US PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP RECEIVED HOSTILE A HOSTILE REACTION FROM FANS AS HE PRESENTED THE WORLD CUP TROPHY TO SPAIN

Donald Trump was booed at the World Cup final

US President Donald Trump received a hostile reaction from fans as he presented the World Cup trophy to Spain.

The US still lost 4-1, and the Belgium players were seen appearing to mock Trump's dance moves from his 2024 presidential campaign.

Donald Trump was booed by fans at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.

The President of the United States joined FIFA president Gianni Infantino on the podium to present the trophy after Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time.

US President Donald Trump received a hostile reaction from fans as he presented the World Cup trophy to Spain.

As the two men stepped out onto the pitch at MetLife Stadium on Sunday (19.07.26), boos and jeers could be heard ringing out.

Despite the reaction, Trump could still be seen waving out to people in the stands.

At one point, just before Spain lifted the iconic trophy, Infantino was seen trying to usher the US President out of the way so they could celebrate as a team.

Before the match kicked off, Trump spoke to Fox News and claimed he tried to tell Infantino that the US is "not a soccer country" when the idea of the World Cup was first presented.

However, he said: "It turns out we are a soccer country."

Trump added: "I don’t think there’s ever been anything like what’s happened with the whole World Cup, it’s been beautiful to watch."

Earlier in the tournament, Trump left fans curious after admitting he phoned Infantino and asked him to "review" a red card and suspension handed to US striker Folarin Balogun, which allowed him to still play in the round of 16 game against Belgium.

The US still lost 4-1, and the Belgium players were seen appearing to mock Trump's dance moves from his 2024 presidential campaign.

- Bang Premier 

TRUMP BOOED AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN 😂 | NBA FINALS 2026

 

KEVIN DURANT BOOING THE OKC CROWD AS THE CROWD BOOED HIM ON OPENING NIGHT 🤣

LQNDO NORRIS REACTS TO F1 ITALIAN GP BOOS AFTER MCLAREN SWAP

Lando Norris was booed by fans on the podium after the Italian GP

Lando Norris reacted to the audible boos aimed in his direction when taking to the podium after the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.

The Briton finished a distant second behind race winner Max Verstappen at Monza, ahead of his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Norris fell into third late on behind Piastri after a botched pitstop, with the Australian having pitted the lap before as part of a team strategy.

Due to the nature of Norris’ stop, Piastri was instructed to hand the place back to Norris, ensuring he would finish second, a position he held for virtually the whole race.

The Italian fans seemed to take umbrage with the tactic and began to boo when Norris walked onto the rostrum, as they assembled in their traditional post-race track invasion beneath it.

After the race, Norris was asked for his reaction to the negative reception he received. He conveyed a sense of confusion, but added he heard plenty of cheering to counteract it.

“I don’t know why. I heard them,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “I hear the cheers louder than the boos, and that’s the most important.”

Verstappen, conversely, received a hero’s reception as he stood upon the top step, with many serenading him with the ’33 Max Verstappen’ song by Carte Blanq and Maxx Power.

When asked how he felt about the tifosi’s wholly positive response to his victory, the Dutchman appeared to be in awe of the spectacle.

“I think already in Imola it was pretty similar. It’s just nice to see that support,” Verstappen added.

“Of course, most of them are here to support Ferrari – unfortunately they were not on the podium.

“But to see that crowd was incredible. Honestly, it’s probably the best podium in the season in terms of what you see and how big the crowd is.

“They were very joyful, I would say, just having a good time, and it was nice to be part of it.”

- Jack Oliver Smith

PRESIDENT TRUMP ATTENDS THE US OPEN FINAL AT FLUSHING MEADOWS, NEW YORK | GREETED WITH CHEERS & BOOES

 

RANGERS BOOED OFF IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

DIOGO JOTA TRIBUTE BOOED AS COMMUNITY SHIELD MINUTE SILENCE CUT SHORT

The minutes' silence for Diogo Jota ahead of the Community Shield was booed by some Crystal Palace supporters as the tribute to the Liverpool forward and his brother Andre Silva was cut short

The minutes silence for Diogo Jota was cut short (Image: TNT Sports)

The minutes' silence for Diogo Jota ahead of the Community Shield between Liverpool and Crystal Palace was booed and cut short.

Before kick-off at Wembley on Sunday between the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners, tributes were paid to the Portuguese forward.

Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva, 25, both died in a car crash in June. The two were travelling to northern Spain to catch a ferry to England when they crashed in the Spanish region of Zamora.

While tributes were observed before the players emerged from the tunnel by both clubs and sets of fans, sick fans interrupted the minutes' silence.

As both sets of players lined up around the centre circle to observe the moment of reflection, a small number of Crystal Palace fans could be heard booing and jeering.

