FINLAY TARLING'S TEAM WITHDRAWS FROM RACE FOLLOWING TEEN CYCLIST DEATH IN PORTUGAL

NSN Development confirmed it would withdraw from the remaining stages of the Volta a Portugal

Finlay Tarling (second from the left) has died at the age of 19 (Getty)

NSN Development has withdrawn from the remaining stages of the Volta a Portugal following the death of their rider, 19-year-old Finlay Tarling.

Tarling, the younger brother of Ineos Grenadiers cyclist Josh, was involved in a “serious accident” while taking part in the eighth stage of the 166.8km route from Melgaço to Fafe.

Tarling was riding for the NSN Development Team, having signed a two-year deal ahead of the 2025 season.

In a statement, NSN said: “Following Fin Tarling’s tragic passing on Friday, the NSN Development Team has withdrawn from the remaining Volta a Portugal stages.”

“With the full support of Fin’s parents, the WorldTour team will race on at Czech Tour and the Arctic Race of Norway. We will continue to hold Fin in our hearts as we race in his honour, doing what he loved most.

“We want to thank everyone in the cycling community and beyond for the incredible support at this difficult time.”

The team of Finlay Tarling have withdrawn from the Volta a Portugal (PA)

Organisers confirmed Saturday’s penultimate stage would continue “in an atmosphere of profound mourning”, with tributes paid to the 19-year-old before the start.

“We all remain deeply shaken. Cycling is a sport that carries risks, but we are never prepared for a tragedy of this magnitude,” a statement read.

“Finlay lost his life. A family lost a son. A team lost a teammate. Cycling lost one of its own. It is a tragedy that goes beyond the competition itself.

“As a sign of respect and mourning, the event’s main sponsors have agreed with the organisation to cancel all activities planned for the final two days.

“The race continues. There will be sporting competition, but there will be no celebration. This Saturday, the Volta rides for Finlay.”

Major Tiago Machado of the National Republican Guard (GNR) told local media the cyclist was in collision with a light goods vehicle.

The Volta statement added: “This is not the time for speculation about the circumstances of the accident.

The incident is being investigated by the GNR Command, which is responsible for rigorously establishing the facts.”

- Carl Markham

VOLTA A PORTUGAL | TOUR DU PORTUGAL | STAGE 8

BRITISH CYCLIST FINLAY TARLING DEAD AT 19

 

British cyclist Finlay Tarling, 19, has died after a serious accident during the eighth stage of the Volta a Portugal road race.

- Sky Sports 

CRISTIANO RONALDO MARRIES MODEL GEORGINA RODRIGUEZ IN PORTUGAL

Reuters 

Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Cristiano Ronaldo married longtime partner Georgina Rodriguez in a civil ceremony in Cascais, Portugal.

Ronaldo announced the marriage Tuesday on Instagram and Facebook, sharing a photo of his hand resting on top of his wife's with rings on each of their fingers.

The Portuguese striker included a caption with each of their initials and a heart symbol.

A press release stated that the couple tied the knot Tuesday in a civil ceremony in the coastal town, located about 20 miles west of Lisbon. Ronaldo, 41, and Rodriguez, 32, share five children, who attended the ceremony. The couple announced their engagement Aug. 11, 2025.

Ronaldo met Rodriguez when she worked as a sales assistant in 2016 at a Gucci store in Madrid. She detailed their romance in the Netflix series I Am Georgina.

Rodriguez said in the show that she had "butterflies" in her stomach. Ronaldo has described the meeting as "love at first sight."

Ronaldo joined Lionel Messi as the first two players to appear in six separate World Cups earlier this summer. He is the only player to score in six editions of the tournament.

His domestic club, Al-Nassr will launch its Saudi Pro League campaign against Al Fateh at 2 p.m. EDT Saturday in Riyadh.

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MADELEINE MCCANN'S BROTHER SEAN, 21, COMPLETING FOR SCOTLAND IN COMMONWEALTH GAMES

The Games, which take place in Glasgow from this Thursday until 2 August 2026, will mark Sean McCann's Commonwealth debut for Scotland

(Image: Getty Images for Commonwealth Sport)

Madeleine McCann’s brother will take part in the Commonwealth Games after being selected to swim for Scotland. Sean McCann is getting ready to step out onto the global stage this week when the Games begin in Glasgow.

