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Former Spanish football federation boss Luis Rubiales told a court on Tuesday that he asked player Jenni Hermoso if he could kiss her before doing so after the World Cup victory in 2023.
Rubiales and the other three defendants are accused of trying to downplay the kiss on player Hermoso at the 2023 Women's World Cup final presentation ceremony, with the former president testifying before a judge on Tuesday.
Rubiales is also accused of sexual assault while the other defendants -- former women's national team coach Jorge Vilda, the federation's former sports director of the men's national team, Albert Luque, and the former head of marketing, Rubén Rivera -- are accused of coercion for allegedly trying to convince the player to support Rubiales' version of the kiss.
"I am absolutely sure that she gave me her permission," Rubiales told the court in Madrid where he is standing trial. "In that moment it was something completely spontaneous."
Asked whether he normally kissed people on the lips, Rubiales said the occasion and the fact he had known Hermoso for a long time warranted it. He said he would do something similar with a male player or one of his daughters.
"You don't win a World Cup every day," he said. "When I see my daughters I don't give them a peck but on New Year's Eve I give them a peck."
Hermoso says she did not consent to the kiss while Rubiales denies wrongdoing and says it was consensual.
Rubiales resigned under pressure three weeks after the scandal surfaced and was banned by FIFA for three years. He had said he was the victim of a "witch hunt" by "false feminists."
Hermoso testified on the first day of the trial last week and said she "felt disrespected" by Rubiales after winning the World Cup. She said that the kiss "stained one of the happiest days of my life."
The kiss prompted outrage in Spain about the prevalence of sexism in sports and beyond.
Prosecutors, Hermoso and the Spain players' association want Rubiales jailed for two and a half years, fined 50,000 ($51,800) for damages, and banned from working as a sports official. They want the other three defendants sentenced to one and a half years in prison.
Information from the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Kerr not guilty of racially aggravated harassment
Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of the racially aggravated harassment of a police officer in London.
Kerr, 31, was on trial for the abuse of PC Stephen Lovell in south-west London in the early hours of Jan. 30, 2023.
The incident occurred after she had been driven to Twickenham Police Station along with her partner, United States midfielder Kristie Mewis, by a taxi driver who alleged that they had refused to pay clean-up costs after one of them was sick, and that one of them smashed the vehicle's rear window.
Kerr, who has Indian ancestry, called Lovell "stupid and white" after police were called following the drunken dispute with a cab driver.
The 31-year-old, one of the world's top strikers who plays for Chelsea in the Women's Super League, accepted saying those words but denied one count of racially aggravated harassment.
Her lawyer argued she was making a comment about power and privilege, and Kerr gave evidence last week that she felt police treated her differently because of the colour of her skin.
Kerr was acquitted by a jury following a trial at Kingston Crown Court. She showed no emotion in the dock as the verdict was delivered.
She gave a thumbs up to her lawyer Grace Forbes before leaving the dock.
Forbes said she would apply for costs, to which Judge Peter Lodder said: "I take the view that her own behaviour contributed significantly to the bringing of this allegation ... that has a significant bearing on the question of costs."
Kerr's trial focused on the aftermath of a night out which ended with Kerr and Mewis, who plays for West Ham United, hailing a London black cab to Kerr's home.
The driver took them to a police station instead, with Kerr giving evidence that the driver began behaving erratically after she felt ill and spat out of the window.
Both Kerr and Mewis said they believed they were being held hostage, with Mewis kicking in the cab's rear window in a bid to escape shortly before they arrived at the police station.
Towards the end of a long conversation between Kerr, Mewis, Lovell and two other officers, Kerr said: "You guys are f------ stupid and white."
Lovell gave evidence that he was upset by the remark and denied an allegation by Kerr's lawyer Grace Forbes that he had claimed to be upset simply to secure a criminal charge.
Kerr, however, said she had felt "terrified for my life" during the cab journey and that police did not take her concerns seriously.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.
A Spanish court has rejected an appeal by Real Madrid defender Raúl Asencio to end the investigation into his alleged role in distributing a sexually explicit video of a minor.
Asencio -- who has made 21 appearances for Madrid's first team since making his debut in November -- is alleged to have shared a video recorded by two former Madrid youth players of a sexual encounter with one woman and one minor, in June 2023, while a third former player was also present.
Lawyers for Asencio, 21, had filed an appeal against a ruling by a court in Gran Canaria, which had found that the investigation into whether he distributed the video should continue.
On Tuesday, the press office of the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands said in a statement that the court had confirmed the decision to continue with the inquiry, rejecting the motion of dismissal requested by Asencio's defense team.
The four players were first arrested in September 2023, and their mobile phones seized by police, with Madrid confirming that they had given evidence over "the sharing of a private video via WhatsApp."
