It will be third time lucky for followers of Jake Paul and Tommy Fury on Sunday as their twice-rescheduled bout finally takes place in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, and there are more than a few scores to settle.
Boxing has changed a lot recently, as demonstrated by the sheer interest generated by a fight between a YouTube personality and a Love Island runner-up.
While purists may sneer at Paul's lack of boxing clout and his stated ambition of becoming world champion, the fighters' rivalry has undeniably set tongues wagging.
Their feud can be traced back over two years and involves accusations of faking injuries, interventions from Tyson Fury and pledges from both men to end the other's career.
Here, Stats Perform takes a look back at the taunts, the postponements and the controversies that have marked their rivalry.
March 2021: Tyson throws down the gauntlet
Tommy Fury's all-conquering brother Tyson Fury is often good value on social media, and the Gypsy King got the ball rolling for one of boxing's most talked-about feuds.
After Tommy Fury dispatched Scott Williams, his older brother offered congratulations on Twitter, suggesting Paul – who was gearing up to face former mixed martial artist Ben Askren – as his next opponent.
Paul responded by claiming he didn't know the elder Fury had a brother, but the duo would quickly become familiar with one another.
May-November, 2021: Paul gets personal, bout gets made
After British fighter Fury pledged to face Paul "any time, any place", the American stepped up his taunts and insults.
"Tommy, no one gives a f*** about you if it wasn't for your older brother, who I respect, or your catfish girlfriend [Molly-Mae Hague, a fellow Love Island contestant]," he said. "We all made you famous. You didn't make yourself famous."
Paul then provoked Fury by sharing a message he alleged he had received from Hague, asking him to give her a tour of the United States, which she claimed to be fake.
Paul told Fury to "make the right choice" and sign a deal to face off before the end of 2021, with a bout agreed shortly thereafter.
December 6, 2021: Fury's fitness woes
It's fair to say the reaction to the bout – initially set for Tampa, Florida on December 18, 2021 – was mixed. The prospect of a 'genuine' boxer – even one whose previous victories had largely come against journeymen – stepping into the ring with a YouTuber drew extreme reactions.
While Fury acknowledged he only agreed to the fight for financial reasons, promoter Eddie Hearn said: "If Tommy loses, he should go to a desert island and stay there for life."
With less than a fortnight to go before the fight, a chest infection and a broken rib prompted a "heartbroken" Fury to withdraw, attracting Paul's ire.
"He was scared," Paul said, before knocking down Fury's late replacement Tyron Woodley in the sixth round.
June 2022: Madison Square mayhem
Fury returned to the ring to beat Daniel Bocianski in April 2022, but negotiations for a rearranged meeting with Paul rumbled on, with a breakthrough reached in June.
"It's official, I'm taking little Fury's head off," Paul wrote on Twitter as the fight was pencilled in for August 6 at Madison Square Garden.
While Fury avoided fitness issues, the Manchester-born fighter was denied boarding when attempting to travel Stateside, with visa problems causing another postponement.
Referring to Fury as "Tommy Fumbles", Paul accused his opponent of deliberately avoiding the fight. Paul then returned to action in October, recording his most impressive win yet against former UFC champion Anderson Silva.
January 27, 2023: Third time lucky?
"The moment of truth has finally arrived," Paul announced last month. "On February 26, I will get in the ring with a 'real boxer,' and show the world the truth."
With Paul now 6-0 in professional bouts, a deal was finally agreed for him to face Fury in Diriyah.
Englishman Fury was in bullish mood.
"Jake Paul's boxing career ends on February 26 and I can finally move on with mine," Fury declared. "The world is about to see what happens when a proper boxer faces a YouTuber."
Shortly before the bout was confirmed, Tyson Fury weighed in once more. "It's going to be fun, and I expect Tommy to chin him," he said. "If he doesn't, he can stay in Saudi Arabia!"
