Page 51 - Football

EPL: Treble by his side, Man City's Guardiola eyes 4 league titles in a row

Ticker tape was still strewn across the field inside Istanbul's Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium and Manchester City fans weren't done partying in the stands when Pep Guardiola issued an ominous warning to his rivals. Far from feeling sated after finally transferring Man City's domestic dominance to Europe by winning the Champions League for the first time last season, the City manager was looking to build on his club's historic treble of trophies. "I don't want after one Champions League to disappear, so work harder next season and be in there." Guardiola had completed his ultimate mission by conquering Europe with City, having done so twice as coach of Barcelona, but he made it clear that his ambition was to achieve more. And there are new boundaries for him to break ahead of the new campaign. He can become the first manager to win four straight Premier League titles something even Alex Ferguson could not do during his dominance with Manchester United. Indeed, no team has ever won fou

ARS vs MNC Highlights: Arsenal win their 17th Community Shield Trophy

Arsenal won their 17th FA Community Sheild Trophy after beating treble winners Manchester City 4-1 in penalities on Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London

EPL: Chelsea signs Spanish goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from Brighton

Chelsea signed goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from Brighton and Hove Albion on a seven-year contract on Saturday. The transfer fee was reported to be 25 million pounds (USD 32 million) for the Spain international, who is expected to challenge Kepa Arrizabalaga for a starting spot. The 25-year-old Sanchez made 23 Premier League appearances last season. He joined Brighton as a teenager and progressed through the club's academy, becoming the Seagulls' first-choice goalkeeper during the 2020-21 season. Chelsea, which hosts Liverpool on August 13 in its season opener, has made seven summer signings under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

EPL: Manchester City signs Croatian center-back Joko Gvardiol from Leipzig

Manchester City signed Croatia center-back Joko Gvardiol from Leipzig for 90 million euros ($99.2 million) on Saturday, ranking him among the most expensive defenders in soccer history. The 21-year-old Gvardiol, known as Little Pep because of his name's likeness to City manager Pep Guardiola, is one of the most highly rated defenders in the world and enhanced his reputation with impressive performances for Croatia at the World Cup last year. He signed a five-year contract with City, which won a treble of trophies last season: the Premier League title, Champions League and FA Cup. Anyone who saw Manchester City play last season knows they are the best team in the world," Gvardiol said. "To win the treble says everything you need to know about the quality this team has. To be joining City is something very special for me and my family." At Leipzig, Gvardiol won the German Cup in back-to-back seasons and played in the Champions League. The transfer fee puts him among the likes of ...

Durand Cup: Mumbai City FC to face Mohammedan Sporting in Kolkata

The match kicks off at 4.45 pm local time. In Saturday's first match, Bodoland FC take on Rajasthan United FC in the first-ever Durand Cup game in Kokrajhar

Saudi goals in Europe

It's party time for world football as the Saudi Pro League signs headline-grabbing talent, but it also raises questions about money's impact on long-term success in the sport

Durand Cup 2023: Mumbai City FC eye winning start against Mohammedan SC

Last year's runners-up Mumbai City FC would be gunning for a positive start when they open their campaign against local side Mohammedan Sporting in a Group B match of the Durand Cup football tournament here on Saturday. The visitors have made their intentions clear by announcing a strong 29-member squad, featuring all their top stars, including Greg Stewart, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Jorge Pereryra Diaz, Phurba Lachenpa as well as new signings like Akash Mishra, Tiri and Jayesh Rane. The Des Buckingham-guided side were runners-up last time and would love to go one better this time around. Local giants Mohammedan, on the other hand, are in the midst of a lively Calcutta Football League campaign where they are currently placed third. Forwards like Beneston Barretto, David Lalhlansanga and Bikas Singh are in good goal-scoring form and Mumbai will not have it easy in-front of home supporters. Mairajuddin Wadoo, coach of the Black and White brigade, said ahead of the game, "I think the bo

Durand Cup 2023: Details of teams, venues, live-streaming, and more

The Durand Cup 2023 began on August 3. The oldest football tournament in Asia was first organised by Indian Armed Forces and played in 1888 in Shimla

EPL: Manchester City reportedly close to signing Croatia's Josko Gvardiol

Manchester City is ready to make a big move in the transfer market, days before the start of the new season. The English and European champions are set to sign Croatia center back Josko Gvardiol for a reported 90 million euros ($98.3 million) from German club Leipzig, making him one of the world's most expensive defenders. Neither City nor Leipzig have commented publicly about the deal for Gvardiol, who will reportedly undergo a medical examination this week. Manchester United's Harry Maguire cost 80 million pounds (then $97 million) when he joined from Leicester in 2019, while Virgil van Dijk moved from Southampton to Liverpool for 75 million pounds (then $100 million) in 2018. The 21-year-old Gvardiol, known as Little Pep because of his name's likeness to City manager Pep Guardiola, is one of the most highly rated defenders in the world and enhanced his reputation with impressive performances for Croatia at the World Cup last year. He has played for Leipzig for two seasons, havi

Ronaldo breaks Gerd Muller's record, tops the chart of most headers

Ronaldo has broken the record of Gerd Muller and now has the most number of goals with his head. Ronaldo reached the spot on Tuesday, playing against US Monastir in the Arab Championships Club

