Sir Jim Ratcliffe favours building a new stadium for Manchester United rather than redeveloping Old Trafford, a source has told ESPN. The club have put together a task force to assess options for “regenerating the Old Trafford area of Greater Manchester,” including Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and former United captain Gary Neville. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) It will be chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe, who led…
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has opened an investigation into Real Madrid TV’s broadcasting of videos criticising referees ahead of games, Sevilla said on Thursday. Sevilla filed a complaint on Feb. 24 before the two clubs met in LaLiga at the Bernabéu, claiming Real Madrid TV had undertaken a “campaign of persecution and harassment” against the referees due to take charge of the match. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga,…
SAN DIEGO — Closer to water polo than a game of soccer, Wednesday’s Concacaf W Gold Cup semifinal win for the United States women’s national team over Canada played out as a bizarre rainy spectacle at Snapdragon Stadium. With stormy weather impacting a waterlogged field, any and all tactics immediately became irrelevant as 15,245 fans watched both sides fail to do much with a ball that became stuck every few…
Arsenal’s victory over rivals Tottenham at a sold-out Emirates Stadium on Sunday means that the Women’s Super League (WSL) club’s average attendance this season (34,997) is now higher than that of 10 Premier League teams. The north London club – who sit third in the WSL table, three points behind Manchester City and league leaders Chelsea – have attracted 279,974 supporters to watch the team this season and have sold…
Barcelona have rejected doubts cast on their commitment to gender equality policies after being fined an undisclosed sum by Spain’s labour ministry for not meeting workplace regulations. Spain’s vice president and labour minister Yolanda Díaz said on Wednesday that Barça — along with the Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] and two other lower-league clubs — failed to meet regulations obliging workplaces with at least 50 employees to have “equality plans” in…
SHEFFIELD, England — There was a time when Arsenal struggled to justify favouritism on nights like this, but it is a measure of their transformation under manager Mikel Arteta that Sheffield United were cowering in fear before kick-off. Empty seats were dotted around Bramall Lane at kick-off with many home fans presumably fearing the worst after a torrid campaign to date. They weren’t wrong. Within 15 minutes, Martin Ødegaard, a…
Manchester United have been approached by representatives of several managers believing that Erik ten Hag could be removed from his post before the start of next season, sources have told ESPN. Ten Hag is under pressure following the 3-1 derby defeat to Manchester City on Sunday which left his team sixth on the Premier League table. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) The Dutchman has been told that…
Lionel Messi had just won his fourth FIFA Ballon d’Or in Jan. 2013 in Switzerland when the son of Eduardo Aparecido Ney da Silva was born a few days later in Campinas, in the countryside of São Paulo, Brazil. Two events that, although seemingly distant, are related. This relationship became even more curious in Feb. 2013 when the 11-year-old boy appeared on the Daily Informative Bulletin (BID) of the Brazilian…
It’s been another action-packed weekend in European soccer, so let’s review. Sunday brought the Manchester derby and with it, a fresh reminder as to how far back Man United are from Pep Guardiola and Man City. Real Madrid returned to Valencia, where Vinicius was racially abused last season, and the 2-2 draw came with plenty of controversy on and off the pitch. Premier League leaders Liverpool got a late, late…
MANCHESTER, England — By the end, the 192nd Manchester derby had provided a fair idea of where the city’s two biggest clubs are. Manchester City, dominant for so much of the afternoon at the Etihad Stadium, won 3-1 to stay in the hunt for a record fourth successive Premier League title. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, meanwhile, decided the only way his team could match their neighbours was to…