January 29-30, 2023: Paul's doubts and baby controversy
Despite an agreement being reached for the fight, Paul told BBC Sport he "definitely" harboured doubts as to Fury's willingness to appear.
Paul attracted heavy criticism in the immediate aftermath of the bout being made, after 'announcing' the birth of Fury and Hague's child on Twitter before the couple staged their own reveal.
When Hague posted an image of newborn daughter Bambi on social media, Paul commented: "Just in time to watch your dad get knocked out."
February 23, 2023: 'Double or nothing' deal as foes face off
Despite Paul's doubts, Fury hailed "the best camp of my life" on social media before jetting off to Saudi Arabia last week.
The duo finally came face-to-face at Thursday's press conference, shaking on a "double or nothing" offer from Paul, who suggested Fury should receive no payment if he loses.
Paul and Fury were separated amid a minor fracas as both taunted the other about their previous fights, with the latter sending out a warning.
"This is in my heart, blood and soul, and you're going to feel that," Fury said. "You should have stuck to easy money fighting old men."
For a fight two years in the making with the backdrop of a deeply personal rivalry, the stage is finally set.
England have put themselves in a winning position after day two of their second Test in New Zealand, with three quickfire James Anderson wickets torpedoing the hosts' chances.
The visitors resumed on Saturday at 315-3 with Harry Brook and Joe Root at the crease, with Brook only adding two more runs to reach 186 off 176 deliveries before getting caught-and-bowled by Matt Henry.
Root, who picked things up at 101 not-out, made his way to 153 not-out from 224 deliveries. After just 28 of his first 101 runs came via boundaries (seven fours), he put the foot down on day two, with 32 of his 52 runs resulting from three fours and three sixes.
New Zealand quick Neil Wagner caused Ben Stokes to mistime a pull shot and lob an easy one to mid-off on 27, and spinner Michael Bracewell removed Ben Foakes (duck) and Stuart Broad (14).
Henry came back in and collected his fourth wicket, dismissing Ollie Robinson for 18, and with England at 435-8 they decided to declare and have a bowl in swinging conditions.
The decision paid early dividends, with Anderson starting like a house on fire.
Anderson got the wicket of opener Devon Conway (duck) in the first over, with a review finding the faintest of edges through to Foakes behind the stumps.
England's all-time leading wicket taker then caught the edge of Black Caps talisman Kane Williamson (four), and Foakes had three catches by the ninth over after Anderson removed Will Young (two).
Anderson's onslaught left New Zealand at 21-3 – the same mark England were before Brook and Root's heroic partnership – but there was little resistance waiting in the wings, as Jack Leach took three wickets and Broad nabbed one to make it 138-7.
For the second day in a row stumps were called hours before the scheduled finish time due to heavy rain, and the weather may be the hosts' only chance of salvaging a result.
Brook second to Bradman
Despite only mustering two more runs after resuming play, Brook's 186 raised his average to 89.88 from nine innings.
Among all players with at least five Test innings, Brook's average is second to only Sir Donald Bradman (99.94).
Anderson's bread and butter
All three of Anderson's early wickets were caught behind by the wicketkeeper – a familiar sight for the legendary quick.
No player has ever registered more dismissals via that method, with Anderson's 191 now giving him 39 more than second-placed Glenn McGrath.
Among the top-five – McGrath, Broad, Courtney Walsh and Dale Steyn – Anderson's percentage of wickets caught behind (27.88 per cent) is the highest.
The Milwaukee Bucks are waiting for an update on Giannis Antetokounmpo after their two-time MVP was forced to leave Friday's game early after a clash of knees.
Antetokounmpo played just six minutes before he signalled to the bench to take him out, but the Bucks did not miss a beat as they blew out the Miami Heat 128-99.
All-Star Jrue Holiday picked up the slack with a team-high 24 points on nine-of-14 shooting, adding seven assists and five rebounds, while Bobby Portis chipped in 18 points (seven-of-11 shooting) and 11 rebounds off the bench.
