Jamie Carragher said the major issue Arsenal have been dealing with recently is fatigue rather than a lack of mental composure
Arsenal defeated Newcastle United 1-0 on Saturday to return to the top of the table. But the Gunners were the second-best in most attacking stats against the Magpies.
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Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher claimed Mikel Arteta’s men looked leggy against Newcastle and lacked their usual high-pressing intensity. He argued that it was ‘too easy’ for Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes to dictate the game at the Emirates, which he found ‘worrying’.
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“My worry watching Arsenal is not nerves – it hasn’t been for a few weeks – mine is fatigue,” Carragher said. “It was far too easy for Newcastle to make passes and get to the edge of the box. They couldn’t create too much when they got there which is a sign of the Arsenal back four but it looked leggy to me. It was too easy for Tonali and Guimaraes to dictate the game. To see Newcastle play with ease at the Emirates, I thought was a little worrying. It smacked of fatigue for me.”
Meanwhile, the former Liverpool defender insisted that Arsenal are still the best team in the league and attributed their fatigue to fixture congestion, saying they play three games in six days.
Carragher picks game that could cost Arsenal the Premier League title
Speaking further, Carragher said he is worried that the Gunners will throw away their Premier League title hopes when they face Fulham this weekend. For Carragher, the hectic schedule could cost them the title when they face the Cottagers in their next league outing.
“I feel Arsenal have been unfortunate, and I know this playing Champions League semi-finals, when you play Wednesday then Tuesday that’s a big difference between Tuesday then Wednesday,” Carragher continued. “You’re actually playing three games in six days, rather than three games in eight days. It’s a massive difference at this stage of the season.
“That’s why I really worry for Arsenal about this (the Fulham game). You play away and have to travel, Fulham are a good and decent side and then you’ve got to go again on the Tuesday night. They’ve been very unfortunate the way the games have fallen. Three games in six days is really tough.”
Next up for the Gunners is a Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, April 29.
I play in a weekly league whose leaders have decided that the ball may be moved one club-length without penalty both in the general area and penalty areas. We don’t post our scores — but we are adhering to the league’s rules, and this doesn’t seem much different from the “ball in hand” played in many competitions due to course conditions. If we can’t post our scores, can the “lift, clean and place” crowd? – Clint Humphrey, Union, KY
Is it called “The Fast & Loose League”? Because it sounds like that’s how the powers that be are playing with the rules.
For starters, there’s a relief procedure to get out of penalty areas for one stroke and nothing that lets you just move a ball a club-length there.
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But the real crux of the question seems to be: Are scores using preferred lies acceptable for posting purposes? The answer: The Committee at the golf course may adopt a Local Rule for preferred lies when course conditions warrant it. This Rule should be limited in duration and reviewed daily. Scores made while it’s in effect must (!) be posted for handicap purposes — unless score posting has been temporarily suspended.
You should check with the course before teeing off. Should you and your group adopt preferred lies on your own, your scores are still postable. That said, preferred lies should only be used when conditions justify it, because frequent use may yield a Handicap Index that’s too low, or what some people refer to as a “vanity-cap.”
For more score-posting guidance from our guru, read on …
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The pace of play was really slow the other day, but the starter squeezed me in as a single. To kill time between shots, I played two balls, using the same ball first every shot and scoring only that ball. Can I post the round for handicap purposes? – Ray Mainville, McKinney, Texas
Rules Guy has been there, done that and bought the T-shirt, as the kids like to say nowadays. (Do they still say that? RG hopes so.)
What he didn’t do is post his score, because for a score to be acceptable for handicap purposes, the round must be played under the Rules of Golf — and playing two balls is not considered to be doing so.
The other fly in the ointment is that you also must play in the company of at least one other person for a score to be acceptable for handicap purposes. That was a somewhat controversial rules change but, remember, Rules Guy doesn’t make the rules — he’s just a guy who tries to elucidate them.
