List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

What the papers say Manchester City are looking to fend off Real Madrid to keep hold of striker Erling Haaland, according to The Daily Telegraph. The double winners – who aim to complete the treble in Saturday’s Champions League final – are hoping the 22-year-old Norwegian signs a new deal. City’s rivals Manchester United believe landing Tottenham striker Harry Kane is “unlikely”, says The Daily Telegraph. But they are on the brink of a £50million offer to Chelsea for midfielder Mason Mount. Chelsea, meanwhile, have edged ahead of Paris St Germain in the pursuit of midfielder Manuel Ugarte from Sporting. The Daily Mirror says the proposed deal for the 22-year-old Uruguayan would include buying a minority stake in the Portuguese club. Crystal Palace have offered Wilfried Zaha, 30, a fresh contract but they face competition from Al Sadd for the forward, according to The Sun. The deal is worth around £150,000 a week, which falls short of the offer from the Qatari side. Social media round-up Players to watch Habib Diallo: West Ham and Burnley are keen on the 27-year-old Senegal striker from Strasbourg. Jack Butland: The former England goalkeeper, 30, is wanted by Rangers after Crystal Palace opted not to extend his contract following a loan spell at Manchester United. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Kirby Smart is developing quite the coaching tree not even a full decade into his run of dominance at Georgia.Kirby Smart may be an outstanding head coach, but you cannot deny the great support he has had from his staff while leading Georgia.The long-time Nick Saban assistant left Alabama fo...

Ross County came from three goals down against Partick Thistle to dramatically retain their Scottish Premiership status with a sudden-death penalty shoot-out victory following an epic play-off final. Aidan Fitzpatrick put Thistle three ahead on aggregate two minutes before half-time in the second leg in Dingwall and they were in control until the 71st minute when Yan Dhanda’s penalty and Simon Murray’s close-range finish turned the game on its head inside 80 seconds. County completed their comeback just after the 90-minute mark when George Harmon netted to send the game into extra time. There were chances and VAR controversy throughout and the penalty shoot-out was just as dramatic as the game before Josh Sims finally settled matters three hours after kick-off to seal a 5-4 shoot-out victory. Malky Mackay’s side extended their four-year stay in the top flight while Thistle, who went down through the play-offs in 2018 and have been to League One and back to the Championship since, will eventually find encouragement from their form under Kris Doolan once their shock subsides. It was only a second defeat in 19 games under their manager, who suffered the loss of his father during a play-off campaign which saw Thistle win five matches and score 19 goals. County made four changes, two of them enforced through suspension, as Ben Purrington came in for his first start since suffering a serious ankle injury in October. Doolan named the same team for a fifth game in a row. County’s only real first-half pressure came courtesy of Thistle goalkeeper David Mitchell failing to deal with two high balls, Purrington seeing a header cleared off the line after the second blunder. The home side survived a lengthy VAR review after Greg Aitken called referee Nick Walsh to his monitor after Ross Docherty went down under Nohan Kenneh’s challenge as he ran into the box. Walsh had a long look while County boss Mackay told him “it’s a dive”, and the referee decided against awarding the penalty despite definite contact. The visitors soon took the lead after Tiffoney reacted quickest to a loose ball and drove it across the box. Fitzpatrick took a touch as David Cancola dived in, and the Thistle wide man reversed a finish past Ross Laidlaw. The noisy visiting fans chanted “Thistle are back” and Alex Samuel missed an excellent chance to give the home support hope just after the break following a slip in the Jags defence. Mitchell made a good stop and a grounded Aaron Muirhead completed the clearance. Thistle looked comfortable and Connor Randall cleared off the line from Steven Lawless as they looked to put the game out of sight. But the complexion of the tie was transformed with 19 minutes of the 90 remaining when Aitken alerted Walsh to the ball hitting Graham’s arm in the Thistle box and Dhanda converted the resulting spot-kick. Thistle then conceded a throw-in from the restart and Samuel capitalised on some hesitation from Darren Brownlie and drove in a cross which substitute Murray converted. Jordan White and Brian Graham missed chances at either end before more VAR drama when County captain Keith Watson was shown a straight red card for hacking down Tiffoney from behind as the forward was about to thread a team-mate through. Walsh downgraded to a yellow after being called to the monitor. The fourth official signalled for nine minutes of stoppage time just as Dhanda crossed for substitute Harmon to volley in off the post to make it 3-3 on aggregate. A VAR check for offside prolonged the tension. There were further opportunities at either end and Murray missed a glorious chance with the last kick of normal time when he volleyed over from seven yards. Samuel headed against the bar but Thistle had the better of extra time and Stuart Bannigan blazed over the best chance after being set up by Graham inside the six-yard box. The shoot-out was just as tense. Kevin Holt and Jack Baldwin saw penalties saved for either team before Harmon’s pressure kick took it into sudden death. Bannigan hit the post before Watson blazed over, and Laidlaw saved from Docherty before Sims netted to spark a pitch invasion from the home fans. Read More 5 things we learned from the final round of Scottish Premiership action How Ange Postecoglou restored Celtic’s dominance and became Tottenham’s first choice Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs – Scotland’s five European qualifiers

