Category Sports News

Blackburn Rovers boss Valerien Ismael says that giving them three points from the abandoned Championship game against Ipswich Town would be the “fairest thing to do”.

Ismael’s side were 1-0 up courtesy of Todd Cantwell’s second-half penalty and the Tractor Boys were playing with 10 men after Jacob Greaves was sent off when heavy rain forced the match to be called off.

With the pitch waterlogged, referee Steve Martin took the players off the pitch after 80 minutes and a decision on whether the game will be replayed in full is still to be made by the EFL board.

A decision is likely to be made by the end of this week.

“We’ve got the right to want the three points because it’s the fair thing to do, especially when the opponent is down to 10,” Ismael said in an interview on the club’s YouTube channel.

A match can only be postponed or abandoned with the approval of the referee, authorities, or by the order of the police.

If a Premier League or EFL game is abandoned after kick-off, but before 90 minutes has been played, the fixture will either be:

Ismael said that the decision to postpone the game was out of his hands.

“I never agreed to stop the game. I had no choice because the referee made clear his point that he had to abandon the game,” he added.

“The pitch was unplayable and he said sorry. I never agreed anything because the decision was already made so that is a clear point to make.”

In addition, Ismael said that the current rules are a “grey area” and could put football’s integrity in doubt.

“It’s a generic problem. It’s a deep problem. It’s a grey area and it’s put the integrity of football in danger because everyone can speculate on anything on any game or try to stop any game,” he added.

“Now there’s room for speculation and influence. It’s difficult to know what will be the outcome but everyone has to take the case very seriously because this case will set a precedent.”

In a statement the EFL said both clubs have until 16:00 BST on Wednesday to make any final representations to the league.

Katie Boulter won the China Open and defeated Hailey Baptiste, saying she was relieved to have “a tough couple of months” behind her.

To advance to the second round in Beijing, the British number two defeated the American 7-5, 7-5, and 7-6.

Solana Sierra, a spoiled loser, knocked the 29-year-old out of the second round of Wimbledon, and Marta Kostyuk, a Ukrainian, did the same.

In the final set against Baptiste, she regrouped after a double break and made it a point to win.

“I’ve had a difficult couple of months,” Boulter said.

“I’m really pleased with how I’m now putting myself out there and fighting every single thing.”

Amanda Anisimova, who finished second at the US Open, and Boulter will now have to contend with.

After tweaking her serve, she won the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, but she has had a mixed year.

She was defeated by the United States by 3-6, 6-4, and 6-2 in her next singles match against world number seven Jessica Pegula.

Novak Djokovic’s participation in the Shanghai Masters will be his first since the US Open semi-final defeat.

In the final years of his career, the Serb has stated on numerous occasions that he will cut back on his time to work out to protect his body.

The 38-year-old reached the Shanghai final last year, but Jannik Sinner, who was then the world’s number one, lost.

Nathan Broadhead, a club record signing, was “delighted” to break the club’s mark and look forward to playing in the Championship.

In Tuesday’s 2-0 EFL Cup third-round victory over Reading, Broadhead added his second goal for Wrexham since signing from Ipswich Town in August.

The 27-year-old forward struggled with a calf injury in the first few weeks of the season, but he is now looking to improve.

“I’m just thrilled to score and advance to the next round,” said Broadhead.

“I just can’t wait to get my sharpness back and play in the championship,” he said.

I’m adjusting to new players and different systems playing.

“It gave me a little time to unwind, move all of my belongings, and everything in between,” I said.

Before beginning his professional career with Everton, the boy-born Broadhead was a boy at Wrexham’s academy.

He made an endearing commitment to Ipswich in 2023 and spent the last season playing for the Premier League with Wrexham.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the Hollywood partners behind Wrexham, have spoken of their goals to advance to the top of English football.

“I came here for that reason, and I hope we can accomplish that,” Broadhead continued.

The owners’ intention is to achieve that. I can see the vision, so I’m hoping to be there.

You notice the players entering,” You’re bringing in top-notch players from the Championship, which only serves to reinforce your intentions.

That’s the project, exactly what we’re working on.

Along with Wales team-mates Danny Ward and Kieffer Moore, Broadhead was one of the 13 players who signed for Wrexham over the summer.

With three games left, Wales currently leads Group J, and Broadhead is enjoying his role under the guidance of manager Craig Bellamy.

He’s a good manager, and I’m enjoying working with him, according to Broadhead.

I’m typically ranked 10 in his system, which is a little different from ours, but I’m adaptable.

For the first time in the competition, three Welsh clubs have advanced to the last 16 after Wrexham defeated Reading 2-0 at the Stok Cae Ras.

Before the Reading game, Wrexham made its fourth appearance in the 1977-78 season aware of this fact.

In truth, the manager said to us before training yesterday, and it just demonstrates where the club is going, according to Broadhead.

“We’ve made history tonight, and we’re hoping we’ll make more.”

The slumber party they hosted on Wednesday before their semi-final capped off England’s strategy of being clear favorites for their home World Cup.

The team assembled for a movie night by watching Step Up, a 1940s movie about an underdog dancer having his day on a big stage, on the projector at their base.

It demonstrates England’s effort to end an 11-year search for the world title and become world champions for the first time on their own soil as a result.

According to David Richardson, an experienced consultant in sports leadership and an honorary visiting professor at Liverpool John Moores University, “It’s about ignoring the noise around them and making sure they don’t care if they are favorites.”

The outcome will look after itself as long as you have an internal expectation. People will anticipate, but they have defeated strong opponents in the final, so the goal is to dispel the myth.

World No. 1 England are the clear favorites for the Saturday final at Twickenham, but the top-ranked teams on earth might compete in it.

The English have triumphed in 37 of their previous 13 meetings in nine years when they have faced off against each other. In the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and the 2014 World Cup final, the Red Roses defeated the Canadians.

