Sports
Rıza Kayaalp set for return as Türkiye eyes medals at Zagreb Open
Türkiye’s wrestling heavyweight Rıza Kayaalp will step back onto the international stage this week, headlining the national team’s campaign at the Zagreb Open Wrestling Tournament in Croatia.
According to the Turkish Wrestling Federation, the competition begins Friday in the Croatian capital and will feature bouts in Greco-Roman and women’s categories.
The tournament runs through Feb. 8 and serves as both a medal test and a key step in preparations for upcoming international competitions.
For Kayaalp, the Zagreb Open marks a long-awaited return to official competition.
The 130-kilogram Greco-Roman standout, a three-time Olympic medalist and one of the most decorated wrestlers in the sport’s modern era, has not competed since June 2024, when he last appeared at a tournament in Hungary.
Kayaalp’s absence followed a four-year ban imposed in July 2024 for the use of a prohibited substance.
The veteran wrestler maintained the substance entered his system through the medication “Vastarel,” which he said he used to treat tinnitus.
He appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and CAS ruled in his favor, clearing the way for his return as of Jan. 1, 2026.
Now back on the mat, Kayaalp resumes a career that already includes five world titles and a remarkable 12 European championships. His appearance in Zagreb is expected to draw close attention as he begins the next chapter of his international career.
Türkiye will field a full squad at the Zagreb Open. In women’s wrestling, the team includes Tuba Demir (55 kg.), Elvira Süleyman Kamaloğlu (57 kg.), Bediha Gün (59 kg.), Nesrin Baş (68 kg.) and Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (72 kg.).
The Greco-Roman lineup features Ömer Halis Recep (55 kg.), Mert İlbars (60 kg.), Murat Fırat (67 kg.), Cengiz Arslan (72 kg.), Yüksel Sarıçiçek (82 kg.), Doğan Kaya (87 kg.), Abdulkadir Çebi (97 kg.) and Kayaalp (130 kg.).
Following the tournament, Turkish wrestlers will remain in the region for international training camps.
Greco-Roman athletes will continue preparations in Zagreb, while the women’s team will travel to Budapest, Hungary, for a separate camp aimed at sharpening form ahead of the next phase of the season.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence from Al-Nassr’s latest league win was not a matter of fitness, form or friction with the coach. It was a message.
Frustration over Al-Nassr’s subdued January transfer window led the Portuguese star to make himself unavailable for Monday’s 1-0 victory over Al-Riyadh, multiple media outlets reported, turning a routine league match into a pointed moment of leverage from one of football’s most demanding competitors.
Ronaldo, who turns 41 on Thursday, opted out of head coach Jorge Jesus’ squad after the Saudi Pro League transfer window closed without a major reinforcement for a club locked in a title race.
Al-Nassr sit second in the standings and are chasing unbeaten leaders Al-Hilal, and Ronaldo reportedly believed the squad needed a statement addition to sustain that pursuit.
The decision was not disciplinary. Ronaldo is neither injured nor ill, and there has been no fallout with Jesus, according to ESPN.
Nor is his long-term future in doubt. He signed a lucrative two-year contract extension in June 2025 that runs through the summer of 2027, reaffirming his commitment to the club and the project.
Al-Nassr still did their job on the pitch.
Sadio Mane’s goal secured a fifth straight league win and pulled them to within one point of Al-Hilal. But the timing sharpened the contrast Ronaldo appears to resent.
On the same deadline day, Al-Hilal moved decisively, finalizing the arrival of Karim Benzema, Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate, after the striker’s contract with Al-Ittihad was terminated. The deal further strengthened an already dominant rival.
According to CBS Sports, senior Al-Nassr officials understand Ronaldo’s frustration, which is directed less at the coaching staff than at the broader investment structure overseen by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which controls Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and two other Pro League clubs.
Perceived imbalances in backing have become a growing undercurrent in the league’s title race.
Al-Nassr’s winter business included modest additions and squad adjustments but no marquee signing. For Ronaldo, that restraint stood out amid a season where margins are thin and expectations, especially his own, remain unforgiving.
Since arriving in Riyadh in late 2022, Ronaldo has delivered relentlessly: 91 league goals in 95 matches, and 961 career goals for club and country, the most in football history. Even at 41, his standards have not softened.