The minutes' silence was subsequently cut short by the referee, who decided to call an early end after just 10 seconds to an emotional moment for the entire Liverpool squad, fans, and even those connected with Jota representing the Eagles.

TV cameras showed Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and new signing Jeremie Frimpong all looking perplexed by the decision of those brainless few to boo the tribute.

TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher was left disgusted by the reaction, slamming: "Why on earth there are a certain few inside the stadium who would spoil that moment is absolutely beyond me."

Liverpool have retired Jota’s No.20 squad number and each shirt has ‘Forever 20’ ingrained for the season.

Despite being Premier League champions, Slot has a revamped team after spending close to £300million this summer.

Britain’s record transfer Florian Wirtz makes his first competitive start for the Reds. While there are also starts for Milos Kerkez, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong.

Liverpool's new £79million striker opened the scoring with a cool finish from the edge of the box just five minutes into his debut. Jean-Philippe Mateta soon equalised from the penalty spot after Ismaila Sarr was fouled by Virgil van Dijk.

But Liverpool retook the lead, poignantly on the 20th minute mark, when Frimpong also grabbed a debut goal after his mishit cross floated inside the far post.

- 

FUMING THOMAS TUCHEL ROUNDS ON 'FROZEN' ENGLAND STARS AS HARRY KANE POINTS FINGER OF BLAME

England crashed to a humiliating defeat to Senegal on Tuesday night, with Thomas Tuchel's reign threatening to unravel just four games in as his side were booed off

Thomas Tuchel has been left furious with his England players(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Thomas Tuchel said his players were ‘frozen’ as his England team were humiliated by Senegal in Nottingham. England were booed off by supporters inside the City Ground after Tuchel suffered his first defeat as Three Lions boss.

“Felt a bit frozen, not active enough for a long time over the match,” declared Tuchel. “We go into a long break with a bad feeling. It's a disappointing result. I’m not sure if we did not deserve a little bit more result-wise.”

Harry Kane had pounced for his 73rd international goal to give England an early lead but Ismaila Sarr equalised just before half-time. Habib Diarra fired Senegal ahead just after the hour mark.

And home misery was complete when substitute Cheikh Sabaly added a third in added time. Tuchel added: “We conceded two very cheap goals and then had big chances to equalise.

"We didn’t … so the result is the result. It is tough learning at the moment because we hate to lose.”

Harry Kane said there were “no excuses” for the defeat - England’s first-ever at the hands of an African nation - but proceeded to blast Stephanie Frappart’s decision to rule out a Jude Bellingham strike that would have made it 2-2 late in the game.

Frappart was sent to the screen by VAR and gave handball against Levi Colwill in the build-up to Bellingham’s hit. Kane declared: “If you know the rules it's not handball. That gets us back in the game and maybe we can go on and win the game, so it's a big moment.”

The England skipper did, though, suggest his side had not shown enough fight, saying: “We had moments but, with and without the ball, things aren't clicking, we're not finding the right tempo. We've lost that aggressive nature that we had. Not good enough.

The Three Lions crashed to a humiliating defeat to Senegal on Tuesday night(Image: The FA via Getty Images)

“It's a mixture of things but no excuses. We need to find it quick, the World Cup is going to come around really fast so every camp is really important right now. We're not going to panic but we know we need to be better.”

And Tuchel, who defended his decision to only bring on Ivan Toney three minutes from the end of normal time, also said he would be staying calm, adding: “We lost a test (friendly) match so there is no need to panic.

“We have three qualification games, we have nine points, and have not conceded. We will be competitive in September. We will go for two more victories, 100 per cent we will.

“We know more now, we are smarter. It’s tough at the moment. I am the first one to dislike and hate losses like nothing else. But we don’t go next week to the World Cup, we go in one year.”

- Andy Dunn

FORMER PSG STAR 'KICKED OUT OF ANFIELD' DURING LIVERPOOL GAME AFTER NATIONALITY QUESTIONED

One former player was confronted by Anfield staff during Tuesday night's game.

One former Paris Saint-Germain star was said to have been booted out of Anfield during Liverpool’s midweek Champions League defeat. The Reds had entered the second leg boasting a one-goal advantage but were eventually dumped out of the competition on penalties.

The night got off to the worst possible start for Liverpool, with Ousmane Dembele netting a first-half goal to level the tie on aggregate. From that point on, Arne Slot’s Premier League champions-elect failed to leave their mark, with PSG capitalising on the Merseyside outfit’s drop in form.

The victory sparked scenes of celebration in the PSG away end, where the travelling fans were rejoicing in their sides’ victory. One fan - or rather ex-player - wasn’t able to join in, considering he’d been removed from the stands by the Liverpool stewards.

It was reported by Canal+ that former PSG forward Jeremy Menez was removed from the terraces in the second half after home fans had alerted the stewards. Menez joined the French outfit just after their 2011 takeover, with the forward going on to feature over 100 times for PSG.

