Day: December 17, 2021

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Premier League star sent off for ‘crazy’ 30-second moments of madness (VIDEO)

Premier League star Raul Jimenez has been widely mocked on social media after receiving a bizarre red card for two incidents in 31 seconds that were his own doing.

Away at champions Manchester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers were holding their own approaching half time with the score tied at 0-0.

In added minutes, however, Jimenez put obstacles in his team’s way by reducing them to 10 men in a moment of madness.

First booked for fouling Rodri around the halfway line, as City boss Pep Guardiola was caught on camera throwing his arms around in disbelief, the Mexican then stood in the Spaniard’s way and prevented him from taking the resulting free kick. 

Referee Jon Moss had seen enough by that point, and gave him a second yellow which sent Jimenez for an early bath.

Ridiculed by the home crowd, the striker applauded them sarcastically. Online, the reception was no warmer.

Called an “idiot”, Jimenez was blasted for a “stupid mistake from an international footballer”, though Rodri had been “very clever” in setting him up for his fall.

A more articulate review was that Jimenez had provided the perfect example of “the existential red card”.

“Watching Raul Jimenez being sent off for Wolves against Manchester City was almost like watching someone go through the five stages of athletic grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. It was epic and spiritual,” the popular Twitter user added.

Not everyone joined the pile on, though.

The anti-City brigade accused the Abu Dhabi-backed giants of “buying” the referee, and found the dismissal “harsh”.

Holding the fort until almost halfway through the second half, Wolves eventually succumbed to their hosts. 

This happened when Moss awarded a controversial penalty after Joao Moutinho was struck in the armpit by the ball, which did nothing to calm down the conspiracy brigade.

And with Raheem Sterling converting from the spot, City went four points clear at the top of the table with title rivals Liverpool and Chelsea still yet to play later this afternoon. 

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The success of a transgender US college swimmer is a disturbing microcosm of a broader threat

The response to the domination of transgender US college swimmer Lia Thomas proves that female athletes are facing a very real threat from male-born rivals. Suggesting anything otherwise is downright dangerous.

Competing in a debut season as a member of the women’s team at the University of Pennsylvania, trans swimmer Thomas has proceeded to blow her rivals out of the water.

A host of records have tumbled. In one particularly embarrassing episode, the 22-year-old former man beat a female-born teammate by 38 seconds at a race meet in Ohio last weekend.

Thomas pictured before transitioning. © Twitter / Penn State University



After dishing out one beatdown in the pool, Thomas is alleged to have bragged: “That was so easy, I was cruising.”

Then known as ‘Will’, Thomas spent three years on the Penn men’s team before transitioning.

At least in the swimming pool, she has rarely looked back since.

More record-breaking feats seem likely before season is out, and Thomas is unabashed in the face of any criticism.

“I’m proud of my times, my ability to keep swimming and to continue competing,” Thomas told SwimSwam.com this week.

“They’re suited up times. I’m happy with them and my coaches are happy with them.”  

Restricted to US college sport, the splash surrounding Thomas might seem minor – but in reality, it says much about how those in power are negligently turning a blind eye to the harm being done.

That damage starts with Thomas’ teammates. They are said to have been “strongly advised” not to talk to the media about the situation, even though some are clearly upset.

That policy is typical among advocates for the unfettered rights of trans athletes: stifle any debate, ignore any evidence, and slander any critics.    

Thomas competed as Will before becoming Lia. © Instagram / Facebook



Nonetheless, at least two UPenn swimmers have bravely spoken out – albeit on condition of anonymity for fear of backlash from the university or activists.

“Honestly, this is so upsetting to us because we want to be acknowledged for our hard work, but it seems like this just keeps overshadowing us,” one swimmer told OutKick.

“Put Lia out of the picture, we have a really good team this year. We have one of the best teams we’ve had in years, and that’s being overshadowed…

“We train every single day and give up so much for this sport. And I love swimming. I do it because I love it. It’s been a part of my life forever, and this is a slap in the face that the NCAA doesn’t care about the integrity of women’s sports.”

