Lewis Hamilton said he has "lost an ally" as he paid tribute to Sebastian Vettel, who will retire at the end of the Formula One season.
Vettel, now racing for Aston Martin, confirmed on Thursday that he would be calling time on his illustrious career.
The German is a four-time world champion, winning all of those titles in consecutive seasons between 2010 and 2013.
That success proceeded Hamilton's dominance of F1, with the Briton winning six of his seven world titles from 2014 onwards.
Two years Vettel's senior, Hamilton is sad to see the 35-year-old call it a day.
"My first feeling is that it is sad he is stopping," Hamilton told reporters ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"The journey I have experienced in this sport, often feeling relatively lonely, Seb has been one of the few people that has made it not feel that way. He stood by me through a lot of things.
"We talk about legends, I don't really like that title but he is one of the greatest people we have seen in this sport and we need more people like him. I am sad because I have lost an ally."
Only Hamilton (103) and F1 great Michael Schumacher (91) have won more races in the format than Vettel (53).
Hamilton also believes Vettel has used his platform for good, saying: "There's no lack of bravery in Sebastian. He has been one of the very, very few drivers in racing history that has stood for much more than himself.
"He's used his voice in things that I've fought for and stood by me, he's taken the knee, he's gone on his own journey and stood on the grid and fought for things that he believed in, and for the greater good.
"I think he's just a really beautiful human being and I'm really grateful to have been here in a time that he was racing.
"Watching his World Championships was impressive. I'm sad to have arrived today and seen the news, but I know whatever he goes and does beyond this is going to be even better."
Hamilton's sentiment was echoed by Fernando Alonso, who competed closely with Vettel during the latter's dominant streak.
The Spaniard said: "Not the news that I want. There were some rumours last year that maybe he stops, but this year it came true.
"An amazing driver, a legend of our sport. I spent so much time and battles with him over my career with him. So I will miss him, and not only as a driver, I think he has very strong values and is a very good human being. I wish him the best and we will miss him."
In the midst of a brilliant season, world number one Iga Swiatek had another milestone to celebrate on Thursday when she beat Gabriela Lee at the Poland Open.
Swiatek's 6-3 6-2 win against her Romanian opponent was her 48th of the season, already equalling the best tally reached by a female player in the entirety of 2021.
The top seed will have a chance to go one better than Anett Kontaveit and Ons Jabeur from last season when she faces Caroline Garcia in the quarter-finals of her home tournament.
Garcia beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3 7-5, while Jasmine Paolini dug deep to see off Clara Burel 6-1 6-7 (1-7) 6-0.
There was a big upset at the Prague Open, as defending champion Barbora Krejcikova was eliminated in a 3-6 7-5 (7-5) 6-3 defeat at the hands of Nao Hibino.
Fellow Czech Lucie Havlickova was dispatched in straight sets by top seed Kontaveit, but Linda Noskova will keep the home flag flying after beating Alize Cornet.
Noskova's first career tour-level quarter-final will come against Krejcikova's conqueror Hibino.
Former Arsenal player and manager Terry Neill has passed away at the age of 80, the club has confirmed.
Neill made 275 appearances for Arsenal between 1960 and 1970, and was made captain at the age of 20.
The midfielder, who was also a player-manager for Hull City, received 44 caps for Northern Ireland before retiring from playing in 1973.
Neill went on to manage Tottenham in 1974, before moving back to their north London rivals two years later.
Arsenal reached three consecutive FA Cup finals on his watch from 1978, winning the 1979 final in a dramatic 3-2 success against Manchester United.
Neill also guided Arsenal to the 1980 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final, which they lost to Valencia on penalties.
He left after seven seasons in charge at Highbury in December 1983, his last role in management, though he did work for Arsenal TV as a pundit in later years.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger acknowledged that he should have done a better job of articulating his comments after offending his old team-mate Cam Heyward.
Last week in an article published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Roethlisberger said one of the reasons the Steelers faltered in the playoffs in the last few seasons was because young players today are more focused on personal goals rather than team goals.
"I feel like the game has changed," he said. "I feel like the people have changed in a sense. Maybe it's because I got spoiled when I came in. The team was so important. It was all about the team.
"Now, it's about me and this, that and the other. I might be standing on a soapbox a little bit, but that's my biggest takeaway from when I started to the end. It turned from a team-first to a me-type attitude. It was hard."
