Sports
Messi cleared by MLS after tunnel video sparks ref controversy
Lionel Messi will face no punishment after Major League Soccer concluded he did not breach any policy in a post-match incident following Inter Miami’s season-opening defeat to Los Angeles FC.
The league moved swiftly after a video circulated online Saturday night appeared to show Messi heading toward the referees’ area inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The footage, first shared by Sintesis Deportes, showed Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez briefly grabbing Messi’s arm as the Argentine approached a doorway in the tunnel.
Messi slipped free, disappeared from view for several seconds, then re-emerged and walked back toward the dressing room with his teammates.
Speculation spread quickly.
MLS shut it down just as fast.
An MLS spokesperson confirmed that the door in question was not the referees’ locker room and that Messi did not enter a restricted area.
The Professional Referee Organization, which oversees officials in MLS, independently reviewed the sequence and spoke directly with the match crew.
Its conclusion matched the league’s: Messi never accessed the officials’ locker room and did not violate any policy.
No complaint was filed by the match officials. The matter was not referred to the MLS Disciplinary Committee. The case was closed.
The clarity of the ruling stands in contrast to a 2023 episode involving FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga, who entered a referees’ locker room after a playoff match and was suspended three games for misconduct.
That incident involved a clearly restricted space and resulted in disciplinary action. Messi’s situation did not.
Messi’s record with MLS discipline remains limited and unrelated to officiating.
He served a one-match suspension last summer for missing the MLS All-Star Game without approval and was fined during the 2025 season for violating the league’s hands-to-the-face policy. He has never been sanctioned for conduct involving referees.
The controversy unfolded after Inter Miami’s 3-0 loss to Los Angeles FC in front of a packed house at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Goals from David Martinez, Denis Bouanga and Nathan Ordaz spoiled the Herons’ opener and left Messi visibly frustrated at times during the match. He played the full 90 minutes but did not register a goal or assist.
Inter Miami, the defending MLS Cup champions, now turn the page. They return home next Sunday to host Orlando City, with Messi fully available and no disciplinary cloud hanging over the club.
Arsenal’s hopes of a first Premier League title in 22 years suffered a major blow with Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester City, renewing the familiar specter of Pep Guardiola’s side surging past them in the title race.
Mikel Arteta’s men remain on top of the table for now but could be knocked off their perch for the first time in 2026 when City, with a game in hand, visit doomed Burnley on Wednesday.
Arsenal had lost just three times in 49 games this season before last month’s League Cup defeat to City.
But they have won just one of their past six games, including four consecutive defeats in domestic competitions, as they contemplate another trophyless season.
It is a case of history repeating itself for long-suffering Arsenal fans, who have seen their side finish second in the Premier League for the past three seasons.
In both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns, Pep Guardiola’s relentless team reeled in Arteta’s side, while last season the Gunners finished behind a resurgent Liverpool.
Once again, City have hit their stride when it matters most, just as Arsenal have run out of steam.
Guardiola has now won 31 of his 39 Premier League games in April as he eyes a seventh title during his decade in Manchester.
By contrast, Arteta has overseen just 11 victories in 27 April league fixtures during his six-and-a-half years in charge.
Arteta was keen to stress that fortune had not favored his side in a game of fine margins at the Etihad.
While Arsenal clearly showed signs of nerves in losing at home to Bournemouth last weekend, they took the game to City and were undeterred by Rayan Cherki’s brilliant opener.
Kai Havertz charged down Gianluigi Donnarumma’s attempted clearance to level almost immediately and Arsenal had plenty of other chances.
Eberechi Eze’s shot somehow came off the post and along the line rather than into the net when the score was 1-1 and Gabriel Magalhaes’s deflected header also came off the post in a frantic finale.
But Arsenal have only themselves to blame for repeated failings that have not been addressed.
Havertz missed two huge chances in the second half – the German international failed to beat Donnarumma when one-on-one before heading over when unmarked deep into stoppage time.
Arteta fell to his knees in the technical area in despair.
After an injury-disrupted 18 months, Havertz was thrust into action for the full match as Arteta left Viktor Gyokeres on the bench until the final minutes.
The Swede was the man signed to solve Arsenal’s need for a prolific No. 9 in last summer’s transfer window.
Gyokeres is the club’s top scorer with 18 goals in all competitions, but he has rarely looked as if he is the answer against top-quality opposition.
Ruthless City
Arteta admitted that City were sharper in attack.
“We proved that we are there, but the reality is that in the two boxes there was a difference,” said Arteta. “That’s what we think is the difference between the two sides, the finishing in the boxes.”
