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Chelsea struggle to show progress in loss to Newcastle United

NEWCASTLE — Football has a short memory if any at all. The atmosphere around Chelsea has been refreshingly abuzz the past few weeks after wild, frenetic games against Tottenham and Manchester City, but Saturday’s punishing 4-1 defeat at Newcastle United’s fortress, St. James’ Park, made clear who Chelsea really are: A team still very much in progress; a team still lacking much of the desired mettle. “We were soft in…

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November 26, 2023

Arteta: ‘Freedom of speech’ will improve refs

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said “freedom of speech” is crucial for improving the standard of refereeing in football and confirmed he has responded to a charge from the Football Association (FA) following his outburst after the defeat to Newcastle United earlier this month. Arteta had branded the VAR decision not to rule out Anthony Gordon’s goal in Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle as “embarrassing” and a “disgrace,” which caused…

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November 25, 2023

FIFA to probe fan violence at Brazil-Argentina

FIFA opened disciplinary cases against Argentina and Brazil on Friday after fan violence at the Maracanã Stadium delayed the start of a World Cup qualifying game. The Argentina football federation (AFA) was charged with crowd disturbances and the late kickoff at Tuesday’s game in Rio de Janeiro. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) The Brazilian federation was charged with failures of managing security at a game it organised,…

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November 25, 2023

Venezuela condemn ‘aggressions’ by Peru police

The Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF) on Wednesday condemned the treatment of one of its national team’s players by Peruvian police following a World Cup qualifier. Peru and Venezuela drew 1-1 on Tuesday in Lima. Venezuela player Nahuel Ferraresi told local media that fingers on his left hand were injured by a baton-wielding Peruvian police officer who hit him twice as he tried to approach Venezuelan fans in the stands after…

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November 24, 2023

Matches are longer, and there’s more late goals – the Premier League’s top clubs are the big winners

You can’t say we weren’t warned. The first taste of vast amounts of added time came at the 2022 World Cup as FIFA moved to increase effective playing time, and this season it has hit the club game. In Qatar, average stoppage time — the total played above the allotted 90 minutes across both halves — was 10:11 (10 minutes and 11 seconds), compared to 6:30 in Russia in 2018.…

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November 24, 2023

Can Ratcliffe’s minority stake fix Man United? From player scouting to facilities, what to expect

Manchester United fans were excited for a fresh start when the Glazer family announced a year ago that they would be open to selling the club. Instead, they’ll be getting Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority investment, which is expected to be formally announced within the next week. The British billionaire, who is chairman and CEO of chemical company INEOS, will spend around £1.3 billion to get his foot in the door…

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November 23, 2023

English clubs failing to meet diversity targets – FA

English football clubs have collectively failed to hit annual targets to improve their ethnic and gender diversity, the Football Association (FA) said on Wednesday in a report on the Football Leadership Diversity Code for the 2022-23 season. A total of 53 clubs from the Premier League and English Football League (EFL) have signed up to the code, which was introduced in 2020 to focus on increasing equality of opportunity to…

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November 23, 2023

How Barcelona’s struggles might tie to Man City’s remarkable success in modern era

For almost a full week after El Clásico on Oct. 28, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández fielded questions about midfielder Ilkay Gündogan’s comments following the 2-1 defeat to title rivals Real Madrid at the end of October. Gündogan, who joined from Manchester City in the summer as a treble winner, had criticised Barça for showing a lack of “frustration, anger and emotion” after what was their first loss of the season.…

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November 22, 2023

Time to treat footballers like human beings, not products

The horrible spate of injuries to elite footballers during this international window has serious repercussions for both their international teams and, more importantly, their clubs. Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain still have work to do in order to assure qualification from their Champions League groups, but they’ll need to complete their task without Gavi and Warren Zaïre-Emery, respectively. Imagine the repercussions if both of those teams found themselves demoted to the…

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November 22, 2023

Atlanta to host ’24 Copa opener, Miami gets final

Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta was awarded the 2024 Copa América opener and South Florida’s Hard Rock Stadium will host the final of the tournament, held outside of its home continent for only the second time A joint announcement was made Monday by soccer’s governing bodies of South America and of North and Central America and the Caribbean. Other sites and the schedule for the 16-team tournament were not revealed. The…