For the Heat, Kevin Love was given a spot in the starting line-up after being bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he finished with eight rebounds, four assists and zero points, missing all four of his three-point attempts.
Touching on the status of his star player after the win, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said he is still not sure of the severity.
"I haven’t gotten the full breakdown, but I’m pretty sure either on a drive or on a screen or something like that, he knocked knees with somebody and just wasn’t able to return," he said.
Antetokounmpo was only able to make a ceremonial start in the All-Star Game as he used the break to recover from a wrist injury, and Holiday said he would like to see the franchise exercise some caution with him, given their strong position.
"Sometimes you have to stop him from himself," he said. "Being able to calm down and maybe even not play a couple of games, knowing that we're the number two [seed], knowing that we're all right.
"I know he doesn't like it. He tries to play every single game, which I completely understand. I feel like I'm the same way."
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra agreed that the Bucks can survive without Antetokounmpo if necessary.
"It didn't slow them down one bit when Giannis went out," he said. "They just put it in overdrive."
The win improves the Bucks' record to 42-17, just one game behind the league-leading Boston Celtics (43-17), while the Heat sit seventh in the East at 32-28.
The top two seeds at the Rio Open remain on a collision course after both Carlos Alcaraz and Cameron Norrie advanced to the semi-finals on Friday.
World number two and top overall seed Alcaraz was strong in his 6-4 7-6 (7-0) victory over Serbia's Dusan Lajovic, improving his unbeaten record in 2023 to 6-0.
Alcaraz has his eyes set on his second title win in a row after also emerging triumphant in last week's Argentina Open.
Meanwhile, Norrie had to fight back from an early deficit to eliminate Hugo Delien 4-6 6-1 6-4, with the world number 13 and second seed now boasting eight wins from his past nine matches. The only loss during that stretch was to Alcaraz in the Argentina Open decider.
For a chance to avenge that loss, Norrie will have to beat Bernabe Zapata Miralles after he overcame Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4 2-6 6-4 in an all-Spanish quarter-final.
Alcaraz will contend with Nicolas Jarry, after the unseeded Chilean knocked out his second seeded opponent of the tournament, this time getting the better of Sebastian Baez 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
Former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is nearing an agreement to fill the Atlanta Hawks' head coaching vacancy.
According to a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania, Snyder is expected to command a salary in the range of $8million per year to replace Nate McMillan, whom the Hawks fired Tuesday with the team sitting in eighth place in the Eastern Conference at the All-Star break.
The 56-year-old Snyder is arguably the top available coach on the market after leading the Jazz to six consecutive postseason appearances before resigning in June. Utah compiled a 294-178 regular-season record over that six-year stretch, the highest winning percentage among Western Conference teams and the third highest in the NBA.
Utah was not able to achieve the same success during the postseason, however, as the Jazz failed to advance past the conference semifinals in each of those six playoff trips.
Atlanta's interest in Snyder, a Hawks assistant under current Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer in 2013-14, was already known after general manager Landry Fields told reporters Wednesday the former Duke player and assistant coach was among those the team was considering to replace McMillan.
McMillan took over as Atlanta’s interim head coach after the team fired Lloyd Pierce during the 2020-21 season and went 27-11 to lead the Hawks to the East’s fifth seed. Atlanta later upset top-seeded Philadelphia in the second round to reach the conference finals before losing to Milwaukee in six games.
The Hawks removed the interim tag from McMillan shortly after that strong run, but Atlanta was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round in 2021-22 and struggled to find consistency this season. Atlanta took a 29-30 record into the All-Star break after entering the campaign with high expectations, fuelled by the offseason acquisition of guard Dejounte Murray to pair with All-Star Trae Young.
