Uruguay Football Federation president Ignacio Alonso pledged his full support to Marcelo Bielsa despite confirming the declarations made by Luis Suárez over the problematic working conditions imposed by the head coach. On Oct. 3, Suárez spoke publicly about the grim impact Bielsa’s leadership had on the team during the 2024 Copa América by detailing the lack of communication between the coaching staff and players. He admitted to feeling hurt over…
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente says the onus should be on clubs to rest players, not national teams, amid an increase in injuries across European football. Six of the Spain team that started the European Championship final win over England in the summer will miss this week’s UEFA Nations League games against Denmark and Serbia due to injury. It has led to closer scrutiny of the game time being…
Earlier this week, the players on the U.S. men’s national team took the first steps into a new frontier as they experienced their first training sessions under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino. He provided a taste of what to expect at his introduction last month. “The player needs to feel that you care,” Pochettino said at his September news conference in New York. “When the player feels that you care,…
The 2024-25 UEFA Women’s Champions League is up and running with matchday one of the group stage complete. Eight-time European champions Lyon kicked off on Tuesday with a 3-0 win over Galatasaray, while Group A rivals Roma beat Wolfsburg 1-0. Women’s Super League champions Chelsea beat Real Madrid 3-2, but FC Twente’s 2-0 win over Celtic puts them top of Group B. There were fireworks on Wednesday with Bayern Munich…
Jürgen Klopp is set to make his return to football as head of global soccer at Red Bull, with the former Liverpool manager taking up his role on Jan.1, 2025. Klopp, 57, will oversee Red Bull’s network of clubs, and while he will not be involved in their day-to-day running, he will help with strategic vision, aid the sporting directors, support their global scouting operation and also help with training…
MANCHESTER, England– How do you defeat the best team in Europe? Just ask Manchester City. The Women’s Super League team returned to continental football and enacted the perfect game plan to foil the reigning UEFA Women’s Champions League title holders Barcelona and claimed an emphatic 2-0 victory at the Joie Stadium, proving that even the best team in Europe is beatable. The 2-0 scoreline does not entirely reflect how well…
Lionel Messi has paid tribute to his former Barcelona teammate Andrés Iniesta after the World Cup-winner retired from professional football at the age of 40. Spain legend Iniesta announced his retirement at a special event in Barcelona on Tuesday, and Messi, another winner of football’s greatest prize, wrote a note to his teammate on Instagram. “One of the teammates with the most magic and with whom I enjoyed playing the…
Manchester City’s legal challenge against the Premier League over its Associated Party Transactions rules (APT) — regulations that govern commercial deals involving club owners — has reached a conclusion, and both sides are claiming victory following the verdict of an arbitration panel. The case, which is separate and unrelated to the ongoing independent hearing into City allegedly breaching 115 Premier League regulations that is set to conclude before the end…
AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca expressed his confusion over Christian Pulisic not stepping up for his side’s penalties in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Fiorentina despite being the team’s designated penalty taker. The Rossoneri had two spot kicks awarded during the match in Florence. To Fonseca’s surprise, Pulisic’s teammates Theo Hernández and Tammy Abraham stepped up and took them. Both penalties were saved by new Fiorentina goalkeeper David de Gea. “Our…
Former Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta has teased his retirement from football at the age of 40 in a video posted to his social media channels. The video, captioned with the phrase “the game will go on,” shows Iniesta emotionally discussing what football means to him, before tributes are paid by a number of prominent names including Pep Guardiola, Louis van Gaal and Luis Enrique. Iniesta was most recently playing for…