Category Sports News

This was not the typical experience for Europe’s top female footballers, with smoke cannons blaring off behind the goal, live music coming out of a DJ set during corners, and free shirts being thrown to fans at half-time.

“Carnage . Fresh off of his side’s 3-2 victory over Roma in Portugal, Manchester United manager Marc Skinner declared that there was simply chaos.

Manchester United and Manchester City were among the eight teams competing in the Women’s World Sevens, which started in Estoril on Wednesday.

The new seven-a-side competition offers $5 million ($3.76 million), more than the women’s champion league winners will receive in Lisbon three days later.

It’s a format that both brings out flair and creativity as well as attacking intent, with rolling substitutes, no offsides, and 15-minute halves.

In Manchester City’s opening 4-0 win over Rosengard, England international Jess Park started giggling when she nutmegged a player for a corner, prompting the DJ as she prepared the set-piece.

After England midfielder Clinton’s clever chip drew cheers from the 200-odd fans watching on in the stands, United duo Celin Bizet and Grace Clinton took the fun to a whole new level by chest bumping in celebration shortly after.

By the time Bayern Munich had defeated Ajax 4-2, players were buzzing and up, with Norwegian defender Tuva Hansen even pulling off her shirt to celebrate in Chloe Kelly fashion.

“I really liked it,” I said. The Roma players, in my opinion, took it a little bit more seriously than we did. We had a lot of fun, Clinton said of United.

We have all arrived together, he said. We were completely unaware of what to expect. We strive to accomplish this every day during training. We fully embraced it.

The 5, 000-capacity ground known as the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota in Estoril was renovated for the World Sevens, where games are being played.

After Estoril men defeated Estrela 4-0, stands were built, TV cameras installed, and large screens installed starting at 20:30 BST on Saturday.

After United’s men reached the Europa League final, which they lost 1-0 to Tottenham on Wednesday, Skinner’s side played earlier at the World Sevens to prevent a clash.

After City’s 2-1 win over Benfica, the crowd initially poured in slowly, with only about 100 people tuning in, but more were coming throughout the night, filling a stand on the other end.

It’s intriguing, I think. It has a unique quality. Leanne Woodall, a City fan who traveled to Estoril, said the stadium “looks nice.”

Fan Charlotte Wilkins continued, “I play seven-a-side football, so I was very interested to see how the professional players handled it and what strategies they employed.”

When we first arrived, we couldn’t find where we needed to go, but now that we’re there, things are really good and there’s good vibes. It’s exciting.

The semi-finals and final will be staged on Friday, with organizers hoping to fill the arena with fans who flew to Portugal on Saturday in anticipation of Barcelona and Arsenal’s Champions League final (17:00 BST).

However, the players had a positive impression of the first impression.

Roma’s Hawa Cissoko, who spoke on the subject, said, “I was really sad it was only one game today. I could play this all day.”

“I think we took the game a little more seriously than Manchester United, who were really [relaxed] at the beginning.

They acting in this way made me believe that we are here to enjoy ourselves. When we were children, we were doing this. It reminds me a little of what I did ten years ago. That is wonderful.

Nick Cushing, interim manager for Manchester City, stated that the game should be played in their “believers’ manner.”

I enjoyed the music a lot, said Brazil forward Kerolin. Everyone in Portugal says, “OK, we like these vibes,” given how pleasant the weather is.

“Yes, we want to win and win some money!” However, I believe it to be a little bit Brazilian. I enjoy the informal Brazilian expression “gada” for creativity and trickery.

With Euro 2025 starting on July 2 and clubs participating in the tournament, some have questioned the timing and risk of injury.

Rosengard traveled to Estoril on Saturday (14:00 BST), where they will face BK Hacken in the Swedish league.

Rosengard midfielder Emelia Larsson said, “We had some reactions in Sweden, that we came here, because we have a game.

It’s like taking a break from everything, in our opinion. You missed a training week, but I believe it to be really enjoyable to be here.

“It’s a good time to show off our skills and football to other people.”

It was good practice, according to manager Joel Kjetselberg, to train for Champions League football, which they would play between weekend games in the middle of the week.

City and United had one training session in addition to the five that City had scheduled for the World Sevens.

According to Clinton, “We would only be doing this in training all week.”

“We would have just been playing small-sided games anyway,” said one England representative before the next England camp.

French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

On Sunday, players will travel to Paris to compete in the second Grand Slam of the year.

