In a shocking turn of events, the social media account of the late football legend Diego Maradona was reportedly hacked.
The incident caused a stir among fans and followers worldwide, who were taken aback by the unexpected posts appearing on Maradona’s account.
After several strange messages appeared on Tuesday on Diego Maradona’s social media handles, Maradona’s kin and management team promptly addressed the situation and confirmed that it was a hack.
They also advised followers to ignore any posts made during the breach
“We regret to inform you that Diego Maradona’s official Facebook account has suffered a cyber attack“, Maradona’s family informed in a statement.
“We are working to reverse this hacking as soon as possible,” they added.
🚨 JUST IN: Diego Maradona account has been hacked on Fb pic.twitter.com/teFYquOmjo
— J☔ (@Shadygize) May 23, 2023
So Diego Maradona’s account on Facebook got hacked, and this is the second post made by the hackers 💀
*Translates to: “One Piece >>> Any current anime” pic.twitter.com/m3GfRp66Nx
— H Lone (@HLONE303) May 24, 2023
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There is still no information about why this data breach occurred or who is responsible.
Around midnight a message of support for footballer Vinicius first appeared.
“You know I faked my death, no?” It was the first post that attracted attention on the Facebook account.
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This was followed by other messages, such as “There is no coke here in heaven. Just Pepsi”, “One Piece is better than any other current anime” and “Long live Messi, Cr7 is an ******”.
The attention brought by the latest case of abuse against Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior has taken Spain to what could be a turning point in the fight against racism in soccer.
Never before had local authorities acted so quickly to take action against fans who insulted players, and never before had soccer officials sanctioned a club so harshly for their fans’ racist behavior.
Things have clearly changed since Vinícius threw the spotlight on Spain by pointing a finger, literally, at those who racially abused him last weekend in Valencia. But some of the challenges that existed before Vinícius’ case stirred Spain into action are still in place, especially when it comes to punishing fans criminally for their abuse.
No one has ever gone to trial in Spain for racially abusing a player, and despite the unprecedented attention prompted by the recent Vinícius case, it may not be easy to get fans to start paying for their actions in court.
Similar cases of abuse like the one faced by Vinícius on Sunday have been shelved by prosecutors in the past, including a few others involving the Brazilian player.
Spain created a specific law against violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sports in 2007, but not all cases of racism can be punished criminally, only those in which there is an additional intent to harm the victim physically or morally. There is a lot of leeway for interpretation and most cases, including “monkey” chants like the ones made against Vinícius, end up falling into a category in which punishment only includes fines and bans from stadiums.
“What is it going to take to criminalize these people?” Vinícius said this week in one of his many posts on Twitter criticizing the lack of action against racism in Spain.
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The prosecutor who shelved one Vinícius case said the “unpleasant” racist chants against him came within the context of a soccer rivalry, and although they were “inappropriate” and “disrespectful,” they came inserted within the normal mockery by fans in a soccer game. He also said the racist insults only “lasted only a few seconds,” and when “contextualized,” they “did not constitute a crime against the dignity of the affected person.” Not being able to fully identify the perpetrators also played a role in the decision to shelve the case, according to the prosecutor.
Another prosecutor who analyzed racist chants against Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams last year shelved the case with the argument that the fan’s social media accounts didn’t seem to show that he was racist.
The Spanish league, which has been acting to denounce these cases, decided to avoid making the formal complaints to the prosecutors’ office specialized on hate crimes, instead going directly to the courts.
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“We were forced to change strategies,” Spanish league president Javier Tebas said in an interview with The Associated Press before the latest case against Vinícius happened. “We don’t want to have to face these interpretations by prosecutors. We are going straight to the courts and the results have been different.” Tebas also called for more sanctioning powers for the league because he says his body can only denounce the cases. He said the league could end racism in six month if given more authority.
Before the case in Valencia, only one of the fans who racially abused Vinícius was facing the possibility of a criminal trial — a man accused of calling the player a monkey during a league game in Mallorca. Both the fan and Vinícius spoke before a judge earlier this year.
The first trial against a fan accused of racial abuse in Spanish professional soccer is expected to happen at some point this year in a case involving Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams, the older brother of Nico Williams. He was insulted by an Espanyol supporter in a match in 2020.
