List of All Articles with Tag 'ball'

The EFL have released their full sets of 2023/24 fixtures for each of the three tiers below the Premier League. In the Championship, an intriguing opening weekend clash sees teams who were involved in promotion and relegation battles at the end of last term come together, starting on Friday night when Sheffield Wednesday host Southampton. The Owls came up through the League One play-offs, while Saints departed the Premier League after a dismal campaign. Elsewhere, Sunderland - beaten in the Championship play-off semis by eventually promoted Luton - face newly promoted Ipswich Town, while Leicester, relegated from the top flight on the final day last season, face Coventry City who missed out on replacing them by virtue of a penalty shoot-out defeat at Wembley in the play-off final. Relegated Leeds start at home to Cardiff, while League One champions Plymouth open their campaign at home to Huddersfield. The full opening weekend list: 04/08/202320:00Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton 05/08/202315:00Blackburn Rovers v West Bromwich Albion 05/08/202315:00Bristol City v Preston North End 05/08/202315:00Middlesbrough v Millwall 05/08/202315:00Norwich City v Hull City 05/08/202315:00Plymouth Argyle v Huddersfield Town 05/08/202315:00Queens Park Rangers v Watford 05/08/202315:00Stoke City v Rotherham United 05/08/202315:00Swansea City v Birmingham City 06/08/202314:30Leeds United v Cardiff City 06/08/202312:00Leicester City v Coventry City 06/08/202317:00Sunderland v Ipswich Town The League One opening weekend list can be found here, with the League Two fixtures here. Read More Almost two thirds of football fans oppose VAR, survey finds Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore leaves club three weeks after play-off win Jonny Evans was shocked to learn of ‘amazing’ honour

Southampton will take on Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in the opening match of the new Sky Bet Championship season on Friday, August 4. Beginning life under new boss Russell Martin, the relegated Saints face a Wednesday outfit back in the second tier after winning the League One play-offs last month and currently managerless after parting company with Darren Moore. Leicester, under new boss Enzo Maresca, and Leeds – the two other clubs to have dropped down from the Premier League – kick off their campaigns two days later at home against defeated play-off finalists Coventry and Cardiff respectively. The other game that day sees Sunderland entertain promoted Ipswich, while League One champions Plymouth open by hosting Huddersfield the day before. Southampton’s first home game of the campaign will be against Norwich the following Saturday, when Leicester travel to Huddersfield and Leeds are at Birmingham. The final day of the regular Championship season on May 4 will see Leeds and Southampton go head to head at St Mary’s, while Leicester host Blackburn. The opening round of League One fixtures on August 5 includes Wigan, who finished bottom of the Championship last term, playing at Derby as they start their season on minus eight points after being penalised over payment of wages. Fellow relegated sides Reading and Blackpool begin at home against Peterborough and Burton respectively, while Barnsley, who missed out on promotion to Wednesday, welcome Port Vale to Oakwell. In League Two, the return of Wrexham – owned by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – to the Football League, starts with a home clash against MK Dons. Thursday’s release of the new season’s EFL fixtures also shows National League play-off winners Notts County beginning their own comeback campaign by playing Sutton away.

