The French government and UEFA have announced inquiries into events before, during and after Saturday night's UEFA Champions League final. These were the sort of scenes the European game hoped were long behind them: supporters (including children) being pepper-sprayed, ticket-less individuals forcing their way through or over gates, fans being mugged and intimidated, supporters being penned in for hours in dangerous conditions.

Truth isn't just the first casualty of war; it's also the first casualty in situations like we witnessed Saturday night. Different camps defending their corner, half-truths and outright fabrications, mistrust and tribalism, cultural differences and accusations, age-old prejudices and historical fears... all amplified by social media and sometimes decontextualised by a 24/7 news cycle.

What we need now is a full investigation: calm, transparent and independent. In fact, we need multiple ones, and it's right that UEFA commissioned an independent inquiry to go with the French one. What's not helpful is comments like those from the French sports minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera, who said Liverpool "let its supporters out in the wild" as if they're rabid animals.

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French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said that more than two-thirds of the 62,000 Liverpool supporters who he claimed showed up at the Stade de France had presented fake tickets. That may or may not be accurate, just as it may or may not be true that the actions taken by law enforcement were, as he claims, "proportionate" and helped "prevent deaths or serious injury." But I'm not sure how you can make such a claim less than 36 hours after the match, and I'm not the only one.

"I would just say we are incredibly surprised that someone in that position would make comments in the first place at this point, when we haven't had adequate time to understand what happened," said Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan. He was referring to Oudea-Castera, but he might as well have been talking about Darmanin. "There hasn't been an independent investigation to establish all the facts... There needs to be that independent, transparent investigation into what happened. We should know all the facts to make sure the scenes that we've all seen, absolutely disgraceful, from Saturday do not ever happen again.

"Everyone should be focused on getting the investigation right and less about making inflammatory comments that attempt to deflect responsibility for what happened on Saturday night."

He's right: we know bad things happened. The "who" is important, but so are the "why" and "how," and in situations like these, your best-case scenario comes in two parts.

The first is that those who did wrong are held accountable. On this occasion, that list might include organizers, law enforcement, local criminals, ticket-less fans and those who sold forged tickets. I pray for justice, but I'm not holding my breath on this one. Such was the chaos, such is the willingness of those with oversight to close ranks, such is the desire of victims to put everything behind them that, frankly, justice here might end up feeling like a bonus. But there's a secondary aspect: learning from mistakes and ensuring they don't happen again. Here, I'm a tad more optimistic for the simple reason that, in addition to reputational damage, there's money at stake. Lots and lots of money.

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The Champions League final is the European game's answer to the Super Bowl. It's not just the game itself and the VIPs who attend, either; it's the whole carnival around it, one that UEFA hopes to monetise and commercialise further, turning it into a weeklong event. Saturday night saw not just rank-and-file supporters treated badly -- Liverpool fans might have had to endure more, but it was by no means an easy ride for Real Madrid's faithful either -- but also many of the VIPs, corporate partners and high rollers who make it a point to attend these events.

Indeed, there was a perverse democratizing effect to Saturday's events. You might have driven up in a Rolls-Royce, clutching your €12,000 hospitality package ticket, but once you're out of the car, blocks from the first security cordon, you're a mere civilian, facing the same obstacle course of queues, crushes and, if you're unlucky, heavy-handed policing.

It might sound cynical and crass, but that, more than anything, is what is likely to spur action. Along with ordinary fans, there were corporate sponsors, commercial partners, politicians, players past and present, club officials and federation officials who ended up with an evening to forget. And their voices matter, sometimes more.

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It's 2022. It's not an unreasonable expectation that, regardless of socioeconomic status, people should be able to attend the biggest game in club football without having to show up six hours early, without needing to be shepherded from Point A to Point B as part of an official tour, without enduring a military gauntlet, without biblical queues in confined areas, without being robbed or defrauded, and without feeling unsafe, especially at the hands of the very people who are there to protect them (the police).

We can do better. I don't know how to get there, other than establishing the facts and being smarter about how we hold these events, but I do know that fans deserve better and football deserves better.

DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche hung on to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 8-6 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night, but the home team lost starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper to an upper-body injury in the process.

Kuemper was late returning to the ice when the second period began, and then left for good at the first TV timeout. He finished with 13 saves on 16 shots. Backup Pavel Francouz backstopped Colorado the rest of the way in an 18-save performance.

Avs coach Jared Bednar had no update on his goaltender after the win.

"We'll see," was all Bednar said when asked if Kuemper's issue was day-to-day or something potentially longer term.

Depending on the severity of Kuemper's ailment, his extended absence could create a noticeable momentum swing in the series.

Kuemper has been solid throughout the postseason, producing a 6-2-0 record with a .904 save percentage and a 2.44 goals-against average heading into the conference finals. And he's coming off a terrific regular season (37-12-4, .921 SV%, 2.54 GAA) that helped Colorado gain strong positioning for the playoffs.

The 32-year-old was set to play an integral role in lifting Colorado past Edmonton and its bevy of electrifying offensive stars -- namely forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl -- who will attempt to feast on Francouz given the opportunity.

That was already apparent in how Francouz fared coming off the bench. He entered the game when it was 6-3, and gave up goals to McDavid, Derek Ryan and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins late to allow Edmonton to get within one with over seven minutes remaining in regulation.

"We didn't plan to play such a game," Francouz said, "but we'll take the win. It's obviously easier [to come in] if you have a pretty good lead, so I think that kind of helped us for sure. I didn't feel cold for like five seconds; I was warm pretty quickly. That wasn't an issue. We all know what kind of players are on these two teams and we didn't plan to play such a game, but we take this win for sure, and we move forward."

Francouz hadn't been totally idle in the playoffs. He stepped in for Kuemper when Colorado's starter was sidelined in Game 3 of the Avalanche's first-round sweep of Nashville. Predators forward Ryan Johansen accidentally hit Kuemper in the eye with a stick, and he missed the remainder of that series before returning healthy for the second-round matchup against St. Louis.

Filling in for Kuemper, Francouz went 2-0-0 with a .902 SV% and a 2.97 GAA while closing out Nashville.

Kuemper's exit wasn't the only goalie drama in Game 1, either. The Oilers also flipped from Mike Smith to Mikko Koskinen in the second period, after Smith allowed a sixth goal to put Edmonton in a 6-3 hole.

Smith finished with 19 saves (760 SV%) to Koskinen's 20 stops (.952 SV%).

The 40-year-old Smith also got the hook in Game 1 of Edmonton's second-round series against Calgary, when he gave up three goals in six minutes to start the first period.

While Smith could make light of the fact that "obviously, we don't like Game 1s," he was clearly unhappy with how this one played out.

"When you're on the bench halfway through the game, it's not a good sign," Smith said. "In saying that, it's one game and I've been in this position before, so you park it. It's a long series."

In the end, it was a tight loss for the Oilers, where an unsuccessful -- and controversial -- offside challenge still loomed.

When Cale Makar lit the lamp with just 13 seconds left in the first period, Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft challenged the play for being offside. The NHL upheld the goal, though.

The issue at hand was whether Valeri Nichushkin had made it back across the blueline before Makar carried the puck into Edmonton's end. Woodcroft didn't think he did. The NHL's explanation for the goal standing was that Makar pushed the puck into the zone but didn't himself cross the blueline until Nichushkin had tagged up. Therefore, the play was onside.

The unsuccessful challenge not only upheld the Avalanche's 3-2 lead, but Nazem Kadri also scored 32 seconds into Colorado's ensuing power play.

Woodcroft believes he made the right call in challenging, and still thinks it shouldn't have counted. But on a night when 14 pucks found mesh, Woodcroft was more concerned about what Edmonton conceded throughout.

"We didn't win or lose this game because of that call," he said. "It's not about what you get sometimes, it's what you give up. Things happen in hockey games, you have to move on. We didn't get the kill, that was disappointing for us. We gave up too many goals against and we have some work to do to clean it up."

After weeks of conversations with ownership and management, Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder's future remains unclear and a possibility exists that he could decide to end his eight-year tenure with the franchise, sources told ESPN.

