While Trump monetises war, Iran women’s team deliver great act of sporting heroism | Barney Ronay

In refusing to sing the national anthem these athletes have placed themselves in grave danger while Gianni Infantino sides with the American war machine

A small but telling detail from a vast and baffling chain of events. You probably saw the footage of Donald Trump’s declaration of war on Iran two weeks ago, a piece of history played out in real time, a moment where the inevitable violent deaths of thousands of people were in effect announced.

In the video Trump is shown propped up at his plinth, using that sing-song intonation he employs to appear cod-statesmanlike, faux-grave, but sounding instead like a semi-sentient robot vacuum cleaner in the seconds before it runs out of battery life. To the great people of Iran. America is backing you. Don’t go outside. It’s very dangerous out there. We will for the foreseeable future be bombing you to freedom.

Published: March 6, 2026, 7:00 pm

An Ohio high school is on one of the greatest winning streaks in sports. What’s the secret?

For over two decades the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees have ruled Ohio high school gymnastics. On Saturday, they pursue a remarkable 23rd consecutive state title

As Brecksville-Broadview Heights gymnasts, seniors Rachel Kirin and Kyla Haverdill know that there’s only one expectation for how the season ends on Saturday: with the Ohio high school state title.

“It’s definitely a lot of pressure,” said Haverdill, who has been doing gymnastics since she was a baby. “Most people don’t understand that – it’s just so expected.”

Published: March 6, 2026, 9:00 am

Nine speeding tickets and counting: Myles Garrett and the illusion of invincibility | Lee Escobedo

Walking away from a violent accident changed my life. Garrett’s speeding history suggests the lesson still hasn’t reached him

The taste of cold beer lingered on my lips as I cut through the quiet night, 105mph toward cigarettes and hot wings. Halfway to my destination, Beyoncé’s Irreplaceable looping through the speakers, my tires hugged the winding turns around the lake that separated my neighborhood from the city. I was young and careless, high on anticipation. No seat belt. Eyes squinting through the haze of cigarette smoke.

Somewhere between the thump of the 808s and the growl of the engine, I heard a voice.

Published: March 6, 2026, 5:06 pm

Ohtani’s grand slam ignites Tokyo Dome as Japan rout Taiwan in World Baseball Classic opener

• Ohtani grand slam sparks 10-run second inning

• Japan crush Taiwan 13-0 under mercy rule

• Bad Bunny, Timothée Chalamet among crowd

Shohei Ohtani blasted a home run to ignite Japan’s World Baseball Classic campaign as the defending champions thrashed Taiwan 13-0 in their tournament opener in Tokyo on Friday.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Ohtani’s grand slam homer set the tone as Japan scored 10 runs in the second inning alone in front of around 42,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome.

Published: March 6, 2026, 1:27 pm

‘I believe I can do it’: George Russell favourite for F1 title as new era begins

Rule changes will affect driver style and car performance with world champion Lando Norris already under scrutiny

With the long and increasingly febrile buildup almost at an end, Formula One is finally ready to go racing into the sport’s new era. Whether it will prove a success is one of many questions that will be answered at the season-opener in Melbourne this weekend, as will the most pressing concern: which team and driver enter this brave new world on top of the pile?

In the paddock at Albert Park this week, teams and drivers increasingly had an air of the stony-faced stare-down of a cold war summit amid caginess about their prospects. No one wanted to give anything away nor make predictions.

Published: March 6, 2026, 6:00 pm

Wolves v Liverpool: FA Cup fifth round – live

⚽ FA Cup fifth round news from the 8pm (GMT) kick-off
⚽ Live scores | Follow us on Bluesky | And email Scott

2 min: Liverpool appear to be employing a one-man press. Jones. That’s it. Wolves play through it, and Mane dallies over a shot from the edge of the D. He can’t get one away, but then Gravenberch clips Toti and it’s a free kick for Wolves in a dangerous position, just left of centre, 30 yards out.

Liverpool get the ball rolling. “It’s 1-0 Falkirk,” writes Simon McMahon. “Hic!”

