UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has made clear the 12 European Super League clubs must face the consequences for their involvement in the planned breakaway competition.
Less than 48 hours after the official announcement of the tournament, and following a huge public backlash to the plan, the 'big six' from the Premier League – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham – all ended their involvement.
Ceferin has praised the English clubs for a willingness to admit they made a mistake, but that will not mean they avoid punishment – albeit it is unclear yet what action the governing body will take.
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, the UEFA chief revealed how he has placed the teams in different tiers while comparing Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid to those who believe Earth is flat, with that trio still remaining aligned to the initial proposal.
"Everyone has to take consequences for what they did and we cannot pretend nothing happened," Ceferin told the newspaper.
"You cannot do something like that and just say: 'I've been punished because everybody hates me'. They don't have problems because of anyone else but themselves. It's not okay what they did and we will see in next few days what we have to do.
"But for me it's a clear difference between the English clubs and the other six. They pulled out first, they admitted they made a mistake. You have to have some greatness to say: 'I was wrong'.
"For me there are three groups of this 12 — the English six, who went out first, then the other three [Atletico Madrid, Inter and Milan] after them and then the ones who feel that Earth is flat and they think the Super League still exists. And there is a big difference between those.
"But everyone will be held responsible. In what way, we will see. I don't want to say disciplinary process but it has to be clear that everyone has to be held responsible in a different way.
"Is it disciplinary? Is it the decision of the executive committee? We will see. It's too early to say."
There was widespread condemnation of the Super League from fans, governing bodies and former players alike, leading to financial backers JP Morgan to admit they "misjudged how the deal would be viewed by the wider football community".
UEFA announced changes to the Champions League format on Monday, including an increase from 32 to 36 clubs as the current group stage system is to be shelved in favour of a single league.
Clubs will get to play four extra matches per season, with the top eight in the final table advancing through to the last 16. Those placed between ninth and 24th will enter a play-off round to decide who else will qualify for the knockout stages, while those 25th and lower are eliminated and do not enter the Europa League.
The radical reforms to the competition are scheduled to come into place for the 2024-25 season.
Julius Randle is proud of the way he has followed Kobe Bryant's example with his work ethic to help lead the New York Knicks to fourth in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks beat the Toronto Raptors 120-103 on Saturday to stretch their winning run to nine in a row.
The team have had seven straight losing seasons, missing the playoffs every year since 2012-13, but are now 34-27 and firmly back in contention to make the postseason.
As all season, Randle was the Knicks' standout performer against the Raptors, scoring 31 points to improve his average for the year to 24.0. He also has 10.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in 2020-21.
This form earned All-Star recognition and could yet see Randle selected to an All-NBA team.
Such a turnaround could hardly have been expected for a player who had averaged 16.1 points per game for his career since he was selected seventh overall in 2014 by Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers superstar's late-career industry rubbed off on Randle, though, with the forward improving this year under Tom Thibodeau, who compared Randle to Knicks great Patrick Ewing.
"That's amazing," Randle said of Thibodeau's comments. "I've actually asked him to talk about that before. He gave me an insight because he saw it first-hand.
"I'm proud of myself for my work ethic. The greats have done it before.
"The guy that I idolised the most and looked up to - which is Kobe - his work ethic was top notch. Nobody was better at putting the time in.
"So, like I say, I'm proud of myself for my work ethic in terms of how I prepare myself to get ready for a season, how I prepare myself to get ready for games."
Thibodeau said: "It always starts with your best players. If they work like that, it sets the tone for the team.
"[Randle] is relentless. It's not an accident that he's having the type of season that he’s having.
"His commitment, I could see it from the first day I met him, just looking at the type of conditioning he had, how committed he was to turning this thing around.
"I can recall back in the '90s, when I first arrived here as an assistant, the thing that blew me away was Patrick Ewing, every morning in the offseason, he was the first guy in the building, worked like crazy, got himself ready, and the rest of the team did the same.
