The 23-year-old Rogers, established as one of the Premier League’s top attacking talents, has signed a contract with the London team until 2033.
Published On 22 Jul 202622 Jul 2026
The England World Cup forward Morgan Rogers has completed his British transfer record move from Aston Villa to Premier League rivals Chelsea.
No fee was officially disclosed, but media reports on Tuesday said it is worth 117 million pounds ($156.5m), which surpasses England teammate Elliot Anderson’s 116 million pounds ($155m) switch from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City earlier this month.
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The all-time record Premier League transfer is still Sweden striker Alexander Isak’s 125 million pounds ($167m) move from Newcastle to Liverpool last year.
The 23-year-old Rogers, established as one of the Premier League’s top attacking talents, has signed a contract with the London team until 2033.
“I’m so excited,” he told the club’s website. “For me, Chelsea are the biggest club in London and a club I’ve always admired since I was a kid.
“I’m really excited about the project with the new manager, the players we’ve got and where the club is heading. That’s why I’m here, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Rogers is the third major off-season signing by new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, following wing backs Marco Palestra and Geovany Quenda.
Rogers was part of the England team that finished third, beating France, at the World Cup last week. They had lost to Argentina 2-1 in their semifinal.
He scored 21 goals in 85 Premier League appearances for Villa, and last season helped guide the club to a top-four finish and to the Europa League title.
Rogers joined Villa from Middlesbrough in February 2024 for a reported fee of 8 million pounds (about $10.5m).
He made his England debut in November 2024 and has now won 22 caps for his country.
Chelsea’s previous record signing was Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo, who joined from Brighton & Hove Albion for 115 million pounds (about $150m) in 2023.
Chelsea, who finished 10th in the Premier League last season, begin their league campaign away to Fulham on August 24.
Anthony Joshua sits down with Eddie Hearn and Frank Smith to discuss his upcoming fight with Kristian Prenga and why he believes he can beat Tyson Fury to become the undisputed champion.
Walbert Ureña pitched six innings of one-run ball, Jorge Soler and Jo Adell each drove in two runs in a five-run first inning and the Angels extended their winning streak to three games with a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.
The Angels banged out five of their 10 hits in the first inning. Soler hit a two-run double and Adell added a two-run homer for the Angels, who have their longest winning streak since a four-game run from June 9-13.
Ureña (6-7) allowed up six hits, struck out five and walked one while lowering his ERA to 2.78 for the season and 2.49 in 14 starts since May 1. Making his first start since the All-Star break, the rookie right-hander threw 16 pitches of 100 mph or more, including hitting a season-high 101.5-mph sinker to Jordan Walker, in the first. He had thrown 16 pitches of 100 mph or more — total — in 81 1/3 innings of his first 17 games.
St. Louis, which has lost 10 of its last 14 games, scored its only run on JJ Wetherholt’s RBI fielder’s-choice grounder in the fifth.
Angels reliever Mitch Farris struck out two in 1 1/3 innings. Chase Silseth got the final two outs in the eighth, and Ryan Zeferjahn struck out three of five batters in a scoreless ninth.
Angels leadoff man Zach Neto opened the bottom of the first with a single and was thrown out trying to take third on Mike Trout’s single to left.
Nolan Schanuel walked, and Soler hit a two-run double to left. Vaughn Grissom’s RBI single pushed the lead to 3-0, and Adell hit is 15th homer — a two-run shot — to make it 5-0.
St. Louis starter Matthew Liberatore (5-7) recovered from the rocky first and held the Angels to four hits over the next 4 1/3 innings.
Up next
Cardinals RHP Hunter Dobbins (11, 4.03 ERA) will oppose Angels LHP Reid Detmers (3-6, 4.16) on Wednesday.
The rules are simple. Each day there’s a new footballer and the challenge is to guess who they are in as few attempts as possible.
After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. Guess the answer after as few clues as possible to score more points.
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Today’s player and clues set by BBC Sport’s Huzaifah Khan.
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Chaibasa, India – As the world celebrates Spain winning its second FIFA World Cup and the “GOATS” of football who headlined the month-long tournament, a remote Indian village has also joined in – albeit with an indigenous touch.
To coincide with the FIFA event, residents of Tirilbasa village in Chaibasa, a tribal-dominated district in eastern India’s Jharkhand state, organised a football tournament from July 14 to July 17, featuring teams from 64 nearby villages.