Sarah Hunter is now the team’s defense coach and was a member of the winning team in 2014 when England lost in the heartbreaking 2022 final.

She will need to have experience with young players to deal with nerves around camp.

She says, “You have to have faith in the whole process, the plan, and people.”

When we won in 2014, and on the day of the final, everyone was so relaxed and composed. Everyone was aware of the duties and responsibilities that they would have. We lacked the need to “make it bigger.”

Being one of the few national teams with a completely professional setup, both for players and coaches, helps Mitchell’s side.

Charlie Hayter, the head of women’s performance since 2023, and other members of their backroom staff have responsibilities that prioritize the players’ psychological well-being.

In order to increase their chances of winning their first World Cup, Canada, meanwhile, had to crowdfund some of their costs.

The difference in support off the pitch could be significant, even though the Canadians have a number of world-class players and exerted pressure on England in their most recent meeting, a 21-12 defeat in 2024.

The key point from England has been to alter the narrative that the country has come so far on numerous occasions. They have reached six of their previous finals, but they have lost just one.

There are many new faces in addition to the 12 starting 15 from the 2022 final. This year, eight of the 32-woman squad made their World Cup debuts, and they all have a different coach.

According to Richardson, the only way to get past the fear of failing as a result of 2022 is to change the narrative.

There were difficult decisions that they had to make in the final that didn’t go their way.

You have a skilled squad, but the focus of the story is on handling this circumstance rather than rehashing the past. It is a compelling narrative that emphasizes securing their best chance.

“Seizing opportunities is unfinished business,” the phrase says. You can see that the players are buying into it as it appears to be filtering through.

You can get hung up on the past because it’s like the England men’s football team. However, the camp had a different vibe three years ago, with different staff members and different countries. Nothing about the weekend is involved.

The favorite tag adds pressure, and the omnipresent message that women’s sports are leaving a legacy and inspiring future generations is also present.

However, England manager Mitchell stated that “this team” would not be defined by their failure to win the World Cup at their squad announcement in July.

This week, RFU Chairman Bill Sweeney stated on the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast that “the legacy is already in place.

“We’re bringing in a lot more brand-new fans,” the company’s goal was always to promote the game. More volunteers and more players are attracted to us.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, an NBA franchise, have signed CJ Fulton.

In anticipation of a contract that has been confirmed, the Belfast-born 23-year-old has spent the first half of the pre-season with the back-to-back Western Conference finalists.

Fulton is expected to be traded to the Iowa Wolves in the G-League, the NBA’s team-affiliated development league, in the coming days, giving him a chance to develop and make his way to the Timberwolves’ entire roster.

He explained to BBC Sport NI earlier in September, “It’s a way to keep me glued to the franchise and work my way up.”

Fulton made his NBA debut for the Timberwolves during the Summer League despite being selected for the NBA Draft in June.

He was the third Irish-born player to play basketball at the highest level in the United States since Pat Burke and Susan Moran, who both played four minutes in the team’s 89-85 victory over the Phoenix Suns in July.

The former St. Malachy’s College student then scored two points, two assists, and two steals in 17 minutes against the Houston Rockets.

He initially caught the Timberwolves’ attention when he played college basketball for Lafayette and the Charleston Cougars, where he averaged 7.8 points and 6.5% assists per game.

Fernando Alonso says it would be “very hard” to retire from Formula 1 at the end of 2026 if Aston Martin are not competitive next season.

The 44-year-old two-time world champion’s contract expires at the end of next year and Alonso says he has “thought about” leaving F1.

“If things go well, I think it’s a very good moment to stop because I’ve been chasing a competitive car and competitive racing for many, many years, and if I have that I think it’s a very good way to close my career,” Alonso said in an interview released by the team.

Alonso won his two world titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006, and has not won a race since his victory for Ferrari in the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix.

Although regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, and still performing at a very high level, his career since then has been a story of not having a competitive car.

Alonso finished runner-up in the championship three times in four years for Ferrari, and in 2010 and 2012 missed out on beating Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel to the title by just five and four points respectively, despite driving a less competitive car.

A move to McLaren for 2014 did not pay off as the team were in decline and their Honda engines were the worst on the grid at the time.

He stepped away from F1 at the end of 2018 to pursue other interests, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours and the world endurance championship twice, as well as competing in the Indianapolis 500 and Dakar Rally.

Alonso returned to F1 in 2021 with Alpine and moved to Aston Martin in 2023, when the team had a brief burst of competitiveness and Alonso took six podiums in the first eight races before the team’s form tailed off.

Aston Martin are having a difficult 2025 season and are seventh in the constructors’ championship with seven races remaining.

Alonso is 14th in the drivers’ championship, two points and three places behind team-mate Lance Stroll, despite out-qualifying the Canadian 19 times to one so far.

Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll has spent the past few years investing in the team in the hope of turning them into champions.

Next year, they will produce their first car under the technical leadership of design legend Adrain Newey, who joined them in March this year after resigning from Red Bull in April 2024.

Alonso says he sees 2026, when F1 is introducing new regulations for engines and chassis, as an “opportunity” and has been impressed by his first experiences of working with Newey.

“He’s an incredible person and everyone in the team is learning from him,” Alonso said.

Alonso, who will turn 45 in July next year, says he believes Aston Martin have put together all the ingredients needed to win.

“I’m pretty convinced about that,” he said. “The only thing is when. That’s probably my only question mark from this project.

“In my case, driving in the last couple of years of my career, obviously, I want to taste the success of the Aston Martin project.

“But I know that everything takes a little bit of time to glue all the pieces together.

“Aston Martin fighting for and winning the World Championship is more or less guaranteed in the future – we have everything needed to fight for a World Championship.