The Ospreys chief executive did, however, admit redevelopment work will continue after the team begins the new campaign.

“It will continue at some point afterwards,” he added, “but it will be complete for what we need for the season before the first game.”

Also speaking on Radio Wales Breakfast, Swansea City Council leader Rob Stewart denied suggestions the relationship between the rugby club and the local authority had been strained over recent months.

“We’ve been good partners all through this process and actually trying to get sense and clarity out of the WRU all through this,” he said.

“We’ve had to navigate some really difficult times, a process which we’ve challenged legally and still stand ready to take legal action to the courts if necessary because of the way in which the WRU has chosen to move forward.

“This unfair process that the WRU commenced we still believe is one I think that is now dead in the water and ourselves, the Ospreys, Lance can move forward now with redeveloping the ground so that the fans in Swansea and south west Wales can come and enjoy first class rugby at St Helen’s.”

Iran’s national football team attended visa appointments in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday, ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The entire squad applied for Canadian visas, with some players also submitting applications for US entry.

The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Iran scheduled to play all three of their group-stage matches in the United States.

They are set to face New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June in Los Angeles, before taking on Egypt in Seattle five days later. Access to Canada would be required if they progress to the knockout rounds.

An Iranian football federation official confirmed the whole squad applied for Canadian visas. Some players who had not applied for US visas before the Iran war also submitted applications in Ankara.

Foreign-based Iranian players joined the squad in Ankara before travelling to the team’s training camp in Antalya on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, the official added.

Iran are holding a pre-tournament camp in Turkey after the domestic league was suspended following US and Israeli strikes on the country, which began on 28 February. This left many players short of match fitness.

Coach Amir Ghalenoei has been preparing his squad in Antalya, as most domestic-based players went seven weeks without competitive football during the league’s suspension.

Despite early qualification for the expanded 48-team World Cup, preparations have been overshadowed by uncertainty over travel and security arrangements following the conflict between Iran, the US, and Israel.

US president Donald Trump suggested back in March that it would not be appropriate for Iran to play in the World Cup “for their own life and safety”.

However, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has maintained that Iran will play in this summer’s tournament, with Trump then appearing to change his tune as he told reporters: “Let them play”.

Iran’s football federation had previously stated US visa applications for the team would be handled in Turkey after discussions with Fifa.

Iran are due to play Gambia in a friendly on 29 May before Ghalenoei names his final 26-man World Cup squad by Fifa’s 1 June deadline.

In the Champions League, PSG exceptionally opened their training centre to the media, 10 days before the final against Arsenal. Luis Enrique highlighted the club’s support and the positive mindset within his squad.

Switzerland‘s head coach Murat Yakin announced his World Cup squad, led by Granit Xhaka and Manuel Akanji, and including three Ligue 1 players. Morocco, Germany, Senegal, Norway and Algeria will unveil their squads this Thursday.

In cycling, Jhonatan Narvaez won the 11th stage of the Giro in Chiavari, securing his third stage victory of the race.

In the NBA, the Spurs–Pelicans game in Paris featuring Victor Wembanyama was officially confirmed for January 14, 2027.

Finally, in tennis, tensions are growing ahead of the French Open over prize money distribution, with top players planning action during Friday’s media day.

Aston Villa defender Matty Cash hailed manager Unai Emery as “the king” after he guided the club to Europa League glory with a 3-0 victory over Freiburg in Istanbul.

Emery delivered Villa’s first piece of silverware for 30 years after superb first-half strikes from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia were added to by Morgan Rogers’ close-range finish after the break.

The Spaniard wrote his name in Villa folklore after securing the club a first European title since 1982, and the win means he has now won the Europa League five times – three with Sevilla and one with Villarreal before this latest success.

All of the pre-match build-up centred around whether Emery thought he was ‘king’ of the competition.

The Villa boss was coy in admitting the title, but Cash definitely thinks he is, saying: “The king set the game plan out for us. He clearly is because he’s won it five times.

