Sevilla have conveyed their “disgust” after winger Lucas Ocampos appeared to be touched in what the club described as an “obscene act” by a home supporter in their victory at Rayo Vallecano.

The Argentina international, who has called for LaLiga to take the incident seriously, appeared to be poked in the backside by a fan as he was preparing to take a throw-in in the 32nd minute of Monday’s contest.

His club released a statement expressing their support for the player and calling for LaLiga to take “appropriate measures” in response to the incident, while Rayo have condemned the act and are in the process of identifying the fan in question.

A statement on Sevilla’s official website read: “On the obscene and completely inappropriate act suffered by Lucas Ocampos at the Estadio de Vallecas:

“We would like to place on record our disgust at the incident that occurred on Monday during our match against Rayo Vallecano, in which our player Lucas Ocampos was subjected to an obscene and completely inappropriate act by a home fan.

“We hope that the appropriate measures outlined in the regulations will be taken to prevent such behaviour from happening again on a football field and we have expressed this to LaLiga directly.

“These gestures and behaviours should not be allowed in our competition if we aspire to be the best league in the world.

“We send our full support to Lucas Ocampos, who showed composure and immense professionalism, despite the unacceptable behaviour of the fan who harassed him.”

Ocampos, 29, who turned around to confront the fan, also demanded action after his side’s 2-1 victory, telling DAZN: “I hope the league takes it seriously, like it takes racism, like it takes those things .

“I don’t think all the Rayo people are like that, because the truth is that they always treat us with respect.

“There is always a fool and I hope it doesn’t happen in other areas, because if it happens in women’s football, we know what can happen.

“I restrained myself because I have two daughters and I hope that tomorrow it doesn’t happen to them. Let’s hope they make the decision they have to make and I hope that a fool like this doesn’t stain the fans, because the truth is they behaved very well.”

Rayo released a statement saying they “condemned” the behaviour of the fan.

The statement added: “This isolated action is solely the individual responsibility of the fan who carried it out, with neither Rayo Vallecano nor any of the other almost 15,000 spectators who filled the Estadio de Vallecas for the match against Sevilla having any responsibility for it and who had exemplary behaviour.

“Rayo Vallecano at this time is working to identify the fan so that, if he is a season ticket holder, it can adopt the appropriate disciplinary measures according to the internal regulations.

“Rayo Vallecano has always promoted the maximum respect towards referees, footballers and coaches. Individual actions like this are opposite to the values ​​that Rayo Vallecano promotes.”

The PA news agency has contacted LaLiga for comment.

Naomi Osaka fell to defeat against Danielle Collins in her opening match at the Abu Dhabi Open.

The four-time grand slam champion made her comeback last month following the birth of her first child, reaching the second round of the Brisbane International before losing a close contest to Caroline Garcia in her opening match at the Australian Open.

Those performances gave plenty of cause for encouragement but Osaka faded badly against American Collins, losing 7-5 6-0.

Rallies were few and far between in a first set dominated by serve until Collins claimed the crucial break at 5-5.

From there, the former Australian Open finalist ran away with the contest, with Osaka committing 20 unforced errors and looking dispirited as she dropped serve four times in a row.

Osaka plans to play a fuller schedule than she did prior to her 15-month break but it is clear the 26-year-old has plenty of work to do if she is to get back to the top of the game.

Collins, who is planning to retire at the end of the season, moves on to a second-round clash with top seed Elena Rybakina.

Title-chasing rider Sean Bowen has been cleared to make his comeback from injury at Huntingdon on Thursday.

Bowen, out of action since a fall at Aintree on Boxing Day, has seen his long-established lead at the top of the jump jockeys’ standings chipped away at in recent weeks by Harry Cobden.

Before racing on Tuesday Cobden had reduced the lead to just five, and that during a time when his main backer Paul Nicholls is habitually quiet. His runners have clicked back into gear recently, though, and he provided Cobden with a four-timer at Musselburgh on Sunday.

Bowen has one ride at Huntingdon, on Olly Murphy’s new recruit Roccovango in the Mulberry Developments Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.

“It was great to jock Sean back up on a horse this morning,” said Murphy.

“He’s riding out tomorrow, his rehab has gone well and he told me he was on the Equicizer yesterday, did some exercises and all was good.

“We’re looking forward to having him back. He’s a huge part of our team and is someone all the young lads look up to as well.

“He’s a big part of the furniture at Warren Chase and we’ll be doing all we can to get back behind him, along with many other people, to make him champion jockey.

