List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

A petition to force Nike to make the kit of England goalkeeper Mary Earps available for public purchase during the Women’s World Cup has reached almost 35,000 signatures. England’s home and away replica kits are available for fans to buy but the Lionesses goalkeeper jerseys have not been put up for sale by clothing giant Nike – the team’s kit supplier. This is despite Earps being a genuine superstar of world football and arguably the best goalkeeper in the world – having been the Lionesses’s shot-stopper when they won the Euros last summer and being named Fifa’s Best Women’s Goalkeeper for 2022. The 30-year-old has been instrumental in England reaching the quarter-finals of the ongoing World Cup, making a number of crucial saves during both the 120 minutes of normal play and the penalty shootout in the nervy last-16 win over Nigeria on Monday. In fact, in the four games played by Sarina Wiegman’s side in the tournament so far, she has conceded just one goal – a consolation effort in the 6-1 group-stage thumping on China. England men’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s shirt was available to buy during last year’s men’s World Cup, and Earps’s shirt for club side Manchester United sold well this past season, leading 16-year-old Emmy Somauroo from Northamptonshire to set up a petition demanding Nike produce a replica of the Lioness’s No 1 jersey. The petition on change.org, which has now reached more than 34,000 signatures, expresses the frustration at Nike’s decision: “We need to unite, and demand this decision is overturned. “We need to show togetherness and support Mary and ask Nike to rethink their decision. Let’s make them see just how important our female goalkeepers are. How respected they are and how many young girls aspire to join them in the future. “Any type of exclusion is unacceptable in this day and age and we need to show we will not stand for it. Mary and all female goalkeepers, we love and respect you. You are inspirational and we are behind you.” ITV Anglia also spoke to another young woman supporting the cause, 17-year-old Millie Winslett, from Clacton in Essex, who has written to the sportswear giant to ask the company to think again. “I heard that Nike had completely refused to produce the shirt,” she said. “And I thought I know that I’d like it. My sister would like it. And I was thinking, surely something can be done about it. They can’t just outright refuse to do it.” The letter stated that “every child deserves the right to feel represented by their favourite player, a player that resembles them.” She goes on to say that “you are a multi-billion pound company, even if you only sold one shirt, it would allow for one little girl to feel seen, and that is 100% worth it. We are meant to be moving forwards, not backwards.” Earps was initially alerted to the situation when England captain Millie Bright told her she wanted to buy her kit for her niece, only to find it wasn’t available for purchase. “I can’t really sugar-coat this in any way, so I am not going to try,” Earps told reporters ahead of England’s opening World Cup game against Haiti. “It is hugely disappointing and very hurtful. “My shirt on the Manchester United website was sold out last season. It was the third-best-selling shirt, so who says it is not selling?” “It is the young kids I am most concerned about. They are going to say, ‘Mum, Dad, can I have a Mary Earps shirt?’ and they say, ‘I can’t, but I can get you an Alessia Russo 23 or a Rachel Daly 9.’ “What you are saying is that goalkeeping isn’t important, but you can be a striker if you want.” Popstar Mel B has also since waded into the row, calling Nike’s decision not to stock the shirt “disgusting”. Read More Mel B supports Mary Earps over ‘disgusting’ World Cup kit controversy Mary Earps is an England superstar – even if fans can’t buy her shirt England goalkeeper Mary Earps hits out at Nike for refusing to sell her shirt Reaction as England reach World Cup quarter-finals – Monday’s sporting social Mary Earps: The England goalkeeper and world’s best in profile Mary Earps insists fearless England ready to avoid World Cup banana skin

