Reigning champion Real Madrid is supporting plans to expand the Club World Cup to 24 teams following a meeting at FIFA.
Madrid is part of the European Club Association
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Europe’s top domestic competitions, including the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga, have also opposed FIFA’s plans.
But Madrid, winner of the last two editions of the Club World Cup, is endorsing Infantino’s vision of the tournament being played every four years in June or July with 12 representatives from Europe.
Madrid’s director of institutional relations, Emilio Butragueno, believes fans would prefer the new tournament over the current seven-team format.
BERLIN (AP) – German officials called on the global soccer federation FIFA to intervene Saturday after a journalist who exposed systematic doping in Russian athletics was denied entry to Russia to report on the upcoming World Cup.
German lawmaker Dagmar Freitag, who chairs the sports committee in parliament, said the cancellation of Hajo Seppelt’s visa was ”not just completely unjustified, but pretty scandalous.”
Freitag told German news agency dpa she was ”anxious to see how (FIFA chief Gianni) Infantino reacts.”
Reinhard Grindel, the head of the German soccer federation, also noted FIFA’s pledge to uphold press freedom. He told dpa he had ”full confidence FIFA will use its influence so Mr. Seppelt can report unhindered from Russia.”
Seppelt works for German public broadcaster ARD. FIFA confirmed that it had already approved his accreditation request and was trying to obtain further information from Russian authorities about the case.
GOLF
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Tiger Woods shot a 3-under 69 in the final round of the Players Championship and tied for 11th at 11-under 277.
His round could have been much closer to the 65 he shot Saturday
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”This weekend was more like it,” Woods said.
Woods felt like he finally pulled together all aspects of his game: His driving was impeccable, his iron play was better than it’s been all week and his putting was as good as it’s been all season. He stirred packed galleries into a frenzy on Mother’s Day while wearing his traditional red shirt. Fans young and old stood dozens deep, scurrying from tee to fairway to green, just for a brief peek at Woods.
BASEBALL
CHICAGO (AP) – Major League Baseball has warned Ben Zobrist of the Chicago Cubs against wearing black cleats.
Zobrist posted a letter from the league office on Instagram saying the cleats he wore May 2 against Colorado violated the collective bargaining agreement. MLB says they must be at least 51 percent blue – the Cubs’ color – and warned he could be fined and disciplined if he doesn’t comply.
Zobrist wrote he has worn black cleats for day games at Wrigley Field the past two years to honor the game’s past. He said he was inspired by watching highlights of greats such as Ernie Banks and Stan Musial in the 1950s and 1960s.
He had little to say about the warning after the Cubs beat the crosstown White Sox on Saturday, other than he plans to talk to the league and union about it. He came in to play left field as part of a double switch. And yes, he had on black cleats.
BASKETBALL
BOSTON (AP) – Jaylen Brown had 23 points and eight rebounds, Marcus Morris added 21 points and 10 boards, and the Boston Celtics opened a 21-point, first-quarter lead and scorched the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-83 on Sunday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Al Horford scored 20 points for the Celtics
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Game 2 is Tuesday night.
Kevin Love had 17 points and eight rebounds, and James finished with 15 points, nine assists and seven boards. The Cavaliers missed their first 14 3-point attempts of the game and shot just 32 percent in the first half.
By that time, Boston led 61-35 – the biggest halftime playoff deficit in James’ career.
HOCKEY
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – The Washington Capitals scored in the opening minute of the game and twice in the last 1:02 of the second period to pull away to a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night and a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference final.
Evgeny Kuznetsov and Lars Eller each had a goal and two assists. Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson had a goal and an assist apiece.
Devante Smith-Pelly and Brett Connolly also scored for the Caps, who took the first two games of the best-of-seven matchup on the road. Since 1974-75, teams that take a 2-0 lead in the conference final or semifinal have a series record of 39-2 (95.1 percent).
Game 3 is Tuesday night in Washington.
Braden Point and Steven Stamkos had early power-play goals for Tampa Bay, which rebounded after falling behind on Wilson’s goal 28 seconds into the game.
