Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena hit out at the "irreparable" and "unjustifiable" threats after he was allegedly assaulted by Real Madrid's Federico Valverde following Saturday's LaLiga match.
Baena played a full part in the contest at the Santiago Bernabeu and assisted Samuel Chukwueze's late goal as Villarreal beat Madrid 3-2.
According to sports newspaper AS and widespread reports, Baena was punched while looking at his phone when making his way to the Villarreal team bus.
It is alleged that Valverde assaulted Baena in retaliation to derogatory remarks the latter made about his unborn child in a previous encounter between the sides, claims the Villarreal man strongly denies.
Valverde was not referenced by name as Villarreal confirmed Baena had filed a police complaint in a statement on Sunday, in which the club expressed their support for the Spain youth international.
Baena took to social media on Monday to confirm he has lodged an official police complaint, while hitting out at the tirade of abuse that has followed towards him and his family.
A statement from Baena read: "Last Saturday I was attacked by a fellow colleague after the match against Real Madrid.
"After the event, various declarations came to light, presumably made by his entourage, in which it was said that I had wished pain for one of his family members.
"Since then, as it cannot be any other way, there has been no evidence that proves the facts that I am accused of.
"A misfortune was used to justify the aggression and there are lies that hurt more than blows.
"The damage that is being done to my family is irreparable and unjustifiable: threats, insults and even private messages wishing my family death.
"Yesterday I reported the case to the police. Let justice do its job. Now my only goal is to focus on my profession and help my club achieve its goals."
Valverde and Los Blancos have yet to comment on Saturday's alleged incident.
Rudy Gobert has been suspended by the Minnesota Timberwolves for Tuesday's play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers for throwing a punch at team-mate Kyle Anderson during an argument in a team huddle during a timeout.
The Timberwolves announced the one-game suspension of the 10-year veteran on Monday.
The incident occurred in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, when Gobert got into a heated exchange with Anderson and hit him in the upper chest.
Gobert was escorted off the court and sent home by the team at half-time.
Trailing by 12 points at the time of the altercation, Minnesota ended up rallying for a 113-108 win to secure eighth place in the Western Conference.
As the No. 8 seed, the Timberwolves will have two opportunities to win a play-in game and earn a playoff berth.
If Minnesota win at Los Angeles, they will clinch the No. 7 seed and face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.
If they lose, however, the Timberwolves will return home Friday to host the winner of the Pelicans-Oklahoma City Thunder game for a chance at the No. 8 seed and a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Denver Nuggets.
In addition to facing the Lakers without their top rim protector in Gobert, Minnesota will also be without Jaden McDaniels after he sustained a broken wrist from punching a wall in the tunnel that leads to the locker room on Sunday.
Acquired from the Utah Jazz in blockbuster trade last summer, the 30-year-old Gobert averaged 13.4 points, a team-leading 11.6 rebounds and 1.36 blocks (the 12th-most in the NBA) in 70 games in his first season with the Timberwolves.
Barcelona missed the chance to move 15 points clear at the LaLiga summit after being held to a goalless draw at home to Girona on Monday.
Real Madrid succumbed to a 3-2 defeat to Villarreal on Saturday but Xavi's Blaugrana failed to fire two days later, leaving Barca 13 points clear of the second-placed Los Blancos.
A fine Paulo Gazzaniga display kept the energetic hosts at bay, while Valentin Castellanos wasted the best chance of the game when curling wide in the second half at Camp Nou.
The stalemate ended a four-match winning league run for Barca, but Xavi's side remain unbeaten at home in LaLiga this season as the Blaugrana march towards the title.
Viktor Tsygankov sliced a presentable chance on the volley wide as Girona started positively, although Barca should have twice broke the deadlock in the opening 10 minutes.
Robert Lewandowski curled narrowly over after an Ansu Fati offload, while a despairing Gazzaniga dive saved Santiago Bueno from inexplicably passing into his own goal.
Another smart Gazzaniga stop denied Raphinha before the Girona goalkeeper – almost inside his own net – somehow clawed away Ronald Araujo's flick from the resulting corner.
Eric Garcia headed over from close range immediately after the interval but Girona should have struck first shortly after.
