Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has insisted that Argentina did not disrespect Spain by turning their backs during the 2026 World Cup trophy presentation.
The South American side faced intense scrutiny and were widely labelled as classless after footage showed almost the entire squad facing away as their European rivals celebrated.
Former England international Stuart Pearce and Spain midfielder Dani Olmo were among prominent figures who publicly condemned the actions of the defeated finalists.
Acknowledging the supporters
Only Palmeiras striker Flaco Lopez was seen watching as Rodri hoisted the iconic golden trophy following the showpiece event.
However, the United centre-back has now clarified that the squad was simply demonstrating gratitude towards their own travelling fanbase rather than snubbing the victors.
“We were always very respectful of the opponent,” Martinez told reporters.
“It was also said that after the final, we hadn’t acknowledged Spain, but we greeted all the players and all the coaching staff.”
“The image that you see where we are turning our backs is when our people were singing to us, so it was a show of respect towards our people, staying there in the moment.”
‘Mixed feelings’ over villain status
The 2022 world champions were repeatedly accused of utilising aggressive tactics throughout the recent tournament.
Football’s global governing body, FIFA, has subsequently launched a formal investigation to determine if disciplinary codes were breached during ensuing post-match altercations.
When asked about his nation being cast as the villains of the competition, the former Ajax defender admitted the accusations caused him deep frustration.
“I have quite a few mixed feelings about it, a little bit of anger because clearly they have no basis to generate that hate,” he added.
“I see how my teammates fight on the pitch, how the fans encourage us, and they talk about us being arrogant, but maybe that speaks a bit more about the people who do those things than about us.”
Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles suffered a rare 200m defeat after pulling up with a hamstring cramp during the US National Championship final in New York.
The 29-year-old was comfortably leading the race before stopping abruptly down the home straight at Icahn Stadium.
Audible gasps echoed from the crowd as the American sprinter grabbed his left leg and limped across the finish line in 50.88 seconds.
College athlete Garrett Kaalund capitalised on the incident to win the national title with a time of 20.04 seconds.
‘Just a cramp’ halts dominant run
This marked only a fourth defeat over the distance for the reigning world champion since he began asserting his dominance in 2018.
Two of those previous losses occurred in the finals of the last two Olympic Games, where he ultimately settled for bronze.
However, the Florida native was quick to alleviate any serious injury fears when speaking to reporters immediately after the race.
“I just felt a grabbing sensation and I’m like, ‘Yeah, this is the time to stop, there’s no reason to keep pushing that’,” said Lyles.
“So I just decided to cut it off. To be honest, it’s just a cramp.”
“I just need to get stretched out and I’ve got some electrolytes here, just gonna chug them down. I’ll be good.”
Sprint workload takes its toll
The sprinter had already demonstrated his exceptional form earlier in the weekend by dominating the shorter distance.
He clocked an extraordinary world-leading time of 9.79 seconds to win the 100m final on Friday evening.
That victory followed an even faster wind-assisted run of 9.76 seconds during his semi-final heat.
He later conceded that such intense physical exertion may have compromised his body for the longer event.
“Running two 9.7s in one day is kind of crazy, and I think I underestimated how fast that really was when trying to come back,” he added.
“This does show me what it takes to keep going and kind of puts a perspective on how kind of great Usain Bolt was.”
Jefferson-Wooden cruises to women’s title
In the women’s 200m final, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden secured her second consecutive national title in commanding fashion.
The reigning world champion crossed the line in a season-best time of 21.69 seconds.
Her main Olympic rival, Gabby Thomas, opted out of competing at the New York event.
Attention now turns to the newly introduced Ultimate Championships, where a substantial prize pot will attract a star-studded field.
“I feel like with women’s sprints today it’s like that every single time we line up,” Jefferson-Wooden stated.
“I watch their races. They watch mine.”
“These next few years are going to be interesting to see.”
Chelsea have increased their asking price for winger Pedro Neto to more than £75m amid mounting transfer interest from Manchester City and Liverpool.
The Blues are actively monitoring the inflated fees demanded for wide players across Europe this summer.
Valuations for Paris St-Germain’s Bradley Barcola and RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande are currently being used as a benchmark by the Stamford Bridge hierarchy.
Both European clubs are expected to command figures in excess of £100m for their respective attackers.
Market inflation drives up asking price
While acknowledging Neto may not fetch a nine-figure sum, the London club believe his price tag should reflect the current market premium.
