Category Sports News

Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko says she will “seek justice in court” after being subjected to “moral abuse” by the Women’s Tennis Association.

The 35-year-old says she has suffered from panic attacks because of the tour’s decision to “protect” an unnamed senior official after their “conscious” attack on her.

“I spoke about it openly and directly. I tried to seek protection and justice within the WTA,” Tsurenko wrote.

“But in response, faced indifference and injustice, which led to a prolonged moral decline.

“Pain, fear, panic attacks, humiliation, withholding information, harassment of my team to silence me… and this isn’t even the full list of what I’ve had to endure.

“My last chance to defend myself, to stand up for my rights, my dignity, and to prevent such acts of violence in sports is to seek justice in court.”

Tsurenko, who considered quitting tennis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has spoken regularly about the challenges of competing on the tour against the backdrop of the war.

The Ukrainian, ranked 239th in the world, pulled out of a match in 2023 after suffering a panic attack following a conversation with the WTA leadership about its response to the war.

She says the organisation has become a “terrifying and alien place”.

“The WTA tour refused to protect a woman, a player, a human being. Instead, the WTA tour chose to protect a person in a leadership position,” wrote Tsurenko.

The WTA has emphasised its position in opposing Russia’s invasion and maintaining its support of Ukrainian athletes.

“From the outset, the WTA has been steadfast and clear in its condemnation of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the actions of the Russian government against the Ukrainian people,” the association said.

“Consistent with our position, the WTA has taken numerous steps to assist our Ukrainian player members, who have faced great challenges as professional athletes.

“The WTA has been equally clear that it was founded on principles of equality and non-discrimination and its rules provide that competitions are open to all women players who qualify based on their merit, and without discrimination.

“Consistent with those principles, and in common with other tennis organizations, the WTA has taken the position that individual athletes should not be penalised for the actions of their governments.”

It added: “While the WTA has the greatest sympathy for the significant challenges that Ms Tsurenko and our other Ukrainian athletes have faced, we are disappointed that she has decided to engage in litigation to seek to hold the WTA responsible for her distress.

Instead of hot cross buns and chocolate eggs, Friday’s full schedule of EFL games is the real treat to start Easter weekend.

Amazingly, every one of the 24 Championship teams can still be promoted or relegated with only four games left.

There are some seismic events that are expected to have a significant impact on both the promotion and relegation scraps over the course of a nine-and-a-half hour window.

Before Leeds kick off at Oxford United (20:00 BST), Burnley could be three points clear at the top of the pile.

The Clarets travel to Vicarage Road in an effort to clinch their place in the Hornets’ playoff hopes by 90 minutes away from a potential Premier League title win.

The men’s league record of 30 could be set at the time they won the Division One title in 1921, when Scott Parker’s men have won 29 games without losing.

According to Parker, “This is about staying very level, very focused, and not getting carried away by the emotions of this time of year.”

There are still four games to play, so let’s keep chalking them off. “My message is to stay calm.”

After falling apart in March, Daniel Farke’s men won six of their five matches by claiming the title’s fate. However, Leeds have since picked up two victories to maintain their own destiny.

Manor Solomon, who scored for Preston on Saturday to win the game 2-1, said to BBC Radio Leeds: “We are really happy but we know we need to stay humble.” We were seven points clear a month ago.

There are still four games left, and we want to win every single game until we can advance.

Although Gary Rowett’s side have been on the verge of extinction in their last five games, a home win under the lights here would all but confirm another season in the Championship, the Whites defeated Oxford 4-0 at Elland Road in December.

With a record-breaking three straight defeats, Sheffield United are effectively six points adrift of the top-two in the weekend despite having a lower goal difference when they travel to Bramall Lane to face third-bottom Cardiff.

It’s as straightforward as that, boss Chris Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield, “Everyone wants to sensationalise things but we haven’t been good enough.”

We’ve done our finishing, and we’ve not created enough. At each end of the pitch, we haven’t done enough.

“We must face criticism for losing three games when we ought to have won two.” And I’m content to do that.

We fully understand that we have four games to play, and we need to adjust accordingly.

Sunderland have been atop the standings for fourth place since the Christmas decorations were put up, but they now face a fascinating 15:00 BST match at Bristol City, 12 points adrift in fifth, as they try to resurrect their position in what could be a set-up for a potential semi-final showdown.

At Ashton Gate, the Robins have won five of their past six games while losing just one of their last 11 overall.

