Page 47 - Football

Indians should compete against different footballing cultures: Luis Garcia

Spain and Liverpool legend Luis Garcia believes that Indian football can touch global heights if the players are given exposure to different leagues abroad and nourish young talents and coaches methodically. Garcia, who was part of the ISL title-winning Atletico de Kolkata side in 2014, said giving the Indian footballers a chance to appear in foreign leagues will expand their knowledge bandwidth. "It is very important because you compete against a different style of football (abroad). If you have to wait for the last stages of a tournament to compete against them, then it is only going to be 1 or 2 games, and they need to compete more often. "I think it's important that the Indian (national) team travel away during the year, and try to have friendly games in Asia and around. The scoreline doesn't matter as it is about having the feeling of facing a different kind of football," Garcia, who appeared in 77 matches for Liverpool between 2004 and 2007 Premier League seasons, told PTI her

UEFA sets $360 million prize fund Euro 2024 from revenue of $2.6 billion

UEFA said Saturday it will pay 331 million euros ($360 million) in total prize money to the 24 national teams at the men's European Championship that is expected to earn about 2.4 billion euros ($2.61 billion) in commercial revenue. The team prize fund is in line with the pandemic-delayed Euro 2020 and 20 times more than UEFA's prize fund for the women's Euro 2022. The national federation of the Euro 2024 title winner can get a maximum of 28.25 million euros if the team wins all three games in the opening group stage, the European soccer body said ahead of the tournament draw. Each of the 24 teams gets a minimum of 9.25 million euros for playing at the month-long tournament in Germany that starts June 14. Clubs will share in a further 240 million euros from UEFA for releasing their players to national-team duty. They get a daily rate of several thousand euros per player while they are with national teams for qualifying games and at Euro 2024 itself. FIFA paid prize money of $440 .

Europa League: Liverpool advanced to pre-quarters with a game to spare

Liverpool advanced to the round of 16 of the Europa League with a game to spare after Luis Daz and Cody Gakpo scored early to set the tone in a 4-0 victory over Austria's LASK. Daz headed in a cross from Joe Gomez for the opener in the 12th before Gakpo tapped in Mohamed Salah's pass three minutes later at Anfield. Salah made it 3-0 early in the second half in what was his 199th goal for the Reds. Gakpo added his second in stoppage time. Liverpool is four points clear atop Group E with 12 points. Toulouse in second on eight after a 0-0 draw with Union Saint-Gilloise. Leverkusen remained the only team with a perfect record after five games. Victor Boniface and substitute Patrik Schick contributed a goal apiece for a 2-0 victory at Hacken in Group H and a place in the round of 16. Tom Soucek struck late again to help West Ham beat TSC Backa Topola 1-0 and advance to the knockout stage. The midfielder met Maxwel Cornet's cross at the far post to volley home the winner in the 89th min

Cristiano Ronaldo faces $1 billion lawsuit for promoting Binance NFTs

Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has been hit with class-action lawsuit seeking at least USD 1 billion in damages for his role in promoting cryptocurrency-related "non-fungible tokens," or NFTs, issued by the beleaguered cryptocurrency exchange Binance. The lawsuit filed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida Monday alleges that Ronaldo's promotion of Binance was "deceptive and unlawful." Binance's partnership with high-profile figures like Ronaldo, the plaintiffs claim, led them into costly and unsafe investments. "Evidence now reveals that Binance's fraud was only able to reach such heights through the offer and sale of unregistered securities, with the willing help and assistance of some of the wealthiest, powerful and recognised organisations and celebrities across the globejust like Defendant Ronaldo," the suit reads. Representatives for Ronaldo declined to comment Thursday. Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, did not immediately return

Kalinga Super Cup to kick off on January 9, AFC CL prelim spot up for grabs

The Kalinga Super Cup, to be played at two venues in Odisha from January 9, will feature both the ISL and I-League teams with the winners being nominated to play in the AFC Champions League 2 Preliminary Stage. "The format of the tournament will consist of four groups of four teams each, who will play single-leg matches amongst themselves. The group winners will qualify for the semifinals followed by the final to be played on January 28," said All India Football Federation in a statement on Wednesday. The I-League teams will play the qualifiers to get into the group stage of the Kalinga Super Cup where four slots have been reserved for them in the group stage. "The Champions of Kalinga Super Cup will be nominated to play in the ACL 2 Preliminary Stage of AFC 2023-24 season," said the AIFF. AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said, "As per the decision we took earlier, the annual Super Cup tournament will now be organised in a bigger and broader perspective. "The tournament will now be k

