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Dolphins release wide receiver Hill as part of rebuild

Ben Collins

BBC Sport journalist
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The Miami Dolphins have released wide receiver Tyreek Hill with immediate effect.

The 31-year-old has been selected for the Pro Bowl in eight of his first 10 seasons in the NFL but is currently recovering from a serious knee injury.

The Dolphins cited “failed physical” as the reason for Hill’s departure as they also released offensive lineman James Daniels and wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on Monday.

Know as ‘the Cheetah’, Hill has been one of the quickest players in the NFL since being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016, helping them win the Super Bowl in 2020.

The Chiefs traded him to Miami in 2022 to make room under their salary cap and since then he has ranked sixth for most receiving yards in he NFL.

During that period, Hill missed just one game until last September, when he sustained a dislocated knee and multiple torn ligaments, including his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

The Dolphins went on to finish the season with their second straight losing record under head coach Mike McDaniel, who has since been replaced by Jeff Hafley.

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US deploys 100 soldiers to Nigeria as attacks by armed groups surge

The United States has sent 100 military personnel to northern Nigeria to train and advise local forces, as deadly threats rise from armed groups such as Boko Haram and ISIL (ISIS)-linked factions.

Samaila Uba, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters spokesman, confirmed the US troops’ arrival in the northeastern area of Bauchi on Monday.

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He said they will provide “technical support” and “intelligence sharing” to help target and defeat “terrorist organisations”. The US also sent “associated equipment” to support the mission.

Uba stressed that the US soldiers will not play a direct combat role, but will share technical expertise under the full command authority of Nigerian forces.

“The armed forces of Nigeria remain fully committed to degrading and defeating terrorist organisations that threaten the country’s sovereignty, national security, and the safety of its citizens,” said the military spokesman in comments carried by Nigeria’s Premium Times newspaper.

Last weekend, gunmen on motorcycles rampaged through three villages in northern Nigeria, killing at least 46 people and abducting many others. The bloodiest attack happened in the village of Konkoso, in Niger State, where at least 38 people were shot dead or had their throats slit.

Protracted fight

The US deployment follows an easing of tensions that flared between Washington and Nigeria late last year, when US President Donald Trump accused the country of failing to stop killings against Christians and threatened to intervene militarily.

The Nigerian government has rejected Trump’s accusation, and analysts say people across all faiths, not just Christians, are victims of armed groups’ violence

In December, US forces launched air strikes on ISIL-affiliated fighters in the country’s northwest. Last month, following discussions with Nigerian authorities in Abuja, the head of US Africa Command confirmed that a small team of US military officers were in Nigeria, focused on intelligence support.

Nigeria is facing a protracted fight with dozens of local armed groups increasingly battling for turf, including the homegrown Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP).

There is also the ISIL-linked Lakurawa, as well as other “bandit” groups that specialise in kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining.

Recently, the crisis worsened to include other fighters from the neighbouring Sahel region, including the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which claimed its first attack on Nigerian soil last year.

Several thousand people in Nigeria have been killed, according to data from the United Nations.

While Christians have been among those targeted, analysts and residents say the majority of victims of the armed groups are Muslims in the Muslim-dominated north, where most attacks occur.

FA Cup heroes Macclesfield make memories to last a lifetime

Phil McNulty

Chief football writer at Moss Rose
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The tifo stretched across the Star Lane end by Macclesfield’s fans moments before the start of the FA Cup tie with Brentford was emblazoned with the message: “Against All Odds”.

It was also displayed in the players’ tunnel at Moss Rose as John Rooney’s side walked out to attempt a repeat of the historic third-round win against Premier League opposition that left holders Crystal Palace embarrassed and beaten.

And for 70 minutes on a freezing Cheshire night, Macclesfield suggested lightning could strike twice as they once again stood toe-to-toe with top-flight opposition, refusing to give an inch.

It was only then, as tired legs started to betray the National League North side and the gap of 116 places on the game’s pyramid finally started to show, that one cruel moment took the dream away.

Sam Heathcote, the PE teacher who has been a hero of Macclesfield’s FA Cup run, was the victim of the fates this great tournament can inflict along with its glory when he headed Aaron Hickey’s cross into his own net.

Brentford grabbed at the gift, even then surviving the odd anxious moment before they were finally able to celebrate victory.

The honours were Macclesfield’s, as illustrated by Brentford head coach Keith Andrews graciously going into their dressing room to offer his personal tribute to their display, before speaking in glowing terms about their opponents.

He said: “I love stories like Macclesfield’s. They fill my heart. I though they were awesome and a real tribute to John Rooney and his coaching team.”

