A dramatic tornado has been captured over Sochi in a video from a motorway – with freak weather conditions threatening Formula One qualifying as champion Lewis Hamilton skipped down the track under an umbrella.
Torrential rain has lashed the region as the Russian Grand Prix weekend attempts to continue, leaving organizers with an anxious wait to discover whether qualifying can go ahead on Saturday after a practice session was scrapped.
Those hopes took another blow as a tornado was filmed from a car, compounding fears that were raised by the sight of thunder and lightning at the track that have led to this weekend’s Formula Two opener being postponed.
“This is crazy,” said Briton Hamilton, who is likely to be keener than most to make sure the race goes smoothly after his Mercedes team dominated the sessions on Friday.
Hamilton then skipped up the track and leapt into the air under an umbrella as he cheerily targets overtaking standings leader Max Verstappen on a track that is looking a safe bet to be somewhat slick ahead of Sunday’s race.
“If qualifying isn’t able to happen today, as we’ve seen a few times before in the past, then we will re-do a program and hold qualifying on Sunday morning,” said FIA Race Director Michael Masi.
That could mean move the session, which is due to take place at 3pm local time, to Sunday morning if the extreme weather persists.
The first Formula 3 race was moved to Friday evening because of the conditions, with Norwegian Dennis Hauger being crowned champion.
“In the interest of safety, [the decision has been taken] to modify the Official Program by canceling Free Practice Session 3 due to Force Majeure,” an announcement from the race stewards said about the practice, which had been scheduled for midday.
“For the purposes of the regulations and associated time limits, Free Practice Session 3 will be considered as having taken place, except where otherwise advised by the Race Director.”
There appeared to be a glimpse of sun in Sochi as the afternoon unfolded. “As we can see already this morning, the weather’s gone up and down like a yoyo, and the intensity of the rain has been increasing, with some thunder also joining us,” Masi had said earlier.
“But effectively, the procedure today will be that we will aim to start all sessions, get everything ready from an operational perspective and then judge the conditions at the time.
“The priority from today’s perspective is obviously Formula 1 qualifying this afternoon.”
Masi called the move to switch the Formula Three race “absolutely the right decision”.
“It was torrential at the time we would have been having the F3 race. So we did that and now we’ll just sort of look at the day ahead and just take it step by step.”
UFC president Dana White says that superstar fighter Jon Jones has a lot of ‘demons’ after the former light heavyweight champion was arrested in Las Vegas on charges of ‘misdemeanour battery domestic violence’.
Jones was detained by police in Las Vegas at 5:45am local time – just hours after he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for his classic UFC 165 fight opposite Alexander Gustafsson – and will appear before a court in Sin City early on Saturday.
It is the latest legal turmoil facing one of mixed martial arts’ most dominant champions, and comes after he was arrested last year for driving while intoxicated and the negligent use of a firearm.
The 34-year-old was also arrested in 2015 after a hit-and-run incident which left a pregnant woman with a broken arm. Jones subsequently fled the scene but surrendered to authorities several hours later – with the UFC stripping Jones of his light heavyweight title as a result.
Warning: video contains swearing
Jon Jones says he and Dana White are in a good place lately, and that he believes a deal will be struck for him to fight at heavyweight next year. pic.twitter.com/JgsifttEfC
Reacting to the latest legal issues facing one of his biggest stars, White said that he is no longer surprised when he is alerted to Jones’ transgressions.
“It’s like… it’s not even shocking anymore,” White said. “When we bring him here, it’s almost expected.
“You can’t even get him in Las Vegas for less than 12 hours to induct him into the Hall of Fame. It’s a problem.
“Here we are again.”
“You can't even get him in Las Vegas for less than 12 hours…”
Dana White reacts to the news of Jon Jones' arrest just hours after he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/qokM50mPyF
“This guy’s got a lot of demons, man. A lot of demons. Is it really shocking anymore? It’s really not.
“It’s become not shocking. It’s almost like, ‘Uh oh, this guy is in Vegas, what’s gonna happen today?’
“You want to hope that the guy is better and that won’t be the case, but he proves that every time he comes to this town that he can’t handle this place.”
Jones, who hasn’t fought in the UFC since February of last year, spoke to the media hours before his arrest and, in comments which seem to have tempted fate somewhat, he said that he would have to start doing some “legally controversial sh*t” in order to boost his ability to sell pay-per-views.
“Dana, he guaranteed that he would give me an increase [in pay] in my next fight,” Jones told the media of the specifics of his return which he said will take place at heavyweight in the second quarter of 2022.
“So I’m really excited about that. I think it’s going to be pay-per-view based, so I’m going to have to work for the money I get – I’m going to have to sell the fight.
