Switzerland’s men’s ice hockey head coach Patrick Fischer was dismissed in mid‑April 2026 after admitting he used a falsified COVID‑19 vaccination certificate to enter China for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Fischer, 50, who had led the national team since 2015 and guided Switzerland to three world championship silver medals, publicly apologised after being confronted by Swiss broadcaster SRF with documents showing he was fined nearly 39,000 Swiss francs in 2023 for document forgery related to buying the certificate on social media. The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation initially said the matter was closed once Fischer admitted the error, but reversed course amid media scrutiny and public debate about “values and trust,” naming Jan Cadieux as his immediate replacement. Fischer had been due to step down after Switzerland hosts the IIHF World Championship in May 2026. Federation president Urs Kessler said the decision reflected the organisation’s focus on integrity and respect following renewed attention to the case.

Former Arsenal and Austria goalkeeper Alex Manninger has died at the age of 48 after his car was struck by a train at a level crossing near Nussdorf am Haunsberg, north of Salzburg, on April 16, 2026. Salzburg police said the collision occurred at about 08:20 local time on the Salzburg local railway; first responders freed the driver from the vehicle and performed CPR and used a defibrillator, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Authorities said the car was dragged several metres by the train; the train driver and around 25 passengers aboard were reported unharmed. Manninger, who made 33 appearances for Austria, won the 1997-98 Premier League and FA Cup double with Arsenal and later played for clubs including Juventus, Siena and Augsburg, finishing his career with a short-term spell at Liverpool. Tributes poured in from Arsenal, Juventus, Red Bull Salzburg and the Austrian Football Association, which described him as an outstanding ambassador for Austrian football. Police said an investigation into the circumstances of the crossing collision is under way.

Manchester City confirmed on April 16, 2026 that captain Bernardo Silva will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season. The 31-year-old Portugal international joined City from Monaco in 2017 and has made 451 appearances, scoring 76 goals and providing 77 assists across nine seasons. Silva has been a central figure in City’s most successful era, winning multiple domestic titles and European honours — including six Premier League crowns and a Champions League — and lifting the Carabao Cup this season as captain. In an open letter to supporters on social media he thanked the club, manager Pep Guardiola, teammates and fans, saying he will “leave as one more of you, a Man City supporter for life.” City said it will stage a fitting farewell at the end of the campaign. Silva’s exit, on a free transfer, has already attracted reported interest from top European clubs and sides outside Europe, and he has the opportunity to add further silverware while City pursue the Premier League and FA Cup.

Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points — including an 11-point fourth-quarter burst — to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 109-97 play-in victory over the Orlando Magic on April 16, securing the East’s No. 7 seed and a first-round series against the No. 2 Boston Celtics beginning Sunday. Philadelphia finished 45-37; Orlando, also 45-37, lost the tiebreaker and must host the Charlotte Hornets Friday for the final Eastern playoff spot. Joel Embiid, recovering from an emergency appendectomy last week, surprised teammates by returning to the locker room before the game and watched from the bench, with no timetable for his playing return. Desmond Bane led Orlando with 34 points. Later the same night in Inglewood, Stephen Curry scored 35 points — 27 in the second half — and the Golden State Warriors rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 in the West 9/10 play-in. Al Horford hit four fourth-quarter 3s and Kristaps Porziņģis added 20. Golden State will travel to Phoenix on Friday for the West’s final seed; the winner there would meet top-seeded Oklahoma City in the first round. The Clippers’ loss ends their bid to reach the postseason.

April 15-16 — A volatile two-night NBA play-in produced high drama on and off the court. The Charlotte Hornets edged the Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime after LaMelo Ball drove for the winning layup; an earlier sequence in which Ball appeared to grab Bam Adebayo’s leg left the Heat star with a lower-back injury and out for the night. The league retroactively assessed a flagrant-2 on Ball, fined him $35,000 for the play and $25,000 for using profanity in a postgame interview (a combined $60,000), but did not suspend him. Video also showed Ball delivering two punches to the Hornets’ mascot during celebrations. In other play-in results, Tyrese Maxey scored 31 to lift the Philadelphia 76ers past the Orlando Magic 109-97 to clinch the No.7 seed and a first-round series with Boston; Orlando will meet Charlotte Friday for the final East berth. Deni Avdija’s 41 points propelled the Portland Trail Blazers to a 114-110 win over Phoenix and the No.7 seed — a result that triggers Portland’s conveyance of a protected No.15 2026 draft pick to the Chicago Bulls. Broadcasters streamed play-in coverage across new rights partners, with all play-in games carried on Amazon Prime Video under the NBA’s reworked media deal.

Sources and league executives moved on April 15-16, 2026 to push back against media reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is preparing to withdraw support for LIV Golf. CEO Scott O’Neil sent a memo telling staff and players the 2026 schedule will run “exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle” as the circuit prepared to play at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City. Multiple outlets including the Financial Times and New York Times reported that PIF executives were reconsidering the multibillion-dollar backing after unveiling a new five-year strategy, and that an emergency leadership meeting took place in New York. PIF has invested more than $5 billion in LIV since 2021; some players say they were told funding was secured through 2032. The league has posted strong recent attendances in Australia and South Africa but continues to post heavy losses and has seen high-profile exits such as Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed. LIV remains under scrutiny from sponsors, broadcasters and regulators as uncertainty about long-term financing persists.