Page 26 - Football

Barcelona extend contract of women's Ballon d'Or winner Bonmati till 2028

Barcelona extended the contract of women's Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmat on Monday until 2028. The 26-year-old playmaker signed a new contract to June 30, 2028, the club said. Bonmat has played 275 games for Barcelona, scoring 96 competitive goals. She is the club's all-time top goalscorer and is tied with Alexia Putellas for the Champions League record of 22. One of her Champions League goals came in last season's final, where Barcelona defeated Lyon for its third European title. Bonmati, also a Spain international, has won 23 trophies with Barcelona, the eighth most in the club's history.

Santosh Kashyap named new head coach of Indian women's football team

All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday appointed Santosh Kashyap as the new head coach of the national senior women's team, replacing former international player Chaoba Devi at the helm of affairs. Kashyap's first assignment will be the SAFF Women's Championships to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from October 17 to 30. A 29-member squad will camp in Goa from September 20 in preparation for the championships. A former India international, Kashyap has almost a decade of coaching experience in the I-League, managing clubs like Mohun Bagan, Aizawl FC and Mumbai FC among others. The 58-year-old has also been the assistant coach of NorthEast United FC, and most recently of Odisha FC, in the Indian Super League. Kashyap will have Priya PV as his assistant coach and Raghuvir Pravin Khanolkar as the goalkeeper coach. "Coaching the National Team is always an honour. I am grateful to the AIFF President, Shri Kalyan Chaubey, the technical committee, the technical department and other .

FC Barcelona's Dani Olmo to miss 4 to 5 weeks with hamstring injury

Barcelona got some bad news a day after extending its perfect start to the season, with winger Dani Olmo being diagnosed with a leg injury that will sideline him for four to five weeks. The club said tests conducted Monday showed he sustained a right hamstring injury in the second half of the 4-1 win at Catalan rival Girona in the Spanish league on Sunday. Olmo had to be replaced in the 61st minute, less than 15 minutes after he had scored the team's third goal in the match. The Spain international was signed from Leipzig this season and had been a crucial piece for coach Hansi Flick in the team's perfect start. Barcelona has won its first five games in the Spanish league, which it leads by four points ahead of Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Villarreal.

Saudi footballer Al-Muwallad hospitalised after fall from balcony in Dubai

Saudi Arabia football player Fahad Al-Muwallad is in intensive care after falling from a second-floor balcony while vacationing in Dubai. Dubai Police General Command said late Saturday that Al-Muwallad was involved in an accident while on a short vacation in Dubai, when he fell from the balcony of his second-floor home. The winger, who just turned 30 and currently plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab, played at the 2018 World Cup with Saudi Arabia. Police said the initial investigations showed that the accident occurred while he was on the balcony with the investigation ongoing. Police said Al-Muwallad is in intensive care in one of Dubai's hospitals, where the efforts of the medical teams continue to provide him with the necessary care.

Premier League: Arsenal beat local rivals Tottenham Hotspur 1-0

Defender Gabriel's powerful header in the 64th minute put the Gunners ahead in the game and ensured they got the bragging rights in the North London derby.

Premier League: City's Erling Haaland setting new standards for goalscoring

With 9 goals in 4 matches, including two brilliant hat-tricks, the Norwegian striker is showing an insatiable hunger to convert every chance into a goal.

UEFA to ban England if govt interference found in sporting decisions

England and English soccer teams could be removed from UEFA competitions if a new regulator is considered to be Government interference in the sport. In a letter sent by UEFA to the UK's new culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, European soccer's governing body raised concerns about a proposed independent football regulator (IFR) in English soccer. The regulatory will ensure the financial sustainability of clubs and stop teams from joining breakaway competitions like the European Super League. UEFA regulations state there should be no government interference in the running of soccer. We have specific rules that guard against this in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition; the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition, UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis wrote in his letter, which has been seen by The Associated Press. England, which has been runner-up in the last two European ...

Premier League: CHE vs BOU breaks league record for bookings in a game

Anthony Taylor was in charge of the match and brandished a record 14 yellow cards, including bookings for both teams' managers, Enzo Maresca and Andoni Iraola.