Virat Kohli completed 9,000 IPL runs on Monday during the match against Delhi Capitals, finishing the game with back-to-back sixes. His next target is the special milestone of 10,000 IPL runs, which remains far away for other current players, even those in the top five. Although Kohli is already 37, raising some questions about longevity, former New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan believes he can achieve the feat without any doubt.Mitchell McClenaghan praised Virat Kohli’s remarkable consistency after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s emphatic nine-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2026 clash.RCB’s dominant win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday was set up by a fiery new-ball spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, who dismantled Delhi’s batting line-up and bowled them out for just 75, the lowest total of the season. The chase was completed with ease, highlighting RCB’s all-round supremacy.Reflecting on Kohli’s sustained excellence in the tournament, McClenaghan highlighted the discipline and adaptability that have defined the veteran batter’s journey over the years, speaking on JioHotstar.“Virat Kohli has been incredibly consistent. Scoring 9000 IPL runs against the world’s best bowlers is no easy task. It’s about hunger, discipline, and adapting every year, and that’s what brings the best out of him. He has been in the IPL since 2008, and the best part is that he didn’t start his career as an opener. He batted in the lower middle order, fought for his place, then moved to number three. Later, he opened with Chris Gayle. That changed his game completely. He will soon reach 10,000 runs, without a doubt. Kohli is the greatest batter the IPL has ever seen, not just for the runs, but for how he has evolved and dominated across different eras,” McClenaghan told JioStar.
Here are the top 5 leading run-scorers in IPL:
Rank
Player
Team(s)
Total Runs
1
Virat Kohli
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
9,012
2
Rohit Sharma
Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers
7,183
3
Shikhar Dhawan
PBKS, DC, SRH, MI, Deccan Chargers
6,769
4
David Warner
Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad
6,565
5
KL Rahul
Delhi Capitals, LSG, PBKS, RCB, SRH
5,580
“Instead of reinventing, he has been doing the same stuff consistently, over and over again, and he is just getting better at it. The time off from international cricket is now helping him structure his time better throughout the year. He’s getting enough time to work on fitness and stay fresh. He has enough experience and knows how to deal with pressure situations. It is just about being able to do what you have been doing. That means hitting those areas with the ball which trouble batters the most, and having control over swing, which we are seeing right now. That is why his impact has always been great with the new ball,” he added.
Upcoming matches of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB):
“Simply Balanced™ over the last 18 months has been our most talked-about putter tech, but it’s only ever been available in center-shaft,” Bettinardi Golf President Sam Bettinardi said in a release. “The Hexperimental #7 and #9 opens that up to more players, with the same zero-torque advantage, on a design they are most familiar looking down at.”
The #7 is a compact mid-mallet, while the #9 is a wide-body blade with a high toe. Both models were teased with prototype versions on the PGA Tour, debuting at the Cognizant Classic.
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Keep reading below for more on the Bettinardi Antidote Hexperimental putters, including my take on the release.
What’s actually new with Bettinardi Antidote Hexperimental putters — and why you should care
Bettinardi was one of the first legacy manufacturers to enter the U.S. low-torque market after L.A.B. Golf with its Antidote SB1 and SB2 back in the fall of 2024, and since then two more models have joined the family. But all have been center-shafted.
With the new Hexperimental putters, Bettinardi offers perhaps one of the most traditional-looking hosels for a low-torque putter by utilizing a long neck design.
Instead of being moved in front of the neck, as in a traditional plumber’s neck, the shaft enters the middle of the neck on the Herperimentals and is then oriented through the center of gravity of the putter.
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Both Hexperimental additions have a new black armour finish.
Bettinardi
Like the rest of the Antidote line, the Hexperimental additions will feature the company’s F.I.T. face, which removes 30 percent of the face material for a soft and responsive feel at impact.
The Bettinardi Antidote Hexperimental lineup
In a departure from the rest of the Antidote lineup, both Antidote Hexperimental putters are finished with a Black Armour TPT on the topline and flange and have distressed blue accents on the face and sole.
