England have the squad depth, but France have a returning hero and hosting duties for the potentially decisive finale What are you most looking forward to? Let’s hope it stops raining at some stage. Because if Matthieu Jalibert, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Henry Arundell, Manny Feyi-Waboso, Louis Rees-Zammit et al have a...
Newcastle’s Saudi vision is shrouded in bleak suspicion and unfulfilled promises | Jonathan Liew
Vivid dreamscape sold to fans in 2021 is yet to materialise amid layers upon layers of bureaucracy, economics and geopolitics Layer two: Nick Woltemade, signed for £69m in the hot madness of summer, has stopped scoring. Anthony Elanga, a £55m winger, has struggled for game time and goals. Malick Thiaw,...
Pep Guardiola questions rule that will keep Marc Guéhi out of Carabao Cup final
Cup rules state new signings must arrive before semi-final first leg City will ask EFL to clarify rule: ‘Hopefully they can change it’ Pep Guardiola has questioned the rule which means Marc Guéhi cannot play in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal in March, though the Manchester City manager has...
‘I would call it a miracle’: Italy’s motley crew prepare for T20 Cricket World Cup
Team of pizza-makers and teachers brought together by a passion for the sport hope to win hearts back at home In a basement office in the north of Rome, Riccardo Maggio is unpacking boxes of blue jerseys with “Italia” written on them. He sighs when the landline phone rings again,...
Heated rivalries and curling couples: 10 things to look out for at the Winter Olympics
Stars could align for USA and Canada in ice hockey, while hosts Italy are getting their downhill hopes up All eyes are on the, ah, essentials of the Norwegian men’s ski jump team as they try to recover from one of the great botched crotch stitch switch scandals of 2025....
LIV Golf tour hits out at decision to only award ranking points to top-10 finishers
Ranking points to be awarded at LIV events for first time Saudi-backed tour attacks ‘unprecedented restriction’ The Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Tour has hit out at what it regards as victimisation from those presiding over the sport’s world rankings process, despite seeing their wait of nearly four years for recognition...
Butler did it: 11 years on, was the NFL’s most criticized call actually the right decision?
The last time the Seahawks and Patriots met in a Super Bowl, a dramatic interception by an undrafted rookie changed the history of both franchises When the New England Patriots faced off against the Denver Broncos in this season’s AFC championship, Malcolm Butler was at home in Houston. He had...
Cristiano Ronaldo’s no-show leaves Saudi Pro League facing awkward questions
League’s star said to be unhappy over his club’s transfer dealings and Karim Benzema’s move. Now he could face his first backlash Jurassic Park sounded great given the spectacular beasts on display, but there was chaos after they started to do their own thing. When Cristiano Ronaldo, surely the T...
Jacob Bethell dismantles Sri Lanka tail to deliver T20 series clean sweep for England
3rd T20i: England, 128-9, bt Sri Lanka, 116, by 12 runs Bethell takes 4-11 in 3.3 overs to seal 3-0 series win It was a thriller on a Pallekele turner, the game going England’s way. Jacob Bethell’s part-timers turned lethal, his three-wicket over dismantling Sri Lanka’s tail to help secure...
Winter Olympics briefing: final preparations amid the noise for Milano Cortina
What to look out for as the action gets under way in Italy despite the Games not yet beginning until Friday In my opening briefing last week, I wrote that organisers were banking on the cultural pull of Italy – its architecture, food, history and fashion – to cut through...