KOLKATA: Hockey India’s Ethics Committee has initiated a fact-finding inquiry into complaints filed against former India women’s hockey captain and Executive Board member Asunta Lakra.The development comes a day after it emerged that the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports had asked Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to constitute a neutral, fair and transparent committee to probe the allegations made by Lakra against Hockey India secretary general and Hockey Jharkhand president Bhola Nath Singh and former coach Sudhir Golla. The ministry has also sought a clarification from Hockey India.In a communication issued by Justice (Retd.) Raghvendra Kumar, chairman of Hockey India’s Ethics Committee, Lakra was informed that Jharkhand player Albela Rani Toppo had filed two complaints against her, addressed to the Hockey India secretary general on Apr 5 and Jul 9.“Vide Hockey India letter dated 10.07.2026, I have been requested to conduct a fact-finding inquiry into the allegations levelled against you. The copy of both the complaints are hereby transmitted to you with the direction to file the reply/response thereof within 30th July, 2026,” states the letter, a copy of which is in possession of TOI.It further states that if no reply is received within the stipulated period, “it shall be deemed that you have to say nothing in your defence and the fact-finding inquiry shall accordingly proceed as per established procedure and law.”Reacting to the development, Lakra said, “I will abide by the Sports Ministry’s directions and place my version before the committee constituted to look into the matter. But sending this notice at this stage is nothing but an attempt to intimidate me.”Earlier, the ministry had written to Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey directing the federation to place Lakra’s complaint before its Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) under the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and sought a report on the outcome.Following the communication, Tirkey wrote to the ministry requesting an independent inquiry into Lakra’s allegations and informed members of Hockey India’s Executive Board of the same.Hockey India vice-president Asima Ali extended her support to Lakra, saying she would closely monitor the federation’s handling of the matter.“Proper and fair implementation of the Sports Code of India in Hockey will be watched over by me… and in case of any unfair or unjust practice, I will include it in my ongoing petition before the Hon’ble Delhi High Court without any delay. I also provide my full support to Ms. Asunta Lakra,” Ali wrote in a social media post.Lakra has alleged that Singh threatened her after she raised concerns over the alleged protection being extended to Golla by Hockey Jharkhand. She has also accused Golla of intimidating women players after allegations of sexual harassment surfaced against him. Both Singh and Golla have denied the allegations.

Will the 2026 World Cup end with glory for Spain or Argentina?

We also have the game no-one wanted to be part of, the bronze final, where France and England will compete for third place on the podium.

“I’ve seen Argentina numerous times at this tournament and, compared to their teams of the past, this is not an outstanding Argentina side,” said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton.

“Still, you have to admire their fight and their aggression. They fight like no other team to stay in games and win any way they can.

“They will throw everything they can at Spain – and of course they have Lionel Messi too.”

Sutton, AI and the users of the BBC’s new predictor game are predicting the results of every game at this World Cup.

Only AI managed to get one of the semi-finals right, correctly backing Argentina to beat England.

But the users still have an insurmountable overall lead with 102 of the tournament’s 104 games now completed.

Chris has been right 65 times (64%), AI has 66 (65%), but you lot are still on top with a score of 72 (71%).

AI’s predictions have been generated using Microsoft Copilot Chat. We simply asked the tool to ‘predict the results of the World Cup final and bronze final’.

The BBC predictor game allows readers to pick a winner from each knockout tie.

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Who did our pundits predict would win the 2022 World Cup?

France (9): Scott Brown, Gael Clichy, Rachel Corsie, Olivier Giroud, Danny Murphy, Paul Robinson, Tony Pulis, Alan Shearer & Chris Sutton

England (7): Thomas Frank, Joe Hart, Steph Houghton, Martin Keown, Wayne Rooney, Sue Smith & Ellen White

Spain (1): Micah Richards

The World Cup football final between Spain and Argentina, scheduled for the wee hours of Monday, is shaping up to be more than just a sporting spectacle.

The marquee event is expected to drive a spike in consumer expenditure across restaurants, pubs, multiplexes, food-delivery platforms and quick-commerce companies as fans gather to watch the match on bigger screens or celebrate at home.

Businesses across sectors are positioning themselves to capitalise on the expected surge in demand. Multiplex operators are anticipating higher occupancies after the semifinals drew strong crowds, while restaurants and bars are preparing for a sharp increase in footfall, particularly in cities where authorities have relaxed operating hours. Quick commerce and food-delivery platforms have also rolled out football-themed campaigns, discounts and rewards to capture late-night demand.