Menez has since turned to punditry in his retirement, but it was fellow Frenchman and ex-professional Samir Nasri who broke the news to Canal+. He said on air: "A thought for those who were kicked out of the stadium too. Jeremy Menez was at the match, and they asked him if he was French. After his answer, they told him to leave the stadium. In the 70th minute, no less!"

It means Menez most likely missed the end to the match that saw PSG progress into the last eight, with Liverpool boss Slot dubbing the contest the “best ever game he’s been involved in” post-match. Speaking to Amazon Prime Sport, he stated: "It was the best game of football I have ever been involved in.

"It was an incredible performance, especially if you compare it with last week. Maybe we ran out of luck because the margins were so small. We played the perfect game, except for scoring a goal. It was similar to Paris last week, when they played the perfect game and didn't score. And then in extra time, they were maybe a little bit better."

The defeat has slashed Liverpool’s hopes of securing a treble of trophies this season, with only the domestic double left to fight for. They’ll take one step closer to securing that this weekend with a victory against Newcastle United in the League Cup final.

- AMOS MURPHY

FANS IN MONTREAL LOUDLY BOO U S. ANTHEM PRIOR TO AMERICANS' 4 NATIONS GAME VS. CANADA

Players and fans stand for the U.S. national anthem prior to the first period of 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game between Canada and the United States in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025.

Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP

 MONTREAL — Fans in Montreal loudly booed the U.S. national anthem prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off game between the Americans and Canada on Saturday night.

It's the second time "The Star-Spangled Banner" drew that reaction in two games the United States has played at the NHL-run international tournament.

And it came after public address announcer Michel Lacroix asked the crowd, in French and English, "In the spirit of this great game that unites everyone that you kindly respect the anthems and the players that represent each country."

This time, far more of the fans at Bell Centre booed than Thursday night before the U.S. beat Finland. The booing began when warrant officer David Grenon of the Royal Canadian Air Force Band started singing and lasted the entire length of the song.

"We knew it was going to happen," U.S. defenseman Zach Werenski said after beating Canada 3-1 and quieting the crowd of over 21,000. "It happened the last game, it's been happening in the NHL before this and we knew tonight was going to be the same way. We obviously don't like it."

U.S. players have been trying to tune it out. After beating Finland 6-1 on Thursday, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck said he "paid no attention to" the booing.

"You have free speech," Hellebuyck said. "You can do whatever you want. If you're going to boo the anthem, we sing it for the troops that protected our freedom. That doesn't really mean anything to me. You can do whatever you want. But I don't use it at all."

Werenski said it provided some fuel with the U.S. serving in the villain role in Canada.

"It is what it is," Werenski said. "We kind of had an idea. We used it as motivation the best we could and found a way to get a win. But we had an idea going into it, so it wasn't a surprise. Definitely don't like it, though."

U.S. forward Matthew Tkachuk, who fought Canada's Brandon Hagel off the opening faceoff, setting off a series of three bouts in nine seconds, said it had nothing to do with the anthem booing. If anything, players felt it added to the fun of the night.

"It's just unbelievable, the atmosphere, to play on this stage in Canada, that was pretty cool for all of us I think," said winger Jake Guentzel, who scored twice, including the empty-netter that sealed it. "There's a lot of excitement from our team coming out for warmups and just seeing how packed it was. That was pretty special."

Fans across Canada have booed the U.S. anthem at NHL and NBA games since President Donald Trump began making repeated references to the country becoming "the 51st state." Trump also threatened tariffs against the country, prompting backlash from a close neighbor and longtime ally.

Asked Friday at practice about fans booing the U.S. anthem, veteran Canada defenseman Drew Doughty voiced opposition to it.

"Obviously, I know what's going on, and I understand the Canadians' frustration, but I think we should respect the anthems and stuff like that," Doughty said. "I don't think anyone should be booing."

- The Associated Press

TRUMP TAKES AIM AT SWIFT AFTER SUPER BOWL BOOS

US President Donald Trump salutes the crowd from the field at the New Orleans Superdome at Sunday's Super Bowl - Copyright AFP ROBERTO SCHMIDT

Donald Trump mocked pop star Taylor Swift after the singer was booed Sunday at the Super Bowl during the Kansas City Chiefs defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Trump — who became the first sitting US President to attend the Super Bowl in Sunday’s showpiece in New Orleans — left the game shortly after half-time.

However the US President could not resist posting a social media dig at Swift, who was in the crowd to watch her boyfriend, Chiefs star Travis Kelce.

The Chiefs would go on to suffer a bruising 40-22 defeat at the Superdome. 

“The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. 

“She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!”

Trump had earlier shared a post from a different account mocking Swift, which contrasted Trump’s reception by Super Bowl fans with that of the singer.

Trump was given loud roars of applause when he was shown on the giant screen inside the stadium, saluting while singing the US national anthem.

