Category sport-news

Following a record-breaking weekend of the race, organizers announced Saturday that more than 1.1 million people had registered for the next year’s London Marathon.

The ballot for the 2026 race had a record-breaking year, with 840 and 300 runners submitting applications for the 2025 London Marathon.

This is an absolutely incredible total, which confirms that London is by far the most well-known marathon on earth, according to Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events.

After the ballot closed on Friday, organisers reported that the race’s registration for the year 2026 was nearly twice as large as the London Marathon’s.

Also read: FIFA Declares Kenyan Club Relegation For Match Fixing.

The largest number of finishers from the 2024 New York Marathon was also snatched by the 45th renewal last Sunday.

In the British capital, more than 56,500 athletes crossed the finish line in blazing sunshine, from elite competitors to those dressed up.

Some 55 to 600 finishers were in New York. 56,950 runners and runners participated in the Paris Marathon last month, but only a small number came in.

Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa broke the women’s only women’s only world record of 2hr 15min 50sec, which also served as a memory for the spectators.

The 2025 race reportedly raised more than £75 million ($99.5 million) for charities, with participants donating money to various causes.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) confirmed on Friday the relegation of a Kenyan club, Muhoroni Youth, after world governing body FIFA found the second-tier team guilty of match manipulation.

It is the latest scandal to hit the sport in the east African country, long plagued by match-fixing.

In a decision published on Friday, FIFA found Muhoroni Youth “guilty of activities related to the manipulation of football matches and competitions”.

It expelled the club’s senior team from the FKF’s second-tier National Super League and ordered their relegation to the third-tier Division One League ahead of next season.

The FKF said it “fully supports FIFA’s decision” and reiterated “its zero-tolerance stance on match-fixing and all forms of manipulation that threaten the integrity of the game”.

The move follows the suspension of former national team goalkeeper Patrick Matasi at the end of March over allegations he helped rig a 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Cameroon in Yaounde last year.

Kenya lost 4-1 to diminish their chances of qualifying for the finals in Morocco in December.

In February 2020 FIFA banned four Kenya-based players — one for life — over an “international conspiracy” to fix league matches.

Five Kenyan referees were later suspended over the same scandal.

In their one-off Test against Zimbabwe later this month, Ben Stokes was named in a 13-man squad that was announced on Friday, giving him the all-clear to lead England.

The 33-year-old all-rounder has had hamstring surgery since suffering a broken hamstring in December, which is his second hamstring tear in five months.

Stokes hasn’t played for county side Durham this season, but he will lead England in the opening Test of their home season at Trent Bridge, which will be played over four days rather than the regular five.

READ ALSO: Tunisia defeats the Flying Eagles in the opening Narrow U-20 AFCON game

Sam Cook, an uncapped Essex seamer, is also in the squad and could make his Test debut in Nottingham, along with injured pacers Olly Stone, Brydon Carse, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood.

Express-switched Jofra Archer isn’t currently regarded as qualified for international red-ball cricket.

Although Cook, 27, has taken 318 first-class wickets for an impressive under-20 rating, doubts persist as to whether he is quick enough to perform well in the Tests.

Along with Jordan Cox, his Essex teammate, who might play as the reserve batsman, Cook is one of the other two uncapped players in the squad.

Batter Jacob Bethell, who impressed during England’s tour of New Zealand, is currently playing for Bengaluru’s Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League, effectively excluding him from the Zimbabwe match.

Josh Tongue, a paceman for Nottinghamshire who last played for England during the 2023 Ashes, will hope to return to Test action on his home turf.

With concerns about Stokes’ ability to bowl, he might join a pace attack that includes Cook and Gus Atkinson.

Ollie Pope appears poised to make his first appearance as the number three batsman while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has maintained his place despite his inconsistent performances this season.

Zimbabwe’s first Test match in England since 2003 will be here.

Zimbabwe have since lost a significant number of matches, but they won their first Test by three wickets in Sylhet last week.

England and India will also face off in a five-test series before the 2025/26 Ashes in Australia at the start of Stokes’ men’s busy home summer.

England squad

Ben Stokes (capt), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wkt), and Josh Tongue are the guests.

The club’s sporting director announced on Friday that English centre-back Eric Dier will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season when his contract expires.

Christoph Freund stated that Eric and I have been discussing a potential contract extension.

He informed us that he would leave Bayern at the end of the season and that he would not extend his time there.

