Tottenham interim head coach Cristian Stellini attempted to promote togetherness after Antonio Conte's reign came to an end in explosive fashion.

Conte was dismissed on Sunday after a week of intense speculation suggesting the club's hierarchy were going to dismiss him.

The Italian had blasted his players in an extraordinary rant eight days earlier following Spurs' 3-3 draw with Southampton, a game that saw them throw away a 3-1 lead.

That outburst, coupled with recent poor form and reports neither he nor the club wanted to agree a new contract, ultimately led to Conte's exit.

But his assistant, Stellini, has stayed on to take charge until the end of the season, and his first task is to rebuild morale and trust with the squad and fans.

"We know when you're not winning or [when you] lose games, the fans are unhappy," he told SPURSPLAY ahead of his first game at the helm on Monday away to Everton.

"It's normal and we have to accept this. All the staff, the players, we want to work hard until the end of the season, because this is our club, and we want to bring everyone with us. This is important for the next 10 games.

"I feel very honoured and feel I'm in the right position to do this. I feel that, and I want to do this with all the staff, with Ryan [Mason, assistant head coach], that's very important for me and the club, and it was important when we were in charge when Antonio wasn't here [when Conte had time away due to illness].

"We feel we can do what we did before, we want to improve, and this is a moment to take responsibility and to improve, all together."

Spurs are fourth in the Premier League with 49 points from 28 games, but Newcastle United are only two points behind and have two matches in hand.

Alabama All-American forward Brandon Miller will enter the NBA draft.

The decision, which was reported on Thursday, comes as no surprise for the 20-year-old Miller, who excelled on the basketball court but was also associated with a major off-the-court situation as he was involved in a fatal shooting in January.

A projected top-5 pick in the draft, the 6-foot-9 Miller averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds while connecting on 38 per cent of his shots from 3-point range in leading Alabama to the SEC regular-season and conference title.

He helped the Crimson Tide to their first No.1 ranking in The AP poll in 20 years and first No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

A groin injury late in the season slowed his production in the NCAA Tournament, and Alabama were ousted by San Diego State in the Sweet 16.

Miller played in all 37 games for Alabama this past season despite his involvement with a fatal shooting on January 15.

According to police testimony, Miller brought the gun belonging to former Alabama player Darius Miles to Miles, and Miles and another man were charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.

Miller’s attorney said Miller never handled the gun and did not know Miles' intension.

Miller was never charged with a crime and was not punished by the team.

The decision by Crimson Tide coach Nate Oates to allow Miller to continue to play as the school was in the midst of an historic season was criticised by countless pundits.

Richarlison has hit back at suggestions he played a key role in Tottenham's decision to sack Antonio Conte, denying being the "mutiny leader" behind the Italian's exit.

Spurs parted company with Conte last week, eight days after the former Chelsea boss launched a scathing attack on the club after a 3-3 draw at Southampton.

Conte described Tottenham's players as "selfish" and appeared to criticise chairman Daniel Levy, saying: "Tottenham's story is this – 20 years there is this owner and they never won something. Why?"

That rant came less than a fortnight after Richarlison publicly questioned why his playing time had been limited amid a dire run of form for Spurs.

Following Conte's dismissal, a journalist from Argentinian broadcaster TyC Sports suggested Richarlison had been involved in giving the club an ultimatum regarding the coach's future – a claim the forward vehemently denies.

Responding to the rumour on Twitter on Thursday, Richarlison wrote: "Questioning and criticising me as a player for my performance is part of football and I get it. 

"However, telling lies about me, I don't accept! I've always had a lot of respect for Conte and for all my coaches. 

"He helped me a lot in my coming to Spurs and whenever we had a problem (even if it was public) we solved it based on conversation and professionalism – and this he can confirm.

"I wasn't a mutiny leader against him, it was quite the opposite. I'm sorry I didn't deliver as much as he expected of me and I didn't do enough for him to stay.  

"When he left, I sent him a message thanking him for everything and wishing him the best [because] that's what he deserves!

"On the other hand, the journalist responsible for this awful lie did not even do the least which would be talking to my PR or listening to me. Bad professional and bad character!"

Conte's former assistant Cristian Stellini begins his interim period at the helm with a trip to Everton on Monday, with Tottenham sitting fourth in the Premier League.

Trent Alexander-Arnold says Liverpool's next three games could "define" their season and wants "three big results".

Liverpool have back-to-back trips to Manchester City and Chelsea before hosting Premier League leaders Arsenal at Anfield a week on Sunday.

