Sports
Shaq-Erdoğan 2.0 loading as Türkiye prepares for 5G leap
Türkiye is about to enter a new digital era, and basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal is striding onto the court.
With President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan set to unveil the nation’s 5G rollout at the Presidential Complex on March 31, just a day before commercial services hit all 81 provinces, anticipation is running high for what could be another memorable Shaq-Erdoğan moment.
Turkcell has named O’Neal the global face of its “Turkcell Gücünde 5G” campaign, coinciding with the country’s long-awaited next-generation network launch.
The operator secured the largest spectrum allocation in Türkiye’s October 2025 auction, investing $1.5 billion in frequencies and raising an additional $1 billion in financing for 5G and advanced infrastructure.
A recently released teaser shows the 7-foot-1 Hall of Famer walking through Istanbul Airport, where passengers react with shock and delight.
The clip ends with the on-screen message: “Turkcell Gücünde 5G GELİYOR” (“5G is Coming with Turkcell’s Power”), accompanied by a playful nod to Shaq’s giant presence.
Turkcell promises the full-length ad, filmed across multiple Turkish cities, will highlight the network’s speed, coverage, and reliability on all major platforms.
O’Neal’s connection to Türkiye dates to January 2026, when he filmed the campaign and met Erdoğan at the Turkcell Basketball Development Center.
Videos of the playful court session, where Erdoğan reportedly bested Shaq in a mini free-throw contest, went viral, earning the headline “Shaq-Erdoğan showdown.”
The footage has since fueled buzz around the upcoming ad release.
Set to deliver speeds up to ten times faster than 4.5G and ultra-low latency for smart cities, autonomous systems, and industrial applications, the April 1 5G launch positions Turkcell at the forefront of Türkiye’s digital future.
CEO Ali Taha Koç has dubbed 2026 “the Year of Speed,” citing partnerships with Ericsson, ZTE, and other global tech leaders.
Turkcell is also rolling out 5G-ready Superbox devices and promoting upgrades to ensure customers are ready on day one.
Blending celebrity appeal with technological leadership, Turkcell continues its support for Turkish sports while marking a commercial and cultural milestone.
Analysts from Bank of America highlight the launch as a potential growth catalyst.
Rodri has left the door wide open to a potential move to Real Madrid, admitting a return to Spain appeals as he weighs his future at Manchester City following years at the Premier League’s relentless peak.
The Spain international has been the defining presence at the base of City’s midfield under Pep Guardiola, orchestrating play with precision while anchoring one of Europe’s most dominant sides.
His influence reached its pinnacle with the 2024 Ballon d’Or, a recognition that elevated him beyond system player status into global elite territory.
But after seven seasons in England, the toll is beginning to surface.
Rodri spoke candidly about the Premier League’s intensity, describing it as both thrilling and unforgiving, a competition that demands constant physical and mental output. That reality, combined with his recent injury struggles, has prompted a period of reflection.
“I’d like to return, yes, obviously,” he said, acknowledging the pull of La Liga, where he first developed his game.
The timing of those remarks is significant. Rodri will enter the final year of his contract at the end of the season, placing him in a position of leverage.
City are pushing to secure his long-term future, fully aware that his role is central to Guardiola’s structure. Yet the absence of a new agreement leaves the situation open, and increasingly, external interest is gaining relevance.
His recent injury history adds further context.
A serious cruciate ligament injury sidelined him for an extended period, disrupting both his rhythm and City’s balance.
He later admitted the break exposed mental fatigue built up over years of relentless competition, but also offered a reset.
Rodri described returning with renewed energy and enthusiasm, a claim already backed by his performances.
His commanding display in City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal underlined his enduring quality, restoring the control and composure that define his game.
His immediate focus remains on regaining peak condition ahead of the 2026 World Cup, a tournament he views as pivotal. But beyond that horizon, his openness toward Madrid has sharpened attention.
Despite his past ties to Atletico Madrid, Rodri dismissed any emotional barrier to joining their city rivals, pointing instead to football’s evolving landscape where such moves are no longer unthinkable.
“You can’t turn down the best clubs in the world,” he said, referencing Madrid’s stature and the aura of the Santiago Bernabeu.
Inside the Spanish club, admiration for Rodri is well documented.
According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, he is highly regarded within Madrid’s hierarchy, particularly for his ability to dictate high-pressure matches. However, any concrete move depends first on the player’s own decision.
That decision will extend beyond football. Family considerations, lifestyle and long-term ambitions are all expected to shape his thinking, making this a deeply personal crossroads rather than a purely professional negotiation.
