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Aston Villa, Roma stunned in Europa League, Nottingham Forest wins under new coach Sean Dyche

Aston Villa, Roma stunned in Europa League, Nottingham Forest wins under new coach Sean Dyche
Villa’s Emi Buendía wasted a chance to equalize from the spot 11 minutes before the end, sending the penalty over the crossbar. (Reuters)
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Updated 7 min 55 sec ago
AP

Aston Villa, Roma stunned in Europa League, Nottingham Forest wins under new coach Sean Dyche

Aston Villa, Roma stunned in Europa League, Nottingham Forest wins under new coach Sean Dyche
Updated 7 min 55 sec ago
AP

Sean Dyche achieved in his first game what predecessor Ange Postecoglou couldn’t in eight matches in charge: win.
Under its new coach, Nottingham Forest presented a concentrated display resulting in a 2-0 victory over Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.
It was the first victory for Nottingham in the competition and only the second overall this season, while Porto was defeated for the first time this term.
Morgan Gibbs-White converted from the penalty spot in the 19th minute at the City Ground. Igor Jesus doubled the advantage from another penalty in the 77th.
Former Burnley and Everton manager Dyche replaced Postecoglou, who was fired in ruthless fashion on Saturday around 20 minutes after Forest’s 3-0 home loss to Chelsea that left the team in the Premier League relegation zone.
Postecoglou had been in the job for only 39 days and didn’t win any of his eight matches in charge.
Roma upset
Czech team Viktoria Plzeň scored twice through Prince Kwabena Adu and Cheick Souaré within two minutes in the first half to stun Roma 2-1 at Stadio Olimpico.
Paulo Dybala reduced the deficit from the spot early in the second half.
Elsewhere, Braga. Lyon and Midtjylland maintained their 100 percent records.
Kerem Aktürkoğlu converted from the spot for Fenerbahce in a 1-0 win over Stuttgart.
Early goals three minutes apart from Jens Odgaard and Thijs Dallinga put Bologna en route to a 2-1 victory over FCSB in Bucharest.
Lille was handed a 4-3 home defeat by 10-man PAOK.
The kickoff of Feyenoord’s home game with Panathinaikos was twice changed because of a storm forecast before the Dutch hosts prevailed 3-1.
Villa’s winning streak ends
Mats Deijl’s second-half goal for European newcomer Go Ahead Eagles completed a 2-1 comeback victory over Aston Villa 2-1.
It was the first defeat for the Premier League club after two wins in Europe’s second-tier competition. The Dutch team recorded its second victory.
Deijl controlled the ball with his chest before firing a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez on the hour mark in the Dutch city of Deventer.
Evann Guessand struck early from inside the penalty area off Jadon Sancho’s cross to put Villa ahead in the fourth minute. It was the Ivory Coast forward’s first goal for his new club.
Mathis Suray equalized three minutes before interval with a lob — scoring the historic first goal in the Europa League for the hosts.
Villa’s Emi Buendía wasted a chance to equalize from the spot 11 minutes before the end, sending the penalty over the crossbar.
The loss ended Villa’s five-game winning streak in all competitions.
Braga, Lyon and Midtjylland keep winning
Fran Navarro and substitute Mario Dorgeles scored one each for Braga to beat Red Star Belgrade 2-0 for the third win from three for the Portuguese team.
Corentin Tolisso netted from close range in the third minute and substitute Afonso Moreira scored in the final minute in Lyon’s 2-0 home win over Basel.
Danish club Midtjylland took home three points from neutral site Bačka Topola, Serbia with a 3-0 win over Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv on two goals from Franculino Djú and another one from Philip Billing.
Pointless Rangers, victorious Celtic
Emil Kornvig scored five minutes before the break and Norway’s Brann topped struggling Rangers 3-0.
Jacob Sørensen headed in the second in the 55th as the Scottish team didn’t look capable of finding an answer to the aggressive play of the hosts. Noah Holm finished them off 11 minutes from time.
Rangers hired former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl as its new coach on Monday to replace the fired Russell Martin.
Rangers are without a point in Europe. It was the second victory for Brann.
Rangers arch rivals Celtic came from a goal down to edge 10-man Sturm Graz 2-1. Liam Scales canceled out the opening goal by Tomi Horvat before Benjamin Nygren headed in the winner at Celtic Park. Minutes after the goal, Graz midfielder Tochi Chukwuani received a red card.
In the third-tier Conference League, Crystal Palace was stunned 1-0 by AEK Larnaca in London.

