Author: WTX Sports Team

The Sports Team is responsible for delivering your Sports Brief. Weekly roundup to cover all things Football, Cricket, Tennis Formula 1, Boxing and Olympics and more.

Former England Under-19s head coach Amy Merricks is set to take over as the new head coach of Women’s Championship side Birmingham City. Merricks, who recently left her position with the England youth team, is poised to replace Darren Carter, who departed from Birmingham City by mutual consent. Merricks will be working alongside women’s technical director Hope Powell, with whom she previously worked at Brighton as an assistant manager and development coach. She also has a close working relationship with Birmingham City assistant manager Emily Simpkins, having worked together at both England Under-19s and Brighton. The decision to bring in…

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Fans delighted as Formula 1 announce major change to 2025 race calendar F1

Fans delighted as Formula 1 announce major change to 2025 race calendar Formula 1 have announced the race calendar for 2025, and fans are thrilled at one major change that has been made. Just like in 2024, next year will feature a record 24 grand prix, with no races dropped or new ones added in. However, Bahrain will no longer be the venue for the season opener which has reverted back to Australia. The Albert Park street circuit in Melbourne was the traditional curtain raiser for F1, hosting every first race of the year from 1996 to 2019, with one…

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Jurgen Klopp slams players after Liverpool thrashed by Atalanta in Europa League Jurgen Klopp says he didn’t know his players were capable of the performances they produced in a ‘really bad’ 3-0 loss to Atalanta at Anfield in the Europa League quarter-finals. Klopp did not field his strongest team on Thursday night, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Andy Robertson and Dominik Szoboszlai on the bench, but it was still a very good starting XI. However, Anfield was stunned as former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca scored twice and Mario Pasalic completed the surprise rout late on. The…

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Al-Ittihad striker Abderrazak Hamdallah whipped by supporter after Saudi Super Cup final Al-Ittihad striker Abderrazak Hamdallah was whipped by supporter after his side’s defeat to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup final on Thursday evening. Al-Hilal ran out 4-1 winners at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, while Moroccan striker Hamdallah scored his side’s equaliser in the second half. During Al-Hilal’s celebrations after their win, Hamdallah confronted the angry fan in the stands and squirted water in the man’s direction. The supporter then responded by lashing Hamdallah with a whip before he was pulled away by a nearby…

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Three of Harry Kane’s children injured in car crash in Germany Three of Harry Kane’s children were injured in a car crash in Germany just a day before the England captain played for Bayern Munich in their Champions League clash with Arsenal in London. The incident occurred at around 5:15pm on a road outside Schaftlarn, a town to the south of Munich. The driver of a grey Renault wanted to turn left onto the motorway slip road and collided with an oncoming black Mercedes Vito, which were transporting Kane’s children. It’s understood that three of Kane’s children – Louis, 3,…

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Xabi Alonso responds as David Moyes calls Bayer Leverkusen a ‘disgrace’ after West Ham defeat Xabi Alonso has dismissed David Moyes’ claim that Bayer Leverkusen were ‘disgraceful’ during their 2-0 win over West Ham in the Europa League on Thursday evening. Late goals from Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface sealed the victory for the Bundesliga leaders in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie. West Ham, meanwhile, will be without Lucas Paqueta for the return fixture in London next week due to suspension after the midfielder received a yellow card in the defeat to Leverkusen. Moyes was furious…

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UEFA club coefficient ranking: Liverpool and West Ham defeats put pressure on Premier League fifth place The Premier League has slipped behind in the race to secure an extra Champions League place following Thursday night’s results across Europe. Aston Villa were the only English club to register a win in European competition this week as they beat Lille in the Europa Conference League, while in the Europa League, Liverpool slumped to a 3-0 loss at home to Atalanta, while West Ham fell to a 2-0 defeat away to Bayer Leverkusen. Germany’s score was given a slight boost with Leverkusen’s win…

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Ohtani interpreter charged with stealing over $16m from baseball star US officials have charged the long-time interpreter of baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani with stealing millions of dollars from the star. Ippei Mizuhara was fired last month when the reported theft came to light. He is alleged to have used Ohtani’s money for gambling and reportedly wired over $16m without permission. Prosecutors say he took advantage of Ohtani not speaking English. The lead prosecutor in California accused Mizuhara of impersonating the baseball star to banks and to place wagers. “Mr Ohtani is considered a victim in this case,” US Attorney Martin…

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WSL: BBC Sport signs extended TV rights deal for 2024-25 season BBC Sport has agreed a one-year rights extension with the Women’s Super League to show 22 live matches in the 2024-25 season. The deal, which is the first since a ground-breaking three-year contract in 2021, begins in September. All matches will be shown on BBC iPlayer, with a minimum of 18 live games across BBC One and BBC Two. Philip Bernie, interim director of BBC Sport, said women’s football had reached “unprecedented heights”. “We are pleased that BBC Sport will continue to showcase the great excitement of our domestic…

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Spanish TV station Movistar issue apology after ‘racist’ Lamine Yamal comment Spanish television broadcaster Movistar Plus have issued an apology after pundit German Burgos made a derogatory comment about Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal on air. The former Atletico Madrid assistant, who was working as an analyst for Wednesday’s Champions League matches, made the controversial remark during the warm-up prior to Barca’s 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes. As Yamal, who was born in Barcelona to Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean parents, was doing keepy-ups on screen, Burgos said: ‘If football doesn’t work out, he’ll end up at a…

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Chelsea agree deal for Sonia Bompastor to replace Emma Hayes as manager Lyon manager Sonia Bompastor is set to take over from Emma Hayes as Chelsea boss in the summer, according to reports. Hayes is leaving the Blues for the United States job at the end of the season after a hugely successful time at the club. The 47-year-old has won the Women’s Super League six times with Chelsea, along with five Women’s FA Cup. It will be a tough act to follow, but Chelsea have found the woman they want to do it.

