Page 16 - Football

Spanish government allows Dani Olmo to continue playing for Barcelona

Spain's government stepped in Wednesday to provisionally allow midfielder Dani Olmo and forward Pau Vctor to continue playing for Barcelona following the Spanish league's refusal to do so. Barcelona appealed the decision by the league to Spain's Higher Council for Sport, a government body under the auspices of the ministry of education and sports. The council has initially ruled in Barcelona's favor to allow the two players to continue participating in official competitions while it studies the appeal and makes a definitive ruling. Last summer, the two players were registered only through the end of 2024, and the financially troubled Barcelona failed to meet the league's financial fair-play rules by the end-of-year deadline. Once the club got its paperwork in order, the league, with the backing of the Spanish soccer federation, said that it was rejecting Barcelona's attempt to register the players for the rest of the season. The league and the federation said in a joint statement th

Barcelona through to Spanish Super Cup final, beat Atheltic Bilbao 2-0

Lamine Yamal and Gavi Pez scored to lead Barcelona past Athletic Bilbao 2-0 and into the Spanish Super Cup final on Wednesday. Gavi scored in the 17th minute of the semifinal for his first goal since the midfielder returned to playing in October after a serious leg injury that sidelined him for nearly a year. Gavi then helped Yamal put the result away in the 52nd with a pass that the 17-year-old controlled while twirling toward the goal. Yamal sized up goalkeeper Unai Simn and slotted home to double the lead. Real Madrid and Mallorca will play the other semifinal also in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday. The final is on Sunday. Yamal didn't reveal which rival he would prefer for the final, saying the final will be tough, and we want to win it, that is the important thing. Gavi got Barcelona going after he redirected in a short pass from Alejandro Balde after the left back had reached the endline in Athletic's area. Athletic could barely muster a threat until it was behind by two

Carabao Cup highlights: Tottenham beat Liverpool 1-0 in 1st leg at home

Lucas Bergvall's first goal for Tottenham secured a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the English League Cup semifinals on Wednesday in a first-leg match notable for a serious-looking injury to Rodrigo Bentancur and the first in-stadium announcement by a referee in the English game. The 18-year-old Bergvall slotted home the winner in the 86th minute following a pass from Dominic Solanke, who thought 10 minutes earlier that he had given Tottenham the lead. That goal was ruled out after a VAR check for offside and referee Stuart Attwell communicated the decision via a wireless microphone to spectators inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and to TV viewers. In the sixth minute, Bentancur the Uruguay midfielder who plays for Tottenham fell to the ground and lay prone after landing awkwardly when attempting a header from a corner. He was carried off on a stretcher, to applause from around the ground, after receiving treatment during a 10-minute delay and Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed

Deschamps' France coaching career to end after 2026 FIFA World Cup

France coach Didier Deschamps plans to announce on Wednesday that he won't continue in the role after the next World Cup, according to reports in French media. L'Equipe and RMC Sport were among the outlets to report that the 56-year-old Deschamps would leave when his contract expires in the summer of 2026. Deschamps, a World Cup winner as a player, took over as coach of Les Bleus in July 2012 and led France to the World Cup title in 2018, beating Croatia in the final. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, France reached the final and lost and epic title match to Argentina. Europe will send 16 teams to the first 48-team World Cup, being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico in the summer of 2026.

Isak scores in League Cup semis to help Newcastle triumph 2-0 over Arsenal

Newcastle moved a step closer to a first major domestic trophy since 1955 with a 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the first leg of the English League Cup semifinals. Goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon at the Emirates Stadium put Newcastle within reach of the final at Wembley Stadium in March. The second leg is at St James' Park on Feb. 5. It's a great result. It's only the first half. If we don't go through then this has no meaning, but we can't hide from the fact that this is a massive win, Isak said. It was Newcastle's first win at the Emirates since 2010 and Arsenal's first home defeat since April. Isak struck in the 37th minute to continue his outstanding scoring run with his 14th goal in 15 games. The Sweden international was involved in Newcastle's second in the 51st, when his shot was saved by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya and the rebound was converted by Gordon. Despite being bought by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund in 2021, Newcastle hasn't won a major domestic

Ireland's Robbie Keane named head coach of Hungarian champion Ferencvaros

Ireland soccer great Robbie Keane was hired to coach Ferencvaros, which is chasing a sixth straight Hungarian league title and looking to advance in the Europa League. Ferencvaros said on Monday that Keane will take charge of the team on Tuesday during a midwinter training camp in Spain. He replaces Pascal Jansen, the former assistant to Arne Slot at Dutch club AZ Alkmaar, who left the Budapest club last week midway through his first season. Keane's first competitive game is in the Europa League at Eintracht Frankfurt on Jan. 23. Ferencvaros is on track to advance to the knockout stage by placing in the top 24 of the 36-team standings. Five-time defending champion Ferencvaros resumes its domestic league games in February, sitting in second place behind leader Puskas Akademia. The 44-year-old Keane returns to soccer after leaving Maccabi Tel Aviv in the offseason. He won the Israeli league title in his debut season with Maccabi, which was affected by security issues after the attack