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But the star attraction at the Rangila Star Tirilbasa tournament (“rangila” means “colourful” in Hindi), besides relatively handsome prize money, was a herd of goats to be handed as trophies to the best-performing teams.
The finals were played on Friday, with NCS Maudi beating Kumbaram 1-0, a dramatic prediction of what happened between Spain and Argentina two days later in New York.
Competing teams play a football match at the Rangila Star Tirilbasa tournament in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, India [Shweta Desai/Al Jazeera]
NCS Maudi carried home prize money of 15,000 rupees ($156) and three male goats (locally known as “khassi” for their castration at a young age). Runners-up Kumbaram won 12,000 rupees ($125) and two khassis, while Kobra FC Nimdhi and Galubasa FC, the third and fourth rankers, won 9,000 rupees ($93) and one khassi each. There are also cash prizes for the man of the match, man of the series and the best goalkeeper, but they don’t get any khassi.
NCS Maudi’s captain Sachin Devam, whose team arrived on two-wheelers to play the game, told Al Jazeera he would have to arrange for an autorickshaw to carry the goats home, 10km (6 miles) away.
“It’s the first win for our team, and we are going to celebrate it with everyone in the village,” he said with a beaming smile. “It’s going to be a khassi picnic.”
‘Khassi important part of our culture’
This year was the fifth edition of the Rangila Star Tirilbasa tournament.
The organisers say they follow the FIFA rulebook and invite popular commentators and referees certified by the state football association to ensure compliance with the guidelines and “avoid fights as players can get aggressive on the field”.
But the rest of the setup is markedly different from the conventional game. Rather, it is adapted to the ancient tribal traditions of the Ho community, which is native to the Chaibasa region.
The Ho people, numbering a little more than a million across India, genetically belong to the Austroasiatic group and identify themselves as tribal (“aadivasi” in Hindi) people inhabiting the forests. The word “ho” in their language means “human” or “people” of the Kolhan region in Jharkhand, one of India’s poorest states despite being home to some of India’s biggest coal and mineral mines.
The Austroasiatic tribes such as Santhals, Ho and Munda organise their traditional, religious and sporting activities like a close-knit community. Football events are an opportunity to invite fellow tribal kin to celebrate their bond.
For the Ho people, no celebration is complete without the khassi. The animals are used for ceremonial sacrifices during religious events and rituals, and their meat is shared among the community members.
“Khassis are part of the prize as they are an important part of our culture. Their meat is tasty, and everyone loves good mutton. Most teams slaughter the goats, but some also keep them as livestock and trophy prize,” Manish Kudada, an 18-year-old player and one of the organisers of the tournament from Tirilbasa, told Al Jazeera.
Manish Kudada with his prized khassi at his home in Tirilbasa, India [Shweta Desai/Al Jazeera]
Kudada has preserved the black khassi he won in another football tournament in February, but his friends joke that the goat is being fattened up for a feast. The khassi goats are prized for their meat quality. In Chaibasa, the goats can be spotted everywhere, especially during the weekly Tuesday markets, where a baby goat costs up to 8,000 rupees ($83).
“Without khassi, our celebrations are half-hearted. At weddings, even if the hosts serve double the amount of chicken and no khassi meat, it will upset the villagers,” Raj Keshri, goalkeeper for the Tirilbasa team and one of the organisers of the tournament, told Al Jazeera.
“We therefore decided to offer cash and goats as the prize. Players get to keep their money, but with the khassis, they also get to celebrate the victory with the entire village.”
Raj Keshri with the goat his team won at the tournament [Shweta Desai/Al Jazeera]
The Ho practice what they call the Munda-Manki governance system, under which the hereditary head of a village upholds all social, legal and customary rights of the people. Their tribal codes and customs take precedence over the Indian government’s panchayat (village administration) and police systems.
The Rangila Star Tirilbasa tournament is conducted at the “ek munda” (“ek” means “one” in Hindi) level, which means that a team’s members must belong to the same village. Instead of 11 players, each team has nine, of which at least six must belong to the same village to qualify for the tournament. Organisers say the rule is strictly followed to reinforce a sense of unity among the players.
The rules of the game have also been modified. There is no offside, and players are free to score from anywhere on the field.
“This kind of match setup provides an opportunity for players like us from small villages who never get a chance to qualify in open tournaments which are dominated by seasoned players,” Sudarshan Tiu, who plays for Galubasa FC, told Al Jazeera.