For Manchester City, the implications are profound. Rodri is not easily replaced, his positional intelligence and control forming the backbone of Guardiola’s system. His absence has already shown how vulnerable City can become without him.
Senegal have taken their fight for the Africa Cup of Nations crown to the highest legal stage in sport, challenging a stunning ruling that rewrote one of African football’s most dramatic finals weeks after the final whistle.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed it has received an appeal from the Senegalese Football Federation against the Confederation of African Football and Morocco’s federation, after a decision that stripped Senegal of their title and handed the trophy to the hosts.
At the center of the dispute is a final that seemed settled under the floodlights in Rabat, only to be reopened in a boardroom. Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 after extra time on January 18, but CAF later ruled that a temporary walk-off by Senegal’s players during a late penalty controversy amounted to a breach of regulations, overturning the result into a 3-0 forfeit defeat.
Senegal’s appeal asks CAS to nullify that ruling and reinstate them as champions, setting up a landmark case that could redefine the balance between sporting results and administrative authority.
Chaos at the decisive moment
The final’s turning point came deep in stoppage time with the score locked at 0-0. Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty after a VAR review for a challenge on Brahim Diaz by El Hadji Malick Diouf.
What followed was a breakdown in control. Senegal’s players left the pitch in protest, furious at the decision, while sections of the crowd threatened to spill onto the field. Play was halted for nearly 20 minutes in scenes that drew global attention.
Calm eventually returned, led in part by captain Sadio Mane, who persuaded teammates to resume. When the match restarted, Diaz missed the penalty, a moment that shifted the emotional weight of the contest.
Senegal seized that momentum. In extra time, Pape Gueye struck the decisive goal, sealing what appeared to be a hard-fought and historic victory.
The ruling that changed the narrative
Weeks later, CAF intervened with a decision that stunned the football world. Citing tournament regulations, it ruled that Senegal’s walk-off, even though temporary and followed by a completed match, constituted a violation severe enough to forfeit the game.
The governing body converted the 1-0 result into a 3-0 loss and awarded Morocco the title, leaning on strict interpretation of rules designed to prevent teams from abandoning matches.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe defended the process and emphasized that all parties have the right to seek resolution through CAS, signaling that the final outcome now rests with sport’s highest legal authority.
Beyond the result
The case cuts deeper than a single match. It raises fundamental questions about whether football’s outcomes should remain final once decided on the pitch, or whether governing bodies can retroactively alter them through regulatory enforcement.
For Senegal, the argument centers on completion. The team returned, played on and won within the structure of the game.
For CAF, the initial act of leaving the field undermined the integrity of the competition, regardless of what followed.
That tension now sits at the heart of the CAS proceedings.
Players and perception
While officials debate statutes and precedent, the emotional truth of the final remains unchanged for those involved.
Senegal’s players celebrated with the trophy, believing they had secured their second continental crown.
Midfielder Idrissa Gueye publicly reinforced that sentiment, insisting the experience in Rabat cannot be erased.
Morocco’s perspective is more complex. Their players endured defeat in real time, only to be awarded the title weeks later.
For some, it represents justice through the rules. For others, it lacks the authenticity that comes with winning on the field.
What CAS will decide
CAS has indicated it will handle the appeal as swiftly as possible, though the legal and sporting implications suggest a detailed process.
The verdict could set a precedent not only for African football but for global governance, particularly in cases where discipline and competition intersect.
If Senegal’s appeal succeeds, it would reaffirm the principle that matches are ultimately decided by play.
If CAF’s ruling stands, it could mark a shift toward stricter enforcement of regulations, even at the cost of rewriting completed results.
Antoine Griezmann will bring the curtain down on his Atlético Madrid career at the end of the season, with Orlando City SC confirming Tuesday that the French forward will join them on a two-year deal.
The club’s all-time leading scorer becomes the latest high-profile name to head to Major League Soccer, adding experience and star power to the Florida side.
Atletico said Griezmann used a short break from first-team duties to travel to Orlando to finalize the move, securing his next chapter while remaining fully committed to his current one.
Now 35, Griezmann is focused on closing out his decade-long spell in Madrid on a high, targeting a second major trophy after lifting the UEFA Europa League in 2018.
“Let’s leave the future in the future for now, because I’m not leaving yet,” he wrote on Instagram. “I still have months in this shirt, months to give everything, at home and away, to lift the Copa del Rey and to go as far as possible in the Champions League.”
Atlético’s run-in offers no shortage of stakes, with a Champions League quarterfinal against FC Barcelona looming next month, followed by a Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad in Seville on April 18.
Griezmann, who won the 2018 World Cup with France, retired from international football in 2024 after scoring 44 goals in 137 appearances for the national team.
