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When Arsenal and Manchester City lock horns in the English League Cup final on Sunday there will be more at stake than the first domestic silverware of the season. The trophy is the tangible reward. The intangibles could ripple further, especially on the Premier League title race. With all due respect, the League Cup would have ranked at the bottom of the priority list for Arsenal and City when the season began. The Premier League and the Champions League would rank at the top and the FA Cup somewhere in between. The League Cup, however, has taken on greater significance given both finalists' rivalry in the context of the season. The winner at Wembley Stadium could deal the loser a huge psychological blow. For Arsenal - top of the table and nine points ahead of City - there would be further confirmation of its superiority over its main title rival. That is important for a team that has appeared to have an inferiority complex when it comes to City, after losing the title twice in .
Members of Iran's national women's soccer team were greeted with a welcome ceremony upon their return to the Islamic Republic after several of the players sought asylum in Australia. "First of all we are so happy to be in Iran, because Iran is our homeland," midfielder Fatemeh Shaban said. People in the crowd waved flags while some of the players held bouquets of flowers and signed what appeared to be mini-soccer balls. Iranian media had reported that the team returned on Wednesday. "I wasn't expecting this many people to come to welcome us, and I am happy to be the daughter of Iran," Shaban said in translated comments. Two Iranian female players, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, chose to remain in Australia and have been training with the Brisbane Roar club. Others who initially sought asylum after the team was knocked out of the Women's Asian Cup later changed their minds and said they would return to Iran. Iran's squad arrived in Australia for the tournament shortl
Mauricio Pochettino earned just over USD 5 million during his first seven months as coach of the US national team, according to the U.S. Soccer Federation's tax filing. Pochettino was announced as Gregg Berhalter's replacement on Sept. 10, 2024, and received USD 5,016,917 in the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2025, according to the tax return released on Thursday. Pochettino's salary for the period was listed at USD 2,516,917, and he was given a USD 2.5 million bonus. Berhalter, fired in July 2024 after a first-round elimination at the Copa America, was just 10 months into his second stint as coach. He earned USD 1,774,981 in the fiscal year, which included USD 699,148 in salary, a USD 325,000 bonus and a USD 750,833 severance payment. US women's coach Emma Hayes earned USD 1,469,557 that included USD 744,557 in salary, a USD 700,000 bonus and USD 25,000 in other compensation. CEO JT Batson earned USD 898,787 of which USD 658,787 was listed as salary and USD 240,000 as ...
John McGinn scored and Aston Villa advanced to the quarterfinals of a European competition for the third straight year with a 2-0 victory over Lille. Villa, protecting a 1-0 lead in the return leg of the Europa League round of 16, advanced 3-0 on aggregate on Thursday to set up a quarterfinal against Bologna, which beat Roma 4-3 after extra time to advance 5-4 on aggregate. McGinn who only returned from a knee injury a week ago, completed a move started by Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who fed Jadon Sancho with a long pass to assist the Villa captain in the second half. Substitute Leon Bailey sealed the victory late on. Perfect penalties ========== Nottingham Forest reached the quarterfinals after prevailing over Midtjylland on penalties in Denmark. Substitutes Morgan Gibbs-White, Ibrahim Sangare and Neco Williams all converted from the spot while Midtjylland missed all three of their penalties. Midtjylland had stunned Forest 1-0 in the round-of-16 first leg at the City Gr
Two months after the chaotic end to the Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco, the outcome of the game remains in dispute. Senegal was stripped of its title on Tuesday when African soccer's governing body ruled it had forfeited the final in January by walking off the field. The Confederation of African Football's appeals board turned Senegal's 1-0 win in extra time into a 3-0 default victory for Morocco. But the Teranga Lions are not giving up the title without a fight. Senegal has vowed to appeal CAF's ruling to the sport's highest court - meaning the final say could be as much as a year away. CAF's unprecedented decision to strip Senegal of the trophy is just the latest controversy for African soccer and its governing body. Here are some others. Deadly ambush in Angola Togo reluctantly pulled out of the 2010 Africa Cup after a deadly ambush on its team bus in Cabinda in northern Angola killed three people and injured eight. The players wanted to compete in hono