“Trump gets massive cheers at the Super Bowl while Taylor Swift gets booed – the world is healing!” the post read.

Swift was a prominent celebrity backer of Trump’s US presidential election rival Kamala Harris last year.

Her endorsement prompted Trump to post on Truth Social: “I hate Taylor Swift.”

- AFP

NOVAK DJOKOVIC REFUSES POST - MATCH INTERVIEW AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN AFTER ACCUSING HOST BROADCASTER OF 'MOCKING SERBIAN FANS'

Novak Djokovic reacts after beating Jiri Lehecka (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP)

Novak Djokovic set up a blockbuster Australian Open quarter-final against Carlos Alcaraz but refused to do a post-match interview because of a row with the host broadcaster.

Djokovic has been riled by some of the fan behaviour at Melbourne Park and he was booed after declining to answer questions from former champion Jim Courier on court in the customary manner following his 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4) win over Jiri Lehecka, instead briefly thanking supporters for coming.

But the 10-time champion revealed in his post-match press conference that his ire was not directed at the crowd but at broadcaster Channel 9 following an incident ahead of his third-round match when presenter Tony Jones mocked a group of chanting Djokovic fans behind him by singing, “Novak is overrated, Novak’s a has-been, Novak kick him out”.

“A couple of days ago the famous sports journalist who works for the official broadcaster, Channel 9 here in Australia, made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me,” said Djokovic.

“And, since then, he chose not to issue any public apology. Neither did Channel 9. So, since they’re official broadcasters, I chose not to give interviews for Channel 9.

“I have nothing against Jim Courier or neither the Australian public. It was a very awkward situation for me to face on the court today. It’s unfortunate. I chose to say something to the crowd, but obviously wasn’t the time and space or situation for me to explain what I’m doing right now.

“I leave it to Channel 9 to handle this the way they think they see fit.”

It was an unexpected denouement to what had been a positive match for Djokovic, who looked sharp against in-form 24th seed Lehecka.

Now he and coach Andy Murray must prepare for by some distance the biggest match of the tournament so far against third seed Alcaraz on Tuesday.

Djokovic insisted the dispute does not add extra motivation, saying: “I’m very determined already. (I am) not using this to fuel my fire more.”

He added that he was willing to accept a fine for his stance, saying: “I feel like this is something that needs to be done.”

It will be an eighth meeting overall and fourth at a grand slam between the Serbian and Spaniard, with Djokovic having triumphed in the semi-finals at the French Open in 2023, while Alcaraz has won the last two Wimbledon finals.

Their last meeting came at Roland Garros in the Olympic final last summer, when Djokovic claimed an emotional first gold medal.

Novak Djokovic gestures to the crowd (Mark Baker/AP)

His fall in ranking to seventh means this is the earliest stage at a slam they will have done battle, and there is a huge amount on the line for both men.

Djokovic is bidding to win a record-breaking 25th slam title while Alcaraz can become the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam.

Alcaraz only had to play two sets on Sunday because of the retirement through injury of Jack Draper.

The third seed, who has dropped only one set so far, said of the match-up with a smile: “This is not the right player to play in a quarter-final, I guess.

“I think in a grand slam, from quarter-finals to the final, those players are the best in the world. If it wasn’t Djokovic in the quarter-final, it could be another player who is in the top of the ranking.

“But, facing Novak, for me it’s not going to change anything if I’m playing him in a quarter-final or semi-final. Probably change a little bit if it is a final, obviously.

“Being in a quarter-final, I’m going to approach the match the same as I did in the previous matches against him, and let’s see. I know my weapons. I know that I’m able to play good tennis against him, I’m able to beat him.”

The final stages are shaping up to pit the leading players against each other, with second seed Alexander Zverev also making it through.

The German recovered from losing the second set to defeat France’s Ugo Humbert 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2 and will next face 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat a physically hampered Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 6-1.

DANIELLE COLLINS IS JEERED OFF THE COURT AS SHE CRASHES OUT OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN - BUT TENNIS STAR DUBBED A 'BRAT' FOR ON-COURT ANTICS CLAIMS SHE HAS RECEIVED SIX SPONSORSHIP OFFERS AFTER TAKING ON HECKLERS

Collins flashed a gesture toward the crowd after being heckled as she left the court

•  The American pantomime villain lost to her compatriot in straight sets

• Collins was booed after sarcastically thanking spectators for 'paying my bills'

• She also insisted she wouldn't let the persistent heckling get under her skin 

Danielle Collins was booed off the court after being knocked out of the Australian Open following her defeat to fellow American Madison Keys on Saturday.

Collins, 31, became a pantomime villain at Melbourne Park after sarcastically hitting back at her hecklers, having defeated home favourite Destanee Aiava in the second round on Thursday before bragging about earning a 'big fat cheque'.

