List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

The Uefa Champions League continues with matchday two starting on Tuesday night, as Manchester United get their first chance to play in front of their fans in the competition this season. They’ll be hosting Turkish side Galatasaray and looking to kick-start their European campaign having been beaten 4-3 by Bayern Munich in their opener. At the same time, Galatasaray fought back from two goals down against Copenhagen to pick up a point, leaving Man United bottom in Group A after the first round of fixtures. While the Red Devils therefore are in sore need of a victory, the form guide is strongly against them doing so - they’ve lost four of the last six including a home weekend defeat to Crystal Palace. Follow the latest news and updates from Man United vs Galatasary below and get the latest odds and tips here. Read More Sheikh Jassim makes Manchester United takeover decision as Sir Jim Ratcliffe considers new bid Raphael Varane reveals formula for Manchester United to claim Champions League glory

The audio that led to Luis Diaz’s goal being wrongly disallowed by VAR in Liverpool’s defeat at Tottenham has been released publicly by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited. VAR Darren England and his assistant Daniel Cook did not over-rule the incorrect on-field decision of offside after Diaz had scored at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. PGMOL said in a statement on Tuesday evening that “standards fell short of expectations” and it has identified three key learnings “to mitigate against the risk of a future error”. Liverpool said on Sunday they would explore their options given the “clear need for escalation and resolution” and PGMOL has provided a detailed report alongside the audio to the Premier League, which has in turn shared with Liverpool and the other 19 top-flight clubs. PGMOL will stress the importance of accuracy ahead of efficiency to its video match officials, while a “new VAR communication protocol will be developed to enhance the clarity of communication between the referee and the VAR team in relation to on-field decisions”. PGMOL added in a statement: “As an additional step to the process, the VAR will confirm the outcome of the VAR check process with the AVAR before confirming the final decision to the on-field officials. “We recognise standards fell short of expectations and acknowledged the error to Liverpool immediately after the conclusion of the fixture.” England and Cook have not been included among the officials for duty in the coming weekend’s Premier League fixtures. It is clear that there were not only human errors but systemic weaknesses in the VAR process. Premier League spokesperson The pair had already been replaced for the remainder of their matchweek seven duties – England was due to be fourth official at Nottingham Forest v Brentford on Sunday, with Cook scheduled to be assistant referee for Monday’s Fulham-Chelsea clash. A Premier League spokesperson said: “Having reviewed all relevant footage of the disallowed Luis Diaz goal during the Tottenham Hotspur FC versus Liverpool FC match on Saturday, and PGMOL’s report into the incident, it is clear that there were not only human errors but systemic weaknesses in the VAR process. “We accept PGMOL’s immediate recommendations to ensure that such failures are not repeated in the future. “However, a wider review to seek consistently higher standards of VAR performance will be conducted by the Premier League and PGMOL, supported by other stakeholders, and where necessary further recommended actions will be brought forward and implemented. “We have communicated fully with Liverpool FC on this matter and have shared PGMOL’s findings and relevant footage of the incident with all Premier League clubs.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live The Oscar goes to referees – Pep Guardiola says players must be main attraction Reece Topley ‘undercooked’ as England prepare for World Cup opener Jonathan Humphreys urges Wales not to ‘go off-script’ against Georgia

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has accused referees of stealing the spotlight from players following last weekend’s VAR controversy in the Premier League. The 52-year-old has sympathised with rivals Liverpool after the Reds had a goal against Tottenham incorrectly disallowed for offside following a VAR review. It was arguably the most contentious of all decisions taken since the technology was introduced and prompted the Merseyside club to issue a strong statement saying “sporting integrity” had been undermined. Guardiola is concerned that such incidences are detracting from the game’s main actors. He said: “I understand completely how upset Liverpool must be in that case. “They will have to find a system where the main roles are the players and the game itself. In all the countries, not just here. The referees and the VARs are the leading roles. And the Oscar goes to. “They have to make a step back, be more humble and leave the players to do what they have to do, and they will be better.” Guardiola did not have any suggestions himself on how the system could be improved. “I am not a professional at that,” the Spaniard said. “I rely on the people and we have to apply it as best as possible. I am not involved and I don’t care. They will have to find a system where the main roles are the players and the game itself. In all the countries, not just here. The referees and the VARs are the leading roles. And the Oscar goes to. They have to make a step back, be more humble and leave the players to do what they have to do, and they will be better Pep Guardiola on referees “Everyone knows they made a mistake and Liverpool suffered the big consequence of that. In this type of game it is so important. But, no worries, the consequences will dictate the players and the managers.” Guardiola was speaking to the media via a Zoom call after City were forced to rearrange their travel plans for Wednesday’s Champions League game at RB Leipzig. He had been due to hold a pre-match press conference at the RB Arena on arrival on Tuesday afternoon but their flight was rescheduled for evening due to strong winds in the German city. Guardiola brushed off the impact of the disruption ahead of the Group G encounter. He said: “It’s no problem. That it’s safe to fly and land, that’s the important thing.” John Stones and Bernardo Silva were due to travel with the squad having recently returned to training following injury. Stones has not played since the Community Shield due to a thigh problem while Silva has missed the last three games with a knock. Guardiola said: “They feel better, Bernardo better than John. Both travel and we’ll decide tomorrow. We’re really happy they’re back.” Rodri, who still has one game of a domestic suspension to serve, will feature before being given time off ahead of the upcoming international break. The Spain midfielder was sorely missed in last weekend’s defeat at Wolves and his absence will again be felt at Arsenal on Sunday but Guardiola hopes some good can come from the situation. He said: “You always have to take the positive. Rodri’s going to play the game tomorrow and then I’ll give him a rest, go to the Maldives for four or five days before joining the national team.” Guardiola, wearing a black armband, also paid tribute to former City player and chairman Francis Lee, who died this week. He said: “We are here (because of) people like Franny Lee, Mike Summerbee, Colin Bell, part of the generation that created a part of this organisation, this club. “On behalf of the team, to his wife and all the family, a huge hug.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Reece Topley ‘undercooked’ as England prepare for World Cup opener Jonathan Humphreys urges Wales not to ‘go off-script’ against Georgia Pep Guardiola says Manchester City flight to Leipzig being delayed ‘no problem’

