Champions

Four people have been arrested in South Africa in connection with the murder of boxing champion Zolani Tete, who was shot dead outside his home on Friday.

Tete, 38, was gunned down in what has been described as an ambush in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape. A young woman who was with him was also shot and is in hospital.

One of the men being held, a 22-year-old who was arrested on Saturday, will make an initial appearance in court on Monday, and faces murder and attempted murder charges.

Tete held the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019, as well as the IBF super-flyweight title in 2014. He was later given a four-year ban, which lapsed in July this year.

The remaining suspects, who were arrested on Sunday, are due in court on Tuesday. Two have been charged with unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. It is unclear whether they will also be charged with murder and attempted murder.

Tete was in his car waiting for the gate to his house to open when two armed suspects in balaclavas emerged from a vehicle and fired “multiple shots” at him and a 27‑year‑old female passenger, according to officials.

The motive behind the attack is unclear.

Tributes have been pouring in for the two-time world champion since his death. South Africa’s Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie said: “South Africa has lost one of the finest fighters it has ever produced.”

Former Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula also paid tribute to Tete, lamenting the loss of a “a great South African who has made an immense contribution in the sport of boxing”.

Tete beat Liverpool’s Paul Butler in 2015 in one of the eight times he fought in the United Kingdom.

He also holds a Guinness World Record for the fastest knockout in a title fight, ending his match with Siboniso Gonya inside 11 seconds in 2017.

Tete last fought in July 2022, beating Briton Jason Cunningham by knockout In London, but it was later ruled a no-contest after he failed a drugs test.

He tested positive for anabolic steroid stanozolol and was given a ban by the UK Anti-Doping Agency.

After his death, manager Mla Tengimfene confirmed he had been training for a comeback fight after his ban ended.

Tete had 29 wins in 34 fights, with four losses and one no-contest.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world.

According to the latest crime statistics, covering the period between January and March this year, around 58 people were killed each day.

Last season’s Champions League fairytale side Bodo/Glimt look set to qualify for this year’s edition of the competition after winning 3-1 away at NEC Nijmegen of the Netherlands.

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The Swede set Celtic on their way and Duran’s double did the rest, a gorgeous volley – on the back of hustling and harassing of the LASK defence – and then that sumptuous team goal that rounded it off.

O’Neill said the club has a bargain in Duran and the early signs are that he was an absolute steal at somewhere between £4.5m and £6m, depending on who’s talking.

The Colombian has intelligence and guile but he’s also got the work-ethic that means every bit as much as his other qualities.

In the 72nd minute, Celtic were 3-0 ahead, and yet there the 24-year-old was darting back into defence to help out, tracking LASK men until they were hounded out of possession.

As much as his goals, his lung-busting effort to put in a shift made him a hero of the night for Celtic people. Honesty counts for a lot.

It’s easy to say that Celtic learned their lesson from a year ago and splashed the cash. They spent close to £30m and now they’re getting their reward. It’s never that simple.

Spending is something that Celtic have done a lot of over the years. Spending wisely has been their problem. Splurging money on last-minute loans who, surprisingly, turn out to be duds.

Forking out multiple millions on recent and not so recent failures – from Balikwisha to Barkas – has been the problem. The decision-making has been awful too often.

Duran represents a return to form, a reminder of the days when they found value, mostly under Ange Postecoglou.

We’re too quick to write off players and we can also be too quick to brand them as stars in waiting. You should tread carefully at all times. With Duran we’ll take the plunge – this guy looks special.

Beyond offering a physical distraction, Kasper Hogh was quiet against LASK, but he will score plenty in the weeks and months ahead. At £11m, he, too, looks like money very well spent.

Following the start of the US-Israel war on Iran,, the first match of the Iranian league was played last week.

Iranian clubs have been confirmed to play at neutral venues against their Qatari and United Arab Emirates opponents following the draw for the group stage of the Asian Champions League Elite.

Matches in the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) premier event, which was drawn on Tuesday, begin on September 14.

Tehran’s Esteghlal and Tabriz-based Tractor will face UAE sides Al Ain, Al Wasl and Shabab Al-Ahli, and Qatari clubs Al Gharafa, Al Sadd and Al Shamal, despite the ongoing conflict in the region.

Esteghlal and Tractor avoided the heavily favoured Saudi Arabian contingent.

Since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February, Iran has struck targets in Qatar and the UAE, saying it is retaliating for allowing US bases to be used for strikes.

Iran’s neighbours have implored Tehran to stop firing at them. On Sunday, Iran claimed three of its pilots who went missing in March were being held in Qatar, though Doha denied the charge.

Iran’s domestic league was suspended in February as attacks began but returned last weekend with one match behind closed doors and others under capacity restrictions.

The AFC Elite features two 16-team regional zones. In the west, Saudi Arabia has five representatives, including Jeddah’s Al-Ahli, which is aiming to become the first club to win three straight Champions League titles. Coach Matthias Jaissle left this month to take over English Premier League side Newcastle.

Riyadh rival Al-Hilal is seeking a fifth title, while Cristiano Ronaldo leads Al-Nassr back into the competition after winning the Saudi Pro League in May.

In the east, Japan reached the final in the past two editions, with Kawasaki Frontale and Machida Zelvia losing to Al-Ahli, though neither has qualified this year.

