Month: December 2021

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F1 chief accused of breaking his own rules as fuming fans make his words haunt him

F1’s race director has faced a furious backlash from fans and could even lose his job after he was accused of going back on his own words in the controversial conclusion to Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Australian Michael Masi, who has been in his position since 2019, has faced intense criticism since the race amid claims that he ignored the sport’s regulations in order to generate the sensational final lap which saw Belgian-Dutchman Verstappen pass Hamilton to claim his first ever world title.

Masi’s critics maintain that he gave an incorrect go-ahead for the safety car to be removed from the track following an earlier accident involving Williams driver Nicholas Latifi, affording Verstappen – who was on fresher tyres – an opportunity to eat into Hamilton’s lead before passing him on Turn Five and fighting off two desperate overtake attempts from the Englishman before he crossed the finish line.

The scandal has deepened after some viewers brought up an incident involving driver Lando Norris at the Eiffel Grand Prix in October 2018.

On that occasion, Masi allowed for the entire field of 10 lapped cars to un-lap themselves while the safety car was deployed. It was a move which led to extreme criticism of Masi, with the move taking a full six laps to complete.

Masi said at the time: “There’s a requirement in the sporting regulations to wave all the lapped cars past. From that point, it was position six onwards that were still running [on the lead lap], so between 10 or 11 cars had to un-lap themselves.”

The remarks appear to directly contradict Masi’s decisions in Abu Dhabi, leading to outrage among many.

The five cars that were allowed to un-lap themselves in the final Grand Prix of the season were the same five whose track positions were between first-placed Hamilton and Verstappen in second.

Masi also appeared to ignore guidelines which state that the safety car is to be withdrawn on the lap after cars un-lap themselves, instead ordering its removal to allow one final lap of racing between the two world title rivals. 

Hamilton’s Mercedes team have argued that, had the correct regulations been followed, their driver would have won the World Championship.

“Michael Masi and the FIA should be ashamed,” raged one critic. “Giving a driver an unfair advantage in breach of their own rules, then saying, ‘tough, I’m the race director’ is nothing short of madness. The wrong driver is the world champion.”

Another said: “Michael Masi determined the outcome of this championship. He used his discretion to interpret the rules in a way they have never been interpreted before to create a restart from which there was only going to be one winner. That is not his job.”

Masi’s job could be under threat after his apparent manipulation of the rules which led to the Hollywood-style ending, according to Fox Sports.

While a storm gathers around Masi, Hamilton put his heartbreak behind him by receiving a British honor at the Royal Family’s Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

The Prince of Wales gave Hamilton his official recognition for services to motorsport in the ceremony, which came after he was named on the New Year Honors 2021 list in January.

Hamilton’s mother, Carmen, joined him at the castle as he become the fourth Formula 1 driver in history to be knighted, following in the footsteps of Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Jack Brabham.

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Ex-UFC star Lee makes McGregor claim after joining Khabib’s Eagle FC (VIDEO)

Ex-UFC title contender Kevin Lee has moved to Miami to join Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC at its new base as the former champion continues to build his promotion beyond Russia – and the new signing had words about Conor McGregor.

Former lightweight king Nurmagomedov revealed that his championship will be introducing 165lb and 175lb weight divisions as it continues to grow, adding Lee – who spent seven-and-a-years with the UFC – to the lighter new category.

Sitting alongside Sergei Kharitonov, who will headline Eagle FC’s first event in the US when he faces Tyrone Spong on January 28, Lee inevitably fielded questions about the desire he expressed to face Nurmagomedov during his career.

Lee called out Nurmagomedov in December 2018 and appeared to question the calibre of opponents the Dagestani had faced in August 2021.

“Life is amazing sometimes,” said the 29-year-old, claiming that the presence of Nurmagomedov had persuaded him to sign for his new promotion.

“I’ve said a lot about the man in the past; I’ve said I wanted to fight him and test myself against him.

“I only want to do that with people I respect. Since his retirement, that respect has grown – so I’m happy to go in there and shed some blood.

“It’s better to be partners and work together on this and grow something without having to fight each other.

“By doing this, I think we can move the sport on from the bullsh*t, the Conor McGregor style of trash-talking and all this.

“I haven’t hit my prime yet and, to have him help me get to my prime, that’s more important than us fighting each other.

“Free agency is amazing. I had so many offers and really got to test what I was worth. I chose to go with Khabib because he’s been there and done that, he’s a great champion. The evolution of the sport is for us to become our own promoters.”

When Nurmagomedov retired from the sport with an unbeaten record in October 2020, he ended a career that included a win over McGregor in 2018 which was acrimonious even by his opponent’s foul-mouthed standards.

Nurmagomedov said the full range of divisions in his championship have not been decided.

“I’m really grateful that Eagle FC is willing to do a 165lb division – I think it’s going to benefit a lot of guys,” enthused Lee, who fought at the 155lb lightweight limit and 170lb welterweight cut-off for the UFC.