Hexperimental #7
The Bettinardi Hexperimental #7.
Bettinardi
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What is it: A compact mid-mallet shape with a rear window designed to push mass out to the perimeter and increase stability. A unique long-neck design gives the putter toe-up properties to stay square through the putting stroke.
Who it’s for: Players who have resisted low-torque putters because of center-shafted designs and want the alignment and forgiveness benefits of a mallet.
Hexperimental #9
The Bettinardi Hexperimental #9.
Bettinardi
What is it: A traditional high-toe wide-body blade with squared off angles and asymmetrical shape. A unique long-neck design gives the putter toe-up properties to stay square through the putting stroke.
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Who it’s for: Players who want the most traditional look in a low-torque putter.
My take: Low-torque putters are evolving
A year ago, no putter from a major OEM offered you both a heel-shafted design and low-torque, but that’s all changed quickly.
In what is seemingly the next frontier of low-torque putters, everyone seems to be rushing to debut an option that appeals to those who have thus far eschewed the category.
Bettinardi is a brand that prioritizes looks and feels, something that often gets forgotten in other low-torque offerings and that’s clearly evident here. From a looks standpoint, these might instantly become some of the most visually appealing low-torque putters from any angle.
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The low-torque putter space is often divisive, but I wouldn’t be shocked to find people discover these Hexperimental putters, rolling them, then realizing they are low-torque.
I’m interested to get my hands on one of these, especially the #9, as I’ve recently stopped using a low-torque putter, but with a more traditional release, could these pull me back in? They certainly look the part.
Bettinardi’s new Antidote Hexperimental putters are available for pre-order starting April 28 in a limited run and will arrive at selected retail locations on June 3.
The putters cost $550 each.
Each putter will have a matte black shaft and have the option of a Bettinardi Black Hex PU grip in either jumbo or standard size.
Harrison Smith walks into U.S. Bank Stadium ahead of kickoff, focused and locked in as the Minnesota Vikings prepare to face the Green Bay Packers on Dec 31, 2023, in Minneapolis. The veteran safety, wearing No. 22, leads by presence before the game even begins, setting the tone for a key NFC North matchup. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings’ 2026 draft class is in the books, a group nine men deep and headlined by Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks in Round 1. Now, with attention turning toward the summer, ESPN has identified the top remaining question for Minnesota before the start of the regular season: Harrison Smith’s status.
Minnesota drafted safety help, but Smith’s decision still affects the back end of Kevin O’Connell’s roster.
O’Connell’s team may arguably have graver concerns than that, but Smith’s retirement or return takes the cake for ESPN.
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The Safety Room Still Revolves around One Decision
Was that really it for Smith?
Harrison Smith lines up on defense before the snap, scanning the formation as the Minnesota Vikings face the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game on Jan 13, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Wearing No. 22, the veteran safety prepares for another postseason rep in a high-stakes matchup. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.
Vikings’ Top Question after Draft? It’s Smith, Says ESPN
ESPN raised one question per NFL team on Monday, and for Minnesota, Kevin Seifert wrote, “Will safety Harrison Smith return? At the end of the season, all signs were pointing toward the longtime Vikings safety retiring after 14 seasons. But free agency and now the draft have come and gone, and Smith hasn’t made any public pronouncements.”
“The Vikings released him March 11 but have let him know that they would welcome him back if he decides to play in 2026. The team drafted safety Jakobe Thomas in the third round, but there have been no other notable additions at the position. The Vikings will move on if they have to, but they know they will have a better defense with Smith back on the field.”
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That question, indeed, has been on Vikings fans’ minds for over three months.
The Latest on Smith
The Vikings drafted Miami safety Jakobe Thomas in Round 3 on Friday night, swerving from a widely expected Dillon Thieneman selection in Round 1. If Smith was waiting to see the fruit of Minnesota’s draft, there’s no Thieneman or Emmanuel McNeil-Warren waltzing in on Day No. 1 to take his job.