Gamba Osaka won in 2008, and South Korea also supplies two former champions: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, aiming for a third crown, and Pohang Steelers, looking for a fourth.

The top eight from each group advance to the round of 16. From the quarterfinals onward, all matches will be played in Saudi Arabia, with the final set for May 1.

After years and years of failure and billions of pounds spent, Paris St-Germain finally won the Champions League in 2025.

And then they became one of only two teams to win consecutive Champions League trophies.

They hammered Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich in 2025 and then beat Arsenal on penalties in Budapest this year.

Only Real Madrid had won the Champions League back-to-back before – winning three in a row from 2016 to 2018.

It is something even the great teams like Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona or Manchester City, or Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, or various Bayern Munich sides have not done.

Joining Real on three is the aim for Luis Enrique’s side this season.

Going back to the start, only three other teams have managed to win three consecutive European Cups – Real Madrid, who won the first five from 1956 to 1960, and Ajax and Bayern Munich both in the 1970s.

In fact if you stretch it out to three European Cups in five years you would only have to add Liverpool (1977, 1978, 1981) to that list.

It is said that defending a championship is harder than winning one.

That ls the challenge facing the JSerra High flag football team this fall after the skilled girls from San Juan Capistrano completed a perfect season with a last-second goal line stand to secure their 25-20 triumph over defending champion Orange Lutheran in the Southern Section Division 1 final last November.

The Lions defeated their Trinity League rivals three times on the way to a 28-0 record in 2025 and are the preseason favorites to repeat under the guidance of Brian Ong, the reigning section coach of the year, and USA Flag junior national team members Kate Meier (quarterback) and Tessa Russell (receiver/safety).

Also returning is All-American quarterback Ava Van Heerde, who rotated with Meier last season to give opposing defenses fits attempting to solve their contrasting but equally effective styles. Meier passed for 3,729 yards and 58 touchdowns as a freshman while Van Heerde (also a rising star in softball) threw for 3,460 yards and 44 touchdowns as a sophomore. They will miss throwing to their favorite target as leading receiver and Division 1 player of the year Ava Irwin has transferred to Sierra Canyon for its program launch.

Orange Lutheran’s only three losses last season were to JSerra and if the Lancers are to be title contenders again they must overcome the absence of All-CIF quarterback Makena Cook (who threw for 7,083 yards and 112 touchdowns) and receiver Happy Dubois (129 receptions for 1,747 yards and 21 touchdowns), who are joining Irwin at Sierra Canyon. The Lancers also have a new coach, Dennis Hester, after Kristen Sherman announced in March that she was leaving to be an assistant under her husband, Rod Sherman, at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Mater Dei went 0-6 in Trinity League action one year ago but has picked up two key transfers in junior quarterback Tymane Allen (who threw for 4,925 yards and 56 touchdowns for Cypress) and senior receiver/safety Allyson Schmida (who caught 74 passes for 744 yards at Crean Lutheran).

JSerra High’s Brian Ong was the Southern Section Division 1 coach of the year last fall when the Lions went unbeaten.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Back for the Monarchs is dual-threat quarterback Kendra Hansen, who had 25 touchdown passes and 20 touchdown runs as a sophomore.

Huntington Beach won 25 of 27 games last year, reaching the Division 1 semifinals, and despite the graduation of All-Southern Section receiver Taylor Savage the Oilers are equipped for another deep playoff run behind quarterback Roxie Shaia (6,692 yards and 89 touchdowns), receiver Shelby Nguyen (96 catches for 1,020 yards and 21 touchdowns) and linebacker Mia Aish (133 flag pulls and eight interceptions).

Trying to dethrone the Sunset League champions will be Newport Harbor, which has quarterback Scarlett Guyser (3,371 yards and 42 touchdowns) and receiver Skylie Cid (105 catches for 1,161 yards and 11 touchdowns). Division 2 champion Corona del Mar, which brings back every starter but one, including player of the year Addison Stern and receivers Mia Balabanian and AnnaSofia Dickens.

Dos Pueblos went 24-3 and fell to JSerra in the Division 1 semifinals last season. The Chargers return All-Channel League defensive back Brooklyn Hedricks (203 flag pulls, 18 deflections and 14 interceptions) and receiver Ruby Streatfeild (104 catches for 1,101 yards and 18 touchdowns), who helped power the LA Chargers Conquer club team to the NFL Girls Flag National Championship in Westfield, Ind. in July.

Thanks to its high-profile transfers, Sierra Canyon could be the team to beat in the San Fernando Valley. The Trailblazers will play in the Mission League along with Harvard-Westlake, which has hired professional flag player and prominent club coach Asha Prithiraj to guide the Wolverines through their inaugural season.

All-Southern Section quarterback Makena Cook transferred to Sierra Canyon after leading Orange Lutheran to the Division 1 final last season.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

In addition to new programs emerging in 2026 are new rules, like teams having an extra timeout each half (matching the three per half in tackle football), tighter ball-stripping restrictions, a definition for illegal hurdling and teams giving up a safety putting the ball in play via scrimmage kick from the 20-yard line. The most significant change gives a trailing team that has just scored the option to try a fourth-and-20 pass from its own 20-yard line. Should the play result in a first down, the trailing team keeps possession. If it fails, the opponent takes over at the spot the play ended.

