Sports quiz of the week: new faces, old friends, fights, fallouts and a curse

Tadej Pogacar, Marc Cucurella, Aziz Abdul Composite: Getty Images

1. Chelsea are keen to sign Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson. Which club did they play for together 16 years ago?

   1. Preston North End

   2. Watford

   3. Sunderland

   4. Brentford

2. 

   Eddie Howe has left Newcastle United. How many of the 20 clubs in the Premier League have English managers?

   1. One

   2. Three

   3. Five

   4. Seven

3. York City also changed managers this week. Why was their decision to sack Stuart Maynard a surprise?

   1. His brother is the club’s owner

   2. He signed a new three-year contract last week

   3. The owner was best man at his wedding earlier this summer

   4. He led the club to a league title three months ago

4. 

   Marc Cucurella has commemorated Spain winning the World Cup by getting a new tattoo. What is it?

   1. An image of the flags of the US, Mexico, Canada and Spain

   2. A picture of Argentina players crying

   3. A picture of Spain's coach, Luis de la Fuente

   4. A picture of him and his dog holding the World Cup aloft

5. The fixtures for the new Women’s Super League season were released this week. There are 14 teams in the league this season. Which three clubs have been promoted?

   1. Leyton Orient, Fulham and Leicester City

   2. Birmingham City, Charlton and Crystal Palace

   3. Burnley, Durham and Leicester City

   4. Queens Park Rangers, Sunderland and Wolves

6. 

   Which country is top of the Commonwealth Games medal table, having won more gold medals than the teams in second, third, fourth and fifth combined?

   1. Canada

   2. Scotland

   3. Australia

   4. England

7. The boxer Tarona Taafaki has secured Tuvalu’s first ever medal at the Commonwealth Games. Why is that remarkable?

   1. She won the Cook Islands' first medal four years ago before changing nationality

   2. She was guaranteed to win the medal before she fought

   3. She is 54 years old

   4. She is also the country's deputy prime minister

8. 

   Mayo have won the All-Ireland football championship for the first time in 75 years. According to local folklore, Mayo were cursed for decades because of something their victorious players did after winning the title in 1951. What (supposedly) happened on that fateful day?

   1. The Mayo players laughed in the faces of their opponents at the final whistle, prompting much anger from religious figures such as Pope Pius, who said they would be “condemned to reap only thorns and thistles"

   2. The players met with the Bishop of Mayo the day before the match and said they would return the following day with the cup. They went drinking instead and were made to regret it

   3. The players did not stop and pay respects at a funeral on their drive home from the match, which angered a local priest, who declared: “For as long as you all live, Mayo won’t win another all-Ireland”

   4. After enjoying a few beers on the team bus, the players stopped for a comfort break and urinated on a farmer’s land. He declared they would not win the title for “75 long and barren years”

9. Where did Scandinavia triumph this week?

   1. Glasgow

   2. Paris

   3. Goodwood

   4. Oslo

10. 

    The Women’s Open – the fifth and final major of the year – is taking place this weekend. Which players have already won two majors each this year?

    1. Minjee Lee and Yuka Saso

    2. Grace Kim and Lydia Ko

    3. Nelly Korda and Ryu Hae-ran

    4. Charley Hull and Mao Saigo

11. The Japanese footballer Kazuyoshi Miura scored a goal for ⁠Fukushima ​United in their win against Iwaki Furukawa in the Emperor’s Cup. Why is that remarkable?

    1. He is 59 years old

    2. He is the Emperor’s grandson

    3. He is the team's manager and subbed himself on to the pitch as he was annoyed at his strikers missing chances

    4. He broke his arm five minutes before scoring the goal

12. 

    Tadej Pogacar has won the Tour de France for the fifth time. Which cyclist has six titles (Lance Armstrong does not count)?

    1. Eddy Merckx

    2. Bernard Hinault

    3. Miguel Induráin

    4. No one has ever won it six times

13. What was Pogacar's average speed over the 2,016-mile route?

    1. 14mph

    2. 18mph

    3. 27mph

    4. 33mph

14. 

    Aziz Abdul – the grandson of the former dictator Idi Amin – was picked to box for Uganda in the Commonwealth Games. How did that go?

    1. He won a gold medal and declared his ambition to run for the presidency

    2. He failed to make the weight and was sent home before the opening ceremony

    3. He was late for his first bout, was disqualified and did not get to compete

    4. He was disqualified for head-butting an opponent

15. Which of these European leagues kicks off this weekend?

    1. Ligue 1

    2. Scottish Premiership

    3. Serie A

    4. Bundesliga

16. 

    Franco Baresi, the great Milan and Italy defender, has died at the age of 66. The club retired his shirt when he retired. Which number did he wear?

    1. No 4

    2. No 5

    3. No 6

    4. No 24

Solutions

1:C - They also played together for England at the World Cup … in 2014., 2:B - Michael Carrick at Manchester United, Frank Lampard at Coventry and Gary O’Neil at Ipswich Town. , 3:D - York City won the National League title last season, finishing the campaign with 108 points and returning to the Football League after a decade away. “From the outside, this may look like a strange or difficult decision to understand,” said the club. “But we believe that in the long term, the football club will be in a stronger position because of it.” , 4:C - Cucurella said he would get a tattoo of De la Fuente if Spain won the tournament and he was as good as his word. , 5:B - The season kicks off on Friday 4 September, when London City Lionesses host Manchester United. , 6:C - Australia have won 51 gold medals so far, putting them well clear of England, Canada, Scotland and Nigeria., 7:B - Taafaki was given a bye in the first round so went straight into the semi-finals, where the loser is guaranteed a bronze medal. Tuvalu is one of the smallest nations in the world, with a population of 10,643., 8:C - The players on the bus bus denied the story, but the facts are there for everyone to see: Mayo played in 11 All-Ireland finals while members of the 1951 team were alive and they lost all of them. The last surviving member of that team died a few years ago – and they are now champions once more. , 9:C - The horse won the Goodwood Cup, having also won it last year. , 10:C - The last British player to win a major was Georgia Hall, who won the Open in 2018. , 11:A - The former Japan international is beginning his 42nd season as a professional footballer., 12:D - Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin all won five titles but no one has made it to six. , 13:C - It was the fastest Tour de France on record. Pogacar completed the race in 73 hours, 56 minutes and 26 seconds. , 14:D - Amin – who declared himself “the King of Scotland” – was an accomplished boxer before he became president of Uganda in 1971. He was a brutal military dictator, with as many as 500,000 people being killed during his reign., 15:B - The season has already begun for Hearts. They were knocked out of the Champions League this week by the Austrian side Sturm Graz., 16:C - He was the first player in the club’s history to receive that honour. Paolo Maldini's No 3 shirt has also been retired.

Scores

1. 16 and above.

   That's a sensational score. Well played.

2. 1 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

3. 2 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

4. 3 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

5. 4 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

6. 5 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

7. 6 and above.

   Nice work. Well played.

8. 9 and above.

   Nice work. Very well played.

9. 7 and above.

   Nice work. Well played.

10. 8 and above.

    Nice work. Very well played.

11. 10 and above.

    Nice work. Very well played.

12. 11 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Well played.

13. 12 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Well played.

14. 13 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Well played.

15. 14 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Well played.

16. 0 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week.

17. 15 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Well played.