Both of Argentina’s planned friendlies in China have been canceled by local authorities after Lionel Messi did not play in an Inter Miami match in Hong Kong last weekend. Beijing’s soccer association said on Saturday that it would not organize Argentina’s scheduled friendly clash against the Ivory Coast in March. The news comes a day after Hangzhou’s sports authorities also canceled a friendly between Argentina and Nigeria. – Stream on…
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has postponed the introduction of a new blue card as part of trials of sin bins in professional football, sources have told ESPN. Football’s lawmakers announced in November measures to improve player behaviour and increase respect for match officials, which included temporary dismissals for dissent and specific tactical offences. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) The IFAB was due to announce protocols…
The winter transfer window is now closed in Europe’s top leagues, but there are plenty of moves in the works and gossip swirling around as we look ahead to the summer. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
Full-backs are inverting, goalkeepers are playing like NFL quarterbacks, while centre-backs now have to do just about everything for a progressive football team. Indeed, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher recently described centre-back as “the most demanding position on the pitch” and admitted he would have struggled to cope in today’s game. Being able to mark, tackle, and head the ball — prerequisites of the traditional defender — make up just a…
Perhaps fitting for a club of their stylish grandeur, USMNT star Christian Pulisic helped unveil AC Milan’s new fourth kit for the 2023-24 season that comes in two different shades and brings a dash of artistic conceptualism to football shirt design. Indeed, Milan have joined forces with Los Angeles-based streetwear brand Pleasures to create not one, but two versions of an achingly cool alternative strip that blends cultural elements of…
Greece will allow matches in its top league football to be played with fans from Feb. 13, two months after Greek Super League clubs were ordered to play behind closed doors following the severe injuring of a police officer during a volleyball match. In Greece, violence between football fans and clubs are frequent, and the government has been trying for years to reform the sport which is plagued by criminal…
LaLiga have reported the incident in which Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham allegedly called Getafe forward Mason Greenwood a “rapist” to the Spanish Football Federation’s (RFEF) competition committee. The incident took place during Madrid’s 2-0 win at Getafe on Feb. 1. Getafe filed a complaint to LaLiga the day after the game. “After the match, messages were detected through social media regarding a possible incident in which visiting player Jude Bellingham…
Samuel Eto’o tendered his resignation as president of the Cameroon Football Federation on Monday only to have it rejected by its executive committee. Eto’o, who won the African player of the year a record four times, has been dogged by allegations of improper conduct, match-fixing and corruption. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) The federation said its executive committee met in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé, on Monday to evaluate…
LONDON — You never know exactly when Manchester City’s domestic winning run will begin, only that it definitely will begin sometime. It usually starts around this time of year, when the season drifts towards its final third, when the title race starts to narrow but is still anyone’s to win; when you just begin to doubt whether Pep Guardiola’s side can do it again. This year it seems to have…
Marko Rudan will be forced to explain why he shouldn’t face sanction from Football Australia after slamming the officiating in Western Sydney’s A-League Men loss to Macarthur. Rudan could be hit with a reprimand, fine or suspension after he used his post-match press conference to criticise referee Adam Kersey after Sunday’s 4-3 defeat. The coach’s explosive comments came after he had confronted Kersey following the full-time whistle, and his six-minute…