The heightened excitement has also translated into higher advertising expenditure. According to a media-buying source, advertising rates for the final have increased tenfold to ₹25 lakh for a 10-second spot from ₹2.5 lakh during the opening matches of the tournament. However, the rates remain below those commanded by cricket World Cup matches, where advertising typically starts at upwards of ₹30 lakh for a 10-second spot in the initial phase of the tournament. 

The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) expects the final to generate robust business for eateries, with Hyderabad and Bengaluru likely to benefit the most after state authorities extended operating hours for restaurants and pubs.

“Bars and pubs, which typically see lower footfall on Sunday evenings, could witness as much as a 100 per cent increase in business due to the FIFA finals,” Anurag Katriar, trustee, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), told Business Standard. 

Katriar said cloud kitchens could see business double on Sunday night, while dine-in restaurants might register a 50 per cent increase in business.

“Since the match will be played after midnight, demand for easy-to-eat food like rolls, fries, sandwiches, burgers, and pizzas are expected to see higher order volumes,” Katriar said.

In Bengaluru, where restaurants have been allowed to remain open late, the hospitality industry has welcomed the government’s decision.

“Across the three nights, restaurants and restobars across Bengaluru witnessed packed houses, translating into higher business volumes, increased goods and services tax for the state, and better earning opportunities for thousands of people employed by the industry,” said P M Ananth Narayan, founder, JustBLR Group & chapter head, NRAI Bengaluru.

“The success of this initiative demonstrates what is possible when governments and industry work together. We hope it encourages more states to adopt similar progressive measures during major sporting, cultural and entertainment events,” Narayan added.

Multiplex operators are also betting on the growing appeal of communal sports viewing to drive ticket sales.

“The enthusiastic response to our screenings, with occupancies exceeding 42 per cent, reflects the growing demand for premium, collective viewing experiences. We are delighted that PVR INOX continues to be the destination of choice for fans to experience these moments  (World Cup) together, and we look forward to bringing many more iconic sporting events to audiences across the country,” said Gautam Dutta, chief executive officer (revenue and operations), PVR INOX.

PVR INOX has screened World Cup matches across more than 100 screens in 53 cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai.

Cinépolis India has also seen strong demand, with occupancy touching nearly 90 per cent during the semifinals despite the midnight kick-off.

“Throughout the league stages we saw huge interest across our circuit. For the two semifinals we saw close to 90 per cent occupancy even though the kickoff was at midnight. With an Argentina vs Spain final it has become as big as it could, and the booking trends confirm that,” said Ashish Misra, head of commercialisation, Cinépolis India.

The company is evaluating adding more screens at key multiplexes where demand spikes and has introduced a quick-serve food and beverage menu to ensure viewers do not miss the action during the match, Misra said.

Quick-commerce and food-delivery companies are also seeking to cash in on match-night consumption through category discounts, gamified campaigns and brand partnerships.

Zepto has launched a “Street Football” campaign on its app, running until July 20, where users can unlock milestone-based rewards as instant discounts offered by participating sellers. In partnership with Nivea, the platform is also offering discounts on “Nivea Men” products. Customers purchasing eligible products worth ₹299 or more can also enter a lucky draw to win tickets to a Real Madrid home match in Spain along with official club merchandise.

Swiggy Instamart and Amazon Now are offering free delivery on orders above ₹99, while Amazon Now has rolled out discounts on products such as chips, cold drinks, ready-to-eat meals and chocolates to encourage match-night purchases.

Food-delivery platforms are also leaning into fan engagement. Zomato is offering discounts of up to 50 per cent on select items as part of its World Cup promotions. Swiggy has launched a campaign allowing users to back either Spain or Argentina ahead of the final, with participants receiving a ₹75 discount coupon on match day.

Flipkart Minutes is also offering discounts of up to 30 per cent on snacks and beverages, as platforms compete for a larger share of late-night orders.

Hodgkinson, 24, has had a frustrating outdoor season and has yet to win a Diamond League race this year, despite improving her own British record.

After breaking the 24-year-old world indoor record in Lievin in February, Hodgkinson captured her first world indoor title in March.

Those successes raised hopes that Hodgkinson would be able to break Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova’s record time of one minute and 53.28 seconds, set in Munich in 1983.

The Briton improved her national record to 1:54.33 in Stockholm in early June but suffered a shock defeat by Switzerland’s Audrey Werro, who ran the third fastest 800m in history to win the race.

