Sports, in brief

The NFL, American football's top league, suspended Jed York, the main owner of the San Francisco 49ers, for six regular-season games on Friday. [1][2]

It also fined him $500,000 for breaking its personal conduct policy, the code of behaviour that covers owners and staff as well as players. [1][3]

York was arrested on 23 August in a police sting at a mobile home park in Ohio, after answering an online advert for paid sex. [3][4]

He pleaded no contest, which means accepting the conviction without admitting guilt, to disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools. Both are minor crimes. [3][4]

The court fined him $1,150, and he spent a day in jail. [4][1]

York stayed away from the 49ers' first three games and from league meetings, and the NFL counted those three games as already served. [1][4]

So he may return on 20 October, the same day the NFL's autumn league meetings begin in New York. [4][2]

The punishment matches the one the NFL gave Jim Irsay, the late Indianapolis Colts owner, in 2014: six games and $500,000 after he pleaded guilty to drink-driving. [3][5]

In 2019 the NFL did not punish New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft at all, after prostitution charges against him were dropped. [3]

The NFL's own policy says owners are held to a higher standard and will face more significant discipline when they break it. [1]

The league has not said how much York may still do in running the club while he is suspended. [1]

The players' union, which the same policy also covers, had not answered by Friday evening when asked whether the punishment is fair by comparison. [1]

York and the 49ers' investment arm also own parts of Leeds United in England and Rangers in Scotland. [3][4]

Why it matters. Watch whether the NFL says what York may still do at the 49ers before 20 October, and whether the players' union compares his ban with players' bans. [1]

Manchester City, the Premier League club owned by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, lodged its appeal at 7pm on Thursday against the verdict on its finances. [19] An independent panel found City broke Premier League money rules on all but one of 114 charges, covering 2009 to 2018. [19] It found City disguised more than 830m pounds of funding, partly through sponsorship deals the panel called sham contracts. [20][19] City says the ruling contains clear errors and is unsafe. [12] The Football Association, which runs English football as a whole, said the case has serious implications for the game. [12]

Why it matters. City is expected to argue that Abu Dhabi's government, not its owner, paid for the sponsorship deals. [21] Its main sponsor, the airline Etihad, told the US government in 2015 that this was false. [21]

Rui Pinto, the Portuguese hacker whose leaked files started the investigations into Manchester City, will lose Portugal's witness protection on 10 October. [22] He got into City's computers in 2017 with a fake email that looked like it came from UEFA, European football's governing body. [20] Pinto has been under protection since 2020 and says he has received several death threats. [22][23] He was given a four-year suspended sentence in 2023 for computer crimes and attempted extortion. [23]

Why it matters. His lawyers say he will lose his safe house within days and was assaulted in Lisbon in April. [23] Portuguese officials judged his risk to be low. [23]

American college football's play-off may double from 12 teams to 24, possibly from 2027. [24] Its leaders can talk about the price only with ESPN, the sports TV channel that holds the rights, until 9 October. [25] After that, other networks and streaming services can bid. [25] ESPN's current deal covers a play-off of up to 14 teams, so a 24-team field would create new games to sell. [9] The play-off's director, Rich Clark, said the TV value is the main missing piece, and the deadline to decide is 1 December. [9][24]

Why it matters. The vote belongs to university presidents and conference bosses, and the coaches have no formal vote. [25] A bigger play-off would probably end conference championship games, worth more than $200m. [25]

Roger Goodell, the NFL's commissioner, met Illinois governor JB Pritzker and state lawmakers on Thursday about a new stadium for the Chicago Bears. [26][15] The Bears said in August that Hammond, Indiana, was their sole focus. [26] Indiana has already approved money for a stadium there. [15] The NFL said quick action is essential if the team is to stay in Illinois. [15]

Why it matters. Illinois lawmakers would have to pass a stadium bill in a six-day session in late November and early December. [15] That needs an agreement that was missing in the spring. [15]

The NFL told the Los Angeles Rams that a late pass interference penalty, a foul for blocking a player trying to catch the ball, should not have been called in Sunday's loss to Denver. [8][27] The flag cancelled a Rams interception with 75 seconds left. [27] The Denver Broncos scored the winning touchdown six plays later. [27] The Denver receiver later told a TV interviewer he had sold the contact to win the flag. [8]

Why it matters. The NFL's rulebook says these talks between clubs and its referees are confidential, and it can punish clubs that reveal them. [28] Rams coach Sean McVay revealed it anyway, and it is not clear whether he had permission. [28]

The NFL wants to play more games outside the United States, perhaps one per team each season. [10] Its deal with the players' union caps the number at 10 a season unless the two sides talk first. [10] Two sources told Front Office Sports those talks have not really begun. [10] This season has nine games abroad, from Melbourne and Rio to London, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City. [10]

Why it matters. One agent said the union should ask for something in return, because long trips are an extra burden on players. [10] Another said it should simply agree, to grow the game and its income. [10]

