Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka identified Darvin Ham's "no-nonsense and hard-working approach" as key, as he was confirmed as the team's head coach on Friday.

A week after reports emerged of Ham's imminent appointment at Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers officially welcomed their new coach.

Ham previously worked under Mike Brown as an assistant on the Lakers between 2011 and 2013, and he returns to the team from the Milwaukee Bucks.

The 48-year-old – whose only previous head coaching job was with the New Mexico Thunderbirds, now the Cleveland Charge – followed Mike Budenholzer from the Atlanta Hawks to Milwaukee in 2018.

He was part of the staff that helped the Bucks to win their second NBA championship in 2021, adding to a sole success as a player on the 2004 Detroit Pistons.

Now, Ham will be leading the Lakers, looking to improve on a hugely underwhelming season in which the team failed to qualify for the playoffs.

LeBron James is ageing, Anthony Davis has endured injury issues, and the signing of Russell Westbrook as a third superstar was not a success.

James was enthused by reports of Ham's arrival, though, and Pelinka is also looking forward to seeing his latest hire get to work.

"When someone begins his NBA coaching career at the G League level and goes all the way through playing an integral role on the front bench of an NBA championship team, it really speaks to a certain strength of character," Pelinka said.

"Our players and fans will immediately identify with Darvin's no-nonsense and hard-working approach, which we feel will bring toughness and a competitive edge to all we do.

"When you add that to Darvin's sophisticated grasp of in-game strategy and deep knowledge of the game of basketball, we have the ideal coach for this next chapter in Lakers history.

"We could not be more honoured and proud to name Darvin Ham as our new head coach."

Ham is set to meet the media for the first time as Lakers coach on Monday, when potential offseason trades for Westbrook and his significant salary are sure to be a topic of discussion.

UEFA has apologised to spectators at the Champions League final for the "frightening and distressing events" in the build-up to last Saturday's contest.

The European showpiece in Paris was twice delayed due to what UEFA initially described as "security reasons" outside the Stade de France due to crowd congestion.

Real Madrid went on to lift the trophy by defeating Liverpool 1-0 after the match started 36 minutes late at 21:36 local time, but events outside the ground appeared of greater concern.

Liverpool fans had complained of heavy-handed policing outside the stadium, with video footage showing tear gas being used on supporters.

The Premier League club called for an investigation into the ongoings at the final, while UEFA blamed ticketless fans trying to force entry and supporters using fake tickets.

Reds supporters group Spirit of Shankly responded by hitting out at the "incompetence" of the organisation, and Liverpool reiterated their demands for a full probe into the issues.

The UK's culture secretary Nadine Dorries followed suit by stating fans had been "treated like animals" at the match, contrary to the suggestions by French ministers that had pinned the blame on supporters.

UEFA subsequently announced an investigation into the matter, and has since issued an apology to the spectators on Friday.

"UEFA wishes to sincerely apologise to all spectators who had to experience or witness frightening and distressing events in the build-up to the UEFA Champions League final at the Stade de France on 28 May 2022 in Paris, on a night, which should have been a celebration of European club football," the statement read.

"No football fan should be put in that situation, and it must not happen again."

UEFA also reaffirmed its plans for an investigation, with the independent review led by Dr Tiago Brandao Rodrigues from Portugal.

"The review will seek to establish a full picture and timeline of what occurred during the day, both within the stadium and the surrounding areas, including examining spectator flows to the stadium via the various access points," the statement continued.

"It will also examine all relevant operational plans related to security, mobility, ticketing, as well as others at the discretion of the chairman of the Review, and will examine the planning and preparedness of the involved entities for the staging of the final, including at additional sites such as the Liverpool FC and Real Madrid CF fan meeting points.

"The independent review aims to identify any issues or gaps in the implementation and running of operations and assess the roles and responsibilities of all the entities involved and the adequacy of their response to events, in order to make recommendations on best practices for the future for UEFA and the relevant stakeholders.

"The review will engage with UEFA and all relevant stakeholders, including, but not limited to, fan groups including Football Supporters Europe as well as those of the two finalist clubs; the finalist clubs themselves; general spectators; the French Football Federation; the police and other public national and local authorities, and the stadium operator.

"The findings of the review, conclusions, and recommendations will be set out in detail in the report and will be those of Dr. Tiago Brandao Rodrigues and the experts who will support him.

"The review will start immediately and should be concluded within the shortest possible timeframe needed to produce a comprehensive review of the events."

Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario has revealed he will fulfil a promise to cycle 500km following Real Valladolid's promotion to LaLiga.

The Pucelanos will be playing in the Spanish top-flight next season after finishing second in the Segunda Division.

Ronaldo, who became the club's majority shareholder in 2018, will now make the pilgrimage route from Valladolid to Santiago de Compostela, the culmination of the Camino de Santiago.

"To celebrate Valladolid's automatic promotion, I made a promise a long time ago, even when we were relegated [in 2021]," Ronaldo stated on Twitch.

"I promised that if we came back [to LaLiga], I would do the Camino de Santiago. I will do it by bike as I can't run.

"My wife [Celine] and I will leave from Valladolid on Sunday and travel to Santiago de Compostela by bicycle."

Valladolid secured promotion back to LaLiga at the first time of asking after suffering relegation last season, and Ronaldo believes the achievement is comparable with those in his own playing career.

The former striker fired Brazil to their fifth World Cup success in 2002, winning the Golden Boot in Japan after scoring eight goals at the tournament, including both strikes in their final win over Germany.

He claimed, as reported by El Norte de Castilla, that Valladolid's success was "right there next to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea."

Tom Dumoulin promised to make one last push for glory as he announced he will retire from cycling at the end of the season.

Jumbo-Visma rider Dumoulin won the Giro d'Italia in 2017 and followed up with success at the individual event of the World Time Trial Championships in the same year.

The Dutchman is also a four-time national time trial champion, while he has claimed three stages at the Tour de France, two at the Vuelta a Espana and four at the Giro.

Dumoulin, alongside his Giro success, finished second at the 2018 Tour de France and has two time trial Olympic silver medals to his name.

The 31-year-old featured at this season's Giro but has confirmed this campaign will be his last as he looks for a new challenge.

"I decided that 2022 will be my last year as a professional cyclist," Dumoulin wrote on Instagram.

"In 2020 I had a very difficult year and at the end of that year I got overtrained and burned out. At the end of 2020, beginning of 2021, I was only a shadow of myself and thus decided at the time to take [a] break away from cycling to think about my future.

"But despite how good it occasionally still was: many times, and especially this year, it has been a frustrating path, at which my body felt tired and still does feel tired. As soon as the load in training or races gets higher, I suffer fatigue, aches, and injuries instead of improving.

"The effort in training did often not lead to the desired performances. For a while now there has been a disbalance between my 100 per cent dedication, everything that I do and sacrifice for my sport, and what I subsequently get out of it in return.

"With a lot of patience and a very cautious approach, I'm convinced that I could get back to my full potential on the bike. But that would be a long and patient road, with no guarantees on success. I choose not to take that road, but to quit my active cycling instead and to take a new and unknown path.

"I especially look forward to the World Championships in Australia where I hope to get the best out of myself in the time trial one last time."

Tottenham defender Emerson Royal has thanked an off-duty police officer for saving him after being caught up in an attempted armed robbery outside a nightclub in Brazil.

Emerson was reportedly targeted by an armed assailant, who allegedly attempted to steal the player's gold chain and watch when leaving a Sao Paulo club early on Friday morning.

Reports in Brazil said an off-duty police officer, who had earlier been pictured with the former Barcelona man, engaged in a shoot-out with the assailant while Emerson was able to flee.

After speaking to local police, the player was quoted by Globo Esporte as saying: "It was a complicated moment, but now I'm going to rest."

The player's father, who was also present, was quoted by the same publication as stating: "I was celebrating and on the way out, [then] this whole affair happened, which was very bad. A horror scene indeed. I don't wish that on anyone."

Later, Emerson thanked the officer in a story posted on his Instagram account, writing: "God sends angels to earth, this is confirmed every day in my life. This human being, I call him an angel, risked his own life to save mine.

"I will be forever grateful to you, you were fundamental for me to be here today. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

The Philadelphia Phillies fired manager Joe Girardi on Friday following a disappointing 22-29 start to a season the team entered with high expectations.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced bench coach Rob Thomson will take over as interim manager through the remainder of the season. The Phillies also relieved coaching assistant Bobby Meacham of his duties as part of the staff shake-up.

The moves come with Philadelphia sitting 12 games back of the first-placed New York Mets in the National League East and five and a half games out of a wildcard spot.

Despite the presence of reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper and a payroll exceeding $225million – the fourth highest in Major League Baseball this season – the Phillies have gone 11-18 since May 1 and are 4-10 in games decided by one run.

