The Delhi High Court has protected the personality rights of India cricketer Abhishek Sharma and restrained third parties from unauthorisedly misusing his name, image, etc., for any commercial or personal gain, including the dissemination of AI-generated content and the sale of merchandise. In an interim order passed on July 9 on Sharma’s lawsuit, Justice Jyoti Singh directed Meta Platforms and other online platforms, as well as e-commerce sellers hosting the infringing material, to take down the offending links.

The lawsuit stated that several social media users were using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate false images and videos of Sharma, which were not only spreading rumours but also lowering his commercial value and dignity.

The plea also highlighted that certain handles had created morphed images with abusive, offensive and uncivilised language, while some were selling apparel bearing the cricketer’s name, image and likeness without permission.

Justice Singh observed that Sharma is a prominent player of the Indian national team, widely recognised as a rising and influential figure in international cricket, and that the content in question was “false and obscene” and portrayed him in a bad light.

The judge said that in cases where personality rights are established, an individual is entitled to protection against the unauthorised use or exploitation of his attributes.

Several public figures, including actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Salman Khan, Art of Living founder Ravi Shankar, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, podcaster Raj Shamani and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, had approached the high court earlier seeking protection of their personality and publicity rights.

The high court had granted them interim relief

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UK & Norway PM Sport Football Jerseys Ahead Of England, Norway Quarterfinal Clash

The Minnesota Vikings have not won a playoff game on Kevin O’Connell’s watch — he’s been in charge for four seasons — and unless that changes, he could be the proverbial hot seat, according to SB Nation‘s Bill Williamson.

He published a list last week for surprise skippers who could face the music after the 2026 campaign, and for better or worse, O’Connell made the cut.

Year Five Brings a Different Standard for O’Connell

Williamson: O’Connell May Be on the Hot Seat

On a list that included Detroit Lions boss Dan Campbell, Williamson scribed, “O’Connell’s situation is similar to Campbell’s. He is considered an excellent coach and he won the NFL Coach of the Year award in 2024, but if he fails to lead the Vikings to the playoffs for a second straight year, there could be consequences, especially if the quarterback situation is a mess again.”

“He was hired partly because of his prowess as a quarterback whisperer. If progress isn’t made, he could be in trouble. Remember, new Minnesota general manager Nolan Teasley doesn’t have ties to O’Connell, so he must prove himself in 2026.”

David Canales (Carolina Panthers), Demeco Ryans (Houston Texans), and Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders) also made the cut for fringe hot-seat contenders.

The Logic Is Not Terrible

While most Vikings fans exalt O’Connell as a wonderful head coach — he has the NFL’s fifth-best winning percentage on his watch — Williamson’s classification of the hot seat is not outrageous.

For example, how much longer would the Vikings’ ownership group and new general manager Nolan Teasley allow O’Connell to stick around without a playoff win? The clock has reached four years. Is it five years? Six? Or — the year is 2028, and the Vikings haven’t won a postseason game with O’Connell in charge. Does the man just have untouchable job security?

In the last several decades, these coaches, like O’Connell, have entered Year No. 5 without a playoff win:

• Jack Del Rio (Jaguars)
• Jeff Fisher (Titans)
• Dennis Green (Vikings)
• Dick Jauron (Bears)
• Marvin Lewis (Bengals)
• Kevin O’Connell (Vikings)
• Dan Reeves (Broncos)
• Jim Schwartz (Lions)
• David Shula (Bengals)
• Norv Turner (Commanders)
• Dave Wannstedt (Bears)
• Sam Wyche (Bengals)

None ultimately won a Super Bowl, though Wyche and the Bengals reached the big game in 1988.

The Viking Age‘s Chris Schad noted last month, “It appears that O’Connell’s job isn’t in jeopardy. O’Connell has a 43-25 record and won an NFC North title since being hired by the Vikings in 2022, but he’s the only head coach in the division without a playoff win.”

