United States international Bodugum Akhilesh Reddy has been banned from all forms of cricket for eight years after being found guilty of match-fixing.

An ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found Reddy breached three counts of the sport’s anti-corruption code during the Abu Dhabi T10 League in the United Arab Emirates last year.

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The 26-year-old was part of the Aspin Stallions side that also featured former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and England’s Sam Billings and which reached the Abu Dhabi T10 final in 2025.

The spinner made his USA debut against Cayman Islands in April 2025 and played four T20s for the country.

The ICC said the tribunal found Reddy guilty of “attempting to fix, contrive or otherwise influence improperly, or being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or other aspect of matches in the ADT10 2025”.

He was also found guilty of encouraging another participant to engage in match-fixing and obstructing the investigation “through deletion of data and messages from a mobile device”.

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The ban has been backdated to 21 November 2025 when Reddy was provisionally suspended after making two appearances in the T10 League.

Now that Gianno Infantino has shelved his plans to create a commercial subsidiary for the World Cup and other FIFA events, UEFA’s boycott of FIFA events is over and matches now appear less in danger. Nevertheless, the European governing body says it is now “rebuilding trust” with FIFA — and the story continues to develop rapidly.

As a result, increased focus will be put on women’s football when the U20 World Cup starts on September 5 in Poland, and when the U17 World Cup starts in October in Morocco. There are also matches around the world that will decide the qualifiers for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil in the same month. Despite there being scant mention in FIFA’s subsidiary proposal of the women’s game, it will be the first test of life after it.

While a boycott is now off the table, the games will be harder to navigate given the current chaos around the sport’s governing body. This is far from ideal for the teams competing, particularly given the tournament’s importance. 

Football associations have pull support for Infantino

With UEFA, Europe’s football governors, forming a united front, it is assumed that most, if not all, football associations on the continent will withdraw their support in the coming days.

The first nation to publicly drop their support for Gianni Infantino was Finland, last week. Wales followed on Monday, saying in a statement that “failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept,” before England followed suit later in the day.

Germany’s FA (DFB) is the biggest sports association in the world, but has yet to officially withdraw its support. It is expected to though, especially when considering the recent words of DFB Director Andreas Rettig. The 63-year-old recently told Stern magazine in an interview that Infantino’s recent actions have led to “an irreparable loss of trust” and that football needs to “hit the reset button. We need a different culture. Because trust is the hardest currency.”

“From my perspective, Mr. Infantino has invested a great deal of time, money, and energy into maintaining his power structure. Clearly, many decisions served primarily to consolidate his own position,” added Retting.

FIFA presidential election next year

The election for Infantino’s post is on March 18, 2027, at the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco.

He will run for re-election as president for a final four-year term, looking to gain 106 votes from FIFA’s 211 member states (Uefa has 55 votes, Africa 54, Asia 46, Concacaf 35, Oceania 11 and Conmebol 10) to win. Each state gets a vote and voting is done in a secret ballot, which takes time.

However, it seems as though Infantino is increasingly under pressure, and if 19 of the 37 members of the FIFA Council, the organization’s main executive body, call for an emergency meeting in the next two weeks, he could be asked to resign. Several members of the council, including Germany’s Bernd Neuendorf, have publicly crititcized Infantino for failing to consult them about his latest plans.

There might also be an Extraordinary FIFA Congress if 43 associations formally request it. Given that UEFA has 55 members, it holds the power to request it at any time. For Infantino to be voted out through a vote of no confidence, 106 votes would be required.

Before his venture to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors ended in chaos after widespread condemnation, Infantino looked almost certain to win re-election. The reported revenues from this summer’s World Cup were $15 billion (€13 billion), a significantly higher number than expected and one that would have strengthened his position in the organization, given that much of it would be redistibuted among the member organizations.

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No clear candidates to succeed Infantino

There has been a lot of speculation about who might succeed Infantino since his position has come under threat in the last week, but it is too soon to really know the legitimacy of any claims. In any case, any potential challengers must declare their candidacy by 18 November.

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the Paris Saint-Germain chairman, had been touted as a potential candidate given his increasingly influential position in world football. However, the Qatari recently ruled himself out, with a representative for the executive reportedly saying via Politico: “Nasser has absolutely no ambition, no intention, no interest in the Fifa role.” Qatar is one of the few federations to have publicly backed Infantino in recent days.

