South Africa head coach Desiree Ellis says Morocco’s investment in women’s football has raised the bar for the rest of the continent ahead of the next Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Speaking after the South Africa women’s national football team defeated Angola 2-0 in the COSAFA Women’s Championship, Ellis admitted that winning the upcoming WAFCON will be tougher than it was in 2022.

“Morocco has got a two-tier professional league. They’ve obviously got the resources and a bottomless pit to be able to assist them with that,” she said.

Rather than focus on what Morocco has, Ellis made it clear that South Africa’s response will come from within.

“We’ve got to look at other innovative ways to be able to do this and that is bringing these young players regularly into camp so that they can understand what it’s about.”

She referenced how she has previously trusted young players on the biggest stages.

“We went to the World Cup in 2019 with a very young Sibulele and a very young Karabo at 17. We did likewise with Majiya. We took her to the WAFCON in 2022 that we won when she had just turned 18.”

For Ellis, exposing young talent early and surrounding them with experienced leaders remains key.

“What better way than to have the likes of Refiloe Jane and Bambanani Mbane here to be able to help those players develop and grow.”

With Morocco hosting again and determined to go one step further after back to back final defeats, Ellis knows the standard has risen, and other African countries must rise with it.

The moment the Minnesota Vikings arrived at the NFL Combine, business heated up, with reports swirling and the team’s leaders reiterating the offseason direction. Along the way, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave officially entered the trade rumor mill, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Minnesota can listen while still keeping options open, especially with iDL depth.

The Vikings may not find a trade partner, but the club will do its diligence nevertheless.

Hargrave Trade Talk Makes Sense for Minnesota

Trade rumors are formally here for the purple team.

Schultz: Vikings Seeking Hargrave Trade

Hargrave is on the block in the NFL speak. Schultz tweeted Tuesday, “Sources: The Vikings have had trade talks with teams regarding 2x Pro Bowl DT Javon Hargrave. Hargrave started 15 games last year and had 3.5 sacks in his first season with Minnesota.”

NFL writer Logan Ulrich added, “A trade would be a preferable outcome for Minnesota if they can find a partner, as $3 million of his salary this upcoming year is guaranteed. Hargrave was still productive as a contributor, just not as much as the Vikings hoped.”

“Hargrave was scheduled to make base salaries of $19.9 million and $21.65 million in the final two years of that deal when San Francisco reworked his contract. The team later released him with a post-June 1 designation ahead of the 2025 season.”

The veteran defender has been whispered as a cut or trade candidate for about two months. Now, the rubber has hit the road.

The Would-Be Compensation

Hargrave’s asking price is the underwhelming aspect. He turned 33 a couple of weeks ago and struggled as a run-stopper in 2025. The tweet from Schutlz implied that Minnesota could perhaps fetch something substantial via trade, but the reality suggests the Vikings might get a 7th-Rounder from a DT-needy team.

That suitor would have to possess enough cap space to swallow the remainder of Hargrave’s contract and know it would be onboarding a decent interior defensive lineman, not a top-tier commodity.

The best-case scenario might be for interim general manager Rob Brzezinski to send Hargrave and a 7th-Rounder to a team for a 6th-Rounder. Commanding any better than a 6th-Round pick feels like extreme optimism.

Hargrave in 2025

Hargrave’s Pro Football Focus grades place him slightly above average, with a 70.0 pass-rushing grade and a 57.3 run-stopping grade, ranking him 35th among interior defenders in 2025. Although he showed glimpses of playmaking, his run defense was inconsistent.

His volume statistics agree. In 16 games and 537 defensive snaps (53%), Hargrave recorded 52 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 6 quarterback hits, 4 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and 31 pressures — ranking 34th among defensive tackles.

As teams head into free agency, Hargrave could be a solid, experienced option at defensive tackle. While he has performed at a Pro Bowl level in the past, his recent performance suggests he is now a more middle-of-the-road player.

Fortunately, the team’s defensive tackle group is already in sweet shape. Jonathan Allen remains a reliable veteran under contract through 2026, providing consistency. Jalen Redmond, a top performer last year, appears ready to be a long-term starter once the Vikings re-sign him this offseason.