Dembele scores as PSG edges trophy win; Marseille crushes Le Havre

Ousmane Dembl scored a stoppage-time winner as Paris Saint-Germain beat Monaco 1-0 to win the Champions Trophy. The France winger was unmarked at the back post to meet a low cross from the left by Fabian Ruiz in the second minute of added time on Sunday. PSG won the trophy, also known as the French Super Cup, for the third straight time and a record-extending 13th overall. PSG won the league and cup double last season, with Monaco finishing second in the league. The result reflects our domination, PSG coach Luis Enrique said, while Monaco coach Adi Htter conceded PSG played better. A goal in the last minute always feels like a knife in the back, Htter said. PSG deserved to win if we're being honest, they had more chances. The match took place at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, with PSG owned by Qatar-based QSI since 2011. Dsir Dou hit the crossbar early on for PSG and Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Khn made several saves. Monaco improved after the break and hit the post through Eliesse

Thomas Tuchel starts scouting for England, impressed with available talents

Wearing a thick coat and a baseball cap, Thomas Tuchel got down to scouting work in his new role as England soccer coach. The German's first task? Watching Tottenham play Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday. He'll probably be pleased with what he saw. Inside the first six minutes, two players likely to be in Tuchel's first squad got on the scoresheet Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke in the fourth minute and Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon shortly after. Tuchel's contract officially started on Wednesday. He and his support team are due to visit St. George's Park England's training base and their main place of work for the first time next week, when they will hold a series of introductory meetings with relevant members of staff. Tuchel's first matches in charge will be the World Cup qualifiers against Albania on March 21 and Latvia three days later. His contract with England runs through to the World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico in the summer of 202

Soccer fan in Scotland ejected for alleged racial abuse of player, arrested

A supporter was arrested for allegedly racially abusing a player during a Scottish Premiership match between Edinburgh rivals Hearts and Hibernian. The incident occurred while a video review was taking place for Hibs' 10th-minute opening goal of the team's 2-1 win. The player receiving abuse from a fan in the Hearts end was Hibs substitute Jordan Obita, Britain's Press Association reported. Hibs said in a statement that a supporter was ejected from the stadium and arrested in relation to an alleged incident of racism" and thanked Hearts for its swift action taken against the fan at Tynecastle Park. Hearts said it condemns racism and any abusive behavior. Hibs manager David Gray praised Obita for not letting the alleged incident affect him as he entered as a substitute in the 85th. There's no place for it at all and it's been dealt with, Gray told British broadcaster Sky Sports. The most important thing is Jordan's been on the pitch and was fantastic when he came on. So it's about

Football star Cristiano Ronaldo takes family to Lapland for Christmas

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo said it was just a little cold as he posed bare-chested in the snow before taking an icy dip in a pool during a Christmas vacation in Finland's Lapland region. The 39-year-old Portuguese international traveled with partner Georgina Rodriguez and their children, who met Santa Claus in a 10-minute video posted online by Ronaldo on Tuesday. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United great appeared to decline to ski with his family. He wished his followers including 645 million on Instagram a Merry Christmas in Spanish. The Al-Nassr striker is on a winter break from the Saudi Pro League until Jan. 9.

Former Chelsea player Oscar returns to Brazil's Sao Paulo from China

Former Chelsea midfielder Oscar is returning to his Brazilian boyhood club Sao Paulo after 14 years, which included a long spell in Chinese soccer. Sao Paulo president Julio Casares posted photos Tuesday on his social media channels which showed him with the 33-year-old former Brazil international. Casares described the move as a super transfer." Minutes later, Oscar thanked China's Shanghai Port, where he played for eight seasons, for his time at the Chinese Super League club. Today I finish a cycle that marked my life forever, he said. I leave with my heart full of gratitude and pride for everything we achieved together. Oscar joined Sao Paulo on a free transfer. Neither the Brazilian club nor the player disclosed the duration of their deal, but local media reports said he signed a three-year contract. Oscar is returning to a club he sued to leave for another Brazilian team, Internacional, in 2010. In 2012, Oscar joined Chelsea and won one Europa League title and two Premier Le

FIFPRO disagrees with FIFA's temporary changes to its transfer rules

The world soccer players' union disagreed with FIFA's temporary changes to transfer rules on Monday following the landmark Lassana Diarra judgement. Former France international Diarra challenged FIFA 's rules due to a dispute with a club dating to 2014, and the European Court of Justice ruled in October that some rules were contrary to European Union law because they restricted freedom of movement and were anti-competitive. FIFA then opened a global dialogue and on Monday published interim amendments which take effect in time for the January transfer window. They strike a balanced compromise, FIFA said in a statement. But global players' union FIFPRO was against the changes, and accused FIFA of failing to reach consensus. Following Lassana Diarra's successful challenge against the legality of Article 17 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, FIFPRO informed FIFA of the conditions under which it could negotiate the amendments to the regulations to reflect the