"I think that's leadership. It's not what you say, it's what you do. When you see an example like that, it gives you confidence and gives the team confidence."
This is now the Knicks' longest sequence of wins since 13 straight across March and April 2013, yet Randle is not content.
"We're peaking, but we can still get a lot better," he said.
"Offensively we're playing well, but defensively, for a full 48 minutes, I feel like we can be a lot better."
Tomer Hemed scored from the penalty spot deep into added time as Wellington Phoenix rallied from a goal down to beat Adelaide United 2-1 on Sunday.
Adelaide had lost one of the previous 13 A-League meetings between the teams and knew a win on ANZAC Day would move them to the top of the table, above both second-placed Central Coast Mariners and leaders Melbourne City.
They appeared set to do just that when Stefan Mauk converted a cut-back cross following a run by Ryan Strain down United's right flank, breaking the deadlock in the 51st minute.
However, that lead did not last too long. Ben Waine made it four goals in as many games to get Wellington level, seizing on a loose ball before rounding goalkeeper Joe Gauci to score.
The contest at WIN Stadium appeared set to finish as a draw, only for Wellington to have a chance to win it late when Gauci was adjudged to have fouled Phoenix substitute Jaushua Sotirio during a scramble inside the penalty area.
Hemed held his nerve to convert the penalty in the 97th minute, clinching Wellington – who are on a four-game unbeaten run - a first league triumph over Adelaide since December 2019.
Brisbane Roar had also been due to host Perth Glory on Sunday, but their fixture was postponed following the introduction of a three-day lockdown by the Western Australian and Queensland Governments in relation to the Perth and Peel areas.
Anthony Davis feels he is "starting from zero" with his Los Angeles Lakers team-mates following injury, meaning the defending NBA champions must "figure it out on the fly".
Davis missed more than two months with a strained Achilles, finally returning this week for a double-header against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers are still without LeBron James, though, and Davis does not yet look back to himself.
The forward averaged 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks last season as the Lakers won the title.
Prior to his injury this year, he had 22.5 points per game, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, while his shooting from the field improved from 50.3 per cent in 2019-20 to 53.3.
But across two games - both starts - since returning on Thursday, Davis has just 21 points, seven rebounds and a single block in total.
Although he played less than 17 minutes in his first game back, his accuracy from the field has been most concerning, shooting 24.1 per cent having made just seven of his 29 attempts.
The Lakers lost both games to fall to 35-25 in fifth in the Western Conference, now just 1.5 games ahead of the Mavs.
The situation could have been even worse had the Portland Trail Blazers - 2.5 games back in seventh, a dreaded play-in place - not lost four straight.
"It's like you're starting over with the guys and just trying to find a connection with these guys again," Davis said after Saturday's 108-93 defeat.
"They're trying to find a connection with me. So, it's like we're starting from zero, which is tough so late in the season."
He added: "You've got to try to figure it out on the fly, which we're going to have to do."
James, who had 25.4 points, 7.9 assists and 7.9 rebounds and was in MVP contention before he went down, has been out since March 20 with a high ankle sprain.
Dennis Schroder, the team's third-best scorer with 15.6 points, said: "We're going to talk about it.
"I think when Bron comes back, we're going to have a conversation as a team. Because our chemistry off the court is great. But on the court, we've just got to turn it up some more."
Anderson Silva has posted a message of support for Chris Weidman after the American suffered a gruesome leg injury at UFC 261.
Just 17 seconds into his fight with Uriah Hall in Jacksonville, Florida, Weidman's lower right leg appeared to snap as he landed a kick to Hall's shin.
Weidman, 36, was removed from the Octagon on a stretcher and transported to a local hospital.
The injury came more than seven years after Silva suffered a nearly identical fate while fighting Weidman.
In December 2013, Silva broke his left leg landing a kick on Weidman's leg early in the second round of their UFC 168 match-up in Las Vegas.