The most obvious candidate is the current UEFA President, Alexander Ceferin, but the Slovenian lawyer is reportedly also not interested in the role.

Concacaf (the confederation of North and Central America and the Caribbean) president Victor Montagliani is one of the few candidates who has expressed interest in the role in the past, but it is unclear whether the man who speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish is ready to challenge now.

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Outspoken Norwegian FA President Lise Klaveness has supporters, and, after an initial failure, reached the UEFA Executive Committee in 2025. But the outspoken style that has won her admirers is thought not to have the broad appeal needed in a FIFA candidate. Some also believe her gender may count against her.

Finally, AFC chief, Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who lost out to Infantino in the 2016 election, could be a contender if the AFC breaks ranks from FIFA in the way UEFA have. A member of Bahrain’s ruling House of Khalifa,  the 60-year-old called Infantino’s actions “totally unacceptable” and may be tempted to go against him again, though human rights questions contributed to his previous defeat.

Edited by: Matt Pearson

All India Chess Federation (AICF) acts after Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta’s concerns

NEW DELHI: The All India Chess Federation (AICF) is working to ensure the senior National Chess Championship is held later this year after concerns were raised over the tournament’s initial scheduling for March 2027.TimesofIndia.com has learnt that AICF officials are in constant touch with stakeholders, including the host state association, to finalise dates in the November-December window.The senior National Championship was earlier scheduled for March 25 to April 4, 2027, in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, a move that would have meant no nationals in the 2026 calendar year.“The calendar was packed. It was very difficult to make room for the event. Yet, after discussing with the team, we have decided to host it in the November-December timeframe,” a senior AICF official told TimesofIndia.com.It is understood that a packed domestic and international calendar forced the federation to initially defer the senior National Championship, but the AICF is now doing everything possible to stage the event later this year.The development comes after five-time Commonwealth champion and Arjuna Awardee Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta raised concerns over the earlier schedule, saying it could adversely affect players.Speaking to TimesofIndia.com, another AICF official said the federation prioritised age-group National Championships so players can qualify for world championships without running into age-eligibility issues. The senior championship doesn’t have any age-related deadline, which is why it has been kept for later in the calendar.

GM Abhijeet Gupta calls out the calendar

Gupta had questioned the earlier plan on social media, pointing out that a March-April window could clash with school board examinations and create logistical challenges for young players.In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Gupta wrote, “India is producing world champions, but are we making it harder for the next generation to even compete? The 2026 National Championship is now scheduled for March 2027, meaning there will effectively be no National Championship in 2026.”In his post, Gupta laid out three major pain points for players. The late March-early April window clashes directly with crucial school board exams, forcing young prodigies to choose between academics and their chess careers; host venues in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities add longer, costlier, and trickier travel logistics for families; and overall, these barriers end up locking out the very talent the system should be nurturing.Concluding his appeal, the 36-year-old veteran Grandmaster had directly urged the AICF to rethink its scheduling and planning for the sake of India’s rising stars. Following those concerns, the federation has accelerated efforts to identify a suitable date before the end of the year.The last time India hosted a senior National Championship was back in October 2025, when Panneerselvam Iniyan edged out Goutham Krishna on tiebreaks to take home the title.

In April, Skinner faced questions about his future, insisting he had “no doubts” that he remained the best person for the job.

There had been no internal discussions about his position going into the World Sevens tournament in May – and the club were satisfied with results.

The expectation was to challenge for silverware and try to qualify for Europe again. United lost the League Cup final to Chelsea, missed out on a top-three finish by nine points but had reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

All in all, given their budget was considerably lower than their top-three rivals (their wage bill was £5.9m in 2024-25, while Chelsea’s was £14.5m), Skinner had done a good job in the face of widespread scrutiny from fans.

But United sources say as the new season approached, discussions took place and it was clear Skinner and the club were not aligned on the direction they were going.

As United moved towards a sustainable model, focused on youth development, Skinner had become increasingly frustrated at a lack of squad investment.

Following their 3-0 defeat by rivals Manchester City in March, Skinner said: “The team are giving absolutely everything they can. It’s clear to me that if we get the right investment in the right areas, then we can meet those expectations.”

He echoed the sentiment following their cup final defeat by Chelsea and again on the final day of the season as they looked ahead to the summer transfer window.

