Herve Renard sacked as Saudi Arabia coach ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 Frenchman Herve Renard told AFP on Friday he has been relieved of his duties as Saudi Arabia coach, less than two months before the start of the 2026 World Cup.Renard, 57, returned for a second spell as Saudi coach at the end of 2024, having led it at the last World Cup in Qatar, including to a famous win over eventual champion Argentina in the group stage.“That’s football… Saudi Arabia has qualified for the World Cup seven times, including twice with me,” Renard told AFP via telephone.“And there’s only one coach who has led them through both the qualifiers and the World Cup; that’s me, in 2022. At least there will be that sense of pride,” he added.Renard, a two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner with Zambia and Ivory Coast, led Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2023 before being replaced by Roberto Mancini.ALSO READ | Union Berlin rules out permanent men’s role for Marie-Louise Eta despite historic appointmentHe served as coach of the French women’s team and reached the quarterfinals of both the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.Renard was later brought back by Saudi Arabia to succeed Mancini, as the Italian left his role after an underwhelming 14-month stint.Former Greece international Georgios Donis is reportedly being lined up as the man to take over from Renard.A source close to the negotiations told AFP that talks are underway between the federation and Saudi club Al Khaleej, where Donis has been in charge since 2024.Saudi Arabia will face Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde in Group H at this year’s World Cup.Published on Apr 17, 2026 #Herve #Renard #sacked #Saudi #Arabia #coach #ahead #FIFA #World #Cup

Herve Renard sacked as Saudi Arabia coach ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026
Frenchman Herve Renard told AFP on Friday he has been relieved of his duties as Saudi Arabia coach, less than two months before the start of the 2026 World Cup.
Renard, 57, returned for a second spell as Saudi coach at the end of 2024, having led it at the last World Cup in Qatar, including to a famous win over eventual champion Argentina in the group stage.
“That’s football… Saudi Arabia has qualified for the World Cup seven times, including twice with me,” Renard told AFP via telephone.
“And there’s only one coach who has led them through both the qualifiers and the World Cup; that’s me, in 2022. At least there will be that sense of pride,” he added.
Renard, a two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner with Zambia and Ivory Coast, led Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2023 before being replaced by Roberto Mancini.
ALSO READ | Union Berlin rules out permanent men’s role for Marie-Louise Eta despite historic appointment
He served as coach of the French women’s team and reached the quarterfinals of both the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.
Renard was later brought back by Saudi Arabia to succeed Mancini, as the Italian left his role after an underwhelming 14-month stint.
Former Greece international Georgios Donis is reportedly being lined up as the man to take over from Renard.
A source close to the negotiations told AFP that talks are underway between the federation and Saudi club Al Khaleej, where Donis has been in charge since 2024.
Saudi Arabia will face Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde in Group H at this year’s World Cup.
Published on Apr 17, 2026
#Herve #Renard #sacked #Saudi #Arabia #coach #ahead #FIFA #World #Cup

Frenchman Herve Renard told AFP on Friday he has been relieved of his duties as Saudi Arabia coach, less than two months before the start of the 2026 World Cup.

Renard, 57, returned for a second spell as Saudi coach at the end of 2024, having led it at the last World Cup in Qatar, including to a famous win over eventual champion Argentina in the group stage.

“That’s football… Saudi Arabia has qualified for the World Cup seven times, including twice with me,” Renard told AFP via telephone.

“And there’s only one coach who has led them through both the qualifiers and the World Cup; that’s me, in 2022. At least there will be that sense of pride,” he added.

Renard, a two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner with Zambia and Ivory Coast, led Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2023 before being replaced by Roberto Mancini.

ALSO READ | Union Berlin rules out permanent men’s role for Marie-Louise Eta despite historic appointment

He served as coach of the French women’s team and reached the quarterfinals of both the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.

Renard was later brought back by Saudi Arabia to succeed Mancini, as the Italian left his role after an underwhelming 14-month stint.

Former Greece international Georgios Donis is reportedly being lined up as the man to take over from Renard.

A source close to the negotiations told AFP that talks are underway between the federation and Saudi club Al Khaleej, where Donis has been in charge since 2024.

Saudi Arabia will face Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde in Group H at this year’s World Cup.

