Page 47 - Football

Asian Games: AIFF urges ISL clubs to release China bound footballers

The All India Football Federation has urged the 10 Indian Super League franchises to release players selected for the upcoming Asian Games, keeping the "national interest in mind". The Hangzhou-bound 22-member Indian men's squad has six players from Bengaluru FC, three from Mumbai City FC, while FC Goa, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Odisha FC, Kerala Blasters have two each. Punjab FC, Chennaiyin FC and Hyderabad have one each. The Indian Super League start on on September 21, while the Asian Games begin a day after on September 23 in Hangzhou, China. "We very much understand that this Asian Games is outside the FIFA window, and you are not obliged to release the players," AIFF secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran wrote in a letter to the 10 ISL clubs. "But we all have the responsibility towards the country to make India proud... As Indians we are obliged to make sacrifices for the country and, in this process, you have to take a decision by releasing the players considering the Nationa

King's Cup: Indian football team face tough Iraq test sans Sunil Chhetri

India will sorely miss their talismanic skipper Sunil Chhetri as they return to action after two months against higher-ranked Iraq in the four-team King's Cup, here on Thursday. Chhetri, who played a key role in India's title triumph in the Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship, has taken a break to spend time with his wife following the birth of their son. The Igor Stimac-coached side returns to action on the back of winning a hat-trick of titles that also include the Tri-Nation tournament in Imphal in March. Ranked 29 places above India in the FIFA rankings, Iraq, who recently won the Arabian Gulf Cup, will start as firm favourites in the four-nation tournament where the winners of the two round robin matches play the final. In the other match, hosts Thailand will take on Lebanon later in the day. The two losing teams will fight for the bronze medal before Sunday's final. That India are yet to defeat Iraq in six matches (four losses, two draws) make this all the more diffic

Explained: Manchester United's Brazillian winger Antony's controversy

Antony's ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin alleged him of domestic violence which led to the player being dropped from Brazil's national squad

Manchester United stock sees biggest intra-day fall as Glazers put off sale

Manchester United shares plummeted after their US owners the Glazer family put off the sale of the club for which negotiations had begun in December 2022

Premier League: Rice, Jesus score in injury time; Arsenal beat Man Utd 3-1

Arsenal recovered from a scare as Alejandro Garnacho's goal was ruled out in the 89th minute and then scored two of their own through Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus in the injury time registering a 3-1

Durand Cup final: 10-man Mohun Bagan edge East Bengal in race to the title

Mohun Bagan Super Giants won the Kolkata Derby 1-0 to win the Durand Cup for the record 17th time, thereby pipping their arch-rivals to the coveted title of holder of most Durand Cup trophies

Premier League: Manchester Utd manager expects huge impact from Hojlund

Manchester United head coach Erik Ten Hag is expecting the young Rasmus Hojlund to make a "huge" impact as he closes on to making his first appearance in the Premier League for the Red Devils

Premier League: Erling Haaland dwarfs Shearer's record as City thump Fulham

The Norwegian talismanic striker Erling Haaland's hattrick against Fulham ensured Manchester City remained the only team to win their first four matches before the international break

La Liga: Jude Bellingham's fifth goal in four games seals Real Madrid win

Jude Bellingham appears to be blessed since joining Real Madrid. The England midfielder had already won over Madrid's faithful with four goals in three away wins to start the season after joining the club this summer. But on Saturday the 20-year-old Bellingham was gifted a fumbled save by Getafe's goalkeeper right in front of the goal, allowing him to tap home a stoppage-time winner and save the hosts from a stumble in their home debut at a newly renovated Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The 2-1 comeback kept Madrid at the top of the Spanish league with a perfect record. Bellingham said the celebration by Madrid's supporters, which included singing The Beatles classic Hey Jude, made him tremble with emotion. That is the loudest moment I have been in at a stadium and happily it was after my goal, Bellingham said. I can't believe it to be honest. When they were singing Hey Jude,' I just wanted to turn and listen my legs were shaking. I know that I was brought in for these kinds of mom

PSG sells midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum to Saudi side Al-Ettifaq

French champion Paris Saint-Germain sold Netherlands midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum to Saudi Arabia Pro League side Al-Ettifaq on Saturday. No financial details were given by PSG but the deal was reportedly worth 10 millions euros ($10.8 million). The 32-year-old Wijnaldum joined PSG from Liverpool two years ago but lost form and was loaned to Roma in Serie A last season. He becomes the latest player to join the European exodus toward the cash-rich Saudi Pro League and will be coached there by Liverpool midfield great Steven Gerrard. Last month, PSG sold Brazil forward Neymar to Al-Hilal.