Not long after Weidman's injury Saturday, Silva tagged the American in a message posted to Instagram: "My deepest and most sincere sentiments champ. Have faith, I wish you a speedy recovery. In this moment I wish you and your family light, love and knowledge.
"To the fans of the sport, please respect this moment of this incredible warrior and let's wish that he is 100% very recovered soon. May God bless you and your family."
Though many expected Silva's injury to end his career, the Brazilian returned to the Octagon a little over a year later, beating Nick Diaz at UFC 183 in January 2015. That victory was overturned due to doping violations, but Silva would fight six more times -- most recently a TKO loss to Hall last October.
That was Hall's last fight before Saturday, and he took no joy in the way the Weidman bout ended.
"I just want to make sure he's OK," Hall told ESPN.
"There's just no way to celebrate after this. It's unfortunate. I'm sure he put in a lot of time and dedication away from his family, and for this to happen ... I just wish him well."
The Crusaders will host the 2021 Super Rugby Aotaeroa final against the Chiefs after returning to winning ways with a 29-6 victory over the Blues on Sunday in Christchurch.
The 2020 Super Rugby Aotaeroa champions scored four tries to the Blues' none, with two from Will Jordan including a fine solo run to open the scoring in the seventh minute.
Sevu Reece and Codie Taylor also crossed for the Canterbury side who led 12-0 at the interval and never looked back.
Taylor remains the leading try scorer this season, getting his seventh of 2021 on the hour when the Crusaders maul forced their way over following a line-out.
The result also means that the Blues can no longer mathematically make for the top two thus will not feature in the decider despite having a game in hand against the Chiefs in Round 10, having collected no points on Sunday.
The Blues have lost four of their past five matches, fading from contention after a promising 2-0 start.
The Crusaders had gone down 26-25 to the Chiefs in Round Eight, putting at jeopardy their hopes of hosting the Final but Sunday's result ended any doubts.
Scott Robertson's side have been top of the table since Round Two, having started the 2021 season with five straight wins.
Fernando Tatis Jr. put on another show at Dodger Stadium, but it was the World Series champions who won out via small ball, defeating the San Diego Padres 5-4.
After slamming a pair of home runs in Los Angeles on Friday, Tatis repeated that feat Saturday -- and had some fun with Dodgers starter Trevor Bauer along the way.
In early March, Trevor Bauer spent most of the first inning of a spring training game against the Padres pitching with his right eye closed, calling it a training method he uses occasionally to challenge himself.
The Padres didn't forget about it. After Tatis homered off Bauer in the first inning Saturday, the San Diego star covered up his right eye with his hand as he rounded the bases.
Tatis also went deep off Bauer in the sixth to give San Diego a 3-2 lead, but the Padres' relievers would give the game away in the bottom of the inning.
With San Diego starter Blake Snell out of the game, Los Angeles strung together three singles and a bases-loaded walk to Mookie Betts to tie the game, then took the lead on a two-run single by Corey Seager.
Tatis had one last chance to be the hero in the ninth, coming up with the tying run on and one out, but Kenley Jansen got him to ground out, then struck out Trent Grisham to end it.
Yankees' Cole almost untouchable
Gerrit Cole was spectacular for the Yankees in New York's 2-1 win over the Cleveland Indians. The right-hander allowed just three hits and a run and did not walk a batter while striking out 11 to outpitch Shane Bieber (seven innings, four hits, two runs, nine strikeouts).
The Oakland Athletics won their 13th consecutive game after a 1-7 start, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 7-2. A three-run home run by Jed Lowrie in the fourth inning put the game out of reach for Oakland.
The Houston Astros lost starter Jake Odorizzi after five pitches and one out due to an arm injury, but Kent Emanuel pitched the rest of the game in his MLB debut, allowing a pair of solo home runs in a 16-2 Astros win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Reds hit bottom in NL Central
After spending more than two weeks with at least a share of first place in the National League Central, the Cincinnati Reds dropped to last in the division Saturday after their sixth consecutive lost, this one 2-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Reds managed only three hits, all singles, off John Gant and two St. Louis relievers in their latest setback.