She also blew kisses at the crowd, cupped her ear and even slapped her backside. 

Collins had sarcastically cupped her ear after being jeered by the crowd on Thursday

One critic took exception to her behaviour, scathingly labelling her a 'brat', and there was no love lost when she returned to the court for her third round tie.

Collins, the 10th seed in the women's singles, smiled after being given a mixed reception when she walked out on centre court at Rod Laver Arena.

But cheers soon went up when she made her first double fault and despite showing glimpses of a fightback in the second set, Collins was downed 6-4 6-4. 

At the end of the first set, the chair umpire told the crowd to respect both players.

Collins endured a miserable display and also required a medical timeout at 4-3 down in the second set, with heavy strapping then applied to her left leg.

After crashing out, she hobbled off the court to more audible jeers and made a gesture to fans as she headed for the exit.

Speaking in her post-match press conference, Collins admitted she 'expected' to be booed by the crowd, but claimed it was a 'blessing' having received six sponsorship offers during the Grand Slam.

‘Like I said, I really do enjoy playing in these types of environments,' Collins said. 'It's what you work so hard for your entire life as a kid. I embraced it.

Obviously, I'm towards the end of my career, it's wonderful that I can capitalise on these opportunities.

‘I think that six different sponsorship opportunities come up this tournament alone, that's a great signal for me. Obviously, like I said, every fan contributes to that. It's been a real blessing.'

Collins was asked whether she could one day win back the Australian public, with the American claiming it was 'up to them' and suggested the crowd may have taken things too seriously.

'Someone was telling me the average age of people watching tennis is 65,' said Collins, who laughed off being labelled a 'brat'.

She believes she was primarily heckled because she was facing the last Australian standing

I think we need to bring some entertainment to the game and make jokes and laugh, I don't have a big ego when it comes to this, I don't care what is written about me.

'I don't care what some guy living in his basement is writing on the internet. You know what I mean? 

'I'm just trying to have fun. I'm just try to enjoy my life and have fun with it.’ 

A beaten finalist to Ash Barty in Melbourne in 2022, Collins had yelled at the crowd to 'shut up' after a fault during her pulsating victory over Aiava.

Later, however, she said she used the 'hostile atmosphere' as motivation.

'One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people that don't like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills,' Collins said.

'My professional career is not going to last forever so I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff [negative crowd reactions] they're paying my bills.

'Every person that has bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me or do what they do, it's all going towards the Danielle Collins fund.

'I think they really wanted for her to win badly. I think there were a lot of people that were super drunk and had a hard time controlling themselves and were really excited.

Keys won in straight sets two days on from Collins' dramatic victory over Destanee Aiava

'I'm from a different country, here competing against someone that's from here. Ultimately it wasà a pretty cool environment I thought. 

'Even though it was pretty rowdy, this girl loves it, so...

'All I have to say is good luck pissing somebody off or getting under the skin of somebody that really doesn't care.'

Speaking after her fourth round loss, Collins joked her friends on tour had asked whether they would be invited on the yacht after her on court vow to go on a luxury holiday. 

- DANIEL DAVIS

JAMES MADDISON HITS BACK AFTER APPEARING AT WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP HOURS AFTER SPURS DRAW

James Maddison was spotted at the World Darts Championship (Picture: Getty)

James Maddison has clapped back at a fan who criticised him for attending the World Darts Championship just hours after Tottenham’s frustrating draw with Wolves.

Maddison was a second-half substitute in north London on Sunday as Jorgen Strand Larsen’s late equaliser saw Wolves hold Spurs to a 2-2 draw.

The result stretches Tottenham’s winless run to three games and piles further pressure on Ange Postecoglou who are bereft of confidence and fit players.

Spurs fans booed their team off at full-time, and Maddison caught the ire of some again later that evening when he and teammate Brennan Johnson were spotted at Ally Pally watching the darts.

The English midfielder is known for his love of the sport, often performing a darts-themed celebration when he scores, but some fans were clearly not pleased at seeing their players out and smiling after a disappointing result.

Replying under a post of the England midfielder on the PDC’s Instagram account, one fan wrote: ‘U taking the p***? The form were(sic) in and U go to the darts?? Unacceptable.’

But Maddison was not a fan of the criticism and hit back at the fan, responding: ‘Shut up u wally’, along with a laughing emoji.

James Maddison performing his trademark Darts celebration (Picture: Getty)

After a hectic Christmas period, Maddison and his Spurs teammates are set to be given a few days off to reset ahead of more key fixtures.

‘This is the first week where we don’t have a midweek game, so I think the whole group probably needs a couple of days just to get away from everything and recover,’ Postecoglou confirmed after Sunday’s draw.

‘It’ll do them good to have a couple of days to themselves with their families and give them a chance to recover mentally as much as physically.

Tottenham host Newcastle first up in the New Year before their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool.