Atletico Madrid stun Barcelona in stoppage time to snatch La Liga lead

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone ran down the touchline in joy while Barcelona players sunk to the turf in dismay. Super sub Alexander Srloth struck again deep in stoppage time to hand Atletico a 2-1 comeback win at Barcelona and ensure Atletico will spend La Liga's short winter break on top of the table. Atletico's 12th straight win in all competitions lifted it three points above Barcelona. Barcelona has only two wins in its last nine games and could find itself third on Sunday if Real Madrid beats Sevilla. Simeone, coaching Atletico since 2011, celebrated winning at Barcelona for the first time. We finally did it," Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak said. We are playing well, we started poorly but we knew our chances would come. And in the last minute Srloth came through. Thanks to him we finally won here. He is the striker we needed. It was a much more impressive performance from Barcelona, which dominated for long periods and took a deserved lead in the 30th minute. Pedri sta

Premier League 2024/25: Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool live streaming

Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate will not be available for Liverpool's match, with Konate's absence having caused problems in recent games.

Marcus Rashford attracts interest from Saudi clubs ahead of January window

Reports indicate that three prominent Saudi clubs-Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, and Al Qadsiah-are all vying for the England international's signature in January.

Carabao Cup: Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United live streaming

The EFL Cup is the last trophy Tottenham won, back in 2007/08, when they triumphed over Manchester rivals in the quarter-finals before defeating Arsenal and Chelsea to claim the title.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle advance to semis in English League Cup

Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool advanced in the English League Cup on Wednesday to ensure a heavyweight lineup for the semifinals. Gabriel Jesus scored a hat trick including a crucial second goal from an offside position as Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 3-2 to reach the last four for the first time since the 2021-22 season. Liverpool kept alive its title defense by winning 2-1 at Southampton, with Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott the scorers in the first half for the leaders of the Premier League and Champions League. Newcastle defeated Brentford 3-1 mainly thanks to two first-half goals by Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali and progressed to the semifinals for the second time in three seasons. The Saudi-controlled club from the north east, which hasn't won a major trophy since 1955, lost in the League Cup final to Manchester United in 2023. United visits Tottenham on Thursday in the remaining quarterfinal match, guaranteeing that the semifinals will feature four of the biggest teams i

Italian club Genoa taken over by Romanian businessman Dan Sucu

Italy's oldest soccer club is now under the ownership of Romanian businessman Dan ?ucu. Genoa announced on Wednesday that ?ucu had acquired a majority stake after a capital increase of 40 million euros ($42 million) for a 77% share. The club hopes that ?ucu who also owns 90% of Romanian team Rapid Bucharest will bring financial stability following months of uncertainty under the troubled Miami-based 777 Partners. The club, which was founded in 1893, was sold to 777 Partners three years ago ending previous owner Enrico Preziosi's 18 years in charge. Genoa won the last of its nine Italian league titles in 1924. It is currently 13th in Serie A, two points above the relegation zone, although it is unbeaten since hiring Patrick Vieira as coach last month. The transfer of majority ownership marks a new chapter for Italy's oldest football club, with the hope that the entry of Dan ?ucu can bring financial stability and new investments to strengthen the team and its infrastructure, Geno

PSG goalkeeper Donnarumma suffers brutal face injury while making a save

Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's face was bloodied after being hit by an opponent's cleat in a French league game against Monaco on Wednesday. The Italy international took the studs of Wilfried Singo's cleat in the 17th minute at the Stade Louis II. Singo, whose shot had been blocked, tried to jump over the sliding Donnarumma but instead struck his face. Pictures showed that Donnarumma was cut below his right eye. Singo, who had already been warned, was lucky to avoid a red card. Donnarumma was left lying on the pitch while receiving treatment. He finally stood up and walked away to be replaced by Matvey Safonov.

Mbappe set to play for Real Madrid in Intercontinental Cup final vs Pachuca

Real Madrid meets Mexican club Pachuca in the final of the watered-down Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, with Kylian Mbapp expected to be available to play for the Spanish powerhouse after nursing a left-thigh injury. The tournament being played in a new format after FIFA expanded the Club World Cup for 2025 brings together the champions of all six soccer confederations. It takes place every year while the bigger Club World Cup will happen every four years. Madrid made it straight to the final without having to play any matches as the European champion, while Pachuca advanced by defeating South American champion Botafogo and Al Ahly of Egypt in the preliminary rounds of the tournament taking place in Qatar. Mbapp has been practicing with the rest of Madrid's squad again after missing a Spanish league match against Rayo Vallecano a 3-3 draw on Saturday. The France star, still to meet full expectations in his first season with Madrid, got hurt and was substituted after scoring i