‘Insane’: LeBron and Mahomes lead backlash after Belichick’s reported Hall of Fame snub

• Belichick widely seen as one of greatest ever coaches

• Hall of Fame declines to comments on ESPN report

Six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Belichick has been snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, according to a report from ESPN.

Citing four unidentified sources, ESPN reported on Tuesday that Belichick didn’t receive the necessary 40 votes from the 50-person panel of media members and other Hall of Famers. ESPN said Belichick received a call from the Hall of Fame last Friday with the news. According to the report, Belichick said “Six Super Bowls isn’t enough?” when he was told the news.

The Hall of Fame declined to comment before its class of 2026 is announced at NFL Honors in San Francisco on 5 February.

Published: January 28, 2026, 2:23 am

Zuffa Boxing says it will save the sport – but the fine print shows that fighters might pay the price

Dana White has promised boxers a new deal. But the deal he’s offering looks worse than the old one. Will Congress give Zuffa the power to dominate boxing?

Even Turki al-Sheikh’s most severe critics acknowledge that, under his guidance, the Saudi interests that have dominated professional boxing in recent years have paid generous purses to fighters. Now the Saudis have turned to TKO Group Holdings and Dana White to oversee Zuffa Boxing – a newly created vehicle designed to expand the footprint of its equity partners in the United States.

Zuffa Boxing is taking a far less generous approach toward fighters than Sheikh did. That’s evidenced by the contract that many of the fighters being recruited by Zuffa are being asked to sign.

Published: January 28, 2026, 8:00 am

‘Fascism is here now’: the US athletes pushing back on Trump’s America

World Series winner Sean Doolittle, Super Bowl champion Doug Baldwin and college star McKenzie Forbes have strong opinions on a troubled era

At 6.38pm CST on Saturday January 24, Indiana Pacer star Tyrese Haliburton posted on X: “Alex Pretti was murdered.”

The NBA star was one of the first athletes to respond to what can only be described as the public execution by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Pretti’s death was the culmination of a weeks-long campaign of terror conducted against residents of the city, including Renee Good, who was herself killed by DHS forces just two weeks earlier. Indeed, “Operation Metro Surge” in Minneapolis has accounted for two-thirds of homicides in the city in 2026.

Published: January 28, 2026, 11:00 am

Novak Djokovic survives at Australian Open as Lorenzo Musetti retires hurt while two sets up

• No 4 seed moves into semi-final despite struggles against Italian

• Djokovic win sets up blockbuster with Jannik Sinner for place in final

Novak Djokovic will double his prayers on Wednesday night after receiving a massive slice of luck in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open as the Serb was outplayed for two sets by an inspired Lorenzo Musetti before injury forced the Italian to retire while leading 6-4, 6-3, 1-3.

Musetti had been working towards one of his best victories, dominating Djokovic from the baseline and establishing an authoritative lead before his retirement. “I don’t know what to say except that I feel really sorry for him. He was a far better player, I was on my way home tonight,” Djokovic said.

Published: January 28, 2026, 7:10 am

‘Animals in the zoo’: Iga Swiatek backs Coco Gauff over Australian Open privacy concerns

• American was caught on camera smashing racket following defeat

• ‘It would be nice to have some privacy,’ says Polish second seed

Iga Swiatek backed up Coco Gauff’s complaints about a lack of privacy at the Australian Open by claiming tennis players are treated like zoo animals.

Gauff sought a spot away from public view to let her frustration out by smashing a racket following her quarter-final loss to Elina Svitolina on Tuesday, only to find out she was on camera after all.

Published: January 28, 2026, 7:44 am

Vingegaard crashes on training ride in Spain after being tailed by amateur cyclist

• Amateur rider claims Dane ‘got angry’ when followed

• Team ask for riders to be given space after Málaga crash

Visma-Lease a Bike have reminded amateur cyclists of the dangers of interacting with professional riders on the road following the revelation that Jonas Vingegaard crashed on Monday after being tailed by a fan during a descent near Málaga, Spain.

“Jonas Vingegaard crashed during training on Monday. Fortunately, he is OK and did not sustain any serious injuries,” read a team statement. “In general, as a team we would like to urge fans on bikes to always put safety first. For both your own and others’ wellbeing, please allow riders to train and give them as much space and peace as possible.”

