Sports News Roundup: Hurricanes tie team record with 13-game point streak; Italian rugby club suspend player over racist Christmas present and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-'I accept the pressure' - Ten Hag wary than Man United spending must bring results

Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag said he is aware that his club's excessive spending in the close season transfer window means there is pressure to secure a top-four finish this term. United spent more than 200 million pounds ($240.92 million) to bring in Brazilian duo Antony and Casemiro from Ajax Amsterdam and Real Madrid respectively, Argentine World Cup winner Lisandro Martinez and Dutch full back Tyrell Malacia ahead of the current campaign.

Soccer-France may contact Argentina sports minister over fans' World Cup taunts

French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said she may contact her Argentine counterpart over the "vulgar" taunting of France forward Kylian Mbappe by some Argentina fans in Buenos Aires as they celebrated the return of the World Cup winners. During Argentina's jubilant homecoming, a group of fans set alight a makeshift coffin lid adorned with a cross and picture of Mbappe, while Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez clutched a toy baby with Mbappe's face on it during an open-top bus parade through the capital.

Soccer-FIFA investigating how celebrity chef got onto World Cup final pitch

FIFA has launched an investigation into how individuals gained "undue access" to the pitch following the World Cup final after images and videos of Turkish celebrity chef Nusret Gokce celebrating with Argentina's players went viral on social media.

Gokce, who owns a chain of restaurants and is known as 'Salt Bae' for his theatrical style of sprinkling salt on his steaks, posted videos and photos on his Instagram page of himself with Argentina's players after their win over France in the final.

Top 25 roundup: Mizzou manhandles No. 16 Illinois

Fourth-year guard Kobe Brown set career highs with 31 points and eight assists to lead Missouri to a 93-71 nonconference romp over No. 16 Illinois on Thursday night in the Braggin' Rights Classic in St. Louis. Brown established a record for points by a Missouri player in this heated 53-game rivalry as the Tigers (11-1) built a 35-point lead early in the second half. D'Moi Hodge scored 20 points and DeAndre Gholston added 15 as Missouri shot 59.3 percent from the field and 50 percent on 3-point attempts.

Rugby-Jones says unlikely to be coaching at 2023 World Cup

Eddie Jones said it will be difficult for him to be coaching a team at next year's Rugby World Cup and that he is planning to take "a bit of a breath" after being sacked by England earlier this month. Jones was sacked after England won only five of their 12 tests this year and was replaced by former captain Steve Borthwick.

Weightlifting-Olympic champion Lyu suspended after positive doping test

China's three-times Olympic champion Lyu Xiaojun has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance, the International Testing Agency (ITA) said on Thursday. Lyu returned the positive sample during an out-of-competition test on Oct. 30, said the ITA, which oversees the bulk of the International Weightlifting Federation's (IWF) anti-doping programme.

Italian rugby club suspend player over racist Christmas present

Benetton Treviso rugby club said on Thursday they had suspended one of their players after a Black team member revealed he had received a banana as a Christmas gift from a team mate in the latest act of racism to hit Italian sport. Cherif Traore, who also represents Italy at national level, wrote on Instagram on Wednesday that some players had laughed when he opened the present. He later said he had accepted an apology for what happened.

Soccer-England 1966 World Cup winner Cohen dies aged 83

England's 1966 World Cup-winning right back George Cohen, has died aged 83, his former club Fulham announced on Friday. Cohen made his international debut in 1964 and went on to represent his country 37 times, playing a key role in England's only World Cup triumph when they beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time at Wembley in the final.

NHL roundup: Hurricanes tie team record with 13-game point streak

Jaccob Slavin finished off a tic-tac-toe play for a goal 23 seconds into overtime Thursday to give the visiting Carolina Hurricanes their seventh straight win, 4-3 over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The result allowed Carolina to tie the longest point streak in franchise history, 13 games. The Hurricanes, who are on an 11-0-2 run, also registered a point in 13 consecutive games in the 2016-17 and 2020-21 seasons.

Soccer-Police investigate crowd trouble during Man City win over Liverpool

Greater Manchester Police are investigating several incidents of crowd trouble during Manchester City's League Cup clash with Liverpool on Thursday night, including one that led to a 15-year-old girl being treated for head injuries. The clubs issued a joint statement condemning the violence, which they called "hugely disappointing". City won the match 3-2 to progress to the quarter finals.

(With inputs from agencies.)