Page 34 - Football

Lazio fans detained with weapons ahead of European game in Hamburg

A group of about 60 Lazio fans were stopped by German authorities after attempting to avoid a police escort ahead of a Europa League game against Dynamo Kyiv and were found to be carrying knives, clubs and other weapons, police said Wednesday. Fans were checked late Tuesday and detained until Wednesday. Lazio said in a statement that the fans held overnight were banned from attending Wednesday's game, but there were no arrests. Dynamo Kyiv is playing its home games in Hamburg because of the war in Ukraine. Lazio supporters have a long history of creating trouble and the club has been hit with numerous sanctions in Serie A and Europe. Before a Champions League game against Bayern Munich in March, an Italian among about 100 Lazio soccer supporters who sang fascist songs in the beer hall where Adolf Hitler founded the Nazi party was arrested and fined for giving a Hitler salute. A year earlier, a fan wearing a shirt with a reference to Hitler was banned for life from attending Lazio .

Bhaichung Bhutia launches football talent hunt across 50 Indian cities

Football icon Bhaichung Bhutia has unveiled India's largest-ever football trials aimed at discovering and nurturing young talent nationwide. Kicking off this month, the talent hunt will span 50 cities, including Jalandhar, Patiala, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Mysuru, Mangalore, Bangalore, and Belgaum. Organised by Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) and powered by enJogo, the trials are expected to see over 6,000 players aged 9-18 showcasing their skills in front of AIFF/AFC certified coaches. Bhutia aims to tap into the potential of youth from diverse regions, offering them opportunities to develop their skills at the BBFS Residential Academy. "Football in India needs a strong foundation, and that starts with youth development," said Bhutia in a release. "Our mission is to create pathways for young footballers to rise through the ranks, whether they come from big cities or remote areas. Through these trials, we hope to find and develop India's next football stars." The

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe to miss games, ruled out with hamstring injury

Kylian Mbapp will be sidelined with a hamstring injury, Real Madrid said Wednesday. Following tests carried out today by Real Madrid's medical services on our player Kylian Mbapp, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg, Madrid said. His progress will be monitored. The club did not give a time frame for Mbapp's recovery, but he is set to miss at least Sunday's derby at Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league. He could also miss France's Nations League matches against Israel in Budapest on Oct. 10 and away to Belgium four days later. Madrid said the injury was diagnosed a day after the 3-2 win over Alaves in the Spanish league on Tuesday, when Mbappe scored his seventh goal since joining Madrid this season. Mbapp asked to be substituted in the 80th minute. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti had said after the game that the injury did not appear to be serious. The France star has five goals in the Spanish league, one behind leading scorer Robert Lewandowsk

UEFA Europa League 2024 Highlights: Man Utd held at home by FC Twente

Christian Eriksen's 35th-minute goal had put the Red Devils ahead in the tie, but the Danish midfielder soon turned from hero to villain as he lost the ball in defense, leading to the equaliser.

Former France, Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane announces retirement

Former France and Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane announced his retirement on Wednesday, ending a career that included a World Cup title and a big haul of club trophies. The 31-year-old Varane signed with promoted Serie A club Como in July, but injured his knee during his only appearance with the club an Italian Cup match against Sampdoria last month. In my career, I have taken on many challenges, rose to occasion after occasion, almost all of it was supposed to be impossible, Varane wrote on Instagram. Reflecting on these moments, it is with immense pride and a feeling of fulfilment that I am announcing my retirement from the game that we all love. Varane was arguably the tournament's standout defender when France won the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He also helped Madrid to four Champions League titles and three La Liga trophies. He moved to Manchester United in 2021 but was restricted to 95 appearances in his three seasons in England mainly because of injuries. Varane beg

Cesc Fabregas' Como gets 1st Serie A victory in more than 21 years

Como got its first Serie A win in more than 21 years as Cesc Fabregas' team won 3-2 at Atalanta in a rescheduled match. Delightful second-half goals from Gabriel Strefezza and Alieu Fadera, as well as an own goal from Atalanta defender Sead Kolasinac saw newly promoted Como fight back for its first win in the Italian top flight since May 2003. It was a third defeat of the season for Atalanta, which drew 0-0 against Arsenal in the Champions League last week. The match which was a local derby was originally meant to take place on Monday night but had to be postponed by 24 hours due to heavy rains in Bergamo and a waterlogged pitch. Atalanta took the lead in the 18th minute when a corner was headed out but only as far as Davide Zappacosta, who volleyed into the bottom left corner from just outside the area. However, Como got more into the match and managed to level just 20 seconds into the second half with a well-worked move as Sergi Roberto backheeled a pass from Ignace Van der Br

