BAYERN MUNICH’S Champions League clash against Benfica was delayed due to a problem with the subway system as a separate incident saw a station evacuated.

The German giants were due to take on the visiting Portuguese side at 8pm.

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It was announced that the match kick-off had been delayed by 15 minutes due to a signal box malfunction.

However, footage from inside a city centre metro station shared to social media showed chaos erupt before the Odeonsplatz station was evacuated.

It came as apparent Benfica fans lit up pyrotechnics before throwing them towards a train.

A statement from the Bavarian club said: “Due to the difficulty of many stadium visitors getting to the stadium, kick-off will be delayed by 15 minutes.

“The signal box malfunction has now been resolved.”

A follow up statement added: “Due to a signal box malfunction, there are currently delays in the subway traffic towards the stadium/Fröttmaning.

“Stadium visitors are therefore asked to use other means of transport if possible.”

Bayern, managed by Vincent Kompany, had just one win from three games and two defeats in the Champions League on their record before the match.

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Meanwhile, Benfica had two wins from three with one defeat.

The game eventually kicked off at the delayed restart time.

More to follow.

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Tempers are beginning to flair between Anatoly Malykhin and Oumar Kane (better known as “Reug Reug”) ahead of their ONE 169 heavyweight title encounter.

What started a peaceful faceoff at Wednesday’s pre-fight press conference in advance of Friday’s event, which takes place at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, turned into a physical one between the combatants.

Reigning ONE Championship triple champ Malykhin (14-0) approached his opponent and stuck his hands out in a gun motion. That caused “Reug Reug” (6-1) to react by slapping the hand away, then the pair inched closer to each other.

They traded words, and Malykhin put his arm around the body of Malykhin, who did not like the aggressive move. The pair tangled and a group of security jumped in to tear them apart.

Check out the video above to see the entire exchange between Malykhin and “Reug Reug” at the ONE 169 press conference.

MLB free agency is here!

Similar to how last winter was defined by the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, this offseason will revolve around another generational superstar: Juan Soto. The 26-year-old slugger is coming off a career year with the New York Yankees, having also helped the Bronx Bombers back to the World Series for the first time in 15 years. Now, he’s likely staring down a record-breaking contract that might very well span the next decade-plus. 

But where? The chatter has already begun during this week’s GM meetings. He’s not the only big fish on the open market, of course. There are plenty of other top-tier free agents, including ace pitchers Corbin Burnes of the Baltimore Orioles and Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves as well as Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.

RELATED: 2025 MLB free-agent rankings, team fits: Juan Soto leads top 30

And as Soto himself knows, after being dealt to New York from the San Diego Padres last offseason, there could always be landscape-shifting trades made in the winter.

Follow along below for the latest rumors around MLB free agency!

Nov. 6

Sasaki more likely to be posted than not

The 2024-25 MLB free-agent class might add another monumental talent. “Indications” are that Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki will be posted by NPB club the Chiba Lotte Marines, ESPN reported. If he is posted, the Dodgers are “heavily favored” to land the 23-year-old, according to ESPN. MLB on FOX insider Ken Rosenthal also reported that the Dodgers are the “heavy, heavy favorites” to land Sasaki, who was teammates with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

The possible sweepstakes for Sasaki won’t be as highly competitive from a spending standpoint as other free agents. Due to posting rules, teams can only use money from their international signing pools to offer him. Sasaki has pitched fewer than six professional seasons, meaning he can earn a maximum of $8 million if he’s posted after Dec. 15. If he’s posted before that date, the most he can receive is roughly $2.5 million, according to ESPN. 

Yankees GM Brian Cashman has been in contact with Soto, checked in on Alonso

As free agency commenced Monday, Cashman shared that he spoke with Soto following the team’s World Series loss in late October. Cashman added that he’s already been in communication with Soto’s agent, Scott Boras.

RELATED: Juan Soto sweepstakes: Is he Yankees’ to lose? Analyzing 9 potential suitors

Cashman figures to be busy in the coming weeks, as first baseman Anthony Rizzo and second baseman Gleyber Torres are also free agents. With that, Cashman confirmed the Yankees have interest in Pete Alonso, who’s available after starring for the Mets the past six seasons.

“There are a lot of high-quality players in this marketplace, and certainly Pete did an amazing job with the Mets,” Cashman said. “I had a brief conversation with Scott about a lot of his — he has a lot of free agents, which is normal, and Pete’s one of them, so yes.”