Those comments did not sit well with Heyward, a team-mate of Roethlisberger from 2011 until the future Hall of Fame quarterback retired following the 2021 season.
"We have a lot of young players that come from different backgrounds, have experienced different things from what others or I may have experienced," Heyward said on his own Not Just Football podcast on Wednesday. "That doesn't make them selfish or more of a me-type attitude. There are a lot more team-first guys than me-type attitude. I took offense to that."
On Thursday, Roethlisberger walked back on his comments.
"I probably should've been more detailed, more specific," Roethlisberger told 102.5 DVE in Pittsburgh. "It's not the majority of guys are that way."
The 40-year-old Roethlisberger played for the Steelers for his entire 18-year career in the NFL, leading the franchise to a pair of Super Bowl championships, eight AFC North Division titles and 12 playoff berths.
However, much of that success came in the first half of Roethlisberger's career, as Pittsburgh have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season, losing its last three postseason appearances.
"I get Cam supporting his team-mates," Roethlisberger said. "I wasn't trying to bash anyone specifically, I was just making a broad stroke comment. I agree with him and I should've been more clear. The majority of guys on that team are team-first guys."
The Steelers opened camp on Wednesday ushering in a new era with Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph and rookie Kenny Pickett competing to replace the retired Roethlisberger.
Henrik Stenson says he is "obviously disappointed" to no longer be European Ryder Cup captain but has to "move on" as he prepares to make his LIV Golf debut.
The Swede was last week stripped of the honour of leading Europe in Rome next year after signing a lucrative deal to join the Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway LIV Golf series.
Stenson had hoped he would be able to continue as captain despite his defection, but says he is looking to the future ahead of his first LIV Golf appearance in Bedminster on Friday.
He told reporters on Thursday: "I don't feel like I've given it up. I made every arrangement possible here to be able to fulfil my captain's duties, and I've had great help here from LIV to be able to do that.
"And still, the decision was made that I was to be removed. I'm obviously disappointed over the situation. But it is what it is, and yeah, we move on from there now."
Luke Donald is reportedly set to be named as Europe's new captain, but Stenson says he is not aware of who is successor will be.
"That's news to me," Stenson said when asked about the prospect of Donald getting the job.
"Obviously, I'm not in the loop on these things at this point. I don't feel like I should comment on that until that's official news, if that were to be the case."
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen will undergo an MRI after injuring his left knee during practice.
In a concerning development for an offensive line that already has some question marks along the interior, Jensen was injured during a team drill during Tampa Bay's second day of training camp.
The normally durable eight-year veteran was carted off while unable to bear weight on his lower left leg and was replaced by second-year player Robert Hainsey.
"We'll wait to find out what it is and we're hoping for the best," Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht told reporters while adding that testing results may not be known for a few days.
Jensen has not missed a game since signing with Tampa Bay in 2018 following a four-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens and was named to his first career Pro Bowl last season.
The 31-year-old re-signed with the Bucs in March on a three-year, $39million contract that includes $23m in guarantees.
Licht acknowledged that Jensen's injury had dented the positive tone at a camp that began with great optimism. That positive mood had been further enhanced by this week's signing of seven-time Pro Bowl receiver Julio Jones as well as tight end Kyle Rudolph.
"That usually happens when you have a player like Ryan who is obviously a very good player, but also just a great person and a leader, and his toughness, things like that, about him that define him," Licht stated.
"When a player like that gets hurt and he's played through several injuries in his career, without missing any time, it deflates everybody."
The Buccaneers are already breaking in new starters at both guard spots following the offseason retirement of Ali Marpet and the departure of Alex Cappa, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent.
Licht was able to fill Cappa's right guard spot by acquiring Shaq Mason in a trade with the New England Patriots. Hainsey, a third-round pick in 2021, was competing with veteran Aaron Stinnie and rookie second-round pick Luke Goedeke for the starting job at left guard.
UEFA has opened an investigation into the Champions League qualifying second leg between Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kyiv, during which fans of the Turkish club seemed to chant the name of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February and has resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions.
Dynamo boss Mircea Lucescu boycotted the post-match news conference in protest, with the chants arriving after Oleksandr Karavayev scoring what turned out to be the winner for the Ukrainian side in the second leg in Istanbul, which finished 2-1 on the night and on aggregate.
According to Ukrainian news outlet Expres, Lucescu told broadcasters: "We cannot accept the behaviour of the fans. I did not expect such chants. It is a pity."
