Page 6 - Football

Blatter, Platini acquitted again in FIFA financial misconduct trial

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini won again in court Tuesday and now lead 2-0 in trial verdicts against Swiss federal prosecutors. The former FIFA president and former UEFA president were acquitted for a second time on charges of fraud, forgery, mismanagement and misappropriation of more than $2 million of FIFA money in 2011. Blatter, now aged 89, gave little reaction listening to the verdict of three cantonal (state) judges acting as a federal criminal appeals court. The attorney general's office in Switzerland had challenged a first acquittal in July 2022 and asked for sentences of 20 months, suspended for two years.

NZ qualifies for 2026 FIFA World Cup after 3-0 win in Oceania final

New Zealand will play at the 2026 World Cup after beating New Caledonia 3-0 on Monday in the final of the Oceania confederation qualifying series. The New Zealand All Whites reached the World Cup for the third time after qualifying in Spain in 1982 and South Africa in 2010. They join hosts Canada, the United States and Mexico and Japan, which last week became the first team to qualify for the 48-team tournament. New Caledonia still has a chance to qualify through a six-team inter-continental playoff involving teams from the Asian, African, North and Central American and South American confederations. New Zealand had a setback when its captain, Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, was forced from the field with a hip injury in the 53rd minute with the score still 0-0. Wood is the focus of the New Zealand attack, scoring three headed goals in New Zealand's 7-0 semifinal win over Fiji on Friday. Up stepped an unlikely star in Wood's absence. In the 62nd Michael Boxall, the 36-year-o

CONCACAF Nations League 2025: Mexico beat Panama 2-1 to lift the title

Ral Jimnez scored his second goal on a penalty kick in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, and Mexico beat Panama 2-1 to win the CONCACAF Nations League tournament for the first time. Jimnez, the 33-year-old Fulham striker, dominated the week at SoFi Stadium with all four of Mexico's goals in El Tri's two matches. After he scored on a header in the eighth minute against Panama on Sunday night, he used a stutter-step approach before perfectly striking a penalty awarded when defender Jos Crdoba touched the ball with his inexplicably outstretched arm while chasing after it in the 90th minute. "It's fantastic to come back after what I've been through," Jimnez said. "I'm really happy. This is just a great example that you never have to lose faith, and continue. You know what you're capable to do." This remarkable tournament is only the latest chapter in the comeback story of Jimnez, who incurred a serious head injury while playing for Wolves in November 2020. After fracturi

India eyes win against Bangladesh after 3-0 triumph over Maldives

A 3-0 thrashing of Maldives in their first international match of the year will certainly boost their confidence, but India will be wary of a tricky Bangladesh in their 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying round match here on Tuesday. India notched a commanding win over lower-ranked Maldives here on March 19, which marked the first win under the charge of Manolo Marquez. The win was also significant as the talismanic Sunil Chhetri led the team with a superb goal in his international return, his 95th in India Jersey. Bangladesh have been familiar but tricky rivals for India and historically it has not been easy outings whenever the two sides faced each other. India though are currently ranked much higher in the FIFA chart -- 126th as against 185th on Bangladesh. The last match between the two sides had ended in a 1-1 draw in the 2021 SAFF Championships in Maldives with Chhetri scoring India's goal. Chhetri had also scored India's both goals in the 2-0 win over their eastern neighbours in a

Xavi, Rivaldo among new additions for Barca vs Madrid Legends Faceoff

Xavi Hernández shared that he was thrilled to relive the legendary rivalry in front of the passionate Indian crowd

Udanta in, Brandon out: India announces squad change for Bangladesh tie

Key mid-fielder Brandon Fernandes has been released from the Indian team due to an injury ahead of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying round match against Bangladesh here on March 25. Winger Udanta Singh has replaced him in the squad. Fernandes picked up the injury during India's 3-0 win over Maldives in an international friendly match on March 19. He slipped on the turf late in the first half and was stretchered out of the field. "Brandon Fernandes has been released from the Indian squad due to an injury he picked up in the match against Maldives. Udanta Singh has joined the Indian camp in Shillong," the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Friday. Speaking after the Maldives game, head coach Manolo Marquez had confirmed that Fernandes would not be available for the Bangladesh match. India are already without striker Manvir Singh and pacy winger Lallianzuala Chhangte, both due to injury, though the talismanic Sunil Chhetri came out of international retirement to help the te

