UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin insists European football’s governing body was right to find Manchester City guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play rules in 2020, suggesting a guilty verdict in the Premier League’s case against City would validate that ruling.

In February 2020, City were banned from the Champions League for two seasons and fined £25m after being found to have broken financial rules and misled UEFA by falsely inflating sponsorship revenues.

However, City’s European ban was lifted five months later and their fine reduced to £9m following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ruled most of the club’s breaches were “either not established or time-barred”.

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Stokes frustrated as Bashir returns to UK to solve visa issue
Formula One: Madrid to replace Barcelona as Spanish Grand Prix host city
India v England, first Test: preview, expected line-ups, how to watch and prediction

City’s financial conduct is back on the agenda after they were charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League’s regulations in February last year.

The breaches are alleged to have taken place across a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018, during which City won their first three Premier League titles.

The Premier League has come under pressure to advance the case against City after Everton and Nottingham Forest were charged with breaching the competition’s Profit and Sustainability Rules last week. The Toffees are already appealing against a 10-point deduction for a previous breach, which was issued in November.

Club Statement. PIC.TWITTER.COM/IFGMCPSR5G

— Everton (@Everton) JANUARY 15, 2024

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, UEFA chief Ceferin refused to comment on the Premier League’s case against City, though he suggested any punishment would validate UEFA’s 2020 ruling.

“We know we were right,” Ceferin said, reflecting on UEFA’s decision to find City guilty. “We wouldn’t decide if we didn’t think we were right.

“As a trial lawyer for 25 years, I know that sometimes you win a case that you are sure you will lose. Sometimes you lose a case when you’re sure [you will win].

“You just simply have to respect the decision of the court in a serious democracy.

“I don’t want to speak about the case in England. But I trust that the decision of our independent body was correct. I didn’t enter into this decision.”

Asked whether he understood fans’ frustrations about the slow progress of the case against City, Ceferin said: “They want to know what’s going on and what the consequences are, but I don’t want to enter into this concrete process because I don’t know what the Premier League is dealing with.

“I really don’t want to criticise, or something like that. It wouldn’t be fair.”

Last week, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee that a date had been set for City’s charges to be heard, though he declined to say when that hearing will take place.

England captain Ben Stokes has outlined his frustrations after uncapped spinner Shoaib Bashir was forced to return to the United Kingdom to solve a visa issue, which will cause him to miss the first Test in India.

Bashir – who is of Pakistani descent – had to remain in Abu Dhabi at the conclusion of a training camp as his team-mates travelled to Hyderabad.

The 20-year-old was the only member of the England squad to see his visa application affected by delays, and he will subsequently be absent when the first Test begins on Wednesday.

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The England and Wales Cricket Board reportedly sought assistance from the Board of Control for Cricket in India as they looked to secure approval for Bashir to travel to the country, but it is now understood he must return to the Indian embassy in London to get the green light.

India and Pakistan have not played any bilateral cricket since facing off in one-day international and T20I series in 2012-13, due to political tensions between the two countries.

The treatment of Bashir has irritated his captain Stokes, who said on Tuesday: “I didn’t want this type of situation to be his first experience of what it’s like to be in the England Test team.

“Especially for a young lad, I’m devastated for him. As captain I find it particularly frustrating. We announced the squad in mid-December and now Bash finds himself without a visa to get here.

🏏 Inside Training | Hyderabad 🏟

🚀 Woody rockets
👐 Outrageous catches
💪 The skipper in action

🇮🇳 #INDVENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | #ENGLANDCRICKET

Click below and see more 👇

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) JANUARY 22, 2024

“He’s not the first cricketer to go through this. I have played with a lot of people who have had the same issues.

“I find it frustrating that we have picked a player and he’s not with us because of visa issues.”

Bashir is now not expected to arrive in India until this weekend at the earliest, and Stokes will hope to have him available for the start of the second Test on February 2.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the UK government expected all British citizens to be treated equally in India’s visa application process.

“I can’t speak to the specifics of this case, but more broadly we have previously raised issues of this kind with the High Commission,” the spokesperson said.

“We have been clear that we expect India to treat British citizens fairly at all times in its visa processes. We have previously raised the issues British citizens with Pakistani heritage have experienced.”

Formula One has announced the Spanish Grand Prix will move from Barcelona to Madrid from the 2026 season onwards.

The race – which has been held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya since 1991 – will move to the Spanish capital on a deal which runs until 2035, with Madrid having last staged the event in 1981.