Castellanos evaded Barca's offside trap but placed wide with just Marc-Andre ter Stegen to beat, with Girona left to rue a missed chance that could have grabbed a memorable victory against their Catalan rivals, who themselves squandered some promising opportunities late on.
What does it mean? Xavi warning not heeded
Xavi warned his Barca players in his pre-match press conference to not get sloppy in search of a 15-point lead at the top of LaLiga, though the Blaugrana stars failed to heed that warning.
Girona were good value for a hard-fought point, albeit the visitors may look back with regret after Castellanos spurned a brilliant chance to secure their first league win over Barca since September 2017.
Barca remain firmly on course for the title but profligate performances such as this show there is still much to work on for Xavi's young Blaugrana.
Rampant Raphinha efforts in vain
Raphinha appeared to be everywhere as Barca tried and failed to breach an impressive Girona defence that was led by Gazzaniga, who made a trio of brilliant saves.
The Brazil international carved out a game-leading four big chances, including two brilliant set-piece deliveries, but his hard-working showing ended without deserved reward.
Careless Castellanos
Castellanos had time and space to think how to beat Ter Stegen with a massive second-half chance, though somehow failed to hit the target after racing through one-on-one.
That capped a frustrating showing for the Girona striker, who completed just five passes, won a meagre two duels and recorded only 14 touches before his 60th-minute withdrawal.
What's next?
Barca visit Getafe on Sunday, when Girona host Elche.
Rory McIlroy has pulled out of the RBC Heritage later this week on the back of his disappointing Masters showing.
McIlroy endured a torrid time at Augusta National last week, missing the cut after carding a five-over second round.
The world number three will not have the opportunity to get over that with a solid display at the RBC Heritage, which gets under way in South Carolina on Thursday.
No explanation was given for his decision to pull out of the tournament, which only players ranked in the top 20 of the PGA Tour's Player Impact Program are eligible to take part in.
This is McIlroy's second withdrawal of the season, with only one allowed for personal or professional reasons, meaning he may now miss out on his bonus money from the Player Impact Program.
Jon Rahm is expected to participate in the tournament after winning his first Masters title with a superb final-round display.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City offer the highest level of football in Europe, according to Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel.
The Bavarian side travel to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday to face an in-form City side in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Guardiola's men have won their last seven in all competitions to leave their fans dreaming of a potential treble, hot on the tails of Premier League leaders Arsenal, while they have reached the latter stages of both the Champions League and FA Cup.
Tuesday's game will only be Tuchel's fourth game in charge of Bayern since replacing the sacked Julian Nagelsmann, and his side head into the match as underdogs to progress through the tie despite lifting the famous trophy as recently as the 2019-20 season.
Tuchel lauded Guardiola's influence on City and ranked them as one of the finest teams in Europe, though he also feels that makes the opportunity to dump them out of Europe even more enticing having beat the Citizens in the 2020-21 final while he was Chelsea boss.
"I think you can clearly see that there's six or seven years of Pep in this team, very offensive with and without the ball, extreme high pressing," Tuchel told reporters at his pre-match news conference.
"I think that Pep proves everywhere that he gives his teams his own touch. I can learn about football by playing against his teams, it makes me a better coach. It's unique what he's doing there. They play much more fluently than in recent years.
"It's the highest level that European football has to offer. They're showing that in the league too. That makes the task appealing. We have to solve it as a team. Maybe we'll be a bit of the underdog tomorrow, but we have to have confidence in our abilities."
City have been spearheaded by striker Erling Haaland, who has netted 44 goals in all competitions this season in just his first campaign in England since joining from Borussia Dortmund.
Tuchel is wary of the threat Haaland, and the rest of City's forwards, will pose on Tuesday, saying: "The numbers, the athleticism, the hunger for goals is incredibly impressive.
"It's not just him. The game speed is high, they create a lot of chances for Haaland and he has the ambition to score a lot of goals. We will only solve this together."
Defender Matthijs de Ligt will be one of those tasked with trying to keep Haaland quiet at the Etihad, and he feels it will need a complete team effort to do so.
"I think Manchester City is the strongest team of all," the Netherlands international said. "They've won the Premier League four times in the last five years, and now they've also got a striker like Erling Haaland.