McMillan amassed a 98-80 regular-season record with Atlanta, who tabbed assistant Joe Prunty to serve as interim coach for Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Reigning Korn Ferry Tour Championship winner Justin Suh has a chance to win his first PGA Tour event after finishing Friday's second round of the Honda Classic with the outright lead.
Suh, 25, produced a near-perfect campaign last season on the Korn Ferry Tour, finishing number one overall in points, winning the Tour Championship and being voted the tour's Player of the Year.
He has made the cut in eight of his 11 events to start his PGA Tour career, and after collecting his first top-20 in January's Farmers Insurance Open, he is looking to break through in a big way.
After his opening 66 at PGA National, Suh followed it up with a six-under 64 to reach 10 under overall and take a one-stroke lead into the weekend.
Alone in second place is Chris Kirk, who sits one shot back at nine under after posting a 62 for Friday's round of the day.
England's Ben Taylor is joined by American Monday qualifier Ryan Gerard in a tie for third at eight under, while the trio of Ben Martin, Eric Cole and Brice Garnett round out the top-five at seven under.
After finishing the opening round tied for the lead, both Billy Horschel and Joseph Bramlett fell back into a tie for 28th, following their 65s with a pair of 73s.
With none of the world's top-17 golfers in the field, world number 20 Shane Lowry will feel he still has a chance from his position at four under, tied for 16th, while 18th-ranked Im Sung-jae is at two under.
Chelsea boss Graham Potter revealed he has received messages wishing death on him and his family during his short time in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Potter, whose team travel to face Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, has struggled to build a winning team since replacing Thomas Tuchel in September.
While Chelsea have bought extensively, assembling a large squad at great expense, Potter's Chelsea sit 10th in the table and are almost certain to miss out on a top-four finish.
The head coach has faced criticism in recent times, with a 1-0 home defeat to Southampton last week a low point of his reign.
Chelsea have scored just six goals in their last 11 Premier League games and have netted more than once in just one of their last 14 league outings.
While some fans still show patience, others have turned against Potter, and a small minority have expressed their disenchantment viciously.
Potter said on Friday: "If you go to work and somebody is swearing at you, it's not going to be pleasant. If you’re referred to as the worst person in the history of the club.
"I want to succeed here. There's this nonsense I don't care. My response would be, 'Where’s your evidence on that?'.
"Not that I'd let you do it, but you can ask my family how my life has been for me and for them. It's been not pleasant at all."
He remains "really grateful" to have the Chelsea job and knows some people will be dismissive of the problems of a football coach on a huge salary.
"Nevertheless if you ask me, 'Is it hard, is it tough, is it nice to hear?', as much as I've had support, I've had some not particularly nice emails come through that want me to die and want my kids to die. That's obviously not pleasant," Potter said.
He sees talk of him facing pressure in the media all the time, and is often answering questions on the subject.
"And if we don't get the results then obviously that's what happens," Potter said. "You suffer, and you get upset. When you're in private you show real emotion with your family."
The former Brighton and Hove Albion boss said he would continue to "act with an integrity that is right for me".
"I never want to be anybody else. I don't want to be fake," Potter said. "I'll do my best and if my best isn't good enough, OK, I accept that."
Andy Murray will play Daniil Medvedev in the Qatar Open final after the 35-year-old came through yet another lengthy contest in his semi-final against Jiri Lehecka.
Murray appeared to be on course for a routine win after taking the first set 6-0, but was broken early in the second, eventually losing 6-3 to take him to a fourth three-set contest in four matches this week in Doha.
Lehecka should have won a hard-fought decider when 5-4 and 40-0 up on his own serve, but Murray's trademark resilience saw him break back despite facing five match points against, before ultimately winning the tie-break 8-6.
"I don't know how I managed to turn that match around," Murray said after the win. "In the 5-4 game, I think I played most of the match points really well. He missed one bad shot on the deuce point in that game at 5-4, but I played the match points pretty well.
