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Algeria Sack Coach After AFCON Exit

Algeria axed their coach Djamel Belmadi after another early AFCON exit © KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP
Algeria axed their coach Djamel Belmadi after another early AFCON exit © KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP
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Algeria Sack Coach After AFCON Exit

Algeria axed their coach Djamel Belmadi after another early AFCON exit © KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP
Algeria axed their coach Djamel Belmadi after another early AFCON exit © KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP

Algeria sacked their coach Djamel Belmadi on Wednesday after the two-time winners crashed out of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Belmadi's tenure ended prematurely after Tuesday's shock loss to Mauritania in their final group game in the Ivory Coast.

"I met national coach Djamel Belmadi to discuss the implications of this bitter elimination, and we came to an amicable agreement to end our relationship and to terminate his contract," Algerian football federation president Walid Sadi posted on X, AFP reported.

Belmadi's dismissal came on a day when hosts Ivory Coast got rid of their coach Jean-Louis Gasset midway through the competition and Ghana fired Chris Hughton after their exit.

Algeria won their second AFCON title in Egypt in 2019 but were then sent packing in the group stage at the last edition in Cameroon two years ago with just one point and one goal scored.

This campaign has been equally miserable for Belmadi's team, who drew their first two matches in Group D against Angola and Burkina Faso but would have qualified for the knockout phase with a point against Mauritania in Bouake.

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Irish Athletes Group Urges National Team to Boycott Israel Fixtures

Football - Nations League - Play-offs - First Leg - Bulgaria v Republic of Ireland - Stadion Hristo Botev, Plovdiv, Bulgaria - March 20, 2025 Republic of Ireland players pose for a team group photo before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Nations League - Play-offs - First Leg - Bulgaria v Republic of Ireland - Stadion Hristo Botev, Plovdiv, Bulgaria - March 20, 2025 Republic of Ireland players pose for a team group photo before the match. (Reuters)
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Irish Athletes Group Urges National Team to Boycott Israel Fixtures

Football - Nations League - Play-offs - First Leg - Bulgaria v Republic of Ireland - Stadion Hristo Botev, Plovdiv, Bulgaria - March 20, 2025 Republic of Ireland players pose for a team group photo before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Nations League - Play-offs - First Leg - Bulgaria v Republic of Ireland - Stadion Hristo Botev, Plovdiv, Bulgaria - March 20, 2025 Republic of Ireland players pose for a team group photo before the match. (Reuters)

More than 160 Irish sportspeople ‌have signed an open letter asking the Ireland national football team to boycott their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel, the Irish Sport for Palestine Group said on Monday.

Ireland are due to play Israel on September 27 in Hungary before the reverse fixture in Serbia on October 4. Both matches are set to be staged at neutral venues and behind closed doors after protests by players and fans ‌over the death ‌toll of Palestinian civilians during the ‌war ⁠in Gaza.

Irish Sport ⁠for Palestine said the signatories included Olympian Ciara Mageean, former footballer Louise Quinn, former rugby flyhalf Tony Ward and boxers Tyrone McKenna and Eric Donovan.

"This is a significant moment and with this moment you have an opportunity to do the right thing," the ⁠letter said.

"Not playing the game would be ‌the most sporting thing ‌you could do. Through your leadership and courage, it would ‌show the power of sport to unite, remind ‌us of the shared values that connect us all, and have an impact far beyond the game."

In May, leading Irish footballers joined celebrities in a campaign urging Ireland to ‌boycott the Nations League matches against Israel.

Ireland has been one of the European ⁠Union's most ⁠outspoken critics of Israel's war in Gaza, and Football Association of Ireland (FAI) members voted overwhelmingly in late 2025 for its board to request that UEFA immediately suspend the Israel Football Association from European competitions.

The FAI later committed to playing the fixtures, citing possible sanctions that could affect the national team and the association.

Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said last week he had spoken individually to players about facing Israel and that "none of us feel comfortable playing in these games".