Boss Liam Manning told BBC Radio Bristol, “We’ve given ourselves something to play for, and credit to the lads for doing that.”

There will be many twists and turns as the season comes to an end; it’s about doing what you can, coming up, and having faith in yourself.

West Bromwich Albion are in command of the pack and would jump back above the dotted line with a win at Coventry, who occupy the top six but would struggle on goal difference if they lost to the Baggies. Last week, they returned to winning ways after a five-game skid.

If Albion beat bottom club Plymouth at the Riverside, Middlesbrough, who sits in eighth place, would also be able to overhaul the Sky Blues.

If Millwall defeats Blackburn, who are still in the play-off race, they could be on par with Coventry in ninth place.

With the potential biggest game of the season for both teams coming up at 12:30, fourth-bottom Derby host second-bottom Luton, all eyes are on the relegation battle.

Birmingham, who had just lost to Wrexham in a 0-0 draw at Wigan, were declared League One champions without even playing last weekend.

Crawley hosts the Blues, looking to maintain their quest to break Reading’s 106-point EFL points record, which was established 19 years ago.

The Vertu Trophy defeat by Peterborough on Sunday by Chris Davies’ side requires 12 points from their final six games to do better.

Wrexham make a return to the Racecourse Ground in an effort to at least keep their one-point lead over Wycombe in the race for the other automatic promotion spot.

The Chairboys have a different challenge than the Red Dragons’, who lost to Rovers of Bristol last weekend after falling for them on goal difference six times.

They travel to Bolton, who are in eighth place, to start their play-off hopes.

If they defeat Peterborough or if Leyton Orient and Bolton both fail to win at home to Barnsley and Wycombe, respectively, then Stockport, five points behind Wrexham with four games remaining, will be guaranteed of a top-six spot.

If they defeat Northampton, 19th place and still not safe, Charlton will advance to the play-offs on Friday, depending on the results of Orient, Bolton, and Huddersfield at home to Cambridge United.

With four games to go, bottom club Shrewsbury will be relegated on Friday unless they defeat Wigan, and Burton and Rovers of Bristol both lose at Exeter and Wrexham, respectively. They are also 12 points away from safety.

If Burton or Rovers of Bristol beat Cambridge United at Huddersfield, they will also be down. They can’t go down before Monday if the Us avoid defeat.

In League Two, things might get even tenser.

With only four games left, leaders Port Vale face a crucial trip to Carlisle, who are vying to stay in the EFL.

If Accrington lose to the Valiants and Accrington lose to Salford, Mark Hughes’ second-bottom Cumbrians, who are six points behind Accrington and have a lower goal difference, might need to play snooker.

If they win, Vale will be assured of at least a play-off spot, though losing to Colchester or Grimsby at home to Swindon, which former boss Ian Holloway controls, could cement a spot there even in defeat.

If Bromley loses to Accrington, Accrington wins, and fourth-bottomed Tranmere defeats Doncaster, bottom club Morecambe, a point behind Carlisle, would be relegated to the National League.

Guinness Women’s Six Nations: England v Scotland

Venue: Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium, Leicester Date: Saturday, 19 April Kick-off: 16:45 BST

Captain Rachel Malcolm misses out with a concussion as Scotland make two changes for their Six Nations trip to England on Saturday.

Malcolm suffered a head knock in the 25-17 home defeat by Italy last weekend, as did scrum-half Leia Brebner-Holden.

Fly-half Helen Nelson will lead the team in Malcolm’s absence.

Caity Mattinson takes over at number nine and Jade Konkel comes in at number eight as Evie Gallagher moves to blindside flanker in place of Malcolm.

Rachel McLachlan joins those two in the back row and will earn her 50th cap, while lock Becky Boyd stays in the team after making her first start against the Italians.

There are a trio of uncapped players on the bench, with Gemma Bell among the forward options, while Rhea Clarke provides scrum-half cover and centre Rachel Philipps could also make a potential debut.

Scotland opened with victory over Wales but are now fifth in the table after defeats by France and Italy.

England, aiming for a seventh successive title, lead the way with three bonus-point wins.

England have won all 23 Six Nations meetings with Scotland, the past five encounters settled by an aggregate score of 266-22.

“England have the ability to go through you physically, they also have the ability to go round you,” said head coach Bryan Easson. “They can suffocate you defensively.

“They have such a good team, one to 15, or should I say one to 40. No matter what changes they make, they have world class players coming in.

“It’s a huge task but one we are certainly up for.