"It's been an amazing start to the year. I have never experienced this in my whole career, like this many matches... It was sort of looking [like it might be a quicker match] for 30 minutes and then it turned into something completely different. Yeah, just amazing that I managed to turn that around."
Murray equalled Jimmy Connors for the fifth-most ATP hard court wins in the Open Era (489), and will play Medvedev in the final after the Russian's 6-4 7-6 (9-7) win against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The Canadian had three set points in the second set tie-break to try and force a decider, but Medvedev showed determination to turn it around and seal his place against Murray in the final.
At the Open 13 Provence, number one seed Hubert Hurkacz is through to face Alexander Bublik in the semi-finals, with both also having to come through three-set matches in a deciding tie-break.
Hurkacz was finally able to overcome Mikael Ymer 6-3 3-6 7-6 (8-6) before Bublik defeated Grigor Dimitrov 7-5 3-6 7-6 (8-6).
Third seed Alex de Minaur was shocked by Benjamin Bonzi, who broke the world number 23 four times on his way to a 6-2 6-4 victory to avenge his third-round defeat at the Australian Open.
Bonzi will meet qualifier Arthur Fils in the final four after the French 18-year-old beat former world number three Stan Wawrinka 6-2 6-3 to reach a second straight tour-level semi-final.
Bukayo Saka needs to protect himself from roughhouse tactics but manager Mikel Arteta warned he must stay within the laws of the game.
Saka reacted angrily to a challenge from Philippe Coutinho during Arsenal's 4-2 win at Aston Villa last weekend, shoving the former Liverpool man before team-mates intervened.
Saka has been involved in 49 Premier League goals for Arsenal (26 goals, 23 assists), and could become the youngest player to reach 50 goal involvements in the competition since Cesc Fabregas in 2008 should he score or assist against Leicester City on Saturday.
With teams increasingly looking to use tough tackling to halt the 21-year-old's sparkling displays, Arteta feels Saka has a right to defend himself.
"The first one who has to protect Bukayo is himself," Arteta said. "There's many ways to do that on a football pitch, within the rules, and he needs to learn and improve that.
"He reacted in a way, but that line is extremely thin and that cannot take him out of his game and lose his focus.
"But he can help that, as well, to have more focus, more determination, more belief for the next action. It's something he needs to do."
Saka is set to make his 32nd Arsenal appearance of the season against Leicester on Saturday, while he also started four of England's five games at the World Cup in Qatar.
Arteta pointed to Saka's mentality as the reason for his ability to play so many matches, explaining: "I really see his determination and where he wants to get to.
"He really wants to get there and have that resilience and that capacity to consistently show a certain level. He has a great physical element to be able to play every three days. Hopefully he can continue to do that."
With his team top of the Premier League table, two points above closest challengers Manchester City with a game in hand on the reigning champions, Arteta is hoping he can repay the Arsenal board's faith in him by delivering the Gunners' first Premier League title since the 2003-04 'Invincibles' campaign.
The former Gunners midfielder has endured rough periods since taking over in 2019, and he is grateful the board have stuck with him.
Asked how significant trust was between ownership and manager, Arteta said: "It's extremely important, obviously. The people you work with need to have faith, but at the same time they have to see every day what you are doing.
"I think it's something that works very close together, and I was lucky to have the people and the ownership we have. They believed we could continue to do the work that we wanted to do and gave me time. Hopefully we can repay that faith."
The Kansas City Chiefs have promoted Matt Nagy to offensive coordinator for the 2023 season, the team announced on Friday, filling the void created by Eric Bieniemy's departure.
Nagy is a longtime mentee of head coach Andy Reid and previously served as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator from 2016-17.
Nagy was head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2018-21, compiling a 34-31 record and collecting honours as the AP's Coach of the Year in 2018.
After he and the Bears parted ways, Nagy returned to Kansas City last February as a senior assistant and quarterbacks coach, helping the Chiefs win their third Super Bowl in franchise history.