Tony Romo, a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, will not return as the lead NFL commentator for the CBS television network. [29] He had been on leave since his arrest for drink-driving in Wisconsin on 23 July. [29] He pleaded no contest and was banned from driving for six months. [29] Romo said last month he had been struggling with dependence on painkillers and alcohol after many surgeries. [30]

Why it matters. CBS called the split mutual and will keep J.J. Watt alongside Jim Nantz in its top commentary box. [30][29] Romo said he will take a break to focus on his health and family. [30]

A Kentucky appeals court on Friday ended a temporary court order that had let several college players compete for a fifth season. [13] Under the NCAA's normal rules, which govern US college sport, they were out of eligibility when last season ended. [13] Missouri basketball player Mark Mitchell is one of those affected. [13] Two football players already playing this season, Kentucky's Alex Afari and Texas Tech's Thomas Castellanos, are covered by the ruling too. [13]

Why it matters. The basketball season starts in about a month. [13] Many of the players are now expected to sue separately in their home states. [13]

Tim Brosnan, the new commissioner of the Big East, a US college conference built around basketball, said he is open to money from private equity firms, which buy stakes in businesses. [31][32] Brosnan, a former Major League Baseball executive, took over in September. [31] He said several firms have approached the conference. [31] Only one conference, the Big 12, has signed such a deal. [31]

Why it matters. Brosnan said the decision belongs to the member schools, because he reports to them. [31] He said he has not yet seen a use for the money worth taking. [33]

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in second practice at Sepang, Malaysia, on Friday. [34] The race is officially the Bahrain Grand Prix, moved there after the war in the Middle East cancelled the race in Bahrain. [35][36] Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli leads the championship by 66 points over his teammate George Russell with eight races left. [36] Both Mercedes cars were only seventh and eighth fastest on Friday. [34]

Why it matters. Sepang last held a race in 2017, after Malaysia's organiser refused hosting fees above $40m a year. [11] It is back only because Bahrain's organiser paid to stage its cancelled race there. [11]

James Vowles, who runs the Williams Formula 1 team, says the sport's spending cap has created a two-tier championship. [37] The cap, brought in in 2021, limits how much each team may spend in a year. [37] Vowles says Williams must spend tens of millions inside the cap on basic factory systems that richer teams already have. [37] That money cannot go into making the car faster. [37]

Why it matters. Vowles says the cap has met its first goal, keeping teams in business, but not its goal of closer racing. [37] Williams and the other midfield teams sit far behind Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren. [37]

Wakefield Trinity play Warrington Wolves on Saturday in rugby league's Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford in Manchester. [38] Only five clubs have won the Grand Final, so either way there will be a new champion. [38] Wakefield were relegated in 2023, then bought by a lifelong fan, Matt Ellis, who has put in about 10m pounds. [39] Their average crowd has grown from under 5,000 three years ago to over 9,000. [39]

Why it matters. Wakefield last won a league title 58 years ago. [39] About 20,000 of their fans are expected among more than 70,000 at the final. [39]

Northern Ireland beat Ukraine 3-0 in football's Nations League on Friday, in a match played in Trnava, Slovakia. [40] The starting team's average age was 22, the youngest for Northern Ireland since the Second World War. [40] Ciaron Brown scored twice and Isaac Price once. [40] In Paris, France drew 1-1 with Italy in coach Zinedine Zidane's first home game in charge. [41]

Why it matters. France finished with 10 men after Dayot Upamecano was sent off late on. [41] Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a string of saves to keep the draw. [41]

England fast bowler Brydon Carse has been charged with improper conduct by the Cricket Regulator. [7] He was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly on a night out in Derby in August. [7] Police closed their case without charging him a fortnight ago. [7] An independent panel, the Cricket Discipline Committee, will hear the case in the next few weeks. [7]

Why it matters. The England and Wales Cricket Board, which pays Carse, is not taking action of its own. [7] The hearing may not finish before England pick their squad for December's tour of South Africa. [7]

Former rugby players suing the sport's governing bodies over brain injuries must pay 2.8m pounds of the other side's legal costs to keep their case going. [14] A judge said on Friday the costs came from delays caused by the players' previous lawyers. [14] Hundreds of claimants are struck off the case for failing to hand over their medical test records. [14] Most of the money is due by the end of October. [14]

Why it matters. The bodies being sued are World Rugby and the English and Welsh unions and rugby league's governing body. [14] The case can continue only if the money is paid and the records are handed over. [14]

The Golden State Valkyries came back from 16 points down to beat the Dallas Wings 77-73 in the deciding game of their WNBA play-off series on Friday. [42] The WNBA is the top US women's basketball league, and the Valkyries joined it only last season. [42] Gabby Williams scored 17 of her 19 points after half-time. [43] They now play the champions, the Las Vegas Aces, in a best-of-five semi-final starting on Sunday. [43]

Why it matters. It is the first play-off series the Valkyries have won. [42] The other semi-final is the Atlanta Dream against the New York Liberty. [43]

