Author: INDEPENDENT

Chelsea take on Man City in the WSL on Friday evening (Getty Images)Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Chelsea host Manchester City at Kingsmeadow in what could be a title-deciding Women’s Super League clash.Chelsea have won the last three successive titles, including a win in 2021, where they pipped their opponents to the title by just two points.Emma Hayes’ side lead City by three points, and have the opportunity to extend their advantage to six points with just eight games remaining.Chelsea are still…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsWatch live as a protest takes place in Berlin after Alexei Navalny’s death.Moscow’s federal prison service said in a statement that the politician, 47, felt unwell after a walk on Friday 16 February and lost consciousness.An ambulance arrived to try to rehabilitate him, but he died, the agency said.Mr Navalny had been moved in December from his former prison in the Vladimir region of central Russia to a “special regime” penal colony, the highest security…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has rejected suggestions he has rushed back players in recent weeks after Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara and Dominik Szoboszlai all aggravated injuries early in their returns.Alexander-Arnold will miss the Carabao Cup final later this month because a knee problem recurred in last week’s win over Burnley, Thiago’s comeback after nine months lasted just 10 minutes, while Szoboszlai played just over an hour over two matches before succumbing to the hamstring problem which forced…

Navalny detained by Moscow policeFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsJailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is dead, the Siberian prison service where he had been serving his sentence has said.World leaders reacted with outrage to the announcement, with US secretary of state Antony Blinken saying Navalny’s death, if confirmed, “underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built”.The prison service said Navalny “felt unwell” after a walk on Friday, and “almost immediately lost consciousness”.…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Every year, the nature of the Women’s Super League dictates a single game or moment will define its season. If hindsight can identify where the title race was won and lost, Chelsea’s last three titles follow a theme: in 2021, their winning margin over Manchester City was two points, in 2022, Emma Hayes’s side edged Arsenal by just one point, and in 2023, against Manchester United, it was two again. As the champions now target a fifth…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsGreece has become the first majority-Orthodox Christian nation to legalise same-sex marriage under civil law. And at least for the near future, it will almost certainly be the only one.A cross-party majority of 176 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament voted on Thursday in favor of the landmark bill drafted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ‘ center-right government. Another 76 rejected the reform while two abstained from the vote and 46 were not present in the…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will not have any input into the appointment of a new sporting director but admits whoever arrives will have to be “on the same page”.The PA news agency understands the club hope to bring in Newcastle’s Dan Ashworth to fill the vacant role.Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal to acquire a 25 per cent stake in the Old Trafford giants and take control of football operations is expected to be completed next week…

Competent Boards is a Business Reporter client.Businesses are facing unprecedented change and uncertainty. And boards of directors have an obligation, and an opportunity, to help senior management step up to face it.Business Reporter: Competent BoardsNavigating today’s business environment is akin to steering a ship through increasingly turbulent waters. Today’s boards have more to focus on than well-defined business challenges such as industry competition. They must also confront many emerging challenges, including the pressing demands of climate change, the impacts of geopolitical tensions and transformative technologies.As such, the nature of board governance has irreversibly expanded. It’s not just about profitability and…

Ukrainian forces destroy large Russian landing ship in Black SeaFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsUkraine has rotated in fresh forces to push back a rapid Russian takeover of a key frontline town in the eastern region of Donetsk.Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade announced this morning that it had been “urgently redeployed to strengthen Ukrainian troops in the Avdiivka area”.“The situation in the city at the time the brigade was established was extremely critical,” the statement read.“Separate battalions of the 3rd Armored…

Jose Mourinho has revealed what it was like to coach Cristiano Ronaldo in his prime.The pair worked together at Real Madrid for three seasons between 2010 and 2013, winning the La Liga title and the Copa del Rey.During that period, Ronaldo was also battling it out with Barcelona rival Lionel Messi to be named the best footballer in the world.Speaking to Rio Ferdinand on his FIVE podcast this week, Mourinho reflected on coaching the Madrid star over a decade ago.He admitted that he only needed to give Ronaldo a few tactical adjustments, and just tried to ensure he was “happy”…