Suvir Kumar Tanti, the commentator for the tournament, travels widely across the Kolhan region during the monsoon football season, when most male members return home for cultivation and agricultural festivals.
At the finals at Tirilbasa on Friday, his high-pitched, lyrical play-by-play commentary boomed through the loudspeaker, helping the spectators keep track of the fast-paced action on the football field.
“The Rangila Star tournament reflects the culture of the Ho community. And khassi goats as prizes make it even more unique. Very few tournaments in the region follow this and prefer to conduct events in a professional manner, with trophies and medals as rewards,” he told Al Jazeera.
Spectators enjoy a football game at the Rangila Star Tirilbasa tournament in Chaibasa [Shweta Desai/Al Jazeera]
The tournament offers entertainment for the villagers, who pour in and out of the grounds through the day, squatting by the sides of the field or finding a place on the trees.
Nearby, food stalls sell fried dough balls, potato chops, yellow peas, and hooch. Men sit in circles, taking a break in between the matches to drink “madia”, a fermented rice beer that locals say helps them stay cool in the hot and humid weather.
In the evenings after the matches, men also play a rooster-catching game, which spectators can bet their money on.
Keshri, goalkeeper for the Tirilbasa team, explains the spirit behind the tournament’s eccentric name: Rangila Star Tirilbasa.
“The name was chosen because it embodies the identity of our village. ‘Rangila’ [colourful] signifies our enthusiasm to do something unique while ‘Star’ represents talent. Through our football tournament, we hope Tirilbasa will become the ground for local talent.”
The tribal-dominated state of Jharkhand has been a sports powerhouse for decades. It has produced globally-awarded field hockey players and athletes, the most famous being India’s former cricket captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The state government helps local football and hockey clubs like Rangila Star with financial grants, resulting in the rise of some of football’s next generation of players. Many such clubs, including Rangila, also hold tournaments for female teams.
But until over a decade ago, Chaibasa was not on the sporting map.
Located among remote forests and hills, the district was cut off from mainland India due to the Maoist insurgency – a tribal-led armed revolt against the Indian state over large-scale felling of forests and selling of lands to private corporates for mining and related activities.
The government regained control of Chaibasa from Maoists only in 2011. Still, until last year, private vehicles avoided taking roads crossing the district at night. Commercial buses operated from 4am to 4pm, and the region remained on the government’s list of “sensitive areas”.
In March this year, India’s Home Minister Amit Shah declared the end of the armed Maoist rebellion after a series of top commanders were killed or arrested by the security forces in Jharkhand and the surrounding states, mainly Chhattisgarh.
A football match in progress at the tournament in Chaibasa [Shweta Desai/Al Jazeera]
As violence ebbed, Chaibasa turned into a busy town. Shops selling pizza, burgers and laptops, alongside offices and warehouses of mining companies extracting coal and iron ore, have come up. Christian missionary schools and colleges are dotted across the region, providing educational opportunities to tribal people.
Sporting activities are also thriving, with Chaibasa fast emerging as a football hot spot, producing players like female midfielder and forward Malati Munda.
Munda, who found national fame through local tournaments, ended up playing in league matches in Kolkata, the capital of neighbouring West Bengal state, where football is extremely popular.
“I had no coach to guide me or provide training. No one had even heard about me. After coming to Chaibasa town for higher studies, I met several brothers and sisters who taught me and improved my game,” Munda told Al Jazeera.
The weekly local tournaments gave Munda experience and skills to improve her game. They also brought rewards. “I have played at several such games where we won cash, and yes, khassi as well,” she said with a laugh.
Munda currently plays for the Home Guard paramilitary in Jharkhand’s capital city of Ranchi – a route many players from poorer families take to secure a government job in India.
Harish Hembram from Chaibasa began his career as a football content creator by covering local matches and uploading their videos on social media. His YouTube channel today has more than 211,000 subscribers, and livestreams key matches across Jharkhand.
“Football has always been popular in the villages, and many like me would attend matches at different venues. I started uploading the videos for fun for those fans who couldn’t attend. But soon the videos clocked high viewership, and I started my YouTube channel. Now organisers call me to cover their tournaments,” he told Al Jazeera.
Hembram said he earns about 20,000 rupees ($208) a month through his YouTube channel alone. He has moved to Ranchi, where he has also opened a sports shop selling football, jerseys, shoes and other accessories. Many players from Chaibasa visit his shop.
