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Formula One calls for swift resolution to Horner investigation

Harry Carr
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Formula One calls for swift resolution to Horner investigation

Formula One has urged Red Bull to complete their investigation into allegations of inappropriate and controlling behaviour against Christian Horner as soon as possible.

Red Bull team principal Horner has been accused of inappropriate and controlling behaviour towards a female employee, claims which he denies.

Speaking at the launch of Red Bull’s 2024 car earlier this week, Horner described the allegations as a “distraction” but said he would respect an internal investigation launched by the team.

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Luton Town 1-2 Manchester United: Hojlund double earns nervy win for Red Devils
City Football Group announces Istanbul Basaksehir partnership
Rohit Sharma: India a ‘delight to watch’ in England triumph

Red Bull have appointed an independent barrister to complete their investigation into the claims against Horner, promising to reach a conclusion “as soon as practically possible”.

On Sunday, a statement from F1 urged the team to resolve the matter swiftly, saying: “We hope that the matter will be clarified at the earliest opportunity after a fair and thorough process.

“We have noted Red Bull has instigated an independent investigation into internal allegations at Red Bull Racing. We will not comment further at this time.”

F1’s governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has said it will not comment while the investigation is ongoing.

The new F1 campaign begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2, with Red Bull set to hold pre-season testing between February 21 and 23.

Horner has said he plans to be in the paddock for those sessions, as Red Bull look to maintain their stranglehold on the constructors’ championship, having won 21 of 22 races in 2023.

Luton Town 1-2 Manchester United: Hojlund double earns nervy win for Red Devils

Harry Carr
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Luton Town 1-2 Manchester United: Hojlund double earns nervy win for Red Devils

Rasmus Hojlund scored twice as Manchester United continued their bid for Champions League qualification with a nervy 2-1 win over Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Sunday.

Hojlund only needed 37 seconds to make it six successive Premier League games with a goal, then he deflected Alejandro Garnacho’s shot in to make it a seven-minute brace in a stunning start for United.

However, Rob Edwards’ plucky Hatters refused to lie down and got back into the game through Carlton Morris’ header before putting a ragged United team under sustained pressure.

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They were enraged by David Coote’s failure to issue Casemiro with what should have been a second yellow card, and they fell just short of a memorable fightback as Ross Barkley headed against the woodwork in second-half stoppage time.

Having won four straight league games, Erik ten Hag’s men are now within five points of the top four, while Luton remain one point clear of 18th-placed Everton, who host Crystal Palace on Monday.

A glaring error from Amari’i Bell saw Hojlund continue his hot streak almost straight from kick-off. Bell failed to deal with a routine ball upfield, allowing Hojlund to race through on goal, round Thomas Kaminski and tap into an empty net.

Hojlund’s quickfire second was even more fortuitous. A United corner was only cleared as far as Garnacho, whose volley struck Hojlund’s chest to wrong-foot Kaminski.

However, Luton halved the arrears seven minutes later as former United midfielder Tahith Chong saw his shot deflect into the air, and Andre Onana was far too weak as Morris nodded the loose ball in.

United suddenly came under fierce pressure and they were incredibly fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men when Casemiro clattered Barkley from behind, having already been booked.

Alfie Doughty steered a shot narrowly wide of the bottom-left corner as United continued to creak, and Ten Hag understandably withdrew Casemiro at half-time following his lucky escape.

Luton continued to press after the restart, but tempting crosses from Doughty and Chong went without a decisive touch before United began to improve. Bruno Fernandes raced clear to round Kaminski, but Albert Sambi Lokonga got back to make a goal-saving block.

Garnacho then squandered an almost identical chance shortly after the hour mark, trying to beat Kaminski twice when clean through, only for the goalkeeper to smother his eventual shot.

Fernandes sent a low drive fizzing wide as United missed yet another chance to kill the contest, but Luton were unable to make them pay, with Barkley clipping the crossbar with a glancing header in the last of four minutes of stoppage time.

