Real Madrid said it had provided "all available evidence" to UEFA on Thursday in support of their Brazilian star Vinicius Junior's complaint of racist abuse during this week's Champions League clash at Benfica. Tuesday's first leg of the knockout phase play-off tie in Lisbon was stopped for 10 minutes after Vinicius told the referee Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni had called him a "monkey" during a confrontation. The Argentine midfielder, who covered his mouth during the argument after Vinicius had celebrated a goal dancing in front of the home fans, denies the allegation. UEFA announced on Wednesday it would investigate "allegations of discriminatory behaviour" as a furore broke out, with teammates rushing to back Vinicius, who has repeatedly suffered racist abuse since joining Real in 2018. Real Madrid "has submitted all available evidence to UEFA regarding the incidents" during the Benfica game, which witnessed "unacceptable episodes of racism", the club said in a statement. "Real Madrid appreciates the unanimous support, backing, and affection that our player Vinicius Jr. has received from all areas of the global football community." Benfica issued a statement on Wednesday backing Prestianni and speaking of a "defamation campaign" against him, while manager Jose Mourinho questioned Vinicius's celebration. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 February,2026 08:25 AM IST | Madrid | AFPReal Madrid star Kylian Mbappe supported teammate Vinicius Junior’s claim of being racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during their 1-0 win in the UEFA Champions League first-leg Playoff on Tuesday, by alleging that the Brazilian winger was called ‘monkey’ five times. Prestianni was seen covering his mouth with his shirt while speaking to Vinicius after the latter’s goal. Vinicius appeared to react furiously to what Prestianni said and went over to the referee, who subsequently paused the game for 10 minutes, while adhering to FIFA’s anti-racism protocol. Kylian Mbappe “I don’t want to say his name because he doesn’t deserve to be named, [but he] started speaking badly. Then he pulled his jersey [to cover his mouth] to say that Vini is a monkey five times. I heard it,” Mbappe told Spain’s TVE. Benfica coach Jose Mourinho said that Prestianni had denied racially abusing Vinicius, and hit out at the Brazilian for inciting Benfica’s players and fans with his celebration. “When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way,” said Mourinho, who was sent off for protesting that Vinicius should have received a second booking. Vinicius wrote on Instagram: “Racists are cowards. They need to put their shirts over their mouths to show how weak they are, But they have, at their side, the protection of others who, theoretically, are obligated to punish.” The incident is now being probed by UEFA. Other results Galatasaray 5-2 JuventusDortmund 2-0 AtalantaMonaco 2-3 PSG This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 February,2026 10:07 AM IST | Lisbon | AgenciesThe Mexican military is preparing to confront the potential threat of non-authorized drones in stadiums used for this summer's football World Cup. Mexico is co-hosting the tournament with the United States and Canada between June 11 to July 19, and on Tuesday, soldiers at a military base in Mexico City demonstrated the anti-drone equipment they would use to protect the nation's stadiums. The prevention tactics are a response to growing use of internet-bought drones by drug cartels to hit rivals and civilians in regions plagued by organized crime. These areas are in fact far from the three World Cup venues: Mexico City in the center of the country, Guadalajara in the west, and Monterrey in the north. They will host 13 of the tournament's 104 matches. "(Drone prevention) is going to be focused in the stadiums and where there are crowds, which could be the 'Fan Fest' events, or any point where there are meetings of people," army Captain Jose Alfredo Lara, a communications and electronics engineer, told AFP. The soldiers will use two types of anti-drone equipment. One is a semi-mobile system that will establish a perimeter within which "no unauthorized drone will be allowed to fly." The other is a portable system that a soldier can adjust to aim towards wherever a non-authorized drone may be flying. Once the military team locates a drone, it cuts off the pilot's communication with the apparatus. "The device loses control and won't be able to come close," Lara explained. Once stopped, and depending on its configuration, the device can retreat, try to exit the range of digital interception or may totally lose control. The captain said use of drones by organized crime groups has grown over the past five years, leading the Mexican military to take actions "to be able to mitigate these types of threats." The Sinaloa cartels, the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and the Familia Michoacana all have drones in their arsenal. According to analysts from Insight Crime, their usage is concentrated in the states of Michoacan in the west, Chihuahua in the north and Guanajuato in the center of the country. In October last year, installations of the state prosecutors of the state of Baja California, in the border city of Tijuana, were attacked by drones that dropped artisanal explosives. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
