List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is ready for the challenge a midfield overhaul will bring next season and is confident he and the team can rediscover the consistency which will allow them to close the gap to Manchester City. Midfield is the key area which needs a refresh this summer and, with the club confirming on Wednesday the departures of veteran James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – in addition to forward Roberto Firmino – there will be some new faces for the next campaign. Henderson will be 33 by then and entering his 13th season at the club but is relishing the competition which he may face, with Liverpool interested in Brighton’s Argentinian World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister as one of their options. “I don’t think it’s a rebuild to be honest. I do think there will be new players coming in. A rebuild is changing an entire team – which I don’t think we will be doing,” Henderson, speaking at NHS Charities Together event at a school in Crewe, told the PA news agency. “I think you have a lot of core players in the team that will still be there and are still in great shape to compete and be successful. “But yes, it will need freshening up of course with players leaving and trying to improve the team. “I am sure players will be coming in at some point to give us a boost and freshen things up a bit and hopefully put us in good position come the first game of the season.” On what that means for him personally he added: “It’s always a challenge, especially at Liverpool, there will always be challenges for places and to play games. “That’s the case ever since I came to the club. Come pre-season I’ll be ready for the challenge again. “Motivation never changes really, it is always about improving and being better, individually and as a team. “Always new challenges come along, different things will happen and you will have new challenges throughout the season. I am sure players will be coming in at some point to give us a boost and freshen things up a bit Jordan Henderson on potential summer signings “There is always a challenge in football to improve, to be better and that motivation always stayed the same to be successful. “I’m confident we can reach the levels we are capable of again, definitely. We have shown that over the past six or seven games and it’s about continuing on that path from now until the end of the season and (next season) pick up where we left off hopefully.” Henderson is an ambassador for NHS Charities Together and was at Springfield School in Crewe, which caters for four to 19-year-olds with a range of disabilities and learning difficulties, after they won a prize draw having been involved in the annual NHS Big Tea fundraiser, which this year takes place on the health service’s 75th anniversary on July 5. The England international, who spearheaded the PlayersTogether initiative which encouraged professional footballers to donate to the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic, has an affinity with the NHS after his father Brian was treated for mouth and throat cancer. “My dad probably wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for the NHS staff, he’d say that himself,” added Henderson. “I’ve got family members who work within the NHS and know how difficult it’s been, especially over the last few years with the pandemic. “I’ve been doing work at different hospitals up and down the country as well and it’s been amazing to see the behind-the-scenes stuff and get to see some of the staff.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: PSG weighing up new bid for Man City midfielder Bernardo Silva On this day 2016 – Liverpool lose to Sevilla in Europa League final Man City crush holders to book Champions League final return

Two games down, one point earned, two fixtures remaining. Sam Allardyce’s task at Leeds United was never going to be an easy one, and now looks harder still despite doing what he had hoped for prior to hosting Newcastle United on Saturday - namely getting some type of result. An eventual 2-2 draw only scratches the surface of a match of a madness, on the pitch and beside it. Three penalties, two scored; one fan, confronting Eddie Howe; deflected goals, missed chances, one comeback and then another. The build-up to the game had been faux-dominated by the touchline presence of Newcastle’s assistant, bizarrely; Jason Tindall might have made tongue-in-cheek headlines ahead of kick-off but this fixture was only ever likely to be about what Allardyce could get out of his players, instead. And, it’s fair to note, he got plenty out of them. Hard work, an energetic start, good organisation through the centre of the park, runners up in support of the forward: it’s likely Allardyce feels he saw enough of his own instructions carried out to have warranted a victory for his team. Except, there’s another side to Leeds. The reason they were fun to watch at first, and then a nightmare. The reason they are in the Premier League relegation zone with two left to play. They are a team of absolute madness, of chaos and ill-advised decisions, and it is this more than anything related to Newcastle’s own quality which meant the three points didn’t stay at Elland Road. Leeds have had three very different managers with very different approaches in the last couple of seasons, even before Allardyce’s appointment. His is a routine and obvious one: plug gaps in double-quick time. Make the team difficult to beat. Scrape points to survive; in other words, perform his firefighting routine