COPENHAGEN: Vehemently opposed to Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup, football federations in the Nordic countries are putting pressure on Doha and FIFA to improve conditions for migrant workers in the emirate. Together with rights organisation Amnesty International, the federations of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland have ratcheted up the pressure in recent … Read more
DOHA: With many millions of dollars invested and thousands of hours spent on the training pitch, Qatar’s great football experiment will face the ultimate test when its start-from-scratch team makes its World Cup debut next year. Honed at Doha’s renowned Aspire Academy by coaches imported from Spanish giants Barcelona, no expense has been spared by tiny, … Read more
DOHA: After upending the football establishment by winning the right to host the World Cup, Qatar’s preparations are heading into overdrive with a year to go as they rush to welcome more than a million fans and prove their critics wrong. The tiny Gulf state has a reputation for punching above its weight but challenges do … Read more
Scottish champions Rangers hired Giovanni van Bronckhorst as their new manager on Thursday after Steven Gerrard’s move to Aston Villa. Former Rangers midfielder Van Bronckhorst returns to Ibrox as the 17th permanent manager in the history of the Glasgow giants. The 46-year-old, whose appointment is subject to a work permit, arrives with Rangers sitting four … Read more
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has dismissed speculation linking him with Manchester United as pressure mounts on Old Trafford boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Rodgers is believed to be one of the leading contenders to replace Solskjaer if the under-fire Norwegian gets the sack. United travel to Watford on Saturday with Solskjaer desperate for a victory after … Read more
West Ham manager David Moyes is enjoying a long-awaited renaissance after years in the wilderness as the Scot masterminds his club’s unexpected bid to reach the Champions League. Moyes has the Hammers flying high in the Premier League and a win at Wolves on Saturday would consolidate their position in the top four. West Ham … Read more
PARIS: When Paris Saint-Germain signed Lionel Messi, the salary package included something previously unheard of for a player — a one-off payment, understood to be worth around one million euros ($1.15m), made in PSG ‘fan tokens’. It was the result of a partnership signed by the French giants in 2018 with Socios.com which sees fans … Read more
Nigeria’s Super Eagles may have qualified for the final playoffs of the 2022 World Cup, but another unconvincing display sparked calls on Wednesday for coach Gernot Rohr to be fired. Despite including most of their top Europe-based players, Nigeria laboured to a 1-1 home draw with Cape Verde on Tuesday to squeeze through to the … Read more
Manchester United’s wage bill rocketed by 23 percent during the period in which they re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s latest set of financial results showed on Wednesday. Figures for the first quarter of the 2021/22 financial year show a rise of £16.6 million ($22 million) in “employee benefit expenses” compared with the corresponding period of … Read more
China are on the brink of suffering more World Cup heartache despite clinching an impressive 1-1 draw with Australia on Tuesday in qualifying for next year’s football showpiece in Qatar. A 38th-minute strike by Mitchell Duke appeared to have condemned the global Olympic and economic powerhouse to their fourth defeat in six matches in Group … Read more
Kenyan police said they had arrested the head of the national football federation on Friday after the body was dissolved over corruption allegations. Football Kenya Federation (FKF) boss Nick Mwendwa was picked up by police at a Nairobi hotel the day after the government set up a caretaker committee to run the body and further … Read more
MADRID, Nov 8, 2021 (AFP) – Xavi Hernandez was unveiled as Barcelona’s new coach on Monday as thousands of fans welcomed the debt-ridden club’s legendary former midfielder back to Camp Nou. Xavi walked out to chants of “Xavi, Xavi” before signing his contract on the pitch, alongside his family and Barca president Joan Laporta. “I don’t … Read more
LONDON, Oct 29, 2021 (AFP) – Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers believes Youri Tielemans has become “one of Europe’s top midfielders”, with the Foxes player reportedly attracting interest from some of the continent’s leading clubs. Both Bayern Munich and Liverpool have been linked with a move for the 24-year-old Belgium international, whose contract with Leicester expires in … Read more
RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 29, 2021 (AFP) – Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho got the call-up from Brazil coach Tite on Friday after a year-long absence for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina. Coutinho, 29, was sidelined by a knee injury, but has recently resumed playing regularly with Barca. “He’s a midfielder who creates plays, … Read more
