Page 27 - Football

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

Spanish footballer convicted of sexual assault for touching a mascot

Spanish soccer player Hugo Mallo has been convicted of sexual assault for inappropriately touching a mascot before a La Liga game in 2019, court officials said on Thursday. The former Celta Vigo player was found to have inappropriately touched the breasts of the woman who was wearing Espanyol's parakeet costume while players lined up to salute each other before kickoff. A judge fined Mallo 6,000 euros ($6,600) and ordered him to pay 1,000 euros ($1,100) in damages to the victim. The 33-year-old Mallo reiterated his innocence and said he planned to appeal the sentencing. Mallo posted a video of the incident on Instagram. I continue to categorically deny the facts attributed to me in the ruling, he said. I acknowledged that while turning around after the greetings that my hand could have touched the waist of the parakeet, but I absolutely denied that it touched the parakeet's breasts. The case was initially dismissed but that decision was overturned on appeal. At the time, Mallo pos

Erik ten Hag shrugs off Ronaldo reopening wounds with Man United

The last thing Erik ten Hag needed was for Cristiano Ronaldo to reopen wounds with Manchester United. Just weeks into the new season and a sense of crisis is already looming over Old Trafford. Two losses from the first three English Premier League rounds has left manager Ten Hag looking up at his rivals again, and club icon Ronaldo says United needs to rebuild everything to compete with the best. "They have to rebuild from the bottom. If not, they cannot compete. It will be impossible, Ronaldo said in an interview with the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. Ronaldo was critical of Ten Hag when leaving United following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in 2022, in which he didn't respect the former Ajax manager. His latest comments, in which he also accused Ten Hag of sending the wrong message regarding United's ambitions, come at a time when the Dutchman is battling to turn around his team's form after overseeing the club's worst league season in 34 years. So, he's far away in

Ligue 1 legal board orders PSG to pay Mbappe 55m euros in unpaid wages

The French league's legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbapp the 55 million euros (USD 61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he's entitled to, the league said Thursday. The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club. PSG officials and Mbapp's representatives met in Paris on Wednesday after Mbapp asked the commission to get involved. Mbapp joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer.

Anwar, East Bengal, Delhi FC move Delhi HC, seek stay on suspension by AIFF

India defender Anwar Ali, his current side East Bengal, and parent club Delhi FC on Thursday moved the Delhi High Court and sought a stay on the suspension imposed on the player by the All India Football Federation for "illegally terminating" his four-year contract with Mohun Bagan. The AIFF on Tuesday 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. "Yes, we have filed a writ petition with the Delhi High Court and the it has been listed for tomorrow. It is item number eight. All three parties have filed the petition on various grounds," Delhi FC owner Ranjit Bajaj told PTI. "How can we let the player lose out on matches in the coming days. You can get money back but you can't get the matches back once they are played, you can't get the time back," he added. East Bengal's top official Debabrata Sarkar said that they have approached the Delhi HC as they don't want

Life after Mbappe is proving better than expected for Ligue 1 leaders PSG

Kylian Mbapp's departure was expected to sidetrack Paris Saint-Germain this season. How would a team long viewed as over-reliant on the France superstar cope without him after his move to Real Madrid? Who could score so freely for PSG when Mbapp averaged more than 40 goals per season over the past four campaigns and more than 250 in seven years at the club? And, who would bail the team out of trouble with last-gasp winners? Things have turned out rather well, so far, and the widely anticipated post-Mbapp headache has not materialised. Far from it. PSG is the only team to have won its first three games in the French league and has scored an impressive 13 goals. No longer being so reliant on Mbapp seems to have produced an early side effect, whereby the goals are being shared around and teamwork has improved in coach Luis Enrique's side. Bradley Barcola has led the way with four goals, adding a finishing touch to his skilful dribbling down the left, while his France teammate Randal

From De Bruyne to Henry, players criticise UEFA, Fifa for fixture pile-up

It is because of this packed schedule that teams tend to lose their important players at crucial stages of the season which can eventually cost them the title as well