What the papers say Harry Kane has reportedly placed a time limit on any potential move to Bayern Munich. According to the Telegraph, the Tottenham Hotspur forward will abandon his pursuit of a transfer if no deal is agreed by the end of this week, with the German club believed to be preparing one final offer for the 30-year-old England captain. The Times says Bernardo Silva is close to agreeing terms on a contract extension with Manchester City. However, citing Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, the paper reports the 28-year-old Portugal midfielder is prepared to wait a few days before signing in order to leave a window open for a potential Barcelona approach. Liverpool are believed to be considering their options after a third bid for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia was rejected. According to the Liverpool Echo, the Reds view the 19-year-old as a long-term replacement for Fabinho, but Saints will not part with him for anything less than £50m. And the Guardian reports West Ham have signed Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez in a £32m deal. Social media round-up Players to watch Neymar: The Brazil forward has informed Paris St Germain he wants to return to Barcelona, according to L’Equipe. Jorginho: The Times says the Italy midfielder could leave Arsenal for Turkish club Fenerbahce. Read More Harry Kane’s Tottenham future hangs in balance as Bayern Munich set for final talks Tottenham respond to latest Bayern Munich bid for Harry Kane Dejan Kulusevski vows to ‘do everything’ to keep Harry Kane at Tottenham

Pep Guardiola has emulated Sir Alex Ferguson in several ways. Usually, however, that tends to be something to savour. As Manchester City’s most decorated manager became the first coach to lose three consecutive Community Shields since his Manchester United counterpart, he could have taken solace in the bigger picture. Call it the curse of the Community Shield, perhaps, but then, as now, its winners rarely went on to taste Premier League glory. Only one of the previous 12 victors – albeit City themselves in 2018 – have been able to call themselves champions of England 10 months later. Arsenal won the Community Shield in 2020 and only finished eighth that season. Three years on, they were happy to ignore history. The celebrations suggested it was more than just a pre-season trinket to them. “This is what I visioned when I joined,” said Declan Rice and although Arsenal hope their £105m recruit actually imagined something more glorious, the previous time they made a midfielder the most expensive Englishman of all time, Alan Ball won nothing in their colours. Rice had no trophies to show for the first 244 games of his club career: he has two in two now, even if the Europa Conference League and the Community Shield are not the most prestigious prizes in football. The broader question – and a perennial one at this stage – is whether the Community Shield is a marker for the campaign. Arsenal got a first glimpse of what £200m bought them. Rice was disciplined and diligent in midfield but an unspectacular outing may be a deceptive debut: for the majority of matches, he is likely to be a lone defensive midfielder, rather than dovetailing with Thomas Partey, in a team who seem primed to exchange attacking ambition for more mettle. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz was bought to operate in midfield and instead deputised for the injured Gabriel Jesus in attack. Arteta branded the £65m man “superb” but it felt a microcosm of the Chelsea Havertz: intelligent movement, eager pressing, ineffectual finishing. There is a case for saying that Havertz performed too accurate an impression of Jesus: Arsenal prospered last season by sharing the goals around, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard all getting either 14 or 15 in the Premier League. Leandro Trossard provided their Community Shield equaliser, even if it required a huge deflection. Whether Arsenal can afford profligacy in attack, or from Havertz, remains to be seen but the reinvention of the German in midfield may yet be the gamble that shapes Arsenal’s season, one way or another. Jurrien Timber’s bow may have been the most auspicious: quietly assured, the versatile Dutchman slotted in at left-back, though it is perhaps only his third-best position; Kieran Tierney, seemingly on his way out, fared less well when he replaced the Dutchman and Cole Palmer scored. That Arteta bought Timber and is bidding for David Raya is a sign he is willing to create a threat to those who had seemed entrenched in his team. Ben White could be dislodged by Timber, Aaron Ramsdale by Raya. The goalkeeper’s match-winning display showed he had produced the right response and suggested competition could be healthy. Ramsdale’s rhetoric was instructive, too. He argued a mental block against City, forged in three years of defeats, was lifted. That City had returned to training two weeks later than Arsenal and removed Erling Haaland at 0-0 offered the impression that victory meant less to them; the result will nevertheless assume an added importance if it helps shift the balance of power in the Arteta-Guardiola rivalry. A clearer indication may arrive when they meet in October. Perhaps then Arsenal will borrow from their Wembley gameplan, reuniting two defensive midfielders, fielding a back four who – unlike when Oleksandr Zinchenko twice faced City last season – are all specialist defenders, playing deeper to limit space both behind and in front of their rearguard. If last season’s Arsenal was about idealism and excitement, the surprise surge of a youthful team, perhaps this season’s side are charged with showing more physicality, solidity and nous against City, borrowing from a greater strength in depth to alter their style of play. Such wins can feel signs of progress, staging posts on the route to something greater. Arsenal beat Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea last season, taking 19 points from a possible 24 against them, but not City. But such occasions can also be a false dawn. After their triumph in the 2020 Community Shield, they won their first two league games, but only two of the next 12. They sank as low as 15th. A repeat feels implausible. But more than most, Arsenal know it is hard to judge precisely what winning the Community Shield signifies. Read More Kevin De Bruyne ‘way ahead’ of schedule on return from hamstring injury Kevin De Bruyne says new approach to added time ‘doesn’t make any sense’ Cole Palmer shows he can replace Riyad Mahrez — and become Man City’s missing piece Aaron Ramsdale makes his case to remain first choice – as Arsenal make their own one for major trophies

