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Amanda Serrano, seven-weight world champion and the first boxer signed to Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, publicly rebuked Paul on Monday after he labeled Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny a “fake American” following the Super Bowl halftime show. Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, delivered a 14-minute set entirely in Spanish at Levi’s Stadium, becoming the first artist to stage a Spanish-language halftime show. Paul, who has walked Serrano to the ring throughout their promotional partnership, posted on X that he muted the performance and accused the six-time Grammy winner of “publicly hating America.” Serrano, holder of the WBA and WBO featherweight titles, responded with a statement defending Puerto Rican identity: “Puerto Ricans are not ‘fake Americans.’ We are citizens who have contributed to this country in every field, from military service to sports, business, science, and the arts, and our identity and citizenship deserve respect.” Puerto Rico, an unincorporated U.S. territory, grants its residents American citizenship but no vote in presidential elections. Paul later clarified that his “fake” remark targeted Bad Bunny’s perceived values, not Puerto Rican status, writing: “He’s not a fake citizen obviously bc he’s Puerto Rican and I love Puerto Rico and all Americans who support the country.” The exchange drew criticism from across boxing. Five-weight world champion Claressa Shields urged Paul to “do better,” while Logan Paul distanced himself from his brother’s comments, asserting: “Puerto Ricans are Americans.” President Donald Trump also weighed in on Truth Social, calling the Spanish-language halftime show “an affront to the greatness of America.” Serrano, 48-3 as a professional, reiterated gratitude toward Most Valuable Promotions for elevating women’s boxing, but drew a line at remarks that question Puerto Rican legitimacy: “I cannot support that characterisation. It is wrong.”

Kolkata—Italy’s fairy-tale entrance into its first T20 World Cup lasted less than four overs after captain Wayne Madsen dislocated his left shoulder diving against Scotland and left the field in obvious pain. The 42-year-old, whose eligibility traces back to an Italian grandmother and whose résumé spans more than a decade with Derbyshire and a past life as a South Africa hockey international, had become the face of Italy’s unlikely qualification campaign. He was attempting a routine stop in the fourth over when the joint popped out on the dive. Scotland, already in rampant mood, pressed on to post 207-4 from their 20 overs while medical staff rushed Madsen to the boundary. Head coach John Davison confirmed the shoulder was reduced on the spot but conceded the prognosis for the rest of the tournament is grim. “The physio managed to get it back in but he’ll have to go and get more scans to see how serious it is,” Davison said. “I think it’d be doubtful. I’m not going to say he’s out, but I think it’d be doubtful if you dislocate your shoulder.” Italy’s schedule now hangs in the balance. They face Nepal in Mumbai on Thursday, England in Kolkata on 16 February, and West Indies on 19 February, all without their inspirational leader. The injury leaves Italy scrambling for both personnel and momentum less than 24 hours after the nation’s first-ever World Cup fixture began.

Madrid, Spain – Florentino Pérez has reopened the most sensitive wound in Spanish football history, instructing his football staff to prepare a summer 2027 offensive designed to lure Barcelona’s 23-year-old midfield metronome Pedri across the Clásico divide. Inside the Valdebebas offices the project is already being described as “Luis Figo 2.0,” a reference to the seismic 2000 transfer that saw the Portuguese icon swap Camp Nou for the Bernabéu and altered the balance of power in La Liga for years. Sources with knowledge of the conversations confirm that Pérez views Pedri as the ideal solution to the vacancy left by Toni Kroos’ retirement last summer, a vacancy that has been exacerbated by the club’s ongoing injury crisis in the engine room. Barcelona, however, remain unmoved. Pedri’s existing deal carries four full seasons and a €1 billion release clause, a figure Madrid accept is “a non-starter” in any conventional negotiation. Yet the Merengues refuse to abandon the chase entirely, calculating that a future transfer-window environment—one potentially shaped by financial fair-play relaxations or by Barcelona’s own need to generate liquidity—could yet create an opening.

Barcelona, 15 March — As FC Barcelona members head to the polls today to elect their next president, outgoing chief Joan Laporta has delivered a sweeping defence of his tenure, insisting that bold, rapid decisions were required to rescue the club from “an extremely difficult situation” and return it to what he calls “a very sweet moment in our history.” Speaking to club media on the eve of his mandatory resignation to stand for re-election, the 63-year-old portrayed his four-and-a-half-year spell as a triumph of crisis management. “The overall assessment is positive,” Laporta said. “We’ve worked collectively to bring joy back to the Barça faithful. The institution is strong, and the team is captivating.” Central to his narrative is the Spotify Camp Nou project, the partially-completed renovation that forced the squad into a season-long exile at Montjuïc. “It’s one of the best decisions we’ve made, and now it’s time to finish it,” he argued, pointing to the return of supporters and record sponsorship revenues as proof of life in the new stadium. Economic rescue Laporta’s harshest criticism was reserved for the financial inheritance he says the previous board left behind. “We faced an economic, sporting and institutional crisis,” he recalled. “The wage bill was 98% of ordinary income; debt required renegotiation; liquidity was almost non-existent.” The president cited the activation of so-called “financial levers,” the renegotiation of club debt and a new long-term apparel deal with Nike as pivotal moves that reduced the wage ratio to 54%. He praised sporting director Deco for “fundamentally” engineering the salary reduction “without losing competitive edge,” adding that the squad’s market value and average age have both moved in favourable directions. Governance and identity Beyond spreadsheets, Laporta portrayed himself as the guardian of Barça’s identity. He defended the decision to spurn higher offers from alternative sponsors in favour of Spotify, saying the American audio giant “fit the club’s identity,” and underlined the importance of La Masia as “a cornerstone” of future policy. The hiring of Hansi Flick was cited as the sporting bet of which he is proudest, alongside “betting on homegrown talent alongside others from abroad.” Laporta also pledged to consolidate a unique governance model that includes budgetary stability for sections beyond football, notably basketball, which he believes is “on the right track” under new coach Xavi Pascual. Relations and regrets After years of friction, Laporta reported a thaw in relations with both La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation, attributing the improvement to “dialogue” and Barça’s willingness to help interpret league regulations. Asked whether he regretted any choices, the president admitted that “decisions that affected people” — dismissing a coach or not renewing a player — weighed on him, but he insisted: “Above all else comes Barça. In such a difficult situation, the mistake would have been not to make any decisions.” Road ahead Looking toward election day, Laporta struck an energetic tone. “I’m facing the elections with a strong spirit and a desire to explain the work we’ve done and how we’ll complete it if we win,” he said, listing Espai Barça’s final phase, full economic consolidation and continued international growth as unfinished business. “We had to act boldly and quickly to avoid collapse,” he concluded. “There’s so much left to do, and I want to explain it.” Whether members credit him for steadying the ship or seek a new direction will be determined when voting closes tonight.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The visiting locker room at Levi’s Stadium has never looked, sounded, or smelled quite like this. Cigar smoke curled toward the ceiling, champagne fizzed from shattered bottles, and a Bluetooth speaker thumped as Seattle Seahawks players danced in a circle around the silver Lombardi Trophy. Moments earlier they had walked off the same field where their season began and ended against the 49ers, only this time they left with a 29-13 Super Bowl triumph over the New England Patriots and the right to turn their bitter rival’s home into what safety Julian Love instantly christened “Lumen South.” The nickname is destined to stick. Seattle’s defense, which had already suffocated San Francisco twice in January, smothered New England for three quarters, allowing only 78 total yards and no points. Drake Maye’s fourth-quarter touchdown and 253 late yards came long after the outcome was decided. Love’s interception of Maye punctuated the night and set off another round of cigar-lighting euphoria. Kenneth Walker III, the second-year running back who carved out 112 yards and the game’s lone offensive touchdown, received the Pete Rozelle Trophy as Super Bowl MVP, yet even he admitted the halftime show stole the spotlight. Bad Bunny transformed the gridiron into a neon Caribbean playground, delivering what many viewers will remember longer than the game’s record five field goals and 15 punts. For the 49ers, the celebration happening behind what is normally their locked door cuts deep. Five of the past eight NFC champions have emerged from the NFC West. The Rams lost one Super Bowl before winning the next. Seattle, in the first year under head coach Mike Macdonald, has now climbed the mountain. San Francisco, despite two recent appearances, remains without a Lombardi since the 1994 season. General manager John Schneider, architect of the league’s youngest roster, acknowledged the twist of fate. “Oh yeah, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t” surreal, he said, watching cigars burn in a room usually reserved for the 49ers’ postseason plans. “These guys want to play for each other, they care about each other. They were super confident. They’re just a together team.” Second-year tight end A.J. Barner already hears the clock ticking toward a defense of the title. “Everyone wants what we got,” he said. Veteran tight end Eric Saubert, who spent 2024 with the 49ers, offered a warning to the rest of the conference: “We hope we can run it back.” The Seahawks’ imprint on Levi’s Stadium is now indelible. In 2014, the defending-champion Seahawks humiliated San Francisco on Thanksgiving, then ate turkey at midfield. A decade later, the scene repeated with far higher stakes. When the 49ers reconvene in April for offseason workouts, the lingering scent of championship cigars will serve as a pungent reminder of which division foe owns the league’s ultimate prize. Seattle’s defense, which held the 49ers without a touchdown in two critical January meetings, again set the standard. Asked on NBC’s pregame show about the unit, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan quipped, “I haven’t scored a touchdown on these guys the last two times we played them, so I don’t know how good that is.” Linebacker Ernest Jones IV shrugged at the aesthetic critiques of a low-scoring Super Bowl. “Great defensive football is art,” he insisted, echoing former Seahawk Richard Sherman, who tweeted that coaches around the league will study this tape for years. Whether the game enters the pantheon of classic Super Bowls is debatable. What cannot be debated is the location of the after-party: deep in the heart of enemy territory, amid the haze of victory cigars, with the Lombardi Trophy gleaming under the fluorescent lights of the 49ers’ own locker room. Seattle left Levi’s with more than a championship. The Seahawks left a message, wafting through the air, impossible to ignore.