"It's important that we organise the defence well, also with the midfielders. We have to put in a top performance to stop a striker like Haaland."
Bayern will be without one of their own strikers as a knee issue means Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who has scored four Champions League goals this term, will miss out.
Serge Gnabry could be the player Tuchel opts to play up front, with the 49-year-old explaining: "I don't think there's anything wrong with Serge playing on the nine for us. He has a good finish with both feet, good speed and is good at dribbling."
Simone Inzaghi knows Inter must use their "heads and our hearts" against Benfica when the pair meet in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Serie A heavyweights travel to Lisbon on Tuesday for the first leg of their last-eight clash against the Primeira Liga leaders.
Roger Schmidt's hosts are unbeaten in Europe this season and have lost just three times in all competitions, though they come into the game on the back of a domestic defeat to Porto.
The task in hand for Inter looks a difficult one, particularly amid their own mixed domestic form, but Inzaghi believes they can prevail if they play intelligently.
"We know the importance of this match," he said at Monday's pre-match press conference. "We have had a great, difficult journey [to get here]. They are a quality opponent. It won't be easy.
"It will be a game in which we alternate between attack and defence. Benfica are not obsessed with pressing. We will have to use our heads and our hearts.
"They are a quality team, with technically gifted players. They occupy the spaces well, and they run a lot. We'll have to be good at playing our game.
"They have lost two games this season. They are a team with absolute value. But up against them, there will be an Inter team who know what they want and what they have to do."
Inter arrive looking to break a six-match winless run that includes the second leg of their last-16 win over Porto in the Champions League.
Their indifferent form, including a draw with Salernitana on Friday, has seen them slip to fifth in Serie A and leaves them at risk of missing out on top-tier European competition next season.
Carlo Ancelotti will not entertain links with a move to either Chelsea or Brazil while he is Real Madrid head coach out of "respect" to the LaLiga club.
The Italian has another year to run on his Madrid contract, but that has not stopped him being touted as a potential candidate to fill the vacancies at both the Blues and the Selecao in recent weeks.
Ancelotti, who previously spent two years with Chelsea and guided them to a Premier League and FA Cup double in the 2009-10 campaign, faces his old club in the Champions League this week.
But ahead of his quarter-final reunion, he has adamantly played down speculation of an exit from Santiago Bernabeu to take up the reins elsewhere.
"There's a nice saying which is just right," he told Radio Rai 1. "[It is] the wind carries away the chatter.
"That is it. I have a contract until June 30, 2024, and I would like to respect it."
Ancelotti returned to Madrid in 2021 and guided the club to LaLiga glory in his first season, completing a clean sweep of all five major European league titles in his career.
The defence of an additional Champions League triumph has become the club's main aim this season amid a widening domestic battle to catch Barcelona.
Chelsea are searching for a permanent successor to Graham Potter, having turned to another former boss in Frank Lampard to guide them through the end of the season.
Brazil, meanwhile, are yet to name Tite's replacement following a disappointing quarter-final exit at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, with under-20 coach Ramon Menezes in charge on a temporary basis.
Nicholas Pooran smashed the joint-third fastest 50 in Indian Premier League history to help the Lucknow Super Giants to a stunning one-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday.
Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell all made half-centuries at the Mangalam Chinnaswamy Stadium as Bangalore set Lucknow a seemingly daunting target of 213, but Pooran's incredible 62 off 19 deliveries led the Super Giants to an improbable win.
Lucknow won the toss and put RCB in to bat first, before openers Kohli (61 from 44) and Du Plessis put up 96 for no loss until the former was dismissed with the third ball of the 11th over.
Maxwell came in for Kohli, and he (59 off 29) and Du Plessis (79 not out) went on to plunder 115 from just 50 balls before Mark Wood (1-32) took the Australian batsman's leg stump out of the ground with the penultimate ball of the innings, as Royal Challengers finished with a formidable 212-2.
The Super Giants' chase took a huge blow within three balls as in-form danger man Kyle Mayers was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj without a run on the board, and Wayne Parnell (3-41) took the wickets of both Deepak Hooda and Krunal Pandya in the fourth over to leave Lucknow's hopes seemingly hanging by a thread.