Bieniemy had served as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator for the last five seasons before leaving this offseason for Washington, who named him their assistant head coach and OC.
Nagy has been professionally connected to Reid since 2008, when he joined the Philadelphia Eagles' staff as a coaching intern.
After playing quarterback for the University of Delaware, Nagy was not selected in the 2001 NFL Draft and ended up in the Arena Football League, where he threw over 300 touchdown passes from 2002-08.
Sivasspor coach Riza Calimbay acknowledged it will be tough for Super Lig teams to return to football as his side drew Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League.
Turkey's top flight was suspended in the wake of the February 6 earthquakes that devastated the country and neighbouring Syria, leaving over 50,000 dead.
Having topped Group G in the Europa Conference League last year, Sivasspor bypassed the competition's knockout round play-off phase this month.
But as they prepare for domestic competition to restart this weekend ahead of their return to Europe, Calimbay noted it would be a very different game that emerges.
"It is very difficult to talk after the earthquake," he told the club's website. "Talking about football is very difficult. I think our problems are not over yet.
"We need to start playing football [but] the league will be chaotic, everything will be chaotic. Some matches will not be played. It will be a different league, it will be a sad league.
"Every time we play a match, everyone will have tears. No one can give themselves fully to the game. But our teams that go to Europe, we have to do whatever is necessary to bring points to Turkey."
Sivasspor's fellow Super Lig side Istanbul Basaksehir will also return to Europa Conference League action, having drawn Gent in the last-16 stage.
Elsewhere, Premier League outfit West Ham face off with AEK Larnaca, while Serie A team Lazio will take on AZ after edging out CFR Cluj.
Villarreal take on Anderlecht, with Nice set to square off with Sheriff.
Basel face Slovan Bratislava and Lech Poznan encounter Djurgarden in the remaining ties, with home and away legs set to be played over March 9 and 16.
Europa League last-16 draw in full:
AEK Larnaca v West Ham
Anderlecht v Villarreal
Basel v Slovan Bratislava
Fiorentina v Sivasspor
Gent v Istanbul Basaksehir
Lazio v AZ
Lech Poznan v Djurgarden
Sheriff v Nice
UEFA has launched an investigation after Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic was punched by a PSV fan during Thursday's Europa League match.
The on-field skirmish came near the end of the game, which saw PSV win 2-0 but suffer a 3-2 aggregate elimination against their LaLiga opponents.
Dmitrovic pinned down the pitch invader and held him to the ground before security arrived to escort him away.
UEFA is understood to have opened a case following the incident, which has been condemned by PSV, who said the fan should not have been in the stadium in the first place.
The Dutch club said in a statement: "PSV strongly condemn the incident on Thursday evening when a man invaded the pitch and confronted the goalkeeper. The person involved had already been handed a stadium ban."
PSV general manager Marcel Brands said: "This is not what we stand for at PSV. We feel ashamed and there is no place for that type of behaviour.
"We will consult the organisations involved to discuss how we can enforce stadium bans better, hopefully through reporting obligations. All PSV supporter organisations, who cheered on their team last night, unanimously and explicitly distance themselves from this disgraceful pitch invasion."
PSV said they would "await the investigations into the pitch invader made by the police and look to recover any financial damages".
Sevilla have been drawn to face Turkish Super Lig outfit Fenerbahce in the last-16 stage.
Six-time champions Sevilla are looking to extend their record haul in the competition, which began in its previous guise as the UEFA Cup, having last lifted the trophy in 2020 against Inter.
Paris Saint-Germain cannot count on just Kylian Mbappe to get over their below-par form, according to head coach Christophe Galtier.
PSG have lost three of their last four matches in all competitions, with a one-goal deficit to overcome in their Champions League round-of-16 tie with Bayern Munich and their hopes of winning a 15th Coupe de France this season over.