“I think that’s something I haven’t been good at in the past. Look at guys like [Conor] McGregor who just talks so much sh*t and he’s so good at it. He’s so good at marketing himself.
“I have just always focused on winning and I think when I come back as a heavyweight I’ll try and do more legally controversial sh*t so that I can sell a little more pay-per-views.”
Judging by Jones’ latest legal infraction, though, it appears that one of the best fighters in MMA history still has a little work to do in that regard.
The brother of an Afghanistan footballer who was “crushed like a bug” when he tried to cling to a plane leaving Kabul has demanded a government investigation, claiming US troops treated people “like animals”.
Youth international Zaki Anwari was crushed in the wheels of a USAF Boeing C-17 when he tried to hold on to one of the last flights leaving his country after the Taliban regained power, with his remains later said to have been found in a wheel well.
The 17-year-old’s brother, Haji Ahmed Zakaria, has revealed that Anwari’s family were debating whether to send one of their younger brothers, Nazir Khan, to attempt evacuation while the absent footballer took it upon himself to head to the Karzai International Airport, where the departing US forces had been flying people out.
“His mother called him, demanding him to return home immediately,” Zakaria told Ren TV, explaining that Anwari felt he was taking one of the only chances left to escape. “After that, he hung up.”
While the city descended into a state Zakaria described as chaos, the family received another call from Anwari’s phone 15 minutes later, picking up to hear a stranger telling them the young man was dead.
“We went to the airport, gathered friends – the whole family searched for Zaki’s body until the evening,” said Zakaria of the fruitless bid to find his dead brother.
“We asked, begged, even hid in ambulances and asked [the Americans] to take us [to his remains], but even doctors were not allowed there. We found Zaki’s body two days later.”
Zakaria accused US personnel at the airport of producing scenes that were even more traumatic than those taking place across the rest of the city.
“They crushed him like a bug. They treated the rest like animals,” he claimed. “They shot at the crowd. Why? They didn’t even want to drive anyone away, they were just having fun.
“We want Washington to conduct an investigation so that those soldiers who, as they said in our news, showed negligence, are brought to justice.
“How could they allow the death of people so that they fell from the plane? They fell off the chassis. I cannot forgive this from the Americans. I want justice. Nobody should lose relatives as we lost Zaki.”
Anwari was a high school graduate whose dream was to play for his senior national side and compete against players from other countires.
The family had planned to leave Afghanistan in order to help him chase that ambition, and they have now moved home in an attempt to ease their grief.
“In the new house there is not a single thing connected with him,” Zakaria said of his family’s approach. “Because when they see something that belongs to him, they start crying.”
A goal from Gabriel Jesus was enough to beat a lackluster Chelsea side in Saturday’s early Premier League kick-off, giving Pep Guardiola a measure of revenge on Thomas Tuchel for defeat in last season’s Champions League Final.
All eyes were on Guardiola and City after a run of three successive defeats to Tuchel’s Chelsea but it was the Spaniard who earned the bragging rights after his side suffocated the Blues, denying Romelu Lukaku and co. even a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes.
It was an unusually inert performance from Chelsea, who have been so impressive in the opening games of the season. With the team shorn of the creative influence of the injured Mason Mount, Tuchel and Chelsea were made to pay for their conservative approach.
Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus proved to be the difference maker when his 53rd-minute shot deflected off Jorginho and glided past a wrong-footed Edouard Mendy into the Chelsea goal.
Tuchel’s Chelsea have become known for their backbone throughout his reign but the German was unable to galvanize his side into a response – and it was City who looked the more likely of the two teams to score, with Mendy showcasing a series of impressive saves to keep the rampant Mancunians at bay.
Jesus could have had a second, too, but for Thiago Silva’s agile goal-line clearance while $139 million summer signing Jack Grealish was also denied on two occasions by the Senegal shot-stopper.
Debate in the press all week had suggested that Saturday’s game was among the most crucial of Guardiola’s spell in charge. Another setback against Chelsea, which would have made it four defeats on the trot in the fixture, would have plainly suggested that the Premier League champions had ceded invaluable ground to their London rivals.
1 – Man City have conceded just one goal in their six Premier League games this season – the fewest they’ve shipped at this stage of a league season in their history. Statement. pic.twitter.com/jTw7acbE9Y
Now, ahead of crucial games with Paris Saint-German in the Champions League and a Premier League trip to Anfield next weekend, it is Guardiola and his City charges who will start next week with a pep in their step.
“Today we played for each other, ran for each other and passed the ball for each other,” said a content Guardiola after the final whistle. “Now I’m watching the Ryder Cup and I’m seeing how they play for each other. That is nice when you play football too. It’s just three points of course, but the way we played was so good.
