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Issues accessing tickets from the MLB app caused problems at the entry gates for fans trying to enter Dodger Stadium before Monday’s game between the Dodgers and Colorado Rockies.

It’s unclear how many fans were affected, but the problem wasn’t confined to fans entering Dodger Stadium — the issue has been ongoing since at least last weekend at MLB ballparks across the country.

“MLB’s ticketing system TDC is experiencing difficulties across multiple venues for retrieving tickets and fan entry,” the Dodgers said in a statement. “The league is working with the Dodgers and other franchises to address the issues.”

The Dodgers notified season ticket holders Monday about the situation, urging them to reset their passwords on the MLB website. They instructed them to contact the team’s member services department if they were unable to access their tickets or couldn’t reset their passwords.

An MLB representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson expressed regret Sunday night for shoving a Buffalo Bills fan in the stands after the fan had slapped the helmets of Jackson and teammate DeAndre Hopkins as they celebrated a touchdown next to the stands at Highmark Stadium in upstate New York.

“I seen him slap D-Hop … and he slapped me and he talking, so you know I just forgot where I was for a little bit,” Jackson told reporters following the Ravens’ surprising 41-40 loss to the Bills on “Sunday Night Football”.

“But you got to think in those situations. You have security out there. Let security handle it. But I just let my emotions get the best of me. Hopefully, it don’t happen again. I learned from that.”

In a matchup between the two most recent NFL MVPs — Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen in 2024 and Jackson in 2023 — Hopkins made a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch late in the third quarter to give the Ravens a 34-19 lead. Hopkins and Jackson were among a number of Baltimore players who exited the back of the end zone to celebrate the score.

As several of those players walked past the stands, a fan reached out and slapped Hopkins on the helmet, then did the same to Jackson. The four-time Pro Bowl player, who also won the league’s MVP award in 2019, responded by shoving the fan hard with both hands, which knocked the fan backward.

The Bills reported that the fan was ejected from the game. Jackson was not disciplined during the game. The Times reached out to the NFL and the Ravens about whether Jackson might face any discipline for his role in the incident and did not receive immediate responses.

While he regrets his actions in this instance, Jackson told reporters he doesn’t see the need to stop celebrating so close to opposing fans.

“I’ve never seen our fans do that, so I’ll probably do it again [when] we score a touchdown,” Jackson said. “But it’s nothing against the fans, you know? I’m just celebrating my teammate scoring a touchdown.”

There wasn’t any celebrating to be had by the Ravens at the end of the game, however, after they squandered a 40-25 lead in the final four minutes. Allen capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman to pull the Bills to within eight.

Two plays later, Baltimore running back Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns, fumbled the ball away to give Buffalo possession on the Ravens’ 30. The Bills scored on a 1-yard Allen run but missed on the two-point conversion to trail 40-38 with 1:58 remaining.

The Ravens went three and out on the next possession, and the Bills drove 66 yards in nine plays to set up a 32-yard, game-winning field goal by Matt Prater as time expired.

The most densely packed section inside the Rose Bowl on Saturday was filled with fans wearing the colors of the visiting team.

Swathed in red and white, they crammed into one corner of the century-old stadium for what amounted to a nightlong celebration.

Fans cheering for the home team were more subdued and scattered throughout a stadium that seemed about one-third full, outnumbered by empty seats, visiting fans and those massive blue-and-gold tarps covering most of each end zone. Deliberately or not, Fox cameras inside the stadium showed those watching from home only wide shots filled with graphics that obscured the paltry crowd.

By late in the third quarter, the only suspense remaining in UCLA’s 43-10 blowout loss to Utah was waiting for the announced attendance. Reporters in the press box were given a figure of 35,032, which seemed inflated given so many empty seats below them.

It was.

The scan count, a tally of people actually inside the facility, was 27,785, according to athletic officials.

Creative accounting is the norm in college football given there are no standardized practices for attendance reporting. The Big Ten and other conferences leave it up to individual schools to devise their own formulas.

UCLA defines its announced attendance as tickets distributed — including freebies — plus non-ticketed and credentialed individuals such as players, coaches, staff, vendors, cheerleaders, band members, performers and even media. Across town, USC’s announced attendance includes only tickets distributed, according to an athletic department spokesperson, which was 62,841 for the season opener against Missouri State.

In recent seasons, UCLA’s announced attendance was sometimes more than double the scan count, according to figures obtained by The Times through a public records request.

For UCLA’s home opener against Bowling Green on a sweltering September day in 2022, the announced attendance was 27,143, a record low for the team since moving to the Rose Bowl before the 1982 season.

The actual attendance was much lower. UCLA’s scan count, which represented people who entered the stadium (including the aforementioned non-ticketed and credentialed individuals) was 12,383 — 14,760 fewer than the announced attendance. The scan count for the next game, against Alabama State, was just a smidgen higher at 14,093.

Those longing for an on-campus stadium could quip that UCLA might as well hold some games at Drake Stadium given the track facility holds 11,700 and could probably accommodate several thousand more with temporary bleachers placed opposite the permanent grandstands.

Empty seats aren’t just a game day buzzkill given their correlation to lost revenue.

“Since we are now in the era of NIL and revenue sharing, where cash is king,” said David Carter, an adjunct professor of sports business at USC, “every school hoping to play competitive big-time football needs to generate as much revenue and excitement around its program as possible. But since empty seats don’t buy beer or foam fingers, let alone merchandise and parking, any and all other forms of revenue are needed to offset these chronic game day losses in revenue.”

Declining revenue is especially troublesome at a school whose athletic department has run in the red for six consecutive fiscal years. The Bruins brought in $11.6 million in football ticket revenue during the most recent fiscal year, down nearly half from the $20 million they generated in 2014 when the team averaged a record 76,650 fans at the Rose Bowl under coach Jim Mora. But one athletic official said the school in 2025 could come close to matching the $5.5 million it generated in season ticket revenue a year ago.

Low attendance is a deepening concern. UCLA’s five worst home season-attendance figures since moving to the Rose Bowl in 1982 have come over the last five seasons not interrupted by COVID-19, including 46,805 last season. That figure ranked 16th among the 18 Big Ten Conference teams, ahead of only Maryland and Northwestern, which was playing at a temporary lakeside stadium seating just 12,023.

Recent attendance numbers remind some longtime observers of the small crowds for UCLA games in the late 1970s at the Coliseum, which was part of the reason for the team’s move to Pasadena. During their final decade of calling the Coliseum home, the Bruins topped 50,000 fans only six times for games not involving rival USC.

“Now, disappointingly, it would appear that the same attendance challenges that UCLA football faced at the Coliseum in the 1970s are repeating themselves at the Rose Bowl,” said John Sandbrook, a former UCLA assistant chancellor under chancellor Chuck Young and one of the primary power brokers in the school’s switch to the Rose Bowl.

Attendance woes are hardly confined to UCLA. Sixty-one of 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams experienced a year-over-year decline in attendance last season, according to D1ticker.com.

UCLA faces several unique challenges, particularly early each season. Its stadium resides 26 miles from campus and students don’t start classes until late September. Other explanations for low turnouts have included late start times such as the 8 p.m. kickoff against Utah, lackluster nonconference opponents and triple-digit heat for some September games.