Two weeks later, Hodgkinson pulled out of the 400m final at the UK Athletics Championships in tears after feeling “a little hamstring twinge” moments before the race.

After Werro improved her best time to 1:53.80 in Paris, Hodgkinson looked to kick-start her season at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene.

However, competing with both knees strapped after a heavy fall in training, she finished in second place behind world champion Lilian Odira.

Asked if the record attempt was still her target on Saturday, Hodgkinson said: “I haven’t missed any training. I feel quite good. I’m just taking the pressure off myself because I don’t have anything to prove. I don’t need to chase anything just because anybody else wants it to be done.

“I’m in really good shape and in a really good place. I think fast times come from great races. If that’s Saturday then great, if it’s in a few weeks or next year, I don’t care.”

She will face tough competition in Ethiopia’s Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma and Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol, who has made rapid strides since moving up from 400m to 800m this season and recorded a time of 1:55.60 in Paris.

However, training partner and world silver medallist Georgia Hunter Bell has pulled out of the meet because of a heavy cold.

Rising British star Phoebe Gill, who reached the Olympic semi-finals in Paris aged 17, will make her Diamond League debut having battled back from an injury that ruled her out of the 2025 outdoor season.

Kobbie Mainoo has been told to make the ultimate refusal at the World Cup

As England prepares for its third-place World Cup clash against France on Saturday, Manchester United icon Nicky Butt is advising Kobbie Mainoo to take a stand.

Thomas Tuchel is widely expected to heavily rotate his line-up for the match, which could theoretically hand Mainoo his tournament debut. To date, the 21-year-old Manchester United midfielder and Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah are the only two outfield players left unused across England’s seven matches.

However, Butt believes Mainoo should reject an appearance. The former United midfielder has publicly questioned Tuchel’s management of the youngster during the North American tournament, suggesting the prolonged benching points to deeper, unresolved issues behind the scenes.

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With Mainoo so far failing to add to his 14 international caps this summer, Butt said: “I do not know what is going on there, there’s something not quite right with it. Now they’re going to play the bomb squad in the stupid third-place game. I’d just refuse to play if I was Kobbie Mainoo. I’d say I was injured. It’s a nonsense game, especially when you’ve been treated like that.

“He’s not played a minute of football, now to go and start this pointless jumped-up friendly and potentially get injured for the whole season… no.” Beyond his frustration with Tuchel’s handling of Mainoo, Butt believes the German should face the sack for the way England crashed out in the semi-finals.

He explained: “There’s no way he [Tuchel] can stay on. Not a cat in hell’s chance after that. If he stays on, John McDermott [the FA’s technical director] needs to be sacked as well. There’s no way you can keep him now. He’s not a Sir Bobby Robson or Kevin Keegan, someone that the nation loves.

“You’re talking about a manager that’s come in and played negative football, crazy negative football, in the semi-final against a beatable Argentina team. And it shouldn’t really matter, but people will go against him because he’s German as well, so he’s going to have a nightmare.

“He’s an unbelievable club manager, so just let him go. He won’t want to stay. He might say he does, but deep down he’ll be thinking, ‘pay up, I’m out of here’. If we were nine months down the line, I’d definitely be going for Pep Guardiola.

“But Pep can’t leave Man City a month ago, saying he needs a rest from football, and then go straight back in. He can’t do that.” Butt also named Newcastle boss Eddie Howe and United States national team manager Mauricio Pochettino as potential candidates to replace Tuchel.

He said: “Eddie Howe would be brilliant. I’d love him to go in, it’d be great. Mauricio Pochettino’s got an unbelievable relationship with John McDermott and he picks it. When McDermott was the academy manager at Tottenham, Pochettino was the manager, and they had a really, really good relationship.

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“I was in and around it with the Manchester United academy, we would do training camps there so I’ve seen it first hand. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened and I wouldn’t be against it at all. He’s a very, very good manager.

“A likeable person, plays good football everywhere he goes. But we all said the same about Tuchel, yet when they go into that England dynamic, they just change, it’s crazy. I can’t put my finger on why.”

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Lionel Messi has already won the World Cup, but the Argentina captain added another chapter to his astonishing career on Wednesday, inspiring his team to victory in their semi-final against England.

The defending champions were up against it, trailing to Anthony Gordon’s goal until the 85th minute in Atlanta before Messi worked his magic.