“He’s so demanding and passionate. We had a meeting today and he told us exactly how the game was going to go, and what they were like.

“He does that much work on the opposition, we knew what positions we were going to get into. The reason why we play like that is because we know what we are doing on the pitch. I’m going to enjoy this tonight.”

Villa have been knocking on the door in Europe over the past couple of seasons after reaching the Conference League semi-finals in 2024 and last eight of the Champions League in 2025.

Cash feels the experience gained from that hurt was important in their victory.

He added: “It’s a big moment for the club. We’ve made history after a long time. The last few years we’ve nearly got there but here we executed the game plan well and looked like we’d played these games before – so happy.

“When you experience these moments as a team it makes you stronger, definitely.

“To get to this point, last year we got beat in the quarter-finals, the year before in the semis. But I think we gained experience from it as a team.”

Aston Villa fans seemingly outnumbered the Freiburg contingent inside Besiktas Park and Cash heaped praise on the support.

“It actually felt like we were playing at home to be honest,” he said. “Incredible. When we were on the way to the stadium, we actually went past loads of Villa fans and that’s when it hit.

“Europa League champions, all the hard work we’ve done to get to this point and the conversations as to how we’d think it would go. The game plan was good, we executed it well and the fans were unbelievable.

“The fans deserve it so much. What Ginny (John McGinn) said, they’ve been to Wigan away, Rotherham away at the lows and have now seen the club at a high.”

Villa will continue celebrations on Thursday, returning to Birmingham to parade the trophy around the city.

The annual charity clash between an England XI and a Rest of the World side is due to take place at West Ham’s London Stadium on Sunday, May 31, but its ITV presenting duo face a scheduling conflict with the Champions League final

Advertisement

Arsenal’s Champions League final showdown with Paris Saint-Germain has thrown this year’s Soccer Aid into turmoil. The annual charity clash between an England XI and a Rest of the World side is due to take place at West Ham’s London Stadium on Sunday, May 31.

While the match itself remains unaffected, the presenting lineup for the occasion could be a different matter entirely. Dermot O’Leary and former Arsenal star Alex Scott are both scheduled to play a prominent role in the ITV broadcast, yet discussions are ongoing with bosses regarding their absence from rehearsals due to the Champions League final.

Arsenal are set to face PSG in Budapest the day before, with both Scott and O’Leary eager to be in attendance. However, Soccer Aid bosses are keen to have both presenters back in the UK to ensure their participation in rehearsals.

Speaking on Radio 5 Live, O’Leary said: “We are in negotiations at the moment. It’s not looking good. Ticket is ok. The problem is my contractual obligation to Soccer Aid. The Champions League final is the day before – it’s a huge problem for me.”

When asked whether he required rehearsals, he replied: “I don’t.” He went on to suggest that “everyone else involved” needed a run-through. O’Leary added: “Also I’m doing it with Alex Scott, one of the Arsenal greats.

“No. Right now, we’re in a perilous state of negotiation, put it that way, which I don’t think we’re going to win.

“It’s just people getting nervous understandably about us not getting on said flights and not making it. And also they want to rehearse on Saturday, bearing in mind I’m a producer of Soccer Aid.”

Despite his reluctance to attend rehearsals, O’Leary was careful not to understate the significance of the event itself: “It’s quite a responsibility to be there. I do take it quite seriously – it’s for charity.”

Several high-profile names have already been confirmed for this year’s Soccer Aid. Former England internationals Joe Hart, Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Jill Scott, Steph Houghton and Toni Duggan are all set to feature, with celebrity support coming from the likes of Paddy McGuinness, Owen Cooper, Angry Ginge and many more.

Meanwhile, Edwin van der Sar, Leonardo Bonucci and Jordi Alba will line up alongside Chris O’Dowd, Maisie Adam and Simon Neil for the World XI. The dispute over Soccer Aid rehearsals comes in the wake of Declan Rice’s rallying call for as many Arsenal supporters as possible to make the journey to Budapest.