FIFA Club World Cup: Mexico's Leon disqualified over multi-club ownership

Mexican team Leon was kicked out of the Club World Cup on Friday after FIFA's appeals committee upheld a decision that it violated a rule that forbids multi-club ownership. Leon and fellow Mexican club Pachuca had both qualified for this summer's Club World Cup in the United States but have the same owner, Grupo Pachuca. After having evaluated all evidence on file, the chairman of the FIFA Appeal Committee has decided that CF Pachuca and Club Len failed to meet the criteria on multi-club ownership, FIFA said in a statement. Before the decision was announced, Grupo Pachuca had argued that the two clubs operate independently. It also promised to sell Leon, but has not done so. Leon recently signed Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez in an attempt to be more competitive at the Club World Cup, where it had been set to face Chelsea, Brazilian club Flamengo and ES Tunis of Tunisia. FIFA said Leon's replacement in the tournament will be announced at a later date.

Argentina one draw away from booking their place in 2026 FIFA World Cup

Argentina didn't miss Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martnez and other key players and beat Uruguay away 1-0 in convincing fashion in their South American World Cup qualifying match. Thiago Almada scored the winner with a powerful curled shot from the edge of the box on Friday, putting the defending champions one point away from its direct spot in the tournament next year. Argentina leads the round robin competition with 28 points after 13 matches, and could secure its place with a home draw with Brazil on Tuesday. The team of coach Lionel Scaloni already has 15 points ahead of 7th-placed Bolivia, with only five rounds to the end of the competition. The last time the two soccer powerhouses clashed, Argentina won 1-0 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Earlier, Ecuador defeated Venezuela 2-1 and moved into second place in South American World Cup, edging close to reaching the tournament once again. Brazil is third with 21 points, one ahead of Uruguay and Paraguay. Colombia, with 19 .

Tuchel sets high standards after winning first game as England boss

Thomas Tuchel kicked off his England reign with a 2-0 win against Albania at Wembley Stadium and immediately demanded more from his players. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane ensured a winning start for Tuchel in the World Cup qualifier on Friday but the German coach sounded far from satisfied with his first game in charge. "(We) can do better. We have to do better," Tuchel said. He added the team was too slow in the second half and lacked aggression in attack. Tuchel became the 11th straight England manager to win on his debut. But his frank assessment of the performance was evidence of the standards he wants to set after being charged with ending the team's decades-long wait for a major trophy. His first job is to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico and this was a straight forward win for No. 4-ranked England in its first qualifier. England dominated possession and chances against 65th-ranked Albania. It took 20 minutes for the f

Uefa Nations League QF 1st leg final score: POR 0-1 DEN; NED 2-2 ESP; FRA 0-2 CRO; GER 2-1 ITA

UEFA Nations League quarterfinals HIGHLIGHTS: Ronaldo and Mbappe failed to score in the first leg. The second leg of QF will take place on March 24 at 1:15 AM (India time)

Paulo Dybala to undergo thigh surgery and miss rest of Roma's season

Roma's attempt at returning to the Champions League took a hit with the announcement on Thursday that Paulo Dybala will undergo left thigh surgery ruling the Argentina playmaker out for the rest of the season. Dybala was injured during a 1-0 win over Cagliari on Sunday. Paulo Dybala will undergo surgery in the coming days following an injury to his left semitendinosus tendon, Roma said. The player and the club have mutually agreed that this is the best course of action for an optimal recovery. Roma has surged up to seventh place with a 13-match unbeaten run under Claudio Ranieri in Serie A and has won six straight in the Italian league. The Giallorossi are four points behind fourth-placed Bologna and the final Champions League spot. Roma has not played in the Champions League since 2018-19. Roma was eliminated from the Europa League by Athletic Bilbao last week. The often-injured Dybala has six goals in 24 appearances this season. He has not reached 30 appearances in a Serie A s

FIFA World Cup 2026: Japan becomes first team to qualify after Bahrain win

The win on Thursday guarantees Japan one of the two automatic spots in Group C of the Asian qualifiers, securing their place with three games still to play.

