BRAZIL SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: NEYMAR ACHIEVES WORLD CUP DREAM AS CARLO ANCELOTTI OMITS CHELSEA STAR FEOM 26-MAN SELECTION

Brazil icon Neymar has been included in Carlo Ancelotti's final 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The Santos forward made the most recent of his 128 international appearances in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023.

Neymar's struggles with injuries over the last few years cast doubt over his involvement in the upcoming World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA.

However, the 34-year-old has ultimately done enough with Santos to prove to Ancelotti that he is in good physical condition and can perform to the level required in the upcoming tournament. 

The Brazil boss confirmed Neymar's inclusion to a great reception in a ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. 

Neymar, who is Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, is set to feature in a fourth World Cup after representing his country at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

Ancelotti leaves Chelsea star out of Brazil squad

While Neymar has achieved his World Cup dream, there was heartbreak for Chelsea forward Joao Pedro. 

The 24-year-old was a notable omission from the final 26-man squad, despite playing in Brazil's last two friendlies against France and Croatia. 

Pedro has staked a strong case with 23 goals and six assists in 52 competitive appearances this season. 

Rather than his club form, it seems that his failure to score in any of his eight international matches is a key factor in his omission.

Premier League well represented in Brazil World Cup selection

Brazil World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Fenerbahce), Weverton (Gremio)

Defenders: Gabriel (Arsenal), Danilo (Flamengo), Leo Pereira (Flamengo), Bremer (Juventus), Roger Ibanez (Al-Ahli), Wesley (Roma), Marquinhos (Paris St-Germain), Gabriel (Arsenal), Douglas Santos (Zenit St. Petersburg), Alex Sandro (Flamengo)

Midfielders: Casemiro (Manchester United), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United), Lucas Paqueta (Flamengo), Danilo (Botafogo)

Forwards: Neymar (Santos), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Raphinha (Barcelona), Luiz Henrique (Zenit St. Petersburg), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Rayan (Bournemouth), Endrick (Lyon),  Igor Thiago (Brentford)

Brentford striker Igor Thiago is one of those who got the nod over Pedro, rewarded for his 22-goal return in 37 Premier League games this season.

There are spots for the Arsenal duo of Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli, as well as the Manchester United pair of Casemiro and Matheus Cunha.

Liverpool's Alisson Becker, Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes and Bournemouth's Rayan are the other three Premier League players who have made the cut. 

Real Madrid are represented in the selection by Vinicius Junior and Endrick, the latter of whom has registered 16 goal contributions during a successful loan spell with Lyon.

Barcelona's Raphinha is also heading to the World Cup after returning from injury earlier this month. 

- Ben Sully 

O.J. SIMPSON CASE DET. MARK FUHRMAN DEAD AT 74

Former LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman, who discovered the bloody glove in the O.J. Simpson murder case and later torpedoed the prosecution with his use of the n-word, is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell TMZ ... Mark died from an aggressive form of throat cancer, which he was diagnosed with last year. Mark had been hospitalized for about a week before he died. He had done some cancer treatment ... but made the final decision to stop. There won't be a funeral.

Mark had been living in Idaho and the Kootenai County Coroner Office tells us Mark died May 12.

He retired from LAPD way back in August 1995 and started writing true crime books. He became a TV and radio personality and even worked as an expert for Fox News.

A year after retiring, Mark pleaded no contest in 1996 to a felony count of perjury for lying about using a racial slur when he testified during O.J.'s trial.

O.J.'s defense team infamously played a tape in court, in which Mark used the n-word. The audio contradicted his earlier testimony, specifically him denying using the slur.

With Mark as the cop who found the bloody glove, O.J.'s legal team called out Mark's credibility by resurfacing old tapes of the detective using racist language ... ultimately suggesting he might have planted the evidence.

O.J.'s defense strategy worked and he was acquitted ... and Mark's eventual felony perjury conviction made him the only person ever convicted of any crime in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

Mark was barred from returning to police work in California in May 2024 ... and the reason was because of his felony conviction as part of the O.J. case.

