Category Sports News

Snoop Dogg is the American rapper’s choice for the AFL’s (AFL) grand final on Saturday, but the AFL has defended its choice.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground, which can accommodate up to 100 000 spectators, will host Snoop Dogg’s game between Geelong and Brisbane.

Some Australians have criticized the 53-year-old for his involvement because of some of his songs’ previous use of misogynistic and offensive lyrics.

Izak Rankine, an Adelaide player, is the sixth player to have received a suspension for using a homophobic slur in the last two seasons, making it the sixth AFL-listed player.

Andrew Dillon, the head of the AFL, expressed his “really confident” in Snoop Dogg’s inclusion.

He has performed at the [Paris] Olympics, a Super Bowl, and will fit our stage, Dillon said.

“I’ve always been confident that he would put on a show, but I’m even more confident now.”

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, an Australian politician, urged the AFL to “have the guts to dump” Snoop Dogg from its show last month, calling him a “slur merchant” in a statement to parliament.

She questioned the justification for hiring him to play when the AFL is trying to banish discrimination from its sport.

After charging a slurrer against an unnamed Collingwood player during Adelaide’s three-point victory in August, Rankine, 25, was banned.

CEO Dillon stated last month that Snoop Dogg’s performance this weekend would be “family-friendly.”

We can’t vouch for every lyric in every song ever written or performed by any Australian or international artists,” Dillon said.

Snoop Dogg, aka Calvin Broadus, claimed he fell in “love” Australian Rules football.

Snoop Dogg said at a press conference on Thursday that it was clear that it was a way of life as opposed to just a sport.

“I’ve been here for a long time, and I know what this game is and what it means. I just adored the sport. I’ve always watched it, but I never really understood it.

“It made me think of American football, rugby, and a few other things, but now that I know about it, I like it and want to know more about it before the grand finale.”

There is no other Prem Rugby seat that Geoff Parling’s currently occupies at Tigers of Leicester.

The 41-year-old is the ninth head coach to lead England’s most successful club in nine years.

No top-flight side has undergone any leadership changes in that time.

Caretaker Aaron Mauger, Matt O’Connor, Geordan Murphy, Steve Borthwick, Richard Wigglesworth, Dan McKellar, and Michael Cheika have all been seen through the revolving door at Mattioli Woods Welford Road since long-time manager Richard Cockerill left in January 2017. During this time, there have been everything from relegation battles to a record-extending 11th Premiership crown, a title near miss, to.

Former Australia and Argentina boss Cheika, whose only season with the Tigers ended in a Premiership Final defeat, has been replaced by Parling as head coach.

Tigers were eager to avert the fact that Parling, who won two league titles as a player, would be returning to the organization as a “long-term” addition.

Parling, who worked as the Wallabies assistant coach before deciding to leave his position for a first-time boss on the other side of the world, said that the promise of getting time to deliver was key.

He told BBC Radio Leicester, “When I interviewed, I said that I wanted to lay solid foundations for the club and that I wouldn’t move my family to another country.”

He does, however, have a number of similarities to his forerunners.

Under Cockerill, a decorated former Leicester player who held the highest position for nearly eight years, Parling won two Premiership titles while playing for the Tigers for six consecutive years.

Additionally, McKellar, who left his position as an assistant coach with Australia in 2023 to take charge of Leicester, is another. He only spent one season at the company.

It was reported that McKellar had lost the trust of the senior Tigers player following his departure.

Ben Youngs, a five-time champion at Leicester and retired following last year’s final defeat to Bath, revealed he had been speaking with club management about McKellar’s position.

It highlighted the Tigers team’s player force, which is known for passing on legendary players through one-clubs.

Youngs and Dan Cole were both the two most successful men in English rugby history, both as Leicester legends.

With captain Julian Montoya and two-time World Cup winners South Africa fly-half Handre Pollard also leaving, Parling says Tigers’ goals for success in the future must come from the same foundation of commitment.

Parling remarked, “I think there is cohesion.”