Only Texas (2-8) have a lower winning percentage in one-run games in 2022.

"It has been a frustrating season for us up to this point, as we feel the club has not played up to its capabilities," Dombrowski said in a statement. "While all of us share the responsibility for the shortcomings, I felt that a change was needed and that a new voice in the clubhouse would give us the best chance to turn things around.

"I believe we have a talented group that can get back on track, and I am confident that Rob, with his familiarity and experience with our club, is the right man to lead us going forward."

Girardi, who won a World Series managing the New York Yankees in 2009 and was the 2006 NL Manager of the Year with the then-Florida Marlins, was hired by Philadelphia prior to the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The 57-year-old went 82-80 in his first full season with the team in 2021 and amassed a 132-141 overall record with the Phillies.

Thomson has never been a full-time manager at the major league level but the 58-year-old has extensive experience as a bench coach, having served in that role with the Phillies since 2018 and previously holding those duties under Girardi with the Yankees in 2008 and again from 2015-17.

The native Canadian will be tasked with improving a team who have had one winning season since last reaching the playoffs in 2011. The Phillies' postseason drought is the second-longest active streak in MLB, trailing only the Seattle Mariners' run of 20 consecutive seasons missing the playoffs.

"I am extremely excited for this opportunity and I appreciate the confidence Dave has shown in me," said Thomson. "Having said that, this is an emotional day for me, having worked closely with Joe for so many years.

"I care deeply about this franchise, this city, our players, our coaches, our staff and our fans. I am ready to lead this team and look forward to getting to work and turning this around."

Veteran center and seven-time Pro Bowl selection Alex Mack is retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons.  

Chosen as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-Decade Team of the 2010s, Mack started 196 career games for the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and – most recently – the San Francisco 49ers.  

"I am so grateful to the game of football and everything it has given me," Mack said in a statement on Twitter. "From the very start it helped shape who I am and taught me life lessons. I started to play football because it was fun and that never changed."

Mack was a first-round draft pick in 2009, selected 21st overall by Cleveland, where he earned All-Rookie honours after starting 16 games in his first season as a professional.  

Mack played seven seasons with the Browns and was named an Associated Press Second-Team All-Pro in 2013. He received the honour twice more in 2016 and 2017, playing for the Falcons.  

Mack played in eight career playoff games, including Super Bowl LI, in which the New England Patriots famously rallied from a 25-point deficit to beat the Falcons in overtime.  

A native of Santa Barbara, California, and graduate of the University of California, Mack returned to his home state to play his final pro season with San Francisco, helping the 49ers to the NFC Championship game.  

"We would like to thank Alex for all that he brought to the 49ers throughout the 2021 season," 49ers general manager John Lynch said in a statement.

"The center position in the NFL is the heartbeat of an offense and Alex's intellect, consistency, love for the game and professional approach made a lasting impression over the course of his 13 NFL seasons."

Thomas Muller has been a part of a record 11 Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, and he cannot see their dominance slowing down in the foreseeable future.

Bayern cruised to a 10th straight Bundesliga title with ease, finishing eight points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund.

Manuel Neuer and Muller are the only Bayern stars to be involved in each of the last 10 championship successes, with the 2010 World Cup Golden Boot winner developing further in the twilight of his career.

The Germany forward registered 26 goal involvements in the Bundesliga this season (eight goals, 18 assists), only bettering that tally in 2019-20 and 2020-12 (both 29).

Competition within the German top flight has been questioned after the prolonged period of Bayern dominance, with RB Leipzig and Dortmund the only likely contenders to challenge for the title.

But Muller cannot predict a season in which Bayern do not win the league, at least while he is still involved with Julian Nagelsmann's side.

"I'm not alone behind the wheel, but the answer is of course: no way!," he told Bayern magazine '51' when asked if the Bavarian giants' Bundesliga reign would soon end.

"As competitive athletes, we are always driven to a large extent – and we at FC Bayern are punished in public if we win 'only' 3-0. 

"The expectations here are so high that they spur you on all the time. I don't see any natural mechanism that should slow us down. 

"For the coming years, I assume that FC Bayern will always score between 75 and 85 points each season. That means if another team wants to become champions, they have to be able to beat that score. 

"It will not happen that we go down from that. We have work to drive the division – and among other things, we have me as the lane-keeping assistant."

Muller extended his stay with Bayern until at least 2024, by which point he will be 34.

Nevertheless, the versatile attacker remains committed to the cause with Nagelsmann's side, even if his output in front of goal drops towards the end of his illustrious career.

