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Football

Amandine Henry: Former France captain retires from international football

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Amandine Henry: Former France captain retires from international football


Former France captain Amandine Henry has retired from international football with immediate effect.

The 35-year-old midfielder won 109 caps, scoring 14 goals, and was recently in the France side who reached the quarter-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“After many years of passion, challenges and unforgettable memories, it is time for me to turn the page,” she said on a post on X., external

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Henry was France’s captain from 2017 to 2020 when she was dropped by then manager Corinne Diacre.

She was selected in France’s 2023 World Cup squad before withdrawing with a calf injury.

Henry finally returned to the France team in September 2023, after three years away, and often stood in for current Les Blues captain Wendie Renard.

Now with Mexican side Toluca, Henry won seven Champions League titles and 13 French league titles with Lyon, who she played for across two long spells between 2007 and 2023.

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“Wearing the colours of my country these past years has been the honour of my life and has allowed me to experience extraordinary emotions,” Henry said.



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Motorsports

Supercars Finals switch-up a hit or miss? Our writers have their say

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Supercars has revealed a new season format from next year with Finals rounding out the campaign to decide the 2025 champion.

The Australian series will switch to a three-stage split season, with the opening eight rounds counting for a Sprint Cup and the two endurance races determining an Enduro Cup champion, before the Finals format kicks in.

There will also be a point resets, with all 10 drivers going to the first Finals race on the Gold Coast level on 3000 points, and then 4000 for the next race, at Sandown.

Any driver who wins on the Gold Coast and Sandown will be automatically seeded into the final four to remain in title contention for Adelaide, along with the next two highest point-scorers.

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Will it prove a success for the series? Our writers offer their views.

A brave change, but with damaging potential – Phil Branagan

The notion of shaking up the method to determine a champion is a positive one and I tip my hat to Supercars for being brave about that. But as Jim Hacker taught us in ‘Yes, Prime Minister’, bravery can have its consequences.

Some scenarios could expand from a micro concern to a macro nightmare under the new system. As an example, I am going to pick (on) current points leader and 2024 title favourite Will Brown. If the Triple Eight Chevrolet driver has a solid Bathurst 1000 result this weekend he could be leading the championship points going into the next round on the Gold Coast – and if some of his challengers do not dazzle at Bathurst Brown’s lead well may be one entire round’s points (300) or more.

Will Brown, Triple Eight Race Engineering Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Will Brown, Triple Eight Race Engineering Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Photo by: Edge Photographics

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Imagine that Brown dominates qualifying on the Gold Coast but in the top 10 shootout, a locked wheel sends him wide, he misses a chicane and will therefore start the first race from 10th on the grid. The Gold Coast street circuit has a reputation for punishing errors; if from there Brown gets caught up in a lap 1 melee, he could be out for the day. Zero points.

Provided he can bounce back on Sunday, that may not be a huge setback. With a podium or a win he could/should even maintain his points lead going to the final race of this season in Adelaide.

Fast forward that same scenario to 2025. Brown could even win the Sunday race on the Gold Coast but imagine for a moment that a ‘finalist’ Ford driver further back in the field may face finishing eighth, ninth or 10th of the title contenders for the weekend, thereby saving Brown. Might other Ford drivers, loyal to the blue oval and themselves not in title contention, drive with a level of co-operation they may not do otherwise to ensure their mate is in the top seven and Brown is one of the three drivers eliminated, post-Gold Coast Far fetched? Could it happen? Maybe.

The Finals concept is bound to generate lots of storylines. That’s good for Supercars (and great for someone like me). But not all of those stories are going to be positive…

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A cynical change at a convenient time – Sam Hall

My initial reaction to Supercars’ shift to a Finals format was simply: why? Granted, having a championship battle that goes to the wire is something that every series strives for and would add intrigue and viewing figures, but sometimes you have to accept that one team or driver will dominate and applaud that achievement.

While there are undoubted positives and it could catch the public’s imagination, it is impossible to shift the purist within me that believes motorsport should be a meritocracy, and should not artificially come down to a botched pitstop or a reliability problem – even driver error – at a single event.

Yes, there are other sports that have this format, NASCAR as the most high-profile example, but it just doesn’t sit right for me on a personal level.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr, JTG Daugherty Racing, Kroger Health/Palmolive Chevrolet Camaro

Ricky Stenhouse Jr, JTG Daugherty Racing, Kroger Health/Palmolive Chevrolet Camaro

Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images

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It is the timing of this change that must be looked at closely, however. The broadcast deal expires at the end of 2025 and the introduction of the Gen3 cars has hardly provided the most entertaining racing.

