Some in the Spanish media have aired their worries over the choice of official for the Champions League last-16 first-leg clash between Real Madrid and Man City

Sections of the Spanish media have raised grave concerns over the official taking charge of Manchester City’s Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid. The two giants will face off at the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening.

The game will be overseen by Italian official Maurizio Mariani, but Spanish radio network Cadena SER has shared their reservations about the 44-year-old, just hours before the two sides meet. Speaking on air, former Spanish referee Iturralde Gonzalez admitted that he doesn’t feel that Mariani is the best fit for a game of such magnitude.

“Italian referees aren’t having a good run right now,” he said. “He doesn’t let the game flow, he prefers to steer it where he wants, and I don’t like that kind of refereeing.

“He might not see a foul depending on where it is, for example, on the edge of the penalty area. Instead of letting the game unfold, he takes the game where he wants, and that’s why I don’t like it.”

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Mariani has overseen just one City game in the Champions League – the 5-0 win over Sparta Prague in the 2024/25 group stage at the Etihad. That game saw the referee issue two yellow cards and give a penalty to City, which was scored by Matheus Nunes.

Yet this will be the third time Mariani has officiated a Madrid match in the competition. To date, the Italian has presided over Madrid’s 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig in the 2022/2023 campaign and their defeat to Lille in the 2024/2025 group stage.

Despite Madrid having first-leg home advantage, Gonzalez claimed that it will be incidental under the eye of Mariani. The Italian is not an official who favours the home side, according to the 59-year-old former official, with teams playing at home under Mariani in Serie A this season having a 42% win rate, as per Sportradar.

The referee has been FIFA-listed since 2019. He has taken charge of 67 Champions League fixtures and several major finals, including last year’s U20 World Cup final between Morocco and Argentina, as well as the Coppa Italia final between AC Milan and Bologna.

Mariani is known for being no-nonsense on the pitch. According to Transfermarkt, in the 421 games he has taken charge of across his career, he has issued 1,848 yellow cards, 83 red cards and awarded 143 penalties.

Wednesday’s game between Madrid and City marks a historic milestone, as it is the first fixture ever to be played in the knockout stages of the Champions League for five consecutive seasons.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s side are aiming for a record-extending 16th European Cup and had to navigate the knockout round play-offs after finishing ninth in the league phase – just one place and one point behind Pep Guardiola’s team.

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Madrid have lost their last four matches against English clubs. Yet they remain a force at home, with just three defeats in their last 25 Champions League games at the Bernabeu.

They’ve also advanced from 13 of their previous 15 last-16 ties, winning the first leg in 10 of their last 12. City, meanwhile, bounced back from last season’s play-off exit to Madrid by finishing this year’s league phase with 16 points from eight games to qualify automatically.

Their 2-1 win at the Bernabeu in December – only their second in eight visits – was among five group victories. City’s away form in Europe has been inconsistent, however, with just two wins in their last eight Champions League games on the road.

Spurs may choose to look further afield – but their current options, within the search parameters as they were a month ago, appear limited.

In addition to a track record of having an immediate impact, Spurs sought someone with top level managerial experience who plays attacking football.

When Spurs initially began their search to replace Frank, himself dismissed after less then eight months in charge, former Marseille boss Roberto de Zerbi, former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic and ex-Red Bull Leipzig boss Marco Rose were among the other potential short-term options.

Ex-Brighton boss De Zerbi left his role as manager of Marseille by mutual consent after just under two years in charge, three days before Spurs confirmed their appointment of Tudor.

Terzic has been out of work since asking Dortmund “to terminate his contract with immediate effect” in June 2024, after leading the club to the Champions League final.

Rose was sacked by RB Leipzig in March 2025, having won 72 of his 127 matches in charge and lifted the German Cup in 2023.

Within the Premier League, Oliver Glasner, Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva are among the names who will be available this summer – but would any be prepared to leave their respective clubs earlier to help Spurs’ cause?

FA Cup-winning manager Glasner has confirmed he will leave Crystal Palace this summer, but his immediate future was understood to be in doubt in February amid a poor run of results.

Bournemouth are reportedly set to, external open contract talks with Iraola in an effort to ward off interest from Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Manchester United.

Meanwhile, Fulham chief Tony Khan has said he is confident, external Silva will stay at the club “for a long time”.

Unfortunately for Sadler, Walsall’s problems on the field in 2026 have been inevitably framed by the capitulation of their seemingly unassailable promotion challenge last season.

