Tommy Lund

Roberto Mancini is set to return as Italy manager, while Claudio Ranieri will become the Italian Football Federation’s technical director. The appointments follow Gennaro Gattuso’s departure after Italy’s World Cup playoff loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with resignations by Paolo Maldini and Leonardo. Mancini previously led Italy to the 2021 European Championship and Manchester City to its first Premier League title; Ranieri guided Leicester City to the 2016 Premier League crown. Pep Guardiola declined the role, and Andrea Pirlo’s candidacy was reportedly blocked over alleged links to a Russian betting firm. Italy will next face Belgium in the Nations League on 25 September.

Paolo Maldini reportedly resigned as Italian Football Federation technical director only 16 days after his appointment, with adviser Leonardo also leaving. Their departures followed Andrea Pirlo’s withdrawal from consideration as Italy head coach amid political criticism of his sponsorship deal with Russian betting company Fonbet and concerns about his previous coaching record. After Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola reportedly declined the role, attention turned back to former Italy managers Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini.

Paolo Maldini and Leonardo reportedly resigned from senior Italian Football Federation roles only 16 days after joining a management overhaul of the national team. Their departures followed Andrea Pirlo’s withdrawal from consideration for the head-coach position amid political criticism of his sponsorship deal with Russian betting company Fonbet and concerns about his previous managerial record. With Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola having declined the role, attention reportedly shifted back to former Italy coaches Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini.

Andrea Pirlo has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Gennaro Gattuso as Italy manager, but his potential appointment is facing political resistance because of his role as a global ambassador for Russian bookmaker Fonbet. Criticism intensified after Pirlo appeared at a Fonbet event in Moscow during Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine, although he said his involvement was non-political. The Italian Football Federation is assessing the implications, while Paolo Maldini reportedly supports Pirlo. European and Italian politicians, including Pina Picierno, Ignazio La Russa and Carlo Calenda, have questioned whether Pirlo’s commercial ties to Russia and limited coaching experience make him suitable to lead the national team after Italy’s latest failure to qualify for the World Cup.

Nordic combined was removed from the 2030 Winter Olympics after ranking lowest across multiple popularity measures and lacking global participation, despite its century-long presence in the Games. IOC officials cited weak viewership and limited national diversity among medal contenders, while athletes and FIS leadership expressed deep disappointment over the decision and its impact on efforts to introduce a women’s event. The IOC left open the possibility of reinstatement for 2034 and confirmed the inclusion of several other disciplines, including freeride skiing and synchro team figure skating, for the 2030 programme.

UEFA expelled MFK Karvina from the 2025–26 Europa League after determining the club was involved in match-fixing, imposing a fine of 10 million Czech koruna and declaring them ineligible for competition. The decision prompted a reshuffle of European qualification slots for Czech clubs, moving Viktoria Plzen into the Europa League play-off round, Hradec Kralove into the second qualifying round, and Jablonec into the Conference League qualifying rounds. The Czech Football Association had already expelled Karvina from the domestic top division and continues a broad investigation involving dozens of individuals and clubs linked to the match-fixing scandal.

Norway’s synchronized Viking row celebration has become one of the defining images of its World Cup campaign, led by captain Martin Ødegaard and adopted by players, staff and supporters. Swedish players find the gesture overused and reminiscent of Iceland’s earlier celebrations, while Denmark’s absence from the tournament has intensified its resentment. Danish journalist Johnny Wojciech Kokborg described Norway’s celebrations as almost bullying and lamented Denmark’s loss of Nordic football supremacy.

Captains in all four World Cup matches scheduled for Thursday will exchange multilingual pennants bearing the message “We Play Together. We Stand Against Hate” to mark the International Day for Countering Hate Speech. FIFA says its automated protection service has removed 388,000 abusive posts during the 2026 tournament and more than 30 million since its launch before the 2022 World Cup. The initiative comes as FIFA faces criticism over ticket prices, empty seats and controversial hydration breaks, which prompted loud protests from supporters during England’s match against Croatia.

AC Milan have appointed Ruben Amorim as manager following Massimiliano Allegri’s dismissal after the club finished fifth and missed out on Champions League qualification. The appointment gives Amorim his first managerial role since Manchester United dismissed him after a difficult spell that included the club’s worst-ever Premier League finish and defeat in the Europa League final. Amorim previously won two Portuguese league titles and two League Cups with Sporting Lisbon, and will now oversee an overhaul at AC Milan.

José Mourinho has taken a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights challenging a 600,000 Turkish lira fine and a one-match ban imposed by the Turkish Football Federation in November 2024. He argues that the federation’s disciplinary and arbitration panels were not independent, that the decision lacked adequate reasoning, and that the sanctions violated his freedom of expression after comments about refereeing. The court has asked the Turkish government to respond on the independence of the panels and the balance between Mourinho’s speech rights and sporting interests. The report also outlines his move from Fenerbahçe to Benfica and speculation linking him with a return to Real Madrid.

