Monday, 9 November 2026
FILIPPO MARCHINO GETS PRAISE FROM JAMAICA'S PRIME MINISTER ANDREW HOLNESS | #WRC2
Filippo Marchino's eye-catching #WRC2 livery has been catching attention in high places with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness applauding the work Marchino has done in drawing attention to the Hurricane Melissa disaster relief effort.
VERSTAPPEN HANDS HIS HELMET TO DEPARTING RED BULL MECHANIC AFTER 20 YEARS
Max Verstappen gave one of his race helmets to Ole Schack, the Red Bull mechanic who worked his final Formula 1 race at Interlagos after 20 years with the team. Red Bull marked the occasion too, with a one-off can listing Schack's career statistics.
The helmet carried the special design Verstappen used for the Brazilian Grand Prix, and footage of the handover was shared on social media. Schack, a Dane, was Verstappen's number-two mechanic and worked on the front end of the RB22. He had been with the team since its first season in 2005 and was the first person inside Red Bull to show Christian Horner around the team's factory.
The farewell came on a weekend when Verstappen was otherwise frustrated with Red Bull. He started 21st after a new power unit was fitted and charged through to second behind Lando Norris. After the flag, though, he told the team over the radio: "I'm sorry, but what a disaster to drive."
Verstappen praises Schack, Schack compares him to Ronaldo and Messi
Verstappen was brief but clear about his mechanic. "He's unbelievable," he told Viaplay. Schack returned the compliment in a farewell interview with De Telegraaf, describing a driver whose personality changes when the car is ready to go. "Max is an incredibly relaxed guy when he's not in the car. He enjoys having a laugh and is great to be around," Schack said. He added that in qualifying, he sees a different look in Verstappen's eyes from the one he has in Friday practice.
He then went further and compared Verstappen to the two biggest names in football: "He's like Ronaldo and Messi, but in a Formula 1 car. Max has that little bit extra that you simply can't teach someone."
Hij is als Ronaldo en Messi, maar dan in een Formule 1-auto. Max heeft net dat beetje extra dat je iemand niet kunt aanleren.
- OLE SCHACK TO DE TELEGRAAF (ORIGINAL IN DUTCH)
Schack is not leaving for a rival team. He is stepping away from the sport to spend more time at home. "I miss my family and I want to give something back to them, because by being away so much I have of course been a bit selfish," he told De Telegraaf. He also looked back on his years in Milton Keynes: "I'm proud to have been part of this team, through all the ups and downs. That final time will be special, but above all, I realise how much I owe Red Bull."
Red Bull garage keeps changing around Verstappen
Schack's career at Red Bull spanned three eras of the team. He worked as a mechanic for David Coulthard from 2005 to 2008 and for Sebastian Vettel from 2009 to 2014, before moving to Verstappen's car. In his farewell interview, he said he had missed only three races since 2005.
His departure first became known in March and in his farewell interviews, Schack gave family as his reason. Verstappen is losing another familiar face on his side of the garage.
Gianpiero Lambiase is leaving for McLaren, and Red Bull confirmed that Tom Hart would replace him as Verstappen's race engineer in Austin, Brazil and Las Vegas. That makes Interlagos the first weekend on which Verstappen had both a new voice on the radio and a farewell in the garage.
- Ben Hunt
CRYSTAL PALACE: PIERRE SAGE SACK IMMINENT AS EAGLES TURN TO FAMILIAR PREMIER LEAGUE FACW
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| Pierre Sage is under pressure at Crystal Palace. |
Crystal Palace are reportedly ready to part ways with boss Pierre Sage, with former Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford manager Thomas Frank emerging as their preferred choice to take over at Selhurst Park.
Palace currently sit rock-bottom of the Premier League table heading into the November international break, with their latest loss coming at home to Liverpool on Sunday.
The 3-1 defeat made it one win in their last eight outings in all competitions, while the Eagles have not tasted Premier League success since beating Nottingham Forest on October 11.
