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A fire on the perimeter of Etihad Stadium was extinguished on Wednesday as fans arrived for Manchester City's decisive Champions League clash against Club Brugge.
The fire broke out near the entrance to the Colin Bell West Stand when City were unveiling their new January signings nearby.
City confimed the fire would not delay kick-off.
"Emergency services are present at the scene and the fire has now been extinguished," City said in a statement.
"The safety of all attending the match tonight is our top priority, and as such all events planned for West Stand reception have been cancelled, including the welcome event for new players, and the first team arrival."
No casualties were immediately reported to police.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service told ESPN in a statement: "Just before 6pm this evening, two fire engines from Blackley and Philips Park fire station were called to reports of a building fire involving an outbuilding on the car park of the football ground on Rowsley Street, Manchester.
"Crews arrived quickly at the scene. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used two hose reels to extinguish the fire, they are currently dampening down any hotspots and making the area safe.
"Firefighters have been in attendance for around thirty minutes and are still at the scene."
City, who are 25th in the Champions League table ahead of the final group fixture, must beat Brugge to make the knockout playoffs.
Information from Reuters and ESPN's Rob Dawson contributed to this report.
Farhan Ahmed five-for but England U19s thwarted in victory push
England U19s 299 (Farhan 90, Home 63, Mokoena 5-61, Daniels 4-49) and 336 for 9 dec (Rew 71, Home 60*, Vaughan 44, Fonseka 43, Mason 5-111) drew with South Africa U19s 319 (Rowles 90, Bulbulia 88, Farhan 4-78) and 295 for 9 (Bulbulia 114, Farhan 5-103)
Ahmed completed a dominant display with both bat and ball - returning match figures of nine for 181 after his first-innings 90 - only for the home side to snatch a draw chasing 317 to win.
Ali eventually broke a stubborn 84-ball ninth-wicket stand when Raeeq Daniels edged to Archie Vaughan at first slip, but with just eight balls left the home side saw it through to the close - albeit in unconventional style.
Last man Nqobani Mokoena opted to attack the final over from Ahmed, who had eight fielders around the bat, finding the rope twice including smashing the final ball through cover.
Bulbulia fell victim to Ahmed, spooning back a return catch, and the Nottinghamshire 16-year-old all-rounder had his five-wicket haul in the same over when Divan de Villiers was bowled attempting a big shot.
The second Youth Test begins at Western Province Cricket Club in Cape Town on Monday.
Khawaja reflects on subcontinental career of two halves: 'Everyone sees only the good stuff'
But he'd had a message from coach Andrew McDonald: 'Get on the Sri Lanka tour'. Now, Khawaja has struck 147 not out on the first day of that series, top-scoring for Australia as they strode to 330 for 2 on a rain-curtailed day one. This was also Khawaja's first Test century since mid 2023, and the 16th of his Test career.
"It's been a tough summer - I had a lot of people telling me how I should go about my career and what I should do from here on in," said Khawaja, who turned 38 in December. "But Andrew McDonald, even last year, said to me: 'I don't care what happens, just make sure you're on the Sri Lankan tour. I want you on the Sri Lankan tour.'
"I'm not here for anyone but the team. I'm not just playing cricket because I've got a gluttony to score lots of runs. Century No. 16, 17, 18 is not going to make a difference to my life. I'm going to finish this game, and I've got a beautiful family. I'll try to give back to the community as much as I can. Hopefully I can score runs and contribute to the team."
"It's a contrast of two halves - my career in the subcontinent," Khawaja said. "There's pre-Dubai, post-Dubai. There were some low times - my wife Rachel was here with me [in 2016, when he'd been dropped mid-series in Sri Lanka], and we had so many of those tough times. No one ever sees that. Everyone sees the good stuff."
Khawaja wasn't the only Australia batter to get to triple figures on Wednesday. Steven Smith scored his 35th Test hundred as well.
"But you have to take the good stuff when you get it. It doesn't come around very much. We had one of the greatest players to play the game - Steven Smith - get to, what was that, 35 Test hundreds? As great as he is, he's only done it 35 times. That puts things into perspective."
Ronaldo: My own son told me 'Mbappé is better'
Cristiano Ronaldo might be the "GOAT" to many fans across the football world, but not everyone in his household agrees, with the Portugal star admitting that his own son prefers Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé.
Ronaldo scored twice in Al Nassr's comfortable Saudi Pro League win at the weekend to move to the top of the division's goal-scoring charts, but that was not enough to impress his five-year-old child, Mateo.
In an extract from an upcoming interview with Spanish outlet La Sexta, Ronaldo admitted the France captain has surpassed him in his son's eyes.
"Mateo, he really likes Mbappé," Ronaldo said. "He sometimes tells me: 'Hey dad, Mbappé is better than you,' and I reply by saying: 'No, I am better than him, I have scored more goals."
