PADERBORN, Germany — In the games room of France’s team hotel, near Paderborn, defenders William Saliba and Ibrahima Konaté can’t stop laughing. You can hear their screams of delight echo through the corridors. The reason? They caught teammate N’Golo Kanté cheating at UNO again. At the 2018 World Cup, the quietly spoken Kanté earned something of a reputation for dishonesty when it came to playing games of cards within the…
CONMEBOL has suspended Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa for the team’s 2024 Copa América group stage finale against the United States. The suspension is the result of Uruguay entering the pitch late for the start of the second half in their 5-0 victory over Bolívia on Thursday. Copa América regulations state that “teams must strictly respect the schedule set for the start of the game,” and that “the coach of the…
BERLIN — They may have been the defending champions, but nobody thought Italy were particularly good heading into Euro 2024. Fewer still thought they could be this bad. While the 2-0 round-of-16 loss at the hands of Switzerland on Saturday could be explained away by a generation of players in poor form at the back, tired in midfield and thoroughly mediocre up front, it’s hard not to point a finger…
Belgium’s football association apologised on Saturday for a video posted on their social media outlets in which midfielder Amadou Onana said he will kick France captain Kylian Mbappé when the two countries meet in the round of 16 at Euro 2024 on Monday. The video, which has since been taken down, features comedian Pablo Andres singing “Who will kick Mbappé’s shin?” Onana then pops up in the clip and answers:…
The transfer window is already open in the Premier League and opens on July 1 in the German Bundesliga, French Ligue 1, Spanish LaLiga and Italian Serie A, as clubs have been busy planning their business after a long season. There were plenty of big moves last summer, so can we expect a repeat? ESPN reporters have everything you need to know about the top teams’ hopes as they delve…
Georgia’s players are in line for an unexpected payday at Euro 2024 after a billionaire former prime minister promised to pay out more than $10 million following their surprise win over Portugal. The Georgian team can double its money with another win over Spain on Sunday in the round of 16. Bidzina Ivanishvili, who founded the ruling Georgian Dream party and is now its honorary chairman, initially offered the payment…
FIFA will host its first ever FIFAe World Cup of Football Manager this year to crown the best virtual manager on the highly-popular video game, world football’s governing body said on Thursday. FIFA is partnering with Sports Interactive, the developers of the game that has sold millions of copies and has also been used by several football clubs to scout players and opponents thanks to its extensive database. Players will…
England goalkeeper Mary Earps is set to leave Manchester United on a free transfer to join Paris Saint-Germain this summer, after almost two years of unsuccessful contract negotiations, but she’s not the only one. Sources have confirmed to ESPN that Nikita Parris, Lucía García, and captain Katie Zelem are also expected to depart the Red Devils, taking with them the spine of Marc Skinner’s team. This follows a week of…
The summer transfer window is open for the Premier League and is set to open across Europe soon, and 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!
England forward Phil Foden has temporarily left the team’s Euro 2024 camp and returned to the U.K., the English Football Association said Wednesday, with sources telling ESPN he left due to the birth of his third child. A Football Association spokesperson had earlier said Foden left the squad due to a “pressing family matter.” Foden, 24, has started all three of England’s matches during the tournament. A source has told…