Pep Guardiola has brushed off late changes to Manchester City’s travel plans for Wednesday’s Champions League game at RB Leipzig. The treble winners were due to fly to Germany for the Group G encounter on Tuesday afternoon but were delayed due to strong winds in the Leipzig area and their flight was rescheduled for the evening. City manager Guardiola, who had been due to hold a pre-match press conference at the RB Arena on Tuesday, instead spoke to media remotely before travelling. “It’s no problem,” he said. “That it’s safe to fly and land, that’s the important thing. “It’s not at 7pm, (they said) you have to do it at 9pm and it’s not a problem. The authorities said it was so risky to fly before so that’s why we made the training session longer and the lunch longer. “We have time to rest and now we are going to fly to Germany.” John Stones and Bernardo Silva will travel with the squad to Germany having recently returned to training following injury. Stones has not played since the Community Shield with a thigh problem while Silva has missed the last three games with a knock. Guardiola said: “They feel better, Bernardo better than John. Both travel and we’ll decide tomorrow. “We’re really happy they’re back. It’s taken a bit longer but they are back. That is the good news for us.” Guardiola also paid tribute to former City player and chairman Francis Lee, who died this week. He said: “We are here (because of) people like Franny Lee, Mike Summerbee, Colin Bell, part of the generation that created a part of this organisation, this club. “On behalf of the team, to his wife and all the family, a huge hug.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Top seed Carlos Alcaraz beaten by Jannik Sinner in China Open semi-finals Ali Price: Enhanced maturity helping with frustration of losing Scotland spot Danny Care sees advantages of hybrid contracts in English top flight

After a controversial finish to Chiefs-Jets in Week 4, Sunday Night Football is set to deliver an epic matchup in Week 5.