White Sox walk it off
Up until the final inning of the Rangers-White Sox game Saturday, the only run had come on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the sixth that gave Chicago a 1-0 lead, but things got interesting in the ninth. Willie Calhoun tied the game with a home run for Texas in the top of the inning, but the White Sox put together a rally in the bottom half and won 2-1 on Nick Madrigal's walk-off double.
Saturday's results
Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 Chicago Cubs
Oakland Athletics 7-2 Baltimore Orioles
Kansas City Royals 2-1 Detroit Tigers
New York Yankees 2-1 Cleveland Indians
Seattle Mariners 8-2 Boston Red Sox
Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals 7-1 New York Mets
Houston Astros 16-2 Los Angeles Angels
Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 Minnesota Twins
Chicago White Sox 2-1 Texas Rangers
St Louis Cardinals 2-0 Cincinnati Reds
Philadelphia Phillies 7-5 Colorado Rockies
Miami Marlins 5-2 San Francisco Giants
Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 San Diego Padres
Atlanta Braves-Arizona Diamondbacks (postponed)
Padres at Dodgers
San Diego (12-11) send Joe Musgrove to the mound for the final game of their series against the Dodgers (15-6) on Sunday. Dustin May will get the ball for Los Angeles.
Kamaru Usman knocked out Jorge Masvidal before a packed arena Saturday, retaining his welterweight title at UFC 261.
Usman (19-1-0) dropped Masvidal (35-15-0) with a right hand to the jaw one minute, two seconds into the second round.
The devastating blow landed seconds after the American had faced Usman with his hands lowered, smiling at the Nigerian.
Usman has won 14 consecutive fights, trailing only Anderson Silva's 16-fight run from 2006 to 2012 in UFC history.
"I know with my fundamentals I am the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now," Usman said.
Usman's strike prompted an eruption from the crowd of 15,269 in Jacksonville, Florida, capping an evening billed as the first full-capacity indoor event since the coronavirus pandemic took off in March 2020.
The marquee fight was a rematch from UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi last July, which Usman won by unanimous decision.
Saturday marked only the second time in his long career that Masvidal has been knocked out, with the previous one occuring in 2008.
In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas (11-4-0) knocked out Zhang Weili (21-2-0) with a kick to the head at 1:18 in the first round to reclaim the strawweight title -- the first woman to do so in any weight class in UFC history.
The American originally won the belt in November 2017 but lost it to Jessica Andrade in May 2019. She defeated Andrade in the rematch at UFC 251.
Andrade (21-9-0) also was on Saturday's card, falling via TKO to Valentina Shevchenko (21-3-0) in the second round.
Earlier, veteran fighter Chris Weidman's lower right leg appeared to snap on a kick 17 seconds into his bout with Uriah Hall (17-9), ending the match in a TKO. Weidman, 36, was carried out on a stretcher.
DeMar DeRozan out-dueled Zion Williamson down the stretch to give the San Antonio Spurs a 110-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
DeRozan scored nine of his 32 points in the final three minutes, bringing the visitors back from a late five-point deficit on Saturday.
The Spurs star made all 12 of his free-throw attempts as San Antonio collectively went 27 of 32 (84.4 per cent) from the line. New Orleans, meanwhile, made only 17 of 32 (53.1 per cent).
Williamson's ninth point of the 33 he would score gave him 2,000 for his career in just 79 games, which is 10th-fastest in NBA history. That marks the fewest games a player has needed to reach 2,000 points since Michael Jordan did it in his 73rd NBA game in 1985.
Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram added 24 points each for the Pelicans, but they could not overcome all of the missed free throws.
