‘We are going to have a big accident’: Lando Norris warns new F1 rules pose danger

• World champion concerned about speed of overtaking

• Lewis Hamilton backs changes after Australian GP

Lando Norris has warned that Formula One is in danger of having a major accident that could injure fans as well as drivers after the season’s first race in Melbourne. The world champion was one of many drivers expressing discontent at the sport’s new direction over the weekend, but other senior figures in F1 have called for time to adapt to the new rules.

Norris finished fifth for McLaren at the Australian Grand Prix, which was won by the Mercedes driver George Russell. F1 has adopted complex regu­lations that require management of electrical energy. That includes the use of an overtake mode, allowing cars to apply extra power during a lap against rivals that may be slowing as they recharge their battery.

Published: March 8, 2026, 12:17 pm

Emperor Naruhito watches Ohtani and Japan survive scare against Australia at World Baseball Classic

• Masataka Yoshida’s late HR helps seal 4-3 win

• Naruhito first emperor in 60 years to attend baseball

Masataka Yoshida’s late home run triggered a comeback win for Japan over Australia at the World Baseball Classic on Sunday, with Emperor Naruhito making a rare appearance.

The underdog Aussies struck first in the sixth inning of the group stage game when outfielder Aaron Whitefield came home after a throwing error by Japan’s catcher, Kenya Wakatsuki. But in the seventh, Yoshida connected with a two-run shot over right centre field. Japan put on two more insurance runs in the eighth, and hung on for the 4-3 victory.

Published: March 8, 2026, 4:00 pm

72,000 fans turned up to watch DC United. But only Messi’s Inter Miami dazzled

DC United sought to use the occasion to woo Charm City, but another flat loss put Miami’s quality in sharp relief

The pregame scene outside Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday likely felt familiar to anybody who has followed Lionel Messi’s time in Major League Soccer. Fans milled about, forming a colorful patchwork of Inter Miami pink, the light blue and white of Argentina’s national team, and in this case, the purple of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. Others simply came in whatever soccer jersey they happened to own, all the way down to indoor soccer’s Baltimore Blast, the closest thing the city normally gets to top-flight soccer.

What there wasn’t a lot of was DC United black and red. Despite its proximity to the nation’s capital, Baltimore isn’t exactly DC United country, and as far as decision-makers at United are concerned, that was an opportunity. The club moved the Miami match away from their usual home, the 20,000-capacity Audi Field, to maximize ticket sales, but also to put themselves on display to potential fans in Charm City, a market they’ve badly wanted to engage for years. DC are in the process of starting an MLS Next Pro team in the city, and they’ve partnered with Baltimore’s local government to construct a stadium here for that club.

Published: March 8, 2026, 5:14 pm

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo storms to half-marathon world record in Lisbon

• 25-year-old sets mark of 57min 20sec

• Ugandan had previously set record in 2021

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo regained the half-marathon world record on Sunday, storming to victory in a stunning time of 57 minutes and 20 seconds in Lisbon.

The 25-year-old shaved 10 seconds off the previous world record, set by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia in 2024. Kiplimo last held the record in 2021, when he clocked 57:31 on the same Lisbon course.

Published: March 8, 2026, 5:26 pm

Mikaela Shiffrin extends World Cup lead with rare super-G start as Curtoni sets record

• Rival Emma Aicher fails to finish Sunday’s race

• 35-year-old Elena Curtoni sets record with win

Mikaela Shiffrin moved closer to a sixth career World Cup overall title on Sunday after a rare start in the super-G, a race her closest rival Emma Aicher did not finish.

Shiffrin placed 23rd in the race won by 35-year-old Elena Curtoni, who would have set a series of World Cup age records for women but for the recent comeback of 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn.

Published: March 8, 2026, 1:08 pm

USMNT’s Sergiño Dest comes off with apparent hamstring injury in PSV win

• Right back suffered injury in 57th minute

• Dest projected to start for US at World Cup

• Likely to miss US friendlies v Belgium and Portugal

United States defender Sergiño Dest limped off with an apparent hamstring injury during PSV Eindhoven’s 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch league on Saturday, putting him in doubt for the USMNT’s upcoming friendlies against Belgium and Portugal.

Dest grabbed his left hamstring and screamed in pain while covering his eyes after tumbling in his own penalty area chasing Alkmaar’s Wouter Goes in the second half. The full-back was substituted in the 57th minute, leaving the field with the assistance of two medical staff, unable to put weight on his left leg.

