Sport news in brief
Leeds sack Marsch after dismal run of results
Jesse Marsch has been sacked as manager by Leeds United after just under a year in charge. The American took over at the end of February last season following Marcelo Bielsa’s departure, but has been unable to find a way to eke consistent results out of his squad and exits with the club 17th in the Premier League table.
A defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend appears to have been the final straw, with Leeds only outside the relegation zone
on goal difference following a run of seven games without a win in the top flight and only two victories since August.
Despite Marsch helping the club survive their relegation battle last season, Leeds have won just twice in 11 in all competitions, with both those triumphs coming against lower league clubs in the FA Cup.
However, the 49-year-old has frequently alluded to performances being better than results and points are suggesting, with the team’s troubles down to a leaky defence and key absences in attack. In their past four league fixtures, Leeds have recorded a higher ‘expected goals’ tally than their opponents - but failed to win any of them.
Joshua’s return fight against Franklin confirmed
Anthony Joshua will face Jermaine Franklin in London on 1 April, as “AJ” attempts to bounce back from two straight defeats by Oleksandr Usyk. In falling to Usyk on points last August, Joshua failed to recapture the heavyweight titles that he lost to the unbeaten Ukrainian in 2021, when he also suffered a decision defeat.
Now the Briton will look to rebuild towards a world title shot, and his first hurdle will be a clash with Franklin at the O2 Arena in April. The American, 29, was undefeated until he suffered a controversial, majority-decision loss to Dillian Whyte at Wembley Arena in November – as Joshua watched on at ringside. Prior to that contest, Franklin was 21-0 with 14 knockout wins. Meanwhile, 33-year-old Joshua is 24-3, with 22 of his victories having come via stoppage. Joshua last secured a win in December 2020, when the Olympic gold medallist beat Kubrat Pulev via TKO in the ninth round at Wembley Arena.
He then took on Usyk in September 2021, surrendering the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles with a decision defeat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Eleven months later, in his most recent bout, Joshua was outpointed by the southpaw in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Joshua’s only other
professional loss came in 2019 against Andy Ruiz Jr, who shockingly stopped AJ to end the Briton’s first reign as unified heavyweight champion. Later that year, Joshua beat the Mexican-American on points to regain the belts.
Drivers upset with ban on political statements, admits Albon
Alex Albon has said Formula One drivers are “concerned” about the FIA’s move to ban political statements. Formula One’s governing body has updated its rules to prevent “political, religious or personal” comments being made without prior approval.
The FIA’s controversial clampdown comes after drivers including seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and the recently-retired Sebastian Vettel - have spoken out on issues such as racism, diversity and the environment in recent seasons. In 2020, F1 launched the We Race as One campaign to combat inequality and increase sustainability.
But speaking at Williams’ season launch, London-born Thai Albon said: “We are all concerned. We know politics and stances are sensitive areas but we need clarity from the FIA on what they are trying to tell us. On a personal side, it is confusing. We are very much for the We Race as One (initiative), and it seems as though the FIA are moving away from that.
“It is clear that we need an open dialogue on what they (the FIA) are trying to do but we need to be able to speak freely to some extent. A lot of people look to us as spokespeople for issues around the world, and I do feel it is a responsibility for drivers to make people aware of these kind of situations.” PA
US firm preparing bid for Bundesliga’s media rights
Investors Sixth Street is among the companies preparing to bid for a portion of the German football league’s media and commercial rights, The Financial Times reported yesterday, citing people familiar with the matter. The report comes as Germany’s soccer governing body is pressing on with plans to
sell parts of the Bundesliga media rights for the country’s first and second leagues to private investors.
The German football league was initially expected to sell a 20 per cent stake in a newly created company handling the Bundesliga’s media rights in October, but pushed it to this year after a lack of consensus among the league clubs. The business is valued at between €15-18bn (£13-16bn), with a 20 per cent stake priced at about €3.6bn (£3.2bn). Several private equity funds including CVC, Bain Capital, KKR, EQT, Advent, Blackstone and Bridgepoint came forward in 2022 to express interest in the deal, Reuters had reported. Reuters
No doubts about Sexton’s role for Ireland, says Farrell
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell insists he has no concerns about Johnny Sexton's age as he attempts to help his veteran skipper rediscover top form following an injury-hit spell. Influential flyhalf Sexton claimed he had never been more nervous before a game than he was ahead of Saturday’s resounding 34-10 Guinness Six Nations win over Wales. The 37-year-old kicked 12 points in Cardiff in only his second appearance in three months after picking up an injury in the autumn win over South Africa and then suffering a cheekbone issue on his return for Leinster at the start of January.
Sexton departed the Principality Stadium field nine minutes from time due to a dead leg but is expected to be available for next week’s round-two showdown with reigning Grand Slam champions France. “There’s no doubt about his age in our mind,” said Farrell. “I spoke to him over the last two weeks constantly that there’s no excuse and he needs to be at his best. We’re trying to get him to a point where he’s going to be at his best even though he hasn’t played for so long. His goalkicking was excellent (on Saturday) and that’s testament to his character.”
France are the only major nation Farrell is yet to beat during his tenure and the sole visiting side to win in Dublin during this World Cup cycle. Ireland have lost three successive Six Nations
clashes with Les Blues going into Saturday’s Aviva Stadium appointment. PA
Vinicius suffers another racist attack by Spanish fans
The hate attacks against Vinicius Junior continued in Spain over the weekend, with the Brazil forward again being targeted by racist insults in a league match. The Spanish league said yesterday it will investigate the latest attacks after television images showed someone calling him a monkey during Real Madrid’s 1-0 loss at Mallorca on Sunday.
Vinicius was also insulted after the match when he stopped to pose for photos and sign autographs for fans. Vinicius, who is Black, has been subjected to insults since he came to play in Spain five years ago, and last month the attacks reached a new level when his effigy was hanged off a bridge in Madrid ahead of the derby against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey.
He had also been targeted by fans in other stadiums before, including at Barcelona’s Camp Nou. The hate attacks also occurred in games at Valladolid and Athletic Bilbao. The league has been reporting the insults to the Spanish soccer federation and to local authorities, and said it would do the same this time after “intolerable racist insults against Vinicius were again observed”.
The league said it was “working with RCD Mallorca to identify those responsible in order to take all necessary legal measures”. To speed up the process, the league said it created an email (StopRacismo@laliga.es) so fans who may have images or knowledge of those responsible can make contact and help it file the appropriate complaints.
Authorities were yet to find those responsible for hanging Vinicius’s effigy before the game against Atletico, and so far teams have not been punished for the racist insults against the Brazilian inside their stadiums.
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