"When I realise that it's getting too exhausting for me, that I can no longer face the daily competition at this level, then I have the courage to react to it," he added.

"Then the question arises as to how else I can contribute to my team. Then it is no longer the main task to be directly involved in x goals every year, but to support others in scoring these goals. But there's still a while to go.

"Especially when it comes to football, I don't get nervous easily because I know from experience that I can basically deal with any challenge.

"Setbacks are also part of life – the decisive factor is what you make of them. The prospect of the positive drives you, not the fear of the negative."

Valencia have cleared the way for Gennaro Gattuso's arrival by announcing the exit of head coach Jose Bordalas.

Former Milan and Napoli boss Gattuso is widely expected to be installed as the new boss at Mestalla.

That could be soon confirmed after Bordalas departed following just one season, having arrived at Valencia on a two-year deal in May 2021.

In a statement, the club said: "Valencia CF announce the conclusion of Jose Bordalas' tenure as first team coach.

"The club would like to thank him for his work, effort and dedication during his time in charge of Valencia CF, in which the team qualified for the Copa del Rey final, and wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavours."

The departure had become inevitable as reports emerged of the strong interest in appointing Gattuso.

The 58-year-old Bordalas was chosen by Valencia owner Peter Lim as the successor to Javi Gracia, who became the 11th coach to leave the LaLiga side in nine years.

Bordalas guided Valencia to a ninth-placed finish in the league, and they suffered penalty shoot-out heartbreak in the Copa del Rey final against Real Betis in April.

Bordalas revealed his job frustrations before a clash with Athletic Bilbao in early May, suggesting Valencia must bring in top-level talent as opposed to selling their best players.

News of his exit comes amid a turbulent time for the two-time Champions League runners-up.

Valencia this week confirmed the exit of president Anil Murthy, stating the club must "regain the trust of the fans".

The 49-year-old had been embroiled in controversy since April when a man purported to be Murthy suggested to someone else in audio leaked by Superdeporte that he had threatened to "kill" Carlos Soler's reputation in the press if the midfielder did not sign a new contract.

Valencia did not deny Murthy was the person depicted but claimed the reports were part of a smear campaign against the club, insisting the recordings were "taken out of context from a private conversation and recorded illegitimately without the permission of the president".

The club also reported death threats against Murthy to authorities earlier this month.

Roberto Mancini vowed to start a new era with Italy as the Azzurri look to rediscover their Euro 2020 magic, but warned not to expect instant fixes as he cannot "invent players".

Italy lifted the European Championship last July, their first since 1968, with a penalty shoot-out victory over England at Wembley.

The Azzurri followed that up by failing to make a second straight World Cup, following play-off defeat to North Macedonia in March, which led to questions over coach Mancini's tenure.

Development problems were also cited with the Italian system, which was bemoaned for struggling to produce younger players for the national team with Serie A coaches reluctant to trust the youth.

Italy were 3-0 losers to Argentina in the 'Finalissima' on Wednesday, a meeting between the Euro 2020 winners and Copa America champions, and Mancini promised change after that game.

The former Manchester City coach reiterated his desire for new beginnings with Italy, although he does not expect quick solutions ahead of the Nations League opener at home to Germany on Saturday.

"The victory of the European Championship is part of the magic that are part of those tournaments. Now we have to start again and go back to that magic," he told reporters on Friday.

"I have never had this type of problem. In football, however, when you win everyone is with you and when you lose almost everyone against you. That's how it is.

"Against Argentina we paid for the loss of players, one after the other. We weren't such a huge group and the injuries affected us: Argentina were better than us, they had fresher players and maybe it's the first game in three and a half years where we find a team that has put us under pressure, even if we made two mistakes on goals in the first half.

"It takes time, we cannot invent players and we know that we will have to suffer enough.

"The restart is from now. The new cycle starts again from tomorrow.

"The common thread is the same: looking for players with quality, speed, who they will not be like [Marco] Verratti and Jorginho who played in certain teams and therefore it will take a little longer.

"If we can give some minutes to these guys who have never played in the national team, and see them integrated well, it would be better."

Italy host Germany and Hungary before visiting England on June 11, with a return trip to Hansi Flick's side three days later capping off the internationals for this month.

Mancini believes that England and Germany pose two of the toughest tasks in international football at the moment, and cited Brazil, France and Argentina among the favourites for the World Cup in Qatar.

"We face the two strongest teams at the moment, Germany and England," he added. "They are among the best, they have great players and we take a lot of risks by changing a lot, it could be a good start.

