant was seen on video slipping

By Jacob Lev, CNN Texas Tech men’s head basketball coach Mark Adams has stepped down from his role, the university announced on Wednesday, days after he was suspended for what the school called an “inappropriate, unacceptable, and racially insensitive comment.” Texas Tech director of athletics Kirby Hocutt determined that the comment was “unintentional and an

By Ben Morse, CNN Facing three injuries, the Memphis Grizzlies have taken another player off their court. But this time, it’s due to investigations into the team’s star player. The Grizzlies lost their second straight game Tuesday without star guard Ja Morant, who had been under investigation by police after the 23-year-old posted an Instagram

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN Time might have run out for Novak Djokovic to be admitted US entry to play at Indian Wells, but US politicians — notably Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — are lobbying for regulations to change and allow the world No. 1 into the country in time for the Miami Open. The US

By Matt Foster, CNN Siphamandla Mtolo, a midfielder for Richards Bay FC in South Africa’s top division, died on Tuesday after collapsing in training, according to the club. Mtolo was 29. In a social media post, the team said Mtolo collapsed Tuesday morning and it was not in a position to provide further information at

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN More than a year after US Soccer and the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) brokered a landmark equal pay agreement, USWNT star player and two-time World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe is still coming to terms with the implications of what her team has achieved. Following years of lawsuits and lobbying

By Ben Church, CNN Since the ownership group led by American businessman Todd Boehly spent more than than $5 billion on buying Chelsea last year, they’ve seen very little return on their investment. Over $600 million has been spent on new players, but the club finds itself floundering 10th in the Premier League and struggling

By Patrick Oppmann, CNN Even before they could climb into the ring, Cuba’s female boxers had to roll with the punches. While the island has long been famed for its top-level male boxers, women were blocked by an official prohibition on their practicing the sport competitively. Cuba’s government-run INDER sports institute claimed the sport was

By Matt Foster, CNN UEFA plans to refund all Liverpool supporters who had tickets for the 2022 Champions League Final in Paris, the governing body of European soccer announced on Tuesday. Last year’s final was delayed by more than 35 minutes after Liverpool fans struggled to enter the Stade de France and tear gas was

By Matias Grez, CNN Paris Saint-Germain will be without star forward Neymar for the remainder of the season after it was announced the Brazilian will have to undergo surgery on his ankle injury. Neymar was stretchered off on February 19 during PSG’s 4-3 victory over Lille after rolling his right ankle, the same injury that

By Ben Morse, CNN Boston Red Sox third baseman Justin Turner is resting at home after he was hit in the face by a pitch which required 16 stitches. Turner was hit by a fastball from Detroit Tigers pitcher Matt Manning in the bottom of the first inning during Monday’s game. In an ugly scene,

By Ben Morse, CNN Conor Benn’s scheduled fight with Chris Eubank Jr. last year was meant to be career defining for both men. Except the fight never took place and now Benn says the fallout of its cancellation has raised serious questions about boxing’s drugs testing protocols. The two were scheduled to take to their

By Kevin Dotson, CNN Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been reinstated after he was suspended indefinitely after gambling on NFL games during the 2021 season as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, the league said Monday. “Ridley, who had been suspended indefinitely since March 2022 for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, is eligible

By George Ramsay, CNN A supporter of English football club Blackpool has died after an altercation took place between fans on Saturday. According to Lancashire Police, Tony Johnson, 55, suffered a serious head injury when a fight broke out between Blackpool and Burnley fans. The fight occurred outside a pub in Blackpool at around 7

By Matt Foster, CNN Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with her Russian opponent Varvara Gracheva after claiming victory in the final of the ATX Open in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. Kostyuk defeated Gracheva 6-3 7-5, collapsing to the court after converting match point, before refusing to shake hands with the Russian.

