League

Bayern Munich may hand 16-year-old goalkeeper Leonard Prescott his first-team debut in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The German giants have three goalkeepers struggling with injury and if Jonas Urbig fails to recover from concussion then Prescott will play in the second leg of their last 16 tie against Atalanta, head coach Vincent Kompany said.

Urbig sustained his injury in Bayern’s 6-1 victory in Italy last week, while regular starter Manuel Neuer is working towards full fitness after a muscle tear and third-choice keeper Sven Ulreich picked up an adductor issue in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen.

“Jonas trained normally today [Tuesday]. The decision tomorrow will be a medical one,” Kompany said.

“If everything goes well then Urbig will be in goal. If not then we will have to find another solution.”

Prescott, a German youth international who plays for Bayern’s under-19s, will require clearance from German labour authorities to work in the evening as he is a teenager.

He has been on Bayern’s bench in their past two matches with fellow teenage keeper Leon Klanac, 19, also out with a thigh injury.

Reserve team keeper Janis Bartl, 19, has featured on the Bayern bench in two Bundesliga matches this season, but it is Prescott who Kompany will turn to if necessary.

“He [Prescott] is very calm. Overall, we as a staff are also calm. If he plays tomorrow he will have our full backing. Everyone will help,” Kompany added.

“There will never be a young player who will be forced to play a main role. We have full confidence in him whatever happens tomorrow.”

Neuer, a World Cup winner and 12-time Bundesliga champion with Bayern, has played 19 times in the league this season, with the 37-year-old’s last appearance coming on 6 March.

Urbig, 22, has played eight league matches, including six starts, while Ulreich, 37, made his first appearance of the season on Saturday.

Bayern, the defending Bundesliga champions and current league leaders, will face either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the last eight should they beat Atalanta.

Chelsea were handed a nine-month academy transfer ban and a £750,000 fine over the registration of academy players between 2019 and 2022.

But compare this case with Everton and Nottingham Forest in 2024, when both clubs received points deductions for PSR breaches that appear much less serious.

So what relevance, if any, does all this have on the Premier League’s other major disciplinary case?

Fifteen months after the end of an independent commission hearing into more than 100 alleged breaches of financial rules by Manchester City, the club is still waiting to discover its fate.

Unlike Chelsea, City deny wrongdoing and are contesting the case. And unlike at Stamford Bridge, there has been no change of ownership at the Etihad to provide mitigation.

But City fans will surely be encouraged that the Premier League board did not appear to even consider a points deduction in the case of Chelsea, despite the “deception and concealment”. Indeed, it referred to a two-window transfer ban as an “appropriate” punishment, had the club not self-reported and co-operated.

In July 2023, Uefa fined the club £8m over the same case. And the FA is expected to take similar action when it announces the conclusion of its disciplinary process into the affair in the coming weeks.

But there are clear signs that Chelsea feared it could have been worse. In 2024, it was revealed that owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali held back £150m of their purchase price for the club to cover potential fines relating to the Abramovich era. So far this episode has cost the club about £18m.

Some of their rivals may feel the cost may have been greater in the form of trophies and prize money they could potentially have won. And also to the integrity and credibility of a competition that relies on everyone following the rules.

Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham have returned to Real Madrid’s squad for their Champions League last-16 second leg at Manchester City on Tuesday.

France striker Mbappe, 27, was diagnosed with a left knee sprain at the beginning of March and has been missing from Real’s line-up since their La Liga game against Osasuna on 21 February.

Bellingham sustained a hamstring injury less than 10 minutes into a league game against Rayo Vallecano on 1 February and left the field in tears.

The 22-year-old midfielder had initially been expected to miss about four weeks, but the injury was found to be more significant than first thought.

Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 in a nervy match in the Premier League as they continue their pursuit of the title.

Max Dowman, a 16-year-old Arsenal winger, became the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer with a remarkable stoppage-time strike in his team’s 2-0 win over Everton.

Dowman collected the ball midway in his own half, dribbled around two Everton players and raced clear unchallenged from the halfway line to tap into an empty net, with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford stranded upfield having gone forward for a corner.

An English football prodigy, Dowman — at 16 years, 73 days — was playing just his third Premier League match after two previous substitute appearances at the start of the season.