And, according to our friends over at TEAMtalk, the club’s hierarchy are now ‘prepared to make a change in the dugout’ to try and find a spark in south east London.
Sage was only appointed in the summer, but Palace’s disappointing start to the campaign has left his position what TT sources describe as ‘under serious threat’, with the club increasingly concerned about their league position.
Indeed, TEAMtalk revealed last month that Frank was among four candidates being considered by Palace as they assessed Sage’s future, while F365 have also assessed the runners and riders for the job.
But now, the report states that Frank has moved to the front of Palace’s thinking, with the Eagles ‘ready to turn to the Dane as they look to arrest their slide’.
Frank remains highly regarded following his work at Brentford, where he established the club in the Premier League before earning a move to Tottenham.
Although his spell in north London did not unfold as hoped, his experience of the Premier League and previous success in building competitive teams have kept him firmly in the conversation for another top-flight opportunity.
The Eagles do have other names under consideration, though it is Frank who has quickly emerged as Steve Parish and co’s outstanding first choice.
Thomas Frank tipped to provide Palace spark
Palace have also discussed other potential candidates, with Sean Dyche and Rob Edwards among the names considered as they weigh up the best way to turn their season around.
However, TEAMtalk understands that Frank is the man the club are now ready to pursue, with the hierarchy believing a change of direction is needed during the international break.
Frank enjoyed a hugely impressive 41.6 win percentage record from his time at Brentford, securing wins in 132 of his 317 games at the helm to not just steer the Bees into the Premier League, but help establish them as a real force in the top flight.
Speaking in the summer, Frank said he did not feel ready to resume his career in management, taking time out to recharge his batteries after a difficult spell in charge of Spurs.
“Football remains a huge part of who I am, and I have chosen to use this time productively. Over the coming months, besides spending time with family and friends, I will continue studying, observing and learning from other leaders both within sport and beyond it,” Frank told the BBC in June ahead of joining their World Cup coverage.
However, with the Eagles now ready to jettison Sage out of Selhurst Park, the timing could now be right for the 53-year-old Dane.
Sage’s appointment was intended to provide a fresh direction, but the club now appear ready to make another managerial change just months after bringing the Frenchman in.
- Rob McCarthy
SOMALI REFUGEE WINS WOMEN WORLD BOXING TITLE AT 37 IN TEXAS FIGHT
Ramla Ali settled in London as a refugee after fleeing Somalia’s civil war with her family and was the first Somali boxer to compete at the Olympic Games.
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| Ramla Ali celebrates winning a fight at King Abdullah Sports City Arena, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, August 20, 2022. |
ARLINGTON, Texas
British-Somali boxer Ramla Ali captured her first world title at the age of 37 with a split-decision victory over American Mikiah Kreps to claim the vacant WBO and IBF junior featherweight belts on Sunday in Arlington, Texas.
Ali secured the win despite being outlanded 115-78 overall and trailing 91-70 in power punches, with Kreps landing more shots in 8 of the 10 rounds
Ali knocked Kreps down in the third round with a right hook but was forced onto the back foot thereafter as the American responded strongly
The judges were split, however, with two scoring the bout 97-92 and 96-93 for Ali to hand her the world titles despite the third judge scoring the bout 98-91 for Kreps
Ali settled in London as a refugee after fleeing Somalia’s civil war with her family and was the first Somali boxer to compete at the Olympic Games, representing Somalia at Tokyo 2020. She later became the first Muslim woman to win an English amateur boxing title.
The world title winner was emotional after her victory.
“When we were in the changing room, my coach said, because my dad passed away in May, ‘Do this for him’,” Ali said.
“That’s where those emotions came out at the end, because I did it for my dad.”
“I can’t put into words what this means to me and what this means to all of Somalia,” she added.
“I’ve hopefully inspired so many young girls and boys out there to dream big and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
40 YEARS OF SIR ALEX FERGUSON: THE MAN WHO REDEFINED MANCHESTER UNITED
It must be a strange feeling to live through a defining moment in history without having the slightest idea of its significance.
