'Sort yourself out, Harry' - Nasser urges Brook to mature after captaincy snub

Nasser Hussain has urged Harry Brook to mature after the England white-ball skipper was snubbed for the Test captaincy despite England cricket chief Rob Key confirming the decision was not related to his workload.

Fifa rapidly accelerates plan to expand World Cup to 64 teams from 2030 tournament

Research analysis to be delivered by 11 September Decision on expansion could be taken this year Fifa is pushing ahead with plans to expand the World Cup to 64 teams from 2030 and has opened a tender to research companies to assess the economic benefits on a hugely accelerated timescale. In another twist during a week of astonishing revelations about the global governing body’s plans to reshape football, the Guardian has seen a “research brief” outlining a consultation process to assess the potential increase from the tournament’s current 48 teams. A period of just four weeks has been allocate

New EFL season gets under way... for four teams

For four teams, the EFL season gets under way this weekend in the preliminary round of the Carabao Cup.

Franco Baresi was not only the captain but the moral heart of great Milan team

Centre-back defined era of hard Italian defending and collection of honours are eternal proof of his class There are very few players who become bywords for their position, who enjoy universal acclaim. But for anybody who watched football in the late 80s or early 90s, Franco Baresi was the central defender. He was unsurpassed, obviously the best in his position in the world, the definition of the art of the defending. The oddity is, he really wasn’t like very many other defenders at all. Baresi had just turned 19 when he won his first scudetto at Milan under Nils Liedholm. It was 1979 and

Stavley, Ghodoussi company makes offer for West Ham stake

Amanda Staveley and husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi's PCP Capital Partners have made an offer to buy a 25.1 per cent stake in West Ham.

Who should win the Ballon d’Or?

Harry Kane, Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi are the frontrunners for the annual prize By WhoScored Seventy-three goals in 64 games for club and country – the second most prolific season by any player in history after Lionel Messi’s 82-goal campaign in 2011-12 – not bad for a man who once sat on the bench alongside Jamie Vardy in the Championship. Harry Kane was not a teenage prodigy like a few of the other players on this list but here he is crashing football’s top table at the age of 33. Continue reading...

Raducanu omitted from BJK Cup squad as US Open doubts raised

Emma Raducanu has not been selected by Team GB for September's Billie Jean King Cup Finals in China.

'Anything is possible' - Key open to Stokes Ashes return

England cricket chief Rob Key has left the door open to Ben Stokes coming out of international retirement to play in next summer's home Ashes series against Australia.

Uefa has formed a rare but fragile united front against Fifa in battle for football’s future | Nick Ames and Matt Hughes

Emerging from this week with unity over Fifa’s World Cup sell off was quite an acheivement but Europe cannot rest on its laurels It was a phrase not always heard when Europe’s football associations discuss a pressing issue. “Touchingly unanimous,” was the assessment of a senior Uefa executive within moments of Thursday afternoon’s seismic decision to boycott Fifa tournaments unless Gianni Infantino scraps his private investment plan. United fronts on this scale are vanishingly rare and there is now a narrow window in which to make it count. Fifa doubled down on its proposal overnight with “

Hull finds 'lucky' birdie to reignite Women's Open title push

Charley Hull made birdie at the par-five sixth hole at Royal Lytham and St Annes to kick-start her second round at the AIG Women's Open.

AC Milan and Italy legend Baresi dies aged 66

Former AC Milan and Italy defender Franco Baresi has died aged 66.

Meet Bahoya... the Bundesliga's fastest player attracting PL interest