It will take place at a new 3.4-mile circuit around the Ifema exhibition centre, taking in 20 corners with both street-circuit and road-course sections.

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F1 said the move will make the Spanish Grand Prix one of the most accessible races on the calendar, as the sport looks to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2030.

F1 president and chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali said: “It’s great news for Formula one as it shows once again that there is strong appetite around the world for our sport.

Madrid to host the Spanish Grand Prix from 2026! 🇪🇸

Featuring a brand-new circuit located in the city of Madrid!

Here’s all you need to know 👇#F1 @IFEMA PIC.TWITTER.COM/KHUCPNLDZV

— Formula 1 (@F1) JANUARY 23, 2024

“At a moment where Europe is perceived to be a place that is not ready to invest in our sport, Madrid and others are showing it is.

“Madrid is an incredible city with amazing sporting and cultural heritage and today’s announcement begins an exciting new chapter for F1 in Spain.”

As part of Tuesday’s announcement, F1 said 110,000 people would be able to attend Madrid’s first stagings of the race under the deal, with the capacity set to increase to 140,000 within the first half of the city’s contract.

Domenicali also added that F1 remains in discussions about the possibility of keeping Barcelona on the calendar, saying the potential existed for the city to host a race in addition to Madrid.

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic set up a mouthwatering semi-final at the Australian Open after wins at Melbourne Park today.

Djokovic played first in an elongated afternoon session and again looked well short of his best despite recording a 7-6 (7/3) 4-6 6-2 6-3 win over American Taylor Fritz.

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The world number one, chasing an 11th Australian Open title, struggled with the heat but did enough to advance.

He said: “I suffered a lot in the first couple of sets.

“I said [to my team] that this match was not an enjoyable match for me at all.

“It was really difficult to find the right timing. It was really hot while the sun was still out.

“We all know Taylor has got one of the best serves in the world. I knew the kind of threat he poses when he serves on such a high quality.”

If Djokovic underwhelmed the same cannot be said for Sinner who maintained his impressive form by dispatching fifth seed Rublev 6-4 7-6 (7/5) 6-3.

15 sets played, 15 sets won.@JANNIKSIN sizzles into the #AUSOPEN semi finals with a 6-4 7-6(5) 6-3 win over Andrey Rublev.@WWOS • @ESPN • @EUROSPORT • @WOWOWTENNIS PIC.TWITTER.COM/HR8KGNXWJ1

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) JANUARY 23, 2024

The Italian fourth seed has yet to drop a set in his run to the last four and his only concern here was a possible stomach problem which flared up midway through the match.

Sinner said: “It is obviously very tough to play against Andrey Rublev. We had some very tough matches already in the past. This was three sets but I could have lost both [first and second] sets.

“I’m just really trying to stay aggressive and it went my way.”

Looking ahead to Friday’s clash with Djokovic, he added: “He won here [many] times so it’s going to be tough. The only thing I can control is I’m going to fight for every ball and then we’ll see what happens.”

On the women’s side, there were wins for Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka.

Gauff struggled with her groundstrokes in an error-strewn display against Marta Kostyuk but emerged a 7-6 (8/6) 6-7 (4/7) 6-2 victor to set up a semi-final clash with second seed and defending champion Sabalenka who overpowered Barbora Krejcikova 6-2 6-3.

Aussie Aryna!#AUSOPEN • #AO2024 PIC.TWITTER.COM/PSXJB3VU7O

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) JANUARY 23, 2024

Friday’s clash will be a repeat of last year’s US Open final won by Gauff in three sets.

And the American accepts she will need to raise her game if she wants to advance to the final here.

She said: “I think it was definitely a ‘C’ game – I didn’t play my best tennis but really proud that I was able to get through the match.

“Hopefully I got the bad match out of the way and I can play even better.”

The State of Play

England have performed well under the leadership of coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, not losing a series since taking over in the summer of 2022.

India away is another matter, though. No side has won there since England themselves in 2012 and it still presents arguably the toughest challenge in Test cricket.

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The tourists have already said they will stick to their attacking approach so expect their batters to take on the hugely skilled India spinners. That could either prove inspired or sheer folly; England’s approach forever teeters on the fine line between bravery and stupidity.

India earned an encouraging 1-1 draw in South Africa over Christmas and the new year and they will, as always in home conditions, go in to the contest in positive mood.

