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Wembley Stadium could be stripped of the Euro 2020 final and semifinals, with the fixtures moved to Hungarian capital Budapest, if the United Kingdom government fails to allow quarantine exemptions for visiting supporters and UEFA guests to attend the games, sources have told ESPN.

As first reported by The Times, UK ministers are discussing a proposal to exempt UEFA officials, VIPs and sponsors, and international broadcasters, from the requirement to quarantine for 10 days — visitors can self-release after five days with a negative COVID-19 test — on arrival in the UK.

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Sources have told ESPN that UEFA have raised the issue with the UK government primarily to secure an exemption for supporters of competing teams to travel to London for the semis and the final next month.

Euro 2020, which is taking place 12 months late due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is being staged in 11 countries across Europe and the nine host cities on the European mainland have granted quarantine exemptions for citizens from other countries to attend games in their cities.

Sources have said, however, that the UK is continuing to hold firm on its border policy of insisting on a 10-day quarantine for all visitors from countries on its amber list and is reluctant to exempt UEFA officials at a time when UK citizens are subject to the same strict measures when returning from overseas.

Wembley was denied the opportunity to stage the 2021 Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea last month because of the government’s refusal to waive quarantine rules for up to 2,500 UEFA guests. Having taken the game away from Istanbul, Turkey, UEFA instead handed the fixture to Porto, Portugal.

While sources have said that moving the Euro 2020 final and semifinals from Wembley is still an outside possibility, UEFA remains determined to ensure that its showpiece occasion is accessible to as many supporters and guests from outside the UK as possible.

The month-long delay in the UK of the lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions from the original date of June 21 has brought the issue to a head, however, with UEFA now identifying Budapest as a potential alternative.

The Puskas Arena hosted a 60,000-capacity crowd for the Group F clash between Hungary and Portugal this week and would offer UEFA the opportunity to stage the semis and final in front of a much larger crowd than the 22,500 limit in place at Wembley, although that figure is expected to increase to 45,000 for the semis and final in London.

Hungary, a member of the European Union, is scheduled to lift all border restrictions for travel within the EU from next week, so any games in Budapest would be free from the strict regulations still in place in the UK.

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Rodriguez makes history with another 20-20 year

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Rodriguez makes history with another 20-20 year

SEATTLE — Julio Rodriguez homered to become the first player in major league history with 20 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases in each of his first four seasons, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Sunday.

Rodriguez hit a two-run shot in the third inning — his 100th career homer — and the slugging and speedy center fielder also added his 21st stolen base of the season after singling in the fifth inning.

“That’s a very big accomplishment,” Rodríguez told reporters, according to MLB.com. “I know my family’s very happy, and I’m sure they’re thinking of all the things I had to do to be able to get here. To be able to do it with this team and this organization is awesome. I’m just excited to see where things are going to go from here.”

Jorge Polanco added a solo shot in the second, and shortstop J.P. Crawford smacked a two-run blast in the fourth against Rangers starter Jacob deGrom (10-4), who became the fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 1,800 career strikeouts by games and innings Sunday.

The Rangers kept things close by pushing across three runs against Mariners starter Logan Evans (5-4), but tallied only one run against the Mariners bullpen before closer Andrés Muñoz locked down his 25th save of the season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Marlins def. Yankees, earn 1st-ever sweep of N.Y.

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Marlins def. Yankees, earn 1st-ever sweep of N.Y.

MIAMI — Kyle Stowers hit a three-run homer and the Miami Marlins defeated the New York Yankees 7-3 on Sunday, completing their first-ever sweep of the Yankees in a series of three or more games.

The Marlins (55-55) reached .500 for the first time since April 15, when the team was 8-8. Since June 13, the Marlins are 30-14; that’s tied with the 2003 team for the most wins in a 44-game span in franchise history, according to ESPN Research.

The 2003 Marlins went on to beat the Yankees in the World Series in six games.

Marlins starter Edward Cabrera (5-5) pitched six innings of two-hit ball with seven strikeouts and one walk. His only blemish came against the first batter he faced. Trent Grisham drove Cabrera’s 98.1 mph four-seam fastball to right-center.

Miami rookie Jakob Marsee, who made his major league debut on Friday, was 2-for-4 and finished a single short of the cycle.

Stowers made it 6-1 when he connected on an 0-2 fastball from Brent Headrick, who entered in the fourth with two on after starter Luis Gil (0-1) was lifted 3⅓ innings into his season debut.

Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, struck out three and surrendered five runs and five hits while issuing four walks in his return from a high-grade lat strain. He threw 77 pitches.

Gil’s shaky debut comes at a rough point in the season for the Yankees, whose inconsistency has prompted a rash of criticism, the latest coming from former Yankees stars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez on Fox’s pregame show Saturday night.

“They make way too many mistakes,” Jeter said. “Way too many mistakes, and you can’t get away with making that number of mistakes against great teams.”

Added Rodriguez: “Where’s the accountability?”

Boone addressed those criticisms before Sunday’s game, saying it comes with the territory of being the Yankees, but he added after the loss that it’s “gut-check” time for his club.

New York’s weekend series at Miami included the Yankees blowing a six-run lead in a wild 13-12 loss on Friday, before a 2-0 loss on Saturday.

The Yankees had a seven-game lead in the AL East in late May. By July 2, the lead was gone and the Yankees have been looking up at Toronto in the division ever since. The red-hot Boston Red Sox, who were more than 10 games behind the Yankees about two months ago, have overtaken their rival for the second spot in the AL East and AL wild-card lead.

“It’s getting late,” Boone said. “And it’s certainly not too late for us. I am confident that we’re going to get it together. But that’s all it is right now is, you know, it’s empty until we start doing it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Rodriguez makes history with 4th 20-20 season

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Rodriguez makes history with another 20-20 year

SEATTLE — Julio Rodriguez homered to become the first player in major league history with 20 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases in each of his first four seasons, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Sunday.

Rodriguez hit a two-run shot in the third inning — his 100th career homer — and the slugging and speedy center fielder also added his 21st stolen base of the season after singling in the fifth inning.

Jorge Polanco added a solo shot in the second, and shortstop J.P. Crawford smacked a two-run blast in the fourth against Rangers starter Jacob deGrom (10-4), who became the fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 1,800 career strikeouts by games and innings Sunday.

The Rangers kept things close by pushing across three runs against Mariners starter Logan Evans (5-4), but tallied only one run against the Mariners bullpen before closer Andrés Muñoz locked down his 25th save of the season.

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