O’Connell also updated the Smith return-or-retire agenda last week, saying, “It’s been a few days, but now that you remind me, I’ll probably bug him today. It’s something where we’re still trying to give Harrison as much space as possible, and I think he’s earned that. If it’s anything at this point, it’s seeing how he’s doing, seeing how his family is, seeing how his golf game is.”
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Most onlookers expected that Smith would’ve retired by now — if he planned to retire in the first place this offseason. It’s also worth noting that Smith has joked in the past that no one would know when he retired because he wouldn’t be overly vocal about it. Perhaps that’s unfolding before your very eyes.
Harrison Smith signs his jersey for George Kittle after the game, sharing a moment of respect following the Vikings’ matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Oct 23, 2023, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The veteran safety, wearing No. 22, connects with the opposing tight end after the final whistle. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
The Viking Age‘s Brad Berreman on Smith’s future: “As continuing to play has become a year-to-year proposition for him, Smith has usually made a decision to return well before now. It’s never an easy decision to call it a career, of course, but that he still hasn’t decided means retirement is possibly on his radar more legitimately than it has been in previous years.”
“The Vikings surely know which way Smith is leaning, and drafting Thomas isn’t necessarily an indicator that he’s going to retire in the coming weeks or months.”
The Safety Group without Him
Sans Smith, here’s the state of play at safety in Minnesota from head to toe:
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S1: Josh Metellus S2: Jay Ward S3: Theo Jackson S4: Jakobe Thomas S5: Tavierre Thomas S6: Kahlef Hailassie
And to get you familiar with Thomas, the newcomer, here’s the scouting report from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein: “A productive, fifth-year safety prospect, Thomas is wired to play forward and race into the action wherever it is present. He overflows pursuit and has too many missed or broken tackles on his stat sheet, but his impact against the run is a net positive.”
“He has good ball production but is fairly average in coverage. He can be way too quick to overlap or bite on bait, which allows receivers to get behind him from single-high and split-safety alignments. Thomas has the potential to develop into a starter as a likely middle-round pick.”
Other Concerns
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While Smith’s return is a fair question for Minnesota, the club might have more pressing concerns, or at least ones with similar magnitude. These are examples:
Who will the Vikings sign to play an OLB3 role after the Jonathan Greenard trade?
Who will the Vikings sign to compete for or play WR3 after drafting no wide receivers?
How is Christian Darrisaw’s longstanding ACL recovery coming along?
Which players will get extensions this summer?
Harrison Smith shares a lighthearted moment off the field, referencing a Prince meme he posted alongside Chris Tomasson, signaling his intent to return for another season on June 15, 2022. The image reflects Smith’s personality and connection to Minnesota culture while engaging fans during an offseason update. Mandatory Credit: Harrison Smith-Instagram.
Smith has been a Viking for 14 seasons. Folks will closely monitor his return, probably until Week 1 arrives in the off-chance that he isn’t on the field or hasn’t expressly retired.
Bruno Fernandes is closing in on a Premier League record and his performances for Man Utd this season deserve wider acclaim.
There was a revealing line from Michael Carrick about Bruno Fernandes last week, when the Manchester United head coach discussed the impact his captain has had this season and what he has done to take his game to another level since his appointment in January.
“For me, I like seeing Bruno in attacking positions with a little freedom,” he said. Mischief makers could interpret that as a slight against his predecessor, Ruben Amorim, although Carrick is far too diplomatic to have meant it that way.
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The 44-year-old had a season ticket with his family at Old Trafford before his sudden elevation to the top job earlier this year, so we can probably guess at what he thought of Amorim’s decision to play Fernandes in a deeper role this season in a 3-4-2-1 system.
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It should be said that Fernandes himself had no issue with his role under Amorim, and earlier this month, he actually expressed regret at the club’s decision to end his compatriot’s 14-month time in charge so abruptly.
