Author: AFP

Iran will play Mali in a friendly match after a game against Gambia in Turkey, where it is holding its pre-World Cup training camp, the federation said.

“Iran’s national football team will face Mali on June 4 in its second friendly match of the Antalya training camp in Turkey,” the federation said in a statement carried by IRNA state news agency on Thursday.

Iran’s football team arrived in Turkey on Monday for their training camp and to complete visa applications ahead of the World Cup. The team will play a friendly against Gambia on May 29, according to the federation.

Both of Iran’s opponents are ranked well below them in the FIFA rankings; Iran are 21st, while Mali and Gambia are 52nd and Gambia, respectively.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Once visas are granted, the Iran team will be based in Tucson, Arizona, during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Iran is to compete in the tournament despite the war with the USA and Israel, which began on February 28, but a ceasefire agreement has halted hostilities since April 8.

Iran have been drawn in Group G and open their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. They will then face Belgium in the same city, and round off their group matches against Egypt in Seattle.

Iran are seeking to reach the knockout stages for the first time, having fallen short in their previous six appearances in the World Cup finals.

READ: Rizwan likely to be dropped from ODI squad for Australia series: sources

Aston Villa ended their 30-year trophy drought in style as spectacular goals from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia inspired a 3-0 win against Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

Unai Emery’s side took the lead late in the first half in Istanbul through Tielemans’ thunderous volley.

Buendia increased Villa’s advantage with a sublime curler seconds before the interval.

Morgan Rogers’ second-half goal finished off the outclassed Germans, sealing Villa’s first silverware since the 1996 League Cup and their first major European prize for 44 years.

That famous European Cup final upset of Bayern Munich in 1982, secured by Peter Withe’s goal in Rotterdam, has stood as the most iconic moment in Villa’s 152-year history.

But Villa’s current stars were determined to follow in the footsteps of the club’s golden generation.

Now, Tielemans, Buendia, John McGinn and company can share the rarified air previously reserved for Withe, Tony Morley, Dennis Mortimer, Nigel Spink and the rest of the Class of ’82.

Fittingly, with Withe and Mortimer watching from the stands, Villa crushed Freiburg while wearing white shirts instead of their traditional claret and blue kit, just as they did against Bayern.

Villa’s long-awaited continental conquest was the latest Europa League masterclass for Emery, who has now won the tournament five times, following victories with Sevilla in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and Villarreal in 2021.

Emery said this week that he didn’t feel like the “king” of the Europa League, but his team’s coronation got the royal seal of approval from Villa fan Prince William, who was celebrating along with around 20,000 ecstatic supporters in the Besiktas Stadium.

Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, another famous Villa fan, joined the party, sending a good luck message to the team before kick-off.

It has been a memorable finish to the campaign for Villa, who sealed qualification for next season’s Champions League with a win against Liverpool last week.

Villa’s success over the last six days would have been impossible to imagine when they started the season with a run of six matches without a win, scoring just twice in that dismal streak.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Their maiden win this season came in the Europa League against Bologna, the first of 13 victories in 15 games in the competition that culminated in their ruthless demolition of first-time European finalists Freiburg.

Despite losing in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals in 2024, and the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals last year, Emery was convinced Villa would eventually cast off their ‘nearly men’ tag.

The 54-year-old Spaniard’s unshakable faith has been rewarded.

The Europa League triumph underlined Villa’s impressive renaissance since Emery took charge in October 2022 with the club languishing just three points above the relegation zone.

Relegated to the second tier in 1987 and 2016 and beaten in their previous four domestic finals prior to arriving in Istanbul, Villa have endured some torrid times since winning the European Cup.

Those miserable memories were banished forever on an unforgettable night on the banks of the Bosphorus.

Villa dominated from the start and should have been ahead in the opening moments when Noah Atubolu denied Rogers.

Tielemans shattered Freiburg’s resistance with his moment of magic in the 41st minute.