What the papers say Harry Kane has reportedly placed a time limit on any potential move to Bayern Munich. According to the Telegraph, the Tottenham forward will abandon his pursuit of a transfer if no deal is agreed by the end of this week, with the German club believed to be preparing one final offer for the 30-year-old England captain. The Times says Bernardo Silva is close to agreeing terms on a contract extension with Manchester City. However, citing Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, the paper reports the 28-year-old Portugal midfielder is prepared to wait a few days before signing in order to leave a window open for a potential Barcelona approach. Liverpool are believed to be considering their options after a third bid for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia was rejected. According to the Liverpool Echo, the Reds view the 19-year-old as a long-term replacement for Fabinho, but Saints will not part with him for anything less than £50m. And the Guardian reports West Ham have signed Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez in a £32m deal. Social media round-up Players to watch Neymar: The Brazil forward has informed Paris St Germain he wants to return to Barcelona, according to L’Equipe. Jorginho: The Times says the Italy midfielder could leave Arsenal for Turkish club Fenerbahce. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

England defender Lucy Bronze revealed she made a post-match beeline to console “upset” Lauren James after the forward was shown what could be a World Cup-ending red card in the Lionesses’ nervy last 16 victory over Nigeria. James will miss at least her side’s quarter-final clash with either Colombia or Jamaica after she was sent off late in Monday night’s knockout match in Brisbane for deliberately stepping on the back of Nigeria defender Michelle Alozie. Bronze was one of the 10 Lionesses who doggedly defended their way through 30 minutes of extra time in the goalless draw before Bethany England, Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood and Chloe Kelly wrapped up the 4-2 win on penalties. Bronze said: “Obviously she’s going to be disappointed in herself. I went straight off the pitch after the game to make sure she was OK. “Obviously she was a little bit upset and rightfully so and more than anything she just feels bad for the team. I said to her, ‘We’ve made it through. It’s a team, it’s not just one player.'” James’ World Cup fate will now be decided by FIFA’s disciplinary committee, who could extend her ban to three matches, which would see her miss the rest of the tournament even if the Lionesses reach a first-ever final. The first red card of the competition was shown in the group stage to Nigeria’s Deborah Abiodun for her tackle on Canada’s Ashley Lawrence, who will join James at Chelsea after signing a three-year deal with the Blues on 1 July. Abiodun’s punishment was extended to three matches after she served the first game, so the same outcome for James, who boss Sarina Wiegman said “lost her emotions” in the incident, is a real possibility. Bronze and Greenwood are the only two Lionesses to have featured in the past three World Cups, while this is the 21-year-old Chelsea forward’s first. James is the younger sister of Chelsea and England defender Reece James and said before the tournament that she hoped to use the World Cup to carve out an identity separate from her sibling, whose name is regularly mentioned in tandem with hers but rarely, if ever, vice versa. She had begun to do so in stunning style before she was sent off in the 87th minute of Monday night’s match-up, scoring the only goal in England’s 1-0 group stage victory over Denmark before netting two and picking up three assists in the Lionesses’ 6-1 win over China, in the process becoming the only England player of either gender to contribute to five goals in a single World Cup contest. Bronze said: “Although LJ is the youngest in the team, she’s had to mature from a young age because she’s been thrown into the spotlight, whether that’s to do with her brother and her family, or that she’s a fantastic player on her own. “In the last game, everyone put the spotlight on her. She deals with it very, very well. She likes hanging around with the older players, myself, Jordan (Nobbs), Alex Greenwood, we are the three that she comes to asking for advice. “LJ didn’t start the first game, she didn’t feature at all during the Euros. “She’s a massively talented player. We all know that and obviously we’re very disappointed to lose a player of her calibre going into the next game. No one’s going to be more disappointed than LJ. It’s important to support her.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: Harry Kane imposes deadline on move away from Spurs Billy Vunipola nearing comeback after being named in England’s World Cup squad Leigh wing Tom Briscoe hoping to hurt Hull KR in Challenge Cup final again