The Northern League appears to have supplanted the Marine League as the best in the City Section after Marshall and Eagle Rock faced each other for the Open Division title and Franklin made the Division I semifinals last fall.

Marshall won 20-0 behind three-year starting quarterback Jaylin Macias, whose departure gives her backup, Diana Sandoval, an opportunity to run coach Shane Gerard’s offense. The Barristers will be tested by 23-game winner Wilson and Eagle Rock, which returns quarterback Nylah Moore (51 touchdown passes as a junior last year) and adds Nylah’s freshman sister Cinzia.

Thirty-two Southern California teams (separated into two divisions) will participate in the fourth annual Chargers x Oakley Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa.

Friday’s pool play matchups include Sierra Canyon-Long Beach Poly; JSerra-Camarillo; Newport Harbor-Aliso Niguel; Huntington Beach-Redondo Union; Oxnard-Orange Lutheran; Woodbridge-Ventura; Dos Pueblos-Classical Academy; Cypress-Agoura; Warren-St. Margaret’s;and Westlake-Torrey Pines.

Corona del Mar High’s AnnaSofia Dickens runs the ball against Westlake in last season’s Southern Section Division 2 final at El Modena.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Teams to Watch this season

JSerra, Huntington Beach, Sierra Canyon, Orange Lutheran, Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar, Trabuco Hills, Dos Pueblos, Camarillo, Santa Margarita, Lakewood St. Joseph, Westlake, Anaheim Canyon, Upland, San Marcos, Mater Dei, Etiwanda, Ventura, Downey, Newbury Park.

Players to Watch this season

Ava Irwin, WR/DB Sierra Canyon
Makena Cook, QB, Sierra Canyon
Kate Meier, QB, JSerra
Tessa Russell, WR/DB, JSerra
Addison Stern, QB, Corona del Mar
Olivia Elsokary, WR/DB, Westlake
Ava Van Heerde, QB, JSerra
Scarlett Guyser, QB/DB, Newport Harbor
Happy Dubois, WR/DB, Sierra Canyon
Brooklyn Hedricks, WR/DB, Dos Pueblos
London Lefler, QB/WR/DB Newbury Park
Skylie Cid, RB, Newport Harbor
Roxie Shaia, QB, Huntington Beach
Mia Balabanian, Corona del Mar
Tymane Allen, QB, Mater Dei
Mia Aish, LB, Huntington Beach
Madeline Garcia, QB, Downey
Sadie Olivares, WR/DB, Edison
Leah Vanderveen, WR/S, Mission Viejo
Nylah Moore, QB, Eagle Rock
AnnaSofia Dickens, WR/LB, Corona del Mar

Quarterback Nylah Moore will try to pass Eagle Rock back to the City Section Open Division flag football championship game.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Dorsey High’s 1982 City Section football championship team walked onto the stage with a youthful swagger. Though it has been decades since they celebrated within the halls of the school, it was like they had never left that courtyard.

Alumni and family cheered and danced alongside them at Dorsey’s first full athletics reunion. Soon after, the cheerleaders for the 1976 championship basketball team came out to perform. The up and coming sports teams for the 2026-27 school year came out with their families, as hundreds of people celebrated the legacy and the future of the school.

But Dorsey has undergone a lot of changes since the turn of the century.

In 25 years, it has gone from a well-attended school with a successful athletics program to one that has faded into the background of Los Angeles.

The last football championship came in 2001. The next year, Dorsey enrolled 2,211 students, the most in school history, according to Public School Review. Now, enrollment is hitting a low with 792 students, according to US News, and the athletic teams are trying to find that powerhouse status again.

Enter former football head coach Paul Knox. He had a solution — or at least an idea. Bring together the athletics alumni of Dorsey for a day of celebration, with a look ahead to the future.

On Saturday, hundreds of current and former Dorsey Dons came to the school for the reunion. There were a lot of stories, old photos, laughter and love being passed around from people who haven’t touched the campus in four decades. Alumni from all the way back in the 1950s came. Knox gave tours of the renovations the school has undertaken, and the event also highlighted the soon-to-be football stadium and new basketball gym.

Later in the day, the current teams were introduced to everybody in attendance as was the 1976 City championship basketball team. The chance to showcase both the past and present is what inspired Knox, who hasn’t coached at Dorsey since 2014, to put on this event.

“The atmosphere that is here, the pride that everybody has in the school in general … it’s one of the most passionate alumni that you are going to have,” Knox said.

Dorsey’s enrollment struggles are not unique. Across California, public school enrollment is down. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, enrollment dropped over 16,000 in the past year. Private and charter schools are on the up in both academics and athletics, leaving places such as Dorsey — that dominated for so long — behind.

Dorsey High alum and former major leaguer Don Buford sits under a towering ficus tree on campus Saturday during the school’s all-sports reunion.

(Caleb Otte / For The Times)

Dorsey has a long history of sending athletes to the professional leagues. Former major leaguer Don Buford, who graduated in 1955, was present at the event. He barely had a moment to himself as multiple other alumni wanted to chat and grab photos with him, and Buford was happy to exchange excited, reminiscent anecdotes.

Buford was sitting in front of a massive ficus tree, with roots the size of a 5-year-old child coming up out of the ground. He took a moment to look back when talking to a class of 1958 alumni, noticing the size of the plant.

“When I went here, this was just a little tree,” he said.