While talks are described as "good faith" attempts at a resolution that'll keep Snyder, discussions with owner Ryan Smith and CEO of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge have yet to secure the coach's return for next season, sources said.

The Jazz have offered to extend Snyder's current contract, which has two years left, including his option for the 2023-24 season, sources said. The organization would also welcome Snyder simply returning on his current contract for next season, sources said.

"Quin Snyder is one of the best coaches in the NBA," Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said during exit interviews in late April. "There is no other partner I would rather have as a coach and as a leader of our players and as a partner in our front office than Quin Snyder."

There's no timetable on reaching a decision, and talks are expected to continue, sources said.

Conversations have largely been centered on philosophical issues and how the sides can work together moving forward with a franchise trying to make the next step in Western Conference contention, sources said.

Snyder expressed no interest in discussing open jobs in the marketplace this offseason, sources said, but sitting out a season would certainly leave him one of the most sought-after candidates in 2023 and beyond. Snyder has been recovering from hip surgery since the Jazz were eliminated in six games by Dallas in the Western Conference quarterfinals.

Snyder has a 372-264 record in eight seasons with the Jazz, matching Golden State's Steve Kerr for the third-longest tenure with a team among active head coaches, trailing only San Antonio's Gregg Popovich and Miami's Erik Spoelstra. After inheriting a franchise coming off a 25-57 season, Snyder played a prominent role in Utah becoming a perennial playoff team. The Jazz have the Western Conference's longest active postseason streak at six years, but Utah has not advanced past the conference semifinals in this era.

Utah has undergone major changes at all levels of the organization during Snyder's time in Utah, particularly in the last two years, including Smith's purchase of the franchise from the Miller family and the transitioning from Dennis Lindsey to Danny Ainge as the lead basketball executive.

Ainge and the Jazz front office face significant challenges beyond the efforts to retain Snyder in the wake of Utah's first-round exit. The Jazz, who are projected to be deep into the luxury tax again next season, have limited roster flexibility but hope to build a championship-caliber team around All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell.

After standing for the national anthem Monday in honor of the Memorial Day holiday, San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler remained in the clubhouse Tuesday to protest the direction of the nation after the school shootings that killed 21 in Uvalde, Texas, last week.

Only a handful of Giants players were on the field when the anthem was sung before Tuesday's game at Philadelphia, but it was unclear whether the move was one of solidarity with their manager. It is not uncommon for players to remain in the clubhouse during the national anthem as they continue pregame preparations.

It was the fourth time in five days Kapler decided to stay in the clubhouse. During his pregame session with the media before Tuesday's game, Kapler refused to indicate which way he was going to act.

"The protest was not about the anthem and I think I made that clear as well," Kapler said. "The landscape is ever-changing and these issues are not black and white. They require -- in my opinion -- a lot of thought and a lot of action. I don't know that it's necessary to answer questions about this on a day-to-day basis about whether I'm coming out for the anthem. I think it important to recognize that peaceful protest of any kind on important issues like gun control and in particular gun safety are important to me and I will continue to be expressing my thoughts going forward.''

Earlier Tuesday, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi expressed support for Kapler's decision to protest, telling reporters on a video call, "I'm just thankful every day that I get to work with somebody who cares that much.

"I may not agree with everything he says or does on a personal level -- that may be true of other people -- but his passion, his thoughtfulness and his conviction over the last few days -- those are the same traits that made him the Manager of the Year last year and have made him such an effective leader for our team and our organization."

Zaidi said the Giants would continue to play the national anthem before their home games at Oracle Park, but emphasized that the organization "respects the rights and choices of Gabe, and all of our players and coaches and fans, to express themselves and their views peacefully in the way that they see fit."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tommy Pham wasn't quite ready to return to the Cincinnati Reds lineup Tuesday night, even though his much-publicized three-game suspension had ended.

The veteran outfielder felt some tightness in his calf during batting practice before the team's series opener against the Boston Red Sox. As for the rest of him?

"Hand is good," he told reporters.

