The regional heads of Spanish football have become the latest group to call for the resignation of Luis Rubiales from his role as president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF).

Rubiales is under fire for his conduct in the aftermath of Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup final when he kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips.

On Monday it was reported that the RFEF had taken the extraordinary step of asking UEFA to suspend its teams from international competition in an apparent bid to save Rubiales’ job, with members of the Spanish government having added their voices to the those demanding he step aside.

A statement from the regional presidents said: “After the latest events and the unacceptable behaviours that have seriously damaged the image of Spanish football, the presidents request that Mr Luis Rubiales immediately present his resignation as president of the RFEF.

“We warmly congratulate the women’s soccer team for their victory in the World Cup. We value the meaning and legacy of success for Spanish sport.

“We express our admiration and gratitude to an unrepeatable group of players and we extend our congratulations to all those who have built, over the years with determination, the growth of women’s football.

“We will urge the corresponding bodies to carry out a deep and imminent organic restructuring in strategic positions of the Federation to give way to a new stage of management in Spanish football.”

Earlier on Monday, Rubiales’ mother announced she was going on hunger strike over the “inhuman” treatment of her son, according to reports in Spain.

The 46-year-old Spanish football chief was provisionally suspended by FIFA on Saturday pending an investigation into his conduct in Sydney on August 20.

The president grabbed his crotch in the stadium’s VIP area in celebration of Spain’s win over England, when he was stood metres away from Spain’s Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter.

FIFA has suspended Rubiales for an initial period of 90 days. He and the RFEF have also been ordered not to contact Hermoso either directly or through intermediaries.

Hermoso has accused the RFEF of a “manipulative, hostile and controlling culture” as a total of 81 players signed a letter stating they will not accept national team call-ups while Rubiales remains in situ.

Lily Miyazaki branded her US Open debut “surreal” after winning her first match at a grand slam.

There were echoes of Emma Raducanu after the 27-year-old qualifier, Britain’s sole representative on day one, beat Russian Margarita Betova 6-3 6-3.

“It’s huge for me, I think,” said Miyazaki. “Qualifying was also, like, obviously a huge confidence booster, but yeah, winning at the main draw is, it just feels a bit surreal.”

The world number 199 may be unlikely to emulate Raducanu’s fairy-tale title win two years ago, but she still secured a near-£100,000 pay day and a high-profile second-round match against Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.

“I mean, what Emma did was incredible,” added Miyazaki. “I’m not sure where I was. I think I was at a tournament. I don’t know, a 25K in Portugal or something.

“Obviously all the players were following her results, and it was incredible the way she played.

“I don’t know her too well, but I have hit with her a few times at the National Tennis Centre. Yeah, I think what she did inspired a lot of people.”

While the other six British players in the main draw had the day off, Miyazaki took on the experienced Betova, who was playing under a protected ranking after coming back from having a child.

Miyazaki, who moved to London aged 10 but only changed allegiance from Japan last year, overcame an early break and won six games in a row to take control before winning with her second match point.

Miyazaki joked that she had watched 15th seed Bencic far more than the Swiss will have watched her.

She added: “Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. She’s a great player obviously.

“It’s actually funny, when I lived in Switzerland, I played her when I was about nine years old and she must have been about seven or eight.

“I remember even back then she was taking the ball so early. Half volleying, drive volleying, everything. Yeah, I expect a really tough match.”

Lily Miyazaki branded her US Open debut “surreal” after winning her first match at a grand slam.

There were echoes of Emma Raducanu after the 27-year-old qualifier, Britain’s sole representative on day one, beat Russian Margarita Betova 6-3 6-3.

“It’s huge for me, I think,” said Miyazaki. “Qualifying was also, like, obviously a huge confidence booster, but yeah, winning at the main draw is, it just feels a bit surreal.”

The world number 199 may be unlikely to emulate Raducanu’s fairy-tale title win two years ago, but she still secured a near-£100,000 pay day and a high-profile second-round match against Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.

“I mean, what Emma did was incredible,” added Miyazaki. “I’m not sure where I was. I think I was at a tournament. I don’t know, a 25K in Portugal or something.

“Obviously all the players were following her results, and it was incredible the way she played.

“I don’t know her too well, but I have hit with her a few times at the National Tennis Centre. Yeah, I think what she did inspired a lot of people.”

While the other six British players in the main draw had the day off, Miyazaki took on the experienced Betova, who was playing under a protected ranking after coming back from having a child.

Miyazaki, who moved to London aged 10 but only changed allegiance from Japan last year, overcame an early break and won six games in a row to take control before winning with her second match point.