Fenerbahçe completed one of the most dramatic signings in recent Turkish football history early Wednesday by officially securing French midfielder N’Golo Kante, finalizing a deal that unraveled, collapsed and was ultimately revived in the final days of the January 2026 transfer window.
The Istanbul club confirmed the signing on Wednesday, announcing that the 34-year-old World Cup winner had joined on a 2.5-year contract running through June 30, 2028.
Kante arrives from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad following a transfer process shaped as much by administrative missteps and regulatory intervention as by player resolve.
What began as a straightforward high-level swap soon evolved into a test of patience, leverage and institutional credibility.
Early in January, Fenerbahçe, under sporting director Devin Özek, reached an agreement with Al-Ittihad centered on a player-plus-cash deal.
Youssef En-Nesyri was set to head to Saudi Arabia, while Kante would reinforce Fenerbahçe’s midfield, with sources indicating a 4 million euros ($4.7 million) payment balancing the transaction.
FIFA and documents’ saga
All sporting elements fell into place.
Both players agreed personal terms, medical checks were completed, and documentation was prepared ahead of the deadline.
But on the final day of the transfer window, the deal stalled, not over valuation or consent, but over execution.
Al-Ittihad’s incorrect data entries into FIFA’s Transfer Matching System (TMS) prevented the transfer from being validated before the window closed.
With the system locked, the deal collapsed publicly.
Fenerbahçe moved quickly to protect its position, issuing a detailed statement asserting full compliance with regulations and placing responsibility squarely on the Saudi club’s administrative failures.
Behind the scenes, the matter escalated from a bilateral dispute into a regulatory one.
Fenerbahçe opened talks with FIFA, seeking either an exception or an alternative legal route to complete the transfer.
The club’s stance was clear: sporting agreements had been honored, and the failure was procedural, not contractual.
As legal channels were explored, the player himself became a decisive factor.
Kante, whose move to Saudi Arabia in 2023 was financially lucrative but professionally transitional, had grown increasingly determined to return to Europe ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
When the transfer stalled, he refused to train with Al-Ittihad, signaling unmistakably that his future lay elsewhere. The decision, while risky, shifted the balance of power.
Faced with a player unwilling to continue and a deal already complicated by procedural error, Al-Ittihad relented.
The club agreed to mutually terminate Kante’s remaining contract, originally set to expire in the summer of 2026, allowing FIFA to authorize the move outside the collapsed TMS framework.
The resolution also freed En-Nesyri’s transfer to proceed independently.
By early February, the impasse had been cleared.
Fenerbahçe finalized Kante’s registration, completed Turkish Football Federation (TFF) paperwork and unveiled the signing with a measured but symbolic announcement: “Welcome to our Fenerbahçe, N’Golo Kante.” Internally, the message was more pointed, persistence, the club stressed, had prevailed.
Financially, the deal reflected compromise on all sides.
While Kante earned up to 20 million euros annually in Saudi Arabia, Turkish media reported he accepted a salary closer to 8 million euros per season.
Transfer sources maintain that Fenerbahçe still compensated Al-Ittihad in the 3-4 million-euro range, despite early speculation the termination would allow a free transfer.
Transformative move
Kante’s career credentials remain among the strongest of his generation: the engine of Leicester City’s improbable 2015-16 Premier League title, a Champions League winner and domestic champion with Chelsea, and a World Cup cornerstone for France in 2018.
His reputation, built on relentless ball recovery, positional intelligence and tactical discipline, has endured well into his thirties.
At Al-Ittihad, Kante made 79 appearances and scored eight goals across competitions, maintaining elite physical output while contributing to domestic success alongside stars such as Karim Benzema and Fabinho.
Fenerbahçe officials believe that experience, rather than diminishing his value, sharpens it.
Under coach Domenico Tedesco, Kante is expected to anchor midfield alongside Matteo Guendouzi, forming a French partnership designed to control tempo, protect defensive transitions and stabilize high-pressure matches.
His presence allows attacking players greater freedom and offers tactical flexibility in both domestic and European competitions.
Equally significant is the off-field impact. Kante is viewed as a cultural stabilizer, an understated leader whose professionalism sets standards in training and match preparation.
Club sources expect him to play a mentoring role for younger players while helping Fenerbahçe navigate decisive phases of the season.
International ambition also factors heavily into the move.
Kante has recently re-entered France’s national team rotation and views consistent European competition as essential ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Galatasaray return to Ziraat Turkish Cup action on Wednesday aiming to stay perfect in Group A when they host second-tier Istanbulspor at RAMS Park.
Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. local time in Istanbul, in a matchup that carries both immediate stakes and longer-term significance for the hosts.
Galatasaray are navigating one of the most congested stretches of their season, balancing Champions League demands with a domestic title push, while seeking to reassert their authority in a competition they view as unfinished business.
The Turkish giants lead Group A with six points from two matches, having opened with a controlled 1-0 home win over Istanbul Başakşehir before grinding out a 2-1 away victory against Fethiyespor.
The format allows each team to face only four of the seven group opponents, making efficiency critical.
Another win would put Galatasaray within touching distance of direct qualification for the knockout stage ahead of their final group trip to Alanyaspor.
Rotation is expected to be central to Okan Buruk’s approach.
With league and European fixtures arriving every few days, the Galatasaray coach is likely to lean on squad depth, offering minutes to players who have seen limited action while protecting core starters from overload.
The match also provides a platform to assess depth options under competitive pressure rather than friendly conditions.
Two absences are already confirmed. Leroy Sane remains sidelined after suffering damage to the lateral ligaments and joint capsule in his right ankle during the Champions League clash with Manchester City, an injury that has disrupted Galatasaray’s attacking rotation.
Arda Ünyay will also miss out after sustaining a mild-to-moderate strain to his left hamstring in the previous cup match against Fethiyespor.
Even amid rotation, the spotlight is expected to fall on Mauro Icardi.
The Argentine forward stands on the brink of club history: one more goal would move him past Gheorghe Hagi as Galatasaray’s all-time leading foreign scorer.
Icardi drew level with the Romanian legend on 72 goals after scoring against Kayserispor in the league, reaching the mark in just 117 appearances.
The milestone underscores his central role in Galatasaray’s modern era and adds narrative weight to an otherwise routine group fixture.
Form and history both favor the hosts.
Galatasaray are unbeaten in their last eight Turkish Cup matches, a run that includes six wins and two draws since their most recent defeat in February 2024.
Over that stretch, they have scored 19 goals while conceding only six, reflecting a balance that has often defined Buruk’s tenure.
The numbers are similarly lopsided against Istanbulspor.
Galatasaray have won their last six official meetings with the Istanbul-based side, scoring 15 times and allowing just three goals, a dominance dating back to 2004.
While İstanbulspor arrive eager to test themselves against elite opposition, the gap in quality, depth and experience is significant.
Alperen Şengün didn’t make the 2026 NBA All-Star team. One night later, he made sure nobody forgot his name.
The Houston Rockets’ 23-year-old centerpiece delivered one of the finest performances of his young career Sunday night, pouring in 39 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and dishing out five assists to lift Houston past the Indiana Pacers 118-114 on the road.
The win marked the Rockets’ third straight and came just a day after All-Star reserve selections were announced, without Şengün’s name.
“It was a disappointment,” Şengün said afterward. “My goal after last year was to be an All-Star every season. There’s a lot of talent in this league, and I’m still young. I’ll get there. This only pushes me to work harder.”
Şengün’s response was loud and relentless. He logged 35 minutes, shot 13 of 25 from the field, went 13 of 18 at the line and dominated the glass, pulling down seven offensive rebounds.
His scoring and rebounding totals matched season highs, and one of his final boards sealed a game that swung wildly, featuring 18 lead changes and 17 ties.
Houston leaned heavily on its young star, especially with Kevin Durant sidelined, and Şengün delivered with authority, controlling the paint and orchestrating the offense late.
“This isn’t just about being an All-Star,” Şengün said. “I have to prove myself every night. Last month wasn’t great for me, but it’s a new month. I have to be aggressive, remember who I am and how I can dominate games.”
The numbers back up his case.
Through the 2025-26 season, Şengün is averaging roughly 21 points, just over nine rebounds and more than six assists per game while shooting around 50% from the field, production shared by only a handful of players leaguewide, including Nikola Jokic.
He has been a driving force behind Houston’s rise in the Western Conference, where the Rockets entered February with a strong 30-17-type record and growing postseason momentum.
Yet despite more than 1.5 million fan votes, Şengün was left out when Western Conference coaches selected the reserves.
The omission was widely labeled one of the biggest All-Star snubs of 2026, with analysts pointing to the West’s brutal depth, featuring stars like Luka Doncic, Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Durant, and a crowded frontcourt ballot.