Spurs continue to struggle with plenty of injuries as the likes of Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Gugliemo Vicario, Ben Davies and Richarlison all missed the clash with Wolves.

And their issues worsened on Sunday when Destiny Udogie appeared to pick up a hamstring injury and was forced out of the game early in the second half.

‘Yeah, I think it was a hamstring,’ said the manager. ‘Again like I said, we’ve been relying on a core group of players because we just haven’t had the ability to rotate so at some point it was going to catch up with us. Unfortunately it caught up with Destiny.’

- Ben Fleming

SIXERS' GEORGE BOOED IN L.A. RETURN, CALLS REACTION 'STIPID'

Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) (AP)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- In his first game against the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome, Paul George received a video tribute but also heard plenty of boos all night from The Wall at the new arena.

Before an announced crowd of 15,627, George made 7 of 9 shots and had 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals, but his old team routed the Philadelphia 76ers 110-98.

George said he appreciated the video tribute and called the Clippers franchise "first class." He said his return drew a fair and split reaction, but he did not understand or care for the boos after helping the Clippers reach their only Western Conference finals appearance in 2021.

"It is stupid," George said when asked if he was surprised to hear jeers after playing five seasons in L.A. "I mean, I was a free agent, you know what I mean? It wasn't something that I demanded a trade or went against the team here. I was a free agent. The team presented something that was team friendly, and I did what was best for me in that situation.

"So there were the cheers. I appreciate them. Those were the ones that I played hard for. The boos, I didn't get it. I still don't get it when I go [back] to Indy, but it is what it is. It's sports. I look forward to next year being back here and more boos."

After five seasons of playing for the Clippers, George signed a four-year, $212 million max contract as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer. George said he wanted to remain a Clipper. But he wanted a no-trade clause to go with a three-year, $150 million extension or a four-year max deal, and the Clippers declined to do either.

After George left, some of the Clippers' fan base was irked by comments he made on his podcast, "Podcast P with Paul George," when he described returning to his hometown of Los Angeles to join the Clippers like being on the "B team" because so many Lakers fans would tell him that he should've joined the Lakers.

Some fans in The Wall, a section where the most ardent Clippers fans stand in uninterrupted rows behind the basket near the opponent's bench, brought signs with them referencing George's podcast. Multiple fans held up signs that combined to read, "PG THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK."

George, playing in his just his second game after suffering a bone bruise in his left knee late in the preseason, said he didn't see many of the signs.

"Oh, well, I'm sure they're all probably subscribers," George said, referring to his podcast. "So it's a win-win. It's two wins against The Wall, I guess."

During the first half when the Sixers had to shoot at the basket by The Wall, George made both of his free throw attempts. In the season-opening overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns, Clippers fans at The Wall successfully distracted Kevin Durant enough that he missed a pair of free throws.

George said on Wednesday morning that he did not hold a grudge against the Clippers organization for not re-signing him. He cited his "awesome" relationship with team owner Steve Ballmer and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank.

"I think it got kind of misconstrued or [the] narrative kind of wasn't written correctly with the relationship with Lawrence [Frank], the relationship with Steve Ballmer," George said before the Sixers had their morning shootaround at UCLA. "I mean, they were awesome the whole time I was here.

"Kind of the reason why it was such a shocking decision how it played out at the end. But they were awesome. My time here, I think that was kind of refreshing to be alongside and have a partnership like that with a front office. And so I think that was probably the highlight of the whole [time with the Clippers]. Just how great they were in my tenure here."

Frank told ESPN that he was willing to give the Kawhi Leonard-George tandem another three years by extending George to the same three-year, $150 million deal he gave to Leonard in January. But the team would not give a no-trade clause to George with that deal nor give a four-year max deal, citing roster flexibility, age and the new collective bargaining agreement's second apron, which penalizes luxury-tax-paying teams like the Clippers.

Outside of the boos, George said he felt plenty of love from old friends on his former team and many family and friends in the building. He spent time with former teammates, such as James Harden, before the game and did not leave the court for a good 15 minutes afterward as he caught up with more former teammates, such as Ivica Zubac, and hugged his parents, Clippers employees and friends who were courtside.

"Ain't no bad blood," George said when asked about grudges that might form when a star leaves a franchise. "I talked to those guys throughout the whole process. James was informed with what I was doing. Kawhi was informed with what I was doing. Russ [Westbrook] was informed with what I was doing. I talked to all those guys, so there was no bad blood.

"At the end of the day, regardless if we're teammates or not, those are lifelong bonds that you build and whatever happens in basketball kind of doesn't affect that relationship."

George said he thought Intuit Dome was as spectacular as advertised but was missing just one thing -- more Clippers fans.

"It was great," he said of the Clippers' new home. "I wish it would've been a little bit more packed out. I didn't think it was quite packed for this to be Clippers' very own.