Rogers was the catalyst in a clever short corner routine, lofting a pin-point cross towards Tielemans, who timed his run perfectly to slam a brilliant volley past Atubolu from just inside the area.

It was only Tielemans’ second goal this season and his first since December.

Even the Belgian midfielder’s rocket had to take a back seat to Buendia’s gem.

Setting his sights on the edge of the area after Freiburg failed to close him down, Buendia curled a majestic finish into the far corner.

Rogers put the result beyond doubt in the 58th minute, sliding to convert Buendia’s cross as a Villa party three decades in the making went into full swing.

READ: UEFA introduces two-tier qualifying process for World Cup 2030

UEFA on Wednesday said it would create a two-tier qualifying system for the FIFA World Cup 2030 that will be similar to the format used in the Champions League.

The top league will comprise 36 countries, determined by the restructured 2028/29 UEFA Nations League, and be divided into three groups of 12 teams.

Every team will play six home-or-away matches against six different opponents, two from each pot, mirroring the current format used in UEFA club competitions.

The best-ranked nations from the three League 1 groups will qualify for the World Cup, with the remaining places decided via play-offs.

The other 18, lower-ranked countries will compete in League 2 and would also have a chance to qualify.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“The new formats will improve competitive balance, reduce the number of dead matches, offer a more appealing and dynamic competition to fans, while ensuring a fair qualification chance for all teams and without adding any additional dates in the international calendar,” said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.

“The changes will grow the value of UEFA men’s national team football.”

UEFA also announced the Nations League would shift from four leagues to three divisions of 18 teams. Each league will be composed of three groups of six teams.

They will play six matches against five different opponents – home or away against teams from different pots, with home-and-away fixtures against the opponent of their same pot.

The latter stages will remain the same with quarter-finals and the Final Four, as well as promotion/relegation play-offs.

READ: Is Shan Masood’s Test captaincy in danger after Bangladesh defeat?

Tennis stars will protest against perceived low pay by limiting their media duties in the build-up to the French Open, a source said Wednesday.

Certain players, whose names have not been announced, will speak to the press for only 15 minutes on media day at Roland Garros and will then refuse to be interviewed by the Grand Slam tournament’s TV rights holders, according to a source, corroborating reports in the French daily L’Equipe.

Jannik Sinner, earlier this month, called for the Slam events to show “respect” to players in a row over prize money.

Players have claimed they are currently only paid 15 percent of the current revenue from the Grand Slams, asking for 22 percent instead.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka said earlier this month at the Italian Open that players might have to boycott the sport’s four biggest tournaments to “defend our rights”.

The French tennis federation said Wednesday that the players’ decision to cut short media duties “penalises all stakeholders in the tournament — the media, broadcasters, the federation’s staff, and the entire tennis family who enthusiastically follow each edition of Roland Garros”.

A meeting between the French Open organisers and “some of the players’ representatives” is to be held on Friday.

READ: Former pacer calls Brendon McCullum ‘very lucky’ to keep England job

Southampton said on Wednesday that they had appealed against their expulsion from the Championship play-off final as the punishment was “manifestly disproportionate to every previous sanction in the history of the English game”.

An English Football League independent disciplinary commission on Tuesday kicked the Saints out after they admitted spying on a training session of semi-final opponents Middlesbrough.

Boro have now been reinstated and are set to face Hull at Wembley on Saturday for a place in the Premier League, with Championship winners Coventry and second-placed Ipswich having secured automatic promotion at the end of the regular season.

Southampton will also be docked four points next season after admitting multiple breaches of regulations related to the “unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training” sessions, according to a statement from the EFL.

Saints chief executive Phil Parsons apologised on Wednesday “to the other clubs involved, and most of all to the Southampton supporters”, whom he said “deserved better from the club”.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Southampton’s appeal will be heard by an independent league arbitration panel later on Wednesday.

A club statement added that the Saints “cannot accept a sanction which bears no proportion to the offence”.

Southampton highlighted a £200,000 fine ($268,000 fine) imposed on Leeds in 2019 for spying on Derby as evidence of a precedent the EFL should follow in their case.

