Lance Morris will be sidelined for the next 12 months after undergoing back surgery. That rules him out for all of Australia’s cricket fixtures, including the big Ashes series against England. The 27-year-old has been on the fringe of being a regular for the Australian national team. He was initially selected for this past week’s One-Day International match against South Africa.
Morris knows this is the right decision
Despite the heartbreak of missing cricket, the back surgery was worthwhile. Morris feels he needed to do this.
He said, ‘I feel this is the most logical way to realise my full potential and return to my very best cricket for the Perth Scorchers, Western Australia, and Australia long in the future’.
Morris would have made his Ashes debut in November 2025. He was on track to be part of that Australian team, but that won’t happen due to this injury.
Newcastle’s chase for a new front man hit a wall as Wolves turned down a £50m bid for Jørgen Strand Larsen. The rejected deal highlights the challenges the Magpies face in securing a top striker with the September transfer deadline approaching.
Wolves made Strand Larsen’s loan stay permanent for £23m last month after he scored 14 goals. Boss Vitor Pereira was clear: ‘He is a very important player for us. I haven’t spoken with him about it. He is committed to the team. He likes to win, and he is a fighter.’
Newcastle need goals. Callum Wilson left last month when his contract expired, while two bids for Yoane Wissa were also turned down by Brentford. They also lost to champions Liverpool, with Anthony Gordon sent off. Alexander Isak, who has made his wish to join Liverpool clear, remains away from first-team training as Newcastle refuse to budge on their terms.
With failed bids for both Wissa and Strand Larsen, Newcastle face a race against time to bring in at least one striker before the transfer window closes.
The Esports World Cup Foundation has announced that Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is set to host the first Esports Nations Cup in November 2026. This exciting event will occur every two years, featuring national teams in North America, South America, Europe, MENA, Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.
The event will have both team-based and solo games. Players can join by world rankings, regional events, or wildcard spots. This way, it stays fair and open for everyone. The ENC will offer guaranteed prize pools for all titles included, with organisers assuring that the tournament will be fair.
Game publishers such as Electronic Arts, Krafton, Tencent, and Ubisoft will be involved in the event, which means that popular games of first-person shooters, battle royale, sports simulations, and MOBAs will appear in the competition.
This upcoming esports tournament will prepare Riyadh, as Saudi Arabia will also host the Olympics Esports Games in 2027, another massive esports event.
New Zealand’s cricket team faces a tough challenge as they prepare for the upcoming T20I series against Australia. Three key players will miss the matches due to injuries. Will O’Rourke, a promising young bowler, has a stress fracture in his lower back. This injury will keep him out for at least three months.
Glenn Phillips is also sidelined as he recovers from a groin injury. He’ll be reassessed in a month. Finn Allen, another key player, is set for surgery on his right foot, which will keep him out for three months.
Adding to the team’s worries, captain Mitchell Santner is dealing with groin pain. He’ll undergo surgery and needs a month to recover. His leadership and skills are vital for the team, especially in these crucial matches.
New Zealand must adapt quickly and find new talent to step up in this critical series against Australia.
UP Yoddhas have officially launched their new jersey for the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 12. The kit was revealed on Thursday, 21 August, at the event in Lucknow, India. It is bright and fiery, reflecting the team’s identity and spirit, giving fans a fresh look to rally behind as the season approaches.
Alongside the jersey reveal, UP Yoddhas also confirmed its leadership group for the upcoming PKL 12. Defender Sumit Sangwan has been appointed captain, with Ashu Singh serving as vice-captain. Both players have been part of the Yoddhas setup since Season 7, making them trusted figures within the camp.
Head coach Jasveer Singh praised the leadership choices, noting the balance of experience and youthful energy in the team. The Yoddhas have retained 13 players from last year, along with fresh signings and six graduates from their developmental side, Yuva Yoddhas. With a stable core and promising new additions, the team looks set for a competitive season.
Sangwan expressed his pride in being named captain, highlighting the faith shown in him by the management. He said the team were united and determined to put in a strong performance in Season 12.
Guild Esports, the London-based esports org once backed by David Beckham, has confirmed its closure after being placed into insolvency. The company was listed for sale last August 14, but failed to attract buyers. This has pushed them to shut their doors and auction off their assets.
Guild Esports once pushed itself as a leader for inclusion in esports. On Guild Esports’ official X (Twitter) post, they pointed out financial issues and the current economic climate as the reason they can’t move forward.
Unpaid players and staff
After the announcement, players and content creators shared concerns about the lack of payment, as unpaid invoices were never addressed in the post.
