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Joan Laporta was reelected as the president of FC Barcelona for another five years after winning a leadership vote among members of the Spanish soccer powerhouse. Shortly after midnight in Barcelona, the club announced Laporta had won. His only rival, Victor Font, had earlier conceded defeat and congratulated Laporta "for his unquestionable victory." With the counting now over, Barcelona said Laporta received 68% of the votes. The club said that more than 48,000 of Barca's 114,000 club members cast ballots at Camp Nou Stadium or at four other voting stations across Catalonia in northeastern Spain and in Andorra. "Thanks to this marvelous club, where its fans still vote to decide who will be their president and executive board," Laporta said in his victory speech inside an auditorium at Camp Nou, flanked by members of his incoming board. Laporta successfully presided over Barca from 2003-10 during the glory years of coach Pep Guardiola and a young Lionel Messi. He was voted back
Bayern Munich came from behind and finished the match with nine players in a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, allowing Borussia Dortmund to close to within nine points of the Bundesliga leader. Luis Diaz, who scored the equalizer following Aleix Garcia's opener, was sent off in the 84th minute for a second yellow card. Nicolas Jackson had received a red card in the 42nd minute. Leverkusen took the lead in the sixth minute after Montrell Culbreath stole the ball off Diaz and fed it to Patrik Schick, who set up Garcia on the edge of the box. The midfielder slotted home with a deflected shot. The hosts defended well to contain Bayern's attempts to come back, and frustration showed when Jackson was sent off before halftime for a late challenge on Martin Terrier. Bayern played with third-choice goalkeeper Sven Ulreich because Manuel Neuer has a calf issue and backup Jonas Urbig was concussed in the 6-1 win over Atalanta midweek in the Champions League. Ulreich denied an effort
Max Dowman, a 16-year-old Arsenal winger, became the Premier League's youngest ever scorer with a remarkable stoppage-time goal in his team's 2-0 win over Everton. Dowman collected the ball midway in his own half, dribbled around two Everton players and raced clear unchallenged from the halfway line to tap into an empty net, with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford stranded upfield having gone forward for a corner. An English soccer prodigy, Dowman - at 16 years, 73 days - was playing just his third Premier League match after two previous substitute appearances at the start of the season. "He doesn't seem to be fazed by the occasion or the moment or the context or the opponent, he just plays so naturally," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. "He makes decisions to make things happen, and what he delivered was incredible." Asked what he said to Dowman after deciding to bring him on, Arteta replied: "Go and do your thing and win us the game." Dowman broke the record of former Everton
Another three members of the Iran's women's soccer team who accepted refugee visas to stay in Australia have decided to return to their homeland, an Australian government minister said on Sunday. The departure leaves three of an initial seven squad members in Australia. "Overnight, three members of the Iranian Women's Football Team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran," Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement. "After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options," Burke added. Iran's team arrived in Australia for the Women's Asian Cup last month, before the war in the Middle East began on Feb. 28. Initially, six players and a support staff member from a squad list of 26 players accepted humanitarian visas to stay in Australia before the rest of the Iranian contingent flew from Sydney to Malaysia on March 9. Another later changed her mind and left ..
Defending champions China defeated Taiwan 2-0 in the Women's Asian Cup quarterfinals on Saturday to book a semifinal against host Australia and a place at the 2027 World Cup. After 90 minutes ended goalless in a match involving c ountries with geopolitical tensions, Shao Ziqin finally broke the deadlock three minutes into extra time before a late own goal sealed a deserved win for the dominant Chinese team. On Friday, Sam Kerr scored one goal and created another as Australia advanced and secured a World Cup spot with a 2-1 win over North Korea. South Korea faced Uzbekistan later Saturday in another quarterfinal at Sydney. On Sunday, Japan heads into the final quarterfinal against the Philippines, also in Sydney, with three wins from three games and a tournament-leading 17 goals without conceding. The semifinals are set for Tuesday and Wednesday with the final to be played next Saturday in Sydney. World Cup spots ========== All four semifinalists at the Women's Asian Cup qualify
Chelsea winger Pedro Neto was charged by UEFA on Thursday for pushing a ballboy during the Champions League loss at Paris Saint-Germain. Neto faces a one-game ban for the charge UEFA said was "unsporting behavior," with a disciplinary decision to follow "in due course." Chelsea trails the defending champion 5-2 after the first leg on Wednesday in the round of 16. The return game is on Tuesday in London. Neto shoved the boy in the chest for appearing to hold onto the ball instead of giving it back to the player late in the game when Chelsea trailed 4-2. Neto later apologized to the boy and gave him his game jersey. "With the emotions of the game, we were losing, I wanted to pick up the ball," Neto told British broadcaster TNT Sports. "I gave him a little push. I saw that I hurt him and I am sorry, as I'm not like this.
There was an uncertainty among Real Madrid fans before their Champions League match against Manchester City. It has a new and untested coach, recently lost two league games in a row, and last weekend required a last-minute deflection to beat Celta Vigo. Federico Valverde dispelled their doubts in a scintillating first 45 minutes, scoring a sublime hat trick that put the home team in the driver's seat for this much-awaited last 16 tie. Valverde completed a quick counterattack and rounded goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with a deft touch to score the opener after 20 minutes. He ran on to a pass from Vinicius Junior and then fired home a low shot with his weaker left foot seven minutes later to make it 2-0. The Uruguay midfielder saved the best for last, taking Brahim Diaz's clever chip and then knocking it over the outstretched leg of Marc Guehi before volleying past Donnarumma to make it 3-0 three minutes before halftime.
