Enyimba head coach Emmanuel Deutsch has spoken openly about reported distractions around the club, amid growing claims of a rift between the camp of chairman Kanu Nwankwo and officials of the Abia State Sports Ministry.

Deutsch expressed his unhappiness over what he described as selfish interests around the club, while calling on Enyimba supporters to stand against anything that could affect the team.

“If you see everything happening in the papers and on the internet, we can’t imagine the kind of power some people want,” Deutsch said.

“There’s a chairman there, you can cooperate with him and you work. Because the distractions affect the mentality of the players.”

The coach also defended Kanu’s commitment to the players, saying the former Super Eagles captain has continued to provide personal support to the team.

“But thank God the chairman is doing his best. He adds his own resources to make sure the players are well fed,” Deutsch said.

“He shows personal interest; those who lost their parents, he tries to boost their morale that he would take care of all those things. This is the kind of things we need, not selfish interests.

“Because there are people with selfish interest around the team but we are calm.”

Deutsch’s comments come at a time when reports of a possible change in Enyimba’s management have generated concern among supporters and football stakeholders in Abia.

Sources close to the club have alleged that Abia State Commissioner for Sports, Nwaobilor Ananaba, is pushing for changes to the current management structure, with Daniel Eke reportedly being considered for a major role in the running of the club.

There are also unconfirmed claims that any change in the management structure could affect the technical department, with Kabiru Dogo reportedly being considered as a possible replacement for Deutsch.

However, neither the Abia State Government nor Enyimba has officially confirmed plans to remove Kanu as chairman or replace the current technical crew.

The reported disagreement has raised questions over the relationship between Kanu’s camp and officials of the Sports Ministry.

Speaking further, Deutsch urged Abia people and Enyimba supporters to protect the club from distractions.

“I want all the Abia fans to understand this. You cannot succeed without discipline,” he said.

“I want Abians and Enyimba fans to stand up against those who want to distract the team because Enyimba is a very big team. I’m talking like this because I’m not happy.”

The coach also reminded supporters of Enyimba’s history in African football.

“Enyimba are double CAF Champions League champions. The people who made this happen had discipline,” he said.

“Now we want to rebuild the team, some people want to come to take over the team due to selfish interests. Enyimba fans should rise and demand an end to the distractions because Enyimba must succeed.”

Deutsch, however, insisted that the team remains focused on its immediate football duties.

“For now, we concentrate on tomorrow’s game,” he added.

The reported tension comes as Enyimba continue their campaign, with the club’s management and technical team expected to remain under close attention as the situation develops.

Big-serving Ben Shelton overpowered American compatriot Frances Tiafoe in four sets to reach the first Grand Slam final of his career at the US Open on Friday.

Eighth-seeded Shelton blasted 20 aces on his way to a thrilling 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court that sends the 23-year-old into Sunday’s championship match against top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany.

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A pulsating all-American semi-final had seen both players vying to reach a Grand Slam final for the first time.

Shelton — who took down defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals — will now have the chance to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam title since 2003, when Andy Roddick triumphed at the US Open.

Tiafoe got off to a bright start, claiming the first set after breaking when Shelton uncharacteristically double-faulted to trail at 5-4.

Tiafoe held to love to clinch the first set but Shelton came flying out of the blocks to start the second.

An early break helped him into a 2-0 lead before Tiafoe responded with a break to level at 2-2.

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Yet with Tiafoe’s serve increasingly erratic, Shelton grabbed another break in the eighth game to go 5-3 up and then held to level.

The momentum was all with Shelton and Tiafoe had to fight off two break points before holding early in the third set.

However Shelton – who had one serve initially clocked at 158mph before it was later adjusted to 144mph — made no mistake in the fifth game with a break to go 3-2 up.

Tiafoe needed to hold to keep the set alive in the ninth game, and a furious arm-wrestle saw the 11th seed once again save three break and set points.

Shelton though earned his fourth break point after pouncing on Tiafoe’s second serve once more, scorching a backhand return down the line.

Shelton converted that when Tiafoe netted a forehand to find himself 2-1 down.