Notably, Apex Legends player, Benjamin ‘Jesko’ Spaseski, revealed that Guild withheld $40,000 meant for a signed player, with no responses from them after reaching out for six months.
Esports host Frankie Ward also shared how she hasn’t received a single invoice for 2025. She also noted that ‘insolvency means they probably won’t [pay us].’ Still, she is hoping they’ll get to hear from the Guild about payment plans.
Crystal Palace made history with a 1-0 win over Fredrikstad in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round, yet the night felt split. The win marked the club’s first step in Europe in 27 years, but fans also faced the loss of key man Eberechi Eze, who is set to join Arsenal.
At Selhurst Park, many wore shirts with ‘Eze 10’ and held signs of gratitude for the midfield star. Coach Oliver Glasner later said Eze would not play for Palace again. Still, joy broke out when Jean-Philippe Mateta struck a header in the second half, giving Palace their first goal in a European competition since 1998.
The club entered this run fresh from their FA Cup and Community Shield wins, which had first placed them in the Europa League. That slot was cut by UEFA due to club share rules, leaving Palace to fight in the lower tier.
Chairman Steve Parish noted that life must go on after Eze, with new signings due. Yet, more exits may come, as Marc Guéhi is linked with a move to Liverpool.
After weeks of negotiations between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur, Eberechi Eze is headed to Arsenal. It is a sudden hijacking of the move by the red side of North London, as Eze has chosen to make the move from South London to the Emirates.
The now-former Palace player is set to join his boyhood club. He played in Arsenal’s Hale End Academy as a youngster, but was released as a 13-year-old. Now, he has made his move back to Arsenal as a 27-year-old, playing as one of the featured stars of the senior squad.
Eze provides Arsenal with a new world of options
With Eze joining Arsenal, his skill set provides many possibilities with the squad setup. They already have a set attacking midfielder with Martin Ødegaard. However, Eze can be a competition to him, but he can also play with the Arsenal captain.
Most people believe that Eze could be the answer to Arsenal’s struggles with the left-hand side. Gabriel Martinelli was superb during the 2022-23 Premier League campaign, scoring 15 goals and dishing out five assists.
Unfortunately, he has dropped off since that campaign, struggling with only 14 goals and eight assists across 68 Premier League matches over the past two seasons. With Eze joining the club, he provides a competitor and a likely replacement in the starting XI.
The added depth is also a big strength, as Arsenal dealt with all kinds of injuries in the 2024/25 season. As long as he stays healthy and productive, manager Mikel Arteta will keep him playing.
Eze has the winning mentality required to succeed
Since he was released as a youngster by Arsenal, Eze has developed a mentality that has made him a stellar player. He went from playing in the EFL Championship for Queens Park Rangers before earning a move to Crystal Palace. In South London, Eze became one of the most promising players, which the England national team took note of.
Eze’s Palace career was a strong display of loyalty and success, culminating in an FA Cup win in 2025, when he scored the winning goal against Manchester City. That winning pedigree is what he will bring to Arsenal.
Arsenal fans are ecstatic with his arrival
It is safe to say that Arsenal fans are ecstatic with Eze’s arrival. He is already immortalised in a mural on a tunnel wall near the Emirates Stadium. Fans on social media have praised the signing, especially since they got a player over their bitter rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.
Overall, this is a fantastic move for Arsenal, especially with what he provides on the pitch as a footballer and off the pitch as a likeable person.
Ravi Bopara is enjoying the later part of his cricket career with the same energy he’s always had. The former England all-rounder is also starting to move into coaching. Now 40, he still plays for Northamptonshire. This season, he’s scored key runs in T20 games, including an unbeaten 84 from 45 balls against Derbyshire.
While his bowling may have slowed down, he still makes a mark with the bat. Currently, achieving 10,000 career runs is among his goals. So far, he has played 171 games for England in different formats. Since then, he hasn’t played international cricket. Still, his career highlights like scoring three Test hundreds in a row in 2009 stand out.
Looking back on his journey, Bopara says he often took on too much and wished he had played with more freedom. After leaving Essex in 2019, his career in franchise cricket has grown. He’s done especially well in the Pakistan Super League, where he’s now head coach of Karachi Kings.
Even though he didn’t play in The Hundred this year, Bopara stays hopeful about opportunities that may come later. Looking forward, his goal is simple: ‘One day, I want to coach England’, he says with a smile, still driven by the game’s tests and openings.
