New Coach Won’t Use AI in Bid to Make South Korea Fans Happy

South Korea's interim coach Robert Moreno of Spain leaves a press conference at the Korea Football Association in Cheonan on September 14, 2026. (AFP)
South Korea's interim coach Robert Moreno of Spain leaves a press conference at the Korea Football Association in Cheonan on September 14, 2026. (AFP)
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New Coach Won’t Use AI in Bid to Make South Korea Fans Happy

South Korea's interim coach Robert Moreno of Spain leaves a press conference at the Korea Football Association in Cheonan on September 14, 2026. (AFP)
South Korea's interim coach Robert Moreno of Spain leaves a press conference at the Korea Football Association in Cheonan on September 14, 2026. (AFP)

South Korea's new interim coach Robert Moreno said Monday that he wanted to make fans in the country "happy" after a disastrous World Cup and series of damaging controversies.

Former Spain coach Moreno, who was forced to deny earlier this year that he used ChatGPT to prepare for games, will be in charge for friendly matches in the coming months.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said he could stay on for the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in January-February, "subject to an evaluation".

Moreno named captain Son Heung-min in his squad for four upcoming home friendlies and said he wanted to put a smile back on South Korean fans' faces.

"We're going to try to do our work honestly and with the aim of making all Korean football fans happy," said the 48-year-old, who is the first Spaniard to coach South Korea.

"Good matches, and trying to help the players."

Moreno will lead the team against Ecuador and Uruguay in September and Venezuela and Uzbekistan in October.

South Korea had been without a coach since Hong Myung-bo quit following their shock group-stage exit from the World Cup in North America in June.

Hong's departure did little to quell public outrage over the disappointing campaign and added fuel to pre-existing questions about how he was hired.

Police raided KFA headquarters last month as part of an investigation into Hong's 2024 appointment.

The KFA also apologized for allegations that it provided sexual entertainment for foreign referees.

Moreno named striker Son, now in Major League Soccer with Los Angeles FC, in his first squad along with Atletico Madrid's Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich's Kim Min-jae.

Hong's decision to leave Son on the bench in the first half for the decisive match against South Africa at the World Cup baffled and angered many supporters.

"We're all aware of Son's versatility," said Moreno.

"For me he can play in three positions."

Moreno also addressed allegations that he used artificial intelligence during his time in charge of Russian club Sochi.

Moreno left the top-flight side in September 2025 after a poor run of results and reports said he had heavily relied on ChatGPT in his role, even using it to decide between potential signings.

Moreno called it "a piece of news that is completely false and went viral".

"Obviously I use technology," he said.

"Anyone who spends 10 minutes looking into it can see that everything has been taken out of context and put together to cause harm."



South Africa Chooses Durban as Its Preferred City to Host 2036 or 2040 Olympics

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South Africa Chooses Durban as Its Preferred City to Host 2036 or 2040 Olympics

Durban is South Africa 's preferred candidate to host the first Olympics in Africa.

South Africa is bidding to host the 2036 or 2040 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The International Olympic Committee will choose the host city for 2036 in mid-2029.

The country's choice to put forward Durban, South Africa's third biggest city, was announced by South African Olympic committee acting president Lwandile Simelane on Thursday. She said Durban would be the main candidate city for South Africa's bid, but it would likely be a “multi-city bid” that would propose some events are held in other cities.

South Africa's economic hub of Johannesburg and Cape Town were also considered as the candidate city, The Associated Press said.

Durban, a city of around 4 million on the subtropical Indian Ocean coast, was touted as a possible Olympic host city more than a decade ago following South Africa's staging of the 2010 soccer World Cup, the first in Africa. But an official bid didn't materialize then, largely due to concerns over costs.

The city was stripped of hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games because it couldn't make financial or other guarantees required for that event.

Officials said on Thursday they were not yet able to provide any estimates regarding how much it might cost South Africa to stage the Olympics if its bid was successful. They said Durban's bid would be centered on the 56,000-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium, which was built for the 2010 World Cup.

South Africa is among seven countries bidding for the 2036 Games. The others are India, Qatar, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and Türkiye.

The IOC gave Oct. 31 as the deadline for national Olympic committees to formally declare their interest in bidding for the 2036 Games.

Candidates have an opportunity to make virtual presentations to the IOC next month to start the official bidding process. A key date is in March, the IOC has said, when its board will approve a shortlist of candidates.