AC Milan beat Venezia 4-0 to hand their new coach Fonseca his first win

New AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca got his first Serie A win in style. It couldn't have come at a better time for the Rossoneri. A devastating opening half an hour set Milan on its way to a convincing 4-0 win over promoted Venezia on Saturday for its first victory of the season after two draws and a loss. The result and the manner of the victory are a timely confidence boost ahead of a crucial week. Fonseca's team hosts Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday followed by a Serie A derby match against defending champion Inter Milan. Also, Bologna remained winless but came from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw against Como. Juventus drew at Empoli 0-0. Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez were benched for Milan's last match but were back in the starting lineup and the pair combined to score the opener after just 90 seconds. Hernandez won the ball in midfield and played it to Leao who gave it back to him with a delicious backheeled flick on the half turn. That sent the France ...

Lionel Messi returns and scores twice as Inter Miami defeats Union 3-1

Lionel Messi made a successful return after a lengthy absence, scoring two goals and assisting on the third to lead Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union. The Argentine star winger and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner had not played with Inter Miami since June 1 because of national team commitments and a right ankle injury sustained in a 1-0 victory over Colombia in the Copa America final on July 14. "A little bit tired because of the heat and humidity of Miami but I wanted to return so much after such a long time away," Messi said in Spanish on the Apple TV broadcast after the game. "I started training with the group and began to feel better." Messi, who resumed practicing three weeks ago, showed no rust or ill-effects from the injury with his performance. He scored twice in a four-minute span midway through the first half that negated an early goal by Philadelphia. "What he did was more typical than other things that happened tonight," Inter Miami coach coach Ger

Mbappe and Vinicius score penalties as Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad

Kylian Mbapp and Vincius Jnior converted penalties to help earn Real Madrid a 2-0 win at Real Sociedad after the host was repeatedly denied by the woodwork in La Liga. Vincius put the visitors ahead in the 58th minute after an unnecessary handball by former Manchester City player Sergio Gmez gave the Madrid forward the chance to break the deadlock on Saturday. Mbapp put the result beyond doubt in the 75th after a video review by the referee determined that Sociedad defender Jon Aramburu stomped on Vincius' foot in the box. But before the goals, Madrid had to weather a furious attack by the Basque club that found ways through the defending champion's defense only to be turned back by the goal-frame. "We probably didn't deserve to win," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "But we knew how to dig in during the worst moments. I value that sacrifice that is often tough to see on a team with the talent that this one has." Ancelotti's side drew its other two outings in the Spanish league

Haaland reaches 99 goals for Man City; Liverpool lose at Anfield to Forest

Erling Haaland moved to 99 goals for Manchester City after scoring twice in a 2-1 win against Brentford in the English Premier League on Saturday. The Norwegian's double maintained City's 100% start to the league after Yoane Wissa fired Brentford ahead with just 22 seconds on the clock. Liverpool lost for the first time under new manager Arne Slot, to Nottingham Forest by a shock 1-0 at Anfield. Manchester United won at Southampton 3-0 to end its two-game losing streak. Unstoppable Haaland ============== Haaland scored his 98th and 99th goals in his 103rd City appearance in all competitions. And he was the width of the post away from his third consecutive hat trick after trebles against Ipswich and West Ham. Haaland, who has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or, has nine goals in four league games. He has topped the league scoring charts in each of his two seasons at City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 for $63 million. Haaland's first goal after 19 minutes evened th

ISL: Venkatesh's debut goal helps Bengaluru FC edge past East Bengal

Bengaluru FC started their Indian Super League campaign with a 1-0 win over East Bengal with 19-year-old Vinith Venkatesh scoring in his debut match here on Saturday. Venkatesh's 25th-minute strike was the difference between the two teams. It was a fairytale ISL debut for Bengaluru FC academy graduate Venkatesh. He showed glimpses of his brilliance in the recently concluded Durand Cup and carried that momentum into the new ISL season. It was a cagey start from both sides with plenty of tackles flying in, mostly to disrupt the momentum. Nandha Kumar was guilty of a mis-timed challenge in the third minute when he brought down Suresh Wangjam. The East Bengal FC winger received a yellow card for his reckless tackle. Despite the caution, tackles kept flying as Lalchungnunga and later Hector Yuste also joined Nandha into the referee's book. The first real opportunity of the game came when Jeakson Singh collected a loose ball outside the penalty area. He launched a thumping effort towar