Randle, Knicks win ninth in a row
Julius Randle had 31 points as the New York Knicks rolled past the Toronto Raptors 120-103 for their ninth consecutive win -- the longest streak for New York since they won 13 in a row in 2013.
Bam Adebayo scored 20 points and added 10 assists as the Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls to move within a half game of the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference.
Rookie Anthony Edwards' 23 points and nine rebounds helped the Minnesota Timberwolves hand the Utah Jazz a rare loss in Salt Lake City, 101-96. Utah are now 26-4 at home this season.
Sixers struggle to score
Playing without Joel Embiid, who missed the game with right shoulder soreness, the Philadelphia 76ers had only one starter score in double figures in a 132-94 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Philadelphia made just 31 of 82 from the field (37.8 per cent) as Shake Milton and Tyrese Maxey led the scoring off the bench with 15 points each. Seth Curry paced the starters with 13 points.
Luka gets the roll
The Dallas Mavericks trailed the Los Angeles Lakers by as many as 17 points on Saturday but stormed back in the fourth quarter thanks in part to Luka Doncic doing what Luka Doncic does.
Saturday's results
Milwaukee Bucks 132-94 Philadelphia 76ers
New York Knicks 120-103 Toronto Raptors
Indiana Pacers 115-109 Detroit Pistons
Miami Heat 106-101 Chicago Bulls
San Antonio Spurs 110-108 New Orleans Pelicans
Dallas Mavericks 108-93 Los Angeles Lakers
Minnesota Timberwolves 101-96 Utah Jazz
Denver Nuggets 129-116 Houston Rockets
Suns at Nets
An appealing match-up of guards is on tap Sunday as Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns (42-17) visit Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets (40-20).
World number one Novak Djokovic was full of praise for his Serbia Open semi-final conqueror Aslan Karatsev but bemoaned his own "low level" performance.
Karatsev got past Djokovic in the longest match of the 2021 ATP Tour in Belgrade, triumphing 7-5 4-6 6-4 on Saturday.
The match went for three hours and 25 minutes, with the Russian securing a spot in Sunday's final against 10th ranked Matteo Berrettini.
The Serbian had beaten Karatsev in the Australian Open semi-finals two months ago, with the 27-year-old Russian, who is now ranked 28th, returning the favour.
"From my side, I played on quite a low level, in my opinion," Djokovic said.
“[I had] some flashes of good quality tennis. I was fighting. That is a positive.
"I was really trying all the way [and] the crowd was great. They carried me and tried to lift me up, all the way to the end.
"Because of them, I think I won the second set. Unfortunately in the third, he was just the better player in the decisive moments. I had my chances, but that is sport."
Djokovic was gracious in defeat, offering a thumbs up immediately after Karatsev secured victory along with complimentary words to his opponent who saved 23 of 28 break points.
"Karatsev showed a lot of courage and that is why I gave him the thumbs up," Djokovic said.
"I felt like he deserved to win… Once the final point is done, there is never bad blood. We are rivals on the court, but I don’t hate anybody. I can’t be upset with him if he beat me.
"I have to be upset with myself and question why I lost the match. Whoever beats me deserves the credit and I gave him that.
"I lost to a better player who was just more courageous. He went for his shots at the right time and it worked for him."
Football clubs and players across England will go silent on social media next weekend in response to "ongoing and sustained abuse" players and others connected with the game are subjected to online.
Teams from the top men's and women's leagues in England will not post to their social media accounts from the afternoon of April 30 through the end of May 3, London time, and players are expected to follow suit.
An announcement of the boycott came jointly on Saturday from numerous organisations involved in the game, including the Professional Footballers' Association, the Premier League, the Football League, The FA, the Women’s Super League and the Women’s Championship.
The move follows a February letter to social media companies urging them to take numerous steps to take down online abuse, including quick removal of offensive posts and an improved verification process.
"While some progress has been made, we reiterate those requests today in an effort to stem the relentless flow of discriminatory messages and ensure that there are real-life consequences for purveyors of online abuse across all platforms," the groups said in a release.
