» Chelsea fans accuse Boehly of ‘breach of trust’ over his ticket resale website
- Co-owner and chairman is a director of Vivid Seats
- Premier League lists as ‘unauthorised ticket website’
Chelsea supporters have accused Todd Boehly of a “breach of trust” and a potential conflict of interest over his co-ownership of a website selling tickets to the club’s games and other Premier League matches to foreign tourists.
Boehly is a director and investor in Vivid Seats, an American site that allows users outside the United Kingdom to buy and sell tickets to concerts and sporting events, often at huge mark-ups. British fans cannot use the site or others like it because it is illegal to resell football tickets in this way in the UK. The Premier League lists Vivid Seats as an “unauthorised ticket website”.
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» Sam Kerr denies using ‘whiteness as an insult’ in clash with police officer
The Matildas star tells court she was commenting on ‘power and privilege’ of PC Stephen Lovell during heated exchange
The Australia and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has denied using “whiteness as an insult” in a heated exchange with police which saw her call one officer “stupid and white”.
The Matildas captain is on trial charged with causing racially aggravated harassment to PC Stephen Lovell during an incident in south-west London in the early hours of 30 January 2023.
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» What becomes of diehard football fans who stop going to matches?
Why do once avid supporters drift away? I went in search of five former matchgoing fans to find out
By Donald Walker for Nutmeg magazine
What becomes of the broken-hearted? Or perhaps more to the point, what becomes of the scunnered, the disillusioned and the bored? For many of us bitten by the football bug, it’s often a lifelong condition, almost like a kind of malaria: manageable but prone to sudden, intense flare-ups, and impossible to cure.
But sometimes diehard supporters stop going to matches after years or even decades of faithful attendances. Why? Death is an obvious reason, or having to work on a Saturday, increased family responsibilities, poor health, the cost of living, moving away from the area, taking up a competing pursuit, falling out with friends, taking the huff with the club directors, or quite simply becoming fed up with football.
It’s Saturday and the sun is shining
Perhaps a visit to RSS Discovery
A step back in time, into history
Yet I’m not happy
You almost feel that Captain Scott is standing there
But he’s not the Robert Scott I long to see.
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» Spain teammates testify how distraught Jenni Hermoso was by Luis Rubiales kiss
Alexia Putellas and Irene Paredes tell trial how Hermoso wept on flight home to Spain from their World Cup victory
Teammates of Jenni Hermoso corroborated her account of being distraught and angered by the forced World Cup kiss from the former Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales when they testified at his sexual assault trial on Thursday.
Rubiales, who has yet to testify at the trial in Madrid, has previously claimed that Hermoso agreed to the kiss that took place during the awards ceremony after Spain won the 2023 Women’s World Cup final in Sydney. Hermoso testified on Monday that the kiss was unsolicited. She also said she was repeatedly pressured by Rubiales and his officials to say otherwise.
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» Football Daily | Newcastle are on their way to Wembley, snubbed Muppet or not
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When Football Daily heard that Newcastle United had invited a celebrity saxophonist to play their iconic walkout music before Wednesday night’s Carling Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal, it was beside itself elves with excitement. Sadly, our favourite blue-haired horn-tooter, Zoot from The Muppet Show, failed to materialise and it was left for local muso Johnny “Blue Hat” Davis to step into the breach and play Going Home instead. A lifelong Toon fan, he provided more than adequate cover for the terminally stoned and famously unreliable sax-man from Electric Mayhem, who wasn’t alone in failing to turn up at St James’ Park. For all Gabriel Martinelli’s pre-match talk about Arsenal looking to “score three, four, five” in order to overturn their two-goal first leg deficit against Newcastle, the Gunners failed to land anything resembling a glove on their hosts, with Mikel Arteta’s players possibly still basking in the afterglow of the open-topped bus parade that followed their emphatic weekend win over Manchester City.
Tottenham’s recent signing of Mathys Tel might well be a good omen since the former Spurs legend and England manager was an FA Cup winner in both 1967 (as player) and 1991 (as manager). Of course, only time will, ahem, tell” – Adrian Irving.
While I have sympathy with Jane Beer as regards supporting one team (Tuesday’s Football Daily letters), I feel that if you move across the UK such that your new local club is unlikely to play your previous team, and it’s not exactly near, it is acceptable to at least follow another side. Having lived in Derby for 15 years (County, third from bottom in the Championship), now residing just outside Maidenhead for the last 20 (United, third from bottom in the National League), I’m not sure I can be accused of any sort of glory hunting. Like Peter Harris (Monday’s letters) I just enjoy going to watch live football with some skin in the game, even if we get thrashed with alarming regularity. Nine defeats from a 10 combined games this year, since you ask” – Adrian Bradshaw.
This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
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» Crawley Town accused of breaking Modern Slavery Act by former employee
- FA and EFL both named as co-respondents in claim
- League One club understood to deny any wrongdoing
Crawley Town have been accused of breaking the Modern Slavery Act by a former employee.