18 February,2026 02:07 PM IST | Mexico City, Mexico | AFPMikel Arteta believes Arsenal and England "get the benefit" from the friendly rivalry between Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke as the duo battle to start for both club and country. Madueke has taken advantage of two spells out injured for Saka this season to make a strong impression in his debut season with the Gunners and in England's impressive World Cup qualifying campaign. Saka had nailed down his place on the right side of the attack for both club and country prior to an injury-hit 14 months. Madueke's form and injuries to Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz saw Arteta use Saka in a more central role for Sunday's 4-0 FA Cup rout over third-tier Wigan. Arteta said the two had even taken their competitive spirit to trying to outdo each other in the gym, but were great friends off the pitch. "We were in the gym and they were testing and everybody was trying to compete with each other and those two were hilarious as usual," said Arteta at a press conference ahead of Wednesday's trip to Wolves. "It is great to witness because it is natural. The way they like each other so much, they are constantly together and there is certain competition for places, but they take it from an incredible side. "The team and them get the benefit of that." Arsenal have the chance to open up a seven-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League with victory over bottom-of-the-table Wolves. Arteta's men are closing in on a first league title for 22 years and could even make history are they remain in contention for an unprecedented quadruple. Arsenal face City in the League Cup final next month, will travel to League One Mansfield in the FA Cup fifth round and cruised into the Champions League last 16 with a 100 percent record. "The position we are in is a privilege and we take it and because we have earned it," added Arteta. "Seven-and-a-half months is a long time to every single day do the right things and perform at the level we are performing. We need to embrace that." Odegaard and Havertz will miss the trip to Molineux but Arteta is hopeful both could be fit for Sunday's north London derby away to Tottenham. Defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White are available for Wednesday after injury scares against Wigan. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
18 February,2026 10:21 AM IST | London | AFPSpanish champions Barcelona fell to a damaging 2-1 defeat at Girona on Monday to leave them trailing Real Madrid by two points at the top of La Liga. Los Blancos beat Real Sociedad on Saturday to overtake the Catalans and Hansi Flick's side could not defeat Girona in an gripping derby clash to reclaim the lead. Teenage star Lamine Yamal missed a penalty for Barcelona, who took the lead through defender Pau Cubarsi just before the hour mark. However goals from Thomas Lemar and Fran Beltran helped Girona, 12th, mount an impressive comeback. "In the end Girona deserved it, they had a lot of chances, we defended very badly," admitted Flick. "We are not in a good mood, not in a good moment, I gave the team two days off because I think it's important they reset. "There's a long way (to go), we're now in second, now we have to fight for first place in the table." Barca were still licking their wounds after a heavy 4-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey first-leg semi-final last week, and this defeat made things even worse. "We have to improve because they can't score these two goals against us," Cubarsi told DAZN. "We have to be self-critical, we didn't play a great game, we have to improve, but now we have to rest and charge our batteries." Both sides were attacking with abandon in a very open first half and it was remarkable they went in goalless at the break. Raphinha whipped a shot narrowly wide and Yamal fired straight at Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga when through on goal. At the other end Ukrainian striker Vladyslav Vanat missed a slew of presentable opportunities. Ferran Torres fired a good chance wide for Barca and Raphinha drove against the upright as Flick's side pushed for the opener. They should have got it when Dani Olmo was clumsily felled in the box by Daley Blind, but Yamal hit the post from the spot. Barcelona eventually took the lead through Pau Cubarsi's header from Jules Kounde's cross after 59 minutes, but Girona swiftly pulled level. Thomas Lemar slipped away from Eric Garcia and turned home Vanat's pass