More competition is coming to Texas for Arch Manning in the form of the Longhorns' newest four-star commit, KJ Lacey.With KJ Lacey committing to Texas on Saturday, here comes another promising quarterback Arch Manning may have to compete with in Austin.Lacey is a four-star quarterback i...

The Football Association has condemned the actions of a fan at Wembley who wore a jersey referencing the Hillsborough disaster. The Metropolitan Police Events Twitter account retweeted a picture on Saturday of a man wearing a Manchester United shirt that had the number 97 on the back and the words “Not Enough”. Wembley was hosting the FA Cup final where Manchester City beat their rivals Manchester United. Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and taken into custody. On Sunday, the FA said in a statement: “The FA strongly condemns the actions of the individual who wore a shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster ahead of the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. “We saw a photograph of the offensive shirt on social media and immediately started working to identify the perpetrator. “Our security team were able to quickly locate the individual based on the image, and we welcome the swift action which was then taken by the police. “We will not tolerate abuse relating to Hillsborough or any football tragedy at Wembley Stadium and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure strong action is taken against perpetrators.” Sharing a tweet which featured a photo of the man wearing the jersey, the Met’s events Twitter account said on Saturday: “We are aware of this and have worked proactively with officials at @wembleystadium to identify the individual. “He has been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and taken into custody.” Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15, 1989. They were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors, an inquest jury ruled in 2016. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Josh Hazlewood set to be fit for Ashes despite missing Test Championship final You can tell everybody we have won the FA Cup – Man City players meet Elton John Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs – Scotland’s five European qualifiers

A man has been charged after he was seen wearing a football shirt at Wembley which appeared to make an offensive reference to the Hillsborough disaster. James White, 33, of Warwickshire, was charged on Sunday with displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, Scotland Yard said. The Metropolitan Police Events Twitter account retweeted a picture on Saturday of a man wearing a Manchester United shirt that had the number 97 on the back and the words “Not Enough”. Wembley was hosting the FA Cup final, where Manchester City beat local rivals Manchester United 2-1. The Met said White was arrested “after being seen wearing a shirt which appeared to refer in offensive terms to those who died in the Hillsborough tragedy”. He was bailed to appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on June 19. Meanwhile, police said a further 22 people were arrested during the course of the policing operation for offences including assault, affray, possession of drugs, and drunk and disorderly behaviour. Inquiries continue in respect of an item thrown on to the pitch shortly after the Manchester United goal, and there has been no arrest at this stage in relation to that matter. On Sunday, the FA said in a statement: “The FA strongly condemns the actions of the individual who wore a shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster ahead of the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. “We saw a photograph of the offensive shirt on social media and immediately started working to identify the perpetrator. “Our security team were able to quickly locate the individual based on the image, and we welcome the swift action which was then taken by the police. “We will not tolerate abuse relating to Hillsborough or any football tragedy at Wembley Stadium and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure strong action is taken against perpetrators.” Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15, 1989. An inquest jury ruled in 2016 that they were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors.