Team News

Both teams are missing a key batter with England’s Harry Brook and India superstar Virat Kohli missing for personal reasons. Kohli will sit out the first two Test matches with England hoping Brook will return at some point on the tour.

India have yet to name a replacement in the middle order for Kohli and they may instead move the likes of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul one place up the order. Rahul won’t have the added responsibility of donning the wicketkeeper’s gloves in this series.

The hosts are also without paceman Mohammed Shami due to an ankle injury.

England sprung a surprise with their selection, naming just one seamer and three recognised spinners in their attack.

Lancashire’s Tom Hartley was the eye-catching inclusion, edging out his more experienced county team-mate Jimmy Anderson.

Brook’s absence means a reshuffle with Ben Foakes coming back into the side as wicketkeeper with Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow keeping his place as a batter.

Captain Stokes is fit after knee surgery but will not bowl. Uncapped Shoaib Bashir misses out due to complications surrounding his visa.

We’ve named our XI for the first Test in Hyderabad! 🏏

🇮🇳 #INDVENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | #ENGLANDCRICKET

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) JANUARY 24, 2024

Expected line-ups

India: Jaiswal, Sharma (c), Gill, Iyer, Rahul, Bharat (wk), Jadeja, Patel, Bumrah, Ashwin, Siraj

England (confirmed): Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Bairstow, Stokes (c), Foakes (wk), Ahmed, Hartley, Wood, Leach

What they said

India coach Rahul Dravid on the absence of Kohli

“Any team would the miss the quality of a player like Virat. He’s a phenomenal player and his record speaks for itself. On the field, his presence is a huge boost to the side. Having said that, it presents another opportunity for somebody else to step up.”

England coach Brendon McCullum on the make up of the tourists’ XI

“What balance we go for in terms of the side we’ll work out in the coming days, but the thing we need to be is really brave with whatever we decide. India is the land of opportunity and that’s what sits in front of us now, we’ll take the positive option. Other teams might be better, but we want to be the bravest. We’ve got to do that and that’s got to be factored into selection, too.”

When and how to watch

The first Test takes place in Hyderabad, starting at 4am. You can watch it in the UK on TNT Sports or Discovery+ with the programme starting at 3.45am.

Prediction

England’s batting line-up just doesn’t look strong enough to cope with the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, and that’s before you even take into account the pace options of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

India’s strength lies in their attack – particularly with Kohli absent – so it could be a low-scoring Test but one India should win to take an early lead in the five-match series.

The Headliners

Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev head into tomorrow’s Australian Open quarter-final with defeats to the other fresh in the memory.

Alcaraz won their last grand slam clash, at the 2023 US Open, in straight sets while their previous meeting ended in a win for the German at the ATP Finals.

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Second seed Alcaraz said: “The last time we faced each other I lost, so I have to focus on that.

“I have to improve my level from that match. I love playing against him. It’s always a tough battle and I have to play my best level as he pushed me to play my 100 per cent every time.

“I’m going to enjoy playing the quarter-finals against him and hopefully take the victory.”

Their match in New York saw Alcaraz come in the fresher having breezed into the last eight while Zverev had to spend considerably more time on court. The same has happened in Melbourne with the Spaniard dropping just a solitary set, in contrast to his opponent who has been taken to a fifth-set match tie-break twice, including in the last round against Cameron Norrie.

Zverev dismissed the comparisons and insisted he is in good physical shape.

He said: “For sure if you play less you are fresher, but I feel okay.

“[It’s] not like the US Open, where I was completely dead and where I feel like I’m physically exhausted.

“I’m tired, for sure, because I played 7-6 in the fifth set again two times out of the last three matches. But I’m not dead.”

Carlos Alcaraz continues to rise 🇪🇸

Can the young superstar progress to his first AO semifinal? 👇HTTPS://T.CO/EQGBKZUOWA

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) JANUARY 23, 2024

The subplots

The other men’s quarter-final tomorrow pits third seed Daniil Medvedev against Hubert Hurkacz. The big-serving Pole has won three of their previous five meetings and Medvedev knows he will have to be at his best to advance.

He said: “Tough opponent for me for sure. In my opinion, he serves bigger than many guys. I would compare it to something like Nick Kyrgios, very precise and at the same time strong.

“He’s top two or three serves on tour. It’s hard to return him. I’m going to have my eyes prepared and try to catch everything I can on Wednesday.”

On the women’s side, it’s a day when opportunity knocks.