Published on Apr 17, 2026

Source link
#Herve #Renard #sacked #Saudi #Arabia #coach #ahead #FIFA #World #Cup

Tag herve renard herve renard latest news herve renard news herve renard sacked herve renard sacked as head coach herve renard saudi arabia herve renard updates

Deadspin | Hornets seek 1st playoff berth in 10 years in play-in game at Magic <div id=""><section id="0" class=" w-full"><div class="xl:container mx-0 !px-4 py-0 pb-4 !mx-0 !px-0"><img src="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28064390.jpg" srcset="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28064390.jpg" alt="NBA: Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic" class="w-full" fetchpriority="high" loading="eager"/><span class="text-0.8 leading-tight">Jan 22, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) drives the ball past Orlando Magic forward Noah Penda (93) in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images  </span></div></section><section id="section-1"> <p>For the Charlotte Hornets, winning Friday night’s play-in game and earning the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference would cement the 2025-26 season as one of the most successful campaigns in recent franchise history.</p> </section><section id="section-2"> <p>Even with a win Friday, the Orlando Magic will have a lot more work to do to meet their expectations.</p> </section><section id="section-3"> <p>The Hornets and Magic will meet to determine the last piece of the Eastern Conference postseason field Friday night, when Charlotte visits Orlando in a battle of Southeast Division rivals.</p> </section><section id="section-4"> <p>The winner Friday will earn the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and advance to a first-round series against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons which is slated to begin Sunday night.</p> </section><section id="section-5"> <p>The Hornets, who finished in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a 44-38 record, advanced to the final round of the play-in when LaMelo Bell hit the game-winning layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime to lift host Charlotte past the 10th-place Miami Heat, 127-126, in the first elimination play-in game Tuesday night.</p> </section><section id="section-6"> <p>The Magic, which finished eighth in the East with a 45-37 record, fell into the elimination play-in game after losing to the host Philadelphia 76ers, 109-97, on Wednesday night, </p> </section><section id="section-7"> <p>The frantic and controversial win over the Heat continued a breakout season for the Hornets, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2016 – by far the longest drought in the NBA. </p> </section><br/><section id="section-8"> <p>Coby White forced overtime by draining a 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds left for the Hornets, who survived Tyler Herro’s errant 3-pointer at the buzzer. </p> </section> <section id="section-9"> <p>Charlotte squandered a five-point lead in the final 26 seconds of the extra session before Ball – who was fined $35,000 on Wednesday for what was assessed upon review as a flagrant 2 foul on Bam Adebayo that forced the Heat star from the game in the second quarter – scored the winning points.</p> </section><section id="section-10"> <p>Miles Bridges blocked a layup by Davion Mitchell at the buzzer, after which Ball capped his expensive night by uttering a profanity during a live interview. The 24-year-old was also fined $25,000 for the profanity.</p> </section><section id="section-11"> <p>“At the end of the day, execution is not always going to be perfect,” Hornets head coach Charles Lee said. “But I think that these guys find a way to stick with it and not give in sometimes when things aren’t going well or not going your way.”</p> </section><section id="section-12"> <p>Things have not gone the way the Magic anticipated when they began the season as one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference. Orlando won just four more games than last season despite the addition of Desmond Bane, who played all 82 games, and the return to the lineup of Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs, who missed a combined 83 games in 2024-25.</p> </section><section id="section-13"> <p>The Magic, who are attempting to make the playoffs for the third straight season, squandered an opportunity to earn home court against Philadelphia by falling to the Celtics – who sat their top seven scorers – in Sunday’s regular season finale. Orlando shot 39.6% from the field in the loss.</p> </section><section id="section-14"> <p>Orlando then shot 40.7% on Wednesday – the first time the Magic has shot below 41% in back-to-back games since consecutive losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers from Jan. 24-26.</p> </section><section id="section-15"> <p>“You live with the result and come out Friday in front of the home crowd and go get a win,” Banchero said. “That’s all you can do. Shots didn’t fall, but you can’t be discouraged. We’ve got another game coming up real soon.”</p> </section><br/><section id="section-16"> <p>–Field Level Media</p> </section> </div> #Deadspin #Hornets #seek #1st #playoff #berth #years #playin #game #Magic

Ciara Miller Breaks Her Silence on Amanda Batula & West Wilson Romance, Shares Who She Feels Betrayed By More