The Football Association has condemned the actions of a fan at Wembley who wore a jersey referencing the Hillsborough disaster. The Metropolitan Police Events Twitter account retweeted a picture on Saturday of a man wearing a Manchester United shirt that had the number 97 on the back and the words “Not Enough”. Wembley was hosting the FA Cup final where Manchester City beat their rivals Manchester United. Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and taken into custody. On Sunday, the FA said in a statement: “The FA strongly condemns the actions of the individual who wore a shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster ahead of the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. “We saw a photograph of the offensive shirt on social media and immediately started working to identify the perpetrator. “Our security team were able to quickly locate the individual based on the image, and we welcome the swift action which was then taken by the police. “We will not tolerate abuse relating to Hillsborough or any football tragedy at Wembley Stadium and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure strong action is taken against perpetrators.” Sharing a tweet which featured a photo of the man wearing the jersey, the Met’s events Twitter account said on Saturday: “We are aware of this and have worked proactively with officials at @wembleystadium to identify the individual. “He has been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and taken into custody.” Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15, 1989. They were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors, an inquest jury ruled in 2016.

Real Madrid have confirmed that their most-decorated player, Karim Benzema, is to leave the club after 14 years, as reported by The Independent earlier this week. France striker Benzema, 35, won 25 trophies during his time in Madrid and scored 353 goals in 647 appearances to become Real’s second all-time top scorer after Cristiano Ronaldo. “Real Madrid and our captain Karim Benzema have agreed to end his brilliant and unforgettable period as a player for our club,” read a club statement from the Spanish giants. “Real Madrid would like to show its gratitude and affection to a player who is already one of our greatest legends. “Karim Benzema’s career at Real Madrid has been a shining example of conduct and professionalism, and he has represented the values of our club. Karim Benzema has earned the right to decide his future. “Madridistas and all the fans around the world have enjoyed his magical and unique football, which has made him one of the great icons of our club and one of the great legends of world football. “Real Madrid is and will always be his home, and we wish him and all his family the best in this new stage of his life.” Benzema, the current Ballon d’Or and UEFA Player of the Year, joined Real from Lyon in July 2009 for a reported transfer fee of 35 million euros. He is fifth on the list of players with the most Real appearances and his trophy haul in Spain includes five Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups, four European Super Cups, four LaLiga titles, three Copas del Rey and four Spanish Super Cups. Benzema has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia side Al-Ittihad, as reported by The Independent. Real have confirmed they will hold “an institutional act of tribute and farewell” to Benzema in the Spanish capital on Tuesday in the presence of club president Florentino Perez. Read More Karim Benzema weighing up €100m offer to leave Real Madrid for Saudi Arabia Real Madrid at critical juncture after impotent and powerless Champions League exit Harry Kane taking inspiration from greats as he eyes another decade at top

