Category Sports News

As Lewis Richardson prepares to make his professional debut on Saturday in Ipswich, he hopes to add more history to Colchester.

The 27-year-old won bronze at the Paris Olympics, becoming the first Colchester native to bring home an Olympic medal. He was the only Briton to do so after winning the only other medal at the event.

On the day of Fabio Wardley vs. Justis Huni, he will make his professional debut against Dmitri Protkunas.

“We want to be a world champion for the long term. I think I can accomplish that. According to my coach Dennis (Mullan), he claimed to be Colchester’s first amateur national champion.

“I believe I’m correct to expect me to be their first world champion,” he said.

Richardson carefully selected his next steps before choosing a promoter.

Richardson did not sign with Queensberry Promotions until May, despite the fact that Delicious Orie and other Olympians had already made their professional debuts.

He will take on middleweight opponents, and he believes that the paid positions will “provide me with a great opportunity to express myself while also serving as a role model for the younger competitors.”

Richardson has had the same local sponsor since he was 17 and is a well-known face at League Two Colchester United.

“I paused,” I said. Many people were asking me why I was taking so long, I am aware of. The madness is fueled by a method. Richardson said, “I wanted a strong team to support me.”

“I’m very proud to be from Colchester and Essex. Although my family has a traditional council estate, this only highlights the power of sport.

Heavyweight fight between Fabio Wardley and Justis Huni

Tijjani Reijnders, a Netherlands midfielder, has agreed a 55 million euro (£46,3 million) contract with AC Milan.

After agreeing to personal terms with City, the 26-year-old will enter the Etihad Stadium and agree to a five-year contract.

The agreement includes additional payments if certain conditions are met, and is medical-related.

In time for the Club World Cup, which begins on June 14th, City hopes to close a deal with Reijnders.

Mateo Kovacic, who has been ruled out of the 32-team tournament in the United States after having Achilles surgery, will strengthen a section of the pitch that has been damaged by injury.

Reijnders, who has played for the Netherlands 22 times, is the type of balanced midfielder City lacking last year.

The Dutchman won the title of Serie A’s midfielder of the year after scoring 15 goals in 54 games for Milan overall last term.

His performances contrasted with Milan’s miserable campaign, which saw the Rossoneri finish eighth and fall short of European qualification.

The 26-year-old scored double figures for the first time in Reijnders’ best goalscoring campaign of his career.

The former AZ Alkmaar midfielder, who made his senior debut for PEC Zwolle in 2018, is far more than just goals.

Reijnders’ appeal to a coach like Pep Guardiola is unwavering and capable of playing deep or high in midfield.

The midfielder has the ability to take the ball in tight spaces and can effectively beat the press either through passing or ball-carrying.

Reijnders could play alongside Rodri in a more advanced role or alongside the Spaniard with Rodri returning from injury toward the end of the current season.

However, he will have the greatest impact by giving Guardiola more midfield options.

After a mixed 2025 so far, Robert MacIntyre claims that he is beginning to see “light at the end of the tunnel” before winning the Canadian Open.

The 28-year-old Scot has struggled with his putting and short game at times despite posting three top-10 finishes in his second year competing on the PGA Tour.

He claims that his form is improving now that he and the Charles Schwab Challenge finished tied for sixth and placed 20th overall at the Memorial Tournament.

According to MacIntyre, “the last two weeks have been pretty good for me.”

“Seeing the end of the tunnel with a light in my direction.” This year, things haven’t been very smooth sailing for me.

It’s been a little bit of trying to fix some things, they say. However, I now feel like the game is starting to sort of converge, and that we are on the right track.

I’ve been really good, Tee to Green. The worst has been the switching. I’m chipping on grainy greens that I’m not used to, which is not a problem.

“Putting, I’ve been having trouble, but since switching putting coaches at Pebble Beach, my putting is finally returning to where I want it to be.

When his father Dougie remembers serving as the tournament’s caddie, MacIntyre will attempt to defend the Canadian Open title he won a year ago, which was his first on the PGA Tour.

The Ryder Cup player revealed that he and his dad visited the place of their triumph despite the fact that MacIntyre’s triumph was held at TPC Toronto this year rather than Hamilton.

Do you want to visit Canada again, I asked my father last week. You can take a vacation once more if you’re not caddying.

He’s humming and arguing about leaving his job, and my mother ended up telling me, “You’re 60 now, get to Canada.”

He arrived, and we left for Hamilton on Tuesday. For the Canadian Open’s Sunday, they actually released the pin positions. We were sort of reflecting on particular shots and putts.

“It’s just special for my dad and I to go back there and play golf without the crowds, without the media, and without any trouble.”