ISL: Farukh's brace leads Chennaiyin FC to 3-2 win over Odisha FC

Strikes by Farukh Choudhary and Daniel Chima Chukwu helped Chennaiyin FC halt the long unbeaten streak at home of Odisha FC with a come-from-behind 3-2 win in an Indian Super League match here on Saturday. Chennaiyin thus broke Odisha FC's 569-day run at home, courtesy a brace from Farukh (48th, 51st) and a powerful strike from Chima (69th). An electrifying start at the Kalinga Stadium saw Samik Mitra deny the hosts with an early save. Soon, Farukh's appeal for a spot-kick was disallowed by the referee, who subsequently pointed to the spot at the other end when Hugo Boumous went down under a challenge from Samik. Diego Mauricio scored from the spot to give Odisha the lead. Chennaiyin, however, responded strongly. First, Connor Shields saw an effort blocked midway through the half before Farukh shot wide from close range. Samik prevented Odisha from going 2-0 up with a superb last-ditch save after Hnamte rattled the upright with an outstanding free-kick. The Marina Machans were .

EPL: Man United beat Southampton 3-0 as Marcus Rashford ends goalless run

Marcus Rashford snapped a 12-game barren run in front of goal as Manchester United beat Southampton 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday. Rashford doubled United's lead at Saint Mary's after Matthijs de Ligt's scored his first for the club. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho scored a third in the sixth minute of stoppage time. The win came after back-to-back defeats for United in a disappointing start to the season. Rashford hadn't scored since United's 4-3 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup in March. He curled in a shot from the edge of the area to put Erik ten Hag's team 2-0 up at Southampton in the 41st minute. De Ligt, who joined United from Bayern Munich in the off-season, headed in from Bruno Fernandes' cross in the 35th. It was a much-needed with for United after losses to Brighton and Liverpool in the first three games of the season. But it could have been a different story if Cameron Archer had converted a penalty for Southampton in the 33rd. Instead, his effort was saved by ..

Premier League: Manchester City vs Brentford FC live time (IST), streaming

Wins against Chelsea, Ipswich, and West Ham United have kept them at the top of the table during the international break.

With 1,000 playgrounds & 18 stadiums, CM Yogi positions UP as football hub

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has identified sports as a form of soft power to galvanise the state into a $1-trillion economy

Delhi HC withdraws Anwar Ali's suspension, fresh consideration on Saturday

The Delhi High Court was on Friday told that the Players Status Committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) will withdraw its order suspending India defender Anwar Ali. The lawyer appearing for AIFF submitted before Justice Sanjeev Narula that the issue would be considered afresh by the committee on Saturday and a "detailed order" will be passed after hearing the parties. The court was hearing petitions by Ali and his current side East Bengal, and parent club Delhi FC against the decision of the Players Status Committee. The AIFF on September 10 had slapped a four-month suspension on Anwar after finding the defender "guilty" and asked him and the two clubs to pay a huge compensation of Rs 12.90 crore to Mohun Bagan. The Players Status Committee had also ruled that Anwar's parent club Delhi FC and East Bengal, with whom the defender had entered into a lucrative five-year deal, have been banned from registering players for two transfer windows -- 2024-25 winter and 2025-26

It's time to overhaul AIFF and have a new constitution: Bhaichung Bhutia

The legendary Bhaichung Bhutia has called for the ouster of the current dispensation in the All India Football Federation (AIFF), holding the sports body responsible for the decline in the national team's performance in recent times. Bhutia came down heavily on the AIFF, saying the absence of a roadmap for Indian football has resulted in humiliating defeat at the hands of Syria (0-3) and a tame draw against Mauritius (0-0) in the recently held three-nation Intercontinental Cup at home. The former India captain demanded an overhaul of the AIFF administration. "I think it's not a great sign, we have been on the decline for quite some time now. From being ranked in the top 100 to going down at 125. I think football needs a new governing body and election and a fresh start. "Otherwise, I think it's only going down," Bhutia told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview on Friday. "I think there has to be really serious discussion, thorough debate that has to be done for taking the game ...

Cristiano Ronaldo creates history with 1 bn social media followers

Cristiano was already the most followed person on Instagram, with more than 639 million followers, and is now at the top of the overall charts