Yet despite a quiet January window, United have not acted with pace this summer, instead signing 22-year-old defender Andrea Medina and goalkeeper Janina Leitzig, who is presumably back-up to the established Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

While United remain cagey in the market, their rivals are spending big with Arsenal bringing in the likes of England international Georgia Stanway and Spain full-back Ona Batlle, while Chelsea paid £850,000 for one of United’s key players, Melvine Malard.

Skinner had struggled to win over supporters, so faced with intense external scrutiny, limited squad depth and clear disagreements over the club’s lack of spending, his position became untenable for both parties.

The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired right-handed starting pitcher José Soriano from the Los Angeles Angels hours ahead of Monday’s MLB trade deadline, the teams announced Monday. In return, the Angels will receive shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala, outfielder Eddie Micheletti, and right-hander Angel Rivero.

Soriano, 27, has enjoyed a strong season in 2026 as a member of the Angels rotation, and he’s under team control through the 2028 season. Those multiple years of control added significantly to his trade value and explain why interim Angels general manager John Mozeliak was able to get such a substantial return. 

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Soriano joins the Blue Jays only hours after they sent ertswhile ace Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs for two prospects.

The Angels, under new leadership, get back a significant prospect haul, headlined by 20-year-old Nimmala, the No. 20 pick in the 2023 Draft. MLB Pipeline ranked him the Blue Jays’ second-best prospect, highlighting the power that “continued to show flashes of excitement, stemming from his upright right-handed stance and vicious uppercut swing,” especially considering his youth. 

This season, Nimmala has been promoted as high as Double-A, where he’s hitting .279/.355/.451. Neither Micheletti nor Rivero made Pipeline’s top 30 Blue Jays prospects. Here now are our grades for both teams.

Blue Jays grade: B+

Soriano is exactly the Blue Jays’ type, but the deal is a pricey gamble

The Blue Jays have a type — loud stuff and less than stellar control — and Soriano fits it to a T. Whether they can help Soriano harness his stuff the same way they helped Dylan Cease remains to be seen, but Soriano aligns with what the Blue Jays do well with pitchers. That’s promising, though it does not guarantee success. (Getting Soriano away from the Angels is another reason to think there’s another level here.)

Toronto enters play Monday 4 ½ games behind the third wild card spot with six teams ahead of them. Soriano will boost the team’s slim postseason odds this year, but this trade is geared more toward the future, given his remaining team control. Here is the Blue Jays’ 2027 rotation depth chart using only players under contract or team control beyond this season:

1. RHP Dylan Cease
2. RHP José Soriano
3. RHP Trey Yesavage
4. RHP Cody Ponce (rehabbing from ACL surgery)
5. RHP José Berríos (out until second half with Tommy John surgery)
6. RHP Bowden Francis (will miss first few weeks with Tommy John surgery)
7. RHP Jake Bloss

The Blue Jays have a ton of money coming off the books after this season (Gausman, George Springer, Daulton Varsho, etc.) and can make a play for a free agent starter to slot into the top half of that rotation. Given how aggressive they’ve been in free agency the last few offseasons, I would expect them to make a serious run at Tarik Skubal.

It’s a hefty price for Soriano, whose value to the Blue Jays in 2026 is minimal given their place in the standings. These next two months will be a runway to work with him on whatever adjustments Toronto has in mind, continuing with them into the offseason, then preparing to fully launch in 2027. A pricey gamble, but a smart one.

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Angels grade: A

The Angels cashed in on Soriano’s breakout season and got one of baseball’s top infield prospects

Barring a surprise blockbuster (always possible on deadline day), Nimmala will be the best prospect traded at the deadline this year. He’s a consensus to 40-ish prospect in baseball, one who reached Double-A as a 20-year-old this season. Nimmala has the talent to be an impact player at an up-the-middle position. The Angels needed a true stud prospect to trade Soriano and they got one.

Micheletti, 24, is a bat-first player hitting .251/.347/.454 in Double-A. There are enough secondary skills (defense, baserunning, etc.) to carve out a career as a lefty platoon bat. Rivero, 19, is a rookie ball lottery ticket with good strike-throwing ability and a 95 mph heater. He’s a long-term development project. Nimmala alone makes this an A haul for the Angels. The other guys are gravy.

The Cleveland Guardians went from watching starter Gavin Williams go from pitching a perfect game to a benches-clearing altercation in the matter of moments at Progressive Field on Sunday.

Williams was humming to start this contest, striking out 10 of the first 15 hitters he faced, and as the top of the sixth began, he was looking at a perfect game bid.

