Gabriele Gravina has resigned as the head of Italy’s football association (FIGC) following their failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

The four-time world champions suffered another play-off final defeat when they were beaten 4-1 on penalties by Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday.

No previous winner of the tournament has missed three World Cups in a row, which Italy now have after missing out on Russia in 2018 and Qatar 2022.

Also on Thursday, former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who was working closely with the men’s national team, resigned as delegation head via Instagram., external

Buffon, who was part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning side, wrote that with Gravina’s decision to go, he felt, “as an act of responsibility”, he should do the same.

“The main objective was to bring Italy back to the World Cup. And we didn’t succeed,” Buffon, 48, added.

“It’s fair to leave it to those who will come after the freedom to choose the figure they think is best to play my role.”

Gravina, 72, who is the Uefa first vice-president, announced his resignation following a meeting held at the FIGC’s headquarters in Rome.

He took the job in October 2018, with his predecessor Carlo Tavecchio having stepped down following Italy’s failure to beat Sweden in a World Cup play-off the previous year.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and actress Hailee Steinfeld welcomed their first child together, she announced in a post on her Substack.

Steinfeld’s message was short and sweet.

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Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld on the red carpet before Super Bowl LIX NFL Honors at Saenger Theatre on Feb. 6, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

“Our baby girl has arrived!!” she wrote. “We’re feeling incredibly grateful and blessed and savouring these early moments. Thank you so much for the love and well wishes.”

Allen and Steinfeld got married last May and he announced in December that the two were expecting their first child.

At the time, the NFL star expressed some appreciation for how he’s grown as a person since he arrived in Buffalo in 2018 as his life took him from a small town in California to Wyoming to the NFL and on the brink of leading a championship-starved city to a Super Bowl appearance.

“Yeah, I guess it’s like the evolution of life,” he said. “I consider this place my home. It’s where I’ve done a lot of growing up. And it’s a place that I’ll raise a family. It’s really cool.”

Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld attend the 14th Annual NFL Honors at Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Feb. 6, 2025. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

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As his work-life balance becomes more rigid, The Associated Press noted a curious comment he made in October during “Monday Night Football.” He was asked what Steinfeld has taught him during their relationship. He responded, “Maybe I am more than a football player.”

Allen confirmed to The Associated Press that Steinfeld’s pregnancy factored into his response.

“Overjoyed, absolutely overjoyed,” he said, while confirming that he knew he was going to be a dad before the ESPN interview occurred.

Add proud father of one to the list of accolades for Allen. He and the Bills finished 12-5 last season, but lost in the playoffs to the Denver Broncos.

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Allen had 3,668 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes. He finished third in MVP voting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Since Shakur Stevenson was stripped in early February, the WBC lightweight world title has remained vacant.

Stevenson won the belt in November 2023 by beating Edwin De Los Santos. He defended it against Artem Harutyunyan, Josh Padley and William Zepeda before moving up to super-lightweight to challenge for Teofimo Lopez’s WBO strap.

Though he expressed interest in keeping his belt and returning to 135lbs, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said that Stevenson’s team did not follow the correct protocol and failed to pay a sanctioning fee. The title was declared vacant shortly after the 28-year-old beat Lopez

Despite having an interim champion in Jadier Herrera, the sanctioning body has opted to order a fight between number one and two contenders, Lamont Roach Jr and William Zepeda, for the full title.

In its latest divisional round-up, the WBC has confirmed that the fight is being targeted for June. It is expected to land on a Golden Boy Promotions card, and the winner will be ordered to face Herrera next.

Zepeda’s second crack at the belt, after giving Stevenson what he regards as the trickiest match-up of his campaign, comes against a man who many feel should already be champion in the division.

Roach faced Gervonta Davis for the WBA belt at 135 last year, fighting to a draw which many felt was unfair on the challenger, particularly since ‘Tank’ Davis took a knee mid-fight and was not deducted a point.

The match-up is an intriguing prospect, with Mexico’s Zepeda being one of the sport’s most prolific volume punchers against a slick and smart operator in Roach. Provided there are no obstacles, an official announcement won’t be far in the future. Roach, speaking on X, has teased something ‘coming soon.’

The Oklahoma City Thunder play host to the Los Angeles Lakers in a meeting of two of the Western Conference’s top championship contenders. The Thunder hold a two-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the NBA and the West’s No. 1 playoff seed. The Lakers are currently seeded third in the West. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic are also two of the top contenders for the MVP award.

How to watch Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT

• Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

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Team records

• Los Angeles Lakers: 50-26 (No. 1 in Pacific Division)

• Oklahoma City Thunder: 60-16 (No. 1 in Northwest Division)

Odds

• Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder -9.5

• Moneyline: Oklahoma City Thunder -350 / Los Angeles Lakers +280

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Cameron Green*, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine*, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Blessing Muzarabani*, Kartik Tyagi

Impact Subs: Finn Allen*, Manish Pandey, Tejasvi Singh, Saurabh Dubey, Rovman Powell*

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head*, Ishan Kishan (capt & wk), Heinrich Klaasen*, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, David Payne*, Jaydev Unadkat

Impact Subs: Harshal Patel, Liam Livingstone*, Eshan Malinga*, R Smaran, Sakib Hussain

Germany beat Switzerland and Ghana in their March friendlies and it’s now less than two months until their World Cup squad will be announced. Who will be in the final 26-man selection? The core group of players is clear, but who made the most of the last international break before World Cup preparation begins and who did not?