City Football Group announces Istanbul Basaksehir partnership

Harry Carr
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City Football Group announces Istanbul Basaksehir partnership

Manchester City’s owner City Football Group has announced a “football collaboration” deal with Turkish Super Lig side Istanbul Basaksehir.

City Football Group, a holding company founded in 2013, is the majority owner or co-owner of several clubs across the world, including Spanish title contenders Girona, Troyes, New York City and Palermo.

Multi-club ownership models have attracted renewed criticism in recent weeks after City struck a deal to sign Brazilian winger Savio – who has impressed on loan at Girona this season – from Troyes.

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India crush dismal England for 434-run victory in third Test
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Rohit Sharma: India a ‘delight to watch’ in England triumph

However, Basaksehir will now become the latest club to work with the City Football Group, benefitting from collaboration on long-term football strategy, recruitment, scouting and coaching methodology among other issues.

A statement from Basaksehir, who won their first Turkish top-flight title in 2019-20, said: “Istanbul Basaksehir FK has achieved many firsts in Turkish football despite its young age.

“Today, with this collaboration with the leading football group in the world, it marks another milestone for Istanbul Basaksehir and Turkish football.

“From the very beginning, we have reiterated at every opportunity that our vision and goals are different and today underlines this expression again. We are very happy, proud and excited.”

Basaksehir, who were only founded in 2014, managed a memorable 2-1 win over Manchester United during their maiden Champions League group-stage campaign in 2020-21, a result which contributed to a humiliating early exit for the Red Devils.

They currently sit ninth in the Turkish Super Lig, seven points adrift of the European places, after finishing fifth last campaign.

Rohit Sharma: India a ‘delight to watch’ in England triumph

Harry Carr
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Rohit Sharma: India a ‘delight to watch’ in England triumph

Captain Rohit Sharma said India were a “delight to watch” after they hammered England to win the third Test with a day to spare, with their 434-run margin of victory their biggest ever.

India began Sunday as heavy favourites to take a 2-1 series lead after England’s batting collapse on Saturday, and they declared with a 556-run advantage following Yashasvi Jaiswal’s double century.

From there, India’s bowlers did the rest with Ravindra Jadeja taking centre-stage. Jadeja finished with figures of 5-41 – his best since a win over Sri Lanka in March 2022 – to prevent England from forcing a fifth day.

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Speaking to TNT Sports after the victory, Rohit praised India for digging in when England were in the ascendency at the end of day two, saying he always had faith that their attack would step up.

“When you play Test cricket, it’s not played over two days or three days. We know the importance of staying in the game for five days,” he said.

“They put us under pressure, but we’ve got class in our squad when it comes to bowling.

“The message was to stay calm. It’s easy to drift away from what you want to do. I’m proud of how we came back, and when that happens it’s a delight to watch.”

In England, much has been made of Ben Stokes’ failure to win the toss and put his team in to bat in Rajkot, and Rohit knew it would be crucial to set the tone.

“It was a good toss to win, we know how important it is in India to get runs on the board,” he said. “After that onslaught from the England batters, the bowlers showed a lot of character.

“We knew the job was half done, and in the second innings we wanted to come out and bat and get the lead that we wanted.”

Ben Stokes brushes off ‘Bazball’ criticism after England routed by India

Harry Carr
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Ben Stokes brushes off ‘Bazball’ criticism after England routed by India

England captain Ben Stokes rejected criticism of the team’s ultra-aggressive approach after they were routed by India in the third Test, the hosts triumphing by 434 runs with a day to spare in Rajkot.

Saturday was one of the low points of the Stokes-Brendon McCullum era, as England collapsed from a promising position at 224-2 to end the day facing a 322-run deficit.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s incredible 214 stretched India’s lead even further as England’s attack failed to make any headway whatsoever on Sunday, and there was to be no world-record chase for the tourists.