ISL 2024-25: Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs Mumbai City live time and streaming

The ISL 2024-25 opener between Mumbai City FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant is a repeat of last year's final which was won by the Islanders

EPL club Manchester United's losses rise despite a year of record revenues

Manchester United reported losses of 113.2 million pounds (USD 148 million) in its latest accounts Wednesday for the year ending June 30, despite record revenues of 661.8 million pounds (USD 866 million). The Premier League club, which was subject to a partial buyout from British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe this year, said the figures were in part because of increased spending on players. The league's profit and sustainability rules (PSR) allow clubs to lose a maximum of 105 million pounds (USD 137 million) over three years or face sanctions. Last season Everton and Nottingham Forest were handed points deductions for breaking those rules. Despite the losses, United said it remained in compliance with the financial rules of both the league and Europe's governing body, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). PSR is related to more than just net losses, with allowances given for spending in areas such as infrastructure. United has undergone an extensive restructuring program

Kylian Mbappe and PSG could go to mediation over $60M financial dispute

The French soccer league's legal commission is urging Kylian Mbapp and his former club Paris Saint-Germain to agree to mediation in a dispute over wages and bonuses, PSG said Wednesday. PSG officials and Mbapp's representatives met in Paris after the France superstar asked the commission to get involved. Mbapp, who joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer, says PSG owes him 55 million euros (around $60 million). PSG, which said it was pleased with the two-hour hearing at the commission on Wednesday, said in a statement it recalled that Mbapp had formerly made clear, repeated public and private commitments that must be respected, having been afforded unprecedented benefits by the club over seven fantastic years in Paris." PSG has argued that it does not owe money to the World Cup winner under an agreement when Mbapp was sidelined ahead of the 2023-24 season following his decision not to prolong his contract with the club with the player allegedly stipulating that he would

Colombia beat reigning world champions Argentina by 2-1 in WC qualifiers

James Rodrguez scored from the penalty spot and had an assist to help Colombia edge defending champion Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday in a South American World Cup qualifier. The Argentina attack missed Lionel Messi, who was sidelined because of injury for the between the teams since the Copa America final. Yerson Mosquera opened the scoring in the 25th minute but Argentina equalized in the 48th when Nico Gonzalez capitalized on a defensive blunder from the Colombians. Rodrguez' 60th-minute penalty, which was awarded after a video review, secured the win at the Metropolitano Stadium. It is a great win against an Argentina team that has won it all," Rodrguez said. The weather was tough, it was so hot, but we had an excellent match. It is a fair win. World Cup champion Argentina lifted the Copa America trophy after a 1-0 overtime victory over Colombia in July. Colombia, which hadn't triumphed over Argentina since 2019, is still unbeaten in South American World Cup qualifying. Also on Tue

US concedes late goal in 1-1 draw vs New Zealand as Pochettino hired

Christian Pulisic stared in frustration after the final whistle and made clear how much work Mauricio Pochettino has ahead. An 89th-minute defensive mix-up had dropped the United States into a 1-1 tie with New Zealand in a friendly on Tuesday night, a match that kicked off 30 minutes after the U.S. Soccer Federation announced it hired Pochettino to coach the Americans through the 2026 World Cup. It's time to turn the page and we really have to pick it up a level, Pulisic said. Everyone is part of this and it feels pretty low right now, but I know there's better times ahead. Mikey Varas led the team for the second game as interim coach following the firing of Gregg Berhalter, let go after the Americans' first-round elimination in the Copa America. The U.S. was coming off Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Canada, the Americans' first to the Canadians on home soil since 1957. Pulisic put the U.S. ahead in the 69th minute, 12 minutes after entering, and with 31 international goals moved past Br

Ronaldo, Carsley and Georgia stole the spotlight at UEFA Nations League

Potential coaching upheaval, players' injuries, an underdog continuing to soar oh, and Cristiano Ronaldo stealing the spotlight once again. International soccer returned to Europe over the past week, less than two months after the conclusion of Euro 2024, and there was plenty to take away from the first batch of games in the Nations League: Ronaldo Shines You can't keep him out of the headlines. The international break started with a certain amount of intrigue over the role Ronaldo would have with Portugal after his underwhelming displays at Euro 2024 and the fact he will be 40 years old early next year. It ended with Ronaldo cementing his status as a continued mainstay in his national team and proof that he still has the scoring instincts to be of huge value for Portugal. Ronaldo scored against Croatia and Scotland to take his men's-record tally of international goals to 132. He started on the bench against the Scots in Lisbon and changed the game when coming on as a halftime ..