“He was flying up to Christmas, he’d been riding extremely well all year but unfortunately the life of a jump jockey means injuries are a part of it and he had a bad fall at Aintree on Boxing Day and missed six weeks.

“Harry Cobden has clawed back a lot of his lead, he is riding extremely well as well and he’s ultra-talented. We wish the two of them the best of luck, but obviously our loyalty is to Sean.

“It will be good for jump racing if the two of them stay injury-free until the end of the season and have a good tussle.”

Asked to sum up Roccovango’s chance, Murphy said: “He’s a new recruit who had some nice novice form. I’d like to think he’s got a nice each-way chance.

“Harry Derham’s horse (Nordic Tiger) will be hard to beat escaping a penalty for winning last week, but I’d like to think my lad could be competitive and it would be magic if we can give Sean a winner on his first ride back.”

Brendon McCullum credits the inspirational leadership and “total conviction” of Ben Stokes for giving England a fighting chance of leaving India with a series win.

The score is tied at 1-1 after two gripping Tests in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, giving England a realistic shot at becoming the first side to win away on Indian soil since 2012.

Head coach McCullum will lead his side to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for a short break before the contest resumes on February 15 and, while the players will be resting up with family rather than hitting the nets, he insists they will be ready to “drop the shoulder and go hard” when they return for the third Test in Rajkot.

A crucial part of England’s ability to do just that so far has been the contribution of three novice spinners in the form of Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir, who have defied their lack of experience to claim 26 wickets between them against players who have grown up against the turning ball.

And McCullum was glowing about Stokes’ ability to instil belief in the group.

“There are heaps of positives. Our spin bowling unit, albeit young and raw, have shown they’ve got what it takes,” he said.

“I put it down to the skipper. He has total conviction in his methods and is incredibly empathetic towards people.

“He spends time with them to ensure his messaging is really consistent, in his body language and behaviours, and he backs up what he says to them off the field with opportunities on the field. He is desperate to lead this team and he wants to take this team to whatever level he can take it.

“I am absolutely delighted in how they have performed with very little experience under their belt. You look around and you just see guys who look like they belong at international level.

“I think 1-1 is probably a fair reflection of where the contest is at the moment and, if the next three Tests are anything like these last two, it’s going to be one hell of a series.”

A return to form for Joe Root would be the biggest possible boost for England’s prospects, with the former skipper yet to make an impression with the bat.

A total of 52 runs from four innings represents a meagre return for a cornerstone player with a strong case for being the country’s best ever sub-continental batter.

The manner of his most recent dismissal, slogging wildly at the wily Ravichandran Ashwin, caused consternation, but McCullum harbours no such concerns.

“There are three Tests left, still an opportunity to score a whole s*** ton of runs,” he said with a smile.

“Joe’s a world-class player and as good as anyone England has ever seen.

“People will look to the dismissal, look at the method of his option, but he was trying to get the field back so he could milk them.

“It is the bravery you have to show at times and sometimes you get out doing it, that’s just the way the game rolls. There is no doubt from our point of view about that approach.”

England are not currently anticipating any changes to their Test squad for the second phase of the trip.

A virus has made an unwelcome intrusion on the camp but should be gone before the series resumes and concerns over Root’s injured little finger have eased.

There is no expectation of Harry Brook returning to the tour, with the team management giving him space to deal with the family matters that brought him home on the eve of the series.

The only uncertainty surrounds Jack Leach, who injured his knee in Hyderabad, missed the next game and has now been hit by illness.

“It is still pretty inflamed, but I don’t really know because he has been crook,” McCullum explained.

“His knee is pretty bad though and it was remarkable he got through what he did in the first Test match.”

St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson has stressed the importance of Wednesday night’s home clash with Dundee to his players.

The fifth-placed Buddies are bristling with confidence following their convincing 3-0 cinch Premiership win over Hibernian at Easter Road on Saturday.

Next up are Tony Docherty’s Taysiders who, along with Hibs, are also competing with Saints for a top-six finish, but Robinson is looking for more league joy before St Mirren host Celtic in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup on Sunday.

The Northern Irishman said: “We established ourselves as a top-six side last season.

“The hardest bit is trying to repeat that. So far we are doing that.

“These two games against teams directly below us means it gives you a little bit of a cushion if you can win the game.

“Sometimes you try to play that down to players, but we have done the opposite, we have played it up and made the level of importance of the game really high and it is the same on Wednesday night.

“We created numerous chances against Hibs, but that comes from a solid base and we need that tomorrow night and we need it again on Sunday.”

Robinson insists lessons were learned in the 4-0 defeat by Dundee in November, the Buddies’ biggest defeat of the season.

