Category Other

Transfer Talk: Barcelona race with Man City, Chelsea and PSG to sign Estevao

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…

No goals, no hope: West Ham defeat sums up predictable Man United

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…

Man City win Club World Cup with ease, but did anyone care?

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. –…

USWNT’s Kristie Mewis joins West Ham

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+:…

Klopp: Good that ECJ gave UEFA, FIFA ‘a shake’

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…

Ex-PSG boss Galtier cleared of racism allegations

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.)…

Why Chelsea can’t afford to keep Gallagher, or let him go

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…

Sources: Russia-Serbia match set to be approved

Russia are expected to be granted clearance from FIFA and UEFA to play European opposition for the first time since being suspended from competitive football in 2022 after striking an agreement to face Serbia in March 2024, sources have told ESPN. The Russian Football Union (RFU) has been banned from FIFA and UEFA competitions since the country’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with all national teams prohibited from competing…

Punched Turkish ref: I won’t forgive club prez

Halil Umut Meler, the referee punched by MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca after a match in the Turkish Super Lig, has said he “will not forgive” his assailant in an interview with Turkish media. “No, I did not forgive [Koca], I will not forgive,” Meler told Hurriyet. “The person who did this punched me, I collapsed and fell to the ground. But the actual kicking while I was on the…

Ref, VAR discussions to be made public in Spain

Conversations between Spain’s referees and Video Assistant Referees [VAR] will be made public under a new agreement between LaLiga and the Spanish football federation [RFEF], the two bodies announced in a joint statement on Tuesday. Discussions which take place between officials when an incident has been reviewed using the pitchside monitor will be made available to broadcasters after the end of each day. – Stream LIVE: Barcelona vs. Almeria, Wednesday…