Eighty years of students coming through the halls of Dorsey watched the small seedling sprout into a towering, beautiful beast.

Knox, and the administration of the school, are treating this reunion as the initial seed for the rehabilitation of the athletics program and hopefully the entire school.

“The passion is there,” Knox said. “We’re really hoping to inspire the teams now, to show them that there’s depth behind the things they do.”

Beyond the prime directive of the event, it simply served as a way for the Dorsey community to experience joy. So many former players caught up with their coaches. People were introducing themselves to legendary alumni that they hoped to meet. Finding a face without a smile would’ve been a Herculean task.

The day also served as a chance to show the current students at Dorsey what opportunities are out there for them, whether that be from sports or otherwise. Former champions were highlighted alongside what Dorsey hopes are their future champions.

Baseball alumni all wore shirts that said “Legacy of Greatness … Five Rings, One Legacy.” Their most recent championship was in 2014. Little signs like that permeated the day, as did a big one displaying every Dorsey championship.

The idea that the school has a history of success, and they want to get back there, was the cornerstone of the event — without it being explicitly stated.

“Once you go here, you get that feeling,” Knox said.

Even with all the fanfare, the man giving out raffle tickets at the front entrance encapsulated it perfectly.

“It’s a great day to be a Don.”

Hip Hop International, which turns 25 this year, brought some of the world’s best dance crews and choreographers to mainstream attention. Groups including Jabbawockeez and Quest Crew, and choreographers such as Parris Goebel (Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Justin Bieber) and Sienna Lalau (BTS, Blackpink, Ciara) all got their start through the group’s annual dance competition, which connected dance cultures in a pre-YouTube era through global shared artistry when breaking was a mostly underground activity.

This year’s weeklong contest concludes Saturday in Phoenix, when a new world champion will be crowned. Involving 3,000 dancers from 55 countries, the competition has grown to be among the largest in the world due to the efforts of founders Howard and Karen Schwartz, whose globetrotting history led to HHI’s current prominence in the dance world.

In the late 1980s, the Schwartzes were known as “the mother and father of aerobics.” The duo were pioneers of the aerobics craze that gripped the nation and helped create the National Aerobic Championship. ESPN followed the Schwartzes’ competitions, as did the Soviet Union, which was in the midst of the massive social, economic and cultural upheaval that culminated with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

B-Boy Vico from France was the winner of Hip Hop International’s World Battles in 2023.

(Steven Lam)

Soon after, the Soviet Union asked the Schwartzes to bring their aerobic champions to teach fitness and aerobics there, Karen said. So they did.

“We grew that,” Howard said, adding that the aerobics championship became “almost as big as what HHI is now. We were all over the world with it.”

The pair later transitioned out of aerobics but still had the desire to create communal experiences. While traveling, the Schwartzes went to Paris and saw kids breaking on the street. The seed of an idea was planted. It blossomed later on a trip to Tokyo, as they emerged from a subway.

“We were walking and we saw a group of dancers that were practicing in the streets, but utilizing a storefront window reflection where it became a mirror,” said Karen, who was struck by the creativity of the art form.

When the Schwartzes first began to establish HHI, they reached out to people who would lend credibility, including Don Campbell, creator of the street dance style Locking; Ken Swift, a longtime b-boy and member of the Rock Steady Crew; and Toni Basil, a member of the 1970s dance crew the Lockers (with Campbell) and singer of the ’80s hit “Mickey.”

Basil has since received HHI’s Icon Award and is often a judge during championship weeks and worldwide competitions. She is a stalwart ambassador of dance worldwide. The Lockers were the first group of dancers to travel outside of the “Soul Train” sphere to be seen on television as a singular act. They appeared on “The Tonight Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show,” and were among the first crews to legitimize the art form by making a living from it.

“I don’t know how Karen and Howard organize it,” Basil said of the HHI competitions, noting that so many “kids get to come to America. It’s a big deal. It’s their life. It’s incredible. And to be dancing morning, noon and night, that’s a serotonin-raising life. I mean, everybody’s high on dance.”

Basil touts the international expansion of hip-hop dance and says that “there’s no more important crew battles in the world than HHI. Period.” She also said that HHI’s penchant for group choreography in the U.S. has translated worldwide. Dancers like Goebel and Lalau have graduated from the HHI community to stand on global stages as choreographers and artistic directors with music’s biggest artists.

Goebel operates out of Auckland, New Zealand, in a dance studio she created called the Palace. Her large dance crew, the Royal Family, helped establish the mold of choreographer-dancer-musician after unprecedented success at the HHI competition.

“Definitely the Royal Family competing at HHI and winning three gold medals in a row gave us international recognition for the dance crew and in turn made the Palace well known as I had many crews coming of out my studio,” Goebel wrote in an email.

Lalau‘s classes during the competition week at the HHI championships are coveted events, and she has led numerous classes and groups for the Lab, a Los Angeles-based hip-hop dance crew and studio.

“As my career evolved, I realized HHI is about so much more than competition,” Lalau wrote in an email. “It’s a place where culture, community, and creativity come together. That mindset has stayed with me throughout my career. Whether I’m creating for an artist, building a cast, or teaching a class, I always come back to the idea that the strongest work comes from collaboration.”

