India’s Chef de Mission for the Asian Games, Sahdev Yadav, said on Friday that he only learned after arriving in the city that organisers had removed around 30 to 35 Indian athletes from the accommodation list, forcing the contingent to book hotels for them.

Several Indian athletes faced logistical and accommodation hassles after arriving in the city, with some forced to spend long hours waiting for rooms.

“They (Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee) informed us that more players than expected had come (from India). But as far as India is concerned, that’s not the case. We stuck to the number of players they had invoiced. But they removed some names, so we booked hotels for them… we faced difficulty with regard to 30-35 athletes,” said Yadav on the sidelines of the flag-hoisting function here.

“Our team quickly swung into action to get accommodation for the athletes as quickly as possible.” Yadav acknowledged there had been mismanagement in handling the arrival of contingents but said such problems could occur at an event of this scale.

“Yes, there is mismanagement, but it’s a big event and it can happen. But we have to look beyond that. We have to take care of our athletes and solve their problems and get them good accommodation so that they are in the right frame, both physically and mentally, to win medals and are relaxed,” said the official.

He assured that all Indian athletes had now been accommodated, with the deputy chefs de mission working to resolve the initial problems.

“Everyone has got accommodation and there is absolutely no problem at our end. Initially, when there were problems, we booked extra hotel rooms. Our team is going to the airport every time to fetch the athletes.

“Last night, two deputy chefs de mission, Alaknanda Ashok and Anjali Bhagwat, had gone to the airport to receive the athletes.” Yadav said athletes had also faced long delays in getting accreditation, particularly those housed on the cruise ship, but the Indian team had arranged vehicles and additional hotel rooms to ease their stay.

“Of course, there have been delays in getting the accreditation cards of athletes, as it’s a long process for those who are being housed on the cruise ship. Yes, there are long delays there, but we dispatched cars and arranged hotels to make things easy for them.

“We have booked 18 hotel rooms and will book 10 more today to accommodate about 30 athletes. Definitely, they (organisers) have a paucity of accommodation,” he added.

The affected athletes were from badminton and shooting, Yadav said, adding that the situation had now settled down.

On unconfirmed reports that male and female athletes and coaches had, in a few instances, been accommodated in the same rooms, Yadav said no such arrangement had been made for the Indian contingent and that he was unaware of any such incident involving other contingents.

With a storm expected to hit the city, Yadav said athletes had been advised to remain indoors at their hotels and on the cruise ship where some members of the contingent are housed.

Uefa and Concacaf have written to Gianni Infantino calling on Fifa to pay at least $10m (£7.5m) from its cash reserves to each of the 211 member associations.

It is the latest chapter in the war of words between the governing bodies, in response to Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s aborted private equity proposal.

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Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) would have meant a new company being created to manage commercial and ticketing rights of all competitions, including World Cups, with 21% sold off to an investment company.

The idea was scrapped after four days following widespread opposition from national associations.

The letter, seen by BBC Sport, was signed by Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and his Concacaf counterpart Victor Montagliani.

It outlines that “Fifa is on course to close 2023-26 with reserves of approximately $6bn (£4.5bn)” which is “considerably more than is required” through to the 2030 men’s World Cup.

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It said that Fifa should “make at least $10m available to each of its 211 member associations over the 2027-30 cycle” which should be used “for investment in infrastructure and football development”.

This “one-off release of reserves” would come at a cost of $2.11bn (£1.57bn), and would be in addition to the regular funding in the cycle.

When the controversial plan was revealed in the days following the World Cup final, Infantino told members they would receive $40m (£30m) if they backed it.

Infantino set a deadline of 19 September for federations to accept his plans if they want to access an initial $20m (£15m).

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In the letter, Ceferin and Montagliani said analysis carried out on Fifa’s published financial statements and budgets raised doubts that the FFE proposal was “necessary to deliver greater resources”.

It added that the analysis was “deliberately conservative” and a larger distribution from the reserves should be considered by the Fifa Council once the financial position at year-end is known.