Liverpool have received the audio of the VAR review which led to a Luis Diaz goal wrongly being disallowed at Tottenham. Miscommunication between VAR Darren England and on-field referee Simon Hooper led to the goal being ruled out in Saturday’s Premier League fixture. Professional Game Match Officials Limited acknowledged later that evening that a “significant human error” had occurred, and PA understands the audio linked to the incident has now been sent to Liverpool by PGMOL ahead of it being released publicly. PA understands the audio could feature in the next ‘Match Officials: Mic’d Up’ programme due to air on Monday night, if not sooner. But it is now understood the audio will definitely be released, it is just a question of when. Liverpool are also understood to be appealing against a straight red card shown to Curtis Jones earlier in the match. Diogo Jota was also sent off in the second half for a second bookable offence. England and his assistant VAR, Daniel Cook, have not been selected for Premier League matches this weekend following the Diaz incident. The pair had also been replaced for duties they were due to fulfil on Sunday and Monday respectively. PGMOL is currently conducting a review of Saturday’s incident. Hooper and his assistants had given offside against Diaz on the field, and the PA news agency understands that although England followed the correct procedure in drawing lines, he lost focus and mistakenly thought the initial on-field decision had been onside. This resulted in him issuing a ‘check complete’ notice to Hooper, rather than advising of an intervention and the goal being awarded. Once the officials realised an error had been made, play had restarted and VAR protocols state that once that has happened, there is no way back to revisit a decision. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The PGMOL have released the audio of the controversial Luis Diaz offside decision to Liverpool as part of a review, before it is eventually made public. It follows an official request from the Anfield club, although the referees’ body were always insistent it was just a case of “when” rather than “if” the audio was released. Liverpool have now received the audio and will begin to review the incident for themselves. The controversy has caused a credibility crisis for referees and the Premier League, which led to significant internal debate over whether the audio should have been made public in the immediate aftermath of Liverpool’s defeat to Tottenham. It was ultimately decided in consultation with the Premier League that the audio should go through a full review first, and that the club and competition should all have a chance to assess before it goes to the public. The audio was set to be covered as part of Howard Webb’s new Match Officials Mic’d Up monthly programme, which airs unheard audio from decisions between on-field officials and VAR team. The next Mic’d Up episode is scheduled for Monday next week, but the PGMOL are considering whether to release it before then, once the review of Saturday is complete. Meanwhile, referees Darren England and Dan Cook, the VAR officials who made the error, have been stood down from duty for a second round of Premier League fixtures. VAR lead England and VAR assistant Cook failed to overturn Luis Diaz’s wrongly disallowed goal in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat, after not realising that on-field referee Simon Hooper and his assistant officials had initially ruled the goal out for offside. England and Cook were subsequently replaced from Sunday’s match between Nottingham Forest and Brentford and the game between Chelsea and Fulham on Monday night, and neither official was issued a Premier League fixture ahead of this weekend. Referee Hooper will be the lead VAR for Everton’s match against Bournemouth this Saturday, after he served as the fourth official for Chelsea’s victory over Fulham in Monday’s west London derby. The referees’ body PGMOL admitted after Liverpool’s controversial defeat at Spurs that a “significant human error” had been made and referees’ chief Webb spoke to Liverpool after the match and offered an apology. It later emerged that England and Cook had taken charge of a match in the United Arab Emirates in midweek and had only made the six-hour return flight back to London the day before Liverpool’s match at Tottenham. Read More The Premier League now faces a credibility ‘crisis’ – and latest VAR farce is just the tip VAR officials who made Liverpool error not selected amid ongoing controversy Jamie Carragher believes VAR at ‘crisis point’ in Premier League VAR officials who made Liverpool error not selected amid ongoing controversy Liverpool request VAR audio of match-altering Luis Diaz goal decision Arsenal renew Pedro Neto interest but face competition from two Premier League rivals

The Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim still wants to buy Manchester United outright after Sir Jim Ratcliffe considered altering his bid to take a minority stake in the club. United have been up for sale since last November when the owners, the Glazer family, announced a strategic review. Sheikh Jassim, a banker, and the British petrochemicals billionaire Ratcliffe, through his company Ineos, have emerged as the two most persistent bidders, submitting offers that have valued the club at around £5bn. The Glazers are thought to want more. Ratcliffe, a lifelong United supporter, had proposed buying a majority stake in a deal which would have left the Glazers with a stake in the club their late father, Malcolm, acquired in a leveraged buyout in 2005. Two of the six Glazer siblings – Joel and Avram – are thought to be particularly keen not to sell up completely. However, Ratcliffe has contemplated a new proposal which could entail him taking about 25 percent of United and which would leave the Glazers in control. In contrast, Sheikh Jassim has maintained he wants to acquire all the shares in the club. Supporters have protested about the Glazers on multiple occasions and have regularly chorused for them to go this season. Read More Is Manchester United vs Galatasaray on TV? Channel, start time and how to watch Champions League Raphael Varane reveals formula for Manchester United to claim Champions League glory Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly considering minority stake bid for Manchester United

Manchester United will hope to get back on track in the Champions League as they host Galatasaray in their second Group A fixture. Erik ten Hag’s side were beaten by Bayern Munich in the opening fixture of their European campaign despite scoring twice late on in a hectic end to a 4-3 defeat in Germany. The club’s stuttering start to the Premier League season has since continued with an unconvincing win over Burnley followed by a narrow home defeat to Crystal Palace. Galatasaray, conversely, are yet to lose in the league this season and took a point from their Group A opener against FC Copenhagen. Here’s everything you need to know. Get all the latest football betting sites offers here. When is Manchester United vs Galatasaray? Manchester United vs Galatasaray is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Tuesday 3 October at Old Trafford in Manchester. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage on the channel from 7pm BST. Subscribers can also stream the action via discovery+. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Team news Manchester United continue to deal with significant injury problems, particularly defensively, where Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Tyrell Malacia remain absent. Sergio Reguilon could continue to be sidelined, too, which may force Erik ten Hag to continue to use Sofyan Ambrabat at left back. Antony has returned to training after allegations of domestic abuse and may yet be included in the squad. Galatasaray’s primary injury doubt is Hakim Ziyech, who has been struggling and training alone after picking up a knock. That could well mean a start for Wilfried Zaha against his former club - the winger scored in the weekend win over Ankaragucu. Left-sided player Kazimcan Karatas is injured. Predicted line-ups Manchester United XI: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Amrabat; Mount, Casemiro, Fernandes; Rashford, Hojlund, Garnacho. Galatasaray XI: Muslera; Boey, Sanchez, Bardakci, Angelino; Torreira, Demirbay; Zaha, Mertens, Akturkoglu; Icardi. Odds Manchester United win 4/9 Draw 7/2 Galatasaray win 6/1 Get the latest football odds here. Prediction Manchester United secure a much needed win. Manchester United 2-1 Galatasaray Read More Marcus Rashford’s form has become the latest symptom of Manchester United’s struggles David Beckham reveals pain of World Cup red card: ‘I was a mess’ ‘No excuse’ for Man United to lose at home to Crystal Palace, says Erik ten Hag Consistency the key for Vincent Kompany as he bids to lift Burnley Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly considering minority stake bid for Manchester United Raphael Varane reveals formula for Manchester United to claim Champions League glory