Champions League: Guardiola walks off smiling as City stays perfect

On a night of unconvincing performances from Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, Pep Guardiola walked off smiling following a comeback victory for Manchester City in the Champions League. Phil Foden inspired a second-half comeback as City beat Leipzig 3-2 on Tuesday to take first place in Group G and extend its perfect record to five wins in five matches. It's the seventh straight season that City has won its group. The defending champions trailed 2-0 at halftime but Foden scored one goal and helped to create two more to turn the match around and Guardiola had a smirk on his face when he shook hands with Leipzig counterpart Marco Rose after the final whistle. We had to be relaxed as possible and we reacted really well," Guardiola said. "We are first in the group and I am very satisfied for the reaction at the end. The team runs and fights and has spirit." Kylian Mbapp's penalty deep into stoppage time salvaged a point for PSG in a 1-1 draw with an injury-depleted but tenacious Newca

Mohun Bangan Super Giant's Asian dreams crashed by Odisha FC in AFC Cup

A dominant Odisha FC humiliated reigning ISL champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant 5-2 in their high-scoring penultimate Group D clash of the AFC Cup here on Monday, leaving the legacy club's legion of fans crestfallen in their own backyard. The seasoned Hugo Boumous propelled Mohun Bagan into lead with his 17th-minute strike at the Salt Lake Stadium. Roy Krishna found the equaliser in the 29th minute and Diego Mauricio silenced the home crowd by putting Odisha FC ahead with his 32nd-minute goal. The visiting OFC scored two goals in a span of three minutes. More misery awaited Mohun Bagan as Cy Goddard made it 3-1 in favour of OFC by finding the back of the net in the 41st minute, leaving the fans wearing the green-and-maroon jersey at the Salt Lake Stadium shocked. The hosts sought a way back into the game after the interval and came close as the hour approached, Liston Colaco's free-kick from 30 yards hitting the top of the OFC crossbar on the way over. But it was game on in the 63r

Brazil ends year in poor shape under interim coach as it awaits Ancelotti

Until this year, Brazil's national soccer team had never lost three games in a row. The Selecao had never lost a World Cup qualifying match at home. It had never had anything but wins against a visiting Venezuela team, for many years the weakest in South America. Interim coach Fernando Diniz, however, has had to endure all those setbacks in only a few months on the job all while Brazil hopes that Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will soon take over. Diniz's troubles, and the lack of a confirmed answer from Ancelotti, have increased the pressure on the Brazilian team, even though qualifying for the expanded 2026 World Cup is still expected despite a 1-0 loss to Argentina on Tuesday. The top six teams in the South American qualifying group will gain direct entry to the 48-team tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The seventh-place team can earn a berth in an intercontinental playoff. Brazil, the only team never to miss a World Cup, has won only three of nine matches

World Cup Qualifier: ARG beat BRA 1-0 after crowd violence delays start

Many fans came to the Maracana Stadium to watch Lionel Messi in his likely last match in Brazil, a superclasico in World Cup qualifying against the hosts. Instead, they saw Nicols Otamendi score the only goal in a 1-0 win for Argentina after a brawl between fans that delayed the start of the game. The World Cup champions inflicted the first home defeat on Brazil ever in World Cup qualifying. It was Brazil's third consecutive loss in the round-robin tournament another negative mark for new coach Fernando Diniz. Messi left the pitch in the 78th minute amid a mixture of jeers and applause from Brazil fans. Dozens of children arrived at the Maracana wearing the shirts of Barcelona, the star's previous club, and Inter Miami. The Argentine star wasn't able to end one of his last barriers in the sport at the Maracana, though, to score against the Brazilians in a World Cup qualifier. Argentina will return home not only atop the South American qualifying standings but also having given it

US court denies woman's appeal of Ronaldo's 2010 hush-money settlement

A US appeals court sided Tuesday with Cristiano Ronaldo, rejecting an appeal by the lawyer for a woman trying to force the international soccer star to pay millions more than the USD 375,000 in hush money he paid her after she accused him of raping her in 2009. Kathryn Mayorga's lawyer had asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a federal judge's dismissal of the case in Las Vegas in June 2022 and reopen the civil lawsuit she filed in 2018. They argued US District Judge Jennifer Dorsey should not have rejected Mayorga's attempts to unseal and make public the confidentiality agreement she signed in 2010 in accepting payments from Ronaldo. A three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based appellate court disagreed. It also rejected their argument that the judge abused her discretion by dismissing the case with prejudice, which prevented Mayorga from refiling the case, and took the unusual step of levying a $335,000 fine against her lawyer, Leslie Mark Stovall. "The district .

World Cup 2026 Qualifier India vs Qatar highlights: India lose 0-3 to Qatar

India vs Qatar football match highlights: Qatar would have won by a bigger margin had they not missed several chances while dominating throughout the 90 minutes at the Kalinga Stadium.

