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Arsenal under the obligation to get rid of Champions League hoodoo

PORTO, Portugal — Mikel Arteta believes his Arsenal side are detached from the club’s historical catalogue of UEFA Champions League round-of-16 exits, but another one beckons if they cannot embrace the occasion better than this. The Gunners will back themselves to overturn a 1-0 deficit from Wednesday’s first-leg defeat against Porto, but to do so they must rediscover the poise and purpose that made them heavy favourites before kickoff. Before…

Bundesliga investor deal axed after fan protests

The German Football League (DFL) said Wednesday it is abandoning plans to sell a stake in its media rights income to an outside investor after months of increasingly disruptive protests by fans. In December, Germany’s first- and second-tier football clubs voted in favour of letting a financial investor take a stake of the DFL media arm in a deal valued at between €900 million ($973.2m) and €1 billion ($1.08bn). –…

Managerial changes, ‘lies’ and flashes of brilliance: Will things work out for De Jong at Barcelona?

It’s been over five years since former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu boarded a flight to the Netherlands to close the signing of Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Frenkie de Jong. De Jong, now 26, was one of Europe’s most in-demand midfielders. He had fielded phone calls from Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, leaving Barça afraid they would miss out on the prodigious Dutch international. In the…

Club América sees stock value triple on first day

Shares in Liga MX’s Club América, a spin-off from Mexico’s largest broadcaster, Televisa, which controls one of the country’s top football clubs, soared by as much as 200% in their market debut on Tuesday. The group, also known as Ollamani, represents Mexico’s current league champions Club América and their iconic Estadio Azteca, bringing together Televisa’s former betting business and publishing operations. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Within…

Germany WC winner Brehme dies aged 63

World Cup winner Andreas Brehme, whose late penalty in the 1990 final against Argentina handed Germany their third world title, has died at the age of 63. The attacking full-back and dead-ball specialist became an instant German football legend when his spot kick earned them a 1-0 victory over Diego Maradona’s Argentina in the World Cup final in Rome. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Brehme’s storied career,…

7 things from women’s football: Man United crumble vs. Arsenal; Barca are tired

It was another action-packed weekend of women’s football across Europe. There was plenty of intrigue, with the Women’s Super League title race heating up. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Manchester United’s head-to-head record against Arsenal promised a good matchup at the Emirates on Saturday — the Red Devils had been unbeaten in their past five games vs. the Gunners, including a last-gasp 3-2 win in November 2022.…

Sources: Man Utd won’t break bank for Ashworth

Manchester United have made a formal offer for Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth but are not willing to pay what they believe to be excessive compensation for his services, sources have told ESPN. United have made Ashworth a top target in the overhaul of the football operations at Old Trafford being led by new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Ashworth has…

Transfer Talk: Rashford to replace Mbappé at PSG?

The summer transfer window is still a ways from reopening in Europe, 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!

Klinsmann’s sacking by South Korea inevitable after Asian Cup disappointment

Less than a year after appointing former Germany and United States coach Jürgen Klinsmann as coach on a contract that was supposed to take him through to the end of the 2026 World Cup cycle, South Korea now have to scramble to find a replacement before they face Thailand in two 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March. The Korean Football Association (KFA) will start its search against a backdrop of…

Liverpool net key win over Brentford, but will the mounting injuries hurt them?

LONDON — Even as he was running through on goal with just the Brentford goalkeeper to beat, you never quite knew what Darwin Núñez was going to do. The Uruguay striker has been labelled an “agent of chaos” — a player capable of winning a game, as he did with two goals against Bournemouth last month, or struggling in equal measure, as he did when hitting the post four times…