Published: March 6, 2026, 8:51 pm

Naoya Inoue to face Junto Nakatani in historic Tokyo Dome megafight

• Unbeaten rivals collide at Tokyo Dome on 2 May

• Inoue defends undisputed super-bantamweight crown

• Nakatani says he must be ‘at my best’ to win

Japan’s Naoya Inoue said Friday that he will need to be at his destructive best when he faces unbeaten countryman Junto Nakatani in their highly anticipated showdown at Tokyo Dome in May.

The two fighters met in Tokyo to formally confirm their 2 May clash, with Inoue set to defend his undisputed super bantamweight world championship against Nakatani, who is moving up in weight in pursuit of a fourth divisional title.

Published: March 6, 2026, 4:11 pm

Emma Aicher pips Breezy Johnson at Val di Fassa to close on Vonn and Shiffrin

• Aicher trims Vonn’s downhill lead to just 14 points

• Pirovano wins first race in 125th World Cup start

• USA’s Johnson third as overall title race tightens

With neither injured Lindsey Vonn nor Mikaela Shiffrin starting a World Cup downhill on Friday, Emma Aicher seized her chance to cut the American superstars’ leads in the season-long standings.

Aicher, the Olympic downhill silver medalist, placed second – just 0.01 behind first-time winner Laura Pirovano, pushing Olympic champion Breezy Johnson down to third – and reduced Vonn’s lead in the downhill points race to just 14 with two races left.

Published: March 6, 2026, 1:13 pm

Messi and Inter Miami were wallpaper for Trump’s whims in their White House visit

The US president welcomed the 2025 MLS Cup champions in a ceremony beset by tangents and awkward asides

Nine minutes and 43 seconds. As Inter Miami’s players stood behind the dais at the East Room in the White House with club owner Jorge Mas stood to the left and Lionel Messi to the right; with MLS commissioner Don Garber sat alongside Fifa World Cup 2026 task force executive director Andrew Giuliani in an audience replete with celebrities and sports stars, it took nine minutes and 43 seconds for US president Donald Trump to talk about why any of them were there.

Inter Miami won the 2025 MLS Cup; a solid win in an exciting final that merited this traditional visit for champions of US pro sports leagues. But in those minutes and seconds before it was acknowledged, Trump did as he did with Juventus players in an Oval Office appearance during last summer’s Club World Cup: he made sports figures the wallpaper for his political and cultural aims. Trump provided an update of sorts on his administration’s sudden and ongoing war against Iran, alluded to a potential conflict with Cuba and offered his own glowing assessment on the supposedly booming US economy. All the while, Luis Suárez, Messi and every other Miami player gazed blankly from behind him.

Published: March 5, 2026, 11:16 pm

Igor Tudor is flailing in the face of panic with Spurs staring at apocalypse now

Relegation fears are sharpening while interim head coach grasps for solutions at a club hampered by inhibition, rage and injuries

Igor Tudor’s messaging was always going to be key. All eyes and ears were on the interim Tottenham head coach on Thursday night and how he would react; the tone he would look to set. Would there be another blast for the players? Goodness knows, the material was there.

It had been another impossibly awful occasion at the club’s home stadium, another defeat – this one by Crystal Palace. Spurs cannot buy a Premier League win at the Temple of Gloom; they have two all season, the basis for the worst home record in the division. As relegation fears sharpen to an incredibly uncomfortable point, the emotions in the stands ranged from apathy to anger. A lot of anger.

Published: March 6, 2026, 5:23 pm

Manchester United and Newcastle defend 5% price rises on season tickets

• Supporter groups’ pleas for price freezes ignored

• Both clubs insist hikes needed to compete on pitch

Manchester United and Newcastle have increased season-ticket prices by 5% for 2026-27. While both clubs insist the rises are necessary to achieve success on the pitch, their respective supporter groups have strongly criticised the above-inflation hikes.

Season tickets at Old Trafford had previously been frozen for 11 consecutive campaigns, but this is now the fourth successive year they have been increased. The club said: “We have a clear objective to return Manchester United to the top of domestic and European football. We want to keep investing in the team and improving our facilities so fans get the best possible experience. We also need to make sure the club stays financially sustainable taking into account inflation and rising costs.

Published: March 6, 2026, 3:55 pm

Premier League chiefs hold talks on rise of set pieces amid concern over quality

• Top flight directors discuss holding in penalty area

• Set pieces account for 27.1% of Premier League goals

The Premier League’s sporting directors have held talks about the ubiquity of set-piece goals and holding in the penalty area, amid concerns these trends are damaging the spectacle.

