Senegalese footballer Idrissa Gueye joined an exclusive but not so desirable club overnight.

Gueye, who plays in the midfield for Everton, became the third player in the English Premier League since 2000 to be sent off for striking a teammate after he slapped Michael Keane. 

Everton went on to win the match against Manchester United 1-0, and Gueye apologised to Keane and his teammates in the locker room afterwards.

The coaches didn’t seem to have a problem with the altercation, though.

Everton’s David Moyes said: "Do you know something, I quite like when my players have a fight. I'm sort of saying I want them to be tough. I don't want them to accept someone not doing well enough.”

And Manchester United’s Reuben Amorim said: "We can fight with team-mates. I know it's violent conduct because the referee explained but I don't agree."

What do you reckon? Is it ever acceptable for teammates to have a physical altercation? And should it be a red card?

13 
The consecutive number of games the Detroit Pistons have won in the NBA. The Pistons beat the Indiana Pacers 122-117 on Monday night to tie the franchise record set by Detroit’s 1989/90 and 2003/04 teams, both of which were eventual NBA Champions. The Pistons are leading the Eastern Conference with a 15-2 record, while the Pacers, who were runners-up last year in the NBA Finals, have only won two of their 17 matches so far this season. 

“What a week! It had it all 🇦🇺”
The caption of an Instagram post from Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja which featured a provocative photo of a golf course alongside images from the first Ashes test against England. The 38-year-old, selected as a specialist opener, was unable to open the batting in either the first or second innings of the Test because of back spasms. Reports suggested Khawaja had played golf three times in the week leading up to the Test. Former Australian pace bowler Mitchell Johnson wrote in The Nightly: “You could reasonably argue that the preparation contributed to the back spasms, and if that’s the case, then that’s not doing your job properly for Australia.”

The record for the most Test cricket innings before getting out for a duck (0 runs) belongs to AB de Villiers. The South African scored runs in his first 78 innings of Test cricket before finally being dismissed for zero runs against Bangladesh in November 2008.

🏀 NBA coach Chauncey Billups has pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired to rig high-stakes illegal poker games alongside mafia associates. Prosecutors allege the Hall of Fame player turned coach helped lure wealthy players into games where hidden cameras and marked cards were used to cheat them out of millions. Billups, who was arrested last month and is alleged to have defrauded victims of over $US7 million ($AU11 million), faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He remains suspended without pay by the Portland Trail Blazers.

🏉 Australia has fallen to Japan 53-52 in a dramatic wheelchair rugby final at the Asia-Oceania Championship in Bangkok, conceding a try with less than a second remaining. The Steelers, who were boosted by the return of Paralympic great Ryley Batt after 14 months out, had led at halftime thanks to a try from Cooper Blackwood. Despite the one-point loss, Australia leaves the tournament with a silver medal and has secured direct qualification for the 2026 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship.

🎾 Nick Kyrgios is edging closer to an Australian Open comeback after receiving a wildcard for January’s Kooyong Classic in Melbourne. The world No.666 has not played on tour since March, but said earlier this month that his injury-prone knee has improved dramatically. Kyrgios is set to play several exhibition matches next month, including a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match against women’s world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. He will then use the Kooyong event to test his body ahead of the Australian Open, which begins on 18 January.

⚽ Melbourne City hosts Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim tonight in the AFC Champions League Elite, the Asian Football Confederation’s top club competition. City is chasing a third straight continental win, a feat no Australian club has achieved in this competition since 2016. Socceroo Kai Trewin returns to the squad, which also includes in-form keeper Patrick Beach, who secured recent victories over Buriram United and Machida Zelvia. With the League Stage halfway through and only the top eight progressing, this shapes as a major chance for City to strengthen its push to advance to the knockout stages.

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England have been told to provide CCTV footage and a formal statement after Argentina lodged an official complaint over an alleged confrontation between England flanker Tom Curry and Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi. 

The confrontation followed Sunday’s Test in London, where England beat Argentina 27-23.

Here’s what to know.

During the match, Curry made a late tackle on Juan Cruz Mallia, which left the Argentinian playmaker with a torn ACL. 

Contepomi alleges Curry “gave [him] a little smack” in the tunnel and told him to “fuck off” when Argentina staff challenged him about the late tackle.

Contepomi also described Curry as a “bully” and added: "I am not happy with the situation. After breaking someone's knee I think you need to be at least humble enough and respectful to say 'sorry I did something wrong', but he went the opposite."

Six Nations Rugby, which runs the northern hemisphere’s top international competition, has asked England for footage of the incident before deciding whether to open a disciplinary case. 

England have not addressed the allegations publicly. 

Coach Steve Borthwick defended Curry, saying: “I think that anybody in this room who has had any contact with Tom Curry knows there’s a character of a man. His character is impeccable… I’m unaware of what happened in the tunnel, but post-game, on the pitch, emotions are always flying high. 

Six Nations Rugby will assess all evidence before determining next steps.

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North Melbourne Kangaroos midfielder Ash Riddell has capped a dominant season by claiming the AFLW’s highest individual honour, winning the league’s best and fairest award for the first time.

Here’s what to know. 

Riddell polled 23 votes to finish ahead of Geelong’s Georgie Prespakis on 20 and Melbourne’s Tyla Hanks on 18. The result comes a year after she finished runner-up to Adelaide’s Ebony Marinoff and adds to an already standout season in which she collected her fifth All-Australian blazer and was also named the AFL Coaches Association’s champion player of the year.

The 29-year-old has been a possession magnet all season, repeatedly breaking her own league record for most disposals in a match. She passed the 40-disposal mark on five separate occasions and finished the year averaging 35.3 touches per game, the highest in the competition.

Accepting the award on Monday night, Riddell said she felt “lucky” and “a little bit anxious,” adding that she was humbled to be recognised among so many top performers.

Riddell’s rise has been anything but linear. She was passed over in two national drafts before North Melbourne selected her ahead of their first AFLW campaign in 2019. Since then, she has become a key figure in the club’s midfield, won a premiership, and is now the first Kangaroo in the competition’s 10-season history to win the best and fairest.

Alongside Riddell taking out the top award, minor premiers North Melbourne had four players picked in the All-Australian side (Riddell, Jasmine Garner, Tahlia Randall, and Blaithin Bogue). Garner, who has now been included in the All-Australian side a record-equalling eight times, was named captain for the third time in four years. 

Bogue was one of four Irish players chosen in the side, reflecting the growing influence of Gaelic football talent across the league.

Sydney Swans rookie Zippy Fish claimed the Rising Star award after receiving the maximum 50 votes, while Carlton’s Poppy Scholz and West Coast’s Lucia Painter tied for second. Richmond’s Sarah Hosking took out mark of the year for a brave back-with-the-flight grab, and Sydney’s Montana Ham won goal of the year for her charging effort against Collingwood.

Port Adelaide’s Indy Tahau won the league’s leading goalkicker award after kicking a record 25 goals this season. 

Riddell will now lead North Melbourne into the AFLW Grand Final against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night. The Kangaroos are chasing a second consecutive premiership and 27th straight victory.