But there is no getting away from the fact that the 31-year-old has been back to his very best since being restored to those attacking positions that Carrick spoke about. He was still producing numbers further back, but in six years at Old Trafford, he has consistently shown that when it comes to attacking midfielders in the Premier League, he is pretty much unmatched.
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After setting up Benjamin Sesko’s goal against Brentford on Monday, Fernandes is now up to 19 assists in the Premier League this season. He needs one in his final four games to equal the record held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. Two would see him set a new benchmark all by himself.
He is also timing his run to perfection when it comes to the end-of-season gongs that will be dished out in May. It might be all about the team for the selfless Fernandes, but his form has him in pole position to win some individual honours as well.
“Hopefully, he does. He deserves it for the impact that he’s had and the moments that he’s created,” said Carrick on Monday night. “Whether that’s creating, whether that’s scoring, whether it’s having another influence within the group. He’s had a big season and it was another good performance from him tonight.”
In 13 games under Carrick, Fernandes has now delivered 11 assists and scored three times. He could have taken the shot on as he ran forward last night, but looked like he was eyeing up a pass and another assist instead.
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He’s now registered an assist in six of his last seven games, and he scored in the other fixture. This is a player at the peak of his powers, and the fact that he has played every single minute under Carrick is telling. His influence is enormous on and off the pitch,
Fernandes must now be the favourite to win a few awards at the end of this season. I have voted for him in the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) award, while his peers will surely give him plenty of votes in the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) award. Then there is the Premier League Player of the Season honour, which is decided by a panel.
To put Fernandes’ achievements into context, a United player hasn’t won the FWA or PFA award since Wayne Rooney in 2009/10, while the Premier League honour last went to Old Trafford when Nemanja Vidic won it in 2010/11.
It is rare, although not unheard of, for individual recognition to go to a player who hasn’t won trophies with his team that season. This year looked like being one that belonged to Arsenal, but they have stumbled at the wrong time and have no obvious candidate, really, beyond maybe goalkeeper David Raya or centre-back Gabriel. They don’t have a player who has lit up the Premier League.
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Manchester City have someone who fits that bill at the moment, but Rayan Cherki’s spellbinding brilliance has come late in the day and he hasn’t done it consistently enough this season to win an individual award.
So all roads lead to Fernandes, even if his heroics only propel United to third in a 40-game season. This is no lifetime achievement award, but he deserves some kind of recognition for all he has delivered across what will be six-and-a-half seasons at Old Trafford.
While United have suffered some desperate lows during Fernandes’ time at the club, he has rarely let his standards drop, with 106 goals and 106 assists in 323 appearances. Just as importantly, he is almost always available. He has been absent through injury or suspension for just 11 matches since he joined the club.
He could very easily have left the club last summer, and there was confusion over who wanted what amid interest from Saudi Arabia. United will be glad they didn’t decide to cash in and there is no doubt they are desperate for their captain to stay. This might be another trophyless season for United, but Fernandes should at least have some silverware for his cabinet at the end of it.
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Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
It is fair to say the first full season as a professional head coach for Mark Jones at the Ospreys has been a baptism of fire.
Results will show it has been a disappointing campaign.
Ospreys lie in 11th position in the United Rugby Championship (URC), out of play-off contention with two league games remaining. They were also knocked out of the Challenge Cup at the last-16 stage by Ulster.
That does not tell the whole story. Off the field the Ospreys have endured a torrid time, their very existence threatened.
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There has been a turbulent three months which started with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) announcing Ospreys owners, Y11 Sport & Media, as the preferred bidder to buy Cardiff from the governing body.
Ninety days of discussions followed but came to nothing when the deal collapsed and Ospreys were told last week, along with the other three regions, their future was safe until 2028.
Throughout all that trouble and strife, Jones has been the one constant for Ospreys fans and staff.
He is the man who has had to answer the questions about Ospreys and Y11 and try and reassure his players, coaches and staff. More than just a rugby coach.