After the French side’s final game of the season, Roberto de Zerbi discreetly disclosed that his coach told him to “start following Marseille and Chris Waddle” when I was 13-14 when I was in the AC Milan youth academy.

I fell in love with Marseille that year. I started following the club because of Waddle”. With Les Phoceens, the England winger would triumph in the 1991 European Cup final and win three Ligue 1 titles.

De Zerbi’s revelation came after a season filled with upbeat and occasionally stomping news conferences at La Commanderie and the Velodrome. The Italian found in France’s oldest city something that mirrored his past and his own temperament.

“In some ways, the city of Marseille and the club of Marseille are similar to me.” In the beginning of February, the former Brighton boss said, “I was looking for a place that could make me dream.”

De Zerbi is a natural fit for the heat at Olympique de Marseille. Both his team and the city need conviction. Here, you must take sides, as the famous local poet Jean-Claude Izzo once said. Be passionate. Be in favor or oppose. Be yourself with all your heart.

At the end of the season the Italian was caught up in jubilant celebrations, waving a flare with supporters that had greeted the Marseille squad at 4am at Provence Airport. De Zerbi just a few weeks prior to the event, “I was born an ultra.”

Although it wasn’t a title win, it did feel incredibly impressive to finish second in Ligue 1 and make it to the Champions League.

The appointment of the passionate Italian was viewed as an “impossible dream” by club president Pablo Longoria when he made a call last summer after De Zerbi departed Brighton.

“Marseille has always been the port of exiles… Anyone arriving at the port on one day in this place is bound to feel at home,” according to Izzo, who also wrote about Marseille.

The club underwent a radical overhaul after finishing eighth last season, welcoming a mix of misfits and experienced players attracted to De Zerbi’s new project. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Neal Maupay and Adrien Rabiot all arrived citing De Zerbi as a factor.

Along with Derek Cornelius from Canada, English duo Jonathan Rowe and Mason Greenwood joined the Anglophone lineup at the club.

“Roberto de Zerbi called me out of the blue, which made a big difference.” I was a bit taken aback by it because it’s the first time a manager has gone out of his way to call me and say he wants me”, former Norwich winger Rowe told BBC Sport.

Your body type, how you play, how you think and stay focused during a game have all been a little more studied by the coach. There is a lot of information to consider.

“He’s very demanding, one of the best coaches in the world. Before the final game of the season, Greenwood remarked, “One of the reasons I came here.” He places me in the best position possible so that I can express myself and we have a great relationship.

” We’ve also had to learn when to be patient, when to play a bit quicker when we have a lot of the ball and break down defences. He has also provided me with a lot of knowledge about my game.

Greenwood left Manchester United for the club last summer in a deal worth up to 31.6 million euros (£26.66 million). Serious charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped in February 2023.

We internally made the choice. Yes, there was some opposition, but it was objective, according to Longoria, president of the Marseille club. But at the same time that gave us power to maybe not investigate, because I’m not a judge, but to use all the information to make the best decision, which I think we did. “

In his Ligue 1 debut, Greenwood scored twice in a 5-1 win over Brest, going on to finish with 21 goals, breaking the record for the most goals scored in a debut season for a Marseille player in the 21st century behind Bafetimbi Gomis (20) and Didier Drogba (19).

Opta claims that his goals contributed to the club’s 16 additional points, which is the most of any player in Ligue 1 this season.

Yet after a run of five losses in seven games, the season would take a turn for the surreal. A report from French newspaper L’Equipe went as far as to suggest a “mutiny” had occurred following De Zerbi’s defeat by Reims in March.

De Zerbi retorted, “Some people made me appear to be a criminal.” It’s not fair. I have a good personality. What did you do, my mother called me this morning and asked. “

In the same press conference, former Brentford and Brighton striker Maupay claimed, “There is no rift between us.” He is so dedicated and passionate… In families or couples, you have to be able to talk things through. “

De Zerbi, Longoria, and Medhi Benatia collectively decided to take the squad on a training retreat to Rome after concerns about the team’s environment.

Following a defeat earlier in the season by Auxerre, OM had been attending a team bonding camp, but the team’s 50-person sporting operation had to relocate to the edge of the Italian capital late in the season as a result.

” We’ve thought with the club about doing everything we can to reach our objective, “said De Zerbi”. It’s just to help the team reconnect, not as punishment. The players reaffirmed. It won’t change their lives, but it could change their careers. “

Marseille discovered a kind of rebirth in the Eternal City as the world turned its attention to Rome following Pope Francis’ death. Before returning to Champions League qualification, De Zerbi and club representatives paid their respects at the Vatican.