They raced into a 12-point lead at the top off the back of a club-record nine consecutive wins only for their form to collapse as a 13-game winless run left them scrambling to finish fourth.

Although they eventually made the League Two play-off final, the Saddlers lost at Wembley to AFC Wimbledon.

Sadler, though, consistently emphasized the irrelevance of that on his rebuilt squad this season as 15 players came in over the summer.

“We haven’t got over the line in the way we would have wanted to over the years, but that can’t be what frames our mindset going forward,” he said after the loss to Barnet in early February.

Before the trip to Grimsby Town in their next game, he again underscored that belief.

“Every year is tough. I’m certainly not looking back. I never will because this is a completely different group and team,” he said.

However, Walsall’s style under Sadler – making the most out of limited possession with chances at a relative premium – was always vulnerable to criticism when wins dried up.

Although ending Shrewsbury’s five-game winning run at the end of February stopped the immediate rot, a damaging past seven days that brought three more defeats, including another two at home, has seen Walsall looking for their first new boss since April 2023.

Less than one day after backing out of their deal with the Las Vegas Raiders to trade for star pass rusher Maxx Crosby, the Baltimore Ravens pivoted to another sack artist. The Ravens agreed to terms with former Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones. The deal is for four years and $112 million in compensation, reports NFL Media.

Hendrickson was CBS Sports’ No. 2 free agent in this class, although he went unsigned during the NFL’s two-day negotiation period. Jones reported that Hendrickson’s camp aimed for $35 million per year in his new contract, but he did not find that kind of interest. The Carolina Panthers handed out the largest deal of free agency thus far, agreeing to terms with former Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher Jaelan Phillips on a four-year, $120 million deal that pays out $30 million per year. Then Odafe Oweh cashed in with a four-year, $100 million deal from the Washington Commanders. 

In Hendrickson, a four-time Pro Bowler, the Ravens find a difference-maker off the edge that will remain in the AFC North and is likely motivated to play his former team twice a year. It’s for good reason. 

The Bengals identified a rising superstar in 2021, signing Hendrickson to a four-year, $60 million deal. He recorded what was then a career-high 14 sacks that season as the Bengals made the Super Bowl. However, Hendrickson struggled to score that second long-term contract from Cincinnati.

Hendrickson signed a one-year extension prior to the 2023 season and responded with a whopping 17.5 sacks. After failing to secure a lucrative extension, Hendrickson returned to the fold and led the NFL with his second-straight 17.5-sack season. The Bengals again did not give Hendrickson the security he sought, instead boosting his salary to $30 million for one year in 2025. This offseason marked the first time he was finally free to pursue a long-term deal. 

Hendrickson’s 74.5 sacks rank third-most over the last six seasons. He never got the chance to cash in like T.J. Watt, Danielle Hunter, Myles Garrett and Crosby did. Now, he’s paid and all-in on a Super Bowl. 

It appeared the Ravens found their star EDGE in Crosby, as they agreed to send two first-round picks to the Raiders for the five-time Pro Bowler. However, Baltimore reportedly pulled out of the deal after discovering something during Crosby’s in-person physical. The Ravens were permitted to do this since no deals — trades or free-agency signings — are official until the new league year, which falls on March 11 at 4 p.m. ET.

The Ravens knew that Crosby underwent surgery on the meniscus in his left knee in January. Months, not weeks, are required to recover from this procedure. The physical was not to determine if Crosby could play football right now. 

Hendrickson must pass a physical for the Ravens, as well. He underwent core muscle surgery a few months ago after playing just seven games in 2025. 

Why this move is controversial

It’s tough not to entertain the conspiratorial aspect of this move now that it’s come to fruition. The Ravens paid a high price for Crosby, only to (allegedly) notice that Hendrickson’s market was not as robust as previously thought. Plus, he doesn’t cost two first-round picks.

So, did the Ravens experience buyer’s remorse, or did their medical staff actually find something concerning? It’s a question that will likely never be answered. Sources of CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones said they also had concerns about Crosby’s knee during their own evaluation process. There was also a Raiders source, who was present during Crosby’s time with the team, who said he struggled during light practices with knee and ankle issues. Of course, those didn’t prevent him from being an animal on Sundays.