The League One club’s former kitman Pete Reynolds alleges in a claim for unfair dismissal and age discrimination that will be heard by the London South employment tribunal that Crawley in effect asked him to work almost 100 hours a week without additional pay, which would have left him earning well below the national minimum wage.
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» Manchester United confirm Lisandro Martínez has cruciate ligament injury
- Central defender will not play again this season
- Amorim clear he will be blamed if results do not pick up
Manchester United have confirmed that Lisandro Martínez sustained a cruciate ligament injury in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace, ruling out the defender until next season.
Martínez was hurt after 82 minutes and had to be taken off on a stretcher after treatment.
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» Postecoglou sees brighter days ahead as Tottenham brace for Anfield roar
Despite their struggles in the league, Spurs are one game away from the Carabao Cup final and have cause for hope
It seemed that a weight was off Ange Postecoglou’s shoulders. He looked and sounded invigorated before the second leg of Tottenham’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool. It was almost as if a different man had spent the past few weeks staring into the microphone following another costly defeat, dealing with a ludicrous injury list and facing question after question about when Spurs were finally going to make an outfield signing.
Fresh from overseeing a dogged 2-0 win against Brentford on Sunday, Postecoglou sat down and spoke for 43 minutes before a moment that could define his time in north London. The head coach considered the chance for Spurs “to make a big impact” by going to Anfield and building on their 1-0 win in the first leg. He thought about his captain, Son Heung-min, still being trophyless after nearly 10 years at the club. He seemed energised by sealing deals for the centre-back Kevin Danso and the French forward Mathys Tel at the end of a difficult transfer window.
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» Uefa weighs up scrapping extra time for Champions League knockout rounds
- Discussions about matches going straight to penalties
- Change unlikely before end of current TV deal in 2027
Discussions to scrap extra time from Champions League knockout rounds are gathering speed within Uefa in what would be a new step to reduce the number of minutes played by top clubs.
The Guardian understands the topic of taking ties in Uefa’s club competitions straight to penalties is being given serious consideration, although a change midway through this television rights cycle, which runs until 2027, is unlikely.
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» Arne Slot sets sights on winning Carabao Cup with first trip to Wembley
- Liverpool 1-0 down to Spurs before semi-final second leg
- Slot has never previously been to the national stadium
Arne Slot has said he would like his Liverpool tenure to be assessed based on the team’s style and entertainment value but accepts his time on Merseyside will be defined by the trophies he wins. The Dutchman is hoping to kickstart a new era of success by booking his first trip to Wembley.
The Liverpool head coach has never watched a game at the national stadium, let alone managed there, but has the chance to lead his team at Wembley next month if they can overcome a 1-0 first-leg deficit in the Carabao Cup against Tottenham on Thursday.
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» Total Bruno sucks Arteta’s side into turf war and leaves them beaten and bruised | Jonathan Liew
Bruno Guimarães inspires Newcastle to the Carabao Cup final by honing in on Arsenal’s breaking points
Bruno Guimarães is writhing on the turf. Could be trouble, this. He almost seemed to spin through the air as Myles Lewis‑Skelly clipped him. Landed awkwardly. Still down. Clutching his calf, and maybe his rib too? The Newcastle physios crouch expectantly at the touchline. Eddie Howe wears a concerned expression. Referee Simon Hooper brandishes a yellow card.
At this, as if suddenly possessed by a bolt of divine grace, Guimarães slowly rises from his slab and accepts the benedictions of his teammates. Less than 45 seconds later, he will be sprinting at full pelt towards the edge of the Arsenal penalty area and playing an outrageous no‑look pass to Joe Willock with the inside of his heel. Miraculously, Bruno Guimarães has cheated death again.
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» Saudi Pro League shifts away from megastar signings to focus on youth
Competing with European clubs for top prospects is partly a business decision, partly an attempt to change perceptions
It was striking that in a month when Neymar left Saudi Arabia after costing Al-Hilal hundreds of millions of pounds and playing only seven games in return, the Saudi Pro League’s clubs turned more and more to youth. The transfer window closed on Friday with a couple of big deals but there was activity before; it just happened to be quieter and less headline-grabbing.
January intensified a change of focus that has been taking place since the summer of 2023 when a whole host of megastars headed to the Middle East. As well as Neymar there was Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez and a flurry of other 30-somethings who made the move to follow the granddaddy of them all, a certain player who turned 40 on Wednesday.
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» Chelsea Women reach sixth straight League Cup final with West Ham win
- Chelsea 2-0 West Ham (Rytting Kaneryd 20, Nüsken 29)
- Chelsea to face Arsenal or Manchester City in final
Sonia Bompastor praised the impact of the midfielder Keira Walsh for bringing “serenity” to the side after the new recruit made her first start for Chelsea in a 2-0 win against West Ham to reach the League Cup final.
“She brings a lot of calmness in possession and serenity to the team,” Bompastor said of the England international. “I’m also really pleased to have depth in my squad … and having Keira has such a big impact.”