At the age of 35, Australian playmaker James O’Connor, who was recalled by the Wallabies in the summer, was one of the seven players who signed after the season was over.

Ollie Chessum, a 25-year-old Tigers academy graduate who has played for England and has traveled to Europe with the British and Irish Lions, is now captain of the Leicester side.

Hanro Liebenberg, who has captained the Tigers on numerous occasions in his six years with the club, is another of the homegrown internationals in Jack van Poortvliet, who was a player who came to the club and county after Ben Youngs.

“I’ve seen enough of this team,” he said. According to Parling, we must demonstrate to everyone what our main goal is.

“I really hope that this season can take it, pick it up, and take it somewhere,” says my job.

One of cycling’s top teams has been urged by a title sponsor to change its name after riders were targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters during the Vuelta a Espana.

The Israel-Premier Tech team were at the centre of several disruptions during this month’s Grand Tour in Spain, as protests were staged over Israel’s war in Gaza.

Sponsor Premier Tech wants ‘Israel’ to be dropped from the team’s name, saying that the “current situation is no longer sustainable”.

The Canadian company could end its association from next season, and British-based bike manufacturer Factor has aired similar concerns.

“Without a name change, without a flag change, we won’t continue,” Factor’s founder Rob Gitelis told Cycling News.

Premier Tech told Radio Canada: “We are sensitive and attentive to the situation on the international scene, which has evolved considerably since our arrival on the World Tour in 2017.

“However, the current situation regarding the team name is no longer sustainable to achieve our goal, which is the very reason for our involvement in cycling.”

The Israel-Premier Tech squad, which has five British riders who include four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome, is Israeli-registered and owned by Israeli-Canadian property billionaire Sylvan Adams.

The team said they are “currently in the planning phase for 2026 team branding and will communicate any potential changes in due course”.

Adams, 66, is closely associated with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and has previously told BBC Sport he is a “self-appointed ambassador to Israel”.

The team dropped the ‘Israel’ name from their jerseys during the Vuelta.

Pro-Palestinian protests resulted in the interruption of the team’s time trial on stage five, when four riders were forced to stop to avoid hitting protesters who were unfurling a banner.

One of the team’s best riders, Canada’s Derek Gee, cancelled his deal with the team just days before competing at the Vuelta, leading the team to seek legal advice and support from cycling’s world governing body the UCI over the contract agreement.

Gee, who had earlier been in negotiations to extend his contract, said in a statement that “certain issues simply made my continuation at the team untenable”, without explaining what those matters were or linking his decision to the Gaza situation.

Britain’s Tom Pidcock, who finished third at the Vuelta, said he worried about riders being targeted.

He said: “They’re not riding to support Israel, they’re riding because they got an opportunity to race bikes around the world.”

The team are part of cycling’s second ProTeam tier after being relegated from the World Tour in 2022, but they have big-money backers and are expected to return to the World Tour in 2026.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

One of cycling’s top teams has been urged by a title sponsor to change its name after riders were targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters during the Vuelta a Espana.

The Israel-Premier Tech team were at the centre of several disruptions during this month’s Grand Tour in Spain, as protests were staged over Israel’s war in Gaza.

Sponsor Premier Tech wants ‘Israel’ to be dropped from the team’s name, saying that the “current situation is no longer sustainable”.

The Canadian company could end its association from next season, and British-based bike manufacturer Factor has aired similar concerns.

“Without a name change, without a flag change, we won’t continue,” Factor’s founder Rob Gitelis told Cycling News.

Premier Tech told Radio Canada: “We are sensitive and attentive to the situation on the international scene, which has evolved considerably since our arrival on the World Tour in 2017.

“However, the current situation regarding the team name is no longer sustainable to achieve our goal, which is the very reason for our involvement in cycling.”

The Israel-Premier Tech squad, which has five British riders who include four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome, is Israeli-registered and owned by Israeli-Canadian property billionaire Sylvan Adams.