Winners

• Kai Havertz — With nearly 60 caps, Havertz is a key part of this team. Having been out with injury for a long time, his starting place was no longer secure but a return to fitness and form is timely. His combination play in Switzerland was impressive, and his roar after confidently dispatching a penalty against Ghana was the sign of a player beginning to hit his stride again. If there were any doubts about his role in the starting eleven, Havertz dispelled them swiftly in these two games.
• Florian Wirtz — Another player who is guaranteed a ticket to the United States this summer but who still excelled. His two goals and two assists in Basel speak for themselves. It was an exceptional display and in Stuttgart he helped set the tone, often brave with his choices on the ball. It felt significant that the 22-year-old delivered this display in the absence of Jamal Musiala, the player who he combined so well with at Euro 2024. It’s clear that even on his own, Wirtz can be the man for Germany when they need a spark.
• Lennart Karl — The 18-year-old looked steady off the bench in Basel, but in Stuttgart he exploded into life. Bayern Munich’s newest jewel gave German coach Julian Nagelsmann a lot of good reasons to have him in the squad this summer. The agile playmaker worked hard to win the ball back and ran at the Ghana defense at every opportunity. His desire to take on players is exciting to watch and an all-too rare a sight for Germany these days. He should have capped his performance off with a goal, but he sent the ball wide. Nevertheless, Karl looks destined to be on the plane now.

Nathaniel Brown — Perhaps it is too generous to say a player who only played 60 minutes against a largely defensive Ghana side was a winner during this international break, but such is the concern around the left-back spot for Germany that it might just be enough. The Frankfurt defender looked more than competent when called upon. A spot in the squad looks almost certain for the 22-year-old now, and given David Raum has not exactly made the spot his own, there is a possibility that even more gametime awaits Brown.

Losers

• Angelo Stiller — He might be Stuttgart’s midfield conductor and darts prodigy Luke Littler’s favorite German player, but Stiller did not make the most of an unexpected chance. Called up after injuries to others, Stiller started both games but looked a little uncertain with the ball at times. He was also slow to close down Switzerland for their opener in Basel, a point that did not go unnoticed by Julian Nagelsmann. Pascal Gross’s decent showing in Stuttgart means it looks like this World Cup might come too soon for Stiller.
• Nico Schlotterbeck — Despite starting both games and clearly being one half of the favored central defensive pairing with Jonathan Tah, the Dortmund defender struggled. He was sloppy in Switzerland, twice making mistakes in the build-up play that proved costly. In Stuttgart he was a bit more stable, but still looked a little out of sorts at times. He will travel and will likely start, but this might have given Nagelsmann food for thought over the recent decision to make Antonio Rüdiger a back-up.
• Nick Woltemade  The plan was for the Newcastle striker to gain some confidence this break after enduring a tricky spell in England. Nagelsmann even spoke about how it made more sense to play a striker needing a boost rather than one in form (Deniz Undav). Sadly, the 24-year-old wasn’t able to make the most of it. In Switzerland, he did little with his 20 minutes off the bench other than head his one chance wide. In Stuttgart, he played almost 80 minutes but still couldn’t get on the scoresheet, missing a glorious chance in the first half and then hitting the bar in the second. He will almost certainly be in squad come May, but until then he needs to rediscover his form.

Edited by: Matt Pearson

/ @lockedoncollegefootball  

Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke was arrested on Wednesday in Arkansas on charges that include speeding and possession of a controlled substance. 

“I’m aware of the report, but don’t have any comments,” Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo told reporters before the Grizzlies’ game against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, per ESPN.

Clarke was booked into Cross County Jail on charges of improper passing, possession of a controlled substance, fleeing and exceeding the speed limit, and trafficking a controlled substance.

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Brandon Clarke of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball during the game against the LA Clippers at FedExForum on Dec. 23, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Clarke, a seventh-year player out of Gonzaga, was ruled out for the remainder of the 2025-26 NBA season after playing just two games. 

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He initially was out due to surgery needed on his right knee, but he also suffered a right calf strain that has forced him to miss most games this season. 

The Grizzles announced late last month that Clarke was still rehabbing his injury, but recent tests showed that he needed more time to heal. He is expected to return next season. 

Brandon Clarke of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball against Zaccharie Risacher #10 of the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at FedExForum on March 3, 2025, in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Clarke was the 21st overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he was traded to the Grizzlies, where he’s been ever since. 

He made the 2019-20 All-Rookie team after averaging 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, playing in a bench role for Memphis that year. 

Clarke has primarily been a depth player for the Grizzlies throughout his career, earning 50 starts out of his 309 games played. 

Brandon Clarke of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts during the game against the Golden State Warriors at FedExForum on Dec. 19, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)

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Throughout his seven seasons, Clarke has tallied 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  

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