There’s no debating Crosby’s credentials. He recorded 69.5 sacks in his 110 career games played, which rank sixth-most since he entered the league in 2019 out of Eastern Michigan. He is just the third player in Raiders history to reach double-digit sacks in four seasons. While he’s feared by quarterbacks, Crosby is a well-rounded defensive end that’s ruthless against the run. He’s played more defensive snaps than any defensive lineman since he entered the league. Still, one has to wonder if the Raiders’ controversial decision to shut down Crosby with two games remaining in the regular season has more merit now.

Cincinnati Reds star Hunter Greene faced a major setback on Tuesday as it was revealed he may miss up to four months following right elbow surgery.

Greene was diagnosed with bone chips and loose bodies in his elbow, the team said. He needed an MRI last week after he left a spring training game with right elbow stiffness.

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Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene pitches against the Chicago Cubs in the second inning at Great American Ball Park on May 23, 2025. (Katie Stratman/Imagn Images)

He explained his situation in a statement posted to his Instagram Stories. He said he started to experience discomfort in his elbow toward the end of the 2025 season but wanted to keep pitching in hopes of getting the Reds into the postseason. He said he received an MRI in Los Angeles when the season was over and it found the bone fragments, “but standard treatment was recommended.”

“I felt no discomfort a few days later, and as I started my offseason throwing program, I felt great,” he said. “However, the pain returned as I got close to the start of camp and as I began throwing harder and manipulating pitches more. The irritation in my elbow is affecting my ability to finish and execute pitches without a sharp stabbing pain. I simply need to have the bone spurs removed.

CZECH ELECTRICIAN, KNOWN IN JAPAN AS PITCHER WHO STRUCK OUT SHOHEI OHTANI, GETS OVATION IN FINAL WBC GAME

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene reacts as Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernandez runs the bases on a three-run home run on Sept. 30, 2025. (Sam Greene/The Enquirer-USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

“All I want to do is play the game I love and compete with my brothers as we take on the 2026 season. But it’s important that this procedure take place now instead of trying to pitch through it, not be sharp on the mound and risk further injury. Trust me, nobody is more frustrated than I am.”

He said he will undergo the operation on Wednesday.

Greene is one of the hardest throwers in baseball. He had a 2.76 ERA with 132 strikeouts in 19 starts in 2025. He missed some time with a right groin strain. The issue sidelined him until Aug. 13.

Cincinnati finished 83-79 and third in the National League Central division.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene pitches against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on May 28, 2025. (Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images)

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The 26-year-old was an All-Star in 2024 and finished that season with a 2.75 ERA and 169 strikeouts. He also experienced right elbow soreness that year and spent time on the injured list.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Africa’s top women’s basketball team, D’Tigress of Nigeria, arrived in France yesterday to a warm welcome and immediately kicked off their preparations with their first training session under coach Rena Wakama. The team is set to compete in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualification tournament in Lyon-Villeurbanne.

Speaking to NBBF media about the team’s readiness to face some of the world’s strongest basketball nations, multiple award-winning coach Rena Wakama expressed confidence and excitement.

“Our preparations have been intense, and this tournament in Lyon is an important part of that process. It gives us the chance to test ourselves against top competition and see where we stand as a team. The players have shown great commitment, discipline and hunger. I believe we’re moving in the right direction as we prepare for the World Cup in Germany,” she said.

The final roster of 12 players combines experience, youth, and energy, creating what Wakama described as a balanced squad.

“What’s different this time is the balance we have. We have a strong core of experienced players who understand the expectations and culture of D’Tigress, and we’ve added younger talents who bring fresh energy and competitiveness. Tactically, we are improving with faster transitions, stronger defensive communication, and better team chemistry,” she added.

Acknowledging the high hopes of Nigerians at home and abroad, Wakama emphasised that her players are ready and proud to represent their country.

“With everything going on in the world today, we are grateful for the chance to play the game we love. These World Cup qualifiers are the only professional women’s basketball games being played and televised globally this week. Representing Nigeria is a huge honour for every player, and we want to make our supporters proud. They will see a team that fights for every possession, plays unselfish basketball, and never gives up. Our goal is to compete strongly, showcase the growth of Nigerian women’s basketball, and continue building the legacy of D’Tigress on the world stage,” she said.

The reigning AfroBasket champions, who face some of the world’s basketball giants, open their campaign on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, against Colombia. They will then face Korea, followed by Philippines, tournament hosts France, and Germany—who will host the FIBA World Cup later this year—from 14 to 17 March 2026, respectively.