Arsenal hosts Man United, Bonucci available for Union Berlin debut

A look at what's happening in European soccer on Sunday: ENGLAND Arsenal hosts Manchester United in a major test for teams looking to challenge Manchester City for the title. Both sides are hoping their first-choice striker will be fit to make a first start to the season, with Gabriel Jesus and United newcomer Rasmus Hojlund having recovered from injuries. Liverpool hosts Aston Villa in another marquee matchup after rebuffing late interest from Saudi Arabia for Mohamed Salah. Crystal Palace welcomes Wolverhampton. SPAIN Portugal players Joo Cancelo and Joo Flix are on Barcelona's squad for its visit to Osasuna after they joined the club just before the close of the summer transfer window on Friday. Iigo Martnez could also make his debut after the former Athletic Bilbao defender recovered from an injury that has kept him from playing since signing for Barcelona this summer. Atletico Madrid hosts a Sevilla side in a nosedive after losing its first four of games in all competitions

Indian football coach Stimac show caused by AIFF for breach of agreement

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Saturday issued a show-cause notice to senior men's team head coach Igor Stimac for making comments construed as a breach of agreement by his employers. Hitting out at some of the ISL clubs for their unwillingness to release players for the national camp in preparation for the Asian Games, World Cup Qualifiers and the Asian Cup, Stimac said if Indian football needs his help, he will need to tell the truth. The former Croatian defender coming out in the open with his views didn't go down well with the AIFF brass, as they sought a response from the coach. "This is not just about the recent comments but it has been happening for a while now. He is in breach of his agreement with the AIFF. If he has any issues, he could have discussed it with the federation directly rather than going public," a source close to the AIFF told PTI. "Let's see what he writes in his response. Only then can the federation decide on how to handle the matter." Stima

Bhubaneswar, Guwahati to host India's first two FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

Bhubaneswar and Guwahati will host India's opening two home matches in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2, the All India Football Federation announced on Saturday. India have been drawn in Group A of the Asian qualifiers, alongside Qatar, Kuwait, and the winners of the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 fixture between Afghanistan and Mongolia. The Blue Tigers will open their campaign with an away fixture against Kuwait on November 16 before hosting reigning AFC Asian Cup champions Qatar at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on November 21 this year. In 2024, India will play back-to-back matches against Afghanistan or Mongolia, starting with the away fixture on March 21 and then return home to the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Guwahati, where they will play the second leg of the tie on March 26. "We would like to congratulate Football Association of Odisha and Assam Football Association on successfully bidding for the hosting righ

Arch-rivals Mohun Bagan, East Bengal to fight it out for Durand Cup title

The stage is set for the year's biggest face-off in Indian domestic football as fierce rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giants and East Bengal FC lock horns in the grand finale of the Durand Cup here on Sunday. It will be a battle of nerves and emotions between the two giants at the Salt Lake Stadium, as fans of both teams get ready to paint the stadium in green and maroon and red and gold. The clash would be a repeat of the 2004 Durand Cup final, which East Bengal won 2-1. The Red and Gold brigade has won the tournament on 16 occasions, sharing the record with the Mariners. While East Bengal last won the tournament in 2004, the last title that it had won was back in 2018, the IFA Shield, which is an U-19 event now. As for its performance in the tournament this year, it has played five matches and stayed unbeaten, winning four and drawing one. While it drew against Bangladesh Army 2-2 in the group stage, it beat Mohun Bagan (1-0) and Punjab FC (1-0) before getting the better of Gokulam K

Morocco's Amrabat says he is at club of his dreams after joining Man Utd

Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat described Manchester United as the "club of my dreams" after completing a season-long loan move to the English team in the final hours of the last day of the transfer window. Amrabat moved on Friday from Italian club Fiorentina, which reportedly received a loan fee of 10 million euros (USD 10.8 million). United has the option to make the signing permanent for 20 million euros (USD 21.5 million). The 27-year-old Amrabat didn't feature in any of Fiorentina's four matches this season after demanding a transfer. He rose to global prominence thanks to a string of impressive performances at the World Cup in Qatar last year when as a shield in front of the defense he helped Morocco become the first team from Africa or the Arab world to reach the semifinals. Amrabat also played a key role as Fiorentina reached the finals of the Coppa Italia and Europa Conference League last season. "I've had to be patient for this moment," Amrabat said, "but I'm someone