Liverpool’s head coach, Arne Slot, said this week that his “football heart doesn’t like it”, when asked about the growing importance of set pieces, which have been responsible for 27.1% of Premier League goals this season, excluding penalties.

Published: March 6, 2026, 4:13 pm

‘People wouldn’t cross the road. Now they cross the Atlantic’: FA Cup ties chart Wrexham’s rise

Thirty-four years on from Mickey Thomas’ winner against Arsenal, the Welsh club seek statement win over Chelsea

“It’s just surreal,” says the former Wrexham midfielder Mickey Thomas, scorer of arguably the club’s most famous goal. When he helped strike down Arsenal, the reigning English champions, in the FA Cup third round in 1992, he could not have expected 34 years later to be regularly rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s biggest stars, regaling them with the story of how he smashed a free‑kick past David Seaman.

In recent years, Wrexham have welcomed a glittering array of famous Hollywood guests to Cae Ras, thanks to Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, who often invite Thomas to the owners’ box. The north Walian town has become a hotbed for famous faces, all given the warmest welcome by a club enjoying a meteoric rise.

Published: March 6, 2026, 1:00 pm

Football Daily | Water breaks with added advertising: it’s another Fifa player welfare win

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The last time the USA hosted the World Cup, drinks breaks – or the lack thereof – became a scorching bone of contention. Upset at having to stand on the touchline listening to the pasty skin of Tommy Coyne, Steve Staunton and assorted other Irish players audibly crackle in 40-degree heat, Big Jack Charlton went to war with Fifa over their refusal to sanction official breaks in play so that his famously thirsty footballers could take on liquids. The rules from on high decreed that players near the dugout could adjourn to the sideline for refreshments while play continued. However, since bottles were not allowed on the pitch, those further away had to try catching flimsy funfair-style plastic bags of water – sans goldfish – thrown from the touchline. Anyone who happened to be out of chucking range just had to flirt with heat stroke for the good of the tournament.

Spurs, and in particular, Thursday’s first half ‘performance’, if that’s the right word, are going to single-handedly put Football Daily and every single professional comedian (and Jack Whitehall) out of business, for good. There’s no competing with that” – Noble Francis.

In the early days of my career I had many brilliant ideas at the workplace but hardly any progress or improvement to the bottom line. My boss told me: ‘You are on the right track but the train is not moving.’ Same with Igor Tudor” – Krishnamoorthy V.

If Tudor thinks his ‘boat’ is heading in the right direction, then presumably he is a big Titanic fan. Looking ahead, some real challenges will be thrown up should the Good Ship Spurs go down. Are, for example, Stoke fans really going to be up for a visit to the cheese room on a cold, rainy Tuesday night?” – Paul Taverner.

Published: March 6, 2026, 4:11 pm

‘I couldn’t be like that’: Nigel Clough on his dad, keeping it real and preparing for Arsenal

Mansfield’s manager hopes his team can handle the occasion when they host the Premier League leaders in the FA Cup fifth round

The birds are singing and the rain has abated. Nigel Clough and his wife, Margaret, are taking their dog, Bobbie, for a long peaceful walk around the beautiful Derbyshire reservoir of Carsington Water. Looming on the horizon for the Mansfield manager is an FA Cup fifth-round tie at home to Arsenal but Clough knows the importance of staying, as he puts it, in the “real world”.

The TNT cameras and global media will home in on Field Mill on Saturday lunchtime as the Premier League leaders visit the second lowest-ranked survivors in the competition that Brian Clough, Nigel’s legendary father, famously never lifted. Clough Jr will have his League One players prepared and organised but would prefer to eschew the fanfare. After Mansfield’s memorable win at Burnley in the last round, he left post-match media duties to Andy Garner, his assistant. “I just went to see the kids,” he says. “The away fans were coming out right next to the changing rooms, so I thought I might just catch them on the way out.”