Manchester is huge for it. The Sex Pistols' first gig in Manchester at the Lesser Free Trade Hall, in which nearly everyone in attendance decided to go into music in some way.
Being in the lines for the opening night of the Hacienda nightclub in May of 1982, not realising that over the next decade it would become one of the most influential nightclubs in British history, helping to shape the acid house movement and the Madchester scene.
Perhaps that is the beauty of these moments. Nobody knew what the Sex Pistols would go on to become, nor could those in the audience, including Tony Wilson, have understood the extent to which the gig would influence British music for years to come. Nobody waiting outside the Hacienda could have predicted the legacy that would follow.
But perhaps, most importantly, nobody watching Sir Alex Ferguson arrive in Manchester on a cold, breezy November day in 1986 could have had the slightest idea that this young Scotsman, who had never managed a club outside Scotland, would go on to transform a fallen giant the size of Manchester United into one of the most successful football clubs in the world.
The rise to the top
Despite Manchester United's national and international success under Ferguson, he became only the third manager to win a league title with the club—and, for now, the last.
Ernest Mangnall was the first. A pioneer in United's history, his astute thinking following Manchester City's scandal over the illegal payments made to their players in 1905—something that sounds almost too familiar to their modern-day counterparts—helped propel United towards domestic success. He led the club to the 1907/08 and 1910/11 English First Division titles, as well as the 1908/09 FA Cup, establishing United as one of Britain's most successful sides during the five-year period between 1906 and 1911.
The next man on the list needs little introduction. Much like Ferguson would do decades later, Sir Matt Busby helped turn the club around when he took over the reins in 1945.
His 24-year tenure brought five league titles, two FA Cups and the 1967/68 European Cup, making United the first English club to become European champions.
His time at United was also marked by the 1958 Munich Air Disaster, in which 23 people, including eight players, lost their lives in one of football's darkest tragedies.
Busby would become a constant presence around the club in the years after his departure, even returning for a six-month spell between December 1970 and June 1971 following the dismissal of Wilf McGuinness.
But when Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford in November 1986, United were in a downward spiral.
There had been limited success over the preceding decade and a half. The club suffered their first relegation since 1937 in 1974 and, although they bounced back at the first time of asking, there was little to suggest they were in a position to challenge for the league title.
That is not to say United were without their moments of glory. Between 1977 and 1985, they won three FA Cups, with the 1977 final perhaps the most significant of them all. Tommy Docherty's men defeated Liverpool 2-1, denying their great rivals the chance to complete the treble—22 years before United would achieve the feat themselves.
In Ferguson's first season, he managed to pull United away from the relegation zone, but could only guide them to 11th place, finishing 30 points behind champions Everton.
The following campaign brought a significant improvement. With new signings Brian McClair and Steve Bruce settling into the side, Ferguson led United to second place, collecting 81 points and finishing nine behind rivals Liverpool.
Over the next two seasons, however, Ferguson would teeter on the edge of oblivion. United fell away dramatically, finishing 11th and then 13th—their lowest position in the First Division since their relegation.
The beginning of something great
Had it not been for Mark Robbins in the FA Cup, the entire course of English football may have been thrown off balance.
During a winter of discontent, Manchester United failed to win any of 11 matches between 25 November and 3 February. After a particularly damning loss to Crystal Palace on 9 December, fans displayed a banner in the Stretford End that accused Ferguson of presiding over "three years of excuses" at Old Trafford.
A defeat to an in-form Nottingham Forest side—who were four games into a nine-match unbeaten run in the league—could have spelt the end for Ferguson.
In the 56th minute of an otherwise tense match, Mark Hughes dinked the ball into the box with the outside of his boot before Robins headed home, putting United ahead and securing a rare victory during a difficult period for the club.
Despite Ferguson and United ultimately winning the match, the club's chairman at the time, Martin Edwards, had reportedly told the Scotsman that his job was secure regardless of the result.