In 2008 the Schwartzes’ success led to them serve as producers for the Emmy Award-winning “America’s Best Dance Crew,” an MTV dance competition series that ran for eight seasons. Success stories from the show include crews such as the Jabbawockeez, which has been a fixture in Las Vegas since its first-season win, Quest Crew, Snoop Dogg and Far East Movement.

“ABDC” shone a spotlight on background performers and treated its participants with respect. JC Chasez, a member of N*Sync who also served as a judge on the show and was a talent competition participant himself, wrote in an email that he was excited to be in the mix.

“I know a lot of shows are about the judges, but I thought ‘ABDC’ did a really good job at making sure the audience at home knew that the stars of the show were the dancers,” Chasez wrote.

Chasez, now a producer on the Broadway musical “Titanique,” also noted that “ABDC” alumni are everywhere.

“I’ve really been enjoying seeing crew members succeed … on different projects,” he said. “I was in New York for the Tonys, and some of the people in ‘Jellicle Ball,’ … had competed on ‘Dance Crew.’”

Now that it’s hit the 25-year mark, supporters believe HHI will continue to evolve along with hip-hop dance itself. Always looking forward while reaching back to keep the past alive.

Reinvention is necessary, Chasez said, because hip-hop music today no longer sounds like it did in the ’80s.

“And so as the sonics change and as the rhythms evolve, I think that’s where interpretations will continue to evolve as well because they are visualizing the rhythms that you’re hearing and telling a story in a unique way.”

Lalau said she expects the next 25 years will bring even more authentic creativity, but that she hopes “that we still prioritize the human side of dance [over tech advancements]. Hip-hop has always been rooted in community, connection and self-expression.”

“We really are so proud of a number of the things that we have been able to accomplish, because it’s made a difference,” Karen Schwartz said of herself and her husband, adding that it’s hard to stop and think about those things because they’re so busy thinking about the future.

“That’s the problem, actually,” Howard said. “We’re constantly, ‘What can we do next? What can make the experience better for everyone?’

“Our ultimate goal is of course to bring ‘ABDC’ back,” he said, “and we haven’t stopped trying.”

Until then, a new world champion will be crowned Saturday night, continuing a tradition that has become much more than a trend.

Saudi Arabia has hosted the last two Asian Champions League Elite finals and has now been confirmed for the next three.

Saudi ‌Arabia will organise the next three ⁠editions ⁠of the Asian Champions League Elite finals after the Asian Football Confederation’s ⁠executive committee confirmed the country’s provisional hosting rights had been made permanent.

The Saudis have hosted the first two editions of the event, which sees the quarterfinals, semifinals and final played in ‌a centralised venue, since the continent’s premier club competition was restructured before the 2024/2025 season.

Jeddah-based outfit Al-Ahli have won the title on the two occasions the city has hosted the ⁠finals, defeating Japan’s Kawasaki ⁠Frontale in 2025 before beating Machida Zelvia, also from Japan, in May.

The upcoming edition of the tournament, which ⁠features the domestic champions of the leading competitions from ⁠the region, will ⁠see the league phase expanded from 24 to 32 teams.

The qualifying rounds will start on August 11, ‌with the draw for the league phase to be held in Kuala Lumpur ‌on ‌August 18 and play commencing on September 14.

Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli completed their back-to-back victories with a 1-0 win after extra time against Machida Zelvia, of the Japanese J1 League, in last year’s final.

Fellow Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal are the record winners of the competition with four wins from nine appearances in the final – which is also a record.

Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds and South Korea’s Pohang Steelers have each lifted the trophy twice, having both appeared in the final on three occasions.

Larne manager Gary Haveron said he was “proud” of his players’ efforts in their 4-0 home defeat by Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League second qualifying round, first leg.

The Inver Reds trailed at the break after Bruno Duarte converted from the spot, but the Serbian club would add another three in the second period as Duarte grabbed a second, while Vasilije Kostov and Muhammed Cham found the net to all but finish the tie off.

Haveron felt his team can take a lot from the experience but accepts they were up against a “different level” of opposition.

“I’m extremely proud,” Haveron told BBC Sport NI.

“For long stages in the first half we frustrated them and were probably a bit disappointed to come in one down given the soft penalty.

“I thought the shape was really good, discipline really good and in the second half we got caught up in the occasion and chased the game a bit too much. When you give a quality team space in behind, they can hurt you and did that in a 10-minute spell when they scored two goals and killed the tie.

“It’s a learning opportunity for us and we can take so much as a club, coaching staff and players. The quality is different level and some of the finishes were ridiculous.”

Larne will travel to Belgrade for the second leg next Wednesday [19:00 BST] and while Haveron accepts the Champions League is “a step too far”, he is hopeful they can push on in the Europa or perhaps Conference League qualifiers.

“Our ceiling wasn’t the Champions League,” he stressed.

“Winning the first game [against Tre Fiori] gave us an opportunity in the Europa League, gave us an opportunity in the Conference League that gives us a level of football we can be competitive in.

“We made group stages previously [2024/25] but you need to get lucky with the draw and it gives us a chance to be competitive.

“When you get to this stage of the Champions League, it’s a step too far, but about the occasion, the experience and performance, so next week will stand to us going into the rest of the season.”

Betfred Super League

Warrington (22) 34

Tries: Webster, Harrison, Ashton 2, Walker, Philbin Goals: Irwin 5

Hull KR (0) 12

Tries: Gildart, Batchelor Goals: Martin 2

Sin-bin: Lewis (72)

Warrington Wolves rediscovered their early-season form to dominate reigning Super League champions Hull KR and move within two points of second place.