Northwestern University opened its new $875m Ryan Field on Friday night and beat Penn State 34-13. [17][18] The college had played in temporary homes for two seasons while it was built. [17] Northwestern ran for 413 yards, the most anyone has run against Penn State since 2022. [18] Penn State has now lost two games in a row under its new coach, Matt Campbell. [18]

Why it matters. Penn State came in as a small favourite. [17] It has now lost both of its Big Ten conference games. [18]

The University of Pittsburgh, known as Pitt, beat Virginia Tech 35-33 in college football on Friday when the Hokies' kicker missed a 36-yard field goal on the final play. [44] Replays left it unclear whether the kick went in. [45] Virginia Tech gained 499 yards to Pitt's 295 but lost two fumbles and threw two interceptions. [45] Pitt are now unbeaten in five games. [44]

Why it matters. Pitt's coach Pat Narduzzi attacked the journalists who vote in the national poll for leaving his team out. [44] The win puts Pitt on track for the ACC conference's title game. [44]

Major League Baseball's division series, the round of the last eight, start on Saturday. [46] The Los Angeles Dodgers open against the Atlanta Braves with Tarik Skubal, the pitcher they traded for in August. [46] Three clubs still in are chasing their first World Series: the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays. [47] The Brewers won 103 games with only the 19th-biggest payroll. [48]

Why it matters. Major League Baseball has proposed a salary cap, a limit on what each club can spend on players, before the labour deal expires on 1 December. [48] The players' union points to the Brewers and the Rays as proof that low spenders can already compete. [48]

Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat China's Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 at the China Open on Friday. [49][50] He has now won all 31 matches he has played at the Beijing tournament, which he has won six times. [49] Djokovic, 39, needed medical treatment on court for the second match running. [49] In the women's event, Aryna Sabalenka won 6-1, 6-3 in her first match since losing the world number one ranking. [51]

Why it matters. Djokovic next plays either the top seed, Alexander Zverev, or China's Juncheng Shang. [49] Sabalenka has not won a title since March. [51]

Lhuan-dre Pretorius, 20, scored 188 not out in a domestic match in South Africa, the highest score ever in a men's T20 game, cricket's shortest format. [52] The old record was Chris Gayle's 175 in India's IPL in 2013. [52] Pretorius hit 13 sixes and 15 fours from 79 balls. [52] His team, Titans, won by 124 runs. [52]

Why it matters. Pretorius has already played two Tests and 17 T20 matches for South Africa. [52]

Germany's fourth tier is split into five regional leagues, but only four clubs a year can go up to the national third division. [53] Two champions go up automatically, a third place rotates, and two champions play off for the last one. [53] Lokomotive Leipzig have now won their league three times in seven seasons without going up. [53] Their Northeast league drew average crowds of 3,125 last season, about twice the other leagues. [53]

Why it matters. The automatic places go to the West and Southwest because more teams are registered there. [53] Clubs in the former East Germany want four leagues instead of five. [53]

Arsenal, the Premier League champions, have shelved plans for a major expansion of the 60,704-seat Emirates Stadium in London. [16] The club will make smaller changes instead, mostly to hospitality, shops and the matchday experience. [16] A study group had looked at the idea since 2024, with reports the team might play at Wembley during the building. [16] Arsenal's owner has hired the consultants Boston Consulting Group to review parts of the club. [16]

Why it matters. Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta was believed to be worried about a temporary move. [16] The owner, Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, agreed last month to buy baseball's Los Angeles Angels for a record $4bn. [16]

Almost every member of Bill Belichick's football staff at the University of North Carolina signed a termination release on the same day as their contract. [54] The release is a form meant to be signed only if the university lets a coach go early. [54] Of 13 staff contracts the university has published, only one is without a same-day release. [54] UNC told Sportico this is not normal and called it a mistake by the football staff. [54]

Why it matters. The paperwork for the staff's departures is already in order while their future at the university is uncertain. [54]

The emblems for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics were leaked by the Games' own YouTube channel, three days before their official reveal. [55] A short explainer video showed a pink cockatoo for the Olympics and a sulphur-crested cockatoo for the Paralympics. [55] Organisers confirmed the logo was genuine. [55] On Saturday they posted both in full, calling it the official reveal. [55]

Why it matters. Pieces of the design had been shown across Queensland all week ahead of a planned unveiling on Monday. [55]

China's Tang Jing was disqualified from a quarter-final at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, after appearing to bite her opponent's arm. [56] Japan's Rin Maeda showed the referee a mark on her forearm, and officials checked the video. [56] Tang, 31, has won three Asian Games medals. [56] Maeda, 21, went on to win the gold medal. [56]

Why it matters. Maeda said nothing like it had happened to her before. [56]

Liam Hendriks, an Australian pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, has retired at 37. [57][58] That is the most seasons in the majors by any Australian-born player. [58] He was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer, in December 2022. [57] He was back pitching by May 2023 and won the American League's Comeback Player of the Year award. [57]

Why it matters. He was a three-time All-Star, picked for the league's best players' game. [57] He said his arm has no fastballs left. [57]