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“I really couldn’t be prouder of the team. For us to go toe-to-toe with two Premier League teams and to only lose by an own goal is something I’m incredibly proud of.

“All the lads are down and Sam’s the same obviously, having scored an own goal. It’s natural, but every player knows what they have achieved for this club on this journey, so we should all be so proud.

“We now go back to our bread and butter in the league. We train twice a week and we’ve put that performance on against a Premier League side. How can you not be proud of that achievement?

“I started my football career at this club and I’ve started my managerial career at this club. We want to go on and get promoted. We want to try and get in the play-offs.”

Macclesfield’s fans arrived in a blizzard of optimism, the rainbow that arced over this compact, atmospheric stadium after a storm two hours before kick-off offering up an omen that they could claim another pot of gold.

And how they revelled in another visit from a Premier League team, chanting “West Ham away” after hearing the fifth round draw, then “are you Palace in disguise” as they tore into Brentford – both physically and with their football – in the opening exchanges.

Macclesfield captain Paul Dawson, a goal hero in the 2-1 win against Palace, was inches away from a repeat with a 20-yard shot that was just off target.

Every classic FA Cup ingredient was in this mix. The non-league side with a collection of PE teachers, podcasters and property developers in their squad shaking up elite opposition, with the added factor of Moss Rose’s 4G artificial surface.

There was nothing artificial about the atmosphere as every Macclesfield fan scented another shock in the cold night air.

Few other competitions can offer up such a spectacle and the FA Cup delivered again.

In some respects, the half-time whistle came at a bad time for Macclesfield as it disturbed their momentum and allowed Brentford to take a breath and regroup.

Brentford head coach Andrews made seven changes, leaving his big attacking weapon Igor Thiago out altogether. It was a high-risk strategy and there were moments in the first 45 minutes when it looked like it might backfire.

And even after suffering the devastating blow of Heathcote’s own goal, Macclesfield refused to allow Brentford to simply shut the game down, forcing several desperate clearances in the area before referee Darren England sounded the final whistle on this FA Cup odyssey.

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One year on, No Other Land co-director says Israeli attacks intensifying

Nearly a year since the Palestinian-Israeli film No Other Land won an Academy Award, its co-director, Hamdan Ballal, says Israeli settler attacks on the cluster of occupied West Bank villages known as Masafer Yatta have only gotten worse, as those involved in the documentary bear the brunt of Israeli reprisals.

The latest bout of violence came on Sunday, when Israeli settlers stormed Ballal’s hometown of Susya, despite an Israeli court ruling designating the area around his home as closed to non-residents. Israeli army officers called by the family to enforce the ruling, issued two weeks prior, sided with the attackers.

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“The ruling was supposed to make things better for us, but the opposite happened,” Ballal told Al Jazeera on Monday. “Israeli authorities did nothing to enforce the decision, but joined the settlers in the attack.”

One of his brothers was held in a chokehold by an army officer and later hospitalised with breathing difficulties. Four other relatives – two brothers, a nephew, and a cousin – were detained for several hours as they arrived at the scene. They have all since been released.

The Palestinian film director said his family was ambushed by the same Israeli settler who led an attack against him as he returned from the Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles last March. Then, he had been taken away in a blindfold by a group of Israeli settlers and army officers and released a day later with injuries to his head and stomach, leading to global condemnation.

Ballal said the retaliation for the documentary has since been directed against his family, rather than himself, to avoid media attention. His relatives have been routinely prevented from grazing sheep and ploughing the land. At times, they have been arrested, questioned about his work and whereabouts, or intimidated to vacate their homes.

“My family is paying because of me; because I shared the movie and I shared the truth,” he said.

The film, which won the Oscar for best documentary on March 2, follows Palestinian journalist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham as they try to protect Palestinian homes amid tensions with settlers in Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills. Israeli filmmaker Rachel Szor also shares directing credits.

Israeli settlers in the area often graze their animals on Palestinian land to assert control, signal unrestricted access, and lay the groundwork for establishing illegal outposts, cutting Palestinians off from their farms and livestock.

The Israeli army argues that it has to demolish the Palestinian villages to convert the area into a military “firing” or training zone. It did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on Sunday’s incident.

Across the occupied West Bank, Israel’s far-right coalition government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been openly promoting new measures to expand Israeli control over the Palestinian territory.

Most recently, it announced the resumption of the land registration processes for the first time since 1967, which Israeli rights groups say will accelerate the dispossession and displacement of Palestinians in violation of international law.