“I’m the best in the world at that weight; I’ve said that for a long time and it’s a big part of the reason why I’m coming over.

“There’s never been a world champion at 165; there have been champions at 155, at 170. I’ll be the first one and it feels nice to make a little piece of history for mixed martial arts. 

“A 165 division is brand new but, when we look back on this in future generations and times, this will be the first one and I think that will be history in the making.

“They’ve done it in boxing, they’ve added weight classes, then people come after them. That’s what we’re doing here.”

His newest signing’s relocation is a sign of the globe-crossing appeal Nurmagomedov wants Eagle FC to have, and he said that women’s divisions could also be created in the future.

“I don’t want people to call this a promotion from Russia,” he explained. “This is now a global promotion. Our headquarters are going to be here in Miami.

“We’re still going to make events around the world but our home is going to be here in Miami. Next year, we will make maybe seven or eight shows here.

“If we talk about 2023, we are going to make a couple of shows every month. Next year, we have a very big year. It’s very exciting and I can’t wait.”

Lee lost on his final UFC outing in August, a result he hopes to reverse when he makes his expected return on March 11. He remains impressed by Nurmagomedov and his new employers.

“I’ve seen his rise through the UFC, I know how hard it is to be a champion and how hard it is to stay a champion,” he said.

“That’s one thing, but then I was able to see what he was able to do outside the cage in supporting his teammates and training other people. Now he’s getting into promoting and I give him credit for that.

“It’s amazing. Walking into this building feels like a fresh start. I can feel a new energy and to be around a great champion – and great champions in the past – I feel like it’s big shoes to fill and I’m here to do that.”

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Female UFC fighter explains sickening move on rival

UFC scrapper Priscila Cachoeira has defended herself over a repeated eye gouge on her opponent that was described as “so dirty” by broadcaster Joe Rogan in his live analysis of the Brazilian’s defeat.

On a weekend to forget at UFC 269 in Las Vegas, ‘Pedrita’ missed weight badly ahead of her fight with Gillian Robertson.

The 31-year-old flyweight then clearly appeared to poke her finger in Robertson’s eye at close range in a fruitless and unedifying attempt to stop ‘The Savage’ from submitting her.

Fans were horrified by the footage from the first-round stoppage. “She definitely looked like she was trying to stick her finger in her eye,” Rogan told viewers, while former champion Daniel Cormier pointed out that Cachoeira had gone at Robertson’s eye more than once.

“100 percent, that’s so dirty. Cheating, missing weight… scratching the eye. That is so nasty.”

Cachoeira has now insisted that the gruesome move was a last-ditch attempt to stay in the fight with no malice involved.

“It wasn’t my intention to [gouge] her eye when she was on my back,” the disgraced brawler told MMA Fighting of her first defeat in more than two years.

“I didn’t know it was going in the direction of her eye. My intention was to go for her neck and push it.

“That was my intention but I was desperate, almost snoring, and it’s a matter of survival, right?

“I want to get it off. But it wasn’t my intention to hit her eyes. Never. I’m a professional and I’ve already apologized to her in person and via Instagram, and she was super cool.

“Critics will come, right? There’s no other way. I’ll wait for the dust to settle and work to come back stronger.”

Fans were predictably unconvinced. “I’ll believe that when my sh*t turns purple and smells like rainbow sherbet,” scorned one.

“Even if somehow the first one was unintentional, she felt the eyeball and did it again. Ludicrous, I tell ya,” said another.

Cachoeira, who was was fined 30 percent of her purse for her weight miss, said she had fallen ill days before arriving in Las Vegas but had taken the fight despite having flu and a faver.

“I’ll fix my mistakes,” she added to the outlet. “I apologize once again for what happened. It won’t happen again.

“It was a matter of survival, right? But I didn’t know I was gouging her eyes. She was on my back – how would I know? If I had to suffer any punishment it would come at that moment.”

A smiling Robertson said after the fight that she had hoped the referee, who appeared to be intently inspecting the situation, would stop the contest.

“I don’t even think he gave her a warning because there was two that were pretty clear that I felt [involved a] thumb straight in my eye,” she said.

“But I was just trying to squeeze, squeeze. Before the first one, I actually felt her body go limp a little bit, so I thought she was out and then I felt the thumb go straight in my eye. I was like, ‘Oh, she’s not out. OK.”

The fighter who set a submissions record on the night said she had “let it slide” over her rival’s saga on the scales.

“Sometimes I guess you don’t really know what’s going through her head,” she added.

“I don’t know. She was probably in a moment of desperation, didn’t really have a defense, so her defense was her eye gouge.

“I don’t necessarily have any hard feelings towards her for that or professionally.

“Like I said, it’s not great to miss weight, but other than that, it is what it is. We fought it out and we can hug at the end of the day.”

