Rodri won this year’s Ballon d’Or in a ceremony boycotted by Real MadridCredit: AP
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Real Madrid acted in support of runner-up Vinicius Jr, who has suffered appalling racist abuseCredit: Alamy
Real impressed no one. Yet, from the club’s point of view, acting in sympathy with Vinicius Jr made sense.
He consistently suffers appalling racial abuse and missing out on such a major award would have been a further blow in public.
This is what racism on the terraces can do. And you don’t have to be a sensitive soul to be depressed by a barrage of filth aimed at you.
Even minor abuse on the pitch, as well as from the sidelines, is unsettling and must be firmly punished.
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Abusers of Vinicius Jr appear regularly in Spanish courts and so do other contaminators — including a Real fan in the El Clasico at the Bernabeu no less.
Barcelona’s 17-year-old Lamine Yamal was on the end of vile language after scoring.
English football suffers similar incidents but the number of them in Spain is even more shameful.
LaLiga has reported 25 cases of racial abuse of Brazilian Vinicius Jr, 24, and recently three men were jailed for eight months.
Such has been the applause for his own conduct that, last season, he was presented with the Socrates Award for his fight against racism.
Yet his efforts to stop this filth is like standing in front of a fast-moving car in a gamble to dodge it.
Rodri claims the 2024 Ballon d’Or and is congratulated by his mother
In tears at one press conference, Vinicius Jr (above) said: “I just want to play football but it’s hard to move forward . . . I feel less and less like playing. It never crossed my mind to leave Spain as, if I do, I give the racists exactly what they want.
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“I will stay because, that way, the racists can continue to see my face more and more.
“I’m a bold player, I play for Real and we win a lot of titles — and that doesn’t sit well with a lot of people.”
But from fans of Osasuna, Mallorca, Real Valladolid, Barcelona, Atletico and at least five other clubs, the insults have continued.
Ballon d’Or 2024 results
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1: Rodri, Man City and Spain
2: Vinicius Jr, Real Madrid and Brazil
3: Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid and England
4: Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid and Spain
5: Erling Haaland, Man City and Norway
6: Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid and France
7: Lautaro Martinz, Inter Milan and Argentina
8: Lamine Yamal, Barcelona and Spain
9: Toni Kroos, Real Madrid and Germany
10: Harry Kane, Bayern Munich and England
11: Phil Foden, Man City and England
12: Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen and Germany
13: Dani Olmo, Barcelona and Spain
14: Ademola Lookman, Atalanta and Nigeria
15: Nico Williams, Athletic Bilbao and Spain
16: Granit Xhaka, Bayer Leverkusen and Switzerland
17: Federico Valverde, Real Madrid and Uruguay
18: Emi Martinez, Aston Villa and Argentina
19: Martin Odegaard, Arsenal and Norway
20: Hakan Calhanoglu, Inter Milan and Turkey
21: Bukayo Saka, Arsenal and England
22: Antonio Rudiger, Real Madrid and Germany
23: Ruben Dias, Man City and Portugal
24: William Saliba, Arsenal and France
25: Cole Palmer, Chelsea and England
26: Declan Rice, Arsenal and England
27: Vitinha, PSG and Portugal
28: Alejandro Grimaldo, Bayer Leverkusen and Spain
29: Mats Hummels, Roma and Germany
30: Artem Dovbyk, Roma and Ukraine
In England, the Kick it Out campaign quickly made an impact on supporters but the problem is far from over.
What at one point seemed like a possibility, now seems like a mismatch, at least according to Ilia Topuria’s coach Jorge Climent.
Just two years ago, there was plenty of talk of a potential fight between Topuria, who now holds the UFC featherweight title, and lightweight star Paddy Pimblett.
The two fighters got into a short skirmish at the host hotel for UFC Fight Night 204 in London back in March 2022, and they had a long history of social media exchanges, which were sparked by Pimblett’s comments poking fun at Russo-Georgian War.