UEFA released a statement on Thursday confirming the incident will be investigated, saying information on the matter will be available "in due course."
"In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector will conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding alleged misbehaviour of Fenerbahce supporters during the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round, second leg match between Fenerbahce SK and FC Dynamo Kyiv played on 27 July 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey," the statement read.
Fernando Alonso has "options" on the Formula One grid but his "priority" is to remain with Alpine.
The veteran driver's contract with the team is due to expire at the end of the season and speculation surrounding his future has been rife, with Alpine having Oscar Piastri ready to step up.
Piastri may be loaned to Williams for the 2023 season if Alonso renews with Alpine.
While the Spaniard would prefer to remain with his current team, he could not rule out a move elsewhere.
"From the beginning of the summer break, it will be the point I need to sit down and conclude something. The summer break starts on Monday," he said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"All the teams are an option as long as they don’t have two drivers signed. My priority is to be with Alpine.
"We've been working and developing this project together for two years now. We are more and more competitive.
"Probably my wish is to stay. But we didn’t sit down completely and move forward with things. So still everything is ongoing."
Alonso previously departed F1 to pursue other racing opportunities, including at Le Mans and in Indycar, but added that such an offer for 2023 would not tempt him.
"I think I am fresh here [in F1], very motivated. I'm looking forward so much into next year, what the second year of these rules will bring," he explained.
"We race in Las Vegas, we race maybe in South Africa. All these things, they are very appealing.
"I feel very fast this year, last year was a struggle a little bit. But this year I feel at my 100 per cent.
"Now even thinking about sportscars or IndyCar it’s like 'not now'. My head is completely 'remove this' and stay focused on F1."
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has paid tribute to former team-mate Sebastian Vettel following the announcement that he will retire from Formula One at the end of the season.
Leclerc spent two years alongside Vettel at Ferrari and conceded he was starstruck when they first met, but now considers the four-time world champion to be a friend.
The youngster crashed during the French Grand Prix, and revealed Vettel messaged him to offer his support.
It will be a strange feeling for Leclerc to return in 2023 without Vettel in the paddock, where he has been an ever-present since making his F1 bow in 2007.
"I arrived the first year and I was obviously super impressed and I think I was probably very weird to him because I was shy and didn't know what to say when I was with him," Leclerc said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"But now he's a friend and he always texts me, like he did after Sunday, and always tried to make me feel better whenever I'm going through a tough time.
"Obviously it's going to be strange to not see Seb inside the paddock. I've learned so much driving with him and he’s always been super nice with me."
Vettel confirmed on Thursday that this would be his last season in F1 and, if everything goes to plan, the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi will be his 300th on the grid.
Defending champion Max Verstappen also hailed Vettel's impact and backed his decision to retire.
"He has achieved so much in this sport that it's fully understandable for him to retire," he told a news conference.
"He's had an amazing career, he's won a lot of races, he's won a lot of championships as well. He's a great ambassador [for] the sport.
"To see him go, it's something that you could see coming, everyone is getting older and at some point, everyone is retiring. It's never nice when that moment arrives but these things happen.
"I think it's important now that he's going to enjoy his life with his family as F1 is such a short period of time in your life, you work so hard to achieve all these things that he has achieved, now it's time to enjoy."
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has paid tribute to former team-mate Sebastian Vettel following the announcement that he will retire from Formula One at the end of the season.
Leclerc spent two years alongside Vettel at Ferrari and conceded he was starstruck when they first met, but now considers the four-time world champion to be a friend.
The youngster crashed during the French Grand Prix, and revealed Vettel messaged him to offer his support.
It will be a strange feeling for Leclerc to return in 2023 without Vettel in the paddock, where he has been an ever-present since making his F1 bow in 2007.
"I arrived the first year and I was obviously super impressed and I think I was probably very weird to him because I was shy and didn't know what to say when I was with him," Leclerc said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"But now he's a friend and he always texts me, like he did after Sunday, and always tried to make me feel better whenever I'm going through a tough time.
"Obviously it's going to be strange to not see Seb inside the paddock. I've learned so much driving with him and he’s always been super nice with me."
Vettel confirmed on Thursday that this would be his last season in F1 and, if everything goes to plan, the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi will be his 300th on the grid.
Defending champion Max Verstappen also hailed Vettel's impact and backed his decision to retire.