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava said he appreciated those who did show up Saturday, including a throng of friends and family from his hometown Long Beach.

“Fan base came out and showed their support, man,” Iamaleava said. “You know, it felt great going out there and playing in front of them. Obviously, we got to do our part and, you know, get them a win and make them enjoy the game.”

On some occasions, UCLA’s attendance figures have closely reflected the number of people in the stadium, including high-interest games such as Colorado coach Deion Sanders’ appearance in 2023. For that game, the announced attendance (71,343) only slightly exceeded the scan count (68,615).

The rivalry game also gets fans to show up. The announced attendance of 59,473 last season for USC’s 19-13 victory at the Rose Bowl wasn’t far off from the scan count of 51,588.

See all those empty seats? There were fewer than 13,000 fans in attendance to see quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, right, and wide receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala celebrate a touchdown against Bowling Green in 2022.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Still, as traditions go, creative accounting might predate the eight-clap. Similar to fudging practices known to be widespread at other schools, UCLA officials have been known to embellish attendance figures, sometimes rounding far enough past the next thousand not to strain credulity, according to two people familiar with operations who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Additionally, according to a former university administrator who observed the practice, a member of the athletic department staff would show a slip of paper with a suggested attendance figure for basketball games at Pauley Pavilion in the 1960s and 1970s to athletic director J.D. Morgan, who would either nod or take a pen and change the number to one more to his liking. That practice continued under subsequent athletic director Peter Dalis, the administrator said.

While declining to comment for this story, current athletic administrators have acknowledged the challenge of drawing fans in an increasingly crowded sports landscape that now includes two local NFL teams. Among other ventures, UCLA has created a new fan zone outside the stadium that can be enjoyed without purchasing a ticket and will hold a concert on the north side of the stadium the day of the Penn State game early next month.

While there’s no promotion like winning, as the saying goes, there also may be no salvaging the situation for the Bruins’ next home game. UCLA will face New Mexico on Sept. 12 for a Friday evening kickoff that will force fans to fight weekday traffic to see their favorite team face an opponent from the Mountain West Conference.

Brave souls who look around and hear the announced attendance might experience inflation on the rise once more.

In the waning days of the 1960s, when Don Sutton was starting his Hall of Fame career and Don Drysdale was finishing his, kids all over the Southland could turn on Channel 9 and catch a block of cartoons. “Speed Racer” came on first, followed by “Ultraman”.

In the lore: “A 130-foot tall red and silver giant of light, Ultraman came to Earth from another galaxy to protect humanity from invading aliens and giant monsters.”

Fortunately, the meet-and-greet version of Ultraman that showed up at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday was about 6 feet tall. I dropped by to say hello, although I had been warned he did not converse with humans.

“He’ll look at you quizzically, but also with endearment, knowing you are a little carbon-based unit that would like to become his friend,” said David Kornblum, president of Tsuburaya Fields Media and Pictures Entertainment.

Ultraman turns 60 next year. Kornblum is based in Los Angeles, and his job is to take what his Tokyo-based company calls “Japan’s most beloved superhero” and revive his popularity in the United States. This fall, you’ll be able to stream new and classic episodes of Ultraman.

It’s not just that Shohei Ohtani is more popular than Ultraman in Japan these days. If you’re a Japanese company wanting to get the word out in America about your product, you’re in good company at Dodger Stadium.

“With the Dodgers, you’ve got a 50,000-seat stadium basically sold out for 80 games a year,” Kornblum said. “It’s a natural in terms of having exposure for this character in this market, the second-largest market in the country.

“You have the opportunity to showcase your character with the most popular team.”

The “Shohei economy,” as one team official dubbed it last year, has taken on a new dimension.

Japanese fans flock to Dodger Stadium, of course, taking stadium tours conducted in Japanese, enjoying a variety of national delicacies at concession stands and clutching shopping bags packed with hundreds — and sometimes thousands — of dollars’ worth of Ohtani merchandise.

And, of the 24 corporations with advertising space between the foul poles at Dodger Stadium as of Tuesday, eight are based in Asia.

What’s new: With Ohtani as a global attraction, Japanese entertainment companies have used Dodger Stadium as a platform to popularize their star attractions.

“There is not a business sector that hasn’t weighed in with us,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten said, noting the Dodgers’ league-leading attendance and global viewership. “We are an entertainment venue. We’re a place to go to get attention.

“If you’re a brand looking for attention, where else would you go?”

With each deal, Ohtani’s contract becomes even more magical for the Dodgers. Never mind, for the moment, the sponsorships with Asian airlines, retailers, beverage companies, and so on.

With four Japanese character appearances at Dodger Stadium this season, the Dodgers have made more than the $2 million they pay Ohtani in salary this year. (The other $68 million is deferred.)

And, as the entertainment companies reach customers in the United States, the Dodgers reach fans in Japan, where they have leveraged Ohtani to become the dominant major league team.

The Dodgers launched a fan club there this year. Kasten said they hope to expand their marketing presence there as Major League Baseball considers relaxing rules under which the league itself — rather than individual teams — typically controls international business ventures.

“FC Barcelona told me they have 300 million fans around the world,” Kasten said. “That’s a good role model.”

When Tokyo’s Cover Corp. opened a Los Angeles office last year, they brought their star animated character — Gawr Gura — to Dodger Stadium.

“The fact that we could say we had a collaboration with the Dodgers, that is helpful to show we are that level of a brand,” said Motoaki Tanigo, the chief executive of Cover. “That was helpful to us, to introduce ourselves.”

The Dodgers sold 8,000 tickets as part of the Cover promotion, the company said and the team confirmed, with 80% of those fans visiting Dodger Stadium for the first time, and with many showing up super early to snap up commemorative merchandise. Cover staged a larger ballpark promotion this year.

Ultraman takes down Alien Baltan before before the ceremonial first pitch on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Ultraman brought no merchandise with him, but he did bring an evil nemesis, who tried to steal the show during the ceremonial first pitch. If the point was to identify the evil nemesis called a kaiju for an unfamiliar audience, I suggested the company dress him in a Padres uniform.

“Or in a Giants uniform,” Kornblum said. “I would love if they would allow us to have a full smackdown, with a kaiju in a Giants jersey vs. Ultraman in a Dodgers jersey.

“A beatdown at home plate would be fun. But the corporate guys won’t let me do that.”

Sabrina Carpenter doesn’t care what “Tommy from Arkansas” thinks about her artistic choices.

In an interview with “CBS Mornings” on Friday, the “Espresso” singer talked about her reaction to the controversy behind the cover of her seventh album, “Man’s Best Friend,” which displays Carpenter on her knees at the feet of a male figure pulling her hair.

Gayle King read aloud a comment in which a fan said that Carpenter “can’t have it both ways. If it’s satire of how men treat us, it can’t also be a straightforward image of a woman being submissive just because it’s sexy.”

“Y’all need to get out more,” Carpenter told King. “I think I was actually shocked because I think between me and my friends and my family and the people that I always share my music and my art with first, it just wasn’t even a conversation.”

Last year, Carpenter released the album “Short n’ Sweet,” an LP that became one of the vibe setters for last summer.

During the 67th Grammys ceremony, the record took home two awards — pop vocal album and pop solo performance for “Espresso.”