An “independent review” of Fifa’s finances should be commissioned, it added, with “full access to the underlying figures and assumptions”.

“Fifa currently holds billions of dollars in accumulated reserves,” it read. “These resources belong to football and exist to serve the game and its 211 member associations.

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“Prudence should not prevent a careful examination of whether a portion could responsibly be released to the extent those reserves exceed Fifa’s foreseeable needs.

“Releasing part of these reserves would demonstrate that member associations should not have to choose between development and good governance; between investment and integrity; or between financial support and the ability to consider proposals on their merits.

“Development is an institutional responsibility of Fifa – not a matter of individual discretion.”

Another letter, also seen by BBC Sport, has been sent to the presidents of the other confederations – Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania – asking them to support the motion.

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The news comes a day after Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt sent a letter to Infantino and Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom demanding that all documents relating to the controversial FFE plan were released.

Hewitt, a Fifa vice-president, said that the Fifa Council should also receive a written explanation for the cancelled suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.

Infantino was told he should make all documents available before the next Fifa Council meeting, which is on 15 October.

Infantino, 56, will stand for election for a fourth time in March, with his opponents having until 18 November to find an alternative candidate.

Teddy Atlas has highlighted a key advantage of David Benavidez, which Jai Opetaia must attempt to nullify if they end up colliding next year.

The two cruiserweights have verbally agreed to lock horns in 2027, with Benavidez acknowledging the Australian as a worthy opponent for Cinco de Mayo weekend.

Before targeting their potential showdown in May, though, ‘The Mexican Monster’ is expected to face WBC champion Michal Cieslak on December 12.

Following Opetaia’s ninth-round stoppage of Noel Mikealian last weekend, the WBC cruiserweight title became vacant and Cieslak was elevated from ‘interim’ to full champion.

As a result, Benavidez is set to enter a three-belt unification match after dethroning Gilberto Ramirez for the WBO and WBA titles earlier this year.

By scoring a sixth-round finish, the Mexican-American not only became a three-division world champion but also demonstrated his speed and power at 200lbs.

Top trainer Atlas has therefore suggested on his YouTube channel that these attributes, combined with his punches in bunches, could see the 29-year-old defeat Opetaia.

“He’s got the quicker hands – I think that’s one advantage. But he’s got power, too – just like Opetaia. And he’s a warrior – just like Opetaia. They’re both undefeated; they’re both champions.

“[Benavidez is] a guy, though, that throws with speed and power and punches in clusters. And that can be a problem.

“You can time it … but that might give [Benavidez] an edge. Opetaia might have to hurt him to slow him down and win the fight [on points]. It’s hard to visualise Opetaia outworking him when it comes to volume.”

Indeed, Opetaia is unlikely to match Benavidez’ tremendous punch output but, as the naturally bigger man, he may find success in other areas of their hoped-for contest.

The Unity Torch for the 2026 Akwa Ibom State Sports Festival has reached nine Local Government Areas, with 22 more expected to receive the symbolic torch as the statewide tour continues.

The four-day relay began on Wednesday, September 16, following the lighting of the Torch of Unity by Governor Umo Bassey Eno last Thursday ahead of the sports festival.

The tour is being organised by the Interministerial Committee in collaboration with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the festival and is scheduled to cover all 31 Local Government Areas by Saturday, September 19.

The nine LGAs visited so far are Uruan, Nsit Atai, Ibesikpo Asutan, Nsit Ibom, Essien Udim, Obot Akara, Ikot Ekpene, Ikono and Ini.

The Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, is represented on the tour by two teams of athletes and officials led by directors from the Ministry of Sports.

Speaking on behalf of the Commissioner, Director of Administration in the Ministry of Sports, Mrs Ntimkpo Udoaka, and Director of ICT, Mr Daniel Elijah Usip, said the Torch Handover was part of the state government’s plan to promote grassroots sports and youth empowerment.

They also thanked the Local Government chairmen for supporting the exercise and receiving the delegation in their respective areas.

The visits have been marked by receptions from council officials, with several chairmen confirming their readiness to take part in the second edition of the state sports festival.

