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Neymar given two game ban, Racisim claim will be investigated.

Paris St-Germain forward Neymar has been banned for two games after being sent off against Marseille – but French football authorities will investigate his accusation of racial abuse.

The Brazil international was the last of five red cards in Sunday’s bad-tempered Ligue 1 match after he hit Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez.

Neymar later accused his opponent of racism on social media and urged the authorities to use VAR to investigate.

Gonzalez has denied Neymar’s claim.

The other four players sent off have also received bans – with PSG defender Layvin Kurzawa suspended for six matches.

His team-mate Leandro Paredes has been banned for two games – while for Marseille, Jordan Amavi has received a three-match suspension and Dario Benedetto must sit out one game.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), the governing body of professional French football, has confirmed it will investigate Neymar’s accusation.

PSG said they will “strongly support” their player, while Marseille released a statement saying: “Alvaro Gonzalez is not racist; he demonstrated it to us by his daily behaviour since joining the club, as his team-mates have already testified.”

Angel di Maria, Neymar’s PSG team-mate, will also be summoned to the LFP’s disciplinary commission meeting on 23 September following claims he spat at Marseille’s Gonzalez.

Neymar, Paredes, Kurzawa, Amavi and Benedetto, were dismissed after a brawl broke out in added time at the end the match at the Parc des Princes, which Marseille won 1-0.

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Martinez Joins Aston Villa

Aston Villa have signed goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez from fellow Premier League side Arsenal for £17m.

The 28-year-old Argentine, who made 23 appearances last season and played in the Gunners’ FA Cup final win over Chelsea, has signed a four-year deal.

Villa manager Dean Smith said Martinez will be a “key player for our club for the long term”.

“It is rare to be able to buy a top-class goalkeeper who hasn’t yet reached their peak age,” he added.

“We know how highly Arsenal rated him and we watched his outstanding performances last season in a trophy-winning, top side.”

Martinez leaves Arsenal 10 years after joining as a youth team player in 2010.

Gunners manager Mikel Arteta decided Bernd Leno would be his first choice this season and the German started Arsenal’s Premier League opener on Saturday – a 3-0 victory at Fulham.

He is Villa’s third recruit of the summer after striker Ollie Watkins signed from Brentford for a club record fee and right-back Matty Cash arrived from Nottingham Forest.

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Newcastle qualify for next round of carabao cup

Ryan Fraser scored on his debut to help Newcastle beat Championship side Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup.

Fraser latched on to a clever Miguel Almiron through ball and slotted home midway through the first half.

Blackburn dominated possession throughout but lacked the cutting edge to prise open a stubborn Newcastle defence.

Steve Bruce’s side hung on to earn a trip to Morecambe in the third round next week.

The hosts made 10 changes from the side that confidently beat West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday and it showed in a disjointed performance.

Indeed, it was often Blackburn who looked the more impressive with their slick passing and clever interplay.

But Newcastle had the crucial goalscoring quality in the shape of summer signing Fraser.

The former Bournemouth man was otherwise quiet but he gave an indication of what he can do with a composed finish.

“The only bit of quality we showed all night was the goal,” said Bruce. “It was a great ball, a great run and Ryan stuck it in well.

“Considering he hasn’t played since March, his effort, endeavour and enthusiasm was there for everybody to see.”

Joelinton had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half but otherwise Newcastle’s second string rarely threatened Thomas Kaminski’s goal.

However, Newcastle fans will not mind and will be excited at the prospect of Fraser linking up again with Callum Wilson as the Magpies host Brighton in the league on Sunday.

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Aubameyang extends Arsenal contract

Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has signed a new three-year deal with the club.

The 31-year-old striker joined the Gunners in January 2018 and won the Premier League Golden Boot in his first full season in 2018-19.

“Signing for this special club was never in doubt,” he said.

“I believe in Arsenal. We can achieve big things together. We have something exciting here and I believe the best is to come for Arsenal.”

Aubameyang’s contract was due to expire at the end of the 2020-21 season meaning he would have been free to talk to other clubs from January.

The Gabon striker scored in Arsenal’s victory at Fulham on Saturday, the first game of the new Premier League season.

He also scored two goals against Chelsea in the FA Cup final in July, securing the Gunners’ place in next season’s Europa League.

“It was important for Pierre-Emerick to stay with us,” said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

“He’s a superb player with an incredible mentality. Being the player to have taken the least amount of time to reach 50 goals with this club tells you everything you need to know about him and his way of working.