from close range. It shifted the momentum in Girona's favour and Barca were left relying on some stunning saves from goalkeeper Joan Garcia to keep them afloat. The stopper denied Ivan Martin and Vanat with a remarkable double save, and then thwarted Joel Roca with his leg. - Controversial winner - Barca could not stem the tide and Girona forced their way in front after 87 minutes, with Fran Beltran stroking home from the edge of the area. The visitors, who last week made an official complaint to the Spanish football federation over perceived refereeing inconsistencies, were left fuming after Kounde was fouled by Claudio Echeverri in the build-up and it went unpunished. "It seemed like a foul (on Kounde) to me, but we shouldn't focus on decisions we can't control," said Barca defender Gerard Martin. Flick said "everyone saw" what happened and it was a "clear" foul, but he would not complain about it too much because Barca had a lot to improve on themselves. "I would speak about that if we played well, but we didn't play well, so it looks like an excuse and complaining," said Flick. "The (officials) do their job, sometimes it's not a good job, but they are on the same level as we played, so it's maybe not a good level." Girona ended the game with 10 men when Roca scythed down Yamal to cut short a desperate Barca attack deep in stoppage time. It did the job and the hosts celebrated wildly at the end with their jubilant fans at Montilivi, as Flick demanded explanations from the referee. "Three points against Barca are more than three points, normally they beat almost all teams," said happy Girona coach Michel Sanchez. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
18 February,2026 10:17 AM IST | Girona, Spain | AFPReal Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa insisted his team will be on their toes when they face a familiar foe in Benfica during the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off on Tuesday. Jose Mourinho’s team had stunned Los Blancos 2-1 in the final league stage game, to not just book their own berth in the play-off, but also scupper Real Madrid’s chance of bypassing this round altogether. Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe during a training session on Sunday. Pic/Getty Images “I hope history does not repeat itself. We are prepared for the difficulty of the match, the opponent, the atmosphere, and what awaits us on Tuesday. It’s 180 minutes, and we have to play a great game there. We cannot settle for just any result; we have to go out to win that match. We have it the loss very fresh in our minds, so we know how complicated it will be,” said Arbeloa. ThreeNo. of times Real Madrid have lost to Benfica in four meeting across all European competitions This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 February,2026 09:54 AM IST | Lisbon | AgenciesArsenal manager Mikel Arteta was delighted with the performance put up by his charges as they dispatched Wigan Athletic 4-0 in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday. The Gunners boss opted to rest key players for the cup tie, but was left surprised with the cohesiveness his much-changed side displayed. Mikel Arteta “Very happy with the results and especially the performance. You really want to show how much you want it when you play against this kind of opposition in the cup, and we certainly had that attitude, and then I was a bit surprised with the level of cohesion, because when you make that many changes, it can be lacking. But it certainly wasn’t [for us],” said Arteta. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 February,2026 08:44 AM IST | London | AgenciesManager Arne Slot hailed Mohamed Salah’s defensive contribution in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Brighton in the FA Cup fourth Round here on Saturday. Salah set up their second goal, scored by Dominik Szoboszlai, while also netting later from the spot, but what stood out for Slot was Salah’s performance without the ball — something that he has been criticised for in the past. Arne Slot “It’s very nice to have him on the scoresheet again and him having an assist. That he’s scoring goals is something you can almost expect, but what I like the most is, he’s helping the team a lot defensively. That is something very positive. It’s what we need,” said Slot. Other results Birmingham 3-5 Leeds UtdGrimsby Town 0-1 WolvesStoke City 1-2 FulhamOxford 0-1 Sunderland This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 February,2026 08:43 AM IST | Liverpool | AgenciesInjured Real Madrid ace Jude Bellingham spent his Valentine’s Day at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, watching Los Blancos take on Real Sociedad from the VIP box with his girlfriend Ashlyn Castro by his side. The pair was treated to a footballing spectacle as Real Madrid romped home to a 4-1 victory in the La Liga fixture— possibly the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for a football-loving couple.
