European clubs should not be afraid of a player exodus to Saudi Arabia, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said on Sunday, suggesting the country was making a mistake investing in stars at the end of their careers. Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have been paid record-high contracts to join Saudi Arabian clubs this year, and similar offers were made to Lionel Messi and Luka Modric. They have combined to win every…
England manager Gareth Southgate said he plans to give Trent Alexander-Arnold more opportunities in midfield after the Liverpool right-back starred in his new international role during Friday’s 4-0 victory over Malta in their Euro 2024 qualifier. Alexander-Arnold thrived in a hybrid midfield role for Liverpool in the final months of the 2022-23 season and was at his creative best against Malta in his first international start for a year, scoring…
The United States men’s national team’s 3-0 win over Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal on Thursday was halted before the completion of second-half stoppage time by the referee amid anti-gay chanting. Referee Ivan Barton, who had already handed out four red cards in the game, paused the game in the 89th minute because of anti-gay chanting heard from the crowd at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Play resumed,…
The 2022-23 Premier League season is over, but before you know it another one will be on the horizon as it begins again on Aug. 11. After the fixtures for the new campaign were released on Thursday, clubs will be looking to use their summer tours to prepare. And that will include some teenage players you may not be aware of. Here is a selection of those to watch from…
LAS VEGAS — Thursday’s Concacaf Nations League (CNL) semifinal against Mexico was the U.S. men’s national team’s version of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” in that there were enough deviations from perceived reality to fill a feature-length movie. There was the news that emerged just before kickoff that Gregg Berhalter will be making an unexpected return as U.S. manager. This after the U.S. Soccer Federation let his contract expire last…
Premier League club revenues rose by 12% to a record £5.5 billion ($6.96 billion) in the 2021-22 season as European football capitalised on fans returning to stadiums after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to analysis from Deloitte. In its Annual Review of Football Finance, Deloitte’s Sports Business Group said the “big-five” leagues in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France had a combined 10% rise in revenues — with Spain’s LaLiga rising…
The summer transfer window isn’t open yet in Europe, but teams are getting ready for it, and there’s plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals! Chelsea are moving closer to signing Moisés Caicedo in a deal that could be worth £80 milllion, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Blues have been competing with London rivals Arsenal…
The Champions League final signalled the end of the 2022-23 soccer season for the major leagues in Europe. And while that ended on a sour note for Oasis fans learning, once again, to not trust anything Liam Gallagher says, it’s difficult to say the thrills and spills of the season weren’t exciting, from Manchester City’s treble to final-day Bundesliga drama and everything in between. And that means the game stops…
The Women’s World Cup will be broadcast in Britain, Spain, France, Germany and Italy after governing body FIFA extended its agreement with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), ending the threat of a blackout in Europe’s top soccer nations. The rights for this year’s tournament are being sold separately from the men’s World Cup for the first time and FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last month that the five countries would…
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has said elite players need more rest between matches to reduce risk of injury and believes it is “mad” some clubs play around 20 more games per season than others in the same division. United’s 62-game campaign ended with an FA Cup Final defeat to Manchester City, who completed the treble in the 60th game of their season by beating Inter Milan in Saturday’s Champions…