He was 74.

RIP

- TMZ

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ANTHONY JOSAHUA AND TYSON FURVY TOLD THEIR FIGHT WILL BE CANCELED

Anthony Joshua has signed to fight Tyson Fury this autumn but must first beat Kristian Prenga in July in his first fight since he was involved in a car crash

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will fight this year(Image: Getty)

Kristian Prenga has vowed to beat Anthony Joshua and ensure his fight with Tyson Fury never happens.

Joshua has signed to fight Fury this autumn but must first take on unknown heavyweight Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia in July. Fury is also considering taking a warm-up fight despite returning to the ring just last month when he outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov in his first fight for 16 months.

And Prenga has promised to upset the odds against Joshua and prevent him from finally facing Fury. Everybody is talking about Joshua vs. Fury as if this fight is just a formality, which is a very dangerous mindset in heavyweight boxing. One punch changes everything in this division," he told Casinolyze.

"I am not showing up for a payday or a photo-op, I am coming to win the fight. By winning, I will smash the biggest fight in British boxing history overnight. The world needs to understand that I am not a manufactured fighter. I am a real fighter who has earned everything through hard work. I fight for my family, my supporters, for Albania, and now I fight for every person who has ever been overlooked or underestimated.

"A victory changes everything: financially, professionally, and historically. But more than anything, it proves that belief, toughness, and perseverance still matter in this sport. For sure I am being overlooked, but that’s fine. The people overlooking me today will be the same people pretending they always knew how dangerous I was afterward. Being doubted fuels me."

Joshua will be fighting for the first time since he cheated death in a car crash in Nigeria last December. And Prenga admits he is unsure as to which version of the former world champion he will face. "That’s one of the big questions heading into the fight," he added.

"Earlier in his career, Joshua fought with more freedom and aggression. In recent years he’s become more cautious at times, probably because of some of the setbacks he’s had. We’ll see which version shows up. I am prepared for the very best version possible.

"I’m not going to disrespect Anthony Joshua because he’s accomplished a lot in this sport. But like every heavyweight, he has vulnerabilities. We believe pressure, pace, and forcing exchanges can expose things that don’t show up when he’s controlling the fight comfortably behind the jab."

- Martin Domin

MERCEDES BRING FIRST MAJOR UPGRADE OF F1 2026 TO CANADIAN GRAND PRIX IN BID TO FEND OFF RIVALS

Mercedes confirms it is bringing an anticipated upgrade to the Canadian Grand Prix.

Mercedes is unbeaten so far in 2026

Mercedes has confirmed it will bring its first major upgrade of the 2026 Formula 1 season to the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.

F1 returns to action in Montreal following a three-week break with Mercedes looking to continue its unbeaten start to the campaign.

Mercedes has claimed pole position and won all four of the opening races, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli clinching three consecutive victories to build a surprise 20-point advantage over team-mate George Russell in the championship.

Antonelli celebrates his third straight F1 win

Despite Mercedes’ strong start to the season, its rivals - especially McLaren - closed the gap by bringing significant upgrades at the last round in Miami.

Mercedes did not update its W17 challenger in Miami, opting instead to debut a bigger upgrade in Canada.

“Our competitors took a step forward in Miami and we need to respond; seven Grands Prix in 10 weekends before shutdown is an opportunity to do that and build momentum,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said.

“We bring our first update package of the year to Montreal, but we know that performance is only performance once it is delivered on track.

“Despite being in the middle of May, we are just four races into the season. There is a long year ahead and, whilst this is an important weekend, it will not decide any outcomes.

“We will stay balanced, keep learning, and execute each weekend as well as we can. We won't get too high when we succeed or too low in the difficult moments; that is as true for our drivers as it is for the rest of the team.”

