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The A-League’s pivot towards a “football focus” will bolster the competition’s status as a breeding ground for players who go on to do “great things” in Europe, according to Australian Professional Leagues (APL) commissioner Nick Garcia. Assuming primary responsibility for the operation of the A-League Men and A-League Women last October, Garcia’s tenure at the APL helm has largely been dominated by off-field issues. Weeks of fan discontent surrounding over-policing…

A former president of China’s football association has been sentenced to life in prison for accepting more than $10 million in bribes, the country’s state media reported on Tuesday, following one of the biggest anti-corruption probes in the sport in years. The sentence handed down to Chen Xuyuan came in the wake of probes into more than a dozen high-level football officials since late 2022. Chen had brought “tremendous damage”…

Declan Rice admitted he was left “speechless” after being named England captain for Tuesday’s friendly against Belgium at Wembley. The Arsenal midfielder will mark his 50th cap by leading out Gareth Southgate’s side in their final outing before he names his 23-man squad for Euro 2024 on May 16. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) “I’m speechless to be honest with you,” said Rice speaking on Monday ahead…

João Cancelo has taken a swipe at Manchester City, claiming “lies were told” about him following his departure to Bayern Munich in January 2023. The Portugal international had been key player for City manager Pep Guardiola but fell out of favour in the first half of the 2022-23 campaign. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) There were claims in the media that Cancelo was unhappy with teammates Rico…

Austria came well and truly flying out of the blocks against Slovakia on Saturday when Christoph Baumgartner scored the opening goal of the friendly fixture just six seconds in. The visitors kicked off in Bratislava and, after receiving possession in the centre circle, Baumgartner opted for the direct route to goal. He quickly weaved past several defenders before firing in a low finish from 20 yards to launch his side…

Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire have withdrawn from the England camp with injuries, the English Football Association (FA) announced on Sunday. The duo, along with goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, will return to their respective clubs for further assessment on injuries they picked up in recent days as per the FA. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Walker, who was named England captain for the clash against Brazil on Saturday,…

The summer transfer window won’t reopen in Europe for a while yet, but there are plenty of moves in the works and gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!

LONDON — England striker Harry Kane is being sent back to Bayern Munich to continue his recovery from an ankle injury, Gareth Southgate has confirmed. Kane won’t feature against Belgium at Wembley on Tuesday. Kane joined up with the England squad ahead of the friendly against Brazil despite suffering an ankle injury during Bayern’s 5-2 win over Darmstadt a week ago. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, NWSL more (U.S.)…

The Football Association (FA) have defended the new England shirt that will be used at this year’s European Championship after political criticism over the alteration of the St. George’s Cross. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer have criticised the jersey and called for it to be changed before the tournament. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) The shirts have been under the spotlight…

There’s a pretty clear perception and stereotype associated with professional footballers (but hey, this probably applies to any team sport that generally expects you to sacrifice school for practice by the time you’re 16 and where your career earnings are in eight figures by the time you’re 25). Many are thought to inhabit a continuum that spans from dull nights doing dull pedestrian things at home in front of a…