The fourth set went with serve until the 12th game, when Shelton grabbed the crucial break to seal victory.

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For the first time in three years, the Tampa Bay Rays are heading to the postseason. The Rays clinched a playoff berth with their 3-1 win over the Astros (box score) on Friday night. They punched their ticket in walk-off fashion, thanks to Junior Caminero’s 40th home run of the season: 

They are the first team to clinch a postseason berth this season. 

To be clear, the Rays have clinched only a spot in the postseason. They are assured of being no worse than the third wild card team. Tampa will now try to hold off the New York Yankees and win their first AL East title since 2021. The division title will almost certainly come with a Wild Card Series bye, so there is still a lot at stake the rest of the regular season.

The Rays are a top 10 team at preventing runs, though they’re only middle of the pack offensively. Depending on your metric of choice, Tampa is either one of the best defensive teams in baseball (defensive runs saved) or middle of the pack (outs above average). No team in baseball has outperformed its run differential more to date than these Rays.

This will be the Rays’ first postseason appearance since 2023, when they won 99 games but had to settle for second place in the AL East behind the 101-win Baltimore Orioles. The Rays were swept in two games at home by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in the Wild Card Series that year. They have not won a postseason game since 2021.

The Rays have won two AL pennants (2008 and 2020) but are still searching for the franchise’s first World Series championship. Can they get over the hump this season? Here are three reasons the Rays are a threat to win this year’s World Series.

1. Junior Caminero is 1 of 1

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Depth wins divisions and stars win championships, and the Rays have a bona fide superstar in third baseman Junior Caminero. He is only the second player in baseball history with multiple 40-homer seasons through age 22, joining Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews, and Caminero gets to that power without excessive swing-and-miss. 

This is an impressive plate discipline trend for any young hitter, and especially one with this much power:

It takes more than one player to win in the postseason, but a star player performing like a star is a major advantage. The Rays know this well after watching Randy Arozarena carry them in 2020. The Blue Jays had Vladimir Guerrero Jr. last year; the Rangers had Corey Seager in 2023, and so on. They all authored “put his team on his back” kind of performances.

Caminero has developed a special blend of power and contact. You can be a great hitter with one of those two things, but the very best hitters have both. Bottom line: Few players in baseball have the potential to change the game with one swing in the way Caminero does. He’s a threat to flip the script every time he steps to the plate.

2. Their pitching staff can create matchup nightmares

Other than ace righty Drew Rasmussen, the Rays might not have traditional starters in the postseason. Shane McClanahan (who’s currently on the IL with forearm soreness) and Nick Martinez are candidates to work shorter starts, perhaps as short as one time through the lineup, and the 2026 version of Freddy Peralta warrants a short leash. It is a rotation built for excellence in short bursts, not length.

Tampa’s pitching staff, as it often does, boasts a variety of looks. Lefty Ian Seymour brings the funk from a low arm slot. Few pitchers in baseball can spin the ball like Griffin Jax. Tyler Wells is 6-foot-8 with one of the highest arm angles (and thus release points) in the game. Kevin Kelly’s near-sidearm slot eats up righties. Every pitcher the Rays use is different than the guy he replaced.

The variety and matchup ability is difficult to quantify, but the last few years tell us the Rays value it, believe it, and build their pitching staff around it. They are once again one of the best pitching and overall run-prevention teams in the game. Their ability to make hitters uncomfortable is almost unmatched, thanks to the different looks and angles they can throw at you.

3. The AL field is unimposing

There’s a real chance a team with a losing record wins the AL West and the third AL wild-card spot. Five of the seven best records in baseball belong to National League teams and the Rays are one of the two exceptions. The AL is mediocrity defined and, at least on paper, that creates a potentially easy — “easy” — path through the ALCS to the World Series.

To be sure, any team can beat any team in a short series, and the postseason format is likely to force the Rays to go through the Yankees or Red Sox in the ALDS. They might even have to go through both AL East rivals if they don’t win the division and get a bye. 

If there is such a thing as an “easy” path through October, though, this year’s American League provides it.