16 February,2026 08:40 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentChelsea superstar Cole Palmer treated girlfriend Olivia Holder to a lavish holiday in Dubai as a Valentine’s Day gift. According to British tabloid The Sun, the couple flew first class to Dubai late on Thursday, and spent the next two days there. Palmer is said to have given Olivia several large bouquets on reaching the hotel, and also a gift bag from French fashion brand Chanel. They then had dinner at GAL, a top-tier restaurant, famed for its Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine. It’s also said to offer an £800 (approximately Rs 99,000) Japanese Wagyu beef dish. Interestingly, halfway across the globe in England, Palmer’s club were busy hammering Hull City in a FA Cup Round-Four tie on the very same day. Palmer, however, was rested for the match against their Championship-level opposition, and he certainly made the most of it with Olivia. The pair began dating towards the end of last year, and Olivia has been spotted attending Chelsea games ever since. Holder is a jet-setting social media influencer, who often posts pictures of herself in various exotic locations around the world.
16 February,2026 08:40 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentEngland star Harry Kane scored twice for Bayern Munich on Saturday - including his 100th successful penalty - to take his career tally to 500 for club and country, according to stats provider Opta. Kane's brace helped Bayern maintain its six-point Bundesliga lead with a 3-0 win at relegation-threatened Werder Bremen. Kane said he was only told of his achievement after the match. "It was nice. Obviously a proud achievement to reach 500 goals. It's a lot of hard work, a lot sacrifice, so nice to reach it. But as always, it's about the next one," Kane told broadcaster Dazn. "So the most important thing today is the win, the clean sheet." Kane's first goal was as a 17-year-old playing for Leyton Orient against Sheffield Wednesday in England's third tier in January 2011. He scored Saturday's goals in the first half. The penalty came in the 22nd minute after Lennart Karl was brought down. The second came four minutes later with a crisp shot in off the post from outside the penalty area for his 26th league goal of the season. Kane needed 743 games to reach 500 goals, according to Transfermarkt.de. The 32-year-old forward has 78 goals in 112 games for England. Leon Goretzka, making a rare start in his final season at Bayern, scored the team's third goal in the 70th. "We scored at the perfect situation and killed the game off," Kane said. Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer went off at half time, reportedly as a precaution, with a minor calf problem. Jonas Urbig took his place for the second period. Bayern's win means the team is highly unlikely to be overtaken by Borussia Dortmund when the two rivals meet in two weeks. Bayern's goal difference is vastly superior. Dortmund, which defeated Mainz 4-0 for its sixth consecutive league win on Friday, next visits Leipzig while Bayern hosts Eintracht Frankfurt in the 23rd round, a week before "der Klassiker" in Dortmund. Hoffenheim eyes Champions League Hoffenheim consolidated third place with a 3-0 win over Freiburg. Andrej Kramaric scored a contender for goal of the day when he lobbed the ball in from around 40 meters. But a VAR check found he was offside. Fisnik Asllani and Ozan Kabak were on target after the break for Hoffenheim before substitute Valentin Gendrey scored seconds after going on to the field in stoppage time. Battle for fourth heats up Ermedin Demirovic scored twice and Deniz Undav got the third as Stuttgart moved into fourth spot, the last place for Champions League qualification, with a 3-1 win over Cologne. Bayer Leverkusen had earlier put the pressure on Stuttgart with a 4-0 win over lowly St. Pauli. Just three points separate Stuttgart (42), Leverkusen (39) and Leipzig (39) before Leipzig hosts Wolfsburg on Sunday. Also Saturday, Hamburger SV held on for a 3-2 win over Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt enjoyed a 3-0 victory over visiting Borussia Monchengladbach. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 February,2026 08:35 AM IST | Berlin | AP | PTIADVERTISEMENT