Her follow-up effort was released on Thursday; the original artwork dropped months before, on June 11. By June 25, and amid the backlash, the artist posted an alternative cover on her Instagram that was “approved by God.” In it, the former Disney Channel co-star of “Girl Meets World” — she also sang the theme song — is simply standing by a man.

During the interview, the “Please Please Please” singer discussed her intentions behind the original cover art that divided fans.

“My interpretation is being in on the control, being in on your lack of control and when you want to be in control,” Carpenter said. “I think as a young woman, you’re just as aware of when you’re in control as to when you’re not.”

She added: “[‘Man’s Best Friend’ is] about the humanity of allowing yourself to make those mistakes, knowing when you’re putting yourself in a situation that will probably end up poorly, but it’s going to teach you something.”

But what do her parents think?

“My parents actually saw the photo, and they loved it.”

Netflix have finally dropped the highly anticipated Love Is Blind UK season 2 reunion trailer – and fans believe they’ve ‘worked out’ which couples are still together

There’s only two days to wait until the Love Is Blind UK season 2 reunion – in which fans will find out which couples are still together after their big day. However, some fans think they’ve already worked it out from a huge ‘giveaway’ in the trailer.

Earlier this week, Netflix released the final two episodes of the show which saw all four couples walk down the altar. However, only three out of four had a happy ending.

Sarover and Kal, Kieran and Megan and Ashleigh and Billy all said ‘I do’, although Bardha revealed it was too soon to tie the knot with Jed – although hoped they could still remain together. From the explosive trailer however, it doesn’t look like that was the case…

READ MORE: All the Love Is Blind couples that are still together – as Netflix drops shock UK finaleREAD MORE: Love Is Blind UK season 2 reunion trailer and release time as photobooth ‘truth’ uncovered

A snippet of the reunion, hosted by Matt and Emma Willis shows Bardha in tears, as she exclaims: “I wish you all the best, far away from me.” Fans are certain she’s talking to her former fiancé Jed – as they suspect they called the relationship quits after the wedding day.

Elsewhere, one eagle eyed fan noticed that Kieran and Megan had their wedding rings on – suspecting they’re still married to one another.

“Kieran and Meg both have their rings on. Yes, I froze the frame, snapped the pic and zoomed in,” one wrote, while another said: “From the trailer you can already see that Kieran and Megan are still together and that’s all that matters.”

It’s not the only huge clue the couple have dropped, with many realising that they’d been to the same places over the last year from their similar Instagram posts.

Not only that, fans noticed that the couple have the same background when posting in their houses – seemingly ‘confirming’ that they’re still married after the show.

However, one of the biggest clues fans believe they noticed from the trailer was the telling seating plan. In previous seasons – fans noticed that those who are still together are placed next to each other.

From this, fans think they’ve worked out which couples are still together – and who isn’t.

“Meg and Kieran are sitting next to each other and matching,” one penned, while another said: “And Kal and Sarover!”

Of course, the only way to find out is by watching the reunion in full when it’s released on Netflix this Sunday, August 31 at 9pm BST.

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Before MLB’s newest trophy was offered up as the prize in a competition between the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres, it had to pass through the hands of Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder.

The custom Fender Telecaster guitar, named the Vedder Cup, is said to have been played by its namesake for “about an hour” before it was shipped off to T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

“He gave it a good run through,” George Webb, Pearl Jam’s equipment manager, told the Seattle Times on Monday. “He always likes to feel like he puts a little energy, you know, spiritual energy, into an instrument. Not just hand off something that’s brand-new, never-touched kind of thing. So yeah, jammed on it for about an hour. Had a good time.”

The trophy features many nods from the 60-year-old musician, including a hand-drawn “cresting wave” illustration and an arrow and mod symbol — an allusion to Vedder’s tribute to the Who on his personal guitar. On the back, the Padres and Mariners logos appear alongside text hand-written by the singer and guitarist: “The Vedder Cup Established 2025 by Major League Baseball.”

The Vedder Cup, a guitar shown off Monday by Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, will go each year to the winner of the full-season series between the Mariners and the San Diego Padres.

(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

It also contains a logo from EB Research Partnership, a nonprofit co-founded by Vedder and his wife, Jill, after a childhood friend’s son was born with the painful skin condition epidermolysis bullosa. The nonprofit funds research on the disease.

The cup is intended to bring “meaningful awareness” to the rare disorder, Mariners Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Trevor Gooby said in a statement in March, when the longtime rivalry became official.

“We can’t wait to see this rivalry series grow and look forward to battling the Mariners for the Vedder Cup,” Padres Chief Executive Erik Greupner added.

The rivalry, such as it is, arose from forces both real and manufactured, apparently. Vedder has strong ties to both cities, having grown up in San Diego, then moved to Seattle to start Pearl Jam with Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament — hence, the “Vedder” Cup.

Also, upon the introduction of interleague play in the late ’90s, MLB looked for “natural” rivalries between teams like the Padres and Mariners. This year, the league canonized the rivalry, which is said to have begun as geographic, given both teams’ West Coast homes, Reuters reports.

The two teams have met almost annually since 1997. In the informal all-time series, Seattle currently leads 68-63. Additionally, they share a training complex in Peoria, Ariz.

Some fans are still left with questions as to why the competition has turned official, with one claiming on Reddit that “padres and mariners fans literally give no s— about each other.”

Still, they conceded it is “likely the most meaningless and yet kinda fun thing in MLB.”

The trophy was in the spotlight Monday when the teams met for the fourth time this season. The Mariners notched a 9-6 victory over the Padres, taking the season series after three previous wins in San Diego. The Padres beat the Mariners Tuesday, 7-6, and the final game is Wednesday, but the contest has already been decided. Cal Raleigh, the Mariners’ switch-hitting, homer-hammering catcher, known as “Big Dumper,” hoisted and played the trophy in celebration Monday night.

The name and logo for the cup were first shown off in March, but its final design wasn’t finished until the weeks leading up to the fixture.

“Typically on a custom build like this it will take us six months or so to source the wood, get everything mapped out ready to go and take our time to vet the process, apply the graphics, do some test runs,” Chase Paul, director of product development for Fender, told the Seattle Times. “On this we just kind of headed into it in parallel with testing and the production version at the same time, and kind of getting it ready to go.”

In all, it took Fender eight or nine weeks to get the work done, which Paul called a “really incredible effort by the team in the shop.”

Naturally, Vedder doesn’t want the trophy guitar to sit on a shelf for the next year while it’s in the Mariners’ possession. According to Webb, “He wants it to be played.”

“That’s his attitude with everything. It’s a living, breathing instrument. It sounds great,” he added.

As an added bonus to fans, the league announced it would give away limited-edition Vedder Cup hats during the last 2025 game between the two on Wednesday.

To no surprise, the exclusive ticket package that included the hats has sold out.

WHEN Rio Ngumoha curled in his historic goal for Liverpool, fans of Chelsea AND Manchester United should have felt a kick in the guts.

Because although the teenage winger left the Blues’ Academy to join the Reds last year, London-born Ngumoha was a childhood United fan who spent time with the Red Devils before opting for Anfield.

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The wonderkid’s sensational winner against Newcastle made him the youngest scorer in Liverpool’s history and the fourth youngest in the Premier League era.