He broke the record of former Everton player James Vaughan, who was 16 years, 270 days when he scored against Crystal Palace in 2005.

In November, Dowman became the youngest player in Champions League history at 15 years, 308 days when he entered as a second-half substitute against Slavia Prague.

Dowman is still in school. He was 14 when he was asked by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to train with the senior team in December last year, and he starred on the club’s preseason tour of Asia in matches against AC Milan and Newcastle.

To abide by Premier League regulations for players under 18, Dowman has to change into his Arsenal kit for training sessions and matches in a separate locker room from his senior teammates.

Who: Manchester United vs Aston Villa
What: English football’s Premier League
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom
When: Sunday March 15, at 2pm (14:00 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live coverage begins at 11:00 GMT

Manchester United and Aston Villa face a crunch clash on Sunday in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification.

The pair hold third and fourth spots respectively in the Premier League, with United edging Villa on goal difference, while Chelsea and Liverpool sit three points behind the pair in fifth and sixth.

With only the top four being guaranteed a place at the top table of European football, the encounter at Old Trafford holds huge value to both with nine games to go of the season.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the match.

Man Utd look to bounce back from first defeat under Carrick

Manchester United’s ⁠interim manager Michael Carrick on Friday said his players were “itching to get going” again, after suffering their first ⁠defeat under his leadership.

Last week, 10-man Newcastle United ended Carrick’s unbeaten run since he replaced Ruben ⁠Amorim in January.

“I understand the first defeat feels different but it was going to come at ‌some point. Most teams have suffered that at some point,” Carrick told reporters.

“It has been a really good week in some ways, we have put ourselves in a position where there is a lot to play for.”

Carrick brushes off Scholes dig at Man Utd

United’s ⁠defeat by Newcastle prompted a dig from former player Paul Scholes, ⁠who wrote on Instagram: “Michael has definitely got something special about him … cos Utd have been crap last four games.”

Asked about his former teammate’s comment, Carrick said: “It was nothing really, nothing to say about it really.

“I think that is just where we are in terms of social media and things, and captions and quotes. It can be taken in different ways, so just be calm about it and understand the real meaning of things.

“Listen, there are different opinions out there and it’s fine. People can have different opinions.

“It’s just things get taken from one extreme to another. It is what it is. I am not worried about it and don’t make a big deal of it either.

“There’s nothing to say about it, really,” he said.

How have Aston Villa fared in the Premier League this season?

Villa had a turbulent start to the campaign, as they failed to register a win in their first five league matches – losing two. A run of 12 league wins in 13, however, propelled them into a title challenge by the turn of the year.

A 4-1 defeat at Arsenal on New Year’s Eve marked the start of another downturn, though, with only three wins recorded in 11 games starting with the defeat in London.

The midlands club have lost three of their last five on the road in the league, recording only one win in that time.

Last up for Man Utd

United suffered their first defeat under Carrick in their match at Newcastle United on March 4.

The home side were reduced to 10 men when Jacob Ramsey was sent off on the stroke of half-time.

It came in a frantic end to the first half that saw Anthony Gorden give Newcastle an injury-time lead from the penalty spot, only for Casemiro to head home an equaliser to send the sides in level.

William Osula netted the winner in the 90th minute to give Eddie Howe’s side all three points despite their numerical disadvantage.

“It was disappointing the way the game ended (against Newcastle) but we have digested that, looked at it and learned from it,” Carrick said ahead of the Villa match.

“We have trained really well this week and the boys are itching to get going.”

Last up for Aston Villa

Villa were 1-0 winners at Lille in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, ending a four-game winless streak that included three defeats.

Ollie Watkins scored the only goal of the game in the 61st minute.

The return leg will be played at Villa Park on Thursday.

What happened the last time Man Utd played Aston Villa?

Villa recorded a 2-1 win in the reverse Premier League fixture at Villa Park in November, despite an encouraging display for Ruben Amorim’s United.

Morgan Rogers scored both goals for Villa – his first was scored in the 45th minute but United were level in first-half stoppage time through Matheus Cunha.

What happened in the corresponding fixture between Man Utd and Villa last season?

United were 2-1 winners in the Premier League match at Old Trafford last season.

The Red Devils were greatly aided by the sending off of Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez just before the break.