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‘Only one answer’ on booster vaccines, insists Liverpool boss Klopp (VIDEO)

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed how his squad has reacted to being offered booster jabs, adding that there are “no two possible answers” for people who are offered the chance to take another vaccine dose.

The UK is currently battling the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, with a record 78,610 new cases recorded on Wednesday. 

In a bid to stem a ‘tidal wave’ of the disease, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans to give a million booster shots to the public on top of the two Covid vaccine jabs they have already been offered.

With plan B already affecting football – fans must now show ‘vaccine passports’ to attend matches – Liverpool coach Klopp was probed for his thoughts on boosters and also revealed that potential new signings will not be discarded based on whether they have had their jabs or not, offering a less emphatic view than Reds club legend Steven Gerrard, who now manages Aston Villa.

Gerrard said his staff would “look at everything” when they search for new players during the January transfer window, adding that he was “sure” the issue of whether players being vaccinated will arise.

Ahead of Liverpool’s match against Newcastle, though, Klopp admitted on the same topic: “I didn’t think about it, to be honest. I don’t know.”

“Who knows where we will be, in which situation the world will be, when we start signing players again,”  he added. “But it’s not important at the moment.

“The whole thing, the whole vaccination thing, is for me a massive question of solidarity, loyalty and togetherness.

“We all have the chance to help not only ourselves but other people as well by getting vaccinated.”

Some people have been critical and suspicious of the need for a booster. Johnson has ambitiously said he wants everyone to receive another jab by the end of 2021, and the UK National Health Service says a booster dose “helps improve the protection you have from your first 2 doses of the vaccine.”

“It helps give you longer-term protection against getting seriously ill from Covid-19,” it added.

Klopp is unequivocal on the debate. “There are no two possible answers; there is only one answer, so you do it. That’s how I understand it,” he said.

“It’s not only the squad, everyone who is working here at the AXA Training Centre is at least double-vaccinated and will get a booster as soon as possible for him or her.”

This is not the first time that Klopp has been so outspoken on this subject. In October, when he claimed 99 percent of his title-challenging squad were vaccinated, he compared those that hadn’t followed suit to drink-driving.

“We all probably were in a situation where we had a beer or two and thought we still could drive but, [because of] the law, we are not allowed to drive anywhere, so we don’t drive,” the German said.

“But this law is not there for protecting me when I drink two beers and want to drive: it’s for protecting all the other people because I’m drunk or p*ssed and we accept that as a law.”

Three recent Premier League games have been called off due to the spread of Omicron, with a season high of 42 positive tests announced last week.

With five fixtures in 12 days in the packed Christmas and New Year calendar, losing players would be a nightmare for Liverpool and Klopp.

Deep down, though, the 54-year-old might welcome some postponements given his repeated gripes about the heavy scheduling in the past.

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‘Craziest shot ever’: NBA hero stuns world with miraculous last-second 61ft winner (VIDEO)

A colossally sharp-shooting basketball star has been hailed for a “ridiculous” effort that decided a game with little more than a second to go – and some have called the extraordinarily dramatic finish to the contest “impossible”.

With 1.4 seconds left in a razor-tight showdown between hosts Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans, guard Devonte Graham collected possession in a seemingly benign area of the Paycom Center court.

The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just scored to level the game at 110 apiece, leaving any sensible fan around the arena readying themselves for overtime as the end of a thrilling tussle neared.

That was when Graham gloriously intervened. Perhaps taking inspiration from Gilgeous-Alexander’s successful 30ft shot seconds earlier, the 26-year-old went considerably better with an outlandish effort from way out to give the Pelicans victory in sensational style.

“Incredible,” roared one commentator as Graham was mobbed by his teammates before racing off court despite the best attempts of astonished fans to congratulate him on his epic last-gasp act. “Get out of here before they review it.”

His co-commentator thundered: “It’s good, it’s good. They can review it all they want to: this is good.”

At 61 feet out, the staggering buzzer-beater is said to be the longest ever final shot in an NBA game in 25 years.

“The most impossible finish to an NBA game you will ever see,” gushed NBA host Rob Perez, spelling out his thoughts entirely in capitals.

“Imagine paying all that money to [watch] your home team lose to a shot like that,” added another. “RIP.”

One viewer called the conclusion “literally the craziest basketball sequence I’ve ever seen,” although they qualified that view by saying they “just didn’t feel the emotion” – an understandable state of affairs given that the shot silenced the home crowd and was followed by the players rushing off.

Graham modestly said he was “just playing around” and reportedly pledged to hand the game ball to his mother or grandmother.

“When I was at [college in] Kansas, I used to shoot half-court shots every game, every practice – trick shots and stuff like that,” the instant hero recalled.

“You never know, you might get into that situation one day, just like today. And it ends up paying out for you.”

ESPN Stats and Info said that the game was the first in 25 season to contain more than one shot from at least 30 feet away to tie or decide the game within the final five seconds of action.