Alexander Zverev enjoyed his day in the sun as he beat Karen Khachanov in straight sets to reach the US Open final.

The German had played all his previous matches during the night sessions, existing in a perpetual loop of darkness and midnight finishes.

But Zverev’s semi-final against Khachanov was scheduled for the afternoon session on Arthur Ashe Stadium, and he came through 6-3 7-6 (7) 7-6 (6).

The 29-year-old has capitalised on the absence of Jannik Sinner and defeats for Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, as well as a kind draw, to reach a third consecutive grand slam final.

He spent a record total of 16 hours and 40 minutes on court en route to the last four – and took another three hours against Khachanov – having not faced a single player inside the top 20.

Nevertheless, having broken his major duck at the French Open before losing the Wimbledon final to Sinner, Zverev now has the chance for a second grand slam title.

He can also banish the memory of the 2020 final in New York, where he served for the match against Dominic Thiem but lost in five sets.

Khachanov, a former top-10 player now ranked 50, had blown his quarter of the draw wide open when he knocked out third seed Felix Augur-Aliassime in round two.

But a solitary break was all Zverev needed to pinch a tight first set from the Russian and when he broke again at start of the second, a routine afternoon looked on the cards.

However, a double fault allowed Khachanov back on serve and instead Zverev became embroiled in a tie-break, at one point trailing 5-3 and only winning it after a lung-busting 35-shot rally.

The third set went the same way and Khachanov had set points at 6-4, but two wayward forehands and a Zverev ace gave him match point which he took at the first attempt.

Zverev said: “After the second round, at about 3am, we were laughing our asses off about how badly I was playing.

“Moving forward I was playing better tennis. Obviously I’ve been improving otherwise I wouldn’t be in the final. I’m enjoying it and I can’t wait for Sunday.”

Greg Schiano didn’t come into the 2026 season on the hot seat, but he quickly found himself on it after Rutgers got dominated in their home opener by lowly UMass — which hadn’t beaten a Power Four team since joining FBS in 2012 and hadn’t won against any FBS opponent since 2023. 

The Scarlet Knights looked hapless on defense and weren’t much sharper on offense, and while Schiano is comfortably the most accomplished coach at Rutgers since Frank Burns in the 1970s, a loss like that to UMass is enough to raise questions about one’s job security. A slow start on the road at Boston College on Friday night only accelerated the frustration among the Rutgers faithful, as they began to ponder the possible reality that they were the worst team in a Power Four conference. 

That’s not a position Rutgers wants to be in and was a major reason it brought Schiano back in 2020. However, in his second stint in New Jersey, Schiano has not managed to win more than seven games in a season with the Scarlet Knights. 

With Schiano yet to recapture the magic from his first tenure at Rutgers and the Scarlet Knights seemingly plummeting back into football obscurity in 2026, many have wondered if the program might look to make a change. 

Greg Schiano on hot seat after Rutgers upset by UMass: Scarlet Knights struggling in coach’s second stint

Shehan Jeyarajah

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Greg Schiano buyout, contract details 

Schiano signed an extension in 2023 after a 7-6 season that culminated in a Pinstripe Bowl victory that would keep him at Rutgers through the 2030 season. 

Schiano is scheduled to make $6.75 million in 2026 and has three years and $22.5 million remaining on his contract, with his buyout clause calling for him to get paid the extremely specific amount of 76.875% of the remainder of that contract — which would be $17,296,875. Schiano’s contract includes a mitigation clause where the buyout is offset by any football coaching contract he signs in the future, but the 60-year-old is not required to pursue other employment. 

That is not a massive buyout by Big Ten standards as a whole, but for a Rutgers program that is already underwater when it comes to finances, it might not be reasonable to pay a coach more than $17 million to go away after a couple of bad games. At the very least, Schiano figures to get the remainder of 2026 to see if he can turn things around and get the Scarlet Knights back to respectability. 

If a turnaround isn’t on the horizon for Rutgers and they go 1-11 with their lone win coming against Howard, then there could be phone calls made to see about raising the funds to make a change.