After retiring in 2024, Rafael Nadal will no longer be there.

However, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek, and Carlos Alcaraz are just a few stars who are looking to add another significant title to their collection.

The Roland Garros clay-court Grand Slam begins on May 25 and ends on June 8 at Roland Garros.

On Saturday, June 7, the women’s singles final and the men’s final will mark the tournament’s climax.

On the BBC Sport website and app, daily live text commentary of the main French Open matches will be available.

Court Philippe-Chatrier provides live coverage and commentary for 5 Live Sport on BBC Sounds, BBC Sport, and the BBC Sport website.

Katie Smith, Abigail Johnson, and David Law will join tennis correspondent Russell Fuller for analysis, along with analysis from Naomi Broady, Ryan Harrison, Daniela Hantuchova, and others.

Last year, Carlos Alcaraz defended his first French Open title by coming back from set one down to defeat Alexander Zverev in the men’s singles.

Alcaraz, who won four major titles, then won the Wimbledon championship just five weeks later.

Jasmine Paolini defeated Iga Swiatek in the final of the previous year’s women’s singles competition to become the three-time defending champion.

The French Open’s total prize money is 56.35 million euros (£47.50 million), an increase from the previous year’s $5.21 million).

On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner, the world’s number one, and Alcaraz, the second-ranked pair, are favorites.

Due to their seedings, the two competitors did not meet until the final of the Italian Open final, with Alcaraz winning.

Novak Djokovic, a three-time champion in Paris, will increase his bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title, despite his inconsistent form this year.

Swiatek has been a strong favorite in the women’s draw, but this year’s draw features a mixed clay-court swing.

Both Coco Gauff and top-seed Aryna Sabalenka enjoyed successful clay seasons. Gauff made the Italian Open final two weeks after Sabalenka defeated Gauff to win the Madrid Open.

After putting together an impressive clay-court swing, Jack Draper is now the highest British singles player in either draw.

Ruud defeated Draper in three close sets to reach the Madrid Open final, and Alcaraz defeated him in the Rome quarter-finals.

Katie Boulter, who won a WTA 125 title in Paris prior to the major, is the highest-ranked British woman in the singles draw.

May 27: Men’s doubles season begins.

Second round of the 28-29-page men’s and women’s singles competition

28 May: Mixed and women’s doubles season begins.

Third round of men’s and women’s singles, May 30-31

1-2 June: Fourth round of men’s and women’s singles

3-4 June: Quarter-finals for men’s and women’s singles

3 June: Wheelchair competition begins

Semi-finals of women’s singles on June 5th.

Semi-finals of men’s singles on June 6th.

Women’s singles final on June 7th.

Three players were waiting for their winning medal in the midst of the cheers that followed Tottenham’s victory in the Europa League.

Following their 1-0 win over Manchester United, manager Ange Postecoglou received a medal for the first time from Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin.

The injured trio of James Maddison, Timo Werner, Lucas Bergvall, Lucas Bergvall, and Will Lankshear, who were both on loan at West Brom during the second half of the season, were also in the line and had a medal emblazon their necks.

Son Heung-min, Cristian Romero, and Rodrigo Bentancur, the club’s captain, were able to wait until they entered the dressing room to get theirs, though.

Due to an unexpected discrepancy in the player count, as more team members, including injured players, than we had anticipated, we were unable to display any medals on stage during the trophy ceremony presentation, to our great dismay, according to Uefa.

The winning team received the missing medals right away in the dressing room, with our sincere apologies for the error.

The winning and losing teams are each awarded 50 medals in accordance with Uefa’s rules.

How are those medals distributed among players and staff is up to the club’s discretion.

Before Spurs won their first silverware award in 17 years, Uefa had prepared 30 medals to distribute on the pitch.

However, the ceremony included members of the 23-man matchday squad at Tottenham as well as the manager and the manager.

Son, who served as skipper, was patiently waiting at the back of the line to collect the trophy and present it to his teammates before lowering it into the air.

WBO lightweight title between Terri Harper and Natalie Zimmermann

Date: Friday, May 23rd, at Eco-Power Stadium in Doncaster

Izzy Asif exhibits the same level of self-assurance as a well-known boxing promoter.

He boasts, “I can talk the talk with whoever I need to talk to.” “I can negotiate with the street guys and then roll.”

Being the new kid on the block is never simple, though.