"Boycott action from football in isolation will, of course, not eradicate the scourge of online discriminatory abuse, but it will demonstrate that the game is willing to take voluntary and proactive steps in this continued fight."
The boycott comes on the heels of the popular uprising that led to the collapse of the European Super League earlier this week, and players speaking after Saturday's Premier League games said a move to curb online harassment is overdue.
"The players, we get a lot of abuses online, and it is not normal, we need to fight it, and I think that is a good way to do it," Brighton's Neal Maupay told Sky Sports.
"It's definitely getting worse. People are crossing the line too many times now, too often, so we need to carry on fighting it and at one point we will get rid of it."
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola voiced his concerns about the European Super League internally but says there is no problem with his relationship with the club's hierarchy.
City were the first club to withdraw from the European Super League which received widespread condemnation about its announcement last week.
Guardiola mentioned earlier this week that he opposed a league without relegation and had voiced similar concerns at the concept within the four walls of the club.
"It was not difficult because before I make a statement we spoke about that, and they completely agree, and that’s why I tell you," Guardiola said.
"I love this club – I love Ferran [Soriano, chief executive], Txiki [Begiristain, sporting director], Khaldoon [Al Mubarak, chairman] and the people who work in the club – we work together.
"Since I arrived here we were all together in all the decisions.
"I make mistakes, everyone makes mistakes – the guys who take decisions make mistakes, the guys who are sitting and judging what the others do make mistakes.
"Sometimes you are wrong. What’s the problem? We react and we apologise and move forward."
Soriano put out a message to the club's fans earlier in the week, saying that the board deeply regretted its actions.
Pep Guardiola insists Raheem Sterling is an "extraordinary player" and will get more opportunities despite falling out of favour.
Sterling has only started three of Manchester City's past 10 matches in all competitions, with Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez usurping him.
"Raheem is an extraordinary player – he was, is and will be," the City head coach said.
"The reason why he has not played as regularly as in previous seasons is because Phil and Riyad are in top, top form. That is the only reason.
"But opportunities are going to come and he has to be ready to show his quality, freshness in his mind and to play with the incredible strength he has."
The 26-year-old England winger had been a key figure for City earlier in the campaign but his recent run has led to some concerns about his international readiness ahead of the European Championships.
Guardiola insisted that Sterling will get more opportunities as City compete for three different trophies, having lost their quadruple dream after last week's FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea.
"For national managers, I’m not involved, but I would love it for him," Guardiola said. "I would love the players here to go with their national teams at the Euros.
"Him, Nathan [Ake], Eric [Garcia], John [Stones] – all the players who are here. It is a fantastic event to play in, the Euros.
"The only way is to let him play. After, it depends on them. It is not about confidence. They have our confidence – if not, they would not be here.
"The quality is there. It’s not a case of: he doesn't have confidence and then by talking to me, he is confident.
"They are top-class players and they have to get the confidence from inside themselves: ‘I am going to show how good I am.'
"It’s the only secret. They have to show every time they have the quality."
Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel turned in a nine-under 63 in four-ball play to take the lead after the third round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
The South African duo are 19-under for the tournament and were one of six teams to record a 63, vaulting them past second-round leaders Tony Finau and Cameron Champ by a stroke.
Australians Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith also shot nine-under and are tied for second with the American pair.
The top of the leaderboard at TPC Louisiana is crowded, with Bubba Watson and Scottie Scheffler sitting two shots back along with first-round leaders Viktor Hovland and Kris Ventura.
The tournament, which switched to a team event in 2017, features four-ball in the first and third rounds and foursomes in the second and fourth.
Three teams are at 16 under and nine more at 15 under, with the latter group including defending champions Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer.
The shot of the day belonged to Sam Ryder, who holed a five iron from 206 yards at No. 2 for a double eagle -- the first at the tournament since Rob Oppenheim did it in 2018.
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