“The truth is that at that moment there was anger because of all the history of Ilia’s family members fighting in the war, so he truly wanted to f*ck him up, but Paddy didn’t want to fight,” Climent told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I don’t know if it’s because they wanted to take care of him or the UFC wanted to protect him, but (Ilia) tried to get the fight.”
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Pimblett eventually issued a public apology for making fun of the Georgia’s losing efforts in the Russo-Georgian War, and the two continued with their careers in their respective divisions.
Things between Pimblett and Topuria resurfaced a bit after Pimblett reacted to Topuria’s KO win over Max Holloway last month at UFC 308, saying he thinks he’d still beat him if the two were to fight.
“I don’t know if that kid is in condition to fight someone with a title right now,” Climent said. “Who has he beat? All his fights, they put someone alright in front of him, just so he can exist and stay relevant. He’s very mediatic because of how he talks and all that, but I don’t see him having the quality to fight Ilia, and I don’t think he deserves it.”
When asked about a potential matchup between Topuria and Pimblett, and how it could potentially go, Climent’s answer was a simple one:
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“What would that be, abuse?”
Check out the Hablemos MMA YouTube channel for Spanish-language videos and interviews with MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Jose Mourinho has received a one-match ban and fine of about £15,000 for his actions and comments at the end of Fenerbahce’s dramatic win over Trabzonspor.
The former Chelsea and Manchester United manager sprinted on to the pitch and attempted a knee slide after Sofyan Amrabat’s stoppage-time goal earned his Fenerbahce team a 3-2 victory in an incident-packed encounter.
However, he then launched into a angry post-match tirade that condemned refereeing standards in Turkey and appeared to question the impartiality of match officials.
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In a statement, external the Turkish Football Federation said Mourinho’s comments were “contrary to sportsmanship, sports ethics or the concept of fair play” and “were diminishing the value” of football in the country.
They added that the one-time Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss’ remarks “were aimed at casting a shadow over or discrediting the impartiality of the referees and other match officials”.
In a match filled with controversy, Mourinho was unhappy with home team Trabzonspor being awarded two penalties – both after video assistant referee (VAR) consultations.
He also thought his side should have been awarded a spot-kick before Amrabat’s late winner.
JACK GREALISH is at the centre of a club-v-country row over his England call-up.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is fuming with the FA and interim manager Lee Carsley for picking the £100million ace — who has not played since October 20 due to a groin injury.
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Jack Grealish with Man City boss Pep GuardiolaCredit: Reuters
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Grealish has been recalled by Lee CarsleyCredit: Getty
Despite Taylor’s absence from competition, fans will still be treated to a star-studded 16-player field with the likes of Richie Howson, John Henderson and Lisa Ashton in action.
A new champion will be crowned in Sunderland, as Leonard Gates will not attempt to defend his World Seniors Masters title.
SunSport has all the information you need ahead of the iconic tournament.
Lightweight champion Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) is expected to make his next title defense against Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) on Jan. 18 at UFC 311, although nothing is confirmed.
“I’ve told everyone: I think I wasn’t there (against Makhachev). I didn’t fight Islam,” Oliveira told New York Post Sports through an interpreter.
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If Tsarukyan is indeed next for Makhachev, Oliveira sees similarities in their game. However, he’s leaning towards Makhachev to get the job done once again.
“They have very similar games, and I think each has to come and look out for the same things,” Oliveira said. “You have to watch out for the striking because they do offer some striking and they also have to be very mindful of the ground game.
“It’s very, very similar styles, and I think that they have to watch out for the same things from each other. I think Islam is a little step ahead of Arman. I think he’s just stronger by a little bit, but when push comes to shove, any of them could win.”
Oliveira runs things back with Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) Nov. 16 in the UFC 309 co-main event at Madison Square Garden in New York. Oliveira won their first bout by knockout to claim the vacant lightweight title at UFC 262.
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