but with even less room to manoeuvrethan usual. An easy job description, but a supremely difficult job. And that would be in the normal course of events. But this is Leeds. This is a team built on instinct and adventure, on emotion, on trying to learn new coaching and tactical instructions every few months this season. All of that combined has only added to the chaotic nature of the squad, which is already a mentally brittle one which lacks composure or control. How else to explain a match in which not losing is of paramount importance, yet a team still manages to give away two penalties, miss one of their own and receive a red card between them? That’s even without going into the minutae of the game. Weston McKennie could have conceded another spot-kick for an aerial barge. Junior Firpo could have been dismissed long before he actually was. Then there’s the off-pitch comments from the boss himself. It’s tough to know what the real gameplan here from Allardyce was, and whether or not it worked. Comparing himself to Pep Guardiola and the like was never likely to be more than a sideshow, and he says it worked as it relieved pressure from his players. So would they otherwise have been beaten by more goals in that match than they were? Allardyce didn’t match, or out-coach, Guardiola. His team didn’t earn a shock result as a consequence of being freed from scrutiny. And another game later, they’ve brought even more focus back on themselves as a result of further poor decision-making. Even so, it’s hard not to make a case that a step forward was still taken against Newcastle, not just because of the point earned, but because they started the match in positive fashion and ended it by earning a point they looked to have thrown away themselves. Getting more men ahead of the ball and into the area was a notable alteration. The use of McKennie further forward, the aggressive stepping out of defence when needed, the quick switches through midfield - these all benefited Leeds during the match. But the madness didn’t this time. The silly challenges, the unnecessary aggression in non-threatening positions, the wasted moments of panic in the final third - Leeds cannot afford them any longer. For Allardyce, a pragmatist with little rope right now, it might simply be a case of not having certain players in the team is the only way to fix it in the time he has. Some of this is already happening: Illan Meslier has been removed from the side. Firpo will now be forced to follow suit through suspension. Results have to come and while Allardyce looks to have put a few elements in place which can help secure them, Leeds’ own habit of shooting themselves in the foot is not one he has time to rectify. Individual sacrifices, rather than cultural turnarounds, will need be the order of the day if they are to survive. Read More Ex-Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa gets new coaching job Police charge Leeds fan with assault over Eddie Howe confrontation Fan confronts Howe in technical area during Newcastle’s draw at Leeds Leeds keep chaotic season alive with late draw against Newcastle Leeds vs Newcastle LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Leeds win over Newcastle would leave Allardyce ‘50 per cent’ sure of survival

Liverpool lost to Sevilla in the Europa League final on this day in 2016 as Jurgen Klopp’s hopes of a first trophy on Merseyside were ended. Daniel Sturridge fired Liverpool ahead on 35 minutes in Basle but the Spanish outfit rallied after the break to win 3-1 and secure a third successive triumph in the competition. Kevin Gameiro began the fightback just 17 seconds into the second half before a double from Coke completed the turnaround for Unai Emery’s team. Liverpool had strong claims for a penalty turned down in the first period after Daniel Carrico appeared to handle as Roberto Firmino attempted to take the ball past him. They went in front when Sturridge flicked a fine shot beyond David Soria with the outside of his left boot. Sevilla found a way back into the game from the restart after a ball into the box was cleared only as far as Mariano Ferreira and he squared for Gameiro to tap in. Liverpool never regained the momentum and Coke punished them when he steered in from the edge of the area on 64 minutes. Coke grabbed his side’s third just six minutes later, driving in from close range after the ball came to him via a deflection. Liverpool appealed for offside but to no avail. The result meant the Reds not only missed out on a return to the Champions League but failed to qualify for European football at all from Klopp’s first campaign in charge. Liverpool finished eighth in the Premier League that season, below Southampton and West Ham, and 21 points behind champions Leicester. Yet, having also reached the Carabao Cup final, there had been clear signs of progress under the German, who had succeeded Brendan Rodgers the previous October. They went on to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League the following year. They then reached the final of Europe’s top competition in 2018 and won it in 2019 before claiming a first Premier League title the following season. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Man City crush holders to book Champions League final return Recent history not on Rory McIlroy’s side as he aims to win US PGA Championship Jordan Henderson ready for challenge of expected Liverpool midfield overhaul

