Digest

SOCCER

Ancelotti happy to choose Real over Brazil

Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday he was delighted to have prolonged his stay at Real Madrid until 2026, despite an approach to take over as coach of Brazil.

It had been reported in July last year that 64-year-old Ancelotti would become the first foreigner to coach Brazil in almost 60 years, before the Italian penned his new deal with the Spanish giant.

"Everyone knows that I had contact with the president of the Brazilian federation," Ancelotti said.

"I want to thank him for the affection and interest he showed toward me," he said on the eve of Madrid's match against Mallorca in La Liga.

Ancelotti has won the Champions League four times — twice with AC Milan and twice with Real Madrid, where he says he would like to stay on beyond his current deal.

"In 2026, depending on my results, I may still be there. I want to be the coach of Madrid, and I hope to be able to continue being that in 2027 and 2028 because I want to stay here," he said.

Ancelotti has also won domestic league titles with Madrid and Milan, in England with Chelsea, in Germany with Bayern Munich and in France with Paris Saint-Germain.

Rooney pays the price for Birmingham's slide

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney was fired as the manager of second-tier Birmingham City on Tuesday after 15 games.

The England great earned only two wins since his controversial appointment in October. Birmingham was sixth in the Championship when he started, and has fallen to 20th. The club was taken over last summer by a company owned by US businessman Tom Wagner, and it got rid of popular coach John Eustace.

"Birmingham City has today parted company with manager Wayne Rooney and first-team coach Carl Robinson," read a club statement. "Despite their best efforts, results have not met the expectations that were made clear at the outset."

Rooney said in a statement: "Football is a results business, and I recognize they have not been at the level I wanted them to be.

"However, time is the most precious commodity a manager requires and I do not believe 13 weeks was sufficient to oversee the changes that were needed."

Birmingham lost 3-0 at Leeds on Monday, with Blues fans chanting, "Wayne Rooney, get out of our club."

NFL great Tom Brady became a minority owner of the club in August.

Jovic continues streak in Milan cup victory

Luka Jovic

Luka Jovic scored two goals to help AC Milan beat Cagliari 4-1 in the Italian Cup on Tuesday.

Milan has won the Italian Cup five times but it last lifted the trophy in 2003 and hasn't reached the final since 2018. The Rossoneri will face either Atalanta or Sassuolo in the quarterfinals.

Milan coach Stefano Pioli was under pressure after a poor run that had seen his team eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage.

The Rossoneri also had a lengthy injury list and rested a number of star players — starting with four teenagers — but hadn't lost to Cagliari at San Siro since 1997.

Jovic opened the scoring in the 29th minute following a delightful assist from Theo Hernandez and the duo combined again shortly before halftime.

The two goals took Jovic's tally to five in his past six matches. It took the Serbia forward until December to score his first goal for Milan after joining from Fiorentina at the start of the season.

Teenager Chaka Traore extended Milan's lead early in the second half, with his third Rossoneri goal in his first start for the team.

Rafael Leao capped a great night for Milan in stoppage time, shortly after Paulo Azzi netted a consolation for Cagliari.

BASEBALL

Yamamoto's contract includes two opt-outs

Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will have two opportunities to opt out of his record $325 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, although the timing is tied to his pitching elbow's health.

If Yamamoto has Tommy John surgery or is on the injured list for a right elbow injury for 134 consecutive service days from 2024-29, he would have the right to opt out after the 2031 and 2033 World Series, according to terms of the deal obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

If he avoids Tommy John surgery and doesn't miss that much time with an elbow issue during that window, he can instead opt out after the 2029 and 2031 World Series.

In the first scenario, the Dodgers also would gain a $10 million conditional option for 2036 with no buyout.

Yamamoto does not have the right to block trades but could opt out of the contract after the end of any season in which he is traded.

Los Angeles announced the agreement two weeks after signing two-way star Shohei Ohtani to a record $700 million, 10-year contract.

DARTS

Teen sensation Littler continues fairytale run

Luke Littler

Luke Littler reached the final of the World Darts Championship at the age of 16 on Tuesday, extending one of the most unlikely stories in the history of the sport.

Littler, an unseeded player from Runcorn in northwest England who started throwing darts as a toddler, beat 2018 champion Rob Cross 6-2 to get into Wednesday's title match against Luke Humphries, who beat Scott Williams in the other semifinal.

The winner of the final will earn 500,000 pounds ($630,000).

The teenager has made front-page headlines with his amazing run at Alexandra Palace in London that also included eliminating multiple former world champion Raymond van Barneveld, his idol. It started on Dec 20, when he beat Christian Kist in the first round to be the youngest player to win a match at the tournament and got serenaded with chants of "You've got school in the morning" by the boisterous fans.

Littler's newfound stardom has led the Manchester United fan and his family receiving complimentary tickets to watch Premier League matches at Arsenal and Tottenham.

Agencies