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UEFA Picks Two Video Review Referees at Center of Controversy for Euro 2024 Duty

Premier League - West Ham United v Fulham - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 14, 2024 Referee Stuart Attwell talks to his assistant as West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta looks on. (Reuters)
Premier League - West Ham United v Fulham - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 14, 2024 Referee Stuart Attwell talks to his assistant as West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta looks on. (Reuters)
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UEFA Picks Two Video Review Referees at Center of Controversy for Euro 2024 Duty

Premier League - West Ham United v Fulham - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 14, 2024 Referee Stuart Attwell talks to his assistant as West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta looks on. (Reuters)
Premier League - West Ham United v Fulham - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 14, 2024 Referee Stuart Attwell talks to his assistant as West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta looks on. (Reuters)

The match official accused of bias by English Premier League club Nottingham Forest got UEFA support on Tuesday by being selected for the European Championship as a video review expert in an overall list which included no women.

Forest’s inflammatory social media post on Sunday targeting Stuart Attwell has been widely criticized across English soccer and was even mocked by another club.

Forest said Attwell is a fan of relegation rival Luton and claimed that this was a factor in not being awarded up to three penalty kicks on video review in a 2-0 loss at Everton on Sunday.

Attwell is among 20 video assistant referee (VAR) specialists chosen by UEFA to work at the 51-game Euro 2024 in Germany that starts June 14.

“All chosen referees have performed consistently to the highest standards in UEFA’s top competitions, and also in their domestic competitions,” UEFA head of refereeing Roberto Rosetti said in a statement.

Also on the VAR list is Tomasz Kwiatkowski of Poland, who UEFA removed from a Champions League game in November one day after he advised 2022 World Cup final referee Szymon Marciniak to award Paris Saint-Germain a stoppage-time penalty for handball against Newcastle. Kylian Mbappé scored to deny Newcastle victory in a 1-1 draw.

Marciniak is among the 18 European referees picked for Euro 2024, plus Facundo Tello of Argentina who joins them as part of the close working ties between UEFA and South American soccer body CONMEBOL.

UEFA did not include any women among the referees, assistants, video review specialists and fourth officials in their Euro 2024 team that will be based in Frankfurt. At Euro 2020, Stéphanie Frappart of France was included as a fourth official. She made history at the men’s World Cup in 2022 when she handled the Germany-Costa Rica game in the group stage.

England has two referees selected, including Anthony Taylor who worked with Attwell in the Everton-Forest game on Sunday.

One of the two German referees picked, Felix Zwayer, was the subject of comments about integrity by Jude Bellingham when the England star played for Borussia Dortmund in 2021.

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World Athletics Championships to Be Staged in Africa for the First Time with Nairobi as Host

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe speaks during a news conference marking the formal opening of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP)
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe speaks during a news conference marking the formal opening of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP)
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World Athletics Championships to Be Staged in Africa for the First Time with Nairobi as Host

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe speaks during a news conference marking the formal opening of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP)
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe speaks during a news conference marking the formal opening of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP)

The World Athletics Championships are heading to Africa for the first time as Kenya's capital Nairobi was confirmed Tuesday as host of the 2029 edition.

Kenya has long been a superpower in distance running but has yet to host an event of this scale. The championships return to Germany in 2031 with Munich hosting.

“Taking our championships to Africa for the first time will be historic,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said as he announced the decision following the Ultimate Championship in Hungary. “Athletics is woven into the fabric of Kenya.”

The decision brings recognition of Kenya's status as a track nation, but is likely to bring extra scrutiny of the East African nation's history of top runners being busted for doping.

Marathon world record holder Ruth Chepng'etich is serving a three-year doping ban after joining the many elite-level Kenyan runners suspended over the past decade.

After the new Ultimate Championship brought big cash prizes instead of medals for an invitation-only field of track's biggest names, it's back to the traditional worlds format next year in Beijing.

The world championships run for 10 days, against three for the new Ultimate Championship, with a full slate of events. That means including competitions like the men's triple jump, shot put, walks and marathon which weren't on the schedule in Budapest last week.

Sports

Barcelona’s Camp Nou Beats Wembley to Host 2029 Champions League Final

Players observe a minute of silence in remembrance of the victims of the recent devastating floods in Nepal, before the start of the UEFA Champions League first round day 1 football match between FC Barcelona and Feyenoord at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on September 9, 2026. (AFP)
Players observe a minute of silence in remembrance of the victims of the recent devastating floods in Nepal, before the start of the UEFA Champions League first round day 1 football match between FC Barcelona and Feyenoord at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on September 9, 2026. (AFP)
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Barcelona’s Camp Nou Beats Wembley to Host 2029 Champions League Final

Players observe a minute of silence in remembrance of the victims of the recent devastating floods in Nepal, before the start of the UEFA Champions League first round day 1 football match between FC Barcelona and Feyenoord at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on September 9, 2026. (AFP)
Players observe a minute of silence in remembrance of the victims of the recent devastating floods in Nepal, before the start of the UEFA Champions League first round day 1 football match between FC Barcelona and Feyenoord at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on September 9, 2026. (AFP)

Barcelona’s renovated Camp Nou was picked over Wembley Stadium in London to host the 2029 Champions League final, UEFA said Tuesday.

