Barcelona president Joan Laporta has assured the club s supporters there will be an explanation for the massive presence of Eintracht Frankfurt fans, as the home side was knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday.
A massive contingent of Eintracht fans witnessed and celebrated their club winning 3-2 in the quarter-final second leg at the Camp Nou, rubbing salt in the wound for the Blaugrana.
Barcelona gave 5,000 tickets to Eintracht as per UEFA regulations, but reports from the ground suggested figures of Eintracht fans nearing five times that initial ticket release.
Alluding to the sale of tickets on the secondary market, Laporta – who started his second term as the embattled club s president in 2021 – apologised for the situation and vowed there will not…
Fernando Santos acknowledged France were deserving winners against Portugal in the Nations League on Saturday as the world champions set-up frustrated the hosts.
Les Bleus beat Portugal 1-0 in Lisbon, gaining a small measure of revenge after losing the Euro 2016 final to Santos side on home soil and advancing to the Nations League Finals at the expense of the holders.
Although Anthony Martial had a series of early chances and finished with five shots, the sole goal in the Group A3 fixture came courtesy of N Golo Kante.
Cristiano Ronaldo was wasteful at the other end, failing to hit the target with five of his six efforts, but it was out wide where Santos felt France gained the upper hand.
Kingsley Coman started up front in the absence of the injured Ky…
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal now face a thorough examination of their mentality and focus after Thursday s morale-sapping 3-0 north London derby defeat blew the race for fourth wide open.
While the importance of Champions League qualification might feel exaggerated to some given the financial muscle of practically every Premier League club, regardless of finishing in the top four or not, the end of 2021-22 will undoubtedly have significant implications for both clubs.
A top-four finish would be Arsenal s best Premier League season in six years and simultaneously the first time since the same season that they d finished above their bitter rivals.
Champions League qualification would also be vindication of the faith placed in Arteta and a clear sign of genuine progress…
With the likes of the Championship making its return this weekend, we have another stacked schedule from across the footballing world. So, for those of you out there looking to stick on a Sunday flutter, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Sunday August 8th
BST 00:30 Columbus Crew vs Atlanta United
For our first Tip of the Day, we turn our attention to the MLS and what could be a lively affair in the early hours of Sunday morning. While Columbus might still find themselves hanging onto their spot in the Final Series places, The Crew have endured what has been a nightmare run. A side that will be desperate to end their blip this weekend, Caleb Porter s men were last seen on Thursday putting in another worrying displa…
New Barcelona defender Jeremy Mathieu insisted his age will be a benefit rather than a hindrance at Camp Nou.
Mathieu s transfer from Valencia to Barcelona was met with some criticism last week due to the €20million fee the Catalan club paid for the 30-year-old.
But in an interview with the club s TV channel and website, Mathieu claimed he will be ideally suited to slot into the central defensive slot vacated by former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol, effectively arguing a younger player would struggle with the pressure.
Being 30 gives you more tranquillity and experience when you talk to the press and deal with the atmosphere of big clubs, the Frenchman said.
I m very ready for the demands and pressure.
While Mathieu has played more of his ca…
Ephraim Mashaba will hope for signs of a new beginning when South Africa take on Swaziland a side he used to coach in Wednesday s friendly in Mbabane, though not everyone is happy with his squad selection.
It will be Bafana Bafana s first match since suffering a group-stage exit at the Africa Cup of Nations, where they failed to win a match.
Mashaba, who took over in July 2014, saw his side endure a disappointing campaign in Equatorial Guinea, which yielded only a draw against Senegal from three Group C matches.
That was in stark contrast to a qualifying campaign overseen in its entirety by Mashaba in which South Africa emerged from a tough group unbeaten, earning a draw away to Nigeria that denied the Super Eagles a spot at the tournament.
Mashaba …
Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels has all but confirmed that he is ready to consider an offer from a top club.
The Germany international remains one of the most sought-after players in world football, but he recently pledged his future to the Millionaires.
Hummels, however, appears open towards a big club move, albeit only if he likes the style of play of the side in question.
“If a club with a bigger reputation than Dortmund were to make a move, but I don’t like the way they play football, I wouldn’t even consider a move,” he said in an interview with Kicker.
“At Dortmund, the style of play is exactly like I want to play football.”
While most high-profile players leave Borussia Dortmund to join Bayern Munich, Hummels moved in t…
Scotland captain Andy Robertson was replaced by Nathan Patterson a minute before halftime of his team s 2-0 defeat to Spain on Thursday due to a shoulder injury.
The experienced left-back has returned to Liverpool, Scotland boss Steve Clarke has confirmed, to be assessed before a date of his return to action can be determined.
“He hurt his shoulder. It was an immediate decision to take him off. He will go back to his club to be assessed.”
Steve Clarke confirms that Andrew Robertson has returned to Liverpool after suffering an injury against Spain.
— Football Daily (@footballdaily)
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Premier League leaders Manchester City welcomed Chinese president Xi Jinping and British prime minister David Cameron to their City Football Academy headquarters on Friday as part of the former s state visit to the UK.
President Xi and Cameron watched City manager Manuel Pellegrini put his squad through their paces ahead of Sunday s Manchester derby as part of a trip that was hosted by City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
Star striker Sergio Aguero featured among the welcoming committee and posted a selfie with the duo to social media.
In a statement on City s official website, Al Mubarak said: It is an immense honour for the City Football Academy here in Manchester to be included in the itinerary of President Xi s state visit. We were delighted to be able to host…
Both Celtic and Rangers enjoyed comfortable wins in a cinch Premiership fixture card hit by Storm Babet.
The Hoops completed a Glasgow double over Edinburgh after three matches were called off for safety reasons.
Here, the PA news agency looks at five things we learned from the reduced schedule.
Happy honeymoon for Philippe Clement
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— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC)
Rangers fans wanted to see something different under Belgian manager Philippe Clement and they certainly did in a 4-0 Ibrox win against Hibernian. Michael Beale had been criticised for the ponderous style of his Gers side but Clement’s version played at high tempo and got the ball forward quicker. The manager himself declared himself “happy” but not yet impressed. “Im…