Amad Diallo and an 87th minute Christian Eriksen penalty sealed the win for the home side.

Head-to-head

This will be the 202nd meeting between the clubs with Manchester United winning 107 of the matches. Aston Villa have won 52 of the encounters, which date back to November 1892 and a 2-0 home win for United in the old Division One.

Manchester United team news

Carrick said Mason Mount had taken a “big step” and could return from a two-month absence against Villa this weekend.

The ‌midfielder missed their last six league games due to injury.

“He is an important player for us,” he said.

“He is not 100 percent and he has only trained for a small period of time. ‌But ‌he is back and that’s good for us. We will see if he is involved on Sunday. That is it in terms of the players coming back.”

Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Dorgu and Mason Mount all remain absent though, and Lisandro Martinez has been added to that list with a calf injury, while there remains an injury doubt over Luke Shaw.

The defender was forced off with injury in the defeat by Newcastle, but Noussair Mazraoui, who also came off injured in that game, is set to be available.

Aston Villa team news

Midfielder John McGinn returned to action at Lille on Thursday night and could be in line for a start at Old Trafford.

Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara remain absent through injury, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the Villa lineup.

Right-back Matty Cash is also a doubt having missed the Lille match after picking up a knock in Villa’s last Premier League outting.

Manchester United predicted starting lineup

Lammens; Mazraoui, Yoro, Maguire, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo, Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko

Aston Villa predicted starting lineup

Martinez; Bogarde, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Luiz, Onana, Sancho, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins

Chelsea’s dominant record over United extends to the WSL, where they have never lost in 12 meetings, winning 10 of them.

But the gap has been closing.

This season, Chelsea needed an extra-time winner to knock United out of the FA Cup in their fifth-round tie and were held to a 1-1 draw in their WSL meeting in October.

It has been a turbulent time for the Londoners as they have fallen nine points behind WSL leaders Manchester City. Manager Sonia Bompastor has come under pressure and off-field issues – including the departure of much-loved head of women’s football Paul Green – have sparked debate and concern.

Suddenly, the ‘mentality monsters’ appear vulnerable – but can United take advantage?

“I don’t want to use this moment of vulnerability to do anything other than pretend we’re playing them at their best. Prepare for their best, and you can beat Chelsea,” Skinner said.

“We all know they’re an incredible team. Nobody’s denying that. But if we can get to our best levels in any game, I genuinely believe we can beat any team.

“Whatever form Chelsea are in, I’m going to challenge my team to be ready and focused on winning that game of football.

“Chelsea will do that. They’re not bothered about Manchester United, so we won’t be worried about them.”

Despite United’s strong campaign so far, some fans remain unconvinced.

This is the fourth successive season in which they have reached a domestic cup final, but they are yet to mount a genuine WSL title challenge and have lifted just one major trophy, the 2024 FA Cup, in their eight-year professional existence.

So can the club achieve more? Is Skinner getting the best out of his squad? Should United’s ambitions be more than just reaching finals?

“When you reach a certain level of experience in finals, you don’t want to not be experiencing them year-in, year-out. We also know that [in] the league, the teams behind the top four are investing more than enough to make it an open league,” said Skinner.

“The top-tier teams still spend the most and London City Lionesses are not far behind. We have to set our own markers at Manchester United. Whether you love it, or hate it – we’ve just got to compete. Sometimes we have to find different ways to do it.

“I’m not going to say my job isn’t to get us into cup finals and try to win them every year. All I’d ask is that if there’s a season where that doesn’t happen, you look at the context.

“If you’re not doing a good job [as a manager], then we all know what happens. You don’t have it any more and we move on.”

The Premier League’s power was supposedly emphasised by having six teams in the last 16 following the league stage, but this was something of a cold shower hosed on talk of its supremacy as City and Chelsea were heavily beaten, following on from defeats for Liverpool and Spurs on Tuesday.

Premier League leaders Arsenal needed Kai Havertz’s last-minute penalty to scrape a draw at Bayer Leverkusen, sixth in the Bundesliga, after winning eight from eight in the league phase.

Spurs were humiliated by Atletico, Liverpool lost to Galatasaray – although Newcastle United can take credit as they were only denied victory by Barcelona’s last-gasp penalty at St James’ Park.

