Category Sports News

Joe Root claims that his appointment as England’s next limited-overs captain has “sailed” the “ship has sailed”

After Jos Buttler left after their early exit at the Champions Trophy, England are looking for a new captain for the one-day and T20 sides.

Root, 34, has never been a white-ball international leader, but he still leads England’s 50-over batsmen in a white-ball international. He captained the Test team from 2017 to 2022.

“I’ve done my time as a captain in an England shirt, but I’m confident that anyone who gets the chance will be very proud and do a fantastic job,” Root said to Sky Sports.

After serving for two and a half years, Buttler resigned, but there hasn’t been much public interest in finding a replacement.

England will not rush the decision, according to managing director Rob Key, who stated that there are other options available to include Ben Stokes combining the duties of Test skipper and his own.

Coach Brendon McCullum has not ruled out naming separate 50-over and T20 captains. Given that Root is not currently playing for England’s cricket team in the shortest format, that could have allowed him to captain for 50 overs together with a different T20 skipper.

Although he was Buttler’s vice-captain, Batter Harry Brook is a key player in all three formats, he is still a strong choice.

To manage his schedule, he canceled the Indian Premier League that is currently in play.

Additionally, Key and McCullum will think about appointing a former national team’s successful captain, with Sam Billings, who earlier told BBC Sport, saying he would “jump” at the chance.

England have won three disappointing World Cup appearances, which led to Buttler’s resignation, after winning the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and the T20 title in 2022.

Root described their winless group-stage exit as disappointing.

We performed poorly against what we were capable of. That team has a lot of talent and a lot more to offer.

In response to an investigation into allegations of match manipulation, Kenya goalkeeper Patrick Matasi has been proviso suspended from all football activity for 90 days.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) made the decision on Thursday evening, shortly after the governing body announced an investigation into the 37-year-old.

The incident occurred as a result of an online video that appeared to show the keeper and a player agreeing to influence the outcome of a game.

The unofficial video cannot be verified by the BBC.

Matasi has 30 international caps for Kakamega Homeboys, a Premier League team in Kenya.

He has not responded to numerous comment requests.

Cleophas Shimanyula, the Kakamega Homeboyz owner, claimed Matasi refuted the allegations.

Shimanyula told BBC Sport Africa, “He was shocked by what he was seeing in the video, and he said he doesn’t know anything about match-fixing.”

“Kakamega Homeboyz opposes any kind of match-tracking.”

In a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Cameroon in October, Matasi made his most recent appearance for Kenya.

The game was won by the Harambee Stars 4-1.

Bayern Munich have accused Canada Soccer of negligence after Alphonso Davies returned from international duty with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Defender Davies went off injured 12 minutes into Canada’s 2-1 win against the United States in a Concacaf Nations League third-place play-off on Sunday.

Canada Soccer initially gave the 24-year-old the all clear, but an examination on his return to Munich revealed the injury. The full-back is expected to be out for at least six months.

He added: “The way things went down was incorrect. We are the employer and also pay the players, so we will investigate.”

In an interview with German tabloid newspaper Bild, Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said the club wanted a “complete clarification of the events”, accusing Canada Soccer of “gross negligence” and saying “we reserve the right to take legal action”.

He continued: “Sending an obviously injured player with a damaged knee on a twelve-hour intercontinental flight without a thorough medical assessment is, in our view, grossly negligent and a clear breach of medical duty of care.

“Phonzy (Davies) is not at fault, he’s the captain and he wants to take responsibility. Canada as host nation of the 2026 World Cup has already qualified, you can’t take risks with a player like him.”

Davies signed a new five-year contract with the club in February to end speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid.

Bayern also lost French centre-back Dayot Upamecano to a long-term leg injury during the international break and remain without captain Manuel Neuer.

Italy has more than its fair share of iconic football clubs. AC Milan. Inter Milan. Juventus. Napoli. Lazio. Roma. These institutions roll off the tongue.

For many English fans of Italian football, particularly those whose love of calcio can be traced back to Channel 4’s ‘Football Italia’, Sampdoria belong on that list.

In the decade between 1984 and 1994 Sampdoria won six major titles, while modern greats Trevor Francis, Roberto Mancini, Gianluca Vialli, Ruud Gullit and David Platt all wore the club’s iconic strip.

The Blucerchiati of that period acquired a cultural cachet that was hard to match.

Yet Sampdoria now find themselves struggling in Serie B – and facing the real threat of relegation to the third tier for the first time.