#IPL #Gaikwads #lack #returns #due #nature #T20 #cricket #CSK #coach #Fleming">

IPL 2026: Gaikwad’s lack of returns due to nature of T20 cricket, says CSK coach Fleming Ruturaj Gaikwad has endured a difficult start to the season, managing just 63 runs, averaging just 12.60 with three single-digit scores and a venture beyond the 20s. His partner Sanju Samson suffered similar returns before a sublime unbeaten hundred at Chepauk turned the tide. Ayush Mhatre at No. 3, meanwhile, has effortlessly accumulated 171 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 34.20, striking at 170 in the PowerPlay. The youngster successfully stepped into an injured Ruturaj’s shoes last season. That, coupled with the CSK skipper’s dwindling returns, has fanned the whispers calling for a reshuffle at the top for the five-time champion, but head coach Stephen Fleming remains unconvinced. “He hasn’t had the returns that he would like, but that can be the nature of T20. We’ve seen over the years that he’s a quality player. If we can cover for him for a few games and he comes into form… Very rarely someone dominates the whole way.”ALSO READ | Hitting the hard length has been my strength, says Josh HazlewoodSunrisers Hyderabad’s charged-up bowling pool lineup will hope to make that task harder for the Super Kings. Fleming was left impressed by the team’s resilience against Rajasthan Royals.“SRH fought back really well to give themselves a chance against RR. We’d love to have Hyderabad in that situation, but it’ll take a lot of work. Their top order is dynamic. How we deal with that will be one of the key components, because they can take the game away from you very quickly.”M.S. Dhoni’s availability remains a mystery, with a tight-lipped Fleming saying he is “happy with Dhoni’s recovery.”Published on Apr 17, 2026 #IPL #Gaikwads #lack #returns #due #nature #T20 #cricket #CSK #coach #Fleming

mwasimuddin125 0

Ruturaj Gaikwad has endured a difficult start to the season, managing just 63 runs, averaging just 12.60 with three single-digit scores and a venture beyond the 20s. His partner Sanju Samson suffered similar returns before a sublime unbeaten hundred at Chepauk turned the tide.
Ayush Mhatre at No. 3, meanwhile, has effortlessly accumulated 171 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 34.20, striking at 170 in the PowerPlay. The youngster successfully stepped into an injured Ruturaj’s shoes last season.
That, coupled with the CSK skipper’s dwindling returns, has fanned the whispers calling for a reshuffle at the top for the five-time champion, but head coach Stephen Fleming remains unconvinced.
“He hasn’t had the returns that he would like, but that can be the nature of T20. We’ve seen over the years that he’s a quality player. If we can cover for him for a few games and he comes into form… Very rarely someone dominates the whole way.”
ALSO READ | Hitting the hard length has been my strength, says Josh Hazlewood
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s charged-up bowling pool lineup will hope to make that task harder for the Super Kings. Fleming was left impressed by the team’s resilience against Rajasthan Royals.
“SRH fought back really well to give themselves a chance against RR. We’d love to have Hyderabad in that situation, but it’ll take a lot of work. Their top order is dynamic. How we deal with that will be one of the key components, because they can take the game away from you very quickly.”
M.S. Dhoni’s availability remains a mystery, with a tight-lipped Fleming saying he is “happy with Dhoni’s recovery.”
Published on Apr 17, 2026

#IPL #Gaikwads #lack #returns #due #nature #T20 #cricket #CSK #coach #Fleming">IPL 2026: Gaikwad’s lack of returns due to nature of T20 cricket, says CSK coach Fleming

Ruturaj Gaikwad has endured a difficult start to the season, managing just 63 runs, averaging just 12.60 with three single-digit scores and a venture beyond the 20s. His partner Sanju Samson suffered similar returns before a sublime unbeaten hundred at Chepauk turned the tide.

Ayush Mhatre at No. 3, meanwhile, has effortlessly accumulated 171 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 34.20, striking at 170 in the PowerPlay. The youngster successfully stepped into an injured Ruturaj’s shoes last season.

That, coupled with the CSK skipper’s dwindling returns, has fanned the whispers calling for a reshuffle at the top for the five-time champion, but head coach Stephen Fleming remains unconvinced.

“He hasn’t had the returns that he would like, but that can be the nature of T20. We’ve seen over the years that he’s a quality player. If we can cover for him for a few games and he comes into form… Very rarely someone dominates the whole way.”