As for Torres, the Yankees did not extend him a qualifying offer, and Cashman offered a tepid response on whether the former All-Star could return. 

“I’m not gonna dissect what he’s good at and not as good at,” Cashman said. “Obviously, he’ll have a lot of conversations with a lot of teams that have a need in that area and that might include us, who knows. But appreciate his efforts while he was here.” 

Astros GM Dana Brown: Re-signing Bregman the “biggest priority”

Houston has a few key free agents to mull over, including Alex Bregman, Yusei Kikuchi and Justin Verlander. As Houston looks to retool after an early playoff exit, Brown was pretty blunt on which player the team is coveting this most this offseason. 

“We’d love to have Alex Bregman back,” Brown told reporters at the GM meetings. “It’s our biggest priority.”

The Astros, of course, have allowed a handful of homegrown stars walk in free agency in recent years. But Brown seemed bullish about the club’s chances to retain Bregman.

“Our mindset right now is that he’s not going elsewhere and we want to sign him,” Brown said. “If he ends up going elsewhere, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, but I’m going into this offseason with the thought that we’re going to get Bregman back. Hopefully we can do it.”

In an interview with MLB Network, Brown shared that he’s had initial conversations with Kikuchi and Verlander’s agents. He also said he’s “gone back and forth” with outfielder Kyle Tucker’s agent about a possible extension. Tucker is entering the final year of team control.

“We hope to narrow things down and have more conversations,” Brown said. “But we’ve had multiple conversations.”

Bichette not available for trade

With Bo Bichette set to become a free agent after the 2025 season, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins made it clear that the team isn’t willing to move on from the shortstop sooner than it has to. He told MLB Network that any trade calls involving Bichette are “an easy no.”

Bichette is coming off an underwhelming 2024 campaign, slashing .225/.277/.322 with just four homers in 81 games. 

Rooker not available via trade

Athletics general manager David Frost insisted the A’s, who are temporarily relocating to Sacramento beginning next season, will not part with star designated hitter Brent Rooker.

“We’re going to keep [Rooker],” Frost told the New York Post.

Rooker was one of the most sought-after players ahead of the trade deadline in 2024. He finished the season with 39 homers and a 165 OPS+.

Nov. 4

Dodgers in on Soto? Mets not?

The New York Mets have long been seen as the most likely candidate to lure Juan Soto away from a return to the New York Yankees. But the Dodgers, fresh off beating Soto and the Yankees in the World Series, intend to make a bid for Soto “if he’s interested,” the New York Post reported last week. However, the Yankees reportedly believe a Soto-Dodgers union would “never happen” and regard the Mets and Toronto Blue Jays as their biggest threats in keeping the slugger.

Brewers could trade closer Devin Williams

One of the more surprising developments of the opening days of the MLB offseason was when the Milwaukee Brewers declined closer Devin Williams’ $10.5 million team option. Williams is a two-time All-Star who also won National League Rookie of the Year in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but did not make his 2024 season debut until late July due to stress fractures in his back. It’s part of the reason the defending NL Central champion Brewers declined his option, believing the 30-year-old closer will make less in arbitration anyway. 

That not only helps the small-budget Brewers but also makes Williams a more attractive trade candidate, and he’s reportedly expected to be just that. Milwaukee has been aggressive in moving star players in the past. Williams, of course, only ascended to the closer role after the Brewers stunningly dealt Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres at the 2022 trade deadline.

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Valencia’s La Liga game at Espanyol on Saturday has been postponed as the city continues to deal with the aftermath of the devastating floods that hit eastern Spain last week.

Levante, who also play in Valencia, have also seen their second-tier game at Tenerife postponed on Sunday.

Flooding in the Valencia region which began last Tuesday has caused at least 218 deaths.

Valencia’s Copa del Rey meeting with Parla Escuela and La Liga game against Real Madrid were both postponed last week.

A statement from Valencia read: “At this time, football is secondary and all efforts must go to aid those affected by the tragic aftermath of the DANA weather phenomenon, to whom Valencia CF would like to express their deepest condolences and support.”

Levante said: “We would like to thank La Liga, the Royal Spanish Football Federation and CD Tenerife for their sensitivity and understanding, as well as the numerous displays of affection and help that we are receiving in these difficult times from all over Spain and also internationally.

