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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Eagles star Saquon Barkley declines invitation to serve on Trump's sports council
Saquon Barkley has declined an invitation to join Donald Trump's council on sports, fitness, and nutrition, which is being revitalized under an executive order. Barkley, the 2,000-yard rusher for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, was on a list of sports personalities that included golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Nelly Korda, WWE executive Paul 'Triple H' Levesque, football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor and retired New York Yankees great Mariano Rivera. Barkley confirmed on Monday that he had declined the invitation. 'A couple months ago, it was brought to my team about the council,' Barkley told reporters after Monday's Eagles practice session. 'So I'm not really too familiar with it. I felt like that I am going to be super busy. Me and my family thought it would probably be of best interest to not accept that. I was definitely a little shocked when my name was mentioned. I'm assuming it's something great, so I appreciate it but was a little shocked when my name was mentioned.' Trump last week reestablished the Presidential Fitness Test for American children, a fixture of public schools for decades that gauged young people's health and athleticism with one-mile runs, sit-ups and stretching exercises. 'This is a wonderful tradition, and we're bringing it back,' Trump said of the fitness test that began in 1966 but was phased out during the Obama administration. The executive order also reinvigorated the national sports council that could have included Barkley. Barkley won AP Offensive Player of the Year last season after rushing for 2,005 yards, eighth-best in NFL history, in his first season with the Eagles. Barkley has golfed with Trump and Barack Obama over the last year and the running back attended the White House celebration of the champion Eagles while some teammates – notably star quarterback Jalen Hurts – skipped the ceremony. Barkley visited Trump in April at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and caught a ride with the president to Washington on Air Force One and then to the White House on Marine One. 'He loved it,' Trump said then of Barkley's short flight on the presidential airplane. 'He's a great young guy and an incredible football player. Saquon had a season for the ages, running behind the most powerful offensive line in the NFL.' Barkley, meanwhile, pushed back on social media criticism following the visit. He noted that he had already golfed with Obama. 'Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand,' Barkley posted on X.
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
‘Amazing' series shows Test cricket is not dying
Nearly seven weeks of intense battle, fierce rivalry and knife-edge cricket came to a fitting end on the final morning of the Test summer, with the tourists forcing through a remarkable win. With England needing 35 to win with four wickets in hand for a mammoth chase of 374, they took the last four wickets for 28 runs in riotous scenes that instantly earned a place alongside the sport's most cherished moments. As the tension reached almost unbearable levels, Chris Woakes spent 16 excruciating minutes batting one-handed with a badly dislocated left shoulder. Gus Atkinson protected him from facing a ball but was ultimately unable to protect his own stumps from the indomitable Mohammed Siraj, who etched his name in history with his third wicket of the morning, fifth of the innings and 23rd of the series. Stokes, who missed the fifth-Test decider with a shoulder injury of his own, hurt for his team but accepted the conclusion was deserved. 'The series as a whole has been pretty much toe to toe for 25 days. From a cricket fan's point of view, 2-2 is probably fair,' he said. 'Two very good teams who have thrown everything at each other and left everything out there. We obviously would have loved to get a series win but it wasn't meant to be. 'We're bitterly disappointed we couldn't get over the line but it was another hard-fought game and both teams put so much energy and effort into the series, it's been an amazing one to be part of. 'There's a little bit of frustration there as well but as a massive advocate of this format and for Test cricket as a whole, this has certainly been one of those series that could hopefully keep off the narrative around 'Test cricket is dying'.' The game felt like it was won and lost on a number of occasions over the past few days but England looked to have settled it on the third afternoon, when the twin centuries of Joe Root and Harry Brook took them to 301 for three. From there they lost seven for 66, culminating in the high drama of Woakes' walking wounded cameo. Stokes paid tribute to his bravery but doubled down on his position that injury substitutes have no part in Test cricket. India's Rishabh Pant batted at Old Trafford with a broken foot and Shoaib Bashir took the winning wicket at Lord's with a broken little finger in his left hand. For Stokes, who bowled himself out of the series by pushing his body to the edge, that is how it must be. 'I'm sorry to say this but if someone gets injured, tough s***. Deal with it. That's how we view it,' he said. 'I am still heavily against it. It's just sod's law that this has happened the week after I said I was against it, but my view has not changed. 'There was never going to be a question in Woakesy's mind about what he was going to do. He spent yesterday trying to figure out if he was going to be left or right-handed. He was in a lot of discomfort running between the wickets…but he's out there trying to get his team over the line. 'It shows what it is to play for your country and try to win for your country.' Siraj, who bowled an epic 185.3 overs over the five matches, earned his place in the spotlight as the curtain came down. 'From the first day till the fifth game, fifth day, we have fought an unbelievable fight,' he said. 'God must have written something good for me, that's why I won this match and took the last wicket. When I woke up today, I thought I could do it. I downloaded a picture from Google saying 'believe'.'