“There is an element of luck, there is an element of timing, of execution. There are a lot of things that have to be your way,” he added.
“At the end, winning or not winning is going to come down to this moment. There are certain individual moments that you need in order to achieve what we want,” Arteta said.
For Guardiola, Erling Haaland proved the value of a world-class striker.
The Norwegian had been well-marshalled in a bruising battle with Gabriel, but stole ahead of his marker to slot home the winning goal and his 47th for club and country this season.
“You can see the difference today on the field and those top players made a difference today,” former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira told Sky Sports.
“They will feel the pressure more now. I always question the mental strength of the team and I will question it more now regarding the result today.”
The Orlando Magic upset the Detroit Pistons 112-101 Sunday, while defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics opened the NBA playoffs with emphatic victories.
The Thunder, trying to become the first team since Golden State in 2017 and 2018 to repeat as champions, came out firing in a 119-84 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
The Celtics, seeded second in the Eastern Conference behind Detroit, dominated the Philadelphia 76ers 123-91.
San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama, meanwhile, made a triumphant playoff debut, scoring 35 points as the Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98.
Oklahoma City looked rested and recharged after a week off since they locked up the Western Conference top seed and best record in the league.
But Eastern Conference top seeds Detroit looked rusty and the Magic, who battled through the play-in to bag their playoff berth, took advantage.
Paolo Banchero scored 23 points and Franz Wagner scored 11 of his 19 in the fourth quarter as the Magic withstood a 39-point performance from Pistons star Cade Cunningham.
Detroit trailed by as many as 13 in the first quarter and by 11 early in the third. A Cunningham 3-pointer tied it midway through the third, but the Magic pulled away again.
“I liked our composure the whole game, our energy,” Wagner said after the Magic handed the Pistons an 11th straight home playoff defeat, a skid dating back to 2008.
“(We) just didn’t come out with the right energy, gave them life early on,” Cunningham said. “Then we had to deal with that for the rest of the game.”
But Cunningham remained confident that the Pistons can turn things around in the best-of-seven first-round series.
“There’s no confidence drop from us,” he said. “It’ll be a long, fun series.”
Fans were revved in Oklahoma City, where reigning NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 25 points.
He connected on just five of 18 from the field but made 15 of his 17 free throw attempts and added seven assists and two blocked shots before sitting out the entire fourth quarter.
Jalen Williams added 22 points and Chet Holmgren scored 16 for the Thunder.
Devin Booker scored 23 points for Phoenix, but the Suns were otherwise stifled by the Thunder.
“It was a great defensive performance,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We forced them to earn everything.”
In Boston, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 51 points as the Celtics led wire-to-wire against the Sixers.
‘Incredible feeling’
Tatum led the charge, racking up 21 of his 25 points in the first half. Brown poured in 16 of his 26 in the third quarter alone.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Tatum, whose unexpected late-season return from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in last year’s playoffs has plenty of pundits picking Boston, not Detroit, to emerge from the East.
“Not too long ago, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to play this season, let alone get an opportunity to play in the playoffs.”
In San Antonio, the second-seeded Spurs led by as many as 16 points on the way to a 59-49 halftime lead.
Portland, led by 30 points and 10 rebounds from Deni Avdija, cut the deficit to two early in the third quarter.
But the Spurs pulled away again, thrilling the San Antonio fans who have waited since 2019 to see the five-time champion franchise return to the playoffs.
“We were solid, but job’s not done,” said Wembanyama, who earlier in the day joined Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver’s Nikola Jokic as a finalist for regular-season MVP honors.
Fenerbahçe reclaimed the EuroLeague Women title Sunday with a commanding 68-55 victory over archrival Galatasaray in an all-Turkish final in Zaragoza, Spain.
The win helped the Istanbul giants secure their third crown and reassert dominance in Europe’s premier women’s basketball competition.
Playing at Pabellon Principe Felipe, both teams struggled to find rhythm early, with Fenerbahçe edging a tight first quarter 17-16 despite Galatasaray’s strong defensive presence in the paint.
Galatasaray briefly took control in the second period with an 8-0 run to lead 27-25, but Fenerbahçe responded through efficient inside play, led by Iliana Rupert, to carry a 37-32 advantage into halftime.
Fenerbahçe tightened their grip in the third quarter, sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers from floor general Julie Allemand.
While Galatasaray stayed within reach behind efforts from Elizabeth Williams and Smalls, Fenerbahçe maintained a 51-45 lead heading into the final period.
The defending champions then pulled away in the fourth quarter, stretching the margin into double digits and closing out a comfortable 68-55 win.
