MMA fighter Conor McGregor loses appeal in civil rape case

Conor McGregor has lost his civil jury appeal against a finding that he sexually assaulted a woman, BBC reported.

In November, McGregor was ordered to pay £206,000 in damages plus costs to Nikita Hand, who accused him of raping her in a hotel in Dublin in 2018.

McGregor appealed on the grounds that his lawyers believed his answers to police during interviews should not have been put before the jury, according to BBC.

Real Madrid hand Kylian Mbappe iconic new shirt number following legend’s exit

Kylian Mbappe will don an iconic new shirt number for Real Madrid following the departure of one of the club’s all-time greats, The Independent reported.

The 26-year-old French forward wore the number nine shirt in his debut season after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer last summer.

But like Cristiano Ronaldo in 2010, it’s taken only one year for Mbappe to ditch the nine as he takes up the number he has become accustomed to wearing for the French national team.

The club announced on Tuesday that he would follow Real Madrid greats Ferenc Puskas, Clarence Seedorf and Luis Figo by wearing the iconic number 10 jersey at the Santiago Bernabeu, according to The Independent.

India champions boycott Pakistan once again, refuse to play them in WCL semi-final

India Champions have opted out of the World Championship of Legends semi-final against Pakistan, scheduled for Thursday, reaffirming their firm stance against participating in competitive matches against their arch-rivals, according to a report from PTI, The Times of India reported.

The decision comes despite India Champions securing their place in the semifinals after a dominant win over West Indies Champions, chasing down the target in just 13.2 overs in their final group-stage match on Tuesday.

Earlier in the tournament, the league-stage clash between India and Pakistan was officially called off following strong objections from Indian players and a key tournament sponsor. This was followed by public statements from former India cricketers, including Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan, declaring they would not take part in the match, according to The Times of India.

Bayern Munich sign Liverpool winger Diaz for £65m

Liverpool winger Luis Diaz has completed a £65.5m move to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, BBC reported.

The Colombia international has signed a four-year deal with the German club to bring his three-and-a-half-year stay at Anfield to an end. 

The 28-year-old was left out of Liverpool's pre-season match against AC Milan on Saturday because of speculation over his future.

Having rejected Bayern's opening offer of £58.6m earlier this month, Liverpool accepted a follow-up bid of £65.5m over the weekend and gave Diaz permission to have a medical with the club, according to BBC.