Topics: Europa League Aston Villa Roma Nottingham Forest

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NBA coach, player arrested in illegal gambling probes

NBA coach, player arrested in illegal gambling probes
Updated 23 October 2025
AFP

NBA coach, player arrested in illegal gambling probes

NBA coach, player arrested in illegal gambling probes
  • Rozier and a former NBA player and assistant coach, Damon Jones, were among six people arrested
  • Billups and Rozier were placed on “immediate leave” following their arrests, the NBA said
Updated 23 October 2025
AFP

NEW YORK: NBA head coach Chauncey Billups of the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested on Thursday for alleged involvement in illegal gambling on a “mind-boggling” scale, US officials said.
Billups, a former Detroit Pistons star and a member of the National Basketball Association Hall of Fame, was arrested in connection with rigged illegal poker games tied to Mafia crime families, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
Rozier and a former NBA player and assistant coach, Damon Jones, were among six people arrested in a sports betting case, Patel said at a press conference in New York.
“The fraud is mind boggling,” Patel said. “It’s not hundreds of dollars, it’s not 1000s of dollars, it’s not 10s of 1000s of dollars. It’s not even millions of dollars.
“We’re talking about 10s of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multi-year investigation.”


Billups and Rozier were placed on “immediate leave” following their arrests, the NBA said in a brief statement, adding that it was reviewing the indictments and cooperating with authorities.
US Attorney Joseph Nocella said the 49-year-old Billups was one of more than 30 people indicted for alleged involvement in a “nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games” that used “high-tech cheating technology.”
Rozier and Jones allegedly “participated in one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States,” Nocella said.
He described it as “an insider sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential information about National Basketball Association athletes and teams.”
The defendants were involved in illegal betting on the performance of players on the Charlotte Hornets, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors, Nocella said.
He said the NBA has cooperated with the investigation which led to the indictments unsealed on Thursday.
New York police commissioner Jessica Tisch cited an example of a March 23, 2023 game in which Rozier was then playing for the Hornets.
Rozier let co-conspirators “know that he planned to leave the game early with a supposed injury,” Tisch said.
“Using that information, members of the group placed more than $200,000 in wagers” on his expected performance in the game, she said. “Rozier exited the game after just nine minutes, and those bets paid out, generating tens of thousands of dollars in profit.”
As for the rigged poker games allegedly involving Billups, the organizers used “custom shuffling machines that could read cards, barcoded decks and hidden cameras built into tables and light fixtures,” Tisch said.
“Victims believed that they were sitting at a fair table,” she said. “Instead, they were cheated out of millions.”

- NBA player banned for life -

Billups retired from the NBA as a player in 2014 and has been the head coach of the Trail Blazers since 2021. He was on the bench for the team’s first game of the season on Wednesday, a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rozier, 31, was the 16th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2015 draft. He has averaged 13.9 points per game playing for three teams over his 11-year NBA career.
Rozier is suffering from a hamstring injury and did not play in the Heat’s opening game of the NBA season on Wednesday.
Rozier’s lawyer, James Trusty, said in a statement that prosecutors “appear to be taking the word of spectacularly incredible sources rather than relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing.”
“Terry was cleared by the NBA and these prosecutors revived that non-case,” Trusty said. “Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.”
The National Basketball Players Association added in a statement: “The integrity of the game is paramount to NBA players, but so is the presumption of innocence and both are hindered when player popularity is misused to gain attention.
“We will ensure our members are protected and afforded their due process rights through this process.”
Nocella, the US attorney, said the indictment in the sports gambling case was linked to the arrest last year of a former NBA player, Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors, who was banned from the league for life for his role in a betting scandal.
Porter was accused of placing bets linked to his performance on the court. He has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.
NBA players are forbidden from wagering on NBA games under league rules.
Billups’s arrest comes three months after that of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, who was arrested in July on charges of running illegal high-stakes poker games at his Los Angeles mansion.
Arenas has pleaded not guilty.