Eric Dier’s photo is wonderful. twitter.com/oBwWRvi4wU

Bayern are still in discussions to extend Dier’s contract temporarily to include the Club World Cup, which takes place in the United States from June 14 to July 13.

Under Thomas Tuchel’s direction, Dier signed a loan to Munich in January 2024, making himself a defensive starter alongside Matthijs de Ligt.

READ ALSO: [UCL]  Barca Fight Back Against Inter In Sensational Semi-Final Draw

Only 24 hours later, you can feel the club’s warmth and history. I’m eager to begin this new journey and get to work.

I appreciate everyone’s warm welcome.

At the Allianz@FCBayern photo, see you. twitter.com/Pqe0ehpJkG

In the summer of 2024, the 31-year-old signed a one-year deal to complete the transfer.

Vincent Kompany’s current coach, who is less active, has made Dier a key player in helping to cover injuries to Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae.

Eric and I had a great time, according to Freund, who is a 49-time England player, and he should win a title.

At the end of the season, Eric Dier will step down from FC Bayern. pic. twitter.com/QI6WR1tsKi

Dier is expected to sign with Monaco in a deal that will run until the summer of 2027, according to reports in France and Germany.

Real Madrid still has a goal in mind: defending their La Liga title after crushing defeats at Barcelona and Arsenal in the Champions League.

Despite the pain caused by the cup final fallout this week, the Los Blancos host Celta Vigo on Sunday in an effort to stay strong on top of the table.

Antonio Rudiger, a Real Madrid defender, was banned from six matches for throwing objects at the referee, and he also chose to have knee operations, which will keep him out until the end of the season.

Ferland Mendy and David Alaba, who have been sidelined for the majority of the campaign, are also expected to miss out, along with Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, who have been sidelined for a while.

As a Celta side hoping to secure European football next season visit the Santiago Bernabeu, Carlo Ancelotti’s defense, which has been one of the team’s weak points in general this season, is in ruins.

Madrid, who are second and four points clear of Barcelona, have lost five La Liga games this season. They only lost once when they won the title in a previous campaign.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti, who is set to leave the organization at the end of the season, still thinks his team can defend their title.

Madrid have a week to recover from their Copa final defeat on Saturday and have a week off from the competition.

The Italian coach reaffirmed that “we have time to prepare for the games against Celta and Barcelona,” and that the team must continue to compete until the very end.

Madrid and the Catalan giants square off at the Olympic Stadium in a match that could have a significant impact on the title race’s fate.

Between the two legs of their Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan, Madrid must make an effort to reach that game without the four-point gap growing. Barcelona will play at Real Valladolid on Saturday.

Although it was a contentious night after the Galician side were denied what appeared to be a penalty, Madrid won the Copa del Rey semifinal match.

Iago Aspas, the Celta striker, said this week ahead of his team’s return to the Bernabeu, “all of Spain saw it.”

Aspas stated that he would not exclude Madrid from the title race despite their struggles.

Aspas said, “In football, you can never rule out anything. Sometimes a team seems to lose, but they win,” adding that.

“We’ll try to be the protagonists, have the ball, and attack,” the statement reads, “And it could go well or not.”

READ ALSO: [UCL]  Barca Fight Back Against Inter In Sensational Semi-Final Draw

Ayoze Perez is a player to watch.

Ayoze Perez hopes to finish the season as the top Spanish scorer in La Liga as Villarreal moves toward a Champions League spot next season. Oihan Sancet, who is currently recovering from an injury, is the Villarreal forward with 14 goals, one behind Athletic Bilbao’s Oihan Sancet. As Osasuna visits on Saturday, Perez might increase his total.

Important statistics
7 – outfield players who have participated in each of their club’s 33 league games so far this season.

Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid has the most shots on target this season at 69.

Lamine Yamal, who made his Barcelona debut two years ago, has now turned 100 games in this week’s game against Inter Milan.

La Liga Liga Liga Fixtures

Friday (all times GMT)

Rayo Vallecano v. Getafe (1900)

Saturday

Alaves v Atletico Madrid (1200), Villarreal v Osasuna (1415), Las Palmas v Valencia (1630), Valladolid v Barcelona (1900)

Sunday

Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (1200), Sevilla v Leganes (1415), Espanyol v Real Betis (1630), Real Sociedad v Athletic Bilbao (1900)

Monday