Page 38 - Football

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

Italian fans turn their backs during Israel national anthem in Hungary

A group of about 50 Italy fans clad in all black turned their backs in apparent protest during Israel's national anthem before a Nations League match in neutral Hungary. The Italy fans also held up an Italian flag with the word, "Liberta" (Freedom) on it on Monday. There were black slashes on other banners put up by the "ultra" supporters. Israel has moved its home games to Hungary because of the conflict with Hamas. Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbn has close ties with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has long promoted Hungary as the safest country in Europe for Jews. Orbn has banned Palestinian solidarity protests, arguing they present a threat to public safety. The same group of Italy supporters who turned their backs during the anthem also chanted against Italian anti-fascist activist Ilaria Salis during the first half, Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported. Salis was freed from house arrest in Budapest in June after facing charges for allegedly assaulting ...

Uncertainty looms over US national team as Pochettino's arrival pending

Mauricio Pochettino's pending arrival looms over interim coach Mikey Varas and his players. Coming off a dismal performance in Canada's first win over the U.S. on American soil in soccer since 1957, players say they realize more intensity is needed when the team faces New Zealand on Tuesday night. "All we can do is put ourselves in the best position so that if an announcement is made in the near future that we're ready, that we're confident going into to the next step for this federation," US midfielder Christian Pulisic said on Monday. "We need to show that no matter who is the coach is that we're wiling to fight and willing to give the best for this country and that we want to win games." Varas and players criticised the team's effort in Saturday's 2-1 defeat, the first US match since first-round elimination at the Copa America led the US Soccer Federation to fire coach Gregg Berhalter. "Anybody who plays, they will have earned it," Varas said, "and at the same time this is a ..

Harry Kane will get special honor for 100 appearances in English jersey

England captain Harry Kane will be presented with a gold cap to mark his 100th appearance for his country ahead of the Nations League match against Finland at Wembley on Tuesday. The Bayern Munich striker will become the 10th Englishman to reach a century of international caps the first since Wayne Rooney in 2014 and will look to improve on his record 66 goals for the team. England confirmed Monday that Kane, who was wearing golden boots during a training session in the morning, will start the match against Finland, where he will be captain for the 73rd time. The 31-year-old Kane has played in more games at major finals (28) than any other English male player and has played in more competitive matches (83) than any other senior men's international.

UEFA Nations League 2024: POR vs SCO, SUI vs ESP live time and streaming

In addition to Portugal, reigning champions Spain and 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia will also be in action later today (Sunday).

Canada beat United States in U.S. for 1st time since 1957, win friendly 2-1

Hoping to show its first-round exit at the Copa America was a fluke, the United States instead displayed an alarming lack of intensity and an abundant defensive disarray that resulted in its first home loss to Canada since 1957. Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan David scored off defensive misplays, and Canada dominated 2-1 in a friendly on Saturday for just its second win over the Americans in 27 matches over 99 years on U.S. soil. While Jesse Marsch, Canada's American-born coach, glowed following a win over a team that bypassed him for its coaching opening last year, interim U.S. coach Mikey Varas rebuked himself and his players. The mentality is on the players. Sorry, they know it, Varas said. That mentality to fight and to run and to sacrifice, I can't do that for them. I can't do that for them. That's on them. Coming off defeats to Panama and Uruguay at the Copa America, the U.S. has lost three straight games for the first time since 2015 against Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica. A

UEFA Nations League 2024: England, Netherlands and Germany in action today

A total of 9 matches are in store for fans on Saturday as teams aim for a bright start in the league stage and look to secure the top spot for now.

Ronaldo becomes 1st player to reach 900 career goals; check all top scorers

Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, is also the all-time top scorer in European club competitions

Intercontinental Cup: Syria knock out Mauritius, make India's task tougher

A clinical Syria trounced Mauritius 2-0 in their first game of the Intercontinental Cup 2024 at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium here on Friday. With this result, Mauritius have been eliminated from the tournament. In the third and last match between India and Syria, the Blue Tigers require a win to lift the trophy, while a point will do for the visitors. In his first game in-charge of Syria, Jos Lana had a rather comfortable evening on the touchline. His side struck once in each half via Mustafa Abdullatif and Mahmoud Al-Mawas to grab all three points. Mauritius too had their fair share of chances, but the Eagles of Qasioun were clinical with most of their opportunities. Head coach Guillaume Moullec made five changes in the Mauritius line-up which held India three days ago. Les Dodos enjoyed a better spell in the opening 15 minutes, keeping more of the ball as Syria made a cautious start. Syrian goalkeeper Esteban Glellel had to make a save as early as the third minute, diving