Football injuries cost leading leagues $767 mn in Qatar World Cup Season

In Premier League, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea suffered most injuries last season. Champions Manchester City had fewer injuries than any other club that finished in top eight

FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Manvir helps India beat Kuwait 1-0 in away match

Manvir Singh struck a late goal as India beat Kuwait 1-0 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup second round qualifiers match here on Thursday. Manvir scored with a left-footed shot in the 75th minute as he connected a Lallianzuala Chhangte cross to help India win the match at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium here. Kuwait ended the match with 10 men as their player Faisal Alharbi was sent off after picking his second yellow card in the third minute of the added time for a high boot challenge on Chhangte. India play Asian champions Qatar next on November 21 in Bhubaneswar. India are placed in Group A alongside Qatar, Kuwait and Afghanistan with the top two from the group progressing to the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The top two teams from each group will also secure qualification for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. The Blue Tigers have never advanced to the third round of AFC's FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Ranked 106th in the world, India had beaten Kuwait (149th) on penal

Everton gets biggest sporting sanction in EPL history for financial breach

Everton was handed the biggest sporting sanction in the Premier League's 31-year history on Friday for breaching the competition's financial rules, with the deduction of 10 points dropping the team into next-to-last place in the standings. The northwest club reported three-year losses totaling nearly 372 million pounds ($454 million) last season. The league's profit and financial sustainability rules allow clubs to lose a maximum of 105 million pounds ($128 million) over a three-year period or face sanctions. The league referred Everton to an independent commission in March because of the alleged breach of profitability and sustainability rules, following complaints from a slew of rival clubs. A five-day hearing was held last month and the commission has now published its verdict, which sees Everton fall from 14 points to four with immediate effect. That's the same number of points as last-place Burnley. Everton has a superior goal difference. The club, which is planning to move t

Messi's Argentina lose 1st match since World Cup, Colombia beat Brazil

Lionel Messi could not help Argentina extend its unbeaten streak since its World Cup title. Uruguay beat Argentina 2-0 at La Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires on Thursday in a World Cup qualifying match, its biggest victory so far under new coach Marcelo Bielsa. Argentina hadn't lost a competitive match since its group-stage opener against Saudi Arabia during last year's World Cup in Qatar. Brazil continued its so far poor campaign in qualifying with a 2-1 loss at Colombia, its second consecutive defeat in the round-robin competition. Striker Luiz Diaz scored twice on headers to lead an impressive turnaround at the Metropolitano Stadium in Barranquilla, with his father celebrating in the stands only days after being released by kidnappers. Argentina still leads the 10-team South American qualifying group with 12 points from five matches. Uruguay is second with 10 points. Colombia has nine and Venezuela eight. Brazil will host the World Cup champions at the Maracana Stadium in Rio d

World Cup, IND vs NZ SF: Kohli plays football with Beckham; watch video

Beckham was accompanied legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as he entered the ground. Kohli, who was warming up then, kicked the ball towards Beckham, who kicks the ball back to him

We are at right stage: Chhetri ahead of India's FIFA WC qualifier match

The 39-year-old footballer also accepted that they are in a strong group in the World Cup qualifiers

28th Senior Women's National Football Championship set to begin on Sunday

DL Roy Memorial District Stadium in Krishnanagar, West Bengal, will host the four-team Group B from November 15 to 19

Man United manager Ten Hag under more pressure as international break looms

The pressure is mounting on Erik ten Hag as his Manchester United reign descends deeper into crisis. The 4-3 loss against Copenhagen in the Champions League on Wednesday was yet another blow for the Dutch manager in a season that is unravelling by the week. He says he is waiting for one moment to turn the campaign around. It needs to come quickly. United now faces the humiliating prospect of being eliminated from the Champions League after the group stages; its defense of the League Cup has already ended and five losses in 11 Premier League games have silenced pre-season talk of a potential title challenge. In any ordinary season United would be expected to sweep its way past teams like Luton at a packed Old Trafford on Saturday. But this is clearly no ordinary season for the 20-time league champions. Last week the club denied a report it was exploring alternatives to Ten Hag after a troubled start to the campaign. A win against Luton would do little to quieten speculation about h

AIFF sacks secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran due to breach of interest

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Wednesday announced that it has sacked secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran due to "breach of trust". Prabhakaran's sacking comes 14 months after his appointment to the high-profile job even as the national federation did not mention what the breach of trust was that prompted the action. "The All India Football Federation hereby announces that the services of Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran have been terminated due to breach of trust with immediate effect as of November 7, 2023," the AIFF statement read. "The AIFF Deputy Secretary, Mr M Satyanarayan, will take charge as Acting Secretary General of AIFF with immediate effect," the statement added. AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey served the termination letter on Tuesday to Prabhakaran, who was appointed on September 3 in 2022 and took charge on September 6. Prabhakaran has not yet reacted to the development but is expected to give his version soon. AIFF vice-president NA Haris told PTI that even the A