Joao Neves and Ousmane Dembele returned from injury to help Paris Saint-Germain rout Chelsea 5-2 in the last 16 of the Champions League. They combined to set up the first goal after 10 minutes and Dembele scored with a brilliant solo effort late in the first half. The third goal followed a blunder from Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jrgensen, who passed the ball straight to PSG forward Bradley Barcola. He fed substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who then passed inside to Vitinha and he neatly lobbed Jrgensen. Kvaratskhelia added two late goals allowing PSG to take a healthy lead into next Tuesday's second leg at Stamford Bridge in London. "We showed we are capable of anything. We have to carry on like this," Kvaratskhelia said. "We conceded goals but we have to analyze the mistakes we made." Ballon d'Or moment Dembele's speed and lucid thinking on his goal showed that the Ballon d'Or winner is getting back to his best in an injury-hit season. He latched onto a pass near the halfway line
Iran's soccer team lost its last group match at the Women's Asian Cup and had to contemplate returning home to a country embroiled in war. The Iranian women's squad arrived in Australia for the continental championship last month, before the war that began with the U.S. and Israel Feb. 28 strikes on Iran. Teams ousted during the group stage usually leave within days but organizers have not announced details for the departure of the Iran delegation. Australia's national news agency quoted Iran's head coach Marziyeh Jafari saying the squad "want to come back to Iran as soon as we can." "I want to be with my country and home ... We are eager to come back," AAP quoted Jafari as telling a post-match news conference. Their silence during the anthem before an opening loss to South Korea last Monday was viewed by some as an act of resistance and others as a show of mourning. The team hasn't clarified. But the players sang the anthem and saluted during the national anthem ahead of their 4-0
AC Milan isn't ready to yield to city rival Inter Milan in the Serie A title race. Pervis Estupinan scored the winner as Milan beat Inter 1-0 again in the Derby della Madonnina on Sunday. The Rossoneri cut their city rival's lead to seven points with 10 rounds of the season remaining, setting off joyous celebrations in the San Siro while Inter's players questioned the referee for ruling out what would have been a very late equalizer. Inter had the ball in the net in stoppage time after a quickly taken corner, but it was too quick for the referee, who hadn't given the go-ahead for it to be taken and blew his whistle before the ball crossed the line. Inter had won its last eight Serie A games since a 2-2 draw with Napoli on Jan. 11, and was 15 games unbeaten in the league since the last derby, also won 1-0 by Milan, in November. Youssouf Fofana played Estupinan through on the left and the Ecuador left back let fly with a powerful shot to the back of the net for what proved to be the
Lens capped a fine week by beating Metz 3-0 to move one point behind Ligue 1 leader Paris Saint-Germain in a tense title race. PSG's 3-1 home defeat to Monaco on Friday opened the door for rival Lens, which reached the French Cup semifinals on Thursday after beating Lyon on penalties following a 2-2 draw. There are nine rounds of games left in Ligue 1 and Lens hosts PSG on April 11. Rock-bottom Metz rode its luck until Saudi Arabian defender Saud Abdulhamid put Lens ahead just before halftime with a powerful half-volley following good work from striker Abdallah Sima, who had twice gone close to scoring. Abdulhamid then combined with Adrien Thomasson to set up France winger Florian Thauvin for a neat finish from the edge of the penalty area just after the break. Midfielder Amadou Haidara made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute after playing a one-two with former Metz captain Matthieu Udol as Lens took control. Udol was born in Metz and made 185 appearances at left back before forcing a move
Morocco coach Walid Regragui has quit the team just months before it competes at the World Cup, he confirmed at a late-night press conference. Regragui's departure - less than 100 days before the United States, Canada and Mexico host the World Cup from June 11 to July 19 - was widely reported before Fouzi Lekjaa, the president of the country's soccer federation, accompanied Regragui for the press conference that doubled as a tribute to the departing coach. "The team needs a fresh face, a different energy, and a new perspective with a new coach," Regragui said on Thursday. "I think the team needs a new lease of life before the World Cup, a new vision to continue progressing. My decision to leave is part of this team's evolution." The 50-year-old Regragui led Morocco to the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup - a first for Africa and the Arab world - but he was criticized after the team failed to win the Africa Cup of Nations as the host country after a dramatic 1-0 loss to Senegal in t
Iran's place at the men's World Cup in three months' time was put in doubt Monday amid an escalating Middle East conflict sparked by the soccer tournament's co-host the United States. Iran is due to play its three group stage games in the U.S. - two in Inglewood, California, then in Seattle - from June 15-26. Cities in Canada and Mexico also will host some of the 104 games. The U.S. and Israel have targeted Iran in coordinated attacks since Saturday that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens more senior officials. It provoked an Iranian response that aimed missiles at U.S. allies including 2022 World Cup host Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which FIFA has picked to stage the 2034 edition. "What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope," said Iran's top soccer official Mehdi Taj, a vice president of the Asian Football Confederation. It is unclear if the state-backed Iranian soccer federation could refuse to sen
Real Madrid lost a second straight La Liga match when a stunning volley from Martin Satriano gave Getafe a shock 1-0 win at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Monday. The result prevented the capital club from cutting the four-point gap to leader Barcelona. Getafe had lost all eight of its previous league encounters with Real Madrid and early saves from goalkeeper David Soria kept it from falling behind. Soria turned over a shot from Arda Guler midway through the first half, not long after frustrating Vinicius Junior when he was through on goal. Madrid had more of the ball but lacked punch up front and it paid a price for its profligacy six minutes before halftime when Getafe took the lead. A hopeful cross from the right was headed clear but it fell to the feet of Satriano, who volleyed into the roof of the net from 20 meters out. It was the second goal in three games for the Uruguayan, who joined on loan from Lyon during the last transfer window. Madrid continued to dominate possessi