Category Sports News

The next generation of Scottish players, according to captain Rachel Corsie, “undoubtedly” have the “quality” to compete in women’s major tournaments.

The 35-year-old will retire as the Scots wrap up their Nations League A campaign on Friday against Austria in the Netherlands and on Tuesday against Austria, both of which will be broadcast live on the BBC.

Scotland made their first, and only, World Cup appearance in 2019, two years after reaching Euro 2017, under the direction of the defender, who hasn’t played for the national team since July.

The task of returning the Scots to the top of the table is now in the hands of new head coach Melissa Andreatta, who has failed to qualify for the previous three major competitions.

The opportunity they have to “just refine their skills,” Corsie, who has just left Aston Villa, said, “sets them up for hopefully great things,” Corsie said.

“Undoubtedly, there is talent there.” Do you think our standards are high? Yes.

However, having the mindset that “I want to be the best and I want to be a part of a team that’s the best is what I think is most important.”

The 154-cap defender made her decision on Monday, which she has been considering for a while.

Corsie, who spent the majority of the season with a knee injury, acknowledged that qualifying for this summer’s Euros in Switzerland was “the biggest target.”

Without their captain, the Scots in Finland failed to accomplish that, so the Aberdeen native’s international debut in 2009 came to an end.

She said, “It’s difficult to know how I feel.” “I was genuinely so nervous driving to camp, but yesterday’s announcement was a really emotional day but a really nice day.”

Corsie, whose professional career began with Glasgow City and ended with seven Scottish league titles, stated that she still wants to play football in some capacity beyond that time.

She has conducted interviews for the BBC, including at Euro 24, and co-hosts the Behind the Goals podcast with former teammate Leanne Crichton. She has also tried her hand at coaching.

Although she is aware that a break is necessary first and foremost, there is nothing specific yet about what the future holds.

She smiled and said, “I’m definitely going to take some time off and I don’t know how that’s going to turn out,” adding that it might be the most difficult part.

However, I’m going to take a few weeks off for a vacation, shut off my phone as much as I can these days, and just enjoy it because summer is never quite summer for professional athletes.

“I want to play a certain role in football,” I said. It’s so lovely.

A week after Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League final defeat to Manchester United and three days after the end of a disappointing season, Manchester United take on the ASEAN All Stars in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

The 20-time English champions may find it easier to accept the warm embrace of fans from far away, but their standing in Asia may change.

Old Trafford received its last Premier League trophy in 2013. According to a report released a year earlier, the organization claimed to have 659 million followers worldwide, about half of whom were from the Asia-Pacific region.

The Red Devils were undoubtedly the most well-known English team in Asia and perhaps the most well-known team from anywhere, despite the doubts surrounding such numbers and how a “follower” is defined.

The club’s business performance in Asia is still strong, with reports predicting that the club will make around $ 8 million playing these two games in three days.

However, repeated failures on the pitch, such as the 15th place finish to this Premier League season, have had an impact on fans, according to Malaysian journalist Haresh Deol, the founder of Malaysian news organization TwentyTwo13.

Although the 84, 000 capacity Bukit Jalil Stadium is one of Asia’s biggest, more than 40, 000 tickets were already on sale within hours, there are still seats in the majority of the same price range.

In contrast, United’s last visit to the same stadium was in 2009, when Sir Alex Ferguson’s side won 3-2 over a Malaysia XI with goals from Wayne Rooney, Nani, and Michael Owen.

According to Chinese reports, Friday’s game between a Hong Kong XI and a 40, 000-seater stadium might not sell out.

Not as many fans will likely travel from neighboring Thailand as they did prior to the Malaysia match.

National hero Park Ji-sung, a national hero, won trophy after trophy in South Korea after fifteen years of rule.

According to author Lee Seung-mo, “they were obviously the club with the largest fan base in South Korea back then.” They had no rivals in terms of popularity among any other European football teams at the time, according to them.

They still have a lot of devoted fans today, but things have changed a lot. By their standards, they continue to perform poorly.

Other English clubs have also made progress both on and off the pitch.

“Manchester City received a lot of supporters in South Korea and Liverpool received their glory back,” Lee said especially after Pep Guardiola’s arrival.