Topics: NBA Portland Trail Blazers Chauncey Billups miami heat Terry Rozier illegal gambling FBI Kash Patel

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Messi signs new Inter Miami contract through 2028: club

Messi signs new Inter Miami contract through 2028: club
Updated 23 October 2025
AFP

Messi signs new Inter Miami contract through 2028: club

Messi signs new Inter Miami contract through 2028: club
  • Inter Miami’s X feed posted a video of Messi signing a contract sitting at a table in the middle of the club’s new Freedom Park stadium
  • “It makes me really happy to stay here and to continue with this project that,” Messi said
Updated 23 October 2025
AFP

MIAMI: Lionel Messi has agreed a contract extension with Inter Miami which will see the Argentine superstar remain in Major League Soccer until the end of the 2028 season, the club confirmed on Thursday.
Inter Miami’s X feed posted a video of Messi signing a contract sitting at a table in the middle of the club’s new Freedom Park stadium, which is under construction, with the simple caption: “He’s Home.”

“It makes me really happy to stay here and to continue with this project that, besides being a dream, has become a beautiful reality — playing in this stadium, at Miami Freedom Park,” Messi, 38, said in a club statement.
“Since I arrived in Miami, I’ve been very happy, so I’m truly glad to keep going here,” Messi added.
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said Messi’s decision to extend reflected his “commitment to the city, to the club, to the game.”
“He’s still as committed as he’s ever been and he still wants to win,” Beckham said. “As owners to have a player that loves the game as much as he does, and who has done as much for the game in this country and to inspire the next generation of young talent as he has, we feel very lucky.”

The World Cup-winner’s current contract expires at the end of the 2025 MLS season.
A new deal had been viewed as a formality after club sources told AFP last month that the franchise had reached an agreement on an extension.
Messi’s contract ensures he will remain in competitive action until and long after the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Messi moved to Inter Miami in 2023 after an unhappy spell at Paris Saint-Germain and has since had a transformative effect on the league, driving record attendances and ticketing revenues.
“When Lionel Messi made MLS his league of choice, it marked a turning point — not just for Inter Miami, but for our entire sport in North America,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Thursday as he welcomed news of Messi’s contract extension.
Messi spent the bulk of his stellar career at Barcelona, where he played from 2004 to 2021 after coming through the youth system at the Spanish giants.
At Barcelona, he won the La Liga title 10 times and lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy on four occasions.
In 2022, he led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar and has expressed a desire to try to retain the trophy next year.
He has scored 114 international goals and also won the Copa America twice with Argentina, in 2021 and 2024.

- MLS goals history -

Messi could play at a sixth World Cup next year, which would set a new all-time record, although he could be matched by long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is also just three goals short of Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 career World Cup goals.
Argentina comfortably booked a spot at next year’s finals, finishing nine points clear at the top of the South American qualifying table.
Messi finished as the top scorer with eight goals, including a brace in what may have been his last competitive match on home soil against Venezuela two weeks ago.
He was named the MLS Most Valuable Player in the 2024 season even though Inter Miami were eliminated in the playoffs.
In 2025, he became the fastest player to reach 40 goals in MLS history.
This season, Messi has led Miami back into the playoffs after finishing in third place in the Eastern Conference.
He wrapped up Inter Miami’s regular season campaign with a superb hat-trick last Saturday in a 5-2 demolition of Nashville SC, leaving him with 29 goals from 28 matches to win MLS’s Golden Boot award.