ALSO READ | Hitting the hard length has been my strength, says Josh Hazlewood

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s charged-up bowling pool lineup will hope to make that task harder for the Super Kings. Fleming was left impressed by the team’s resilience against Rajasthan Royals.

“SRH fought back really well to give themselves a chance against RR. We’d love to have Hyderabad in that situation, but it’ll take a lot of work. Their top order is dynamic. How we deal with that will be one of the key components, because they can take the game away from you very quickly.”

M.S. Dhoni’s availability remains a mystery, with a tight-lipped Fleming saying he is “happy with Dhoni’s recovery.”

Published on Apr 17, 2026

#IPL #Gaikwads #lack #returns #due #nature #T20 #cricket #CSK #coach #Fleming

#Friday #April #17th #Expert #MLB #Betting #Picks #Predictions #Deadspin.com">

mwasimuddin125 0

Apr 10, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (right) greeted by designated hitter Casey Schmitt (left) and outfielder Heliot Ramons (center) following his two run home run during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

We had just scratched back to .500 on the year and then Jesus Luzardo happened, oh well. Let’s look at a couple MLB Picks for today.
Season Record 8-9-1, -1.85 Units
Padres at Angels
Who would have thought the Padres at Angels in mid April would give us a kind of interesting matchup? Especially the Angels half of it. Well, here we are. And hey Mike Trout is on a tear with five homers in his last four games.
The Angels will start Jose Soriano and the righty has emerged as one of the best SP’s in baseball so far.
Through four starts and 27 innings he has allowed one measly earned run to cross the plate on his watch, alongside a 0.67 WHIP. The WHIP is huge for him as he’s an extreme groundball pitcher with a 4.0 LA and 61.4% GB% (94th percentile), so that’s a risk for him playing in front of a less than stellar infield. But he’s controlling contact well thus far with a 33% HardHit% and 87.8 EV. Oh and most importantly, he’s learned how to produce K’s from his 97.5 MPH heat. His Whiff% is up from 27% last year to 32.4%, and his K% has exploded from 21% to 32% He’s throwing his fastball much more (23.4% vs. 8.6%) and his slider much less (49.1% to 30.5%) and the new mix is clearly doing wonders.
The Padres start German Marquez, who has escaped Coors but magically is still not a good pitcher. He’s won two of his three starts, but that’s more thanks to his offense as he has an ugly 5.54 ERA and 1.69 and there’s nothing in his “skills” that suggest anything better than that. The Padres offense looks better on paper than they’ve played this far, as they have a teamwide wRC+ of 100.
They have just 17 homers as a team so far, none from Fernando Tatis Jr.
I like the F5 prop here because once it gets to the bullpen, the game tilts heavily to San Diego. Closer Mason Miller has an amazing walkout and when he gets to the mound he has an insane 74% K% so far. Meanwhile Angels closer Jordan Romano has blown two saves already this week.
Angels F5 -0.5 (-105 BetMGM)

Our Current Best Offers
Channel debug: betting

Giants at Nationals
Let’s stick to the Warmth in the Northeast play and go with an over on two kind of underwhelming teams. The Nats have actually had a pretty pesky offense as their 112 wRC+ ranks 4th in MLB. They face Logan Webb, who has gotten off to quite the rocky 5.25 ERA start. His K% has dipped to just 20% and his BB% is at 8.6% vs. 5.6% for his career. He’s had an ability to change his styles over the years, and in 2025 he bumped his K% to a career high 26%. He may need to do that again as he’s an extreme groundball pitcher in front of a really bad fielding right side of his infield. Not sure he gets it corrected in time to limit damage today. The Giants are not a titanic offense to say the least, but I trust they can at least get to the meh Zack Littell and the hideous Nats bullpen.
Over 8 (-110 FanDuel)

Our Current Best Offers
Channel debug: betting

#Friday #April #17th #Expert #MLB #Betting #Picks #Predictions #Deadspin.com">Friday April 17th Expert MLB Betting Picks, Predictions | Deadspin.com

Apr 10, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (right) greeted by designated hitter Casey Schmitt (left) and outfielder Heliot Ramons (center) following his two run home run during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

We had just scratched back to .500 on the year and then Jesus Luzardo happened, oh well. Let’s look at a couple MLB Picks for today.