Miyazaki joked that she had watched 15th seed Bencic far more than the Swiss will have watched her.

She added: “Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. She’s a great player obviously.

“It’s actually funny, when I lived in Switzerland, I played her when I was about nine years old and she must have been about seven or eight.

“I remember even back then she was taking the ball so early. Half volleying, drive volleying, everything. Yeah, I expect a really tough match.”

Holger Rune was left to regret tweeting a map of the US Open site to point spectators towards his first-round match.

The Dane now needs directions to the exit after crashing out in four sets to Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena.

Rune, seeded fourth, was clearly miffed at being shunted away on one of Flushing Meadows’ tiny outside courts and sarcastically wrote “in case you can find Court 5, this is where I play my first match Monday”.

The court is crammed in between the Arthur Ashe and Grandstand Stadiums, with pathways on either side where spectators can wander past.

And Rune’s cheeky tweet backfired as hundreds swarmed around the court, craning their necks and standing on benches, to see the 20-year-old slip to defeat.

To rub salt in the wound, Rune even complained to the umpire about one noisy fan before eventually going down 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-2.

Also on Monday, Dominic Thiem picked up his first win at Flushing Meadows since he won the title in 2020.

The 29-year-old Austrian, a former world number three who is working his way back up the rankings after a long spell out injured, beat 25th seed Alexander Bublik 6-3 6-2 6-4.

Lily Miyazaki kicked off the British challenge at the US Open by reaching the second round on her Flushing Meadows debut.

There were echoes of Emma Raducanu after the 27-year-old qualifier, Britain’s sole representative on day one, beat Russian Margarita Betova 6-3 6-3.

The world number 199 may be unlikely to emulate Raducanu’s fairy-tale title win two years ago, but she still secured a near-£100,000 pay day and a high-profile second-round match against Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.

“It’s going to be a tough match for sure,” said Miyazaki.

“But I guess the good thing is I’ve seen her play plenty of times and she probably doesn’t know much about me.”

While the other six British players in the main draw had the day off, Miyazaki took on the experienced Betova, who was playing under a protected ranking after coming back from having a child.

Miyazaki, who moved to London aged 10 but only changed allegiance from Japan last year, overcame an early break and won six games in a row to take control.

With fellow Brit Jodie Burrage cheering her on, Miyazaki finished the job on her second match point to win in an hour and 20 minutes.

Miyazaki, whose only previous grand slam appearance came when she lost in the Wimbledon first round in 2022 as a wild card, added: “I’ve enjoyed the atmosphere here.

“I was really grateful for the support from Jodie and everyone, and it definitely helped me out.”

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will begin the 2023 NFL season on the physically unable to perform list. 

That roster decision wasn't that much of a surprise.

In another transaction by the Cardinals on Monday, veteran quarterback Colt McCoy was released.

That move, meanwhile, was unexpected.

Murray is still working his way back from a torn ACL he sustained last December, and has yet to practice, so it's entirely possible he misses more than just four games, which is the minimum number of games a player must sit out when placed on the PUP list.

McCoy was expected to be Arizona's starting quarterback, but now the team will go with either rookie Clayton Tune or the recently acquired Joshua Dobbs for the opener against the Washington Commanders on September 10.

Since his 2010 rookie season, the 36-year-old McCoy has made 36 career starts - including six for Arizona over the past two years. He went 3-3 in those games, completing 72 per cent of his passes for 1,218 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions while being sacked 13 times.

He struggled this preseason, completing just 9-of-12 passes for 42 yards.

To add depth at quarterback, the Cardinals acquired Dobbs in a trade with the Cleveland Browns last week, but he did not play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings.

Despite the season opener less than two weeks away, Dobbs appears to be in line to start against the Commanders over Tune, who was a fifth-round pick in this year's draft.

Dobbs was selected in the fourth round of the 2017 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and has appeared in eight pro games.

His only two starts came last season for the Tennessee Titans, and he completed 58.8 percent of his 85 pass attempts for 411 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for a 73.8 QB rating.

Simone Biles’ record-breaking exploits have been hailed by US president Joe Biden, who said the gymnast represents “the best” of America.

Biles, a 19-time world champion, claimed a record eighth all-around US Championship title at the weekend with a total of 118.40, four clear of runner-up Shilese Jones in San Jose.

The 26-year-old only returned to competition in Chicago earlier this month after a two-year break from gymnastics.

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At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Biles suffered from “the twisties” – a phenomenon which affects an athlete’s spatial awareness – and had to withdraw from five of her six finals.