Unusually for a club with such a large cult following, Sampdoria are a relative newcomer to the Italian football landscape.

The northern Italian port city of Genoa has a proud footballing heritage -Sampdoria’s city rivals Genoa Cricket and Football Club were founded in 1893 and are the oldest active team in Italy.

The most recent of Genoa’s nine top-flight titles came 21 years before Sampdoria were formed in 1946, following a merger of middling Genoese clubs Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria.

That unification produced their iconic home shirts – the blue represents Andrea Doria while the white, red and black mid-section came from Sampierdarenese.

Before the 1984-85 season, Sampdoria’s only honour was the 1966-67 second division title.

Yet over the next decade, the club won the Coppa Italia four times – more than any other side during that period – were crowned Serie A champions, won the European Cup Winners’ Cup and played in a European Cup final.

After assuming the club presidency in 1979, Paolo Mantovani was the man who turned an unfashionable mid-table team into serial winners.

Having made his money in the oil business, Mantovani spent heavily but smartly to propel Sampdoria to unprecedented heights.

Big names like Francis, Graeme Souness and Liam Brady were signed, but it was the recruitment of some of the best young Italian talents that really paid off.

A 17-year-old Mancini arrived from Bologna in 1982, followed two years later by a 19-year-old Vialli from Cremonese.

Nicknamed the ‘goal twins’ because of their prolific attacking partnership, both scored in the second leg of the 1984-95 Coppa Italia final, the first major title in Sampdoria’s history.

Mancini and Vialli first met at 16 playing for Italy’s youth teams and formed a close friendship that characterised the unity in the Sampdoria squad.

“We have a relationship that goes way beyond friendship,” Mancini said before Vialli’s death from pancreatic cancer in 2023. “He’s almost like a brother to me.”

Along with goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca, defender Pietro Vierchowod, attacking right-back Moreno Mannini, midfield anchor Fausto Pari and electric winger Attilio Lombardo, the duo formed the backbone of a team that won three more Coppa Italia titles – and the club’s first and only Scudetto in 1990-91 under legendary manager Vujadin Boskov.

“Mantovani cultivated a remarkable camaraderie among a uniquely talented group,” says Italian football writer Stephen Kasiewicz.

“Despite more lucrative offers the core of the team stayed together.”

Boskov’s side won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1990, while only a Ronald Koeman free-kick saw them lose to Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona ‘dream team’ in the European Cup final two years later.

Mantovani’s death in 1993 was “the beginning of the end at Sampdoria”, according to Italian football journalist David Ferrini.

He added: “Mantovani’s reign attracted talent and kept them happy in Genoa, but his passing – combined with the hangover of the Scudetto success – meant that Sampdoria’s best players became prime transfer targets.”

In 1994 they lost Vialli to Juventus for a then-world record £12m, while Inter Milan paid £7m for Pagliuca, a record for a goalkeeper at the time.

Vierchowod joined Juventus 12 months later before Mancini followed Sven Goran Eriksson – who had replaced Boskov as manager in 1992 – to Lazio in 1997.

Gullit and Platt joined for brief spells in the latter stages of their careers, but Sampdoria no longer had the same appeal they once did.

Enrico Mantovani took over as president but failed to replicate his father’s success – and a steady decline followed the Coppa Italia triumph of 1993-94. In 1999 the club were relegated to Serie B.

Things improved under the presidency of local entrepreneur Riccardo Garrone, who guided the club back to Serie A in 2003 and signed future cult heroes Fabio Quagliarella and Antonio Cassano.

Yet the highlights of the 21st Century have been losing the Coppa Italia final in 2008-09 and a fourth-place league finish the following year.

Outspoken film producer Massimo Ferrero bought the club in 2014 – taking on its growing debts – but what followed was seven years of selling their best players, spending little on replacements and flirting with relegation on a regular basis.

“He seemed more concerned with bolstering his own image, as the bizarre star of his own one-man reality football show, than making sure Samp prospered,” says Kasiewicz.

In December 2021 Ferrero was arrested and jailed as part of an investigation into corporate crimes and bankruptcy, unrelated to the club. He resigned as president.

“The club effectively ceased to function. It’s been like a house of cards,” says Nima Tavallaey, Italian football journalist and co-host of The Italian Football Podcast.