Police said a complaint had been filed by the mother of a 16-year-old girl in the Canary Islands regarding an alleged recording of sexual relations. She did not to consent to being recorded.
Asencio has featured regularly for Madrid's first team this season after the team suffered a series of injuries to their senior defenders and is in the squad for Tuesday's Champions League knockout phase playoff first leg with Manchester City.
Shanaka in trouble with SLC after two matches in two countries in one day
The board's chargesheet to Shanaka includes the allegation that first-class match referee Wendell Labrooy had been led to believe Shanaka had a concussion, in order to approve a substitute. This is according to SLC CEO Ashley de Silva, who told ESPNcricinfo "SSC [Shanaka's first-class club] would probably be conducting their own inquiry as well".
He also explained that while Lasith Malinga had also famously played a Mumbai Indians match and then broken records in a domestic match in Pallekele match the next day, Shanaka is alleged to have left the domestic match before he was expected to.
Day three is when the absconding is alleged to have occurred, but before he left, Shanaka crashed a further 84, hitting 123 off 87 balls in total, 88 of those runs coming in boundaries. Though SSC's innings ended not long after he got out, Shanaka did not bowl an over in the next Moors innings (the third of the match), and played no further part in the game.
What is clear is that several hours later, he appeared for the Capitals in Dubai, and struck 34 off 12 at No. 5, helping his team to 217 against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. He didn't bowl in the Knight Riders' innings either, however.
Nair, Dubey set up Vidarbha's semi-final date with Mumbai
Vidarbha 353 (Nair 122, Malewar 75, Dubey 69, Vijay 3-75) and 272 (Rathod 112, Dubey 64, Sai Kishore 5-78) beat Tamil Nadu 225 (Siddarth 65, Paul 48, Thakare 5-34) and 202 (Sonu Yadav 57, Paul 53, Bhute 3-19, Dubey 3-40) by 198 runs
Dubey, the season's highest wicket-taker with 55 scalps coming into the game, added three more second-innings wickets on Tuesday, the fourth day of the quarter-finals, as Tamil Nadu were bowled out for 202 chasing 401. Long before he came on to bowl in the second innings, Dubey had already left his mark on the game, hitting two half-centuries, which also took him past the 400-run mark.
Yet for all those efforts, it was Nair who was named player of the match for his 122 that set up the game for Vidarbha on the first day. Nair, who topped the charts with 779 runs, including five centuries, in the 50-over competition, put together a vital 98-run stand with Danish Malewar as Vidarbha recovered from 44 for 3. He then put on 105 with Dubey to help give impetus to their innings as they made 353.
Tamil Nadu responded with a shaky start, slumping to 38 for 4 courtesy a fine opening spell from seamer Aditya Thakare who finished with a five-for. Andre Siddarth and Pradosh Ranjan Paul briefly revived the innings, hitting 65 and 48 respectively, but TN conceded ground as they were bowled out for just 225.
Vidarbha's top-order floundered in the second innings, but the cushion of a 128-run lead worked to their advantage. Yash Rathod hit a superb 112 and formed a bulk of their 272 in Dubey's company; the two putting on 120 for the sixth wicket.
TN had more than five sessions to score the runs they needed to pull off a miracle, but kept losing wickets in a heap. They were reduced to 45 for 5 at one stage when seamer Nachiket Bhute ran through the top order. Paul and Sonu Yadav hit fifties but they were simply delaying the inevitable. B Sai Sudharsan, who made a comeback from a surgery for sports hernia, managed just 7 and 2 in his two innings.
ICC bans Bangladesh's Shohely Akhter for five years on corruption charges
She has been banned for five years from all cricket after she admitted breaching five provisions of the anti-corruption code.
The charges against her centre around an approach she made to a Bangladesh cricketer during the 2023 Women's T20 World held in South Africa. Akhter, 36, was not part of the Bangladesh playing squad for that World Cup, having last played in October 2022.
The player who was approached by Akhter reported the matter to the ACU immediately, providing all the voice notes from Shohely, who had deleted those files on her devices.
When interviewed by the ACU, Shohely confirmed that she did send the voice messages to the player but initially claimed that "she only did so in order to show her friend that members of the Bangladesh team were not involved in fixing, not because she was genuinely making a corrupt approach".
In her first interview with the ACU, Akhter showed the ACU screenshots which she claimed were a conversation between her and a friend about the "challenge". She said that these messages had been exchanged prior to February 14, when she contacted the Bangladesh player. The ACU however confirmed that those files were created after February 14 by "reviewing underlying metadata for the messages".
In deciding on the length of her ban, the ICC said it had considered the circumstances of the case, "including giving Ms Akther credit for agreeing an outcome that avoids the need for a hearing and so saves considerable time and money for use elsewhere in the fight against corruption, and has considered relevant precedents.