The Reds have had a difficult campaign so far, out of every cup competition and sitting sixth in the league, seven points behind fourth-placed Tottenham with two games in hand, and five behind Newcastle United in fifth.

Knowing they cannot afford to lose any more ground in the race for Champions League qualification, Alexander-Arnold is hoping he and his team-mates can get some points on the board this week, starting at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

"I think if we get three big results, it's game on really, and hopefully the season pushes on to be a good one," he told Liverpool's official website. "These three results can define the season if we let it and if we want it to. We want to go out there and win all three games – and that's our plan.

"I think as a team we've probably lacked that confidence at times during the season. But to go and get big results against big teams will instil that confidence back within us. We're excited as a team, we're looking fresh, good in training and we're excited. It's going to be a big week and then hopefully a big end to the season for us."

City are once again in the race for the title, trailing Arsenal by eight points with a game in hand, and Alexander-Arnold is aware of the task at hand to try and defeat Pep Guardiola's men.

"Every time you play against Man City, the motivation's there no matter what," he said. "Over the past five, six years, I would say us and them have been the best teams in the league, and they show their quality year in, year out and consistently. They're always up there as one of, if not the best team in the world.

"That'll be the same on Saturday. We need to play a really good game and execute our game plan to have a chance of winning it. I think we're able to go there and get the result but it's about making sure we earn it."

One positive for Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is seeing Luis Diaz back in training, with the Colombia forward having not played since sustaining a knee injury against Arsenal in October.

"He's a top player, a top lad," Alexander-Arnold said about the former Porto man. "It's been a tough season for him to see him out so much. But he's back, he's back smiling, he's enjoying his football, so that's all you can ask [for].

"With a player like that, he brings enthusiasm to the team and brings a spark that not many players have. It's exciting to have him back."

Herve Renard has been confirmed as the new head coach of France's women's team after a player revolt led to the dismissal of Corinne Diacre.

Renard resigned from his role as Saudi Arabia boss earlier this week, having overseen the team's memorable 2-1 victory over eventual winners Argentina at last year's World Cup in Qatar.

The French Football Federation (FFF) sacked Diacre earlier in March after several big-name Bleues players refused to play under her, criticising her management style and treatment of the squad.

Renard was immediately touted as a potential replacement for Diacre, and the 54-year-old's appointment was finalised on Thursday.

His contract with Les Bleues will run until August 2024, allowing him to lead the team at the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, as well as next year's home Olympic Games in Paris.

In addition to leading Zambia and Ivory Coast to Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2012 and 2015 respectively, Renard has also taken charge of Angola and Morocco during a long career in international football.

A statement from the FFF said Renard will be officially presented at a press conference on Friday, when he will also name his squad for next month's friendlies against Colombia and Canada.

France will begin their World Cup campaign against Jamaica in Sydney on July 23, before facing Brazil and Panama in their subsequent Group F matches.

Novak Djokovic looks set to appear at the 2023 US Open after the United States Senate passed a bill to end COVID-19 restrictions.

The 22-time grand slam champion last competed in the tournament two years ago, losing to Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-4 6-4 in the final.

He missed the 2022 edition because he had not been vaccinated against coronavirus, with the USA making vaccines a requirement for international travellers arriving in the country from November 8, 2021.

Djokovic was also absent for the 2022 Australian Open as he was deported from the country after immigration officials cancelled his visa because of the Serbian's unvaccinated status.

He returned to Melbourne Park at the start of this year and won a 10th Australian Open title – he will be hoping for a similar impact at Flushing Meadows after his return moved a step closer to reality.

On Wednesday, the US Senate voted in favour of ending the COVID-19 national emergency declared in March 2020, meaning the bill is now set to be considered by President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign.

As such, Djokovic will – assuming he is not ruled out for other reasons – be able to compete at this year's tournament, which is due to begin on August 28.

The news will surely come as major boost to Djokovic, who has already been prevented from entering US-based tournaments in 2023.

The 35-year-old was denied clearance to enter the US earlier in March ahead of Indian Wells and the Miami Open, with his application for special permission turned down by officials.

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has backed Graham Potter for long-term success at Chelsea and says there are already signs of progress at Stamford Bridge.

Potter succeeded Tuchel in the Chelsea dugout in early September, but his future was called into question following a run one win in 11 games to begin the year.

However, the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss has slowly turned things around, with Chelsea entering the international break on a run of three wins and a draw.

Villa boss Emery, who lasted 18 months at Arsenal before being sacked in November 2019, believes Potter fully deserves his chance to shine at a big club.

"He did amazing at Brighton and needs time to adapt his ideas at Chelsea," Emery said at Thursday's pre-match press conference. "Progressively, they're doing better and better.