Furthermore, Levi Drake Rodriguez is improving as a run stopper and could start next season. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins contributed valuable snaps as a rookie, and Elijah Williams, an undrafted free agent, impressed during training camp and the preseason.

A Precursor to His Release?

Of course, Schultz’s tweet could be posturing from the Vikings, leaking that Hargrave is available because the who’s who in the front office already knows he’ll be released if a trade partner cannot be found. It’s better for Minnesota to get a late-round draft pick and a team to absorb the remainder of his contract than to get nothing at all and be on the hook for $10.4 million.

On the other hand, if Hargrave is released — not traded — the Vikings will free up around $11 million in cap space to spend on another free agent or two. The savings and dead cap are basically a wash.

Two weeks ago, Bleacher Report suggested the Baltimore Ravens could be a trade destination for Hargrave.

Minnesota could also replace Hargrave in the 2026 NFL Draft with relative ease if it prefers drafting a defensive tackle in Rounds 1 or 2. DTs like Caleb Banks (Florida), Kayden McDonald (Ohio State), Peter Woods (Clemson), Lee Hunter (Texas Tech), and Christian Hunter (Georgia) are considered Top 50 picks two months out.

Other Vikings trade candidates might include Ivan Pace Jr. (LB), T.J. Hockenson (TE), Aaron Jones (RB), and perhaps even J.J. McCarthy if Minnesota finagles a deal for a top-tier quarterback.

This fairytale run to the knockouts will have felt unlikely for Bodo after failing to win their first six league phase games, meaning they were left needing results against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid to qualify for the play-offs.

And, against the odds, they provided them.

A 3-1 victory over Pep Guardiola’s men brought deserved attention and acclaim, but it was no one-off as Bodo overcame Atleti 2-1 in Madrid to claim a play-off spot.

Knutsen’s side lost to Spurs in the Europa League semi-finals last season, having become the first Norwegian side to reach the last four of a major European competition.

Key to their success has often been their ability to make their home games as tough as possible.

In the north of Norway, Bodo can often be bitterly cold, snowy and windy during the long winter months, with temperatures deep into minus figures.

The difficult weather conditions mean the team play on an artificial pitch made of plastic, something many sides used to playing on grass find difficult to deal with.

Those aspects, coupled with the players’ determination and strong belief in their ability, means many have left Bodo defeated.

They famously thrashed Jose Mourinho’s Roma 6-1 at home in the Europa Conference League five years ago, while Celtic, Besiktas, Porto and Lazio have also been victims in recent years.

Manchester City won’t relish another meeting in the last 16 if they are drawn together, with Bodo buoyant after proving they have nothing to fear against Europe’s top sides.

“It’s amazing,” captain Patrick Berg told Canal+.

“For the club and city it’s unbelievable. I don’t think people thought we could beat Manchester City, Atletico and now Inter two times.

“It’s magnificent.”

Inter signed Ronaldo and Vieri for world-record fees in the late 1990s, when Serie A was the envy of world football, blessed with the game’s most talented stars.

AC Milan then beat Juventus to win the Champions League in 2003, losing to Liverpool on penalties in the final two years later, before defeating the Reds to become European champions again in 2007.

While there have been more recent successes in Europe’s other competitions – Atalanta won the Europa League in 2024, Roma won the Conference League in 2021 – Jose Mourinho’s Inter were the last Italian side to win the Champions League in 2010.

Inter’s European exit comes despite being 10 points clear of rivals AC Milan in Serie A and a further four ahead of defending champions Napoli, who failed to make it out of the Champions League’s league phase.

“It is a piece of history,” said journalist Vincenzo Credendino. “Speaking about Italy and Inter, this is one of the worst pieces.

“Inter are the best in Italy, but maybe it is time to think not about what can happen in one or two years, but about 10 or 15 years – and on that side we can see generally Italian football is not on the same level of top European leagues.”

The national team must also win through a play-off in March to avoid missing out on a third successive World Cup this summer, having last lifted the trophy in 2006.