However, when Leeds were punished, the EFL’s regulation 127 — which specifically forbids clubs from observing an opponent within 72 hours of a match — did not exist.

It was introduced after Leeds were sanctioned to help clarify what had been an uncertain situation.

READ: Could Mohammad Amir play for RCB in IPL 2027?

Veteran Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka will take part in his seventh successive major international tournament after he was named in the squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old national team captain is one of five players contracted to English Premier League clubs in coach Murat Yakin’s 26-man squad.

Amongst those is Burnley forward Zeki Amdouni, the only real surprise inclusion in the squad, who has played just 45 minutes of football this season in three brief substitute appearances as he works his way back from a ruptured cruciate knee ligament.

“He’s not yet at 100 percent but he knows how we play, he knows the systems, the moves, his role,” said Yakin.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Switzerland have reached the last 16 of the last three World Cup tournaments and the quarter-finals of the last two European Championships.

They will play warm-up matches against Jordan (May 31) and Australia (June 6), before beginning their Group B campaign against Qatar in San Francisco on June 13.

They will also play against Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 18 and Canada on June 24.

Switzerland squad for FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Marvin Keller (Young Boys), Yvon Mvogo (Lorient)

Defenders: Ricardo Rodriguez (Real Betis), Silvan Widmer (Mainz), Manuel Akanji (Inter Milan), Miro Muheim (Hamburg), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Aurele Amenda (Eintracht Frankfurt), Luca Jaquez (Stuttgart), Eray Comert (Valencia)

Midfielders: Johan Manzambi (Freiburg), Granit Xhaka (Sunderland), Remo Freuler (Bologna), Denis Zakaria (Monaco), Ardon Jashari (AC Milan), Michel Aebischer (Pisa), Djibril Sow (Sevilla), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Fabian Rieder (Augsburg)

Forwards: Noah Okafor (Leeds), Dan Ndoye (Nottingham Forest), Zeki Amdouni (Burnley), Breel Embolo (Rennes), Ruben Vargas (Sevilla), Cedric Itten (Fortuna Duesseldorf)

READ: Salman Ali Agha reprimanded for breaching ICC Code of Conduct in Sylhet Test

Novak Djokovic arrives at Roland Garros this year facing a familiar opponent, but one that cannot be outmanoeuvred even by the record 24-time Grand Slam champion: time.

The Serbian, who turns 39 this week, is no longer the immovable presence he once was, his famed durability now increasingly a concern in a sport shaped by younger, physically explosive rivals.

The question is not simply whether he can win another French Open, but how he continues to adjust his game and mindset to defy the natural erosion that comes with advancing years.

While his scheduling is more selective and his approach more pragmatic, Djokovic conceded he would have liked more time on clay before coming to Paris.

He has played in just three tournaments in 2026, and lost his only match on clay to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic at this month’s Italian Open.

Djokovic pulled out of tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid while dealing with a shoulder injury — with strapping visible during his brief stay in Rome.

“It’s not an ideal preparation, to be honest,” said Djokovic, who will be seeded third at Roland Garros.

“I don’t recall the last time I had in the last couple of years where I didn’t have any kind of physical issues or health issues in the last couple of years, coming into the tournament. There’s always something. Kind of a new reality that I have to deal with.”

It is a candid admission from a player who has built his career on meticulous planning and physical resilience, but who is confronting the realities of an ageing body.

“It is frustrating,” he said. “At the same time it’s my decision to still perform in that kind of state and conditions.”

Djokovic’s record at Roland Garros underlines why he cannot be discounted. The absence of defending two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz is another factor in his favour.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

A three-time French Open champion and one of the few players to consistently trouble Rafael Nadal on the surface, Djokovic has reached the quarter-finals or better at each edition since a third-round loss in 2009.

But the physical demands of clay are unforgiving, and Djokovic is acutely aware of the marginal losses that come with age.