In the days after winning the treble, Manchester City had a meeting to discuss recruitment this summer, but they have not acted with the decisiveness usually expected. The club have long known their list of potential targets but any moves are dependent on who leaves. As many as six players could go, and two of them - Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva - have had offers from Saudi Arabia. Even City, who have become the most assertive force in the game through their Abu Dhabi ownership, have had all their plans affected by this summer window’s most disruptive force. The key figures in Saudi Arabia might say this is the natural order, since they are the main power in the region. It has had an immense influence on this summer’s market, maybe the biggest since Paris Saint-Germain bought Neymar for what remains a record fee. Many involved insist it surpasses the effect of the Chinese Super League in the winter of 2016-17. While the headline element in all this has been the staggering money offered for so many prime players, the main effect has been how it has abruptly changed the plans of every major club. It is difficult to remember anything like it. It’s all the more pronounced since this was expected to be a frenetic summer anyway. All of Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United planned significant comings and goings while Arsenal and Liverpool have been aiming for at least two major signings each. The competition for strikers was meanwhile set to be the driving force, from Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani through Harry Kane to Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund. Even that has been overtaken. Many of those plans have been almost totally put off, because the market has been completely transformed. A number of Premier League clubs have had new meetings this week, as they attempt to untangle so many connected issues. There is first of all the fact that the nature of every negotiation has changed. Saudi Arabian interest weighs over everything, even with players that wouldn’t yet dream of going there. It points to the biggest issue of all. Saudi Pro League money has completely inflated the market. Many within the industry are complaining that it has introduced an instability. Fees have gone up and wages have gone up. As an example, United had been looking at Hojlund for a potential price of £45m but in the last week Atalanta have almost doubled the price. Players that would have been £40m two years ago are now available at £70m. This is one other reason plans have been put off. Some clubs are waiting to see if all this settles down. Right now, though, various sources are describing a situation of “chaos”. It makes it worse that so many intermediaries are trying to get involved. It’s almost a new gold rush. Some officials have complained they have had figures come to them making promises about certain players or signings only for that to go nowhere. It may ironically mean few players go anywhere for a while. This is seen as a huge week for the Saudi Pro League itself as it attempts to convince a number of big names to join. Losing Lionel Messi was a blow and checked momentum. Ruben Neves is a fine player but he doesn’t quite match up to the megastars they want. Ilkay Gundogan, who also received an offer from Saudi Arabia, is set to rebuff them for Barcelona. As one figure who has been involved in negotiations with the Saudi league says, the next few days will determine how big this wave of signings is. It has still caused huge ripples in the wider game, though. While some deals like Kai Havertz to Arsenal and Mason Mount to Manchester United should get done, an increasing feeling is that most of the main business won’t start getting done until mid July. It could be a fractious window. It is certainly one unlike any other, but may be a sign of things to come. Read More Saudi Arabia can help Chelsea solve headache — but talks raise more questions than answers First golf, now football? Saudi Arabia’s grand plan and the 72 hours that changed everything Sportswashing is about to change football beyond anything you can imagine Human rights must be key consideration in selecting World Cup 2030 host – survey Leading figures summoned to Senate hearing over shock PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger Saudi Arabia can help Chelsea solve headache — but talks raise issues

What the papers say Manchester United have reportedly made a last-ditch attempt to sign England captain Harry Kane. According to The Sun, the Red Devils have reached out to the Tottenham striker to encourage him to put in a transfer request as club bosses grow increasingly frustrated with Spurs’ unwillingness to negotiate over Kane’s position. Staying at Old Trafford, The Telegraph reports the club have joined Arsenal in pursuit of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice. United are said to be interested in a player-plus-cash deal involving England defender Harry Maguire or Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay. West Brom defender Dara O’Shea could be set for a return to the Premier League next season. The Irish Independent reports the 24-year-old Republic of Ireland international has all-but confirmed a move to Burnley, with a medical at Turf Moor on Thursday the last hurdle to clear. And the Evening Standard claims Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech is nearing a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. Social media round-up Players to watch Sandro Tonali: The Athletic says Newcastle are circling a £60million deal for the AC Milan midfielder. Bernardo Silva: The Manchester City midfielder is nearing a move to Saudi Arabia, according to Spanish outlet Marca. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Human rights must be a key consideration in selecting the hosts of the 2030 World Cup, according to a new survey. Fifty-three per cent of the 17,477 people from 15 countries who took part in a YouGov poll commissioned by Amnesty International said human rights considerations were vital in choosing the host of the World Cup and other major sporting events, rising to 60 per cent among UK respondents. Saudi Arabia has been linked with a joint bid alongside Greece and Egypt to host the 2030 or 2034 World Cup, while the Middle East state has already been selected to host the Club World Cup in December. Representatives of more than 200 national associations will vote on who should host the 2030 finals at a FIFA Congress next year. FIFA made human rights criteria part of the bidding process for the 2026 finals, which were awarded to the United States, Canada and Mexico, following the decision by the governing body’s now-defunct executive committee to award the 2018 and 2022 finals to Russia and Qatar respectively back in 2010. However, organisations such as Amnesty and Kick It Out remain concerned that not enough importance is being attached to human rights in future decision-making processes. The poll showed that, after safety and security (57 per cent), human rights was the most commonly-chosen consideration for determining tournament hosts. This was the top consideration in seven of the countries surveyed and highest in Switzerland (68 per cent), where FIFA is based. More than four times as many people chose human rights as a key factor over “commercial revenues for sports bodies” – just 13 per cent. Amnesty’s head of economic and social justice Steve Cockburn said: “It is clear that the public wants human rights to be a high priority so that the World Cup is a celebration of the game they love and never provides a platform for exploitation, repression or discrimination. “FIFA must rigorously apply the highest human rights standards in evaluating all bids to host its flagship tournament, demand clear human rights action plans and reject any bid that fails to credibly show how serious human rights risks would be prevented, independently monitored and remedied if abuses occur.” It is critical that FIFA puts human rights front and centre when choosing the host for the 2030 men's World Cup Director of the Sports and Rights Alliance Andrea Florence Andrea Florence, the director of the Sports and Rights Alliance, added: “Since 2017, FIFA has made important progress in recognising its human rights responsibilities. But human rights assessments and considerations have not been applied systematically when awarding FIFA tournaments. “To demonstrate they are serious about their own policies and statutes, it is critical that FIFA puts human rights front and centre when choosing the host for the 2030 men’s World Cup.” FIFA has been approached for comment. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ben Johnson believes Ashley Cole can help England U21s to Euro 2023 glory Leading figures summoned to Senate hearing over shock PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger Southampton choose Russell Martin as their new manager

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Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan is poised to join Barcelona, the PA news agency understands. The Germany international, who is out of contract this summer, now seems unlikely to renew terms with the treble winners. City had offered the 32-year-old a new one-year contract with the option of a further 12 months but Barca are understood to have presented a more tempting three-year, and more financially-rewarding, package. City are comfortable with the situation and the player would leave with their blessing. The development comes on the same day City are understood to have agreed a £30million deal with Chelsea to sign Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic. The champions are set to pay an initial £25million for the 29-year-old with a further £5m to follow in potential add-ons. Kovacic, who joined Chelsea from Real Madrid in 2018, is entering the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge. City now expect to complete formalities with the player and an official announcement will follow in due course. Kovacic’s versatility and experience would go some way to compensating for the loss of Gundogan. The influential former Borussia Dortmund midfielder has won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and the Champions League in his seven years at City. This year Gundogan lifted three trophies as City became only the second English side to win the treble. The club had been keen to retain his services but, given his age, did not want to match Barcelona’s offer and have taken a pragmatic decision. Kovacic would arrive at City as a four-time Champions League winner having been a member of Chelsea’s victorious side in 2021 and triumphed on three occasions with Madrid. He also had a spell with Inter Milan earlier in his career. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Leading figures summoned to Senate hearing over shock PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger Southampton choose Russell Martin as their new manager The greatest show and spotlight on bowlers – Women’s Ashes talking points