Madeleine was three when she went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal on May 3 2007, shortly before her birthday. Sean and his twin sister Amelie were just two when their older sister disappeared.

According to Scottish Swimming, Sean will compete in the freestyle disciplines as he looks to qualify for Team GB and swim at the LA Olympics in 2028. The 21-year-old began competing aged eight and previously raced for Scotland at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago in 2023 in the 400m and 1500m freestyle.

Speaking about his competitive journey a few years ago on the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust website, he revealed: “I started competitive sport when I was eight, joining Charnwood triathlon club. It was here that I discovered my passion for swimming and I joined Loughborough Town swimming club to increase the number of swim sessions I did per week.

"At the age of 10, I was selected to swim at City of Leicester and I have since gone on to win multiple county titles as well as becoming regional and National champion in my age group. In order to have achieved this, I have had to remain extremely dedicated, getting up at 4am multiple mornings each week to train, since the age of 11.

"I train nine times a week in the pool, as well as three gym sessions, totalling over 20 hours of training per week. I’m aiming to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and also the 2028 Olympics in LA.”

It is not known if his parents Kate and Gerry McCann will be in attendance at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre during the 11-day event, which begins on Thursday, July 23.

Mr and Mrs McCann criticised a true-crime drama about their daughter’s disappearance back in May, saying the programme was made without their consultation or consent.

Kate and Gerry said they 'had no involvement whatsoever' in the making of Channel 5’s 'Under Suspicion: Kate McCann', which depicts Madeleine’s mother being treated as a suspect during the investigation into her disappearance in May 2007.

In a statement released on the day the show aired, Kate and Gerry raised concerns over the 'negative impact' such programmes have on their family as they continue to grieve Madeleine’s disappearance 19 years on.

Kate McCann, the mother of the missing British girl Madeleine, carries her son Sean after piking him up from the local nursery at the Ocean Club holiday resort on May 22, 2007 in Praia da Luz, Portugal. (Image: Getty Images)

“Thank you to everyone who has offered support & kindness this month,” they wrote on the Find Madeleine Campaign website. “May is never the easiest. We usually start to feel a bit ‘lighter’ at this stage of the month.

“We are disappointed however, knowing that a Channel 5 ‘docu-drama’ will air tonight. We have not given, or been asked for, our consent and have had no involvement whatsoever in its making.

“We fail to see how it will help. Programmes like this, always have a negative impact on our family.”

The Metropolitan Police’s probe into the 2007 disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine has been active since 2011. German authorities identified Christian Brueckner as the prime suspect in Madeleine’s case back in 2022.

Gerry (L) and Kate McCann (R) leave their home in Rothley, Leicestershire in central England with daughter Amelie and son Sean, 12 September 2007. (Image: Getty Images)

However, Brueckner has never been charged over Madeleine’s disappearance and has previously denied any involvement. Speaking in December, dad Gerry, from Glasgow, said the hope of finding her after all this time is 'slim', but not 'extinguished'.

“Madeleine’s been missing for 18 years, and the bottom line is, we still don’t know what’s happened to her,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Gerry added: “I don’t even mean ‘convincing’ evidence – there is no evidence to say she’s dead.

“Now we fully understand she may be dead, it may even be probable, but we don’t know that. I’d love to find her alive, but we need to find out what happened and bring whoever’s responsible to justice, and other children and people are at risk while that perpetrator is free.”

- Connor O'Neill

RTÉ SECURES EXCLUSIVE FREE-TO-AIR RIGHTS TO 2030 FIFA WORLD CUP

RTÉ has announced that it has secured exclusive free-to-air rights to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, following its successful run airing the 2026 World Cup, sponsored by Heineken 0.0.

The 2030 tournament will be hosted across Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with three centenary games to be held in South America.

Football fans across Ireland tuned into RTÉ’s coverage of the World Cup as Spain edged out Argentina in the finals to claim the championship.

The final generated over 1.4 million streams on RTÉ Player, thus making it the most-streamed single event in the platform’s history.

Across the tournament as a whole, audiences generated 23.4 million streams – an increase of almost 15 million streams and nearly three times the audience achieved during the 2022 FIFA World Cup (8.5 million streams).

The top performing matches were Spain v Argentina, England v Argentina, France v Spain, and England v Norway.*

Online

Throughout the tournament, there were 91 million video views across all of RTÉ’s social platforms covering the event, including over 6.8 million views of highlights, as well as analysis on the RTÉ Sport YouTube channel.