A dramatic 4-3 victory over Lille in Ligue 1 last weekend halted a run of three straight defeats, but PSG's lead at the summit could be cut to just two points should they lose to Marseille in Sunday's derby.
Marseille came out on top against Galtier's side in the Coupe de France last 16 earlier this month, and the PSG boss says it cannot come down solely to key man Mbappe if they are to defeat their closest title challengers and get back to top form.
"Everyone is concerned," Galtier told reporters at his pre-match news conference. "We think that players move on from a defeat in five minutes, but that's not true.
"We will have to win duels to get out of the Marseille pressure. We will have to have more runs in behind, which we lacked during the Coupe de France match. With Kylian, there will be.
"But it's not just him who should help us. He is capable of making a difference, but other players will have to project themselves more freely and with more determination to beat Marseille."
Marseille head coach Igor Tudor stated on Friday that PSG's quality means they are favourites in all of their fixtures, but Galtier disagreed, instead expressing a belief that his team must show improvement over recent form if they are to come out on top on Sunday.
"I cannot say that Marseille are favourites," Galtier explained. "Neither are we.
"For this status as favourites, a different dynamic would have been needed. But the end of the match against Bayern and against Lille gives us a lot of hope.
"We will have to have a very high level of play on a regular basis to beat Marseille, who are in good form and who will be pushed by their fans. We will have to be better than what we have shown in recent weeks."
PSG's poor recent form has reportedly put Galtier under pressure, with former coach Thomas Tuchel linked as a potential replacement should the former Nice boss suffer the same fate as Mauricio Pochettino.
Despite the importance of Sunday's fixture in the title race and the opportunity for PSG to avenge their cup defeat, Galtier does not feel it will be a defining game in his team's season.
"There is no revenge," Galtier added. "There is a lot of pride in this team, obviously that will be important for Sunday evening.
"It's an important match. They are two teams that are very close in terms of the championship with very few points apart.
"Is this decisive for the title? I don't think so."
Giorgio Chiellini feels "sad and hurt" by Juventus' points deduction that dented their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
The Bianconeri were punished for alleged irregularities regarding historic transfer dealings by having 15 points struck off their Serie A total in January, although the club intend to appeal.
Chiellini, who now plays for Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC, was a part of the Juve team who were stripped of titles and relegated due to the Calciopoli scandal in 2006.
Massimiliano Allegri's side are seventh in Serie A, 12 points off the top four and Champions League qualification with 15 games remaining, though they are through to the Europa League last 16 after beating Nantes 4-1 on aggregate in the playoff round.
"For me, it's painful," Chiellini told The Athletic. "I feel sad and hurt by what's happening to Juventus. It's hard not to be in Turin, and it's not easy for everyone who loves the club. Now, the fans need to be patient because the club is fighting for everyone, and I hope everything finishes in the best way possible."
The 38-year-old former Juve and Italy defender revealed he barely watched any of the World Cup in Qatar, after the Azzurri failed to qualify.
"The World Cup was weird, to be honest," he said. "I didn't watch very much – it wasn't nice. I caught up on some of the highlights but almost never the live matches, outside of the final [Argentina v France] and the United States' first game against Wales, because I was still here for that.
"It was tough not to be there for it because going to the World Cup is a big goal. It would have been a great experience, but I try to change the bad things and look at them more positively. Failing at World Cup qualification meant I decided to come to Los Angeles for a new challenge, and it has been an unforgettable experience for me."
Chiellini made 13 appearances for LAFC after joining last season, helping them to win the MLS Cup, and he is starting to feel more at home since leaving his native Italy.
"After the Christmas holiday, I feel more settled, I understand the city better now," he said. "Los Angeles is so big. When I arrived, I didn’t quite understand what it was like to live here."
He added: "Leaving Italy and coming here has allowed me to discover many new cultures and a different way of life outside of football. I like it. I'm a curious guy, and I'm very lucky to have found an amazing club that has welcomed my family and me in the best way possible."
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