The 26-year-old registered 20 goal contributions last season, matching the output of the highly sought-after Barcola.
Chelsea originally paid Wolves £54m for the Portuguese international in 2024 and hold a strong negotiating position.
The talented forward remains under contract with the Premier League side until the summer of 2031.
Maresca targets Etihad Stadium reunion
Manchester City are heavily linked with a move for the player, raising the prospect of a reunion with former manager Enzo Maresca.
The Italian tactician is a known admirer of the wide man, having praised his exceptional work rate during their time together in London.
“If you just attack and you are not able to defend, you don’t play many games, in my view. In terms of sacrifice, Pedro has been top since we started together.”
Meanwhile, Liverpool are also monitoring the situation closely.
However, the Merseyside outfit could drop their interest if Andoni Iraola’s side successfully pursue a deal for PSG’s Barcola instead.
Extended break delays pre-season return
Neto is not actively being pushed towards the exit door by his current employers.
The Portuguese attacker is currently absent from the club’s pre-season tour of Sydney.
His omission is entirely unrelated to ongoing transfer speculation.
Instead, the versatile forward has been granted an extended holiday following his recent World Cup exertions with his national team.
Corey Heim has claimed his first Brickyard 400 title in Indianapolis by passing team co-owner Denny Hamlin on the final restart to hold off a charging Christopher Bell.
The 24-year-old executed a daring outside move with 35 laps remaining to take control of the NASCAR Cup Series race.
He crossed the finish line 0.287 seconds ahead of Bell, with last week’s winner Joey Logano claiming third place.
In securing his second victory of the season, the part-time driver became the first competitor since A.J. Foyt in 1965 to win twice within his opening 15 career starts.
Hamlin’s crown jewel wait continues
The aggressive manoeuvre by the race winner left his team boss tumbling down the order to an eventual fifth-place finish.
Hamlin has now gone 18 attempts without a win at the famous oval, making it the only NASCAR crown jewel event he is yet to conquer.
The veteran driver attributed his drop in pace to a mistimed aerodynamic push from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Bell before the restart zone.
“I mean everyone’s trying to fight to win the race, and you know you’re clear by an inch, you’re going to take that inch,” Hamlin said.
“I thought the 20 was on board with giving us a push, it was just way too early before the restart zone.”
Aggressive strategy pays dividends
Despite his car becoming increasingly loose in the closing stages, the rising star managed to maintain his slender advantage at the front of the pack.
Bell and Logano consistently posted quicker lap times as the chequered flag approached, but the absence of late caution flags prevented them from mounting a serious challenge.
“Just had to be aggressive, man, it’s for the win,” Heim explained following his historic triumph.
“He has every right to be frustrated with me, but don’t get me wrong, I just had to be on top of it.”
Playoff picture takes shape
Despite his obvious disappointment, Hamlin still extended his overall championship points lead over Tyler Reddick, who finished tenth.
Further down the field, Ty Gibbs secured a crucial postseason berth by claiming a stage win alongside his 12th-place finish.
Meanwhile, Todd Gilliland defied expectations for Front Row Motorsports by securing a lucrative $1m bonus prize in the closing stages.
Jackson Koivun claimed his first PGA Tour title in just his third professional start by holding off world number one Scottie Scheffler to win the 3M Open in Minnesota.
The 21-year-old finished three strokes clear after shooting a five-under-par 66 in Sunday’s final round at TPC Twin Cities.
His triumph shattered the tournament scoring record as the young American completed the week at a staggering 25 under par.
Scheffler pressure fails to break rookie
Scheffler had set a formidable clubhouse target of 22 under following a blistering final-round 63.
The world’s top-ranked golfer was seeking his first tournament victory since January’s American Express event.
However, the overnight leader maintained his composure despite intense pressure, delivering a bogey-free weekend to secure the trophy.
A spectacular 10-under-par 61 on Saturday had initially propelled the recent amateur standout into a commanding three-shot advantage over Emiliano Grillo and Ben Kohles.
A rapid rise up the rankings
Having only turned professional following the US Open in June, the victorious prodigy’s transition to the elite level has been remarkably swift.
A missed cut at his debut John Deere Classic was quickly followed by a promising tie for 10th at the Isco Championship.
This landmark victory catapults the rising star 124 places up the FedEx Cup standings to 70th position.
“I heard the crowd saying, ‘Scottie’s coming, Scottie’s coming’ but I just tried to blank that out and play the golf I knew I could.”