EPL 2023-24: Liverpool sign Ryan Gravenberch for $43M from Bayern Munich

Liverpool completed the overhaul of its midfield by signing Netherlands international Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich in a deal worth 40 million euros (USD 43.1 million) on the final day of the summer transfer window. Gravenberch joins fellow midfielders Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo in joining Liverpool this summer while Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have left. The 21-year-old Gravenberch has signed a five-year deal just 12 months after joining Bayern from Ajax. Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel was willing to let Gravenberch leave because he didn't fit into the system. "He's a box-to-box midfielder for me, an attacking player," Tuchel said on Friday before the signing was finalised. "The main problem for him is that we don't really have a No. 8 in our 4-2-3-1 system. And we're spoilt for choice up front, with really experienced players. "Ryan is a very nice, hard-working, committed player. He wasn't happy

Indian women's football has better chance of progressing globally: AIFF

All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey feels the women's game in the country has a "better chance" to progress in international football and backs the senior team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with some more effort. Chaubey, a former India player, completed one year as president of the AIFF and since he took charge, the federation has been making an effort to improve the standard of women's football. "I want to make sure that women's football gets all the facilities that men's football enjoys in India and truly believe we have a better chance of progressing internationally in women's football," Chaubey told the AIFF website. "Our women's football team is ahead of our men's team in terms of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup because the women's team is ranked 11th in Asia. If we do just a little bit better we can qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup. "People who have been following Indian Football for decades will say we performed very well internationall

Europa League: Ajax, Marseille in same group with Brighton and AEK Athens

Former European champions Ajax and Marseille were drawn Friday to play Premier League club Brighton and AEK Athens in one of the toughest Europa League groups. Brighton will be playing in the competition for the first time. Ajax won the UEFA Cup, the Europa League's predecessor, in 1992 to become the first club to win the three major European trophies of the time. Liverpool, a three-time winner of the second-tier European competition, was drawn to face Union Saint-Gilloise, Toulouse and LASK of Austria, while Europa Conference League champion West Ham will play Olympiakos, Freiburg and TSC of Serbia. Roma, coached by Jose Mourinho, will be trying to reach its third straight European final in a group with Slavia Prague, Sheriff and Servette, while 2021 Europa League champion Villarreal landed in a group with Rennes, Maccabi Haifa and Panathinaikos. The other groups are: Bayer Leverkusen, Qarabag, Molde and Hacken; Atalanta, Sporting Lisbon, Sturm Graz and Rakow Czestochowa; and ...

Premier League: Manchester City signs Matheus Nunes from Wolverhampton

Manchester City completed the signing of midfielder Matheus Nunes on Friday after agreeing to pay Wolverhampton a reported transfer fee of 53 million pounds ($67 million). The Portugal international had been refusing to train with Wolves in an effort to force a move to City, which had a lower bid rejected last week. He signed a five-year contract, City said. City manager Pep Guardiola was looking for help in the midfield. The injured Kevin De Bruyne could be out until the new year. City also lost Ilkay Gundogan, who joined Barcelona after his contract expired, and signed central midfielder Mateo Kovacic as a replacement. However, that's not a like-for-like replacement, with Kovacic operating in deeper areas than Gundogan, who often played as an attacking midfielder just off Erling Haaland. The 25-year-old Nunes typically plays further forward than Kovacic so would offer something different to Guardiola. Nunes is the fourth signing for City, following Kovacic, Josko Gvardiol and wi

Spain's men's coach asks for forgiveness for applauding Luis Rubiales

The coach of Spain's men's national soccer team asked for forgiveness Friday for applauding the claim by Luis Rubiales that he was the victim of a smear campaign from "false feminists" following an uproar after he kissed a player on the lips at the Women's World Cup. "I don't think I have to resign, I think I have to ask for forgiveness," Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said in Madrid in his first public appearance since Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso on August 20 after the final in Sydney, Australia. "I made a human error. It was inexcusable." De la Fuente was speaking one week after he clapped several times during an emergency general assembly of the Spanish soccer federation when Rubiales, the organisation's president, refused to step down as was expected. Rubiales' speech included claims that Hermoso had consented to his kiss during the awards ceremony a claim she has denied and against what he called the "scourge" of feminism in Spain. "I have received harsh criticism, and it i