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By upsetting favourites Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16, Bafana Bafana gave their fans all over South Africa reason for optimism 28 years after their 1996 AFCON triumph that brought the country together shortly after the dawn of democracy. They now face Cape Verde in the quarterfinals in Yamoussoukro, with an opportunity to advance to their first semifinals since 2000. Should they defeat the Blue Sharks,…

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! Bayern Munich managed to fend off interest from Paris Saint-Germain in defender Matthijs de Ligt in January, but Bild reports the French…

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has again raised the idea of setting football transfer fees by algorithm instead of clubs negotiating a market value price for contracted players at the governing body’s annual law conference in Tokyo on Friday. The idea has existed for several years and Infantino refloated it amid a global transfer market that is now worth more than $10 billion annually. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more…

There’s usually a lot for a manager to get through at the first news conference of the summer, and when Man United’s Erik ten Hag sat down in a private school auditorium in rural New Jersey in July, it was no different. But among some difficult questions about the club’s under-fire owners, the Glazer family, a restrictive transfer budget and the uncertain future of Mason Greenwood, there was one that,…

While the majority of deals done in the women’s game are free transfers, spending almost doubled from £2.6m in 2022 to £4.8m last year. In that period, Manchester United (Geyse) and Arsenal (Kyra Cooney-Cross) broke their transfer records, while the English Women’s Super League (WSL) record was also smashed as Manchester City spent a reported £300,000 to land Netherlands midfielder Jill Roord from Wolfsburg. But January 2024 has seen the…

Once a promising prospect at a club known for developing diamonds of footballers, Giovanni Reyna’s time with Borussia Dortmund is up — for right now, anyway. The 21-year-old United States international joined Nottingham Forest on loan for the remainder of the season, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday. There’s no option to make the move permanent, and in fact, Dortmund have extended Reyna’s contract through the end of the…

The napkin which famously launched Lionel Messi’s Barcelona career as a 13-year-old will be auctioned off in March with a starting price of £300,000 ($382,150). With Messi’s father, Jorge, beginning to doubt Barça’s commitment to his son in 2000, the club’s director of football at the time, Carles Rexach, hastily scrambled together an agreement on a napkin. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) It was signed by Rexach,…

On Jan. 16, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters faced a British parliamentary committee and addressed arguably the biggest disciplinary case involving the most successful club in the recent history of the English game: the 115 charges against Manchester City that, if proven, could see the club stripped of titles, relegated, fined, sued, tarred, feathered and made to sit in a corner until kingdom come. “There is a date set…

Lionel Messi could miss Inter Miami’s clash with New York Red Bulls in March, with world champions Argentina announcing they will go on a two-game tour of China. The Argentina captain has scored 11 goals in his 14 appearances since joining Inter Miami in June as a free agent and is preparing to take on his first full season in Major League Soccer. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more…

Pep Guardiola said he will take “many things” into consideration before he decides whether to extend his contract at Manchester City. The Man City manager has a contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2025 and is set to decide on his future later this year. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Guardiola, who saw rival Jurgen Klopp announce his departure from Liverpool last week citing a lack of…