“It’s also fair to note that Hall of Famer Tony Dungy and future Hall of Famer Andy Reid have been fired for the worst track records in the playoffs. But it feels like the Vikings are invested in O’Connell the same way the Cincinnati Bengals were invested in Marvin Lewis, who coached the team for 16 seasons without a playoff victory from 2003 to 2018.”

Likelihood of a Poor Season Is Low

Thankfully for O’Connell, his roster is in decent shape to end the drought. His defense ranked third overall in 2025 per DVOA and EPA/Play. The unit lost Jonathan Greenard via trade in April but welcomed newcomers like Caleb Banks (DT), Domonique Orange (DT), Jake Golday (LB), Jakobe Thomas (S), and James Pierre (CB). Because Brian Flores remains the defensive coordinator, the defense should be in good shape and is probably good enough to win a Super Bowl, so long as the offense does its part.

On that note, the Vikings signed two main free agents for O’Connell’s side of the ball: quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver Jauan Jennings. In 2025, the offense was doomed by poor and inconsistent quarterback play; the working theory heading into 2026 is that Murray will provide a new level of production and stability.

The only thing that would surely get O’Connell fired in 2026 would be a terrible season, such as 3-14 or 4-13. At the roster’s current level, those scenarios are unlikely.

Just Win, Baby

This is “easy” for O’Connell to fix. Just win a damn playoff game. It’s not complicated.

O’Connell has reached the postseason twice — his first season and in 2024. It’s time to take the next step. A single playoff win would change the narrative on O’Connell’s outlook, as it would show growth and a step in the right direction. For example, Mike Zimmer won a postseason game in 2019, and that arguably bought him two more seasons as the skipper.

Now, O’Connell needs that.

The 40-year-old may not be explicitly on the hot seat entering 2026, but if his team misses the postseason tournament or gets clobbered in the Wildcard Round, Williamson is correct that hot-seat chatter would be inevitable.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

France team at FIFA World Cup (AP Photo)

Spain’s former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has come under fire after claiming that France’s national football team has “no French players” ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final between the two countries.The remark, made in an opinion piece for Spanish news website El Debate, sparked widespread criticism from political leaders in both Spain and France, who described it as xenophobic and racist. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the statement, writing on X: “There are those who still measure belonging by surname, place of birth, or skin colour. Others measure it by our roots in a country and our will to contribute to it.” He added, “Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it. Not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements.”

French leaders unite in condemning remarks

The criticism quickly spread across France. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez called Rajoy’s comments “absolutely unacceptable”, while Minister against Discrimination Aurore Berge denounced the “repeated racist outbursts” and said, “It’s time they stopped and that sport becomes sport again: a place where you are judged on your talent and by no other criteria.”Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel compared Rajoy’s remarks to earlier racist comments made by a Paraguayan senator about Kylian Mbappe, saying, “They just can’t stop themselves from slinging this disgusting racism.”French leaders stressed that the national team represents the country’s diversity. Overseas Territories Minister Naima Moutchou said, “Every time Les Bleus win, the same racist obsessions and insults re-emerge.” Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure added that “France has no skin colour or religion.”France’s embassy in Madrid also responded, saying, “All the players of the French team are French. Of 26 players, 23 were born in France. The three who were born abroad are also French.”French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo also criticised Rajoy’s statement, describing it as carrying an “intolerable undertone of racism.”The controversy has overshadowed the build-up to the highly anticipated World Cup semi-final, with political leaders on both sides insisting that players should be judged by their talent rather than their background.

Almost a week after the United States became the final co-host to exit World Cup 2026, the fallout from the suspension of striker Folarin Balogun’s red card ban continues.

Organizers FIFAtook the near-unprecedented decision to suspend the forward’s ban after an intervention from US President Donald Trump and despite FIFA having statutes forbidding political interference.

“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino when defending the process.

“They operate autonomously … Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.”

This particular decision was taken by FIFA’s 18-strong disciplinary committee, or at least this was the impression given by FIFA’s communications. But a report from UK newspaper The Times stated on Monday that the committee’s chairman, Mohammad al-Kamali, made the call unilaterally.