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» European football: João Félix’s debut goal eases Milan into Coppa Italia semi
- Tammy Abraham also nets twice in victory over Roma
- Real Madrid progress in Copa del Rey after late winner
João Félix scored on his debut and Tammy Abraham netted a double against his parent club to earn Milan a 3-1 win over Roma in their Coppa Italia quarter-final at the San Siro on Wednesday.
Abraham, who joined Milan from Roma in August on a season-long loan deal, put the hosts in front with a header in the 16th minute before punishing his old teammates again three minutes before the break. The Roma substitute Artem Dovbyk pulled one back nine minutes into the second half, before Félix came off the bench and netted in the 71st minute, two days after his arrival on loan from Chelsea. Milan, five times winners of the Coppa Italia, will meet either Inter or Lazio in a two-legged semi-final.
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» Leeds streak further ahead at summit as Piroe and Bogle wrongfoot Coventry
First-half strikes from Joël Piroe and Jayden Bogle helped Leeds stretch their advantage at the top of Championship to five points with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Coventry.
The visitors were a class above Frank Lampard’s side, who came into the game on the back of four successive league wins. Coventry could only blame themselves for being two goals down at the break. Piroe’s expertly taken finish made Ellis Simms pay for a mistake before Bogle was handed a gift by the goalkeeper Oliver Dovin.
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» Arne Engels and Daizen Maeda doubles lead Celtic’s 6-0 demolition of Dundee
Celtic have extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 13 points with a 6-0 demolition of Dundee at Celtic Park. Arne Engels scored with a penalty in the 18th minute following the intervention of VAR before Adam Idah struck in first-half added time for his fourth goal in three games.
The Japan winger Daizen Maeda helped himself to two goals in four second-half minutes just before the hour mark and Engels produced a glorious fifth in the 71st minute before the substitute Nicolas Kühn curled in No 6 to complete the rout for Brendan Rodgers’s side.
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» Anthony Gordon stuns Arsenal and sends Newcastle into Carabao Cup final
If Eddie Howe had really wanted the England job he could quite possibly have secured it last summer but, instead, Newcastle’s manager let it be known that he had unfinished business in the north-east.
Howe has never been shy about discussing a “burning ambition” to preside over his club’s collection of a first major trophy since the Fairs Cup in 1969 and, in the course of a triumphant night on Tyneside, Mikel Arteta was left badly singed by the searing heat of that desire.
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» NWSL agrees to $5m settlement to resolve player abuse inquiry
- Settlement creates $5 million fund for NWSL players
- Players went public with allegations of abuse in 2021
The NWSL has agreed to create a $5m fund to compensate players who experienced abuse and implement reforms to resolve investigations launched by attorneys general for New York, Illinois and Washington DC after players came forward with allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct.
Players from across the US top-flight National Women’s Soccer League went public in 2021 with allegations of misconduct by coaches and officials dating back over 10 years.
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» English refereeing standards ‘a model’ for the world, says Premier League chief
- Tony Scholes praises VAR and hails ‘significant progress’
- Other leagues ‘look up to match officials in this country’
The Premier League has defended the performance of its referees and VAR system, saying the rest of the world “look up” to English officials “as a model they would like to follow”.
The league’s chief football officer, Tony Scholes, reported on Tuesday a reduction in officiating errors and a decrease in VAR delays in the English top flight. His remarks came just over a week after the referee Michael Oliver received death threats after an apparent error in a match.
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» Moving the Goalposts | Meet Club YLA – the Club Brugge women’s team doing things differently
Belgian club has its own name, unique brand and the freedom to develop a philosophy away from just winning
Club YLA are fourth in the top division of the Belgian Women’s Super League, which is exactly where they finished in 2023-24. Catching the current leaders Leuven and the multiple champions Anderlecht is a long-term goal but this is a club doing things a bit differently.
The club is the women’s team of Club Brugge, led by the chief executive Guillian Preud’homme, with its own unique brand created in cooperation with the Dutch company Studio Dumbar in order to attract new supporters, boasting its own merchandise range with different colours to the men.
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» Georgi Kinkladze at Boca? European stars who played in South America | The Knowledge
Plus: lethal shots on target in high-scoring games, no goals of the month, a Botafogo correction and more
- Mail us any of your questions and answers
“We’re well used to seeing established internationals from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay et al plying their trade in Europe’s top leagues, but are there any examples of the opposite: Europeans enjoying an extended spell playing in South America while also turning out for their respective (top) nations?” asks Ian Clover.
It remains incredibly rare for a high-profile European player to move to South America at or near their peak. The most famous, at least in this country, might be Manchester City legend Georgi Kinkladze. In the summer of 1994, a year before moving to City from Dinamo Tbilisi, Kinkladze spent a month on loan at Boca Juniors. It was effectively a trial after he was spotted by Boca’s scouts while playing against a Boca team during another trial with Atlético Madrid. Kinkladze got to share a dressing room, and occasionally even a training pitch, with his idol Diego Maradona, who was serving a drugs ban after USA 94.