Some big performances are required in the second leg if boasts about the supposed superpower of the Premier League are not to be rendered hollow.

Five of those teams had first legs away from home. Chelsea, Manchester City and Spurs must all turn around three-goal deficits, although Arsenal and Liverpool are the best hopes of going through.

It was an unexpected downturn. Could it be that the heavy workload and intensity of the Premier League has taken the edge off performances when the Champions League comes around?

Taken on this evidence, the Premier League picture is not as rosy as some would suggest in the Champions League context.

It all looked so different from the newer league table format, which led to a clean sweep of Premier League teams, giving rise to suggestions they could dominate the latter stages.

Not so, as teams that made their way through the play-offs such as Bodo/Glimt, Atletico, Real, PSG and Galatasaray all impressed.

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who was at the Bernabeu, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We spoke about the England teams and dominance in Europe. Look at how easily they qualified, in the Europa and Conference leagues as well. But in the Champions League, not one English team has won.

“Manchester City were in a better place than Real Madrid. They were injury-ravaged. It looked like an under-23 side with a scattering of experience for Real. But they were clinical and well-coached and hit City on the counter-attack.”

NEW YORK — The WNBA and its players’ union met again Wednesday, hours after a marathon negotiating session over a new collective bargaining agreement.

The two sides ended a 12-hour negotiation at 5 a.m. EDT without reaching a deal. They started talking again Wednesday afternoon and discussions were ongoing at sundown.

Union executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson said Wednesday morning that there were “a lot of conversations going in the right direction.”

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert came out of the hotel where negotiations took place to talk to reporters briefly.

“It’s complex, but we’re working towards a win-win deal like we’ve been saying, transformational deal for these players. That balances all the things we’ve been trying to balance with continued investment by our owners,” she said. “So, we’re working hard towards that and still have work to do.”

Executive committee members Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, Alysha Clark and Brianna Turner once again were at the hotel with Jackson and the union staff. The league was represented by Engelbert, head of league operations Bethany Donaphin and New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai. Connecticut Sun president Jen Rizzotti joined the negotiating team on Wednesday.

Neither side left the hotel during the marathon bargaining session. A day later, both sides were outside during breaks enjoying an unseasonably warm mid-March day in Manhattan.

The sides have been exchanging proposals during the bargaining sessions over the last two days, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.

Revenue sharing and housing are key sticking points between the sides, as well as assigning a franchise tag to a player and benefits for retired players.

The league had said that at least a handshake agreement on a labor deal would need to be done by Tuesday to start the season as scheduled.

“We’ve got to get this deal done. We’ve got to get it done soon,” said Engelbert, who didn’t take questions from reporters.

When a deal is reached in principle, the league has said it would need a few weeks to finish off the CBA. After that work is done, the expansion draft for new franchises in Portland and Toronto would be held sometime between April 1-6, according to a timetable obtained by the AP.

Free agent qualifying offers, including franchise player tags, would be sent out April 7-8. Teams would then have three days to negotiate with the more than 80% of players who are free agents. The signing period would take place from April 12-18.

Training camps would open the next day and the season would be able to start on May 8.

But for any of that to happen, the two sides have to figure out a revenue sharing model. The union’s proposal from a week ago had asked for an average of 26% of the gross revenue — revenue before expenses — over the course of the CBA. That would include only 25% in the first year. The league has said that number was unrealistic.

The WNBA’s last few proposals have offered more than 70% of net revenue, with that number going up as the league continues to grow.

Barrow head coach Dino Maamria has left the League Two strugglers after only 28 days in charge.

The 54-year-old took over on 11 February but managed only one win from his six games, leaving the Bluebirds outside the relegation zone on goal difference with 11 matches remaining.

“We recognise that this has been a very disappointing season with far too much managerial change,” Barrow said in a statement., external

“As the board of directors, we understand that the buck stops with us. We believe this change gives us the best chance of remaining in the football league.”

Experienced midfielder Sam Foley, 39, has been handed the interim head coach role until the end of the season with coaches Simon Ireland and David Worrall remaining in their roles.

Former Burton, Oldham and Stevenage boss Maamria replaced Paul Gallagher at Barrow, who himself lost all five of his games during a 40-day spell at the helm, having replaced Andy Whing in January.