“It is a difficult time for Italian football and this shows it,” added European football expert Julien Laurens on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“Today, Inter Milan put pressure on but it was not enough from them. They have been the best team in Italy for the last few years. And Napoli as well, they haven’t even come close.

“It’s terrible for Italian football at the moment.”

Inter won five of their opening eight league phase games in Europe to finish 10th, with Juventus 13th and Atalanta 15th.

Yet in the play-offs, all have come unstuck against sides who finished lower in the table but play a more intense brand of football.

“What does it say about Italian football? That something needs to be changed,” added Verri.

“The level of Italian football is poor. It is a structural issue. We play very slow football. You can ask any manager in Italy and they will all say the same.

“I was talking to Claudio Ranieri the other day and he said: ‘Look, when I was in England at Leicester… people don’t train more than in Italy. They just do it with another intensity, and then they keep up that intensity during the games.’

“We play slow, and in Europe you suffer.”

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider spoke publicly about their 2026 plans for the first time at the NFL Scouting Combine today.

You can watch his entire 19-minute press conference on seahawks.com. Here’s the link.

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He gave rare in-depth insight into the team’s process for evaluating players and making personnel decisions. Most of the chatter you’ll find on the internet thus far is around him mentioning Kenneth Walker III, but there’s much more interesting quotes on team-building strategy that describes the “why” behind their recent success.

He mentions Walker once, saying he’d love to have him back, Zach Charbonnet once, praising his work ethic, and Sam Darnold by saying he matched up as a better choice for the organization than any college quarterbacks last offseason. But perhaps the most interesting thing Schneider mentions is the single name he refers to twice in the press conference- which isn’t a player at all, but is possibly the single most important person he’ll work with at the Combine each year.

That name is Aaron Hineline, the Seahawks’ Director of College Scouting. There’s less information on scouts than any member of the coaching staff, but they play as vital a role as any in shaping the roster. He’s a Woodinville High School and Central Washington University graduate who’s been with the Seahawks for 20 years, working his way up from intern to assistant director of college scouting before being promoted to his current position in 2023.

While the coaches have been working to win games the entire season, Hineline has headed Seattle’s mission to scout the 1,000s of eligible players for the 2026 NFL Draft, managing the area scouts and collecting intel at a clip fans can only imagine. Despite being relatively unknown to the masses, he’s as good of a person to thank as any for the Seahawks finding gems in the draft, from Grey Zabel to Ty Okada and in between. When thinking of the NFL Combine this week, imagine Hineline as Schneider’s right-hand man as they watch 319 prospects test and interview, knowing more than any media member could dream of.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks’ John Schneider credits crucial Seahawks scout at NFL Combine

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi flaunts new Rs 22 lakh car

NEW DELHI: Fourteen-year-old cricket prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to make headlines with his record-breaking performances and growing list of rewards. After a sensational IPL 2025 season, he was gifted a brand-new car for winning the “Striker of the Season” award. The top model of the car costs over Rs 22 lakh in Delhi.

Vaibhav has recently been honoured for his performances at the ICC U19 World Cup, where India became champions. He met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and received Rs 50 lakh as a special reward for his achievements. Meanwhile, the BCCI also announced a Rs 7.50 crore reward for the Indian Under-19 team after they won the 2026 U19 World Cup.In the World Cup final against England, Vaibhav played a match-winning knock of 175 runs off just 80 balls, helping India win their sixth U-19 World Cup title. Watch Sooryavanshi receiving the car: He hit 15 fours and 15 sixes and reached his century in just 55 balls, one of the fastest in tournament history. He finished the tournament with 439 runs and was named Player of the Match in the final and Player of the Tournament.He first grabbed global attention in IPL 2025 when he smashed a 35-ball century, the fastest by an Indian and the second-fastest in IPL history. He also became the youngest centurion and debutant in IPL history. Rajasthan Royals signed him for Rs 1.1 crore, making him the youngest player ever bought in the league.Vaibhav is already India’s leading U-19 ODI run-scorer and has broken several youth cricket records with his aggressive batting style. He is now preparing for the 2026 IPL season and is expected to be one of Rajasthan Royals’ key players.