Cotonou—When Sahid Ngobi wheels away in celebration, ASPAC FC’s yellow-and-black shirt flapping, the 19-year-old striker is not merely saluting another goal; he is paying silent homage to the player whose poster still hangs above his bed. “My idol is Kylian Mbappé,” Ngobi says without hesitation. “I admire his mentality, his self-discipline, his maturity, and his consistency.” Those qualities have carried the Kandi native to the summit of the Celtiis Benin Ligue 1 scoring chart at the halfway mark: 10 goals and 2 assists in 17 appearances, numbers that have turned ASPAC’s number 19 into the breakout story of the season. Yet Ngobi, an U20 international, greets the statistics with a shrug. “Alhamdoulillah first of all, but personally I don’t think I’m efficient enough yet. Given the chances I have, I know I can do better.” It is that refusal to settle which first caught the eye of coaches at Dynamo de Parakou, the club that handed him his top-flight debut. From there he moved through AS Takunnin and SOBEMAP FC before settling at ASPAC, each step sharpening a game built on perpetual motion and ice-cool finishing. “Always on the move, always hungry, never satisfied,” he says, describing both himself and the French World-Cup winner he studies frame-by-frame on his phone. Yououth-national-team duty has widened his lens. “In youth selections I worked with players who now really motivate those of us still playing in the local league. These experiences have greatly contributed to my development, both athletically and personally.” While individual accolades pile up, Ngobi keeps his compass pointed outward. “On a personal level, my greatest dream is to remain a good person and give to others. In football, I want to work even harder, stay humble and keep demanding more of myself. The rest is in God’s hands.” Press him on a dream club and the answer arrives in fluent English: “Arsenal.” The league resumes on February 28, and defenders across Benin have been put on notice. ASPAC’s precocious finisher has no intention of slowing down, and every reason to believe the second half of the campaign will be played at Mbappé-esque speed.

Manchester City’s dramatic 2-1 victory at Anfield may have reignited their Premier League title hopes, but it has also added another name to Pep Guardiola’s growing injury list. Central defender Abdukodir Khusanov was forced off late in Sunday’s clash after sustaining a head injury in a collision with Liverpool goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma during a goal-saving block. The 20-year-old Uzbekistan international, making his first appearance at Anfield, had impressed against the league leaders before the incident, drawing effusive praise from his manager. “His first time in Anfield. Coming from Uzbekistan, six months in France, coming here, first time here, against [Hugo] Ekitike, [Mohamed] Salah… what a game he played, that guy,” Guardiola told reporters. City’s medical staff will now follow concussion protocols to determine Khusanov’s availability for Wednesday’s home meeting with Fulham. The setback compounds an already stretched defensive unit; Josko Gvardiol, John Stones, Mateo Kovacic and Savinho remain unavailable, leaving Guardiola to weigh fresh rotation options amid a congested run-in. The win, sealed by Bernardo Silva’s 78th-minute equaliser and an Erling Haaland penalty deep into stoppage time, trimmed Arsenal’s lead at the summit to six points and maintained momentum from the midweek Carabao Cup semi-final triumph over Newcastle. Yet the priority shifts swiftly to safeguarding squad health as City pursue trophies on multiple fronts. Guardiola conceded he had no immediate update on Khusanov’s condition, underscoring the cautious approach the club will take with any head injury. With pivotal fixtures looming, the champions can ill afford further defensive absences, placing added scrutiny on the coming medical assessments.