Tunisian Maamria’s only victory came in a late 1-0 win over Colchester United last month which was followed by four defeats from five games, culminating in a 2-0 home loss to fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers on Tuesday.

“Sometimes I want to boo the players, I understand the frustration (of the fans) I think we all know the problems and my job is to fix the problems,” he said in his final post-match interview on BBC Radio Cumbria.

Barrow are at home to Accrington Stanley on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Kvaratskhelia’s family home in Tbilisi, where he grew up, does not announce that a global football star was raised there.

It is one of those anonymous Soviet-era apartment blocks that populate so many parts of the city: concrete, weathered, functional rather than beautiful, surrounded by identical neighbours and the everyday sounds of a working-class district.

Inside that building I met his father, Badri – a former Dinamo Tbilisi player and Azerbaijan international – and his mother, Maka, when their son was starring with Napoli.

It was a warm, welcoming home. Humble, not full of luxuries, but filled with memories. Everywhere you looked there were small mementos of his journey – photographs, trophies, shirts. Among them the first shirt he ever wore for Dinamo Tbilisi.

“Because this is where Khvicha’s professional career started. It has to be the Dinamo one,” Maka said. “His path to the top started here.”

Kvaratskhelia still uses his small bedroom whenever he returns. In one corner there is a computer table, a keyboard, large headphones and the kind of chair used by gamers.

That little world is where he disappears for hours whenever he comes home.

Born on 12 February 2001, from an early age football was inseparable from his life. As his mother recalls, he walked with the ball, slept with the ball. Football was everything, which is not to say that it was an easy path.

As a graduate of the Dinamo Tbilisi academy, he made his professional debut at 16 in 2017 before moving to Rustavi and then on loan to Lokomotiv Moscow where he would receive his first significant salary, money which allowed him to pay for life-saving heart surgery for his father.

“It wasn’t even a question to him,” said Badri.

On 22 May 2019, the 18-year-old would win his first major honour when Lokomotiv Moscow won the Russian Cup.

A move to Rubin Kazan where he would spend three seasons – and twice win the best young player in the Russian League – followed.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought an end to his stay, when Fifa announced on 7 March 2022 that all foreign players in Russia could unilaterally suspend their contracts until 30 June and sign with clubs outside Russia until the same date.

He went home, signing for Georgian club Dinamo Batumi.

Barcelona needed Lamine Yamal’s penalty with the last kick of the game to cancel out Harvey Barnes’s opener.

Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal struck ⁠from the ⁠penalty spot with the final kick of the game to salvage ⁠a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in the first leg of their ⁠Champions League last-16 tie, cancelling out a late strike from Harvey Barnes.

Newcastle appeared set to take a ‌slender advantage into the second leg after Barnes scored in the 86th minute, when he volleyed home Jacob Murphy’s cross on Tuesday.

But elation for the home fans turned to heartbreak when Malick ⁠Thiaw brought Dani Olmo ⁠down in the box in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and Yamal fired the penalty into ⁠the bottom corner as Aaron Ramsdale dove the ⁠wrong way.

Newcastle’s Joelinton thought ⁠he had scored earlier in the second half when he smashed home the rebound of Barnes’s shot ‌off the post, but the linesman quickly raised his flag for offside. ‌

The ‌second leg is at Barcelona on March 18.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Mario Lemina’s early diving header handed Galatasaray a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in their Champions League last-16 first leg in Istanbul, leaving the tie finely balanced after ⁠a compelling contest in which both sides saw goals disallowed.

The Turkish champions struck after seven minutes, when Lemina nodded home after Victor Osimhen headed a corner back across goal, giving them a precious advantage ahead of ⁠the second leg at Anfield.

In Italy, Bayern Munich dismantled ⁠Atalanta 6-1 ⁠in a dominant Champions League last-16 first-leg performance on Tuesday, seizing ⁠control from the outset in Bergamo.

The visitors surged into a ⁠three-goal lead within the opening 25 minutes, leaving the home side struggling to gain any sort of foothold ‌in the contest.

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid tore Tottenham Hotspur apart in ⁠a stunning ⁠first-half blitz on Tuesday, powering to a 5-2 victory in the first leg of their Champions ⁠League last-16 tie and leaving the Premier League side with a mountain to climb in London.

