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Updates from St James’ Park, kick-off 12.30pm (BST)Premier League: 10 things to look out for | Mail DavidHere come the teams! Some August sunshine adds to the sense of optimism and excitement in the ground. Giddy on those rays, Glenn Hoddle predicts either a 3-3 or 2-2 draw.It’s certainly not the case with all Premier League managers but Marco Rose sounds more than happy with Bournemouth’s transfer window. That’s due mainly to keeping hold of key men, particularly midfielder Alex Scott: “Here’s a very important player for us. Happy to have him,” says Rose with a smile. Continue reading...

Action from around the County Championship groundsMail Tanya, post BTL | Sign up for The Spin newsletterMeanwhile, things are hotting up at Wantage Road. Chahal (5-84) is too much for the tail and Durham are all out for 261.I wonder if Scriven and DAvey will have to deal with Olly Stone soon if they get any closer. 31 to avoid the follow-on. Continue reading...

Hughes in line for similar role at Saudi club Al-HilalFSG president Mike Gordon leads search for successorLiverpool are searching for a fourth sporting director in four years after confirming that Richard Hughes has stepped down from the role.Hughes’s departure has been long expected, with the 47-year-old in line to take up a similar position with the Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal. He informed Liverpool of his intentions to leave early this year, after the departure of his friend Michael Edwards as chief executive of football for Fenway Sports Group, the club’s owner. Continue reading...

A new study offers more evidence that America’s biggest sport produces life-altering head trauma. The NFL will never turn itself off, so it’s on fans to do soAs a new NFL season begins this Wednesday, the danger of America’s most-watched sport has never been more clear.A new and widely circulated study published in the British Journal of Medicine examined the donated brains of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 and compared them with the overall number of players who died during that period. Of the 235 donated brains in that period, 215 had evidence of the degenerative brain condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). That group of 215 comprised 24.5% of the former players who died during that period in total. Given the finding, the study’s authors estimate that the prevalence of CTE among players who died in that period was at minimum 24.5% to a maximum of 97.7%, with the actual rate likely somewhere in between.Nathan Kalman-Lamb is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick. Derek Silva is Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology at King’s University College at Western University.In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Swans defeat Lions 21.15 (141) to 13.10 (88) in qualifying final at SCGReigning premiers to host Crows or Bulldogs in semi-finalSign up for our free weekly AFL newsletterSydney’s season had been “torpedoed” even before they were locked in to meet two-time reigning premiers Brisbane in a qualifying final, at least according to the club’s chair, Andrew Pridham, a couple of weeks ago. But a season that seemed to be heading toward an inglorious ending – with five players suspended by the club for a breach of club standards – has suddenly taken flight again, after the Swans blew away the Lions for a stunning 53-point triumph at the SCG.Even without the suspended Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice, the Swans who lined up against the Lions on Saturday afternoon looked as familiar as any to run out in red and white this year. The rapid and relentless ball movement that has been critical to the Swans’ resurgence this year was there for all to see. So was the newfound strength at stoppage with Errol Gulden rising to the occasion, James Rowbottom putting his head over the ball, and unheralded recruit Jai Serong playing the most influential game of his career as he clamped down on the Lions’ dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale. Continue reading...

The champions’ manager echoed his illustrious predecessor and urged fans unhappy at the lack of a deadline-day arrival to see the bigger pictureFor many people connected to Arsenal, it has been a time to remember the old line from Arsène Wenger. “We live in a society of ‘news’,” the club’s former manager once said, and by that he meant new things – the shinier the better.Nowhere is the obsession more obvious than in the transfer market, when a club simply has to add new faces. These days, it feels as though some fans prefer them to be signed as late as possible in the summer window to ensure a positive narrative after the deadline; to maximise the potential to generate momentum. Recency bias is powerful. Continue reading...

The order of discovery related to Fifa’s failed plan to sell the World Cup will worry the American president, a situation that tends to end badly for the culprit“Tell Mike it was just business. I always liked him.”“He understands.” Continue reading...

England’s manager Thomas Tuchel called the officiating ‘just not good enough’ in the fiery last-16 tie. Now Alireza Faghani gives his version of eventsIt was 6pm on 5 July in Mexico City, and Alireza Faghani, a 48-year-old Australian-Iranian, was asleep in the locker room, snoring. His assistants had turned the music down. Had it not been for the muffled roar of nearly 90,000 fans through the concrete walls of the Estadio Azteca, he could have slept until the following morning.Faghani was the referee for Mexico v England in the last 16 at the 2026 World Cup. Mexico hadn’t lost a competitive game at the Azteca since 2013, at least in part because they’re used to the conditions. Situated 2,240 metres above sea level, the air contains less oxygen. Opponents struggle to breathe, let alone win. Continue reading...

Australian returns on AU$4.9m contract after season on sidelinesFormer No 1 pick hopes to reignite basketball career with fourth clubAustralian former No 1 overall draft pick Ben Simmons has taken a significant step towards resurrecting his NBA career, agreeing a one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings.The Melbourne-born guard returns on a US$3.5m (AU$4.9m) contract after sitting ‌out the entire 2025-26 campaign while rehabilitating back and leg injuries that have hampered him in recent years. Continue reading...

Australian beats Olympic champs Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Cole HockerPole vaulter Kurtis Marschall soars over 5.82m to finish third in BrusselsMiddle-distance runner Cameron Myers has become only the eighth Australian to win a Diamond League final crown with victory in the men’s 1500m in Brussels.The 20-year-old claimed one of the biggest wins of his career to date as he beat a star-studded field that included Olympic champions Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Cole Hocker to continue his own meteoric rise. Continue reading...