Leicester City vs. Leeds United - Football Match Report - March 5, 2022 - ESPN

10:02 AM ET

Jesse Marsch was appointed at Leeds United on a three-year deal on Monday. Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images

Newly appointed Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch got off to a losing start as his side suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.

The match at the King Power Stadium was tightly contested, with Leeds looking the more dominant side in the second half, but Leicester winger Harvey Barnes struck home on 66 minutes to edge his team to victory.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access

Marsch, 48, of the United States, was appointed at Elland Road on Monday, signing a contract until June 2025, as a replacement for Marcelo Bielsa.

Saturday's defeat means Leeds remain in 16th place in the Premier League, just two points ahead of the relegation zone.

"Even going into the match I felt the performance was more important than the points," Marsch told the BBC.

"It's our first match together, we've had four days on the [training] pitch and I'm pleased with how they controlled the match in all phases of the game, including set pieces. They've made so much progress in a short space of a time."

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy tormented Leeds' high line early on, but the visitors managed to keep a clean sheet in the opening 45 minutes for the first time since January.

Leeds also had their chances and started the second half brightly with Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel keeping them at bay with some fine saves.

But Leicester finally broke the deadlock against the run of play midway through the second half when Barnes played an intricate one-two pass with Kelechi Iheanacho before sliding the ball past Illan Meslier in Leeds' goal.

"It's always a tough game against Leeds. They had a new manager as well so we didn't know how they were going to set up, but they still have the same intensity, it's still end to and," Barnes told BT Sport.

"A tough afternoon but delighted with the three points... You don't want to make it end-to-end against Leeds. You want to keep the ball and we didn't do that for a lot of the afternoon, we made it a basketball game."

Information from Reuters contributed to this report.

Adblock test (Why?)

Leicester City vs. Leeds United - Football Match Report - March 5, 2022 - ESPN
Read More

Pre Match: NYCFC Bring the Big Apple to Vancouver - Eighty Six Forever

Match Information

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs New York City FC

Location: BC Place Stadium

Date and Time: March 5th, 6:00 pm EST, 3:00 pm PST

Watching: TSN (in Canada) & MLS Live on ESPN+ (in US)

Okay, last week wasn’t the dream start that a lot of Whitecaps fans expected. A 4-0 road defeat showed signs that the Whitecaps may not be as stable as they seemed coming into the season, but that could all change with the upcoming first home game of the season.

The ‘Caps have had a week to prepare for another matchup that can help determine whether last week’s result was the preseason jitters or an unfortunate prelude of what is to come.

Looking at the personnel that was available last week, the lineup seemed pretty experimental, with Blackmon getting a start at the back and Nerwinski playing on his notably weaker side on the left of the centreback three. Seeing how well the combination of Veselinovic and Jungwirth worked last season, it was a little weird to not see the German get the start last week, but seeing how disorganized the back line was it wouldn’t be revolutionary to think how the Whitecaps could plug that hole. Besides that, the midfield seemed not to be the right fit for a Columbus that ran riot in the center of the park. The return of Michael Baldisimo was not something expected, and his quick substitution for Sebastian Berhalter compounded the fact that we now have a Bikel sized hole in the midfield. It was a weird situation where Bikel was sold due to him not fitting the system that the Whitecaps were using last season but on opening day, a player like Bikel would have fit perfectly in front of the back line to shore up attacks.

On the attacking front, Cavallini was his usual self, although service was hard to come by. There were some moments of brilliance in his play but they were offset by a low workrate and a seeming disinterest and disconnect with the rest of the field. This was only highlighted by the injury to Brian White rendering him down for the count in Columbus, and very few players who could fill in the number 9 role for a seemingly lost Cavallini.

I assume there will be a lot of shuffling around before Sunday's game to resemble something more like what we were used to seeing last season in terms of game plan and system. There was no need to reinvent the wheel, as was clearly apparent with the playoff loss to Sporting Kansas City and now with the loss versus the Columbus Crew. The Whitecaps just need to play their game instead of sinking back into the reactionary “adjust for the previous opponent, get beat by next opponent, adjust for them...” etc. etc. There is a heart to the team that was readily apparent last season, they just have to find that same belief in themselves early on instead of halfway through the season as they did last year.

Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports

Looking at NYCFC though, they also suffered a defeat to a cross conference rival, that being LA Galaxy, but it was only a 1-0 loss to a team who just signed a winger with a European pedigree in Douglas Costa. Not a horrible result for them, but then you also remember that they are in the middle of a CONCACAF Champions League campaign that saw them put six past Santos de Guapiles over two legs. They will be looking to steer their ship in the right direction again to avoid any potential embarrassment and prepare for their upcoming matches against Communicaciones. Talles Mango and Taty Castellanos are looking to be gearing up into midseason form, and the team wants to get into a good flow before they make their way through a CCL bracket that could see them reaching the Semis and potentially dreaming of the finals.

At the same time, the Whitecaps will find some solace in the fact that they do have that game later in the week and thus will probably rest key players in the form of taking them off early or not playing them at all. This is where the Whitecaps need to take advantage of the home crowd and use their familiarity to trump the players who haven’t been to BC Place in over two years.

NYCFC have looked scary in their matches continentally and looked strong through their defeat at the hands of LA Galaxy. Their stability makes me believe that a 2-0 loss is in the cards for the Whitecaps, and the team will have to continue to find ways to pick itself back up.

Eighty Six Forever Staff Picks:

Sam: 2-2 DRAW

Calen: 2-1 VAN

Andrew: 2-2 DRAW

Ian: 2-1 VAN

Adblock test (Why?)

Pre Match: NYCFC Bring the Big Apple to Vancouver - Eighty Six Forever
Read More

Bruce Boudreau and Sheldon Keefe match wits again - Toronto Sun

Publishing date:

Mar 04, 2022  •  39 minutes ago  •  3 minute read  •  Join the conversation

From losing 10 of 13 games before head coach Bruce Boudreau took over, the Canucks have won six of their past eight, including 3-2 over the Leafs at Rogers Arena in Vancouver last month — to get back into playoff contention. The Leafs take on the Canucks at Scotiabank Arena Saturday night. USA TODAY SPORTS

Article content

Bruce ‘There It Is’ Boudreau versus ‘Young Sheldon’ Keefe.

Advertisement

Article content

From different chapters of Leafs’ history, Saturday will be the coaches’ second meeting in three weeks on the Hockey Night In Canada stage, a game firing up two of the country’s most dedicated fan bases.

But the pressure is on Keefe’s Leafs, even though they’re at home and 14 points better in the standings.

Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to Buffalo in front of the long-awaited full house at Scotiabank, was disappointing on so many levels, undermining the three-game win streak that preceded it. Once more, Leafs’ goaltending is back in a harsh spotlight, Jack Campbell to start after Petr Mrazek seemingly botched his chance for the extended assignment.

Despite coming in sight of 100 regular season wins as fast as any Toronto coach, Keefe has to prove himself in another 28 games of his first full season and then playoffs.

Advertisement

Article content

The popular Boudreau, 26 years his senior, has 1,000 games under his belt and has worked motivational magic for the Canucks, who were sinking when he replaced Travis Green two months ago.

Boudreau played 134 games for the Leafs in the late 1970s and early ’80s. A Marlies junior rink rat before that, his more relaxed bench style was greatly influenced by the late George Armstrong. Vancouver was a return to head coaching most thought he’d eventually get somewhere, which is why the Leafs did not rush to hire him as a Keefe assistant when he offered his services for a dream opportunity in his hometown.

From the Canucks losing 10 of 13 games before he took over, they’ve won six of their past eight to get back in playoff contention, including 3-2 over the Leafs at Rogers Arena. Thatcher Demko’s 51 saves helped that result.

Advertisement

Article content

A day off following the debacle against Buffalo and the prospect of three in four nights saw Keefe run one of his longest practices of the year, around 90 minutes, counting skill sessions on three separate pads.

“These practice opportunities where we didn’t play the night before are few and far between now,” Keefe said. “There were things we wanted to get done today.”

Ondrej Kase’s return from an undisclosed injury gave Keefe some options at wing on Friday, but there’s no guarantee he comes back Saturday.

The biggest experiment looks to be young Nick Robertson promoted from fourth line to second, on left wing with John Tavares and William Nylander. Robertson wasn’t getting much chance to show his skill in limited ice time and maybe he’s the key to ending captain Tavares’s 14-game goal drought. Alexander Kerfoot will likely move down with Jason Spezza and Wayne Simmonds.

Advertisement

Article content

“We’re familiar with Nick, but just want to see where he’s at, coming off his (broken leg),” Keefe said.

