European football governing body UEFA on Tuesday rejected Barcelona’s complaint over a handball incident in its Champions League quarterfinal first leg defeat by Atletico Madrid, hours before the second leg.
Diego Simeone’s side won 2-0 at Camp Nou last week, and Barca was upset by an incident where Atletico defender Marc Pubill touched the ball with his hand after it appeared a goal kick had been passed to him.
“(After the first leg) Barcelona filed a protest relating to a referee decision. On 13 April 2026, the UEFA Control Ethics and Disciplinary Body declared the protest to be inadmissible,” said UEFA in a statement.
Five-time Champions League winner Barca said last week the decision not to award it a penalty was a “major error” which influenced the result, and was upset referee Istvan Kovacs was not told to review the incident by the VAR team.
Published on Apr 14, 2026
European football governing body UEFA on Tuesday rejected Barcelona’s complaint over a handball incident in…
England captain Ben Stokes says any suggestion he and coach Brendon McCullum are not aligned “is a massive overstatement”.
Were there disagreements between them during their Ashes debacle in Australia? Yes.
Was it any different than normal? No.
Stokes and McCullum have been in lock step since 2022, and they crashed and burned when they lost to Australia 4-1 last winter. Both men supported the other after being humbled, but the Ashes review threw up signs of tension.
Stokes wanted to play more conservatively, while McCullum wanted to double down on all-out attack.
Since the Ashes, Stokes has kept a low profile. When he and McCullum kept their jobs last month following the Ashes review, he posted on social media that he was happy to continue working with McCullum and the post-Ashes period had been the hardest period of his captaincy.
The captain has used an in-house interview with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to address his relationship with McCullum.
“Saying we weren’t aligned, I think, is a massive overstatement,” Stokes said.
“When you’re in a position of leadership along with someone else, if anyone thinks that you’re always going to agree on everything, then it’s just impossible. To me, that isn’t a healthy environment for sport, in particular. You need debate. You need discussions. Then you end up getting to the place you both want to end up getting to.
“As similar as Brendon and I are, we’re also dissimilar in other areas as well. We agree 95 per cent of the time on things, but those 5 per cent things that we might have different views on, we talk about them between each other and then we end up getting to the place where we want to get to.”
Stokes hasn’t played in the County Championship since breaking his cheekbone in a freak accident in pre-season training with Durham. But he’s set to return in May before New Zealand arrives in June for a Test series. Pakistan follows this summer, and Australia comes to England in 2027.
As was recommended in the Ashes review, England’s leadership will tweak what it does with the team, and Stokes has welcomed it.
“I’m very confident in mine and Brendon’s ability to be able to work together, because we’ve done it for such a long period of time now, but work together in a slightly different way,” he said.
“The main point of Brendon and me is our alignment towards winning things and making this team as good as they can be. That’s always been the thing since we started. It might just look a little bit different now than how that operates after four years of working together. Hopefully we’ll still be together at the end of 2027, winning what we want to win.”
Published on Apr 14, 2026
England captain Ben Stokes says any suggestion he and coach Brendon McCullum are not aligned “is a massive overstatement”.
Were there disagreements between them during their Ashes debacle in Australia? Yes.
Was it any different than normal? No.
Stokes and McCullum have been in lock step since 2022, and they crashed and burned when they lost to Australia 4-1 last winter. Both men supported the other after being humbled, but the Ashes review threw up signs of tension.
Stokes wanted to play more conservatively, while McCullum wanted to double down on all-out attack.
Since the Ashes, Stokes has kept a low profile. When he and McCullum kept their jobs last month following the Ashes review, he posted on social media that he was happy to continue working with McCullum and the post-Ashes period had been the hardest period of his captaincy.
The captain has used an in-house interview with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to address his relationship with McCullum.
“Saying we weren’t aligned, I think, is a massive overstatement,” Stokes said.
“When you’re in a position of leadership along with someone else, if anyone thinks that you’re always going to agree on everything, then it’s just impossible. To me, that isn’t a healthy environment for sport, in particular. You need debate. You need discussions. Then you end up getting to the place you both want to end up getting to.
“As similar as Brendon and I are, we’re also dissimilar in other areas as well. We agree 95 per cent of the time on things, but those 5 per cent things that we might have different views on, we talk about them between each other and then we end up getting to the place where we want to get to.”
Stokes hasn’t played in the County Championship since breaking his cheekbone in a freak accident in pre-season training with Durham. But he’s set to return in May before New Zealand arrives in June for a Test series. Pakistan follows this summer, and Australia comes to England in 2027.
As was recommended in the Ashes review, England’s leadership will tweak what it does with the team, and Stokes has welcomed it.
“I’m very confident in mine and Brendon’s ability to be able to work together, because we’ve done it for such a long period of time now, but work together in a slightly different way,” he said.
“The main point of Brendon and me is our alignment towards winning things and making this team as good as they can be. That’s always been the thing since we started. It might just look a little bit different now than how that operates after four years of working together. Hopefully we’ll still be together at the end of 2027, winning what we want to win.”
Published on Apr 14, 2026
England captain Ben Stokes says any suggestion he and coach Brendon McCullum are not aligned…
Welterweight world champion Lauren Price believes there is no reason to delay a high-profile fight with American Claressa Shields, declaring that she is in her prime and ready to chase boxing immortality.