“The fact that a criminal procedure was archived doesn’t mean that there won’t be punishment,” Rafael Carlos de Vega, a prosecutor with Spain’s Attorney General’s Office, told the AP. “The economic sanctions are severe, and these people are being kept from the stadiums.”
Nine Valladolid fans were fined in 4,000 euros ($4,300) each and were banned by the club for more than three years for racially insulting Vinícius in a match last year. Valencia also banned the three fans arrested this week from its stadium.
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“The main thing we have to learn from all of this is that we are bringing visibility to a problem and everyone has been having to react to it to try to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” De Vega said. “The moment we have sanctions and clubs react and perpetrators are banned from stadiums and people start denouncing these acts, then we will have made great progress in eradicating this problem.” All seven people arrested shortly after the uproar caused by the Vinícius case in Valencia have been released pending more investigation. The four detained in Madrid accused of hanging an effigy of Vinícius off a highway bridge in January have a temporary restraining order banning them from a 1-kilometer (0.62-mile) area around Madrid’s stadium and training facilities and from coming within the same distance of any soccer stadium between four hours before and four hours after a Spanish league game.
Hate crimes in Spain are typically punished with one-to-four years of prison time, while crimes against a person’s moral integrity are punished with six-to-24 months behind bars.
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Valencia was fined in 45,000 euros ($48,200) and had part of is stadium closed for the next five games in what was the biggest sanction ever for a club in Spain in cases involving racism.
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Esteban Ibarra, president of the Madrid-based Movement Against Intolerance, Racism and Xenophobia, was optimistic that the uproar caused by the latest case of abuse against Vinícius would help change how prosecutors have been handling cases of racism and similar crimes.
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“With the visibility of this case nationally and internationally, I think that the attitude of prosecutors may start to change,” he told the AP. “Maybe it will help change the perception of the prosecutors in these cases.”
Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp struck a sombre note on Friday after it was confirmed that the club could not finish in the Premier League’s top four but he said he was optimistic as they rebuild for next season.
Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League ended when Manchester United thrashed Chelsea 4-1 on Thursday to guarantee a top-four finish and ensure Klopp’s side would end the campaign in fifth.
After narrowly missing out on an unprecedented quadruple last season, winning two domestic cups, Liverpool will not feature in the Champions League for the first time under Klopp since his first full season in 2016-17.
The German manager said he was “very self-critical” after they struggled to match the standards they set last season despite a late resurgence that earned them a spot in the second-tier Europa League.
“This has not been a historically good season. We’re absolutely not happy with it, we made mistakes and were not consistent enough,” Klopp told reporters ahead of their final game of the season, away at Southampton.
“After Dubai since we were in training camp after the World Cup, not everything was great but the amount of points we collected since then is pretty good. If we could have done that all season, we’d be in a different place.
“So of course there are reasons for optimism… The atmosphere our people created in the last home game, the way the club said farewell to the players who are leaving… all of these things are the basis for a fantastic future.”
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Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah said he was devastated after the club failed to qualify for the Champions League and although Klopp agreed with his Egyptian forward, he said the squad was still united.
“The dressing room is not in a bad mood, we learned to deal with the situation,” Klopp said.
“We didn’t get divided in one moment between manager and team which is super helpful, we didn’t point fingers at each other – it’s all good.
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“If you don’t qualify for the Champions League the best possible place you can end up is fifth, so that’s what we did. If you’d asked me that 10 games ago I’d have said, ‘no’.”
Liverpool will need to strengthen their squad with the departures of key figures such as Roberto Firmino and James Milner in the close season.
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When asked if the lack of Champions League football would be a stumbling block in the transfer window, Klopp said: “I don’t think so, but we will see.
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“It is always possible and probably likely that things won’t go as big as you want because the better the player, the less the desire of the other club to let him go.
“We are prepared for that. It’s a long break and long pre-season, we have time.”
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting reckons that India’s batting stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara has posed a challenge for the Aussie bowlers in the past and that they would need to pick his wicket early in the WTC final match in England.
“The Australian team will be talking about Pujara. Pujara has been a thorn in their side a lot in the past and in Australia.”
“They know they will have to get him early,” Ponting said on The ICC Review Podcast.
Meanwhile, Pujara is enjoying a great season of County Cricket as he has notched three tons for his side Sussex. His form in England is a shot in the arm for the Indian team which has been struck by a string of injuries and the unavailability of key players.