The grassroots football culture in Chaibasa defies the stereotype that India is not a football country.
Sandeep Menon, author of Sacred Grounds: A Journey Through People’s Football in India, says he has discovered and documented a football subculture across the country. He said while India does not figure prominently on the global football map, the love for the sport in the country is “unparalleled”.
“At the grassroots level, football is played with great interest across the country. And everyone has their own version of the game, to make it palatable and adaptable depending upon the availability of space, local geographical surroundings, weather and social conditions,” Menon told Al Jazeera.
Menon said hyper-local village tournaments like the Rangila Star Tirilbasa attract young players and provide them an opportunity for overnight fame. “There is a high emotional investment in playing for a village and representing it,” he said. “For some players, football becomes their identity and pride.”
Larne manager Gary Haveron said he was “proud” of his players’ efforts in their 4-0 home defeat by Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League second qualifying round, first leg.
The Inver Reds trailed at the break after Bruno Duarte converted from the spot, but the Serbian club would add another three in the second period as Duarte grabbed a second, while Vasilije Kostov and Muhammed Cham found the net to all but finish the tie off.
Haveron felt his team can take a lot from the experience but accepts they were up against a “different level” of opposition.
“I’m extremely proud,” Haveron told BBC Sport NI.
“For long stages in the first half we frustrated them and were probably a bit disappointed to come in one down given the soft penalty.
“I thought the shape was really good, discipline really good and in the second half we got caught up in the occasion and chased the game a bit too much. When you give a quality team space in behind, they can hurt you and did that in a 10-minute spell when they scored two goals and killed the tie.
“It’s a learning opportunity for us and we can take so much as a club, coaching staff and players. The quality is different level and some of the finishes were ridiculous.”
Larne will travel to Belgrade for the second leg next Wednesday [19:00 BST] and while Haveron accepts the Champions League is “a step too far”, he is hopeful they can push on in the Europa or perhaps Conference League qualifiers.
“Our ceiling wasn’t the Champions League,” he stressed.
“Winning the first game [against Tre Fiori] gave us an opportunity in the Europa League, gave us an opportunity in the Conference League that gives us a level of football we can be competitive in.
“We made group stages previously [2024/25] but you need to get lucky with the draw and it gives us a chance to be competitive.
“When you get to this stage of the Champions League, it’s a step too far, but about the occasion, the experience and performance, so next week will stand to us going into the rest of the season.”
Before Devlin had even departed, there was a new head coach in charge. The process to appoint Vrancken was quick and initial signs were promising.
Here was a man who had been named Belgian coach of the year, had taken Racing Genk to within minutes of the title, and had been linked with Anderlecht and Burnley.
As well as a glowing CV, his previous style of play in Belgium was highlighted. It was not quite labelled all-out attack, but it was certainly going to be the style of football fans want to see.
Explaining his tactics in an early supporter forum, the man himself said he wanted “chaos within a structure”.
In his first match in charge it was mostly chaos, not so much structure.
However, the 4-0 scoreline does not feel truly reflective of the game itself. The attacking stats showed Hearts did not lag behind their Austrian hosts by any means.
They created two chances in the first half that should have been buried, but Pierre Landry Kabore shot straight at the keeper and Alexandros Kyziridis nudged his effort wide when one-on-one.
By the time it came to creating any more, they were already 4-0 down. Inefficient in attack, torn apart at the back. It was a nightmare beginning.
“Early impressions are that Hearts have got a really good head coach,” said Hearts Standard editor Joel Sked on a recent Scottish Football Podcast. “At the same time, just with everything that’s happened, there will have to be some patience.”
Patience is in short supply in football these days. For every Ange Postecolgou, there’s a Wilfried Nancy. For every Jens Berthel Askou, a Russell Martin.
It is too soon to tell in which camp Vrancken will fall, but for the most part, Hearts fans remain cautiously optimistic.
They’ve been through it all in the past two months, nothing can surprise them. Not even this.
A trio of Premier League heavyweights all want Marcus Rashford, Arsenal are interested in Aston Villa‘s Ezri Konsa, and Nottingham Forest look set to sign a new defender.
Manchester United remain keen to sign a central midfielder but have cooled their interest in Brighton‘s Cameroon international Carlos Baleba and Bournemouth‘s Guernseyman Alex Scott, both 22, because of their high price tags. (Teamtalk), external
PHILADELPHIA — The Dodgers’ game against the Phillies on Tuesday began in a rain delay. First pitch would be pushed back to 5 p.m. PDT, the home team announced.