DOHA, Oct 28, 2021 (AFP) – As speculation swirled that he was about to return to Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez insisted on Thursday that he was thinking only of his current job, coaching Qatari club Al Sadd. “I am currently focused on my work with Al Sadd, and I cannot talk about anything else,” Xavi told a … Read more
BRUSSELS, Oct 27, 2021 (AFP) – The head of global footballers’ union FIFPro is confident a plan to hold the men’s World Cup every two years is “dead in its tracks” and insists FIFA should do more to promote the women’s version instead. FIFA will hold a summit in December with president Gianni Infantino still hoping … Read more
MADRID, Oct 27, 2021 (AFP) – Former Spanish international striker Fernando Llorente is set to sign for Eibar, the Spanish second-division club announced on Wednesday. The Basque club posted a statement on their website saying they had reached an agreement in principle with the 36-year-old free agent subject to his medical, alongside photos of the player … Read more
CLERMONT-FERRAND, France, Oct 25, 2021 (AFP) – Clermont’s Guinea stiker Mohamed Bayo will appear before a criminal court in June for “driving under the influence of alcohol”, the French city’s public prosecutor said on Monday. Bayo, 23, was detained by police on Sunday after a traffic accident in Clermont but was released on Monday. He failed … Read more
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, Oct 25, 2021 (AFP) – Manchester United’s historic 5-0 thrashing at the hands of fierce rivals Liverpool has left manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer clinging to his job despite signing a new three-year deal just three months ago. Solskjaer has failed to win a trophy in nearly three years in charge at Old Trafford … Read more
LONDON, Oct 11, 2021 (AFP) – England and Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount said on Monday it was special to see his name included on the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or. But the 22-year-old insisted he is just getting started after a year in which he helped the Blues win the Champions League and England reach a first … Read more
Claudio Ranieri is back in the Premier League after being hired as Watford’s new manager on Monday. Former Chelsea boss Ranieri, who led Leicester to the Premier League title in 2016, agreed a two-year contract with the Hornets to replace the sacked Xisco Munoz. “Watford FC is delighted to confirm the appointment of Claudio Ranieri … Read more
Brazilian-born midfielder Matheus Nunes was on Thursday handed a first call-up to the Portugal squad ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Luxembourg and a friendly against Qatar. Real Betis defensive midfielder William Carvalho makes a return to Fernando Santos’ 24-man squad after a disappointing Euro 2020. Cristiano Ronaldo will have a chance to build on his … Read more
Lausanne: UEFA says that it is dropping its disciplinary case against Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus over their involvement in the controversial European Super League, to comply with a ruling from a Madrid court. European football´s governing body said late Monday that “the proceedings (are) null and void as if the proceedings had never been … Read more
LAHORE: The selection committee of Sports Board Punjab (SBP) conducted trials of provincial Under-17 football team at the Punjab Stadium, on Saturday. The selected team will participate in Inter-Provincial Football Youth Tournament, scheduled to be organised in Gilgit-Baltistan in the middle of next month. SBP Director General (DG) Adnan Arshad Aulakh visited Punjab Stadium to … Read more
Wayne Rooney’s Derby County has been deducted 12 points by the English Football League after entering administration on Wednesday. The second-tier side have taken 10 points from eight games this season but are now rooted at the foot of the Championship, six points adrift of second-bottom Nottingham Forest. Derby, twice English champions, had signaled their … Read more
Concacaf has announced that it will investigate Cruz Azul fans’ “offensive and discriminatory” gay chants during the game versus Monterrey. In the second leg of the Concacaf Champions League semi-final in Mexico City, players took a 10-minute break from the game. Monterrey won 4-1 – and 5-1 on aggregate – as the game began without … Read more
West Ham manager David Moyes claims the club never came close to re-signing Jesse Lingard this summer. Lingard, 28, had a successful loan spell at West Ham last season, scoring nine goals in 16 games. The club had been linked with a permanent deal, but Moyes claims that Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had … Read more
Pep Guardiola has stated that he will not apologize for encouraging more Manchester City fans to attend the club’s Premier League match against Southampton. The City boss stated that he “would like more people” to attend the Saints’ visit to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Guardiola has claimed that his statements were misread, despite the … Read more