World Gymnastics has immediately ended restrictions imposed on Russian and Belarusian athletes after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, allowing them to compete under their national flags, wear national colours and hear their anthems. The governing body justified the reversal on equal treatment, sporting unity and the separation of sport from politics. The decision applies across all gymnastics disciplines and follows similar moves by United World Wrestling and World Aquatics. It has prompted renewed criticism from governments, including the UK, which opposed the comparable decision to allow the athletes to compete under national flags at the 2026 Winter Paralympics and boycotted the opening and closing ceremonies.

Norway’s Swimming Federation has announced that it will not host international championships while World Aquatics allows Russian and Belarusian senior and junior athletes to compete with their flags, uniforms and anthems. The decision follows a similar move by Poland and a planned effort to build support among Nordic federations. World Aquatics recently restored full membership rights and lifted neutrality restrictions for both countries, reversing measures introduced after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The policy has also triggered criticism and ceremony boycotts at the Paralympic Games, including from the UK government.

Dimitri Payet has announced his retirement from professional football at age 38, ending a 21-year career. The former France international made the emotional announcement during halftime of Marseille’s Ligue 1 match against Lille, following a nine-month spell without a club after leaving Vasco da Gama. Payet earned 38 caps for France, reached the Euro 2016 final, and was particularly celebrated for his creative performances at Marseille and West Ham United.

Women’s cross-country skiers will compete in an Olympic 50km classic race for the first time at the Milano Cortina Games. While Sweden’s Jonna Sundling would prefer the shorter 30km distance because of the race’s length and audience appeal, Norway’s Astrid Oeyre Slind welcomes the additional tactical challenge. Jessie Diggins strongly supports equal racing distances, arguing that women should have the same opportunity as men to compete in an iconic 50km event. The race is being viewed as a milestone for gender equality in Olympic sport.

US Nordic combined athlete Ben Loomis was struck on the shoulder by a leaf blower as he launched from the ski-jump start bar during the Olympic team sprint. The equipment operator failed to move the machine in time, but Loomis was unhurt, declined a second jump because of worsening snow conditions, and finished seventh with teammate Niklas Malacinski. The report also highlights a separate incident in which a dog ran onto the women’s cross-country team sprint course.

Johannes Klaebo won the men’s 10km freestyle cross-country skiing race at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, earning his eighth Olympic gold medal and equalling the Winter Games record. France’s Mathis Desloges took silver and Norway’s Einar Hedegart won bronze. Great Britain’s Andrew Musgrave finished sixth, setting a new national record for the event. Warm conditions made the course difficult, with several skiers reporting severe exhaustion and dizziness.

Finland sent ski jumping head coach Igor Medved home from the Winter Olympics after an alcohol-related breach of team regulations. Medved apologised, while Lasse Moilanen will oversee the team for the remainder of the Games and the Finnish Ski Association will review the matter afterward. The report also covers Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych being disqualified for wearing a helmet deemed to violate the Olympic Charter’s ban on political demonstrations, prompting accusations that the decision benefited Russian propaganda.

South Korean cross-country skiers Han Dasom and Lee Eui-jin were disqualified from the women’s classic sprint qualification at the Winter Olympics after fluorinated wax was detected on their skis. The substance has been banned by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation since the 2023–24 season because it does not biodegrade and can pose health risks to ski technicians. The Korea Ski Association had not commented, while the skiers were not considered medal contenders. Team GB also remained without a medal after losing the mixed-curling bronze-medal match to Italy and recording several fourth-place finishes.

Snoop Dogg says he wants to take an active role in helping Swansea City return to the Premier League after investing in the Championship club. Despite Swansea sitting 16th and outside the play-off places, he remains optimistic about promotion and stresses the need for financial investment. He also hopes to engage with the club’s passionate supporters. Swansea last played in the Premier League in 2018 and were previously promoted under Brendan Rodgers in 2011.

Norway’s World Cup qualifier against Israel in Oslo took place amid pro-Palestinian protests and heightened security. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered near parliament and marched toward Ullevaal Stadium, objecting to Israel’s participation because of the war in Gaza, while other Norwegian fans focused on the chance to move closer to qualifying for their first World Cup since 1998. Police closed entrances, conducted searches and limited attendance. Norway led Group I with 15 points from five matches, and a victory would have put it near qualification. The report also situates the protest in the wider context of the Gaza war, the October 7 Hamas-led attack and a US-backed peace plan.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport will hold a closed-door hearing on August 8 to consider Crystal Palace’s appeal against UEFA’s decision to remove the club from the Europa League and place it in the Conference League. UEFA cited multi-club ownership rules involving Palace chairman John Textor and Olympique Lyonnais, while Palace also failed to meet a March 1 deadline concerning control or influence over another participating club. A ruling is expected on August 11; if Palace loses, Nottingham Forest will take its Europa League place. Palace supporters, including the Holmesdale Fanatics, have protested the decision at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland.

Nineteen-year-old Italian cyclist Samuele Privitera died after crashing during the opening stage of the Giro della Valle d’Aosta in northern Italy. The Hagens Berman Jayco rider reportedly lost his helmet and struck a gate during a descent before being taken to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Authorities are investigating. Race organisers cancelled the second stage, while the third stage is scheduled to proceed on 18 July with a moment of silence; teams may choose whether to continue.