Inclement weather Tuesday afternoon included a flash flood warning in the area and rain in the forecast for much of the evening.
The Dodgers already had one rainout during this East Coast road trip. Their game Saturday against the Yankees was postponed by a day, setting up a doubleheader on Sunday.
Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola wants midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and goalkeeper Alisson to remain at the club.
Argentina international Mac Allister has two years left on the five-year contract he signed at Liverpool when he joined the Reds in 2023.
The 27-year-old has yet to begin talks over a new deal, which has prompted speculation he could leave Anfield this summer.
However, Iraola told a news conference in Chicago at the beginning of Liverpool‘s pre-season tour of the United States that he wants to hang on to the player.
“I think Alexis has been one of the best players at the club for the last few years, and he has had a very good World Cup, so it is normal that other clubs want our best players,” Iraola said.
“It always happens in other markets. But I want to keep my good players. I’m looking forward more to signing new players rather than losing the ones we have here.”
Alisson has a year left on his contract at Anfield and has been linked with a move to Juventus, but Iraola is keen to bank on the 33-year-old Brazilian’s experience in the forthcoming season.
“I’m very happy with the situation we have right now in the goalkeeping area,” explained the Reds boss.
“Alisson is someone also in a changing room that has lost some references in terms of experience, I think he’s someone that definitely will help us in this process of adaptation of the new signings, of the new players, the young players.
“We need the references like Virgil [van Dijk], like Alisson, like Joe Gomez, players that have been here for a long time.”
Iraola acknowledged he has one eye on bringing in defensive reinforcements during the summer transfer window, particularly at right-back given Conor Bradley is “months” away from playing.
The Northern Ireland international sustained a knee injury in January and will not be available for the start of the season.
“At the end, if you have a fully fit, healthy Conor Bradley, we are very happy, ready to go and we would not be asking ourselves these questions,” explained the Spaniard.
“I think it’s a situation that is tricky, because we trust Conor in the long term, we know we want him to be our right-back but right now he is still, I would say, a little bit far from returning.
“So, with the centre-back, with the right-back situation, in terms of defensive depth, we are, I think, very thin right now so I think it’s a solution that we are trying to find, yes.”
The Lakers announced their preseason schedule Tuesday with the five-game slate beginning Oct. 5 against the Kings at Sacramento and highlighted by a game in Las Vegas against the Golden State Warriors.
Starting with consecutive road games in Sacramento and San Francisco (Oct. 6), the Lakers play the Sacramento Kings and the Warriors twice each before a final preseason game against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 16. The Lakers’ first home preseason game is Oct. 8 against the Kings before playing the Warriors in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 13.
All Lakers preseason games will be broadcast on Spectrum SportsNet.
Teams can play up to six preseason games. The Lakers reached the maximum number of tune-up games last year and could use any additional reps to prepare for this season with nine new players.
Following the departure of LeBron James, who has yet to reveal his next destination, the Lakers retooled the roster in an offseason transaction flurry. Center Walker Kessler figures to slot right into the starting lineup next to the returning Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Free agent additions Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton will fill immediately roles after the Lakers lost six rotation players from last season’s team that went to the Western Conference semifinals. The Lakers also acquired guard Jaden Hardy in a trade with the Washington Wizards, added rookie guard Cameron Carr and signed free agents Kevon Looney and Ziaire Williams.
By agreeing to a one-year deal with free agent forward Matisse Thybulle on Monday, the Lakers brought their roster up to 16 guaranteed contracts. The team must trade or waive a player before opening day to reach the roster maximum of 15.
Preseason schedule
Oct. 5 at Sacramento Kings
Oct. 6 at Golden State Warriors
Oct. 8 vs. Sacramento Kings
Oct. 13 vs. Golden State Warriors (T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas)
Messi’s private jet landed near his hometown of Rosario from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at 6:27 a.m. Although many fans were waiting with signs and flags, he did not make a public appearance.
“The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal,” he posted on his Instagram account. “I cherish all the good moments, memories that will last forever — and the support of an entire nation which, combined with this group’s hard work and effort, propelled us once again into the ranks of the world’s best.”
Supporters only caught a brief glimpse of the SUV that met Messi on the tarmac to transport him and his family to the private neighborhood of Funes, roughly 185 miles north of Buenos Aires.