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Russell Martin has been confirmed as Southampton’s new head coach. The former Scotland international joins on a three-year deal after leaving Swansea. Martin verbally agreed to take over at St Mary’s last month, while the clubs remained in discussions over compensation. “It’s a privilege to accept this opportunity at Southampton, a club with such a long and rich history,” he said. “My aim is to get this club back where it belongs – in the top flight of English football. I am ready for this challenge and will give everything to achieve this aim and to give the supporters a team that makes them proud. I’m thrilled to be here and cannot wait for the work to begin.” Leicester were also interested in the 37-year-old but Southampton moved quickly following their relegation from the Premier League. Several of his backroom staff, including assistant Mat Gil, are expected to join Martin. Southampton and Swansea disagreed over the amount of compensation which should be paid, which has seen the move dragged out. They had been haggling over £700,000 with Martin’s release clause for Championship clubs and Premier League sides different. The Saints felt they should pay the smaller amount, around £1.25million, after their relegation from the top flight while the Swans were believed to be holding out for £2million. Martin guided Swansea to 10th in the Championship last season despite having a bottom-four budget and the youngest squad in the division. He has been praised for his style and Southampton will be hoping the ex-Norwich defender can guide them back to the Premier League at the first attempt. They finished bottom after a disastrous season which has seen them use three managers. Nathan Jones replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl in November but lasted just 14 games, winning one, and was sacked in February. Ruben Selles took charge for the final months of the campaign but was unable to keep Saints up. Last month chief executive Martin Semmens stepped down from his role following relegation having been in the post since 2019. Jason Wilcox was announced as Southampton’s director of football in January, joining from Manchester City, and will officially start work next week. He is a fantastic fit for what we are trying to achieve Jason Wilcox, Southampton director of football Wilcox added: “Russell has shown fantastic qualities in his managerial career so far and is someone who we believe will thrive in the great environment we have here at Southampton. “He is a fantastic fit for what we are trying to achieve, with a strong record of developing and nurturing young, talented players to fulfil their potential and deliver results on the pitch. We can’t wait for Russell to get started working with the team at Staplewood as we get ready for the new season.” Swansea are in talks with Barnsley boss Michael Duff, as revealed by the PA news agency on Sunday, with the former Burnley midfielder expected to be Martin’s replacement. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live The greatest show and spotlight on bowlers – Women’s Ashes talking points England approach ‘validated’ despite defeat in opening Ashes Test Harriet Dart beats Anhelina Kalinina again to book quarter-final spot

Success breeds success and England legend Rachel Yankey believes that the momentum from the Lionesses’ Euros crown can carry them at the World Cup despite a host of big-name absentees. Skipper Leah Williamson will miss the showpiece Down Under through injury, as will Beth Mead and Fran Kirby. It is the biggest concern for Sarina Wiegman’s squad as they look to add the global success to the European title they memorably claimed on home soil. But Yankey, who won 129 caps in a 16-year international career, has backed the team to use their experience of going all the way in 2022 to make up for the losses of established leaders. “Obviously they are missing players, which is disappointing for those individuals, but you want them to come back the fittest and strongest so you don’t want to rush them back for a massive tournament,” said Yankey, who has been assigned as a ‘Confidence Coach’, a move by Gatorade which comes in response to new data revealing that over four in ten (41%) parents believe that a lack of confidence and self-esteem are barriers which prevent teens from taking up sport. “What it is, is an opportunity for other players to really be involved in a key tournament, whether that is to gain experience or be a big part of it. “I think the squad would have learned so much from the Euros, there are different ranges of age within the squad, there are a lot of experienced players, so I think that they will be fine. “They can draw on their experiences, there is a lot of resilience within the players in that squad and I think there is good leadership and good youth. Fingers crossed they can go far. “For the players that weren’t there last year, they can look around that changing room and see so many different faces that were involved and played big parts in moments within the squad. Anybody that has been there and done it, and obviously the manager has done it twice, I think you can believe and have trust, you can settle people’s nerves by looking around and sharing experiences. “I don’t think there is just one leader in that England team. Collectively, that is their strong point. I think it will come down to how well they gel off the pitch and I’m sure they are going to do a fantastic job because they can look back on their previous experiences.” One noticeable aspect of the England squad named by Wiegman was the inclusion of just two Black