Mbappé, who is known to have idolised Ronaldo in his youth, has started to emulate some of his feats at the Bernabéu in recent weeks after his high-profile move from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
After his hat trick against Real Valladolid on Saturday, Mbappé now has 15 goals in LaLiga, second in the Pichichi race behind Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski. Ronaldo scored a club-record 450 goals for Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018.
Mbappé has the chance to continue his recent hot streak later on Wednesday against Brest, while Ronaldo is next in action against Al Raed on Thursday.
Belichick: Rename Lombardi Trophy after Brady
The Super Bowl trophy is named after Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers coach who led his team to wins in the first two Super Bowls.
However, Bill Belichick said coaches can't win games without the players and suggested the Lombardi Trophy be renamed after Tom Brady, who won an NFL-record seven Super Bowl rings in his career -- six with Belichick as his head coach.
Belichick, the former New England Patriots head coach who is now the coach at the University of North Carolina, made his comments on the "Let's Go!" podcast this week in a conversation with co-host Jim Gray.
"Maybe they should name it the Brady Trophy. He won seven of them." Bill Belichick, on the Super Bowl trophy
"Players win games. You can't win games without good players. I don't care who the coach is, it's impossible. You can't win without good players. You know, I found that out when I had [Lawrence] Taylor and [Carl] Banks and Harry Carson, Pepper Johnson, Jim Burt, Everson Walls, all those guys at the Giants," said Belichick, who has won eight Super Bowl rings, including two as an assistant with the Giants. "And same thing when we got good at Cleveland and then at New England. I mean, it's [Tom] Brady, it's [Willie] McGinest, it's [Mike] Vrabel, it's [Tedy] Bruschi, it's Corey Dillon, it's Randy Moss, Troy Brown, Lawyer Milloy, Ty Law, Rodney Harrison. Those are guys that won the games, man. I didn't make any tackles. I didn't make any kicks. That was [Adam] Vinatieri that made that kick in 4 inches of snow.
"You got to have good players and as a coach, you want to give your players a chance to win. You want to put them in a position where if they go out there and play well, they'll have a chance to win. That's what Coach [Bill] Parcells taught me, is there's always a way to win. You just got to figure out what it is, and you have to give the players a chance."
Gray, however, pointed out, "They don't name it the Starr Trophy," referring to Bart Starr, the Packers' quarterback for those first two Super Bowl wins. "It's named the Lombardi Trophy."
Belichick responded, "Maybe they should name it the Brady Trophy. He won seven of them."
Brady won six Super Bowls as the quarterback with the Patriots and another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is a five-time Super Bowl MVP, the most by any player in NFL history.
Report: Miller joining NBC as lead NBA analyst
Hall of Famer Reggie Miller will join NBC Sports as its top color commentator when the NBA returns to the network later this year, Front Office Sports reported Wednesday.
Miller reportedly will call the games alongside play-by-play broadcasters Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle, starting with the 2025-26 season.
An NBC Sports spokesperson declined to comment and Miller's representatives could not be reached for comment, per Front Office Sports.
Miller, 59, has worked as an NBA analyst for TNT since 2005.
In August, the NBA announced a new 11-year, $77 billion media deal with incumbent ESPN and newcomers NBC and Amazon Prime Video that goes into effect next season.
NBC previously aired NBA games from 1954-62 and again from 1990-2002.
Miller was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012. The five-time All-Star shooting guard averaged 18.2 points per game over 18 seasons with the Indiana Pacers from 1987-2005.
NEW YORK -- The rate of increase for Major League Baseball's average salary slowed to 2.9% last year to a record $4.66 million, according to the annual report of the players' association.
The average of $4,655,366 was up from $4,525,719 in 2023, which marked a 7% increase from 2022.
After declining to $3.68 million in 2021, a year following the pandemic-shortened season, the average rose 23% over the next two seasons.
Union figures are based on the 2024 salaries, earned bonuses and prorated shares of signing bonuses for 1,033 players on Aug. 31 active rosters and injured lists, before active rosters expanded for the remainder of the season.
The union's report was finalized as salary arbitration hearings started this week.
Source: Reliever Stanek agrees to rejoin Mets
Right-hander Ryne Stanek and the New York Mets are in agreement on a one-year contract, according to a source, further bolstering a bullpen with a hard-throwing reliever with significant postseason experience.
The deal marks a reunion between the two sides after the Mets acquired Stanek in a trade with the Seattle Mariners last summer.
Stanek, 33, posted a 6.06 ERA in 17 relief appearances for the Mets down the stretch of the regular season, but he was better in the playoffs, allowing just three runs across eight innings in seven games as New York fell two wins short of the National League pennant.