Manchester City are celebrating a return to the Champions League final after crushing holders Real Madrid with one of the greatest performances in the club’s history. Pep Guardiola’s treble-chasing side overwhelmed the 14-time European champions 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, booking their place in next month’s Istanbul showpiece 5-1 on aggregate. Victory was as convincing as the scoreline suggests with Madrid struggling to live with the pace and power of City and grateful to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for preventing an even bigger landslide. Bernardo Silva set City on their way to a final date against Inter Milan with two first-half goals before Eder Militao turned into his own net and Julian Alvarez added a late fourth. City will now hope to lift the trophy and make amends for their loss in the 2021 final as part of what could be a glorious treble. The first of those trophies could come on Sunday if they beat Chelsea to clinch the Premier League with the FA Cup final against Manchester United on June 3. City manager Guardiola said: “In the Premier League we are close, we know we need one more game. “We play against our neighbours and against an Italian team in the finals. The season is really, really good. Now we have to lift it. We are close and of course we are going to try.” Last week’s semi-final first leg against Madrid in the Bernabeu Stadium had been an even contest. City dominated possession for large spells but Real were more incisive on the counter-attack. This time City refused to allow their opponents to sit back and feel comfortable soaking up pressure. They were far more dynamic and the Spanish giants could not handle their speed and movement. The resounding win made for sweet revenge for City’s heartbreaking loss to Real and the same stage last season. Guardiola said: “It was really tough losing the way we lost. In that moment we had to swallow poison but football and sport always gives you another chance. “When the draw was Madrid, I said, ‘yeah I want it’. “Everything was there – the energy we had from a year of being criticised as players for not having character when we lost.” Carlo Ancelotti, coach of the dethroned champions, could not begrudge City their victory. “I think that Manchester City deserved to win because they played better than us,” the Italian said. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Recent history not on Rory McIlroy’s side as he aims to win US PGA Championship Jordan Henderson ready for challenge of expected Liverpool midfield overhaul Scientists aiming to move closer to cracking concussion code for female athletes

Pep Guardiola says revenge for last season’s semi-final heartache fuelled treble-chasing Manchester City as they sealed a place in the Champions League final in style against Real Madrid. A June 10 clash with Inter Milan in Istanbul beckons after a spectacular display of skill, strength and nous at a rocking Etihad Stadium against the reigning champions on Wednesday. City drew 1-1 with Champions League kings Madrid last week and ran out 4-0 victors as Bernardo Silva’s brace was complemented by an own goal from Eder Militao and substitute Julian Alvarez’s effort in a stunning last-four display. The 5-1 aggregate triumph felt particularly sweet after City’s 2021 final loss to Chelsea was compounded by last year’s agonising semi-final exit to Madrid. “Listen, I had the feeling these last days that we had a mix of calm and tension to play this type of game,” Guardiola said of that heart-breaking late 6-5 aggregate extra-time loss last term. “After 10 or 15 minutes, I had the feeling that all the pain that we had during one year from what happened last season was there today. “It was so hard and tough last season when we played quite similar to today and I remember Toni Kroos gave an interview saying they could have lost 10-1 or 10-2 at the Etihad. “Kroos is one of the best players I have ever seen and trained and when he says that it means we were there and it was really tough losing the way we lose. “In that moment, we had to swallow poison and football and sport always gives you another chance. “When the draw was Madrid, I said ‘yeah I want it’. I wanted it because I think today everything was there – the energy we had from a year of being criticised as players for not having character when we lost because it was football. “Today it was there and I’m pleased for the whole organisation – for the chairman, owner, staff and especially all the players because we accepted the defeat and today we were there.” City are overwhelming favourites with bookmakers to beat Inter, just as they are to lift the FA Cup against rivals Manchester United seven days before that date with destiny in Turkey. We had to swallow poison and football and sport always gives you another chance Pep Guardiola Guardiola’s men are also odds-on to complete the treble, which they can kick off this weekend by wrapping up the Premier League title against Chelsea. “We are one game away from winning the Premier League for three years in a row, and we have been in two Champions League finals and one semi-final,” he said. “That is consistency. I always put the example of being Carabao Cup winners for four years in a row. That means the level of this team. “There is one incredible detail in this team that I’m so proud of – they are so humble. It doesn’t matter the competition, they take every game seriously because they are so humble. “I hate arrogance in sport, the moment that you believe you are something you are not. These guys have not done this for many years and today we got the reward they deserve. “A final against an Italian team, people will say we are favourites and that is the worst that can happen but we have time to prepare and now we focus on Chelsea because we have to try to close the Premier League as soon as possible because we have to prepare for United and Inter Milan.” As for dethroned champions Madrid, manager Carlo Ancelotti had no arguments with City’s progression. “I think that tonight Manchester City deserved to win because they played better than us,” the Italian said. “Last season was different. This season they deserve to reach the final and fight for the final. They were better than us as we were better than them last season.