“Senior figures in football have questioned why FIFA has declined to publish the written reasons for the Balogun decision, adding to the lack of transparency around the case, or even to explain why Balogun’s ban was waived,” Times report reads.

“It is the first time since automatic suspensions for red cards were introduced to the World Cup that one has been lifted.”

Committee decisions consistently taken by an individual

FIFA has not yet responded to questions on the matter from DW or any other outlet. Al-Kamali is a lawyer from the United Arab Emirates, which has strong links with the US, and heads the committee made up of legal experts, practicing lawyers and officials from football federations.

However, the committee’s power now appears to lie almost entirely in al-Kamali’s hands. The Financial Times reported last week that the body’s last 110 published decisions were made by one person, with al-Kamali “allowed to make rulings alone or delegate that power to someone else. Not all decisions are made public.”

Despite a host of other controversial decisions, no other rulings have been made by the disciplinary committee at the World Cup.

Infantino looks to expand World Cup still further

Though politics have been a constant theme, the newly expanded tournament has been widely hailed as a success on the pitch. Now Infantino has hinted that he is looking to further expand from 48 to 64 teams for the next men’s tournament in 2030.

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“When organizing a World Cup, it’s important to organize it for the whole world. Not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup,” he told Swiss pay TV station blue Sport

“You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world.”

Infantino called the 2026 expansion a “huge success” and nine that nine out of 10 African teams reached the knockout rounds. However, only two of the nine Asian teams advanced from their groups and only one team from outside Europe and South America (Morocco) made the quarterfinals.

South American governing body CONMEBOL put forward an official proposal to expand the tournament to 64 teams in April 2025, but no decision has yet been made on the 2030 tournament.

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The 2030 World Cup is to be predominantly co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with the first three matches to be hosted by Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. This is ostensibly to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup, but it is also being seen as a way to pave the way for Saudi Arabia to host in 2034 as it means three continents (Europe, South America, Africa) all get a turn at hosting a competition at once, thus fulfilling FIFA’s remit to rotate tournaments around the continents.

The further expansion has not been entirely well received by other continental federations. Victor Montagliani, head of North American and Caribbean federation CONCACAF, said it “doesn’t feel right” and would harm “the broader football ecosystem.” His counterpart at the Asian federation, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, said such a move would mean “chaos.” The European federation, UEFA, who are at loggerheads with FIFA, have said it is a “bad idea,” both for the tournament and qualifiying process. Complaints about an increased player workload also seem likely to be raised once again.

Despite the criticism, Infantino is expected to be easily reelected for another term next year, which would enable him to secure the expansion.

Edited by: Chuck Penfold

WWE will swing for the fences for the second straight year when it hosts one of its major premium live events of the year at a Major League Baseball ballpark.

The company announced on Monday that Survivor Series: WarGames will take place at Daikin Park in Houston – the home of the Astros – on Saturday, Nov. 28. It follows up the success of last year’s Survivor Series: WarGames event, which took place at Petco Park in San Diego – the home of the Padres.

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Roman Reigns lands a Superman Punch on Brock Lesnar during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 29, 2025. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)

“Houston is the perfect host city to celebrate this milestone chapter in Survivor Series’ storied history, and we look forward to partnering with Houston First and the Houston Astros to deliver an unforgettable event,” WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said in a news release.

WarGames is a highly anticipated match, which has taken place yearly among wrestlers on the WWE roster since 2022. The premium live event has also seen some dramatic returns.

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Stephanie Vaquer enters the ring during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)

In 2023, CM Punk came back to WWE at the end of the show and shocked the entire sports world. Randy Orton also made his in-ring return during the match. Last year, a mystery attacker interrupted the WarGames match and gave the win to The Vision and company.

It’s unclear what is in the cards right now for the 40th edition of the event.

“We are proud to be able to help bring one of the world’s premier entertainment brands to Houston for what promises to be an unforgettable holiday weekend,” said Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First, which partnered with WWE to bring the event back to Houston.

Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio celebrate their win during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)

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“Hosting WWE Survivor Series will bring thousands of passionate fans to our city and generate a significant economic impact for community. Houston has earned a reputation for delivering world-class entertainment events, and we look forward to welcoming the WWE Universe to our destination.”