Liverpool have enjoyed a significant support in traditional South-East Asian hotspots like Malaysia and Singapore, which have watched English football for more than 50 years. However, their recent resurgence has helped them in markets like India, China, and Japan, which both started to participate in the Premier League sooner.

Rahul Singh, a Mumbai-based United fan, said, “Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool were not just successful again, but they also appeared more cool with the way they played, their stars, and Anfield.”

Erling Haaland is very well-known, and City have just had such a success with Pep. United are not only unproven, but they also lack interest in their sporting events.

Younger fans have turned to other venues as a result, according to Singh.

Why pick a team that suffers a lot to win? “he said.

For those just beginning their sport, there are other options.

Some fans, like those between the ages of 25 and 40 who first followed United in the 1990s and the 2000s, are still there, Bunyavirapan said. However, there are more kids supporting Man City right now.

One of my friends tried to buy his sons’ United jerseys, but they ended up choosing City ones.

Signing an Asian player can help to draw in more fans there quickly.

Son Heung-min, a major star at the club since 2015, has made them the most well-known in South Korea.

Because of Son, “a large number of Korean fans are more interested in Tottenham than United,” Lee said.

Since Kaoru Mitoma arrived, Brighton and Hove Albion have grown to be one of Japan’s best-known European sides.

Ownership of Asians can also influence their decisions. Leicester City has won the Premier League, won the FA Cup, and suffered relegation heartache under the leadership of Thailand’s King Power.

“Many Thai football fans support Leicester as their second club,” Bunyavirapan said. You don’t have to love us like a fan, but it does count as your support for us, according to a campaign called “Leicester’s friend ball.”

United continues to be popular despite their difficulties.

More than Liverpool, Chelsea, or Arsenal, they are still a special club in Korea, according to Lee. Although there are many critics of the results per week, that is actually proof that there is still interest.

And Asian fans still have faith in it.

According to Bunyavirapan, “the downfall started when Ferguson left, and it is now broken, like a building collapsed.”

Gus Atkinson, a fast bowler, has been forced to miss England’s one-day international series against West Indies due to a hamstring injury.

England defeated Zimbabwe by an innings and 45 runs in their series opener, and Atkinson, 27, suffered the injury.

The first Test at Headingley, which will take place on June 20 and runs through June, is expected to bring him to full fitness for the five-match series against India.

For the three-game series against West Indies, which kicks off on Thursday at Edgbaston, England won’t add a replacement for Atkinson.

After Jofra Archer was ruled out of the series due to a thumb problem sustained while participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Atkinson is the second injury player to leave.

The other seam candidates for the position include Brydon Carse, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, and Luke Wood.

Three T20s follow the ODIs, but Atkinson is not a member of that squad.

Harry Brook’s first white-ball captial role in England’s one-day series against the West Indies.

It might also have an impact on England’s 2027 World Cup qualification.

May

29: First ODI, Edgbaston (d/n) (13: 00 BST)

June

1: Second ODI, Cardiff (11: 00 BST)

3: Third ODI, The Kia Oval (d/n) (13: 00 BST)

6: First T20 international, Seat Unique Riverside, Chester-le-Street (d/n) (18: 30 BST)

Second T20 international, Bristol, 14:30 BST, 8:20

John McGovern has been signed by Irish Premiership side Dungannon Swifts, according to League of Ireland Premier Division leaders Shamrock Rovers.

The 22-year-old striker has an undisclosed transfer fee to Rovers.

McGovern played a key role in Dungannon’s successful 2024-25 season, which saw them finish fourth in the league and win the Irish Cup by beating Cliftonville 4-3 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 after extra-time, ensuring the Stangmore Park outfit won European football.

The former Northern Ireland Under-21 international and Newry City frontman scored the match’s opener and made 14 league starts for Rodney McAree’s team out of 29 starts.

The Dublin club’s statement on Tuesday read, “The club agreed a transfer fee with Dungannon Swifts, which will remain undisclosed.”

“This transfer is subject to international and domestic clearance, which will allow John to be selected from July 1 to July 1st, 2025,” according to the statement.

“John has attracted a lot of interest in recent months, but he has fully embraced his desire to play for Shamrock Rovers.”