Ponting also believes that former India skipper Virat Kohli, too, is a difficult opponent for them and said, “The Australian team will be talking about Virat. No doubt about it.”
When asked about the “key-battle” he’s looking forward the most to, Ponting said, “Knowing English conditions, you’d say it’ll be opening batsman vs opening bowler because generally English conditions are new ball bowling conditions.”
“If you bowl well with the new ball, you can do early damage. If you can bat well against the new ball you can set the game up for your team early on.”
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Later in the podcast when host Sanjana Ganesan quizzed Ponting on his prediction for the WTC final winner, the batting great said that Australia has an upper hand for they have been playing at similar conditions as the Oval lately.
“If you look at the conditions at the Oval, they are a lot more similar to what the Australian players are used to in Australia than what the Indian players are used to playing on. From that point of view, I’ll give a slight advantage to Australia.”
The former captain also shed light on how injury blows to both the teams will affect their performance in the final Test.
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“He (Josh Hazlewood) might not even be considered for selection. That does leave a bit of a chink in Australia’s armor,” he said.
“Australia right now probably has the edge because If you see India’s injury concerns with KL being ruled out, Umesh Yadav has been under injury clouds,” he added.
Speaking more on KL’s absence from the squad, Ponting said that if were to choose the wicketkeeper, he’d pick Ishan Kishan over KS Bharat.
“They (team India) have to make a decision on their keeper. Before KL didn’t get injured I thought they could’ve played him and Bharat in the same team but I don’t they will do that now,” he said.
“They have to decide who their best keeper is. If I was them, knowing the importance of this game when you have to win this Test match, if you wanna be crowned as the World’s Test Champion I’d be going with Ishan Kishan.”
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“I think he provides a little bit of that x-factor that you might need when you might be pushing for a win in a Test match.”
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“If Rishabh Pant was fit, he’d be playing but with him not being there I think Kishan provides little bit more x-factor, will do good job with the gloves but can provide that really high scoring run rate that might be required,” he added.
Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was made to work hard for more than three hours to book his spot in the French Open second round with a 7-5 6-3 4-6 7-6(7) win over Czech Jiri Vesely on Sunday.
The Greek, runner-up in Paris in 2021, did not expect the kind of resistance offered by a player ranked 445th in the world following a lengthy injury absence, and had to save four set points in the fourth to avoid a decider.
“I said to myself there’s no chance this is going to a fifth set. That’s what I told myself,” Tsitsipas said. “Jiri was a difficult obstacle. He gave me a hard time and I am happy I overcame it in such a fashion.
“Today’s win is a very important for me,” said Tsitsipas, who has not enjoyed his best clay court season. “I felt at times I was not going to the ball, I was staying still. When I took charge that was the moment I made that switch and won the match.”
Tsitsipas was broken in his second service game and found himself 5-3 down against Vesely, playing in his first tour-level tournament since last year’s U.S. Open.
But he broke the 29-year-old twice in a row to clinch the next four games and close out the first set.
Tsitsipas had initially struggled with the tall left-hander’s awkward spin but was now stretching his opponent with deep cross-court forehands, bagging the second set with another break.
The world number five, chasing his Grand Slam title, thought he had hit his stride, comfortably holding serve in the third but Vesely, who has played in only two Challengers since returning last month, doggedly refused to budge.
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He snatched the third set on his first opportunity with frustrated Tsitsipas sinking an easy forehand into the net on set point before the pair traded early breaks in the fourth.
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There were no signs of rustiness for Vesely and the Czech kept up the pressure to earn four set points in the tiebreak.
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He could not convert them, however, allowing Tsitsipas to clinch victory on his first match point with another sizzling crosscourt forehand winner after three hours and 13 minutes.
Aaron Gordon bristled at the notion the Denver Nuggets must operate the “rust versus rest” seesaw with 10 days between their Western Conference title celebration in Los Angeles and the start of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. Rest?
“We’ve been working,” Gordon declared about 15 hours after the Nuggets finally learned who they’ll have to beat to secure the franchise’s first Larry O’Brien gold ball trophy. “It’s not like we’ve had our hands back and feet kicked up.” Rust?
“We’ve been locked in, in the gym, working diligently,” Gordon insisted.
“So, we feel like we’re in a good space. It’s been a good balance of work to rest. Happy we have home court advantage.”
