Category Archives: Sport

Dennis Rodman sued by woman who claims he slammed door on her hand

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A woman who says the former NBA champion hired her to be a personal assistant and artist for his family has filed a lawsuit

Former NBA champion Dennis Rodman is facing a lawsuit for damages from a woman who accused him of slamming a door on her hand and badly injuring her during an incident at his Houston home, after hiring her to be a personal assistant and artist for his family.

A woman who answered a call to a phone number associated with Rodman’s address in the Texas city dismissed plaintiff Taylor A Banks’ allegations as “a money grab”.

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Everton paid £30m in interest to lender with links to tax exile, documents suggest

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Exclusive: Charges relate to £225m debt with Rights & Media Funding, with records suggesting a trail leading to Michael Tabor

Everton has paid about £30m in interest charges to an opaque lender associated with a tax exile, corporate records suggest.

The charges appear to have reached about £438,000 a week, according to the troubled Premier League club’s most recent set of accounts, a figure more than three times the reported wages of the Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

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Pioneering Hawaiian-born sumo champion Akebono dies aged 54

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Tributes paid to wrestler, who was born Chad Rowan and became the sport’s first non-Japanese grand champion in 1993

Tributes have been paid in Japan to Akebono, the first foreign wrestler to reach the pinnacle of the sport of sumo, who has died aged 54.

The wrestler, who was born Chad Rowan in Hawaii, is regarded as a pioneer after he broke down cultural barriers in the centuries-old sport to become the first non-Japanese yokozuna grand champion in 1993.

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Packers and Eagles to play NFL season opener at Brazil club with ‘ban’ on green

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  • Teams play in colors of Corinthians’ bitter rivals
  • NFL to play its first regular-season game in Brazil

The Green Bay Packers will play the Philadelphia Eagles when the NFL holds its first regular-season game in Brazil.

The 6 September matchup in Sao Paulo will mark the first time since 1970 that the NFL has played a Friday night game on the season’s opening weekend.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had said in February that the Eagles would be the home team for the game. The NFL announced on Wednesday that the Packers will face the Eagles.

The game will take place at Corinthians Arena, the home of Brazilian soccer team Corinthians. The venue was used at the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Corinthians have an informal ban on the color green, worn by their bitter rivals Palmeiras, around the club. The Packers and Eagles both wear green, with the Eagles set to wear the color as the home team. In 2021, Corinthians fined their striker Jo for wearing green boots. Jo later said the boots were actually “turquoise blue”.

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‘I wanted to ask why’: goalkeeper in Spain banned for reacting to alleged racial abuse

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  • Cheikh Sarr of Rayo Majadahonda given two-match ban
  • Goalkeeper was sent off after going into crowd to confront fan

Spanish football’s commitment to combatting racism has come under fire after its football federation handed a two-match ban to a goalkeeper who went into the stands to confront a man who had allegedly racially abused him.

The accusations of racism – the latest to rock Spanish football in recent weeks – were launched on Saturday as Rayo Majadahonda took on Sestao River Club in a third-tier match in northern Spain. As the match ticked into its final moments, the Rayo Majadahonda goalkeeper Cheikh Sarr, who was born in Senegal, said he heard racial slurs being hurled at him.

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US teenager among three killed in avalanche near Swiss resort of Zermatt

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Police say they have yet to identify a man and woman also killed in avalanche on Monday

Three people, including a teenager from the US, have been killed in an avalanche near the Swiss resort of Zermatt, police said on Tuesday. One person was flown to hospital with serious injuries.

The avalanche occurred at about 2pm on Monday in an off-piste area of the Riffelberg, above the resort and below the Matterhorn. Rescuers recovered three bodies and the injured skier, a 20-year-old Swiss man.

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Police search for Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice in connection with car crash

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A vehicle registered to the Chiefs’ receiver was involved in a crash in the Dallas area

Police are seeking Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice in connection with a car crash in Dallas, according to the Dallas Morning News.

A vehicle believed to be registered or leased to Rice was involved in a crash on the North Central Expressway at 6.20pm local time Saturday. Citing law enforcement officials, the Dallas Morning News confirmed police are searching for Rice, 23, but did not disclose details of the collision. Dallas police spokeswoman Kristin Lowman said two cars, a Chevrolet Corvette and a Lamborghini, were speeding, when the drivers lost control and caused a collision that involved four other vehicles. The drivers of the Corvette and Lamborghini fled the scene. Four people were treated for minor injuries. The Dallas Morning News reported that police believe Rice was driving the Corvette.

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Tayla Vlaeminck returns as Australia thrash Bangladesh in opening T20

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  • Australia’s quickest bowler has been out more than two years
  • Legspinner Sophie Molineux also impresses

Tayla Vlaeminck celebrated her return to international cricket by taking with a wicket with her fourth ball, as Australia thrashed Bangladesh in their series-opening Twenty20 international.

Playing her first game for Australia since January 2022, the Victorian quick beat Sobhana Mostary for pace, splattering the stumps and finishing with 1-30 as Australia restricted Bangladesh to 4-126, before chasing the target down without loss and with seven overs to spare.

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‘Sport is never just sport’: Olympics exhibition in Paris reflects 20th century’s highs and lows

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Les Jeux Olympiques: Miroir des Sociétés opens ahead of Paris Olympics and puts previous games in context of conflicts and injustices

From the Nazi stadium propaganda in 1936 Berlin to the 1968 Mexico City podium protest of medal-winners Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who were expelled from the competition after raising their gloved fists in a Black Power salute against racial injustice, the Olympic Games have held a mirror up to some of the darkest moments of 20th-century history.

Now, as the Paris Olympics prepares to open this summer against a backdrop of war from Ukraine to the Middle East – with Emmanuel Macron saying Russia will be asked to observe a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Games – a new exhibition in Paris takes an unflinching look at the social and geopolitical impact of the Games over the last century.

