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Türkiye: Trabzonspor Fans Invade Pitch, Attack Fenerbahce Players

Fenerbahce's players clash with Trabzonspor supporters at the end of Turkish Super Lig soccer match between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce at the Senol Gunes stadium in Trabzon, Türkiye, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Images via AP)
Fenerbahce's players clash with Trabzonspor supporters at the end of Turkish Super Lig soccer match between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce at the Senol Gunes stadium in Trabzon, Türkiye, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Images via AP)
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Türkiye: Trabzonspor Fans Invade Pitch, Attack Fenerbahce Players

Fenerbahce's players clash with Trabzonspor supporters at the end of Turkish Super Lig soccer match between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce at the Senol Gunes stadium in Trabzon, Türkiye, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Images via AP)
Fenerbahce's players clash with Trabzonspor supporters at the end of Turkish Super Lig soccer match between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce at the Senol Gunes stadium in Trabzon, Türkiye, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Images via AP)

Turkish top tier club Trabzonspor fans invaded the pitch following a home loss against Fenerbahce late Sunday, touching off violent scuffles between the fans and visiting players.
The Trabzonspor fans charged onto the pitch as Fenerbahce players celebrated their 3-2 win following the final whistle of the Turkish Superlig game in the Black Sea coastal city of Trabzon.
Some Fenerbahce players hit back at fans who kicked or punched them, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Security staff later helped the Fenerbahce players down the tunnel into the dressing room, The Associated Press said.
The incident came just months after the president of top-flight club Ankaragucu was arrested for punching a referee following a match, prompting the Turkish Football Federation to briefly suspend league games.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that an investigation has been launched and that those who invaded the pitch would be identified.
“The occurrence of violence on football fields is not acceptable,” he wrote.
The Turkish Football Federation also condemned the incident and said those responsible would be punished following an investigation.

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Implacable Sinner Overpowers Lehecka to Win Miami Open

29 March 2026, US, Miami Gardens: Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner celebrates with the trophy after winning the men's singles final match of the Miami Open tennis tournament against Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Photo: Chris Arjoon/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
29 March 2026, US, Miami Gardens: Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner celebrates with the trophy after winning the men's singles final match of the Miami Open tennis tournament against Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Photo: Chris Arjoon/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Implacable Sinner Overpowers Lehecka to Win Miami Open

29 March 2026, US, Miami Gardens: Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner celebrates with the trophy after winning the men's singles final match of the Miami Open tennis tournament against Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Photo: Chris Arjoon/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
29 March 2026, US, Miami Gardens: Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner celebrates with the trophy after winning the men's singles final match of the Miami Open tennis tournament against Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Photo: Chris Arjoon/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

World number two Jannik Sinner powered past Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 to win the ATP Miami Masters 1000 for a second time on Sunday, adding the title to his Indian Wells crown.

Sinner had to wait out rain delays before and during the match to complete his "Sunshine Double," becoming the first man to sweep the elite hard court tournaments in California and Florida since Roger Federer in 2017 and the first to do so without dropping a set.

In fact, Sinner -- who won Miami in 2024 but missed last year as he served a three-month doping ban -- has now won three straight Masters 1000 events, starting with a victory in Paris last year.

"It's a very, very special moment," AFP quoted Sinner as saying. "Coming here, performing again in a very good way after Indian Wells means a lot to me.

"It's something I never would've thought (I'd win) because it's difficult to achieve."

Sinner's victory, coupled with Aryna Sabalenka's triumph over Coco Gauff on Saturday, mark the first time the Indian Wells-Miami sweep was achieved on both the men's and women's sides since Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka both did it in 2016.

It also saw the Italian gain a bit on Spain's Carlos Alcaraz -- who was upset in the third round -- in the race for world number one as the clay court season beckons.

Early showers saw the match delayed for more than an hour. Sinner had just pocketed the first set when the showers hit again, halting the match for 90 minutes.

It wasn't enough to unsettle Sinner, who fired 10 aces and won 33 of 36 points when he put his first serve in play.

His return game was also spot on as he handed 22nd-ranked Czech Lehecka his first service break of the tournament for a 2-1 lead in the opening frame.

Sinner trailed 0-40 in the following game but fired three service winners and a pair of aces to hold.

"I tried to be focused," Sinner said. "I tried to understand why I missed the first serves before. In the beginning, the conditions were very different ... very, very heavy balls. I missed a couple of first serves in the net because they were quite heavy."

He said Lehecka's aggressive return game also gave him pause.

"You have to hit very precise. If not, he has it on the racquet," Sinner said.

But he made the advantage stand up and gave himself a first set point in the ninth game with a blistering cross-court forehand service return winner.

Lehecka saved that one with a service winner and saved another set point with a volley, going on to seal the hold on his sixth game point before Sinner pocketed the set with a love game.

Lehecka fought off five more break points before Sinner pounced for the lone break of the second set and a 5-4 lead, the Czech gifting Sinner a break chance with a loose forehand.

Sinner didn't face a break point in the second set and gave himself a match point with a forehand volley winner, thought he had it on a serve that was called a let, and polished it off with another winner at the net.

While Lehecka, playing in his first Masters 1000 final, couldn't follow compatriot Jakub Mensik into the Miami winner's circle, he will reach a career-high 14th in the world rankings on Monday.

"I came here with not good form and I was able to come back to the tennis that I want to play," Lehecka said at the trophy ceremony.