Arsenal travel to France to take on Lens in their second Champions League Group B fixture. Mikel Arteta’s side got their European campaign up and running with a convincing home win against PSV Eindhoven in matchweek one, and will hope to take another big step towards the knockout rounds. Lens, making their return to the competition after 20 years away, secured a solid point in Seville in their first fixture, though have endured a difficult start to the new Ligue 1 season. Last year’s runners-up have already lost four times and sit only a point above the relegation places in the French top tier, though back-to-back wins have been a significant boost. Here’s everything you need to know. Get all the latest football betting sites offers here. When is Lens vs Arsenal? Lens vs Arsenal is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Tuesday 3 October at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage on the channel from 7pm BST. Subscribers can also stream the action via discovery+. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Team news Massadio Haidara has not featured for Lens since suffering a thigh injury in the Champions League opener against Sevilla, joining David Costa (shoulder), Jimmy Cabot and Wuilker Farinez (both ACL) on the sidelines. Mikel Arteta will be fretting over the fitness of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, who sustained knocks late on in the win over Bournemouth. Saka trained on Monday but may not be risked with a clash with Manchester City to come at the weekend. Thomas Partey has also been back on the grass as he nears a comeback from his own injury issue, but Gabriel Martinelli (hamstring) would again appear unlikely to feature. Predicted line-ups Lens XI: Samba; Gradit, Danso, Medina; Frankowski, Samed, Mendy, Machado; Fulgini, Sotoca; Wahi. Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Jesus Odds Lens win 9/2 Draw 16/5 Arsenal win 4/7 Get the latest football odds here. Prediction Arsenal secure a strong away win. Lens 1-3 Arsenal. Read More Every VAR apology so far: From Liverpool offside to Man City handball Mikel Arteta delighted to see Arsenal’s ‘human qualities’ after Kai Havertz goal It is the food – Mikel Arteta suggests reason behind string of Basque coaches Arsenal renew Pedro Neto interest but face competition from two Premier League rivals Arsenal suffer travel delays ahead of Champions League tie in Lens Football rumours: Juventus seeking new long-term deal for Adrien Rabiot

The top fantasy football waiver wire options for Week 5.

Liverpool will be sent the audio from Saturday’s offside controversy at Tottenham first before it is released publicly, the PA news agency understands. The club are understood to have requested the audio related to the “significant human error” which led to Luis Diaz’s goal against Spurs being disallowed, having released a statement on Sunday saying they would explore their options given the “clear need for escalation and resolution”. PA understands the goal was not given due to a miscommunication between VAR Darren England and the on-field referee Simon Hooper. Professional Game Match Officials Limited is understood to have always been keen to release the audio in a bid to provide transparency, and that first and foremost it must go to Liverpool. The organisation has not ruled out either airing the audio in the next ‘Match Officials: Mic’d Up’ programme which is scheduled for Monday next week, or possibly sooner than that. England and his assistant VAR, Daniel Cook, have not been included among the officials for duty in the coming weekend’s Premier League fixtures. The pair had already been replaced for the remainder of their Matchweek Seven duties – England was due to be fourth official at Nottingham Forest v Brentford on Sunday, with Cook scheduled to be assistant referee for Monday’s Fulham-Chelsea clash. PGMOL is currently conducting a review of Saturday’s incident. Hooper and his assistants had given offside against Diaz on the field, and the PA news agency understands that although England followed the correct procedure in drawing lines, he lost focus and mistakenly thought the initial on-field decision had been onside. This resulted in him issuing a ‘check complete’ notice to Hooper, rather than advising of an intervention and the goal being awarded. Once the officials realised an error had been made, play had restarted and VAR protocols state that once that has happened, there is no way back to revisit a decision. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live