"Tuchel's work was also amazing, but what Potter did with Brighton was really amazing and he deserved to take a step up with a team like Chelsea. 

"They're now progressing. Everything he previously did with Brighton he can do as well with Chelsea. He just needs time.

"They have played well in the Champions League but have not been as consistent in the Premier League. 

"But we know on Saturday we're playing one of the best teams in the Premier League. It's a good challenge for us and this is why I'm in the Premier League."

Villa have taken 10 points from their past 12 available, leaving them level on points with 10th-placed opponents Chelsea, and Emery is now targeting a top-half finish.

"When I arrived we were struggling at the bottom but the first reaction from the club, supporters, players, was amazing," Emery said. "Now we have escaped the bottom positions. 

"Now we can think of our new challenge, which is to be in the top 10. This will start this Saturday. We think we have a good possibility to be there.

"The last four matches we played, scoring seven goals and conceding only one, winning three matches and drawing one, it was a very good moment for us."

Liverpool have been handed a fitness boost ahead of their crunch Premier League clash against Manchester City with Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez returning to training.

Jurgen Klopp's side make the short trip to Manchester to tackle the defending champions on Saturday when league action resumes following the international break.

The Reds have their eyes firmly set on the hunt for a top-four finish, sitting seven points behind Tottenham but holding two games in hand over their managerless rivals.

City will certainly present a stern test but the return of Diaz, who has been out of action since suffering a knee injury during the loss to Arsenal in October, provides a timely boost.

Whether the Colombia international will be fit enough to tackle City remains to be seen, though Nunez's involvement adds a further boost to the squad.

Withdrawing from international duty with Uruguay after suffering an ankle injury during the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid earlier this month, Nunez's involvement suggests his return is also right around the corner.

UEFA has hit Eintracht Frankfurt and PSV with partial stadium closures after unsavoury scenes overshadowed European ties involving both clubs in February.

Both legs of Eintracht's 5-0 aggregate defeat to Napoli in the Champions League's last-16 were marred by violence, with clashes between supporters witnessed before the Partenopei's 2-0 away win on February 21.

Eintracht were subsequently charged with the lighting of fireworks and blocking of public passageways by UEFA, and the governing body has now fined the Bundesliga club a total of €70,000 and ordered them to close areas of Deutsche Bank Park for their next continental fixture.

The fear of further violence led Italian authorities to attempt to ban Eintracht supporters from travelling to Naples for the return fixture on March 15.

However, supporters clashed with local police after defying that measure, with footage on social media showing crowds throwing missiles at officers wielding riot shields.

Meanwhile, PSV have also been ordered to close sections of the Philips Stadion for their next UEFA game after a fan attacked Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic during a Europa League match.

PSV suffered a 3-2 aggregate defeat in the competition's knockout round play-offs, with the tie overshadowed by a supporter entering the pitch and throwing a punch at Dmitrovic in February's second leg in Eindhoven.

The 20-year-old man was given a two-month prison stint on March 8, as well as being made subject to a 40-year ban from PSV's stadium.

PSV have been fined €29,375 after UEFA investigated the incident, with the club also being charged with the throwing of objects at the same match.

Manchester United back-up goalkeeper Tom Heaton has been ruled out until mid-April with an ankle injury.

The 36-year-old has featured twice for United this season, keeping clean sheets in the EFL Cup wins over Charlton Athletic and Nottingham Forest.

However, Heaton was not part of Erik ten Hag's squad for the dramatic 3-1 FA Cup victory against Fulham prior to the international break after sustaining an injury in training.

And a club statement confirmed on Thursday the three-cap England international will miss "several of United's upcoming matches".

"Unfortunately, the day before the Fulham game I rolled my ankle in training," Heaton said.

"Thankfully, it's not too bad but it'll mean a couple of weeks out. I should be back some point in April, hopefully halfway through.

"It's an occupational hazard unfortunately, a bit of a random one. I just went over on the ankle and nicked the ligament."

January recruit Jack Butland will now provide competition for first-choice keeper David de Gea, who has played the full 90 minutes in 42 of United's 46 games this season.

The Premier League will be entitled to disqualify club owners and directors for human rights abuses, under new rules revealed on Thursday.

That was one of the outcomes of a shareholders' meeting as the league tightened up restrictions on who should be allowed to own and govern its clubs.

It was announced there would be increased clarity and transparency regarding due diligence carried out in the case of takeovers, as well as annual checks to determine directors remained compliant.

The owners' and directors' test (OADT) has faced plenty of scrutiny, mainly but not exclusively relating to the influx of money pouring into the league from overseas, with huge investments in Premier League clubs coming largely from the United States and the Middle East.