Published: March 6, 2026, 9:08 am

FA Cup fifth round: things to look out for this weekend

Garnacho gets his chance to stake a claim, a big day for Port Vale and more scheduling concerns for Guardiola

Who would have thought approaching mid-March Wolves would be the Midlands team – at least in the Premier League – with the most to cheer? Aston Villa, while fourth and still capable of securing a place in the Champions League, are wobbling. Nottingham Forest are fighting relegation. In the Championship, Coventry are at the summit but West Brom and Leicester are in danger of dropping into League One. Wolves may quietly fancy their chances when Liverpool visit Molineux for the second time in four days. Rob Edwards’s side triumphed on Tuesday and, while it got lost amid the stoppage-time drama, he made several changes with Friday’s Cup tie in mind. “Does it have to be one or the other?” Edwards said. “No, so we are going to try and win both. It is going to be a really exciting night.” Ben Fisher

Wolves v Liverpool, Friday 8pm (all kick-offs GMT)

Mansfield v Arsenal, Saturday 12.15pm

Wrexham v Chelsea, Saturday 5.45pm

Newcastle v Manchester City, Saturday 8pm

Published: March 6, 2026, 12:01 am

Ireland v Wales: Six Nations rugby union – live

Six Nations updates from the 8.10pm (GMT) kick-off
Sign up for The Breakdown newsletter | And mail Lee

6 mins. The ball is won by Ireland and they work up to the 11 phases, moving left with some big McCloskey carries, before returning to the shadow of the posts. The ball is moved short to Stockdale off his wing to go over close to the posts.

Crowley converts.

Published: March 6, 2026, 8:59 pm

Man Utd announce 5% increase in season ticket prices, Spurs latest – football news as it happened

Our writers had all the latest news on a day when Tottenham fans woke up to a tsunami of meme mockery and the increasingly real prospect of relegation

Will your team still be in the hat after the FA Cup fifth round?

Here are some things to look out for over the weekend – starting with Wolves v Liverpool, which kicks off in under 12 hours.

Published: March 6, 2026, 4:44 pm

World Cup exit ‘a tough pill to swallow’ for England’s Jacob Bethell after maiden T20 ton

• Bethell’s third international century in loss by India

• ‘My game’s evolved a lot over past six or seven months’

Jacob Bethell described England’s T20 World Cup semi-final defeat by India as “a tough pill to swallow” after his first century in the format failed to prevent his team’s elimination in Thursday’s record-obliterating Mumbai run-fest.

The 22-year-old had never scored a senior hundred in any format and for any side when he first broke into the England team towards the end of 2024. But less than six months after banking his debut ton against South Africa in an ODI he became just the fourth Englishman to reach triple figures in all three international formats – just a week after Harry Brook’s spectacular innings against Pakistan made him the third.

Published: March 6, 2026, 3:33 pm

Brendon McCullum poised to stay on as ECB backs England head coach

• McCullum to hold further talks with governing body

• Rob Key also expected to continue as managing director

Brendon McCullum retains the ­support of the England and Wales Cricket Board and is poised to stay on as head coach across all formats after the conclusion of a review triggered by England’s Ashes defeat.

McCullum is returning to New ­Zealand after Thursday’s narrow seven-run defeat by India in a thrilling T20 World Cup semi-final in Mumbai, but will hold further talks with the ECB over the next few weeks before an announcement on his future.

Published: March 6, 2026, 2:41 pm

England rugby stars Ellie Kildunne and Sadia Kabeya stranded in Dubai

• World Cup winners will miss club games this weekend

• England men’s cricketers travel plans also disrupted

Ellie Kildunne and Sadia Kabeya, two of England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup winners, are stranded in Dubai amid Israel’s and the United States’ war with Iran.

Kildunne, the Red Roses’ standout player as John Mitchell’s side were crowned world champions at Twickenham last summer, will miss Harlequins’ home Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) fixture against Saracens on Saturday. Kabeya will be unavailable for Loughborough Lightning’s match at Sale.

Published: March 6, 2026, 2:30 pm

‘Sometimes you need to blow the lid off’: England confident of Rome response

• England have successive defeats by Scotland and Ireland

• Wigglesworth promises ‘physical intensity’ in Italy

England have “blown the lid off” in order to complete their Italian job and salvage their Six Nations campaign with Maro Itoje promising an emotional response to back-to-back defeats.