Pham was referencing why he was suspended in the first place. A fantasy football dispute with Joc Pederson led him to slap the San Francisco Giants outfielder before their teams played Friday, and resulted in punishment from Major League Baseball the following day for what it deemed was "inappropriate conduct."

Pederson had said he was accused of cheating for the way he had maneuvered the big-money fantasy league's injured reserve spot. Pham had said the dispute stemmed from an old text sent by Pederson to the league's group chat in which he disrespected his teammates on the San Diego Padres, for whom he played last season.

Speaking Tuesday in Boston, Pham said he's over whatever happened.

"That's something you really just put behind you," Pham told reporters, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. "Everyone in that group chat, everybody knows. I've had some of those guys reach out to me. They already know what's up."

Pham also contested Pederson's assertion that the IR move was legal.

"We had rules to the IR," he said. "I know the ESPN app rules. We had our own individual rules."

Pham said one person could have prevented it all -- their fantasy league's commissioner, Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout.

"Trout did a terrible job, man," Pham said, laughing, per the Enquirer. "Trout is the worst commissioner in fantasy sports because he allowed a lot of [stuff] to go on, and he could've solved it all. I don't want to be the [expletive] commissioner; I've got other [stuff] to do. [Trout] didn't want to do it. We put it on him, so it's kind of our fault too because we made him commissioner."

The field for the first of eight LIV Golf Invitational Series events was released late Tuesday with 42 players poised to participate in the tournament next week in London.

Among the field was former world No. 1 and two-time major champion Dustin Johnson, who pledged his allegiance to the PGA Tour earlier this year, saying in February that he was "fully committed to the PGA Tour."

“Dustin has been contemplating the opportunity off-and-on for the past couple of years,” Johnson’s manager, David Winkle with Hambric Sports, said in a statement. “Ultimately, he decided it was in his and his family’s best interest to pursue it. Dustin has never had any issue with the PGA Tour and is grateful for all it has given him, but in the end, felt this was too compelling to pass up.”

Johnson, the highest ranked player in the field at 13^th in the world, was not the only major champion to sign on to play the first event. Former U.S. Open champions Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer are in the field, as is former Masters winner Sergio Garcia and Open champ Louis Oosthuizen.

The Tour did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The circuit denied all requests for conflicting-event releases to play the first LIV event. The circuit’s Player Advisory Council met Tuesday at the Memorial, but according to one member of the PAC, the LIV field was not discussed.

The field in London will also include Tour winners Kevin Na, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Hudson Swafford and Branden Grace.

Phil Mickelson is not listed in next week’s field, although LIV Golf still has six spots available at the Centurion Club, five of which will go to players at this week's Asian Tour event in England. Mickelson had been linked to LIV Golf but was quoted in a story earlier this year on the Fire Pit Collective website criticizing both LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, and he has not played since.

Here's a look at the current field list (42 of 48 players announced):

Oliver Bekker, South Africa
Richard Bland, England
Laurie Canter, England
Ratchanon Chantananuwat (amateur), Thailand
Hennie Du Plessis, South Africa
Oliver Fisher, England
Sergio Garcia, Spain
Talor Gooch, USA
Branden Grace, South Africa
Justin Harding, South Africa
Sam Horsfield, England
Dustin Johnson, USA
Matt Jones, Australia
Sadom Kaewkanjana, Thailand
Martin Kaymer, Germany
Phachara Khongwatmai, Thailand
Sihwan Kim, USA
Ryosuke Kinoshita, Japan
Chase Koepka, USA
Jinichiro Kozuma, Japan
Pablo Larrazabal, Spain
Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland
Jediah Morgan, Australia
Kevin Na, USA
Shaun Norris, South Africa
Andy Ogletree, USA
Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa
Wade Ormsby, Australia
Adrian Otaegui, Spain
Turk Pettit, USA
James Piot (amateur), USA
Ian Poulter, England
David Puig (amateur), Spain
JC Ritchie, South Africa
Charl Schwartzel, South Africa
Hudson Swafford, USA
Hideto Tanihara, Japan
Peter Uihlein, USA
Scott Vincent, Zimbabwe
Lee Westwood, England
Bernd Wiesberger, Austria
Blake Windred, Australia