Page 40 - Football

Real Madrid end rumours, confirm signing of Mbappe in five-year deal

Real Madrid CF and Kylian Mbappe have reached an agreement whereby he will be a Madrid player for the next five seasons

FIFA adopts protocols to support players during pregnancy, after birth

Soccer's international governing body is implementing new measures designed to further support the well-being of players and coaches during pregnancy and after the birth of their children. The FIFA protocols give both players and coaches a minimum of 14 weeks of paid maternity leave, and a minimum of eight weeks paid leave for those who adopt a child younger than 2. There is also a minimum eight weeks paid for women who are non-biological parents of newborns. While the players' maternity leave was previously adopted in 2020, the new rules extend it to coaches, non-biological and adoptive mothers. The protocol goes into effect on Saturday. It was approved last month by the FIFA Council. I think it's a big statement, former U.S. coach Jill Ellis said in a statement Friday. These are big steps and big strides to really normalize the life that we go through as women that's what we want to provide now at every level, the club level, the national team level the opportunity for pro play

IND vs KUW: Chhangte 'ready' to step up as next No. 9 in post Chhetri era

Talented winger Lallianzuala Chhangte "would not mind" stepping up as the next number 9 of the Indian football team, after talismanic forward Sunil Chhetri's illustrious career comes to an end here on June 6. Chhetri, who has been a pivotal figure of Indian football for 19 years, is set to make his final appearance in the World Cup qualifier against Kuwait at the Salt Lake Stadium here on June 6. "Of course, I won't mind if the team wishes for me to play in the center," the 27-year-old Chhangte, who plays for Indian Super League final winning side Mumbai FC, said during a media interaction hereon Thursday . "My height and attributes are suited for a proper number 9. Ultimately, it's God's decision, but I would not mind if the country needs me in that role. "Everyone is sad. But looking at all his achievements, we are happy for him as well. We will miss him a lot in the dressing room and what he has done for the country. I hope someone will take responsibility," added Chhangte, who

Champions League final: Plenty of fear for Real Madrid coach Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti is going into his eighth Champions League final, having won all but one of them. He is the most successful coach in the competition thanks to four titles. He also lifted two European trophies as a player. There is no lack of experience for the veteran Italian manager. But there is still plenty of anxiety and fear for Ancelotti ahead of yet another big game. It's the same as it was the first time, the 64-year-old Ancelotti said as Real Madrid entered the final week of preparations ahead of Saturday's final against Borussia Dortmund in London. First there is the joy of being here, then the concerns will come and the fear will come, he said. But before they come we have to enjoy this week and I'm going to enjoy it. The cold sweat will arrive Saturday afternoon, it's normal, I'm already prepared for it. And this team gives me a lot of confidence, I see them focused on the match, they are in Champions (League) mode. Ancelotti won the Champions League with Madrid in 2022

Uefa CL Final: Dortmund seals sponsorship deal with arms manufacturer

Borussia Dortmund has signed a new sponsorship deal with German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and will display the defense company's logo ahead of facing Real Madrid in the Champions League final. Dortmund said Wednesday the three-year deal with Rheinmetall includes wide-reaching advertising space, marketing rights and event and hospitality arrangements in the stadium and on the club grounds" starting from this week's buildup for the Champions League final Saturday. Rheinmetall is building a new plant in northern Germany to produce around 200,000 artillery shells per year as part of European efforts to increase weapons production against the backdrop of Russia's war in Ukraine. Security and defense are fundamental cornerstones of our democracy. That is why we believe it is the right decision to take a very close look at how we protect these cornerstones, Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a statement. Especially today, when we see every day how freedom must be defended in

Indebted to the sport, my team: Sunil Chhetri emotional ahead of farewell

Approaching his international retirement, Indian football talisman Sunil Chhetri on Wednesday said he remains indebted to his teammates, and the sport, for helping him become one of the country's greatest players. The Indian team arrived in the city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Kuwait on June 6, which will be the 39-year-old Chhetri's final outing in the blue jersey. All eyes were on the goal-machine as the players exited the airport. "These last few days, I've been caught in a bit of a dilemma. Now that there's a number to my days with the national team, what's the right route to take - do I count every day, every training session? Or do I simply turn up without the thought of how this is coming to an end?," said Chhetri. Chhetri, who has scored 94 goals from 150 international appearances, said he is counting his blessings every day. "Over time, I seemed to have found middle ground. They say, count your blessings. And every single day I get to be on the pitch is