The Argentina captain reportedly traveled with his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and their three children, all of whom had accompanied him throughout the tournament in North America. Waiting for him in Rosario was his 68-year-old father, Jorge, whose ongoing medical treatment for an undisclosed illness had been revealed by the family during the World Cup.
Fans had gathered at the airport as early as 3:30 a.m. hoping to catch a sight of the star. Among them were two young girls in La Albiceleste jerseys holding welcome signs, one of which read: “Messi: You’re a legend. Thank you for bringing joy to our hearts. A whole country loves you!”
Messi is expected to rejoin Inter Miami in late July or early August for the ongoing MLS season.
Fifteen members of Argentina’s 26-player World Cup roster, led by head coach Lionel Scaloni, landed at Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza Airport on Monday on a chartered flight.
The squad’s arrival followed Sunday’s 1–0 extra-time loss to Spain in the World Cup final in East Rutherford, N.J., decided by a Ferran Torres goal.
“It is hard to fully appreciate our achievement right now, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and message,” Messi added. “I also want to congratulate Spain on winning the championship.”
The match marked Messi’s third World Cup final appearance, following 2014 and 2022. He ended the tournament as the runner-up for the Golden Boot with eight goals, two behind France’s Kylian Mbappé.
Mbappé tops the all-time World Cup goal-scoring chart with 22, one more than Messi.
World number one Luke Littler threw a thrilling nine-darter as he booked his place in the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay with a 11-8 win over Nathan Aspinall.
Littler began the contest at Winter Gardens in Blackpool in sensational fashion with a perfect leg, finishing on double 15.
The Warrington teenager cupped his ears to lap up the adulation of a delirious crowd while fellow Englishman Aspinall laughed in disbelief before he gave Littler a high five.
Excitement levels were raised further in the fourth leg when Littler had double 15 remaining for a second nine-darter, only for his arrow to land just the wrong side of the wire.
Aspinall turned to the crowd and jokingly offered up his darts to see if anyone else wanted to give the 19-year-old a game.
He refused to allow Littler to pull away, though, and managed to haul himself back on terms at 7-7 only for the defending champion to reel off the next three legs.
Aspinall briefly rallied again but when he missed tops in the 19th leg, Littler was able to checkout 52 as he sealed victory with an incredible 113.68 average – the second highest in the tournament’s history – featuring a total of 14 180s.
“The nine-darter just happened. These guys [the crowd] were booing me at the beginning and then they started cheering me on!” Littler told Sky Sports.
“It felt amazing and that was probably the best game Nathan and I have played against each other – it’s never over against Nathan because he never gives up.
“That’s two unbelievable performances from myself here. Hopefully I can pick up the title again, but I just have to focus on who I play next.”
Littler will play the winner of the final second-round match on Tuesday between Josh Rock and Stephen Bunting.
Elsewhere, Michael van Gerwen’s campaign ended as he suffered a 14-12 defeat to fellow Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Van Gerwen had battled back from 8-4 down to level the match at 10-all but Van Duijvenbode closed out the contest.
Scotland’s Gary Anderson also progressed to the last eight with an 11-7 win over Welshman Jonny Clayton.
Sam Curran’s all-round brilliance led MI London to a convincing seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Leeds in the opening match of the men’s Hundred.
Chasing 144, Curran finished unbeaten on 60 as MI London eased to their target with 16 balls remaining.
After Brydon Carse’s fine spell of 2-18 had given Sunrisers hope, Curran added 93 from just 40 balls for the fourth wicket with Nicholas Pooran.
The destructive Pooran struck a magnificent 19-ball fifty which took the game from Sunrisers, as he clubbed five fours and five sixes in his 58 not out.
Curran had earlier taken 2-27 and seamer Richard Gleeson also impressed with 4-25 as Sunrisers were bowled out for 143.
Mitchell Marsh top-scored with 41 at the top of the order but Sunrisers struggled for momentum after his departure, though Tom Alsop’s cameo of 31 from 18 balls gave them a late boost.
England white-ball captain Harry Brook fell for eight and Sunrisers skipper Zak Crawley only managed 13.
MI London, who were previously known as Oval Invincibles prior to the private investment in the Hundred, have won the past three men’s tournaments.
MI London bowler Richard Gleeson is on for his hat-trick after dismissing SunRisers Leeds’ Zak Crawley and Benny Howell in two balls, only for number 11 batter Abrar Ahmed to spoil his moment by hitting a six.