At 16 years and 361 days, Ngumoha was just one day older than Wayne Rooney when he announced himself to the world with an amazing strike against Arsenal in October 2022.

And it left Chelsea supporters in particular wondering how the club let one of English football’s greatest young talents get away.

Stamford Bridge legend John Terry is among those devastated that the club lost Ngumoha to their rivals.

Terry told SunSport: “He is a very ambitious boy that wanted to play first-team football and believed that was his pathway into Liverpool’s first team.

“I’m still in contact with him, but just a fantastic player. 

“There’s going to be many more over the years that as an academy you lose, but there’s always one that you think, a bit gutted we missed out on that one.”

Terry has been back at Chelsea for a couple of years as a mentor to players at the club’s Academy and knew Ngumoha was something special.

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Terry said: “We had a really good under-14 team and he was a big part of that.

“Just seeing him taking it and driving the defenders, being a defender myself, [I was] thinking I wouldn’t have liked that at all.

“You don’t see too many players that are exciting like him anymore. 

“He was a very confident player, taking the ball on the back foot, lots of personality, very confident in himself.

“Since the likes of [Eden] Hazard and Joe Cole and those types of players that are very confident and get the fans off their seat as well…I think football’s become a little bit stale and a little bit kind of tactical over the last four or five years. 

“It’s refreshing to see players like him in the team and I’m sure the Liverpool players are speaking very well of him.

“He will be a top, top player, I’m sure of that.”

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From the moment Ngumoha came on against Newcastle, he showed the same confidence that had seen him grab the headlines in pre-season.

Terry was speaking after the winger had crowned a brilliant run with a fabulous finish in a friendly against Athletic Bilbao at Anfield, following an earlier strike against Yokohama Mariners during the Reds’ Far East tour. 

Terry said: “He’s still only 16, which is incredible, but the confidence to kind of shrug people off, well-known established players in the Premier League, and go on and kind of chop inside and then put it in the bottom corner is a very good thing to do.

“But he showed that ability in the academy and unfortunately we’ve lost him.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on the boy, and I wish him well because he’s a great player.

“He’s also a great little kid as well, someone who wants to learn and wants to get better.”

Chelsea fans will be as gutted as Terry about losing Ngumoha, but United supporters should also wonder what might have been.

Because in one of his few interviews, he revealed that he was a United fan.

In a viral TikTok video promoting Adidas’ F50 boots, in which he was made to choose between David Beckham and Jude Bellingham, Ngumoha admitted: “I’m a Man United fan, I didn’t really watch Beckham, but I have to go with David Beckham”

In June last year Ngumoha spent time with United, who pushed for his signature, but admitted defeat to their rivals who were further ahead in the race to sign the talented youngster. 

Mystery surrounds the details of Ngumoha’s move from London to Anfield.

Often when the hottest young talents change club, the saga is played out in public in a bitter row. 

In response to losing one of their most talented teenagers, the Stamford Bridge hierarchy reportedly DENIED accreditation requests from Liverpool and Manchester United scouts who would be looking to poach their top players – though those in charge denied having done so.

In Ngumoha’s case there is radio silence, with no confirmation of what compensation Liverpool have had to pay Chelsea to snatch the player who joined the Blues Academy when he was eight.

Compare and contrast what happened when the Reds poached two other youngsters from London clubs.

Fulham were furious when Liverpool moved for Harvey Elliott in 2019 when he was 16.

It was not until February 2021 that the Reds were ordered to pay £1.5m, plus up to £2.8m in performance-related add-ons – a record fee at the time for a player of that age.

Further back, Liverpool caused controversy with their signing of Raheem Sterling.

The QPR youngster was only 15 when the Reds made their move in 2010, joining for an initial fee of £450,000 which would rise to up to £2m.

Ngumoha’s brilliance was no secret to anyone involved in youth development in English football.

He played a key role in Chelsea’s under-16 team being crowned national champions.

Ngumoha’s amazing individual goal for the Blues against Wolves in the Premier League Cup final for Under-17 sides in April 2024 was perhaps the first time a wider public saw his talent up close.

Ngumoha joined Liverpool officially in September last year, a few days after turning 16.

That is the age at which young players can sign two-year scholarship terms at clubs which combine more intensive training with ongoing academic execution.

Only Chelsea know what they offered him to sign scholar’s terms.

Transfer commentator Fabrizio Romano reported that the Reds broke their usual pay structure for young players to sign Ngumoha.

Others, including Terry, say that Ngumoha was impressed by the pathway for young players at Anfield after Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah were fast-tracked into the first team.

But the reality is that clubs poach each other’s top young talent all the time and Chelsea do it as much, if not more, than anyone else.

Tyler Dibling, like Ngumoha, was 16 when he left Southampton for the Blues in 2022, only to return to the Saints later the same year.

Dibling has just joined Everton in a deal worth up to £40m and is regarded by some as a potential superstar. 

But Terry is not the only one to believe that in Ngumoha, Chelsea lost a generational talent.

And the young man himself has big dreams.

“I truly believe I can win the Ballon d’Or one day.

“I want to be regarded as one of the best players to ever play football and be a legend of the game.

“The love for football started when I was four or five, I was watching my brother, and I wanted to be like him.

“I was going to academies from a young age, and it was a big thing when so many clubs wanted to sign me.

“I have learned you have to be resilient and believe in yourself, you can have a few bad games, but you have to have that belief that you are the best.”

What Ngumoha did on Monday night at St James’ Park was the first step to fulfilling those dreams. 

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NEW YORK — Daniil Medvedev’s match was delayed more than six minutes between points Sunday night, after a photographer entered the court on match point and the 2021 U.S. Open champion became enraged by the chair umpire’s decision to award his opponent a first serve.

The latest Medvedev meltdown on Louis Armstrong Stadium led to a wild change in the match. The No. 13 seed was a point away from being eliminated, then won the next two sets to force a deciding fifth before Benjamin Bonzi eliminated him from a second straight major with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 victory that ended early Monday.

“I tried to stay calm in the match but it was not easy,” Bonzi said.

Daniil Medvedev, right, reacts next to chair umpire Greg Allensworth after a photographer ran onto the court during his match against Benjamin Bonzi in the first round of the U.S. Open on Sunday night.

(Adam Hunger / Associated Press)

Bonzi had just hit his first serve leading 5-4 in the third set. After he missed it, a photographer left his position before the Frenchman could hit his second.

Chair umpire Greg Allensworth told the photographer to get off the court, then announced that Bonzi would get another first serve because of the delay — which is common in tennis. Medvedev then approached the chair to complain about the decision.

“He wants to go home, guys. He doesn’t like to be here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour,” Medvedev shouted into the microphones behind the chair.

Medvedev kept encouraging the loud boos on Armstrong, which eventually lasted so long that he then tried to get fans to quiet down so Bonzi could serve. When Bonzi finally did, he missed the first serve and then lost the point, and Medvedev won the game and later the set in a tiebreaker to prolong the match.

“I never experienced something like that,” said Bonzi, who had fans chanting his name at times.

