Category Sports News

Everton club captain Megan Finnigan will not return until 2026 because she requires an operation to help repair her anterior cruciate knee ligament (ACL) injury.

The 27-year-old centre-back suffered the knee issue in January and Everton manager Brian Sorensen has confirmed she will not be in contention until after the Women’s Super League (WSL) resumes on 10 January following its winter break.

Finnigan’s news adds to the injury crisis at Everton, with five senior players now out.

Midfielder Katja Snoeijs suffered a hamstring injury in training and will miss Sunday’s home league game against Manchester United, but striker Kelly Gago returns following concussion.

The game against Manchester United will be the first played by the Everton women’s team at the club’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The 52,000-seat arena on Bramley-Moore Dock was opened in the summer and is the regular home of the men’s team.

Everton women have moved into Goodison Park, the previous men’s stadium, but this weekend will play at Hill Dickinson while the Premier League breaks for international fixtures.

A club source told BBC Sport that currently only the lower tier of seating, with a capacity of around 20,000, will be open at Hill Dickinson. However, there is scope to open other areas of the stadium if there is high enough demand for tickets.

The record attendance for an Everton women’s match is 22,161, who attended a WSL game against Merseyside rivals Liverpool at Goodison Park in March 2023.

“I think it is going to be a very good atmosphere. We are going to go out there and put everything on the line,” Sorensen said.

Tottenham Hotspur’s majority owners have injected £100m of new capital into the club.

Spurs say the investment will “further strengthen the club’s financial position and equip the club’s leadership team with additional resources to continue the focus on driving long-term sporting success”.

Investment group Enic, which is run by the Lewis Family Trust, owns a majority 86.58% of Tottenham, while the remaining 13.42% is owned by a group of minority investors.

The majority of Enic used to be owned by British businessman Joe Lewis but in 2022 he handed ownership to the Lewis Family Trust and is no longer involved with the club.

The Lewis family have been at the forefront of much hierarchical change at Tottenham over the past few months, and the club statement adds that “this additional capital is part of the Lewis family’s ongoing commitment to the club and its future”.

A source close to the family said: “This is initial additional funding. As the club’s management decides what’s needed to deliver success, more money will be available. The Lewis family is committed to backing the club to be successful.”

Since Levy stepped down there have been three expressions of interest made about taking over Spurs.

The latest was made by American tech entrepreneur Brooklyn Earick, who ruled out making a formal takeover bid after Tottenham insisted the club was not for sale.

Bruno Fernandes has no interest in moving to the Saudi Pro League at the end of the season, BBC Sport understands.

The Portugal midfielder rejected huge offers from Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad last summer in order to stay at Manchester United.

Sources close to the United skipper have completely rejected recent suggestions he is ready to quit Old Trafford after the World Cup next summer and accept a Saudi offer.

BBC Sport has been told that is not the case and Fernandes, whose United contract runs to 2027, with the option of an additional year, is only interested in playing in major European leagues.

As it stands, he is fully committed to United. The project under co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a long-term one and sources say Fernandes is determined to put everything into helping United towards a better future, while also believing it is possible to secure a top-five finish that could earn a place in next season’s Champions League.

The 31-year-old has been used in a deeper midfield role this season, with manager Ruben Amorim believing Fernandes can be more effective because he gets on the ball more often, although some argue it takes him away from the opposition goal where he is more dangerous.

He remains one of the most influential players in United’s squad and in last month’s win against Chelsea scored his 100th goal for the club on his 200th Premier League appearance. In total he has played 298 times and Amorim stressed his importance to his squad after the Chelsea game.

“He deserves all the praise,” said Amorim.

Great Britain bobsleigh athlete Arran Gulliver will miss the 2026 Winter Olympics after being given a two-year doping ban.

The 28-year-old was provisionally suspended earlier this year by the International Testing Agency (ITA) when a drugs test returned an “adverse” result for the banned substance ostarine.

Ostarine, a similar substance to testosterone, can enhance performance by promoting lean muscle growth and improving strength.

The ITA said on Thursday that Gulliver did not challenge the finding and had “accepted” a two-year ban running until March 2027, with the agency adding that “the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional”.

Gulliver said he did not knowingly take the substance and that “extensive, controlled testing” had confirmed a supplement he consumed had been contaminated.

“With all the power of hindsight I would have done a few things differently and I will regret that for the rest of my life,” Gulliver told BBC Sport.

“I’ve been training really hard to get into a position of competing in the Olympics and to win a medal for Great Britain, to miss out on that is incredibly difficult.

“Now I know the length of the ban it’s a bit of a weight of my shoulders. I’m devastated to miss the Olympics but in terms of getting my head around it and being able to plan for the future it makes things a little bit easier.”

As well as the ban, Gulliver’s bronze that he earned in the four-man bobsleigh at the World Championships in March has been disqualified. The team result, however, stands.

He can appeal against the decision through the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and UK Anti-Doping.

The British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association says it is “committed to the eradication of doping” and “fully supports” the ITA’s decision, adding the adverse result was down to “contamination”.

“We note Arran’s decision to accept the verdict handed down by the ITA and to take full responsibility for his actions and the consequences that have arisen as a result,” it said.

Gulliver, from Bewdley in Worcestershire, is a two-time World Championship medallist in the four-man bobsleigh and has won 12 World Cup medals in the British sled.

Williams’ Carlos Sainz says Formula 1’s TV coverage is going “overboard a little” by showing driver’s girlfriends while missing overtakes during races.

During Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, fans watching at home missed some on-track action, including Fernando Alonso chasing down Lewis Hamilton, who had a brake issue, for seventh place in the final laps.

In the final stages, TV coverage focused on McLaren’s Lando Norris chasing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for second place.

However, at various points during the race, high-profile girlfriends and celebrity guests were shown watching from the garages.

Sainz’s recovery drive from the back of the grid to 10th place was also rarely featured on the world feed, which is supervised by F1.

The Spaniard, 31, told Spanish radio station El Partidazo de COPE that F1 bosses should not lose sight of the main track action.

Aston Martin’s Alonso, who inherited P7 from Ferrari’s Hamilton, also criticised F1’s TV coverage. The Spanish two-time world champion replied to a post on X, quoting him telling his pit wall he would “disconnect the radio” if they spoke to him on every lap.

Drivers’ wives and girlfriends have become even more popular in recent years following the rise of social media and the Netflix series Drive to Survive.

Sainz’s girlfriend, model Rebecca Donaldson, Norris’ partner, actress Magui Corceiro and Charles Leclerc’s girlfriend, influencer Alexandra Saint Mleux, all have huge online followings of their own.

“I understand that if there is an overtake, a very tense moment in the race, it is understandable that the production team might want to show a reaction shot if they have seen that it has worked in the past,” said Sainz.

“But [they only should] if the competition is respected and you are always showing the important moments of the race.

“The other [thing] is fine but don’t lose sight of the main thing. For me, they go overboard a little showing the celebrities and girlfriends.”

An F1 spokesperson said: “We always focus on giving our fans the best possible footage of the race and never compromise the key focus – the racing on track.