Sports

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — UEFA wants qualifying for the men’s World Cup and European Championship to be more interesting and had decided that teams will no longer play in six-team groups after Euro 2024. UEFA expects “less predictable and more dynamic” play when 2026 World Cup qualifying begins in March

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis will miss at least the next couple of weeks after spraining his right medial collateral ligament and right ankle in a 150-130 victory over the Detroit Pistons. The Bucks announced the severity of Portis’ injuries Wednesday and said he would be re-evaluated in two weeks. Portis is

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry’s on-again, off-again season is now off again. Coach Mike Sullivan says the two-time All-Star will miss at least two games with an upper-body injury. Jarry was scheduled to start against Florida on Tuesday night but reported an upper-body issue when he arrived at PPG Paints Arena. Casey

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Heather Davis has been hired as chief executive officer to lead Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Portland Thorns amid the fallout from a series of scandals. Davis served as CEO on an interim basis after club owner Merritt Paulson stepped away last fall. She is

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — The IOC has made clear it wants Russians to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics as neutral athletes. That’s in defiance of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call to exclude Russians entirely in Paris in 18 months’ time. The International Olympic Committee cites its “unifying mission” during

SCHLADMING, Austria (AP) — Swiss skier Loïc Meillard led his teammate Gino Caviezel as they went 1-2 in the opening run of a floodlit World Cup giant slalom. The pair gave the Swiss ski team a strong position to win the event even with overall champion Marco Odermatt sitting out the race. Meillard was 0.64

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes went through a morning walkthrough Wednesday and intends to practice as usual, raising expectations that the All-Pro quarterback will not be slowed by his sprained right ankle in this weekend’s AFC title game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Mahomes said the

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman has announced a contract extension for athletic director Danny White. The announcement comes a day after the Volunteers disclosed a big pay raise for football coach Josh Heupel. Plowman announced that White agreed to an extension starting at $2.2 million a year with an annual pay raise

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer It’s been 25 years since both NFL conference championship games were this evenly matched from an oddsmakers standpoint. The San Francisco 49ers are 2 1/2-point underdogs against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in the NFC championship game, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. In the AFC title game, the Cincinnati

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer Former NBA guard J.R. Smith hopes his journey as a college golfer helps others feel comfortable taking up the sport regardless of their background. Smith is part of a new video podcast launching Wednesday designed to make the sport more accessible to young and diverse audiences. Smith joins high-end

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Spectators will not be allowed to attend the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday because of what organizers have described as “severe weather conditions” forecast at Emirates Golf Club. The European tour says the decision had been made “with the safety of all in mind.” The

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA has stripped Russia of hosting rights on Wednesday for the season-opening Super Cup game in August. UEFA’s executive committee made the decision because of the country’s ongoing war in Ukraine. The city of Kazan was due to stage the curtain-raising game between the winners of this season’s Champions League and

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would prefer to go head to head with pretty much any other coach than Pep Guardiola in a bid to win the biggest trophies in English soccer. That’s not just because it means Arsenal is having to compete with Manchester City and it is a

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The spending sprees on players and hiring of big name managers haven’t stopped Everton’s slide. At this rate, one of English soccer’s most storied clubs might be playing in the second division when its new waterfront stadium opens. Everton is searching for a new manager

NEW YORK (AP) — Cincinnati tight end Hayden Hurst, San Francisco tight end George Kittle and Washington head coach Ron Rivera are the three finalists for the NFL’s Salute to Service Award. The 12th annual award is designated for exceptional effort to honor and support members of the military community. The winner will be announced

BEIJING (AP) — Relegated Chinese Super League club Wuhan Yangtze has announced that it is ceasing operations, a decision that comes just two months after it received a points deduction for failing to pay player salaries. Wuhan finished 16th out of 18 teams in the 2022 season which ended in December, and said in a

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — As Michael Andretti awaits a decision on his bid to enter Formula One, he’s turned his attention to sports car racing in his expansive motor sports program. Andretti Autosport has partnered with Wayne Taylor Racing and will open the season Saturday at the

LONDON (AP) — Tottenham has strengthened its attacking options for the second half of the season by signing Dutch forward Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal. Danjuma joined Tottenham until the end of the season and will start his second stint in English soccer having played for Bournemouth from 2019-21. He had been expected to