Author: Associated Press
UEFA ruled Wednesday that Kosovo must forfeit a Nations League match against Romania after its players refused to continue during stoppage time due to pro-Serbia chants. The game in Bucharest last Friday was tied 0-0 before the incident. Romania was awarded a 3-0 victory by default but faced its own sanctions. UEFA ordered Romania to play its first home game of next year’s World Cup qualifiers in an empty stadium, citing “racist” chants by Romanian fans targeting neighboring Hungary. The default result and Romania’s award of three points did not affect the final standings in the teams’ third-tier Nations League…
UEFA ruled Wednesday that Kosovo must forfeit a Nations League match against Romania after its players refused to continue during stoppage time due to pro-Serbia chants. The game in Bucharest last Friday was tied 0-0 before the incident. Romania was awarded a 3-0 victory by default but faced its own sanctions. UEFA ordered Romania to play its first home game of next year’s World Cup qualifiers in an empty stadium, citing “racist” chants by Romanian fans targeting neighboring Hungary. The default result and Romania’s award of three points did not affect the final standings in the teams’ third-tier Nations League…
Luka Doncic returned to the lineup with a game-high 26 points, Klay Thompson added 19, and Kyrie Irving chipped in 18 as the Dallas Mavericks cruised past the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 132-91 in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday night. Doncic, who missed his first game of the season in Dallas’ victory at Oklahoma City on Sunday due to a knee injury, shot 10-of-16 from the field and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc. He drilled two step-back 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter, extending Dallas’ lead to 111-75. Trey Murphy III, playing in just his fourth game this season…
Rafael Nadal’s lower lip quivered, his reddened eyes brimming with tears, as he stood shoulder to shoulder with his Davis Cup teammates, singing Spain’s national anthem. It was a poignant moment, laden with the weight of what everyone suspected – this might be the final chapter of his legendary career. Hours later, that suspicion became reality. After falling 6-4, 6-4 to the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp, the 22-time Grand Slam champion bid an emotional farewell to professional tennis. Spain’s hopes ended just after midnight as the Dutch sealed their quarterfinal victory, marking the end of an era. During an…
Rafael Nadal’s farewell to competitive tennis is fast approaching, with this week’s Davis Cup Final 8 marking his final appearance before retirement. As he exited a Q&A session Monday at a resort on Spain’s southern coast, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Carlos Alcaraz, his 21-year-old Spanish teammate and successor, eager to share a quiet word. The pair could share the court one last time Tuesday when Spain faces the Netherlands in the quarterfinals at the Palacio de Deportes in Malaga. However, the question of whether Nadal will play remains unresolved. Neither he nor Spain’s captain, David…
Rafael Nadal is prepared to sit out singles matches at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga if he feels he’s not fit to contribute to Spain’s success in what will be his farewell tournament. The 22-time Grand Slam champion, burdened by years of injuries, will retire after the Davis Cup, bringing an end to his illustrious 20-year career on tour. “I’ll try to prepare as best as possible so I can be available to play, but I want to help in any way I can, playing or not playing,” the 38-year-old Nadal said Saturday from Malaga in an interview published…
France coach Didier Deschamps explained Thursday that Kylian Mbappe’s recent dip in form is due to both physical and psychological factors. Following France’s 0-0 draw with Israel in the Nations League, Deschamps was once again questioned about the Real Madrid forward’s absence from the squad. “It’s a fact that he is in a difficult situation,” Deschamps told broadcaster TF1. “Obviously, he is going through a period that is not the happiest of his career.” Mbappe was not included in Deschamps’ squad for the match against Israel and a game in Italy later this week. He was also absent from the…
Rafael Nadal is preparing to retire from professional tennis, with his final event set for the Davis Cup finals starting Tuesday in front of a home crowd in Malaga. The 38-year-old, who has been on tour for over 20 years, becomes the second member of the legendary Big Three to step away from the game, following Roger Federer’s retirement in 2022, while Novak Djokovic remains at the top of his game. “It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end,” Nadal said after…
Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior had frustrating nights in South American World Cup qualifying. While Messi could not help his team avoid a 2-1 defeat at Paraguay, Vinicius Junior missed a second-half penalty as Brazil was held to a 1-1 draw at Venezuela on Thursday. Argentina will remain on the top of the 10-team round robin competition with 22 points in 11 matches, Brazil is provisionally in third place in the standings with 17 points. Also on Thursday, Ecuador beat Bolivia 4-0. The Ecuadorians remain in fifth position with 16 points, while Bolivia is in eighth place with…
UEFA launched a new investigation into English match official David Coote on Thursday after a video allegedly showed him using cocaine during the European Championship. “UEFA has appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to assess a potential violation of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations by referee Mr. David Coote,” the organization said in a statement. Coote served as a video review specialist at Euro 2024, where match officials stayed at a hotel near Frankfurt. He assisted the lead VAR official in eight games. British daily The Sun published a video late Wednesday that appeared to show Coote snorting the drug using an…