Category: Sports News

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Jack Nicklaus wins $50m verdict in defamation case over LIV Golf allegations

  • Jury rules Nicklaus defamed by former company

  • False claims tied him to $750m LIV Golf offer

  • 85-year-old legend awarded $50m in damages

Jack Nicklaus, the 18-time major champion, has won a $50m verdict in a defamation case against his former company, bringing an end to one of golf’s most bitter business feuds.

A jury in Palm Beach County, Florida, found that Nicklaus Companies – the firm he founded and later sold – defamed him by spreading false claims that he had considered a $750m offer to become a public face of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League and that he was no longer mentally fit to manage his business affairs. The six-person jury ruled that the company’s actions damaged the 85-year-old’s reputation and exposed him to “ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust or contempt”.

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Martin Offiah and Adam Hills: ‘England should not treat Australia as if they are gods’

The England legend and Australian TV presenter agree that hosts should be bold and harness home advantage at Wembley on Saturday in the Ashes opener

By No Helmets Required

At first glance Martin Offiah and Adam Hills make for an odd couple. The east Londoner who has scored more tries in professional rugby than any other Englishman, dressed in all black smart casuals, and the comedian turned TV presenter from Sydney, wearing an old Australia jersey and rather scanty playing shorts, have been riding around the capital on an Ashes-branded red London bus. They were recreating Offiah’s 1994 Ashes promotion, Hills playing the part of Cliff Richard.

But Hills and Offiah have things in common. Both in their 50s, they live in London, watch as much rugby league as they can, are famous in Australia and the UK, and are both world champions. Yes, you read that right. Hills became world para tennis champion earlier this year and Offiah lifted the World Club title with Widnes and Wigan. His 501 senior tries is bettered only by Billy Boston and Brian Bevan, but he didn’t win the World Cup or the Ashes, something that leaves him with that nagging headache.

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The Breakdown | Caluori conundrum adds to Borthwick’s England selection headaches

Head coach faces delicate balancing act before opening November Test as Saracens’s new whiz-kid enters mix

The lobby of the Pennyhill Park hotel on a Monday evening provides a neat snapshot of English rugby’s fast-changing world. First to amble into view is Noah Caluori, Saracens’s new whiz-kid who has just announced himself with five tries on his first Prem start. He nods a polite greeting and looks every inch a sporting thoroughbred that any national coach would covet.

A couple of minutes later a more familiar face appears. It feels faintly bizarre to be bumping into Joe Marler when, on your television, he is sitting in a Scottish castle with Claudia Winkleman but, hey presto, that’s the magic of showbiz right there. One minute you’re propping for England, the next you’re attempting to out-think Stephen Fry.

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‘My Netflix title would be white collar to world champion’: Fabio Wardley on his boxing journey | Donald McRae

Former Ipswich academy footballer fights Joseph Parker hoping victory will earn him a world title shot at Oleksandr Usyk, who he once went to Ukraine to spar with

“Joseph Parker was a world heavyweight champion in 2016 when I was still having white collar fights,” Fabio Wardley says of the contrasting career paths he and his opponent have taken before their crucial bout at the O2 in London on Saturday. “So it’s been a wild, wild journey for us to reach this point. And if I get through this fight I’ll get a chance to meet Oleksandr Usyk. Fighting Usyk for the world title would be a funny story, remembering how I went to Ukraine to spar him seven years ago. It would feel like I’ve come full circle.”

We’re sitting in the back room of a gym in Wardley’s home town of Ipswich and the amiable and intelligent 30-year-old, who is unbeaten after 20 professional contests, allows himself to get a little excited before confronting the serious threat of Parker. He nods when I suggest that it sounds like an outlandish boxing movie or overheated drama series.

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UK government ‘deeply saddened’ as Maccabi Tel Aviv decline any Aston Villa tickets

  • Government claims game weaponised to stoke fear

  • Villa say only fans with booking history can get tickets

The UK government has said it is “deeply saddened” by Maccabi Tel Aviv’s decision to decline any tickets offered to their fans for the Europa League match at Villa Park.

The local safety advisory group opted last week to block visiting fans from attending the tie against Aston Villa on 6 November after a risk assessment by West Midlands police, a decision that drew criticism from politicians including the prime minister, Keir Starmer.

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