LONDON — You never know exactly when Manchester City’s domestic winning run will begin, only that it definitely will begin sometime. It usually starts around this time of year, when the season drifts towards its final third, when the title race starts to narrow but is still anyone’s to win; when you just begin to doubt whether Pep Guardiola’s side can do it again. This year it seems to have…
Marko Rudan will be forced to explain why he shouldn’t face sanction from Football Australia after slamming the officiating in Western Sydney’s A-League Men loss to Macarthur. Rudan could be hit with a reprimand, fine or suspension after he used his post-match press conference to criticise referee Adam Kersey after Sunday’s 4-3 defeat. The coach’s explosive comments came after he had confronted Kersey following the full-time whistle, and his six-minute…
Another big weekend in Europe’s top leagues didn’t disappoint when it came to major moments, significant results and plenty to review. In England’s top-of-the-table clash between Liverpool and Arsenal, it was the Gunners who rose to the occasion and wrapped up a 3-1 win that opens the door not just for them, but Man City in the pursuit of first place. In Spain, Real Madrid might regret not beating derby…
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! Arsenal will join Chelsea in the battle for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen in the summer, according to The Mirror. The Nigeria international…
MANCHESTER, England — Whatever happens to Manchester United between now and the end of the season, manager Erik ten Hag can at least point to the emergence of Rasmus Højlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo as positives from an otherwise forgettable campaign. It was fitting that the trio, all under the age of 21, sat up on the advertising boards in front of the Stretford End after Garnacho had scored…
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…