Real Madrid are looking at a move for Harry Kane this summer, with Carlo Ancelotti and the club's football hierarchy having discussed the English striker as one of the few players who does not represent a downgrade on Karim Benzema. The club announced the departure of the French striker on Sunday morning, with Saudi Arabia his expected destination, but the lateness of his actual decision has caused a shift in their transfer plans for this summer. Madrid plan to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund for £130m, but were hoping to keep Benzema for one year before going big on either Erling Haaland or – much more likely – Kylian Mbappe. They are now insistent on a striker for this window, and have had several discussions over the last few days as Benzema's decision became clear. They do have money for a first lavish summer since 2019, having had very little net spend in the time since, and their financial isssues to be eased. Madrid have Benzema, Eden Hazard and Paris Saint Germain-bound Marco Asensio off the wage bill, with the expensive Bernabeu redevelopment also close to completion. That leaves a potential budget of over £200m, although it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to convince Tottenham Hotspur to sell or the player to join. While The Independent has been told that it has been made known to Madrid what wages Kane would want, there is still the belief that he wants to stay in England in order to break the Premier League goalscoring record. Spurs' position is weakened by the fact the 29-year-old now only has a year left on his contract but that has not changed Daniel Levy's hardline stance. The Spurs chairman absolutely will not countenance the sale of Kane to another Premier League club, and his preference is still to keep him for next season in the hope that a deal can still be agreed. Much will depend on the manager. At the same time, a sale to Madrid would at least represent a more palatable option. The Bernabeu hierarchy are hoping to play on this, even though they are acutely aware of how difficult it will be to negotiate with Levy. It is still expected the Spurs chairman would want as much as £200m, which would almost certainly exceed Madrid's budget. The club's policy is no longer to go after players above 29 due to a shift in order to compete with state-owned clubs but this is seen as an exceptional situation, due to the profile of forward required. It is also hoped it may not impinge on any new pursuit of Mbappe, as they hope to bring him in on a free and Kane could play with both the French striker and Vinicius Jr. Read More Karim Benzema confirms Real Madrid departure as he eyes big-money move Harry Kane sends message to Mauricio Pochettino after former boss joins Chelsea Premier League transfers: Mount and Kane linked with moves this summer