Nigeria forward Ifeoma Onumonu criticised a lack of support from the country’s football federation after the Super Falcons were knocked out of the Women’s World Cup by England on penalties, revealing that players sometimes have to share beds at their training base back home due to insufficient resources. Nigeria were eliminated from the World Cup after a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat to the Lionesses but were the better team in large spells against the European champions, who held on to a goalless draw following Lauren James’ red card late in normal time. Nigeria’s build-up to the World Cup was disrupted by a pay dispute, with the team’s American manager Randy Waldrum revealing before the tournament that some players had not been paid in two years by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Onumonu went further after the defeat to the Lionesses and said that although Nigeria could take pride from competing against one of the best teams in the world, the Super Falcons were being held back by a lack of resources compared to their European counterparts. “I’ve seen what England have access to,” Onumonu said, as reported by the Guardian. “In Nigeria we don’t have access to much. Our training fields aren’t great. Where we sleep isn’t great. Sometimes we share beds. It’s not good enough. In terms of recovery, we don’t have much of any of that. We don’t have access to a gym in camp in Nigeria. “There’s a lot that needs to be done. Hopefully more people start to talk about it. Coming here it’s hard to adjust. We do what we can because we love playing for our country but hopefully they make it easier for us to do our best. “[Back home] the [pitches] aren’t great. The grass is rocky, bumps everywhere. The stadium we play on for qualifying… you’d be surprised, I was surprised. You don’t even know where the ball is going to jump at you. “Our under‑20s went far in their World Cup and when they were sent home they were sleeping in airports for 24 hours. That’s not acceptable. What we have to fight for is bigger for us.” The Women’s World Cup has been defined by shocks and countries such as Nigeria, Jamaica and South Africa have upset the odds to surprise teams who are backed by far bigger budgets. It has drawn attention to the lack of funding that teams have had to overcome, with Jamaica reaching the last-16 after having to rely on crowd-funding campaigns to make to travel to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, while South Africa’s players only called off a strike after a billionaire made a donation to support the team. “We’re on the rise and it’s growing,” Onumonu said. “A lot of people don’t watch as much as they do in Europe and so underestimate who we are, what we are capable of. No one believed in us and now a lot of people are. “Other teams are catching up and growing, including us. There’s no longer going to be that one team that you are absolutely going to say they’re going to win. Every game will become a battle. Every game has become important. “As women start to play more internationals and at clubs, more and more teams are going to catch up. There’s a shift. A lot more are coming.” Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today England’s heroic penalty takers saved Lauren James from sporting ignominy The Sam Kerr mystery is over and Australia are World Cup contenders again Chloe Kelly: England’s woman for the biggest occasion strikes again A timeline of Donald Trump’s spat with Megan Rapinoe