Chris Wood wants automatic World Cup qualifying for Oceania minnows

New Zealand captain Chris Wood says it's "only fair" that FIFA's smallest confederation, Oceania, has been given direct qualification to the 2026 World Cup. New Zealand will play Fiji and Tahiti will play New Caledonia in Wellington, New Zealand on Friday in the semifinals of the Oceania qualifying tournament. The final will be played in Auckland next Monday and the winner will be among the first teams to join hosts Canada, the United States and Mexico at next year's expanded 48-team World Cup. It's the first time a team from Oceania has directly qualified for the World Cup finals rather than having to go through an intercontinental playoff. The loser of the Oceania final still will have a chance to qualify through a playoff series involving teams from the Asian, African, South American and CONCACAF confederations. New Zealand, at 89 in the FIFA rankings, is favored to qualify as the largest Oceania nation and after also qualifying through a more rigorous process for the finals in

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers full schedule, live time, streaming in India

This is the first-ever FIFA World Cup which will see 48 teams feature in the competition and three host countries (Canada, Mexico and USA) co-hosting the event.

We need longer leagues to improve quality of Indian football: Terry Phelan

Former Man City defender and the sporting director for the South United football club, Terry Phelan talked about the importance of grassroots development in Indian football.

Chhetri scores 95th international goal in comeback match after retirement

Chhetri scored his 95th goal for India against Maldives. Check full list of international goals scored by Chhetri.

India vs Maldives HIGHLIGHTS: Sunil Chhetri scores as India beat Maldives 3-0 in Shillong

Sunil Chhetri scores his 95th career international goal on his return to the national side as India got themselves a long awaited win under Manaolo Marquez.

Inter beat Atlanta 2-0 to boost their chances of Serie A title defence

Inter Milan took a significant step to keeping its Serie A crown with a 2-0 win at title rival Atalanta. Carlos Augusto and Lautaro Martinez scored in the second half to lift the league leader three points above second-placed Napoli and six points above third-placed Atalanta. Napoli had earlier been held 0-0 at relegation-threatened Venezia. The fight for the final Champions League spot is also tight, with just six points separating six teams in the race for fourth place after more misery for Juventus, which lost 3-0 at Fiorentina. TOP SPOT It was a head-to-head clash for top spot in Bergamo, with Atalanta knowing that victory would move it level on points with Inter and Napoli. Both sides had great chances in an entertaining first half, with Inter going closest with less than seven minutes on the clock. Marcus Thuram was on the verge of wheeling away in celebration as he swept a finish past Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi and toward the far corner, following good play wit

Leverkusen regain form with late goal to secure 4-3 win over Stuttgart

Bayer Leverkusen rediscovered some of the late-goal magic from its title-winning season as Patrik Schick's added-time header sealed a 4-3 comeback win over Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. Trailing 3-2 on Sunday, Leverkusen was heading for a fourth successive loss in all competitions before Victor Boniface's pass deflected in off Angelo Stiller for an own-goal in the 88th minute. Jeremie Frimpong then crossed for Schick to head in the winning goal in the fourth minute of added time. "Perhaps sometimes you need wins like this to show the spirit is still there," Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah told broadcaster DAZN. The win brought back memories of Leverkusen's tendency to turn games round in the last minute when it won the Bundesliga title last season. It also cut Bayern Munich's lead at the top of the standings over second-placed Leverkusen to six points after Bayern drew 1-1 at Union Berlin on Saturday. "We just want to get on (Bayern's) nerves until the end," Leverkusen midfielder .

Messi-Picault stars as Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 2-1 in MLS 2025

Lionel Messi scored early and Faf Picault scored the winner after subbing in late to rally Inter Miami to a 2-1 victory over Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Picault's first goal this season came in his second appearance with an assist from defender Jordi Alba his second in the 89th minute on Sunday night. Messi scored the equaliser in the 20th minute. It was his first goal in two starts this season. Brooks Lennon made his 200th career start and first this season and immediately had an impact in the 11th minute when he sent a crossing pass to Emmanuel Latte Lath, who sent a header past former Atlanta United goalkeeper Rocco Ros Novo. It was Latte Lath's third goal in his fourth career start. Miguel Almirn also had an assist his second this season and 30th of his career. The goal ended a 195-minute scoring drought. It was a club-record-tying 39th career assist for Lennon equaling the mark of Julian Gressel. Lennon saw action for the first time since injuring his shoulder