“I spoke to him in the week leading up to the Forest game, and said that if we did lose, it wasn’t going to result in the sack," Edwards said. “I wanted to give him that comfort before the game.
“Coming second flattered us in 1988 – the team needed strengthening and probably his management helped us get to that position, but we weren’t good enough to win the title.
“We were patient, particularly during 1989-90, because we’d bought five players and had to give them time to gel.”
Edwards went on to speak about how Ferguson’s success was not just limited to the pitch, but also to the day-to-day life at the club. “He’d revamped the whole scouting system and we could see the work going on with the youth team, so we felt it was worth supporting.
“We had faith that success would arrive, but I’m glad it arrived when it did because we were coming under pressure from fans and everyone else.”
United's league form would improve slightly, but it was in the FA Cup that Ferguson finally found his breakthrough. After beating three other Uniteds—Hereford, Newcastle and Sheffield—the Red Devils faced Oldham twice, drawing 3-3 before winning the replay 2-1, with Robins scoring once again.
Their convoluted route to the trophy continued with a two-match final. Another 3-3 draw forced a replay, in which Lee Andrew Martin scored the only goal to secure Ferguson his first piece of silverware at Old Trafford.
Over the next decade, Ferguson's United would finally begin to flourish. In 1991, they won the Cup Winners' Cup, arguably one of the most important trophies of his reign. The experience gained that night, and the foundations laid during their European campaign, would help a young and developing squad learn how to navigate two-legged knockout football on the continental stage.
In 1992, United appeared to have finally ended their 25-year wait for a league title. However, three defeats in their final four matches saw them pipped by Leeds United, who went on to win the final English First Division title.
United would not have to wait much longer. With the signing of Eric Cantona from Leeds for the relatively modest fee of £1.2 million, Ferguson finally reached the pinnacle of English football, winning the inaugural Premier League title, with the Frenchman proving to be the catalyst.
Across the following two decades, Ferguson's career at United became a glittering success. Including the three trophies he had already won, he would go on to collect:
13 Premier League titles
Five FA Cups
Four League Cups
The European Cup Winners’ Cup
The European Super Cup
The Club World Cup
The Intercontinental Cup
10 Charity Shields
Lastly, and arguably most importantly, two Champions League titles
Legacy, honour, and an era unrepeatable
Thirteen years on from his retirement, Ferguson remains the most successful manager in English football history, as well as the most decorated manager the game has ever seen—though with Pep Guardiola sitting just nine honours behind his record of 49, it is likely we will see it beaten in the not-so-distant future.
Ferguson’s name is synonymous with football. Few individuals have reaped even close to the same success as the legendary Scotsman did across a 39-year managerial stint.
His legacy, however, cannot be measured by silverware alone. Ferguson became a pioneer of youth development, nurturing the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, and David Beckham as they progressed from the academy into the first team. The Class of '92 would become an integral part of his greatest sides, embodying the belief that homegrown talent could sit at the heart of a team capable of conquering Europe.
It was not always pretty during Ferguson's time at United. Nor is his legacy entirely without blemish. There is no doubt that he played a part in the club's current predicament, particularly through his role in allowing the Glazer family to gain a foothold at Old Trafford through the Rock of Gibraltar horse affair.
But when all is said and done, and supporters look back on the achievements he brought to the club, there should not be a scintilla of doubt about the scale of his contribution.
Four decades have passed since Ferguson first walked through the doors at Old Trafford. The club he inherited was struggling to find its identity, lost in a sea of uncertainty and underachievement.
The club he left was synonymous with success: a dragon-hearted football club, an institution with an unmistakable winning identity.
There will be other managers, other titans who come and go from the game of football with a point to prove. Perhaps even one of these figures might even emerge at United.
Football never stands still. Records that once seemed unbreakable are eventually torn apart by a new star. Players, teams, and managers evolve.