Top football leagues in Europe are once again looking at the idea of holding league games far from their home fields. Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A are at the front of this push, with talks about games in the United States, the Middle East, and even as far as Australia. This plan shows how the sport is chasing more fans worldwide, yet it has already caused heated debate. Many fans and groups feel that moving games abroad is a step away from the roots of the game.
La Liga’s vision for America
La Liga has long set its sights on the United States. In past years, the league moved its Supercopa to Saudi Arabia and signed TV deals with US networks. League leaders now see Miami as the top choice for Spain’s first league game outside Europe. The city’s mix of culture and its strong Hispanic crowd make it the key place to launch such a bold step.
This would not be the first try. Back in 2018, La Liga planned a Barcelona vs. Girona game in Miami. That plan was blocked after fans, players, and groups spoke out, with courts and football bodies also saying no. Even with that failure, La Liga has not dropped the dream. League bosses feel that with more US growth in football, the idea may now stand a stronger chance.
Serie A targets Australia
Serie A has its eyes on Australia. Italian clubs still have a strong link to people with roots in Italy who live abroad. In cities like Melbourne and Sydney, fans still follow Serie A closely, and games draw huge crowds on TV. Leaders of the league believe that a real match in Australia could fill major stadiums, with world media ready to cover the story.
The local A-League has had a hard time pulling fans in recent years. Many people in Australia still watch European clubs more than their own league. A Serie A game played in Melbourne, for instance, could draw both Italian fans and locals who love big football stars. It could also open doors to Asia-Pacific markets that sit close to Australia in time zones.
Financial drive behind the plans
Fans across the world already follow clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, and AC Milan. These clubs travel every year on summer tours in the US and Asia. Those games are friendlies, but they still bring in full stadiums and huge sums. League bosses now ask, if friendlies make this much, how much more could a real game bring?
The pressure is even higher because of the Premier League. England’s top flight has already built a huge lead in global rights and TV money. For La Liga and Serie A to keep up, they feel the need to break new ground. Games in the US, with a rising love for football and the 2026 World Cup on the way, are worth huge sums. Australia also offers space to grow, with fewer local rivals and a crowd that still holds European football in high regard.
Opposition at home
Still, the plan is jagged; fans in Spain and Italy are unhappy with this push. Groups that stand for the fans say league bosses have no care for the loyal people who fill the stands each week. Many in Spain recall the failed Miami match and do not trust that the league will listen. In Italy, some fan clubs warn that games abroad would feel fake, built more for show than for real football life.
The players and coaches also worry. Travel takes a toll; a long flight and time zone shifts can wear out athletes in the middle of a hard season. Coaches fear some clubs may lose fair play if one has to travel far while another plays at home. Even TV networks raise doubts about how to fit such games with deals they already signed for home matches.
Premier League watches and waits
With Spain and Italy making moves, eyes turn to England. Could the Premier League, the richest and most-watched league of all, take the same path? The Premier League already streams in 212 lands and reaches more than 600 million homes. The fan base is global, with billions watching. That scale makes the idea of abroad games tempting.
This is not new for the league. In 2008, the idea of an extra Premier League game made the news. That plan called for one more round of games, played outside England. Fans and leaders of the sport fought hard against it, and it was dropped. Yet, with the way sport is now run, such an idea may rise again.
Lessons from Spain and Italy
The Premier League is in no rush, but it will watch closely. If La Liga and Serie A can make the plan work, filling stadiums and building new fan ties, the English league may follow. If those leagues face too much heat, then the Premier League may stick.
The truth is, the Premier League does not need this move as much as others. It already sits on top in rights and money. However, giving fans abroad a chance to see live matches could deepen love for the league. Fans in Asia, the US, and Africa may be loyal from afar, yet seeing a match up close could lock them in for life.
Balancing tradition and change
Football is both local and global. Fans want the sport to stay close to home, tied to clubs, towns, and rivalries. On the other side, leagues and clubs chase growth, with no borders in mind. Both sides hold valid points.
This makes FIFA’s stance key. The body has long blocked league games from moving abroad. Leaders fear that the move could ruin local balance or clash with busy calendars. Any plan to play away would need many green lights, not just from FIFA, but also from local football groups and unions.
The final score on expansion
Talks are still fresh, no La Liga or Serie A games abroad are set in stone, but deals are in the works with cities like Miami and Melbourne. The Premier League is silent for now but stands ready to act once rivals show results. One clear thing is that Europe’s top leagues are looking out to the world. Whether fans in Spain, Italy, or England can accept this change is still up in the air.
