FIFA warned Brazil on Sunday it could suspend its national teams and clubs from international competitions if an intervention by its football federation (CBF) leads to the election of a new president in January. FIFA said in a letter to a Brazilian football executive that the CBF could face suspension if it does not heed its call to wait and instead holds a swift election to replace Ednaldo Rodrigues as…
Happy holidays to one and all! The gift of soccer kept giving this weekend, with the title race in the Premier League taking shape. Arsenal played Liverpool at Anfield to an entertaining 1-1 draw, and Manchester City sit six points off top spot with a game in hand. Tottenham Hotspur are back in fourth (for now) after a win over Everton. In Serie A, the youngsters at Juventus helped secure…
Manchester City are still considered favourites to win the Premier League despite falling six points off the pace, which has been set by Arsenal. But is the bookmakers’ assessment right, or is this Arsenal’s year? And what about Liverpool, who sit in second? Might third-place Aston Villa “do a Leicester” and shock them all? At the other end of the table, who might fall into the relegation scrap after Christmas?…
The winter transfer window hasn’t re-opened in Europe yet, but there are moves in the works and plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals! – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Various big-name European clubs are interested in Palmeiras forward Estevao Willian — commonly known as “Messinho” — as has been reported by Mundo…
LONDON — It was the inevitability of this latest Manchester United defeat that is so damning for manager Erik ten Hag. After all, did anyone expect anything else from a team that haven’t scored for four games in a row across all competitions? (It’s the first time this has happened since November 1992.) For 72 minutes against West Ham, United had almost two-thirds of the possession and their best five…
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Even while it was going on, it sometimes felt as if FIFA’s Club World Cup was battling for relevance. Speaking to reporters just a few minutes after Manchester City’s win over Urawa Red Diamonds in the semifinal, captain Kyle Walker reflected on a year in which Pep Guardiola’s team reached the tournament in Jeddah courtesy of their success in the Champions League six months earlier. –…
United States and former NJ/NY Gotham FC midfielder Kristie Mewis officially joined WSL side West Ham United on Friday. Mewis, 32, was a part of the UWSNT squad for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand last summer, making a single appearance in the final minutes of the round of 16 game against Sweden and later scored a penalty in the shootout defeat. – Stream on ESPN+:…
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has said that, while he is not in favour of the Super League project, he liked that Europe’s top court had given UEFA “a bit of a shake” when it ruled that the governing body has been “abusing a dominant position” in its control of European football. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling on Thursday found that FIFA’s and UEFA’s rules requiring new football competitions…
Christophe Galtier was cleared of accusations of racism on Thursday after the former Nice and Paris Saint-Germain coach stood trial on charges of psychological harassment and discrimination. Galtier was acquitted, French media reported, at a court in Nice nearly a week after he appeared at a one-day trial and denied accusations of racism during his time as coach of Nice from 2021-22. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)…
Conor Gallagher has been one of Chelsea’s most consistent performers this season — a homegrown player, regularly selected by England and deemed important enough by Stamford Bridge manager Mauricio Pochettino to wear the captain’s armband in recent weeks. Yet despite all of that, Pochettino has no idea whether Gallagher will still be at the club when the January transfer window closes. Welcome to the world of financial loopholes, of players…