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“It’s been a hell of a season just reflecting on it,” said Jones.
“I’m just doing my job as I see it and doing the best I can.
“Have I got everything right? No, I probably haven’t. But what I’ve tried to do is just be open and honest with things and as professional as I can.
DENVER — The Denver Nuggets rediscovered both their offensive identity and their defensive intensity just in time to save their season.
Nikola Jokic snapped out of his prolonged funk with a triple-double, Spencer Jones provided a spark while subbing for injured Aaron Gordon, and the Nuggets staved off elimination with a chippy 125-113 win over the injury-riddled Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their playoff series Monday night.
“I think we’re a multidimensional team that can win a variety of ways,” said Jones, who scored 20 points and keyed a third-quarter spurt that gave Denver its big cushion.
Jokic had 27 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds for Denver, which trimmed its deficit to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Jamal Murray scored 24 points as the Nuggets, who led the NBA in scoring, enjoyed a breakout after being held under 100 points twice in Minneapolis.
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Jokic posted his 23rd playoff triple-double, third on the career list, as the Nuggets stopped a three-game skid and played the way they did most of the regular season in securing the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
Game 6 is Thursday night in Minneapolis.
“They’re a championship team. They have championship DNA,” said Julius Randle, who led Minnesota with 27 points. “They’re going to come out and have a sense of pride on their home court. They did that tonight. So, credit to them. We get to go back to Minnesota and have a chance to close it out.”
The Timberwolves, who trailed by 27, were without their starting backcourt of Anthony Edwards (hyperextended knee) and Donte DiVincenzo (ruptured Achilles), both of whom got hurt in Game 4, and they briefly lost center Naz Reid to a rolled right ankle late in the third quarter Monday night.
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DiVincenzo underwent surgery Sunday, and Edwards is out indefinitely — but an MRI confirmed the absence of structural damage, meaning he could return to action if the Timberwolves advance.
Game 4 star Ayo Dosunmu added 18 points for Minnesota, but Rudy Gobert was finally neutralized. He scored his only bucket with 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter with the Wolves trailing by 25.
The Nuggets need to win the next two games to become just the 14th of 299 teams facing a 3-1 deficit to come back to win an NBA playoff series. Denver was the last team to accomplish the feat, doing it twice in the bubble in 2020, against the Jazz and Lakers.
The Wolves started out sloppy with nine first-quarter turnovers and finished with 25. Jokic swished a 29-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Denver a 60-51 halftime lead.
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“It’s just a good win and then you move on,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “Tomorrow we’ll sit down and talk with the guys, get them right, give us a chance to go through things on Wednesday and try to win on Thursday.”
Jones, who scored 11 points in the first four games of the series, had 11 in a six-minute stretch in the fourth quarter when the Nuggets pulled away. He sank a trio of 3-pointers and added a breakaway dunk after learning just before tipoff that he’d start in place of Gordon (calf).
Jaden McDaniels, whose meaningless layup in the final seconds of Game 4 drew the wrath of Jokic and led to a dustup that resulted in ejections and fines and only added more fuel to an already-heated playoff rivalry, got into early foul trouble and scored 13 points. He was razzed by the Ball Arena crowd every time he touched the ball.
“We just ended up losing the day,” McDaniels said, “but we’re going to win the next one.”
When it comes to discussing the greatest British fighters of all time, Lennox Lewis and Joe Calzaghe are often the first two names that spring to mind.
Both of them defeated every man they faced in a professional ring, while also becoming dominant world champions in their respective divisions.
At heavyweight, Lewis was crowned the undisputed king in 1999 following his unanimous decision victory over Evander Holyfield, who many felt he deserved to outpoint earlier that year.
But while many would place these two at the very top of an all-time British boxing list, there are others who argue that Prince Naseem Hamed deserves the No.1 spot.