By Ben Morse, CNN Lewis Hamilton said his Mercedes team is going “backwards” after an underwhelming performance at the weekend’s season-opening Grand Prix in Bahrain. The seven-time world champion battled to finish fifth having begun seventh on the grid, crossing the line nearly 51 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen. Hamilton’s teammate George Russell finished

By Matias Grez, CNN Spanish hurdler Enrique Llopis had to be carried off on a stretcher after suffering a nasty fall in the 60 meters hurdles final at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Turkey. Llopis, who the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA) said was a medal contender in the race, collided with the final

By Ben Church, CNN Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag stood on the touchline with a face like thunder as he watched his team fall apart against Liverpool on Sunday. The Dutchman had been praised for turning around the club’s fortunes ahead of the Premier League tie against its fierce rival, but the 7-0 drubbing

By Jacob Lev, Ben Morse and Wayne Sterling, CNN Police in Colorado are investigating Memphis Grizzlies All-Star guard Ja Morant after the 23-year-old posted an Instagram Live video of himself Saturday appearing to hold a gun at a nightclub, authorities said Monday. The Glendale Police Department said it’s “aware of the incident circulating on the

By Don Riddell, CNN A soccer match lasts for 90 minutes, another 30 if there really needs to be a winner. But if it’s still level after that, then the game will be decided with a penalty shootout, arguably the most nerve-shredding experience in all of sports. For the fans, it’s excruciating; at the World

By Homero De la Fuente, CNN Texas Tech has suspended men’s basketball head coach Mark Adams for what the school calls an “inappropriate, unacceptable, and racially insensitive comment,” the school announced on Sunday. “On Friday, Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt was made aware of an incident regarding a coaching session between Adams, who is White,

By Issy Ronald, CNN Jon Jones won the UFC heavyweight title in some style on Saturday, defeating France’s Ciryl Gane with a first-round submission following a three-year absence and a step up in weight division. But Jones’ long sabbatical and body transformation seemed almost irrelevant once he was in the Octagon, as he defeated Gane

By Matt Foster, CNN Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant apologized via his representation Saturday after posting a video of himself earlier in the day, appearing to hold a gun. “I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” the statement read. “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and

By Wayne Sterling and Emma Tucker, CNN NASCAR driver Chase Elliott will miss Sunday’s race in Las Vegas after injuring his leg while snowboarding in Colorado, Hendrick Motorsports has announced. Elliott, who fractured his tibia while snowboarding, had a “successful surgery” Friday night that lasted roughly three hours, Jeff Andrews, Hendrick Motorsports president and general

By Issy Ronald, CNN Max Verstappen secured pole position for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday, beginning his attempt to win a third consecutive world title in the best possible way. He will start Sunday’s Grand Prix at the front of the grid, a place ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez, who completed a

By Matias Grez, CNN Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal made a surprise appearance at UFC 285 in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday. The actor was shooting scenes for an upcoming remake of the 1989 movie ‘Road House’ and took part in a weigh-in alongside former UFC fighter Jay Hieron, who will star alongside Gyllenhaal. Video footage

By Issy Ronald, CNN Jordan Stolz won the men’s 500m event at the 2023 ISU World Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen, the Netherlands on Friday to become the youngest ever single distance world champion. The 18-year-old American blew away his competition with a time of 34.10 seconds, only 0.03 seconds shy of the track record

By Ben Church, CNN Diana Savenok smiles when she recalls what life was like in Ukraine before Russia’s invasion just over a year ago. The mother of two girls — Sofia and Lily — Savenok lived peacefully in Irpin, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv, in an apartment block with 40 other families. This

By Alasdair Howorth, CNN Barcelona has announced the signing of 18-year-old João Mendes, who is the son of former club legend Ronaldinho. Mendes signed a deal on Thursday to join the Catalan giant from Brazilian side Cruzeiro. The teenager, who had previously hidden his identity as the former Brazil star’s son when he first joined

By Sammy Mngqosini and Federico Jofré Two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire at a supermarket owned by the in-laws of Argentina captain and Paris Saint-Germain striker Lionel Messi in Rosario, Argentina, on Thursday, according to police. The incident occurred during the early hours of Thursday morning, leaving 14 bullet holes at a market owned

By Ben Church and Chris Wallace, CNN Over his 42 seasons as head coach of the Duke Blue Devils, Mike Krzyzewski became synonymous with college basketball. Affectionately known as ‘Coach K,’ he retired in 2022 as the all-time winningest coach in men’s Division I college basketball (1,129 games), winning five national championships along the way.