Miami’s 103-84 shellacking of the Celtics in Boston in Game 7 on Monday night sent the Heat to Denver for Game 1 on Thursday night. Had the Celtics been the first of 151 teams to ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven basketball series, the Nuggets would have headed East for Games 1 and 2.
Instead, the Nuggets get to stay in the Mile High City, where they’ve been since returning from their 113-111 win over the Lakers on May 22, and host a Heat team that’s been playing every other night and won’t have much time to acclimate to the city’s mile-high altitude.
So, yes, Gordon acknowledged, he was actually rooting for Jimmy Butler to come to Denver this week, and not because he wanted to avoid Jayson Tatum, either.
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“You always want to keep home court,” Gordon said. “So, first and foremost what we worked for all season was to get home court advantage.”
Top-seeded in the West for the first time in franchise history, the Nuggets have won all eight of their playoff games at Ball Arena, pushing their league-best home record to 42-7, while going 12-3 overall in these playoffs, including series clinching wins on the road against the Suns and Lakers.
The Heat haven’t won in Denver since Nov. 30, 2016, but it’s the Nuggets who are novices on this stage.
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Miami has been to the Finals many times before, winning it all in 2006, 2012 and 2013.
“We’ve got the utmost respect for them. They fight and they scrap, they have no quit in them,” Gordon said The Nuggets are one of six teams who have never won an NBA title. This is their first championship series appearance since losing to Julius Erving and the New York Nets in 1976, after which the wonderful and wacky ABA was disbanded.
Fanduel Sportsbook favors the Nuggets to win their first NBA championship over the Heat, who are the second No. 8 seed to make it this far. But coach Michael Malone repeated his admonition to his players not to pay attention to all the accolades or outside noise.
“Well, as I told our team, forget the eight seed stuff,” Malone said. “They beat Milwaukee 4-1. That team had the most wins in the NBA this year. They beat Boston 4-3 and they were up 3-0, the team with I think the second most wins in the NBA this year.”
“So, you get to the NBA Finals, it’s not about seeding anymore,” added Malone, “and for those who are thinking that this is going to be an easy series, I don’t even know what to say to you people.
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“This is going to be the biggest challenge of our live. This is the NBA Finals. We’re trying to win the first NBA championship in franchise history, and it’s going to be the hardest thing that we’ve ever done, which is the way it should be.”
Former India cricketer Sunil Gavakar feels India batter Ajinkya Rahane, who returned to the Test squad after 15 months could have a huge impact at the World Test Championship against Australia at The Oval beginning June 7.
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Rahane had a brilliant run in the domestic circuit earlier this year. The right-handed batter also had a phenomenal IPL 2023 stint and was a part of the winning team Chennai Super Kings.
Speaking about the same, the batting legend said that he reckons Rahane still has a lot of cricket left in him and that he has a point to prove going into the WTC final.
“He’s got a lot of experience having played in England, having scored runs in England. So, yes, I think he is going to be crucial down at number 5. And yes, I do believe he has a point to prove, I still feel he has got plenty of cricket left in him, and this is a wonderful opportunity for him,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports show Follow the Blues.
“I’m hoping he will be able to grab this opportunity with all the experience that he has and make a place for him back in the Indian team,” he added.
Gavaskar also believes that because the majority of the team’s players just finished playing T20 cricket in the IPL, Team India might come out as a little underprepared for the WTC final. Gavaskar reckons that barring Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been playing County Cricket, others would need to adjust to the longest format.
“The biggest test will be the fact that just about everybody will be coming out of a T20 format, and test cricket is a longer format. So, I think that’s going to be the big challenge,” he said.
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They have only Cheteshwar Pujara who has been playing in the English County Championship, so he will be the only guy who has played the longer format in these conditions, so that’s going to be a big challenge for them,” he added.
Leeds United announced the departure of manager Sam Allardyce by mutual agreement on Friday after the club’s relegation from the Premier League.
Allardyce, 68, was parachuted in to rescue the club in May with only four games remaining but Leeds finished second from bottom, five points adrift of the safety zone and six above Southampton.
He lost three and drew one of his matches in charge after replacing Javi Gracia.
#LUFC and Sam Allardyce can confirm that both parties have mutually agreed for Sam’s spell at the club to end following the completion of the 2022/23 season
— Leeds United (@LUFC) June 2, 2023
Leeds said an announcement on the former England manager’s replacement would be made in the coming weeks.