Topics: Inter Miami MLS Messi

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Kite World Cup set to make debut at Fahid Island Watersports Festival in Abu Dhabi

Kite World Cup set to make debut at Fahid Island Watersports Festival in Abu Dhabi
Updated 23 October 2025
Arab News

Kite World Cup set to make debut at Fahid Island Watersports Festival in Abu Dhabi

Kite World Cup set to make debut at Fahid Island Watersports Festival in Abu Dhabi
  • Inaugurated by Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamdan bin Mohammed Al-Nahyan, the event marks the first time all five watersports competitions will be held in one location, from Oct. 25-Nov. 2
Updated 23 October 2025
Arab News

ABU DHABI: For the first time in Abu Dhabi, more than 150 kitesurfing athletes will descend on the UAE capital for the Kite World Cup at the Fahid Island Watersports Festival, taking place Oct. 25-Nov. 2.

The event was officially inaugurated Thursday by Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamdan bin Mohammed Al-Nahyan, president of the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation, at a launch event hosted at Fahid Island, in the presence of athletes, partners and guests.

In partnership with Aldar, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, AD Ports Group, and set against the turquoise waters and pristine coastline of Fahid Island, the first-of-its-kind festival will feature a world-class sporting program of kitesurfing, wing foiling, e-foiling, wake foiling, hydrofoiling and freestyling, together with interactive community events.

Some of the world’s best watersports athletes will set the stage with high-flying action and freestyle tricks, including jumps, rotations, and board-offs. The event will welcome French star Kylie Belloeuvre, Spain’s Borja Vellon and one of the US’s leading foiling figures, Justin Chait, who will eye podium finishes in their respective categories.

Emirati kitesurfer Mohammed Al-Mansoori and Abu Dhabi-born Polish national Fryderyk Szcesny will also take to the water in pursuit of season-best performances.

Free entry to the Fahid Island Watersports Festival will also allow the public to experience the Athletes’ Village, which provides food trucks and live entertainment.

Watersports fans can try heir hand at several activities, including kitesurfing, wing foiling, stand-up paddleboarding, wakeboarding, and jet surfing under expert guidance. A dedicated retail boardwalk will offer shopping and lifestyle experiences.

Competition Schedule:

GKA Kite World Tour will showcase the Hydrofoil Big Air World Cup from Oct. 25-30

GKA Freestyle World Cup Abu Dhabi season opener takes place from Oct. 25-Nov. 2

GWA Wingfoil World Tour takes center stage for six days from Oct. 28-Nov. 2

SFT Surf Foil World Tour will crown its champions during the SFT E-Foil competition from Oct. 25-26

SFT Wake Foil will take place from Nov. 1-2

Topics: Kite World Cup Abu Dhabi Fahid Island Watersports Festival

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Zimbabwe fire coach after poor World Cup qualifying campaign

Zimbabwe fire coach after poor World Cup qualifying campaign
Updated 23 October 2025
Reuters

Zimbabwe fire coach after poor World Cup qualifying campaign

Zimbabwe fire coach after poor World Cup qualifying campaign
  • Nees had been in the job for 14 months
  • Zimbabwe must now find a new coach in time for the Cup of Nations
Updated 23 October 2025
Reuters

HARARE: Zimbabwe have fired their German coach Michael Nees after a disappointing World Cup qualifying campaign and only two months before they play at the Africa Cup of Nations finals, the Zimbabwe Football Association said.
Nees had been in the job for 14 months, ensuring Zimbabwe’s qualification for the Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.


He then oversaw the last six matches of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, in which they ended last in their group, having drawn three and lost three.
Overall, he won two of 14 games he was in charge of since being appointed in August last year.
Zimbabwe must now find a new coach in time for the Cup of Nations, where they face Egypt in their opening Group B game in Agadir on December 22.
The 58-year-old Nees had previous national team jobs in Africa with Seychelles and Rwanda and was technical director in Israel and Kosovo.

