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In the world of football, Mike Maignan and his AC Milan teammates staged a walkout against Udinese at the Bluenergy after the goalkeeper was allegedly abused racially. In UFC, Dricus du Plessis took down Sean Strickland to register a split-decision win and clinch the middleweight title at UFC 297 at the Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
Read below to learn details about these top stories and other happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
Mike Maignan’s alleged racial abuse leads to brief suspension of AC Milan’s match against Udinese
During AC Milan’s trip to Udinese at the Bluenergy Stadium, the alleged racial abuse of their goalkeeper Mike Maignan led to a brief suspension of the Serie A match around the half-hour mark following the walkout from the player in question and his teammates. The contest restarted about 10 minutes later which saw AC Milan score a late winner against Udinese for 3-2 result after which Mike Maignan was quoted as saying to the reports, “I said we cannot play football like this. It is not the first time it has happened this way. They must hand out very strong sanctions because talking no longer does anything.”
Omar Berrada joins Manchester United as CEO after his Manchester City exit
Manchester United have appointed Omar Berrada as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) after he resigned from his post as the Chief Football Operations (CFO) at the City Football Group, which manages Manchester City. The statement from Manchester United about the appointment of Omar Berrada read, “It is our stated ambition to re-establish Manchester United as a title-winning club. The club is determined to put football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything we do. Omar's appointment represents the first step on this journey.”
Ivan Toney scores for Brentford after returning from eight-month ban
The Brentford striker Ivan Toney marked his return from an eight-month ban by scoring from his first shot against Nottingham Forest during their controversial 3-2 win at the Community Stadium in the Premier League. The 27-year-old celebrated the goal in style, running towards his team’s bench before raising a shirt proclaiming “For You Uncle Brian,” which is reportedly done to honour a family member.
Newcastle United reject Bayern Munich’s approach for Kieran Trippier: Reports
Newcastle United have reportedly rejected the approach from Bayern Munich for the English right-back Kieran Trippier, as per Sky Sports. It has been revealed that Bayern Munich made an offer to bring the 33-year-old on loan with an option to buy, or a permanent deal, and the player is open to the move after the German champions faced difficulty in signing Nordi Mukiele on a loan deal.
Some major results in football are as under:
International Friendlies
USA 0-1 Slovenia
AFC Asian Cup 2023
Jordan 2-2 South Korea
Bahrain 1-0 Malaysia
AFCON 2023
Algeria 2-2 Burkina Faso
Mauritania 2-3 Angola
Tunisia 1-1 Mali
Premier League 2023-24
Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace
Brentford 3-2 Nottingham Forest
La Liga 2023-24
Villarreal 1-1 Mallorca
Valencia 1-0 Athletic Bilbao
Celta Vigo 0-1 Real Sociedad
Bundesliga 2023-24
Koln 0-4 Borussia Dortmund
Darmstadt 2-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
RB Leipzig 2-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Serie A 2023-24
Roma 2-1 Hellas Verona
Udinese 2-3 AC Milan
Coupe de France 2023-24
Bordeaux 2-3 Nice
Rodez 1-3 Monaco
Orleans 1-4 Paris Saint-Germain
Eredivisie 2023-24
AZ Alkmaar 2-2 PEC Zwolle
UFC
Dricus du Plessis beats Strickland win UFC middleweight title
Dricus du Plessis took down Sean Strickland to register a split-decision win and clinch the UFC middleweight title at UFC 297 at the Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. With this triumph, D u Plessis also became the first South African world champion in the promotion. After this win, Du Plessis, in the post-fight interview, said, "I honestly thought with the takedowns, I made sure in every round. I could feel it was a close one, I definitely gave him the first round."
Swimming
Aussie Olympic champion swimmer Mack Horton announces retirement
Former Olympic champion Mack Horton announced his retirement from few months before the Paris Summer Games which were expected to be his final contest. The 27-year-old Australian, who won his only individual global gold in the 400 metres freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics, expressed, "I dearly wanted to swim in Paris but the hunger wasn't there. I always want to give my all and I am not someone who just wants to make up the numbers, so this is the right time to step away. I have felt so privileged to represent Australia and wear the green and gold ... I just hope Australia thinks I did them proud."
Tennis
Sometimes I forget my age: Coco Gauff after beating Frech 6-1 6-2 in AO24
Coco Gauff expressed she often forgets she is still a teenager after becoming the youngest woman to reach the Australian Open singles quarter-finals since 2008. The 19-year-old American entered the quarter-finals after beating Poland's Magdalena Frech 6-1 6-2. Speaking to the media, Coco Gauff said, "Sometimes I forget my age. I know I'm not going to be a teenager any more. When I'm looking at the other girls on tour who are 16, 17, and now coming up, they just feel so young and I feel so old. I know I'm not that old, but I definitely do forget my age a lot."
Golf
There's nothing going on: Tommy Fleetwood on joining LIV Golf
Tommy Fleetwood revealed that he recently rejected an offer to join the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf. Despite merger talks with the PGA Tour, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has continued its pursuit of the world's best players. Fleetwood, who was part of Europe's 2023 Ryder Cup-winning team in Rome, expressed that he is still chasing his childhood dream of being the best golfer. Speaking to BBC, Fleetwood said, "There's nothing really. There's nothing going on. I 've been playing here [in Dubai] for the last two years and I'm still playing here now. I'm pretty boring news-wise and that's just what it is.
"At some point we'll either all play together, or we won't. I, like everybody else, will just wait to find out I'm still chasing my childhood dreams and still trying to be the best golfer I can be. Who knows if that changes in the future but for now that's just where I want to be."
Snooker
Ronnie O'Sullivan to face Judd Trump in World Grand Prix final
Ronnie O'Sullivan demolished Ding Junhui 6-1 at the World Grand Prix to qualify for the final against Judd Trump. The world number one hit four centuries, with breaks of 135, 128, 128 and 124, to conclude a dominant day. The 48-year-old registered the win in just one hour and 12 minutes in Leicester. "I felt all right. It was tidy. Every shot felt in control. I felt relaxed and confident," seven-time world champion O'Sullivan told ITV3.