The Sheffield stylist claimed his world featherweight title in 1995, dethroning Steve Robinson with an eighth-round stoppage on away soil.
Eight consecutive defences then led him to a six-knockdown thriller with Kevin Kelley, culminating in a stunning fourth-round triumph for Hamed at Madison Square Garden.
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After that, ‘Naz’ halted the likes of Paul Ingle and Augie Sanchez with solid performances, before suffering his only defeat, against Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera, in 2001.
Still, it was a phenomenal career that is fiercely celebrated and revered among boxing circles, with Hamed telling talkSPORT that he should be regarded as the best champion in British boxing history.
“I honestly believe that I am the best fighter from this country and the best British boxer that’s ever lived.”
Most would argue that Lewis and Calzaghe deserve to be placed above ‘Naz’ in a list of such nature, though the three of them are certainly among the very best of all time.
Federal prosecutors on Monday said they were willing to seek additional charges against NBA player Terry Rozier in the gambling scandal that rocked the league during the 2025-26 season.
Prosecutors said they sought to file superseding charges of bribery in sports and honest services wire fraud during a hearing. Prosecutors said they had evidence that the former Miami Heat guard solicited and received a bribe amid the alleged gambling scheme.
Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier arrives at Brooklyn federal court in New York on Monday, April 27, 2026.(Yuki Iwamura/AP)
Rozier filed a motion to dismiss charges against him as his attorneys argued the wire fraud charge is based on a theory that the Supreme Court rejected two years ago and that the government failed to prove the money laundering conspiracy claims.
Prosecutors argued that the defendants lied and cheated to steal money and that it was a classic wire fraud case.
“Our motion to dismiss is based on the idea that they picked an invalid legal theory to prosecute Terry Rozier,” Rozier’s lawyer Jim Trusty told ESPN. “We’ll see what they do to try to fix that in the superseding indictment, but I expect we’ll have problems with it.”
Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier arrives at Brooklyn federal court in New York on Monday, April 27, 2026.(Yuki Iwamura/AP)
Rozier was arrested over his alleged involvement stemming from a game in 2023 in which he played less than 10 minutes, citing a foot injury. Multiple people placed high-stakes wagers on Rozier to perform poorly before the game, all of whom won.
Authorities alleged that Rozier told a childhood friend that he would remove himself from a March 2023 game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans. The friend allegedly shared the information to bettors for profit, who then made wagers on the under of certain Rozier statistics, according to an indictment.
Neither Hornets officials nor betting companies were made aware of Rozier’s plan, according to the Department of Justice. The Hornets later traded Rozier to the Heat.
Miami waived Rozier earlier this month.
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Rozier was one of more than 30 people, along with NBA figures Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones, who were part of FBI probes into alleged illegal gambling with ties to organized crime families. Billups and Jones allegedly participated in rigged poker games, while Jones also allegedly leaked non-public information about NBA games so those close to him could place wagers with a competitive advantage.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier looks on during the second half of an NBA game against the Washington Wizards in Washington on March 31, 2024.(AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
After the news that FIFA is set to allow domestic football leagues to play one game a season abroad, German football faces a familiar battle between tradition and growth.
English newspaper The Guardian exclusively reported that new FIFA proposals will allow domestic leagues to have one game a season hosted in a foreign country. The host country will reportedly be allowed to host a maximum of five games from other countries, with the US the favored target.
“I think the German members would object to that and there would be mass protests in the stadium,” Martin Endemann, head of policy at Football Supporters Europe, who advocate for fans on the continent, told DW. “Any football official who would try to do this would have a very, very hard time with those fans in the stadium as well as the members of the respective clubs.”
The discussion of playing domestic league games abroad is not new. Last October, UEFA gave La Liga (Spain) and Serie A (Italy) permission to play a game abroad, but the games were scrapped after local authorities raised concerns. The fallout was ugly.
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The new FIFA protocol for moving a competitive game abroad would require approval from all major stakeholders, and FIFA would still have the right to reject the switch.