At Ibesikpo Asutan, council chairman Rt. Hon. Evangelist Edidiong Inyang said the festival would provide another opportunity to identify young sporting talents.

He recalled that talents were discovered during the first edition and expressed hope that more athletes would emerge from the 2026 festival.

In Uruan, council chairman Rt. Hon. Surv. Iniobong Ekpenyong received the delegation and pledged the council’s support for sports development, unity and healthy competition among young people.

The Torch also received warm receptions in Nsit Ibom, Essien Udim, Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara, Ikono and Ini, where council officials confirmed their participation in the festival.

In Ini, council chairman Hon. Inibehe Umah said the Local Government would participate in the games and expressed the ambition to compete for victory.

The relay now moves to more LGAs as the state counts down to the opening of the festival on Tuesday, September 22.

On Thursday, September 17, the Torch is scheduled to visit Nsit Ubium, Etinan, Eket, Esit Eket, Ibeno, Abak, Etim Ekpo, Oruk Anam, Ukanafun and Ika.

The remaining LGAs will be covered before the Unity Torch tour ends on Saturday, September 19.

With nine of 31 LGAs already covered, the exercise has entered its next phase as Akwa Ibom prepares for the 2026 State Sports Festival.

The Los Angeles Rams‘ trip to Australia in Week 1 was such a nightmare that Sean McVay never wants to go back. 

The Rams created a bold travel plan for the game, and it totally backfired. McVay’s team arrived in Melbourne just one day before the game, which didn’t give the players enough time to adjust to the 17-hour time difference and it showed. The Rams got run off the field in a 27-7 loss to the 49ers. 

During a press conference on Thursday, McVay was asked how his team has processed the Week 1 loss. He would prefer forget the Australia game ever happened. 

“I want to see us be present right now and move forward,” McVay said. “That game is so far. … It’s almost like you try to do the ‘Men in Black’ thing where you say, ‘Hey, I don’t remember what happened. That was so long ago.’”

The “Men in Black” thing McVay is referring to is the Neuralyzer that the agents use to wipe your mind. Not only does McVay want his mind wiped of all memories of the game, but he also doesn’t want to make any new memories in Australia because he never wants to play there again. 

“We’re not playing in Australia ever again, I hope,” McVay said. “Not because it wasn’t a great atmosphere, that’ll get taken out of context.”

To be fair, there’s not much to take out of context here: McVay simply doesn’t want to play in Australia ever again, and by publicly stating that fact, he’s probably hoping the NFL will take that into account when creating future schedules. 

Why the league might not be happy with McVay’s comments

The problem with McVay’s wish is that the Rams hold the international marketing rights in Australia, so the NFL could certainly send them Down Under again in the future. 

The good news for the Rams is that there are three other teams that hold marketing rights in Australia — the Eagles, Seahawks and Raiders — so the NFL might look to send one of those teams for the next game that’s sent Down Under (and there will definitely be another game).

It’s not clear yet if the Australia game will be an annual thing, but the NFL has already said there will be future games. The NFL commissioner made that clear during an interview back in April. 

“There’s no question that we’re going to be playing here again,” Roger Goodell said of playing Australia. “Our view is that we’re coming here for the long term. We don’t come as a one-off. This isn’t a circus. This is something that’s an investment in this market, and we believe that this is long-term and will be great for the NFL long-term.”

The NFL originally agreed to a multi-year partnership with Melbourne, so that’s likely where any future games would be played. However, the league did consider both Sydney and Perth for hosting before settling on Melbourne, so it’s possible the NFL could switch locations at some point, but it would still be in Australia. 

With the league planning future games in Australia, the NFL likely wasn’t thrilled to hear McVay say that he never wants to play there again. Maybe the NFL should give the Rams another crack at a game Down Under just so they can try a different travel plan. 

Either way, McVay and the Rams will officially be looking to put Australia behind them this week. Los Angeles will look to rebound from its Week 1 loss with a home win over the New York Giants on Monday night.