Published: January 27, 2026, 4:54 pm

Chelsea urge fans to take ‘extreme caution’ in Naples after two taken to hospital

• Treatment needed for ‘non-life-threatening injuries’

• Chelsea fans report having knives pulled on them

Chelsea have told fans to take “extreme caution” in Naples after two supporters were treated in hospital there before their Champions League tie in the Italian city.

Napoli and Chelsea meet at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday night in the competition’s final round of group games.

Published: January 28, 2026, 8:35 am

Removing US as World Cup host would be eminently sad – and entirely justified | Alexander Abnos

A country where safety is under threat from federal violence on the streets is not fit to stage soccer’s showpiece event

Removing the United States as co-host of the 2026 World Cup would hurt for pretty much everyone. Fans would miss out on seeing the sport’s pinnacle in their home towns (or somewhere nearby). Cities and businesses small and large would lose the financial benefits they had banked on. It would be a logistical and political nightmare on an international scale, the likes of which have never been seen before in sports. It would be eminently sad. And it would be entirely justified.

It brings me no pleasure to say this. The United States has been eager to host a men’s World Cup for more than a decade and a half. The desire survived and even grew after 2010’s failure to out-bid Russia and Qatar (in public and behind closed doors) for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. With hosting rights for 2026 later secured alongside Canada and Mexico, the US soccer scene prepared to show off that the sport is now part of the nation’s fabric, 32 years after hosting the tournament for the first time in 1994. Soccer’s growing popularity in America has helped inspire other US sports to try new formats, encouraged us to engage more fully with the world in a sporting context, and has been at the center of conversations about our society and culture. The 2026 World Cup was seen as the best chance for the world to fully experience not just how much the US has improved at soccer, but how much soccer has improved the US.

Published: January 27, 2026, 10:00 am

Concerns grow over fairness of Women’s Champions Cup timing, location, and Fifa support

Some clubs have been dismayed at the built-in advantages afforded to Arsenal in the inaugural edition of Fifa’s women’s club competition

There are growing concerns over the integrity and fairness of the Fifa Women’s Champions Cup, with Arsenal viewed as having a significant financial and logistical advantage over fellow competitors Gotham FC, AS Far and Corinthians due to the competition being played in London and the final hosted at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

The Guardian understands that while there is widespread support for a global club competition in women’s football and the announcement of the record-breaking £1.7m / $2.4m prize pot for the tournament is very welcome, clubs have been frustrated by the timing and other details of the inaugural edition, with some feeling that not enough is being done by Fifa to address the significant advantage afforded to Arsenal.

Published: January 27, 2026, 9:24 pm

‘In our DNA’: Celtic deepen London ties with girls’ football initiative

On a soaked Brixton pitch, the club launch their latest programme as part of a widening mission that now stretches from Glasgow’s soup kitchens to Gaza relief

You would not expect to find coaches from the Celtic FC Foundation in Brixton. But even the torrential rain in south London has not stopped them and four local teams from turning out to help launch a programme that will provide girls and young women from underprivileged backgrounds in the local area with a chance to play football.

It is one of several initiatives established since the foundation began working in London to mark Celtic’s 125th anniversary in 2013. Another, based in Hackney, called Breaking Barriers helps integrate refugee and asylum-seeking communities through the sport.

Published: January 28, 2026, 10:30 am

Match of the Day scores viewing figures success with BBC’s new digital strategy

• Highlight clips available at 8pm on Saturday for first time

• Traditional viewing of weekend shows has declined

Match of the Day’s viewing figures have increased considerably this season in a vindication of the BBC’s new digital strategy. Traditional linear viewing of the Saturday and Sunday evening highlights programmes had declined by 770,000 to 6.88 million average weekly views last month compared with December 2024, but MOTD has gained 1.52 million viewers by making highlight clips available on its website and app at 8pm on Saturdays for the first time.

The combined viewing figures for MOTD on iPlayer covering the evening programmes and highlights clips had risen to 61.9 million by the end of December, a big increase on the 45.4 million views by the same period last season. The digital consumption of MOTD has almost doubled since the 2022-23 season, when the total figure by December was 33.1 million.