As many of the matches took place late at night, RTÉ Player generated 1.6 million streams on RTÉ Player, while other FIFA World Cup content – including unseen moments, clips and Up All Night – added 345k additional streams on the platform.

'One Of Our Big Success Stories’

Speaking about the success of the tournament, director general of RTÉ Kevin Bakhurst said, “We are delighted that RTÉ has been successful in securing rights to the 2030 FIFA World Cup for Irish audiences after what has been a very successful 2026 World Cup with record numbers of people enjoying RTÉ’s coverage.

“From the first game through to the final, audiences have come to RTÉ in large numbers for our coverage and analysis of every single game, but also for our World Cup highlights on RTÉ Player and YouTube, our podcasts, Up All Night on RTÉ Player, and more.

“The huge number of streams on RTÉ Player throughout the tournament has been one of our big success stories this year and has highlighted the value of our investment in the service in recent years.

“We look forward to bringing the next FIFA World Cup to Irish audiences, including the Republic of Ireland’s qualification campaign which we hope will be successful.

“Live sport – free to air – continues to provide national moments and conversations – enjoyment and entertainment to Irish audiences – paid for by your licence fee, public funding and commercial revenue.”

‘Exceptional Month Of Sporting Coverage’

Head of sport at RTÉ, Declan Bennett, also commented, saying, “Yesterday was a memorable day for RTÉ Sport, with the All-Ireland Hurling Final and the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final bringing an exciting day of live sport to audiences.

“More broadly, it has been an exceptional month of sporting coverage, including RTÉ’s most extensive FIFA World Cup broadcast operation to date, delivering all 104 matches with a uniquely Irish overview.

“The strong response across television, RTÉ Player, digital and social platforms reflect the enduring appetite for live sport in Ireland.

“We look forward to bringing audiences more major sporting moments in the years ahead as part of RTÉ’s public service remit, including the FIFA World Cup in 2030.”

* Viewing figures: Spain v Argentina (average audience of 1 million, 65% share on RTÉ2, and 1.4 million streams on RTÉ Player), England v Argentina (average audience 949k, 60% share on RTÉ2 and 1 million streams on RTÉ Player), France v Spain (average audience of 873k, 61% share on RTÉ2, and 1 million streams on RTÉ Player), and England v Norway (average audience of 787k, 72% share on RTÉ2 and 1 million streams on RTÉ Player).

- Sarah O'Sullivan

SIX TEAMS HAVE ALREADY QUALIFIED FOR THE 2030 WORLD CUP DUE TO UNIQUE FIFA RULE

The winners of the World Cup will not qualify automatically for the next tournament

Spain absolutely battering Argentina in the World Cup final isn’t the reason why they will automatically qualify for the next tournament in 2030.

Six host nation countries have already secured their places in the next World Cup.

The tournament's three main co-hosts, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, as well as Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will automatically qualify for the next edition in four years time.

FIFA’s 2030 competition will be held from Saturday, 8 June to Sunday, 21 July, with the opening three matches taking place in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.

These South American countries have been chosen to play first to commemorate 100 years of the World Cup, which was hosted and won by Uruguay in 1930.

Where will the opening 2030 World Cup game be played?

Spain were the best team in the tournament by a mile (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The opening game will be held at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which boasts a capacity of 100,000.

Estadio Osvaldo Dominguez Dibb, a brand new venue in Paraguay, and the Montevideo in Uruguay will also host opening matches.

After those three games, the World Cup will shift to the Northern Hemisphere in 18 stadiums across Spain, Morocco and Portugal.

Ugly scenes at full-time (Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)

It comes after FIFA boss Gianni Infantino wants to controversially expand the World Cup to a 64-team tournament in 2030 following the success of the expanded 48-team competition this year.

"These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup," Infantino told Blue Sport.

"When organising a World Cup, it's important to organise it for the whole world - not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup.

"You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it's getting higher and higher, all over the world. If you don't give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they'll lack the incentive to keep improving."

No Messi or Ronaldo

The end of an era (Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)

Sadly, the squads of host nations Argentina and Portugal are unlikely to include the two greatest players of all time in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

After Spain’s convincing 1-0 final, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni was full of praise for Messi: “He is 39 years old, it is unbelievable. It was always crystal clear to me that he would play until he chose to stop and that everyone would support him.