Topics: Zimbabwe Michael Nees africa cup of nations

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PIF’s SURJ Sports Investment partners with ATP in first ever expansion of the Masters 1000 category in ATP Tour’s 35-year history 

PIF’s SURJ Sports Investment partners with ATP in first ever expansion of the Masters 1000 category in ATP Tour’s 35-year history 
Updated 23 October 2025
Arab News

PIF’s SURJ Sports Investment partners with ATP in first ever expansion of the Masters 1000 category in ATP Tour’s 35-year history 

PIF’s SURJ Sports Investment partners with ATP in first ever expansion of the Masters 1000 category in ATP Tour’s 35-year history 
  • Landmark deal sees SURJ bring newly created ATP Masters 1000 tournament to , cementing the country’s position as a premier global sports destination 
  • Announcement marks the first addition to the ATP Tour’s top-tier of events since its inception in 1990 
  • Backed by PIF, a strategic partner of both men’s and women’s tennis, SURJ’s investment reflects ’s ambition to help shape the future of the global game 
Updated 23 October 2025
Arab News

PARIS/RIYADH: SURJ Sports Investments, a PIF company, and ATP have announced the launch of an all-new ATP Masters 1000 tournament, to be hosted in .  

In what is the first ever expansion of the tournament category, will become the tenth ATP Masters 1000 host, joining the existing nine tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Toronto/Montreal, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris. The Saudi tournament will begin as early as 2028.

The agreement marks a new era for global tennis and a major sports transformation in , bringing the most celebrated names in the sport to the country and delivering an unforgettable experience for fans.  

The hosting of the tenth ATP Masters 1000 event underscores PIF’s long-term commitment to shaping the future of international tennis and global sport, and elevating ’s position as a premier global sports and entertainment hub. The deal builds on the existing strategic partnership between PIF and ATP, which includes PIF as the official naming partner of the PIF ATP Rankings (as well as the WTA rankings), partnering on several key ATP Tour events and the recent launch of a next-generation technology platform, ATP Tennis IQ Powered by PIF. As part of the agreement, the new event will join ATP and the existing Masters 1000 tournaments as a shareholder in ATP Media, the Tour’s global broadcast and media arm. 

The tournament will also focus on accelerating the growth of the game at all levels. A nationwide grassroots program, developed in partnership with the Saudi Tennis Federation, will promote inclusivity, accessibility, and talent development, inspiring the next generation of Saudi athletes and champions and creating robust pathways for participation. This supports part of PIF’s broader ambition to grow sport at all levels, and to help drive the development of tennis across both the men’s and women’s game. 

Bander Bin Mogren, Chairman of SURJ Sports Investment, said: “Bringing an ATP Masters 1000 event to is a major step forward for tennis in the region and a reflection of our shared commitment with ATP to the growth of the game around the world. This announcement underscores ’s emergence as a major destination for world-class sport and strengthens our ambition to support athletes, fans, and the wider tennis community for years to come. We are proud to be leading this effort with our partners, and we are committed to delivering a tournament that leaves a lasting legacy for the sport.” 

Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, commented: "This is a proud moment for us and the result of a journey that’s been years in the making. has shown a genuine commitment to tennis – not just at the professional level, but also in growing the game more broadly at all levels. PIF’s ambition for the sport is clear, and we believe fans and players alike will be amazed by what’s coming. Strengthening our premium events is driving record growth and transformation across the Tour, and we’re grateful to our partners at PIF and SURJ for helping deliver that growth and sharing in this vision.”  

Danny Townsend, CEO of SURJ Sports Investment, added: "The launch of an ATP Masters 1000 in is a defining moment in our journey to enhance the sports landscape. This tournament is more than an event; it is a statement of ambition, showcasing ’s role as a global sports hub. In partnership with ATP, we are committed to creating an extraordinary experience for players and fans, while advancing our mission to develop sport at every level.” 

Sports is a key strategic sector for PIF, unlocking opportunities and enriching lives while establishing as a global destination for sports and a driver of long-term economic growth. PIF supports a wide range of sports globally and domestically, including football/soccer, tennis, golf, electric motorsports, combat sports and esports both to drive sports’ global growth and encourage participation domestically.  

With Riyadh having hosted the WTA Finals since 2024 and Jeddah as the home of the Next Gen ATP Finals since 2023, this latest announcement is set to strengthen the country’s connection with tennis and inspire an emerging fanbase with yet another glimpse of the world’s best players. 

More details on the tournament venue and dates will be announced in due course. 

Topics: SURJ Sports Investments Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Public Investment Fund (PIF)

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