Sports
The laughable hypocrisy of Chelsea’s explosive rebuke towards Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca is far from the first Chelsea manager to see his tenure at Stamford Bridge come to an “unexpected and abrupt” end. In a rare change of pace, this end came solely on the manager’s terms.
Let’s get one thing straight from the start: leaving in the manner he did is not a good look for the new Manchester City manager. Breaking his long-term contract when he “had no right to terminate” puts him very much in the wrong. But considering Chelsea’s history, it’s hard to take them seriously as the victim.
“No one wants to change its head coach midway through a season,” read Chelsea’s barbed statement towards Maresca, released moments after his appointment at City was made official. The irony is laughably blatant; BlueCo have changed their head coach midway through the four of the last five seasons, and twice last year.
Chelsea’s infuriating lack of patience for managers is in their DNA. It’s a trait that has carried over from the Roman Abramovich era to now and is maligned by their own fans, symptomatic of the generally haphazard, unforgiving and reactionary running of the club.
Maresca was clearly delighted to get out from under this sort of operation. “City is an incredibly well-run football club,” he said in quotes that accompanied the announcement of his Etihad Stadium arrival. “Everything they do is innovative, planned and purposeful. For a manager, that is a dream situation. It provides the consistency I need to do my job effectively.” It felt as if this had been directed towards his former employers, probably knowing what they had in store for him.
New Blues manager Xabi Alonso, meanwhile, will likely be left embarrassed by this whole messy break-up. Chelsea have acted like someone still hung up on their ex over being dumped… while already being in a new relationship. Before the Spaniard’s even touched down in London, he’s already seen a red flag.
After all, Maresca and Chelsea had mutated into a match made in hell. Two weeks before his resignation, he had complained about how he had just endured the “worst 48 hours” at the club since joining, in an extraordinary post-match press conference of Chelsea’s win over Everton. We now have clarification as to why: the two parties were evidently at loggerheads with Chelsea feeling Maresca’s “head and heart were focused on another club and another opportunity”. They were right – and in a delightful coincidence, Chelsea will come up against Maresca almost exactly one year on from that famous outburst on 12 December at the Etihad Stadium.
The club had the grounds to pursue Maresca and City for compensation and a settlement has been reached with both, receiving a fee of £17m from their Premier League rivals and, unusually, a further undisclosed figure from the Italian to the Blues. But in going explosively public with their complaints, they have opened themselves up to accusations of hypocrisy.
Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, two managers who both once felt the BlueCo scythe mid-season, will probably roll their eyes reading that statement. Both are focused on bigger things now – they are managing in the knockouts of the World Cup. Instead, the epicentre of frustration will lie in Alsace.
Chelsea responded to abruptly losing their manager mid-season by ensuring that disruption and unhappiness was felt across multiple fronts of the BlueCo family. Returning to the sister club they have pillaged since 2023, Chelsea snapped up then-Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior, in the middle of the season.
The details surrounding any break clause in Rosenior’s contract at Strasbourg went undisclosed. Whatever it was, we know BlueCo wrote it. In line with a Strasbourg trend, Rosenior had been groomed for an eventual move to Stamford Bridge, though it came far sooner than it should have.
Chelsea paid the Ligue 1 outfit the “market rate” in compensation for Rosenior, which was reportedly £2.5m. This was more a formality than anything – all negotiation power clubs would usually have in this scenario was absent for Strasbourg given they share Chelsea’s owners.
Compensation therefore failed to touch the sides of the wrath at the Meinau, where Strasbourg fans still go silent at the beginning of every home match in protest of multi-ownership and being a “pawn” in Chelsea’s game.
Rosenior’s Chelsea reign proved spectacularly ill-fated. He went on the club’s worst run of form since 1912 before he became the latest to lose his job at Stamford Bridge before the season’s conclusion, with Chelsea completely out of Champions League contention. Strasbourg, meanwhile, missed out on Europe under hastily hired new boss Gary O’Neil – something they were on course to get under Rosenior.
BlueCo is allowed to think that Maresca’s defiance was the first fallen domino that led to two of their clubs enduring a season collapse. Chelsea’s statement effectively blames him directly for their “hugely disappointing” 2025/26.
But for a club whose job security is so infamously poor, to come out and air their dirty laundry one of their managers who – for once – left them, gives an air of double standards, as well as a disconnect with their own reality. Their decisions that followed his resignation – particularly the one surrounding Rosenior’s appointment – were dire across the board and all contributed to the capitulation witnessed in the months that followed.