With no funds available and Ferrero refusing to relinquish control, Sampdoria narrowly avoided relegation from Serie A in 2022. But in 2023 they did go down, amid reports of unpaid player wages.

With the club starring down the barrel of bankruptcy and demotion to the fourth tier, a consortium led by former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani and London-based financier Matteo Manfredi – and his company Gestio Capital – bought the club, though Radrizzani has since divested his shares.

Italian World Cup winner Andrea Pirlo was hired as coach in 2023-24.

After a dismal start to the campaign his side won seven of their final 11 games to secure a seventh-place finish in Serie B and a spot in the promotion play-offs, where they lost 2-0 to Palermo in the preliminary round.

Gestio invested about £45m during their first season, but things have not gone according to plan this term.

The month before Sampdoria’s play-off exit Manfredi had described Pirlo as “a key part of the project” – yet three games into the current campaign he was dismissed following two defeats and a draw.

Andrea Sottil replaced him and, although he oversaw a Coppa Italia penalty shootout victory against Genoa in the first Derby della Lanterna in two years, he was jettisoned too after just four wins in 14 games.

Leonardo Semplici arrived in December and remains in position despite overseeing just two wins in 14 league games, both coming at the start of February.

Sampdoria find themselves 16th in the table – the final relegation play-off spot – with eight games left to play, and just two points above automatic relegation.

As things stand, a two-legged play-off will decide if they sink to the third tier for the first time.

“Dropping down into Serie C is unthinkable after all the efforts to keep the club in business,” says Ferrini.

“Manfredi won’t want to go down in history as the owner who took them down into the third division.”

For Tavallaey, just avoiding relegation won’t be enough.

As Arsenal prepares to confirm their appointment as their new sporting director, Andrea Berta is scheduled to arrive in the UK before the start of the week.

The Italian has been in arduous discussions about appointing an Italian to take Edu’s place permanently after leaving Emirates Stadium in 2024.

Following the Brazilian’s departure, Edu’s deputy Jason Ayto was a strong contender for the position.

The roles were also up for grabs by former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth and Roberto Olabe, who is currently employed by Real Sociedad.

However, Berta will take over as Arsenal’s new sporting director, with the club currently preparing to make the announcement. The Italian will travel to north London in the coming days to set up his work with the Gunners.

He is anticipated to be present for Tuesday’s Premier League game against Fulham.

The 53-year-old has the reputation of being one of the best sports directors in European football.

Prior to joining Atletico Madrid in 2013, he previously held positions as technical director at the Italian clubs Parma and Genoa.

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague described him as “quite unique” in comparison to other sports directors.

He had no professional footballing background; he began his in banking and only started playing football after joining amateur clubs Carpenedolo and Genoa, where he made important connections with Peter Kenyon and Jorge Mendes.

” Under his watch, Atletico won two La Liga titles (2013-14, 2020-21), a Copa del Rey (2013), a Europa League (2017-18), and a Uefa Super Cup (2018).

After the team’s 2014 title-winning team faded, he is regarded as the architect of the rebuild.

Berta assisted Atletico in making some wise acquisitions during that rebuild working with manager Diego Simeone.

Griezmann, a France international, signed for Real Sociedad for £24.8 million in 2014 and was then sold to Barcelona for £103 million. In 2021, Atletico purchased him for just £16.5 million.

Rodri, a former Ballon d’Or winner, signed for £16.5 million in 2018 and sold to Manchester City for $ 62.5 million the following year, while Slovenian goalkeeper Oblak signed for just £13 million from Benfica in 2014. He is now widely regarded as one of the world’s top goalkeepers.

Forward Julian Alvarez signed for Atletico for £81.5 million last summer, and he has so far scored 23 goals this season.

Balague cited the addition of key players like Griezmann (twice), Luis Suarez, Kieran Trippier, Llorente, De Paul, and Julian Alvarez.

He also had some flops, such as Joao Felix, Kalinic, Arias, and Torreira, but he always managed to stay within the club’s means.

Alex Howell, a reporter for BBC Sport’s Arsenal,

He must deal with a few pressing issues.

The main and most obvious task is to get Arsenal to add a much-needed forward. This season, the Gunners have had to deal with significant attacker injuries and haven’t signed a forward in two transfer windows.

Kai Havertz has excelled in filling that void, but it’s always obvious Arsenal needs a natural goalscorer.

Alexander Isak and RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko have long been in the news, and Newcastle forward Benjamin Sesko has also been linked with a move to north London.