Three defeats in their previous four games had cast doubts over Wire’s play-off credentials but they made light of those fears as tries from Lachlan Webster, James Harrison, Matty Ashton and Danny Walker put them virtually out of sight by the break.

Joe Philbin celebrated his return to action with another in the second half and, after Oliver Gildart had hit back, Ashton took his Warrington try tally to two on the night and 101 in total with a late second score.

Defeat left the Robins, who have now lost three of the last four, in danger of falling out of the top six, with rivals Leigh Leopards kicking off later.

Both sides badly needed a win to reinvigorate their respective flagging bids for the play-offs, with Robins boss Willie Peters conceding before the game that defeat would probably end their defence of the League Leaders’ Shield which they won in such style last summer.

There was little sign of that panache at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, as they began well but misfired at crucial moments, and 19-year-old Wolves full-back Webster punished them with his first Super League try.

Harrison cut through an out-of-sorts defence to extend the lead and, after Hull KR’s Mikey Lewis had been brilliantly held up in-goal by Albert Hopoate, Ashton bagged his 100th try for the club.

Walker was soon in support to score another after Toafofoa Sipley had raced through a gaping hole in the visitors’ defence.

The Robins tried to raise their game at the start of the second half but Wire again soaked it up and hit back as Philbin, back after being out injured for five games, took the lead to 28-0.

Gildart made use of a brilliant Jack Broadbent pass to finally get the away side on the scoreboard, but Lewis’ mounting frustration finally boiled over as he was sin-binned for a late challenge on Ewan Irwin, who kicked the resulting penalty.

Ashton added his second try of the afternoon before James Batchelor notched a late consolation for the visitors.

Warrington: Webster; Ashton, King, J Smith, Hopoate; Irwin, Hayes; Byrne, Walker, Thomas, Holroyd, Harrison, Currie

Interchanges: Sipley, Bentley, Philbin, Tanginoa.

Hull KR: Mourgue; Davies, Martin, Gildart, Booth; Lewis, May; Sue, Litten, Hadley, Lawton, Batchelor, Minchella.

Interchanges: Amone, Broadbent, Luckley, Dezaria.

Referee: Liam Moore

Linda Noskova won the Wimbledon women’s singles title on Saturday afternoon

Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova moved BBC viewers to tears during her speech following her triumph in the ladies’ singles final on Saturday afternoon.

It was an all-Czech showdown on Centre Court, with Noskova facing off against compatriot Karolina Muchova. Noskova proved too strong for Muchova, claiming her maiden Grand Slam title with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 victory over the world No. 9.

There was an extra layer of emotion surrounding Noskova’s success though, given her mother died on the eve of the 2024 Championships when she was just 19.

Noskova referenced the devastating loss during her acceptance speech, saying: “There’s also one more person I would like to thank, which is my mum. I would definitely would not be standing here without her so thank you. Guys, I don’t cry normally so this is not okay for me. I have been enjoying these two weeks so much, all the sad tears, the happy tears, the sweat and blood going into this.

“It was all worth it, so I will definitely never forget these two weeks and one more thing, I want to thank all the fans. You guys made this final like nothing I have ever experienced before so I can not wait to come back next year,” reports the Express.

As she honoured her late mother, cameras captured Navratilova – a nine-time Wimbledon champion – weeping in the stands.

Responding to the emotional speech, commentator Sam Smith remarked: “For Noskova to come here, a little over two years since she lost her mother to cancer right before Wimbledon 2024 and lift the title at 21 in such a rollercoaster of a final shows you she really is a true champion.”

During her address, Noskova added: “I don’t know how to hold it [the trophy], that’s the first thing. It feels incredible, today and all these matches have been so tough, physically and mentally. Today, especially, it’s never easy to get the last point. Karol, you really made me work for it.

“I will not forgive you this one, like you said we are friends. I am so glad that I could play my first Grand Slam final with you. I think we made history today. I believe all our Czech fans at home are proud of us today so no matter the result today I think it was a good day for both of us.”

She went on to say: “I want to congratulate your team, you especially have been such a fighter and you guys, a good two weeks for you and a great season as well so congratulations. I want to thank my team, I want to thank my Dad for coming here, for my family members flying here, I know you don’t like flying so I appreciate it.

“I want to thank all my friends, supporters, sponsors, agents and my whole team. I want to thank Agatha, the best atmosphere manager I could wish for and my coach for being with me which is not easy all the time. We have been together for six years now, I think, and I am so grateful for you. I would not be here without you.”

Viewers at home also crumbled to tears, as one X user posted: “I started out saying the final is boring, and ended up sobbing crying at Linda thanking her mom who passed away and seeing Muchova cry… that was actually a rollercoaster of emotions, tennis is beautiful.”

Someone else chimed in: “Linda Novoska got me ugly crying out here this morning. What a moving winner speech. That shoutout to her mom. Just wow!!!”

While others gathered to comment words of support under a BBC clip of the powerful moment. Someone said: “So sad, our thoughts are with her.”

The 2026 Wimbledon matches are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Northampton and Bath will compete for points in the same tough Champions Cup pool next season, having been drawn alongside the Pretoria-based Bulls and Top 14 runners-up Montpellier.