The team said they are “currently in the planning phase for 2026 team branding and will communicate any potential changes in due course”.

Adams, 66, is closely associated with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and has previously told BBC Sport he is a “self-appointed ambassador to Israel”.

The team dropped the ‘Israel’ name from their jerseys during the Vuelta.

Pro-Palestinian protests resulted in the interruption of the team’s time trial on stage five, when four riders were forced to stop to avoid hitting protesters who were unfurling a banner.

One of the team’s best riders, Canada’s Derek Gee, cancelled his deal with the team just days before competing at the Vuelta, leading the team to seek legal advice and support from cycling’s world governing body the UCI over the contract agreement.

Gee, who had earlier been in negotiations to extend his contract, said in a statement that “certain issues simply made my continuation at the team untenable”, without explaining what those matters were or linking his decision to the Gaza situation.

Britain’s Tom Pidcock, who finished third at the Vuelta, said he worried about riders being targeted.

He said: “They’re not riding to support Israel, they’re riding because they got an opportunity to race bikes around the world.”

The team are part of cycling’s second ProTeam tier after being relegated from the World Tour in 2022, but they have big-money backers and are expected to return to the World Tour in 2026.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

New Ulster signing Juarno Augustus is set to make his debut off the bench in Friday’s United Rugby Championship opener against the Dragons in Belfast (20:05 BST).

South African number eight Augustus joined the club after helping Northampton Saints reach last season’s Investec Champions Cup final.

With Augustus on the bench, David McCann starts in the back row alongside Cormac Izuchukwu and Nick Timoney.

In a strong starting line-up boasting nine Ireland internationals, James Hume wins his 100th cap in midfield alongside Stuart McCloskey.

Jacob Stockdale, who injured his shoulder during Ireland’s Test win over Georgia in July, starts on the left wing with Zac Ward on the right.

Mike Lowry starts at full-back while Jack Murphy and Nathan Doak are paired in the half-backs.

Callum Reid, Rob Herring and Tom O’Toole start in an experienced front row boasting 407 appearances, with captain Iain Henderson joined in the second row by Harry Sheridan.

In addition to Augustus, Tom Stewart, Scott Wilson, Matthew Dalton and Sam Crean – who joined Ulster in the summer after a loan spell last season – provide forwards cover on the bench.

Conor McKee, Jake Flannery and Ben Carson are the backline replacements.

Ulster: Lowry; Ward, Hume, McCloskey, Stockdale; Murphy, Doak; Reid, Herring, O’Toole, Henderson (capt), Sheridan, Izuchukwu, Timoney, McCann.

New Ulster signing Juarno Augustus is set to make his debut off the bench in Friday’s United Rugby Championship opener against the Dragons in Belfast (20:05 BST).

South African number eight Augustus joined the club after helping Northampton Saints reach last season’s Investec Champions Cup final.

With Augustus on the bench, David McCann starts in the back row alongside Cormac Izuchukwu and Nick Timoney.

In a strong starting line-up boasting nine Ireland internationals, James Hume wins his 100th cap in midfield alongside Stuart McCloskey.

Jacob Stockdale, who injured his shoulder during Ireland’s Test win over Georgia in July, starts on the left wing with Zac Ward on the right.

Mike Lowry starts at full-back while Jack Murphy and Nathan Doak are paired in the half-backs.

Callum Reid, Rob Herring and Tom O’Toole start in an experienced front row boasting 407 appearances, with captain Iain Henderson joined in the second row by Harry Sheridan.

In addition to Augustus, Tom Stewart, Scott Wilson, Matthew Dalton and Sam Crean – who joined Ulster in the summer after a loan spell last season – provide forwards cover on the bench.

Conor McKee, Jake Flannery and Ben Carson are the backline replacements.

Ulster: Lowry; Ward, Hume, McCloskey, Stockdale; Murphy, Doak; Reid, Herring, O’Toole, Henderson (capt), Sheridan, Izuchukwu, Timoney, McCann.