Maresca is already fighting fires surrounding any questions of disloyalty. He’s immediately vowed not leave Man City after signing for his third spell on the club’s coaching staff – this time, he’s at the helm. “This is the third time – hopefully it’s the last time I come back and I don’t leave anymore.” Despite being made to look like an unappreciated rebound, Chelsea will hope Alonso still harbours a similar sentiment.
The Jalen Duren sweepstakes are heating up ahead of free agency opening on Tuesday (6 p.m. ET). Chris Haynes reported that Duren, who is a restricted free agent, is planning to meet with the Sacramento Kings when free agency officially opens. The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported shortly after that Duren has a call scheduled with the Lakers when free agency opens.
Duren, 22, is eligible for a five-year, $287 million extension (30% of the cap) from the Pistons if he re-signs with the franchise after earning All-NBA honors. If Duren signs an offer sheet elsewhere — and the Pistons execute a sign-and-trade for him — another team can offer a four-year deal worth approximately $177.4 million. Because Duren is a restricted free agent, the Pistons can match any offer sheet a team presents.
Duren is coming off the best season of his career with the Pistons after averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He earned All-NBA Third-Team and NBA All-Star honors for the first time in his career and helped Detroit finish as the No. 1 seed in the East.
Ahead of free agency starting, here is where Duren can land — and why the Pistons could end up being his most likely destination when the dust settles.
Detroit Pistons
Why it would make sense: Above all else, the most likely scenario for logistical reasons is Duren returning to Detroit. Because Duren is a restricted free agent, the Pistons have the right to match any offer another team hands out. Additionally, because so few teams have cap space this summer, most deals would have to be a sign-and-trade. Duren is coming off his best season as a pro with the Pistons. And he wants to get paid. The Pistons can offer him more money than anyone else.
Even after Duren’s lackluster showing in the playoffs (his scoring average dropped from 19.5 points per game in the regular season to 10.2 in the playoffs), he is part of a core that had the best record in the East. If the Pistons do explore a sign-and-trade, they would almost certainly need to trade for a frontcourt player, which is why a potential deal with Sacramento could work. After losing Isaiah Stewart this offseason, Duren walking would be a major blow for the Pistons as the franchise attempts to take another step. That’s why he could end up back in Detroit.
Sacramento Kings
Why it would make sense: This offseason has been full of wild rumors and storylines. The Kings being in on Duren is just the latest curveball of chaos. If the Kings did make a deal with Detroit, two names who make sense to get dealt (to make the money work) are Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis. LaVine, who just opted into his $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season, has been linked in the past to the Pistons. However, Sabonis would make more sense in a potential sign-and-trade scenario.
Duren is set to make $45.4 million this season and $48.6 million next. Replacing Sabonis with Duren would also make the Kings younger. If Duren joined Sacramento, he would be the youngest non-rookie on the roster. After drafting Darius Acuff Jr. with the No. 7 pick, adding a long-term running mate coming off an All-NBA season would make sense for a Kings team also searching for an identity. Sacramento went through the RFA dance last offseason with the Golden State Warriors when the franchise expressed interest in Jonathan Kuminga. After a long contract standoff, he signed a two-year deal to return to the Warriors before being traded to the Hawks at last season’s deadline. Kuminga is now an unrestricted free agent after having his team option declined by Atlanta on Monday.
Los Angeles Lakers
Why it would make sense: The Lakers are a team to monitor this offseason. LeBron James is a free agent. Austin Reaves just signed a deal to return to the franchise long-term. If James leaves in free agency, the Lakers would all of a sudden have cap space. The Lakers’ biggest need this offseason is finding a center. They have been linked to fellow RFA Walker Kessler and now Duren. It makes sense that Los Angeles would like to add an All-NBA player to its core of Reaves and Luka Dončić, as the franchise could turn the page on the LeBron era.
Duren would add size, rebounding and interior finishing to a Lakers frontcourt in desperate need of it. Duren would also fit the timelines of Reaves and Dončić, who are tied together for at least the 2027-28 season. Notably, Dončić has a player option for the 2028-29 season. Adding someone like Duren would be another signal to Dončić that the Lakers are ready to build a team around him for the next chapter of Lakers basketball.
Irish rider Daniel Coyle and Farrel won the Canadian Utilities Cup at Spruce Meadows on Friday night, at the ‘Pan American’.
The competition in the International Ring, and the final qualifying opportunity for the AON Grand Prix, saw 63 horse-and-rider combinations take on the challenge of the Canadian Utilities Cup 1.55m.
A fault-free round while staying within the 80-second time allowed was required to reach the jump-off round.