It was reminiscent of Medvedev’s 2019 match on the same court, when fans booed him for his antics and he later taunted the crowd in his post-match interview, saying the jeers gave him energy. Medvedev had snatched the towel from a ballperson during the match and was given a code violation by umpire Damien Dumusois. Medvedev then threw his racket in the direction of Dumusois, barked something at him and later flashed his middle finger next to his forehead as he walked past the umpire’s chair, actions that led to him being fined $9,000 for that match.

Medvedev reached the final that year, then won the title two years later. But he went just 1-4 in Grand Slam tournaments this year and was also upset by Bonzi in the first round at Wimbledon.

Medvedev sat in his chair for a few minutes after the match and repeatedly smashed his racket before eventually departing.

A U.S. Tennis Association spokesman said the photographer was escorted from the court by U.S. Open security and his credential was revoked.

It’s time to grab your best fit and hit the blacktop of Chavez Ravine.

Tyler, the Creator had his fans searching for words after he announced the lineup for his annual music festival Camp Flog Gnaw in a puzzling manner.

The “Igor” artist posted an actual word search on his Instagram containing the name of the musicians joining him for the 11th edition of the two-day event. His signature carnival will be on the grounds of Dodger Stadium on Nov. 15 and 16.

This year’s edition will feature A$AP Rocky, Childish Gambino, Doechii, Earl Sweatshirt, Thundercat and 2 Chainz.

An eclectic mixture of artists — from the raw hip-hop of sounds from Clipse to the indie-pop tracks of Clairo and the melodic vocals of T-Pain — rounds out the lineup.

Fans can join a wait-list for tickets, which sold out right after release in May.

The festival was founded by Tyler, the Creator in 2012 and incorporates music and carnival attractions such as rides and games. Previous iterations of the fest have staged artists like SZA, Solange, Kaytranada, André 3000 and Fuerza Regida.

Tyler, the Creator is coming off the release of his ninth studio album, “Don’t Tap the Glass,” and a world tour for his previous EP, “Chromakopia.”

A Copa Sudamericana match in Buenos Aires was abandoned after violent clashes between fans, with some being stripped and beaten.

Ten people were seriously injured and more than 300 arrested at Wednesday’s last-16 second leg between Argentine hosts Independiente and Universidad de Chile, according to local media.

A stun grenade was among the objects thrown by spectators while one fan fell from the top tier of a stand at the Estadio Libertadores de America in the Avellaneda area of the Argentine capital.

Violence flared at half-time as objects including toilets, sinks, pieces of masonry and seats were thrown from the away section on to the section below them housing home supporters.

Home fans then appeared to enter the away section early in the second half, attacking visiting supporters and forcing them to flee.

“Nothing justifies a lynching. Nothing,” said Chile president Gabriel Boric on social media., external

“What happened in Avellaneda between the fans of Independiente and Universidad de Chile is wrong in too many ways, from the violence among the supporters to the evident irresponsibility in the organisation. Justice must determine those responsible.”

Jose Antonio Viera-Gallo, the Chilean Ambassador to Argentina, told Chilean radio station Cooperativa: “There are injuries on both sides, some with knives. There is at least one Chilean seriously injured, hospitalised, a person in his 30s.”

Universidad de Chile director Daniel Schapira told Chilean radio station ADN: “We’re always experiencing the same thing, it’s desperate. It’s a social, cultural issue; this is much more than football. They gave us 3,500 tickets and look what’s happening.

“Terrible, this is unbelievable. It’s also an organisational issue: they can’t put the U fans above the Independiente fans. Everyone has problems here; this has become a circus.”

Independiente president Nestor Grindetti told TyC Sports that the safety precautions taken “were logical” and that the number of tickets given to the visiting team was agreed with Conmebol, South American football’s governing body.

Grindetti added: “[It was] reprehensible behavior from the U supporters. They destroyed our bathrooms, took artefacts and threw them in the stands. Violence I’d never seen before.

“The Independiente fans didn’t deserve such a thing. It’s clear the problem started and continued with just one fanbase.”

The game was initially suspended, with players leaving the field in the second half with the game level at 1-1 and the Chilean side leading 2-1 on aggregate.

Conmebol said the match had been cancelled because of “the lack of security guarantees from the local club and local security authorities”.

It added that the case would be referred to its judicial bodies and that information regarding the events would be sent to its disciplinary committee.

Chile president Boric added: “Now our priority as a government is to know the condition of our compatriots who have been attacked, ensure their immediate medical attention, and guarantee that those who are detained have their rights respected.”

Independiente’s Chile midfielder Felipe Loyola said on social media:, external “This level of violence cannot be tolerated. I feel devastated.

“It’s a huge shame. I still can’t believe what I saw today. This isn’t football; sport isn’t violence.”

Kristen Nuss was covered in sand, dulling her neon two-piece swimsuit. A white lei hung around her neck as she attempted to balance her champion’s plaque awkwardly in one hand.

“This thing is heavy,” she said, “my arm is getting sore.”

Despite her and partner Taryn Brasher repeating as AVP Manhattan Beach Open champions — grinding out a 15-21, 21-18, 15-13 victory over former USC standouts Megan Kraft and Terese Cannon — on Sunday, the weight of both the hardware and the title wasn’t lost on Nuss.

“This is Wimbledon,” Nuss said. “It’s the granddaddy of them all. My mom always said she wanted me to play at Wimbledon. … This is definitely one of the most coveted trophies right here.”

Partners since 2021, Nuss and Brasher were greeted with a roar before the first serve. On the other side of the net, Kraft and Cannon seemed to be the underdogs to the Paris Olympians.

But as the former Trojan duo snatched the opening set, fans pressed shoulder to shoulder along the railings and bleachers, pulled into the possibility of a rally from the defending title-holders.

Kraft’s heavy serve and Cannon’s long reach at the net gave them the first game at 21-15. During the changeover between games, Brasher and Nuss zeroed in on the cracks by serving together and passing cleaner.

“We don’t like first sets,” Nuss joked. “That is something we’ve learned this year especially … we should just not play the first set. But we know we can battle back no matter what.”

Kristen Nuss dives for a ball during the women’s championship match at the Manhattan Beach Open on Sunday.

(Katelyn Mulcahy / For The Times)

Down three points in the second set, Nuss and Brasher rallied and took a 21-18 win. And in the third set, with the teams even at five, Nuss — the smallest player on the sand — swung above her size, disguising her shots by glancing one way and spiking the ball the other.

“There is nothing — no deficit — that is going to scare Kristen,” Brasher said.

Under the scorching Manhattan Beach sun, fans stayed jammed along the railings. But the second final would not follow the same fairytale ending.

For Phil Dalhausser and Trevor Crabb, this year’s Manhattan Beach Open doubled as both a curtain call and a chance to win a title.

Miles Evans, left, and Chase Budinger celebrate after winning the Manhattan Beach Open men’s title Sunday.

(Katelyn Mulcahy/For The Times)

For the former, it was the final time he’d ever tower over California sand — a four-time Olympian, International Volleyball Hall of Famer and seven-time Manhattan Beach Open champion competing in the second-to-last AVP event of his career. Crabb entered the weekend looking to win the tournament for the second straight year.

But Chase Budinger and Miles Evans had other plans, racing through the final and burying the storybook ending 21-19, 21-16 to clinch the men’s title.

Budinger and Evans tipped their caps to Dalhausser — recognizing the veteran who is a legend in the sport.