“I think he’s done well with the ice time he’s got. Today, I wanted to get him some reps with that line. It’s a bit different in terms of how the puck moves around.”

The Leafs called up defenceman Mac Hollowell from the Marlies for Rasmus Sandin, who was ill Friday, the latest victim of a stomach bug that’s worked its way through the dressing room the past week. Pending Sandin’s return Saturday and having declared the Morgan Rielly — Sandin experiment a dud, Keefe’s Friday pairs were Rielly — Timothy Liljegren, Justin Holl-TJ Brodie and Travis Dermott-Ilya Lyubushkin.

This will be the second of six straight games Toronto has against teams not currently in the playoffs.

“We’re looking to establish the consistency we had through parts of November that we haven’t found of late,” Spezza said. “To lose the way we did against Buffalo is frustrating for all of us. It reminds us we can’t have a sloppy game, because teams make you pay.”

Share this article in your social network

Advertisement

Adblock test (Why?)

Bruce Boudreau and Sheldon Keefe match wits again - Toronto Sun
Read More

Match Fixing on the Rise as Global Sports Betting Turnover - GlobeNewswire

LONDON and ST. GALLEN, Switzerland , March 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The detection of a record number of suspicious matches exposes the serious, ongoing threat match-fixing presents to the integrity of global sport at all levels as the amount of money bet on sports reached record heights in 2021. This is a key finding of a new report, ‘Betting Corruption and Match-fixing in 2021’, prepared by Sportradar Integrity Services, a global supplier of sports integrity solutions and a division of Sportradar (NASDAQ: SRAD), a leading global sports technology company.

Sportradar’s bet-monitoring service, the Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS), uncovered suspicious activity in 903 matches last year, across 10 sports and in 76 countries worldwide. It is the highest number of suspicious matches recorded in Sportradar Integrity Services’ 17-year history — a 2.4% increase on the previous high of 882 suspicious matches recorded in 2019.

The increase in suspicious activity arose alongside record levels of global sports betting turnover, which Sportradar now estimates at more than €1.45 trillion. According to the report, in 2021 approximately €165 million was generated in match-fixing betting profit. Organized crime syndicates are funded by revenue generated from betting fraud, which can in turn finance other illicit activities. The overall sum generated through betting corruption last year may even be greater, as this figure does not include any other potential financial schemes such as money laundering.

While the number of suspicious matches detected in 2021 reached a record high, Sportradar underscored its commitment to protecting the integrity of global sport by working with its partners to support 65 sanctions: 46 sporting sanctions, 15 criminal sanctions and four sanctions that were both sporting and criminal. These were delivered in 11 countries across football and tennis, with lifetime bans handed down to eight athletes.

Andreas Krannich, Managing Director, Sportradar Integrity Services, said: “There is no easy short-term solution to the match-fixing issue, and we’re likely to see similar numbers of suspicious matches in 2022, if not more. As the market has developed, so the threat of match fixing has evolved. Now, would-be corruptors take an increasingly direct approach to match-fixing and betting corruption, with athletes messaged directly via social-media platforms.

“We can take what we observed in 2021 and ask ourselves as fans of sport, what lessons can we learn? At Sportradar, we believe in adopting a progressive approach to integrity protection, through bet monitoring and intelligence gathering. This has been proven to deliver sanctions against those involved in match-fixing. Preventative measures, such as educating athletes and stakeholders, are also crucially important in the long-term fight against match-fixing.”

Other key findings within the report include:

• Soccer has the highest frequency of suspicious matches at a rate of one in every 201 fixtures. It is followed by esports with one in every 384 and basketball at one in 498.
  
• Lower-level competitions in soccer are significantly affected. It emerged that 50% of suspicious cases in domestic leagues came from the third tier or lower, including regional and youth soccer.
  
• The months of September and October saw the highest number of suspicious matches detected with 105 and 104, respectively. This corresponds with the start of the traditional soccer season.
  
• Sunday is the most common day of the week for suspicious sporting fixtures to occur, accounting for 22.5% of cases, followed by Wednesday at 16.8% and Saturday at 15.6%, reflecting the large number of soccer matches played on these days of the week.
  

Assessing the year ahead, the report forecasts a further increase in the number of suspicious matches set to be detected in 2022.

Sportradar Integrity Services’ report into match-fixing and betting corruption serves to highlight the extent of match-fixing and the damaging effect it has on the industry. The intention is to publish the report annually in order to raise awareness of the latest and most extensive data and trends.