Published: March 8, 2026, 6:21 pm

Sense of urgency surrounds Iran women’s football team as safety fears grow | Jack Snape

There are mounting calls for Australia to take action before the team return to Iran but with no word from the players themselves the situation is fraught and uncertain

Their forward was once suspended when her head scarf slipped off during a goal celebration. Their youngest player is just 18. Another once worked as a personal trainer overseas. These are the women of the Iran football team, who are at the centre of an international diplomatic incident, even as the US and Israel rain missiles down on their family back home.

The team remains in a hotel on the Gold Coast, where they played their third and final match of the Women’s Asian Cup on Sunday. Their departure from Australia is imminent, even if it’s not clear whether they want to go.

Published: March 9, 2026, 4:08 am

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink: ‘Mourinho has black players at Benfica. How the hell must they feel?’

Former striker recounts experiences of racism at Atlético Madrid but says he ‘didn’t have it as bad’ as Vinícius Júnior

The sad thing for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is that the cycle of racism feels endless. It was prevalent in football before his playing days and throughout his career as a prolific striker, and it has persisted since he retired in 2008.

Football’s racism problem has been thrust back into the spotlight in recent weeks after Vinícius Júnior accused Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him in Real Madrid’s Champions League tie with Benfica, and four Premier League players were racially abused on social media across a single weekend, prompting police investigations.

Published: March 8, 2026, 8:00 am

Police condemn ‘shameful’ behaviour of Celtic and Rangers fans in Ibrox clashes

• Police say arrests have been made after Scottish Cup tie

• ‘Officers and stewards faced with hostility and violence’

Police Scotland have condemned the behaviour of some supporters as “shameful” and said arrests have been made after clashes at the end of the Scottish Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox.

Chief Superintendent Kate Stephen said: “The behaviour of a number of supporters at the Scottish Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox today was shameful. It must be condemned by everyone involved in football and wider society.

Published: March 8, 2026, 7:41 pm

Port Vale stun Sunderland to reach first FA Cup quarter-final in 72 years

Ben Waine, a Newcastle fan from New Zealand, reproduced Alan Shearer’s trademark single-arm cele­bration in front of the travelling ­Sunderland fans after scoring the goal that knocked the Premier League side out of the FA Cup as Port Vale, bottom of League One, reached the quarter-finals of this competition for the first time in 72 years.

The Newcastle legend did not hesitate to retweet the BBC’s post as Waine, who scored the fourth-round winner against Bristol City in the delayed tie five days earlier, helped Jon Brady’s side to make light of the 56 league places between them and Sunderland. Waine also scored the second‑round winner against Bristol Rovers as Vale, 11 points adrift of the safety line in League One, have found solace in the Cup. Indeed their five Cup triumphs are only one short of their number of league wins.

Published: March 8, 2026, 4:07 pm

Leeds power past Norwich to reach FA Cup last eight for first time since 2003

After Southampton and Port Vale caused shocks, could Philippe Clement mastermind a third of the day for Norwich? The answer was a resounding no as Leeds United cuffed their guests aside and progressed to a first quarter-final in 23 years.

Leeds have not contested a semi‑final since 1987 when losing 3-2 against Coventry after extra time but are only 90 minutes away from breaching a 53-year gap to the pre­vious walk-out at Wembley in the competition: the 1973 showpiece, which Sunderland won 1-0.

Published: March 8, 2026, 7:26 pm

European football: Estupiñán’s derby strike for Milan cuts Inter’s Serie A lead

• Full-back scores only goal of derby at San Siro

• Wolfsburg sack head coach Daniel Bauer

Milan cut Inter’s lead at the top of Serie A to seven points after a 1-0 victory in the derby at San Siro. Pervis Estupiñán’s first-half strike helped Milan complete a Serie A double over their fierce rivals for the first time since 2011.

Inter had gone 15 league matches undefeated since their 1-0 loss to Milan in November but it was the full-back Estupiñán who found the only goal in the 35th minute.

Published: March 8, 2026, 10:40 pm

Southampton into last eight after Ross Stewart’s late penalty upsets Fulham

The winning goal arrived late but the result was deserved. ­Southampton were resilient in defence, comba­tive in midfield, dangerous on the counterattack and are into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after punishing another dozy home performance from ­Fulham with a stoppage-time penalty from Ross Stewart.