“[Dalhausser] is the best player to ever play the game,” Budinger said. “So every time I step on the court playing against him, I really try to cherish those times with him — those memories, those battles — because he’s such an unbelievable player.”

Dripping in champagne and holding his plaque, Evans said the triumph was validation for all the work the duo has put in to break through since pairing up in 2023.

“Hopefully this is the beginning of great things for us,” he said.

Aug. 16 (UPI) — Police in Britain have arrested a man from Liverpool who is accused of shouting racist comments at a player during a Premier League soccer game this week.

The 47-year-old man was identified and removed from stands at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool after yelling racist chants at visiting Bournemouth player Antoine Semenyo, police confirmed in a media release.

Semenyo, who is Black, first reported the incident to the game’s referee who then notified officials.

The game was briefly paused in the 29th minute while the fan was removed.

The game – a 4-2 Liverpool victory – was the first of the season for both teams.

“Merseyside Police will not tolerate hate crime of any form.We take incidents like this very seriously, and in cases like this we will be proactively seeking football banning orders, with the club, against those responsible,” Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton said in the police statement.

“There is no place for racism and it is vital that anyone who witnesses such an offence reports it to stewards, or the police immediately, so we can take the necessary action like we did this evening.”

The Premier League said it would also launch its own investigation.

“Liverpool Football Club is aware of an allegation of racist abuse made during our Premier League game against Bournemouth. We condemn racism and discrimination in all forms, it has no place in society, or football,” the home team said in a statement issued through police.

Semenyo on Saturday addressed the issue on social media.

“Last night at Anfield will stay with me forever – not because of one person’s words, but because of how the entire football family stood together,” Semenyo, who is from Chelsea but represents Ghana internationally, wrote on Instagram.

“To my Bournemouth team-mates who supported me in that moment, to the Liverpool players and fans who showed their true character, to the Premier League officials who handled it professionally – thank you. Football showed its best side when it mattered most.”

The announcement could not have been more unfortunately timed. On the morning after the Dodgers had been swept by the Angels and fallen out of first place in the National League West for the first time in 108 days, the email to media members started this way: “Ever wonder how a player like Mookie Betts gets in the zone for the MLB Postseason?”

This is not on Betts, not at all. He is simply the front man for a campaign in which Corona Beer and its advertising partners had pre-timed an otherwise harmless press release for 6 a.m. PT Thursday. The headline on the press release: “Corona Teams Up with Mookie Betts to Bring the Beach to the Ballpark Through a First-of-its-Kind Soundtrack for the MLB Postseason.”

One of the keys to Betts’ success: an even keel that sometimes frustrates fans who want every player on their team to be as visibly frustrated as they are. In the aftermath of the Angels’ sweep, this is what Betts said Wednesday night: “It is what it is. Can’t change it right now.”

The promotional photo distributed with the press release shows Betts relaxing on a beach towel, next to home plate, headphones on. The soundtrack “fuses the iconic sounds of the ballpark with the relaxing vibe of the beach.”

Betts helped to pick seven minutes and 54 seconds of “home run blasts, in-stadium crowd waves and announcer calls from his most memorable postseason moments … combined with ambient ocean breezes and crashing waves.”

The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts teamed up with Corona for a baseball-themed soundtrack campaign called “Playa Sounds.”

(Corona)

You can hear the soundtrack here. From the press release: “The entire mix is tuned at 432hz — a frequency commonly associated with enhanced clarity.”

“As a player, you need to be in the right head space to show up when the lights are brightest,” Betts said in the press release. “I worked with Corona to make sure this soundtrack accurately captures the energy of the postseason and channels that into something both the guys in the dugout and fans can use to prepare for the season’s biggest upcoming moments.”

In last year’s postseason, Betts batted .290, hitting four home runs and scoring 14 runs in 16 games. After the World Series, on an episode of his podcast, he and several teammates broke down the Dodgers’ championship run, including a discussion of the New York Yankees’ fundamental flaws in the World Series.

New York City native Kevin Mares was killed Sunday in the La Perla neigborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 25-year-old was visiting the island to see a Bad Bunny concert.

Mares was fatally shot in the early morning hours, outside of a nightclub called Shelter for Mistreated Men. The shooting took place when several people near Mares began arguing and one pulled out a gun and shot at least three people, the Associated Press reported.

Homicide detective Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz told the AP that Mares was an innocent bystander in the situation and that a pair of siblings from La Perla remain hospitalized after being shot. No arrests have yet been made.

Mares was joined by his girlfriend and two friends in Puerto Rico. It was his partner who ended up delivering the news of his death to Mares’ parents.

“I said, ‘What happened?’ She said, ‘I’m sorry. We lost him,’ ” Hector Mares, Kevin’s father, told CBS News New York.

“Whoever did this, took from us a piece of us, you know?” Kevin’s mother, Sandra Mares, added.

A longtime Bad Bunny fan, Mares and his friends were consistently in attendance of the “La Mudanza” singer’s concerts and had been prepping for their San Juan trip for months.

“Every time Bad Bunny comes here, they go to most all of his concerts,” Sandra Mares said.

Mares — whose parents are originally from Mexico — was born and raised in the East Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens and was studying to be a veterinarian at LaGuardia Community College.

“He got a lot of dreams. He was working as a vet technician. And at the same time he was studying,” his father told ABC 7 New York.

“He was about to propose to [his girlfriend] this fall. Yeah. He wanted to do something special. He shared that with us,” his mother added. “He was a lovely son. He cared about all of us, his family, friends. He has a lot of friends who’s really going to miss him, too.”

Now, the Mares family is asking for anyone with information about the shooter and more specifics about the incident to please step forward.

“What we’re asking the people is, if anybody knows what happened, who did this, [to say something],” his mother told CBS. “We don’t know [anything]. We want justice.”

The family is currently making efforts toward having Mares’ body returned home, but it remains in Puerto Rico as the investigation into his death is still ongoing.

Kevin’s father started a GoFundMe to raise enough money — the campaign’s target is currently $50,000 — to plan Kevin’s funeral arrangements.

“Kevin Mares was a deeply loved son, devoted friend, and a source of inspiration to everyone who knew him. His wholehearted kindness, adventurous spirit, and unwavering commitment to family made him a pillar of strength for his loved ones,” the GofundMe page states. “Family was at the center of everything he did, and his sudden passing has left an unfillable void in our lives. … Your support will help us honor Kevin’s memory and give him the farewell he deserves.”

Travis and Jason Kelce are going to have a “a special episode with a VERY special guest” on their “New Heights” podcast this week.

That’s big news … because that mystery guest can be only one person, right?

Just to be clear, the person in question would be Travis Kelce’s girlfriend, pop superstar Taylor Swift.

Kelce and Swift have been an item for roughly two years now. And while the “Love Story” singer has become a fixture at NFL games to root for her beau, she has never appeared on the popular podcast the Kansas City Chiefs tight end hosts with his brother, a retired Philadelphia Eagles center.

That could change in a couple of days, based on a tease posted on the “New Heights” social media accounts Monday — and on Swifties’ interpretations of the tease. The text is straightforward, simply informing fans of the special nature of the episode and the guest and noting it will drop Wednesday at 4 p.m. PDT.

