Sports

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan has been made to confront his historic racially aggravated tweets while giving evidence at a hearing where he denied using a racist phrase toward teammates when playing for Yorkshire. Vaughan was one of the best England batters of his generation. He has been

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum has been closed for repairs after a small piece of concrete fell from the ceiling of the nearly 60-year-old facility that hosts several of the university’s sports teams and school graduation ceremonies in the spring. The school says no one was injured when the concrete fell on Wednesday,

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Ongoing uncertainty about letting Russian and Belarusian athletes try to qualify for the Paris Olympics affects “less than half” of the 32 sports at the games. The umbrella group of Summer Games sports bodies known as ASOIF met on Friday for the first time since

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — World Cup winner Argentina plans to celebrate with its fans at two home games in March against Panama and Curacao. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni on Friday announced a 35-man selection which included Lionel Messi, Ángel di Maria and the other members of Argentina’s winning squad in Qatar. In its first games

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Jalen Carter’s next step in his attempts to preserve his status as a top prospect in next month’s NFL draft will be Georgia’s pro day on March 15, where he is expected to participate in workouts in front of coaches and general managers. Carter, a defensive

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Defending champion Andrey Rublev advanced to the final at the Dubai Championships by beating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (9) for his first tour-level win over the German. Rublev needed six match points to finally put away Zverev. The Russian will face either top-ranked Novak Djokovic or former No. 1

MUNICH (AP) — Cameroon forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has extended his contract to stay another season at Bayern Munich. Bayern says the 33-year-old Choupo-Moting signed a one-year extension. Choupo-Moting has helped Bayern adjust to the loss of Robert Lewandowski with 15 goals across all competitions so far. He initially joined Bayern in September 2020 as

PARIS (AP) — French prosecutors say Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi was given preliminary charges of rape. The prosecutors office in Nanterre says Hakimi was questioned by investigators probing rape allegations on Thursday. He was then given preliminary charges and placed under judicial supervision. A 24-year-old woman says she was raped by Hakimi on Saturday

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil interim coach Ramon Menezes has left Neymar and Alisson out of his squad for the team’s international friendly against Morocco on March 25 in Tangier. It will be Brazil’s first game since its World Cup elimination against Croatia in the quarterfinals in December. Neymar was injured in a French

LONDON (AP) — Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi won’t be on the touchline for Saturday’s Premier League game against West Ham as a result of a one-match suspension for abusive behavior toward a match official. The Football Association announced the touchline ban and a fine of $18,000 for De Zerbi’s actions following a 1-0 loss

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Pep Guardiola says it is “written in the stars” that Vincent Kompany will one day be the manager of Manchester City. Kompany was one of the pillars behind City’s rise as a major force in English soccer following his signing in 2008. He won four Premier League titles in his 11

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona has built its reputation on dominating possession and trusting its attack to overwhelm opponents. But with its leading scorers injured Xavi Hernández’s side relied on its defense to frustrate Real Madrid and earn a hard-fought 1-0 advantage in the Copa del Rey semifinals on Thursday.

NICE, France (AP) — French club Nice has advised fans not to travel to Moldova for a Europa Conference League game next week. It comes amid street protests and unrest in Moldova where authorities have alleged Russian-backed attempts to destabilize the government. Nice says the security situation for fans in Moldova is “unfavorable, to say

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Prosecutors have urged a Dutch court to convict Netherlands international Quincy Promes of aggravated assault and sentence him to two years imprisonment for allegedly stabbing his nephew in the knee at a party. Promes plays for Russian club Spartak Moscow. He was not in court in Amsterdam. He denies the charge. Promes

NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Newcastle manager Eddie Howe says he hasn’t made inquiries about the Premier League team’s ownership status after new questions were raised about Saudi Arabian investment in the club. Howe says his focus is on weekend opponent Manchester City and that his recent communications with board members have been about on-field developments

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — This was a different kind of pitch tipping when Minnesota right-hander Kenta Maeda made only his second spring start in his return from Tommy John surgery two seasons ago. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said the PitchCom device catcher Tony Wolters was using was loud enough for Tampa Bay hitters to