Manager Stephen Bradley stated on the Shamrock Rovers club website that McGovern was on his mind for “more than a year.”

We watched John quite a bit, we were up. Over the past year, we have made numerous attempts to get him, but it was in vain.

At the time, Dungannon weren’t ready to sell because John was in college. So, it was just a matter of keeping an eye on John, which we thankfully have in place right away.

We could have moved in on other players in the previous window because we had been keeping tabs on John for a while. We really like what he’s about, and he fits the group. We patiently waited, and the task is now complete.

McGovern stated on the club’s website that making the move was “a no-brainer.”

“I’m utterly delighted. The largest club in the country, it is massive. You examine the success of Shamrock Rovers throughout the club’s history in recent years.

“I want to leave the club’s legacy,” the club president said. “I want to win medals.

French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

In the first round of the French Open, world number 11 Daniil Medvedev defeated British player Cameron Norrie, who won one of his best victories of the year.

Norrie had lost all four of his previous matches against Medvedev, including a meeting in Rome earlier in May, against a top-20 player since January 2024.

The Russian repeatedly switched from being angry to dialled in as he forced a fifth set, which the world number 81 did brilliantly but had to withstand a Medvedev comeback.

In less than four hours, Norrie came back from a setback in the decisive to win 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5.

Medvedev was unable to hold off Norrie, who won three games in a row to claim victory in the fifth game, which ended the match at 5-4.

After a protracted Medvedev forehand, Norrie celebrated by launching his racquet into the air.

Norrie, 28, said, “There wasn’t much on my mind at match point.”

“I thought he was a little tentative, but to be honest, it was a crazy match,” he said.

Because he has already defeated me four times, I believe I deserve a diploma for beating Medvedev. It was a dreamlike match.

Federico Gomez will face the Briton in the third round, beating the Argentine who was fortunate to lose.

Medvedev will claim at almost every opportunity that clay is not his preferred surface, but Norrie, who was outstanding, is not in doubt of that fact.

He continued to play well in the rallies with the defensive Medvedev, hitting with depth and particularly pummelling his forehand.

He had a bad first set, but Medvedev made a comeback as he stayed put while serving for it, as the Russian did once more at the conclusion of the match.

In the second, Norrie took the lead, with Medvedev yelling at his coach in French and frequently gesticulating to his box.

Before Medvedev found his focus, cutting out the theatrics and racing through two sets to force a decider, brave hitting gave Norrie a two-set lead.

All the energy was with Medvedev, who had broken Norrie in the third game, but a service game that had caused him to lose gave the initiative back to him.

Virgil van Dijk, the skipper of Liverpool, expresses his “praying for a quick recovery” for the victims of the car crash that struck the crowd during the club’s trophy parade.

Four children were hurt in a car that struck crowds during the Premier League trophy parade on Monday in central Liverpool, which left about 50 people injured.

A 53-year-old British man has since been detained in Liverpool.

According to Steve Rotheram, mayor of Liverpool City Metro, four injured people are “very, very ill” in a hospital.

On social media, Van Dijk wrote, “My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected.”

“Praying for everyone who has been injured to recover quickly. We are all with you.

Jurgen Klopp, the ex-manager of Liverpool, wrote on social media: “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are hurt and impacted.”

At a news conference on Monday, Premier Sir Keir Starmer said, “Liverpool stands together and the entire country stands with them.”

Kenny Dalglish, an ex-Liverpool manager and player, described the incident as “shocked, horrified, and deeply saddened” by the former manager.

Billy Hogan, the CEO of Liverpool, said: “I want to express my condolences to all those who have been affected by this terrible incident.

This weekend was one of celebration, joy, and emotion that spread throughout the city, and this terrible incident caused unfathomable scenes of distress for our entire fanbase.

On Monday during the bank holiday, thousands of Liverpool supporters gathered on the side’s streets to celebrate their Premier League victory.

The parade was held on Water Street, but traffic was prevented there.

However, eyewitnesses claimed that the vehicle disregarded “road closed” warnings.

Around ten minutes after the bus carrying Liverpool’s players, staff, and the Premier League trophy had left, the car slammed into the supporters.

Police claim that the incident is not connected to terrorism.