On a course designed by FEI Course Designer Anderson Lima of Mexico, 13 combinations secured their spot in the shortened jump-off.
Fast clear gives Farrel and Coyle the win
Daniel Coyle demonstrated exactly why he is considered one of the world’s top show jumpers. Aboard Farrel, Coyle delivered a spectacular jump-off performance, stopping the clock in a blistering 40.64 seconds while leaving all the rails in place.
His winning time proved more than one second faster than second-place finishers Lillie Keenan (USA) and Kick On.
Coyle’s fellow Irishman Conor Swail and Clonterm Obolensky rounded out the podium in third.
With another international victory added to his impressive resume, Coyle and Farrel once again showcased the speed, precision, and partnership required to succeed at the highest level of the sport.
“This arena and this place is very unique”
On returning to Spruce Meadows in 2026, Coyle admitted:
“I could go on for days about what I love about Spruce Meadows, but everybody kind of knows that now. The biggest thing for me here is that I get to know my horses even better, my younger ones especially, and my older horses that I know so well.”
“This arena and this place is very unique and you don’t just ride like you ride everywhere else, it’s two gears faster and the jumps are twice as long as they are anywhere else.”
Top 10 Canadian Utilities Cup 1.55m
- Daniel Coyle (IRL) & Farrel
- Lillie Keenan (USA) & Kick On
- Conor Swail (IRL) & Clonterm Obolensky
- Lillie Keenan (USA) & Anton
- Gabriel de Matos Machado (BRA) & Legaland Sandro
- Conor Swail (IRL) & Casturano
- Hilary Scott (AUS) & Lola
- Mark Bluman (COL) & Genial de B’Neville
- Vaclav Sanek (CZE) & Quintin
- Katie Laurie (NZL) & ZF Chacco Rio
Jun 28, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (27) leaves his feet to attempt to throw out San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers at first base during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images Two teams who have struggled throughout June will try to change their trajectory when the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Atlanta Braves for a three-game series that begins on Tuesday.
Both teams are 3-7 over their last 10 games and will be happy to turn the calendar. The Braves are 9-13 in June and the Cardinals are 12-12 over the same time.
Atlanta has seen its lead in the National League East, which was 10.5 games on May 22, dwindle to three games over the Philadelphia Phillies.
St. Louis was 4.5 games behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers on May 31 but now trail by seven games and is just a half-game ahead of the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins in the race for the final wild-card spot.
The series opener features a pair of left-handers, as St. Louis’ Matthew Liberatore (3-5, 5.56 ERA) faces Atlanta’s Martin Perez (6-4, 3.00).
Atlanta has been in an offensive funk. During their current 4-12 skid, the Braves have been shut out twice and scored three or fewer runs 10 times.
“Our sport is different than every other sport,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “We play virtually every day for seven months, so you’ve got to get past all that stuff. You’ve got to keep your head down and keep doing the work. These guys are doing the work, they’re doing all that stuff. We’ve just got to fight through it.”
The strugglers are led by Austin Riley, who went 4-for-21 on the six-game West Coast road trip, saw his average fall to .209, and hasn’t homered since May 20. Ha-Seong Kim is on an 0-for-24 skid and is hitting .068. Drake Baldwin hit a home run in his first at-bat after coming off the injured list, but is 2-for-43 since his return and has seen his average fall from .303 to .255. The Cardinals have been equally puny at the plate. St. Louis scored only three runs in its three-game weekend series against Miami.
“You look at the games, we’re successful, we come up with that key hit, that big hit and kind of keep it rolling,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “We haven’t been able to do that recently and that’s a big part of how we’ve gotten to this point.”
Two Cardinals will try to rekindle their offense. Ivan Herrera (22 games) and Alec Burleson (career-long 25-games) had their on-base streaks end in Sunday’s 2-1 win which snapped a four-game losing streak.
Rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt is coming off back-to-back multi-hit games, giving him 23 on the season. The Atlanta staff has been stabilized by the veteran Perez. With No. 2 starter Spencer Strider out for the foreseeable future, Perez has been a dependable arm. Since rejoining the rotation in mid-May, he is 4-2. He had a four-game winning streak end on Wednesday against San Diego when he gave up three runs in four innings, his shortest start of the season.
Liberatore has struggled over his last four starts, going 0-2 with a 10.34 ERA in June. He was rocked by Arizona on Wednesday for six runs in 5 1/3 innings.
This is the first meeting between the Braves and Cardinals this season. The Braves won the series 4-2 in 2025.