That’s exactly it: a sucker punch for women’s college sports. Yet all the while, the authorities appear to be blindly sticking to the line that Thomas is eligible to compete.

NCAA rules state that trans women are free to do so, provided they have completed one year of testosterone suppression treatment.

That requirement of 12 months has already been questioned by some – including in a British Journal of Sports Medicine paper published in December 2020.

Thomas is said to be two-and-a-half years into hormone replacement therapy, but some have wondered whether any amount of testosterone suppression is enough to reverse the inherent benefits that passing through puberty as a male can confer.

Shamefully, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stuck its head back in the sand on the debate over trans participation in sport.

New guidelines in November suggested that testosterone reduction should not be an automatic requirement for trans women, while passing the buck to individual sports to make decisions on where the line should be drawn – if at all.

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Transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand competed at the Tokyo Olympics. © Reuters
Trans athletes can compete with females without reducing testosterone – IOC

Commenting on the situation at UPenn, Sports science specialist Ross Tucker said: “This is a volatile situation that will only get worse and expand.

“It’s happened because those in charge have ignored the science (and often the law) and failed to protect women’s rights. But instead of fixing it, they bow to threats and advise those directly affected to stay silent.”

Meanwhile, Thomas’ teammates and rivals from other colleges are the ones losing out.

“Pretty much everyone individually has spoken to our coaches about not liking this,” a source told OutKick.

“Our coach [Mike Schnur] just really likes winning. He’s like most coaches. I think secretly everyone just knows it’s the wrong thing to do.” 

Thomas will keep on winning in the pool – but at what cost to women’s college sports in the US?

By Liam Tyler   

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

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Verstappen clinches pole for F1 title decider with Hamilton

Max Verstappen has taken pole position for the F1 title-deciding Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi as he seeks to wrestle the world championship from Lewis Hamilton.

Vying for a maiden world championship crown, Verstappen clocked a stunning lap time of 1:22.109 at the start of Q3 on Saturday with help from Red Bull teammate Serio Perez.

Sacrificing his own lap, the Mexican gave him a straight-line speed advantage.

“Oh yes!” roared the 24-year-old Verstappen on the team radio as pole was confirmed at the Yas Marina circuit.

“Didn’t expect that one but amazing job guys!”

Finishing in second 0.371 seconds behind Verstappen, defending champion Hamilton could do nothing but tip his hat.

“That was a fantastic lap from him,” accepted the Brit. “We just couldn’t compete with that time.”

Level on 369.5 points, the rival pair will start on the front row together on Sunday with seven-time ruler Hamilton of Mercedes trying to surpass Michael Schumacher in the all-time championship stakes.

A strategy twist to the final meeting of the 2021 F1 season however is that they will start on different tires, with Verstappen on soft and Hamilton on medium.

This came after the former was forced into switching to softs during the second session after locking his breaks and subsequently damaging one of his medium tires, which defines the starting tire for the main event.

“I felt good on both tires,” said Verstappen. “In the evening, it is a bit cooler so a bit easier for the soft tires.

“We will see tomorrow,” he stressed, paving the way for what is certain to be a thrilling finale if the twists and turns of the past few weeks are anything to go by.

Separated by just a single win, Verstappen (9) clinched two consecutive GPs in the US and Mexico before Hamilton (8) embarked on a trio of victories in Brazil, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.  

READ MORE: F1 ad ignites fury with ‘Merry Christmas’ message (VIDEO)

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Russian football fan dies in stadium

The Russian Premier League is investigating after a fan tragically died in the stands at the match between Krylia Sovetov and Rubin Kazan in the city of Samara on Saturday.

The supporter reportedly fell ill towards the end of the match and continued to receive treatment after the whistle but was unable to be revived.

“A 50-year-old spectator felt unwell at the end of the match,” read a statement from the RPL.