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The early losses of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley left England’s hopes in tatters, and they found themselves at 50-7 before being bowled all out for 122.

With England now 2-1 down in the series, many critics have suggested their back-to-back defeats have outlined the limitations of ‘Bazball’, but Stokes says the team have faith in their approach.

“Everyone has got a perception or an opinion,” Stokes told TNT Sports.

“The people in the dressing room have the opinions that really matter to us. Sometimes things don’t work out how we want them to.

“You look at the situation we found ourselves in on day three, the way I felt the day needed to go to give ourselves a chance of winning was to press the button after the lunch break.

“Me, personally, I sensed it as an opportunity to have one of my days out. I have got unbelievable belief in myself just like I have belief in everyone, that they can turn the game in our favour.

“We wanted to be bowling at the back end of day three. It came earlier than we wanted to. It was unfortunate.

“We wanted to push the game on as much as we could. Sometimes gameplans don’t work out and that is sport sometimes.”

England must now win in Ranchi next week to keep the series alive ahead of the fifth match in Himachal Pradesh, but despite two chastening losses, Stokes retains hope.

“We’re 2-1 down and have two games left. We have a great opportunity for 3-2,” he continued.

“We have to leave this game behind us and know we have to win the next two games to win the series.”

India crush dismal England for 434-run victory in third Test

Harry Carr
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India crush dismal England for 434-run victory in third Test

India crushed England on day four of the third Test in Rajkot, racing to a record-breaking 434-run victory behind Yashasvi Jaiswal’s double ton and Ravindra Jadeja’s five-wicket haul.

If Saturday was seen as one of the worst days of the ‘Bazball’ era, with England collapsing from 224-2 to 319 all out before seeing India race into a 322-run lead, that was nothing compared to Sunday.

Having hit a double century in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, Jaiswal repeated the trick with an astonishing unbeaten 214, with his 12 sixes a joint record in any Test innings.

That terrific knock saw England set a world-record target of 557 when India declared at 430-4. England’s most ambitious chase yet never got going as the early dismissals of Ben Duckett (4) and Zak Crawley (11) left them facing humiliation.

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Things got worse for England from there, with Jadeja posting figures of 5-41 as the India attack finished off the shellshocked tourists for just 122.

India will now have the chance to wrap up a series victory in Ranchi next week, while questions abound for England after their most comprehensive defeat under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.

With India resuming on 196-2, England were in desperate need of early wickets, but none came as Shubman Gill and Kuldeep Yadav (27) picked up where they left off on Saturday.

India’s lead stood at 372 by the time Gill was run out for 91 in search of a single that wasn’t there, and his exit simply spelled more bad news for England as opener Jaiswal returned after retiring with back trouble on 104 the previous evening.

Jaiswal smashed the England attack all over the park, his 12 sixes matching Wasim Akram’s record set against Zimbabwe in 1996. Joe Root finished with figures of 1-111 while Rehan Ahmed was 1-108, summing up the tourists’ struggles.

When India declared on 434-4, Stokes’ ultra-aggressive side faced the dilemma of whether to chase down the most daunting of targets or attempt to bat out around 130 overs for the draw.

Ultimately, India deprived them of that choice with help from some calamitous play from Duckett and Crawley, a mix-up between the duo seeing the former run out before Jasprit Bumrah clipped the top of leg stump to account for the latter.

England were 20-3 when Jadeja got his first dismissal, Ollie Pope (3) edging his delivery through to Rohit Sharma, then the spinner doubled up by bowling Jonny Bairstow (4) lbw.

The most marginal of umpire’s calls cost England their fifth as Joe Root (7) was also accounted for by Jadeja, the edge of the ball just catching off stump, but there was no questioning Stokes’ dismissal for 15, following his wild swipe off Kuldeep.

England thought they might have forced a fifth day as Ben Foakes (16) and Tom Hartley (16) steadied the ship momentarily, but the former’s edge was held by Dhruv Jurel, then Ravichandran Ashwin returned to account for the latter, having left the India camp due to a family emergency on Friday.