“Our focus during these days will continue to be on collaborating and reinforcing the work that the emergency services and volunteers continue to carry out, as well as on supporting all those affected by this catastrophe.”

Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti, Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone and Barcelona’s Hansi Flick were among the managers who criticised the decision to play any La Liga matches last weekend.

Jon Jones is ready for UFC 309 and his first heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic.

Jones and Miocic headline next weekend’s pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden in New York City. “Bones” makes his first walk to the octagon since winning the heavyweight title at with a first-round submission of former interim champ Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023, and just his second outing in nearly five years.

Ahead of the matchup, Jones released new training footage as he gets set to face Miocic. Check out the video below, courtesy of Jones’ Instagram page.

During this training camp, Jones has been training with the likes of jiu-jitsu whiz Gordon Ryan, as well as Olympic gold medalist and ex-WWE superstar Gable Steveson. The 37-year-old has continuously teased that this could be his final fight, although UFC CEO Dana White feels that if Jones is victorious, he could face current interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall in a unification bout.

Reigning two-time world rally champion Kalle Rovanpera swapped a rally car for a Red Bull RB8 Formula 1 car in a test at the Red Bull Ring.

Suggestions the 15-time WRC rally winner could drive an F1 car emerged earlier this season while a picture posted on his Instagram of a visit to the Red Bull Racing workshop in Milton Keynes last month further fanned speculation.

To prepare for the outing, Rovanpera visited Red Bull Racing’s headquarters for a seat fitting before taking part in a session on the team’s simulator.

“We did the seat fitting for the car to check I have everything well in the cockpit for the test and then we did a morning session on the simulator trying different smaller category formula cars building up to the bigger ones. I was able to get a hang of the track and stuff,” Rovanpera told Motorsport.com prior to the event. 

“I’m still a race driver so I want to show my potential and try to do well.”

Last week, Rovanpera headed to the Austrian Grand Prix venue, where he made his single-seater debut – first driving Formula 4 and Formula Renault 3.5 machinery, before stepping up to an older-generation Red Bull F1 car. 

Kalle Rovanpera test in a Red Bull Formula 1 car at the Red Bull Ring 

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

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The Finn completed between 40 and 50 laps at the circuit where he raced in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux series this year. 

“It was a great day, I got to drive three different formula cars. I got quite a few laps in and, of course, the F1 was something I had been looking forward to for a long time, so it was really cool to finally get to drive it. The day went well, and I was left with very good feelings,” said Rovanpera.

“The biggest differences between rally and F1 are obviously that a rally car moves a lot more from the body – F1 is a bit like a karting car, it doesn’t move much from its suspension, but it has an incredible amount of grip – and of course, F1 has a huge amount of downforce, which allows you to drive much faster in corners. It’s also physically quite different. 

“There’s a lot more lateral G-force, the car stops much more and turns more – it feels very different to the driver, there are a lot more G-forces and the car has an incredible amount of grip.

Kalle Rovanpera test in a Red Bull Formula 1 car at the Red Bull Ring 

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

“Indeed, the first time you sit in there, it feels quite different than in a rally car – you also sit in such a different position that it feels quite different – but it was really cool to get to feel it today.”

This year Rovanpera has expanded his motorsport horizons by venturing into circuit racing having opted to contest a partial World Rally Championship campaign for Toyota, ahead of a return to full-time competition next year.

Rovanpera’s circuit racing exploits have included a part campaign in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux series, which has yielded three race wins. The Finn also contested a round of the Italian Carrera Cup series at Monza last month. 

The 24-year-old is also a regular on the drifting scene, performing all over the world, and has revealed ambitions to one day compete at the Le Mans 24 Hours World Endurance Championship event.

Kalle Rovanpera test in a Red Bull Formula 1 car at the Red Bull Ring 

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Rovanpera isn’t the first WRC star to pilot an F1 car, with 1995 champion Colin McRae and nine-time champion Sebastien Loeb famously enjoying outings. 

McRae piloted a 1996 Jordan F1 car at Silverstone as part of a car swap stunt that saw then-Jordan driver Martin Brundle drive McRae’s WRC Subaru Impreza. 

In 2007, Loeb drove a Renault F1 show car at the Paul Ricard Circuit before joining Red Bull at an F1 winter test in Barcelona 2008, where he set the eighth-fastest time driving a Red Bull RB4.