Football without faith is nothing so Infantino is playing with fire a…

Swirl around Fifa’s machinations and doubts about big team and big name bias creates doubt – and that’s a dangerous game saltysenoritaaz.org

About 25 years ago, I was in the office of a sports newspaper in Bucharest on a Saturday afternoon following the Premier League games with some local journalists. With about five minutes to go, Chelsea trailed 2-1. Somebody had backed Chelsea to lose and brandished his betting slip. Chelsea scored. A couple of minutes later, they scored again. The reporter tossed the slip away. I saw drama; the Romanians saw a fix.

This is why integrity and the perception of integrity are so important. I don’t think that game was fixed. There is no evidence whatsoever it was fixed. Given the salaries players earn and the sophistication of the early warning system for unusual betting patterns, there is little chance Premier League games are fixed. But if you grew up in the declining days of the Ceauşescu era or the wild west that followed, when match-fixing wasn’t so much an open secret as a simple fact, cynicism is the natural response.

BlogHow Kumar Sangakkara earned the nickname Sanga in cricketKumar Sangakkara has been “Sanga” since his first domestic season in Colombo. The clipped form appears beside his full name on 1995–96 scorecards, radio chatter picked it up, an...Open →

Todo tiene su fin. En la vida hay ciclos y el que ha vivido Nicolò Bulega ha sido sumamente glorioso. El italiano llegaba a Donington Park habiendo acumulado 25 victorias consecutivas en el Mundial de Superbike. Pero hoy el de Ducati ha hincado la rodilla. Y lo ha hecho en una carrera trepidante y que ha tenido un desenlace digno de un emocionante thriller. Le ha ganado, quién si no, un inconmensurable Iker Lecuona. El valenciano ha resistido los constantes ataques de su vecino de box para meterse en el bolsillo su primer triunfo en el WorldSBK (es la victoria 101 española en la categoría de las motos derivadas de serie).

England is set to take on Norway at Miami Stadium on Saturday, July 11, in a quarterfinal matchup, as both teams look to seal a spot in the final four at the 2026 World Cup. England is coming off a satisfying victory over Mexico at Mexico City Stadium, a game played under difficult circumstances against the host nation, at altitude and in a hostile atmosphere. Still, England came up with one of the more inspired performances in its national team history, getting past Mexico, 3-2, in the round of 16. England also had to come from behind late in the round of 32 against DR Congo, where a brace from Harry Kane in the 75th and 86th minutes saved England from a shocking upset. For Norway, a late winner from Erling Haaland got the team past a strong Ivory Coast squad in the round of 32, before it took on Brazil in the round of 16. A brace from Haaland allowed Norway to stun Brazil and reach the final eight. Who Are The Referees For England vs. Norway? French referee Clément Turpin will be the head official between Norway and England in Miami. The highly experienced UEFA referee has officiated many high-level games on both the club and international scene, including the 2022 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool. He has also officiated multiple French domestic finals, a Europa League final, European Championship matches, World Cup qualification playoffs and many more high-stakes matches. This is Turpin’s third World Cup and his fourth assignment of this tournament. He has already officiated England-Croatia, Paraguay-Australia and Colombia-Ghana, which was a round of 32 match. This will be the highest-level match Turpin has officiated at the World Cup level. He previously handled a round of 16 match in 2022 between Brazil and South Korea, but he has never officiated a later round at the World Cup until this quarterfinal matchup. His fellow countrymen Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pagès will be his assistants, while Spain’s Alejandro Hernández Hernández will be the fourth official. Referee: Clément Turpin (France) Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (France) Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès (France) Fourth Official: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (Spain)

England are struggling at 38-3 in their second innings after captain Knight was dismissed by a delivery that moved. Alice Capsey and Sciver-Brunt are rebuilding at the crease with India firmly in control of the first women's Test.

BlogWhy Unified Sport Turns Teammates into Champions of InclusionThe Heart of Unified Sport The roar of a stadium, the flash of a jersey, the collective breath of a crowd have always carried a sense of togetherness. For manyOpen →