The choice gives Barcelona a marquee game one year before Spain co-hosts the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Morocco. Staging that final is a contest between Real Madrid’s renovated Santiago Bernabéu home and the 115,000-seat stadium being built in Casablanca.

UEFA’s executive committee also confirmed the 2028 Champions League final will return to Bayern Munich’s stadium, which was the only bidder, just three years after the 2025 edition.

The much-delayed rebuild of a 105,000-seat Camp Nou is ongoing with the upper tier and roof still under construction.

Barcelona last hosted the Champions League final in 1999, when Manchester United’s two stoppage-time goals stunned a dominant Bayern team.

Wembley has hosted three times since then — in 2011, 2013 and 2024 — and eight times in total since the European Cup started 71 years ago.

This season's Champions League final goes to Madrid at Atletico's Metropolitano stadium.

Sports

Sunderland Embark on European Adventure After Decades in Doldrums

Sunderland fans celebrate after the English Premier League football match between Sunderland and Chelsea at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland in north-east England on May 24, 2026. (AFP)
Sunderland fans celebrate after the English Premier League football match between Sunderland and Chelsea at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland in north-east England on May 24, 2026. (AFP)
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Sunderland Embark on European Adventure After Decades in Doldrums

Sunderland fans celebrate after the English Premier League football match between Sunderland and Chelsea at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland in north-east England on May 24, 2026. (AFP)
Sunderland fans celebrate after the English Premier League football match between Sunderland and Chelsea at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland in north-east England on May 24, 2026. (AFP)

Sunderland will walk out at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday for their first European match in 53 years -- the latest milestone in a remarkable recovery for a club that spent decades in the doldrums.

Just over four years ago the Black Cats were languishing in League One -- the third tier of English football.

But they won promotion to the Championship in 2022 and climbed into the Premier League via the play-offs in May 2025, finishing a surprise seventh in their first season back in the big time.

The northeast club have a storied history -- only six clubs have more top-flight English titles -- but the sixth and last of those came way back in 1936.

Sunderland were a byword for glamour in the 1950s, dubbed the "Bank of England club" due to their heavy spending.

But they had relatively little to show for their outlay and last won a major trophy in 1973, when they beat Leeds in the FA Cup final.

Despite their prolonged stagnation, the club, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from bitter rivals Newcastle, remained one of the best supported in England, attracting crowds of 30,000-plus even in League One.

Now the 49,000-capacity Stadium of Light, opened in 1997, is staging Premier League football again and preparing to host continental football for the first time.

The European journey is rich reward for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, son of the late Marseille owner and billionaire Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who bought a stake in the club in 2021 and has since increased his shareholding.

The appointment of Regis Le Bris as head coach in June 2024 proved a masterstroke -- the Frenchman took the club back into the Premier League at the first attempt and they defied the odds last season.

Sunderland, led by inspirational captain Granit Xhaka, are now gearing up to face AZ Alkmaar after a patchy start to their season.

"It's a symbol for the club. We are getting better, the momentum is big and for our fans it is going be crazy to be fair," Le Bris told TNT Sports.

"We are really proud to be in this position. We earned this opportunity last season with a great season. We had tough moments but at the end we stayed consistent."

He added: "It's important to show our desire, to show the city, our togetherness, the connection with our fans."

- Sunderland joy -

For fans of Sunderland, the journey in recent years has been dizzying.

"Supporting Sunderland has gone from being a solemn duty, which you used to curse the misfortune of your postcode and/or your parents for, to something that, for the first time in generations, is bringing joy to people's lives," Michael Lough wrote on the Wise Men Say website.

"Usually, the higher up the pyramid you go, the hollower and more soulless the experience becomes, and the wider the disconnect between the fans and the players grows.

"Regis Le Bris likes to use the word 'connected' in his press conferences, and I can't remember the last time the city, the players, the fans and the club felt this level of connection."

Joining Sunderland in the Europa League this season are Bournemouth, who are playing continental football for the first time in their history.

Andoni Iraola led the south coast club to a sixth-place finish last season but then left for the Liverpool hot seat, meaning Marco Rose will be in charge.

Bournemouth, who travel to Spain to face Real Sociedad on Thursday, are yet to win in the Premier League this season despite leading in all four games after developing a frustrating habit of conceding late goals.

"Everyone here in Bournemouth is looking forward to this game," said German coach Rose. "It's going to be a special night for the club against top opposition. I'm really proud to be part of this."

A third English club, Crystal Palace, are in the Europa League courtesy of winning the UEFA Conference League last season.

Premier League clubs have dominated the competition in recent seasons thanks to their vast resources with Aston Villa and Tottenham winning the Europa League in the past two seasons.

But the more unheralded trio of English clubs this time could balance the playing field up against some of Europe's biggest clubs such as AC Milan, Juventus and Benfica.