Cardiff head coach Corniel van Zyl believes Halfpenny’s achievements, including scoring 801 points while winning101 Wales caps and being a highly respected three-time Lions tourist, are invaluable attributes.
Van Zyl said: “It is clear and evident from last year’s work that all of our kickers improved. He is so professional and diligent in everything he does, so now moving into a full-time role I am excited to see the impact he will have.
“He will work with all of our kickers from goal-kicking and touch-kicking etcetera to our scrum-halves and their technique, but he will also work within the academy, which will be really beneficial for his growth and development as a coach.
“He has a great future as a coach and we are looking forward to welcoming him back to the Arms Park following another great experience with the national squad.”
The consortium is led by British-Indian investor Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal.
Published On 21 Jul 202621 Jul 2026
Liverpool are in talks with British-Indian investor Amit Bhatia over a potential deal for a minority stake in the Premier League football club.
Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool’s United States-based owner, confirmed the approach from Bhatia’s group on Tuesday.
“An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club,” an FSG spokesperson told the AFP news agency.
Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, is heading a consortium interested in buying into the 20-time English champions.
The Financial Times reported that Bhatia has hired advisers to work on the offer, which the newspaper said could value Liverpool at more than $6bn.
Just hours after Bhatia’s interest in Liverpool emerged, the London-born 46-year-old stepped down from his role as a director and co-owner of English Championship side Queens Park Rangers (QPR).
Bhatia, who spent 18 seasons with the west Londoners, will transfer his ownership of the club to majority owner Ruben Gnanalingam.
“I step back from my formal responsibilities with pride, gratitude and affection. I want to thank the players, managers, staff, the community trust, my fellow board members and, above all, the fans, who have made me and my family feel part of the QPR family for so many years,” Bhatia said.
Bhatia’s discussions with FSG – who bought Liverpool for 300 million British pounds ($400m) in 2010 – are believed to be at an early stage, with no deal struck yet.
Any investment from Bhatia would be made to further position Liverpool for success, following FSG’s move in 2023 to sell a minority stake in the club to global sports investment firm Dynasty.
Reports at the time valued that transaction between $100m and $200m.
Ryker Wixom is a 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior tight end for Saugus High. It was his idea to organize a food drive on Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon in the school parking lot, encouraging anyone and everyone to bring canned goods to help out his community. He’s pretty strong, so he’s capable of lifting lots of canned goods, but he’ll have the whole football team on hand for support.
The Santa Clarita Food Pantry is scheduled to send out a truck to load the donated goods.
“I feel we need to make our mark in the community and help out,” Wixom said of his project. “Food drives have been going on for a long time. I feel it’s a great way to help out our community.”
With the support of coach Jason Bornn, the team will set up tables in the parking lot for people to donate and drop off items. Rather than playing in a passing tournament on the eve of official practice beginning on Monday, Wixom and his teammates are choosing to do something that will help others.
Isn’t that what playing high school sports is supposed to be about — learning lessons as a team that will prepare you for adulthood.
ESPN’s 30 for 30 will launch the first two of six podcast episodes July 28 examining the gambling scandal that resulted in Shohei Ohtani‘s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara going to prison for stealing nearly $17 million from the baseball superstar and gambling it away.
The podcast, titled “The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani” is told by Tisha Thompson, the ESPN investigative reporter who led the outlet’s groundbreaking coverage in March 2024.
The podcast will recount Mizuhara’s life before he began working for Ohtani in 2013 when both were with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan. When Ohtani moved to the United States to play for the Angels in 2018, Mizuhara came with him.
Thompson interviews childhood friends and colleagues of Mizuhara, but the interview that will generate the greatest interest is a 90-minute phone call she had with him 16 hours before she published the story. Thompson got permission from Mizuhara to tape the call and it remains the only interview he has given.
Mizuhara told her that Ohtani had helped him pay off his gambling debts, a story he recanted a day later. The Dodgers fired him the same day they opened the 2024 season with a game against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea.
IRS special agent Chris Seymour gave Thompson the first interview of his career, and what he and prosecutors say about Mizuhara’s motive goes beyond the narrative that he had a gambling addiction, according to ESPN.