She subsequently took a break from the sport before she returned to action earlier in August.

Biles’ record-breaking exploits on Sunday, 10 years on from winning her first all-around US Championship, resulted in high praise from Biden, who hailed the American athlete as a “trailblazer.”

“When we see Simone compete, we’re witnessing unmatched power and grace,” Biden wrote on Twitter.

“Not only is she the first in history to hold all eight U.S. gymnastics titles, but she’s a trailblazer who spoke up for those who couldn’t speak for themselves.

“You represent the best of America.”

The seven-time Olympic medallist became the oldest female US champion since the event was first organised by USA Gymnastics in 1963.

She is expected to bid to add to her haul of 25 World Championship medals in Antwerp in September.

Biles has not confirmed whether she plans to compete at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

Matheus Nunes will not be involved in Wolves’ Carabao Cup tie at home to Blackpool on Tuesday after he stopped training with the club in an effort to force through a move to Manchester City.

Premier League champions City stepped up their pursuit of Nunes after cooling their interest in West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta, and had a bid of 55million euros (£47m) rejected last week for the Portuguese attacker.

While Wolves have not received any fresh bids from City, Nunes has now stopped training with Gary O’Neil’s side, the PA news agency understands.

The 25-year-old, who joined from Sporting Lisbon last summer in a deal worth £42m, was absent for Saturday’s 1-0 win away to Everton and will again be missing from the squad for the upcoming second-round cup tie at Molineux.

Nunes will face disciplinary action for his decision to stop training, but could be integrated back into the squad if no move occurs before the summer transfer window shuts at 11pm on Friday.

Head coach O’Neil will also be without Hwang Hee-chan for the clash with Blackpool, who are 15th in Sky Bet League One, due to a hamstring issue.

Austria forward Sasa Kalajdzic scored a late winner at Everton in what was only his third Wolves appearance in a year after suffering a rupture to his anterior cruciate ligament on his debut last September.

But O’Neil, who took charge earlier this month, remains cautious over Kalajdzic’s involvement and says his role will remain limited as he builds his way back to full fitness.

He said: “He is obviously still on a journey, getting back to full fitness. He is not one you can play for 90 minutes week in, week out at this moment.

“It is hard to assess when you come in new. You just see him training and everyone tells you he has been out for a while.

“You just try to judge him at that moment against the rest of that group and the ones he is competing with for a starting place.

“He looked a little bit behind the others, sharpness and fitness-wise, but I obviously don’t have a clear picture in my mind of what he is like when he is full throttle either.

“He understands where he needs to improve and that he needs extra time on the grass and we need to keep working.

“But he also understands he can have a big impact on football matches still.”

Matheus Nunes will not be involved in Wolves’ Carabao Cup tie at home to Blackpool on Tuesday after he stopped training with the club in an effort to force through a move to Manchester City.

Premier League champions City stepped up their pursuit of Nunes after cooling their interest in West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta, and had a bid of 55million euros (£47m) rejected last week for the Portuguese attacker.

While Wolves have not received any fresh bids from City, Nunes has now stopped training with Gary O’Neil’s side, the PA news agency understands.

The 25-year-old, who joined from Sporting Lisbon last summer in a deal worth £42m, was absent for Saturday’s 1-0 win away to Everton and will again be missing from the squad for the upcoming second-round cup tie at Molineux.

Nunes will face disciplinary action for his decision to stop training, but could be integrated back into the squad if no move occurs before the summer transfer window shuts at 11pm on Friday.

Head coach O’Neil will also be without Hwang Hee-chan for the clash with Blackpool, who are 15th in Sky Bet League One, due to a hamstring issue.

Austria forward Sasa Kalajdzic scored a late winner at Everton in what was only his third Wolves appearance in a year after suffering a rupture to his anterior cruciate ligament on his debut last September.

But O’Neil, who took charge earlier this month, remains cautious over Kalajdzic’s involvement and says his role will remain limited as he builds his way back to full fitness.

He said: “He is obviously still on a journey, getting back to full fitness. He is not one you can play for 90 minutes week in, week out at this moment.

“It is hard to assess when you come in new. You just see him training and everyone tells you he has been out for a while.

“You just try to judge him at that moment against the rest of that group and the ones he is competing with for a starting place.

“He looked a little bit behind the others, sharpness and fitness-wise, but I obviously don’t have a clear picture in my mind of what he is like when he is full throttle either.

“He understands where he needs to improve and that he needs extra time on the grass and we need to keep working.

“But he also understands he can have a big impact on football matches still.”