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Tao Geoghegan Hart to have hip surgery after Giro d’Italia crash Matt Fitzpatrick excited by challenge of ‘brute of a golf course’ for US PGA West Ham boss David Moyes looking to conquer AZ Alkmaar again

The peak that Pep Guardiola has been building this club towards, and a point that European football has long been leading towards. Manchester City have not yet won the Champions League or the treble, but they passed the most difficult challenge in eliminating the defending champions, and did so with a 4-0 victory that went beyond easy. The first half-hour was perhaps Guardiola’s finest spell of football in Europe, and maybe the best ever by an English club on this stage. It will surely be seen as the statement performance should City go and finally lift the trophy in Istanbul, as they reach the stage for the second time. Real Madrid, of all clubs, were humiliated. The entire game has been left trailing in City’s wake. Internazionale are going to need something close to a miracle to beat them, such is City’s level. It is why so many referred to this as the real final. City ended up reaching Istanbul without much of a struggle of all. They have only gone behind in games - in any competition - three times in the last four months. This just never looked like being another of those. From the very start of the game, City came out ferociously determined to ensure they couldn’t possibly have a repeat of last season’s elimination. It was a storm. The manner they came at Madrid, and the way that Thibaut Courtois initially performed miracles of his own to stop them, briefly made it seem like it was going to be another one of those nights. City just came with so much force they utterly blew that away. It instead became one of the club’s great nights. It wasn’t all about that force either, irresistible as it was. The game was ultimately cut open, and effectively decided, by the most remarkable finesse from Kevin De Bruyne. After an opening period where City had looked to pummel Madrid with crosses towards Haaland, the Belgian then played the most divine reverse pass to just put Bernardo Silva into space to drive the ball past Courtois. The goalkeeper this time had no chance. It was the least Bernardo deserved for his performances of late, and he soon had more. Madrid again buckled under the pressure. Bernardo headed home. That was it, after just 37 minutes, but it had felt done long before that. A 76th-minute Eder Militao own goal only added insult to punishment for Madrid, as City played around and through them. Julian Alvarez then wrapped it up to turn a comprehensively convincing victory into a humiliation. It was maybe the defeat that had long been coming for Madrid. It was always going to be City that subjected them to it. The fans were joyously doing the “Poznan” as their players just enjoyed possession in that way Guardiola demands, the very dance a reminder of earlier times when the club had started this journey under this project but still weren’t on stages as grand as another Champions League final. It was joyous. That should also provoke more complicated discussions, that very few people really like to have as they are enjoying shows like this. Any discussion of best-ever English performances in Europe really needs to bring in context like the fact this is an Abu Dhabi state project, that has also become the most lavish sporting project ever seen. It is why this incredible level of superiority was as inevitable as that City goal in the early stages. Even the randomness of cup football can’t withstand it indefinitely. Guardiola has been able to reach a point of perfection, from perfect conditions, and an infrastructure almost built to him. This is brilliantly intelligent planning. It is also obvious, and the sort of thing very few other clubs can afford because they just don’t have the backing over that time. That time also explains modern football. The story of the modern game is really that, around 15 years ago, a group of autocratic states motivated by an acutely regional rivalry looked at football and saw it as powerful new area of expansion. This, similarly driven along by the sport’s embrace of western capitalism, has led to the long-term distortion. Is this good for the sport? No one can deny it’s good to watch, although often at a level that goes beyond sport as a competition. This was certainly an illustration of that. It was never a contest. The European champions were humiliated. New European champions are about to be crowned. That’s all part of the show. It’s also part of wider political ambitions, that do bring in questions about sportswashing and human rights records. There's also the context of those charges brought by the Premier League, and how this return to the Champions League final would also have been the club's return to Europe had the Court of Arbitration for Sport not overturned Uefa's punishment in 2020. None of