Author: Agence France-Presse - AFP

Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior starred as Real Madrid secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Pachuca in the Intercontinental Cup final on Wednesday in Doha, adding another trophy to the Spanish giants’ collection. Mbappe, returning to the lineup after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in last week’s Champions League win against Atalanta, broke the deadlock in the 37th minute with a close-range strike following a brilliant assist from Vinicius. Rodrygo doubled Madrid’s lead early in the second half with a curling effort from the edge of the area. The goal stood after the referee consulted the pitchside monitor, despite…

The Football Association has dismissed Tottenham’s appeal to reduce Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-match suspension for an alleged racist comment made toward teammate Son Heung-min, the organization confirmed Tuesday. The Uruguay midfielder received the suspension, covering domestic matches, from an independent commission on Nov. 18, with the Spurs signaling their intent to appeal. The FA confirmed an appeal board upheld the decision, meaning Bentancur will serve the remainder of his ban, including missing upcoming matches against Manchester United in the League Cup and Liverpool in the Premier League. “This appeal was dismissed following a hearing, and the seven-match suspension remains as ordered…

Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior was crowned FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year at a ceremony in Doha on Tuesday, while Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati claimed the Women’s Player of the Year award for the second time. The honor follows Vinicius’ second-place finish in the Ballon d’Or two months ago – a ceremony Real Madrid notably skipped after learning Manchester City midfielder Rodri would win the trophy. This time, the 24-year-old Brazilian was present to accept the award, as he is currently in Qatar with Real Madrid ahead of their Intercontinental Cup final against Mexico’s Pachuca on Wednesday. “Thank you…

Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior was crowned FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year at a ceremony in Doha on Tuesday, while Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati claimed the Women’s Player of the Year award for the second time. The honor follows Vinicius’ second-place finish in the Ballon d’Or two months ago – a ceremony Real Madrid notably skipped after learning Manchester City midfielder Rodri would win the trophy. This time, the 24-year-old Brazilian was present to accept the award, as he is currently in Qatar with Real Madrid ahead of their Intercontinental Cup final against Mexico’s Pachuca on Wednesday. “Thank you…

Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior was crowned FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year at a ceremony in Doha on Tuesday, while Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati claimed the Women’s Player of the Year award for the second time. The honor follows Vinicius’ second-place finish in the Ballon d’Or two months ago – a ceremony Real Madrid notably skipped after learning Manchester City midfielder Rodri would win the trophy. This time, the 24-year-old Brazilian was present to accept the award, as he is currently in Qatar with Real Madrid ahead of their Intercontinental Cup final against Mexico’s Pachuca on Wednesday. “Thank you…

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that tennis star Jannik Sinner’s doping case will not be resolved by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) before the end of the year. “There will be no decision by year-end,” WADA Director General Olivier Niggli told AFP in an interview. Sinner, the world No. 1 from Italy, tested positive twice for traces of the banned substance clostebol in March but was cleared to continue competing. An independent tribunal, convened by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) at the end of August, concluded that Sinner “bears no fault or…

Manchester United delivered late drama Sunday, scoring two goals in the final moments to deepen the struggles of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. Meanwhile, Chelsea moved within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool. City defender Josko Gvardiol opened the scoring in a lackluster contest at the Etihad Stadium, but Bruno Fernandes leveled the match with an 88th-minute penalty. Two minutes later, Amad Diallo sealed a 2-1 victory for United with a composed finish. Defending champions City, who have dominated English football over the past decade, now find themselves in crisis with just one win in their last 11 matches…

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s stellar performance on Saturday propelled the Milwaukee Bucks into the NBA Cup final, where they will face Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder for the championship. Greek star Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to spark the Bucks over the Atlanta Hawks 110-102 while Canadian guard Gilgeous-Alexander netted a game-high 32 points to lead the Thunder over Houston 111-96 in the semi-finals at Las Vegas. The Bucks and Thunder will meet for the crown in Las Vegas on Tuesday. “I just wanted to be aggressive through all the ups and downs, highs and lows, and…

Spanish football legend Andres Iniesta ended his playing career Sunday with an exhibition match featuring Barcelona and Real Madrid greats in Tokyo, announcing plans to transition into coaching. The 40-year-old announced in October that he was hanging up his boots after a career that saw him win two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup. He gave a crowd of more than 45,000 fans in Tokyo one last glimpse of the skills that also saw him win nine La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues during his 16 years with Barcelona. He made sure he went out with a bang,…

A crowd erupts in cheers as a young Maasai woman pelts over the finish line, the latest participant in the “Maasai Olympics,” a re-imagining of a traditional coming-of-age rite in the rolling Kenyan grasses. On Saturday, hundreds gathered in the Kimana reserve some 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the capital Nairobi to watch 160 athletes – including 40 young women – compete in the games. The young people were taking part in a reinterpretation of the “Olamayio” rites undertaken by young Maasai men to prove their skills, identify their leaders and attract girlfriends. But the traditional killing of a lion…