Sports
Bayern’s Bundesliga crown up for grabs | The Express Tribune
BERLIN:
Pretenders to the crown Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and cup holders Stuttgart are priming themselves for a run at Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga title after a frustrating summer transfer window for the Bavarian giants.
Bayern travel to Stuttgart on Saturday for the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup — the season opener which pits the defending league champions against the reigning German Cup victors.
Winners of 12 of the past 13 Bundesliga titles, Bayern occupy their usual role as favourites for the crown.
This summer, however, the 34-time league champions have not had everything go their own way.
Efforts to lure Florian Wirtz away from Leverkusen fell flat, with the German footballer of the year opting rather for a move to the Premier League and Liverpool.
Although Bayern secured attacker Luis Diaz from the English champions, they lost Thomas Mueller, Leroy Sane and Eric Dier on free transfers.
Kingsley Coman is set for a move to Saudi Arabia, Mathys Tel made his Spurs loan permanent and efforts to sign Germany striker Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart have been rebuffed.
Speaking with the Bundesliga website on Thursday, Bayern captain Joshua Kimmich said the shifting sands across the league this summer made it hard to see who would be their main rivals.
“We’ll see who knocks at the top. For us, it will be important to go our own way. We can’t influence what the others will do,” Kimmich said.
Kimmich nominated former side RB Leipzig to bounce back after a poor 2024/25 campaign, where they missed out on Europe for the first time in the top flight.
The Saxon club have brought in several young talents including winger Johan Bakayoko and midfielder Arthur Vermeeren, in former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp’s first summer transfer window as Red Bull global head of football.
“Leipzig have a good team. Because Leipzig aren’t in European competition, they’ll be able to concentrate on the Bundesliga,” Kimmich added.
Leverkusen, Bayern’s principal rival across the past two seasons, have undergone a clear-out this summer.
Most of the main contributors to their stunning unbeaten 2023/24 league and cup double have moved on.
Wirtz, along with wing-back Jeremie Frimpong have signed with Liverpool. Midfield conductor Granit Xhaka has also moved to the Premier League, while Germany defender Jonathan Tah has joined title rivals Bayern.
The biggest loss of all, however, is coach Xabi Alonso, with the Spaniard departing to join Real Madrid.
His replacement, former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, will be looking to revive his own reputation while cobbling together a squad with several new arrivals.
Impressive last season in finishing third, Eintracht Frankfurt are also rebuilding, having lost centre-forward Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool in July, just six months after winger Omar Marmoush moved to Manchester City.
Quietly building under Bundesliga-winning coach Niko Kovac, Borussia Dortmund could again trouble old foes Bayern this term.
Kovac took over the reins in January with Dortmund flailing but helped the club rise from 11th to fourth, picking up 22 of a possible 24 points to end the season.
The addition of Jobe Bellingham will provide steel in midfield, while the only major loss is winger Jamie Gittens who moved to Chelsea, having struggled for game time under Kovac.
Cup winners Stuttgart, who finished second ahead of Bayern in 2023/24, look set to continue troubling the big guns.
Stuttgart captain Atakan Karazor told AFP and other media on Thursday: “We have a very special team… we’ve got quality players in every position — even some that people haven’t heard of.”
Karazor said the key man is coach Sebastian Hoeness, who has taken Stuttgart from relegation battlers to cup winners and European football in just over two years at the helm.
“An amazing, amazing coach. You can see his handwriting on everything the team does. From the moment he came in, the mindset of the team changed,” the midfielder said.
Sports
Jayson Tatum, 10 months after Achilles injury, expected to return to Celtics Friday vs Mavericks: report
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Jayson Tatum’s return to an NBA court appears to be coming much sooner than anyone expected.
The Boston Celtics superstar could be suiting up as early as Friday, which marks nearly 10 months since he tore an Achilles against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, per ESPN.
The Celtics will face Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks Friday at TD Garden, and Tatum is expected to be out there with his teammates for the first time since his injury.
Tatum was officially listed as questionable on the Celtics’ injury report.
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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum applauds from the bench in the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden March 4, 2026. (Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe)
Brad Stevens, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, noted that his star guard wouldn’t be cleared until he was definitely ready to play, both physically and mentally.
That’s especially the case considering the Celtics don’t need Tatum to rush back. They’re 41-21, which gives them the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Tatum also noted he would want to return for a home game.
Boston has had players stepping up in the absence of Tatum, including his counterpart Jaylen Brown. Brown has taken on the scoring load, averaging 28.9 points per game with 7.2 rebounds and five assists.