“Sometimes we believe we need a proper striker to finish, but the important thing is the way we play. The most important thing is doing it as a team and as a unit.
Guardiola on whether playing a defensive midfielder vs Chelsea was the reason Man City won (a nod to criticism about the UCL final): “When we win, the manager is a genius, when we lose, the manager is a loser. I understand everything.” #CFC#CHEMCI
Brilliant performance by @ManCity ⭕⭕⭕ our demise was greatly exaggerated by the clowns in the media all we heard was city can't score, City doesn't have a striker, we can't defend, they said we can't replicate what we did last season. I wonder what will they say now?
“It’s like last season. Sergio [Aguero] was injured all year and we won the Premier League. It’s a good way to start this fascinating week that we have ahead of us.”
As for Tuchel, he admitted that his side were second best throughout the game.
“We lost the game and City deserved to win. Until the goal, we were very strong in the last 20 metres of the field – but only there, unfortunately. Everywhere else, we were not good enough to relieve pressure and to hurt them,” said the German.
Pep Guardiola got the best of Tuchel tactically this time and that’s all there is to it. We can’t throw a fit at every game we lose, this is just a blip and I’m sure we’ll be back running again.
Got exactly what we deserved today. Bit of a shocker, that performance, City were excellent too but they wanted it more. Tuchel got it wrong but some poor displays there, might be time to try Chilwell again, Alonso had a shocker.
“The performance was not complex enough. Overall, simply, we were not at our best level. After the goal it felt a little bit like the belief in winning was bigger than the fear of losing. I don’t know why. We tried to push and get the crowd behind us. It was a very emotional game but never on our highest level.
“We conceded a goal from a set play. Even if we wanted to go for long balls for Romelu [Lukaku], it was not precise enough. I didn’t really feel the belief that we could escape the short balls. It was doubtful and it felt like we had something to lose. We lacked a little bit of freshness also.”
Reacting online, several fans were more than impressed by Guardiola’s tactical masterclass.
“Brilliant performance by Man City,” said one fan. “Our demise was greatly exaggerated by the clowns in the media. All we heard was city can’t score, City don’t have a striker, we can’t defend.
“They said we can’t replicate what we did last season. I wonder what will they say now.“
“Pep Guardiola got the best of Tuchel tactically this time and that’s all there is to it. We can’t throw a fit at every game we lose; this is just a blip and I’m sure we’ll be back running again,” wrote one Chelsea fan.
“Got exactly what we deserved today. Bit of a shocker, that performance, City were excellent too but they wanted it more. Tuchel got it wrong but there were some poor displays there. It might be time to try [full-back Ben] Chilwell again, and [defender Marcos] Alonso had a shocker,” said a third.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future at Old Trafford has again been called into question, with #OleOut trending on Twitter in the wake of Manchester United’s surprise 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.
A late Kortney Hause header was enough for the Villans to secure a shock three points and their first win at United in 12 years – and the manner of the defeat has raised further questions about Solskjaer’s long-term future at the club.
Solksjaer included two of his big money recruits and left Jadon Sancho on the bench, but neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Raphael Varane could help their new side avoid defeat – especially after Bruno Fernandes skied a 93rd-minute penalty into Row Z of the Stretford End in injury time as United surrendered their unbeaten start to their Premier League campaign.
In truth, it could have been worse. Matt Targett and Ollie Watkins both missed gilt-edged opportunities, while Ezri Konsa nodded a header over the bar and Watkins again forced an impressive stop from David de Gea in the second half.
This fraud shouldn't be Manutd manager by tomorrow.
Fernandes’ woeful late penalty was a fitting end for Solksjaer’s men, who created 28 shooting opportunities in the game – wasting every single one of them.
It was also the first time Ronaldo has failed to score after rejoining the club from Juventus in August.
The result caps a miserable few days on the red half of Manchester, coming after they were eliminated from the EFL Cup on Wednesday by West Ham.
United also failed to find the net at home on that occasion as part of a run of three defeats from their past four games, including a 2-1 loss to unheralded Young Boys in the Champions League.
Manchester United with players like Ronaldo, Pogba, Varane, Cavani just lost to Aston Villa at Old Trafford for the first time since 2009. Progress?#OleOutpic.twitter.com/Q9etoTSICG
This latest example of United’s patchy form has again commanded a chorus of #OleOut hashtags on social media as the pressure rises on the under-fire Norwegian boss.
“Thank you for 1999, you’re still a legend – but you have to go,” wrote one critic on social media.
“Manchester United, with players like Ronaldo, [Paul] Pogba, Varane, [Edinson] Cavani, just lost to Aston Villa at Old Trafford for the first time since 2009. Progress?” added another.
“Great player, sh*t manager,” wrote a third. “Sack Ole. Save the season.”