South Africa would be a first African host of the Summer Games since the modern Olympics was created in 1896 if it wins. Africa's biggest economy previously failed with a bid to stage the 2004 Games in Cape Town.

The Youth Olympics open this weekend in Dakar, Senegal, marking the first Olympic sports event to be held in Africa.


MLS Announces Key 2027 'Sprint Season' Matches Ahead of Calendar Shift

Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi looks on during a Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season football match between Inter Miami CF and FC Cincinnati at Nu Stadium in Miami, Florida, on October 28, 2026. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP)
Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi looks on during a Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season football match between Inter Miami CF and FC Cincinnati at Nu Stadium in Miami, Florida, on October 28, 2026. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP)
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MLS Announces Key 2027 'Sprint Season' Matches Ahead of Calendar Shift

Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi looks on during a Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season football match between Inter Miami CF and FC Cincinnati at Nu Stadium in Miami, Florida, on October 28, 2026. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP)
Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi looks on during a Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season football match between Inter Miami CF and FC Cincinnati at Nu Stadium in Miami, Florida, on October 28, 2026. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP)

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami will kick off Major League Soccer's 2027 "Sprint Season" when they face Cincinnati on February 19, launching the league's transition to a traditional autumn-to-spring calendar.

The standalone match at Nu Stadium in Miami will begin a truncated 14-game regular season and playoff tournament designed to bridge the gap as MLS shifts away from its traditional summer schedule to align with Europe's top leagues.

The schedule, previewed on Apple TV's "MLS Countdown," emphasizes weekly rivalry ⁠matchups. Among the ⁠headline games announced, LA Galaxy will host Los Angeles FC on April 10 in the "El Trafico" derby.

The sprint season will conclude its regular-season slate on May 8 with "Decision Day," anchored by the Hudson River Derby between New York ⁠City FC and the New York Red Bulls, setting the stage for the May playoffs.

The four-month sprint serves as the prelude to the league's full operational shift. The first standard season under the new timetable will run from mid-to-late July 2027 through May 2028, featuring a midwinter break and no matches in January.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber previously called the calendar change "one of the ⁠most ⁠important decisions in our history,” Reuters reported.

The strategic overhaul was approved following a two-year review to synchronize the league's transfer activity with the global summer window, minimize scheduling conflicts with FIFA's international fixtures, and hold the MLS Cup playoffs in May when the North American sports calendar is less crowded.

US men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino is among those who have endorsed the change, noting that calendar alignment with the global soccer landscape will benefit clubs, coaches, and player development.


Rybakina Clinches Year-end Top Ranking with Tokyo Second-round Win

Tennis - WTA 500 - Pan Pacific Open - Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan - October 29, 2026 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Tennis - WTA 500 - Pan Pacific Open - Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan - October 29, 2026 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
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Rybakina Clinches Year-end Top Ranking with Tokyo Second-round Win

Tennis - WTA 500 - Pan Pacific Open - Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan - October 29, 2026 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Tennis - WTA 500 - Pan Pacific Open - Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan - October 29, 2026 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Elena Rybakina beat fellow Kazakh Yulia Putintseva 6-2 6-3 in the second round of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Thursday to secure the year-end world number one ranking for the first time, more than a week before the season-ending WTA Finals.

Rybakina received a bye into the last 16 of the WTA 500 event in Tokyo and arrived at the Ariake Coliseum after capturing her fourth ⁠title of the ⁠season and first as the top-ranked player at last week's Ningbo Open in China.

The 27-year-old, who rose to world number one for the first time en route to winning the US Open last month, ⁠needed only one more victory this year to ensure that world number two Aryna Sabalenka could not overtake her.

Rybakina is enjoying a marquee year with wins at the Australian Open and US Open to take her Grand Slam tally to three, after winning Wimbledon four years ago.

Rybakina next faces Leylah Fernandez in a rematch of their Ningbo final, ⁠after ⁠the Canadian beat Elise Mertens 6-2 7-6(8), Reuters reported.

Rybakina endured a brief dip after her US Open triumph, losing her opening match in Beijing and missing the Wuhan Open due to a leg injury, before defending her title in Ningbo.

She is targeting a 16th career title before heading to Indian Wells, California, for the WTA Finals, where the season's top eight players will compete from November 8-15.