BEB Weekend Sports: Latest News!

Premier League players to wear 'Black Lives Matter' on back of shirts

Premier League players' names will be replaced on the back of their shirts with 'Black Lives Matter' for the first 12 matches of the restarted season.

The Premier League will also support any player who chooses to 'take a knee' before or during matches.

Players in Germany have made gestures of solidarity with people protesting about the death of George Floyd.

"We, the players, stand together with the singular objective of eradicating racial prejudice," read a statement.

In a joint message from all 20 clubs, players added that they were committed to "a global society of inclusion, respect, and equal opportunities for all, regardless of their colour or creed".

A Black Lives Matter badge will feature on all playing shirts for the rest of the season alongside a badge thanking NHS staff for their work during the coronavirus outbreak.

Napoli reach Coppa Italia final as Mertens breaks record 

Dries Mertens became Napoli's record scorer after his goal edged out Inter Milan and sent the five-time winners into the Coppa Italia final.

Leading 1-0 from the first leg, Napoli's advantage was quickly wiped out when Christian Eriksen scored direct from a corner.

Belgium forward Mertens made it 2-1 on aggregate after an assist from Lorenzo Insigne following a counter-attack.

It was his 122nd goal for Napoli, one more than Slovakia's Marek Hamsik.

Mertens, who is nicknamed 'Ciro' by Napoli fans to reflect his longstanding relationship with the club and city of Naples, is now seven goals clear of club legend Diego Maradona, Napoli, who last won the competition in 2014, will meet Juventus in the final without any fans present on Wednesday (20:00 BST) at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Federer to miss rest of 2020 after further knee operation

Roger Federer will miss the rest of the 2020 season after having a further operation on his right knee.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner had the initial arthroscopic surgery in February but said he suffered a "setback" with his rehabilitation.

Professional tennis has been suspended since March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season," the 38-year-old Swiss said.

Federer has not played since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals in January.

He missed the majority of the 2016 season with a knee injury, but returned the following year to win the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

"A few weeks ago, having experienced a setback during my initial rehabilitation, I had to have an additional quick arthroscopic procedure on my right knee," Federer said on Twitterexternal-link on Wednesday. 

"Now, much like I did leading up to the 2017 season, I plan to take the necessary time to be 100% ready to play at my highest level."

The ATP Tour is shut down until at least the end of July because of the pandemic, with the US Open scheduled to start on 31 August and the French Open beginning on 20 September.

Trump says he will not watch NFL and US Soccer if players kneel

United States president Donald Trump says he will not watch the NFL or the US Soccer sides if players do not stand for the national anthem.

The NFL said last week its players should be allowed to protest during the anthem, adding that it was "wrong for not listening" to players earlier.

The practice was started by former NFL star Colin Kaepernick in 2016 to highlight racial inequality.

Trump has opposed kneeling during the anthem and has repeatedly called on NFL players who do so to be sacked or banned.

Republican congressman Matt Gaetz on social media criticized US Soccer's decision to overturn ban on players kneeling, and Trump responded to a news story of Gaetz's view by saying:

"I won't be watching much any more."

In a follow-up post on social media, Trump added:

"And it looks like the NFL is heading in that direction also, but not with me watching."

The U-turns by the NFL and US Soccer came amid ongoing protests following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man who died in police custody in Minneapolis after a white officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.

The NFL tried to ban kneeling during the anthem in May 2018 and introduced a new policy with teams fined if players failed to stand, but put the policy on hold two months later.

Following Floyd's death, NFL stars called on the league to condemn racism and commissioner Roger Goodell responded by saying the NFL had made mistakes and will now encourage players to speak out.

Trump questioned Goodell's decision to change the NFL's stance on kneeling, saying the act would be "disrespecting our country and our flag”.

from Bola Esho's Blog