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» ‘An unbelievable finisher’: why Mathys Tel is a perfect fit for Spurs
Often a victim of his own versatility, emerging from Harry Kane’s shadow at Bayern should allow Tel’s talent to shine
“It’s very rare that this many clubs call you for a player,” Bayern Munich’s sporting director, Max Eberl, told Kicker last week when talking about the options available to Mathys Tel. It spoke not just of widespread recognition among Europe’s elite clubs of the 19‑year‑old’s quality but of a shift of policy in the Bundesliga leaders’ camp; from shutting their ears to all approaches at the beginning of January to accepting that leveraging a financial advantage out of the situation was the best they could do. A month-long transfer window leaves room for plenty of changes of heart and mind.
Some will snort that Tottenham were a mere backup choice after Tel declined their initial approach, that the forward blinked when faced with the prospect of a second half of the Bundesliga season like his first, given a mere 253 minutes of playing time. More probable is that an especially reflective young man took time to think of what would work best for him rather than what would most suit Bayern. There is little contradictory about the process when you consider Tel is an explosive attacking weapon with the maturity to constantly adapt.
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» Arsenal risk being left behind in WSL as transfer failings widen gap to Chelsea | Suzanne Wrack
The north London club’s reluctance to spend big on players will stifle their chance to build on their ever-distant legacy
It may seem odd to label a transfer window which included the recruitment of an Olympic gold medallist and the loan signing of the player who scored the winning goal at Euro 2022 a failure, but that is the nature of the world in which Arsenal are now operating.
The issue is less about who they did sign – Jenna Nighswonger and Chloe Kelly being shrewd additions – and more about who they didn’t, and the perceived absence of a coherent recruitment strategy.
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» David Squires on … karmic realignment for Arsenal against Manchester City
Our cartoonist on the Gunners achieving a higher state of zen in their 5-1 humbling of the Premier League champions
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» Transfer window verdict: how every Premier League club fared
Only one of the top six made a notable signing – and they spent £172m – in a frustrating window for several managers
Mikel Arteta’s hopes of strengthening his squad never materialised, no doubt to his frustration and that of every Arsenal supporter, despite the surprise bid for Ollie Watkins and interest in Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel. The feelgood factor generated by the famous thrashing of Manchester City will not last long if a lack of attacking options means they cannot sustain their challenge in the Premier League. Arteta, who would not allow Kieran Tierney or Jorginho to leave with their contracts expiring in the summer, will be hoping that some winter sunshine in Dubai next week can give his players extra spark when they return. Ed Aarons
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» Two games, two hat-tricks: Ousmane Dembélé cannot stop scoring for PSG
The 27-year-old has scored 11 goals in six games this year – including hat-tricks in his last two matches
By Eric Devin for Get French Football News
It’s all going to plan. It just took a little longer than expected and there were plenty of setbacks along the way. Ousmane Dembélé was considered a panicked buy when Barcelona signed him from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 to replace Neymar. Given the deal made him the second most expensive footballer in history, he failed to live up to the hype.
After a disappointing time in Spain he returned home to France last summer, again taking Neymar’s place, but this time at PSG. Dembélé had a disappointing first season in Paris, scoring just six goals in 40 appearances. But the 27-year-old is finally delivering on the promise he showed when he burst on to the scene with Rennes nearly a decade ago.
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» Dynamo get Union, USMNT starlet Jack McGlynn in first-of-kind MLS transaction
- 21-year-old made his USMNT debut in January
- Intra-league move is the second-ever made using MLS’s new cash transfer rule
Houston Dynamo FC acquired Philadelphia Union midfielder Jack McGlynn in the first cash-for-homegrown player trade in Major League Soccer history on Monday.
The Union will receive $2.1m in guaranteed money and also retain a sell-on percentage of any future transfer. The club also could acquire an additional $1.3m if McGlynn meets designated performance milestones.
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» Marshall Islands’ vanishing kit for a team under threat from climate crisis
The isolated Pacific nation is trying to build its first football team amid a battle for survival against rising sea levels
The Marshall Islands, an isolated sprawl of atolls covering 750,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean but home to barely 42,000 people, may be the final frontier for the world’s most popular sport. It claims to be the last country on Earth without a football team, and to this day, the islands have never hosted an 11-a-side game.
Until recently, football was an alien concept in a nation occupied by the US since the second world war, with baseball and basketball the traditional sports. As interest has grown in recent years, another barrier has emerged. Land has always been at a premium on these fragile shores, but never more than now with rising sea levels bringing fears of permanent flooding.
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» European football: Barcelona edge Alavés, Milan denied derby hat-trick
- Lewandowski goal earns Barça 1-0 home victory
- De Vrij pounces in stoppage time at San Siro
Barcelona closed the gap on La Liga leaders, Real Madrid, to four points, but were reliant on Robert Lewandowski’s second-half goal to beat struggling Alavés.