Derrick White has added 17.3 points per game, while doing work on the defensive end with 1.2 steals.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum walks off the court after Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. (Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe)
And the Celtics have had Payton Pritchard (16.8 points, 5.3 assists) and Anfernee Simons (14.2 points) helping the team every night.
The 28-year-old Tatum returning is nothing short of remarkable considering the average window for Achilles rehab is 9-12 months, and it’s usually on the later end of the timeline.
As Tatum looks to return, he was well aware of how good his team has been in his absence. He has been spotted on the bench cheering his teammates on all season, and he wants to seamlessly work his way back into the rotation.
Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena Jan. 19, 2026, in Detroit. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
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“I’m just hyper aware of what’s going on. I think it would just stem from that,” he said, according to NBA.com. “Obviously, I know what I bring to the table and bring to the team. But I’m also aware that these guys have been playing extremely well.”
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SAO PAULO — A Brazilian sports court said on Thursday it suspended a defender of top-flight club Red Bull Bragantino for 12 matches because of sexist remarks he made about a female referee after a Sao Paulo state league game.
Defender Gustavo Marques was also fined in 30,000 Brazilian reais ($5,700) for his comments about referee Daiane Muniz after Bragantino lost 2-1 to Sao Paulo in a Feb. 21 quarterfinal of a state-level tournament.
The suspension is valid for all competitions organized by the Sao Paulo state soccer federation, but does not stop Marques from playing national-level competitions like the Brazilian league or the Brazilian Cup.
“It was our dream to reach the semifinal or even the final, but she killed our game. I think the Sao Paulo state’s soccer federation has to look at matches of this importance and not give it to a woman,” Marques had said in a post-match interview to TNT Brazil. “It is no good for us to play against Sao Paulo, Palmeiras, Corinthians, and they put a woman to referee a match of this importance.”
Later he apologized on his social media channels.
“I was nervous and I said things I shouldn’t have. I talked to Daiane, apologized to her too. She had an assistant with her, I asked her for her forgiveness too for she is also a woman. I was wrong for saying it,” the 24-year-old defender said.
“My wife criticized what I said, my mom did too. I am being a man and a human being by coming here to ask forgiveness for what I said,” he added.
Neither Marques nor Bragantino commented on the ruling. Local media reported the club fined the defender 50% of his wages this month.
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President Donald Trump paid respects to late legendary football coach Lou Holtz Thursday after Holtz’s death Wednesday at the age of 89.
Trump shared a tribute to Holtz in a Truth Social post.
Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz listens before being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in Washington, D.C., Dec, 3, 2020. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The wonderful Lou Holtz passed away yesterday, so sad. Lou was an absolute WINNER both on and off the field. Not only did he spearhead Notre Dame’s HISTORIC undefeated season in 1988 (including the legendary 31-30 ‘Catholics v. Convicts’ Victory against Miami), he raised Millions upon Millions for struggling student-athletes, and the AMAZING University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!),” Trump wrote.
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“He was also a true American Patriot, supporting me through thick and thin, and consistently speaking out against Democrat Insanity, including ‘Transgender for Everybody,’ and the Illegal Alien Invasion.
“It is for all this incredible work that I gave Lou Holtz our Nation’s Highest Civilian Honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Rest in Peace, Lou. Because of Patriots like you, we have made America GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Holtz was a known supporter of Trump, even saying in February 2024 that Trump needed to “coach America back to greatness!”
Near the end of Trump’s first term, shortly after former President Joe Biden defeated him in the 2020 election, Trump awarded Holtz with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States. Holtz, who also spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention, was humbled by the honor.
“It’s the highest honor or award you could possibly receive, and I receive it with mixed emotions. First of all, I’m humbled,” Holtz told “Fox & Friends” afterward. “There are many more people far worthy than me, I can assure you.
“Nobody is more appreciative than me. So, I’m excited to have this opportunity and, at the same time, I’m excited to receive it from President Trump. The president I admire and respect. I think he did a tremendous job.”
At the time, Holtz also called Trump “one of the great presidents of my lifetime.”
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President Donald Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz at the White House in Washington, D.C. Dec. 3, 2020. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Holtz was the first coach in NCAA history to take six different football programs to bowl games, including William & Mary (1969-71), N.C. State (1972-75), Arkansas (1977-83) and South Carolina (1999-2004). The only team he wasn’t able to accomplish the feat with was Minnesota, which he led from 1984-85.
Holtz finished his coaching career with a 249-132-7 record in 388 games. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
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