Linda Noskova, who beat world number one Iga Swiatek on her way to the quarters, meets qualifier Dayana Yastremska while Qinwen Zheng, the only seed remaining in the top half, takes on world number 75 Anna Kalinskaya.

One of those four ladies will reach the final – and it may be a case of who can keep their nerves in check.

AO crown is getting closer 👑 👀 PIC.TWITTER.COM/R4LZSTPPEA

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) JANUARY 22, 2024

Order of Play – selected matches

Day session (from 01:00 UK time)

Linda Noskova v Dayana Yastremska

Daniil Medvedev v Hubert Hurkacz

Night session (from 08:00 UK time)

Anna Kalinskaya v Qinwen Zheng

Carlos Alcaraz v Alexander Zverev

When and how to watch

The Australian Open is available to watch live on Discovery+ and Eurosport in the United Kingdom, with the day’s singles action getting under way from 01:00 UK time on Wednesday morning. The night session is scheduled to take place from 08:00.

Predictions

Alcaraz ought to have too much for Zverev, and that’s before you take into account the German’s punishing run to this stage. Hurkacz could trouble Medvedev but, again, it’s hard to see the Russian not prevailing.

I’d take Noskova to edge out Yastremska, mainly because she proved against Swiatek she can handle the big occasion but also the fact she has an excellent record on Australian hard courts. Kalinskaya is a bit of an unknown quantity but her win against Jasmine Paolini last time out was impressive and I am tipping her to stun Zheng.

As Super Bowl LVIII rapidly approaches, Baltimore Ravens have firmly positioned themselves as serious contenders to hoist the sought-after Lombardi Trophy at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on February 11.

As second favourites behind the San Francisco 49ers for those weighing up a Superbowl bet winner, the Ravens present a compelling case for their first championship success since winning the lucrative top prize for the second time in 2012.

Let’s delve into four key reasons why Baltimore could emerge triumphant in the grandest spectacle of American football.

Best side in the regular season

The Ravens concluded the regular season with a league-best record of 14 wins against just three losses, securing the top spot in the American Football Conference (AFC).

Their dominance was on full display, with impressive victories over top teams such as the Miami Dolphins (56-19), San Francisco 49ers (33-19), Cleveland Browns (28-3), Detroit Lions (38-3), and the Los Angeles Rams (37-31).

Notably, all these formidable opponents are playoff-bound, underscoring the Ravens’ ability to perform at the highest level consistently.

Lamar Jackson’s sensational form

Lamar Jackson’s sublime performances this season position him as the front-runner for the Regular Season Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

The 2016 Heisman Trophy winner and 2019 MVP has been a force to be reckoned with, amassing 3,678 passing yards and 24 touchdowns.

However, Jackson’s impact extends beyond his throwing prowess, as he rushed for an astounding 821 yards and added five touchdowns to his repertoire.

If his form in the postseason mirrors his staggering performance against the Dolphins, where he threw 321 yards and five touchdowns, the Ravens stand poised for Super Bowl glory.

Rookie sensation Zay Flowers

Rookie standout Zay Flowers has become Jackson’s go-to target, showcasing a remarkable connection between the quarterback and the 23-year-old wide receiver.

Selected as the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 draft, Flowers has been a revelation with 77 receptions, 858 yards, and five touchdowns during the regular season.

As Jackson’s main target, Flowers’ reliability and playmaking abilities make him a crucial asset in the Ravens’ postseason campaign.

Insane roster depth

The Ravens’ strength lies not just in individual brilliance but in the remarkable depth of their roster. Offensively, the team has showcased resilience amid injuries, with players like running back Justice Hill, tight end Isaiah Likely, and center Tyler Linderbaum stepping up to support Jackson’s stellar season.

The receiving threat of Odell Beckham Jr. adds another layer to their offensive prowess.
Defensively, standouts like safety Kyle Hamilton, linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen, alongside defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, have earned Pro Bowl nods for their exceptional performances.

In special teams, Justin Tucker’s unparalleled accuracy makes him the most reliable kicker in the NFL, setting records and contributing significantly to the Ravens’ success.

In the Ravens’ quest to win Super Bowl LVIII, they bring to the table an amalgamation of regular-season dominance, Jackson’s brilliance, the emergence of rookie sensation Flowers, and unmatched roster depth.

All that considered, Baltimore look like a formidable force in the NFL bet market — ready to seize the Lombardi Trophy in Sin City next month.