The real juicy bits, though — if Swift’s fans are to be believed — are apparently found in the post’s graphic. Over the years, Swifties have become pretty good at spotting and deciphering Easter Eggs, so here’s what jumped out at the “You Need to Calm Down” singer’s diehard fans (based on observations they posted on social media and Reddit):

1. A silhouette of a slender person with long hair appears between images of the Kelce brothers, and naturally fans are convinced it can only be that of one particular slender woman with long hair. One commenter on X insists they can see Swift’s bangs in the completely darkened image.

2. Jason Kelce appears to be wearing a shirt bearing Swift’s image. Swifties are noting that the garment is from the Eras tour and that Travis is wearing one from that tour as well. This reporter, who did not attend the Eras tour, has no reason to doubt them on this.

3. The graphic’s background color is orange and sparkly. This apparently is seen as a reference to a particular dress Swift wore during the Eras tour. (Although didn’t she famously change her outfit more than a dozen times during each performance? Or so we’ve heard.)

4. Travis Kelce has a giant smile on his face. OK, sure, he has probably smiled numerous times during his life — like, say, maybe after at least one of the three Super Bowls he won with the Chiefs. But apparently he has a special grin reserved for the “Lover” singer, which one X commenter refers to as his “Tay smile.”

There are many other observations — including several that involve numbers, math and calendar dates — all of which clearly add up not only to Swift being the podcast’s “VERY special guest” but also that she will be there to announce something else very special, like perhaps a new album. (Reminder: This is only a fan theory; please remain calm.)

It wouldn’t be the first time this summer that Swift has made an appearance during one of her boyfriend’s projects. In June, she gave a surprise acoustic performance of her hit “Shake It Off” at a concert linked to Kelce’s Tight End University camp.

Come to think of it, Swift was introduced onstage that night by singer Kane Brown as a “really, really, really special guest.” That’s pretty darn close to “VERY special guest,” don’t you think?

Hmmmm …

The pay is nonexistent, but the perk could be viewing games in the U.S., Mexico and Canada for free during the FIFA World Cup next summer.

FIFA launched the application process for the World Cup volunteers Monday. How many are needed? A staggering 65,000 across the 16 cities that will host the expanded 48-team format over 39 days beginning June 11, the largest volunteer program FIFA has ever attempted.

“Volunteers are the heart, soul and smile of FIFA tournaments,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said. “They get to show off their local pride, gain a behind-the-scenes view of the tournament and make memories and friendships that can last a lifetime, while supporting a historic event.

“We hope interested individuals will join us as we welcome the world to North America in 2026.”

In addition to stadiums, volunteers will provide support across at training sites, airports and hotels.

FIFA estimates 6.5 million fans will attend the World Cup, with 3.7 million attending games in the U.S., 1.5 million in Mexico and 1.3 million in Canada. The 2022 final with Lionel Messi leading Argentina past Kylian Mbappé and France, drew a record 1.42 billion viewers, including 26 million in the U.S.

“The Super Bowl, which is fantastic, has what, 120-130 million viewers? The World Cup has 6 billion,” Infantino told Fox Sports in April. “A World Cup is 104 Super Bowls in one month.”

Volunteers in the past ranged from students to seniors. No experience is required but applicants must be at least 18 years old. Interested individuals can apply at fifaworldcup.com/volunteers.

Those whose applications are accepted will be invited to attend the Volunteer Team Tryouts, which are expected to begin in October. Training will take place in March 2026.

‘Volunteers are the heartbeat of FIFA events and champions of their host city — sharing their pride and passion with fans from all corners of the globe, welcoming visitors to experience the unique culture of their host city and supporting the extraordinary event that is a FIFA World Cup,” FIFA said in a statement.

Los Angeles is one of 11 U.S. host cities, with eight games scheduled at SoFi Stadium, including the U.S. team’s opener June 12. After playing its second match in Seattle on June 19, the U.S. will conclude group play at SoFi on June 25.

Included in the games to be played in Inglewood are two round-of-32 games and a quarterfinal. Only one venue — AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas — was awarded more games with nine.

“We’re happy with with how it turned out,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said. “We look forward to being in L.A. [and] probably one of the best stadiums in the world and to get to play there twice in the group stage.”

Other U.S. hosts cities include Seattle, Houston, Kansas City, Atlanta, Boston, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Miami and the San Francisco Bay area. Games in Mexico and Canada will be held in Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Toronto and Vancouver.

“FIFA changed my life,” longtime volunteer Craig Collins said on a video. “Why do I want to volunteer again? I can give back to an organization that has provided for me without knowing it.

Collins became the one-millionth person to join the FIFA volunteer community in April 2025.

“I’m excited to apply for the 2026 volunteer program and hope to show off my community to the world once more.”

A ONE Direction fan caught up in a Zayn Malik ‘cheating’ scandal has finally spoken out after keeping quiet in 2012.

13 years after a “leaked call” circulated social media, an American fan – who is now a married mother ans successful makeup artist – has claimed that she is the woman who was caught up in the scandal that took place at the height of the band’s popularity.

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In 2012, an audio clip of a man inviting a group of women up to his hotel room went viral.

At the time, fans claimed the man was Zayn, who was dating Perrie Edwards.

Due to the man on the call having a Northern accent and Zayn being from Bradford, fans were convinced it was him.

Another “clue” that left fans thinking the man on the other end of the call was Zayn was because he mentioned a friend called Harry who wanted “booty”.

At the time of the rumours swirling, Zayn did not address them.

But 13 years on, Tricia Corona has claimed she was the woman on the phone and detailed her version of events.

Taking to TikTok to describe meeting Zayn and the rest of the boys at a One Direction event at a Walmart store, she recalled: “We’re standing in line and Zayn’s making eyes at me.”

She then explained how her pals told her to give Zayn her number.

“Like the hoochie that I am – or that I was I should say because I’m a happily married woman now – I wrote my number down and I stuck it right in my bra,” she recalled.

She then claimed that as she reached the front the queue, Zayn said: “I like your jubblies [breasts].”

Tricia then recalled: “I pulled my number right out of my dress, slid it across the table and said ‘if you wanna hang out later – call me’.”

She the alleged that Zayn told bandmate Harry to put the note “in his pocket”.

Tricia then recalled how when she and her pals were driving home, she received a call.

“I answer and you can hear all of them yelling and giggling and talking,” she alleged.

“I say hello and they don’t say anything and hang up,” she went on.

Tricia then claimed that the prank call happened an “absurd amount of times”.

But then she allegedly got a call from Zayn at midnight asking her to join him at his hotel in Philadelphia. 

She agreed and her and her pals drove back.

“He’s calling me every two minutes ‘where are you? How far away are you? You have to be quicker – you have to get here fast because we do have to leave.’

“We finally get to Philly and he calls and he’s like ‘we left, we had to go, I told you. We’re going to New York City why don’t you come meet us there?’.”

Tricia then claimed Louis Tomlinson called her and said: “Don’t shoot the messenger, our tour manager has put his foot down and he says no girls back to the hotel tonight.”

Tricia then explained how she sent Zayn a text saying: “If you want to rebel against your babysitter tonight, let me know and we’ll still come.”

She then alleged that he replied saying: “F**k the babysitter, come anyway.”

Tricia and her friends then drove to New York and arrived at gone 2am.