“I see what I’m missing,” he said. “Late half a step. I’m not definitely where I want to be for the highest level, to compete at the highest level and to be able to get far.”

Recent seasons have also shown the growing challenge of sustaining peak performance over the two-week grind of a Grand Slam. Matches that once tilted towards him now demand sustained excellence from first point to last.

His preparation, as he openly acknowledges, has limits. “I train hard. I train as much as the body allows me to,” he said. “Then how it turns out on the court, that’s really unpredictable.”

However, Djokovic is one of just two men to beat red-hot title favourite Jannik Sinner this season, having ended his Australian Open reign.

Djokovic delivered what he called one of his best performances in a decade to outlast the Italian in five sets in the semi-finals in January, fired up by those who had written him off.

“I never stopped doubting. I never stopped believing in myself,” said the former world number one at the time.

“There’s a lot of people that doubt me. I see there is a lot of experts all of a sudden that wanted to retire me or have retired me many times the last couple of years.

“I want to thank them all because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong.”

Djokovic would go on to lose to Alcaraz in the final, and has not added to his Grand Slam haul since the 2023 US Open, but it would be foolish to dismiss him again, as he has proved many times over.

READ: Shan Masood reflects on Pakistan’s failures after Bangladesh whitewash

Pep Guardiola said he would speak to Manchester City’s hierarchy over his future after a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth ended his team’s hopes of winning the Premier League.

The result at the Vitality Stadium confirmed Arsenal as English champions after a 22-year wait. Manchester City are four points behind their rivals with just one game remaining and cannot catch them.

Widespread reports on Monday said City boss Guardiola would stand down after Sunday’s final Premier League game against Aston Villa. The club have yet to respond publicly to the speculation.

“Allow me to talk with my chairman,” Guardiola told the BBC. “I have one more year (of my) contract.

“When I finish the season, every time we talk about it. I never talk with anyone. First of all, I talk with my chairman and my bosses.”

“I have from my experience, when the boss or manager is anticipating he is leaving, the players don’t follow you any more. You have to lead. Now is the moment to talk to him.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The Catalan was again asked for clarity in his post-match press conference, but instead chose to congratulate Arsenal and their manager, Mikel Arteta, who previously worked under him at City.

Pep Guardiola said his team had suffered from tiredness, three days after beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final to complete a domestic cup double.

“I would have loved to have arrived in the last moment, you know… but today the fatigue was there,” he added.

The departure of the City boss would bring to an end one of the most successful managerial reigns in English football history.

Since the 55-year-old’s appointment in 2016, City have won 20 trophies including six Premier League titles and the Champions League.

Guardiola’s former assistant Enzo Maresca is understood to have been lined up to replace him, having been out of work since leaving Chelsea at the start of the year.

READ: Arsenal end 22-year wait to win Premier League title

Arsenal ended their 22-year wait to be crowned Premier League champions on Tuesday after Manchester City were held 1-1 by Bournemouth.

City had to win to take the title fight to the final day, but the Cherries extended their unbeaten streak to 17 league games, a run which has secured European football for the first time in the club’s history.

After finishing second for the past three seasons, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have finally made it over the line to end a six-year trophy drought.

Arsenal edged to the brink of the title with an unconvincing 1-0 win over already relegated Burnley on Monday, which took them five points clear of City.

The Gunners, who have set the pace for most of the season, have bounced back impressively since losing to City last month, winning four straight league matches without conceding a goal.

On Monday, just 48 hours after completing a domestic cup double with victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final, City were rocked by widespread reports that manager Pep Guardiola would depart after a decade in charge at the end of the season.

Victory at Wembley on Saturday secured a 20th trophy of Guardiola’s glorious reign. But he cannot add to his six Premier League titles when Aston Villa visit the Etihad on Sunday for what is expected to be his final match in charge.

Guardiola had warned that fatigue could cost City against a highly motivated Bournemouth, who still have Champions League qualification in their sights for next season.