Valencia – Real Madrid silenced Mestalla with a commanding 2-0 victory on Sunday night, snapping an 11-year hoodoo that had seen the visitors win here only three times in the past decade. Goals in either half, the second from Kylian Mbappe, lifted Los Blancos within a point of La Liga leaders Barcelona and preserved Thibaut Courtois’ clean sheet in a performance manager Alvaro Arbeloa hailed as “solid, committed and serious.” Speaking after the final whistle, Arbeloa underlined the scale of the challenge. “We knew where we were coming. I think it was three wins in the last 11 years, if I’m not mistaken. I’ve been fortunate to come to Mestalla for many years as a player and I know the challenge this stadium always presents.” Valencia’s five-man back line demanded patience, he added, but Madrid’s perseverance paid off once the opener arrived. “The victory came from solidity, commitment, and playing a very serious match. I think we were deserved winners.” Central to the triumph was Federico Valverde, deployed once again in a hybrid role that has become a hallmark of Arbeloa’s reign. “Valverde performs spectacularly wherever you place him. I’m aware that where he’s happiest is in the midfield and that’s also where we can get the most out of him and where we need him the most,” the coach explained. Sunday also marked a milestone for academy graduate David Jimenez, handed a surprise start at right-back. The 21-year-old twice came within inches of his first senior goal and more than held his own against Valencia’s lively left flank. “David Jimenez also deserves tremendous credit for the rival he had against him. It was unfortunate that the chance didn’t go in,” Arbeloa said. “For the academy players to play a match at this level and contribute as David Jimenez did is fantastic news for the entire Real Madrid academy, for him, who played a fantastic match, and I’m very proud.” Attention then turned to the rehabilitation of Trent Alexander-Arnold, introduced for the final quarter in his first appearance since a lengthy lay-off. “After being out for a long time, we are taking the same approach with him as we will with others returning from injury. We are proceeding cautiously and calmly because what we want is for him to find his rhythm, his best playing form, and that’s how it will be with Trent,” Arbeloa confirmed. The return of the England international leaves Dani Carvajal further down the pecking order; the club captain did not leave the bench and was visibly dejected at full-time. Arbeloa offered reassurance: “I’m seeing Dani improve in training day by day. Gradually. Obviously, I’m not going to take any risks. Inside the dressing room, I don’t need to explain the importance of Dani. He’s the one who always has something to say before and after matches. The players need to have a reference like him in the dressing room, and I’m sure he’s going to find his best form. With the patience and effort we’re putting in and his dedication, I’m confident that he’s getting closer to regaining his relevance.” Mbappe’s 75th-minute strike sealed the points and maintained his blistering start to life in Spain. Asked what it is like to coach the French forward, Arbeloa did not hold back: “It’s a great fortune, because right now he’s the best player in the world with what he’s proving day in and day out, game after game.” Pressed on whether Mbappe could one day eclipse Cristiano Ronaldo’s Bernabeu legacy, the manager replied, “What Cristiano achieved seemed extraterrestrial, something impossible to match and no one could come close. Mbappe has a long way to go because Cristiano was here for many years, but he has the conditions to follow in his footsteps, and you never know if he’ll be able to surpass him. But if anyone can, it’s Kylian.” With back-to-back league clean sheets and a squad buying into collective sacrifice, Arbeloa believes the foundations are being laid for a sustained title push. “We surely have a lot of room for improvement. A team is built on solidity, on staying united, on commitment. We showed it in La Cerámica, and we did today as well. I don’t think Courtois had to make any saves. That’s the path the players are following: helping each other, commitment, dedication, and sacrifice. We just need to keep improving.” Real Madrid now turn their attention to mid-week fixtures hoping the momentum gathered at Mestalla can carry them to the summit of the table.

Manchester, England — Liverpool departed the Etihad Stadium with a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday evening, yet the post-match discourse centred less on the scoreline than on the officiating that Arne Slot believes tilted the contest. Bernardo Silva cancelled Dominik Szoboszlai’s spectacular opener before Erling Haaland converted a second-half penalty to complete City’s comeback and keep the champions within six points of league-leading Arsenal. Yet the flashpoints that defined the narrative arrived at either end of the match. At 0-0, Mohamed Salah raced clear only to be hauled back by Marc Guehi. Referee Stuart Attwell produced only a yellow, a decision Slot contrasted with the 87th-minute red shown to Szoboszlai for tugging Haaland’s shirt when the Norwegian was through on goal. “When you ask me about what decision, I thought what do you mean… the disallowed goal at City earlier in the season? The penalty they got in the away game against us?” Slot fired in rapid succession. “The clear red card on Mo Salah in the second half here? Or the penalty they got in the second half, or do you mean the Szoboszlai red-card decision? That’s only over two games.” The Dutch coach insisted he accepts the letter of the law when applied consistently. “I can live with the fact—although I don’t like it—that the referee follows the rulebook and Dominik makes a foul on Haaland… That’s a red card. If you follow the rulebook, and you have a clear shirt-pull by Guehi on Salah, who for eight years has been scoring that chance 100 times out of 100, and it is not a red card? Then there is more of my frustration.” While Slot wrestled with perceived inequity, Pep Guardiola kept his gaze fixed on the title race. “Thirteen games, in my experience, is a lot of time,” the City manager said. “All we can do is breathe down the neck of Arsenal and being there, try if they go asleep, if they make a mistake, to use it.” Liverpool’s immediate concern turns to squad depth. Szoboszlai will serve a suspension, while Joe Gomez and Jeremie Frimpong remain unavailable for Wednesday’s trip to Sunderland. For Slot, the evening encapsulated a season of fine margins and, in his view, pivotal calls falling the wrong way at the worst possible moments.

In an unprecedented twist on sport’s biggest stage, Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance delivered more than music: it hosted an actual wedding. Mid-set, the Puerto Rican superstar paused the spectacle to unite two fans in matrimony, turning the global showcase into an intimate, once-in-a-lifetime ceremony. The brief but heartfelt exchange of vows unfolded in front of a stadium crowd and a television audience reaching into the hundreds of millions, making the couple’s union an instant, unforgettable highlight of championship Sunday. Super Bowl halftime shows are traditionally reserved for blockbuster hits and surprise guest appearances; this year the surprise was a legally binding marriage, complete with an officiant, rings, and cheers from fans inside the venue. The moment reinforced the event’s reputation for unpredictability while underscoring Bad Bunny’s flair for bending pop-culture conventions. With the game on pause and the world watching, the wedding segment lasted only a few minutes, yet its impact resonated across broadcasts and social feeds, proving that even amid football’s grandest spectacle, love can take center stage.

Ian Wright has hailed Kobbie Mainoo as the player who “really ran the game” in Manchester United’s recent victory over Tottenham Hotspur, eclipsing the contributions of senior stars such as Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. The 20-year-old midfielder, retained for a fourth straight match by interim boss Michael Carrick, had not made a single Premier League start under previous manager Ruben Amorim during the first half of the campaign. Carrick’s immediate faith in the academy graduate has already yielded tangible rewards: Mainoo covered more ground than any other player in United’s back-to-back wins over league leaders Arsenal and Manchester City, and he supplied the assist for Bryan Mbeumo’s opening goal against Spurs with a cleverly worked corner. Beyond the decisive pass, Mainoo’s all-round display caught the eye. Data from Fotmob shows the Carrington graduate completed 10 final-third passes, two dribbles, one accurate cross and registered three touches inside Tottenham’s penalty area. Defensively, he contributed two tackles, one clearance, one headed clearance and four recoveries, while winning six ground duels and two aerial duels. Speaking on the Wright’s House podcast, the former Arsenal striker praised the composure and authority of the youngster: “Kobbie Mainoo really ran the game. It’s the kind of performance you’d expect from a Man Utd side that has these players in and around them. Michael Carrick’s come in and given them the belief, the formation that they’re comfortable in and, with the quality players they’ve got, you will get the results.” BT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves echoed the sentiment, claiming he had “never seen Mainoo play a bad game for United,” adding that the Stockport-born talent plays “as if he’s having a kick-about with his mates.” With Carrick at the helm, Mainoo’s seamless transition from peripheral squad member to midfield general has offered United supporters a rare glimmer of optimism, and his commanding showing against Spurs suggests the best is yet to come.

KOLKATA, India — After 45 years of waiting, Italy’s men’s national team stepped onto the global stage Monday, winning the toss and choosing to field in their inaugural Twenty20 World Cup fixture against Scotland at Eden Gardens. The decision marked the Azzurri’s first appearance in any major International Cricket Council tournament, ending a drought that stretches back to the nation’s maiden ICC membership in 1978. Under floodlights and in front of a vibrant crowd, captain Alessandro Bonora called correctly at the coin flip, immediately inserting Scotland to set the early tempo in Group B’s opening encounter. The historic moment, broadcast live across Europe, signals Italy’s arrival among cricket’s expanding fraternity and sets the tone for a tournament already rich with emerging-nation storylines.