Speaking following the Gunners’ semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid, he said: “Bring it on, bring it on, I’ll be ready. I want every Arsenal fan out there, 200,000 of you, come out. Let’s try and do it because we’re going to need all the support, all the energy and let’s make it special.”

I always qualify my schedule analysis by quoting Hall of Fame Coach Bud Grant, who said, “It’s not so much who you play but when you play them.” Meaning injuries, weather, a team’s momentum, and other factors will determine how tough a game becomes.

The Bills may be a juggernaut when the Vikings host them on Monday night, November 9. Or Josh Allen could be out injured and Buffalo struggling by then, whereas Jayden Daniels and the Commanders could be rolling and back to their 2024 final four form in Week 16.

And the Vikings could be playing in a windy snowstorm on their late-season visit to New England for a difficult short-week Thursday night game on December 10 against the defending AFC champs. And it could be extremely cold and windy at the Meadowlands on January 3 against the Jets (which I experienced several times on trips to play the Jets or Giants).

Diamond Breaks Down a Busy Week for Minnesota

What we definitely know is the two opening games — home vs. Green Bay on September 13 and at Chicago on September 20 — are key early divisional tests for a Vikings team that will likely be breaking in Kyler Murray as the starting quarterback and a lot of rookie draftees, such as first-round DT Caleb Banks (if he’s healthy). The Packers are likely to face Murray in his first Vikings start, but the Vikings will hope game-wrecking defender Micah Parsons is not yet back from his torn ACL suffered last December.

I think the Vikings need to split those two games at least, then get on a roll over the next four games (at Tampa Bay, home vs. Miami, at New Orleans, and home vs. Indianapolis).

Then comes a challenging four-game stretch that includes road games against division foes Detroit and Green Bay, the home Monday nighter against Buffalo, and the Mexico City game against the 49ers. That will be three 2025 playoff teams plus the Lions (who should return to the playoffs with their fourth-place schedule, one of the league’s easiest based on last season’s records).

The Vikings have six of their first 10 games on the road, including the neutral-site game in Mexico City. The better news is that five of the last seven games are at home, with seemingly very winnable games against Atlanta, Carolina, and Washington, along with tough divisional matchups vs. the Lions and Bears.

If the Vikings can get through the first 10 games at .500 or better, they’ll have an excellent chance to finish with between 10 and 12 wins. If it’s 10 wins, they should earn a wildcard spot. And in what’s expected to be a closely contested NFC North, I think 12 victories will win the division (the Bears won it last year at 11-6 when all four teams had winning records).

The Vikings’ schedule certainly appears not to be as difficult as last year’s, considering it’s a third-place schedule vs. a second-place schedule in 2025 and that they are crossing over to face the seemingly weaker NFC South and AFC East compared to last season against the AFC North and NFC East (again with the proviso that some teams not expected to contend always do and vice versa).  

It’s a mild surprise but fun for the team and fan base that despite missing the playoffs last season, the Vikings still landed four prime-time games — Monday November 9 vs. Buffalo, Sunday November 22 vs. San Francisco in Mexico City, Thursday December 10 at New England and Sunday December 20 vs. Detroit (as long as that game isn’t flexed to an afternoon game if the league feels there’s a more attractive Week 15 game).

There’s also a decent chance the regular-season finale at home against the Bears could be for the division title, in which case the game could be flexed to Sunday night.

I’ll make my season predictions in early September after I see how the team is coming together in training camp, especially during the joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens, which the Vikings will host on August 19-20 before their preseason game at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 22.  

On 2028 NFL Draft in Minnesota

It’s a nice coup for Minnesota and the Twin Cities to be voted on by NFL owners to host the 2028 NFL Draft. It’s amazing to see how the draft has turned into an almost Super Bowl-like spectacle for a city to host, as we’ve seen in recent years in places such as Pittsburgh (over 800,000 people in attendance this year), Green Bay, Detroit, and Nashville.

It’s so different from my years working in the NFL, when all drafts took place in New Yo,rk and there was far less media coverage and fan interest.