But things got interesting when Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Tim Tawa attempted a bunt on a 0-1 pitch from Williams in the frame. In the unwritten rules of baseball, bunting while a pitcher is throwing a perfect game is very much frowned upon.

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Ildemaro Vargas of the Arizona Diamondbacks argues with Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt during the sixth inning at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Aug. 2, 2026. (Getty Images)

Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey took exception, having words with Tawa before the right-handed hitter stepped back in the box.

In the end, though, Tawa served a single to right field and ended both the perfect game and no-hit bid for Williams.

CINCINNATI REDS PITCHER RIPS ‘F—ING FATA–’ UMPIRE FOR GETTING IN DEFENDER’S WAY ON GROUND BALL

Just a few pitches later, rain in the Cleveland area started coming down in buckets. After Williams threw a brutal wild pitch, umpires called a rain delay, as the grounds crew came sprinting out with the tarp.

But as the tarp was still unfurling, both dugouts were on the field and near home plate as an argument broke out. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt was seen walking out of the dugout with pace to clearly say something to the other side, and that sparked the scrum near the dish.

While it was clear both teams were screaming some unkind words toward each other, nothing escalated into a physical altercation between the two teams. It can be implied that Vogt took exception to Tawa’s bunt attempt, but it’s unknown what he said exactly toward the D-Backs.

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo separates Cleveland Guardians third base and infield coach Rouglas Odor as benches clear during the sixth inning of an interleague game Aug. 2, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. (Icon Sportswire)

Then again, the other side of the argument is any hitter can attempt to reach base how they see fit. If it’s a 450-foot home run, or a bunt single, that’s the batter’s right.

But when the Guardians were facing the Minnesota Twins on July 9, Williams was also in a perfect game scenario when Royce Lewis showed bunt during an at-bat. He would eventually hit a single like Tawa did to end the bid.

When the rain delay finally ended, and both teams cooled the tension, the Guardians continued to dominate with a 5-0 victory at home. The Diamondbacks were only able to muster one hit after Tawa’s single, while the Guardians tallied eight hits on the day.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams walks to the dugout during a rain delay in the sixth inning of an interleague game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 2, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. (Icon Sportswire)

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Rookie Chase DeLauter went 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Bailey crushed a home run in his 1-for-3 day at the plate.

Williams never made it back into the game after the rain delay, finishing his day with 5.2 innings pitched, 10 strikeouts, one hit and one walk allowed.

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Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova celebrates beating Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova after beating her during their women’s singles final tennis match on the thirteenth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)

Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova is eager to get back to work at the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Toronto after the whirlwind that followed her first Grand Slam title.

“Obviously the last couple of weeks have been nothing more but crazy and chaos, so I’m glad I can kind of start over,” said the 21-year-old, who was feted by Czech President Petr Pavel amid a welter of media appearances in her homeland before squeezing out a little holiday time in Italy.

Noskova sounded almost relieved as she spoke to reporters on Sunday that another tournament had rolled around.

READ: Noskova, Rybakina, Zheng named for Billie Jean King Cup finals

“It’s a new week, new tournament, new surface, it’s all the changes at the same time,” she said. “I’ll have to get used to it as fast as possible, but it’s a new opportunity for me to work on my tennis and get better.”

Noskova, who moved to her current career-high seventh in the world after beating fellow Czech Karolina Muchova in the Wimbledon final, said it took a while for the achievement to sink in — if it actually has.

“Maybe I will not realize it a hundred percent, you know, it’s always just one of those big things that actually happen and you’re not preparing yourself for that, it’s kind of like a big shocker,” Noskova said.

The key thing, she said, was making sure she didn’t treat the achievement of such a long-cherished goal as an ending but as a beginning.

READ: Linda Noskova barges into WTA top 10 after Wimbledon triumph

“I had to tell myself that it is not the end of the world,” Noskova said. “My career is not ending here, it is hopefully only starting.

“Winning a Grand Slam is an unreal thing. But at the same time, I’m still 21, I feel like since I accomplished this so soon, I feel like it’s even a bigger motivation for me to keep going.”

Noskova is in the bottom half of the draw anchored by second-seeded Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, with fourth-seeded Coco Gauff looming in her quarter.

She’ll face either qualifier Tatjana Maria or Caty McNally in her second-round opener and could come up against rising Philippines talent Alexandra Eala in the third round.