Category Sports News

Spanish figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate will not be able to perform to his usual music – a Minions mix – at the 2026 Winter Olympics because of a copyright issue.

Sabate, known for his flamboyant and unusual routines, will represent Spain in the men’s event in Milan.

Throughout the 2025-26 season, the 26-year-old has performed to songs from the Minions animated film series while wearing a yellow T-shirt and blue overalls, similar to the characters’ outfits.

But he announced via Instagram on Monday that he will not be able to perform to it at the Olympics as rights holders Universal Pictures have not given permission.

“Finding this out last Friday, so close to the biggest competition of my life, was incredibly disappointing.

“Nevertheless, I will face this challenge head-on and do everything I can to make the best of the situation.

“To my fans: I wish I had better news, but I’m grateful beyond words for your support this season. I promise to step on the ice with everything I have and deliver programs that both you and I can be proud of.”

The routine in Sabate’s short program – the first of two routines in singles figure skating – has proved a hit in competitions around the world, including in Sheffield at the 2026 European Figure Skating Championships, where he finished 18th but became a fan favourite.

Sabate, a six-time Spanish champion set to make his Olympic debut in Milan, said he followed all required procedures and submitted the music through the ISU’s ClicknClear system in August.

It leaves him just days to make changes to his program before the men’s event starts in Milan on 10 February.

Sabate may use a mix of music by the Bee Gees for his short program, as this was the routine he performed to in 2024-25. However this is complicated, as he also performs to songs by the pop group in his free skate – the second part of his routine.

The International Skating Union said it was aware of the situation.

“As soon as we have more details on this specific case, we will share them as appropriate,” they said in a statement. “Copyright clearances can represent a challenge for all artistic sports.

“While the ISU does not have a contractual relationship with ClicknClear, we continue to work collaboratively with rights clearance stakeholders to ensure that thrilling performances can be accompanied by stirring music.”

Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Al-Nassr has been plunged into doubt after he was left out of their squad for Monday’s Saudi Pro League game against Al-Riyadh.

Portuguese outlet A Bola reported the 40-year-old is refusing to play, having grown dissatisfied with how the club is being run by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal – the country’s most successful club with 19 league titles – are among those controlled by the PIF, which also backs Newcastle United.

Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in 2022 after leaving Manchester United mid-season, becoming the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m, but has only won the Arab Club Champions Cup with them.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner signed a new two-year contract in June 2025.

Before he agreed the new deal, however, there was speculation he might leave Al-Nassr with a loan move to rivals Al-Hilal among those touted.

BBC Sport has also been told that Al Hilal’s pursuit of Karim Benzema is the principle reason for Ronaldo’s frustration at Al Nassr.

“He’s just competitive and doesn’t like other clubs getting stronger”, said one source familiar with the situation at Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo has been prolific since joining Al-Nassr, scoring 14 goals during the 2022-23 Saudi Pro League after signing midway through the season.

The Portugal captain has been the league’s top scorer in its two most recent editions with 35 and 25 goals.

After being named the Best Middle East Player at the Globe Soccer Awards in December, Ronaldo said: “You know what my goal is.

“I want to win trophies and I want to reach that number [1,000 goals] that you all know. I will reach the number for sure, if no injuries.”

He scored his 17th of the season against Al-Kholood on Friday to reach 961 career goals – 39 short of his target.

But trophies have become scarce for Ronaldo.

Al-Nassr finished as league runners-up in his first two campaigns, before coming third last season, 13 points behind champions Al-Ittihad.

They were also beaten in the final of the King’s Cup – the domestic cup competition – in 2023-24 by Al-Hilal on penalties.

Al-Nassr were knocked out of the Asian Champions League Elite semi-finals by Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale last season, and only qualified for the second-tier Asian Champions League Two this season.

Their domestic rivals Al-Ahli, meanwhile, became Asian champions last year with a squad featuring Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Ivan Toney.

The five-time Champions League winner’s only trophy with the club remains the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023.

Al-Nassr are among Saudi Arabia’s ‘big four’ which also includes Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad – all of whom have invested heavily since PIF’s takeover in 2023.

Saudi clubs spent about £700m during the 2023 summer, with Neymar joining Al-Hilal for £77.6m in the standout move.

Al-Hilal also signed Aleksandar Mitrovic and Neves from Fulham and Wolves, while Al-Nassr added Manchester United’s Alex Telles, Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte, Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane and Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic.

Al-Ahli snapped up Mahrez (Manchester City), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea) and Firmino (Liverpool), while Al-Ittihad acquired N’Golo Kante (Chelsea), Fabinho (Liverpool) and Jota (Celtic) among others.