The company used its UFDS to monitor more than 500,000 sports matches in 2021 and to provide an in-depth analysis of the match-fixing landscape. As a large representative sample size, it can be taken as a strong indication of the true rate of match-fixing globally.

Sportradar has made the UFDS available free of charge to all sports globally since October 2021 in an effort to ensure clean sport and to support all sports at all levels with their integrity measures and the system is now used by more than 120 sports organisations globally. Current partners include large international federations such as FIFA, UEFA, ITF, and ICC through to smaller organisations representing an individual sport in a single country.

ABOUT SPORTRADAR:
Sportradar is the leading global sports-technology company creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors. Established in 2001, the company is well-positioned at the intersection of the sports, media and betting industries, providing sports federations, news media, consumer platforms and sports-betting operators with a range of solutions to help grow their business. Sportradar employs more than 2,300 full-time employees across 19 countries around the world. It is our commitment to excellent service, quality and reliability that makes us the trusted partner of more than 1,600 customers in over 120 countries and an official partner of the NBA, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, FIFA, UEFA, ICC and ITF. We cover more than 750,000 events annually across 83 sports. With deep industry relationships, Sportradar is not just redefining the sports-fan experience; it also safeguards the sports themselves through its Integrity Services division and advocacy for an integrity-driven environment for all involved. 

For more information about Sportradar, please visit www.sportradar.com 
Source: Sportradar Group AG 

Sportradar Press Contact:
Sandra Lee 
comms@sportradar.com 

Sportradar Investor Relations Contact:
Rima Hyder 
investor.relations@sportradar.com 

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/47ea7711-fd52-447e-92fa-8d41e98725d2

Adblock test (Why?)

Match Fixing on the Rise as Global Sports Betting Turnover - GlobeNewswire
Read More

Match Fixing on the Rise as Global Sports Betting Turnover Surpasses €1.45 Trillion for the First Time - Financial Post

Author of the article:

GlobeNewswire

Image provided by Sportradar AG. GNW

Article content

Sportradar Integrity Services detect record number of suspicious matches in 2021

Advertisement

Article content

LONDON and ST. GALLEN, Switzerland , March 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The detection of a record number of suspicious matches exposes the serious, ongoing threat match-fixing presents to the integrity of global sport at all levels as the amount of money bet on sports reached record heights in 2021. This is a key finding of a new report, ‘Betting Corruption and Match-fixing in 2021’, prepared by Sportradar Integrity Services, a global supplier of sports integrity solutions and a division of Sportradar (NASDAQ: SRAD), a leading global sports technology company.

Sportradar’s bet-monitoring service, the Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS), uncovered suspicious activity in 903 matches last year, across 10 sports and in 76 countries worldwide. It is the highest number of suspicious matches recorded in Sportradar Integrity Services’ 17-year history — a 2.4% increase on the previous high of 882 suspicious matches recorded in 2019.

Advertisement

Article content

The increase in suspicious activity arose alongside record levels of global sports betting turnover, which Sportradar now estimates at more than €1.45 trillion. According to the report, in 2021 approximately €165 million was generated in match-fixing betting profit. Organized crime syndicates are funded by revenue generated from betting fraud, which can in turn finance other illicit activities. The overall sum generated through betting corruption last year may even be greater, as this figure does not include any other potential financial schemes such as money laundering.

While the number of suspicious matches detected in 2021 reached a record high, Sportradar underscored its commitment to protecting the integrity of global sport by working with its partners to support 65 sanctions: 46 sporting sanctions, 15 criminal sanctions and four sanctions that were both sporting and criminal. These were delivered in 11 countries across football and tennis, with lifetime bans handed down to eight athletes.

Advertisement

Article content

Andreas Krannich, Managing Director, Sportradar Integrity Services, said: “There is no easy short-term solution to the match-fixing issue, and we’re likely to see similar numbers of suspicious matches in 2022, if not more. As the market has developed, so the threat of match fixing has evolved. Now, would-be corruptors take an increasingly direct approach to match-fixing and betting corruption, with athletes messaged directly via social-media platforms.

“We can take what we observed in 2021 and ask ourselves as fans of sport, what lessons can we learn? At Sportradar, we believe in adopting a progressive approach to integrity protection, through bet monitoring and intelligence gathering. This has been proven to deliver sanctions against those involved in match-fixing. Preventative measures, such as educating athletes and stakeholders, are also crucially important in the long-term fight against match-fixing.”