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Australia Boss Popovic Calls on Players to Prove they Are Worthy of World Cup

Australia's football coach Tony Popovic speaks to the media in Melbourne on March 30, 2026, ahead of their international friendly football match against Curacao. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
Australia's football coach Tony Popovic speaks to the media in Melbourne on March 30, 2026, ahead of their international friendly football match against Curacao. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
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Australia Boss Popovic Calls on Players to Prove they Are Worthy of World Cup

Australia's football coach Tony Popovic speaks to the media in Melbourne on March 30, 2026, ahead of their international friendly football match against Curacao. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
Australia's football coach Tony Popovic speaks to the media in Melbourne on March 30, 2026, ahead of their international friendly football match against Curacao. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

Australia coach Tony Popovic has called on the new faces in his squad to seize their chance with a performance against Curacao as he looks to bed down his World Cup roster.

Tuesday's friendly at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is the Socceroos' last warmup on home soil before the June 11-July 19 finals and follows a labored 1-0 win over Cameroon in Sydney last Friday.

While the Cameroon win did little to ease concerns around Australia's attacking fluency, right back Jacob Italiano and 18-year-old debutant center back Lucas Herrington impressed with their poise in defense.

Popovic hoped others would add to his selection burden with a good showing against Curacao, the smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup, ⁠which is being ⁠co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

"Obviously (we're) having a look at a few of the other boys that have been here in camp who have now settled and are more accustomed to the environment, and hopefully they can get some minutes tomorrow," Popovic told reporters on Monday.

"It's a World Cup, and anyone that's here now feels they're so close, they're in the ⁠final camp before we go to the World Cup to prepare.

"So you have to believe, as a player, you're in the mix. And then they have to obviously try and perform to their maximum and really show that they deserve to be on that plane."

That may mean a chance for uncapped Croatia-born striker Ante Suto, who plays for Scottish side Hibernian and had never set foot on Australian soil until this camp.

Cardiff City midfielder Alex Robertson, whose father and grandfather both represented Australia, may also hope to add to his two caps with a first appearance under Popovic, having ⁠last played under ⁠Graham Arnold in 2023.

The Socceroos will face something a bit different in world number 82 Curacao, a Caribbean side with Dutch roots eager to hit back after their 2-0 defeat by China in Sydney last week and build momentum for their World Cup debut.

"Such a small nation ... it’s an amazing achievement," Popovic said of the country of 156,000.

"Two nations going to the World Cup up against each other — we're taking it very seriously."

After Curacao, Australia head to a training camp in Florida before meeting Mexico in a May 30 friendly at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles.

Australia face the US, Paraguay and either Turkey or Kosovo, who meet in a qualifying playoff on Tuesday, in Group D at the World Cup.

Sports

Youngest F1 Title Leader Antonelli to Keep ‘Raising Bar’ After Japan Win

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course racetrack in Suzuka, Japan, 29 March 2026. (EPA)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course racetrack in Suzuka, Japan, 29 March 2026. (EPA)
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Youngest F1 Title Leader Antonelli to Keep ‘Raising Bar’ After Japan Win

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course racetrack in Suzuka, Japan, 29 March 2026. (EPA)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course racetrack in Suzuka, Japan, 29 March 2026. (EPA)

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli vowed to "keep raising the bar" after winning Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings.

The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

Antonelli's Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell.

Mercedes are struggling to contain the excitement building around their young driver, even if Antonelli said he was "not thinking too much about the championship".

"Of course it's great but it's still a long way to go and I need to keep raising the bar, because George is very quick," he said.

"For sure he's going to be back at his usual level and also competitors will eventually get closer."

Antonelli led home Piastri by 13.722sec, with Leclerc a further 1.548sec back in third.

Russell finished fourth to drop to second in the championship standings on 63 points. Leclerc is third on 49.

Russell battled Piastri for the lead over the first half of the race but pitted just before the safety car which dropped him out of contention for the win.

Piastri secured second in his first grand prix start of the season, after crashing on his way to the grid in the opener in Australia and missing the race in China because of a technical problem.

Piastri led for the first half of the race before the safety car gave Antonelli his chance.

"It would have been really interesting to see what would have happened without that," said Piastri.

"A shame that we never got to see what would have happened, but I think for us to be disappointed at this point about finishing second is a pretty good place to be."

- Poor starts 'making life harder' -

McLaren's world champion Lando Norris was fifth ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Alpine's Pierre Gasly.

Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen, the winner in Japan for the past four years, was eighth after starting from 11th on the grid.

Antonelli had become the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history in China and again was at the head of the grid.

But he suffered a shocking start and was down in sixth by the first corner.

Piastri took the early lead ahead of Leclerc, with Norris, Russell and Hamilton all sweeping past Antonelli.

"It's an area where I need to work a lot because it's definitely not good enough," said Antonelli.

"I'm just making my life a lot harder."

The young Italian had made up some of the lost ground when a crash by Haas driver Ollie Bearman brought out the safety car during the pit stop window.

Piastri had already pitted but Antonelli was able to dive in for fresh tires moments after the safety car was deployed and emerged in front of the Australian, a stroke of luck that effectively won him the race.

"I was very lucky with the timing of the safety car," said Antonelli.

Bearman got out of his car unaided but was limping badly as race marshals helped him off the track.

Haas later said he had "a right knee contusion" and initial X-rays showed no fractures after hitting the barrier at high speed.

Formula One now takes an extended break until the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.

The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races scheduled for April have been cancelled because of the war in the Middle East.