Faf du Plessis has stepped down as South Africa Test and Twenty20 captain, saying it is in the teams’ “best interests”. The 35-year-old batsman captained the Proteas in 112 matches across all formats since 2012, scoring 5,101 runs – including 11 centuries – as skipper. Quinton de Kock replaced Du Plessis as one-day captain in January.
Porto forward Moussa Marega walked off midway through his side’s win at Vitoria Guimaraes, saying he was subjected to racist abuse from fans. Marega, 28, started to walk towards the dugouts in the 69th minute, nine minutes after scoring what would prove the winner in Porto’s 2-1 victory. He pointed his thumbs down and also raised his middle fingers to the crowd. Team-mates and opposition players tried to persuade him to stay on, but he was eventually substituted.
Everton have confirmed they are to end their shirt sponsorship agreement with Kenyan betting firm SportPesa at the end of the season. Everton, who had signed a five-year deal with the gaming brand in 2017, said the decision was made after a review of the Premier League club’s commercial strategy in line with their future growth plans. “This has been a difficult decision but one that allows us to best deliver on our commercial plan and to grasp the new opportunities now open to us,” a club spokesperson said.
Pep Guardiola has told friends he intends to stay at Manchester City despite the club’s two-year ban from the Champions League. Unless City overturn the ban imposed by UEFA on Friday, they will not compete in European football until 2022 after this season. Guardiola’s contract is due to expire in 2021. He is expected to speak about the subject for the first time on Wednesday.
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