players, Jess Carter and Lauren James. That is a continuation of a theme that was evident at the Euros, when Carter and Nikita Parris were the only Black players to get onto the pitch for England. The FA are aware of the issue, with Wiegman stressing that work is being done to change the make-up of the squad, while admitting it will not happen overnight. For Yankey, at one point England’s most capped footballer of either gender, and a trailblazer for Black women’s footballers, part of that trend may be due to the increased organisation of football. “There’s many different barriers that are leading to why young girls from all different backgrounds are not taking up the sport or not staying in the sport, or not getting the same opportunities to play the sport,” added Yankey, who delivered a moving Team Talk at the Gatorade’s 5v5 all-female tournament in Eindhoven, an annual five-a-side competition for 14- to 16-year-olds that featured nine female teams from across the Netherlands who all fought hard to qualify for the final and represent their local communities on a global stage. “One of the things that relates straightaway, when I think back to when I played football as a kid, I used to go out of my front door and with two boys across the road, we would go to the bottom of the street and play football. You don’t see people do that anymore. We used to go to the park and play football, you don’t really see people do that anymore. “We used to play unorganised football where we would create our games and make up our own skills. Everything is very organised at the moment and everything has a cost. “In the final years of my playing and even after retiring, I think more and more people have told me how important I was to them. Things that I didn’t necessarily think about, the way I used to have my hair braided, the colour of my skin. For some people, just the fact that I was a woman playing football. “At an early age, I understood that there was a role to play when you are playing for Arsenal and playing for England, you don’t want to let people down. But I didn’t really understand how deeply it could go into my gender and obviously my race. They weren’t things I thought about, that was really helping other people. We need more people to be going out and playing football, we need more people from different backgrounds. We need to be highlighting the game and to get more players.” Read More ‘Go get them’: William visits Lionesses to wish them good luck ahead of World Cup England World Cup goalkeeper set to leave WSL side this summer Ella Toone ‘ready and prepared’ for World Cup summer with England Qatar World Cup workers suffered ‘human rights abuses’, new Amnesty report finds Fifa accused of lying about environmental impact of Qatar World Cup Why Fifa is right about stand-off with Women’s World Cup broadcasters

President Joe Biden, Taylor Swift and Megan Thee Stallion were among a star-studded cast of names to announce the United States’ Women’s World Cup squad as the defending champions revealed the 23 players who will look to win a third tournament in a row this summer. Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe will be making their fourth appearance at the World Cup after being included in head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s squad, while key players such as Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle also return from their group that won the US’s fourth World Cup in France four years ago. But the US saved their biggest surprise for their announcement video, with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden featuring alongside some of the biggest names from sports and entertainment, including Blake Lively, Shaquille O’Neal and Lil Wayne. “From lifting trophies to fighting for gender equity, these women have been a source of inspiration for Americans of all ages,” President Biden said in the opening of the eight-minute video. While Morgan, 33, and Rapinoe, 37, bring plenty of tournament-winning experience to the US side, Andonovski’s squad features 14 players who will be appearing at the World Cup for the first time. Among them are 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson and 22-year-old Trinity Rodman, while the uncapped Savannah DeMelo is also included in the squad. The US will be without the experienced captain Becky Sauerbrunn due to injury, as well as star forward Mallory Swanson. The United States are four-time winners of the World Cup and remain favourites ahead of this summer’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand. The defending champions face the Netherlands, who they defeated in the 2019 final, Portugal and Vietnam in Group E. United States Women’s World Cup squad Goalkeepers: Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars) Defenders: Alana Cook (OL Reign), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Kelley O’Hara (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign) Midfielders: Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC), Julie Ertz (Angel City FC), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit) Forwards: Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC) Read More N’Golo Kante, the midfield miracle worker who changed football Jose Mourinho hit by Uefa punishment for abusing referee Anthony Taylor Man Utd see £50m bid rejected for Mason Mount as Chelsea set asking price N’Golo Kante, the midfield miracle worker who changed football Jose Mourinho hit by Uefa punishment for abusing referee Anthony Taylor Man Utd see £50m bid rejected for Mason Mount as Chelsea set asking price