this should be taken as sympathy for Madrid. They have been one of the most responsible factors in the football landscape looking like it does. The game was for so long disproportionately influenced by their demands. The world they created just got out of their control, and they have now been considerably brutalised by it. City’s rise just continues that process, though. For the last 40 years, football has been increasingly financially staggered and stretched, with the top end getting narrower and narrower. Every few years, fewer clubs can win. State ownership has taken that to new extremes. Guardiola has taken this City to extremes. Another treble now awaits, but this is the most triumphant of all. City aren’t there yet. But, like so much else with the game right now, it feels inevitable. Read More Man City’s greatest Champions League night, Real Madrid need Jude Bellingham and five things we learned Man City vs Real Madrid player ratings as Kyle Walker dominates Vinicius Junior Bernardo Silva’s unique talents lead Man City’s evisceration of Real Madrid Five things we learned as Man City thrash Real Madrid to reach Champions League final Man City vs Real Madrid player ratings as Kyle Walker dominates Vinicius Junior

There was a player whose goals were designed to transform Manchester City into Champions League winners. It wasn’t Bernardo Silva. “Bernardo has never been a top scorer,” shrugged Pep Guardiola in March, after one of his favourite footballers had scored at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since August. He sounded utterly unworried. Silva, as he said then, “is unique”. He was aggressive presser, rhythmic passer, the man who could speed the game up or slow it down, the player he has used as everything from the most unconventional of left-backs to a false nine but who could be relied upon to make everyone else play better. But then, after five goals in 51 games this season, came two in a quarter of an hour. Against Real Madrid. In a Champions League semi-final. Only Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski had scored twice against Real on this stage before, but they are more frequent scorers. Silva had delivered a winner of sorts against Carlo Ancelotti’s side in a similar occasion last year; but that was a first leg, and a 4-3 scoreline was overturned. Not this time. On City’s greatest European night, amid Real’s evisceration at the Etihad, he is the man who powered them to a final where they will be favourites. It can go wrong from here – the abiding lesson of Guardiola’s City in the Champions League is that it always can – but they will never have a better chance. They may never have a better team, either. The half-time statistics – 13 shots to one, 72 per cent possession to 28 – were stark, the final scoreline – 4-0 – still more so. This was Real, after all, perennial kings of Europe. And if there was something studied and strategic about their slow start, the team playing the long game allowing City to attack, if the intention was they may grow into the game after the first 20 minutes, Silva instead scored in the 23rd, and then the 37th. There was something symbolic in his opener, in the identities of the pair Kevin De Bruyne bisected with a wonderful pass. They were the men whose precision was at the heart of Real’s dominance of this competition over the past decade. There was perhaps a yard between Luka Modric and Toni Kroos but De Bruyne threaded the ball between pass masters. Suddenly, Silva was free in the penalty area. He steered his shot past Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian had done his best impression of Superman, with twin saves from Erling Haaland headers, but he was powerless to stop this. Yet if the Norwegian has given City another dimension with his aerial ability, the unexpected element was that the man to score with a bullet header was Silva, all 5ft 8in of him. After Ilkay Gundogan’s shot was blocked by Eder Militao, the ball flew up obligingly for Silva. Good fortune or positional instinct? Whichever, the finish was unerring. Rewind to March and Guardiola had suggested Silva’s contribution could not be judged by statistics. And yet a double meant that, of Silva’s last eight club goals, three had come against Real in Champions League semi-finals. He is the small man for the big stage. Guardiola, as he inferred, rarely judges players on their goal tallies. Perhaps he may deem that Silva’s real masterpiece in this season’s Champions League was his performance against Bayern Munich at the Etihad; it was an example of how to press three players at once which, in turn, shows the selflessness Guardiola loves. There was further evidence of it. Subdued as Real were, Vinicius Junior offered the possibility he could provide the explosive to alter the game. Gundogan was booked for fouling the Brazilian as he threatened to burst clear. But sliding in on him from the other side, in a pincer movement, was Silva. A man for many a job was tasked with helping Kyle Walker patrol Vinicius. If Silva is a central midfielder press ganged into a variety of other roles, he may be the best defensive right winger around. Guardiola has tried many a formation in his time, from the inspired to the overly experimental, but City defended in a conventional 4-4-2 shape, freeing up De Bruyne to raid in support of Haaland. The stamina of Silva and Jack Grealish, the flair players with the lungs of long-distance runners, permitted it. Go back to 2019, to what proved the title decider against Liverpool and Silva ran 13.7km in a tour de force. That