Advertisement

Article content

Other key findings within the report include:

• Soccer has the highest frequency of suspicious matches at a rate of one in every 201 fixtures. It is followed by esports with one in every 384 and basketball at one in 498.
• Lower-level competitions in soccer are significantly affected. It emerged that 50% of suspicious cases in domestic leagues came from the third tier or lower, including regional and youth soccer.
• The months of September and October saw the highest number of suspicious matches detected with 105 and 104, respectively. This corresponds with the start of the traditional soccer season.
• Sunday is the most common day of the week for suspicious sporting fixtures to occur, accounting for 22.5% of cases, followed by Wednesday at 16.8% and Saturday at 15.6%, reflecting the large number of soccer matches played on these days of the week.

Advertisement

Article content

Assessing the year ahead, the report forecasts a further increase in the number of suspicious matches set to be detected in 2022.

Sportradar Integrity Services’ report into match-fixing and betting corruption serves to highlight the extent of match-fixing and the damaging effect it has on the industry. The intention is to publish the report annually in order to raise awareness of the latest and most extensive data and trends.

The company used its UFDS to monitor more than 500,000 sports matches in 2021 and to provide an in-depth analysis of the match-fixing landscape. As a large representative sample size, it can be taken as a strong indication of the true rate of match-fixing globally.

Sportradar has made the UFDS available free of charge to all sports globally since October 2021 in an effort to ensure clean sport and to support all sports at all levels with their integrity measures and the system is now used by more than 120 sports organisations globally. Current partners include large international federations such as FIFA, UEFA, ITF, and ICC through to smaller organisations representing an individual sport in a single country.

Advertisement

Article content

ABOUT SPORTRADAR:
Sportradar is the leading global sports-technology company creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors. Established in 2001, the company is well-positioned at the intersection of the sports, media and betting industries, providing sports federations, news media, consumer platforms and sports-betting operators with a range of solutions to help grow their business. Sportradar employs more than 2,300 full-time employees across 19 countries around the world. It is our commitment to excellent service, quality and reliability that makes us the trusted partner of more than 1,600 customers in over 120 countries and an official partner of the NBA, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, FIFA, UEFA, ICC and ITF. We cover more than 750,000 events annually across 83 sports. With deep industry relationships, Sportradar is not just redefining the sports-fan experience; it also safeguards the sports themselves through its Integrity Services division and advocacy for an integrity-driven environment for all involved.

For more information about Sportradar, please visit www.sportradar.com 
Source: Sportradar Group AG 

Sportradar Press Contact:
Sandra Lee 
comms@sportradar.com 

Sportradar Investor Relations Contact:
Rima Hyder 
investor.relations@sportradar.com 

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/47ea7711-fd52-447e-92fa-8d41e98725d2

Share this article in your social network

Advertisement

Adblock test (Why?)

Match Fixing on the Rise as Global Sports Betting Turnover Surpasses €1.45 Trillion for the First Time - Financial Post
Read More

EKU Rolls Past Dayton In Midweek Match-Up - Eastern Kentucky University Athletics - EKU Sports

Next Game:

Bowling Green

3/4/2022 | 4:00 p.m.

Mar. 04 (Fri) / 4:00 p.m.

 Bowling Green

History

Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. –

Will King and Charlie Ludwick fueled a 4-run third inning to lead Eastern Kentucky to an 11-3 win over Dayton on Wednesday at Earle Combs Stadium.
 
The Colonels (4-5) had a one run edge going into the third.  After the first two batters walked, King drove in both with a double to right field.  Ludwick followed with his first home run of the season.  The two-run shot over the wall in right field put EKU on top 6-1.
 
Eastern Kentucky platted one run in the fourth and one in the sixth on wild pitches.  Ron Franklin Jr. had a sacrifice fly in a 2-run eighth inning.
 
Dayton (5-2) got on the board first when Alex Neff hit a solo home run in the top of the second.  In the bottom half of the inning, an RBI double from Franklin tied it.  A ground out off the bat of Michael Goehrig was enough to bring in the go ahead run.
 
Niko Leontarakis (2-0) turned in a quality start for the Colonels.  He allowed one run on five hits over six innings, walking one and striking out six.
 
Ludwick went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored.  King was 1-for-3 with two walks, a run and two RBIs.  Franklin had a 2-for-4 day with a run and two RBIs.
 
