After more than six months of incarceration since her February arrest for having less than one gram of cannabis oil in her luggage at a Russian airport, eight-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday for drug possession and smuggling. That harsh but expected final decision on Griner’s case is her final scheduled court appearance. How long Griner will stay in a Russian prison is now solely dependent on diplomatic relations between America and Russia. As noted by the Associated Press, a conviction is usually a prerequisite to arranging a prisoner exchange and also allows the WNBA star to apply for a presidential pardon. A swap between the countries freeing Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan, detained under accusations of espionage, in exchange for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout. Bloomberg reported that Russian officials are leaning toward rejecting that proposal in hopes of getting two Russians in any Griner trade. “Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russian is wrongfully detaining Brittney,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates. My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.” Per Bloomberg, discussions of a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia have been ongoing since June. Of course, the work of the Federal government is largely confidential information and her day-to-day status will largely go unchanged until a deal is reached. Griner’s detainment is particularly difficult because of Russia’s ongoing brutal war against Ukraine. The State Department also considers any Russian legal action taken against Griner or Whelan to be irrelevant domestically. Griner is likely viewed as a powerful asset to Russian president Vladimir Putin and she may be a hostage in response to American sanctions against the country because of its needless invasion. The longtime Phoenix Mercury star flew to Moscow to join her Euro League team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, in February when she was detained. Griner has spent her international career in Russia since 2014, earning over $1 million per season, more than quadruple her yearly WNBA salary. While a Russian judge said Griner’s time already spent in prison would count toward a 9-year sentence, America’s endgame is now clear with foreign negotiations the only way to free the Phoenix Mercury star. Despite her incarceration, Griner was the focal point of the WNBA’s All-Star game last month, being named an honorary selection to the showcase. Players all wore her No. 42 on their jerseys to start the second half, every player’s warmups had her name and number on the back and Griner’s wife, Cherelle, was sitting courtside. I think my Deadspin colleague Carron Phillips sums up Griner’s horrible situation as tragically perfect as I’ve seen: “Black people have it hard. Black women have it harder. Black gay women have it the hardest. It’s tough being a triple minority in America, but especially in Russia.”
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What the papers say
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is likely to concentrate on loan deals in January, reports the Daily Mirror. The club needs to offload players before making any signings with reinforcements on the cards after a string of injuries.
Steve Cooper has emerged as a potential option as manager at Crystal Palace after his sacking at Nottingham Forest, according to The Daily Telegraph. Roy Hodgson’s future in charge of the club is uncertain.
Crystal Palace are interested in Paris St Germain…
Napoli squandered a two-goal lead as Lorenzo De Silvestri snatched a 2-2 draw for Bologna against the Serie A champions, who appear set to lose Scudetto-winning coach Luciano Spalletti.
Spalletti said a decision has been made on his Napoli future before kick-off, with many expecting the Partenopei boss to depart, yet his side initially appeared far from distracted at Stadio Renato Dall Ara.
Victor Osimhen seized on an early Lukasz Skorupski mistake to open the scoring before doubling his – and Napoli s – tally after 54 minutes with a powerful finish across goal.
However, Lewis Ferguson halved the arrears just past the hour before De Silvestri headed home with six minutes remaining, and only the offside flag denied Nicola Sansone a late winner as Napoli were …
Robert Lewandowski has stepped up his recovery from a knee injury as Bayern Munich aim to overturn a first-leg deficit against Paris Saint-Germain without their prolific striker.
Lewandowski suffered damage to his right knee while on international duty with Poland in March, ruling him out of both games against PSG in the Champions League quarter-final tie.
However, Bayern were able to provide a positive update on Monday, with the 32-year-old resuming running duties at the club s training facilities.
In his absence, the reigning European champions were wasteful in the first meeting with their French opponents last week, resulting in a 3-2 loss on home soil.
Hansi Flick s side had 31 attempts, the most in a single Champions League fixture since the star…
Erik ten Hag says Lisandro Martinez’s knee injury “doesn’t look good” and the concerned Manchester United boss is praying centre-back has avoided a “personal disaster”.
The 26-year-old looked crestfallen after being forced off on just his fourth appearance since returning from four months out following the reoccurrence of a foot issue.
Martinez was surrounded by concerned United team-mates in the second half after going down clutching his right knee having been landed on awkwardly by West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal.
The Argentina international was able to continue for a short period, only to pull up again and eventually trudge down the touchline to supportive chants from the Old Trafford faithful.
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Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has acknowledged Liverpool’s trophy-laden era during the 1970s’ and 1980s’ planted the seeds for him to become a manager.
Postecoglou has made no secret of his childhood love for Liverpool and recalled on several occasions how he used to watch matches in the early hours of the morning in Australia with his dad Jim.
Kenny Dalglish was an early hero for the 58-year-old and he believes watching the teams of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley win European Cups helped shape his pathway to a coaching career that has seen him manage across the globe.
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Argentina know they will advance to the knockout stage of the Copa America if they end a four-game winless run in their rivalry with Paraguay on Monday.
La Albiceleste have not beaten Paraguay in six years, although three of the four games in the meantime have ended all square.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has been frustrated by the frequency with which his side have been held.
The team are unbeaten in 15 games going back to the 2019 Copa America, but they have won only eight of those matches alongside seven draws – including a home World Cup qualifier against Paraguay.
A sequence of three stalemates in a row was broken last time out, though, when Argentina defeated Uruguay 1-0 to move level with Chile at the top of Group A.
I think that the …
Everton are interested in signing Raphael Onyedika from Club Brugge in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Everton are among a number of clubs who are keen on Onyedika, and that Belgian side Brugge could sell him.
Onyedika has been on the books of Club Brugge since the summer of 2022 when he joined from Midtjylland. The Nigeria international midfielder has been superb for the Belgian side and has established himself as one of the best and most important players in the team. The 22-year-old has made 17 starts and two substitute appearances in the Jupiler Pro League this season.
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Stephen Kenny has admitted he does not expect to continue as Republic of Ireland manager when his future is decided next week.
The 52-year-old’s current contract effectively ended with Tuesday night’s 1-1 friendly draw against New Zealand in Dublin and the Football Association of Ireland’s board will meet next week to decide whether to stick or twist.
Public support for Kenny’s tenure waned as the Euro 2024 qualification campaign he had built towards came and went without the success he craved, and he acknowledges that the writing is on the wall.
He said: “Obviously the board are meeting next week. They’ve a decision to make and I respect whatever that decision is.
“Of course, it would be a dream to carry on and manage the team, of course it…
Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick is hopeful his side can take the “positive experiences” from their FA Cup third-round loss into their Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea.
Boro were knocked out of the FA Cup by Matty Cash’s late strike in the 87th minute, which took a deflection into the bottom corner.
However, Boro’s attention quickly turns to the Carabao Cup, where they come up against Premier League Chelsea at the Riverside on Tuesday and Carrick hopes his players can take inspiration from their performance against Aston Villa.
He said post-match: “The boys are disappointed, which is good that they’re disappointed.
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According to , Barcelona are interested in signing Erling Haaland from Manchester City in the summer of 2025. Agent Rafaela Pimenta, who represents the Norway international, has already met with Barca s sporting director Deco last month to discuss the possibility of his transfer to the Catalan giants.
Only a day before, claimed Haaland had his eye on moving to Barcelona s arch-rivals Real Madrid, and saw the upcoming Champions League duel between the La Liga leaders and the Premier League champions as the perfect opportunity to show his class to his desired destination club.
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