However, Marcus Stoinis gave them a chance with his 65 off 30 and Pooran made the fastest half-century in this season's IPL before he was finally caught by Shahbaz Ahmed off Siraj's (3-22) bowling.
Lucknow would go on to win in remarkable fashion, needing one off the final delivery of the innings when Harshal Patel missed the stumps while trying to mankad the non-striker.
Harshal would eventually bowl the last ball, and though his delivery beat Avesh Khan, wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik fumbled as the Super Giants batsmen completed the run to secure an extraordinary victory.
Bangalore's big three all fire in defeat
The Royal Challengers' top three batsmen all played excellent knocks with Kohli, Du Plessis and Maxwell accounting for all but one of their team's runs, excluding extras.
It was only the fifth time in IPL history that each of a team's top three all made half-centuries and the first time Bangalore had achieved that feat. However, their efforts were still not enough to get their team over the line.
Pooran innings changes the game
The Super Giants' hopes looked slim after Stoinis and KL Rahul fell within three balls of each other, but Pooran's introduction swung the match back in their favour.
He went at a strike rate of 326.31, smashing four fours and seven maximums to set up his team-mates to go on and win the game.
Stan Wawrinka mounted an impressive comeback victory on his return to action at the Monte Carlo Masters, but Andy Murray went out in straight sets.
The pair, both three-time grand slam winners, enjoyed contrasting fortunes in their first-round matches against Tallon Griekspoor and Alex de Minaur.
Wawrinka, who has not played since Indian Wells last month, saw off the Dutchman in a 5-7 6-3 6-4 triumph, but Murray was routed by the Australian in a 6-1 6-3 loss.
"It was really important to stay calm with myself," Wawrinka said. "In the first round you need to find your game. I am happy to get through. It was important to fight until the end."
Roberto Bautista Agut saved a match point in the second-set tie-break as he fought back to overcome Filip Krajinovic to prevail 5-7 7-6 (12-10) 6-1.
Dominic Thiem is also through following a 6-1 6-4 win over Richard Gasquet but 11th seed Cameron Norrie is out after suffering a 6-3 6-4 loss to Francisco Cerundolo.
Social media star Logan Paul has re-signed with WWE on a multi-year contract.
The 28-year-old made his in-ring debut with the promotion at WrestleMania 38 last year, and was on the card for this year's event earlier this month.
Paul's contract had expired following the conclusion of the company's flagship event, but he has now penned a fresh deal that will ensure future appearances.
"I feel incredibly blessed to have found something that I'm good at, at 28 years old," he told ESPN.
"The fact that the organisation believes I'm good enough to continue hopefully building this WWE legacy is mind-blowing. As long as I can keep putting on good shows, I'm going to keep doing this sport."
Paul came to sporting prominence with a professional boxing bout against fellow online personality KSI and previously fought Floyd Mayweather Jr in an exhibition match in 2021.
Edin Dzeko has weighed in on the racist abuse faced by Inter team-mate Romelu Lukaku, calling it something "that should never happen on the football pitch".
Belgium forward Lukaku was abused by Juventus supporters during an ill-tempered Coppa Italia semi-final first-leg last week.
It came against the backdrop of a particularly violent 1-1 encounter, with both Samir Handanovic and Juan Cuadrado also shown red cards for their part in a brawl.
Ahead of the return leg later this month, Dzeko acknowledged the events were things that should not have been allowed to take place, while outlining Inter's wider cup ambitions.
"During the match, some things happened that never should on the football pitch," he told N1. "They have already been spoken and written about.
"Our fans supported us throughout the match. I thank them for their support on the pitch. We have had a good relationship since the first day [I arrived] at Inter.
"This season, I have already won a trophy, but the goal is to always win new titles. In Milan, I won three. I know how important it is for the club to be in the fight for the Scudetto.
"The fight with Juventus is wide open. At San Siro, we will have to play even better [if we are] to try to reach the final and lift the Coppa Italia."
Dzeko will have pressing European commitments before the second leg, though, with his side set to face Benfica in the Champions League quarter-finals.
They will host Juventus a fortnight on Wednesday, with both teams looking to reach May's final against either Fiorentina or Cremonese.