The home side dominated possession with Alavés, who sit in 18th place, happy to sit back and defend. Barça almost scored near the half-hour mark when Manu Sánchez’s attempt to clear Raphinha’s cross went to Lewandowski, but the Polish striker put his shot wide.
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» How MLS obscures the truth behind its withdrawal from the US Open Cup
Sending only some teams to the 111-year-old competition shows that MLS increasingly only cares about parts of the game it can control
For the second year running, Major League Soccer will break with standard practice by sending only a portion of its teams to its federation’s domestic cup competition, the US Open Cup. But unlike last year, the move comes without significant uproar or repercussions from the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) which runs the tournament.
Tuesday’s Open Cup news was part of a larger announcement, detailing which MLS teams would be taking part in which tournaments outside the 2025 MLS regular season and playoffs. These tournaments include the US Open Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup (the confederation’s championship), Leagues Cup (MLS’s joint venture with Mexico’s Liga MX), and Canadian Championship (The Open Cup equivalent for Canada).
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» Eric Ramsay’s road from Shrewsbury to Minnesota via Manchester United
The Minnesota United coach was at Old Trafford under Solskjær, Rangnick and Ten Hag – now he is branching out on his own in MLS
“I felt like my personality was well suited to it,” Eric Ramsay says, explaining why he jumped into coaching as a teenager. There is drive and inquisitiveness to the Welshman, who was on the backroom staff at Manchester United before moving to the USA to become Minnesota United’s manager last March. Before the real stuff begins, Ramsay wants to know about life at the Guardian. Is this the interviewee putting the interviewer at ease? Or evidence of someone who knows how to connect with strangers?
Ramsay has the leadership gene. He grew up in a small market town in rural Wales and was a busy type, captaining the county team and putting on coaching sessions for local children. “At 14 or 15 I could get a feel for what my coaching voice was,” he says. What was he like? “More self-conscious. You trip, you stumble. But I felt like I was making enough of a mark with kids for it to grab me. From 16 or 17 almost everything I did was geared towards that pathway.”
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» ‘Rock bottom’ to a hat-trick: it’s time to just give ‘Killer Mbappé’ the ball | Sid Lowe
Real Madrid’s superstar has overcome mental obstacles to hit a purple match, as Valladolid found out to their peril
You can’t just turn up on the first day and say: “hey you, pass me the ball,” Kylian Mbappé insisted, but that was then and this was now. And now he did almost exactly that, going around the pitch asking everybody where it was until someone said here and off he went, heading up the tunnel with it under his arm. It was still there 45 minutes later when he left the Estadio José Zorrilla on Saturday, messages from his teammates scrawled all over the yellow leather in black marker, dedicated to the man who had just led Real Madrid to a 3-0 victory over Real Valladolid: “Crack” – Fede Valverde. “Pressing Monster” – Luka Modric. “Congrats, my nine” – Jude Bellingham. And: “Ooh la la, brother” – Brahim Díaz.
“Grande, straight to Paris,” Rodrygo wrote. Instead, they were on their way back to Barajas, a 20-minute flight south. One former La Liga player carries a needle in his wallet after finding out the hard way that you can’t fly with an inflated ball on board but there are always exceptions and when Madrid embarked not long after midnight they were top, four points ahead of Atlético Madrid, temporarily 10 ahead of Barcelona. As for Mbappé, he was now Europe’s best striker this year, his eighth goal in 2025 having just completed a first hat-trick since arriving in Spain. “Here’s to many more, Kiki,” Fran García wrote, and no one doubts there will be.
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» Cesc Fàbregas is writing a Hollywood script at Como as film stars watch on | Nicky Bandini
Promoted team with expensive signings and celebrity fans are driven by the intensity of their manager and stakeholder
The faces surrounding Cesc Fàbregas were glum, yet he spoke like a conquering general: bellowing praise at his troops as he strode among them, pointing at his eyes then pounding a fist into his open palm. “We devoured them! We devoured them! Keep going because this is only the start!”
It was another cinematic moment at a venue that has become a favourite for Hollywood stars. Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Michael Fassbender, Kate Beckinsale and Benedict Cumberbatch are but a few of the A-listers who have come to watch Como play this season at their Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. All to see a team struggling in the bottom half of the Serie A table. You might not have guessed it from Fàbregas’s tone, but his team lost 2-1 to Atalanta on Saturday.
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» Neymar leaves Al-Hilal after seven appearances amid Santos return reports
- Brazilian joined in August 2023 in deal worth up to £86m
- Neymar played for Santos before moving to Barcelona
Neymar has parted ways with Al-Hilal by mutual consent, the Saudi Pro League champions have said, after a disappointing spell at the club for Brazil’s top scorer.
The 32-year-old sustained a knee injury in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023 and has struggled to get back to his best. “Al-Hilal Club Company and Neymar Jr have agreed to terminate their contractual relationship by mutual consent,” the club posted on X.