He said: “We had a lot of possession, 60 per cent, and we had more than 30 crosses into the box, but we played in front of Dundee a lot, we didn’t go in behind them, turn them around and make them go towards their own goal. So there’s lessons in that.

“We conceded from two set-plays. Dundee are a high threat in set-plays, very well-organised and very pro-active in their set-plays.

“We have to be well versed in that. No matter how bad we played up until half-time, we were 2-0 down due to set-plays.

“It is a critical part of the game now and we have to be on top of that tomorrow night.”

David Carson accepted Livingston’s perilous position in the cinch Premiership with confidence when he opted for a move to the top-flight.

The 28-year-old midfielder departed cinch Championship side Inverness for the Lions on an 18-month contract last week after five years at the Highland club.

The Newcastle-born player made his debut in the 3-0 defeat by Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday which left David Martindale’s side without a league win in their last 16 attempts and six points behind second-bottom Ross County having played two games more.

Ahead of Wednesday night’s game against fourth-placed Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, where the in-form home team have lost only once in 10 games in all competitions, Carson conceded that some people may have questioned his decision to join a club whose Premiership future is fraught.

He said: “I agree, people will look at it like that but I am a player, I know the situation we are in and there is still a lot of football to play.

“I am coming in with the aim, like everyone else at this club, to keep us in the Premiership. That’s what I have come to do.

“As a player you always want to play at the highest level you can and there was an opportunity for me to do that.

“First and foremost it was that, I wanted to test myself and when I spoke to the manager it was a positive chat.

“I know the situation that we are in but we can affect that and hopefully we can start to pick up points.

“There is absolutely a lot of confidence. There are a lot of games that we can go and attack and try to pick up points.

“Saturday was difficult but we have to let that pass, it is done. We were well in the game before the first game.

“We have to move on to Wednesday night which is a big game for us.

“We can’t concentrate too much on what other people are doing, we have to go in there with a game plan and see if that gets us some points.

“We are confident. There is a good group of lads, I have seen that in training already. There is some real quality in there so why not start a good run on Wednesday?”

Phil Foden believes the Premier League title race will go to the wire this season.

The England midfielder scored a hat-trick in Manchester City’s 3-1 win at Brentford on Monday night.

It was a potentially pivotal victory which lifted City above Arsenal into second place, two points behind leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.

“It’s going to be tight one. Liverpool and Arsenal are two top teams doing really well,” said Foden.

“They are going to push us until the end so we have to try and not drop points and try to win all of our games really.”

City fell behind against the run of play when Neal Maupay fired Brentford into the lead.

But Foden finally beat inspired Bees goalkeeper Mark Flekken to haul his side level before the interval.

The 23-year-old headed them in front early in the second half from Kevin De Bruyne’s cross, and then completed a stylish treble to ensure City’s title destiny is firmly in their own hands.

The treble winners also trailed in away matches against Everton and Newcastle recently, but Foden says they are beginning to show their mettle by coming back to win each time.

“Resilience. We keep proving it season after season,” he told the club website.

“We keep surprising everyone by keeping our standards high and it’s down to the manager and this fantastic group of players.

“It’s the togetherness, when things aren’t going right, to bounce back.”

Nerves are starting to jangle at Brentford, who have lost seven of their last eight matches and lie just three points above the relegation zone.

The fixture list does not offer much respite with City – again – Liverpool and Arsenal all on the schedule in the next few weeks.

But boss Thomas Frank is looking no further ahead than Saturday’s trip to Wolves.

“I’m always looking just one game ahead; that’s where our maximum focus is,” he said.

“It’s the same top focus on the next game. Every game we will have a very good chance to win it and that will be the same on Saturday.”

Flanker James Botham has been released from Wales’ Guinness Six Nations squad due to a knee injury.

The Welsh Rugby Union said that Botham, who is the grandson of England cricket great Sir Ian Botham, was hurt during Saturday’s 27-26 defeat against Scotland.

Cardiff forward Seb Davies has been called into the squad, while experienced Harlequins prop Dillon Lewis has also been summoned by Wales head coach Warren Gatland ahead of next Saturday’s Twickenham appointment with England.

The WRU said: “James Botham (Cardiff Rugby) has been released from the squad due to a knee injury picked up during Wales’ 26-27 defeat to Scotland on Saturday.

“He will continue his rehabilitation back at his club.”

Botham scored Wales’ opening try during a thrilling second half against the Scots that saw them fight back to within a point after trailing 27-0.

His Cardiff team-mate Alex Mann, who also touched down, replaced him on his Test debut and now looks a likely starter against England.