After defeating Stephanie Pineiro to retain her WBC, WBA and IBF titles in Cardiff this month, Briton Price went face-to-face with undisputed heavyweight champion Shields in the ring, sparking talk of a potential clash between them.
Price said taking on the biggest names had been on her mind since she became an Olympic champion at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
“I want to be involved in the biggest fights, to create a legacy. I’m in my prime. She’s in her prime. We’re at a similar age. So, why should we wait? Why should I wait until towards the end of my career?” the 31-year-old told Reuters.
“If I’m here now and feeling good, I’m like, ‘yeah, let’s make the fight’. I’ll fight anyone. I think it’s a great fight. Our accolades speak for themselves. I’ve got an Olympic gold medal. She’s got two. She’s a great, great fighter and I would love to share the ring with her. It’s the biggest fight out there.”
WEIGHT ‘NOT AN ISSUE’
With Shields weighing in at 174 pounds for her win over Franchon Crews-Dezurn in February, and Price tipping the scales at just over 146 pounds for her victory over Pineiro, any meeting between the two would require the Welshwoman to move up a couple of weight classes.
Price said she planned to fight at 154 pounds, before going on to face Shields at 160.
“That’s not an issue. I’ve boxed big girls before in the past. I’m in this game to become a multi-weight world champion,” she added.
Promoter Ben Shalom told ESPN last week the boxers could sign a two-fight deal, with one bout in the United Kingdom and the other in the U.S.
“Location-wise, I think she can see by my fan base and the country I’ve got behind me. It makes it exciting to box in Wales,” Price said.
“Not just for myself, for her as well. Because with the fan base I got, and we sell out the stadium, then we’re both going to get a good payday afterwards as well. I’ve also said I’ll go to America. Let’s make it a double-header, let’s make it a trilogy, whatever.”
‘I WANT MY REWARD’
Shields, in November, signed an $8 million multi-year deal with Salita Promotions and Wynn Records, which has been touted as the richest contract in women’s boxing. It came amid growing interest in women’s boxing, which has resulted in more investment and bigger payouts at the top level, perhaps best evidenced by the high-profile trilogy fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.
“Obviously, there’s a way to go, but I do believe women’s boxing has come on massively. Fair play to Taylor and Serrano, they’ve had three fights, they’ve made a fortune. They’ve got the Netflix deal,” Price said.
“That’s what I want to head towards, that’s my focus. I live the life of an athlete and I want to get my reward at the end. Boxing is my life.”
Published on Apr 13, 2026
Welterweight world champion Lauren Price believes there is no reason to delay a high-profile fight with American Claressa Shields, declaring that she is in her prime and ready to chase boxing immortality.
After defeating Stephanie Pineiro to retain her WBC, WBA and IBF titles in Cardiff this month, Briton Price went face-to-face with undisputed heavyweight champion Shields in the ring, sparking talk of a potential clash between them.
Price said taking on the biggest names had been on her mind since she became an Olympic champion at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
“I want to be involved in the biggest fights, to create a legacy. I’m in my prime. She’s in her prime. We’re at a similar age. So, why should we wait? Why should I wait until towards the end of my career?” the 31-year-old told Reuters.
“If I’m here now and feeling good, I’m like, ‘yeah, let’s make the fight’. I’ll fight anyone. I think it’s a great fight. Our accolades speak for themselves. I’ve got an Olympic gold medal. She’s got two. She’s a great, great fighter and I would love to share the ring with her. It’s the biggest fight out there.”
WEIGHT ‘NOT AN ISSUE’
With Shields weighing in at 174 pounds for her win over Franchon Crews-Dezurn in February, and Price tipping the scales at just over 146 pounds for her victory over Pineiro, any meeting between the two would require the Welshwoman to move up a couple of weight classes.
Price said she planned to fight at 154 pounds, before going on to face Shields at 160.
“That’s not an issue. I’ve boxed big girls before in the past. I’m in this game to become a multi-weight world champion,” she added.
Promoter Ben Shalom told ESPN last week the boxers could sign a two-fight deal, with one bout in the United Kingdom and the other in the U.S.
“Location-wise, I think she can see by my fan base and the country I’ve got behind me. It makes it exciting to box in Wales,” Price said.
“Not just for myself, for her as well. Because with the fan base I got, and we sell out the stadium, then we’re both going to get a good payday afterwards as well. I’ve also said I’ll go to America. Let’s make it a double-header, let’s make it a trilogy, whatever.”
‘I WANT MY REWARD’
Shields, in November, signed an $8 million multi-year deal with Salita Promotions and Wynn Records, which has been touted as the richest contract in women’s boxing. It came amid growing interest in women’s boxing, which has resulted in more investment and bigger payouts at the top level, perhaps best evidenced by the high-profile trilogy fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.
“Obviously, there’s a way to go, but I do believe women’s boxing has come on massively. Fair play to Taylor and Serrano, they’ve had three fights, they’ve made a fortune. They’ve got the Netflix deal,” Price said.
“That’s what I want to head towards, that’s my focus. I live the life of an athlete and I want to get my reward at the end. Boxing is my life.”
Published on Apr 13, 2026
Welterweight world champion Lauren Price believes there is no reason to delay a high-profile fight…
