Category: Sports

“We felt that the jury wasn’t there to uphold the law, but to carry out an order.

“We will stop at nothing. The law is on our side. The fight is far from over. Senegal will defend its rights to the very end.”

Some Senegal players have suggested they will not relinquish their winners’ medals.

“We know what we experienced that evening in Rabat. And no-one can take that away from us,” Senegal and Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye said on social media.

The walk-off by Senegal prompted the International Football Association Board (Ifab), football’s lawmaking body, to open a consultation on how to deal with situations when “players unilaterally decide to leave the field of play, or team officials instigate such action, as a means of protest against a referee’s decision”.

Senegal’s players, apart from Sadio Mane, left the pitch after the award of a penalty for Morocco by referee Jean Jacques Ndala shortly after he had disallowed a goal by Ismaila Sarr at the other end.

Ndala gave the penalty in the 98th minute after being advised by the video assistant referee (VAR) to consult the pitchside monitor and review defender El Hadji Malick Diouf’s challenge on Diaz.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said it was “unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner” and that the scenes “must be condemned and never repeated”.

During the tournament there was much debate about refereeing decisions and VAR, with accusations from some journalists that Morocco were treated favourably by some officials.

Senegal complained before the final about how they had been treated and expressed “serious concerns” over security when they arrived in Rabat for the game.

Rotherham United have sacked manager Matt Hamshaw after their 5-0 hammering by Peterborough United left them six points adrift of League One safety.

The 44-year-old, a coach under former Millers boss Paul Warne, initially took over as caretaker following the sacking of Steve Evans in 2025, and was appointed on a permanent basis in April last year.

He departs with the club 22nd in League One with nine games of the season remaining.

“It is with a heavy heart that we end our affiliation with an individual who has strong historical connections and a clear passion for Rotherham United,” the club said, external.

“With the club currently six points from safety in League One, it was deemed necessary to take action to give the team the best possible opportunity of preserving our divisional status in our remaining nine games this season.”

Dale Tonge, Richard Wood and Andy Warrington will oversee first-team matters on an interim basis.

While most players only wear a mask during the rehabilitation process, the striker – now playing in Turkey – says he still needs to wear the headgear for protection.

“I have two screws that pass through my jaw into my mouth,” he said in 2024. “It is really too dangerous for me, so I have to keep on using it.”

The mask has become Osimhen’s trademark and his daughter has been seen wearing a replica to his matches.

It is not uncommon for footballers to wear a mask after suffering a facial injury – with Kylian Mbappe forced to wear one after breaking his nose at Euro 2024.

Mbappe complained about its restrictive nature, saying his was “an absolute horror” because “it limits your vision, the sweat gets trapped”.

A number of players, such as Manchester City’s Phil Foden, wear bandages on their hand and wrist for added support years after suffering an injury.

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.

There have been plenty of contentious decisions in the 2025-26 Championship season so far.

Offside goals given, perfectly good goals ruled out, red card offences missed, penalties not given, dubious spot-kicks awarded. You name it.

With the video assistant referee (VAR) only used for the play-off final, the outcome of every second-tier game in the regular season can hinge on how on-field officials see incidents in real time.

You can share your thoughts on VAR here or comment below, and we will publish a follow-up article soon with a selection of your responses.

Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel may have played his “last football game” with surgery required on his shoulder but he is eager to “fight” to regain fitness.

The Denmark international, 39, last played on 22 February and will have the first of two operations later this month. He will miss his country’s World Cup play-off semi-final against North Macedonia on 26 March.

The former Leicester City keeper is out of contract at the end of the season and faces up to a year of recovery.

“I could’ve potentially played my last football game,” Schmeichel told CBS Sports. “It’s a bit of a body bow.

“I’ve been a footballer since the day I was born. It’s devastating. It’s very, very hard to wrap my head around at the moment.

“I got the message [on Tuesday] that it could potentially be the end of my career. By the time I could get back fit I could be plus 40.

“I’m going to give it everything I can to see if I can get back. It would be probably one of the greatest feats of my career if I could ever get back from an injury like this. I’m going to fight, I’m going to try everything I can. I’m going to do the rehab.”

The stars appear to be aligning for both club and country.

The World Cup is a “motivating factor” for Hall, and there remain question marks surrounding just who will line up in his position for England this summer.

Hall, who has won two caps for his country, has yet to earn a call-up under Thomas Tuchel following an injury-disrupted period in his fledgling career.

But that will surely change when the England manager announces his squad for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan on Thursday.

Tuchel certainly knows him well.

The England boss handed Hall his debut at Chelsea at the age of just 17 in 2022, and has watched the left-back play against his former club and Manchester City this month.

Hall was a highly-rated talent at Chelsea, but he has come a long way since Tuchel first trialled him in a back three against Chesterfield.

Arno Michels, Tuchel’s long-serving assistant at Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain, knows that better than most.

“It’s incredible to see how Lewis has developed – and he’s still only 21,” he said.

Yet Hall will not be getting carried away.

Hall, by his nature, is a level-headed character, who does not tend to look beyond the next game, and has been kept grounded by a tight-knit family.

He has never lost touch with his roots.

The defender still has a small circle of close friends from his native Binfield, where it all started in Slough, and has returned to the village in each of the past three summers to hand out trophies and medals at the annual junior football tournament he once played in.