Allemand was named Final Six MVP after delivering a near triple-double in the final with 13 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.
Across the tournament, she averaged 12.5 points, 7.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game, underlining her pivotal role in Fenerbahçe’s title run.
Teammate Emma Meesseman further cemented her legacy as one of the competition’s all-time greats by claiming her seventh EuroLeague Women title, the most by any player in the modern era.
The Final Six All-Star Five featured Allemand and Meesseman alongside Galatasaray’s Williams, Merritt Hempe of host club Casademont Zaragoza and Klara Holm of Spar Girona.
Earlier Sunday, Zaragoza secured their first-ever podium finish by defeating Spar Girona 66-63 in the third-place game, marking a historic achievement for the hosts.
The triumph capped a dominant campaign for Fenerbahçe, who had previously lifted the EuroLeague Women trophy in 2023 and 2024, and now return to the top of European basketball once again.
LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-98 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday, while the Denver Nuggets held off the Minnesota Timberwolves in a physical opener to the NBA playoffs.
The Nuggets, fueled by Nikola Jokic’s 25-point triple-double and 30 points from Jamal Murray, beat the Timberwolves 116-105.
The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers also powered to wins in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks beating the Atlanta Hawks 113-102 and the Cavaliers thumping the Toronto Raptors 126-113.
In Los Angeles, 41-year-old superstar James launched his record-equaling 19th playoff campaign with a double-double of 19 points and 13 assists.
He added eight rebounds as the Lakers shook off the injury absences of league-leading scorer Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves with a convincing victory in game one of their best-of-seven Western Conference series.
“We understand the circumstances that we’re in,” James said of a Lakers team that will be without Doncic and Reaves indefinitely after both suffered late-season injuries.
“We don’t have time to wait around, especially versus a hard-playing, well-coached team like Houston. So it was a good first test for us.”
Grimy game
All five Lakers starters scored in double figures, with Luke Kennard leading the way with 27 points on nine-of-13 shooting, including five-of-five from 3-point range.
“He stepped up big-time,” James said.
Turkish center Alperen Şengün scored 19 points to lead the Rockets, who felt the absence of Kevin Durant after the 37-year-old star was ruled out shortly before the game with a bruised knee.
“Hopefully it’s a one-game thing,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said.
In Denver, three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic added 13 rebounds and 11 assists, shaking off a slow start that saw him score just six points in the first half.
Murray scored 17 of his 30 in the first half to keep the Nuggets close and finished a perfect 16 of 16 from the free-throw line.
The third playoff series in four seasons between the teams got off to a physical start, with more than 40 fouls called, a flagrant foul called on Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels and a technical on Denver coach David Adelman.
The Nuggets trailed by as many as 12 in the first quarter before bearing down in the second period and pulling away after the break.
Adelman was pleased with the way his team responded after the early punch from the visitors.
“Winning a grimy game, it’s good,” Adelman said. “Both teams are experienced and used to winning these games. They know what it means to play in a physical match-up. There’s respect … there’s also a want to win.”
Anthony Edwards, battling back from a knee injury, led the Timberwolves with 22 points, and Rudy Gobert added a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds.
‘Always interesting’
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch called the number of free throws awarded to Murray “a head scratcher”.
“Sixteen free throws is a lot,” Finch said. “It’s almost as many as we shot all game.”
Countered Murray: “They were real fouls.”
“It was physical,” Jokic said. “Whenever we play them, it’s always interesting.”
In New York, Jalen Brunson scored 28 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 for the Knicks against the Hawks.
Brunson scored 19 in the first quarter alone, and when he cooled off, Towns scored 19 in the second half to keep things rolling for a Knicks team aiming to improve on their trip to last year’s Eastern Conference finals.
In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points to fuel the Cavaliers in a 126-113 win over the Toronto Raptors.
James Harden added a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds and Max Strus scored 24 points off the bench for the Cavs.
RJ Barrett scored 24 points for the Raptors, who never led after the opening minutes and trailed by as many as 24.
Mitchell has now scored at least 30 points in an NBA record nine straight playoff series openers.
Real Sociedad beat Atletico Madrid 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw to win the Copa del Rey final Saturday in Seville, securing the club’s fourth title.
After Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez missed from the spot for Diego Simeone’s Atletico, Pablo Marin smashed home his kick to claim victory for the Basque side.
Ander Barrenetxea had headed Real Sociedad ahead after just 14 seconds, with Ademola Lookman leveling for Atletico.
Mikel Oyarzabal put the Basque side ahead from the penalty spot before the break, but Alvarez rescued Atletico and forced extra time and ultimately penalties with a superb strike.