"The ICC therefore considers that a period of ineligibility of five (5) years is reasonable and proportionate. Ms Akhter has agreed to this sanction. As such, a period of ineligibility of five (5) years is imposed."
As such, neither Akhter nor the ICC has any right of appeal against this decision.
The ACU which oversees all senior international cricket, does not make public information on investigations that do not lead to charges, but it is believed that a small number of investigations around women's events have taken place in the past. This, however, is believed to be the first time an investigation of an attempt to corrupt at a women's event has reached a conclusion with charges.
Lanning seeks WPL glory without 'changing too much' at Delhi Capitals
"We've had two good seasons without obviously being able to finish it off the way we would have liked in winning the title," Lanning said. "I guess the key for us is maintaining what we've been doing well. We think we have been playing some really good cricket, and doing a lot of things right. We're just evolving and making a few little changes here and there that we think will make a big difference, and hopefully allows us to take that next step. It's not [a] big shift from us.
"We've added some new players, and also the players who have been here previously have also improved and gotten better as well. We feel like we're [at] a really good spot. It's not [about] changing too much. We've been doing a lot right. It's just some small things here and there to to take us to the next step."
"Playing matches is important; there's nothing quite like being out in the middle and being in a good rhythm with that," she said. "I feel like those games are great for me in that respect. I feel like I'm in a good spot with my game. I always enjoy playing and batting over here in India. I've had some success in the past. So far, the couple [of] days I've been here, it's been nice to just get used to the conditions again, and just be really clear on what my plan is and how I want to go about it.
"I think having experienced international cricket for so long, I've picked up different things along the way on what works and what doesn't. And I guess now I've got the opportunity to work with - particularly back home, but also in tournaments like this - younger players, and try and pass on some of the knowledge that I've picked up not just on the field but [also] off the field - in terms of how you can manage yourself with the pressures that come with playing cricket at this level.
"So that's something I try to do with any team I play in now is pass on some of that knowledge and answer any questions that any of the other players [have]. Everybody here wants to learn and ask questions, and I really loved that about the environment."
'I've got the best seat in the house' - Lanning on batting alongside Shafali
Shafali has been in terrific form, having returned to domestic cricket after being dropped from the Indian team in November last year. She finished as the top run-getter in the Senior Women's One Day Trophy and the One Day Challenger Trophy.
"I love batting with Shafali," Lanning said. "She often puts on a very entertaining show, and I've got the best seat in the house watching from the other end most of the time. In the practice game, she did a very similar thing a few days ago. She looks like she's in really good touch, and enjoying herself and having fun too, which I think is really important. So for me, just watching her play with freedom, express herselfwhen she does that, that plays a really important role for our team.
"I always enjoy batting with her; we get on really well. Hopefully, this season can continue on through from where we have been the first two."
Mumbai ride on Dias, Rahane, Shardul efforts to seal Ranji semi-final spot
Mumbai 315 (Kotian 97, Mulani 91) and 339 (Rahane 108, Suryakumar 70, Thakral 4-70) beat Haryana 301 (Ankit 136, Shardul 6-58) and 201 (Dalal 64, Sumit 62, Dias 5-39) by 153 runs
Mumbai were poised for a lead of over 400, but collapsed on the fourth morning, losing 6 for 25 to set Haryana a 354-run target. They weren't in the chase at any stage, stumbling to 60 for 5 very quickly. Opener Lakshay Dalal top scored with 64 while Sumit Kumar hit 62 as the pair briefly frustrated Mumbai with a 90-run sixth-wicket stand before the floodgates opened.
Super Bowl projections say record 126M watched
Fox Sports is projecting a Super Bowl record average audience of 126 million U.S. viewers across television and streaming platforms for Philadelphia's 40-22 victory over Kansas City on Sunday night.
The game was televised by Fox, Fox Deportes and Telemundo and streamed on Tubi as well as the NFL's digital platforms.
Fox's projections Monday included Nielsen's early numbers and streaming data from Tubi and the NFL. Updated and more complete numbers were expected Tuesday.
It would be the second straight year the Super Bowl has reached a record audience. The Chiefs' 25-22 overtime victory over San Francisco last year averaged 123.7 million on CBS, Nickelodeon, Univision and streaming platforms.
According to Fox, the audience peaked at 135.7 million in the second quarter.
The early data projects 14.5 million watched on streaming platforms, including 13.6 million on Tubi, where the game was available for free.
Some of the increase can be attributed to a change in the way viewers are counted. This is the first year Nielsen is measuring out-of-home viewers for all states but Hawaii and Alaska.
It was previously the top 44 media markets, which covered 65% of the country.
The ratings also include Nielsen data from smart TVs along with cable and satellite set-top boxes.