MCLAREN NOT DONE WITH DEVELOPMENT

Norris led a McLaren 1-2 in the Miami sprint

Reigning world champion Lando Norris beat Antonelli to pole for the Miami sprint and went on to lead a dominant McLaren 1-2 in Saturday’s shortened race, before having to settle for second behind Antonelli in the main grand prix.

McLaren nevertheless made an encouraging step forward compared to Mercedes and will continue to bring new parts to their MCL40, which was heavily revised in Miami.

"We feel extremely satisfied with the weekend, very encouraged, not only because in a single weekend we scored more points than the three previous races, but also because of the trend that we have established," McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said.

"We know that we have some more upgrades coming, which are kind of coming from the same group, so we are optimistic that they may allow us to take some further steps forward.

"I think Mercedes still possess a couple of tenths advantage on anybody else. This was the most noticeable today in the race and [in grand prix qualifying]. I think in the first sprint section of the weekend, for some reason Mercedes didn't express its full potential.

"So, I think Mercedes is still the best team, probably because we don't have many high speed corners here it's less noticeable than some other tracks. But I think they also did a good job of optimising what they had after having learned from the sprint qualifying and the sprint race."

- Lewis Larkam

FORMER MINISTER FROM TANZANIA, PROF. MWANDOSYA AND MRS. LUCY AKIIKI VISITS HOIMA CITY STADIUM IN UGANDA

 

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ANTOINE GRIEZMANN APOLOGIES TO ATLETICO MADRID FANS AHEAD OF SUMMER EXIT - "IT WAS A MISTAKE TO GO TO BARCELONA"

 

It was an emotional farewell for Griezmann as he addressed the fans in a special ceremony after full-time. Photo by Javier SORIANO / AFP via Getty Images

On Sunday, Antoine Griezmann made his final appearance at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano as an Atletico Madrid player. The 35-year-old, who is the club’s all-time top goalscorer, has already agreed to join MLS side Orlando City in the summer, thus bringing to an end a 10-year career across two spells.

After Sunday’s match against Girona, which Atleti won 1-0 with Griezmann providing the assist for Ademola Lookman’s goal, the Frenchman gave an emotional speech to the home crowd, and as per Sport, he started it by once again apologising for his decision to join Barcelona in the summer of 2019.

“First, thank you all for staying. This is amazing. Second, and something very important to me, I know that many did and some still did not, but I ask your forgiveness again. I didn’t realize the affection I had here. I was very young. It was a mistake (to go to Barcelona), I reconsidered and we did everything to come back and enjoy it again.”

Griezmann pays special tribute to Simeone and Koke

Griezmann also took the time to pay tribute to those that have helped him during his time at Atleti, such as Diego Simeone, Koke Resurreccion and his family.

“To the coaching staff and to the one who changed everything at this club: Don Diego Pablo Simeone. Thanks to you there is a lot of enthusiasm and I was world champion and I felt the best in the world. I owe you a lot and it has been an honour to fight for you. I don’t know if I’m a legend, but you, Koke, are a legend of this club. My wife, my wife too. Thank you for supporting me in my bad days and holding my anger in defeats. I love you.

“I also thank my parents, who took me all over France to play. Thanks to them I am here enjoying football. I haven’t been able to bring a league or a Champions League, but this affection is better for me. I’ll take it for the whole trip. Now, I’m done. Fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, thank you very much for bringing the children here, to teach them that Atleti is the best in the world. Thank you.”

- John Menzies

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MOTOGP CRASH | JOHANN ZARCO MOTOGP CTASH | CATALONIA GRAND PRIX 2026

 

LCR BOSS PROVIDES JOHANN ZARCO UPDATE AFTER CATALONIA TURN 1 INCIDENT

LCR MotoGP boss gives Johann Zarco update after scary Turn 1 crash

Johann Zarco crashes at the 2026 Catalan MotoGP
© Gold and Goose

LCR MotoGP team boss, Lucio Cecchinello, says Johann Zarco has pain “in the femur area” after a scary incident during Sunday’s Catalan Grand Prix.