Euro Cup 2024: De Bruyne to lead Belgium at with unretired Witsel

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will lead a rejuvenated Belgium side including a once-retired Alex Witsel at the European Championship next month. De Bruyne and Witsel were on the 25-man list unveiled by coach Domenico Tedesco on Tuesday. Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, preparing for the Champions League final, was not. Full back Maxim De Cuyper, who won the Belgian league with Club Brugge last weekend, was the only newcomer. De Bruyne and Witsel are remaining members of the so-called golden generation of Belgian players. While De Bruyne's presence was expected, Witsel's was a surprise after Tedesco dropped him from his first squad last year. Witsel soon after announced his retirement from international soccer and did not play in qualifying. But Tedesco said Witsel's recent showings with Atletico Madrid convinced him the 35-year-old midfielder was the right choice. I have the best feelings with Axel, Tedesco said. Tedesco said Courtois was not ready for Euro 2

Sunil Chhetri farewell game: How to book tickets for IND vs KUW match?

Even with a seating capacity of nearly 85,000, it is getting difficult for people to get hold of their tickets. Here's a stepwise guide on how to book them on BookMyShow

What made three Argentina's national women's team footballers quit?

Three players quit Argentina's national women's squad Monday after a dispute over a lack of pay and conditions at a camp ahead of two international friendlies, an unthinkable scenario for the country's World Cup winning men's squad. Goalkeeper Laurina Oliveiros, defender Julieta Cruz and midfielder Lorena Bentez, all regular starters for the national team, announced their move as the squad started fine-tuning for friendlies against Costa Rica on Friday and on June 3. We reached a point in which we are tired of the injustices, of not being valued, not being heard and, even worse, being humiliated, Cruz posted on Instagram. We need improvements for Argentina's women's soccer national team, and I am not only talking about finances. I speak about training, having lunch, breakfast. Cruz and Bentez said during national squad training sessions they received a ham and cheese sandwich and a banana, which they believe is inadequate for high-performance athletes. They said Argentina's soccer

Ratcliffe doesn't name Ten Hag in Man Utd's FA Cup win celebratory message

Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe failed to mention manager Erik ten Hag by name when congratulating the team for its FA Cup final victory against Manchester City on Saturday. The British billionaire was quick to say how proud he was after seeing United win its first trophy since he became a minority shareholder in February. United won 2-1 at Wembley, where Ratcliffe was in attendance with the other co-owners. But a lack of direct reference to Ten Hag in Ratcliffe's message of congratulations was notable at a time when the Dutchman's future at the club remains uncertain and there are reports he is about to be fired. It is a glorious feeling to win the FA Cup final at Wembley, Ratcliffe said in a statement. "Manchester United clearly were not the favorites to win today but they played with total commitment and skill and overcame one of the great teams in football. We are all very proud of the players and the staff who work tirelessly to support them. It was reported on Friday

FA Cup2024 final highlights: Garnacho, Mainoo scored as United beat City to lift their 13th title

Man City vs Man United FA Cup Final 2024 Highlights: The possession was with City, but the goals were with United as they won the derby and FA Cup 2-0 and manged to reach Europe for the next season

FA Cup Trophy winners and runner-ups' list; which team has most FA Cups?

Arsenal have won FA Cup 14 times. The Gunners are followed by Manchester United, who have won FA Cup 13 times.