But there is something special about Ferguson’s time at United. Something that cannot be adequately captured on a page, regardless of how expansive your vernacular is or how eloquent your writing.
Simply, the greatest.
- Joe Ryan
Sunday, 8 November 2026
INTER MIAMI LIONEL MESSI MAKES MLS HISTORY WITH INCREDIBLE BACK-TO-BACK GOLDENBOOT AWARDS
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| Getty Images |
Lionel Messi has cemented his legacy in the United States by becoming the first player to win back-to-back MLS Golden Boot awards. The Inter Miami forward finished the 2026 Major League Soccer regular season with 26 goals, proving he remains in a class of his own at 39 years old.
Messi secures historic consecutive Golden Boot awards
Messi has rewritten the history books by becoming the first player to win back-to-back MLS Golden Boot awards. The Inter Miami forward finished the 2026 Major League Soccer regular season with a league-high 26 goals to his name.
The 39-year-old achieved this remarkable scoring feat across 31 appearances, which included 29 starts for his club. He ultimately finished four goals clear of his nearest challenger, FC Dallas forward Petar Musa, while Nashville SC striker Sam Surridge took third place with 21 goals.
Messi is now just the sixth player to finish with the most goals in multiple MLS regular seasons. His prolific form also included 17 assists, giving him an astonishing league-high 43 goal contributions overall.
Inter Miami coach backs Messi for MVP
The legendary forward previously won the Golden Boot in 2025 after scoring 29 goals in just 28 regular-season matches. Having already claimed the prestigious MVP award in 2024 and 2025, he remains the heavy favourite to win the trophy again in 2026.
If successful, the recently retired Argentina international will become the first three-time MVP winner in MLS history. Inter Miami head coach Kily Gonzalez firmly believes his star player is fully deserving of the historic accolade.
- Yosua Arya
SIX HOURS OF MONZA STARTING GRID | FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Leading the way one final time in 2026! 🤩
The final round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship is here, as teams get ready to take the start for the 6 Hours of Monza! 🇮🇹🔥
#FIA #WEC
ALEX EALA SENDS HEARTFELT MESSAGE IN EMOTIONAL SPEECH AFTER LOSING HONG KONG OPEN FINAL
Alex Eala sent heartfelt messages to her fans and her team in an emotional speech after losing in the final at the 2026 Hong Kong Tennis Open.
The Filipina star fell 3-6, 0-6 to world No 102 Claire Liu in a one-sided championship match at the WTA 250 event in Hong Kong on Sunday.
Eala was competing in the third WTA Tour final of her career, having lost the 2025 Eastbourne Open final before securing her maiden title at the 2026 Washington Open.
World No 17 Eala — who was the second seed in Hong Kong — defeated Emerson Jones, Tereza Valentova, Antonia Ruzic and Maria Sakkari en route to the final.
The 21-year-old has now ended her 2026 season, and she will climb to a new career-high ranking of world No 15 on Monday.
Here is Eala’s full speech from the trophy ceremony after the Hong Kong Open final:
“Hi, good evening, everybody. Thank you all for being here. First and foremost, I want to congratulate Claire on an amazing tournament, a great week and a great match. Very, very well-deserved. Congratulations.
“I’d like to thank the tournament staff and the organisers for the amazing hospitality, the physios for keeping me together.
“And, of course, the fans. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I mean, wrapping up this year, you guys do not know how much meaning you add on top of what I do, and how much of a pleasure it is to go about my life sharing these moments with you all. So I’m forever grateful.
“And, of course, last but not least, my team, my parents. My brother, Miko, my coach, Joan, and my two other coaches, Yuke and Sandro. Yeah, this season has just… It’s changed my life. It’s changed my life for the better, and… yeah, sorry (crying).
“Like, I’m really, I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve put in this year. And we’re the only ones who truly know what it took to arrive to this point in our journey.
“So thank you so, so much. Congratulations. This is only the beginning. And this one, like all of them, is ours. So, congratulations.”
- Ewan West
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