It is then crucial that Supercars provides a better product, and rather than answer why these apparently equal machines appear not so equal on the track and what fundamental issues the series has, the quick fix of a Finals system has been implemented – something which brings with it extra sponsorship and marketing opportunities.

For all my negativity towards this, it should be added that I really do hope this works and I am made to eat my words 12 months from now. Supercars needs something to inject excitement back into the category and, even if this is not to my taste and seems more of a marketing exercise rather than a sporting decision, if it works, I’ll be as happy as anyone.

Surprised the change hasn’t happened sooner – Tom Howard

Having previously lived in Australia and worked in Supercars I’m actually surprised this change hasn’t happened sooner. Australian sport has a peculiar obsession with this ‘Finals Series’ format. It happens in AFL, NRL and the A-League. It was a hard concept for a Brit to get ones head around for sure. Imagine the English Premier League champions being decided by a one-off final instead of 38 games, it’s unheard of, but that is the case for the majority of sporting codes in Australia.

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I agree this is not a change that will be loved by the purist and certainly Supercars fans have proven to be opposed to change in the past. I recall when Triple Eight dared to develop a V6 engine to replace the V8 creating complete uproar, and ultimately the V8 engine won out and is still in place today.

But the motorsport landscape is changing and certainly the way fans are interacting with championships. Sometimes taking a big swing at a format change can work. Supercars has tried tweaking formats before, some have worked, some have failed. But equally sitting still is not really option anymore given how fast the sporting landscape is changing and how people watch sport now.

Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW 330e M Sport

Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW 330e M Sport

Photo by: JEP

Last weekend I attended the British Touring Car Championship final round at Brands Hatch which once again provided edge of the seat entertainment to determine its champion.

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Granted its format does not represent the levels of sweeping change that Supercars will adopt in 2025, but its reverse grid race three and its hybrid usage scale determined on driver success that has replaced success ballast, does usually mean nine times out of 10 the championship will be decided at the final round. I have to say it is a great watch. Last weekend the eventual champion Jake Hill and rival Tom Ingram headed into the final race with a point separating them. Format changes can work for the better, but also the opposite can occur.

The World Rally Championship offers a great example. This year it has operated a new points system that is complicated for the fans to understand, but it has created vastly more entertaining Sundays. There will always be trade-offs with format changes.

I think it is brave of Supercars to make such a change. It will be a bit like Marmite or Vegemite (the former is better) some will love it, some will hate it. What is for certain is the Adelaide Grand Final will be must watch motorsport.

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Jack Grealish owes Trent Alexander-Arnold £500 as he’s made to regret wager within seconds during England clash

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Jack Grealish owes Trent Alexander-Arnold £500 as he's made to regret wager within seconds during England clash

JACK GREALISH owes Trent Alexander-Arnold £500 after he scored a brilliant free-kick against Finland.

The Liverpool star started in an unfamiliar left-back role in Helsinki despite looking shaky in the defeat to Greece.

Jack Grealish owes Trent Alexander-Arnold £500 after making a bet with him

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Jack Grealish owes Trent Alexander-Arnold £500 after making a bet with himCredit: PA
The defender won the bet within seconds

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The defender won the bet within secondsCredit: Getty

But he repaid Lee Carsley‘s faith in him by whipping a free-kick into the top corner to double England‘s lead.

Grealish opened the scoring following a well-worked move in the 18th minute and he revealed he made a cheeky bet with Alexander-Arnold before his free-kick.

The Manchester City star told ITV: “I said to him obviously as a joke ‘if you score this I’ll give you £500’.

“And then he just slapped it into top bins so I owe him now. I think he’ll be saying that to me.”

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Grealish, 29, celebrated his goal with a nod to the birth of his baby girl Mila.

His girlfriend Sasha gave birth to their daughter at the end of last month and Grealish celebrated by sucking his thumb.

The winger revealed his plan to mark Mila’s birth with a unique celebration before the match.

He said: “Yeah, to be fair, do you know what I’ve half thought about it for a while, I just didn’t manage to score yet.

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“Well, obviously I scored for England but in the moment just so much was going on and it being against Ireland and that I just completely forgot. So, yeah, maybe next time.”

Declan Rice was also on target for England to Helsinki as they bounced back from defeat to Greece with a 3-1 win over Finland.

England ratings: Angel Gomes is the runaway success of Lee Carsley era but Cole Palmer is anonymous

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Wheelchair Super League Grand Final: Leeds Rhinos beat Halifax Panthers

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Wheelchair Super League Grand Final: Leeds Rhinos beat Halifax Panthers

Leeds Rhinos fought back to beat Halifax Panthers in the Wheelchair Super League Grand Final in Hull and secure their second title.