"But the facility, this thing is amazing. What Ballmer did and his vision and how it came to life -- it's the best arena to play in."

- Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN Staff Writer

JOEL EMBIID LAUGHS OFF JEERS, LEADS U.S. ROUT INTO OLYMPIC SEMIS

Joel Embiid of Team USA at Paris Olympics on August 6, 2024. PHOTO: GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY

PARIS -- If there's one thing Joel Embiid has learned during the Olympics, it's that the French can boo him but no one here can stop him from doing the crotch chop.

The American center's comfort level in dealing with adversity mirrored that of the rest of his teammates Tuesday as Team USA put on a clinic in a 122-87 quarterfinal victory over Brazil.

The U.S. is now two wins from a fifth consecutive gold medal and is set up for another meeting with Serbia in the semifinals on Thursday.

Kevin Durant added 11 points for Team USA, passing legend Lisa Leslie for the most points in American Olympic history.

Not only did Embiid laugh his way through the jeers from those still annoyed that he passed on France's offer to join its national team. He was all too happy to pull out one of his favorite celebrations with the WWE-inspired chop maneuver. Embiid has been fined twice -- for $60,000 -- for the move by the NBA, but on this night, league commissioner Adam Silver was at Bercy Arena only as a fan.

"Oh no, they still might find a way [to fine me], but that felt good," Embiid said with a smile. "It's good to have fun too, because at the end of the day, you got to take something out of this experience."

The U.S. needed some production from Embiid against a Brazil team with a strong front line. He was dominant right from the start, cleaning the glass effectively and showing off his classic mix of interior and perimeter scoring.

In 12 devastating minutes of work in the first half, Embiid put in 14 points with seven rebounds. Brazil was helpless in dealing with him as he made 5 of 6 shots, including two 3-pointers. The boos from the fans ebbed, which only seemed to encourage Embiid to ask for more of them.

Embiid did have a minor ankle turn, and he sat the second half as a precaution.

The antics were part of the low-stress evening Team USA was hoping for, especially after seeing underdogs apply all sorts of pressure during the day, including France upsetting Canada just as the Americans were arriving at the arena.

With Tuesday's 35-point victory, Team USA has won each of its first four games here by at least 15 points, marking the first time a U.S. men's team has done so since the 2008 Redeem Team, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Durant, who entered the game five points behind Leslie as the U.S. Olympic scoring leader, finished the day with 494 points for his career.

"Records are meant to be broken, so somebody will come along and do the same to me," Durant said. "My focus is on trying to win this gold."

All in all, it was a brilliant display of precision basketball led by LeBron James, who is steadily assembling a case for Olympic MVP. James was the catalyst for an impressive display of selfless offense, throwing an array of jaw-dropping passes that led to easy baskets for his teammates.

The most memorable happened just before the end of the first half on an inbounds pass. From half court, James threw a no-look frozen rope that threaded a tight window between Brazilian defenders and ended up perfectly in the hands of Jayson Tatum for an alley-oop.

"We had a play, but he just looked at me, so I knew he was doing the backdoor," Tatum said. "That was a hell of a pass. He put it right on the money, so he made it easy for me."

James has thrown some passes for the scrapbook already during the Paris Games, and all he did Tuesday was pile up nine assists in just 12 minutes to go with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. The only thing keeping it from being a perfect night was an elbow.

Brazil's Georginho De Paula caught James above the left eye going for a rebound midway through the third quarter, opening up a cut. James exited to the locker room, where he got four stitches, and did not return to the game. It is not expected to cost him any more time.

James' lead was infectious as Team USA displayed perhaps its best ball movement of the summer. The Americans had 18 assists on their first 19 baskets.

"For a guy who truly is a point forward at heart, for him to be the leading scorer in NBA history when that's kind of the secondary thing that he does, he's crazy," Team USA coach Steve Kerr said. "But that's LeBron."

Devin Booker, who has been one of the Americans' steadiest players, ended up leading the team in scoring with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

Brazil was fueled by former NBA player Bruno Caboclo, who had 24 points.

- Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer

OLYMPICS: FRANCE BEAT ARGENTINA IN HEATED MEN'S SOCCER QUARTERFINAL

Jean-Philippe Mateta's goal was enough for France to defeat Argentina in the Olympic men's soccer quarterfinals. ROMAIN PERROCHEAU/AFP via Getty Images

An early goal was enough for France to beat Argentina 1-0 in Bordeaux and reach the men's soccer semifinals at the Olympics on Friday, in a match where the Argentines were booed throughout by a hostile home crowd and fighting broke out between the players immediately after the final whistle.

There was shoving for a couple of minutes before the players were broken up. Some France players appeared to sprint down the tunnel moments later before coming back out a short time later to perform a lap of honor.