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» Player sent off after removing corner flag due to puddle on pitch – video
A Watford Women's player was sent off after she, about to take a corner, removed the flag due to a puddle and was told by the referee to return it. Annie Rossiter did so before taking it out again and receiving a red card following an exchange with the official. Watford ultimately lost 3-2 to Lewes in their National League Southern Division game. 'I feel like the game was probably spoiled by some officiating decisions,' said Watford head coach Renée Hector
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» Ruben Amorim would rather put 63-year-old coach on bench instead of Marcus Rashford – video
Ruben Amorim said he would rather name his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach as a substitute than Marcus Rashford or any other Manchester United player who did not give their 'maximum' in training. When asked about Rashford's absence from the squad that beat Fulham 1-0, Amorim said 'the reason is the training'.
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» 'Worst Manchester United side in history,' says Amorim after home defeat to Brighton – video
United's season lurched further into turmoil after a 3-1 loss to Brighton in the Premier League, with manager Ruben Amorim labelling his side as 'being the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United'. 'I know that you want headlines, but I am saying that because we have to acknowledge that and to change that,' Amorim said. It was a seventh defeat in 15 games overall for United under new head coach Amorim
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» Own goals and bicycle kicks: the best and worst football moments of 2024 – video
In 2024 the world of football was filled with incredible skill as well as some unique moments. From stunning strikes to own goals and animals on the pitch, here are some of the most entertaining moments the sport had to offer.
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» Neymar heads home from £322m Saudi calamity still a prisoner of his potential | Jonathan Wilson
Brazilian’s injury-blighted career highlights iniquities of the game, from inflated expectations to curse of celebrity excess
Never go back, but sometimes going back is all that remains. Just 18 months after he joined Al-Hilal, Neymar and the Saudi club have agreed to terminate his contract, allowing him to return to Brazil and rejoin Santos. Al-Hilal paid £77m to sign Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain on a salary of £2.5m a week. He will be paid 85% of that for the remainder of this season, meaning he cost the club £322m for seven appearances, three assists and one goal. Like so much of Neymar’s career, it all seems such a dreadful waste.
His is a story almost designed to highlight the iniquities of the modern game, from the impossible pressures placed on young players to the curse of celebrity and financial excess. Neymar’s great misfortune was to emerge just after Lionel Messi. Argentina had seemingly found a second Diego Maradona, so Brazil needed a second Pelé. When, in June 2011, the 19-year-old Neymar scored the opening goal in the final as Santos won the Copa Libertadores for the first time since Pelé had inspired them to the trophy in 1963, it seemed they had found him. But, of course, nobody can live with such comparisons and so Neymar remained always a prisoner of his potential.
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» Daniel Levy, Spurs’ Pelé of debt structuring, may yet be vindicated | Barney Ronay
Under-fire owner has transformed Tottenham into a fully self-sustaining entity. The alternatives are hardly more palatable
There was a tender moment at the end of Tottenham’s win against Elfsborg on Thursday night as Ange Postecoglou walked out on to the pitch looking a little haunted and jittery, a strange kind of light in his eyes. It took a few seconds to work out what was up. The reason for this was he was happy. Here was a man remembering how to smile, willing his face into the right kind of shape, searching for the muscle memory.
It was also a nice moment. The recent run of Bad Ange stuff, the Ange who does interviews like a policeman standing too close to you in a tiny lift, has been painful to watch. The Premier League is brutal. It will stretch you thin. And it has been rough with Postecoglou, who came with no comparable experience, who is 59 years old, and has had the air of a man finding the end of his reach, radiating sadness from every rain-sodden panel of his quilted coat.
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» This is Ratcliffe’s Austerity United, where even the brightest talent is for sale | Jonathan Liew
Manchester United are simultaneously the world’s fourth-richest club while taking away free cereal bars for stewards
Bad news for Marcus Rashford, who was described by Ruben Amorim last week as being so poor in training that he would rather play his goalkeeping coach. Great news, on the other hand, for new 63-year-old wide forward Jorge Vital, now weighing up a number of offers from Serie A and Saudi Pro League clubs, and whom Manchester United are hopeful of shifting from the wage bill before the end of the transfer window.
For this cash-strapped theatre of ghosts, trying to build its new cast of dreams on the bones of the old, perhaps every pound helps. Corporate box guests at Old Trafford no longer get a free match programme each and are instead invited to download the dictated thoughts of Amorim via a QR code. Free cereal bars for matchday stewards were cut at the beginning of the season. The annual £100 staff Christmas bonus was replaced by a £40 M&S voucher. Concessionary tickets for children and the senior citizens were temporarily withdrawn.
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» Newcastle edge near first silverware in decades: Football Weekly Extra - podcast
Robyn Cowen is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini and Sam Dalling as Newcastle breeze past Arsenal to book their place in the League Cup final
Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.
On the podcast today: that was much easier for Newcastle than anyone predicted as they beat Arsenal 2-0 at St James’ Park to win their League Cup semi-final 4-0 on aggregate. The panel question whether Eddie Howe has Arsenal’s number and just how restorative the Gunners’ warm-weather break in Dubai can really be before a gruelling end to the season.