willingness to keep on moving may yet bring his departure. There is an almost annual question if he will leave City; Barcelona seems to exert a siren call, though they invariably lack the funds to purchase a player of his class. But Silva has enough of an attachment to City to name his dog after John Stones. The defender’s name echoed around the Etihad after Eder Militao’s own goal put City 3-0 up. Unless, of course, they were paying tribute to Silva’s dog. He could be one exhausted animal because, long after a semi-final was settled, the man still running was Silva. Real Madrid could not keep up with him; perhaps his four-legged friend cannot either. Read More Man City vs Real Madrid LIVE: Result and reaction as brilliant City cruise into Champions League final Man City’s greatest Champions League night, Real Madrid need Jude Bellingham and five things we learned Man City vs Real Madrid player ratings as Kyle Walker dominates Vinicius Junior

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been suspended from football for eight months. The England international’s punishment, which will see him banned until January, comes after he admitted 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules. Here, the PA news agency looks at other Premier League players who have been handed lengthy bans. Joey Barton – 13 months In April 2017, when he was playing for Burnley, Barton was suspended by the FA for 18 months for placing bets on 1,260 matches between March 2006 and May 2013. Soon after, with the midfielder having been released by the Clarets, that was reduced on appeal to 13 months. Abel Xavier – 12 months The Portugal defender received an 18 month-ban from UEFA in November 2005 after testing positive for an anabolic steroid following a match for Middlesbrough against Xanthi in the UEFA Cup. The suspension was cut to a year by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the summer of 2006 and Xavier resumed playing for Boro the following season. Mark Bosnich – nine months The FA gave Bosnich a nine-month suspension in April 2003 after he failed a drugs test for cocaine. The former Australia goalkeeper was fired by Chelsea and lost his appeal against the ban. Eric Cantona – eight months In one of the most memorable incidents in English football, Eric Cantona kung-fu kicked a Crystal Palace supporter having just been sent off while playing for Manchester United in 1995. The Frenchman admitted a criminal charge of assault, for which he was sentenced to community service, while also receiving a £30,000 fine and an eight-month ban by the FA. Rio Ferdinand – eight months In December 2003, following a two-day FA disciplinary hearing, Ferdinand was banned for eight months for missing a drugs test in September of that year. With an appeal failing, the suspension saw the centre-back sit out the remainder of Manchester United’s season and England’s Euro 2004 campaign. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Andy Murray swept aside by Stan Wawrinka in Bordeaux Challenger event Fit-again Jonny Bairstow ‘buzzing’ to return to England squad after ‘dark times’ McGregor’s documentary and Coric’s ice cream love – Wednesday’s sporting social

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been hit with an eight-month ban after admitting breaches of betting rules. Toney was charged by the Football Association last November for 262 alleged breaches over a four-year period. The 27-year-old – who made his long-awaited England debut in March – admitted to 232 of the counts, with 30 having been subsequently withdrawn. Following a personal hearing an independent regulatory commission imposed Toney’s sanctions, which included a £50,000 fine. He will not be able to play until January 17, 2024, but can train with Brentford from September 17. “Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football and football-related activity with immediate effect for eight months, which runs up to and including 16 January 2024, fined £50,000 and warned as to his future conduct for breaches of the FA’s betting rules,” an FA statement read. “The Brentford FC forward was charged with 262 breaches of FA Rule E8 in total between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these breaches and he admitted to the remaining 232. “His sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent regulatory commission following a personal hearing. He is permitted to return to training only with his club for the final four months of his suspension starting from 17 September 2023.” The written reasons behind the decision of the independent regulatory commission are to be published “in due course” and will be reviewed by both the FA and Brentford. The Bees chose to make no further comment and will be “considering our next steps”, which could include an appeal against the suspension. Toney scored 20 Premier League goals for the Bees this season, but will now sit out the remaining two matches – at Tottenham and then home to leaders Manchester City – as Thomas Frank’s side look to consolidate a top-10 finish. The loss of Toney, though, is likely to be more keenly felt at the start of the next campaign. Speaking last December following the announcement of the FA’s charges, Frank had been questioned on what the club might do should Toney end up facing a lengthy suspension. “We don’t have anything specific lined up if something should happen,” Frank said. “We are always in the market, we always try to improve the squad so, of course, we are aware of players out there and we have a plan we are following, but no specific one for potentially replacing Ivan.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Fit-again Jonny Bairstow ‘buzzing’ to return to England squad after ‘dark times’ James Milner and Roberto Firmino among four leaving Liverpool this summer McGregor’s documentary and Coric’s ice cream love – Wednesday’s sporting social