Zayn allegedly then told hotel staff hat she was their makeup artist so she was allowed to their room.

Tricia claimed that no NDA [nondisclosure agreement] was involved but said her mother had heard the leaked audio and was upset – which is why she never spoke out at the time.

“It was not funny at the time,” she said, adding how Zayn had “his own stuff going on”.

Tricia added: “And yes he is a celebrity and all that but he is still very much a person and I didn’t want to throw him under the bus like that. 

“So you can use your imagination I guess about what happened when I got up there. 

“That’s the story of Crystabel Riley,” she concluded.

The Sun has reached out to Zayn Malik’s representatives for a comment.

Fans of the band, who were familiar with the leaked call from 13 years ago, were quick to react.

One person said: “I’VE BEEN WAITING YEARS TO HEAR STORIES LIKE THIS.”

Another added: “I have been waiting 13 years for this story.”

And a third wrote: “I never thought i’d ever be given this information. what a gift.”

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In an age of changing media consumption (and work-from-home) habits, the phrase “watercooler television” may be something of an anachronism. But as anyone following shows like “The White Lotus” can tell you, discussing, dissecting and debating hit series never goes out of style.

And of all networks, HBO knows how best to capitalize on such buzzed-about moments: The network’s “Inside the Episode” programs have long offered viewers the chance to process shocking plot twists and jaw-dropping deaths. That’s where viewers of Season 3 got to hear creator Mike White break down everything from Saxon and Lochlan’s drunken exploits to Chelsea and Rick’s doomed ending.

“Shows like this are the new watercooler moment,” says Emmy nominee Natalia Echeverria, a creative director at HBO and an executive producer of “The White Lotus: Unpacking The Episode.” “We try to anticipate what beats from the episode people will be talking about and then we dive in, giving audiences an inside peek only we can provide.”

Owing a debt to post-episode talk shows like “The Talking Dead” and podcasts like “Private Joke: The Official How I Met Your Mother Podcast” and “The Good Place: The Podcast,” such companion series, now commonplace across platforms, have risen in popularity in the last decade. This year, in fact, they make up the entirety of the short form nonfiction or reality series Emmy category.

Projects like “Making of: The Last of Us” and “Adolescence: The Making of Adolescence” (also nominated) necessarily straddle the line between creative and marketing. They’re meant to bridge the gap between a show and its fandom. But, in borrowing the familiar format of making-of documentaries, DVD bonus featurettes, even episodic reviews or recaps, they insist on a vision of television as an art worthy of discussion and dissection.

“I think of these pieces like the movie theater parking lot after a film,” says Badger Denehy, an Emmy-nominated executive producer of “Making of: The Last Of Us” and an HBO creative director. “They remind me of that moment when you turn to your friend and dive into all the biggest moments you just watched. It’s my favorite type of project because we get to create something for fans as huge fans of the programming ourselves.”

For Shannon Ryan, president of marketing for Disney Entertainment Television and an Emmy nominee for “Only Murders in the Building: Unlocking the Mystery,” the decision to produce the show was driven by a desire to better serve fans of the hit Hulu comedy.

“These short-form series offer fans a peek behind the curtain to hear directly from the talented people that bring the show to life,” she says. “And for our creators, this is a meaningful way to share more with the fans, give insight into their work, share some entertaining — and often hilarious — behind-the-scenes stories, and also spotlight some of the critical crew members that make every episode of the show so special.”

To “The Last of Us” viewers, there was likely no bigger moment this season than “Through the Valley,” the jaw-dropping second episode. Fans looking for insights on how that action-packed tragic set piece was orchestrated had to look no further than “Inside Episode 2,” where director Mark Mylod, co-creator Craig Mazin and star Pedro Pascal spoke about shooting Joel’s untimely and quite gruesome death.

Boasting more than 710,000 views on YouTube alone, that featurette showcased both the artistry behind such a high-octane hour of television (with talk of prosthetics and wintry shooting conditions) and candid reflections from cast members about the emotional fallout the episode would undoubtedly create.

The history of this Emmy category alone tracks the increased investment from streamers and networks in this kind of programming. Past nominees have included behind-the-scenes series tied to everything from “30 Rock” and “American Horror Story” to “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Pose.” And the last two winners (“Succession: Controlling the Narrative” and “Shōgun — The Making of Shōgun”) prove that the industry is similarly invested in (and impressed with) them, in turn.

John Wilhelmy, Emmy-nominated creative director of “Hacks: Bit by Bit,” notes that short-form projects now must be produced so they can exist across different platforms. “Certain stories within the conversation lend themselves well to TikTok and [Instagram] Reels, so we’ll pick those out and optimize them editorially,” he says. “They’re often funny outtakes or quick stories that we’ll post on those platforms alongside the full-length episodes hitting HBO Max and YouTube.”

In an era where fan-driven episode recaps, YouTube reaction videos and TikTok explainers contribute greatly to a show’s success in an increasingly fractured media ecosystem, these projects suggest a way to positively harness that engagement in a way that still puts TV creators front and center.

Echeverria puts it more simply: “Fan-made content has a huge place, but there’s nothing like seeing how the sauce is made from the chefs themselves.”

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A Bad Bunny fan who was visiting Puerto Rico for the hip-hop star’s concert residency was fatally shot early Sunday in La Perla, a popular seaside shantytown in the capital, police said.

The victim was identified as Kevin Mares, a 25-year-old who lived in New York, according to a police statement.

The shooting happened in the predawn hours at a nightspot called Shelter for Mistreated Men in La Perla, a coastal community of San Juan that has struggled to shed its dark reputation.

Homicide detective Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz said in a phone interview that the shooting took place when several people near Mares began arguing and one pulled out a gun and shot at least three people, including Mares. Two other men, who live in La Perla, were injured and remain hospitalized.

Ruiz said Mares was an innocent bystander. He was with three other friends who told police they were in Puerto Rico for one of Bad Bunny’s 30 concerts, which have attracted tens of thousands of visitors to the U.S. territory, where the artist was born.

Mares was shot on the left side of his abdomen and was taken to Puerto Rico’s largest public hospital, where he died, authorities said.

Ruiz said police don’t yet know what the people were arguing about and don’t have a description of the shooter. “We have very little information,” he said.

Ruiz added that Mares’ three friends also were from New York. He didn’t know their hometowns.

La Perla is on the outskirts of a historic district popular with tourists known as Old San Juan. A couple hundred people live in the shantytown, which once served as Puerto Rico’s biggest distribution point for heroin and was known for its violence.

Police used to avoid the community, which used to have a sign proclaiming, “Not open to visitors. Do not enter.”

But violence eased when hundreds of federal agents raided the slum in 2011 and arrested dozens of people, including a well-known community leader who was later convicted.

The neighborhood became even safer and more welcoming after Puerto Rican singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featured it in their hit “Despacito.”

But isolated violence persists.

In February 2023, three tourists were stabbed after police said a person told them to stop filming inside the community.

In April of last year, a 24-year-old tourist from Delaware was killed and his body set on fire after police said he and a friend were attacked after a drug purchase. Police said the victims were trying to take pictures of La Perla after being warned not to do so.

The island of 3.2 million people has reported 277 killings so far this year, compared with 325 killings in the same period last year.

Coto writes for the Associated Press.