Elliot Anderson is a surprise call-up for Scotland after electing to ignore advances from England.

The 20-year-old Newcastle midfielder has played for Scotland at youth level and is in the squad to face Cyprus and England next month after playing three Premier League games this season.

Here we look at Anderson’s development so far.

Background

Anderson was born in Whitley Bay and brought up as a Newcastle fan. His grandfather, Geoff Allen, was part of the squad that won United’s last major trophy, the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. On the other side of his family, Anderson’s paternal grandmother is Scottish, allowing him to represent Scotland. Anderson joined Newcastle at under-nine level after playing for the renowned Wallsend Boys’ Club, whose previous players include Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley, Michael Carrick, Steve Bruce, Lee Clark, Steve Watson and Alan Thompson.

Early Newcastle chances

The attacking midfielder played in the EFL Trophy as a 16-year-old for Newcastle Under-21s and scored against Port Vale just after turning 17 before netting twice against Bolton 12 months later. He made his first-team debut off the bench in the FA Cup against Arsenal in January 2021 and his Premier League debut against the same opposition later that month, but did not play again that season.

Loan success

After going 12 months without another first-team appearance, Anderson joined Bristol Rovers on loan for the second half of the 2021-22 season. The move was a major success. Anderson scored seven goals in 21 appearances and helped Rovers win promotion to League One as he netted in a 7-0 win over Scunthorpe on the final day of the season to go up on goal difference.

International career

Anderson’s first Scotland game was a 3-3 draw for the under-16s against Denmark in February 2018. He played three times for the under-17s and won two games with the under-18s in September 2019. His next international involvement came for England Under-19s in a training-ground friendly against Arsenal Under-23s in March 2021. With both Scotland and England eyeing Anderson for their under-21 squads, the player turned down a chance to team up with Scot Gemmill’s squad in March 2022 so he did not miss games with Bristol Rovers. He then played in a goalless draw for Scotland Under-21s in Belgium in June 2022 but turned down further call-ups as he considered his future. In seven Scotland appearances in total at several levels, Anderson is yet to be on the losing side.

Newcastle breakthrough

After returning from Rovers, Anderson made his first start for Newcastle in a League Cup win at Tranmere in August last year. His first Premier League start came against Liverpool in February this year, although he was forced off injured early on. He made 27 appearances in all last season and has come off the bench three times this season.

High praise

While on loan with Joey Barton’s Bristol Rovers, Anderson received high praise from former Northampton manager and Newcastle chief scout Graham Carr, who oversaw a successful recruitment drive with the Magpies that brought in the likes of Hatem Ben Arfa and Papiss Cisse. Carr told the Daily Mail in March 2022: “You can go out and sign as many young players as you want, you will be doing well to get any better than Elliot Anderson. He receives the ball like Peter Beardsley. He kills it and moves it all in one motion. That is a gift. He’s the best young player I have seen in a long time. Newcastle haven’t produced anyone like him, in terms of his technical gifts, probably all the way back to Gazza. He plays with a swagger. Every time he got the ball you knew something was going to happen. He always wants to dribble and moves off quickly. He knows he’s good, but there’s no harm in that.”

Andy Murray admitted he had to go away and lick his wounds after his Wimbledon disappointment.

The Scot was leading world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas 2-1 in their second-round match when the 11pm curfew kicked in.

It seemed the momentum was with Murray but when the match resumed the following day, the two-time champion was beaten in five sets.

Murray revealed it took a few days to get over the narrow defeat, but he quickly set about working on areas of his game which he could improve.

“I went away on holiday straight afterwards,” he said. “Always immediately after matches, especially Wimbledon, at majors there’s greater disappointment and greater emotions than at any other time in the year.

“Probably after three or four days of being away from it, I chatted to my team about things that I feel I need to change, certain shots in my game if I wanted to win more of those matches and dictate more of those matches.

“So I did that, went away and worked on things for a period of time.”

Murray is likely to face another seed, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, in the second round of the US Open.

But first the 2012 Flushing Meadows champion must overcome France’s world number 72 Corentin Moutet.

“I’ve not played against him, but I practised with him once, he’s an unbelievably talented guy,” added Murray.

“He’s not the biggest, he tends to play quite long points but he’s got tons of variety and good hands at the net.

“He can be a bit volatile at times but yeah, a good challenge for me, very different to how most players play in the draw.

“A lot of the game nowadays is based on power and serves and he’s the opposite really. A good test for me.”

Murray is one of six Brits in the first round on Tuesday, with Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, Jack Draper, Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage also in action.