“He’s an important leader for the team and a big part of what we’re building. He wants to be up there with the best players in the world and leave his mark. He can achieve that here.”

Since joining Arsenal, for a then club-record £56m, Aubameyang has scored 72 goals in 111 appearances in all competitions. In 86 Premier League appearances he has scored 55 goals and made 12 assists.

The 2015 African Footballer of the Year was made captain in November after midfielder Granit Xhaka was stripped of the role by Arteta’s predecessor Unai Emery.

This summer Arsenal have signed Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes for 26m euros (£23.14m) from Lille, brought in former Chelsea forward Willian on a free transfer and re-signed Dani Ceballos on loan from Real Madrid.

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Dortmund progress to next round as Bellignham scores

Jude Bellingham marked his Borussia Dortmund debut with a goal and Jadon Sancho also scored as the German giants beat 10-man Duisburg in the first round of the German Cup.

Seventeen-year-old Bellingham, who joined Dortmund from Birmingham City in the summer, drove in his side’s second midway through the first half.

Sancho had made it 1-0 with a penalty.

Duisburg had Dominic Volkmer sent off before Erling Braut Haaland, Gio Reyna and Marco Reus added further goals.

Sancho is Manchester United’s top transfer target this summer but Borussia Dortmund are becoming increasingly confident of keeping the England forward, who impressed along with Bellingham in the first half of Monday’s game.

Goals for the pair meant it was the first time in Borussia Dortmund’s history that two Englishmen had started and scored in the same match for the club.

And Bellingham’s strike earned him a place in the club’s record books as the youngest scorer in their 110-year history.

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Jack Grealish signs new contract

Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish has signed a new five-year deal with the club.

The 25-year-old England playmaker had been linked with a move away from Villa Park this summer but announced he is staying on the club’s social media.

Grealish has been with his hometown club since he was eight-years-old, making his debut in the 2013-14 season.

“It is my club, my home and I am very happy here,” Grealish said after agreeing the new contract on Tuesday.

The attacking midfielder, who made his first appearance for England against Denmark last week, has signed a contract until 2025.

“We are determined to build a top team around him and are delighted he is extending his contract and committing himself to the club he loves,” Villa chief executive Christian Purslow said.

Villa begin their Premier League campaign at home to Sheffield United on Monday after Grealish played a key role in the club retaining its place in the top flight last season.

He made 36 league appearances during 2019-20, scoring eight goals including in the 1-1 draw against West Ham United which secured Premier League survival on the final day of the elongated season.

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Five sent off as PSG lose again

Neymar was one of five players sent off after an injury-time brawl as Marseille beat Paris St-Germain in Ligue 1.

As he left the pitch, PSG’s Brazil forward told the fourth official he had heard a racist comment.

Florian Thauvin scored the only goal as PSG lost their opening two league games for the first time since 1984-85.

Home substitutes Leandro Paredes and Layvin Kurzawa, and Marseille’s Jordan Amavi and Dario Benedetto, were dismissed along with Neymar.

The referee watched a video assistant referee (VAR) replay of a punch by Neymar before showing the 28-year-old a straight red card.

After the match, Neymar posted on social media to say that his “only regret” was not hitting Marseille’s Spanish defender Alvaro Gonzalez in the face, having struck him on the back of the head.

In response, Gonzalez denied claims of any wrongdoing, posting on social media: “There is no place for racism.”

In the post-match news conference Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas said: “There is no place for racism in football but I don’t think that was the case.

“We’ll have to look at it.”

The game, which was watched by a crowd of about 5,000 fans at the Parc des Princes, was fractious even before that late brawl. There were 17 cards shown, a record for a Ligue 1 game in the 21st Century.

The injury-time drama started when Marseille’s Benedetto nudged Paredes in the back, with the PSG midfielder then punching him to the ground before appearing to headbutt Alvaro.

A melee broke out, with Kurzawa and Amavi punching and kicking each other.

Benedetto and Paredes were shown second yellow cards, with Kurzawa and Amavi given straight reds.

The VAR review showed Neymar had punched Alvaro, a player he had been in a running battle with, and the forward was shown a straight red card, having earlier been booked.

Alvaro had also been involved in a big first-half flashpoint when he suggested Angel di Maria spat at him.

Di Maria was one of seven PSG players – along with Neymar – to test positive for coronavirus before the season started, although he had since provided a negative test.

