Sports Groove

The NBA has cancelled the Atlanta Hawks' collaboration with Magic City, a local strip club, ending what would have been a first-of-its-kind promotional night in professional basketball. Last month, the Hawks announced their highly-anticipated match ‌against the Orlando Magic on March 16, describing it as "a one-night collaboration to celebrate the city's iconic cultural institution". Commissioner Adam Silver said that the league had scrapped the Hawks' planned "Magic City Monday" promotion, calling it "the right decision for the broader NBA community."   "When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks' scheduled ⁠promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale," Silver said in a statement on Monday.   "We have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees. I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision ...

Africa's top club competitions will get prize-money rises of up to 100% this season, with payouts for the Champions League and ‌Confederation Cup up by a combined $4 million to strengthen the continent's teams globally, the CAF president said on Monday.   Winners of the CAF Champions League in the 2025-26 campaign will earn $6 million, a 50% rise, while ⁠the Confederation Cup champions will receive $4 million, double the current prize.   CAF said the latest changes extend a steep prize-money increase since its president Patrice Motsepe took over in 2021.   Over five years, the Champions League prize pot has jumped 140%, from $2.5 million to $6 million, while Confederation Cup payouts have surged 220%, from $1.25 million to $4 million.   Total annual prize money and ‌solidarity ⁠payments for African clubs have climbed to more than $42 million, up from $18.8 million in 2021 — a rise of 123.4%, CAF said.   Motsepe introduced payments for clubs eliminate...

...Lawyers respond to UK ultimatum over use of cash ...Chelsea was sold in 2022, but money remains frozen ...UK wants all the money spent on its ally Ukraine Lawyers for Russian businessman Roman Abramovich warned the British government on ‌Monday that he would fight any attempt to seize the 2.5 billion pounds ($3.34 billion) from the sale of Chelsea soccer club, saying the money belongs to him.   The British government sanctioned Abramovich in a crackdown on Russian oligarchs following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering a rushed sale of the Premier League club in 2022.   Almost four years later, the money remains ⁠frozen in a British bank account because of a dispute over how the money would be used. The British government warned Abramovich last year he must release the cash, or he could be taken to court.   Abramovich's lawyers at Kobre & Kim said the money from the sale remains "wholly owned" by their client and accused the governme...

Double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge will compete in his first marathon on African soil when he ‌lines up in Cape Town on May 24, the start of a bid to run a marathon on all seven continents over the next two ⁠years.   Kenyan Kipchoge, 41, will add significant star quality to the Cape Town Marathon, which is currently a candidate for Abbott World Marathon Majors status and if all goes well in 2026 will join the likes of London, New York and ‌Tokyo ⁠on the global running series.   "Africa is where my journey as a runner began and where the foundation of my success is deeply ⁠rooted," Kipchoge said. "To start this World Tour in Cape Town is very special. It is ⁠about celebrating the strength of African running and inspiring the next generation. "To ⁠race my first ever marathon on the African continent holds deep meaning for me."

Third seed Novak Djokovic overcame a second-set reverse to beat American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4 1-6 6-4 at Indian Wells on Monday and ‌reach the last 16 for the first time since 2017. The 24-times Grand Slam champion, who has won a record-equalling five titles at the California desert event, won the first set but was taken apart in the ⁠second before asserting his authority to seal victory in two hours and two minutes.   "Great performance from Alex," Djokovic said. "We know each other, we speak the same language, obviously, his whole family is Serbian. He's one of the best talents we have out there, particularly, one-handed backhand and, you know, it's very rare nowadays, and he's played a great tournament so ‌far.   "Today ⁠I knew if he serves well and if he picks his spot in the box, it's going to be hard to break. That's what happened, actually. I mean, he was serving extremely ⁠well," the 38-year-old added.   In the women...

Neymar will miss Santos' Brazilian Championship match against Mirassol on Tuesday with lingering muscle fatigue, dealing a fresh blow to the forward's hopes of forcing his way back into Brazil's squad ahead of the World Cup. Santos ‌said Neymar's absence was precautionary but the timing is awkward, with Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti having organised a trip from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo to watch the 34-year-old in action. Sources linked to the Brazilian FA (CBF) and the national team's technical committee told Reuters Neymar's omission from Tuesday's match was met with surprise and frustration by ⁠the CBF and Ancelotti, who had hoped to assess the number 10 up close. Ancelotti has made it clear he will only select players who are fully fit and can meet Brazil's physical demands. Missing Tuesday's match could cost Neymar a place in the national team squad being announced on March 16 for friendlies against France and Croatia on March 26 an...

...Australia says five female players given humanitarian visas ...Australia says players sought asylum ...Iranian media says five players secretly left hotel ...Trump says Albanese doing very good job in 'delicate situation' Australia on Tuesday agreed to provide visas to five of Iran's women's soccer team players to stay in the country after they sought asylum fearing persecution in their home nation.   The announcement came after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had ‌spoken to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about the Iran women's soccer team in Australia following reports that the players had requested asylum.    The remaining players are in a hotel on the Gold Coast, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told a news conference, adding that he had also offered the other team members the chance to stay in Australia.   "I was able to tell five members of the Iranian women's soccer team that they are welcome to stay in Australia, that t...

Major League Soccer has handed lifetime bans to midfielder Derrick Jones and winger Yaw Yeboah for violating its gambling policy, the league announced on Monday. Jones, 29, played 23 games for Columbus ‌Crew in 2024 and 2025, while 28-year-old Yeboah was his teammate before joining Los Angeles FC in January 2025 after three seasons at the Crew. Suspicious betting alerts were investigated by the MLS who said the two players engaged in extensive gambling on matches, including on their ⁠own teams, during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The violations included Jones' time at Columbus and Yeboah's stints with the Crew in 2024 and LAFC in 2025. In one instance, both players wagered on Jones receiving a yellow card during the Crew's 3-2 win at the New York Red Bulls in an October 19, 2024 match, which he did. Investigators also determined that the pair likely shared confidential information with other gamblers about their intent to ‌draw ⁠bookings, though no evidence emerge...

World Cup co-hosts Mexico have promised to deploy 100,000 World Cup security personnel to protect this summer’s World Cup following a spike in cartel violence. ‘Plan Kukulkan’ will mobilise the security personnel to ensure smooth operations in the three host cities of Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara and nearby tourist destinations. That includes 20,000 military personnel, 55,000 police officers and around 2,500 military and civilian vehicles. Recently, Guadalajara has seen serious drug violence. The Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) drug cartel, one of the country’s most feared criminal organisations, has been involved in gun shootouts with the Mexican military, blocked roads and burned vehicles in response to the killing of its leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes – known as ‘El Mencho’ – in an army operation. El Mencho was the country’s most wanted man and sought by the United States. But the Mexican government as well as FIFA have said that the violence will not affect ...