Sports
Stripped of AFCON title, Senegal calls for corruption investigation
Senegal’s El Hadji Malick Diouf celebrates with the trophy after winning the Africa Cup of Nations in Rabat, Morocco on Jan. 18, 2026. The Senegalese Football Federation plans to appeal the decision that gave its Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco, with Senegal’s government calling Wednesday for an investigation into alleged corruption of African football’s governing body.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced Tuesday that its appeals board ruled that Senegal, which had won the match 1-0 on Jan. 18, had forfeited to Morocco 3-0.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) appealed the initial outcome to the CAF, citing that Senegal had walked off the pitch during match in protest of a refereeing decision on a disputed penalty deep in stoppage time, returning after a delay of about 16 minutes.
After being stripped of the victory nearly two months later, Senegal’s federation said it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, an independent court based in Switzerland that resolves disputes from around the world.
Senegal’s government called CAF’s decision “grossly unlawful and profoundly unjust” in a statement issued Wednesday.
“This unprecedented decision, of exceptional gravity, directly contravenes the cardinal principles underpinning sporting ethics, foremost among which are fairness, loyalty and respect for the truth of the pitch,” the statement read. “It stems from a manifestly erroneous interpretation of the regulations, leading to a grossly unlawful and profoundly unjust decision.
“By calling into question a result achieved at the end of a match that was duly played to its conclusion and won in accordance with the rules of the game, CAF is seriously undermining its own credibility as well as the legitimate trust that the African people place in the continent’s sporting institutions.”
Senegal said it rejected the ruling, adding in the statement: “It calls for the opening of an independent international inquiry into allegations of corruption within the governing bodies of CAF.”
Morocco’s football federation, conversely, accepted the verdict when it was announced on Tuesday.
“The federation wishes to recall that its approach has never been intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition’s regulations,” the FRMF’s statement read.
“The federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, ensuring clarity in the competitive framework, and maintaining stability within African competitions.”
The controversy began when Senegal was denied a stoppage-time goal due to a foul that was called in the build-up. Moments later, referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo awarded Morocco a penalty kick following a VAR check when Senegal’s El Hadji Malick Diouf was called for a foul in the box.
Many Senegal players walked off the field in protest at the encouragement of their coach, Pape Thiaw, leading to the delay. Meanwhile, some Senegalese fans tried to enter the field while fights broke out in the stands.
Once the Senegal players returned, Brahim Diaz’s penalty kick was saved by Edouard Mendy. Senegal later won — at the time — 1-0 on an extra-time goal by Pape Gueye.
The CAF on Tuesday cited articles 82 and 84 in AFCON regulations, the former calling for a forfeit if a team leaves the pitch before the match’s conclusion without the referee’s authorization.
Article 84 calls for forfeits to be recorded as 3-0 victories unless the winning team had an even bigger advantage in the score.
There was fallout later in January as Senegal’s coach Thiaw was suspended for five matches and fined $100,000 for “unsporting conduct” after he told his team to leave the pitch.
The CAF also fined Senegal’s federation $615,000 due to the team’s conduct and the behavior of its fans. Senegal players Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr were banned for two CAF matches following unprofessional behavior toward the referee.
The suspensions only apply to official CAF matches and not the FIFA World Cup that begins in June.
As for Morocco, captain Achraf Hakimi received a two-match CAF ban for his “unsporting behavior” during the final. Teammate Ismael Saibari also was suspended for three official CAF matches and fined $100,000.
The Moroccan soccer federation also was fined a total of $315,000 for the behavior of its players and staff as well as fans for using lasers as a means to distract the opposition in the final. The penalty also included the behavior of the ball boys, who were spotted taking away a hand towel from the Senegalese goalkeeper during the match.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves face D-backs, seeking third straight series win
Mar 31, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Martin Perez (33) throws against the Athletics in the sixth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The visiting Atlanta Braves can begin the season with three straight series wins for the first time since 2018 when they face the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.