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Miami Heat reach Eastern confrence finals

The Heat’s Jimmy Butler collected 17 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday’s win over Milwaukee Bucks

The Miami Heat reached the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2014 with a 4-1 series win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Florida.

The Heat found points from all over the court as six players hit double figures to seal a 103-94 victory.

They have not reached the Eastern finals since being led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade six years ago.

James, meanwhile, scored 36 points for the Los Angeles Lakers as they took a 2-1 lead over the Houston Rockets.

The 112-102 win in the best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final series saw James set a new NBA record of 162 play-off victories, across his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat and the Lakers.

“It says that I’ve played with a lot of great teams,” said James, who won two NBA titles with the Heat and one with the Cavaliers. “It says that I’ve played with a lot of great team-mates and some great coaches.”

In Tuesday’s other game in Orlando, the Bucks were left missing the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo as they exited in the play-offs despite registering the highest points tally in the regular season for the second campaign in a row.

It means the Heat will now play reigning champions the Toronto Raptors or the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference final. The Celtics lead the series 3-2, needing one more win to progress.

Asked about reaching the conference final for the first time since marquee pair Wade and James wore the Heat jersey, small forward Jimmy Butler said: “It means a lot. But that’s not my goal.

“That’s not my guys’ goal. That’s not the organisation’s goal. We want to win it.”

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Aston Villa sign Watkins from Brentford

Aston Villa have completed the signing of striker Ollie Watkins from Brentford for a club record fee of £28m, which could rise to £33m with add-ons.

Watkins was the Championship’s joint-top scorer last season with 26 goals.

The 24-year-old is Villa’s second signing of the transfer window following the £16m arrival of defender Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest.

“Ollie has developed into one of the most sought-after strikers in the country,” said Villa boss Dean Smith.

“We are looking forward to seeing him show his great qualities in an Aston Villa shirt.

“He is a hugely determined character who has both the ability and personality to succeed at the highest level.”

Watkins will be reunited with Smith, who signed the forward from Exeter when he was Brentford manager.

The fee for him is a record for a Championship player. Although Manchester City paid Bournemouth £40m for Nathan Ake last month and Tottenham spent £30m on Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko in August 2016, neither had played in the Championship before moving back to the Premier League.

“I am so excited to join Aston Villa and to reunite with Dean Smith as my head coach,” said Watkins.

“I want to do something special here and score some goals.”

Smith had been determined to improve his striking options after his side only secured Premier League safety on the final day of last season.

The club missed out on signing Callum Wilson from Bournemouth this week as the England striker moved to Newcastle for £20m.

Villa’s previous record signing, Brazilian striker Wesley, scored five goals in 21 games in the league after his £22m moved to Villa last summer before suffering a serious knee ligament injury in January. He is still regaining his fitness.

Villa ended the season with Mbwana Samatta and Keinan Davis as their main options up front. Samatta only scored twice after joining in January, including a goal at Wembley as Villa lost the Carabao Cup final 2-1 to Manchester City. Davis has never scored a Premier League goal.

Smith’s side scored 41 top-flight goals last season, but only six came from forwards – including five from Wesley.

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Semenya loses appeal

Caster Semenya has won the Olympic 800m title twice and the world title three times

Caster Semenya has lost her appeal to Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court against the restriction of testosterone levels in female runners.

Semenya is not allowed to compete in events between 400m and a mile without taking testosterone-reducing drugs, following a 2019 rule change by governing body World Athletics.

“I am very disappointed,” the 29-year-old South African said.

“I refuse to let World Athletics drug me or stop me from being who I am.”

Athletics’ governing body brought in a rule that athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD) must either take medication in order to compete in track events from 400m to the mile, or change to another distance.

Athletes with DSD have higher levels of natural testosterone, which World Athletics believes gives them a competitive advantage.

“Excluding female athletes or endangering our health solely because of our natural abilities puts World Athletics on the wrong side of history,” Semenya added.

“I will continue to fight for the human rights of female athletes, both on the track and off the track, until we can all run free the way we were born.

“I know what is right and will do all I can to protect basic human rights, for young girls everywhere.”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected a Semenya challenge against the rule last year.

The Swiss Supreme Court then temporarily suspended the ruling, before later reversing its decision.

It meant Semenya, who won Olympic gold in the 800m in both 2012 and 2016, missed the chance to defend her world 800m title in Doha last year, having failed in her bid to prevent the governing body’s rule change.