Ao Tanaka sat in the away dressing room and started crying. The Japan midfielder had just helped Leeds win a vital match at Middlesbrough this month but they were not tears of joy. “I asked Ao: ‘Why?’” said his manager, Daniel Farke. “He said: ‘I don’t know boss, I’m just so empty.’” Given it is … Read more
I’ve just got back from a road trip in Wisconsin. The upper Midwest is not an obvious destination for a spring break, certainly not in early April. As my plane circled above Milwaukee, the brown and leafless landscape warned me I’d travelled back in time to midwinter. It was too cold to brave the beaches … Read more
Johnny Sexton has been added to the British & Irish Lions coaching staff for the summer tour of Australia in a surprise move that raises further intrigue over the fly-half selection debate following his previous criticism of Finn Russell and endorsement of Owen Farrell. Sexton was not named by Andy Farrell when the head coach … Read more
The 2025 women’s Tour of Britain will go ahead in northern England and the Scottish Borders in early June, despite speculation that this year’s event was in difficulty. Buoyed by news that the men’s and women’s Tour de France will start in Britain in 2027, this summer’s four-day women’s race will start in Yorkshire on … Read more
Virgil van Dijk has followed Mohamed Salah in committing his future to Liverpool and has signed a new two-year contract. The Liverpool captain confirmed progress was being made over his contract after the 3-2 defeat at Fulham on 6 April and indicated a deal was close after he scored the winner against West Ham on … Read more
Hampshire’s Keith Barker has said he “feared for the loss of my career” during a nine-month wait to learn his punishment for a failed drug test caused by what he described as “a genuine administrative error”. Barker has been cleared to return to professional cricket on 4 July, 12 months after he was told he … Read more
Arsenal: Mikel Merino Arsenal’s decision not to sign a striker in January could have come back to haunt them. Gabriel Jesus has been absent since the turn of the year and Kai Havertz suffered a torn hamstring in February, leaving them short in the final third. Mikel Merino filled the void admirably. Indeed, only Havertz … Read more
Bayern Munich’s Josip Stanisic said it was “stupid” of him to push a ballboy off his stool after he tossed the ball away in stoppage time of their Champions League match against Inter on Wednesday. A 2-2 draw in the second leg at San Siro enabled Inter to advance to the semi-finals 4-3 on aggregate. … Read more
When the Boxing Writers Association of American holds its annual awards dinner in New York on 30 April, it will mark the organization’s 100th dinner and the start of its 100th year of existence. The Boxing Writers Association of Greater New York (as the BWAA was originally known) was founded by Damon Runyan, Paul Gallico, … Read more
Nestled at the eastern tip of the M62, the city of Hull may sit on the very tip of British rugby league’s geographical landscape but, right now, it is the epicentre of Super League. Few cities are driven by a passion for rugby league quite like it. Both of the city’s clubs – Hull FC … Read more