03/06/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | JUNE 3, 2026

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Man City’s Rodri to decide his future after World Cup

SPAIN midfielder Rodri said he is focused on the World Cup and will only address his future at Manchester City after the tournament. The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner is enter ing the final year of his contract with the Premier League club and has been linked with a move to Real Madrid. “Well, I’m trying not to make too

you’re the best,” he added. “I was just watching the documen tary on Nadal and he was always talk ing about that – always one more ball, one more effort. “And that’s what the great champi ons do and, above all, bringing out all the talent this team has, which is very big.” – Reuters Eckert takes blame for ‘spygate’ SOUTHAMPTON head coach Tonda Eckert issued an apology yestyerday for orchestrating the “spygate” scandal, admitting he is responsible for “everything that has happened”. Saints were thrown out of the Championship playoffs last month after admitting sending a young intern to spy on a Middlesbrough training session. The English Football League said the south-coast club were found guilty of a “deplorable” act of putting pressure on the junior member of staff to spy on Boro. In a damning verdict, the gov erning body said Southampton boss Eckert authorised the spying. The German, 33, has now put out a lengthy video statement on club media, which began:“I will try to be as honest and clear as I can be. “For everything that has hap pened, I do want to apologise and I hold my hand up because as head coach I am responsible. I am responsible for everything that has happened at this football club.” Southampton owner Dragan Solak said he was standing by Eckert. The Serbian media mogul admitted Eckert had made a “mis take”, but was adamant it should not cost a “super-talented man ager” his job. Solak told the BBC : “I have to believe, honestly, and I believe Tonda, that he didn’t know it was the rule that he was breaking.” He added: “My personal opin ion, and the opinion of the board, is that he is a manager who deserves to be backed by us and to be supported by us. “I think he deserves a second chance and I would give it to him. My first support would be behind him, actually, because I think he is a super-talented manager.” Southampton will also be docked four points next season after admitting to multiple breaches of regulations related to the “unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training” sessions. Eckert is not yet totally out of the woods as the Football Association (FA) has launched a probe into the affair and could still charge him – meaning he may face a ban if found guilty. Solak, though, believes that Eckert has been subjected to “a witch-hunt”and the club has been “over-sentenced”. “My support comes from a very simple legal situation where there is no double jeopardy,” said Solak. “Whatever crime you did, you can be sentenced only once.” – AFP

tournament in North America. Rodri said he had urged his Spain teammates to follow tennis great Rafa Nadal’s example after watching a docu mentary about the 22-times Grand Slam champion. “What I told them is that we need to try to play without the ball like a small team. With that mindset of not thinking

but with a World Cup on the horizon, my responsibility is to stay focused. “We’re here to talk about the World Cup and everything that concerns my future, I’ll wait until the end of the World Cup.” European champions Spain will face Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H at the June 11 to July 19

much of it, but it is part of my job, espe cially when a player has been nearing the end of his contract for some time – it’s only natural that names come up,” the 29-year-old told reporters yesterday. “But anyway, I’m very calm, I know exactly where I stand, and yes probably if there hadn’t been a World Cup, I might be in a different situation now

Hammers hit bottom Premier League relegation forces West Ham to confront deep-rooted failures

Ű BY WILL CASTLE

B ILLED as a final day that could produce one of the big gest shocks in English foot ball history, it was all too painfully predictable for West Ham. They required something of a miracle to retain their top-flight status – wins on two north London fronts, situated within five miles of each other. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side com pleted their part of the assignment. But at no point on this sweltering Sunday afternoon were West Ham out of the drop zone, let alone within less than two points of safety. West Ham kept up an impressive record as final day specialists; they’ve only lost one of their last 20 curtain closers in the Premier League, which fittingly came on the last time they were relegated in 2010/11. It wasn’t enough to save them. Jarrod Bowen knew that as he drilled in his side’s second of the after noon on 79 minutes, tempering his celebrations and showing no sign of a smile. The closest thing to a “Mr West Ham” since Mark Noble’s retirement, that could easily be the captain’s fare well contribution, later seen wiping a tear from his eye before a stoppage time corner. “You never know what the future holds,” he said. “For me, I want to see this club back in the Premier League.” Should he depart, he won’t be alone; rare bright spark Crysencio Summerville, player of the year Konstantinos Mavropanos, Mateus Fernandes and more will be expected to seek moves above the Championship. Callum Wilson, who lashed in a late and inconsequential third, saluted to the crowd as he turned back towards halfway – that could be interpreted as a goodbye. Their XI will be unrecognisable to the one that started and was relegated here. And in the dugout, an apologetic Nuno is unclear if he’ll go down with the ship. “Through this final end of the season, none of us had a minute to think about individual future,” he said, insisting that the fans “will know” his situation but at a different time. “Today it’s not about this. It’s about understanding how tough it [relega tion] is.” Rarely does a 3-0 win come with such dejection. “I need to say com miserations to West Ham,” said Leeds boss Daniel Farke. “It was a strange atmosphere today.” But there was no shock to this sadness. While Tottenham fans had turned insomniacs at the prospect of a humiliating and historic drop, Hammers felt more at peace with the fact such an outcome was far more

West Ham players and staffs react after the club’s relegation from the Premier League. – REUTERSPIC

ment. Fans used their final minutes of Premier League status to protest the ownership. “David Sullivan, we’re coming for you” was one of a catalogue of chants, some of which cannot be lawfully published. Relegation will intensify the already-boiling scrutiny directed at West Ham’s powers at be. The end of their 14-year stint in the Premier League – which was the second-long est outside of the traditional big six – could be seen as the perfect opportu nity for fans to cleanse their club. Karren Brady is already gone; that’s one much-maligned figure down. Such a damning blow may now usher in even more desired change. However, not everything wrong with West Ham can necessarily be righted. The London Stadium is here to stay and will become far and away the biggest ground in the Championship, eclipsing the Riverside Stadium by double its capacity. It doesn’t suit the second tier; a bit like how it doesn’t suit West Ham and doesn’t suit football. Fans belted “you sold our soul for

probable for them. Ahead of kickoff, this writer was caught in a lift with a few home sup porters heading to the London Stadium nosebleeds when one joked: “Glad we’re going up for a change.” Another replied: “That’s next year, mate.” So much was the expectation of failure, there was hardly a noticeable reaction inside the ground when Spurs went 1-0 up over Everton towards the end of the first half. It almost felt irrelevant because at that time, West Ham were showing little sign that they could get their own job done. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha both had glorious chances to end the hosts’ survival fight long before Taty Castellanos headed in his 67th-minute opener. The end result flattered them, having entered halftime to a chorus of boos. Akin to Nuno’s reign, they took a fair while to get going. West Ham salvaged the perform ance after the restart, removing the players from the firing line and leav ing just one familiar target of resent

this s***hole” towards the directors’ box as their fate neared. Many will point towards their move from Upton Park exactly a decade ago as the beginning of the club’s decline, despite claiming European glory since then. The architect of that night in Prague, David Moyes, was unable to do one more big favour for his former side in N17. His 2023 exploits will therefore remain his greatest in this West Ham era, one which now seems to be coming to an end. Leicester’s collapse fresh in the mind, there are enough cautionary tales of how not to deal with the drop. West Ham will strive to do the oppo site and bounce back up. Their recruitment will be tested; an over haul in personnel feels imminent. But there is something about a Championship return to look forward to for these fans. Still with their voice as the match entered the final sec onds, one chant reminded us that perhaps England’s fiercest football rivalry is about to be reignited. “Millwall away, ole ole.” – The Independent