The final episode of Football Focus was broadcast on Sunday, bringing to an end 52 years on the air.

It was an emotional episode as long-time pundit Garth Crooks returned to Focus, sitting alongside Alex Scott to reflect on the show’s past and preview the final day of the Premier League season.

Bob Wilson, the show’s first presenter, closed out the programme by saying: “All good things come to an end. Thank you to all of you at home for watching Football Focus for the last 52 years. We have had a ball.”

Launched in 1974, Football Focus provided fans with interviews, analysis and stories from across the game every lunchtime before the weekend’s fixtures begin.

The longest-running magazine show in the world began with a tribute to the programme, with its former presenters sharing their favourite memories from across the decades.

The programme’s old branding was used throughout in a nod to its history.

Crooks ended the show by presenting Scott with a picture of herself and Bob Wilson, on behalf of the “Football Focus family”.

Before handing over to Wilson, an emotional Scott said: “For 52 years, this show has done one thing. Week in, week out, it has brought football into your Saturday afternoons. Whether it was Bob Wilson or any of the brilliant people who sat in this chair after him, the thing that never changed was you – the fans.

“I won’t pretend this isn’t hard. What I know is, the football doesn’t stop, the stories don’t stop. The goals, the drama, the heartbreak, the magic, none of that stops. It just finds a new home.

“From everyone who has ever worked on Football Focus, thank you. Thank you for making Saturday lunchtime something to look forward to. It has been an honour.”

CINCINNATI — Four years after considering retirement, Bryan Torres made it to the major leagues at age 28 and homered for the St. Louis Cardinals in his debut.

“Eleven years to get to here,” Torres said, fighting back tears after helping the Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-1 in the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader. “I’m not a homer guy. Today, my debut, it just hpened. I’ve been learning to manage the pressure. When the heart is going too fast, you have to slow things down. I felt a little pounding in my chest today.”

Torres, who first played minor league ball in 2015, hit seventh and played left field.

With dyed blond hair and wearing thick eye black, he worked a full-count walk from Chris Paddack (0-6) in the second, singled on a cutter in the fourth, grounded out in the sixth, flied out in the seventh and homered on a 95.2 mph fastball from Jose Franco in the ninth, driving the 2-1 pitch into the first row of the right-center field seats.

“There’s not many words to describe this moment,” he said.

Cardinals fans at the game, many of them waving their shirts, kept chanting his name and three batters later induced a curtain call.

“All those guys bring us some energy,” Torres said.

Torres became the third Cardinals player since 1900 with multiple hits that included a home run in his debut, the first since Bobby Smith at Cincinnati on ril 16, 1957.

“Pretty neat, man,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “There’s moments throughout the year that you take a step back and get to enjoy. That’s one of them. You could tell, even in his first at-bat, there’s a calmness to him in the box.”

Torres signed a minor league contract with Milwaukee in 2015, was claimed off waivers by San Francisco in December 2019, became a free agent after the 2021 season and spent two years with the independent Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association.

“I’m not going to lie, at one moment, I thought I’d retire,” he said. “In that moment, I decided I wanted to give myself a chance, and if I did, give it 100%.”

He signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals in September 2023, hit .331 with 28 doubles, two homers, 56 RBIs and 33 stolen bases at Double-A Springfield, then was promoted to Triple-A Memphis and batted .328 with 16 doubles, nine homers and 51 RBIs in 2025.

He was added to the 40-man roster last November and played for Puerto Rico in this year’s World Baseball Classic, going 2-for-6 with a double, three walks and three runs.

“I’m going to try to get him out there as much as possible,” Marmol said. “This is a left-handed bat who understands the strike zone, finds a way on base, a real pesky at-bat. I like his skill set.”

Torres was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Friday after hitting .336 with 10 doubles, two homers, 16 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 36 games.

“I was in (the) clubhouse sitting in my seat and my manager, Ben Johnson, said: ‘I’ve got some good news for you. Bryan Torres is going to The Show,'” Torres recalled. “Everyone started yelling and jumping up and down. Some of them started crying with me.”

Several family members were at Great American Ball Park. His first call was to his mother, Lissette Crespo.

“Since I was a young kid, 4 years old, she lost all her weekends to bring me to the stadium,” he said. “During the week, she always (brought) me to the park to practice, to play.”

His parents traveled from Puerto Rico on Friday only for that night’s game to be rained out.

“It was very emotional. He was crying and when I received it I cried with him,” his mom said during the Cardinals’ telecast. “That was a special moment.”

Torres took the roster spot of outfielder Nathan Church, placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder strain. He became the oldest position player to debut for the Cardinals since catcher Alberto Rosario at age 29 in 2016. Left-hander Nick Raquet debuted last season for St. Louis, also at 29.

“It’s been a very long and tough road, and not the usual road,” Torres said. “Everything hpens for a reason. My family is very hpy. We’re living the dream, basically.”

The pre-fight feeling was that this occasion bordered on the absurd as a sanctioned world title contest, but Verhoeven went a long way to proving the boxing fraternity wrong.

“I am super proud of my performance, and hopefully the boxing world embraces me as a boxer. I am amazingly hpy to be here,” Verhoeven said.

He emerged with huge credit, underlining his credentials as an awkward, physical operator for any heavyweight.

But was this his best chance, fuelled by the element of surprise?

The crossover blueprint is familiar, with MMA fighter Francis Ngannou famously going close to an extraordinary boxing win against Tyson Fury in 2023 before being stopped early on by Joshua in his second outing.