“I hope everyone is proud of him, because he is the best football player ever to set foot on a pitch.”

Both Messi and Ronaldo are yet to comment officially on their international futures.

On the result, Scaloni added: “I feel sadness but knowing that we left everything out there.

“I have a lot of things to say about how we got here, but it’s not worth it.

“I want to thank these guys eternally for giving us another World Cup final and for competing until the end. They were better, that’s the truth.

“But I’ll hold on to an enormous memory of what they have done, of what it’s worth to get this far. We have to give it huge validity because it takes a lot to get here.”

Featured Image Credit: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images

- Anish Vij

CROATIA COACH BLASTS REFEREE AFTER VAR DRAMA-FILLED FIFA WORLD CUP EXIT IN PORTUGAL DEFEAT

"It was very bad refereeing," Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said, adding that Croatia "should have been given more free kicks.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic with Luka Modric© AFP

Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic has criticised the refereeing in his side's FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 defeat to Portugal, calling it "very bad refereeing," while also acknowledging that his team cannot use the officiating as an excuse for their elimination, according to Reuters. The comments came after Croatia's 2-1 defeat to Portugal in a tightly contested knockout match, which ended their campaign at the tournament. The result saw Portugal advance to the Round of 16, while Croatia exited after failing to convert several key chances.

Speaking after the match, Dalic said he believed Croatia were denied several free-kick decisions that could have influenced the flow of the game. He expressed frustration over key moments he felt went against his side but maintained that the result ultimately came down to Croatia's own shortcomings in front of goal.

"It was very bad refereeing," Dalic said, adding that Croatia "should have been given more free kicks," according to Reuters.

However, the Croatia coach was quick to temper his criticism, stressing that his team must take responsibility for the defeat. "But Croatia lost. I'm not going to find any excuses," he said, as quoted by Reuters. "We could have won this earlier."

Portugal recovered from an early setback to register a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32. Substitute Goncalo Ramos emerged as the match-winner by heading home a stoppage-time goal to send Roberto Martinez's side into the Round of 16.

Croatia had taken the lead through Ivan Perisic, who became the country's all-time leading World Cup scorer, before Cristiano Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot after a VAR review.

Croatia had two goals ruled out for offside, including a late equaliser deep into stoppage time, as Portugal held on to set up an all-Iberian Round of 16 clash against Spain. The match also marked the end of Luka Modric's potential World Cup career.

- ANI

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YOANE WISSA: THE ACID ATTACK SURVIVOR WHO BECAME FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 HERO FOR DR CONGO

Yoane Wissa may not be a new name for football fans due to his time with Brentford in the Premier League but not many are aware of his courageous story off the field.

Yoane Wissa celebrates after scoring in FIFA World Cup 2026

Yoane Wissa may not be a new name for football fans due to his time with Brentford in the Premier League but not many are aware of his courageous story off the field. The striker grabbed the headlines on Wednesday as he scored DR Congo's first World Cup goal in 52 years to clinch a historic 1-1 draw against Portugal. Joao Neves handed Portugal the lead early in the match but DR Congo did not give up and Wissa's powerful header was the perfect example of their grit and determination. While the whole world could not stop praising the striker for his brilliant performance, it was less than five years ago that he almost lost his eyesight after suffering an acid attack at his home in Lorient.

A woman, who was later identified as Laetitia P, posed as a fan and threw acid on his face. She even tried to kidnap his daughter but was ultimately caught and sentenced to 18 years in prison. 

It was just days ahead of his move to Brentford from Lorient and it seemed like his transfer can get affected by the accident.

"I opened a door, and had liquid thrown in my face. I screamed and could not breathe. My wife called the emergency services, and they told me to get under the shower to rinse my eyes. At the hospital they told me my eyes were burned. Someone had to come and rinse them out every hour. It has been a nightmare."

Since then I panic every time I hear a noise, and the only thing that kept me going was knowing my children are safe. I had surgery on both eyes, and the doctor told me I will need to use eye drops for the rest of my life.  Had I not been treated so quickly, the consequences would have been far worse," Wissa told the court.

However, he joined Brentford in 2021 and ended up making 149 appearances for the club over four seasons. He scored 49 goals during his time with the club and ultimately moved to Newcastle United in a big-money deal.

- Sayan Ghosh

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