Ping-pong, rooftop barbecues and work on the training pitch, away from the prying eyes of La Commanderie, ended up being what was needed to make the difference in the final games of the season.

I smiled Rowe and said, “I had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday there because I had never been there before.” We actually managed to foster better cohesion and unity.

Sixteen goals in the final five games of the season earned big wins over Brest and Montpellier, with a victory at Le Havre sparking scenes of celebration. De Zerbi, his players, and the rest of his staff drew the attention away section, which created tension.

The Italian later said, “I believe this is more than a miracle.”

” We spent time together, had dinner together. It was a family, and we trained less, but we worked very hard on unity on the pitch.

The De Zerbi story’s opening scene at Marseille has turned out to be a whirlwind that has brought about the desired outcome for everyone: Champions League qualification.

“I love conflict, I love controversy. It’s a part of football and the DNA of this club, in my opinion. At his end-of-season press conference, Longoria remarked, “You can’t change that.

“With Roberto, we started a cycle that we set out in a three-year contract. We’re in a good place, in my opinion.

We want to find consistency; don’t let this club’s adrenaline run out.

After a summit held in the US, Marseille confirmed the commitment between Longoria, De Zerbi, Benatia and American owner Frank McCourt to continue working together.

De Zerbi’s odyssey will have a second act in the south of France, one in which the coach will compete for the first time since his 2021 tenure at Shakhtar Donetsk.

Twelve hours prior to kick-off, Scotland’s Tilburg airport’s tarmac was there.

The Netherlands, ranked 10th in the world, made a trip that was already daunting even more challenging due to team travel disruptions.

What should have been a flight on Monday afternoon quickly turned into an evening and, ultimately, a Tuesday morning flight.

This scenario would not have been in the script, even though Melissa Andreatta anticipated her first away game with the Scots.

Scotland didn’t leave the Koning Willem Stadion, though, with a spring in their step.

With significantly lower expectations, they were unable to enter their final Nations League Group A1 game.

There was a concern that the Dutch might be able to teach a significant lesson to the spin, which they had already lost six games to before their plane problems.

Andreatta and her players didn’t huff and puff despite their unconventional preparations.

If you hadn’t heard of their problems and had to rock up to the stadium, you could probably forgive yourself for thinking everything was done before the game.

There was no mention of justifying it or describing it as a special circumstance. Instead, it provided a chance to impress.

Impressively, they succeeded. The Scots were at ease for a large portion of the Netherlands’ home turf.

Kirsty MacLean, a midfielder for the Rangers, was the person who was putting the pressure on.

Scotland has long sought a deep-minded midfielder to complement Caroline Weir and Erin Cuthbert’s attacking prowess.

The 20-year-old “Ini” – a nod to former Spain maestro Andres Iniesta – staked her claim in Tilburg for that role.

Cuthbert and Weir appeared more like the people they see playing for clubs, but they frequently lack that quality for Scotland fans.

Weir, who wore the captain’s armband, was unable to conceal her excitement over the performance.

The 29-year-old told BBC Scotland, “It’s huge going forward.”

It gives us confidence,” he said. We established a new standard for ourselves, and we must continue. I’m extremely proud of both how we approached the game and the performance.

On the touchline, Andreatta’s enthusiasm and energy were palpable.

She was pacing up and down the touchline, her arms swinging in support, and her legs kicked every ball, whether it was minute eight, 58, or 88.

A giant tactics board was used to redirect the players twice during breakups in the match, and the switch to a back three at half-time helped to restore the momentum.

There were heartening hollers and dramatic dashes throughout the entire game for her players’ efforts.

In these early days, it is obvious how invested the Australian is.

With only five or six sessions remaining, and players entering their final seasons, the head coach expressed excitement about the team’s growth after the draw.

We had no chance to win the second half, in my opinion.

“We have a little bit of a break, and we’ll start again in October,” he said. “We’ll get a chance to look at players who aren’t even here.” This is a good way to close this campaign.

Up until the final game, the campaign had been bitterly unsatisfying.

Former Scotland international Leanne Crichton made it clear that she was desperate to see the back of the campaign when she had a preview of the final dance in Tilburg.

The former midfielder claimed that because we had already qualified for two major tournaments, including the 2018 World Cup, we had fallen off the edge of a cliff.

“We are currently in a significant transitional period.”

Scotland still faces disappointment this summer by lounging on their sofas in Switzerland while competing in the Euros.

And a run of eight games without a victory is not exactly good reading.

However, if this performance does prove to be the “baseline and benchmark,” it will give some hope ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Brazil in 2027.

All eyes are on that World Cup, Weir said of Real Madrid, “but there is still a long way to go.”