Sports

Fleet Races Continue at Arab Sailing Championship in Jeddah

Fleet races continued Sunday at the Arab Sailing Championship for the Optimist class at the Jeddah Sailing Center. (SPA)
Fleet races continued Sunday at the Arab Sailing Championship for the Optimist class at the Jeddah Sailing Center. (SPA)
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Fleet Races Continue at Arab Sailing Championship in Jeddah

Fleet races continued Sunday at the Arab Sailing Championship for the Optimist class at the Jeddah Sailing Center. (SPA)
Fleet races continued Sunday at the Arab Sailing Championship for the Optimist class at the Jeddah Sailing Center. (SPA)

Fleet races continued Sunday at the Arab Sailing Championship for the Optimist class at the Jeddah Sailing Center, with strong competition for the top positions and Arab titles, the Saudi Press Agency said.

After seven races, Jean Luc Soares Herve leads the overall standings, followed by Tong Xuan Ya of the Saudi Optimist team in second place and Saudi sailor Ahmad Alshammari in third.

Under the championship regulations, competition for the titles of Arab champion and Arab female champion is limited to sailors from Arab countries. Alshammari, competing in the under-12 category, leads the standings among sailors eligible for the title of Arab champion.

Egypt's Laila Abdelazim leads the standings among sailors eligible to compete for the title of Arab female champion after placing sixth overall. The list of the top 10 includes four female sailors. The championship, organized by the Saudi Sailing Federation, concludes Monday.

Sports

Resurgent Acosta Beats Martin for Maiden MotoGP Win in Austria

Spanish MotoGP rider Pedro Acosta of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing celebrates after winning the Grand Prix of Austria at the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg, Austria, 20 September 2026. EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK
Spanish MotoGP rider Pedro Acosta of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing celebrates after winning the Grand Prix of Austria at the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg, Austria, 20 September 2026. EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK
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Resurgent Acosta Beats Martin for Maiden MotoGP Win in Austria

Spanish MotoGP rider Pedro Acosta of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing celebrates after winning the Grand Prix of Austria at the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg, Austria, 20 September 2026. EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK
Spanish MotoGP rider Pedro Acosta of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing celebrates after winning the Grand Prix of Austria at the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg, Austria, 20 September 2026. EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK

Pedro Acosta claimed the first MotoGP victory of his career in the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, bouncing back from his sprint-race crash to beat world championship leader Jorge Martin at KTM's home Red Bull Ring circuit.

The 22-year-old Spaniard, who qualified third before crashing out while leading Saturday's sprint, seized the lead from polesitter Martin on lap nine of the 28-lap race and never looked back.

Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium, while Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura finished fourth.

It was an emotional moment for Acosta, nicknamed 'The Shark', who arrived in MotoGP with ⁠huge expectations after ⁠winning the Moto3 world title in 2021 and the Moto2 crown in 2023.

"The first one is always special," Reuters quoted Acosta as saying. "Nice way to close a season like this with KTM in front of all Austrian fans. Super happy for them because they deserve it even more than me."

Acosta is set to leave KTM at the end of 2026 to join the factory Ducati team.

Martin, the 2024 ⁠MotoGP champion, got off to a brilliant start but was overtaken by teammate Bezzecchi for the lead at Turn One on lap two. The 28-year-old responded immediately, reclaiming top spot at Turn Three on the same lap.

However, Acosta's pace proved decisive and he passed Martin for the lead on lap nine before pulling away.

"I want to congratulate Pedro. He fought a lot during the last few years to get this victory. This feeling is amazing for him, so I'm really happy for him," Martin said of his fellow Spaniard.

"For myself, I think I did a great race. I was trying to manage the ⁠fuel. Then Pedro ⁠took me but I thought everything was under control. But step by step, he was stepping away. I tried to push a bit more but my rear tire was completely destroyed. I did my best.

"This is what we have to do every weekend for the rest of the season, and the fight is on. So I am really looking forward to continuing like this."

Martin now has 306 points in the standings, a 12-point lead over compatriot and reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez ahead of next month's Japanese Grand Prix. Italian Bezzecchi is third with 264 points.

Marquez endured a frustrating weekend as Ducati lacked the outright pace of the Aprilias. The seven-time MotoGP champion qualified second but slipped back on the opening lap and eventually finished fifth.