He has scored 211 goals for Atlético, surpassing the previous record of 173 set by Luis Aragones.
Griezmann joined Atlético in 2014 from Real Sociedad and has made 488 appearances for the club. He left for FC Barcelona in 2019 before returning two years later, initially on loan.
Griezmann has scored 13 goals in 43 appearances for coach Diego Simeone’s Atlético this season.
MLS will add Griezmann to the list of well-known players who have made the switch from Europe in recent seasons, including his former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
“He is one of the most gifted, accomplished and influential players of his generation, and his decision to choose Orlando City reflects the mission and culture of our club,” Orlando City owner Mark Wilf said.
“Our focus is on consistently building a championship-caliber roster every year, and adding a world-class player like Antoine reinforces that commitment and our belief in what the club can achieve.”
Orlando, which has played in MLS since 2015, has never won the MLS Cup and has lost four of its first five games of the 2026 season.
Atlético sit fourth in La Liga this term and are well placed to qualify for next season’s Champions League, holding a 13-point lead over fifth-placed Real Betis.
Griezmann will make his move to Orlando in July.
Jannik Sinner advanced to the Miami Open quarterfinals on Tuesday with a straight-sets victory over unseeded American Alex Michelsen, keeping his bid for the “Sunshine Double” alive.
The Italian second seed, seeking to add Miami to his recent Indian Wells triumph, claimed a 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) win in 1 hour, 41 minutes.
Four-time Grand Slam finalist Sinner will meet 19th seed Frances Tiafoe in the last eight after being pushed by 40th-ranked Michelsen.
After a cautious start, Sinner turned up the pressure in the ninth game of the first set, creating three break points. Michelsen held firm, but Sinner finally secured the break in the 11th game and served out to take the opening set.
Michelsen hit back in the second set, breaking Sinner for a 4-2 lead before holding to go up 5-2.
Michelsen appeared to struggle with the bright late-afternoon sunlight on Hard Rock Stadium’s main court, and Sinner came roaring back to force a tiebreak.
Sinner sealed the win with a thumping serve that Michelsen could only return wide.
“I feel like I served very well in important moments, and that helped me out, especially in the tough moments,” Sinner said, unfurling 15 aces to Michelsen’s three.
“But today was not easy. I played a night match yesterday and today in the daytime, so the conditions were very different.”
Qualifier advances
Home favorite Tiafoe advanced to his quarterfinal date with Sinner after battling past France’s Terence Atmane 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
Spanish qualifier Martin Landaluce, ranked 151st in the world, upset American 32nd seed Sebastian Korda, 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.
The win marked another impressive result for the 20-year-old Landaluce, who eliminated Russian 14th seed Karen Khachanov earlier in the tournament.
Korda, who had beaten world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round, held a match point late in the second set, but Landaluce survived to set up a quarterfinal against Czech 21st seed Jiri Lehecka.
Landaluce, who had failed to register a single win at tour level in 2026 before arriving in Miami, dedicated his latest success to his late grandmother.
“She would have been 101 last week, and she passed away a few months ago. I wanted to give her the victory,” Landaluce said.
Lehecka booked his place in the quarterfinals by ousting sixth seed Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 in 2 hours, 25 minutes.
“I just felt that in the third set, if I wanted to beat a guy like Taylor, I just needed to go for it and be aggressive,” Lehecka said.
American 22nd seed Tommy Paul set up a quarterfinal against France’s Arthur Fils after cruising past Argentina’s Tomas Etcheverry 6-1, 6-3.
Fils beat Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4.
Argentina’s 18th seed Francisco Cerundolo followed up his upset of Daniil Medvedev on Monday with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat of French 31st seed Ugo Humbert.
Cerundolo will face Alexander Zverev in the last eight after the German third seed defeated France’s Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-1).
Türkiye stand 90 minutes away from a World Cup playoff final as they host Romania in a high-stakes, winner-takes-all UEFA semifinal in Istanbul on Thursday, where the margin for error is nonexistent and the reward is a step closer to football’s biggest stage.
At Tüpraş Stadium, the stakes stretch far beyond a single night. For both Türkiye and Romania, this is a chance to end long absences from the FIFA World Cup, with neither side having appeared since 2002.
That year still defines Türkiye’s modern football identity. A stunning third-place finish in Japan and South Korea marked only their second World Cup appearance and ended a 48-year drought. It was meant to signal a new era. Instead, it became a distant memory.
Now, under Vincenzo Montella, Türkiye have rebuilt with purpose.
Their qualifying campaign was both efficient and encouraging, finishing second behind Spain with 13 points, a tally that would have topped several other groups. It reflected a side capable of competing at a higher level, even if defensive frailties occasionally surfaced.