By George Ramsay, CNN Cyclist Kateřina Nash has avoided a four-year ban after the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) linked her positive drug test with medication she had been administering to her dog. Nash, who has represented the Czech Republic in mountain biking and cross-country skiing at the Summer and Winter Olympics, tested positive for the

By Aimee Lewis, CNN A new season and much has changed, yet much also remains the same in Formula One. No sport does personality, politics and drama quite like F1, which explains the global success of the Netflix docuseries “Drive to Survive,” the fifth season of which premiered last week. Fresh on our screens is

By Joseph Ataman and Sammy Mngqosini, CNN Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been implicated in a “kidnapping and torture” investigation in France, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed to CNN on Wednesday. This follows allegations that Al-Khelaifi was involved in the transfer of “likely compromising” documents from a French-Algerian citizen, Tayeb Benabderrahmane, who claims to

By Wayne Sterling and Alasdair Howorth, CNN Former Miami Dolphins head coach and current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL and three teams — the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants and the Houston Texans — can proceed instead of going to arbitration, a federal judge said on Wednesday. Judge Valerie

By Sophia Saifi, Asim Khan and George Ramsay, CNN Shahida Raza, a football and hockey player who left her native Pakistan to secure medical treatment for her son, was among those killed in a shipwreck off the coast of Italy on Sunday. She was 29. Also known as “Chinto,” Raza was a member of Pakistan’s

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN FIFA’s decision to appoint Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima as its global fan ambassador ahead of the Women’s World Cup has been derided as “tone deaf” and “truly baffling” by former Australian international Moya Dodd. Soccer’s world governing body announced Monday that Lima, a former Victoria’s Secret model, would “develop, promote and

By Amanda Davies and Alasdair Howorth, CNN More than 20 years after his Formula One debut, Fernando Alonso is as hungry as ever ahead of the start of the 2023 season, which gets underway on Friday at the Bahrain Grand Prix. That desire for success led him to make the seismic decision last year to

By Matias Grez, CNN French soccer legend Just Fontaine, who still holds the record for most goals scored by a player at a single World Cup, has died aged 89, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced. The former striker scored 13 goals in six matches at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, putting him joint-fourth

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN A court in San Marino has fined Italian professional cyclist Antonio Tiberi 4,000 euros (around $4,250) after he pleaded guilty to shooting a cat belonging to the tiny republic’s minister of tourism, Federico Pedini Amati, a court spokesperson confirmed to CNN. Tiberi, an Italian who lives in San Marino, also

By Ben Church, CNN Umpires for the spring training preseason game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates were not fussed about working any overtime on Tuesday as they left the field before the players. In fairness to the officials, the game had officially ended when Baltimore’s Josh Lester grounded out to second base

By Sara Smart and Jennifer Henderson, CNN A Vermont girls high school basketball team forfeited an out of state tournament after refusing to play against a team that had a transgender player. Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) was set to play Long Trail School on February 21, but MVCS forfeited the game due to a

By Alasdair Howorth, CNN Paul Pogba made his long-awaited return to football after almost a year on the sidelines in Juventus’ 4-2 win against city rival Torino in Serie A. The former world champion came off the bench in the 69th minute with the scores level at 2-2 and helped the Bianconeri seal a much-needed

By Kevin Dotson and Matias Grez, CNN The San Diego Padres have signed third baseman Manny Machado to a new 11-year contract through the 2033 season, the team announced Tuesday. The contract extension is worth $350 million, according to Spotrac, making it the fourth-highest contract in MLB history. “This has been a long journey,” Machado