UEFA to not give 2027 Champions League final to San Siro in Milan

The storied San Siro stadium cannot host the Champions League final in 2027, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) decided Tuesday, opening the search for a new venue. UEFA had given extended time for the city of Milan to show the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza would be available during planned renovation work between staging ceremonies for the 2026 Winter Olympics and hosting games at the 2032 European Championship. City authorities could not give those guarantees and the UEFA executive committee decided not to assign the final to Milan and to re-open the bidding process to appoint a suitable venue. The future of San Siro since it last staged the Champions League final in 2016 has been uncertain with a long-term threat of demolition. Shared tenants AC Milan and Inter Milan have developed plans to build their stadiums. UEFA said it aims to pick the 2027 final venue by next June. The next two Champions League finals are being played at Bayern Munich's stadium and the Puskas Are

Erik ten Hag worried about risk of injuries in congested schedule ahead

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has warned of more injuries to top soccer players because of a growing number of games on their schedule. Manchester City midfielder Rodri limped out of Sunday's English Premier League clash with Arsenal because of a knee injury. Meanwhile, other top players Kevin De Bruyne and Martin Odegaard have been sidelined in the season's early weeks. Rodri's injury came days after he voiced concerns about an increasingly congested schedule and said players were close to taking strike action. Ten Hag, speaking ahead of United's Europa League match against FC Twente, said too much is being asked of players. There are too many games. It's clear. Too many competitions," he said on Tuesday. "For the top players, they are overloaded and this is not good for football. In the end of the day, it's maybe good for commercial, but there is a limit. It's almost unavoidable that players get injured because of the overload from so many games. City are still to conf

Europa League 2024: Manchester United vs Twente live match time, streaming

Each of the 36 teams will compete in eight matches against different opponents, with four games played at home and four away. The outcomes of these matches will determine their positions in the league

Liverpool FC sets target for Alisson's return from hamstring injury

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson aims to return to action this weekend, manager Arne Slot said on Tuesday. The Brazil international is recovering from a hamstring injury and has been ruled out of Liverpool's English League Cup third-round match against West Ham United on Wednesday. Back-up keeper Caoimhin Kelleher replaced Alisson for the 3-0 win against Bournemouth on Saturday and is set to retain his place against West Ham. Alisson is getting there but I think this game is coming just a bit too early and we are looking at the weekend against Wolves, but it's going to be tight," Slot said. But, he will not be there tomorrow so Caoimh will be in goal." Italian forward Federico Chiesa could make his first start for Liverpool against West Ham. Slot said the offseason signing is still working his way to full fitness. I don't think he's able to play 90 minutes, he only played 25 now as a maximum in the last three, four, five months, he said. But, he is able to start, in our opinion.

ISL 2024: Punjab FC vs Hyderabad FC, live time, telecast and streaming

Coming from a 3-0 defeat against Sunil Chhetri's Bengaluru FC away from home, bottom-placed Hyderabad will be looking to get their first win of the season when they travel to Delhi.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri in Spain for tests on injured knee

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been pictured arriving in Spain reportedly ahead of tests on a right knee injury sustained against Arsenal in the English Premier League at the weekend. City hasn't publicly commented on the nature of the problem, amid reports in the British media that the Spain international has suffered an ACL injury and is set for a long-term absence from the team. Sections of the Spanish media published footage on social media of Rodri arriving in Barcelona on Monday. If Rodri is missing for a long period of time, it seriously damages City's chances of winning the Premier League for a record-extending fifth straight season. City leads the league by a point after five games. Rodri, who is among the favorites to win the Ballon d'Or for 2024, is arguably City's most important player because of how he protects the defense and conducts the team's passing game. He limped off in the 20th minute of the 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on Sunday after hurting

Football pitch collapses as parts of the UK are hit by flash floods

A soccer pitch in London collapsed and other parts of the United Kingdom were submerged by flash floods Monday after some areas saw a month's worth of rainfall in 24 hours. Roads were closed, some train lines in London were suspended and dozens of people reported their houses being submerged as parts of central and southern England saw about 60 to 80 millimeters (2 to 3 inches of rainfall. A few locations were expected to be hit by more than 120 mm (4.7 inches) of rain, weather forecasters said. In the capital, the London Fire Brigade said emergency responders received some 350 flood-related calls. The service said these included rescuing people trapped in cars, assisting people from their homes and responding to flooding in underground train stations, roadways, homes and businesses. At the Cherry Red Records Stadium, AFC Wimbledon's soccer pitch, heavy rains appeared to have left a sinkhole in the pitch, resulting in the cancellation of a match scheduled on Tuesday.

Everton joins long list of Premier League football clubs owned by Americans

With Everton being the latest club to come under American ownership (Friedkin Group), more than half of the Premier League clubs have at least one American minority stakeholder in their team.