‘Right to live’

Ballal’s family has not been the only one to pay the price for the acclaimed documentary.

Adra, the Palestinian protagonist in the film, had his home in at-Tawani raided by the Israeli army in September, after clashes broke out with a group of Israeli settlers that trespassed in his olive grove.

In July, Awdah Hathaleen, an activist, football player and a consultant for No Other Land, was shot dead, in the chest, in the village of Umm al-Khair. The father of three was a key figure in non-violent resistance against settler violence in Masafer Yatta. His assailant, Israeli settler Yinon Levi, later said, “I’m glad I did it,” according to witnesses.

Ballal said he does not hesitate to describe these attacks as being “terrorist”, as they leave the Palestinian community in Masafer Yatta constantly fearing for their safety.

“It’s a simple right for Palestinians to feel safe in their homes,” he told Al Jazeera. “We are scared; we are in danger, and it’s been like this for a long time.”

Ex-Valieva coach makes history with Georgia

Sonia OxleyBBC Sport producer and Emma SmithBBC Sport journalist at Milano Ice Skating Arena

When figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze’s “tremendous coldness” was described as “chilling to see” at the last Winter Olympics, it may have been hard to imagine her returning to her sport’s biggest stage.

Four years later, the highly-successful coach is at Milan-Cortina – and helping Georgia make history.

Tutberidze and her training methods were under the spotlight at Beijing 2022 amid the Kamila Valieva doping scandal that rocked the Games, and it was the then-IOC president Thomas Bach who gave the stinging assessment of the coach.

Rather than comforting 15-year-old gold medal favourite Valieva when she left the ice in tears after falling several times, Tutberidze had instead asked the youngster “why did you stop fighting?”

Bach said he had been “very, very disturbed” by what he had seen and that it did not give him “much confidence in this closest entourage of Kamila, neither with regard to what happened in the past, nor as far as it concerns the future”.

Well, that future is here and so too is Tutberidze.

Her official coaching role is with the Georgia figure skating team. Their pairs representatives – European champions Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava – won silver, the country’s first ever Winter Olympic medal.

“We are more than happy that we have been able to win the silver medal,” Berulava told BBC Sport of Tutberidze’s impact. “After having worked for three years with this coach, I want to thank them.”

Tutberidze is also apparently coach to another Russian teenage medal hope.

That skater is 18-year-old Adeliia Petrosian, who is here as a neutral athlete (AIN) as Russia’s team are banned from the Games because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

However, Tutberidze is not officially listed as the teenager’s coach in the media guide for these Games and it remains to be seen whether she will be at rinkside when Petrosian competes.

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Taking Georgia to new heights

The Georgia team gather together to learn their scores, holding up two Team Georgia flags and showing serious facial expressionsBBC Sport

One of her longest serving pupils, Nika Egadze, stormed to victory at the 2026 European Championships in Sheffield, where Tutberidze shared a warm hug with her skater after a gold medal-winning performance, and other athletes spoke positively about the coach.

It was a different story at Milano Ice Skating Arena as Egadze endured a series of error-strewn routines, with Georgia missing out on medals in the team event and men’s singles.

In the team short programme he made two early errors, failing to land the triple toe loop in his first technical element.

As he continued his performance, the TV cameras caught Tutberidze in passing – standing at rinkside, arms folded. When he came off the ice, the hug seemed curt.

She joined the Georgian squad as they waited for the results. Generally, waiting teams will laugh and joke, even if they know elimination is coming.

Instead, the 11 skaters and team members sat stony-faced as the scores were announced.

Egadze struggled even more in the free skate. Three of his first four elements scored negative points, and he nearly tripped over during his triple axel.

His coach gave him a pat on the hand as the numbers came in. Despite Egadze scoring only 154.79 for the free skate – 27 points lower than his season best – there was no berating.

‘I would not have her anywhere near Milan’

Eteri Tutberidze and Kamila Valieva at Beijing 2022Getty Images

Official views on Tutberidze’s presence in Milan vary.

Given she has not been personally implicated in any doping scandals and has not broken any rules, Tutberidze has every right to be at the Olympics.

She has rejected any suggestions of wrongdoing in her career as a coach and said in 2022 she was baffled by Bach’s remarks.

“There was an investigation at the time and no issues were found that could be actioned against that individual,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a media conference on Sunday.

“If you are going to take action against someone, you need evidence, and from what I gather there isn’t any.”

However, World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) president Witold Banka said on Thursday he does not “feel comfortable with her presence here”, while Britain’s 1980 Olympic champion and BBC pundit Robin Cousins was unequivocal in his disdain.

