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Arsene Wenger has dismissed Jurgen Klopp’s criticism of FIFA’s revamped 32-team Club World Cup, calling the tournament a “fantastic competition” and emphasising the support it has received from participating teams, players, and managers. Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, described the expanded summer competition as “the worst idea ever invented” in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt two weeks ago. Wenger, now FIFA’s chief of global football development, countered these…

Olivia Smith is set to become the first player in the women’s game to command a transfer fee of £1 million ($1.4 million) as Arsenal seek to secure her signature from Liverpool, a source has told ESPN. The news was first reported by The Guardian, and the move is set to establish Canada international Smith, 20, as the world record transfer. It is understood the fee will exceed the record…

Xabi Alonso has said Real Madrid are still looking to make additions to their squad for the upcoming season, after their comprehensive 4-0 defeat to Paris-Saint Germain in the Club World Cup semifinal. “We haven’t talked about it during the Club World Cup but from now on we’re open to making improvements,” the Madrid manager said. “We are always looking to improve and there’s room for improvement.” Meanwhile, Luka Modric’s…

MPs voted in favour of establishing a professional football regulator under a “Football Governance Bill” that would see clubs handed operating licences. The bill is set to be enshrined into law after receiving 415 votes to 98 (a 317 majority) in the House of Commons. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the bill, which will create a regulator for the Premier League and English Football League (EFL), is desigend to ensure…

Arsenal have submitted an initial bid for Chelsea’s Noni Madueke, while Manchester United are in a four-way battle to sign Southampton’s Tyler Dibling. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe. Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men’s grades | Women’s grades – Source: Tottenham agree £55m deal for Kudus – Sources: Former Liverpool captain Henderson to leave Ajax – Source: Newcastle agree £55m…

Wales players and staff are all “OK” after their team bus was involved in a collision in St. Gallen, Switzerland on Tuesday, manager Rhian Wilkinson has said. The bus was travelling towards Kybunpark Stadium as the side prepare for their second Euro 2025 match against France when it was involved in a crash. A statement from the Football Association Wales (FAW) said “all passengers on the Cymru National Team bus…

ZURICH, Switzerland — In the hours following England’s 2-1 defeat to France in their opening game of Euro 2025, Lucy Bronze spoke to her exhausted, desolate teammates and told them about a game a decade ago: 1-0 defeat to France in the opening match of the 2015 World Cup. Four weeks later, England took the bronze medal with a 1-0 win over Germany. There are tales from the past to…

Travelling fans in Switzerland for Euro 2025 will notice a football-themed twist to the city as a green woman kicking a ball takes over the traffic lights. Authorities in the Swiss city of Basel have installed 12 of the altered pedestrian crossing lights at locations frequented by football fans while the country hosts the nearly month-long tournament. Some are located near St. Jakob-Park, the venue for the host nation’s opening…

Former Barcelona and Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitić on Monday announced his retirement from football at the age of 37. Rakitić had last been playing for Hadjuk Split back in his homeland following a brief spell in the Saudi Pro League with Al Shabab. “Football, you gave me more than I could ever imagine,” he wrote in a post on social media confirming he was hanging up his boots. “You gave…

In the eyes of Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovač, the MetLife Stadium field was better suited for a round of golf than a match at the Club World Cup. And the New York area’s summer heat also was inappropriate for high-level soccer. “It’s more a golf green, so you can putt here,” Kovač said after Saturday’s 3-2 quarterfinal loss to Real Madrid. “It’s very short. But this is not the…