San Marino celebrate first ever competitive win in international football

The 19-year-old who scored in the San Marino national soccer team's first ever competitive victory wasn't even born the only other time that the tiny republic won a game. That's because the 1-0 victory over Liechtenstein in the Nations League came two decades after San Marino a country that is nestled inside central Italy with a population of about 33,000 beat Liechtenstein by the same score in a friendly. We didn't sleep last night. During the celebrations there were those who screamed and those who cried, said Marco Tura, the former international referee who is the president of San Marino's soccer federation. San Marino had not won a single game in 141 previous competitive matches. But the Titans are on a roll, having also scored in its three previous competitive games, narrow losses to Denmark (2-1), Kazakhstan (3-1) and Finland (2-1). Tura attributes the improvement to the San Marino Academy, which has allowed players like Nicko Sensoli, who scored against Liechtenstein, to

Kerala seeks football collaboration with Lionel Messi's Argentina

Football-crazy Kerala is seeking collaboration with the Argentine Football Association (AFA), with a high-level delegation headed by State Sports Minister V Abdurahiman holding a meeting with its office-bearers in Madrid, Spain. In a Facebook post, Abdurahiman, who is currently in Madrid, said on Friday that the collaboration with AFA will be a huge investment for Kerala and expressed his desire to make this a reality as soon as possible. "The possibility of considering Kerala as a venue for international friendly matches was discussed. As part of this, the association representatives expressed interest in visiting Kerala soon. AFA also expressed interest in setting up football academies in Kerala in collaboration with the state government," he said. According to the minister, the AFA said that the Argentine fan community in Kerala has always been warmly welcomed. Commenting on their meeting, the AFA said: "Together with the delegation from the Government of Kerala, headed by V ...

Alex Morgan retires from professional football, expecting her second child

Over the course of a career that included two women's World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal, Alex Morgan elevated the women's game through her play on the field and activism off it. The 35-year-old Morgan, who said she is pregnant with her second child, announced on Thursday that she is retiring from soccer after a 15-year career. She was near tears in a video posted to social media. This decision wasn't easy, but at the beginning of 2024 I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season that I would play soccer, she said. Soccer has been a part of me for 30 years, and it was one of the first things that I ever loved. I gave everything to this sport and what I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of. Morgan will play her final match with her club team, the San Diego Wave of the National Women's Soccer League, on Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium. In addition to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, Morgan also won a gold medal with the United States at the 201

Argentina minus Messi beats Chile to lead South American WC qualifying

Without injured Lionel Messi and the retired ngel Di Mara, Argentina eased past Chile 3-0 to remain on top of the South American 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring in the 48, Julin lvarez added a goal in the 84th and Paulo Dybala capped the scoring in the 90th for the Argentinians, who have 18 points after the first seven rounds. The top six teams in the South American standings will qualify for the World Cup which will be played in the United States, Mxico and Canada in 2026, The team that finishes seventh will advance to a playoff against another confederation. After winning the Copa America in the United States, Argentina overcame the absence of the 37-year-old Messi, who suffered a right ankle injury in the final against Colombia. His future playing status remains uncertain. Di Mara, who has retired from the national team, was honored by fans and his teammates before the match was played at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. The 37-year-old Di M

ISL: Red card to concussion subs, new rules introduced ahead of 11th season

AIFF has introduced new rule changes ahead of Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season which will see 13 teams battle it out for supremacy in India's top-flight football league

No Messi or Ronaldo in Fifa Ballon d'Or 2024 nominees, check full list

The Fifa Ballon d'Or 2024 nominees are out with both Messi and Ronaldo not included in the shortlist for the award which will be presented on October 28 in Paris

UEFA Nations League 2024-25 full schedule, live match timings and streaming

The defending champions Spain will be opening their campaign on September 5 with the 2018-19 winners Portugal starring Cristiano Ronaldo also involved in one of the upcoming games on the day.

Striker Victor Osimhen's loan deal from Napoli to Galatasaray is announced

Victor Osimhen finally found a way out of Napoli when a loan deal with Turkish club Galatasaray was announced on Wednesday. Napoli said the deal lasts through the end of the season, and that Osimhen also extended his contract with the Italian club for one more year, through 2026-27. I'm excited to be here and I can't wait to see you at the stadium. Let's go, Osimhen said on Instagram while wearing a Galatasaray shirt inside his new ground. The Nigeria forward had been linked to Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Saudi club Al-Ahli in recent weeks and months but the transfer window in Europe's biggest leagues closed last week without a deal for him. The Turkish league transfer window doesn't close until Sept. 13 and Galatasaray suddenly needed help at center forward following an injury to Mauro Icardi. Fans lined the streets during the middle of the night when Osimhen arrived in Istanbul early Tuesday morning. Osimhen scored 26 goals when Napoli won Serie A in 2023, but he has also