Barcelona’s place among football’s global elite is beyond dispute—third on the 2025 Forbes list of most valuable clubs, five-time European champions and a permanent fixture in every competition they enter—yet the question of who actually owns the Catalan giants rarely comes with a straightforward answer. There is no billionaire benefactor, no multinational conglomerate and no hedge-fund consortium calling the shots. Instead, more than 140,000 individual members, known simply as socios, collectively sit at the top of the organisational chart, making Barcelona one of the last major fan-owned operations in world sport. The structure is elegantly simple. Anyone can apply for membership online or in person, pay the annual €225 fee and immediately gain access to the same ballot box that decides the club’s future. After 40 consecutive years—and provided the member has reached 65—the fee is waived. Membership numbers are non-transferable; the only exit is to resign or pass away. A 2023 census trimmed inactive records and pushed the roll down to 133,000, but a surge of 10,619 new socios in the 2024/25 campaign has restored the total to record levels. Those socios exercise their power in two key ways. Every five years they vote in presidential and board elections—terms shortened from six by the incumbent Joan Laporta—and they also elect a 2,000-member Representative Assembly charged with approving budgets, authorising loans and, if necessary, disciplining the president. Laporta, currently in his second stint at the helm, must once again face that democratic test on 15 March after calling a mid-season referendum. He and his board will formally resign on 9 February, opening a six-week campaign window. Day-to-day business falls to the president and his directors. Laporta first arrived in 2003, left in 2010 after overseeing Pep Guardiola’s appointment and the rise of Lionel Messi, spent a decade in Catalan politics, then returned in 2021 when financial chaos and public acrimony forced predecessor Josep Bartomeu to resign. Laporta’s second spell has been defined by efforts to steady a balance sheet that still shows liabilities of roughly €2.5 billion, according to club treasurer reports in January 2026. The colossal Camp Nou renovation project accounts for a sizeable portion of that debt, though officials believe increased match-day and commercial revenue from the modernised venue will eventually offset the burden. Spanish legislation once threatened the fan-owned model. A 1992 statute required clubs to convert into public limited companies, but Barcelona and Real Madrid successfully argued sustained profitability, exploiting a loophole that preserved member control. Today Barcelona’s open-door policy contrasts sharply with Madrid’s capped and wait-listed membership. No sponsorship from existing socios is required, and the former three-year application queue was abolished under Laporta’s current mandate. The result is a football institution that marries on-pitch glamour with grassroots democracy. While rival super-clubs answer to shareholders or private owners, Barcelona’s direction is ultimately set by teachers, taxi drivers, students and retirees scattered across Catalonia and the world, each with an equal vote. As Laporta fights for another term, the real power brokers—the socios—prepare to decide not only who sits in the presidential suite, but how the next chapter of one of football’s most storied names will be written.

Anfield, a ground where Manchester City have so often stumbled, witnessed a statement victory yesterday as Pep Guardiola’s side overturned a late deficit to defeat Liverpool 2-1 and reignite their Premier League ambitions. The comeback was authored by many, but the narrative belonged to one man: Bernardo Silva, the Portuguese midfielder whose fingerprints were on every decisive moment. Silva had been an injury doubt all week after tightening a hamstring, yet when the teamsheet dropped he was inked in alongside Rodri and company. From the opening whistle he justified the gamble, dropping between centre-backs to evade Liverpool’s trademark press and knitting together City’s smoothest 45 minutes of the campaign. His constant availability turned potential turnovers into controlled possession, allowing City to dictate tempo and pin the hosts deep. The second half brought a different test. Liverpool surged, and when Dominik Szoboszlai whipped a 74th-minute free-kick beyond Ederson the Kop sensed a familiar plot. Instead, Silva rallied the response. He combined with Rodri and substitute Marc Guehi to break up wave after wave of red attacks, then provided the flash of ingenuity City desperately needed. In the 84th minute he ghosted into the six-yard box to steer home Erling Haaland’s clever flick-on, restoring parity and belief. Three minutes later Silva’s awareness decided the contest. Spotting Matheus Nunes darting beyond the line, he threaded a defence-splitting pass that invited the foul from goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Haaland converted the resultant penalty, completing a turnaround that felt both stunning and inevitable given Silva’s omnipresence. Guardiola, effusive in his praise, anointed his captain as the guiding force. “We follow him. I follow him too,” the manager said. “He puts the team in front of himself. He does things through his own example.” The win vaults City into serious contention and, perhaps more importantly, exorcises the psychological hold Anfield has enjoyed. On a day that demanded character, Bernardo Silva supplied it in abundance, underlining why he remains the heartbeat of this City squad.

Barcelona will spend the next six weeks in full campaign mode after president Joan Laporta formally triggered the 2026 presidential race, setting March 15 as the date on which more than 140,000 socios will decide who steers Europe’s last member-owned super-club through its next five-year cycle. Laporta and the entire board will resign at Monday’s General Assembly on February 9, opening a signature-collection window that closes just before the vote. Any hopeful must secure at least 2,321 member endorsements and post a financial guarantee equivalent to 15 percent of the club’s budget—roughly €150 million based on recent accounts—to have their name appear on the ballot. Until those thresholds are met, all declared contenders remain “pre-candidates.” The timing has already proved contentious. Critics argue that a mid-season election favours the incumbent, whose visibility remains high while rivals scramble for backing. Once the board steps down, a regency of no fewer than six sitting directors will run daily operations, ensuring the club meets fixtures and payroll while candidates barn-storm Catalonia for votes. Why the fuss? In Barcelona’s unique governance model the president is de-facto CEO, chairing the General Assembly, green-lighting every transfer, renewing or releasing players and coaches, and acting as the global face of the Blaugrana brand. With liabilities still hovering around €2.5 billion and a half-finished Camp Nou renovation draining cash, the next administration will determine whether the club can escape its debt spiral without relinquishing competitiveness on the pitch. Laporta, 63, is bidding for a third aggregate term after winning in 2003 and again in 2021. He presided over the Messi-Guardiola golden era in his first stint and now touts the new 105,000-seat stadium—targeting the 2029 Champions League final—as the engine that will restore solvency. Yet delays, cost overruns and water leaks have blunted optimism, and opponents claim his “spend-our-way-out” policy merely papers over structural cracks. Victor Font, 53, the tech entrepreneur who captured 30 percent of the vote in 2021, is back with a platform built on financial prudence and digital reform. He pledges to scrap Laporta’s economic “levers,” shorten presidential mandates to four years, introduce mail-in and electronic voting for overseas socios, and launch a partial-ticket scheme for non-season-ticket holders. Font’s headline promise: bring Lionel Messi home for a Camp Nou farewell tour. Xavier Vilajoana, 53, CEO of affordable-housing developer Grup Euroconstruc, is making a second attempt after falling short of signatures in 2021. A former La Masia player and ex-board member under Josep Bartomeu, Vilajoana claims credit for the youth pipeline now feeding Hansi Flick’s squad and portrays himself as the continuity candidate without Laporta’s financial baggage. His Bartomeu ties, however, could alienate voters still angry over the previous regime’s collapse. Completing the early field is sports financier Marc Ciria, architect of “Movement 42,” a radical blueprint to restructure Barça’s balance sheet. Ciria argues that a Messi return is not mere nostalgia but a strategic imperative to boost commercial income and protect the socio ownership model, citing current revenues that lag behind the Argentine’s final seasons at the club. Whoever emerges must still navigate a €1.5 billion debt mountain, ongoing La Liga salary-cap constraints and the expectation that Camp Nou will finally reopen in late 2026. For Barcelona’s dispersed ownership, the stakes extend beyond trophies: the March 15 ballot will shape the institution’s solvency, identity and place among Europe’s elite for the remainder of the decade. Keywords:

London—Chelsea have stepped up their pursuit of former Manchester City striker Julián Álvarez, with negotiations now moving into an advanced stage, ESPN Argentina reports. Sources close to the discussions say that representatives from the agency handling Álvarez’s future were in London this week to watch Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Arsenal, using the derby as an opportunity to hold face-to-face talks with Stamford Bridge officials. While Barcelona and Arsenal have also been linked with the Argentine, ESPN’s Pablo Zabaleta stated that “the most advanced contacts are with Chelsea” and that the west-London club is “quietly advancing” for the 24-year-old. Álvarez, who left Manchester City for Atlético Madrid, has emerged as a priority target for Chelsea ahead of the summer transfer window. The Blues explored potential reinforcements during the January window but ultimately only recalled defender Mamadou Sarr from his loan at Strasbourg. Sporting directors now view the longer summer window as the ideal moment to reshape the squad, and Álvarez’s versatility across the front line fits the profile of player the club wants to add. Chelsea have spent the past week compiling an extensive shortlist of targets, details of which have surfaced online, yet Álvarez appears to have moved to the top of that list. The club’s hierarchy believe his Premier League experience and proven goal threat could provide an immediate lift as they look to close the gap on the league’s top four. No fee has been agreed yet, but the fact that key intermediaries travelled to England for talks suggests both parties are serious about striking a deal before the window officially opens. With Barcelona’s financial constraints well documented and Arsenal still assessing their attacking options, Chelsea sense an opportunity to steal a march on their rivals and secure Álvarez’s signature.

Mumbai, 2025 – Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Devajit Saikia has moved to extinguish months of speculation surrounding the relationship between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting mainstay Virat Kohli, insisting the pair enjoy “a very good cordial relationship”. Persistent rumours of a rift have shadowed the national set-up since Gambhir took the reins last year, fuelled largely by televised flashpoints between the two during past Indian Premier League seasons. Speaking on the India Today podcast, Saikia categorically rejected suggestions that those tensions have carried into the India dressing room. “I have never seen them fighting,” the BCCI secretary said. “They are in a very good cordial relationship.” Asked about the IPL confrontations that continue to circulate on social media, Saikia replied: “IPL? Maybe I didn’t see that match because I was with them when they were representing the country.” The timing of the denial is significant. Gambhir’s tenure has overlapped with pivotal moments in Kohli’s career, most notably the 37-year-old’s recent retirement from Test cricket and ongoing debate over his role in India’s 2027 World Cup blueprint. Kohli’s form, however, has muted much of that discussion: three centuries and a 93 in his last six ODI appearances have underscored what analysts are calling one of the most prolific stretches of his one-day career. Questions about the duo’s rapport intensified after the BCCI tightened guidelines requiring senior players to appear in domestic competitions when not on national duty. Kohli responded by turning out for his state side in both the Ranji Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy after lengthy absences, a move seen as aligning with the board’s new policy rather than bending to any dressing-room discord. On-field evidence appears to support Saikia’s stance. During February’s Champions Trophy, Gambhir and Kohli collaborated closely as India secured the ICC title, a triumph hailed within the board as proof that personal history has not impeded professional unity. With the 2027 World Cup cycle gathering momentum, the BCCI will hope the secretary’s public intervention draws a line under the gossip and allows the focus to return to performances on the pitch. SEO keywords:

By [Staff Writer] GLENDALE, Ariz. — The confetti had barely settled on Seattle’s 29-13 demolition of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX when head coach Mike Vrabel gathered his stunned roster inside the visitor’s locker room and delivered a blunt reminder. “We have to remember what it feels like,” Vrabel told players moments after the franchise’s first championship-game appearance since the Tom Brady era ended in disappointment. “If we can build on it, then we can use this experience as a positive eventually and understand what you have to do in big games to win.” The words capped a historic yet bittersweet debut season for the 48-year-old coach, who claimed NFL Coach of the Year honors only three nights earlier. New England’s 307-day journey from training-camp optimism to the Lombardi Trophy’s doorstep unraveled in four quarters of uncharacteristic mistakes, stalled drives and a relentless Seattle pass rush that dropped quarterback Drake Maye six times. “We just have to not let mistakes pile up,” Vrabel said. “Can’t let one bad play turn into two bad plays. Be able to settle down and be better early on in drives. That just wasn’t the case.” The Patriots never found offensive rhythm. Positive plays were followed by sacks, penalties or hurried throws, and the defense could not generate the game-turning turnovers that had fueled the club’s run through the AFC playoffs. The result: a 16-point deficit that felt larger than the final scoreboard showed. Asked specifically about the offensive line’s performance, Vrabel bristled. “Nobody played good enough for us to win. Do you have a follow-up?” he said, closing the topic with the same terse edge he displayed on the sideline. Despite the lopsided loss, Vrabel praised the resilience of a roster that exceeded external expectations from Week 1. “I reminded them that we are 307 days into what hopefully is a long, successful relationship and program,” he said. “It’s OK to be disappointed. We have to be disappointed and upset together.” Quarterback Drake Maye, who fought back tears while addressing reporters, echoed his coach’s sentiment. “He was the heartbeat. No doubt about that,” Maye said of Vrabel. “He’s always the same. Look forward to my relationship with him for a long time. He’s a great person and a hell of a football coach.” Vrabel indicated that the bond forged during the season will be essential when the team reconvenes this spring. “We can’t be divided, we can’t be frontrunners,” he said. “Sometimes in this game of professional football you lose and you still have to be able to do those things. And hopefully you will.” The Patriots now head into an offseason earlier than hoped, but with a unified message reverberating from the desert: remember the sting, and make sure it is not repeated.

Emirates Stadium, Sunday – When Renee Slegers mapped out the week, the plan was familiar: Stina Blackstenius stretching Manchester City’s back line, Alessia Russo hovering in the hole, and Arsenal’s wide forwards pinning the league leaders in. Ninety minutes and one seismic result later, the only thing that survived from Plan A was the outcome: Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City, courtesy of a 21-year-old Canadian who had never started as a No 9 for the club. Blackstenius’ calf complaint in the build-up forced Slegers into a late remodel. Rather than shuffle Russo forward or introduce extra midfield steel through Frida Maanum, the head coach elected to keep the tactical skeleton intact and simply swap the flesh. Enter Olivia Smith, winger by trade, emergency striker by necessity. “We wanted similar qualities – the physicality, the speed,” Slegers explained post-match. “Olivia and Stina are very different players, but the spaces we expected were still in behind.” Two-and-a-half training sessions and a handful of video clips later, Smith stepped into the role as though she had owned it for years. Her 63rd-minute winner was a textbook execution of the staff’s brief: Mariona Caldentey and Kim Little traded passes in tight midfield quarters before the Spaniard threaded a ball between City centre-backs. Smith, lurking on Rebecca Knaak’s shoulder, timed the run, nicked it past on-rushing goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita, and slid into an empty net. The finish was clinical; the movement, seasoned. “She showed an awareness of the offside line that we sometimes miss,” one club analyst noted. City boss Gareth Taylor admitted the scouting report had flagged the ploy – “we were pretty sure Olivia Smith was going to play as a No 9” – yet his defenders still froze, caught between stepping out and dropping off. Smith’s capacity to thrive in alien territory is becoming a trademark. Her inaugural Arsenal goal in September arrived after she had drifted inside from an unintended left-wing station; Sunday’s decisive strike came from a position she had never occupied in a competitive fixture for the Gunners. The victory vaults Arsenal into the thick of the title conversation and leaves City with their first league defeat of the campaign. It also clouds the immediate future of Blackstenius, who turned 30 last Thursday and is out of contract in the summer. Slegers refused to be drawn on negotiations, but praised the depth now emerging: “We have different options for the No 9. Olivia performed really well, so of course we’re going to continue to see this as an option.” For Smith, the afternoon was further proof that adaptability can be a player’s sharpest weapon. Asked whether she now fancies an extended run through the middle, she laughed: “I just want to be on the pitch. If the manager needs me as a 9, an 11, a 7 – I’ll learn fast.” Arsenal learned quickly too. Sometimes the best Plan B is simply trusting Plan A with a different face.