Hall has even been back to represent his local cricket club as relatively recently as 2024.

The left-back has not forgotten those who have helped him along the way, either, such as Mark Robinson, his former manager with Chelsea‘s under-23s.

Hall even jumped into the stands to catch up with Robinson after Newcastle‘s 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge at the weekend.

“There’s lots more to come because Lewis is a very humble lad,” Robinson said.

“I can’t see that ever changing. You have got to keep learning, keep improving, and he will do that.”

Pep Guardiola is one of the greatest managers of all time.

The Spaniard has won 12 domestic league titles during his tenures at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and then Manchester City, along with an abundance of domestic trophies and individual accolades.

In the Champions League, his three titles – two with Barca and one with City – put him among the greats with only five-time winner Carlo Ancelotti having won more.

But a 5-1 aggregate defeat by Real Madrid in the last 16 represents another missed opportunity and leaves many wondering what might have been.

In the 15 years since lifting the Champions League trophy with Barcelona in 2011, his second with the Catalan club having also won it in 2009, Guardiola has only had his hands on the trophy once – a maiden title for City when they did the Treble in 2023.

Guardiola himself would perhaps be disappointed with that yield, having come so close to adding to that tally on several occasions with City.

“We have an extraordinary team and extraordinary group of players, the future is bright,” said the defiant City boss after Tuesday’s exit.

But, given the uncertainty around his future in Manchester beyond this season, questions will be asked around whether this was the 55-year-old’s last chance to win the coveted trophy.

Pep Guardiola responds to a question about his failures in Europe with Manchester City after his side exited the Champions League following defeat to Real Madrid in the last 16.

MATCH REPORT: Man City 1-2 Real Madrid (1-5 Agg)

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Arsenal face competition for Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka, AC Milan look at Republic of Ireland striker Troy Parrott, while Brighton look to secure German international Said el Mala.

Arsenal will face competition from Juventus for the signature of Germany international Leon Goretzka with the 31-year-old midfielder set to leave Bayern Munich when his contract expires in the summer. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

AC Milan are looking at Republic of Ireland forward Troy Parrott with the 24-year-old available for around £25m from AZ Alkmaar in the summer. (Independent), external

Brighton are keen to wrap up a deal with Cologne for 19-year-old German winger Said el Mala after the player changed agents. (Bild – in German – subscription required), external

Manchester City could let Brazilian winger Savinho, 21, leave in the summer with Tottenham possible suitors if they retain their Premier League status. (Football Insider, external)

Juventus will target Manchester City‘s Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva, 31, after cooling their interest in Newcastle‘s Sandro Tonali, 25, because Manchester United and Arsenal are both keen on the Italy midfielder. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Fulham have reached a verbal agreement to sign 23-year-old United States forward Ricardo Pepi from PSV Eindhoven with personal terms also agreed. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Liverpool‘s Richard Hughes is on a three-strong shortlist to become the new sporting director at Saudi Pro-League club Al-Hilal. (Telegraph – subscription required), external

Xabi Alonso would target the signings of Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni, 26, Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, 22, and Paris St-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, 23, if he were to replace Arne Slot at Anfield in the summer. (Teamtalk), external

Manchester United have made contact with Ajax to explore the potential terms of a deal for 20-year-old Belgium forward Mika Godts. (Sacha Tavolieri), external

Real Madrid and Barcelona are ahead of Premier League clubs in the race to sign AZ Alkmaar’s 20-year-old Dutch midfielder Kees Smit because he wants to move to Spain to live in sunnier weather. (AS – in Spanish), external

Manchester United and Liverpool are both stepping up their interest in Wolves and Portugal midfielder Joao Gomes, 25. (Teamtalk), external

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick will extend his contract until 2028 after Joan Laporta was re-elected as the club’s president. (Florian Plettenberg), external

This particular run of seven games will define City’s season on all four fronts – losing twice against Real means their trophy prospects have been reduced to three.

That could be down to two on Sunday with a huge clash against the Gunners, who are hungry to rid their tags of ‘nearly men’ by ending a trophy drought which stretches back to 2020.

“On Monday [after Carabao Cup final] hopefully we will wake up and it is a sunny day,” said Guardiola. “It is not crucial, it is a football game, we are going to try to win with a good performance.

“We will challenge against the best team in England so far, the best team in Europe because look at their results in the group phase, they were first and have lost three or four games all season. We will challenge them and we have to see how we are competing against them.”

City were held to a surprise 1-1 draw at relegation strugglers West Ham, which has left them nine points off the pace in the Premier League with eight games to go – and a monumental effort is required to overturn that particular deficit.

And the FA Cup is no formality either, with City hosting rivals Liverpool in the quarter-final on Saturday 4 April after the international break, with league games immediately after against Chelsea and Arsenal.

Guardiola said: “After one or two weeks, we play against them in the Premier League and it is a good mirror to see what we have to do to achieve [like] them. I am old enough to see that one football game is not the big happiness or a loss is the end of the world, it’s just a game.

“In the end, the results have not been good except Newcastle but I have the feeling we are an extraordinary team with many, many, many good things that I love.

“We are still not complete, we are not aware in certain moments and departments, we have to be more clinical but my feeling is it is a question of time.”