SATURDAY 3—FRIDAY 9 JANUARY 2026

A KIND SCHEDULE AND POST-LIONS FATIGUE SWINGS THE BALL INTO FRANCE’S COURT. WILL ALLDRITT AND CO TAKE ADVANTAGE BY RETAINING THEIR TITLE?

The Player of the Tournament at the last e d ition of the Africa Cup of Nations looks back on the fi n al and how close he came to becoming a champion w ith Nigeria

Whether it was the formation of the Premier League in 1992 or the World Cup expanding to 48 teams this year, a competition rebrand always seems to ruffle a few feathers. That was certainly the case 10

Football: Aston Villa’s “remarkable turnaround” When Aston Villa ...

Sport editor Michael Potts on the best of the week’s action on TV and radio