"He has achieved so much in this sport that it's fully understandable for him to retire," he told a news conference.
"He's had an amazing career, he's won a lot of races, he's won a lot of championships as well. He's a great ambassador [for] the sport.
"To see him go, it's something that you could see coming, everyone is getting older and at some point, everyone is retiring. It's never nice when that moment arrives but these things happen.
"I think it's important now that he's going to enjoy his life with his family as F1 is such a short period of time in your life, you work so hard to achieve all these things that he has achieved, now it's time to enjoy."
The Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) on Wednesday issued a statement explaining the decision by its Managing Council to omit many-time national champion Simon Tomlinson from the team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games beginning on Thursday in Birmingham.
Tomlinson described the omission as a “personal attack” in an interview with Television Jamaica Sports on Tuesday.
“The managing council of the Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) categorically denies any allegations of a personal attack on Simon Tomlinson by the JTTA President, Mr. Andrew Lue, and refutes any defamatory reports that may suggest same,” the statement said.
The statement continues: “The decision to withdraw Mr. Tomlinson from the 2022 Commonwealth Games came as a result of his lack of preparation for the Commonwealth Games, his March withdrawal from the 2022 Caribbean Championships in Cuba and his non-participation in the recent National Championships and was made by the council in the interest of the sport of Table Tennis in Jamaica and the JTTA Managing Council stands by its decision.”
Dwight McNeil vowed to "get my stats up" under manager Frank Lampard after the winger joined Everton from Burnley.
The Toffees completed their second transfer raid of the close season on their former Premier League relegation rivals as 22-year-old McNeil followed James Tarkowski from Turf Moor to Goodison Park.
Burnley's slide into the Championship has seen a flood of senior stars leave the club, as Vincent Kompany becomes the permanent successor to manager Sean Dyche and looks to shape them for a shot at an immediate return to the top flight.
England Under-21 international McNeil leaves after 147 appearances for Burnley, including their brief Europa League campaign of 2018-19, and has signed a five-year deal, with the deal reportedly worth up to £19million.
The winger is the third signing of the summer for Everton, after Tarkowski and Portuguese defender Ruben Vinagre, and believes he will be able to flourish under Lampard's watch.
"It is an amazing feeling to sign," McNeil told Everton's official website. "When I heard about Everton's interest I wanted to get it done straight away because of the club and how good the team is.
"I feel playing under a manager like Frank Lampard, he will help me to get my stats up – and that is what I want to do and improve my game. I want to help the team as best as I can."
Last season saw McNeil create 47 chances in the Premier League, a team-high at Burnley, but he only assisted for one goal. His total of chances created was also higher than any Everton player in the competition, with Demarai Gray leading their list after forging 42 opportunities.
McNeil's arrival comes after Everton were unable to fix personal terms to bring Clarets team-mate Maxwel Cornet to the club, though the latter is expected to seek an exit from Burnley ahead of the new campaign too.
Jurgen Klopp said it is "essential" Roberto Firmino stays at Liverpool amid reports he could join Juventus.
Juve are said to have targeted the Brazil international as they look to rebuild under Massimiliano Allegri, with Paulo Dybala having left on a free transfer to Roma.
Firmino has become a fans' favourite at Anfield after joining the Reds from Hoffenheim in 2015, but the 30-year-old is in the final year of his contract.
Liverpool manager Klopp dismissed talk that Firmino could be on the move ahead of the Community Shield showdown with Manchester City on Saturday.
"Bobby is crucial for us," Klopp said during a press conference on Thursday. "Bobby is [the] heart and soul of this team.
"The way we played in the last few years was only possible because of Bobby. That's why I’m really happy he could train the majority of the time here in the pre-season so far and everything looks really good.
"I am absolutely fine and, for me, there's no doubt about his quality. All the rest, we will see how this year goes, but yes, he is essential for us."
Firmino played 35 times across all competitions last season for Liverpool, scoring 11 goals. For the past five years, he has been a crucial part of the Reds' fearsome attacking trident alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Yet that trio is no more, with Mane having left for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, though Klopp has no complaints over the prolific Senegal forward's decision to move on.
"We lost Sadio who was a fixed member of the line-up for six years, he told us he wanted a new challenge," Klopp added.
"He told us early enough and we accepted it. We had time to prepare that and that's what we did."
Klopp revealed goalkeeper Alisson and forward Diogo Jota will miss the clash with City due to injury.
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