Published: January 28, 2026, 12:03 pm

A strict and successful disciplinarian – Liverpool face Azerbaijan’s Sir Alex Ferguson

Gurban Gurbanov has been in charge of Qarabag since 2008 and continues to prioritise a squad mentality ahead of star signings

Remember the summer of 2008? That was when Pep Guardiola was appointed as first-team coach at Barcelona, Jürgen Klopp arrived at Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea gambled on a certain Luiz Felipe Scolari. Since then the west London club have had 12 different permanent managers. Qarabag, who Liverpool play in the Champions League on Wednesday, have had one: Gurban Gurbanov, also known as the Azerbaijani Sir Alex Ferguson.

Gurbanov has become one of the longest serving elite coaches in the world and he has built a remarkable empire, turning the club into a force to be reckoned with in European competitions.

Published: January 28, 2026, 8:00 am

West Ham agree James Ward-Prowse loan to Burnley and sign Adama Traoré

• Midfielder has not featured under Nuno

• Winger joins from Fulham until June

Burnley are poised to sign James Ward-Prowse on loan from West Ham. The midfielder is undergoing a medical with a view to spending the rest of the season at Turf Moor. He is preparing to leave West Ham on a day when the club confirmed the arrival of Adama Traoré from Fulham for a small undisclosed fee. The 30-year-old winger is understood to have signed until June.

Ward-Prowse has been out of favour at West Ham since the appointment of Nuno Espírito Santo as manager in September. The former Southampton player was cut from the first-team squad and has not featured under Nuno. Ward-Prowse had a similar experience during a loan at Nottingham Forest last season. He quickly dropped out of Nuno’s plans and was sent back to West Ham early.

Published: January 28, 2026, 11:22 am

Which football league had the fewest teams finishing with a positive GD? | The Knowledge

Plus: two sets of fathers and sons involved in one match, more record wins and losses and ‘sixes and sevens’

• Mail us with your questions and answers

“Twelve of the 18 Bundesliga teams have a negative goal difference,” notes Damian Cerase. “I suppose this is down to Bayern handing out weekly drubbings, given that their GD is +57 after only 18 games. What’s the greatest disparity in a full season between the number of teams registering positive or negative GDs?”

“At the time of writing in the Bundesliga, all teams haven’t quite played the same number of games but nevertheless 66.6% of the teams have a negative goal difference,” begins Chris Roe. “For a complete season, the highest percentage in the English league system is from tier two in 2005-06 when 17 of the 24 teams (70.83%) had a negative goal difference; no doubt this was in part due to champions Reading, who had a +67 goal difference for the season. This example is narrowly ahead of two Premier League seasons (1998-99 and 2017-18) when 14 of the 20 (or 70%) had negative GD at the end of the season.

Published: January 28, 2026, 8:00 am

Football transfer rumours: Jérémy Jacquet to Liverpool or Chelsea?

Today’s fluff is matching its ambitions

Only five days remain of what has felt like a mercifully underheated winter window, but Manchester United could be about to fire it up a bit with an audacious bid for Cole Palmer. Teamtalk claims that a move for the Chelsea and England star is “building up a serious head of steam”. The departure from Stamford Bridge of Enzo Maresca, with whom Palmer was close, has apparently made Palmer susceptible to the idea of returning to his home city. He’s under contract until 2033 though, such is the Chelsea way, and would cost a British record £150m.

Meanwhile, the interim United manager, Michael Carrick, could face an internal battle with club bosses over Harry Maguire, whom Carrick wants to keep despite the desire of others in the Old Trafford hierarchy to give younger players such as Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven more of a chance.

Published: January 28, 2026, 9:30 am

Tottenham’s Champions League preparations rocked by injuries and car crash

• Porro and Van de Ven join injury list for Frankfurt game

• Kolo Muani unharmed after tyre blowout on motorway

Thomas Frank’s preparations for the Champions League game at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night have been rocked by injuries to Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven – and a car crash affecting Randal Kolo Muani and Wilson Odobert.

The Tottenham manager reported that Kolo Muani and Odobert were OK after pictures emerged on social media of them standing by a black Ferrari with significant damage to its front end.

Published: January 27, 2026, 8:42 pm

Premier League has the power but still faces reckoning with European giants | Jonathan Wilson

English clubs stroll through Champions League group phase but fatigue tends to take its toll by the spring

Has there been a great game in the Champions League group stage this season? Probably not. Even if there had been, it almost certainly didn’t mean all that much. But that’s the way of the modern game: an extremely protracted clearing of the throat before the real business begins.