Bayern Munich are staging meetings to decide whether to make one last bid for Harry Kane or wait for his contract to run, as their latest offer was understood to be still at least £10m short of what Tottenham would accept. The England striker wants his immediate future settled before the Premier League starts this weekend, which puts another element of time pressure on the deal. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy did nevertheless delay a response to Bayern on their third offer earlier this week, and the feeling is that he was unimpressed by the German club's attempts to force the situation by setting a deadline of last Friday. All parties are now effectively conditioned by Kane's own deadline, although Bayern themselves want any deal in place before this weekend's German Super Cup against Leipzig. The Bundesliga champions have four options available to them, all of which will be discussed over Tuesday. One is another bid, although it remains to be seen whether they would go high enough to match Levy's demands. The second is waiting until January, when they could well get Kane for a knock-down price, in a similar manner to Christian Eriksen's exit for Internazionale in January 2020. A third is negotiating a pre-contract once Bosman rules allow at that point. A fourth, currently being mooted, is acting on longstanding interest in Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani. Kane has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Tottenham, but ignored the noise around his future to score four goals in a 5-1 friendly win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday. Dejan Kulusevski set up Kane’s hat-trick strike and hailed the professionalism of his team-mate. “He scored four goals, so very good,” Kulusevski exclaimed. “Nah, he’s unbelievable. Honestly, his mentality, I can learn from him like everybody. He just goes out and performs day in day out. “He’s a true professional. I’m happy I helped him score today but of course we want him to stay and we’ll do everything to make him stay.” Read More Tottenham respond to latest Bayern Munich bid for Harry Kane Ange Postecoglou aims ‘deadline’ dig at Bayern Munich over Harry Kane transfer saga Gary Lineker worried about Tottenham’s campaign with or without Harry Kane Tottenham respond to latest Bayern Munich bid for Harry Kane Dejan Kulusevski vows to ‘do everything’ to keep Harry Kane at Tottenham Postecoglou aims ‘deadline’ dig at Bayern over Kane transfer saga

The Pac-12 leftovers could reportedly be thrown a lifeline by the AAC of all conferences.While Cal, Oregon State, Stanford and Washington State are what is left of the dying Pac-12 conference, the AAC could be looking to swoop in and take advantage of the fortuitous situation.Eric Prisbell o...

College football realignment might end up seeing Stanford and Cal joining the ACC of all places.The latest wave of college football realignment has left us with only four Pac-12 schools: The academic Bay Area powers of Cal and Stanford, and the Pacific Northwest Step Brothers known as Oregon Sta...

Let's take a look at some of the biggest surprises with regard to the first Coaches Poll of the 2023 college football season.College football is right around the corner, which means we have some rankings to dissect, alright.The USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll was released on Monday. ...

With the Pac-12 being dealt two fatal blows by the Big Ten and Big 12, you better believe the dying league's bowl-game tie-ins have been greatly compromised as a result.While an expanded College Football Playoff will remove the Big Ten/Pac-12 tie-in to the Rose Bowl in 2024, the dying leagu...

West Ham have made an improved £30million bid for Manchester United and England centre-back Harry Maguire, the PA news agency understands. The Hammers have been linked with Maguire throughout the summer but a previous £20million offer was rejected. Maguire, 30, fell down the pecking order at Old Trafford last season and was recently replaced as captain by manager Erik ten Hag. United, however, have always maintained that Maguire remains an important member of their squad and would be happy for him to stay and fight for his place. Maguire, who joined United for £80million in 2019, faces competition from Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof for a spot in the side. West Ham, meanwhile, have also been linked with a move for Maguire’s United team-mate Scott McTominay. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live