Real Madrid’s most decorated player Karim Benzema is to leave the club after 14 years. France striker Benzema, 35, won 25 trophies during his time in Madrid and scored 353 goals in 647 appearances to become Real’s second all-time top scorer after Cristiano Ronaldo. “Real Madrid and our captain Karim Benzema have agreed to end his brilliant and unforgettable period as a player for our club,” read a club statement from the Spanish giants. “Real Madrid would like to show its gratitude and affection to a player who is already one of our greatest legends. “Karim Benzema’s career at Real Madrid has been a shining example of conduct and professionalism, and he has represented the values of our club. Karim Benzema has earned the right to decide his future. “Madridistas and all the fans around the world have enjoyed his magical and unique football, which has made him one of the great icons of our club and one of the great legends of world football. “Real Madrid is and will always be his home, and we wish him and all his family the best in this new stage of his life.” Benzema, the current Ballon d’Or and UEFA Player of the Year, joined Real from Lyon in July 2009 for a reported transfer fee of 35 million euros. He is fifth on the list of players with the most Real appearances and his trophy haul in Spain includes five Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups, four European Super Cups, four LaLiga titles, three Copas del Rey and four Spanish Super Cups. Benzema has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad. Real have confirmed they will hold “an institutional act of tribute and farewell” to Benzema in the Spanish capital on Tuesday in the presence of club president Florentino Perez. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Manchester City were greeted by singer Elton John as they touched down at Manchester Airport on their return from winning the FA Cup at Wembley. The club posted videos of the squad posing for pictures with the 76-year-old on the tarmac as they disembarked from their plane late on Saturday. Pep Guardiola said in advance of the final, which City won 2-1 against Manchester United to secure the second leg of a possible treble, that he had attended John’s concert in the city last week as he sought to take his mind off a defining period in the club’s history. The club’s Twitter feed headed one of the videos “you can tell everybody we have won the FA Cup”, a reference to a line from the 1971 hit Your Song. City were victorious at Wembley thanks to a goal in either half from Ilkay Gundogan – his first the fastest in FA Cup final history – as they added the trophy to the Premier League title they won in May. They face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday seeking to become only the second English club after Manchester United to have won all three major trophies in a single season. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Two down, one to go. Perhaps it is a sign of the FA Cup’s diminishing status that it seems the least of the trio, perhaps a sign of its historic importance that Pep Guardiola sounded genuinely delighted to win it. “The emotions are so, so special,” he said. For the record, and it can be obscured by much else on a sizeable CV, he is now the only manager to win each of the main English, Spanish and German knockout competitions two times. There was a time when it represented arguably the biggest prize in the domestic game, another when the double was the ultimate achievement. Only four clubs did it in 97 years. In the last 38, nine have: over three decades, more than a quarter of champions have also ended the season with the FA Cup. It is a sign of how a concentration of resources at the top have altered the footballing landscape. Manchester City are an extreme case, even if the man who proved their Wembley match-winner, Ilkay Gundogan, was a £16m bargain. But if the 2023 FA Cup will have a greater significance than most, it is probably for two reasons. This was, in more than 150 years, the first final to double up as a Manchester derby. It may not be the last if City maintain their dominance and Erik ten Hag’s revival of Manchester United proves more than a fleeting affair. Both of these neighbours had arguably underachieved in the competition in the previous decade, even though each had won it once; they had claimed eight League Cups between them in the same time. And there is the importance of the FA Cup as part of a package, as one-third of a potential treble. If City’s legacy and reputation rests in part in the hands of the lawyers, given the 115 charges of breaching Premier League financial regulations, on the field, it depends on the continent. “We have to win the Champions League to be recognised how the team deserves to be,” said Guardiola. The idea is nothing new: the different element is that he has started to admit it as the prospect has grown likelier. Many a City fan would rather win the Premier League than the Champions League but it always felt disingenuous when Guardiola used to argue he would, too. “You have to put the pressure on yourself to be recognised as something good, so you have to win in Europe,” he has now admitted. Europe seems the final frontier for this most European of sides. The most seismic FA Cup – on its own, anyway – in City’s history may forever remain the 2011 tournament that Yaya Toure decided in their favour; it opened the floodgates. Then, there was a novelty value. Now, the distinctions can feel statistical: Gundogan scored the quickest goal in FA Cup final history after a mere 13 seconds. It took a contentious penalty to stop them becoming the first team since 1903 to win the competition without conceding. Their eventual goal difference was 19-1. Riyad Mahrez had delivered the first semi-final hat-trick since Alex Dawson’s in 1958. The fact the Algerian’s treble came against Sheffield United was both indicative and deceptive. “Many times we arrive in the semi-finals,” said Guardiola; they can be their undoing, the proximity of Champions League knockout ties tending to stop them flourishing on all fronts. Yet City finish this season’s competition having knocked out the teams who came second and third in the Premier League and, including Chelsea, three of the supposedly big six. They have beaten five of next season’s top flight even if two of them, Burnley and Sheffield United, had a rather greater focus on promotion. There are signs of how the FA Cup is secured this season. Erling Haaland has scored 52 goals this term but has only found the net in one FA Cup match, even if it did bring him a hat-trick against Burnley. Neither Mahrez, their top scorer in this season’s competition, nor Julian Alvarez, who was tied for second, actually took part in the final. Phil Foden, another of those to get three goals, was limited to a cameo. City’s squad is not as large as is often imagined but they have quality in such depth that their first 18 or so players are outstanding; United could reflect that theirs are perhaps not when they brought Wout Weghorst off the bench. The man who played most minutes in City’s FA Cup campaign was, indirectly, the instigator of that record-breaking goal, Stefan Ortega, whose punt forward led to Gundogan’s wondrous strike. In his own way, the second-choice goalkeeper is a reason for glory, and not merely with his collection of clean sheets. Guardiola’s willingness to pick his reserve goalkeeper has cost him in previous seasons, with Zack Steffen culpable in successive semi-final defeats. Ortega has proved an upgrade, just as City showed defensive resolve when United threatened an equaliser. But it will be Ederson who faces Internazionale, charged with completing the treble, to get the prize City want more than the FA Cup and the recognition that has eluded them Read More Man City’s FA Cup victory provides no clues on how to stop them Ilkay Gundogan, Man City’s master of timing, sets up chance for perfect goodbye Pep Guardiola urges Man City to cement greatness by winning Champions League Elton John joins Manchester City’s FA Cup celebrations Man City vs Man Utd player ratings as Ilkay Gundogan wins FA Cup final Man City’s FA Cup victory provides no clues on how to stop them