According to Saudi sources Al Hilal are increasingly confident of signing Karim Benzema.

The former France striker and teammate of Ronaldo at Real, has been training alone after falling out with bosses of fellow Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad over a possible contract extension.

But while Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal have all gone on to win major silverware, Al-Nassr have failed to do so.

Amid a general downturn in Saudi Arabia’s outlay in recent windows, Al-Nassr are also behind newly promoted Neom SC and Al-Qadsiah in spendings since last summer.

Al-Qadsiah have added Mateo Retegui from Atlanta and 20-year-old Ghanaian winger Christopher Bonsu Baah from Genk, and only Al-Hilal have spent more than them since last summer.

Al-Nassr signed Joao Felix from Chelsea for £43.7m along with Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich in the summer, but have been quiet during the January window, despite being in a three-way battle for the title with Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli.

Apart from the four Saudi clubs, the PIF portfolio also includes Premier League club Newcastle and the LIV golf series, while it also sponsors the ATP and WTA tennis tours.

From WWE, horse racing and football to golf, boxing and Formula 1, Saudi Arabia has become a hotbed of international sport in recent years and will host the 2034 Fifa World Cup, 2027 AFC Asian Cup and the 2034 Asian Games.

However, there are signs the era of limitless spending might be over.

Last month, the 2029 Asian Winter Games which was to be hosted in the planned city of Neom – still under construction – were postponed indefinitely.

Though no official reason was given, Singapore publication The Straits Times reported that there has been a delay in the construction of a ski resort.

The construction of the 105-mile long Neom city, a standout project in the country’s Vision 2030 programme to diversify its oil-dependent economy, has also been reportedly scaled down amid rising costs and repeated delays.

The scaling back of investment is also visible in the Saudi Pro League.

As Manchester United fans are only too aware, once Cristiano Ronaldo is set on a course, he is not too fussed what the fallout is.

His exit from his second Old Trafford stint in 2022 included a takedown of the club’s training facilities, the way it was structured as “a marketing club” and coach Erik ten Hag.

It was so severe, it was impossible for Ronaldo to stay.

After the dust had settled, he stuck by his comments and said he was happy at how things had played out.

Chelsea have recalled loanee Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg, with Aaron Anselmino moving in the opposite direction to the French club.

The exchange of the two 20‑year‑old central defenders takes place between clubs under the same Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership group, named BlueCo.

Strasbourg have also signed striker David Datro Fofana on loan until the end of the season as cover for a training ground injury sustained by star forward Emmanuel Emegha.

The last deal will be the 12th deal between the clubs, including Liam Rosenior’s move from the Alsace club to replace now-departed former Blues head coach Enzo Maresca last month.

Sarr is not due in London until Tuesday so is unlikely to feature in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Arsenal on the same day.

It comes amid a complicated end to Chelsea’s winter transfer window, with the club having tried to sign now-Liverpool bound Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet.

Anselmino was recalled from his loan at Borussia Dortmund last week and was filmed in tears as he said goodbye to team‑mates in Germany.

Reports there said Dortmund were “incensed” and caught by surprise by Chelsea’s decision, which is understood to have been communicated three hours before a clause permitting a recall expired.

Dortmund said they “regretted” the sudden departure.

Sarr featured for Strasbourg in their 2-1 defeat at home to Paris St‑Germain on Sunday night, which is likely to be his final match for the Alsace club.

Last January, Chelsea completed their first permanent signing from Strasbourg since the two clubs came under the same BlueCo ownership, in a £12m deal.

Sarr made one substitute appearance for Chelsea as they won the Club World Cup in the summer before returning to Strasbourg on loan in August.

Recently appointed Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior described Sarr as “my son”, with “scary” potential to become “world class” during his spell in charge of Strasbourg last season.

The defender’s return, after winning the Africa Cup of Nations as a starter for Senegal in January, is likely to provoke anger among Strasbourg supporters.

Protests from a minority of fans earlier in the season intensified when Rosenior left the club to replace Enzo Maresca, who had fallen out with senior figures at Chelsea and departed on New Year’s Day.

Along with Fofana’s loan move, deals that see Sarr and Anselmino swap places are the 10th and 11th deals between the two clubs this season, including the one that saw Rosenior move for a compensation fee from France to England.

Chelsea’s defence has not performed at the level of their attack in the Premier League this season and they rank only 11th for expected goals (xG) against despite having conceded the joint-third fewest goals.

Yet Chelsea can strengthen their defence in the short term by bringing back a player Rosenior likes working with, while they will re-double their efforts to sign a centre-back in the summer.