Many observers argued that had Şengün played in the Eastern Conference, his selection would have been a formality.
After earning his first All-Star nod in 2024-25 and improving his overall game this season, particularly as a playmaker, expectations were high.
Fenerbahçe’s bold January gamble to lure N’Golo Kante back to European football fell apart at the final hurdle, the club confirmed Tuesday, ending days of mounting anticipation around what would have been one of the Turkish Süper Lig’s most eye-catching midseason moves.
The Istanbul club said the proposed transfer of the 34-year-old French midfielder from Saudi side Al-Ittihad was cancelled due to administrative failures beyond Fenerbahçe’s control, despite agreements being reached and medical procedures completed.
Kante, a World Cup winner with France and a cornerstone of Chelsea’s title-winning teams, had emerged as Fenerbahçe’s top midfield target as the club sought experience and balance during the January 2026 window.
With his contract at Al-Ittihad running through June 2026, the move was framed as a rare chance to bring elite pedigree back into the Süper Lig.
Negotiations accelerated in late January. Fenerbahçe executives traveled to Saudi Arabia, personal terms were agreed and Kante was reportedly prepared to accept a steep pay cut to return to Europe, an indication of his desire to remain visible for future national-team considerations.
The deal structure hinged on a swap that would have sent Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri to Al-Ittihad, alongside a cash payment believed to be in the 4 million ($4.7 million) range.
By all indications, the final steps were procedural. That, according to Fenerbahçe, is precisely where the process unraveled.
In a detailed statement, the club said it had uploaded all required documents correctly and on time into FIFA’s Transfer Matching System, secured medical clearance and completed its share of the registration process.
The transfer stalled, Fenerbahçe said, when Al-Ittihad entered incorrect information into the system and failed to correct it before the deadline.
Fenerbahçe added that it sought deadline extensions and held discussions with FIFA in an attempt to salvage the move, but received no resolution or justification from the opposing club.
With time expiring, both Kante’s arrival and En-Nesyri’s departure were voided.
The collapse stunned supporters, especially after club officials had publicly hinted that an announcement was imminent.
En-Nesyri had even appeared to say farewell to teammates after a recent cup appearance, underlining how close the deal came to completion.
While Fenerbahçe did reinforce the squad elsewhere during the window, missing out on Kante deprived the club of a proven, high-profile anchor at a crucial point in the season.
Kante, meanwhile, remains with Al-Ittihad, his European return postponed by a reminder that in modern football, elite transfers can still hinge on clerical precision as much as ambition.
Fenerbahçe said it will continue pursuing its sporting objectives with the same resolve, even as one of the window’s most dramatic pursuits ends not on the pitch, but in the paperwork.
Zeynep Sönmez’s breakthrough at the Australian Open has translated into a defining leap on the WTA rankings, confirming her arrival as a genuine force on the global stage.
The Turkish national climbed 33 places to No. 79 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association rankings, released after the season’s opening Grand Slam in Melbourne.
She had begun the tournament ranked No. 112, hovering just outside the elite tier.
What followed was a performance that reshaped both her ranking and her reputation.
Sönmez advanced to the third round at Melbourne Park, becoming the first Turkish woman in the tournament’s history to reach that stage. In doing so, she delivered one of the most significant Grand Slam results ever achieved by a Turkish player in the Open Era.
Her run was built on authority rather than fortune.
Coming through the qualifying rounds, the 23-year-old displayed composure against higher-ranked opponents, earning victories that highlighted her improved shot tolerance, court coverage and mental resilience.
Even in defeat in the third round, Sönmez pushed her opponent deep, underscoring how narrow the margins had become between her and the sport’s established names.
The ranking surge reflects more than a single hot week.
Sönmez has been trending upward for over a year, breaking into the top 70 last season and reaching a career-high No. 69.
That rise marked her as Türkiye’s top-ranked female singles player and a central figure in the country’s Billie Jean King Cup ambitions.
Melbourne, however, represented a different level of validation. Grand Slams remain the sport’s most unforgiving proving ground and Sönmez’s ability to sustain her level across multiple matches signaled a maturation in her game.
Her aggressive baseline style, improved serving efficiency and growing tactical discipline have begun to translate into consistent results against top-100 opposition.
Now ranked inside the top 80, Sönmez enters the remainder of the season with momentum, visibility and belief.
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