Another interview by Thompson is with bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, who explains on tape that his relationship with Mizuhara began during a hotel poker game with Angels players. Bowyer pleaded guilty last year to running an illegal gambling business, money laundering and filing a false tax return. He was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and ordered to pay $1.6 million in restitution to the IRS.
Episodes one and two — “The Letter O” and “The Interview” — will debut July 28, followed by episodes dropping every Tuesday and Thursday through Aug. 11.
Taylor previously took charge of the 2017 FA Cup final, also a 2-1 win for Arsenal against Chelsea.
He also refereed the Community Shield in 2015 and the 2018 Championship play-off final.
Taylor received praise for the way he handed the Euro 2020 game between Denmark and Finland, which had to be halted when Christian Eriksen collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest.
He has also been appointed to several high-profile Uefa matches, including the 2020 Super Cup final, with Bayern Munich beating Sevilla 2-1, the 2021 Nations League final, in which France beat Spain 2-1, and the 2023 Europa League final which saw Sevilla beat Roma on penalties.
Taylor faced a great deal of abuse after the Europa League final, but was firmly backed by Uefa referees’ chief Roberto Rosetti.
Taylor was then shouted at by angry fans as he walked though Budapest Airport with his family.
In October 2025, Taylor spoke to BBC Sport about the impact of that night and the events that followed.
“That’s the worst situation I’ve dealt with in terms of abuse,” Taylor said.
“Not only because I was travelling with family members at the time, but it also highlights the impact of people’s behaviour on others. Even in a match like that, where there was actually no major mistakes in the game.”
Taylor, who also took charge of games at the Fifa Club World Cup in 2022 and 2025, hinted in last October’s interview that his career could be coming to an end.
“I’m 47 next week, so that’s quite old for somebody to be operating at this level, running around after people a lot younger than you,” Taylor said.
“It’s much more of a challenge now to maintain the levels of fitness and to rest and recover.”
His retirement creates a gap at the top of refereeing in the English game.
Refereeing body Pro Ref, formerly known as PGMO, has merged its officials into one group for the 2026-27 season.
The creation of the professional referee group, which will service the Premier League and Championship, is intended to give greater opportunities to up-and-coming officials, such as Farai Hallam and Tom Kirk.
Rangers and Celtic face disciplinary charges over the unrest that followed their Scottish Cup meeting at Ibrox in March.
The Scottish Football Association has issued identical notices of complaints to both clubs as it published the independent review on the events surrounding the quarter-final tie.
Both are accused of breaching the SFA’s rule 37, which centres on “good order and security” and “unacceptable conduct”.
The rule covers “policies and procedures” and whether clubs take appropriate measures to identify and deal with supporters who engage in unacceptable conduct.
The clubs face hearings on 13 August.
There were clashes on the pitch after eventual cup-winners Celtic prevailed via a penalty shoot-out on 8 March.
Some visiting fans spilled onto the playing surface to celebrate, with home supporters then trying to confront them as fireworks were thrown back and forth.
At least 37 people have been arrested over the trouble, which resulted in injuries to police and stewards.
Meanwhile, the review describes the events of 8 March as as “a near miss”, saying the ugly scenes “came within a very small margin of becoming a violent mass confrontation”.
Lead author Mark Blackbourne also states that a “crushing incident was a real and foreseeable risk” due to “non-compliant Ultra group fans surging past police and stewards”.
The report adds: “Ultra groups exercise a power over clubs and the wider supporter base that is disproportionate to their size” and that “there seems to be no independent external scrutiny of the clubs’ or Police Scotland’s operational plans for high-risk fixtures”.
Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez says he is considering whether it is “time to step aside” from international football after his side’s 1-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup final.
The 33-year-old has won 67 caps for his country and played every minute of Argentina’s eight World Cup games, keeping two clean sheets and conceding eight goals.
He was a World Cup winner in 2022, also claiming the golden glove award as the tournament’s outstanding goalkeeper.
“I dreamt we’d win it again, I dreamt of bringing it back to Argentina and making history once more,” Martinez wrote in a post on Instagram., external
“The truth is, the pain is hard to explain. There are many things to reflect on and how to move forward, and if it’s time to step aside.
“I’m so sorry, I truly tried my best to help my country and my team-mates.”
Martinez won the Yashin Trophy, awarded to the world’s best goalkeeper at the Ballon d’Or awards, in 2023 and 2024.
He has played for Aston Villa since 2020 and has a contract until 2029, but has been linked to a move to Italian side Juventus this summer.