The Bulls lost in the United Rugby Championship (URC) final against Leinster in June, while Montpellier were also one match from glory, beaten by Toulouse in France’s showpiece league competition.

Stade Francais, who reached the Top 14 semi-finals, and Cardiff – the top-ranked Welsh side in the URC – complete a competitive Pool Four.

Elsewhere, Bristol will face Gloucester and Munster in Pool Three, as well as being reunited with defending champions Bordeaux-Begles.

The French superpower took a narrow victory at Ashton Gate when the teams met at the same stage in January.

Leinster will take on Leicester, Sale and Glasgow in Pool One, while Toulouse – who clinched a fourth successive French title last weekend – will provide opposition for Saracens, Exeter and Connacht in Pool Two.

In the second-tier Challenge Cup, Harlequins have been drawn alongside three-time Champions Cup winners Toulon, along with Edinburgh and Ospreys.

Newcastle are in Pool Two with Scarlets, Benetton and Sharks.

Ulster have Bayonne and Perpignan as their French opposition in Pool Three, as well as Dragons.

The fixture list, with potentially crucial home advantage, will be announced later this month.

Ireland won the second T20 by one run over India, who did not hand a debut to teen sensation Sooryavanshi.

Ireland have secured a landmark series win over T20 world champions India in Belfast with a tense one-run victory after India again denied teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a debut.

Harry Tector marked his 100th T20 international appearance with a fine 50, as Ireland recovered from a slow start to post 154-8 at Stormont.

India-born Jai Moondra, who struck with his first ball in international cricket on Friday, had Sanju Samson lbw off the first ball of India’s chase.

He also dismissed Abhishek Sharma in the same over, before soon removing India captain Shreyas Iyer.

India regrouped after a rain delay, with Tilak Varma making 55 and Harshit Rana 21 late on, but that was not enough, as they finished on 153-9.

India’s 15-year-old batting prodigy Sooryavanshi forced his way into the squad for the white-ball tours of Ireland and England following several stunning displays in the 20-overs-per-side Indian Premier League.

Sooryavanshi emerged as the leading run-scorer in this season’s edition after amassing 776 runs for the Rajasthan Royals, a tally that included one century and five fifties.

But as had been the case in the first of the two-match series on Friday, when Ireland won by 34 runs for their first international men’s win over India in any format, the rising star was left out.

Sooryavanshi’s next chance to make an international debut will come in Wednesday’s first T20 against England at Chester-le-Street, the headquarters of county side Durham.

With a year to go until the World Cup starts in Brazil, this was a concerning scoreline that gives Wiegman plenty to ponder.

Facing world champions Spain away is arguably the toughest test in football, but to lose so comfortably was not an easy watch.

Former England midfielder Fran Kirby said Wiegman’s players looked “deflated” at full-time and she “hurt just watching it”.

“They will learn from it, and they have to rise up to put in a good performance against Ukraine,” Kirby told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Just the top team from their group automatically qualifies for the World Cup and even if England beat Ukraine on Tuesday they will likely miss out, with this defeat by Spain the only blotch on their otherwise solid campaign.

So what damage did the 4-0 defeat have on England?

“Of course, it’s not a great scoreline. It’s hard, it’s disappointing, and I think there was a difference – a big difference – between ourselves and Spain,” added Wiegman.

“We review this, recover, stick together, play a good game and then move forward.

“We know if we qualify [automatically] that there’s a different preparation than if we don’t qualify. Let’s first see what happens on Tuesday.”

England midfielder Keira Walsh, who captained the side in the absence of injured centre-back Leah Williamson, conceded they “just weren’t good enough”.

“Spain played incredibly well but I think there are a lot of things we could have done better. It felt like they had bodies everywhere,” said Walsh.

“It was very difficult to get out of our own box. I don’t have solutions right now. Obviously we’ll look back but right now the emotions are very high.

“It was a disappointing game. We’ve still got a small chance to qualify automatically. It’s out of our hands. We can hope Iceland do us a favour.”

OKLAHOMA CITY — Teagan Kavan struck out five in the final two innings to back a strong start from Citlaly Gutierrez, and Kayden Henry homered to lead Texas to a 4-1 victory over Texas Tech on Thursday night at the Women’s College World Series for a second straight national championship.

Texas trailed 1-0 after four innings, but a bases-loaded throwing error by shortstop Hailey Toney allowed two unearned runs to score in the fifth for a 2-1 lead.

Henry homered off Red Raiders ace NiJaree Canady — in her final collegiate game — to begin the seventh and Leighann Goode singled to drive in the final run.

Gutierrez (11-3) allowed one run on three hits in 4⅓ innings. Kavan notched her fifth save.

Canady (29-7) went the distance and allowed four runs — two earned — on eight hits with three walks.

Lauren Allred had an RBI single in the third to put Texas Tech up 1-0.

Coach Mike White led Texas to the school’s second title in his eighth season.

Second-year coach Gerry Glasgo has led the Red Raiders to their only two WCWS appearances. Texas Tech fell 7-3 in the opener.

Texas won the rubber game of the three-game series against Texas Tech last season to claim its first title.

French Ministry of Interior says 416 people detained nationwide, including 283 in Paris, after PSG’s win over Arsenal.