James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita will all leave Liverpool when their contracts expire at the end of the season. Milner and Firmino joined the Reds in June 2015 and both played in the 2019 Champions League final victory over Tottenham. Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived in June 2017 and Keita the following summer, with the quartet all playing their part in the Reds’ Premier League title win in the 2019-20 campaign. A Liverpool statement said: “We can confirm Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will leave the club upon the expiry of their contracts this summer. “Special acknowledgements will be paid to the quartet at Anfield, with further tributes to follow at the end of the season.” Milner, 37, has been linked with moves to Brighton and hometown club Leeds after spending eight years at Anfield. He made his Premier League debut for Leeds aged 16 in 2002 and also had spells at Newcastle, Aston Villa and Manchester City before joining Liverpool in 2015. He has made 617 Premier League appearances in total, behind only Gareth Barry (652) and Ryan Giggs (632) on the all-time list. The midfielder overtook Frank Lampard when making his 610th top-flight appearance early last month in a 0-0 draw at Chelsea. Liverpool signed Milner on a free transfer from City, with whom he won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the League Cup during his five years at at the Etihad Stadium. In his eight seasons with Liverpool, he won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup and made the last of his 61 appearances for England in 2016. Firmino has scored 109 goals in all competitions for the Reds since joining from Hoffenheim, including 11 in 33 games this season. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Fit-again Jonny Bairstow ‘buzzing’ to return to England squad after ‘dark times’ Eight-month ban for Brentford striker Ivan Toney after betting breaches McGregor’s documentary and Coric’s ice cream love – Wednesday’s sporting social

The second Champions League semi-final is delicately poised between Manchester City and Real Madrid after the teams played out a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg last week. An enthralling encounter in Spain saw Pep Guardiola’s side dominate possession throughout the first half before Vinicius Junior sent Madrid ahead before the break. Carlo Ancelotti’s men then looked to press their advantage before Kevin De Bruyne equalised with a fine strike from outside the box. City will now hope their home crowd can give them a boost as they look to get over the line in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium. Madrid staged a late comeback against City in the semi-finals of last year’s competition and Guardiola will be keen for his side avoid a similar fate this evening. Although City have home advantage Madrid are European specialists, they have a quality forward line and are brilliant on the counter-attack, for the hosts to win this tie they will need to reach their best levels and maintain those standards for the duration of the clash. Whoever wins will then face Inter Milan in the final on the 10th June after they defeated AC Milan last night. Follow all the action as Manchester City host Real Madrid in the Champions League: Read More ‘My legacy is exceptional’: Pep Guardiola refuses to be defined by Champions League Ancelotti reveals what will decide Real Madrid’s ‘unpredictable’ clash with Man City Accident or design? Inter Milan’s thrilling triumph underlines concerning trend

Brentford forward Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football and football-related activity for eight months, the Football Association has announced. Toney was charged by the FA in November for 262 alleged breaches of betting rules over a four-year period and has now discovered his punishment. Bees forward Toney will be banned until January 16th and has been fined £50,000 after he admitted to 232 of the alleged breaches. “Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football and football-related activity with immediate effect for eight months, which runs up to and including 16 January 2024, fined £50,000 and warned as to his future conduct for breaches of The FA’s Betting Rules,” an FA statement read. “The Brentford FC forward was charged with 262 breaches of FA Rule E8 in total between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these breaches and he admitted to the remaining 232. “ An independent regulatory commission imposed Toney’s sanctions and he will not be allowed to train with his Brentford team-mates until September 17. The one-cap England forward has scored 21 goals in 35 appearances for Brentford this season. The FA statement continued: “His sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent Regulatory Commission following a personal hearing. He is permitted to return to training only with his club for the final four months of his suspension starting from 17 September 2023. “The independent Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for these sanctions will be published in due course, and The FA will wait to review them before commenting further.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live