LOS ANGELES — The Arizona Diamondbacks placed right-hander Zac Gallen on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, while left-hander Mitch Bratt was recalled to start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gallen was supposed to start the final game before the All-Star break before manager Torey Lovullo announced a late change.

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Gallen, 30, has struggled for more than a month, going 0-5 with an 8.24 ERA over his past eight starts, going back to May 29. He is 3-9 on the season with a 6.34 ERA over 19 starts.

“I think he felt something and he spoke up and that’s when we decided to get him examined,” said Lovullo, who added that a timeline for recovery will be established during the All-Star break.

A veteran of eight major league seasons, Gallen is 69-61 with a 3.83 ERA over 195 career starts for the Miami Marlins and Diamondbacks. He was a National League All-Star in 2023 when he finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting.

Bratt, 23, is making his second appearance on the Diamondbacks’ roster. He made his major league debut June 24 when he allowed one run over three innings in a start against the St Louis Cardinals.

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From the show

World Cup Debrief

Reading time
1 min

Les Bleus have arrived in Dallas, where they will take on the European champions for a place in the World Cup final. Both sides are expected to face their toughest test yet, with Spain having conceded just one goal so far, while France have kept clean sheets in each of their last three matches.

It’s been a good summer to be the world No 114. First Maja Chwalinska produced one of tennis’ great fairytale stories to reach the French Open final as a qualifier, winning nine matches in a row to get there; then Britain’s Arthur Fery embarked on a similarly unpredictable run to the Wimbledon semi-finals as a wildcard.

But while Fery’s magical run has stolen the headlines and the hearts of punters around Wimbledon, it stands in stark contrast to the overall performance of the home nation. Only a week before the wildcard’s astonishing win over Grigor Dimitrov in a five-set thriller, Britain endured its worst-ever opening day at Wimbledon, with 10 defeats from 10 matches.

All in all 15 Britons were to fall in the first round. Some of those were wildcards or qualifiers who simply ran into far superior opposition; others, including some of Britain’s best players, utterly failed to take the golden chance offered to them. There is a wider crisis in British tennis; Fery’s feelgood run has simply papered over the cracks.

Since Andy Murray’s retirement British tennis has been led by Cameron Norrie, usually a dependable, solid player who was left bitterly disappointed by a first-round exit. In his absence there is little leadership among the Brits on the men’s tour, which is largely populated by talented if injury-prone athletes who are yet to turn themselves into consistent features at big tournaments, or the women’s, which has the odd top-50 presence but is mostly top-100 players who have probably reached their ceiling.

It’s not like there are no Brits at all – there are 19 men in the top 300, a good return – but few have been able to truly break through, or stay there, and the gulf between winning at Challenger level – as three Brits did this weekend – and on the ATP Tour is mighty.

Despite having much more financial might, particularly as the host of a grand slam which generates a huge chunk of overall Tour revenue, the UK’s tennis system is light-years behind the likes of Italy (eight men in the top 100, including five-time major winner Jannik Sinner, grand slam semi-finalist Matteo Arnaldi and French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli) on the men’s side or Czechia (nine in the top 100 and three of the last four Wimbledon champions) on the women’s.

There are lessons to be drawn from those countries, but also from much closer to home: the scarcely believable success story which is British men’s doubles. For the last four years running a Brit has won the Wimbledon title; last year it was two, Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool. There are five British men in the world’s top 20 and they frequently battle for the top titles, notably at the ATP Finals last year, where all of those five made the semi-finals. Their success is owed in part to the highly regarded Louis Cayer, the national men’s doubles coach – the only one in existence.

One could point simply to luck of the draw: you can’t manufacture a tennis prodigy out of thin air, and there’s nothing to be done about once-in-a-generation talents cropping up elsewhere in Europe. But a lot of it comes down to the environment players are raised in and the access they have to opportunity.

