Kobe Bryant’s widow has sued the owner of the helicopter which crashed in fog and killed her husband and their teenage daughter. Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit alleging wrongful death claims the pilot was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions and should have aborted the flight. The pilot, Ara Zobayan, was among the nine people killed in the crash last month. The lawsuit came as thousands attended a public memorial service for the basketball legend and his daughter at the arena where the NBA superstar played most of his career.

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Top-flight Egyptian side Zamalek face punishment after failing to turn up to the Cairo derby against rivals Al Ahly on Monday. It comes after sanctions were handed to players and officials from both clubs following a brawl when the teams met in last week’s Egyptian Super Cup. Zamalek say they intended to play but had been delayed in traffic. However, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said there were “no obstacles” holding up the team bus. The EFA apologised to fans and say it will take disciplinary action against Zamalek.

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Five Serie A matches will be played behind closed doors this weekend – including Juventus’ match at home to Inter – because of coronavirus. Matches at Udinese, AC Milan, Parma and Sassuolo will take place without fans. Games at Lazio, Napoli, Lecce and Cagliari will go ahead with supporters as normal, but Sampdoria’s match on Monday is yet to be decided upon. Italy has put towns in northern Italy into lockdown after 229 people tested positive and seven died.

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Vanessa Bryant has given a moving tribute to her late husband, basketball legend Kobe Bryant, and daughter Gianna at a memorial service in Los Angeles. Former Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Bryant, 41, and Gianna, 13, were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash last month. Thousands of fans, celebrities and basketball stars attended Monday’s ceremony at the Staples Center. “Kobe was the MVP of girl dads,” said Vanessa. “He was the most amazing husband – Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words.”

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Liverpool survived a rare night of struggle in this stellar season to overcome West Ham United 3-2 and close to within four wins of the Premier League title as keeper Lukasz Fabianski suffered an Anfield nightmare. Victory means Liverpool equal the English top-flight record of 18 successive wins, set by Manchester City from August to December 2017, with Jurgen Klopp’s side last dropping points in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United in October. The Hammers – whose fans staged protests against the club’s owners throughout – threatened to inflict Liverpool’s first league defeat this term when they led midway through the second half.

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Deontay Wilder has blamed his elaborate ring-walk costume for his WBC heavyweight title defeat by Tyson Fury. The American, 34, said his costume was too heavy and as a result he “didn’t have the legs” for the fight. Britain’s Fury, 31, produced a dominant display to win the title in Las Vegas on Saturday when Wilder’s corner threw in the towel in the seventh round. Wilder also told US media he will exercise his rematch clause for a third fight against Fury. “Fury didn’t hurt me at all, but the simple fact is that my uniform was way too heavy for me,” Wilder told Yahoo. Wilder said the costume, which featured armour, a mask and a crown, weighed at least 40 pounds (18.1kg) and was a tribute to Black History Month.

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Hosts Cameroon will begin their pursuit of winning their first African Nations Championship (CHAN) on 4 April against Zimbabwe, it has been announced. The fixtures have been finalised, with the Indomitable Lions facing Zimbabwe at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, which is also the venue for the tournament’s final on 25 April.

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