The veteran reliever boasts a 2.89 ERA in 30 career postseason appearances with the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros and Mets. The track record includes four scoreless appearances during the Astros' World Series run in 2022. He owns a 3.65 ERA over 401 career regular-season games since making his major league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017.
The Mets initially acquired Stanek for minor league outfielder Rhylan Thomas last July, days before the trade deadline, as part of a midseason bullpen overhaul that included the acquisitions of veterans Phil Maton and Huascar Brazoban.
It's been a busy winter for the Mets, who landed Juan Soto, the offseason's most prized free agent, in early December and have continued fortifying the roster.
Stanek is the third reliever the Mets have acquired over the past two weeks. The club claimed right-hander Austin Warren off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on Jan. 15. Eight days later, the Mets signed A.J. Minter, one of the top left-handed relievers on the free agent market, to a two-year, $22 million contract. They all figure to serve as a bridge to closer Edwin Diaz.
Pete Alonso, the Mets' homegrown star first baseman, remains a free agent. A reunion, although unlikely, remains possible.
Pro bono legal aid for players facing doping allegation
Tennis players facing allegations of doping or corruption will be able to access pro bono legal support as part of a new scheme launched by the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA).
The PTPA, established by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil in 2020 to increase player power in the sport, said it would ensure access to "world-class legal expertise regardless of a player's financial standing and personal resources".
Men's world number one Jannik Sinner and five-time women's Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek failed doping tests last year.
The handling of those cases by tennis authorities led to criticism from some players over double standards - a claim the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has strenuously denied.
Sinner, 23, did not receive a ban after failing two tests in March - but that case will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in April after an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
Former world number one Swiatek served a one-month suspension, which ended in December, and missed three tournaments after the ITIA found the 23-year-old's positive test was caused by contamination.
However, former British doubles player Tara Moore served a two-year absence because of a doping ban, which was later overturned, and told Reuters she spent 200,000 in legal fees.
Moore, who co-founded the PTPA's pro bono Athlete Counsel & Equity (ACE) Program, returned to tennis in April 2024 after her ban was lifted. That decision is being challenged by the ITIA.
Moore said: "The fight to prove my innocence left me with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and overwhelming emotional distress.
"My hope is that the PTPA ACE Program and these incredible legal teams will ensure that no player has to face these challenges alone, especially in cases involving integrity issues.
"Every player deserves the chance to defend themselves without fear of financial or emotional ruin."
Defined as a small tab projecting from the trailing edge of a wing, the wicker bill has been a topic of conversation this offseason, as both the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the High Limit Racing series have introduced 1.5-inch wicker bills to be mounted on the rear edge of the top wing center foil for the coming season.
The increase of half an inch is hoped to improve the quality of racing when the countrys two national touring series hit the road this season.
Both reigning World of Outlaws champion David Gravel and 10-time series title winner Donny Schatz had plenty to say about the wicker bill during media sessions ahead of the season, which opens Feb. 5-8 at Floridas Volusia Speedway Park.
Ive never been in a place where I was like, Man, a two-inch wicker bill is going to be good for me, or a one-inch wicker bill. Its kind of like just kind of feel the car out and well adjust from there, said Gravel, who drives Tod Quirings Big Game Motorsports entry. I truly think with what we have going on, I think the one-and-a-half-inch wicker bill is actually going to help our program out a little bit.
I felt like we were off a little bit at Knoxville this past year. I think the wicker bill definitely had something to do with it. As far as the racing, I dont think its going to change much. I mean, were talking about a half-an-inch on our race car.
Theres so much turbulent air and just a lot of variables. So, I think the one-and-a-half-inch is a perfect middle ground for all the people that wanted the two, and all the people that wanted a one, were right in the middle, Gravel added. I think its going to be a good common ground for everybody. I think it should make more people happier and less of a chance for people to blame a wicker bill rule if the racing is not good.
Gravel said a wicker bill is not the most important factor in providing good racing.
Just to go off of that, I think sprint car racing is way more dependent on good race track prep than it is of what wicker bill you have on the race car, he said. If we have a good race track, it doesnt matter what wicker bill you got. I think its all on, Did that track do a good job that night, or did Mother Nature play nice that night as well?
Schatz was more outspoken about the topic, and had another idea about how to make the racing better.
I dont know that it is going to make the racing any better, Schatz said. The one thing that we all put on that is the same is the tires. We all put the same tires on, but we all have different cars, we all got different motors. If they want the racing to change, it all starts with the tires.
There are things that people are doing outside the box with these tires to try to get an advantage and we saw that with some of the things that happened at the Chili Bowl. I hope that those things are being addressed with the series, he suggested. There are bigger fish to fry than a half inch on a wicker bill.
If some guy thinks that a half inch on the wicker bill is going to make the difference. I have some ocean front property here in North Dakota, in fact, I have a lot of it that is for sale, and you are going to make a fortune on it, so please contact me if you are looking for some.
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