“It is the formalization of something that has been economically inevitable for years,” Dominik Schreyer, a professor of sports economics at Germany’s Otto Beisheim School of Management, told DW.
“Football has been shifting from a locally anchored product to a globally monetized media asset, and once that transition happens, geography becomes flexible,” Schreyer added.
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“FIFA is not leading here, it is reacting under pressure and trying to regulate a development that was already underway through preseason tours and earlier league attempts to stage games abroad. Framing it as one game per season makes it politically digestible, but economically it starts to normalize the idea that domestic competitions are no longer strictly domestic. You could say, the product has already gone global, now the matches are catching up,” he said.
German football structure different to rest of Europe
While many believe such developments have long been an inevitability for clubs in England, Spain and Italy, German club ownership structure differs to other major European leagues, presenting a more complex conversation.
The 50+1 rule essentially guarantees that 50% plus one share of a club’s total shares must be owned by members, ruling out ownership by rich individuals or even nation states. The power of German fans is not to be underestimated, as was recently seen by the failed attempt to secure investment from a private equity partner.
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However, if domestic league games abroad become a reality for clubs in Europe, then the Bundesliga will likely return to walking along the familiar tightrope of tradition and growth.
“Financially, the upside exists but should not be overstated,” Schreyer said of playing league games abroad. The example of the National Football League (NFL) in the US playing competitive games abroad is proof of this. Ahead of the first league game in Germany in 2022, the head of NFL Germany said they could have sold over 3 million tickets. Business and finance source BNN Bloomberg explained that when the Jacksonville Jaguars play in London, the team generates roughly $35 to 50 million (€30 to €42.5 million) in revenue each time they play.
“A competitive match abroad carries more commercial weight than a pre-season game because it combines scarcity, sporting relevance and global media attention. As such, a club like Bayern or Dortmund could maybe expect a low double-digit million euro uplift for a match in the US,” Schreyer said, adding that an exact number is hard to come by. Figures released by Sport Bild in late 2025 suggest that Bayern reportedly makes around €5.7 million per home game in revenue.
“This is about positioning, not payday. That becomes even clearer once you factor in compensation for local fans, especially season ticket holders, who would miss out on a high-value fixture at their home stadium.”
Opposed to the idea, but for how long?
Herein lies the major challenge for German football. The tradition that many football clubs are rooted in in Germany, combined with the 50+1 structure, mean that maintaining the local market remains imperative even in the face of football’s global growth.
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The DFL (German Football League), the organization that operates the Bundesliga, have publicly spoken out against the idea, and have been as far back as 2018 when Christian Seifert was boss. More recently, Hans-Joachim Watzke, the chairman of the DFL supervisory board and a former Dortmund CEO, couldn’t have been clearer when speaking on the topic.
“As long as I am responsible for this league, there will be no match abroad, when it comes to competitive matches. Full stop,” said Watzke.
Bayern Munich’s CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen is also opposed to the idea, but what if these games become a regular reality for the likes of Manchester City, Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid?
The NFL has shown how to take a domestic product and not only market it, but play it across the worldImage: Douglas DeFelice/USA TODAY Network/IMAGO
“For German clubs, the real constraint is cultural,” argued Schreyer. “German football still defines itself through local identity, while competitors have fully embraced global market logic. In the short term, Bundesliga clubs will not fall behind simply by abstaining, because media rights still carry the bulk of revenues. But if others consistently monetize international demand through premium events and German clubs opt out, the gap in global relevance will widen, and the money will follow.”
For Germany, this possibility is only really a concern for a handful of clubs.
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“Fans are buying a spectacle, not a league fixture. Nobody will fill an arena in the US for Hoffenheim versus Augsburg. So, this will work for a handful of clubs, not for the league as a whole,” Schreyer said, with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund the obvious two candidates.
While Bundesliga games being played abroad remains extremely unlikely, pressure will grow if other major clubs do take the step.
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