The president of African soccer's governing body has defended its integrity and impartiality after Senegal's government called for an international investigation into "suspected corruption" at the organization after it stripped the country of its Africa Cup of Nations title. Patrice Motsepe, the president of the Confederation of African Football, sought Wednesday to explain the decision made by its appeals board on Tuesday that ruled Senegal had forfeited the final in January by walking off the field, turning its 1-0 win in extra time into a 3-0 default win for host nation Morocco. "The CAF disciplinary board took one decision. The CAF appeals board took a totally different position. And I'm told that Senegal is going to appeal, which is very important," Motsepe said in a video published on the CAF website. "We will adhere and respect the decision that's taken at the highest level." Motsepe said that CAF's disciplinary and appeals board members are chosen from names proposed by each
The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has criticized the "unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable decision" to strip its team of the Africa Cup of Nations title and award it to host nation Morocco two months after they contested the final. The Confederation of African Football's appeals board on Tuesday ruled Senegal "forfeited the final" by walking off the field and turned its 1-0 win in extra time into a 3-0 default win for Morocco. The FSF said the decision "discredits African football," and that it will appeal "as soon as possible" to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, a process that would typically take a year to deliver a verdict. "The FSF reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values of integrity and sporting justice and will keep the public informed of developments in this matter," the federation said in a statement.
Neymar was left out of Brazil's friendlies in the United States this month. The 34-year-old former captain has struggled to be fit since he tore his ACL in October 2023. Brazil will play France in Boston on March 26 and Croatia in Orlando four days later. "This is a squad that takes into account players who are 100% fit," Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Monday. "We had important injuries to players like Eder Militao, Bruno Guimaraes, Estevao, Rodrygo." Neymar didn't play well on Sunday in Santos' 1-1 draw with Corinthians in the Brazilian league. Hours later, Neymar told media at an event in Sao Paulo he was "upset and sad" for not being in Brazil's squad for the two friendlies. "But my focus remains, day after day, training after training, match after match. We will reach our goal, there's still the final squad," Neymar said. The World Cup squad will be announced on May 18. The team's last warmup will be on May 31 against Panama in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil: Goalkeepers: Ali
Two players from the Iranian women's football team have joined a practice session with a professional club in Brisbane in their first publicly-shared appearance since it emerged they had been granted asylum in Australia. Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh were pictured smiling and wearing the club's colors as they posed alongside a women's elite squad in photos posted to Instagram by the Brisbane Roar on Monday. The update came as the rest of Iran's soccer delegation left Malaysia bound for Oman, apparently capping a tumultuous episode that saw Australia's government offering most of the squad humanitarian visas after the team was knocked out of the Women's Asian Cup. Seven women initially accepted the asylum offer before five changed their minds and said they would return to Iran. Brisbane Roar, which plays in Australia's elite A-League Women's domestic competition, posted a welcome to "Fatemeh and Atefeh" on Instagram, along with an emoji of a lioness, a nod to the name t
Protecting three-goal leads, Champions League heavyweights Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain will look to clinch their places in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. So, amazingly, will tiny Bod/Glimt. There's a one-sided look to the first batch of second-leg matches to be completed in the round of 16, as Madrid and PSG arrive in England with a 3-0 lead over Manchester City and a 5-2 lead over Chelsea, respectively. This could be a tough week for the much-hyped Premier League, as all six of its round-of-16 representatives failed to win across the first legs. Arsenal looks best placed of the English teams to advance and will take on Bayer Leverkusen in London on Tuesday with the score at 1-1. Then there's Bod/Glimt, in its debut season in the Champions League and easily the least-heralded team to make it through to the knockout stage. The Norwegian club leads Sporting Lisbon 3-0 from the first leg and is looking to complete another upset, having eliminated Inter Milan - last season's .