Anfield, once the theatre of dreams, became the stage for another VAR morality play as Manchester City edged Liverpool 2-1 in a finish clouded by a disallowed goal and a late red card shown to Dominik Szoboszlai with the sort of certainty more befitting Inspector Clouseau than a top-flight referee. The decisive moment arrived in stoppage time. With Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson stranded upfield, City substitute Rayan Cherki scooped a hopeful shot from inside the centre circle toward the unguarded goal. Erling Haaland gave chase; Szoboszlai grabbed the Norwegian’s shirt in desperation. Referee Craig Pawson, after a protracted VAR review conducted by John Brooks, ruled that Szoboszlai’s tug had denied an obvious scoring opportunity. He awarded a direct free-kick to City and produced a straight red for the Hungarian midfielder, simultaneously chalking off what would have been City’s third goal. Replays shown inside the ground indicated that Haaland had also pulled Szoboszlai seconds earlier, yet Pawson’s explanation—audible only in muffled bursts—singled out the Liverpool man’s initial hold as the offence that cancelled both the strike and Haaland’s subsequent foul. The decision preserved the 2-1 scoreline and kept City within touching distance of league leaders Arsenal. Szoboszlai’s evening had begun brightly: he curled a superb free-kick past Gianluigi Donnarumma to give Liverpool a first-half lead. Yet he played City’s Bernardo Silva onside for the equaliser, and his stoppage-time intervention ended his night early, trudging down the tunnel before the final whistle. Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville captured the sentiment of many viewers: “No football person would disallow that goal.” Under the current interpretation the officials, stationed hundreds of miles away at Stockley Park, followed protocol to the letter; whether the letter serves the spirit of the game is the debate now raging from the Kop to living rooms nationwide. For City, the victory keeps their title hopes alive. For Liverpool, the sense of injustice will linger far longer than the flight of Cherki’s mis-hit lob. And for VAR, another high-profile controversy only sharpens calls for reassessment of a system that, on nights like this, feels as intrusive as it is infallible.

The Seattle Seahawks captured the franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night, suffocating the New England Patriots 29-13 in a championship game dominated from start to finish by Mike Macdonald’s defense. Devon Witherspoon, Derick Hall, Byron Murphy and the rest of the self-styled “Dark Side” unit lived up to their nickname, battering rookie quarterback Drake Maye and turning every Patriots possession into a punishing affair. The relentless pressure resulted in a one-sided affair that vaulted Seattle back atop the NFL after a decade-long wait for another title. From the opening whistle, Macdonald’s group set the tone. Witherspoon shadowed New England’s top targets, Hall crashed the edge and Murphy clogged running lanes, forcing Maye into hurried throws and costly mistakes. The Seahawks parlayed those miscues into scoring chances, building a lead that swelled as the clock wound down. Each time the Patriots attempted to claw back, Seattle’s defense answered with another crushing stop, keeping the scoreboard tilted firmly in the Seahawks’ favor. Offensively, Seattle complemented its ferocious defense with a balanced attack that capitalized on short fields and kept chains moving. Though the final tally read 29-13, the outcome felt even more lopsided thanks to the defense’s ability to turn critical downs into momentum-shifting plays. When the confetti fell, the Seahawks had not only secured their second Super Bowl crown but had also etched the 2024 “Dark Side” into franchise lore as one of the most intimidating units the league has seen.

Madrid – The Metropolitano used to feel like a fortress; on Sunday night it felt like a stage for an all-too-predictable collapse. Real Betis, smarting from Thursday’s 3-0 Copa del Rey rout in Seville, returned to the Spanish capital with a point to prove and left with a 1-0 victory that snapped Atlético de Madrid’s 11-month unbeaten home run and delivered the Verdiblancos their first win at Atlético in any competition since 2010. Antony’s curling 72nd-minute strike from outside the box was the difference, but the narrative was set long before the ball rippled the net. Betis defended in two compact blocks, sprang forward with precision and repeatedly exploited the yawning gaps between Atlético’s makeshift centre-back pairing of Josema Giménez and Robin Le Normand. The hosts, meanwhile, looked every bit a side robbed of its spine: Pablo Barrios (right-leg injury), Marc Pubill (illness) and Alexander Sørloth (head knock) were all unavailable for kick-off, and the collective drop-off was stark. A VAR review deep into stoppage time only added to the gloom, ruling Diego Llorente’s own-goal header offside by the slimmest of margins. The decision was correct; the outcome no less painful for a crowd that has watched its team concede first in eight of its last ten home fixtures across all competitions. The numbers are sobering. Atlético have taken 13 wins from 23 LaLiga matches and trail runaway leaders Real Madrid by a chasm that renders the title race academic. More pressing, the side that once turned 1-0 leads into three-point certainties now struggles to protect any advantage at all. Bodø/Glimt and Betis have already breached the Metropolitano in February; FC Barcelona, winners of 17 of their last 18 games, arrive Thursday for the Copa del Rey semifinal first leg with appetites whetted. Manager Diego Simeone, clad in his customary black, cut an increasingly haunted figure on the touchline as midfielders Koke (34), Johnny Cardoso (two weeks at the club) and teenage debutant Rodri Mendoza tried to impose order on chaos. Antoine Griezmann remains the squad’s most reliable creator at 34, a reality that underscores both his longevity and the club’s failure to refresh the roster. Julián Álvarez, substituted at halftime, has now gone 12 LaLiga matches without a goal; the centre-forward’s drought has become a microcosm of a wider attacking malaise. In defence, the absence of Pubill and Dávid Hancko has exposed Giménez and Le Normand as a partnership lacking both pace and synergy. Build-up play stalled repeatedly, with goalkeeper Jan Oblak twice forced to sprint 30 metres to clear under pressure. When Atlético did work the ball into promising areas, the final pass was either overhit or under-hit, allowing Betis to counter through Antony and Aitor Ruibal with alarming ease. The calendar offers little respite. After Barcelona, Atlético face a Champions League round-of-16 tie against Club Brugge, a side that has already eliminated Spanish opposition from Europe in each of the last two seasons. Simeone’s famed partido a partido mantra now feels less like a philosophy than a plea for survival. For the first time in the Metropolitano era, opponents arrive believing they can win. On Sunday, Betis proved that belief justified. Unless Atlético solve their dependency on a handful of key players—and quickly—their season risks collapsing into a February of struggle, suffering and, ultimately, silverware-free regret.