Rob Hawkins crossed twice as Halifax led 22-16 at the break, with two tries from Nathan Collins keeping the Rhinos firmly in the hunt.

Collins then set up two more quick tries to put Leeds back in front and, although Hawkins levelled, Josh Butler’s second-half hat-trick helped seal an emphatic win.

The victory completes a perfect season for the Rhinos after retaining the League Leaders’ Shield with eight wins from eight, and it takes them level with Halifax on two Super League crowns.

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MMA

Ramazonbek Temirov sets UFC flyweight title goal after quick finish

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Ramazonbek Temirov sets UFC flyweight title goal after quick finish

LAS VEGAS – Ramazonbek Temirov beat CJ Vergara with a first-round TKO Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 244 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Temirov, who was dominant in his UFC debut – and put the flyweight division on notice that he’s coming for a title shot.

Ramazonbek Temirov def. CJ Vergara

Result: Ramazonbek Temirov def. CJ Vergara via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:50
Updated records: Temirov (18-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Vergara (12-6-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC)
Key stats: Temirov has 10 straight wins and five straight first-round finishes.

Temirov on the fight’s key moment

“If it’s five rounds, I prepare for the five rounds. If it’s three rounds, I always prepare for the three rounds. We never know when the fight is going to be done, when we might finish the fight. But today, it happened. I finished him in the first round, and we’re happy.”

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Temirov on title aspirations

“The UFC was my childhood dream, which just came true today. I’m so happy. After this, I will be only going forward and my goal is to be a champion of the flyweight division. I never thought I would be in the UFC, to be honest, but I was always dreaming to be in here and to be a champion. Today we’re here, and we’re chasing the dream.”

Temirov on what he wants next

“The next goal is, and the dream is definitely to become a flyweight champion. We will see how long it will take – maybe a year, maybe two years. Only God knows.”

To hear more from Temirov, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

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Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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Motorsports

Andretti F1 plans unchanged after ownership switch

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Michael Andretti’s decision to step down from running his race team on a day-to-day basis will have no immediate bearing on its bid to join the Formula 1 grid.

Motorsport.com has learned that Andretti’s Silverstone factory continues to recruit staff in a bid to have a full 2026 chassis ready before the New Year.

Former F1 and IndyCar driver Andretti has built one of the most successful motorsport teams across the world and is currently competing in multiple championships.

But he has failed in bids for his team to race in F1 by first failing to acquire Sauber before seeing his plans for an 11th team halted by F1.

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Andretti’s application had initially received the green light from the FIA in October 2023 before the governing body performed a u-turn on its decision along with a rejection from Formula One Management in January this year,  rather brutally saying it believed the team would not be competitive or add value to the championship.

The news was a blow to Andretti, which had formed a new F1 base at Silverstone with a view of competing in F1 from the 2025 season onwards.

Confusingly, despite having a remit to grow the sport, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who had previously led calls for more teams on the grid, recently urged Andretti and its partners, General Motors in the form of its Cadillac brand, to “go and buy another team, not to come as the 11th team”.

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz / Motorsport Images

After Andretti’s shock departure, insiders say this is not as a consequence of the failed bid to enter F1 and that plans are still going ahead in the hope of getting the approval to race in 2026.

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In a bid to ensure the team is ready should it be granted permission to join the F1 grid, the Andretti operation is still operating as usual.

The team has been growing at an average of seven new starters every week and now totals over 260 full-time people working on the project

Furthermore, the team is working 16-hour days in the wind tunnel in Cologne, as it is not yet bound by F1 testing restrictions and is developing parts such as nose cones and wishbones that have been crash-tested at the FIA-approved F1 crash testing facility at Cranfield.

The team is also working on suspension and braking systems and roll hoop constructions for the 2026 regulations.

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In another huge step, the team hopes to have its first chassis out of the mould before January – well in advance of some of their rivals.

Andretti is now hoping for both the FIA and FOM to revise the decision to prevent them from joining F1 as an 11th team.

In stepping back, what Andretti has done is remove himself from the equation, having drawn particular heat from F1 and rival team bosses.

By handing the operation over to Dan Towriss, the new-look team could look to speed up the process to become a GM works team with its own engine from 2028, something that F1 had stipulated in its rejection letter.

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What now remains to be seen is if the new ownership – without Andretti at the helm – or indeed the Andretti name at all – go back to FOM with a second attempt at making the cut.

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