Warner Bros' TNT strikes 5-year deal with ESPN for college football playoff

Walt Disney said on Wednesday TNT will present two-round games for two years and include two quarter-final through 2028 season

EPL 2023-24: Four in a row as Manchester City crowned champions of England

Standing on 88 points before this game, City needed to win their game to end the dependency on any other results and remain firmly in position to lift the cup

Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus AFA World Champions Edition: Unboxing, price

Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G World Champions Edition comes in a collectible gift box with a customised 120W HyperCharger, colour coordinated USB-C cable, and a football-inspired sim ejector pin

Uefa CL: Mbapp scores twice as PSG beats Barcelona to reverse 1st-leg loss

Playing with an extra man for more than an hour, Paris Saint-Germain rallied against Barcelona to reach the Champions League semifinals. Kylian Mbapp scored twice as PSG reversed its first-leg loss at home with a 4-1 win at Barcelona on Tuesday to advance 6-4 on aggregate and keep alive its hopes of a first European title in what is the France star's final season with the club. Former Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembl and Vitinha also scored for PSG, which took advantage of a 29th-minute red card to Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo after he fouled Bradley Barcola while trying to stop a breakaway. When it was 11 against 11 we were well organized. The sending off changes everything. The match changed completely, said Barcelona coach Xavi Hernndez, who was later sent off himself for complaining. We would have liked to play PSG 11 against 11. That should not have been a red card. Barcelona had gotten off to a good start and opened the scoring with a goal by Raphinha in the 12th, but the

Uefa CL 2023-24: Dortmund digs deep to beat Atltico 5-4 on aggregate

Marcel Sabitzer scored late and set up two goals to send Borussia Dortmund into the Champions League semifinals with a helter-skelter 4-2 win over Atltico Madrid on Tuesday. After losing the first leg of their quarterfinal 2-1 in Madrid, Dortmund had to come from behind twice over two legs to advance 5-4 on aggregate. Julian Brandt opened the scoring to level the tie before Sabitzer set up Ian Maatsen to give Dortmund a 2-0 lead on the night. Atltico coach Diego Simeone responded with three changes at the break and they all paid off. A Mats Hummels own goal and goal from substitute Joaqun Correa put the Spanish side back in front on aggregate. Then Sabitzer set up Niclas Fllkrug in the 71st minute for the Germany forward's first goal after nine scoreless games, and Sabitzer scored himself three minutes later to send Dortmund into the last four. That was a rollercoaster, a really great evening, Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said. It's not always like that for Borussi

Bayer Leverkusen wins first Bundesliga title, ending Munich's 11-year reign

It's Neverkusen no more. Coached by Xabi Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga title for the first time Sunday to end Bayern Munich's 11-year reign as champion. In the end, it wasn't even close Leverkusen leads second-place Bayern by 16 points after stretching its German record unbeaten run to 43 games across all competitions this season. Florian Wirtz scored a hat trick as Leverkusen routed Werder Bremen 5-0 and the game ended with a pitch invasion Sunday to secure the club's first-ever German league title with five games remaining. It's indescribable ... I don't think it's possible, or I personally can't even realize it yet, Wirtz told broadcaster DAZN. I need a little more time in the locker room to really get my head around what we've achieved. But yeah, so far it's just been nice to party outside with the fans and also have a bit of a party in the locker room. Fans had already stormed onto the field when Leverkusen scored its fourth goal with seven minutes to go, and

Kartik Aaryan joins the Bundesliga Dream India Project as an ambassador

Actor Kartik Aaryan turns ambassador for Bundesliga Dream project. This initiative will select multiple squads for U-13 and U-15 players to travel to Germany for an immersive training camp experience

Champions Mohammedan Sporting end I-League campaign with shocking loss

Champions Mohammedan Sporting couldn't end their I-League campaign in the manner befitting their triumphant run to the title as they were humbled 3-1 by Delhi FC here on Saturday. Mohammedan Sporting found the net through Mirjalol Kasimov in the added time (90+9'), while Delhi FC scored through Alisher Kholmurodov (7'), Gwgwmsar Goyary (31') and Sergio Barboza (90+8'), spoiling the home team's planned party in front of their own crowd at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. The 100-plus years club from Kolkata was crowned champions last Saturday after they beat Shillong Lajong FC 2-1 in their penultimate match, a result which also promoted them to the top-tier Indian Super League. However on the day, just seven minutes after providing a guard of honour to the champions, Delhi were in the lead as Alisher Kholmurodov headed in Pape Gassama's corner with full authority to stun the stadium full of partisan spectators. It took a while for Mohammedan to wake up from their champion's .