Mark Wood salvaged some small pride with his 33 off 15 balls as India closed in on victory, but his dismissal proved a fitting end to the match as he picked out Jaiswal off Jadeja’s ball, the two India heroes combining to wrap up the biggest Test win in their country’s history.

Luton Town vs Manchester United: Preview, expected line-ups, how to watch and prediction

Harry Carr
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Luton Town vs Manchester United: Preview, expected line-ups, how to watch and prediction

The state of play

There has long been a sense that Luton Town might just take the scalp of a Premier League giant at Kenilworth Road this season.

Thus far, Rob Edwards’ men have led Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal at the throwback ground but have only collected one point from those games.

The Hatters also pushed Tottenham and Chelsea close in one-goal defeats on home soil, almost fighting back from 3-0 down for a draw against the Blues.

Given Manchester United’s patchy performances, Luton might fancy their chances of finally going the distance against one of the big boys on Sunday. After last week’s defeat to Sheffield United, they also need a response in the battle for survival.

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United, meanwhile, have made an unbeaten start to 2024, with last week’s 2-1 defeat of Aston Villa making it four successive victories across all competitions.

While the Red Devils, buoyed by the form of Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund, are now within six points of the Premier League’s top four, they have not been entirely convincing in recent wins, giving up plenty of clear chances at Villa Park last Sunday.

A comfortable victory at Kenilworth Road, though, might just raise hopes of a late bid for Champions League qualification.

Team news

Luton remain without club captain Tom Lockyer after he suffered a cardiac arrest back in December, while Mads Andersen and Marvelous Nakamba are out injured.

For United, right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka sustained a knock in training and will join Tyrell Malacia, Anthony Martial, Lisandro Martinez and Mason Mount on the sidelines.

What they said

Edwards on Luton’s back-to-back games against United and Liverpool:

“Our long-term aim, as stupid as this may sound, is to try and be mixing it with those big teams. I think we’ve done well in certain areas but we know we’ve got to keep improving and working hard as well to keep the back door shut.

“If we play well then hopefully we can knock them off their rhythm and not allow them to play the game they want. If they are allowed to play the game they want, they will be too good for us. We’ve got to make sure we are at it and we compete.”

Erik ten Hag on the challenge of going to Kenilworth Road:

“Every ambience is different and we have to deal with the circumstances but it’s about playing football, 11 versus 11, with a referee.

“It doesn’t matter who you face, the best, the worst, or in-between, I respect every opponent. We are not in a position to underestimate any opponent. We have to play our best because we have seen their performances across the season – they are very good, they are really improving.

“I have a lot of respect for this team, we have to play our best football.”

When and how to watch

Sunday’s match at Kenilworth Road kicks off at 16:30 and will be shown by Sky Sports in the UK. It will also be able to be streamed live via the Sky Go app.

Prediction

Luton have produced plenty of spirited displays against the Premier League’s elite this term, and they will certainly push United close here.

United still tend to struggle when asked to break down a low block, and Luton will fancy their chances of remaining compact and striking on the break or from set-piece situations. The visitors will hope their superior quality shines through, but a score draw can’t be ruled out.

Luton v Manchester United: Hatters can ‘rock United off their rhythm’, says boss Edwards

Jon Fisher
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Luton v Manchester United: Hatters can ‘rock United off their rhythm’, says boss Edwards

Luton face in-form Manchester United tomorrow and manager Rob Edwards hopes his side can “rock them off their rhythm”.

The Hatters’ upward trajectory stalled last weekend with a 3-1 defeat at home to fellow strugglers Sheffield United but they get the chance to bounce back when Erik ten Hag’s men visit Kenilworth Road.

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Edwards accepts his side will have to produce a much-improved performance if they want to claim a vital three points against a United side that have won five of their last six in all competitions.