"The most important thing will be to defend well and attack better. We face one of the strongest teams in the world along with Brazil, Argentina, France...

"Germany are technical, very fast when they counter-attack and come to press. They will be among the favourites for the World Cup victory in Qatar.

"We must defend all together and attack and press as we did for three and a half years: we did it for three and a half years with players who didn't seem able to do it, yet they have done."

Gareth Southgate hopes Hungary being forced to play their Nations League opener against England behind closed doors will serve to demonstrate the unacceptability of racism to younger fans.

Saturday's sparse crowd at the Puskas Arena will be populated by children after UEFA issued Hungary with a three-match spectator ban due to racist abuse by supporters during Euro 2020 games in Budapest.

UEFA rules state children - along with one adult for every 10 young fans - can attend behind-closed-doors matches, which England will also take advantage of when they also serve a one-match spectator ban during their home game against Italy at Molineux on June 11.

England's punishment was handed down after crowd trouble broke out prior to the Three Lions' Euro 2020 final loss to Roberto Mancini's men last July.

Southgate's side have been faced with unsavoury scenes when visiting Hungary before, with Raheem Sterling and other black players the target of abuse during England's 4-0 win in Budapest in September 2021 – with FIFA giving the hosts a separate spectator ban after those events.

Speaking at his pre-match news conference, Southgate stated his hope that allowing young fans to attend in such circumstances will help to bring about a future free of discrimination.

"I imagine Hungary will have the same feelings about restrictions on their home games as us, they won't want it to happen again. Everybody learns from every experience," he said.

"Our players wanted to focus on the football after that night [last year's 4-0 win]. They played incredibly well, and we want to do that again.

"We've shown how we feel about these issues, in terms of racism and it's unacceptability. Hopefully the young people in the stadium will recognise why this opportunity has happened and, in some ways, maybe this will be part of the education for the next generation.

"Each generation that passes will bring more tolerance, and we have the same situation in our country, so we've got to keep setting the right example. All being well, the young people will enjoy the game and take a bigger message from it."

Meanwhile, England skipper Harry Kane, who scored during the dominant win in Hungary last year, says the Three Lions are focused on what they can do on the pitch.

"Obviously, the way the players responded during that game was a credit to themselves," he recalled.

"It's down to UEFA and what they see fit as the punishment. We can only perform to the best of our ability and try and get the three points. 

"We hope the game goes well for the fans watching, for the children coming to watch the players. We're concentrating on the game, and we want to get off to a good start."

England have faced Hungary regularly in recent years, also drawing 1-1 with Marco Rossi's team in a World Cup qualifier last October, and will encounter them twice more within the next fortnight.

Southgate believes that Wembley stalemate provided a better representation of Hungary's strength than the previous meeting in Budapest, and is prepared for a challenging contest.

"The match in Budapest was one of the more different performances I've seen from Hungary over the past two or three years," he added, "Normally they are very difficult to score goals against, we played very well too.

"At Wembley, it was more like the Hungarian side I've seen, against the bigger sides particularly. They are difficult to break down, and it will be a tough match."

Hansi Flick says Germany want 'to be among the best in the world again' as his side kick off their Qatar 2022 World Cup preparations in the Nations League against Italy.

Since defeat at Euro 2020 to England - in the final match of the Joachim Low era - Germany have gone unbeaten under their new coach.

That rich vein of form faces its sternest test yet in the shape of the incumbent European champions, who represent a major threat despite failing to reach Qatar 2022 themselves.

But speaking about the mood within his squad, Flick appears unfazed and says his team are ready to claim back their place at the summit of world football.

"The situation has been clear since the first meeting," he stated in his pre-match press conference. "We want to be among the best in the world again, where Germany belongs.

"It's important to get back into competition mode. We have to be careful what happens on the field. But I think everyone is very motivated. It will be a good game for us."

Elsewhere, Flick paid tribute to opposite number Roberto Mancini too, while admitting the Azzurri's failure to reach the World Cup took him by surprise.

"I have great respect for him and appreciate him very much," he added. "He has the quality, class and passion to bring Italy back to where it belongs.

"We all know how difficult it can be against supposedly small opponents. Nevertheless, we were all surprised that Italy was eliminated.

"It's certainly not easy to predict the opponent. He did a fantastic job after the World Cup in Russia. We were all fans during the European Championship.

"The team spirit and the way they played football was impressive. He will try to do the same thing again."