By Wayne Sterling, CNN Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said he “would love to give the storybook ending” to Damar Hamlin’s recovery from a cardiac arrest, but admitted it’s still unclear whether the 24-year-old would play again. Hamlin collapsed after making a tackle in a game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals on

By Sammy Mngqosini, CNN Embattled French Football Federation (FFF) president Noël Le Graët has resigned, the federation announced in a statement on Tuesday. “Noël Le Graët announced today to the Executive Committee of the French Football Federation his decision to leave his position,” the FFF said in the statement. It added: “The FFF would like

By Isil Sariyuce, CNN Supporters of Turkish soccer team Fenerbahçe, who chanted anti-government slogans during a previous match, have been banned from attending this weekend’s game against Kayserispor, according to a team statement. Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber confirmed the decision on Tuesday, saying visiting fans will not be allowed inside the stadium as Fenerbahçe

By George Ramsay, CNN Lionel Messi and Alexia Putellas were crowned the best players in men’s and women’s football at FIFA’s annual awards ceremony in Paris on Monday. Messi, who guided Argentina to World Cup glory at the end of last year, was honored as the Best FIFA Men’s Player for the second time in

By Ben Morse, CNN The Los Angeles Lakers’ rollercoaster season shows no sign of slowing down. During the Lakers’ 27-point comeback victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, TV cameras caught LeBron James saying he heard his foot “pop” when landing from a layup. The 38-year-old was seen walking gingerly after the game despite being

By Ben Church, CNN At just 16 years old, Mia Brookes became the youngest snowboarding world champion after winning gold in the women’s slopestyle at the Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia on Monday. Brookes claimed her win in style — becoming the first woman to land a CAB 1440 double grab

By CNN’s Meron Moges-Gerbi and Jalen Brown The men’s swimming and diving team at Howard University won the 2023 Northeast Conference Championship on Saturday, the team’s first title in more than 30 years, the school’s athletic department tweeted. The all-Black swim team earned 928 points during five days of competition in Geneva, Ohio, surpassing four

By Sammy Mngqosini, CNN A prominent human rights group has written to Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali to raise serious concerns over what it claims is the sport’s ongoing role in “sportswashing” ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix. The new season gets underway in Bahrain on March 5, ahead of which the Bahrain Institute for

By Ben Church, CNN Tick tock, tick tock. The new MLB rules are coming fast at players; just ask Cal Conley. The Atlanta Braves hitter looked as confused as everyone else on Saturday when the new pitch clock regulation sparked confusion during a spring training game between the Braves and the Boston Red Sox. With

By Jack Bantock, CNN Shirtless and mud-spattered — golf fans tuning in to the Honda Classic on Saturday would have been forgiven for thinking they’d switched over to the wrong channel. Because not just once, but twice during his third round, American golfer Akshay Bhatia was forced into an impromptu wardrobe change at the PGA

By Jack Bantock, CNN It had been 2,836 days since Chris Kirk last won on the PGA Tour. Yet after securing his first victory in over seven years on Sunday, that was not the first milestone the American golfer had on his mind. A nail-biting playoff victory over compatriot Eric Cole at The Honda Classic

By Jill Martin and Ben Church, CNN Novak Djokovic has achieved another milestone in his illustrious tennis career, surpassing Steffi Graf to spend the most weeks at No. 1 in the world. On Monday, Djokovic started his 378th week as the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world No. 1, spending the most weeks in that

By Matias Grez, CNN Paris Saint-Germain took control of the title race in Ligue 1 on Sunday with a huge 3-0 win away at bitter rival Marseille to extend its lead at the top of the table to eight points. It was a masterclass in attacking football from Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, who combined

By Alasdair Howorth, CNN Damian Lillard set an NBA record in his monster scoring night on Sunday, racking up 71 points in 39 minutes, including 13 three-pointers, as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Houston Rockets 121-114. With his effort, Lillard became the first player in NBA history to score more than 70 points in