Liverpool's Fabinho joins Benzema and Kante at Saud club Al Ittihad

The Saudi club announced the deal on Monday evening with a video captioned 'Tigers are allowed to pass'

FIFA Women's World Cup: Drawing of lots will decide which team goes ahead

What happens if teams finishing even on points cannot be separated by all of FIFA's tournament tiebreakers following the completion of the group stage at the Women's World Cup? Soccer's world governing body has confirmed it's the drawing of lots, So, luck of the draw really could determine which team advances to the Round of 16 and which team goes home. FIFA issued a statement explaining the drawing of lots will only occur should all steps, as outlined in Article 13 of the Competition Regulations, prove unable to determine the ranking. The tournament's tiebreaker criteria starts with which of the tied teams in the group has superior goal difference in its group matches and the greatest number of goals scored. If that's not enough to determine a final rankings, then the head-to-head results between the teams concerned is the tiebreaker. If that doesn't work, it goes down to a tabulation of how many yellow and red cards each team has accrued through the tournament. In the highly ...

Messi's Instagram post offers hope to his fans about World Cup 2026

Lionel Messi's Instagram post could hint at the Argentina star's unexpected return to the World Cup stage in 2026 after initially denying any such possibility

Violence has taken away my house, everything we had: Indian footballer

It was a humid May evening as usual in Kozhikode, as India footballer Chinglensana Singh ambled down the ground to enter the dressing room. Once there, he saw a trail of text messages and a barrage of missed calls on his phone. Worried, he promptly tried returning the calls but to no avail. But soon the centre-back from the strife-torn state found out that he had lost almost everything in the violence that broke out there on May 3, the same day that he was representing Hyderabad FC in an AFC Cup playoff (Asian continental tournament) match against Mohun Bagan in faraway Kozhikode. "It has taken away everything from us, everything we earned, everything we had," the player, hailing from Khumujama Leikai in Churachandpur district, told PTI. "I heard the news of our house being torched and then the football turf that I built in Churachandpur was burnt. It was really heartbreaking. "I had the big dream of providing a platform to the youngsters but it was taken away. Fortunately, my fami

Kylian Mbappe transfer news: Chelsea, Liverpool interested in PSG forward

According to a Daily Record report, Todd Boehly-owned Chelsea are attempting to negotiate a player-plus-cash deal to bring Mbappe to the Premier League.

AIFF Medical Committee discuss protocols for standardized medical guideline

The Medical Committee recommended holding a seminar on sports medicine in collaboration with the AFC after a suggestion was made by the Secretary-General

Financial rule-break: UEFA bans Juventus, fines Chelsea 10 million euros

Juventus was removed from European competition next season and Chelsea was fined USD 11 million in separate UEFA rulings over financial rules breaches. The expulsion of Juventus from the third-tier Europa Conference League on Friday was expected because of a false accounting case that already saw the two-time European champion deducted 10 points in Serie A. That penalty dropped Juventus out of Champions League qualification places. Juventus' spot in the Europa Conference League should go to Fiorentina in the playoffs round starting on August 24. UEFA said on Friday that Juventus also must also pay a fine of 10 million euros (USD 11 million) for breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. A further 10 million euros can be deducted if the club fails to comply with UEFA financial monitoring rules in future seasons. Juventus regretted the ruling but said it wouldn't appeal. "We regret the decision of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body," Juventus president Gianluca Ferrero said in a ..

Juventus banned from UEFA Conference League 2023-24 for violating rules

The club would further have to pay an additional 10 million euros if it fails to comply with UEFA financial monitoring rules in future seasons

Football transfers: Riyad Mahrez leaves Manchester City for Saudi's Al-Ahli

Riyad Mahrez is the latest Premier League player to head to Saudi Arabia after signing with Al-Ahli. The Algeria international was a key player in Leicester's shocking title win in 2016 and then won the league four more times with Manchester City. He leaves after a season in which City won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. I've made a lifetime of wonderful memories and the manner of our Premier League title wins and the battles we've had with Liverpool and, last year, Arsenal, underlined our collective desire and mentality to be the best, Mahrez said in a statement on City's website. Mahrez scored 15 goals in 47 games in his final season with City but no longer started some of the biggest matches. He was an unused substitute in both the Champions League and FA Cup finals. At Al-Ahli, he will join Roberto Firmino, who was formerly one of City's rivals at Liverpool, and former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Al-Ahli is also set to sign one of Europe's highest-rated

Confirmed! Barcelona to play in Champions League as Uefa suspends probe

The Union of European Football Associations confirmed Barcelona's place in the next UEFA Champions League on Thursday though said an investigation into more than USD 7 million paid to a refereeing official could be reopened if more evidence emerges. Barcelona's place in the Champions League group stage worth tens of millions of euros (dollars) earned by winning the Spanish league last season could have been at risk from the so-called "Caso Negreira" case. Court documents show Barcelona paid 7.3 million euros (USD 7.7 million) from 2001-18 to the company of Jos Mara Enrquez Negreira, the former vice president of Spanish soccer's refereeing committee. Prosecutors in Spain formally accused Barcelona of corruption in sports, fraudulent management and falsification of business documents. However, no clear allegations of any specific fixed games or referees who were influenced have emerged since UEFA opened its investigation in March. UEFA competition rules require teams to be removed