England: Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Shekells, MacDonald; Aitchison, L Packer; Clifford, Atkin-Davies, Bern, Galligan, Ward, Aldcroft (capt), M Packer, Feaunati.

Replacements: Campbell, Botterman, Muir, Talling, Matthews, Hunt, Rowland, Scarratt.

Scotland: Rollie; Lloyd, Orr, Thomson, McGhie; Nelson (capt), Mattison; Young, Skeldon, Clarke, Bonar, Boyd, Gallagher, McLachlan, Konkel.

Back row Erin King will miss the remainder of Ireland’s Women’s Six Nations campaign and the World Cup later this year because of a knee injury, the Irish Rugby Football Union has confirmed.

The 21-year-old sustained the injury during last week’s defeat by England in Cork and is to undergo surgery in Dublin on Thursday before beginning her rehabilitation.

King, who was named World Rugby Women’s XV’s Breakthrough Player of the Year last November, will miss the forthcoming matches away to Wales and Scotland, as well as the World Cup, which takes place in England in August and September.

“I’m heartbroken”, said Australia-born King.

“It feels very unfair right now but I’ve had the best few months with this team and I can’t wait to support in every way I can from the sidelines.

The news will come as a major blow to Ireland as they prepare to make their return to World Cup action in a few months after failing to qualify for the previous edition of the tournament.

The Ireland Sevens international made her debut in the XVs format in September’s win over Australia at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast and has subsequently cemented her place in head coach Scott Bemand’s squad.

Her performances in WXV1 in Canada in September, including scoring two tries in a memorable win over world champions New Zealand, helped her pick up the Breakthrough Player of the Year accolade.

King had played every minute of Ireland’s first three games in this year’s Six Nations before her setback.

She made her debut for Ireland sevens at the Dubai Sevens in December 2021 and played a significant part in the Irish women’s team becoming the first ever to win a World Series silver medal in February 2022 in Spain.

King was named in the squad for the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens – Women’s tournament held in Cape Town, South Africa, and represented Ireland at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Rafael Nadal will be honoured in a ceremony at this year’s French Open, says tournament director Amelie Mauresmo.

The Spanish great, who retired in November, won 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros.

No other player has won as many singles titles at one Grand Slam event as Nadal at the French Open. The 38-year-old claimed his final Grand Slam title there in 2022.

Mauresmo said a ceremony would be held on Court Philippe Chatrier at the end of the day session on Sunday, 25 May.

“Rafa made history at Roland Garros and his 14 titles will perhaps remain unequalled,” two-time major champion Mauresmo said.

“The idea is to have a vision for the future and also to celebrate those who thrilled us in the past.”

Nadal lost to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev in his final French Open appearance last year.

The tournament will also honour the retiring Richard Gasquet and 2000 champion Mary Pierce.

Prize money for the tournament has also increased by 5.21%, rising to 56.3 million euros (£48.35m).

The men’s semi-final will not begin before 19:00 local time, having started at 17:30 last year.

French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton said the tournament would not replace line judges with electronic line calling.

The French Open is the only one of the four majors that still has line judges, with Wimbledon bringing in electric line calling this year.

“I think we are right to keep our referees and linesmen at Roland Garros,” Moretton said.

Success is synonymous with Olympique Lyonnais Feminin.

Since being established in 2004, the French club have become one of the superpowers in women’s football, lifting 38 trophies across the domestic and European stage.

Their record in the Women’s Champions League is unparalleled, winning the competition eight times in an 11-year period between 2011 and 2022.

While Lyon remain a formidable force in the women’s game, with a record-extending 12th European final appearance on the horizon if they overcome Arsenal over the next fortnight, other teams are catching up in terms of both investment and on-field success.

In recent years they have been usurped on the European stage by fellow semi-finalists Barcelona, who are just three matches from a third Champions League title in a row.

For more than 30 years, local businessman Aulas was Lyon.

After becoming owner and president in 1987, following pleas from the city’s mayor and F1 legend Alain Prost, he oversaw the men’s club’s transformation from a debt-ridden club languishing in the second tier to serial trophy-winners throughout the 2000s.

Determined to replicate that success in women’s football, he launched OL Feminin in 2004 and, under his ownership, the club attracted top overseas players, championed French talent like Wendie Renard, and opened France’s first mixed-gender academy.

It took three years to deliver silverware, winning the Premiere Ligue in 2006-07. The rest is history.

“This guy was ahead of his time,” former Lyon defender Lucy Bronze told the BBC’s World Service. “To have someone that powerful say I want the women’s team to do well, I want them to be the best, I want to give them everything.