When he promoted his first show in March 2022, the Sheffield-born GBM boss laid out his plans to become a boxing powerhouse. His ambitions raised eyebrows when he was confronted with them.

He continues, “Boxing promotion is a cult; it’s so difficult to break through.”

Everyone looked at me as if to ask “who the hell is this British-Pakistani guy?” “I said I was in this business to be the best.

At Doncaster’s Eco-Power Stadium on Friday, GBM will host its first world-title fight between Natalie Zimmermann and Terri Harper, who will be greeted by 8, 000 fans.

GBM has seen a rapid rise in Yorkshire’s small hall shows thanks to TV and radio broadcast deals and Irish plans for another stadium event in the coming month.

Asif, 42, and his family emigrated from Rawalpindi’s mountainous Kahuta region, where Hamzah Sheeraz’s families are from and former world champion Amir Khan, who is now retired. Asif claims that there must be something in the water.

The first decade of Asif’s life was spent living in a five-bedroom home with his extended family while his grandfather worked in Sheffield steel factories.

He recalls that there were five or six of us in the room.

Asif fell in love with football at the age of 14 and sought to feel a part of a group. He still has a corporate box at Sheffield United, but his father forbids him from attending games at Bramall Lane in the middle of the 1990s.

“Foxes are full of racists,” my father said. Asif claims that he was a taxi driver and that all he heard was the p-word and the instruction to return home.

“He was one of the steadfast generations who accepted it and held on to their resolve.”

After a disagreement with a teacher, Asif became involved with “the wrong kind of people” on the terraces.

However, sport gave the rebellious youth a means of outlet. Asif and Joe Root both played cricket as youngsters for the renowned Sheffield Collegiate team, while Joe Root did for the future England captain.

Asif, who sold tickets for Blades’ games in his early teenage years, may have had an entrepreneurial spirit.

However, his life was forever changed when his younger brother passed away from leukemia in 2005.

Asif says as his voice begins to sag, “We were told my brother wouldn’t make it on a Monday, and he was gone by Wednesday.”

To me, he seemed like a son. He was 12 years old when I was 23 at the time. I was completely destroyed by it. I promised my father, who was beyond belief and heartbroken, that he would never work again.

Asif goes into great detail about his working-class background and recalls a time when he was unable to even afford to buy gasoline for his car.

When he placed a bet on a house at an auction, his business changed.

He coached at a neighborhood boxing gym while Asif built a property empire.

Amir Khan contacted him to assist with Billy Dib’s training for his fight in 2019.

The big stage’s flavor was incendiary.

Asif claims to have “ran the show” in Saudi Arabia, never to understate his contribution.

According to him, “Lennox Lewis told me that I had a talent for this promoting business.”

Asif initially obtained a manager’s license for British Boxing Board of Control, but he soon realized there was more to him.

GBM commenced in this manner. Asif acknowledges that some insiders have questions about the promotion company’s rapid expansion.

He claims, “I take risks and have a talent for starting new businesses.” I’ve made investments in both residential care and property, which have made my life very comfortable.

Asif thinks that his in-ring success makes him unique. How many other British promoters have a reputation for allegedly getting punched in the face? “, he says.

However, he now has his sights set on joining Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren at the top of boxing after starting out as a small hall promoter.

I would be a serious powerhouse in this country, he claims, “if they gave me the same amount of money as Eddie at this time.”

He continues to talk a big game and have bigger dreams in true Asif fashion.

He thinks that GBM could become a serious boxing player after just one event, one headline fight that draws a sizable following.

According to BBC Sport, GBM had previously had discussions with them in order to promote the bitter rivalry between former world champion Billy Joe Saunders and bitter rival Chris Eubank Jr.

Alejandro Garnacho, a winger for Manchester United, questioned Ruben Amorim’s decision to play him for “20 minutes” in the Europa League final defeat by Tottenham, casting doubt on his future at the club.

Spurs’ 17-year trophy drought was ended by Brennan Johnson’s first-half goal, which ensured United would be without European football for the next season.

Mason Mount was replaced in Bilbao by Garnacho, 20, who had 19 minutes left in normal time before being benched.

The Argentina winger, who was linked with Chelsea and Napoli in January, criticized Amorim’s decision to give him a limited role in the final.

Garnacho said, “Up until the final, I played every round supporting the team, and today I play 20 minutes,” “I don’t know.”

The outcome will affect not just [my decision], but the club’s situation for the entire season. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens afterward.