Cesar Azpilicueta has hinted at a preference for Luis Enrique as Chelsea's next head coach, as the Premier League club continue their search for Graham Potter's permanent successor.
Potter was dismissed earlier this month, with the Blues turning to ex-manager Frank Lampard on an interim basis through the end of their campaign.
Several candidates are thought to be in the mix to take charge from next season, with former Barcelona and Spain boss Luis Enrique among them.
Azpilicueta played under his countryman for La Roja, and suggested he would enjoy a reunion, but also stressed he would back whatever call Chelsea make in the end.
"My best games with the national team were with Luis Enrique," he told EFE. "But there are parts [of the club] who negotiate [these things].
"We trust [them] with doing what is best for the club. We will see what happens."
Luis Enrique took charge of Spain in July 2018 following their exit from the World Cup in Russia, succeeding Fernando Hierro.
Under his leadership, La Roja reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020 and finished as runners-up in the 2021 Nations League Finals, with Azpilicueta starring in both runs.
However, a dismal campaign at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, where his side laboured in the group stage before suffering a last-16 exit to Morocco, saw him step down from his position.
Chelsea lost their first game back under Lampard, a 1-0 defeat to Wolves on Saturday, and next face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola has made no secret of his love of golf and basketball, so it was perhaps no surprise he made comparisons to all-time greats from both sports when asked about his desire to win the Champions League.
Guardiola will face former club Bayern Munich when his Manchester City side host the Bundesliga champions in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday.
Since losing in the last 16 in his first season in charge in 2016-17, City have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for six successive seasons.
Yet the trophy continues to elude them, City going closest in the 2021 final when they lost 1-0 to a Chelsea team led by Thomas Tuchel, who was last month appointed by Bayern.
Asked in his pre-match press conference how much he wants to win the Champions League, Guardiola replied: "A lot."
Expanding on his initially brief reply, Guardiola – who spent his Sunday watching Bayern's game with Freiburg and taking in compatriot Jon Rahm's Masters triumph – pointed to the careers of Jack Nicklaus and Michael Jordan as examples of the difficulty of elite sport that has prevented City from claiming European football's top prize.
"We want to try like we tried all the time, but that doesn't mean we're going to win," he added
"Yesterday they played The Masters. Jack Nicklaus, how many Masters or how many great majors he played in his career, in the 30, 40 years as a golfer... 30 years for four majors, how many, 120 or 130? How many won? Eighteen, wow. Eighteen out of 130, he lost more than he won.
"That is sport. In football, in golf, in basketball. Michael Jordan, the best athlete for me, won six NBA titles. How many years did he play? Sixteen. He lost more than won.
"This game, all games, they are so difficult. It's important to be here and compete well, do our best knowing that tomorrow at nine o'clock we have to be perfect to try to get a good result to go to Germany [for the second leg].
"It's no more than that; I live my profession in that way, and after that, I lose, I lose. What's important is we are still there. My biggest compliment we can do as an organisation, as a team, is still we are there."
City are unbeaten in their last 12 matches and have scored 21 goals in their previous four; however, Guardiola knows that form counts for nothing over the course of a two-legged tie with Bayern.
"In this competition, it's not about the form you are in in the Premier League or FA Cup," he said. "It's about how you perform in these 95 minutes. It doesn't count what you did three days ago.
"In this competition, you have to be perfect. The question is tomorrow night, be ready."
Former West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin returned to form with an excellent display to help the Barmy Army Women secure a narrow 17-run win over Warriors Women in their FairBreak Invitational T20 game at the Kowloon Cricket Club in Hong Kong on Sunday.
First, Dottin smashed an impressive seven sixes as well as three fours on her way to a top score of 69 off 48 balls to help the Barmy Army post 163-6 from their 20 overs after losing the toss.
Bangladesh’s Rumana Ahmed chipped in with 37 as Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce took 2-24 off her four overs for the Warriors.
Dottin’s form with the bat then carried over to the bowling crease where she bowled three economical overs, conceding just nine runs and picking up a pair of wickets including that of current West Indies captain Hayley Matthews who made 28.
Bryce top scored with a 26-ball 45 as the Warriors were dismissed for 146 from their 20 overs.
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