Popular former Folkestone Invicta midfielder Ronnie Dolan, 34, becomes the manager of Isthmian South East side Hastings United
A popular former Folkestone midfielder has made a surprise move into management.
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Mike Santana faces Steve Maclin in grudge match for TNA world title, Cedric Alexander's challenger and more
TNA Wrestling star Steve Maclin shares with Fox News Digital why free agents should be considering signing with the company.
PSG’s Moroccan defender Hakimi bids to have rape case dismissed
PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi, who is facing trial for alleged rape, will bid to have the case dismissed in court on Friday, AFP learned from a source close to the case. A hearing before the Versailles appeals court, west of Paris, will examine the case of the 27-year-old Morocco international who is to stand trial charged with raping a woman. If his appeal is rejected and the charges are not reduced to a more minor offense, the footballer will be tried on a date to be arranged. In February 2023, a woman then aged 24 told police in the Val-de-Marne area southeast of Paris that Hakimi had raped her. Hakimi was formally charged, placed under judicial supervision, and in February the decision was taken to send the case to trial. Hakimi, who played a pivotal role in Morocco becoming the first African and Arab side to reach the World Cup semifinals when they made the last four in 2022, denies any wrongdoing. Contacted by AFP, the player’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, declined to comment. During the referral hearing, Colin had argued that “the accusation rests solely on the word of a woman who obstructed all investigations, refused all medical examinations and DNA tests (and) refused to give the name of key witnesses.” The plaintiff said she met Hakimi in January 2023 through Instagram and went to his home in a taxi ordered by the player, a police source said at the time. She claimed that the player kissed her, touched her without her consent and then raped her. She said she managed to push him away and text a friend, who came to pick her up. Hakimi joined PSG in 2021 from Inter Milan after stints at Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. He is expected to be in the PSG team when the defending champions play Arsenal
US says Congo team must isolate before arriving for World Cup
WASHINGTON: Due to an Ebola outbreak in their country, members of Congo’s national soccer team must isolate before entering the US for the World Cup. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, confirmed to ESPN on Friday that the Congolese delegation must maintain a bubble where they currently are training in Belgium and isolate for 21 days or risk being denied entry. Congo is in Group K for this summer’s World Cup in North America. Its first game is against Portugal on June 17 in Houston, followed by matches against Colombia on June 23 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and against Uzbekistan on June 27 in Atlanta. “We’ve been very clear to Congo that they should maintain the integrity of their bubble for 21 days before they can then come to Houston on June 11,” Giuliani said, per ESPN.
Gauff at ease in Paris as she prepares to defend French Open title
PARIS: Coco Gauff is keen to sidestep any pressure that might come with starting Roland Garros as the defending women’s champion as she returns to the site of her most consistent Grand Slam success. “Last year feels like ten years ago,” the American said at media day on Friday. Gauff comes into the tournament seeded fourth, fresh from reaching the Rome final on clay where she lost to Elina Svitolina. At 22, she is about to play her seventh French Open. She won her first Grand Slam at the US Open in 2023, but Roland Garros is where she has shone most consistently. She has reached the last eight in each of her last five appearances in the French capital, including winning the tournament in 2025. She wants that record to be a source of strength rather than expectation. “Whenever I come to this tournament, I don’t even think about my past results here,” she said. “I know I play well here.
Pep ‘made me believe I could be a coach’, says Kompany
BERLIN: Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said former mentor Pep Guardiola, who announced on Friday he is leaving Manchester City, gave him the belief to become a manager. Speaking in Berlin ahead of Saturday’s German Cup final against Stuttgart, Kompany — who captained City under Guardiola for three seasons — said working with the Catalan coach was “a gift.” “I have my own personality and my own character, but the trust and belief that I could become a coach: for that, I owe gratitude to Pep,” Kompany said. “And that is just how great his influence is. “I maybe wasn’t his best friend in the dressing room, or maybe I wasn’t always loved, but I had an incredible belief in his style of leadership.” In a decade at City, the former Barcelona and Bayern manager won the Premier League six times and the Champions League alongside a glittering array of silverware. Kompany won back-to-back Premier League titles under Guardiola in 2018 and 2019. Since taking over as Bayern boss in 2024, the Belgian has led the club to two Bundesliga titles in a row. He can grab a third major honor as coach this weekend. Kompany said the public misunderstood Guardiola and his focus on tactics. “Far too much is said about tactics or technique or whatever else.
Uruguay’s Bielsa says his job ends ‘with the World Cup’
MONTEVIDEO: Marcelo Bielsa hinted on Thursday that he may not remain as manager of Uruguay beyond July, saying that his job with the team ends with the World Cup. “Our job ends with the World Cup,” Bielsa said at an event organized by the Uruguayan Football Association. Although he did not elaborate on his remarks, local media reported that the Argentine will not continue once his current contract expires at the end of the June 11-July 19 tournament to be played in the US, Mexico and Canada. “It is a miracle in any professional’s sporting career to take part in the World Cup,” he said.
Emma Raducanu enjoys work again with coach Andrew Richardson after ‘just a text’
Emma Raducanu insisted parting company with Andrew Richardson following her US Open triumph was not a mistake despite opting to rehire him.