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Luis Rubiales faces possible 30-month jail sentence for Jenni Hermoso kiss

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  • Spanish prosecutors issue two charges against Rubiales
  • Three others alleged to have coerced Hermoso

Luis Rubiales could face a prison sentence of two and a half years if convicted of kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips against her will, court documents have shown. The former Spanish football federation chief has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion in the aftermath of the kiss, offences carrying jail terms of one year and 18 months respectively.

The 46-year-old grabbed ­Hermoso and kissed her on the lips on 20 August during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England in the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney, sparking global outrage and ­causing a national debate in Spain about ­sexism. ­Hermoso and her teammates said the kiss was unwanted and demeaning, but Rubiales argued it was consensual and denied any wrongdoing.

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Eric Cantona reveals inspiration for 1995 seagulls comment: ‘It just came out’

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Former Manchester United star says his near 30-year silence on subject has been his revenge on the press

It was one of the most baffling utterances ever made by a footballer.

When Eric Cantona said at a 1995 press conference: “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea,” everyone was left scratching their heads.

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Campaigners in Spain call for more to be done about racism in football

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Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior’s tearful comments prompt questions over why racist fans can still act with impunity

Antiracism campaigners in Spain have called on the country’s institutions to do more to crack down on racism in football, after Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior laid bare the personal toll exacted by years of racist insults.

Breaking down in tears as he spoke of the systematic barrage of abuse he had faced at more than 10 Spanish grounds, the Brazilian player told reporters on Monday that the situation had “gotten worse” during his time on the pitch.

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Former head of China football association jailed for life for taking bribes – state media

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Former chairman Chen Xuyuan accepted millions in return for help with contracting, investment options and event management, state media report court as saying

The former chief of China’s national football association, Chen Xuyuan, has been sentenced to life in prison for accepting bribes, state media reported on Tuesday, after one of the biggest anti-corruption probes in the sport in years.

The severe sentence for Chen, 67, concludes an inquiry into high-level football officials in China in a sport that has long grappled with corruption, which fans have blamed for the perpetual under performance of the national team.

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Sumo kind of wonderful as Takerufuji’s debut win in top division makes history

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Wrestler, whose real name is Mikiya Ishioka, triumphs in Osaka to secure Emperor’s Cup despite injuring his ankle the previous day

The ancient Japanese sport of sumo is celebrating a new hero, after Takerufuji became the first wrestler for more than a century to win a top-division tournament on his debut.

There were wild celebrations at the Edion Arena Osaka on Sunday after he ended the 15-day contest with an unassailable record of 13 wins and two defeats.

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Four killed at Hungarian rally after race car crashes into spectators

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  • Car appeared to lose traction before sliding off road
  • Two people, including a child, sustain serious injuries

A rally car veered off the road and crashed into a group of spectators in Hungary on Sunday, killing four and injuring several others, police said.

The accident occurred during a race between the towns of Labatlan and Bajot near the Danube River in northwest Hungary, the Komárom-Esztergom County police said in a statement.

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North Korea cancels World Cup qualifier against Japan

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Last-minute decision on Tuesday’s match leaves football bodies searching for alternative venue

North Korea has abruptly cancelled its 2026 World Cup qualifying match with Japan next week, leaving organisers frantically searching for an alternative venue.

North Korea reportedly decided it would no longer host the match, which had been scheduled for next Tuesday at the Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang, a day before the teams met in Tokyo on Thursday in the first of their two Asian qualifying Group B qualifiers.

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British para-cycling trio’s world silver medals stolen in Rio de Janeiro robbery

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  • Neil and Lora Fachie targeted along with pilot Corinne Hall
  • Cyclists ‘shaken up’ by incident on opening day of worlds

Three members of the British para-cycling track team were robbed of their silver medals and other possessions in a mugging after the opening day of the world championships in Rio de Janeiro.

Lora and Neil Fachie, who are both double Paralympic champions, and pilot Corinne Hall were left shaken but otherwise unharmed by the incident, which occurred as they made their way back to their accommodation in the Brazilian city.

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No new stadium to be built for 2032 Olympics as Queensland opposition leader reveals plan

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David Crisafulli’s stance means the multi-billion dollar Victoria Park plan recommended by Graham Quirk on Monday is dead

Queensland’s 2032 Olympics will not be held in a brand-new stadium, with both major parties now ruling out the Victoria Park and Gabba rebuild options.

The opposition leader, David Crisafulli, broke his four-day silence on Thursday, promising there will be no new stadium. The LNP leader also ruled out cancelling the Games.

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MLB star Shohei Ohtani’s translator fired after allegations of ‘massive theft’

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  • Ippei Mizuhara admits to have run up gambling debts
  • Ohtani is world’s most famous baseball player

The interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, the biggest star in baseball and one of the most famous people in Japan, has been fired after lawyers for the player said there had been a “massive theft” from the slugger’s account.

ESPN reported that several sources said Ippei Mizuhara had run up large debts to a Californian bookmaker. Initially a spokesperson for the player said Ohtani had transferred $4.5m to cover Mizuhara’s debts. But when ESPN asked further questions, the spokesperson backed away from their claim and said Ohtani’s lawyers would soon make a statement.

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First photos emerge of Harry Kane statue kept in storage for years

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Waltham Forest council has not yet found suitable location for statue that was completed in 2020

The first photographs of the dormant sculpture of the Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane have been published, five years after it was commissioned. The statue has sat in storage because Waltham Forest council in east London has been unable to find a suitable location for it.

The sculpture of the Walthamstow-born, Chingford-raised record goalscorer for Tottenham and England was completed in 2020 at a cost of £7,200, but has yet to appear in public.

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