Usyk’s stock, for the first time in his career, with take a hit on the back of this – and debate around the result and a potential second meeting is only likely to intensify.

Afterwards, WBC mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel entered the ring to make his case.

“I have waited so long for this fight. I am ready and I think Germany is ready for the fight. Let’s do it in a German stadium. I think all the fans want it,” Kabayel said.

Usyk, who has previously suggested he may have two more fights after Verhoeven, responded: “Let’s do it, no problem. I am ready, brother.”

Whatever comes next, Usyk endured the toughest night of his career against a man few in boxing gave a chance.

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch died from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, according to a statement provided by the Busch family.

Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release that the family received the medical evaluation Saturday.

“The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rid and overwhelming associated complications,” the Busch family statement read. “The Family asks for continued understanding and privacy during this difficult time.”

Busch was testing in the racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. Busch experienced shortness of breath, felt he was overheating and was coughing up blood the day before his death, according to a 911 call obtained Friday by ABC.

During the emergency call placed late Wednesday afternoon, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: “I’ve got an individual that’s [got] shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”

The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch “he is awake,” according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. The man gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.

Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens such as bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.

Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed his team saying he needed a “shot” from a doctor after the race.

However, he bounced back to win the Trucks Series race at Dover last weekend and finished 17th in the All-Star Race on Sunday.

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said he knew Busch wasn’t feeling well recently.

“Yes, but I won’t go into any specifics,” Keselowski said. “But then when he ran the Truck race last week, those [thoughts] were honestly kind of erased in my mind.”

Keselowski said running multiple races on the same weekend can be difficult on a driver’s health — but most don’t want to miss a race for fear of being replaced.

“There’s no shortage of drivers that would love to take my seat or anybody else’s seat if we weren’t feeling well, and I think every driver feels that pressure,” Keselowski said. “All athletes do. It’s not unique to NASCAR in that sense. We’re all thinking to ourselves, ‘I don’t wanna be replaced.’ … So you try to power through it the best you can.”

Keselowski said Busch’s unexpected death has forced him to pay attention to his own health moving forward.

Chase Briscoe said Busch’s health issues served as a “wake-up call” for him and other drivers, who often put aside dealing with potential issues because they are so busy traveling around the country and competing on a weekly basis.

He said if something feels off, “you need to get checked out.”

Busch’s Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon was not made available for comment.

Austin Hill will replace Busch on Sunday and drive the No. 33 car. RCR is temporarily retiring Busch’s No. 8 until his 11-year-old son Brexton is old enough to race.

All 39 cars in the field for Sunday’s race will include a small black No. 8 decal to honor Busch.

Busch won 234 races across NASCAR’s top three series over his two-decade career, more than any driver in history.

Drivers spoke at length Saturday about his accomplishments, praising his toughness, competitive spirit and penchant for speaking his mind — all of which led to him earning a reputation as NASCAR’s villain.

“He was a polarizing figure that no matter if you like him or disliked him as a racer, he was always talked about,” Ryan Blaney said. “Just this guy that was always there and won too much, which is why people didn’t like him. And he always spoke his mind. I think people came to respect that about him, that he was true to who he was and that never changed.”

Blaney added that Busch’s personality outside of the car and his competitiveness behind the wheel made him “a larger-than-life person in racing.”

You can understand why Ilicali feels his Hull team and their fans have been hard done by.

It should have been a triumphant build-up to the play-off final, but it ended up being a week of distraction as Spygate took up the headlines.

The Tigers had a week preparing to play Southampton, then they had to rip up those plans and pivot to Middlesbrough.

By the time the peal was heard on Wednesday night, and Hull were sure they would play Boro, they had just two days’ training left.

Ilicali’s legal team may believe they have a case that Hull should not have to play the final, that they should be automatically promoted. After all, Boro had been eliminated.

Yet this is not how sporting sanctions work in English football, and there seems little chance of a legal challenge being successful.

The precedent is that if a team breaks a regulation in a knockout competition – which the play-offs are – their opponents go through to the next round.

Take the EFL Trophy this season.

In January, Luton Town lost 2-1 at home to Swindon Town in the round of 16.

Swindon were then drawn to play Plymouth in the quarter-finals – but it was discovered that the Robins had fielded two ineligible players against Luton.

Swindon were expelled and Luton reinstated.

The independent disciplinary commission did not put Plymouth directly through to the semi-finals, or go back to the last 32 to find new opponents for Luton in the last 16.

Just as with Boro in the play-offs, Luton progressed to the next round.

Luton, after at one stage being knocked out, would go on to beat Stockport in the final at Wembley and lift the trophy.

What about Ilicali’s claim that Wrexham should have been reinstated? That has little ground either.

Even if you plied Southampton’s four-point penalty to this season’s league table, they would still be in the play-offs against Middlesbrough. Wrexham would still be seventh.

Plus, the league season and the play-offs are considered separate tournaments, which is why the independent disciplinary commission felt it was necessary to ply two punishments – the points deduction and expulsion.

How about Ilicali’s claim that the Southampton v Middlesbrough games should not have taken place?

The issue here, of course, is due process – taking action to stop the game hpening would imply guilt on the part of Southampton.

The EFL opened an investigation on 7 May, the same day it was told about the spying on Boro. It charged them the next day and then, as per EFL regulations, the process was handed over to an independent body.

Hull may feel aggrieved but there is nothing in the decision of the independent disciplinary commission which has deviated from the usual judgements in English football.