“It has been an honour to manage Leeds United, a great club with an incredible fan base, who deserve to be in the Premier League,” said Allardyce in a statement on the club website.
“At this stage in my career I am not sure taking on this challenge, which is potentially a long-term project, is something I could commit to,” he added.
“But I wish the club every success for the future and hope the club returns to the Premier League, where they belong.”
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Leeds United chief executive Angus Kinnear thanked Allardyce “for being brave enough to step in and do all he could to save us”.
Scotland assistant coaches Steve Tandy, John Dalziel and Pieter de Villiers have put pen to paper on new contracts until April 2026, it’s been confirmed.
On the back of head coach Gregor Townsend recently extending his deal, the backroom team has now also recommitted for the long-term in a show of faith.
Defence coach Tandy, forwards coach Dalziel and scrum coach De Villiers all joined the national set-up in 2020 and have become key members of the staff.
The extensions have been confirmed just weeks after Townsend re-signed, with the head coach’s previous deal having been set to end after the World Cup.
Real boost for Scotland
“The news that Steve, John and Pieter have extended their contracts is a real boost,” Townsend told Scottish Rugby.
“They are all key members of the coaching group and provide invaluable support to our players and myself.
“Since coming on board all three have made a hugely positive impact to not only their individual areas but also to our all-round game and the environment. I’d like to thank Scottish Rugby for their support in keeping this coaching group together for the next few years.
“We enjoy working with each other and are determined to do all we can to bring out the best in this special squad of players.”
Glasgow Warriors assistant coach Pete Horne and former All Blacks assistant coach Brad Mooar both joined Scotland‘s coaching group as assistant attack coaches for the Six Nations campaign earlier this year, and they will continue their roles during the build-up to the World Cup and into the tournament itself.
“It’s great news that we’ve been able to secure the services of Pete and Brad for the Rugby World Cup too,” said Townsend.
“They both contributed to our group hugely during the Guinness Six Nations period.
Townsend a happy man
“I’m looking forward to working with them again on the attack side of our game and helping improve the skills and decision making of our players.”
Mental skills coach Aaron Walsh will also continue working with Scotland for the Rugby World Cup.
The squad are due to meet up this week to begin preparations for the World Cup in France, albeit several players will not join up with the group initially due to late finishes to the season with their clubs.
The Hurricanes have announced that All Blacks Sevens coach Clark Laidlaw will take over the helm of the club from next season.
Laidlaw takes over from Jason Holland who will be joining Scott Robertson’s coaching team with the All Blacks following this year’s World Cup.
The incoming Hurricanes boss has been at the helm of the All Blacks Sevens since 2018 and he experienced success throughout his tenure including series titles in 2018 and recently in 2023, silver at the 2021 Olympics and gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Looking forward to the challenge
Laidlaw underlined his pride for the achievements made with the All Blacks Sevens but is looking forward to the challenge of leading the Hurricanes.
“I am really proud of all we have achieved with the All Blacks Sevens. We’ve seen a lot of success but also had our fair share of challenges,’’ Laidlaw said.
“The ability to coach a national team for pinnacle events, with the opportunities, learnings and team connections that come with it is really special. It felt like the right time to take on a new challenge as head coach of the Hurricanes, while building on what is already a really strong team.”
Hurricanes chief executive Avan Lee was delighted with the new appointment especially considering Laidlaw’s stint as assistant coach of the club prior to his stint in sevens.
“His coaching record speaks for itself in terms of success,” he said.
“He’s done a superb job for the Sevens, so we’re thrilled to see him return to the Hurricanes and continue to build on the great work of Jason Holland and the current wider coaching team.
“Clark will bring a unique set of skills to the Hurricanes and help our club realise its ambitions.
“Obviously, having been assistant coach to the Hurricanes from 2013-2015, he already has some fantastic connections and relationships in the club. We’re excited about what he will bring to the club on-field but also look forward to watching his influence on the culture and our people.”
Praise for a success sevens tenure
Meanwhile, New Zealand general manager of professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum praised the selection of Laidlaw as the Hurricanes’ new head coach.
“Clark’s move to the Hurricanes is an exciting progression in his coaching career and is a great example of how new and different experiences develop our top coaches,” he said.
“He has constantly challenged himself throughout his six-year tenure with the All Blacks Sevens, developed a large number of young men on and off the field, and achieved a huge amount of success.”