ISL 2024-25: Top 3 contenders who can be crowned champions this year

With Mohammedan Sporting joining the league this year, the stakes are higher than last year, making the battle for the title even more challenging.

Full list of golden boot winners in Indian Super League

From Elano to Diamantakos, the league has produced some prolific goalscorers who have won the Golden Boot award at the end of the season over the years

ISL 2024-25: Mumbai City coach Petr Kratky expects tough competition ahead

Kratky's side lost to the Mariners in the final league match of the season and surrendered the League Shield. However, they came back strongly in the ISL Cup final to snatch the trophy from Mohun Baga

AIFF to have 'independent inquiry' into contract renewal of Igor Stimac

Stimac's contract was terminated on June 17 after AIFF senior officials held a virtual meeting with the Croatian manager.

43 people banned by China's Football Association for match fixing

China's Football Association has banned 43 people for life over allegations of match-fixing and other forms of corruption in the latest effort to weed out graft in the country's notoriously underperforming team sport. The official Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday reported that Zhang Xiaopeng, a top police official, attended a news conference at Dalian to release details of a "two-year investigation that uncovered a series of online gambling, match-fixing and bribery cases." Xinhua said 120 matches in domestic leagues, 128 criminal suspects, and 41 clubs were implicated in the investigation. Of those banned, 38 were players and five were officials working for various clubs. Former Chinese internationals Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu, and Gu Chao were among those to receive life bans from the sport. Other players and officials were given shortened bans, including foreign players lured to China by the promise of high salaries. South Korean Son Jun-ho, who played for China's Shandong Taishan F

Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard injured on international duty for Norway

Norway captain Martin Odegaard injured an ankle ahead of a key series of games for his club Arsenal. Odegaard covered his face with his hands while being treated on the field midway through the second half of a Nations League game against Austria on Monday. He appeared to turn awkwardly on his left ankle in a tough challenge with Austria midfielder Christoph Baumgartner as both chased and stretched for a loose ball. Odegaard limped out of the game two minutes later and was consoled by his teammate Erling Haaland. "It looked bad in the dressing room, too," Norway coach Stale Solbakken told broadcaster TV 2. "He didn't have the chance to continue." Odegaard was due to return from national team duty into a tough week of away games for Arsenal. The Gunners first go to London rival Tottenham on Sunday then open their Champions League program at Atalanta, the Europa League winner, four days later in Italy. A visit to Manchester City completes a gruelling week on September 22. Norway

France beat Belgium 2-0 with Mbappe on rest, Haaland stars in Norway win

Even after leaving star forward Kylian Mbapp on the bench, France handed Belgium yet another loss in the Nations League. Two of Mbapp's former teammates at Paris Saint-Germain, Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembl, struck with powerful shots either side of halftime in a 2-0 win in Lyon on Monday. The latest win helped France make up ground in the top-tier Nations League group after losing to Italy 3-1 in Paris on Friday. Italy beat Israel 2-1 on Monday and leads the four-team group. Also, Erling Haaland scored a decisive 80th-minute goal in Norway's 2-1 win over Austria and Slovenia star Benjamin eko scored a hat trick in a 3-0 win over Kazakhstan. Haaland and eko once were clubmates in Austria at Salzburg. Mbapp was rested from the start despite France seeking to avoid a third straight loss, two months after a European Championship semifinals exit against eventual title winner Spain. Real Madrid's new star had little preseason preparation after Euro 2024 and played a full game aga