“Doctors arrived in time and carried out resuscitation for half an hour but could not save the victim’s life.”

The statement expressed condolences to the late fan’s loved ones and stated that preliminarily information was that the fan had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.

Krylia Sovetov also issued a message of condolence, while the RPL said it would undertake an investigation with the club into the tragedy. 

Saturday’s match against Rubin was played in sub-zero temperatures at the Samara Arena and ended in a 2-0 victory for the hosts.

According to reports in the Russian media, doctors began their resuscitation efforts 10 minutes towards the end of the game and continued until around 30 minutes after the final whistle.

An ambulance was at the stadium but the fan was not moved from the stands for treatment, Sport24 reported.

Footage online showed part of the efforts from medical staff.

In a tragic coincidence, a steward died at the same stadium following a match between the same teams in 2019.

On that occasion, the worker was also said to have suffered a cardiac arrest.

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A fan suffered an emergency during the Watford vs Chelsea match. © Reuters
Two Premier League matches hit by medical emergencies on same night

Saturday’s tragedy in Russia follows a spate of medical emergencies in the crowd in matches in the English Premier League.

The match between Newcastle and Tottenham was halted back in October after a supporter suffered a cardiac arrest.

Earlier in December, there were two incidents on the same night as fans required treatment at games featuring Watford and Chelsea and Southampton and Leicester.

On all three occasions the fans recovered.    

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‘It’s all going off’: Furious Chelsea & Leeds players clash after penalty drama (VIDEO)

Chelsea and Leeds United players were involved in a furious bust-up at full time after a controversial late penalty decided the result of their Premier League clash.

Thomas Tuchel’s men came out on top with a 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, putting them two points adrift of league leaders Manchester City and just a point behind second-placed Liverpool.  

The Blues suffered an early scare when Raphinha put away a 28th-minute penalty for the visitors, but Mason Mount scored on the stroke of half-time before Jorginho bagged a brace from the penalty spot.

Netted in the 94th minute, it was his second effort from 12 yards out that caused the most controversy after Joe Gelhardt’s equalizer had seemed set to earn Marcelo Bielsa’s side a hard-earned point.

In injury time, though, Antonio Rudiger went down after a soft challenge from Mateusz Klich, which saw the west Londoners awarded the chance to snatch victory, which Jorginho relished.

A scuffle then broke out past the full-time whistle which Rudiger was heavily involved in along with ex-Barcelona fullback Junior Firpo representing the Yorkshiremen.

The German was heavily criticized for “getting stuck in now after he’s thrown himself to the floor all game,” and “acting like a big, tough man” only when the match had finished.

But others approved of the confrontation in general saying that it was “exactly what you want to see”.

“All this hugging and laughing and joking with each other nonsense has to stop. Show a bit of heart and passion,” it was demanded.

“Proper football played in the right way with the right emotions. Love to see it.”

Supporters of the title challengers bickered among themselves on social media, but the irony in this had to be pointed out as all three of Chelsea, City and Liverpool had decisive penalties awarded to them on Saturday afternoon.

In the early kick-off, Pep Guardiola’s charges struggled to dispatch a Wolves outfit reduced to 10 men thanks to Raul Jimenez’s bizarre 31-second double booking.

On 66 minutes, however, Raheem Sterling converted a dubious penalty given after the ball smashed Joao Moutinho in the armpit. 

Over at Anfield, Steven Gerrard’s return should have been the main talking point in a meeting between the team now manages, Aston Villa, and boyhood club Liverpool.

And while Tyrone Mings was at fault for clipping Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian is not known for being the most honest player when it comes to winning penalties and did once more here before sealing another 1-0 win for the Liverpool from the spot. Additionally, Gerrard also felt that Salah fouled Mings first. 

With Saturday’s developments it stayed tight at the top as a usually decisive packed Christmas and New Year calendar which separates the men from the boys approaches.