The race was red-flagged on lap 12 of 24 for a terrifying collision involving Pedro Acosta, whose KTM encountered an issue, and Gresini’s Alex Marquez on the back straight between Turns 9 and 10.

Alex Marquez was taken to hospital for checks, while the race was restarted again.

On this restart, Johann Zarco collided with Luca Marini and Pecco Bagnaia at Turn 1 at the start, and got tangled up with one of the bikes.

A red flag was flow again while Zarco received medical attention, with the Frenchman taken to hospital for further checks.

Replays of the second Red Flag crash 🚩

All riders conscious 🙌#MotoGP | #CatalanGP | Live on TNT Sports and HBO Max pic.twitter.com/1KQt78sk8j

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) May 17, 2026

2026 Catalan MotoGP incident
© Gold and Goose

Speaking to TNT Sport, Cecchinello offered an update on Zarco’s condition.

“Well, at the moment, he’s been taken to the local hospital,” he said.

“They will perform an MRI and scan to check exactly what he has.

“He has pain in the left leg. He has pain around the knee.

“But, fortunately, he has no concussion, he has no injuries in the upper part of the body, in the feet, in the ankle.

“Looks like he has pain, just in the femur area. I really hope there will be no bad news coming.”

Zarco had been having a strong weekend up to that point, qualifying fifth and finishing there in the sprint.

Prior to the first red flag, Zarco was inside the top six.

“Look, I was commenting that it was a perfect weekend for us: fifth in Friday practice, fifth in qualifying, fifth in the sprint, sixth with 2.8s after half a race,” Cecchinello added.

“It was really, really a pity that our weekend ended like this.”

Zarco suffered bruising on his foot from hitting debris when Marquez and Acosta collided, but was cleared to restart.

The FIM stewards' document notes that Zarco is due to face a hearing on the incident, but will only do so once he is available. 

- Lewis Duncan

NBA PLAYOFFS 2026 | BRACKET

 

ALEX MARQUEZ HUGE CRASH AT CATALONIA GRAND PRIX | MOTOGP

 

ALEX MARQUEZ INJURIES |

 

Alex has suffered a small C7 vertebrae fracture along with a broken right collarbone. The injury will be surgically treated using a plate to stabilize the shoulder area.

Alex is scheduled to have surgery today at the General Hospital of Catalonia.

Other medical evaluations will be done next week to monitor the progress of recovery.

A major blow after such a dramatic weekend...

Wishing Alex a speedy recovery and a stronger comeback.

#ForcaAlexMarquez 

ROUND 4 HIGHLIGHTS | 2026 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

HBCU FOOTBALL STAR WILLIAM DAVIS DEAD AT 22

Instagram/@choswndavis_

Sam Houston State University is mourning the loss of defensive back William Davis, who has died at the age of 22, TMZ has confirmed.

A spokesperson for Sam Houston State University tells TMZ … "We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of SHSU student-athlete Will Davis."

The school's Head Football Coach Phil Longo released a statement saying ... "It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of Will Davis. Will was a beloved member of our Bearkat football family here at Sam Houston who touched the lives of everyone he knew."

Coach Longo continues ... "Will was an upbeat, positive, passionate young man who will be sincerely missed. Tanya, the kids and I are praying for Will's family during this difficult time."

Davis had most recently transferred to Sam Houston State earlier this year after a standout collegiate journey that began at Virginia Union University, where he played three seasons from 2022 through 2024. The cause of death was not immediately released.

Davis joined the Bearkats for spring workouts in Huntsville this past April and was preparing for a fresh start with the program.

After committing to SHSU, Davis expressed excitement about his next chapter, saying the school felt like home right away and emphasizing his desire to find a strong cultural fit far from his home state of Virginia.

Sam Houston State officials say the program plans to honor Davis during the 2026 season, though details have not yet been announced.

Will was 22.

RIP

- TMZ

CELTIC WIN IN FINAL THRILLER VS. HEARTS