The visitors’ ⁠22-year-old goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky, endured a night to forget on his first appearance since October and only his third of the season.

Two costly errors from the Czech helped Atletico ‌race into a commanding lead, and he was substituted in the 17th minute by manager Igor Tudor immediately after Atletico’s third goal.

The famed Magic City adult entertainment club won’t be featured at next week’s Atlanta Hawks promotional night, the NBA announced on Monday.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged concerns from others in the league on Monday, saying that his decision to cancel the collaboration is in the best interests of the “broader NBA community.”

“While we appreciate the team’s perspective and their desire to move forward,” he said in a statement, “we have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees.”

The Hawks announced its “Magic City Monday” promotion in late February, featuring a halftime performance by Atlanta-based artist T.I., a collaborative hoodie and the offering of some of the club’s popular wings, including the lemon-pepper variety named after former Hawks player Lou Williams.

Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz was a producer on “Magic City: An American Fantasy,” a docuseries that aired on Starz. Still, the team’s decision to collaborate with the Atlanta strip club ruffled some feathers in the NBA.

San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet asked the Hawks to cancel the promotional night in a post on Medium last week, saying that it would “reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”

Others had argued that Magic City is a big part of Atlanta culture and should be celebrated as such.

The Hawks wrote in a statement on Monday that it was disappointed with the NBA’s decision but would respect it.

Rapper T.I. will still perform at halftime, but the live recording of the Hawks AF Podcast featuring Gertz, T.I. and Magic City founder Michael Barney was canceled. Fans who pre-ordered the collaboration hoodie will still receive one, but the sweatshirts won’t be available for purchase at the game, the Hawks wrote on X.

“As a franchise, we remain committed to celebrating the best of Atlanta — with authenticity — in ways that continue to unite and bring us all together,” the Hawks wrote.

Times staff writer Chuck Schilken contributed to this report

Northampton Town have sacked boss Kevin Nolan following a run of only one win in their past 16 league matches.

The Cobblers are 23rd in League One, three points from safety, having scored only 31 goals in 36 matches, the second lowest total in the league.

They drew a blank in what proved to be Nolan’s final game in charge, losing 1-0 at AFC Wimbledon on Sunday.

Technical director Colin Calderwood has been put in charge on an interim basis, assisted by Ian Sampson, both ex-Northampton managers.

“We will always be grateful to Kevin for his hard work here, he helped keep us up last season and we enjoyed a strong first half of this season,” chairman Kelvin Thomas said in a statement., external

“But since Christmas the sequence of performances and results have led us to believe a change is in the best interests of all concerned.

“We are fortunate to have someone of Colin’s experience, supported by Ian Sampson and the rest of the staff to look after matters on an interim basis.”

Nolan’s departure came on the 129th anniversary of Northampton’s formation and they are the 10th League One club out of 24 to part company with their boss this season.

With a population of just 900,000, Reunion is better known for its volcanoes, wildlife and tropical climate rather than professional footballers.

On the men’s side, former West Ham star Dimitri Payet and Newcastle winger Laurent Robert are two that fans may remember – but those that make it all the way form a short list.

Growing up, Malard tried her hand at boxing, karate, judo and handball before discovering football.

“When I tried football, I said ‘that is my sport’ because I could put in a lot of energy and could play free,” she says.

She began playing in the island’s capital for Saint-Denis FC before the chance meeting with Bompastor, who was managing the Lyon academy at the time.

“She tells me, ‘Mel, I like you, come to Lyon’. I had two months to think but I said yes right away because it was a big opportunity in my life,” Malard says.

The transition from sunny Reunion to the bitter winters of Lyon all alone at the age of 14 was a shock to her system.

“It was so difficult but I knew what I wanted and I knew it was football,” she says. “Every morning and every night, I would put my boots on, go to the pitch and I would be happy.”

Seizing those early opportunities has paid off handsomely for Malard – three league titles, four Champions League medals and the experience of playing alongside some of the best in the world at Lyon and the France national team.

Now, in Manchester, she is continuing to love her experiences – despite that gloomy weather.

“Every time I pass Old Trafford, it’s a dream for me,” Malard says. “The people are so nice when I play football, singing my name at the stadium. The club is very big, has a lot of history and I enjoy it a lot here.”