Yangervis Solarte provided power from both sides of the plate to help the Toronto Blue Jays end a record stretch of futility against left-handed pitchers.
Solarte hit two home runs, Devon Travis also connected and the Blue Jays beat the Washington Nationals 6-5 on Friday night, their fifth straight home victory.
Washington has lost five of seven on the road.
Justin Smoak broke a 3-3 tie with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning and Solarte, batting left-handed, followed with a two-run shot off right-hander Justin Miller. Solarte was batting right-handed when he homered in Toronto’s three-run third, a solo blast off left-hander Gio Gonzalez (6-3).
”I was lucky enough that I had good opportunities and we took advantage of it
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The victory snapped Toronto’s team-worst 11-game losing streak against lefty starting pitchers.
”We’re better than that,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. ”That shouldn’t happen like that.”
Solarte is the ninth player in Blue Jays history to homer from both sides of the plate. The last to do it was Kendrys Morales against Oakland on July 27, 2017. The homers were Solarte’s 13th and 14th of the season, extending his team lead and coming a year after his career high of 18.
It’s the second time Solarte has achieved the feat, having done it also against Arizona on May 27, 2016 while with the San Diego Padres.
”It’s hard but it’s my job,” Solarte said.
Travis hit a two-run home run in the third, his third.
Seunghwan Oh (2-2) pitched one inning for the win and Ryan Tepera stranded the potential tying run at third base in the ninth to earn his fourth save in seven opportunities.
Wilmer Difo hit a leadoff single in the ninth, then stole second and advanced on a fly ball. Tepera escaped by getting Adam Eaton to ground out and striking out Trea Turner.
Gonzalez allowed season-worsts of five runs and nine hits in six-plus innings. The left-hander has allowed four or more earned runs in consecutive outings.
Travis singled to begin the seventh and Teoscar Hernandez followed with a fly ball that right fielder Eaton lost in the twilight.
”I had it off the bat but as soon as it goes up, it’s a pretty helpless feeling,” Eaton said.
After the ball dropped for a ground-rule double, Miller came on and surrendered Smoak’s sacrifice fly and Solarte’s two-run blast.
”We had one fly ball that we didn’t see that kind of changed things real quick,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said.
The homer was the first earned run allowed by Miller in nine appearances this season.
”I was trying to throw a fastball away and it just kind of cut on me
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Aaron Sanchez allowed three runs and six hits in six innings for Toronto.
GREEN LIGHT
The Blue Jays have hit an ML-leading six home runs on 3-0 counts this season. No other team had more than two entering play Friday.
FIRST OF THE SEASON
Washington’s Daniel Murphy singled in the eighth, snapping a 0-for-10 stretch since he returned from right knee surgery Tuesday.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: 1B Matt Adams took a pitch off his left hand while squaring to bunt in the second. Mark Reynolds replaced Adams on defense an inning later. ”I knew from the get-go it was bad,” Adams said. He is day to day. Murphy will DH against the Blue Jays this weekend and return to the infield Monday when Washington returns home to face the Yankees.
Blue Jays: One week after he became eligible to be activated off the disabled list, 3B Josh Donaldson (left calf) has yet to run at full speed. Donaldson may play at least one minor league rehab game with Triple-A Buffalo before rejoining the Blue Jays. … RHP Marcus Stroman (shoulder) will make a second rehab start Monday, this time at Double-A New Hampshire. Stroman pitched 4 1/3 innings at Class-A Dunedin Wednesday. … OF Steve Pearce (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment at Buffalo Saturday. Pearce has not played since May 3. … RHP Deck McGuire was claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers.
UP NEXT
Nationals RHP Max Scherzer (10-2, 2.00) faces Blue Jays RHP Marco Estrads (3-6, 5.09). Scherzer is 4-1 with a 2.15 ERA in eight career starts against Toronto. His June 10 loss against San Francisco snapped a streak of nine straight winning decisions. Estrada beat Baltimore on June 10, ending an eight-start winless stretch.
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