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The former head of Barça’s women’s team explains why he left the two-time Champions League winners for a completely different type of projectHow do you persuade a boyhood Barcelona fan, who grew up watching his team in the Camp Nou with his grandfather, played for its famous La Masia youth teams and was eventually in charge of running its successful women’s team, to up sticks and move to the United States?As it turns out, a simple phone call was all it took to light the spark which brought Domenec Guasch, former head of management for women’s football at Barcelona, to lead a new era for upcoming NWSL franchise Boston Legacy FC. Continue reading...

South Africa no longer see hosting as viable and World Rugby is under pressure to deliver for its membersThe starting gun has been fired on the race to host the 2035 and 2039 Rugby World Cup tournaments. Expressions of interest have been made: Spain’s proposal has piqued interest, Italy’s too, while the Middle East stalks along as the elephant in the room. The idea of going back to Japan within 20 years of a first World Cup in Asia is a popular proposition.News came over the weekend, however, that South Africa has all but ruled out a bid for either edition of the tournament. South Africa threw its hat into the ring in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023 but was overlooked on each occasion and the SA Rugby president, Mark Alexander, was brutally honest when asked about the prospect of doing so again. Continue reading...

Dutchman has assisted Wiegman with England since 2021‘Great challenge and a wonderful new adventure’Arjan Veurink, assistant coach to Sarina Wiegman, will leave the England women’s team after July’s European Championship to become the head coach of Netherlands women’s. The 38-year-old will succeed Andries Jonker, who has been in charge since 2022. Veurink has a deal.Veurink, a former FC Twente head coach, has been Wiegman’s No 2 for eight years since they teamed up for their native Netherlands’ Euros triumph in 2017 and their run to 2019’s World Cup final, and he moved with her to coach England in 2021. They guided England to their first major women’s silverware in 2022 and to 2023’s World Cup final. Continue reading...

Reese and Desiree Mistretta are the first mother-son pair to win New York’s prestigious Golden Gloves, but their deeper bond is how boxing helped them survive life’s hardest hitsReese Mistretta wasn’t thinking about history after he climbed through the ropes on Saturday night. He was thinking about his legs, which felt like cement. About his lungs, which wouldn’t quite fill. And about the man across from him: Ali Conde, a sinewy technician from El Maestro’s Gym in the Bronx who has made his mark by waiting for opponents to strike first, then exploiting their openings.Two nights earlier, Mistretta had narrowly beaten Conde under the lights of Madison Square Garden in the elite 176lb final of the Ring Masters Championships, New York’s premier amateur boxing competition. But the finals are double elimination. If Mistretta wanted to bring home the title, he’d have to beat Conde a second time at a sweaty gym in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn. “He definitely came back, re-corrected, he put it on me a little bit more,” Mistretta said. “So I had to be a little busier, not get countered at the same time. He’s a good counterpuncher.” Continue reading...

Dutchman struck on way to third consecutive victoryAlpecin-Deceuninck and UCI join with condemnationThe spectator who threw a bottle at Mathieu van der Poel during Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix has surrendered to Flemish police. French justice officials launched an investigation after the Dutchman had a plastic bottle hurled at his face during his triumphant ride to a third consecutive Paris-Roubaix victory.Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad reported on Monday that the spectator who launched the projectile had since surrendered to Flemish police. And public prosecutor Filiep Jodts told the BBC: “We can confirm that the man presented himself to the police. An official report was drawn up, in which his statement was recorded. The Public Prosecution Service will decide in the coming days what action should be taken.” Continue reading...

UConn star chosen by Dallas Wings with No 1 pickSeattle take France’s Dominique Malonga at No 2Mystics select Citron at No 3 and Iriafen at No 4Washington tab Australia’s Amoore with No 6 pickPaige Bueckers became the latest UConn standout to go first overall in the WNBA draft on Monday night as the Dallas Wings selected the 23-year-old guard before several hundred spectators at the Shed in New York City.Her selection capped a dominant final season at Connecticut and marked the start of an eagerly anticipated professional career. Bueckers helmed the Huskies to a drought-busting 12th national championship eight days ago and becomes the sixth UConn player to be drafted No 1, joining Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart. Continue reading...

Vice-president unable to hang on to trophyBuckeyes were celebrating last season’s title winJD Vance, the man entrusted as America’s back-up in times of emergency, may not be the safest pair of hands if Monday’s events are anything to go by. The vice-president ended the Ohio State football team’s visit to the White House by fumbling the team’s national championship trophy.After laudatory speeches by Donald Trump, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day and Vance on the South Lawn, the Vance – an Ohio State graduate – tried to lift the trophy. He didn’t appear to realize that the top of the trophy is detachable from its base. After a moment of struggle, the vice-president lost his grip on the two pieces. OSU running back TreVeyon Henderson, standing behind Vance, grabbed the football-shaped top of the trophy, but the base fell to the ground, forcing Vance to grasp around as it rolled away from him. Continue reading...

Frank Lampard watched on from the stands as his playoff-chasing Coventry side were held to a 1-1 draw at struggling Hull. Lampard served a one-match touchline ban at the MKM Stadium and was fined £2,000 after his sending off at the end of the defeat by Burnley earlier this month for an outburst at referee James Bell.While Coventry largely dominated Hull and went ahead through a deflected strike from Matt Grimes, who earlier produced two goalline blocks to deny Kasey Palmer, substitute Abu Kamara equalised. Lampard’s side therefore stay sixth, moving three points clear of seventh-placed West Brom, and the manager may rue his team’s lack of a clinical edge as Hull goalkeeper Ivor Pandur made several important saves. Continue reading...

Napoli three points off top after beating Empoli 3-0Atlético overcome lowly Valladolid 4-2 in La LigaNapoli cruised to a 3-0 home win over Empoli on Monday, with Scott McTominay striking twice and Romelu Lukaku also on target as the hosts kept pace with Inter. Antonio Conte’s side were feeling the pressure after Inter’s 3-1 home win against Cagliari on Saturday, but they cut the gap back to three points with six matches to go. Napoli are seven points clear of Atalanta in third as the Serie A title battle narrows to a two-horse race.It took 18 minutes for Napoli to open the scoring as Lukaku battled free in midfield and passed to McTominay, whose low long-range shot bounced over Devis Vásquez’s outstretched hand and into the corner of the net. Continue reading...

It falls to the squeezed middle to breathe life into the 2024-25 Premier League season. The battle for European places is some way off being decided. Thanks to an early goal and a dogged defensive display that went against type, Bournemouth have relaunched their candidacy.After ransacking champions-elect Liverpool, inconsistencies have stopped Marco Silva’s Fulham being a true contender for the top five. Victory in Dorset could have placed them in the Justin Rose, striking-distance position. Instead, Bournemouth leapfrogged the Londoners into eighth. Continue reading...