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Premier League 2025-26 preview No 3: Bournemouth
Guardian writers' predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Ben Fisher's prediction but the average of our writers' tips) Last season's position: 9th Three months ago, Bournemouth won at Arsenal for the first time to maintain their hopes of qualifying for Europe with three games to go. It was an impressive comeback victory built on set pieces, Dean Huijsen heading the equaliser from Antoine Semenyo's long throw – cue the Chill Guy meme celebration – before Evanilson poked in a scruffy but well-worked winner from a corner. Bournemouth came up short in their quest to play in Europe as a positive season fizzled out after three wins from their final 15 matches. And now three of their back five from that day have departed – Huijsen for Real Madrid, Milos Kerkez for Liverpool and Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was on loan from Chelsea, for Arsenal. The expectation is that Illia Zabarnyi will become the next high-profile exit, with Paris Saint-Germain pushing to sign the 22-year-old. The fact Bournemouth sold Huijsen to Real in a £50m deal after a single season and 36 appearances serves as a reminder of the club's journey across the last decade, and their continued eye for smart business. The thing worth remembering is that while it appears Bournemouth have been decimated, those on the inside recognise this is how their buy-low, sell-high model works. The downside is the breakup of a brilliant, buccaneering defence. Whether Bournemouth can cope with a flurry of key departures remains to be seen but this summer they moved to find a permanent goalkeeping solution in Djordje Petrovic, a £25m signing from Chelsea. Finding a commanding No 1 capable of holding down the position had been a priority after acknowledging the stability rival clubs had gained from making similar moves. Petrovic, who shone on loan at Strasbourg last season, would appear a solid platform on which to build. But for a team that operated with a thin squad last season, it is impossible to shake the sense that starting over represents a daunting task. Andoni Iraola led Bournemouth to 56 points last season, their record tally in the top flight, as they finished ninth, equalling their best finish. His appointment two years ago, driven by the now Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, has proved a masterstroke and last term enhanced the reputation of Iraola, the definition of a hands-on coach, among rivals. The 43-year-old is into the final 12 months of his contract and while he prefers working on rolling contracts, another extension is up in the air. Iraola, who does a good line in self-deprecation, is a self-confessed fidget: he clicks a multi-colour pen throughout interviews and tapes over some of his fingers for superstitious reasons. 'It's stupid,' he said. 'But I have done it for so many years that I continue doing it.' Bournemouth's 80-year-old billionaire owner, Bill Foley, flew from the US in April to formally open the club's £35m state-of-the-art training complex and on the same visit he shared another welcome nugget: he has agreed a deal to buy their Vitality Stadium home, allowing Bournemouth to expand its capacity to about 20,000. The Cherries have been locked into an onerous lease with the property company Structadene, which bought the ground in 2005, then known as Dean Court, for £3.5m, a deal that helped the club avoid administration. Foley – via his Black Knight consortium – added the Portuguese club Moreirense to his stable, which includes investments in Lorient, Hibernian and Auckland FC. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion There was so much noise about Kerkez's departure for Liverpool that the arrival of his replacement, signed before Kerkez officially headed for Anfield, went under the radar. Adrien Truffert has the tools to be a breakout star in the Premier League. Bournemouth sealed the signing of the 23-year-old Belgium-born left-back for an initial £11.4m from Rennes, a fee the Cherries – and some of their top-flight rivals who have tracked the full-back – regard a snip given his profile. Truffert, capped once by France in 2022, was captain of Rennes and made his 150th Ligue 1 appearance in May. Perhaps it is a quirk of fate that as a toddler he lived in Bournemouth for a year with his family. Daniel Adu-Adjei spent the first half of last season on loan at the bottom of League Two, scoring two goals in 17 appearances for relegated Carlisle, so it would be quite the jump if he is involved. The 20-year-old striker, born in Hammersmith to Ghanaian parents, has impressed in pre-season, scoring against Everton, and trained regularly with the first team at the beginning of this year. His father, William, regards Tony Yeboah as one of his closest friends, while Daniel is studying a nutrition course funded by the Professional Footballers' Association, his go-to dish a BBQ pulled chicken burger. 'At Carlisle, I lived by myself and had to cook all my dinners so I learned a lot,' he said. Few players had as satisfying a summer as Alex Scott. Even an awkward face mask, the result of a fractured jaw sustained against Aston Villa in May, could not dampen his spirits. Scott starred for England as Lee Carsley's under-21s won the European Championship in Slovakia, starting all five matches, though he was forced off through injury in the final. Bournemouth paid Bristol City £25m to sign Scott two years ago but his progress has been stop-start and he began only eight matches last season, largely owing to a lengthy knee injury. Scott, 22 this month, is a throwback midfielder, a cute passer with an endearing appetite to get his hands dirty. Everybody is craving to see more of his talent.