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» Football Daily | Cristiano Ronaldo: 40 moments to mark his 40th birthday
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Cristiano Ronaldo turns 40 today and celebrated in trademark style, posing for a picture in his time-machine cryo-trousers. Hurrah! Looks like a right laugh. Here are 40 slightly more memorable moments, good and bad (and in no particular order), since his rise to fame as a teenager at Sporting.
There’s a balance. I think we all like to see celebrations. Some of the celebrations have been very funny, entertaining, but there’s a line. Once it crosses over into mockery or criticism, then we would need to deal with it – Tony Scholes, the Premier League’s chief football officer, tells Sky that players could face sanctions for goal celebrations that make fun of opponents in future.
How could anyone possibly confuse Carlos Jonas ‘Charly’ Alcaraz Durán with Carlos Alcaraz Garfia (yesterday’s Bits and Bobs)? Charly is seven centimetres shorter and undoubtedly has an inferior backhand” – Max Maxwell.
Despite its minute font size, the caption beneath your photo of the newly unveiled design for Wrexham’s proposed Kop stand (‘Looks pretty good, to be fair’ ) screamed ‘cognitive dissonance’ to me. It looks neither ‘pretty’ nor ‘good’ nor ‘fair’, even in a year when The Brutalist has been nominated for an Oscar. Perhaps I’ve just spent too little time at the Gedling Inn” – Clinton Macsherry.
It’s kind of Mike Wilner to offer Marcus Rashford’s services to Nottingham Forest, but we already have an attacker who Manchester United didn’t deem good enough and practically gave away. He’s not doing too badly” – Jim Hearson.
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» Football transfer rumours: Newcastle target summer move for Justin Kluivert?
Today’s tittle-tattle wants to use the word ‘snafu’ more in everyday conversation
The transfer window may have been quietly closed by a diligent employee of the Football Association who doesn’t mind working late because they’re a bit of a night owl, but plenty of mouths are still wide open, speculating about what will happen when the window reopens in the summer.
Newcastle quite like the idea of Bournemouth’s Justin Kluivert scoring more hat-tricks at St James’ Park and will move for him if Alexander Isak is tempted into the arms of another. Newcastle and Spurs also remain keen on Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi, who will have only one year left on his contract come the summer.
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» How will new signings shape second half of WSL season? – Women’s Football Weekly
Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Emma Sanders, and Chris Paouros to discuss WSL deadline day, Arsenal’s seven-goal thriller with Manchester City, and Chelsea’s growing dominance
On the podcast today: the transfer window sees Chloe Kelly force a move from Manchester City to Arsenal, while Chelsea make another statement signing by landing Keira Walsh from Barcelona. How will these transfers shape the second half of the WSL season?
The panel also breaks down a thrilling weekend of action, including Arsenal’s 4-3 victory over Manchester City in a seven-goal classic, Everton’s dominant display against Leicester, and Chelsea’s narrow win over Aston Villa. Meanwhile, Manchester United continues its winning streak, and Tottenham edge past Brighton in a cagey affair.
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» Arsenal’s teenage kicks and seventh heaven for Forest – Football Weekly
Robyn Cowen is joined by Barry Glendenning, Philippe Auclair and Dan Bardell as Arsenal thrash Manchester City 5-1
Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.
On the podcast today; we begin at the Emirates, a 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City and an Arsenal team who are just so, so, so, so good. Brilliant performances across the pitch but the teenage sensation of Myles Lewis-Skelly left Pep and Haaland with plenty to meditate on
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» Golden Goal: John O’Shea for Manchester United v Arsenal (2005)
The Irishman enjoyed a ‘Cantona moment’ during a a fiery encounter at Highbury exactly 20 years ago
Before the goal, before the game even, there was the tunnel. It’s the moment that stands largest exactly 20 years on, romantic to those who hanker for the days of ill-fitting kits and a bit more pre-match needle; glorious to those who say We Used To Be A Proper Country.
Enter Roy Keane, undeterred by the claustrophobia of the Highbury corridor, finger-pointing and letting rip: “We’ll see you out there … shouting your mouth off, you, every week, you.” Drop in some bleeps. Patrick Vieira is at the other end, taking the heat for having a pre-match pop at Gary Neville. The referee/headteacher, Graham Poll, transforms into a yucca plant, calming Keane until it’s time. Out there they go.
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» David Squires on … a potential next step under Trump for Lazio’s fired falconer
Our cartoonist on a fresh opportunity at the White House for Juan Bernabe after losing his job in Rome
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» Champions League review: smaller teams struggle but new stars rise
The final night of the group stage produced plenty of drama. We hand out honours and dishonours from the latest round of action
Manchester City
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» ‘I don’t like corporate boxes’: Jeremy and Ben Corbyn on Arsenal, coaching and Starmer
The former Labour leader and his son reveal how football changed their family, and discuss the pleasure and pain that comes from loving such a voraciously capitalist sport
Last Saturday morning, with the biting cold and bright sunshine providing a perfect day for football, Jeremy Corbyn climbed off his bicycle at Tufnell Park playing fields. I joked about a red bike being appropriate for his politics and his beloved Arsenal but Corbyn just smiled and gazed at the teeming pitches.