Atlanta took two of three from both the Kansas City Royals and the Athletics and will finish a four-game set on Sunday. The Braves outscored Arizona 19-2 across their first two wins of the series before falling 2-1 on Saturday.
First-year manager Walt Weiss is far from worried about superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., but a .161 batting average through nine games has been an unwanted surprise.
“His swing looks kind of late,” Weiss said. “But they all go through ruts. We’ve seen all these guys go through ruts before. When he gets rolling, it’s going to be fun to watch. But he seems kind of late to me, right now.”
Atlanta’s pitching staff has allowed just three earned runs across the last four games and will turn to veteran Martin Perez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) in the series finale.
Perez, 35, threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief on Tuesday against the A’s. After signing a minor league contract with the club in January, Perez had his contract selected as a dependable left-handed arm who can be plugged into the starting rotation.
“(Perez) is just a crafty veteran,” Weiss said. “He knows how to pitch. He’s a salty veteran. He’s been a good pitcher in this league for a long time. He threw the ball really well for us in that relief appearance last time out, so I expect him to be good again.”
Perez is slated to make the 280th start of his career and fourth against Arizona. He’s 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA in three appearances against the Diamondbacks.
Arizona, meanwhile, can stamp a successful first homestand of the season. The Diamondbacks swept the Detroit Tigers and have bounced back from a 17-2 Thursday loss to Atlanta with a pair of competitive outings.
Still, offense has been an issue for manager Torey Lovullo’s club. Albeit a small sample size, Arizona is batting just .204 and has failed to score more than two runs in any of the last four games. For Lovullo, an emphasis needs to be placed on honing in on pitches around the plate.
“If we zone in, try not to do too much, wait for our pitch, it’s the art of hitting and the beauty of baseball. When you do it, it’s sweet music,” Lovullo said. “When you chase, you get yourself into bad counts.”
Both of Arizona’s runs were unearned on Saturday. Rookie Jose Fernandez has been a bright spot, batting .333 with two home runs for the Diamondbacks.
On the mound Sunday, Brandon Pfaadt (0-0, 7.50 ERA) will look to bounce back after allowing five runs across six innings in a no-decision against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. The Diamondbacks won 7-5. Pfaadt, 27, is 2-0 with a 5.66 ERA in four career starts against the Braves.
–Field Level Media
–Field Level Media
Sports
A's manager Mark Kotsay wants better effort against Astros
Apr 4, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics manager Mark Kotsay (7) pulls Athletics pitcher Luis Morales (19) out of the game during the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images The Athletics will be looking for better results on Sunday as they host the Houston Astros in West Sacramento, Calif., with each team vying for its first series win against a divisional opponent in 2026.
It’s been a tale of two blowouts so far in this first meeting between American League West rivals this season, with the A’s taking the opener 11-4 on Friday night and Houston responding with an 11-0 shutout on Saturday.
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay is looking for a better effort from his team after that big loss.
“We didn’t do anything well today,” he said postgame on Saturday. “That game was reflective of, in my opinion, past performances that we feel like we have put behind us, and we need to put behind us as a team.”
He was critical of the pitching staff’s performance after five pitchers combined to give up 18 hits, walk 13 batters and strike out only five.
“This is not reflective of the expectation level of our staff right now,” Kotsay said. “We talk about beating ourselves all the time. Today, we completely beat ourselves.”
The A’s are second in walks in the majors with 47 as a staff in eight games, trailing only the Los Angeles Angels (48). Kotsay said his pitchers need to start locating their offspeed offerings better.
“You’ve got to be able to keep big-league hitters off-balance,” he said. “You’ve got to have some type of secondary (pitch) you can throw in the zone for a strike and land it and get ahead.”
He’ll also be hoping for an improvement from Jacob Lopez as he makes his first home start of 2026.
Lopez (0-1, 6.75 ERA) struggled for control as he walked five batters and gave up three runs in four innings of a 4-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Monday.
He did not take a decision in either of his previous two career starts against Houston, putting up a 0.87 ERA in 10 1/3 innings, allowing one run on six hits.