“This comes down to the International Olympic Committee and International Skating Union – coaches are not part of the team,” Cousins told BBC Sport.

“So when they ban a team, the coach of said team is not part of that. That is not correct, as far as I am concerned. I would not have her anywhere near Milan, personally.

“Is that because of behaviour, or Russia being banned? All of the above.

‘The Tutberidze method’

Georgia's Nika Egadze and coach Eteri Tutberidze sitting on a sofaGetty Images

A few weeks ago, a television documentary – The Tutberidze Method – was released in Russia, celebrating her track record in training medal winners.

Two of Tutberidze’s skaters have won women’s gold and silver medals at the past two Olympics, but both were amid drama.

As the Valieva saga played out, Beijing 2022 champion Anna Shcherbakova was left barely celebrating victory – later saying she felt “emptiness” – while silver medallist Alexandra Trusova was so disappointed to miss out on gold that she said before the medal ceremony that she never wanted to skate again.

Four years before that, in 2018, favourite Evgenia Medvedeva was sobbing after being upstaged by 15-year-old training partner Alina Zagitova.

In the run-up to those two Games, Tutberidze’s skaters had been hot favourites, dominating the World Championships and European Championships.

Little has been seen of Petrosian recently on the international stage because of Russia’s ban from competition. The only real sighting of her was at September’s qualifying event in Beijing, where she won gold, but not all the top skaters were there.

Petrosian has also won the past three national championships – making it 11 years in a row for Tutberidze skaters – and she is the first woman to land a quadruple loop in competition, but she was injured last year and has struggled with errors this season.

Following the Valieva episode, the minimum age for competitors was raised from 15 to 17, an age that has not been far off retirement age for some of Tutberidze’s skaters in the past because of a combination of injury and a drop in technical skills.

It has been reported that her training model centres around female skaters peaking before they hit puberty.

What happened to Valieva?

Kamila Valieva competing in Russia's Skate Jumping Championship in January 2026Getty Images

Valieva, a mercurial talent who performances drew worldwide attention, was eventually banned for four years over her failed drugs test, but there were no sanctions for any of her entourage.

Her team have always insisted the failed test – for heart medication trimetazidine – was the result of contaminated cutlery which had been tainted by her grandfather’s medication, while Wada called for those behind the failed test to face justice because “the doping of children is unforgivable”.

“Wada is not behind the decision to accredit the coach [for Milan-Cortina],” Banka said. “The investigation found no evidence this person [Tutberidze] engaged in the topic, so there is no legal basis to exclude her.”

Winter Olympics 2026

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Man Utd consider swoop for Mac Allister – Tuesday’s gossip

Man Utd consider swoop for Liverpool‘s Alexis Mac Allister, Man City not keen on James Trafford sale, Nicolas Jackson to return to Chelsea from Bayern Munich.

Manchester United are considering a move to sign Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, 27, from Liverpool with the World Cup winner potentially set to leave Anfield this summer. (Star)

Manchester City would prefer to send English goalkeeper James Trafford out on loan rather then sell him this summer with Leeds, Aston Villa and Newcastle all interested in the 23-year-old. (Teamtalk)

Nicolas Jackson, 24, is expected to return to Chelsea this summer because his lack of game time at Bayern Munich means the Bundesliga club are unlikely to trigger an obligation-to-buy clause in the Senegal forward’s loan agreement. (Times – subscription required)

Arsenal have been told by intermediaries that Spain winger Nico Williams, 23, is ready to consider a summer exit from Athletic Bilbao. (Teamtalk)

Brighton have made Said el Mala, 19, a dream summer target and have submitted a written offer to Cologne for the Germany Under-21 winger. (Sky Germany)

Napoli have made it their top priority to keep Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay, 29, out of the clutches of several Premier League clubs this summer by offering him a lucrative new deal. (Fichajes in Spanish)

Manchester United have denied making contact with Jurgen Klopp’s agent after he said the club made an enquiry about the 58-year-old former Liverpool manager taking over at Old Trafford. (Sky Sports)

Real Madrid are thought to be in pole position to sign Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck, 26, from Borussia Dortmund this summer with Barcelona also vying for his signature in a 50m euros (£43.4m) deal. (Fichajes in Spanish)

Manchester United will continue to monitor Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney, 23, as they map out their midfield recruitment strategy before the summer transfer window, with Leeds, Tottenham and Everton also interested in the Englishman. (Teamtalk)

Galatasaray are keen on a summer move for Inter Milan and Turkey midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, 32. (La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italian)

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