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Lewis Hamilton snaps at reporter before storming out of interview following Japanese Grand Prix F1

Lewis Hamilton snaps at reporter before storming out of interview following Japanese Grand Prix A fuming Sir Lewis Hamilton stormed out an interview following the Japanese Grand Prix after taking issue with a reporter’s question. Hamilton endured another dismal race at Suzuka on Sunday, finishing ninth and a whopping 48 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen. The result means he has scored just 10 points in the opening four races, leaving him ninth in the standings, with Mercedes’ car woefully off the pace of the frontrunners. Conversely, Ferrari have emerged as Red Bull’s nearest challengers, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc…

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Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso picks out West Ham’s key players ahead of Europa League quarter-final clash Xabi Alonso says he is readying his Bayer Leverkusen side for a ‘big challenge’ against West Ham and has picked out David Moyes’ key players ahead of the two-legged Europa League quarter-final. Leverkusen are enjoying an exceptional campaign in what is Alonso’s first full season as a first-team manager, with the club sitting 16 points clear of champions Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga table and battling for silverware in the German cup and in Europe. Alonso put the uncertainty over…

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Paul Scholes slams Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho over Manchester United training ‘standards’ Paul Scholes has accused Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho of showing poor standards during a Manchester United training session. Mainoo and Garnacho have both been standout performers for Erik ten Hag in recent weeks, although United have registered just one win in their last six Premier League games and are 11 points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa. But Scholes was unhappy after the pair were pictured with their jacket hoods up during a training session with United on Wednesday. The former United midfielder shared the picture on Instagram…

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Manchester United legends ‘did a rubbish job’ at convincing Jude Bellingham to sign Bryan Robson says he and Eric Cantona ‘did a rubbish job’ of convincing Jude Bellingham to join Man Utd back in 2020.  United were one of the big clubs that invited the then-teenager and his parents to the club to speak to the current hierarchy and some Manchester United legends. Robson recalls being part of the delegation alongside Cantona and Alex Ferguson, trying to woo the young star and his family. Bellingham would go onto sign for Borussia Dortmund in July 2020, before joining Real Madrid in…

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Liverpool are chasing four trophies this season and are looking to lift their first on Sunday when they play Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final – but how much will the Reds be weakened by injuries? BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton raised concerns about Liverpool’s injury situation, noting that the team that beat Luton on Wednesday had five changes from the side that beat Chelsea on 31 January. With doubts over the fitness of key players, including Mohamed Salah, Sutton questioned whether Liverpool’s big guns will be ready for the final showdown. In contrast, Chelsea managed to hold Manchester…

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Packers to face Eagles in NFL Brazil opener NFL

The Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles are set to kick off the 2024 NFL season with a bang as they face off in a highly anticipated game in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 6th. This rare Friday night matchup is sure to draw in football fans from around the world as they witness two powerhouse teams go head to head in an international setting. The Packers, led by star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, will be looking to start the season off on the right foot and make a statement against the Eagles. On the other side, the Eagles, with their…

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Pep Guardiola tells Real Madrid president to ‘fix’ problem after Man City draw Pep Guardiola urged Real Madrid to ‘fix’ the state of their pitch at the Santiago Bernabeu after Manchester City’s 3-3 draw in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. In a thrilling quarter-final first leg in the Spanish capital, Bernardo Silva opened the scoring after just two minutes with a display of quick-thinking from a free kick which outfoxed Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. Madrid were level 10 minutes later as Eduardo Camavinga’s effort deflected off Ruben Dias and then went ahead as Rodrygo’s effort squirmed past City goalkeeper…

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Harry Kane backs Bukayo Saka over Arsenal penalty claim vs Bayern Munich Harry Kane admitted Arsenal and Bukayo Saka had strong grounds for a penalty in their 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. Arsenal and Saka were furious at the final whistle after Swedish referee Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg did not award a penalty after the winger collided with Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Saka was restrained after he confronted Nyberg, while both Martin Keown and Rio Ferdinand felt Arsenal should have been given a penalty during their post-match analysis for TNT Sports. Kane, meanwhile,…

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Mikel Arteta admits Ben White miss for Arsenal was ‘critical’ in Bayern Munich draw Mikel Arteta was left to rue a ‘critical’ miss from Ben White in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Leandro Trossard’s equaliser with 14 minutes remaining earned a draw for the Gunners, who took the lead in the first half through Bukayo Saka before going behind following Serge Gnabry’s goal and Harry Kane’s penalty. Saka was also furious at the full-time whistle after he was denied a penalty following a collision with Manuel Neuer inside Bayern’s area which was…

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UConn Huskies Defeat Purdue in Thrilling Matchup In a highly anticipated matchup, the UConn Huskies emerged victorious over the Purdue Boilermakers in a thrilling game that kept fans on the edge of their seats. The game was a battle of the big men, with UConn’s Donovan Clingan facing off against Purdue’s Zach Edey in the paint. Despite Edey’s dominance in the paint, the Huskies made a strategic decision to leave Clingan to defend him one-on-one, refusing to give help defense. This decision paid off as Clingan held his own against the massive center, showcasing his defensive skills and tenacity. The…

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