And it will be a full-circle moment for Malard against Chelsea, managed by Bompastor, in the cup final.

“I’m excited, it’s good for us and this club deserve that,” says Malard, who featured in the 4-0 win against Tottenham in the 2023-24 FA Cup final as United lifted their first major women’s trophy.

“I’m also excited to play against my [former] coach. If we win, we put the name again in history and that is what we want.

“I’m confident because I believe in this team – I believe in this club. We are here to win everything we can.”

Loughborough Lightning overcame a “tough” opening to strike down Leeds Rhinos 70-43 in round two of the Netball Super League season.

The win at Canon Medical Arena, in Sheffield, puts the visitors top of the early standings with six points from their opening games.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Lightning coach Vic Burgess, said: “I’m really happy with the scoreline, really pleased with the win today.

“It’s been great to see such a solid team performance. Everybody that took the court did exactly what we asked of them.”

From 24-23 behind, Lightning went on a scoring streak to lead 37-24 at the midway point and never looked back.

“The first quarter was tough, I’m really pleased with all of the girls’ performances,” Burgess said.

Lightning co-captain Nat Panagarry, a three-time title winner with the team, made her 200th appearance in the NSL.

In the other Friday match-up, defending champions London Pulse held off off a late charge from Dragons at the Cardiff House of Sport, triumphing 51-50 to also make it two wins from two.

It is unlikely to be a closed system like UFC-style leagues, where fighters are restricted to competing only within one organisation.

Seven-division champion Amanda Serrano, MVP’s marquee name, joined some of the fighters on stage at a news conference on Friday.

When asked if MVPW could introduce its own belt in the future, Bidarian said he wanted to give fans the “best possible match-ups” and work alongside the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF.

“We’re interested in having as many world champions as possible being a part of the MVPW brand,” he said.

“Ultimately it’s not really about sanctioning bodies, it’s about our athletes. We respect the sanctioning bodies and their process, but they need to evolve as well to allow for consistent matchmaking that is logical in terms of growing the brand and fanbase.”

MVPW3 will take place on 30 May in El Paso, Texas, with WBA lightweight champion Stephanie Han facing Holly Holm in a rematch following a technical decision in their January meeting.

MVP are looking to capitalise on proposed changes, external to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act.

UFC-style leagues have been banned in boxing because of concerns over promoters controlling sanctioning, rankings, belts and fighter management.

Proposed amendments would allow league-style formats while claiming to maintain protections for fighters – a move initiated by Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Igor Tudor says he believes the club will be able to avoid relegation from the Premier League, insisting “the moment will pass” after watching his side lose 3-1 at home to Crystal Palace, a result that leaves them one point above the relegation zone.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Crystal Palace

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Hellberg’s chance came at a club called Kimstad in the seventh tier of Swedish football.

He jokes he was the 12th choice and was put in a charge of a side including some of his best friends.

But proving himself is something that Hellberg has subsequently done consistently during 15 years in the dugout.

Working his way up the ranks, dispelling myths about his lack of a successful playing career, he won promotions down the divisions before landing a job in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top flight, in 2021 with IFK Varnamo.

Not only did he keep the newly-promoted club up with one of the league’s lowest budgets, he then took them to fifth place the following season.

That brought him to the attention of Stockholm-based Hammarby, with a bigger budget and more pressure and expectation.

Two seasons delivered successive runners-up spots, playing the attractive and fluid possession game he has brought to England, bringing him wider attention, and he was on the radar for the vacant Swansea City job before Boro grabbed him.

But with his biggest achievement possibly just around the corner, what Hellberg is most proud of is how his coaching and personality have allowed him to keep progressing.

“My perspective is very important to have with me as I know where I came from, how hard I worked to be here and I have no playing career,” he said.

“Every player I’ve coached has been better than me, even at the lowest division.

“I’ve grown a lot of confidence from that. I had to be a good person and a good coach even for [Swedish fifth-tier] Kuddby players to respect me.

“That’s been a good journey for me to always come into a club to show I’m good at this – I’m not here because I was good at playing football.

“I’m here because I’m a good person, a good coach, good at building a structure, putting a game together and developing players. That gives me belief in the long way I work.”

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