That balance remains their defining trait. Türkiye carry attacking sharpness, driven by the creativity of Hakan Çalhanoğlu and the dynamism of Arda Güler, Kenan Yıldız and Kerem Aktürkoğlu, who combined for six goals in qualifying.
Yet questions linger at the back, with goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır expected to continue despite conceding the majority of the team’s goals during the campaign.
Still, the setting may tilt the balance. Istanbul’s intensity has long been a decisive factor, and in a match shaped by fine margins, home support could provide the edge Türkiye need.
Standing opposite them is a team equally motivated by history. Romania’s last World Cup appearance came in 1998, closing a decade in which they reached the knockout rounds in three consecutive tournaments. Since then, near misses and playoff defeats have defined their story.
Now led by Mircea Lucescu, Romania arrive with a different identity. Where Türkiye lean into attacking expression, Romania are built on structure and patience. They qualified through an unbeaten Nations League campaign after finishing third in their group, a route that underlined their resilience rather than dominance.
Their threat lies in efficiency. Ianis Hagi, Florin Tănase and Dennis Man shared six qualifying goals, while Daniel Bîrligea offers a more unpredictable edge, capable of turning isolated moments into decisive outcomes. From deeper areas, Nicușor Bancu provides creativity, often driving forward to unlock compact defenses.
The tactical contrast is stark. Türkiye are expected to control possession, stretch the pitch and attack with width and movement. Romania will likely compress space, absorb pressure and strike on the counter, trusting their discipline to frustrate and their timing to punish.
In a single-elimination format, those differences often come down to moments. Set pieces, transitions and individual decisions carry more weight than sustained dominance. One lapse, one finish, one intervention can define everything.
There is no safety net. The winner advances to face either Slovakia or Kosovo in the playoff final on March 31, one step from the 2026 World Cup.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah will leave the club at the end of the season after reaching an agreement to depart a year before his contract expires, marking the end of an era for one of the club’s greatest scorers.
The 33-year-old Egypt forward, who has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances for Liverpool, “reached an agreement” to quit the team a year before his contract was due to expire, the Premier League champions said.
Salah’s form has dipped in his ninth year at Anfield, to such an extent that he was dropped for a stretch of games late last year – leading to the winger telling reporters in an impromptu interview that the club “has thrown me under the bus.”
“Unfortunately the day has come,” Salah said in a post on Instagram that was released around the same time as Liverpool published a six-paragraph statement announcing the imminent departure of a club great.
“I wanted to start by saying I never imagined how deeply this club, this city, these people would become part of my life. Liverpool is not just a football club. It’s a passion, it’s a history, it’s a spirit. I can’t explain in words to anyone not part of this club.”
It’s a slightly acrimonious exit for Salah, who has been the superstar name in Liverpool’s greatest team in a generation. He has won two Premier Leagues and a Champions League in a total of eight titles since joining from Roma in 2017, initially forming a devastating front three with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino under manager Jurgen Klopp.
Salah is third in Liverpool’s all-time scorers’ list, behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt, and has won the Golden Boot – as the Premier League’s top scorer – four times.
Liverpool described Salah as “one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history” and said his time at Anfield had been “remarkable.”
“Salah expressed his wish to make this announcement to the supporters at the earliest possible opportunity,” Liverpool said, “to provide transparency about his future due to his respect and gratitude for them.”
There was no immediate word from Salah on his next club. Leaving as a free agent would mean Liverpool wouldn’t collect a transfer fee. Salah was previously the subject of a bid from a Saudi team, reportedly Al-Ittihad, that was turned down in 2023.
Salah signed a two-year extension to his contract at Liverpool at the end of last season, tying him to the club until 2027, after being the star player in the team’s march to a record-tying 20th English league title.
However, his public clash with the club and manager Arne Slot this season might have tarnished his legacy in the eyes of some fans.
“I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame,” he said during an explosive interview after he was an unused substitute against Leeds in December.
Since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, Salah returned to favor with Slot but has struggled to recapture his best form.
“With plenty still left to play for this season, Salah is firmly focused on trying to achieve the best possible finish to the campaign for Liverpool,” the club said, “and, therefore, the time to fully celebrate his legacy and achievements will follow later in the year when he bids farewell to Anfield.”
Salah is currently out with a muscle injury sustained against Galatasaray in the Champions League last week.
Liverpool’s final Premier League game of the season is against Brentford at Anfield on May 24. The Champions League final is the following weekend, but Liverpool is the underdog heading into a quarterfinals matchup with Paris Saint-Germain.
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