However, Eddie Howe’s Magpies are in contention to finish in the Champions League, which makes it more expensive and challenging to buy Isak.

In addition, Arteta’s side could use a player with some flair and the ability to make things happen when they play Premier League opponents who are ineffective.

Berta will need to address incoming calls as well. With key players Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, and Bukayo Saka all entering their final two years of contracts, the club is having a big summer.

To allow Arteta to continue building on the impressive work he has done with the team, Berta will need to ensure that those players are kept in check.

Additionally, some players require progression. After Myles Lewis-Skelly emerged, Oleksandr Zinchenko has fallen further down the pecking order, and the Gunners, if they had accepted the right offer, would have allowed him to leave in January.

Helmut Marko, a sports expert, claims that Red Bull “made a mistake” in selecting Liam Lawson.

Following disappointing results in the first two races of the season, the New Zealander was given a promotion to Max Verstappen as team-mate.

In a swap with Yuki Tsunoda from Japan, Lawson has made a second-team appearance for Red Bull.

Marko claimed that his performance, “unfortunately not good enough, and that comes from self-assurance,” was lacking.

Lawson sailed out of the race after finishing 18th in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. He placed 14th and 12th in China last weekend, coming in last both for the sprint and the grand prix.

Verstappen, the reigning world champion, finished second in Shanghai and second in Melbourne. The Japanese Grand Prix will take place on April 4 and 4 respectively.

Lawson, 23, said he was relieved of his position but that he is looking forward to working for his former team, Racing Bulls.

He wrote on Instagram, “Being a Red Bull Racing driver has been my dream since I was a child. It’s what I’ve worked for my entire life.”

“I’m appreciative of everything that has brought me here.” Thank you for your continued support, everyone who stood by me. The world is meant by that.

Tsunoda, 24, was “to the end of the season” at Red Bull to demonstrate his abilities, according to Marko, Marko.

When the Japanese were to decide Lawson was the best bet at the end of the previous season, Marko responded, “Tsunoda made a big step.” It’s odd that after four years, he is now in his fifth year, has a much stronger personality, has more self-assurance, and did two excellent races; it’s just that his strategy didn’t work at Racing Bulls.

A very challenging car experience is something that will help in this situation. Our thoughts were on that.

We were concerned that Lawson’s self-confidence might not be able to deliver his usual performance, according to Marko, who stated that Red Bull decided not to give him another chance at the Japanese Grand Prix. This is Lawson’s first race this season that will take place on a circuit he has previously raced on.

He continued, “We have two drivers for the constructors’ championship, but we also need to support Max strategy because it’s easier to max a strategy that favors the number one driver if you have two drivers in the top five or eight.”

Marko argued that Lawson’s decision to switch to Tsunoda was not a demotion.

He won’t be expelled from Formula One, Marko claimed, and Racing Bulls will give him a chance to recover and his career will begin again.

Marko cited the drivers’ prior Red Bull career as proof that Lawson could resurrect his career.

Marko said, “He goes back to Racing Bulls, which has a car capable of placing in the top 10 in both qualifying and the race,” to benefit him.

“Just look in the past; it was (Pierre) Gasly; it also happened to (Alex) Albon; they both recovered, and they are now competitive F1 drivers.”

Ferrari made the decision to resign Sergio Perez from his free agent position until the end of 2026, as they did with the driver errors from last spring, when they chose to do so instead of signing Lewis Hamilton as a free agent.

Perez’s performances were sluggish, and Red Bull ended the season by paying him off and taking Lawson instead.

In retrospect, Marko said, “But when he was available with Red Bull Racing, it was a different situation.

Marko expressed his optimism that Red Bull could fix the car’s issues and give Verstappen a fifth title.

He acknowledged that if the Dutchman’s car’s pace did not improve, he might consider stopping.

We are incredibly motivated to win this fifth title, according to Marko. Additionally, all of the top drivers’ contracts have performance clauses in place if they don’t deliver for Max.

So we must ensure that he receives a vehicle that is winable, and Max and the engineers had a very positive discussion about how to proceed and how to make the car more maneuverable and have a wider range of drivability.

“We are eight points clear of them, so it’s just two races.” And the entire team is working hard to win this fifth title, which we didn’t do with Sebastian Vettel, but it’s still possible this time.

We were competitive but not everywhere like it was on the McLaren, but we are not as off as it seems, according to Max on the hard tyre (in the Chinese Grand Prix).