If the A’s are able to pull out a victory, they will win their first series of the young season after starting 1-5 against the Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves.
Lance McCullers Jr. (1-0, 1.29 ERA) will take the mound for Houston for the rubber game. McCullers picked up the win in his season debut on Monday against Boston, striking out nine and allowing one run over seven innings. Over 15 starts against the Athletics in his career, McCullers is 7-3 with a 3.32 ERA.
“He kept attacking,” Astros manager Joe Espada said after McCullers’ outing against the Red Sox. “He set the tone from the very beginning. He was going to control the at-bats.”
McCullers has been in the Houston organization for his entire career, drafted in 2012 and debuting in 2015. He was an All-Star in 2017 when the Astros won the World Series, but he has thrown more than 100 innings in a season just once since 2018 while battling multiple injuries. He missed the 2019, 2023 and 2024 campaigns.
He will be looking to build on the work of Tatsuya Imai, who worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out nine in Houston’s win on Saturday to set up Sunday’s decisive Game 3.
Last season, the Athletics won the head-to-head series with Houston 8-5.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kodai Senga aims to extend Mets' pitching prowess vs. Giants
Mar 31, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) reacts after the third out of the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Two pitchers with Cy Young Award aspirations wil meet for the first time Sunday when right-handers Kodai Senga and Logan Webb go head-to-head as the New York Mets and host San Francisco Giants complete a four-game series.
The Mets have won two of the first three in a series in which no outcome has been closer than five runs.
New York starters Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes have dominated 10-3 and 9-0 wins the past two nights, limiting the Giants to a total of one earned run and four hits in 12 1/3 innings.
They will hand the ball and a slumping opponent to Senga (0-1, 3.00 ERA), who had teammates and coaches gushing after his first start of the season, when he allowed just four hits and two runs over six innings at St. Louis on Tuesday. He struck out nine of the 25 batters he faced but got no support in a 3-0 defeat.
“It was a great start to the year,” Senga said afterward. “It makes me excited for this year. It felt like I’m a starting pitcher again.”
The 33-year-old right-hander battled injuries during a 7-6 campaign a year ago. But he was back on his 2023 All-Star form, pitching coach Justin Willard told reporters, which already is doing wonders for his confidence.
“This guy wants to be great,” Willard said. “I think you saw it (in 2023) when he was here, and then a couple injuries derailed him a bit. But he wants to be great. He wants to be the best pitcher in baseball. And he’s going to do things he needs to do to be that.”
While his 1-0 record wouldn’t indicate it, Senga has struggled in his three career starts against the Giants, roughed up for 14 hits and 11 runs in 14 innings. He also has walked 12, contributing to a 7.07 ERA.
Senga will see a Giants team that has struggled both in the field and at the plate in the past two games. Manager Tony Vitello clearly was more concerned about the former when defending his losing pitcher, Landen Roupp, after Saturday’s defeat.
“Too many innings where there are four outs that have to be recorded,” he lamented in his postgame press conference.
“They (the Mets) have done a really good job of swinging the bat, but you’d be hard-pressed to find an inning where they scored where there wasn’t the potential for the inning to be over. Our defense, we can certainly do better.”
Hoping for more help behind him will be Webb (1-1, 7.36), who bounced back from a shaky Opening Day start against the New York Yankees to limit the San Diego Padres to three hits and three runs over six innings in a 9-3 road win Tuesday. He allowed seven runs (six earned) in five innings in a 7-0 loss to the Yankees.
The two-time All-Star is 3-2 with a 3.21 ERA in seven career starts against the Mets.
After racking up a total of 27 hits in its last two games, New York likely will once again be without Juan Soto, who experienced tightness in his right calf in the first inning of Friday’s win.
Jared Young started in his spot Saturday, then gave way to Tyrone Taylor, who belted a game-breaking, three-run home run as a pinch hitter. Taylor finished the game with four RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Braves face D-backs, seeking third straight series win
A's manager Mark Kotsay wants better effort against Astros