His eldest son, Ben, is a scout for the Arsenal academy and runs the London Football School which coaches around a thousand young footballers. They range in age from three to 18 and there are 42 LFS teams.
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» Breaking down macho cultures? No, the Sun is simply monetising David Coote’s distress | Barney Ronay
The newspaper’s presentation of their interview with the referee undeniably brings in clicks. But who else does it help?
“I didn’t want to stand out from the crowd. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.” Fair points, there, from David Coote. Or as he must now apparently be described, cocaine ref David Coote, shamed ref David Coote, sacked ref David Coote and, because some kind of equivalence is being drawn, gay ref David Coote.
At the same time these statements from Coote’s interview with the Sun newspaper raise some equally important questions. First, given this, why did David Coote decide to do an interview with the Sun newspaper that serves no obvious purpose other to out himself as a gay man?
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» Surreal, dreamlike, confusing: a night watching 18 Champions League ties
Trying to keep across 29 hours’ worth of football was not just akin to substance abuse but a cause of fear and panic
Raspberry Beret by Prince, Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees, American Pie by Don McLean, All I Want is You by U2, the theme tune to Sesame Street: these are all in their different ways excellent pieces of music. But as part of playlists broadcast without end and at high volume, all have been used by the US army in psychological warfare – demonstrating that too much of a good thing is not only possible but, at extreme levels, absolutely excruciating. Watching the manic conclusion to the Champions League group stage on Wednesday brought those playlists to mind, as I debated whether I was being entertained or encouraged to run screaming from my house.
The trend in sport for many years has been to make competitions bigger, longer, more drawn out, and at first the new 36-team Champions League format felt like another step on this tiresome journey. But the widely acknowledged need for the final games of a group stage to be played at the same time forced tournament organisers into a temporary swerve in a very different direction. If you watched the final round of fixtures traditionally, soberly, one game at a time, even without breaks or pauses it would take you one entire day and five additional hours, including stoppage time.
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» Transfer window verdict: how every WSL club fared in January | Tom Garry
In a month featuring a world-record move, who did perfect business and whose dealings are rated as two out of 10?
The deadline-day arrivals of Chloe Kelly on loan and of the USA defender Jenna Nighswonger, understood to be for a fee of about $100,000, (£80,550) which could represent a real bargain, have gone a fair way towards salvaging this window for Arsenal. Overall, though, it will be remembered more for the players Arsenal did not sign than they players they did. The club were linked with Naomi Girma and Keira Walsh, and fans will rightly wonder why two of the world’s best players in their positions joined their fierce rivals Chelsea. Window rating: 5/10
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» The 100 best male footballers in the world 2024
Rodri has beaten Vinícius Júnior and Erling Haaland to top our ranking of the most talented players in the world this calendar year
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» Rodri stands tall on top of the world after year of glory and pain
The Manchester City midfielder becomes the sixth player to top our ranking of the world’s best 100 male footballers
One of the worst things about seeing Rodri in agony on the pitch against Arsenal in September – and the subsequent news that he had ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament – was that in the buildup to the injury he had criticised the workload being put on players. It was as if he knew something bad was about to happen.
In April, after an epic 3-3 draw at Real Madrid the Manchester City and Spain midfielder said: “I do need a rest.” He added: “Let’s see how we speak, how we live the situation. Sometimes it is what it is. I need to adjust. It [rest] is something we are planning, yes.”
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» The 100 best female footballers in the world 2024
Aitana Bonmatí finishes top of our rankings for a second consecutive year, with Caroline Graham Hansen second and Sophia Smith third
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» Aitana Bonmatí on top of the world again but England close gap on Spain
The Spanish midfielder wins for a second consecutive year on a fast-moving list that sees 15 players appearing for the first time
Aitana Bonmatí emulates her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas and takes back-to-back wins in the Guardian’s 100 best female footballers in the world list.
The double Ballon d’Or winner received votes from all 99 of this year’s judges, finishing 667 points clear of her club teammate Caroline Graham Hansen, the Norwegian climbing to her highest ranking after a superb individual year for both club and country.
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» Next Generation 2024: 60 of the best young talents in world football
From Franco Mastantuono to Estêvão, we select some of the most talented players born in 2007. Check the progress of our classes of 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and look at the editions from further back
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» Next Generation 2024: 20 of the best talents at Premier League clubs
We pick the best youngsters at each club born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008, an age band known as first-year scholars. Check the progress of our classes of 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and look at the editions from further back
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» Next Generation 2023: 60 of the best young talents in world football
From Warren Zaïre-Emery to Endrick, we select some of the best players born in 2006. Check the progress of our classes of 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018
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