Jean-Philippe Mateta headed home in the fifth minute for coach Thierry Henry's team, which will face Egypt in the last four.

Mateta was celebrating with captain Alexandre Lacazette when they noticed the postmatch skirmish. Lacazette rushed back to help break it up, as did Henry and counterpart Javier Mascherano, who appeared to block one of his own staff members from joining in.

"I went to shake the opposing coach's hand and all of a sudden I saw a lot of things happening," Henry told reporters. "I don't like seeing this kind of thing. It wasn't necessary."

As France fans continued celebrating, stewards and a handful of riot police formed a ring around the pocket of Argentina fans inside the stadium.

Amid the skirmishes France midfielder Enzo Millot, who had earlier been substituted in stoppage time, was shown a red card that means he will miss the semifinal.

"We didn't want to lose a player [to suspension] but it was pointless, he wasn't even playing [at the final whistle]," Henry said. "I'm really not happy about that. We were all united, the only drawback is getting a red on the bench."

Although primarily an under-23 competition, the game was a rematch French fans have been waiting for since Argentina's dramatic penalty shootout win in the 2022 World Cup final. A racism scandal had heightened tensions ahead of the game after a video of Argentina players singing an offensive song about French players of African heritage as they celebrated their Copa América victory last month made the rounds.

Argentina's national anthem was met with a chorus of jeers and whistles, and home fans booed Argentina's players after the kickoff whenever they touched the ball.

It took France less than five minutes to ratchet up the atmosphere even further.

Mateta met Michael Olise's corner at the near post and sent his header past Argentina goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli to put the hosts in front.

Argentina recovered well from the early setback and should have gone into the half-time interval level. With the goal gaping, Giuliano Simeone somehow headed high over the bar after the ball dropped to him invitingly inside the 6-yard box.

Tensions briefly flared during first-half stoppage time when Mateta went to check on a teammate getting treatment inside Argentina's penalty area and was pushed away. Lacazette smoothed things over quickly and Rulli put an arm around him.

There was a loud cheer when Mascherano was shown a yellow card and, as the second half ticked on, the jubilant home goaded their opponents by singing "Ils sont où les Argentins?" (Where are the Argentines?)

They weren't on the scoresheet.

France held firm in the second half and thought they had a second goal when Olise found the net with a deflected strike in the 84th minute. Although that goal was ruled out after a VAR check for an earlier foul, France had enough to clinch the win.

France won their only Olympic title in 1984, the year they also won the European Championship.

Earlier in the day, Egypt defeated Paraguay 5-4 in a shootout to reach the last four. Ibrahim Adel converted the final penalty kick for Egypt after their goalkeeper, Hamza Alaa, saved from Marcelo Perez to seal the win after the teams had drawn 1-1 in regulation and failed to score in extra time.

Also on Friday, Spain eased past Japan 3-0 to set up a semifinal clash with Morocco, who thrashed the United States 4-0.

A Fermín López double and an Abel Ruiz effort in the 86th minute sealed the win for La Roja, who three years ago beat Japan in the semifinals at the delayed Tokyo Olympics.

Information from The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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ENGLAND BOOED AFTER SLOVENIA QUALIFY WITH 0-0 DRAW

 

ISRAELI SWIMMER BOOED BY CROWD IN SOUR FINISH TO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Reuters 

 An Israeli medallist was booed by the crowd in a sour finish to the Doha World Championships on Sunday, taking the gloss off some stunning achievements in the pool highlighted by Sarah Sjostrom's third consecutive 50 metres freestyle world title.

Anastasia Gorbenko took silver in the women's 400m individual medley but her celebrations were spoiled as a chorus of boos rained down from the terraces, drowning out her post-race interview by the floor presenter.

The jeers continued as Gorbenko left the Aspire Dome pool, and she was booed again at the medals ceremony though there was also applause. Briton Freya Constance Colbert won the race.

The presence of Israeli swimmers at the championships has drawn criticism from some Qatari media outlets and pro-Palestine groups amid Israel's military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

Gorbenko said she had been booed multiple times during the week and it had affected her emotionally. But she was defiant that she deserved her moment on the podium.

SPURS COACH GREGG POPOVICH CHASTIISES HOME FANS FOR BOOING KAWHI LEONARD AND THE CLIPPERS

AP Photo 

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich grabbed the microphone and chastised the crowd at the Frost Bank Center on Wednesday night, telling fans to stop booing former Spurs All-Star Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.

“Excuse me for a second,” Popovich said, silencing the crowd late in the first half. “Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play? Have a little class. It’s not who we are. Knock off the booing.”

Leonard had 24 points as the Clippers beat San Antonio 109-102 on Wednesday night, handing the Spurs their 10th straight loss.

“I thought that was an awesome moment, despite the fans booing, I think, even more,” Clippers star Paul George said. “I think that was a hell of a moment, Pop having Kawhi’s back in that situation.”