Chelsea have now completed 12 deals with Strasbourg, raising a simple question: why?

A large number of those transfers have been loan moves from Stamford Bridge back to France, allowing players to gain minutes before either returning to Chelsea or being sold.

Last season, for example, midfielder Andrey Santos impressed at Stade de la Meinau and now looks ready for Chelsea’s first team, while goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic was sold to Bournemouth for £25m, enabling Chelsea to double the fee they paid for him in 2023.

Chelsea have also sent unwanted players such as David Datro Fofana and Ben Chilwell in the opposite direction, which has benefited Strasbourg, who are now able to compete for European places.

They have also signed a number of Strasbourg’s standout players, including Mamadou Sarr, who rejoined Chelsea on deadline day after being bought for £12m last January, and striker Emmanuel Emegha, who will arrive in the summer.

Current loanees, goalkeeper Mike Penders and defender Aaron Anselmino, will hope to follow in Andrey Santos’s footsteps while gaining valuable first‑team experience.

In most cases, Chelsea’s link with Strasbourg benefits both clubs as well as the players involved. There is, however, a question over whether it is fair on other clubs who do not have the option of operating in this way.

The NFL will make its debut in France with a regular-season game later this year – and has agreed a deal to play more games in Spain.

Paris’ Stade de France will welcome the NFL for a game next season, with the New Orleans Saints confirmed as one of the participating teams. The date has yet to be confirmed.

On the opening day of Super Bowl week, the NFL also announced a multi-year partnership to stage games at Real Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium.

The Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Commanders in the first NFL game to be played in Spain in November.

France will become the fifth European nation to stage regular-season games, after the UK, Germany, Ireland and Spain.

“Bringing a regular-season game to Paris in 2026 marks an exciting next step in the continued expansion of the league’s global footprint,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins have marketing rights in Spain as part of the NFL’s global markets programme, with the Saints being the only team with rights in France.

“This moment is special not only because of the strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France, but also because we will compete before a growing Saints fan base in Paris,” said Saints owner Gayle Benson.

The NFL will make its France debut as part of a record nine international games in 2026.

On the opening day of Super Bowl week, the NFL also announced multi-year partnerships to return to Mexico and Spain.

But there will be no immediate return to Ireland after Dublin staged its first game in September.

Mexico has not staged an NFL game since 2022 because the Estadio Azteca was being renovated for this summer’s World Cup, but the league has agreed to play there in each of the next three seasons.

France will become the fifth European nation to stage regular-season games, after the UK, Germany, Ireland and Spain.

“Bringing a regular-season game to Paris in 2026 marks an exciting next step in the continued expansion of the league’s global footprint,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Saints are the only team to have marketing rights in France as part of the NFL’s global markets programme.

“This moment is special not only because of the strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France, but also because we will compete before a growing Saints fan base in Paris,” said Saints owner Gayle Benson.

As the transfer window comes to a close, one move that has gone under the radar is Al-Hilal’s signing of Rennes’ teenage striker Mohamed Kader Meite.

The 18-year-old Frenchman has joined the Saudi Pro League club for a reported 30m euros (£25.9m), which makes him the second-highest non-Premier League signing of the transfer window, only beaten by Lucas Paqueta’s return to Flamengo from West Ham United.

Meite has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal, despite reported interest from a number of Premier League clubs after impressing in France’s Ligue 1.

“It is notable because Manchester United were reportedly linked before Al-Hilal’s huge bid got the deal done,” Football Transfers’ Paul MacDonald told BBC Sport.

“It also solidifies the Saudis’ statement of intent. They are going to go big on young talent this summer and Meite’s purchase is the first domino to fall.”

Meite, who is French-born but of Ivorian descent, came through Rennes’ youth set-up before breaking into the first team and signing his first professional contract at the club in November 2024.

The forward made his senior debut shortly after, as a substitute in a 2-0 league defeat by Toulouse, and has since made 32 appearances for the club – scoring five goals and registering two assists.

Meite has also represented France at four different youth levels.

“He is a wonderful talent,” said French football expert Julien Laurens. “It is a bit of a shame that he has gone to Saudi Arabia, but the money they offered was good for him.

“I don’t think he will stay there for long – he will end up in the Premier League at some point.

“Maybe a few English clubs thought ‘Let’s see how he does in another environment before we bring him to the Premier League’ – but he does have huge potential.”

Laurens also described Meite as a “modern number nine” who is “strong, quick, hungry and good on the ball”.

He is not the only player heading out of Rennes though, with the club closing in on another high-value sale.