After two straight years of close Super Bowls, Sunday's game was decided in the first half as Philadelphia built a 24-0 lead.
President Donald Trump and Taylor Swift were also in attendance.
Trump was the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl, while Swift's relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce keeps the pop superstar's fans interested in the NFL.
It was the third straight year the Super Bowl averaged more than 100 million viewers after a period when four of the five games before 2023 had fallen short of that number because of cord-cutting. That included 95.2 million for the 2021 Super Bowl between Tampa Bay and Kansas City, which was the game's lowest TV-only average since 2007.
The NFL playoffs averaged 35.2 million viewers the first three weekends, down 9% from last year's record of 38.5 million.
That followed a regular season that averaged 17.5 million. Though that was the sixth-highest average dating to 1995, it was a 2% decline from 2023.
Horst: Middleton deal 'hardest transaction' as exec
MILWAUKEE -- Bucks general manager Jon Horst said trading franchise cornerstone Khris Middleton after 12 seasons in Milwaukee was "the hardest transaction" he has made as an executive, but did so to "maximize the window" for a championship.
"It's still the awesome responsibility to try to take this franchise and maximize the window that we have now as best we can," Horst told reporters Monday night, before his team's 125-111 loss to the Golden State Warriors. "What we think gives us the best chance to win, and figure out how to continue winning going forward. There's a very narrow set of opportunities that we felt that we could do that, and this was one of them."
Milwaukee traded Middleton, rookie guard AJ Johnson and a pick swap to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr. (who was rerouted to San Antonio) and a second-round pick before last week's trade deadline. The Bucks also acquired center Jericho Sims from the New York Knicks as part of the deal.
Middleton, the franchise leader in 3-pointers, had been with the Bucks since the 2013-14 season and was part of the 2020-21 championship team. However, he missed the first 21 games of this season after undergoing offseason surgery on both ankles and has been slow to regain his form -- he's averaging his fewest points (12.6) since his first season with the Bucks and was playing his fewest minutes (23.2) since he was a rookie.
Horst said Middleton's availability did not have much impact on his decision to make the move.
"Collectively, I think we're deeper in the spots we needed to be deeper," Horst said. "This gave us an opportunity to diversify a little bit, to kind of put money and talent and roster spots in other places where I thought we needed help."
Though the Middleton-Kuzma exchange was the headliner, Horst said he did not view the deal as a comparison of the two players, but instead as a chance for the Bucks to build a more well-rounded roster.
Milwaukee also acquired Sims for more frontcourt depth and added guard Kevin Porter Jr. in a separate deal. The Bucks still have an open roster spot, allowing them to be active on the buyout market for the rest of the season.
"This isn't a Khris or a Kyle comparison, although that's the easy thing to do," Horst said. "It's the team before the trade deadline and the team after the trade deadline, and to be determined with an open roster spot, that we felt like in totality we positioned ourselves to have a better run this year. That doesn't do anything to diminish the three-time All-Star, Olympian, NBA champion, pillar in the community, everything that Khris Middleton was for this franchise for over a decade."
As part of the move, the Bucks got below the second apron of the collective bargaining agreement, which gives Milwaukee more flexibility to improve its roster. Horst acknowledged that as an added perk but not the driving force behind the trade.
"We believe that this gives us a better chance to win this year," he said. "It happens to also put us under the second apron, which gives us some benefits going forward. There's no question. And we'll hopefully maximize those benefits. But that wasn't the intent."
"This isn't a Khris or a Kyle comparison, although that's the easy thing to do. It's the team before the trade deadline and the team after the trade deadline ... that we felt like in totality we positioned ourselves to have a better run this year. That doesn't do anything to diminish the three-time All-Star, Olympian, NBA champion, pillar in the community, everything that Khris Middleton was for this franchise for over a decade." Bucks GM Jon Horst
Even though Horst did not want to put all the focus on Kuzma, he still praised his skill set and versatility. Kuzma, 29, is averaging 15.0 points and 5.9 rebounds on 41.6% shooting. He has not been as efficient as Middleton, who was shooting a career-high 51% from the floor, but Horst said the Bucks valued Kuzma's other skills as ways to elevate Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
"Kyle's a great ball mover, his assist numbers and box score stats may not always show his impact, but he just passes to move the ball," Horst said.
"He's up there with Giannis in terms of effectiveness and efficiency and frequency and transition. There's a big gap between Giannis and the rest of our team and that statistic. ... We're at our best ... playing fast. So another player that can get out and go with a ball. He still is a scorer, shooter that I think has upside. At 29 years old, I think we strongly believe that he's in his prime.
"We can see better basketball from Kyle Kuzma than we have the last couple of years. We believe that, in our system, playing with these guys."
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