Police in France have detained more than 280 people in Paris after violent clashes erupted when thousands poured onto the streets after Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in the Champions League final.

About 22,000 police were deployed across France for the game on Saturday, including 8,000 in Paris, after unrest marred PSG’s win in the competition last year. Paris tram lines were halted, several metro stations shut and bus traffic halted in places in a bid to minimise disturbances.

According to the French Ministry of the Interior, 416 people were detained nationwide, including 283 who were apprehended in Paris. It was not immediately clear how many of these individuals were remanded in custody to face further investigation.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said seven officers were wounded and called the unrest “absolutely unacceptable”.

Six vehicles and two businesses were damaged.

A group of supporters also stormed the Paris ring road, the Boulevard Peripherique, bringing traffic to a halt for a time and setting off flares.

As fans celebrated the dramatic penalty shootout victory in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, about 20,000 people converged on Paris’s Champs-Elysees avenue, police said.

Shops boarded up their windows before the match to avoid a repeat of disturbances last year when youths ransacked shops on the Champs-Elysees and other streets. Hundreds of people were arrested.

Two dozen flares and about 100 fireworks were seized on Saturday while a bus shelter was destroyed near the Champs-Elysees.

The match was played on a hectic evening in Paris with singer Aya Nakamura performing at the Stade de France national stadium, rapper Damso at the La Defense Arena and the French Open tennis tournament in full swing.

Police said a bakery and a restaurant were damaged near PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium, where tens of thousands of people had gathered inside to watch the match. Another 4,000 to 5,000 people loitered outside with projectiles that were thrown at officers.

About 150 people “attempted to enter through one of the gates” at the stadium, but police pushed them back, a police spokesperson said.

Some also tried to erect a barricade with rental bikes, which was cleared by police.

Clashes broke out between police and supporters near the stadium, and officers responded with tear gas when fireworks were thrown at them.

‘Only in France’

The scenes angered the French far right. Three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen wrote on X that “only in France does a football club’s victory spark riots.”

“Only in France does everyone feel compelled to lock themselves in their homes on the evening of a victory to avoid being confronted with violence,” she added.

Nunez said there was a “very robust, very solid system in place” to curb violence.

“Our responsibility is to guarantee everyone a festive celebration that is calm and fully secure,” a police spokesperson said.

PSG’s players will take part in a parade on Sunday afternoon on the Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower in front of an expected crowd of 100,000 people before they are received by President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.

Syrian commission confirms the deaths of Rania al-Abbasi’s six children, missing since 2013 under Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Syria’s National Commission for Missing Persons (NCMP) says the children of dentist and former chess champion Rania al‑Abbasi, who disappeared with their parents more than a decade ago under then-President Bashar al-Assad, are likely dead.

“We have reached reliable and corroborating results that allow us to conclude with a high degree of professional certainty that Dr Rania al-Abbasi’s children are deceased,” the NCMP said in a statement on Saturday.

The fate of the children, unknown for years, became a symbol of the plight of other missing children of detainees and those forcibly disappeared during al-Assad’s rule, which ended with his ouster in 2024.

Al-Abbasi went missing along with her husband, Abdul Rahman Yasin, and their six children, aged three to 15, in March 2013 after government forces raided their home in Damascus, according to rights groups.

The commission, set up by the country’s new rulers in May 2025 to investigate missing and forcibly disappeared people, said its findings were “based on multiple verification and analysis procedures” conducted in coordination with national authorities.

“Efforts to find the remains … are still ongoing,” it added.

Hassan al-Abbasi, Rania’s brother, confirmed the children’s deaths in a video posted on Facebook.

He said the family had been able to view video recordings linked to the main suspect in a 2013 massacre in a Damascus district, including one showing him accusing children in a dark room of being “major financiers of terrorism”.

“They turned out to be our children,” Hassan al-Abbasi said. “We finally saw them … but they were martyred.”

The fate of Rania and her husband remains officially unknown after all contact with them was lost following their arrest on accusations linked to opposition to the Assad government.

Rights groups and media reports suggest they may have died, though their bodies were never found.

The issue of missing people remains one of the most pressing in Syria. They include detainees who vanished in government prisons as well as people who went missing during fighting, at checkpoints or while fleeing their homes over the years of civil war.

Tens of thousands of people were detained or disappeared during the war, which erupted in 2011 after a brutal crackdown on antigovernment protests by al-Assad.

The NCMP said last year that the number of people who went missing over decades of al-Assad family rule may exceed 300,000.

Notorious al-Assad regime figure linked to killings

Separately on Saturday, the Syrian Ministry of Interior said its investigation into the disappearance of al-Abbasi’s children had uncovered evidence linking Amjad Youssef – a notorious figure during al-Assad’s rule and the perpetrator of the 2013 Tadamon massacre – to their killing.

In a statement, it said interrogations of detainees, together with videos and information shared by the NCMP, had helped strengthen the case.

Youssef was arrested in April, prompting many Syrians to demand “just punishment” for a man they say carried out the massacre in cold blood.

The Tadamon case drew international attention after footage surfaced documenting the killings.

In 2022, The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom published footage it said had been leaked by a conscript in a pro-government militia showing members of the Assad-era Military Intelligence Branch 227 killing at least 41 people and burning their bodies.

The video showed an intelligence officer, identified as Youssef, shooting blindfolded and bound detainees.