Some would suggest the fact that promising young players are recruited to the National Academy in Loughborough, and the nature of the centralised model the LTA has recently opted for, have weakened grassroots tennis. Few local clubs are given the resources to produce top players in the manner in which clubs across Europe’s tennis behemoths do, while children who aren’t talent-spotted at a young age can fall through the cracks without the opportunity to develop. There is little investment in coaching and clubs at a micro level, with the inevitable result that young players who can’t afford or access expensive coaching, top-class facilities, or regular, quality tournament fields go by the wayside.

And it hardly bodes well for the health of the centralised system that most of the top British players of the current era, rather than progressing all the way through that pathway, went to college in the US. Norrie paved the way in playing college tennis at Texas Christian University, which Jacob Fearnley also attended, while Fery progressed to the professional tour via a tennis scholarship to Stanford, where he became the top-ranked college player in the States. Andy Murray famously joined Barcelona’s Sanchez-Casal Academy as a teen and grew up training in Spain rather than in the UK. It hardly inspires confidence in a system if players choose to leave it in their droves – and if they achieve greater things than those staying behind.

And there are concerns over the durability of home players, too. Jack Draper is capable of astonishing highs, reaching a peak ranking of fourth in the world last year, but since then he has been consigned to the treatment room with a series of worrying injuries, having already endured numerous injury layoffs earlier in his budding career. The litany of injuries Emma Raducanu has had to deal with could fill an entire book. Another promising Brit, Sonay Kartal, has missed the entire clay and grass swings with a troublesome back injury. Perhaps it is simply awkward timing, a strange coincidence; but few other countries have half their top talent laid off at the same time.

There are further awkward questions to be asked, too. Until Fery’s glorious run, discussions about wildcards at Wimbledon largely centred around Dan Evans, the retiring hero who was not granted a proper send-off at his home slam, his career instead coming to an end on the lowkey Court 15 alongside doubles partner Henry Searle.

He lambasted the LTA for “not having the minerals” to tell him explicitly why he wasn’t given a singles wildcard (the governing body advises the AELTC on its wildcard selection), and for its failure to wish him well on his retirement in person. It all added to the impression of a governing body locked away in an ivory tower, interested in bottom lines rather than nurturing players both young and old.

Perhaps this is unfair, but sport is a results-based business, and those results aren’t forthcoming. Fery’s run to the semi-finals is a stunning achievement and not to be trifled with. But it shouldn’t obscure the deeper issues within British tennis, which cannot be solved by one young starlet having a dazzling breakout run every few years. Instead, it should be the catalyst to turn those runs into sustained success and consistency at the top, to put Britain’s talent among the tennis elite.

Brendon McCullum has apologised to English cricket fans for falling short as Test head coach, accepting that “it’s time for someone else to have a go”.

McCullum will remain in charge of the limited-overs set-up but was axed from the red-ball role he had held since 2022 after overseeing seven defeats in the last nine matches.

The New Zealander was euphemistically said to have “stood down” in an official England and Wales Cricket Board statement released on Sunday, but was quick to admit that he had been pushed.

“Yeah, I got a tap on the shoulder,” he said.

“I was disappointed but at the same time I fully respect the decision. We’re in a results business and fundamentally our results weren’t good enough. It’s time for someone else to have a go.

“We didn’t always get it right. For that, I put my hand up and say we weren’t able to get there.”

A 2-1 defeat to New Zealand spelled the end of his Test tenure but he was already hanging by a thread in the aftermath of a chaotic 4-1 defeat in the Ashes over the winter.

That extended a poor record in the flagship contests against the other members of the so-called ‘big three’, losing away to Australia and India and drawing 2-2 against both on home soil.

“We just weren’t quite able to win those big series, against India and Australia, the two marquee series. We just weren’t able to get the results and for that I guess I can only say sorry,” he said.

“I was the leader of that group. I was in charge of the team culturally, in charge of the team tactically, in charge of the team results-wise as well.

“If you don’t get the results, being a results business, fundamentally you get replaced. I’m not unaccustomed to that, I’ve been around this game for 20-odd years and I know if you aren’t getting the results, someone else needs an opportunity.

“I put my hand up for that and accept it wasn’t good enough.”

PA