Sports

Soccer fans launch complaint over World Cup ticket prices to European Commission

Soccer fans have launched a formal complaint with the European Commission against FIFA over World Cup ticket prices. Football Supporters Europe say it has joined with consumer group Euroconsumers to allege that soccer’s world governing body has abused its position to impose excessive prices. FSE already accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal” in December when tickets were put on general sale ranging from $140 for the cheapest group games to $8,680 for the final. The cheapest tickets for the final are $4,185. But all prices are subject to change as FIFA is employing dynamic pricing for the first time at the World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Mohamed Salah to leave Liverpool at end of the season after 9 years with club

Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, the club said Tuesday, after nine years at Anfield in which he has established himself as one of its greatest ever players. Liverpool says Salah has “reached an agreement” to leave the team before his contract was due to expire. The Egypt winger has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances for Liverpool. He has won two Premier League titles and a Champions League since joining from Roma in 2017.

Tiger Woods to play TGL match final for his Jupiter Links with a title on the line

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods is coming off the bench to try to save the season for his Jupiter Links in the indoor TGL final. Woods has put himself into the lineup for the elimination match Tuesday evening against Los Angeles. He’ll be replacing Kevin Kisner. Jupiter Links has to win to force a Match 3 later Tuesday night. Woods hasn’t competed anywhere in just over a year. He ruptured his Achilles tendon last March and then had a seventh back surgery in October. He says he’s been trying to play TGL but it hasn’t worked out for him just yet.

76ers’ Paul George apologizes for flunking drug test, ready to return for late-season playoff push

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — Paul George declined to get into the specifics of his failed drug test that landed him a 25-game suspension. George says he is mentally and physically ready to help the Philadelphia 76ers with their playoff push over the last 10 games of the season. George will play for the Sixers on Wednesday night against Chicago. George was suspended in late January for violating the terms of the NBA’s anti-drug program. He said Tuesday that his choice to take a banned substance was connected to a mental health issue that developed because of an offseason knee injury that limited his production this season.

SEC surge takes over March Madness with 6 teams in Sweet 16, setting up conference showdowns

The Sweet 16 will have a definite SEC feel with six teams advancing from that conference to the second weekend of March Madness. Top seeds South Carolina and Texas cruised into the regional semifinals of the women’s NCAA Tournament and are joined by No. 2 seeds Vanderbilt and LSU, No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 5 Kentucky. Both of the 1 seeds will have all-SEC matchups, with the Gamecocks facing the Sooners — the lone team to beat them in the regular season during conference play. But it wasn’t only SEC teams that had a good first weekend in the tournament. UConn remains the lone unbeaten in women’s college basketball and has reached the Sweet 16 in 32 consecutive years.

Tanking remains a problem in the NBA and the league is going to take action, again

Indiana just snapped a 16-game slide. Washington has lost 16 in a row. Sacramento lost 16 straight in a streak spanning January and February. Some of it is just bad luck, some of it is just bad basketball. And many believe tanking is happening in the league as well, at least on some level. The tanking epidemic is being discussed yet again this week at the board of governors meeting in New York. The NBA has tweaked the draft process a few times over the years, and it seems like bigger changes are finally on the way.

Players like Cunningham should have award eligibility, NBPA says in push for 65-game rule change

Detroit guard Cade Cunningham’s eligibility for individual honors such as a spot on the All-NBA team is in some doubt because of the 65-game rule for such awards. The players’ association said Tuesday that shouldn’t be the case. The National Basketball Players Association said it wants to see the rule that it agreed to through collective bargaining be amended. Cunningham has appeared in 61 games this season. He is expected to miss several more games while recovering from a collapsed lung. If he misses too many, he’ll fall short of the 65-game threshold.

Fitzpatrick and DeChambeau are part of a growing list of players rounding into form for the Masters

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Matt Fitzpatrick is coming off two big weeks including a win. Does that bode well for the Masters? There’s more in play than just a trophy. But recent history shows that winning doesn’t hurt going into the first major of the year. Five of the last six Masters champions won multiple times before they slipped into a green jacket. Bryson DeChambeau warrants attention. He has won the last two weeks on LIV Golf by hitting shots that few others can hit. There’s also a pair of newcomers trending in the right direction with Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman.

Even with robot umpires, MLB managers will find reasons to argue and get ejected

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Managers have less to argue about as Major League Baseball starts ball-and-strike challenges this season with so-called robot umpires. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash says he likes using technology but figures there still will be reasons to argue because each team is allowed only two unsuccessful challenges. Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton expects less complaining early in games, but he wonders what happens after challenges run out. New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone also points out that teams have to prepare pitchers for returning to the mound when they thought the inning was over only to have an opponent win a challenge.

Tagovailoa is looking for a ‘fresh start’ with Falcons after rocky finish to his stay with Dolphins

ATLANTA (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa says his new one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons provides an opportunity for a fresh start after a rocky finish to his six-year stay with the Miami Dolphins. Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham said on March 13 Tagovailoa will have an opportunity to compete at quarterback with Michael Penix Jr. when Penix is recovered from a torn ACL. Tagovailoa says “competition is just a thing in the NFL.” He says he’ll have to play better than in 2025, when he set a career high with 15 interceptions before being benched for the final three games.