I like the plan of the Minnesota Sports and Events (MSE) group in collaboration with the Vikings to have the main stage around U.S. Bank Stadium and have other draft-related events across the Twin Cities, including the possibilities of the Mall of America (which hosted activities during Super Bowl LII in 2018) and the Vikings Lakes development where the Vikings facility is located in Eagan.

This will be another great opportunity to showcase Minnesota and the Twin Cities in a positive light, especially in contrast to highly publicized negative events, such as George Floyd and its aftermath, and the recent ICE surge. We do have to hope for nice late-April weather for the local folks and the thousands of visitors attending outdoor draft events.

Kudos to Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf, the team’s staff, and MSE for their work on the bid and for being awarded the 2028 draft, which will create tremendous economic impact for the state and Metro area.

Farewell Tour for Aaron Rodgers

The egomaniac QB has returned to the Steelers on a one-year deal worth up to $25 million with incentives. He’ll reunite with new Pittsburgh coach and Rodgers’ former Packers coach Mike McCarthy.

The 42-year-old Rodgers told the media this will be his final NFL season. I’ve had more than enough of his off-field antics (darkness retreats, stringing teams out before signing, etc.), and I say good riddance to Rodgers after this season.

Jeff Diamond is a former Vikings GM, former Tennessee Titans President and was selected NFL Executive of the Year … More about Jeff Diamond

“He is a crazy geezer, he is a mad Scotsman, but he is always the first one in and the last one out,” said former Aston Villa defender Ashley Young as he singled out current club captain John McGinn on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast.

The 31-year-old made 12 out of a possible 15 appearances across the club’s Europa League-winning campaign, scoring five goals and contributing two assists.

Advertisement

“I’m sitting here feeling so proud of him,” said Young. “I’m so happy he gets to pick up that trophy after what he has done for and given to Aston Villa because it is just phenomenal.

“He is literally Mr Aston Villa day in, day out, so it is great to see him lift the trophy. Like every man on that pitch, from the first whistle right until the end, he played his part.

“He is a typical, true captain. He puts everyone before himself.”

Young also praised Victor Lindelof, who made a 66-minute appearance in the final, adding: “Everyone had a job to do and they did it – nobody more so than Victor Lindelof.

Advertisement

“I know a lot of people will be saying he only played 65 minutes, but he gave a lot to the team in that central midfield role.

“I knew he could play in the centre of the midfield, but I know a lot of people will have been wondering what Unai Emery was doing.

“He was winning the ball back, he was passing forward, he was looking to play forward.

“It was just a wholesome team performance from everyone out there. Every single one of them deserves the accolades they should be getting right now.”

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings’ Tim Cone reacts during a game vs Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the 2026 PBA Commissioner’s Cup. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

ANTIPOLO—Coach Tim Cone conceded that Barangay Ginebra wasn’t able to respond to Rain or Shine’s timely plays in Game 1 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals here.

The Gin Kings succumbed to the Elasto Painters, 115-111, on Wednesday at Ynares Center despite leading by 10 in the fourth quarter before failing to hold on down the stretch.

“They hit the bigger shots and we played their game tonight,” Cone lamented. “We didn’t have much discipline.”

READ: PBA: Troy Rosario, Ginebra brace for more physical games ahead

While Justin Brownlee put up 32 points and RJ Abarrientos fired 21, including several threes that appeared to have been enough to secure Game 1, those were not enough to salvage Ginebra.

And Cone warned that the Gin Kings will be in for some big trouble if they keep making the same mistakes the rest of the way.

“If we’re going to continue to be like that, we’re not going to win many games in this series,” he said. “We’ve got to be tougher, we’ve got to be better, we’ve got to be more disciplined. They hit the bigger shots and made the bigger plays down the stretch.

“The bottom line is we gave up way too many games. We made them play their running game and we made too many turnovers. We’ve got to be better locked in next time.”

Game 2 is on Friday at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City as Ginebra looks to bounce back and avoid a 0-2 deficit.