Botham’s problem is another back-row injury blow for Gatland, with World Cup co-captain Jac Morgan and 104 times-capped number eight Taulupe Faletau out of the tournament.

Lewis, who has won 54 caps, was a surprise omission from Gatland’s original Six Nations squad.

And he now becomes the fourth tighthead in the group, joining Leon Brown, who started against Scotland but went off at half-time due to an injury, Keiron Assiratti and uncapped Bath forward Archie Griffin.

Former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Miguel Angel Gonzalez has died at the age of 76.

Miguel Angel played for Madrid for 18 seasons between 1968 and 1986, winning two UEFA Cups, eight Spanish league titles, five Spanish Cups and one League Cup.

He was also capped 18 times by Spain, and played in both the 1978 and 1982 World Cups.

Following his playing career Miguel Angel held various roles at Real Madrid, including working as goalkeeper coach and director of the former training complex Ciudad Deportiva.

Miguel Angel was diagnosed with ALS, a form of motor neurone disease, in December 2022.

In a statement on Tuesday morning, the club said: “Real Madrid CF, its president and its board of directors are deeply saddened by the death of Miguel Angel Gonzalez, one of the greatest goalkeepers in our history, a legend of Real Madrid and Spanish football.

“Real Madrid would like to express its condolences and affection to his wife, Maria del Pilar, his son Miguel Angel, his grandchildren Daniela and Mauro, his family, his team-mates and all his loved ones.”

Scotland have suffered further injury woe after forwards Luke Crosbie and Richie Gray were ruled out for the remainder of the Six Nations.

Edinburgh back-rower Crosbie went off in the second half of Saturday’s 27-26 victory away to Wales with a shoulder issue, while Glasgow second-rower Gray was forced off in the first half with a bicep problem.

The injuries have now been assessed and Scotland confirmed on Tuesday morning that the pair – who both started in Cardiff – will be sidelined for the rest of the tournament.

Scotland were already missing some key players going into last weekend’s opener as co-captain Rory Darge was not deemed fit enough to feature due to a knee injury sustained at the end of December, while Toulouse full-back Blair Kinghorn and Edinburgh wing Darcy Graham were ruled out of at least the first two matches with knee and quad problems respectively.

The Scots are hopeful that Darge will be fit enough to return in Saturday’s Murrayfield showdown with France, which would offset the loss of Crosbie in the back row, while Edinburgh lock Grant Gilchrist is available after suspension to take the place of Gray.

Harry Fry has his eyes fixed on two of Newbury’s biggest prizes of the season with Boothill and Altobelli on Saturday.

Two-mile chaser Boothill is set for a clash with Edwardstone, Editeur Du Gite and dual winner Funambule Sivola in the Betfair Exchange Game Spirit Chase.

Boothill won twice at Ascot early in the season, missed the Tingle Creek due to the heavy ground and was a faller last time out in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton.

“We are looking forward to running Boothill on Saturday in the Betfair Game Spirit Chase at Newbury,” said Fry.

“He was last seen at Kempton where he fell at Christmas, but thankfully he was none the worse for that fall and we are hoping he can put that firmly behind him on Saturday.”

Altobelli, a second-season hurdler, has been placed in two big-field handicaps at Ascot, first when second to Dan Skelton’s Knickerbocker Glory and then when third to Luccia in the Betfair Exchange Trophy and he is chasing more of the sponsor’s money this weekend.

“Altobelli is all set to run in the Betfair Hurdle having run well in two competitive handicap hurdles at Ascot so far this season,” said Fry.

“The experience of those races won’t be lost on him and, with hopefully slightly slower underfoot conditions, that can only play to his strengths and he can be competitive, all being well on Saturday.”

The Philadelphia Eagles will play in Brazil on the opening weekend of next season as South America hosts its first-ever NFL regular season game.

As well as three games in London and one in Munich in 2024, the league announced in December that it would be breaking new ground by taking another to the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo.

The Eagles, last year’s Super Bowl runners-up, have been confirmed as the designated team for the historic occasion in Brazil in September.

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The NFL has confirmed that the game would be played on the Friday night of opening weekend – the first time a fixture has been in that slot since 1970.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said: “This landmark first international game in South America demonstrates the ongoing expansion of our global footprint.

“Playing on Friday night of week one is a unique way to highlight our international growth and ambitions.”

The opponent, like with the other International Games, will be announced shortly before the 2024 schedule release in the spring.

A recent vote by teams means the NFL will have the ability to schedule up to eight international games per season from 2025.