As it stands, Bournemouth will be in the Europa League after ensuring they will finish no lower than seventh.

Sixth could be good enough for a place in the Champions League if Aston Villa finish fifth and win Wednesday’s Europa League final.

Manchester City fans forlornly chanted “One more year, Guardiola” in the early stages at the Vitality Stadium in a bid to convince their decorated coach to see out the final season of his contract.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

But if the travelling fans hoped City’s players would be inspired to give Guardiola a glorious goodbye, they were left sorely disappointed.

Antoine Semenyo had the ball in the net on his return to Bournemouth but was flagged offside in City’s best moment of a flat first half.

The home side suddenly sprang to life to open the scoring in the 39th minute.

Eli Junior Kroupi curled a brilliant strike into the top corner to set a new record of 13 goals in a debut Premier League season for a teenager.

Nico O’Reilly wasted City’s best chance of a lifeline when he was denied by Djordje Petrovic just seconds into the second half.

Guardiola watched on pensively as his side’s title challenge fizzled out with a whimper.

After winning what was billed as a title decider against Arsenal last month, City put the destiny of the title back in their rivals’ hands by drawing 3-3 at Everton.

Guardiola looks set to depart, having failed to win the league for two consecutive seasons for the first time in his coaching career.

Rayan and David Brooks hit the post as Bournemouth should have secured victory in Andoni Iraola’s final home game in charge.

Erling Haaland’s equaliser deep into stoppage time came too little, too late to save City’s title challenge.

But it was a big goal for Liverpool, who now have a three-point cushion over Bournemouth and a goal difference advantage of six heading into the final day battle to secure a top-five finish and Champions League football.

READ: Bangladesh script home whitewash over Pakistan despite Rizwan’s 94

Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struck a blistering 93 to power Rajasthan Royals to a seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday to boost their play-off hopes in the IPL 2026.

T20 sensation Sooryavanshi, who was playing as an impact substitute, struck his third half-century of the season as he hammered seven fours and 10 sixes in his 38-ball knock to guide Rajasthan’s chase of 221 at their home in Jaipur.

Left-handed Sooryavanshi missed out on a century before Dhruv Jurel made an unbeaten 53 as Rajasthan achieved their target with five balls to spare for their seventh win in 13 matches and move into the top four of the 10-team table.

A win in their last league match against Mumbai Indians on Sunday will book the only remaining play-off spot.

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad have already made the play-offs of the tournament that will conclude on May 31 in Ahmedabad.

Sooryavanshi’s batting blitz trumped Lucknow opener Mitchell Marsh’s 96, a knock that steered his team to an imposing 220-5.

The T20 sensation has been in red-hot form in the 2026 IPL, and passed March’s tally of Marsh 563 runs to climb to the top of the batting chart with 579 runs in 13 matches.

He has hit one ton and has compiled his runs at a punishing strike-rate of 237.29.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Sooryavanshi’s opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal provided the early impetus with his 23-ball 43 in a first-wicket stand of 75.

Jaiswal, a left-hander who stood in as captain in place of injured Riyan Parag, departed in the seventh over but Rajasthan kept up pace with Jurel and Sooryavanshi putting together 105 runs.

Sooryavanshi reached his fifty in 23 balls and changed gears to smack Prince Yadav for two straight sixes and another two off Mayank Yadav in a 29-run 12th over to put Lucknow on course.

He finally fell to Mohsin Khan with Abdul Samad taking a well-judged catch in the deep but the damage was done.

Bottom-placed Lucknow, who are already out of the play-off race along with Mumbai, had a blazing start with Josh Inglis, who made 60 off 29 balls, adding 109 for the first wicket with fellow Australian Marsh.

Inglis and then Nicholas Pooran departed but Marsh kept up the pace alongside skipper Rishabh Pant, who made 35.

The Rajasthan Royals bowlers pulled things back in the final few overs and Marsh missed out on his hundred after being run out on the penultimate ball.

READ: England Cricket expects ‘significant loss’ in 2027 despite Ashes