La Real’s season seemed set to be one of struggle until American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo was appointed in December and he resuscitated their campaign.
“It’s a moment to enjoy, to dream and to believe … the kid who dreamed of this … has done it,” said Real Sociedad goalkeeper Unai Marrero, who saved two penalties.
Champions League semifinalists Atletico, 10-time winners of the cup, were left to lick their wounds and rue mistakes.
“We did everything we could, we had to row against the current from the start,” said Atletico captain Koke.
“We had some chances before the end of the 90 minutes that, if we had scored, would have changed the story.
“We have to congratulate La Real, that’s life. It hurts, but we have to continue.”
At La Cartuja stadium, it was a battle between two teams that often attack fast and direct, and Real Sociedad certainly did that, netting the quickest ever goal scored in a Copa del Rey final.
Goncalo Guedes scampered away down the left on to a long ball, crossing for Barrenetxea to head beyond Juan Musso before the Rojiblancos had even touched the ball.
Simeone’s side, who last won the competition back in 2013 near the start of his 14-year reign, wrestled their way back level through Lookman.
Antoine Griezmann laid off the ball to him on the edge of the box and without much on, the Nigeria international spied a route to goal and drilled into the bottom corner.
Lookman almost created a goal for Griezmann, but Real Sociedad scrambled to block the 35-year-old French forward, who is leaving Atletico at the end of the season for MLS side Orlando City.
Atletico goalkeeper Musso, chosen ahead of the fit-again Jan Oblak after he impressed during the Slovenian’s recent injury absence, handed La Real the lead again just before the break.
Musso clumsily clattered Guedes’ fist first as the Portuguese leapt for a header and the Basque side were awarded a penalty.
Oyarzabal, who scored from the spot when they won the 2020 edition, without their fans present because of the global pandemic, sent Musso the wrong way.
After a first half in which they struggled, Atletico began to build some pressure after the interval.
Griezmann lashed over and Lookman whipped a shot high and wide as La Real tried to stave off the Rojiblancos, who dominated the ball.
Simeone called for his battering ram, sending on Norwegian target man Sorloth to try and force a way through.
Eventually, the goal they craved came from the guile of former Manchester City striker Alvarez instead.
The Argentina forward took a neat touch to spin on the edge of the box and then another to plant the ball in the top corner for his 19th goal of the season.
Blown chances
With La Real caving, Johnny Cardoso should have won it for Atletico in stoppage time. The American fired a golden opening wide of the far post with just goalkeeper Unai Marrero to beat.
Musso made a fine save to thwart Icelandic striker Orri Oskarsson as he tried to turn home a rebound in extra time.
At the other end, Alvarez crashed a shot off the crossbar from long range, with both teams creating enough opportunities to win it before penalties.
Marrero denied both Sorloth and Alvarez on Atletico’s first two penalties, with Musso stopping one from Oskarsson to give Atletico a chance.
However, Marin made no mistake with Real Sociedad’s fifth penalty to spark wild celebrations.
Atletico’s last realistic chance of silverware this season, and something for Griezmann to celebrate on his departure, is in Europe, where they face Arsenal.
“We have a beautiful challenge – we want the Champions League, we will do everything we can to win it, but this is a sad night,” added Koke.
Turkish chess prodigy Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş has become the youngest player in history to surpass the 2700 ELO rating threshold, a milestone that places him among the elite of world chess.
According to a statement from the Turkish Chess Federation on Friday, the 14-year-old grandmaster achieved the feat during the “Clash of Generations III” tournament organized by the Monaco Chess Federation.
Competing in Monaco, Erdoğmuş delivered a dominant performance against former world champion Veselin Topalov, defeating him with a 4-1 score. The result earned him enough rating points to cross the 2700 ELO barrier, widely regarded as the benchmark of chess’s top tier.
With the achievement, Erdoğmuş set a new record as the youngest player ever to reach a 2700 rating at age 14. The previous record was held by Chinese grandmaster Wei Yi, who reached the mark at 15.
Some of the world’s leading players, including world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja and Dommaraju Gukesh, crossed the same threshold at age 16.
Erdoğmuş also set a new national record, achieving the highest ELO rating in Turkish chess history.
Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak congratulated the young grandmaster, praising his “historic achievement” and expressing hope for his continued success.
“National grandmaster Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş has made us proud with his historic accomplishment,” Bak said in a statement. “By surpassing the 2700 ELO threshold in Monaco and becoming the youngest player to enter the elite ranks of world chess, he has set a world record. I congratulate him and thank everyone who contributed to this success.”
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