AP National Sports

LONDON (AP) — Brentford manager Thomas Frank says Christian Eriksen can expect a statue built in his honor outside the team’s stadium if the midfielder extends his stay at the English Premier League club beyond this season. The Denmark playmaker joined Brentford on a short-term deal in January. It marked his return to competitive soccer

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer Bobsled and skeleton World Cup races will return to North America this fall for the first time since before the pandemic began. That gives U.S. and Canadian athletes a chance to compete on home ice again. The International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation has decided to start the 2022-23 season

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Female referees will make World Cup history this year by working games at a major men’s tournament for the first time in Qatar. Three female referees and three female assistant referees were announced Thursday by FIFA among 129 officials selected for World Cup duty, including one

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — France coach Didier Deschamps left out veteran forward Olivier Giroud and called up uncapped Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara for Nations League games next month. The AC Milan striker is only three behind Thierry Henry’s national scoring record of 51 goals. Defending champion France has four games

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Manchester City has history on its side ahead of the final-day title showdown with Liverpool in the English Premier League. Sunday will mark the ninth time in the Premier League era beginning in 1992 that the title race has been decided in the last round. On each of the

By The Associated Press The 36 referees appointed by FIFA to work the 2022 World Cup from Nov. 21 to Dec. 18 in Qatar.

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Female referees will make World Cup history this year by working games at a major men’s tournament for the first time in Qatar. Three female referees and three female assistant referees were announced Thursday by FIFA among 129 officials selected for World Cup duty, including one

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alex Rodriguez is taking a swing at mixed martial arts as an investor and board member for the Professional Fighters League. The PFL announced the addition of the former New York Yankees star to its board of directors Thursday. Rodriguez’s investment is part of what the PFL says is $30 million

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — A soccer fan has been sentenced to 24 weeks in prison for assaulting Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp at the end of the team’s Championship playoff game against Nottingham Forest. Robert Biggs is a 30-year-old electrical engineer who is a season-ticket holder at Forest. He ran onto the field after Tuesday’s

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City’s defensive problems appear to have improved ahead of the final round of the English Premier League on Sunday when the team requires a victory over Aston Villa to ensure retaining the title. Right back Kyle Walker and center back John Stones have returned to training despite having previously been

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Olympic champion Zac Stubblety-Cook has set a world record in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke at the Australian swimming championships. Stubblety-Cook finished in 2 minutes, 05.95 seconds in the final to improve on the previous mark of 2:06.12 set by Russian swimmer Anton Chupkov at the 2019 world championships in Gwangju, South

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — A soccer fan has pleaded guilty to assaulting Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp at the end of the team’s Championship playoff game against Nottingham Forest. Robert Biggs is a 30-year-old season-ticket holder at Forest. He ran onto the field after Tuesday’s game at the City Ground and headbutted Sharp to the

LONDON (AP) — English soccer player Chioma Ubogagu is serving a nine-month suspension for failing a doping test after medication for a skin condition contained a prohibited substance. Ubogagu joined Women’s Super League team Tottenham last year. She was initially provisionally suspended in January but details of the case and verdict were announced only on

By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer ROME (AP) — The final of the inaugural edition of the Europa Conference League represents a big opportunity for Roma striker Tammy Abraham. Abraham wasn’t even given a spot on the bench when his Chelsea team won the Champions League last season. A breakout season under José Mourinho at