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November 21, 2023

Euro 2025 quarterfinal talking points: Berger’s wonder save, semifinal predictionsJuly 21, 2025
The Euro 2025 tournament is on to the semifinals; we have our Final Four! England came through a mammoth penalty shootout (one of the weirdest ever) against Sweden to set up a clash with Italy, who beat Norway. While world champions Spain knocked out hosts Switzerland to face a dogged Germany — who ousted France… Read more: Euro 2025 quarterfinal talking points: Berger’s wonder save, semifinal predictions
Back in black! Man City’s new away kit inspired by club’s first known jerseyJuly 19, 2025
While it’s common for football clubs to delve into the archives in search of inspiration, Premier League side Manchester City have harked back a little further than usual to find the creative stimulus for their new 2025-26 away kit. In fact, City have quite literally gone all the way back to their original formation 145… Read more: Back in black! Man City’s new away kit inspired by club’s first known jersey
Spain win first Euros knockout game, but still have work to do after beating SwissJuly 19, 2025
BERN, Switzerland — Spain are into the semifinals of the women’s European Championships after winning a knockout game at the tournament for the first time. It sounds remarkable and unbelievable, but it’s true. La Roja, the current world champions and favorites to lift the Euros trophy in Basel later this month, had never previously managed… Read more: Spain win first Euros knockout game, but still have work to do after beating Swiss
Argentina to allow away fans after 12-year banJuly 18, 2025
Argentine football clubs can now welcome away supporters after a 12-year ban, the Argentine Football Association said on Thursday. The ban, imposed in 2013 following violent incidents, including the death of a spectator, has now been lifted as part of a staged reintroduction ahead of the next round of fixtures in the current league campaign.… Read more: Argentina to allow away fans after 12-year ban
The Next Episode: Snoop invests in Swansea CityJuly 18, 2025
SWANSEA, Wales — Snoop Dogg has become a “co-owner and investor” of Welsh soccer club Swansea. The former Premier League club, which plays in the English second division, didn’t disclose financial details in Thursday’s announcement. The investment shines a spotlight on yet another unheralded team from Wales after Wrexham’s well-documented journey. “My love of football… Read more: The Next Episode: Snoop invests in Swansea City
Ter Stegen trains alone, Barça future in doubtJuly 17, 2025
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen has been training on his own since the club’s return to preseason on Sunday amid continued uncertainty over his future. Barça’s players underwent medical tests on Sunday before Hansi Flick held the first team session on Monday, with the club informing that Ter Stegen trained alone in the gym. The… Read more: Ter Stegen trains alone, Barça future in doubt
Poland hire new coach after Lewandowski falloutJuly 17, 2025
Jan Urban has been appointed as the coach of Poland, the country’s football association (PZPN) said on Wednesday, with the 63-year-old replacing Michal Probierz. Probierz resigned in June following a row over his decision to replace Robert Lewandowski as captain. Urban becomes Poland’s fifth coach since 2021, with Probierz lasting the longest having taken charge… Read more: Poland hire new coach after Lewandowski fallout
Henderson joins Brentford on two-year contractJuly 16, 2025
Jordan Henderson has signed for Brentford on a two-year contract after leaving Ajax on a free transfer. Brentford coach Keith Andrews highlighted the 35-year-old’s experience as a key factor in the decision to sign him. “When we became aware of Jordan’s availability, it was a pretty simple decision,” Andrews said. “We did our due diligence… Read more: Henderson joins Brentford on two-year contract
How Norway’s nine-tournament wonder Mjelde overcame injury to reach Euro 2025July 16, 2025
ZURICH — Maren Mjelde had sung Norway’s anthem 180 times before, but as she lined up for her country’s Euro 2025 opener against hosts Switzerland on July 2, this rendition of “Ja, vi elsker dette landet” (Yes, We Love This Country) was poignant. It marked her ninth major tournament, but also provided a moment of… Read more: How Norway’s nine-tournament wonder Mjelde overcame injury to reach Euro 2025
Euro 2025 group games draw record crowdsJuly 15, 2025
The group stage of the Women’s European Championship which finished on Sunday had record-breaking attendances with close to half a million fans attending games, and 22 of the 24 of them sold out. As well as 461,582 fans attending matches, there were several individual game records as well, according to European football’s governing body UEFA.… Read more: Euro 2025 group games draw record crowds