Premier League: Arsenal get under City's skin amid 'dark arts' accusations

Call it the dark arts. Call it anti-football. Call it doing whatever it takes to win. Arsenal tried it all against Manchester City on Sunday in the latest chapter of the Premier League's new heavyweight rivalry and came within seconds of victory. There was only one team that came to play football, Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva grumbled after an intense, absorbing and incident-packed 2-2 draw at Etihad Stadium. The other came to play to the limits of what was possible to do and allowed by the referee, unfortunately. John Stones' equalizer for City in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time denied Arsenal, which played with 10 men for the entire second half, what would have been a defining victory for a team that is getting closer and closer to Pep Guardiola's repeat champions. City's players know it, too. Hence Bernardo's outspoken post-match comments on Arsenal. Notice how Erling Haaland chucked the ball at the back of Arsenal defender Gabriel's head in City's

US home leg of CONCACAF Nations League quarters to be in St. Louis

The United States will play its home leg of a CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal in St. Louis on November 18, the Americans' first competitive match under coach Mauricio Pochettino. The game, announced Monday, will be at Citypark, which opened for Major League Soccer's 2023 season. The opening game of the two-leg series will be November 14 or 15. The opponent will be determined by group-stage matches in October. The US has won the first three editions of the tournament in 2021, '23 and '24. Pochettino was hired to replace Gregg Berhalter, fired following the Americans' first-round elimination at the Copa America. Pochettino's first matches are friendlies against Panama on October 12 in Austin, Texas, and Mexico three days later in Guadalajara.

Record turnout of disabled fans expected at Champions League match in Spain

A Champions League match next month between Atletico Madrid and Lille could see a record number of fans with disabilities in the stands. The Spanish club has teamed up with AccessibAll, a group promoting better access to sport for disabled fans, with the aim of breaking the record for the highest number of supporters with disabilities attending a soccer match. Atletico hosts Lille on Oct. 23 at the Civitas Metropolitano stadium. The initiative, which has the support of Spanish authorities, "aims to further enhance inclusivity in football, making it easier for disabled fans to experience the joy of attending live matches, AccessibAll said in a statement. According to UEFA, soccer's most inclusive match in the world took place last year when 1,740 disabled fans were in attendance at the Benito Villamarin stadium for a game between Betis and Real Valladolid. Other groups including the Integrated Dreams organisation, which also works to increase the representation of disabled people i

Barcelona's Ter Stegen set for a long absence after serious knee injury

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andr ter Stegen is facing a long spell on the sidelines after his club said Monday that he sustained a complete rupture of a tendon in his right knee that requires surgery. Ter Stegen left the field on a stretcher after getting injured in a 5-1 win over Villarreal in the Spanish league on Sunday. Ter Stegen's right knee buckled when he fell awkwardly after going for a high cross into the area just before halftime. Barcelona said that surgery on Ter Stegen's knee was planned Monday after tests confirmed that he has a complete rupture in the patella tendon in his right knee. The injury comes just as Ter Stegen had been confirmed as the German national team's No. 1 goalkeeper after years as Manuel Neuer's backup. Neuer retired from international soccer after Euro 2024 and coach Julian Nagelsmann said Ter Stegen who has played 42 games for Germany but none at a major tournament would be first choice in the future. However, he only played two Nations League

ISL: Cummings' late strike seals dramatic 3-2 win for Mohun Bagan vs NEUFC

Mohun Bagan Super Giant secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over NorthEast United FC, overturning two deficits to exact revenge on the Durand Cup champions in a pulsating Indian Super League clash at the Salt Lake Stadium on Monday. The game exploded into life early, with three goals in the opening 24 minutes as both sides traded blows. The Moroccan duo of Mohammed Ali Bemammer (5th) and Alaeddine Ajaraie (24th) were on target for the visitors, while the talented Dippendu Biswas scored his maiden ISL goal with a looping header to level the score in the 10th minute. Putting aside their nightmarish memories from the Durand Cup final, where they squandered a two-goal lead, Mohun Bagan equalised with Subhasish Bose's controversial goal in the 61st minute. Second-half substitute Jason Cummings then sealed the victory with a decisive strike in the 87th minute, securing the first win for last season's League Shield winners. Mohun Bagan now have four points from two matches, while the Guwahati

Barcelona extend perfect start in La Liga with 6th win but loses Ter Stegen

Barcelona extended their perfect start to the Spanish league season but lost goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen with a serious knee injury. Barcelona routed host Villarreal 5-1 on Sunday night to pick up its sixth straight victory in the competition, but saw captain Ter Stegen leave the match on a stretcher just before halftime after his right knee buckled when he fell awkwardly after going up for a ball crossed into the area. Barcelona president Joan Laporta said the injury appeared to be a torn ligament but more tests would be conducted. Local media reports said Ter Stegen went from the stadium to the hospital in an ambulance, and left the hospital in a wheelchair. This injury makes us sad. I think the injury will be huge but we have to wait for more information," Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said. We have to accept it. It's not easy. It was an accident. It's very tough. Players from both teams immediately called for medical assistance after Ter Stegen fell to the ground in pain. He