Aulas’ ownership ended in 2022 when Eagle Football became the majority shareholders of the OL Groupe, which encompassed both the men’s and women’s teams – as well as a majority stake in NWSL side Seattle Reign, and he resigned from his 36-year presidency the following year.

In 2023, the women’s team changed hands again, with South Korea-born American businesswoman Kang, who made her fortune in healthcare IT, taking on majority ownership and making it a separate entity – “independent” – from the men’s team.

“We have reached the end of our model a bit,” chief executive Vincent Ponsot said. “I think we needed a new lease of life, a new project. That is exactly what Michele brought with a much more global vision.

Described by the Financial Times as “arguably the first tycoon in women’s football”, Kang is a relative latecomer to football.

She first became interested in the sport after meeting the World Cup-winning US women’s team in 2019 and has since built up a portfolio of teams under her Kynisca Sports International group. In addition to Lyon, she has been the majority owner of NWSL team Washington Spirit since 2022 and purchased Women’s Championship side London City Lionesses in 2023.

“I realised these are the best of the best athletes around the world,” Kang said, reflecting on her meeting with the USWNT.

“I saw a significant lack of resources and attention. I saw the possibility of how women’s football could explode with a little nudge and a little investment.

“I am not alone and there are a lot of people who share the same passion. Two billion people watch the World Cup – it’s growing.”

Kang’s interest isn’t limited to multi-club ownership, however, with a number of multi-million pound investments in women’s sport, including a £39m global investment in improving the health of elite female athletes.

Her plans for Lyon are no less grand. Her long-term ambitions include the construction of a dedicated women’s centre, with a 15-18,000-seater stadium and a bigger training facility, while she has already invested heavily in improving the club’s backroom staff.

“The first thing she said to me was ‘Vincent, what do you have to do for the OL women’s team to have the same supervisions as the professional men’s team?’. That was in August 2023,” Ponsot said.

“I told her, ‘we have to hire 11 people to the staff’, and she said, ‘go on then’. Two months later, we had 11 more people and 24 staff to improve the support to players so they can perform.

“The main thing we have evolved is in the performance sector. We have full-time nutritionists, physiotherapists, doctors, a performance manager, a psychologist. We have everything we need for the players to be in the best conditions to perform like the men’s team.”

Lyon midfielder and USA captain Lindsey Heaps added: “[Michele] is incredible. I have never seen anything like this in the women’s game, the sort of investment but also the way she speaks.

Another of Kang’s priorities is increasing attendances at Lyon fixtures.

“If you ask many female players what is at the top of your wishlist, they don’t say I want to get paid more, I want bigger cars. They say, ‘I want to play against the best players and best teams in a sellout stadium’. It’s my job that we fill the stadium,” she said.

Lyon will travel to Emirates Stadium on Saturday (12:30 BST) for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with Arsenal – a stadium where the Gunners recorded an average attendance of 52,029 across six matches last season.

“When you see that Arsenal are filling Emirates Stadium, there is no reason why we can’t,” said Ponsot. “We realised that women’s football has an audience with a strong increase in appetite, but we are having trouble making it a reality.”

Lyon are on course for a record-extending 18th league title this season, having already booked their place in May’s end-of-season play-offs. Indeed, they have only lost two league matches over the past four seasons.

That sustained success, coupled with Aulas’ unmatched support, is seen by some as having had a negative impact on crowds, media interest, and investment in France.

Women’s football journalist Assile Toufaily said: “Some will say ‘why should we come and watch football that isn’t attractive because the level isn’t that good?’ We know OL are going to smash the other clubs 7-0. Fans aren’t intrigued to come and watch.

“They say if you want to have a better level of football, investors have to invest. Investors will then say why should we invest if the media isn’t promoting the game? So you find yourself in a vicious circle and it’s been like this for years.”

But she does not see Aulas’ investment as the problem.

“If he didn’t invest in 2004, maybe no-one would ever have done it in France. Aulas isn’t to blame, but maybe the problem is others didn’t follow along.”

Kang, unsurprisingly, is undaunted by this, working with Ponsot to “find the profile” of women’s football fans, with their own research indicating only a 5% overlap between fans who watch men’s and women’s matches.

She will likely find a powerful ally in Aulas, who was elected vice-president of the French Football Federation in December 2023 and has taken over responsibility for development of women’s football.

“The French league is going to be very strong in years to come,” vowed Aulas.