Sports

By DAWOOD SALMAN and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BASRA, Iraq (AP) — Iraq is hosting its first international soccer tournament in more than four decades and for many Iraqis, the tournament that is about to kick off in the southern city of Basra offers a rare moment of joy and optimism. The eight-nation Arabian Gulf

ROME (AP) — Lazio will play its next game with part of the Stadio Olimpico closed to spectators after fans of the Roman club directed racist chants at Lecce defender Samuel Umtiti and winger Lameck Banda. The referee briefly halted Wednesday’s match when the chants were heard at the Via del Mare stadium in Lecce.

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Omar Minaya has joined the New York Yankees as a senior adviser to baseball operations. He’s the third former general manager in current GM Brian Cashman’s front office. The 64-year-old Minaya was Major League Baseball’s first Latino general manager with the Montreal Expos from 2002-04

LONDON (AP) — Premier League club Chelsea has signed France defender Benoît Badiashile on a seven-and-a-half-year contract from French side Monaco. No financial details were given but French media estimated the transfer fee to be around 34 million pounds ($40 million). The 21-year-old central defender made his Monaco debut in the 2018-19 season and played

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer The Masters is extending an invitation to NCAA champion Gordon Sargent. Sargent is now a sophomore at Vanderbilt. He won the NCAA title last year in a four-man playoff and is regarded as one of the elite college golfers. He’s No. 3 in the amateur ranking. Augusta National has

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Josh Heupel says Joey Halzle has been promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator for the sixth-ranked Volunteers. Halzle will continue coaching quarterbacks. He repalces Alex Golesh, who was hired in early December as the new coach at South Florida. Heupel says Halzle has been instrumental in the Vols’

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer The horror that swept across the NFL when Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during a game this week in Cincinnati was all too familiar to members of the hockey community. Five players in the NHL over the past 25 years who collapsed

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — UConn women’s basketball  coach Geno Auriemma will sit out the Huskies’ game at Xavier Thursday, the fourth game he has missed this season due to illness. The Hall of Fame coach also sat out Tuesday’s win at Butler and UConn (12-2). The school didn’t release a timetable for his return. Auriemma

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has shown what physicians treating him are calling “remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours,” the team announced Thursday, three days after the player went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field. “While still critically

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer General Motors will attempt to enter Formula One by partnering with Andretti Global under its Cadillac banner as it supports Michael Andretti’s bid to launch a two-car American team. Andretti has been lobbying the FIA to expand the 20-car grid and join the series after a failed 2021

NEW YORK (AP) — Jake Paul has signed a deal with the Professional Fighters League. The YouTube star signed with PFL to compete in a new Super Fight division that is scheduled to include fights on pay-per-view. The 25-year-old Paul is 6-0 as a professional boxer. He has wins against former UFC champions Tyron Woodley

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo’s new club, Al Nassr, has postponed its scheduled Saudi Pro League home match on Thursday due to heavy rain. Ronaldo was not due to play as he’s suspended. He was handed a two-match suspension by the English Football Association in November for

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer For Damar Hamlin’s teammates, peers and everyone in the NFL community, going back to work is not business as usual. Players returned to practice with heavy hearts on Wednesday, two days after Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field during Buffalo’s game

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Emma Raducanu blamed slippery indoor courts for an ankle injury which forced her to withdraw from the ASB Bank Tennis Classic on Thursday, less than two weeks before the start of the Australian Open. The 2021 U.S. Open champion was in tears after retiring in the third set of her

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier hopes World Cup winner Lionel Messi is ready to play in a French league game at home to Angers next Wednesday. Messi took an extended break back home after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar. He returned to training