This update coincides with Manchester United, the Premier League's most successful club, being targeted for a possible takeover by wealthy prospective buyers from various quarters of the globe.

The league said it had carried out a thorough review and stated clubs agreed the changes should take effect immediately, with all decisions to be reviewed by an independent panel.

It said the threshold to determine who held control of a club would be lowered from a 30 per cent to 25 per cent stake, while chief executives would be among those coming "within the scope of the OADT".

Along with human rights abuses, which the league said would be based on the UK government's Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020, it was decided that a situation where a person or company is subject to government sanctions would qualify as a disqualifying event.

The Premier League disqualified Roman Abramovich as owner of Chelsea in March of last year, soon after government sanctions were imposed on the oligarch following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It led to the club being sold to a consortium led by American Todd Boehly.

Anyone convicted of violence, corruption, fraud, tax evasion and hate crimes also faces the prospect of disqualification under the new guidance, and anyone under investigation for a potentially disqualifying event would also risk being prevented from becoming a club director.

Amid a number of further disqualifying circumstances, it was also decided the Premier League should clearly disclose who has been disqualified, as well as compiling an annual 'report of compliance'.

Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes will require the rest of the Formula One campaign to get into a position where they can challenge early pacesetters Red Bull.

Red Bull have started the 2023 season with back-to-back one-twos, with Max Verstappen triumphing at the Bahrain Grand Prix and Sergio Perez winning in Saudi Arabia last time out.

Mercedes, meanwhile, sit third in the constructors' championship having started a second consecutive year off the pace, with Hamilton posting successive fifth-place finishes.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton was pessimistic about his team's chances of matching Red Bull in the short term.

"It is going to take us the rest of the year to potentially close that gap," the seven-time world champion said.

"If you look at the Red Bull, it is just going to continue to evolve most likely. Some cars do plateau in terms of performance. At some point it can't just keep going. But maybe it can.

"They have a great team around them and I am sure they will continue to add downforce.

"We just have to make sure when we do make the change, hopefully the drop isn't too far, and it is going to take us the rest of the year, for sure, to potentially close that gap."

Hamilton has been outspoken in his criticism of Mercedes' troubled W14 car, which the team plan to make major alterations to just two races into the season.

Expanding on the car's issues, Hamilton said: "I don't know if people know, but we sit closer to the front wheels than all the other drivers. Our cockpit is too close to the front.

"What that does is it really changes the attitude of the car and how you perceive its movement. It makes it harder to predict compared to when you're further back and sitting more centred. It is just something I have really struggled with.

"There is a part of me that is just hopeful we find the trick and are straight on to the right track that is not far away from the others."

South Africa assistant Felix Jones will join England's coaching staff after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Jones featured 13 times for Ireland during his playing career, before taking on assistant coach roles with Munster and the Springboks.

England are planning ahead after a disappointing Six Nations campaign in which they finished in fourth place, losing three of their five games.

Speaking to the England Rugby website after the future appointment was confirmed, head coach Steve Borthwick expressed his excitement at eventually having Jones on board.

"We are continuing to build our programme to be in a position to compete to be world champions once again," Borthwick said. "At the same time, I also want to ensure we are preparing for long-term success for this England team, and I am excited that a coach as talented as Felix is joining next year.

"Felix has been competing at the top of world rugby during his four years with South Africa and will bring invaluable experience to our set-up. Like with Aled Walters, Felix was an integral part of the team that won the Rugby World Cup in 2019.

"Together with Richard Wigglesworth and Kevin Sinfield, we are putting in place a coaching team who have spent their careers at the highest level competing for trophies. That is exactly what we want for this England team."

Jones has worked with South Africa since 2019, and will join up with assistant Wigglesworth (assistant) and another former Springboks coach in Aled Walters (head of strength and conditioning) as well as Borthwick and Sinfield (defence coach) in 2024, with Wigglesworth and Walters due to come in at the end of the Premiership season.

"Coaching the Springboks is one of the biggest privileges in rugby and I intend to do everything I can to ensure the team is successful until the day my contract comes to its natural end," said Jones.

"The last four years has been an incredible journey for me and my family, both professionally and personally, I am indebted to so many people at the Springboks and in South Africa for that.

"My commitment to the Springboks until the end of the Rugby World Cup is unquestionable, and Rassie [Erasmus, director of rugby], Jacques [Nienaber, head coach] and the entire Springbok team know that.

"The next five months are going to be exciting and demanding, and I'm looking forward to preparing for the World Cup with this coaching team."