As wild as the celebrations were in the away end, it did not feel like much of a shock. Having recovered from last season’s limp relegation from the Premier League, Southampton were good value for the win.

Published: March 8, 2026, 2:51 pm

Oxford United academy player, 15, dies after collapsing during match

• Amelia Aplin collapsed in fixture against Fulham

• Clubs and Football Association pay tribute to player

A 15-year-old Oxford United academy player has died after collapsing during a match, the club has confirmed in a statement expressing “immense sadness” at the news.

Amelia Aplin collapsed on Saturday during the girls’ academy fixture against Fulham at Oxford’s Horspath training centre and later the club said a “serious medical incident” had occurred.

Published: March 8, 2026, 4:41 pm

Iraq request World Cup playoff delay after rejecting Fifa plan for 25-hour road journey

• Playoff due to take place in Mexico this month

• Country’s airspace is closed for duration of war

Iraq has made a formal request to have the World Cup playoff game postponed after rejecting a proposal from Fifa that the squad should make a 25-hour road journey to Turkey before flying to Mexico to fulfil the fixture.

The Guardian revealed last week that the playoff against Bolivia or Suriname, that is scheduled to take place in Monterrey on 31 March, is in doubt after the Iraqi Transport Ministry informed the Iraqi football association that the country’s airspace will remain closed for the duration of the war.

Published: March 8, 2026, 4:42 pm

‘We can’t slack off now’: Lampard and Coventry close on return to top after 25 years

A win at Bristol City tightened leaders’ grip at top of the Championship and boosted hopes of top-flight return

After securing a fifth straight victory, Coventry City’s players, staff and supporters savoured the moment as one. “We are top of the league,” was the chorus stuck on loop. As Frank Lampard left the pitch with a sold-out away end at Ashton Gate serenading him, the fans invariably obliged when he asked them to turn up the volume. Josh Eccles, who joined the club aged seven, was the last to head in. To lean into an analogy parroted by the Coventry owner, Doug King, who refers to squads as decks, Lampard’s hand is akin to a royal flush.

No wonder Lampard was nonplussed this week when asked about clubs voting to extend the Championship playoffs to six teams next season. With 10 games to play, Coventry are nine points clear of third-placed Millwall and it seems increasingly likely that they won’t be in the division to live the change. They may require only a handful of wins to return to the top flight for the first time since relegation in 2000-01. “I left Ipswich last summer and in many ways you can compare what the two clubs have been through,” says the Coventry defender Luke Woolfenden. “Both were relegated to League One and when you get that promotion, you can feel something special happening. It is a good feeling and it can take you a long way; now we’re into the final straight.”

Published: March 8, 2026, 8:00 am

‘Grave concerns’ for Iran’s return home after Women’s Asian Cup elimination

• Protesters block team bus after Iran’s 2-0 defeat by Philippines

• Players called ‘traitors’ for not singing anthem last week

The Iranian women’s team face the uncertain prospect of returning home after their embattled Women’s Asian Cup campaign ended in chaotic and physical scenes on the Gold Coast.

After their 2-0 defeat against the Philippines, which ended their tournament on Sunday, the team had to face dramatic scenes as protesters blocked their bus amid 15 minutes of mayhem as they tried to depart.

Published: March 8, 2026, 1:15 pm

'Save our girls': support shown for Iran players after exit from Women's Asian Cup – video

Fans and activists chanted support for the Iranian women’s football team, shouting 'save our girls', as the players' bus drove past them after their final game at the Women's Asian Cup. Iran’s state television labelled them as 'traitors' for not singing the national anthem before their first game against South Korea.

• ‘Grave concerns’ for Iran’s return home after Women’s Asian Cup elimination

Published: March 9, 2026, 3:09 am

Raducanu loses in 52 minutes to No 6 seed Anisimova in Indian Wells third round

• American wins 6-1, 6-1

• Aryna Sabalenka sets up Naomi Osaka meeting

Emma Raducanu suffered a heavy defeat in just 52 minutes to Amanda Anisimova in the third round at Indian Wells. The British No 1 was well below par in a 6-1 6-1 loss to the American world No 6.

Raducanu, seeded 25, may have been struggling with a fitness issue as she repeatedly refused to chase down drop shots. The 23-year-old’s first serve misfired badly and she hit just two winners to her opponent’s 21.

