Mike Macdonald: 11-1 road record a cool stat, but it's not about me
Sunday night's win in Washington put Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald in select company.
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German President Steinmeier has kickabout with Asamoah in Ghana
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier took a break from his tight diplomatic schedule in Ghana on Tuesday to have a kickabout with Ghanaian-born Germany national player Gerald Asamoah in the city of Kumasi. After visiting a vocational school in the city, which is the capital of the Ashanti region, he took part in the brief football session on a nearby sports field.
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German bobsleigh legend Friedrich eyes Olympic double hat-trick
German bobsleigh icon Francesco Friedrich eyes a third straight Olympic golden double at the Mailn/Cortina Games in February and is yet to decide whether he will then end his glittering career. Friedrich became the first athlete to win two-man and four-man golds at successive Games with golden doubles in 2018 and 2022, and he now wants the hat-trick on both events.
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Roma star Dybala out for up to six weeks amid contract uncertainty
Roma have been dealt a major setback after confirming Paulo Dybala suffered a medium-grade tear in the biceps femoris of his left thigh, an injury expected to keep him out for between three and six we...
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![](/<figure><img alt="Germany"s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Front L) and Gerald Asamoah (3rd L) join children playing soccer on the sports field opposite after their visit to the Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI). Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/dpa_international_526/78abc7637c756d545ca89d637168da09" data-uuid="00ca783b-936d-3b32-bef4-9461822a4938"><figcaption>Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Front L) and Gerald Asamoah (3rd L) join children playing soccer on the sports field opposite after their visit to the Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI). Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa</figcaption></figure><p>German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier took a break from his tight diplomatic schedule in Ghana on Tuesday to have a kickabout with Ghanaian-born Germany national player Gerald Asamoah in the city of Kumasi.</p><p>After visiting a vocational school in the city, which is the capital of the Ashanti region, he took part in the brief football session on a nearby sports field.</p><p>Steinmeier kicked the ball back and forth a few times with Asamoah – much to the delight of the children and young people who were playing football on the field.</p><p>"That was very, very good. You can tell he used to play football," Asamoah said later of Steinmeier's football skills.</p><p>The previous day, Steinmeier had awarded the Federal Cross of Merit to the former Bundesliga professional, who was born in Mampong, also in the Ashanti region.</p><p>The suggestion for the sweaty sporting activity in the hot and humid weather came from the minister of state at the Foreign Office, Serap Güler, who is accompanying the German president on his trip to Africa. The security officers were less enthusiastic about the unscheduled kickabout.</p><p>Güler, a conservative politician, had a surprising experience herself at the vocational school. When she asked young people learning German about a typical meal in Germany, the answer was "Halve Hahn," a rye roll with Gouda cheese popular in the Rhineland. She said she had expected "döner" as an answer.</p>)
![](/<figure><img alt="German bobsleigh pilot Francesco Friedrich celebrates with his gold medals after the award ceremony of the four-man bobsleigh at the Yanqing National Sliding Center. Robert Michael/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/dpa_international_526/77cc4917f3ab15530e111fbb201236bf" data-uuid="e4cb8078-834b-380e-9a6f-7ff50a0dbbc3"><figcaption>German bobsleigh pilot Francesco Friedrich celebrates with his gold medals after the award ceremony of the four-man bobsleigh at the Yanqing National Sliding Center. Robert Michael/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa</figcaption></figure><p>German bobsleigh icon Francesco Friedrich eyes a third straight Olympic golden double at the Mailn/Cortina Games in February and is yet to decide whether he will then end his glittering career.</p><p>Friedrich became the first athlete to win two-man and four-man golds at successive Games with golden doubles in 2018 and 2022, and he now wants the hat-trick on both events.</p><p>"Both titles are the aim in Cortina," he told reporters in Altenberg ahead of the World Cup season which starts at the end of November at the newly-built Olympic sliding centre in Italy.</p><p>Looking at his career plans, the 18-time world champion Friedrich said it was too early for a decision.</p><p>"Our plans are until the Olympic Games. All sponsor contracts expire then and some of the push men have reached the end of their career. We will sit down after the Games to decide whether it will continue or not," the 35-year-old said.</p><p>Friedrich's long time German rival Johannes Lochner, who won two silvers in 2022, has said that he will end his career after the Games where he aims to end Friedrich's supremacy.</p><p>Friedrich lost last season's two-man World Cup title because his partner Simon Wulff committed a doping offence, and he said he would personally give Lochner the trophy during next week's training in Cortina.</p><p>Friedrich said that the issue has not derailed his preparations for the season: "The focus is on our Olympic preparations and I believe the first World Cup on the Olympic track in Cortina will set the tone."</p>)
![](/<figure><img alt="Roma star Dybala out for up to six weeks amid contract uncertainty" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/football_italia_articles_132/7c9aef4d9240bfcc9eeec645af93d721" data-uuid="34e3b8a0-22f9-3945-9fd8-384bb11ce409"><figcaption>Roma star Dybala out for up to six weeks amid contract uncertainty</figcaption></figure><p>Roma have been dealt a major setback after confirming Paulo Dybala suffered a medium-grade tear in the biceps femoris of his left thigh, an injury expected to keep him out for between three and six weeks.</p><p>The club are waiting to see how the Argentine forward responds to treatment before determining a more precise timeline, though it remains possible Gian Piero Gasperini and the player himself could push for an earlier return.</p><img height="0" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/football_italia_articles_132/abd209d42e6d226888057587558a48db" width="0" data-uuid="069c3ffa-614c-3d00-bd44-6257abbb4360"><p>MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 02: Gian Piero Gasperini, Head Coach of AS Roma, looks on prior to the Serie A match between AC Milan and AS Roma at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on November 02, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)</p><p>Adding to the uncertainty around Dybala, Roma sporting director Frederic Massara recently admitted there have been no talks over a contract extension, <a href="https://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/serie-a/roma-il-contratto-di-dybala-scadra-a-giugno-e-il-club-non-puo-ignorare-i-suoi-infortuni-2164686">according to TuttoMercatoWeb</a>.</p><h2>Dybala future in doubt due to fitness concerns</h2><p>His current deal expires in 2026, and while a renewal remains possible, there are clear concerns over his physical reliability.</p><img height="0" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/football_italia_articles_132/f012615882325e86a0a4b4f886d04782" width="0" data-uuid="88e073c5-7840-3ba7-84cb-bfad2db3afc2"><p>MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 02: Paulo Dybala of AS Roma warms up prior to the Serie A match between AC Milan and AS Roma at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on November 02, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)</p><p>The former Juventus forward, <a href="https://football-italia.net/dybala-fights-back-tears-roma-injury-penalty/">who missed a crucial penalty against Milan at the weekend</a>, continues to be one of Roma’s most technically gifted players, capable of lighting up the Olimpico when fit.</p><p>However, at 31, his recurring injuries and high salary make his long-term future in the capital far from guaranteed.</p>)