Six hours before kick-off, Garnacho discovered that he was starting on the bench and that he was celebrating in the 2024 FA Cup final and 2024 Community Shield. He posted a photo of himself on social media.

His brother, Roberto Garnacho, claimed the winger had been “thrown under the bus” on his Instagram account.

Roberto Garnacho remarked, “Working as no-one else, helping every round, coming from two goals in the final two finals, just to be on the pitch for 19 minutes and getting thrown under the bus.”

Following Amorim’s comments following the match, the Portuguese head coach referred to Garnacho’s miss in the semi-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao.

Amorim questioned whether he ought to have introduced Garnacho earlier, and he responded, “How many times have it happened and it was the opposite?” Some players, like Mason Mount, play Bilbao and alter the game.

It’s now simple to say, then. Who lacked a significant opportunity in the first half against Bilbao? [Garnacho] Yes. Naturally, it’s now simple for us to discuss a lot of points.

After “liking” Dutchman’s social media posts following his Premier League defeat by Bournemouth, Garnacho apologized to then United manager Erik ten Hag last year.

The winger and team-mate Marcus Rashford were both dropped for Amorim’s visit to Manchester City in December due to “training performances, game performances, and team-building engagement.”

Garnacho was one of the United players to leave the club with doubts over his future, with Bruno Fernandes, the team’s captain, suggesting that he might “cash in” on him.

The 30-year-old has been linked with joining Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

Portugal’s Fernandes remarked, “I have always been honest.

It’s what it is, if the club decides it’s time to end because they want to do some cashing in or whatever. Sometimes, this is football.

“I’ve always said I’ll stay until the club tells me it’s time to leave.” More needs to be done, in order to restore the club’s former glory.

Garnacho initially appeared to be leaving Manchester United in January, so speculation about the youngster will only grow in the wake of last night’s events in Bilbao.

His axing from United’s starting lineup quickly becomes apparent in his own social media post before the game.

Tensions will only increase if his brother posts something more.

Amorim is evaluated on performance, just like any other manager. We can never predict what would have happened if a different team had started when things don’t go well because selections are made when they don’t go well. It is assumed that the performance would be better, but that is all that is, an assumption.

This season, Garnacho has missed a lot of “big” chances. Garnacho is at least partially to blame when Amorim complains that his team did not score. He is not entirely on his own.

According to my personal opinion, given how many praises he received last season and how frequently he played, his abilities were misassed and his career trajectory was set.

There is no denying that Garnacho has talent. He must work hard on his game to achieve the desired improvements, but he is not finished. I’m not sure whether the social media component is eliciting the appropriate signals.

I can see a summer transfer coming up in the Premier League, given United’s financial situation, Garnacho’s homegrown status, and how that works in the league’s profit and sustainability rules.

After losing in Bilbao, defender Luke Shaw said his team-mates must now beg questions about whether they are capable of playing for the club.

United will not play football in Europe again after the 2014-15 season, for the first time since that defeat.

For a club like Manchester United, the season is “not really good enough,” said England defender Shaw, 29. “It’s hard to put into words, but I think it’s not really good enough for a team like that.”

“I think absolutely me, and I believe we must all be asking ourselves this evening. Are we capable of bringing this together? Because of this club, this season, it’s unacceptable.

After Tottenham lost in the Europa League final, Manchester United’s Luke Shaw says the squad needs to reevaluate whether they are capable enough to play there.

Spurs’ 17-year trophy drought was ended by Brennan Johnson’s first-half goal, which ensured United would be without European football for the next season.

With just one game left, United are already guaranteed to finish in the bottom league standings ever.

United’s ability to sign players this summer will depend on whether they win the Europa League, but Shaw, 29, claims there are still questions over the squad at Old Trafford.

The English defender Shaw, however, said, “I think the season is not really good enough for a club like Manchester United.

“I think absolutely me, and I believe we must all be asking ourselves this evening. Are we capable of bringing this together? Because of this club, this season, it’s unacceptable.

Bruno Fernandes’ defeat in Bilbao results in his second Europa League final since 2021 when he lost to Villarreal.

The 30-year-old Portugal international has been linked with a move to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, and he says he will leave United this summer if they “cash in.”

“I have always been truthful,” Fernandes said.

It’s what it is, if the club decides it’s time to end because they want to do some cashing in or whatever. Sometimes, this is football.

“I’ve always said I’ll stay until the club tells me it’s time to leave.” More needs to be done, in order to restore the club’s former glory.