Uefa will proudly tell the world that only six teams have nothing to play for in the final round of games on Wednesday, but whether it was worth 126 games to get to the mild peril of Napoli or Club Brugge possibly going out, or the questionable thrill of finding out whether Tottenham or Atalanta will have to endure the playoff round, is debatable.

Published: January 27, 2026, 8:00 pm

Bundee Aki start in doubt for Ireland’s Six Nations opener against France over ‘disrespect’

• Veteran dropped for alleged outburst at match officials

• France prop Uini Atonio forced to retire after heart attack

Bundee Aki looks set to miss Ireland’s Six Nations opener against France after being withdrawn from Andy Farrell’s squad for disciplinary reasons.

Aki is being investigated by the Irish Rugby Football Union for alleged disrespect shown to match officials in Connacht’s 34-23 United Rugby Championship defeat by Leinster on Saturday.

Published: January 28, 2026, 1:05 pm

Australian Open 2026: Ben Shelton v Jannik Sinner – as it happened

Jannik Sinner, seeking a third Australian Open title in a row, thumped Ben Shelton in straight sets to set up a last-four meeting with Novak Djokovic

*Shelton 1-1 Sinner A big serve makes 15-0, but a decent return on to the line incites a netted forehand. No matter, Shelton shows good variety in the next rally, an inside-out backhand clipping the sideline for a winner, before an ace makes 4-15. But caught at the net having not done enough with the volley, he’s passed, then a netted slice takes us to deuce, and pressure. Shelton cannot afford to be be broken in the first game; he punishes down an ace, but is immediately hauled back, then another big serve allows the clean-up forehand. Ach, but just when a fantastic serve out wide looks to have set up the point, an overhit forehand restores deuce, and Shelton, despite nailing 10/10 first serves in this game, is having to deploy his entire array of shots to hold. He makes advantage again, sends down a decent second serve with the wind behind it, and a quality return renders it useless; back to deuce we go, Sinner slowly extracting his soul, but this time, Shelton makes advantage and closes out the game. Already, this is a lot of fun.

Shelton 0-1 Sinner* (*denotes server) Sinner hooks a forehand long, a shot that looks pretty relative to the mustard trainers, olive top and white hat, shorts and socks he’s been handed – why do they continually dress him in nonsense? Why does he let them? He soon makes 30-15 and Shelton misses the chance to properly get after a short second serve … but a framed forehand sends the ball into orbit and at 30-all, he has the sniff of a sniff. And this is more like it, the American coning in off a deep forehand, and it earns him break point; here we go. Ahahahaha, but you know what’s coming next: yes, a service winner that makes it 23 out of 29 break points saved in the tournament, backed up with a succession of forehands which facilitate the overhead putaway then, when Shelton goes with a drop, but down the line, not cross, which allows Sinner to rush in and mete out forehand treatment. He’s into the match.

Published: January 28, 2026, 11:33 am

Sinner set for ‘toughest challenge’ in semi-final against Djokovic after swatting Shelton

• No 1 seed eases past American 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

• ‘It’s a Grand Slam, it’s always very difficult against Novak’

Jannik Sinner says his semi-final meeting with Novak Djokovic presents one of the toughest challenges in tennis after defeating Ben Shelton on Wednesday afternoon. “It’s very difficult,” Sinner said. “It’s one of the toughest challenges we have in our sport. It’s great to have Novak playing at this very, very high level. It’s a Grand Slam, it’s always very difficult against Novak. Let’s see what’s coming.”

Sinner’s 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 quarter-final victory over the seventh seed extended his commanding record against Shelton to 9-1, with Sinner winning 22 consecutive sets since the 23-year-old American won their first meeting. Such dominance over one of the best young players in the world indicates just how far ahead Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are of the rest of the field.

Published: January 28, 2026, 11:26 am

Australian Open 2026 quarter-finals: Pegula beats Anisimova after Rybakina stuns Swiatek – as it happened

• Jessica Pegula beats Amanda Anisimova in all-American clash

• Elena Rybakina upsets Iga Swiatek in other quarter-final

Elena Rybakina* (5) 3-2 Iga Swiatek (2) The duo exchange points as the game moves to 30-30, before a backhand dragged wide by Swiatek gives the opening to secure the hold Rybakina. After a brief baseline exchange, Swiatek is sent deep and forced into a forehand that looks to go just high and wide, giving the hold to the fifth seed.