Manchester – Drama menentukan tersaji di laga penuh tensi antara Manchester City dan Liverpool ketika Rayan Cherki nyaris mencetak gol dari jarak jauh yang berpotensi menjadi penebang sejarah, sebelum wasit Craig Pawson membatalkannya setelah intervensi Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Kejadian berlangsung di menit-menut akhir pertandingan. The Reds tertinggal 1-2 dan mengerahkan seluruh kekuatan menekan pertahanan tuan rumah. Bahkan kiper Alisson Becker ikut menyusul ke daerah lawan untuk memperkuat serangan. Namun serangan itu justru berujung pada serangan balik kilat City. Melihat gawang Liverpool tanpa penjaga, Cherki langsung melambungkan bola mendatar dari tengah lapangan. Bola meluncur deras menuju gawang kosong, sementara Dominik Szoboszlai dan Erling Haaland berlari mengejarnya. Di luar kotak penalti, Szoboszlai menarik kemeja Haaland agar bisa menyusul bola. Setelah memasuki kotak penalti, Haaland membalas tarikan itu kepada Szoboszlai. Keduanya terjatuh, dan bola tetap masuk ke gawang. Cherki merayakan gol spektakulernya, tapi Pawson memutuskan meninjau monitor VAR. Peninjauan berujung pada dua keputusan penting: pelanggaran oleh Szoboszlai di luar kotak membuatnya dikartu merah, dan gol Cherki dinyatakan batal. Kartu merah otomatis membuat gelandang kunci Liverpool absen di pertandingan berikutnya, memperburuk situasi tim yang gagal menyamakan kedudukan hingga peluit panjang.

Los Angeles — When USC lured Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma in late 2021, the price tag was eye-popping: a contract that now carries one of the largest buyouts in college football history, reported by industry sources to hover around $110 million. Three seasons into his tenure, that investment is facing its stiffest scrutiny yet. Riley’s Trojans closed 2025 at 9-4, an improvement over the program’s 7-6 stumble in 2024 but still short of the playoff standard USC set when it approved the blockbuster deal. With the new 12-team bracket set to debut in 2026, athletic department officials have quietly signaled that merely contending will not be enough. “There’s pressure coming off a 9-4 finish to make something happen as a playoff entrant in 2026,” CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford wrote in his annual list of 25 coaches to watch entering the next carousel. Crawford placed Riley at No. 1, noting that real speculation about Riley’s future surfaced last November before a late surge and the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class, per the 247Sports Composite, temporarily cooled the conversation. The upcoming schedule offers little room for error. USC will meet all three Big Ten programs that reached the 2025 playoff—Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana—during the regular season, hosting the Ducks and Buckeyes while traveling to Bloomington. A 10-2 record is widely viewed inside Heritage Hall as the minimum benchmark to secure a postseason berth. Riley, 41, arrived in Los Angeles with a glittering résumé: three straight College Football Playoff appearances at Oklahoma, two Heisman Trophy quarterbacks in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, and a reputation as one of the sport’s most inventive offensive architects. His first Trojan offense lived up to the billing, as Caleb Williams captured the 2022 Heisman and USC won 11 games. Yet back-to-back losses to Utah—once in the regular season and again in the Pac-12 title game—kept the Trojans out of the playoff, and a porous defense dragged the team to a 7-5 regular-season record in 2023. The collapse cost defensive coordinator Alex Grinch his job. Since moving into the Big Ten, Riley’s record stands at 16-10, hardly the trajectory expected for a coach whose deal eclipses those of most NFL bosses. The 2026 cycle is forecast to be quieter than last year’s whirlwind that saw at least 15 Power Four programs change coaches between late September and early December, meaning seats considered lukewarm now could ignite quickly if on-field results lag. For a coach once labeled the “biggest wildcard” of the previous carousel, the coming months will determine whether Riley can recapture the magic that made him the sport’s hottest commodity—or whether USC’s massive financial commitment becomes the sport’s most expensive reset.

Honolulu—Sports fans converged on Dave and Buster’s in Honolulu on Sunday for a high-energy Super Bowl LX watch party, filling the venue with cheers as the Seattle Seahawks faced the New England Patriots on the biggest stage in football. The restaurant-arcade hybrid, known for its wall-to-wall screens and game-day specials, provided a mainland-style atmosphere in the heart of the islands, drawing local supporters and visitors alike. From kickoff to the final whistle, patrons tracked every play, creating a communal experience that underscored the event’s significance for Hawaii’s passionate football community.

Barcelona moved swiftly to secure the long-term future of teenage midfielder Juan Hernandez on Thursday, announcing that the 18-year-old has signed a contract extension that ties him to the club through June 30, 2028, with an optional additional season. The Aragonese playmaker has been one of the standout performers for Barça Atlètic this campaign, registering four goals and four assists in 20 appearances for the reserve side. His upward trajectory has already earned him two first-team call-ups during the 2025-26 season, and the new deal quashes persistent speculation that Paris Saint-Germain were preparing a free-transfer swoop. Hernandez completed his youth pathway at the Ciutat Esportiva and trained with the reserves before officially joining Barça Atlètic in January, swapping the No. 30 shirt for the No. 20 jersey he could debut when the reserves return to action this weekend. Director of Youth Football José Ramón Alexanco oversaw the signing formalities, underlining the club’s confidence in a player they view as a future first-team contributor. With Dro Fernandez’s departure creating space around the senior squad, Hernandez is expected to train more frequently under first-team supervision, accelerating a progression that has already marked him as one of La Masia’s most exciting modern graduates. For now, supporters and analysts alike have been put on notice: Juan Hernandez is one to watch.

Las Vegas — Super Bowl 60’s halftime show ended with a visual mic-drop that left little doubt about where headliner Bad Bunny stands on the current political divide. As the 13-minute set concluded, the Puerto Rican superstar strode toward the camera while clutching a football emblazoned with the phrase “Together We Are America.” Behind him, dancers hoisted flags from more than two-dozen nations, framing a single U.S. flag at center stage. Above the field, the stadium’s halo board flashed stark black-on-white text: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Moments later Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, delivered a bilingual roll call of countries—Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Italy, the Antilles, United States, Canada—before concluding with “my motherland, my father, Puerto Rico, we are still here now.” He closed with “God bless America,” a signature sign-off of President Donald Trump, though no direct mention of the president was made. The staging echoed comments Bad Bunny offered at the Grammy Awards eight days earlier, when he opened his acceptance speech with “ICE out,” adding, “We are not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.” The artist has since bypassed U.S. dates on his 2025-26 tour, citing safety concerns for fans amid immigration raids. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, asked last Monday whether the league worried about political statements, praised the performer: “Bad Bunny … understood the platform he was on and that this platform is used to unite people.” The set—featuring Cardi B, Jessica Alba and Alix Earle in cameo appearances—drew immediate backlash from Trump supporters and MAGA activists who urged a boycott. Turning Point USA counter-programmed an alternate halftime broadcast headlined by Kid Rock. Whether interpreted as art, activism or both, Bad Bunny’s wordless flag tableau and on-screen maxim ensured the night’s most scrutinized 60 seconds belonged to Latin music’s biggest star—and to the statement he never had to name.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — A dozen years after the “Legion of Boom” delivered Seattle’s first Lombardi Trophy, the Seahawks’ new-age “Dark Side” defense authored an even more suffocating sequel, propelling the franchise to its second Super Bowl title with a 29-13 dismantling of the New England Patriots on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium. First-year head coach Mike Macdonald’s relentless unit set the tone from the opening whistle, sacking Patriots quarterback Drake Maye six times, forcing three turnovers and holding New England scoreless until midway through the fourth quarter. Devon Witherspoon’s jarring hit on Maye’s arm popped a fourth-quarter pass sky-high, allowing Uchenna Nwosu to corral the deflection and race 45 yards for the pick-6 that sealed the championship. “We never waver, man. We believe in each other. We love each other, and now we’re world champions,” Macdonald said amid a confetti shower. Offensively, Sam Darnold—cast aside by two franchises and labeled a bust after being selected third overall in the 2018 draft—managed the game efficiently, finishing 19 of 38 for 202 yards and a 16-yard touchdown strike to tight end AJ Barner. More important, the quarterback who led the NFL with 20 turnovers during the regular season did not commit a single giveaway in three postseason contests. “To do this with this team, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Darnold said. “So proud of our guys, our defense. I mean, I can’t say enough great things about our defense, our special teams.” Running back Kenneth Walker III supplied the offensive fireworks, gouging New England for 135 yards on the ground and becoming the first tailback to capture Super Bowl MVP honors since Hall of Famer Terrell Davis 28 years ago. Kicker Jason Myers etched his name into the record books by converting all five field-goal attempts—boots of 33, 39, 41, 41 and 37 yards—to keep the Patriots at arm’s length while the defense strangled any semblance of rhythm from Maye and company. New England punted on its first eight possessions and did not cross midfield until late in the third quarter. Down 19-0, the Patriots briefly stirred when Maye lofted a 35-yard touchdown to Mack Hollins and later added a 7-yard scoring toss to Rhamondre Stevenson, but Julian Love’s interception in triple coverage extinguished any realistic hope of a Tom Brady-esque comeback. Maye, the 23-year-old runner-up for AP NFL MVP in the closest vote in two decades, finished battered and disappointed. “Definitely hurts. They played better than us tonight,” Maye said. The Seahawks’ triumph avenged their crushing goal-line loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX and ended a 12-year championship drought for the Pacific Northwest. Seattle finished the season 17-3, while New England closed at 17-4 and was denied a record seventh Super Bowl ring, remaining tied with Pittsburgh at six. For Patriots coach Mike Vrabel—the AP NFL Coach of the Year who was attempting to join an elite group to win a Super Bowl as both player and head coach with the same franchise—the defeat stings but signals a program on the rise. “Just reminding them that we’re 307 days into what hopefully is a long, successful relationship and program, and it’s OK to be disappointed,” Vrabel told his locker room. Seattle’s celebration was punctuated by a dazzling halftime show headlined by Bad Bunny, with guest appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, but the lasting image will be the “Dark Side” defense smothering the Patriots’ dreams beneath the California night sky.

