The win gave Villarreal coach Unai Emery a record fourth title in the competition, leaving United without a trophy since their Europa League triumph in 2017.
* Nigeria has agreed to host next month’s African Athletics Championship as a replacement for Algeria, keeping alive an opportunity for many athletes to achieve Olympic qualification. The championship had been set for Algiers but will now be held in Lagos from Jun 23-27, the Confederation of African Athletics said on Wednesday.
* FIFA said on Wednesday it is launching a consultation on the future of the sport with particular attention being given to aspects such as match calendars, improving fan experience and the laws of the game. The consultation process will involve various stakeholders like players, coaches, clubs, leagues, medical staff, media and commercial partners and fans, with FIFA's chief of global football development Arsene Wenger leading the study.
* European football's ruling body UEFA fined AC Milan's Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic EUR50,000 (US$61,000) on Wednesday (May 26) for breaking the rules by having a financial interest in a betting company. Milan were also warned and fined EUR25,000 for violating the same article of UEFA's disciplinary regulations.
* Ireland's Dan Martin completed a hat-trick of grand tour victories when he prevailed in the 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia as overall leader Egan Bernal showed his first sign of weakness on Wednesday (May 26). Israel Start Up Nation rider Martin led from the breakaway in the 193km mountain ride from Canazei to Sega di Ala, ahead of Portugal's Joao Almeida and Briton Simon Yates, who came in second and third, 13 and 30 seconds off the pace respectively.
* Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici will leave the club after more than a decade with the former Italian champions when his contract expires next month, the Serie A side announced on Wednesday. Paratici, who joined Juve in 2010 from Sampdoria, has filled many roles at the club including sports director and Chief Football Officer, and ends a fruitful 11-year spell where the club won nine straight Serie A titles from 2011/12 to 2019/20.
* World Cup-winning Japan forward Mana Iwabuchi signed for the Arsenal Women's team on Wednesday (May 26). Iwabuchi joined Arsenal after playing in the Women's Super League for Aston Villa for the second half of the 2020-21 season.
* Austrian coach Oliver Glasner has left VfL Wolfsburg to join Bundesliga rivals Eintracht Frankfurt on a three-year deal, the clubs said on Wednesday. Glasner, who took over Wolfsburg in 2019 and led them to a fourth place finish this season with a spot in the Champions League, will replace countryman Adi Huetter, who has joined Borussia Moenchengladbach.
* With the French Open just days away, world No.7 Bianca Andreescu pulled out of a key claycourt warmup event in Strasbourg on Wednesday (May 26) as a precaution after feeling abdominal pain.
* Former world number six Carla Suarez Navarro has confirmed her participation at the French Open, which starts on Sunday, a month after she said she had been cured of cancer.
* The Netherlands will host the official start of the 2022 Vuelta a Espana, organisers said on Wednesday, after similar plans for last year's edition were scrapped because the race was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organisers said that Utrecht will host the inaugural time trial in August 2022 and the finish of the second stage, which begins from Hertogenbosch. The third stage will start and finish in Breda.