–Field Level Media
Four-time winners Germany are knocked out of the 2026 World Cup on penalties as Jonathan Tah blazes over in sudden death before Jose Canale scores the winning penalty.
Ousmane Dembélé scored a magnificent hat-trick on Friday, his first with Les Bleus, as France beat Norway 4-1 to finish top of Group I. Here’s what the striker said when asked if this was his best ever performance with France
Football fans across Nigeria have reacted with shock and excitement after Paraguay eliminated four-time champions Germany from the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a dramatic penalty shootout.
Paraguay defeated Germany 4-3 on penalties after both sides played out a 1-1 draw following extra time in their Round of 32 clash.
The South Americans took the lead in the 42nd minute through former Brighton and Ipswich Town forward Julio Enciso, before Germany fought back in the second half through Arsenal attacker Kai Havertz, who headed home a cross from Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz.
Despite dominating large periods of the second half and extra time, Germany failed to find a winner. A late goal from Jonathan Tah was ruled out for a foul on Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
The penalty shootout produced more drama as Germany’s Kai Havertz and Newcastle United forward Nick Woltemade both had their penalties saved by Gill. Paraguay also missed opportunities to secure victory before defender Jose Canale calmly converted the decisive spot-kick to send his country into the Round of 16.
The result sparked widespread reactions among Nigerian football fans on social media, with many describing the outcome as one of the biggest shocks of the tournament.
@SportsNaija247 wrote:
“This is why we love the World Cup. Nobody gave Paraguay a chance against Germany. Football remains the most unpredictable game in the world.”
@NaijaFootballTalk posted:
“Germany came with big names and history. Paraguay came with heart, discipline and belief. Congratulations to La Albirroja.”
@AbujaGunner said:
“Kai Havertz scoring during the game and then missing a penalty is the perfect summary of football. Hero and heartbreak in one night.”
@CalabarSportsHub wrote:
“Orlando Gill deserves a statue in Paraguay. What a performance from the goalkeeper.”
@NaijaWorldCupFans commented:
“We have seen Italy, Spain and now Germany suffer major upsets at different World Cups. No team can rely on history anymore.”
@UyoFootballView added:
“Paraguay defended like warriors. Germany had all the possession but could not find a way through.”
@PortHarcourtBall posted:
“The World Cup never disappoints. Paraguay have just written one of the greatest stories of this tournament.”
@LagosFootballExtra wrote:
“Imagine predicting that Germany would be eliminated by Paraguay before the tournament started. Football can be cruel.”
@SuperEaglesUpdates commented:
“This result should give smaller football nations hope. Organisation, discipline and determination can still overcome quality.”
Germany’s exit marks one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while Paraguay continue their remarkable campaign and will now face either France or Sweden in the Round of 16.
For Nigerian football fans, the dramatic contest served as another reminder that at the FIFA World Cup, reputation counts for little once the referee blows the whistle.
France secured the top spot of their group in style thanks to a hat trick by Ousmane Dembélé. Senegal’s 5-0 goal fest against Iraq means they make it through to the knockouts. Cape Verde remain unbeaten in the group stage, with a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia. They are the first debutants to ever go through the group stage undefeated. Belgium finally get a win, and Iran wait to see if they make it to the next stage of the competition.
Paraguay stunned Germany in a penalty shootout on Monday to reach the World Cup last 16 after a 1-1 draw following extra time. The South Americans won 4-3 on spot kicks, handing Germany their first-ever defeat in a World Cup penalty shootout and booking a place in the knockout stage.
The World Cup always provides some magical moments, and that was just the case on Monday.
Paraguay shockingly knocked off Germany in penalties to advance to the Round of 16.
Germany’s Jonathan Tah sent his penalty over the bar, which allowed Paraguay to steal the victory.
Here are some of the best reactions to the upset:
Apr 18, 2026; Montreal, Province of Quebec, CAN; CF Montreal forward Kwadwo Opoku (7) plays the ball against the Red Bull New York during the second half at Saputo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images CF Montreal transferred forward Kwadwo “Mahala” Opoku to Greek side Panetolikos FC on Monday.
Montreal will retain a percentage of any future transfer for the 24-year-old Ghana international.
Opoku recorded seven goals and four assists in 42 regular-season appearances for Montreal from 2023-26
“We would like to thank Mahala for his contributions and professionalism during his time with the club,” said Luca Saputo, Montreal’s managing director of recruitment and sporting methodology. “We wish him the best of luck in the next chapter of his career.” Opoku previously played for LAFC from 2020-23, recording nine goals and six assists in 60 MLS matches.
–Field Level Media
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