Steve Borthwick’s side are out of contention for the Six Nations title for another year after dismal defeats by Scotland and Ireland but have won all 32 previous meetings with Italy and spent the championship’s fallow week ensuring they avoid a slice of unwanted history in Rome on Saturday.

Published: March 6, 2026, 2:08 pm

Australia edge day one of Test against India after dismissing tourists for 198 – as it happened

Thirteen wickets fell on the first day of the one-off Test, but a strong partnership between Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland puts hosts on top

4th over: India 14-0 (Smriti Mandhana 4, Shafali Verma 7) I’ve spotted a couple of people on Healy hill, sitting like white ducks on a green bank. A good battle building between Verma and Hamilton. Perry again looks more traction engine than Ferrari in the field.

3rd over: India 8-0 (Smriti Mandhana 2, Shafali Verma 4) There aren’t huge numbers in at the WACA, unless they’re camera shy. Perhaps there will be an after-work influx. Brown has the ball swinging, Verma doesn’t look entirely secure.

Published: March 6, 2026, 1:17 pm

Tiger Woods’ wavering over captaincy undermines US Ryder Cup ambitions

Woods says he has PGA commitments but knows he would be up against a detail-obsessed Luke Donald in 2027

Chatter on the Bay Hill range this week has suggested the prospect of Tiger Woods making a return to competitive action at next month’s Masters may actually be more than a tale of fantasy. There is even the suggestion Woods could test his competitive ability at a stop on the senior Champions Tour between now and Augusta National. If nothing else, the mere discussion keeps sponsors happy.

One never really knows with Woods, whose schedule was always mysterious by design, but his addition to the Masters field would naturally turn heads. Having not played a mainstream tournament since the Open of 2024 – and with an injury record as long as the Trans-Siberian railway – Woods will presumably at some point have to prove he can either remain a relevant part of majors or succumb to the kind of sad, hard-to-watch existence that has befallen scores of sportspeople before him. It is at least fair to say he does not have many Masters left.

Published: March 6, 2026, 5:54 pm

Lowly Li snaps back at fans as Lowry endures another difficult day

• Chinese world No 71 swears at heckler after breaking club

• Lowry finishes with a bogey to compound weekend pain

“Snap another one!” You find brave people in hospitality areas at golf tournaments. The order came to Li Haotong, moments after his caddie had delivered a broken lob wedge to a bin at the back of the Bay Hill driving range. “Fuck off!” barked Li in immediate reply, with a gesticulation to match. What a scene.

Gaining entry to the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the last minute, as a reserve, was not sufficient to boost Li’s mood. He finished round one horribly, with a double bogey rounding off a 77. Li’s tugged approach to the last (a bad workman etc) was plugged in a greenside bunker, from where he opted to putt. The ball crawled out of the sand, which Li booted in anger. The ranting continued all the way to and on the practice area, much to the amusement of assembled guests. Li’s poor bag man was at the opposite end of a verbal tirade. It was pitiful, embarrassing petulance for which Li should be reprimanded by the PGA Tour.

Published: March 5, 2026, 11:48 pm

USL emails players about union resignation procedures as strike looms

• Email includes ‘FAQ’ on crossing picket line

• Active player calls letter ‘a bunch of bullshit’

• USL declines to comment

On Wednesday night, the United Soccer League (USL) emailed every player contracted in the second-division Championship with information about the procedures for crossing a potential picket line and resigning their membership in the USL Players’ Association, multiple sources have confirmed to the Guardian.

The USL, which runs the second-division Championship and the third-division League One as its professional US men’s leagues, has been locked in labor talks with Championship players for more than a year, with tensions recently spilling into the public. The previous agreement between the league and the USL Players Association (USLPA) expired on 31 December 2025.

Published: March 5, 2026, 9:24 pm

ITV in talks with advertisers over showing commercials during World Cup drinks breaks

• All World Cup matches to break after 22 minutes of each half

• Adverts can be either normal breaks or split-screen version

ITV is in talks with its commercial partners about showing adverts during the mid-half drinks stoppages that will take place in every match at this summer’s World Cup.

Global broadcasters have been briefed on Fifa’s stipulations for the three-minute hydration breaks, which will take place after 22 minutes of each half irrespective of the temperature.

Published: March 5, 2026, 8:06 pm