This time the tournament’s all-time leading marksman did not score. But he teed up Enzo Fernandez for the equaliser and delivered the cross for Lautaro Martinez to head in the winner, sealing a 2-1 victory.

“These are special feelings. I think the squad could feel it and this was a game the Argentine people really wanted to win, and so did we,” Messi, 39, said after facing England for the first time in his career.

“This is still a special fixture.”

He was not quite able to emulate Diego Maradona, who scored two iconic goals in Argentina’s 1986 World Cup quarter-final win over England.

But he will settle for the two assists, and he has already emulated his legendary predecessor by winning the trophy four years ago in Qatar.

Now, after Argentina maintained their incredible record of never having lost a World Cup semi-final, Messi will appear in a second straight final, and a third overall.

Read moreWorld Cup 2026: France, Spain, Argentina – Who are the favourites?

The South Americans are aiming to become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962, and Messi, the sole survivor from the side that lost to Germany in 2014, will become just the second player after Brazilian great Cafu to appear in three finals.

“It is crazy to be playing in back-to-back finals,” he said.

Argentina had already staged a stunning late comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 in the same Atlanta stadium in the last 16, and they smelled blood as England sat deeper and deeper after going ahead.

“Once again we managed to do the job when things were looking bad. We never stopped believing,” said Messi, who has now played a record 33 World Cup games across six different tournaments.

For long spells on Wednesday his influence was limited, but that has often been the way with Messi and he was still able to drag his team to victory.

“I felt like for large parts of the game, we dealt with him really well. But as always with the most dangerous players in the world, when they have the ball in the final third, they can create something,” said England captain Harry Kane.

“He’s done that again today. He’s obviously one of the best players ever for a reason.”

Spanish reunion

Messi is arguably the greatest of all, and there may no longer be an argument if Argentina successfully defend their title in Sunday’s final against Spain.

Pele and Maradona only played in two World Cup finals while Maradona won the trophy just once.

Messi is also the all-time top scorer in World Cup history with 21 goals, although Kylian Mbappé is just one behind and plays Saturday against England in the third-place play-off.

He could easily have bowed out of international football after 2022, when Argentina defeated France in the final.

But he appears to have been saving himself for this World Cup in recent years, removing himself from the intensity of European football and acclimatising to American conditions with Inter Miami.

While Cristiano Ronaldo‘s ongoing presence in the Portugal team may have held them back, Messi remains almost as influential as ever.

“He is just the leader and key player in any team in which he plays,” said England coach Thomas Tuchel.

Now he gets his chance to play Spain in a competitive game for the first time, and the identity of the opposition makes the occasion even more special.

Messi moved to Barcelona with his family at the age of 13 and stayed for two decades, before leaving in 2021 for Paris Saint-Germain.

He has a Spanish passport and may one day settle down again in Castelldefels, just down the coast from Barcelona.

But before Messi thinks about that, he wants to douse Spain’s dreams.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Devin Haney is yet to step into the ring this year but is looking to prove that he is one of boxing’s pound-for-pound stars with a fight date looming, and now he has revealed the four men whom he believes warrant a place on boxing’s ‘Mount Rushmore’.

Haney dominated Brian Norman Jr to capture the WBO welterweight title back in November, but ‘The Dream’ is still waiting to defend the belt, despite links to a rematch with Ryan Garcia and bouts against both Conor Benn and Shakur Stevenson.

Despite those rumours, Haney could instead take on WBO mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis in his next outing, before potential clashes with Stevenson and Garcia in 2027.

As Haney looks to achieve greatness of his own, the Californian told Inside The Ring the four legends that he would place on boxing’s ‘Mount Rushmore’.

“My Mount Rushmore of fighters are Floyd [Mayweather] because he changed the game, his defence, he just brought a whole different vibe to the sport of boxing.

“My next is Sugar Ray [Leonard] because he was just a killer in the ring, he had the offence and the defence, his defence was his offence, he was just Sugar Ray. 

“[Muhammad] Ali. Ali just stood for so much and he is ‘The Greatest’.

“Number four, this is hard, the fourth spot, I’ll go Sugar Ray Robinson. What he was doing back in those days, fighting so often and all of those fights that he won. He is just a legend, so I would say Sugar Ray Robinson.”

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It’s hard to argue with that assessment, with Mayweather, Leonard, Ali and Robinson all widely regarded as some of the greatest of all time due to the elite achievements they have all managed inside the ring.

As for Haney, his bout with Davis has been ordered by the WBO and will head to purse bids if an agreement is not reached by Monday, July 20.