Elena Rybakina (5) 2-2 Iga Swiatek* (2) A more straightforward, but not altogether simple, hold for Swiatek.

Published: January 28, 2026, 4:27 am

Elena Rybakina blows away Iga Swiatek to reach Australian Open semi-final against Jessica Pegula

• Kazakh No 5 seed beats Polish second seed 7-5, 6-1 in Melbourne

• Pegula books her place in final four with win over Amanda Anisimova

Elena Rybakina took a significant step towards her second grand slam title as she overpowered and outplayed Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals, advancing 7-5, 6-1 to end the second seed’s hopes of completing a career grand slam this year.

The victory sends Rybakina, the fifth seed and 2023 Australian Open finalist, into her fourth grand slam semi-final. It has been nearly four years since the 26-year-old made her breakthrough by winning Wimbledon in 2022. Although she has won numerous titles and established herself as one of the best players in the world, she has as yet failed to drag herself over the line at the grand slams for a second time.

Published: January 28, 2026, 3:12 am

USMNT’s Alex Freeman reportedly sold to Villarreal by Orlando City

• 21-year-old will move to Spain for a reported $4m

• Defender is the son of former NFL WR Antonio Freeman

US national team defender Alex Freeman is set to move from Orlando City to Villarreal in Spain’s La Liga, The Athletic and ESPN reported on Monday.

The transfer fee reportedly starts at more than $4m but could top $7m with add-ons included. Per ESPN, Orlando City would get 15% of the proceeds if Villarreal sells Freeman in the future.

Published: January 27, 2026, 3:44 pm

Elina Svitolina humbles Coco Gauff to set up Sabalenka semi in Australian Open

• Ukrainian sweeps to 6-1, 6-2 victory in straight sets

• Sabalenka defeats American teenager Jovic 6-3, 6-0

Coco Gauff is known across her sport for her mental toughness and problem-solving abilities, her tendency to grind out wins from unenviable positions. However, down 1-6, 0-3, 0-30 on Tuesday night and sinking quickly, the 21‑year‑old has rarely looked as helpless on a tennis court as when she expressed her despair to her support team. “She’s outdoing me in everything,” she said.

This time, there was no way back for the third seed as Elina Svitolina ended a courageous, focused performance by securing the most significant result of the Australian Open so far, dismantling Gauff 6-1, 6-2 to reach her first semi-final in Melbourne.

Published: January 27, 2026, 2:34 pm

Coco Gauff unhappy after racket smashing video at Australian Open goes viral

• American vents frustration after quarter-final loss

• Gauff believed she was letting out anger in private

Coco Gauff has expressed her disappointment after video of her smashing her racket at the Australian Open was picked up on camera.

The American was well below her usual high standards during her 6-1, 6-2 defeat by Elina Svitolina on Tuesday. Gauff had trouble with her forehand and serve throughout the match - she double-faulted five times in the first set alone – and hit 26 unforced errors to just three winners, losing in just 59 minutes. She also appeared to believe there was something wrong with her equipment as she struggled with her control, and had three of her rackets restrung in the opening set.

Published: January 27, 2026, 1:29 pm

Australian Open 2026 quarter-finals: Alcaraz hammers De Minaur, Svitolina destroys Gauff – as it happened

Elina Svitolina annihilated Coco Gauff to set up a semi-final meeting with Aryna Sabalenka, while Carlos Alcaraz battered Alex de Minaur and will face Alexander Zverev next

Looking at the head-to-head, Svitolina has beaten Gauff before at the Australian Open, but that was in 2021, when Gauff was only 16 and hadn’t yet graduated to the status of double grand slam champion. Gauff has defeated Svitolina in the two matches they have played since, but they did both go to three sets. And I wouldn’t be surprised if this match goes the distance too. Svitolina is in supreme form, having won all nine of her matches in 2026.

Gauff and Svitolina have made their entrance, with the Rod Laver Arena roof closed. That’s always the case for the night session walk-outs, but we’re not sure yet if the the heat rule is in place which would mean the roof stays on for the match. It’s still 42C (!!!) at 7pm in the evening. Zverev played his match under the roof earlier, the doubles matches are taking place under the roof on Margaret Court and the start of the wheelchair events have been postponed until tomorrow.

Published: January 27, 2026, 12:46 pm