Santa Clara, Calif. — When Bad Bunny promised that “the world will dance” during the Apple Music halftime show at Super Bowl LX, he was selling himself short. In 13 minutes of non-stop, Spanish-language spectacle, the Puerto Rican superstar didn’t just make the globe move — he rewrote the rules of America’s biggest sporting ritual. Performing at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night, the six-time Grammy winner became the first Latino and first Spanish-speaking artist to headline a Super Bowl halftime show as a solo act. Clad in all-white and framed by a field of sugar cane, he delivered a set list that spanned his greatest hits — “Tití Me Preguntó,” “Monaco,” “Party,” “Safaera” — without ever switching to English. The history-making display came only seven days after Bad Bunny’s album Debí Tirar Más Fotos became the first Spanish-language release to win the Grammy for Album of the Year, extending a landmark month for Latin music. The 30-year-old artist was technically alone as headliner, yet he shared the stage with an intergenerational constellation of Latin pride. Lady Gaga emerged for a sultry, Latin-tinged take on her Bruno Mars collaboration “Die With a Smile,” while Ricky Martin, whose late-’90s crossover smash “Livin’ la Vida Loca” helped usher Spanish pop onto U.S. airwaves, reprised his role as cultural trailblazer. Between songs, surprise cameos from Karol G, Cardi B, Jessica Alba, Alix Earle and Pedro Pascal kept cameras panning and social media timelines buzzing. Scenes of Puerto Rican life unfolded behind him: older men clacking dominoes, vendors handing out piragua, a couple exchanging vows in an on-stage wedding confirmed as legally binding by Variety and NBC Sports’ Rohan Nadkarni. Dancers in streetwear moved through cane stalks as the stadium screens pulsed with the Caribbean’s colors. Mid-set, Bad Bunny paused to say “God Bless America,” then shouted out every Latin American nation from Mexico to Bolivia, Puerto Rico included. A towering billboard flashed his answer to critics: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” The line doubled as a rebuttal to detractors who have attacked the artist since the NFL announced his halftime slot in September. Conservative commentators objected to his Spanish lyrics and outspoken opposition to former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Turning Point USA counter-programmed an “All-American Halftime Show” headlined by Trump supporter Kid Rock. On Sunday, Trump himself blasted Bad Bunny’s performance on Truth Social, calling it “absolutely terrible” and “an affront to the Greatness of America.” Bad Bunny has never shied from the fray. Accepting the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album earlier this month, he declared, “ICE out,” adding, “We are not animals. We are humans, and we are Americans.” He dedicated that win to “all the people that had to leave their homeland — their country — to follow their dreams.” Sunday’s show offered a similar dedication writ large across America’s most-watched television platform. By the final bar of “Safaera,” the message was unmistakable: the American dream now speaks Spanish, dances reggaetón, and wears a white durag under stadium lights. Bad Bunny first touched a Super Bowl stage in 2020, guesting alongside Jennifer Lopez and Shakira in an Emmy-winning spectacle. Five years later, he returned as the main attraction and left with the culture firmly in his grasp. Green Day, Charlie Puth, Coco Jones and Brandi Carlile provided pregame entertainment, but the night’s enduring image belongs to the boy from Vega Baja who turned a halftime slot into a declaration of belonging — for every Spanish speaker told their language has no place here, and for anyone who still believes love outmuscles hate. Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl takeover wasn’t a departure from tradition; it was the next chapter — proof that the most American dream of all is the one that keeps expanding to include new voices, new rhythms, and new definitions of home.

Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-0 statement victory over Marseille on Sunday night will be remembered for the scoreline, but inside the Parc des Princes the evening carried extra resonance for 19-year-old midfielder Dro Fernandez, who stepped onto the pitch in a PSG jersey for the first time since his January move from Barcelona. Introduced in the second half of the one-sided Classique, Fernandez wasted little time showing why the capital club moved for him during the winter window. Operating in tight spaces and circulating possession quickly, the Spaniard completed 91 percent of his passes and drew three fouls from a frustrated Marseille midfield that struggled to contain his movement between the lines. Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone after the final whistle, the former La Masia graduate could not hide his satisfaction at how quickly he has adapted to life in France. “I am very happy,” he told L’Équipe. “My teammates have helped me since the first day. I felt very comfortable.” Fernandez, who had watched PSG’s last three league matches from the bench, admitted the wait for his debut only increased his anticipation. “Incredible. I really wanted to come here and experience it,” he said. “Yes, it was a very big match. With a spectacular victory like that, everyone is delighted.” The midfielder’s seamless integration has been aided by a dressing-room culture he describes as “easy” and a coaching staff that places faith in youth. “He is an incredible coach,” Fernandez said of his new manager, one of the primary factors that convinced him to swap Catalonia for Paris. “Everyone told me he was an incredible coach, and that’s one of the reasons I signed here. He really relies on young players.” Sunday’s cameo lasted just 23 minutes, but Fernandez insists he is taking a long-term view. “I take the minutes I’m given, I’m not in a rush. I will continue to work so that it continues like this and I get more playing time.” Off the pitch, the transition to a new country has been smoothed by a club infrastructure eager to make him feel at home. “Well, it’s another country, I’m still young. There are difficult moments, but everyone at the club gave me a great welcome and worked to make my settling in easier.” Fernandez, who lifted the UEFA Youth League with Barcelona in 2022, refused to be drawn into direct comparisons with his former employers, yet his parting message carried an unmistakable tone of vindication. “I think this is the best place for me, that’s why I’m here.” If Sunday’s performance is any indication, PSG believe they have found another precocious talent capable of growing alongside their ambitious project. For Fernandez, the journey is only beginning. “I hope to be here for many years and to experience many more” moments like this, he said, already looking ahead to the next chapter of his Parisian adventure.