He said: “We’ll have to try and play as well as we can, that’s obvious. If we play well we can rock them off their rhythm.

“We need to be brave and on the front foot and if we’re good we can stop them from having the game they want.

“If our performance is good enough then who knows, maybe we’ve got a chance. If we don’t perform to our maximum, they’re Manchester United.”

The game will see ex-United youngsters Teden Mengi and Tahith Chong face their former club and Edwards was quick to praise the duo for the impact they have made this season.

“Teden has been brilliant for us this year,” added Edwards. “For a younger player to step up, come away from home, out of his comfort zone, and perform at the highest level as he has is astounding.

“I’m not surprised with anything he does, but perhaps I was surprised by how quickly he adapted to his surroundings and his team-mates. Hopefully he’ll continue that. 

“He has a high ceiling and I know he will be desperate to play this weekend.”

On Chong, he added: “Tahith Chong been really effective coming on, especially when there’s more space and we’re a transitional threat.

“He also gives us a bit of balance with a left-footer on that side and he’s certainly pushing for a start. He’s shown many strengths in many areas and he’s somebody who trains full throttle every single day.”

Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy reveals cancer diagnosis

Harry Carr
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Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy reveals cancer diagnosis

Cycling great Sir Chris Hoy has revealed he is receiving treatment after being diagnosed with cancer last year.

The Scot – who won six Olympic gold medals for Team GB between 2004 and 2012, also collecting a team sprint silver at the 2000 games – announced the news via his Instagram account on Friday.

The 47-year-old revealed he was diagnosed with cancer last year having shown no previous symptoms, and said he was now undergoing chemotherapy.

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Hoy, who is also an 11-time world champion, asked for privacy for his family and said he was still looking forward to working as a pundit during an Olympic year.

“I have a bit of news. Last year I was diagnosed with cancer, which came as a huge shock, having had no symptoms up to that point,” Hoy said in his social media post.

“I’m currently receiving treatment including chemotherapy, which thankfully is going really well. I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude to all the medical professionals for their amazing help and care.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A POST SHARED BY SIR CHRIS HOY (@CHRISHOY1)

“For the sake of my young family, I had hoped to keep this information private but regrettably our hand has been forced.

“While I’m grateful for any support, I’d like to deal with this privately. My heart goes out to the many others who are also going through similar challenges right now.

“I’m optimistic, positive and surrounded by love for which I’m truly grateful. As you might imagine, the last few months have been incredibly difficult.

“However, I currently feel fine – I am continuing to work, ride my bike and live my life as normal.

“It’s an exciting year of work ahead, not least with the Paris Olympics in July, I can’t wait to get stuck in, have fun and share it with you all.”

India spinner Ashwin withdraws from third England Test due to family emergency

Harry Carr
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India spinner Ashwin withdraws from third England Test due to family emergency

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will play no further part in the third Test against England, having withdrawn from their squad due to a family medical emergency.

Ashwin claimed his 500th Test wicket on day three of the Rajkot contest on Friday, though Ben Duckett’s terrific century hauled England back into contention at 207 for two by close of play.

Later that day, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed Ashwin’s involvement in the match was over after he had to leave their camp.

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A statement from the BCCI said: “Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the Test squad, effective immediately due to a family medical emergency.

“The BCCI extends its heartfelt support to the champion cricketer and his family. The health and well-being of the players and their loved ones are of utmost importance.

“The Board requests respect for the privacy of Ashwin and his family as they navigate through this challenging time.

“The Board and the team will continue to provide any necessary assistance to Ashwin and will keep the lines of communication open to offer support as needed. Team India appreciates the understanding and empathy of the fans and media during this sensitive period.”

Ashwin’s absence will come as a further blow to an already short-handed India team.

Star batter Virat Kohli had to withdraw from the series for personal reasons, while KL Rahul is sidelined with a quadriceps injury and Shreyas Iyer was omitted from their squad due to poor form.

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