Neff finished 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
 
The Colonels begin a three-game series at home against Bowling Green on Friday at 4 p.m.  Friday is 2000's Night at Earle Combs Stadium.  Fans can gain FREE admission by bringing a copy of a pre-2009 CD.  2000's music will be played throughout the game. 
 
Baseball tickets can be purchased at EKUSports.com/2022BaseballTix.  For questions regarding tickets, call 844-3-GOBIGE.

Print Friendly Version

Adblock test (Why?)

EKU Rolls Past Dayton In Midweek Match-Up - Eastern Kentucky University Athletics - EKU Sports
Read More

First US Capitol rioter on trial ‘lit the match’, prosecutor says - Al Jazeera English

Guy Wesley Reffitt is the first of hundreds charged with joining the January 6 Capitol insurrection to face trial.

The first person to be tried for last year’s deadly assault on the US Capitol “lit the match that started the fire”, a United States prosecutor has alleged, as opening statements began on Wednesday in the trial of Texas militia group member Guy Wesley Reffitt.

Reffitt was armed with a holstered handgun and zip-tie handcuffs, and was wearing body armour and a helmet adorned with a video camera, when he and others charged at police officers on the west side of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, prosecutors have said.

“The defendant was the tip of this mob’s spear,” federal prosecutor Jeffrey Nestler told jurors in his opening statement, saying Reffitt led other rioters up the Capitol’s stairs to “overwhelm” police and storm the building.

“In the defendant’s own words, he lit the match that started the fire,” Nestler said.

The Capitol riot took place shortly after ex-President Donald Trump delivered an incendiary speech in Washington, DC, falsely claiming the election was stolen from him [File: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo]

Reffitt was one of the thousands of people who stormed the US Capitol after former US President Donald Trump delivered a fiery speech in which he falsely claimed the presidential election had been stolen from him due to widespread fraud.

Trump was later impeached for “incitement of insurrection” in relation to the riot, which took place as Congress was meeting to certify President Joe Biden’s election victory.

Four people involved in the incident died on the day of the violence; one was fatally shot by police and the other three died of natural causes. A Capitol police officer who had been attacked by protesters died the following day, while four police officers who took part in the defence of the Capitol later died by suicide.

More than 100 police officers also were injured in the riot.

Reffitt, who has pleaded guilty to the charges against him, is the first person to stand trial for joining the assault on the Capitol, as top US officials have pledged to hold everyone who participated in the riot accountable.

Some 200 defendants have already pleaded guilty to joining the mob, which sent lawmakers running for their lives. They face charges ranging from unlawful picketing to seditious conspiracy, with which 11 people affiliated with the anti-government Oath Keepers militia were charged in January.

On Wednesday, Reffitt’s defence lawyer told jurors that the Department of Justice’s case against his client was based on “a lot of hype” and a “rush to judgement” against a man who is prone to bragging, exaggerating and ranting.

“He uses a lot of hyperbole, and that upsets people,” said William Welch. “This trial will be about fact versus hype.” Welch also said there is no evidence that Reffitt damaged property, used force or physically harmed anybody.

Some 200 defendants have already pleaded guilty to joining the mob, which sent lawmakers running for their lives [File: John Minchillo/AP Photo]

“He never tried to assault anyone. He didn’t help anybody else commit an assault,” Welch said during opening statements that were significantly shorter than the prosecutor’s 30-minute presentation.

But Nestler, the US prosecutor, said on Wednesday that Refitt told a friend he wanted to drag Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of the building. “I just want to see Pelosi’s head hitting every f*****g stair” of the building, he told the friend, according to Nestler.

Reffitt is a member of the “Texas Three Percenters” and bragged about his involvement in the riot to other members of the militia-style group, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors believe Reffitt took an AR-15 rifle and a Smith & Wesson pistol with him when he drove to Washington, DC, with a fellow militia member. FBI agents who searched Reffitt’s home after the riot found a handgun in a holster on a nightstand in his bedroom.

Reffitt has pleaded not guilty to five charges, including carrying a semi-automatic handgun that he brought with him while on Capitol grounds. He also faces charges of obstruction for allegedly threatening his teenage children with harm if they turned him in to the authorities.

Reffitt’s estranged son Jackson, now 19, turned him into the FBI. The son will testify against his father at trial, Nestler said.

Adblock test (Why?)

First US Capitol rioter on trial ‘lit the match’, prosecutor says - Al Jazeera English
Read More