Published: March 9, 2026, 12:55 am

‘A wonderful journey’: Suryakumar Yadav revels in India’s T20 World Cup win

• Team claim third successive men’s ICC trophy

• ‘We want to continue and never stop,’ says captain

India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, has set his sights on an extended period of white-ball dominance after the team secured a third successive ICC men’s trophy with a one-sided victory against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final.

The country went more than a decade without winning a major trophy, but since 2024 they have banked two T20 World Cups and a Champions Trophy. “I’m very excited by the way things have gone since then,” Suryakumar said.

Published: March 8, 2026, 8:27 pm

Leeds 3-0 Norwich: FA Cup fifth round – as it happened

Daniel Farke enjoyed victory over his former club in a fluent display that booked their first quarter-final in 23 years

There are 52 league places between Port Vale and Sunderland, and it’s Vale’s first quarter-final for 72 years. Magic.

“I’ve a strange feeling that Leeds are going to go all the way to the final this year,” emails Justin. “It’s just odd to think they’ve played a European Cup final and won two league titles but have not been back to Wembley for an FA Cup Final since 1973! Even Sunderland got back for one in 1992. Right, that’s Leeds jinxed for another year.”

Published: March 8, 2026, 7:28 pm

India retain T20 World Cup with 96-run final win over New Zealand – as it happened

Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah starred as an irresistible India crushed New Zealand to retain the T20 World Cup

3rd over: India 27-0 (Samson 14, Abhishek 12) Matt Henry is replaced by Jacob Duffy after only one over. The gamble doesn’t pay off, with Duffy’s first over costing 15.

Abhishek larruped two fours over the top before hitting another big shot just short of Phillips at deep square leg. Samson finished the over with an imperious drive over mid-off for four.

Published: March 8, 2026, 5:45 pm

India retain T20 World Cup as Samson and Bumrah inspire rout of New Zealand

• Final: India, 255-5, beat NZ, 159, by 96 runs

• Samson’s 89 leads way before Bumrah takes four for 15

It might not have been the thriller neutrals wanted, but it was everything India desired. They became the first men’s team to defend the T20 World Cup and the first side to win it at home, after drowning New Zealand in a deluge of runs in front of 100,000 giddy and almost universally blue‑clad supporters.

New Zealand looked forlorn while conceding 255 and wretched when attempting to chase it, and after meandering through much of their innings with defeat already a certainty they were still 96 behind when it ended. They have now reached four World Cup finals of various hues since 2015 and lost them all, plus the Champions Trophy last year to boot.

Published: March 8, 2026, 5:43 pm

Team GB mixed doubles curlers must beat Italy after ‘psychology’ of China defeat

• Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean lose 10-5 having led 5-3

• Victory against hosts would still put pair in semi-finals

Great Britain must defeat the host nation, Italy, in their final round‑robin match of the mixed doubles curling to secure a place in the semi-finals, after being roundly beaten by China.

Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean started well against the unbeaten pair of Wang Meng and Yang Jun and led at the halfway stage. Missed opportunities and a sharp improvement from their opponents, however, meant a 5-3 lead became a 10-5 defeat, with the eighth end left unplayed.

Published: March 8, 2026, 5:25 pm

Akshay Bhatia denies Berger in playoff to win Arnold Palmer Invitational

• Bhatia wins on first playoff hole at Bay Hill

• Berger had led by four shots on the back nine

A straightforward conclusion to the Arnold Palmer Invitational is apparently impossible. Palmer himself would approve, even if events at the tournament still played in tribute to a golfing icon can feel grisly at times. This, the Florida swing, is the PGA Tour’s most testing spell. Glory came to Akshay Bhatia after one sudden death hole in competition with Daniel Berger. The 24-year-old Bhatia, a charismatic left-hander, will bounce towards Sawgrass and Thursday’s Players Championship.

A year after Collin Morikawa stumbled in painful fashion at Bay Hill, Berger was dragged into the most unlikely of scraps by Bhatia. Berger had led by four at the Sunday turn. Bhatia jabbed back, courtesy of four birdies in a row. Berger secured leeway again at the 15th, where Bhatia’s missed attempt at par came after officials had told the pair to pick up the pace. Game over? Not at all. Bhatia flew a wonderful approach to the par five 16th, setting up the eagle that reduced Berger’s advantage to one. Shot of the day? It was shot of the tournament. The duo were all square on the 18th tee after Berger three-putted the penultimate hole.

Published: March 8, 2026, 11:05 pm