Season Record 8-9-1, -1.85 Units

Padres at Angels

Who would have thought the Padres at Angels in mid April would give us a kind of interesting matchup? Especially the Angels half of it. Well, here we are. And hey Mike Trout is on a tear with five homers in his last four games.

The Angels will start Jose Soriano and the righty has emerged as one of the best SP’s in baseball so far.

Through four starts and 27 innings he has allowed one measly earned run to cross the plate on his watch, alongside a 0.67 WHIP. The WHIP is huge for him as he’s an extreme groundball pitcher with a 4.0 LA and 61.4% GB% (94th percentile), so that’s a risk for him playing in front of a less than stellar infield. But he’s controlling contact well thus far with a 33% HardHit% and 87.8 EV. Oh and most importantly, he’s learned how to produce K’s from his 97.5 MPH heat. His Whiff% is up from 27% last year to 32.4%, and his K% has exploded from 21% to 32% He’s throwing his fastball much more (23.4% vs. 8.6%) and his slider much less (49.1% to 30.5%) and the new mix is clearly doing wonders.

The Padres start German Marquez, who has escaped Coors but magically is still not a good pitcher. He’s won two of his three starts, but that’s more thanks to his offense as he has an ugly 5.54 ERA and 1.69 and there’s nothing in his “skills” that suggest anything better than that. The Padres offense looks better on paper than they’ve played this far, as they have a teamwide wRC+ of 100.

They have just 17 homers as a team so far, none from Fernando Tatis Jr.

I like the F5 prop here because once it gets to the bullpen, the game tilts heavily to San Diego. Closer Mason Miller has an amazing walkout and when he gets to the mound he has an insane 74% K% so far. Meanwhile Angels closer Jordan Romano has blown two saves already this week.

Angels F5 -0.5 (-105 BetMGM)

Our Current Best Offers

Channel debug: betting

Giants at Nationals

Let’s stick to the Warmth in the Northeast play and go with an over on two kind of underwhelming teams. The Nats have actually had a pretty pesky offense as their 112 wRC+ ranks 4th in MLB. They face Logan Webb, who has gotten off to quite the rocky 5.25 ERA start. His K% has dipped to just 20% and his BB% is at 8.6% vs. 5.6% for his career. He’s had an ability to change his styles over the years, and in 2025 he bumped his K% to a career high 26%. He may need to do that again as he’s an extreme groundball pitcher in front of a really bad fielding right side of his infield. Not sure he gets it corrected in time to limit damage today. The Giants are not a titanic offense to say the least, but I trust they can at least get to the meh Zack Littell and the hideous Nats bullpen.

Over 8 (-110 FanDuel)

Our Current Best Offers

Channel debug: betting

#Friday #April #17th #Expert #MLB #Betting #Picks #Predictions #Deadspin.com

Cadillac confirmed that American driver Colton Herta will drive in four Free Practice 1 sessions for the team during the 2026 Formula 1 season, starting at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in June. That will be the first of four FP1 sessions the American driver will participate in this season.

Herta is also driving for Hitech TGR this season in Formula 2, his first time in the F1 feeder series. He scored points during his first race weekend when he finished seventh in the Feature Race at the Australian Grand Prix.

“Colton is a top talent, which he has not only proved by building an impressive resume in the NTT IndyCar Series before joining us, but also with a strong start to his Formula 2 season. Completing all four of our young driver FP1 sessions is a natural next step in his Test Driver role, and I look forward to seeing what he can bring in terms of development and focus,” said Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon in a statement from the team.

“I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team car for the first time,” said Herta. “I am looking forward to working closely with the team in a full Grand Prix environment and am fully focused on learning from every appearance. I hope I can contribute to the overall race weekend and help the team, Checo [Pérez] and Valtteri [Bottas] as much as possible.”

Herta signed on as a test driver for Cadillac ahead of the team’s inaugural F1 season, and has been linked to a future move to the series for years.

“Colton has really earned this opportunity,” said CEO Dan Towriss. “These sessions are a valuable opportunity for him to integrate with the team, develop his skills behind the wheel and off the track, and learn about a Grand Prix weekend from the inside.”

F1 returns to action with the Miami Grand Prix at the start of May, but it will not be long until fans see Herta in action on the grid.

#Colton #Hertas #debut #confirmed #Cadillac">