“I love this game, it’s everything I do, and I just want to say thanks to my parents for getting me into this and supporting me on my entire journey.”
Comparisons to golf’s modern greats
The Minnesota triumph featured an astonishing 24 birdies and two eagles across the four days.
Golf analyst Simon Holmes believes the new champion possesses the necessary qualities to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
“If you look at some of the talent that has come through that college system – Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland – you’d say he is at least on a par with all of those players.”
“But there is something in him that sets him apart from that group.”
Lewis Hamilton believes an unnecessary late pit stop cost him a podium finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix after he received a time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
The Ferrari driver was running in second place when a Virtual Safety Car was deployed on lap 56 to recover Oscar Piastri’s stricken McLaren.
His team opted for a third tyre change, a late strategic call that saw the 41-year-old surrender track position to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Compounding the error, stewards handed the seven-time world champion a five-second penalty for exceeding the 80kph pit-lane speed limit by just 0.1kph.
Strategic gamble backfires
Unable to pass Mercedes title rival Kimi Antonelli upon rejoining the circuit, he then failed to build a sufficient gap to team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The subsequent time sanction relegated him behind the sister Ferrari into fifth place in the final classification.
“I definitely don’t think we should have taken the stop.”
“The call came literally just before the pit-lane entry and I didn’t have time to debate and you’ve got to trust the decision that has been taken.”
“In hindsight, my tyres were totally fine. I was probably going to lose out to Max but I think I could have kept third at least.”
The British driver added that the late trip to the pits essentially opened the door to the subsequent speeding penalty.
A string of costly mistakes
The pit-lane infringement marked his second sanction of the Budapest weekend.
He had already served a three-place grid drop for impeding Piastri during the final phase of qualifying.
The former Mercedes star admitted the speeding error was entirely his own doing, noting he has made a series of missteps in recent weeks.
He has now collected four separate sporting penalties across the last three race weekends.
Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar has secured a historic fifth Tour de France title, safely navigating Sunday’s final stage in Paris to join the sport’s greatest names.
The 27-year-old dominated this year’s three-week race, ultimately finishing six minutes and 26 seconds ahead of Belgian rival Remco Evenepoel in the overall standings.
By claiming another yellow jersey, the UAE Team Emirates leader equals the all-time record shared by cycling legends Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault.
A historic triumph in the French capital
The world’s most prestigious cycling event concluded with its traditional procession into Paris, allowing the overall leader to comfortably maintain his commanding time advantage.
It caps off an extraordinarily dominant campaign for the all-conquering Slovenian, who is now one of only five men to win the Tour five times.
Evenepoel was forced to settle for the runner-up spot despite a valiant effort throughout the demanding 21-stage route.
Del Toro shines on Grand Tour debut
Further down the general classification, there was remarkable success for Mexican sensation Isaac del Toro.
The 22-year-old captured third place overall in what was an astonishing debut appearance at the famous race.
His breakthrough performance ensures UAE Team Emirates can celebrate having two of their riders on the final podium steps.
Mayo defeated defending champions Kerry 1-20 to 1-17 at Croke Park on Sunday to win the All-Ireland final and end a famous 75-year wait for the Sam Maguire Cup.
The westerners finally broke one of sport’s most notorious droughts with a thrilling victory over the pre-match favourites.
Generations of heartbreak were washed away in Dublin, ending a wretched run of 11 consecutive championship final defeats.
Breaking the legendary 1951 curse
The county’s agonising barren spell stretched all the way back to their last Gaelic football triumph in 1951.
According to local legend, a priest cursed the winning squad after their boisterous homecoming celebrations on the back of a lorry disrupted a funeral.
That folklore dictated the title would never return to the west coast while any member of that fabled team remained alive.
Dr Mick Loftus, the final surviving member of the 1951 side, passed away in 2023 to set the stage for this historic weekend.
Overcoming the defending champions
Standing in their way were the 39-time record winners, who mounted a late surge to desperately test their opponents’ nerve.
However, the challengers held firm to secure a memorable three-point victory and spark wild celebrations among their travelling supporters.
The triumphant captain delivered an emotional message to the loyal fans who had endured decades of bitter disappointment.
This is the stuff of dreams, so to every Mayo boy or girl around the world, dream big things because everything is possible and we showed that today.
Jack Coyne
He added that the squad always kept the faith through the darkest moments to finally reach the pinnacle of the sport.