List of All Articles with Tag 'foot'

Dylan Raiola was the big great hope for Nebraska but the No. 1 recruit in 2024 is taking his college football career to Athens with the Georgia Bulldogs.Once Dylan Raiola decommitted from Ohio State in December, the No. 1 overall recruit in college football for the 2024 cycle appeared to have th...

Marcel Sabitzer has been ruled out of Manchester United’s final three matches of the Premier League season as well as next month’s FA Cup final because of a knee injury. The 29-year-old Austrian, who joined United on loan from Bayern Munich in January, missed Saturday’s 2-0 win over Wolves and tests have revealed a meniscal problem, bringing his campaign to an early end. “Everyone at the club is disappointed to lose Marcel’s services, as the Reds chase a strong finish to the season in the Premier League and FA Cup, and we are grateful for his contribution to our progress so far,” said a statement on United’s official website. Sabitzer was brought in on deadline day because of injuries to fellow midfielders Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay and impressed with three goals in 18 appearances at the Old Trafford club. He bolstered United’s hopes of a top-four finish and scored from the spot in the FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout win over Brighton that set up a showdown against rivals Manchester City on June 3. Sabitzer came on as a substitute in United’s win over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final in February.

Further improvement was the mantra as Celtic dominated the PFA Scotland awards, with success for manager Ange Postecoglou and striker Kyogo Furuhashi. Postecoglou was named manager of the year by his peers on Sunday evening after guiding the Hoops to back-to-back titles, while Furuhashi won the Premiership player of the year title after scoring 30 goals in all competitions, 24 of them in the league to sit at the top of the charts. Postecoglou saw off competition from fellow Premiership boss Stephen Robinson of St Mirren, Dunfermline’s James McPake and Stirling Albion’s Darren Young. The former Australia head coach told Sky Sports News: “On the evidence of our season we have been a better side. “We have been more dominating than we were last year in all competitions and the players have improved in all areas. “That’s always the challenge. Sometimes when you have success, complacency can sort of creep in, but I have never seen that with this group.” Furuhashi backed up that assessment after beating team-mates Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate plus Motherwell striker Kevin van Veen to the main prize of the night. The Japan international said: “I’m really grateful to get this award. It’s thanks to all the support from the people around me “There were a lot of great nominees and great players out there, so I am really pleased to get this award, but I would still like to be a better player so I will work hard.” Celtic winger Jota claimed the goal of the season prize – voted for by the public – for his sublime chip in the 4-0 home victory over Rangers in September. The Hoops also provided the women’s player of the year in Caitlin Hayes, but there was double success for Rangers in the young player categories, with on-loan Bayern Munich midfielder Malik Tillman getting the men’s award ahead of Celtic duo Liel Abada and Matt O’Riley plus Albion Rovers winger Charlie Reilly. Rangers’ Emma Watson was named women’s young player of the year. A special merit award went to former St Mirren, Aberdeen, Scotland and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Read More Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou named manager of the year at PFA Scotland Awards ‘We never stop’: How Ange Postecoglou restored Celtic’s dominance The sporting weekend in pictures

Manchester City are on the brink of securing a third successive Premier League crown. Arsenal’s defeat to Brighton, coupled with Manchester City’s comfortable victory against Everton, leaves Pep Guardiola’s side four points clear with the end of the season drawing near. The London club had led the way for a long time this year as a young side flourished under the management of Mikel Arteta, a former assistant to Guardiola. But three consecutive draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton weakened Arsenal’s hold on top spot, before a heavy 4-1 defeat to their title rivals allowed Manchester City to seize the initiative. The league leaders have played one fewer game than Arsenal, who have only two games left to play and are on 81 points. That means that the highest tally that Arteta’s side can achieve is 87 points. Manchester City currently have 85 points - one more win will be enough to make certain of a fifth title under Guardiola. They next host Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday 21 May, which will be their first chance to make sure of another crown. That fixture is their only remaining game on home turf, with trips to Brighton and Brentford closing Manchester City’s season. Of course, they could yet be crowned in absentia - if Arsenal lose to Nottingham Forest on Saturday 20 May, they will not be able to overhaul the table-toppers. Indeed, even a draw at the City Ground would leave Arsenal needing Manchester City to both lose their three remaining games and suffer an improbable goal difference drop to keep faint title hopes alive. Read More Arteta apologises to fans as Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge fades away Man City brush aside Everton to close in on title as Brighton stun Arsenal Man City being driven to title by man of the moment – and it’s not Erling Haaland

Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray admitted his side are in “good spirits” ahead of the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final at Luton. The Black Cats take a slender advantage into the game after securing a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light in the first leg on Saturday. Luton had gone ahead in the 11th minute through Elijah Adebayo’s close-range strike, but Amad Diallo curled in a stunning equaliser before Trai Hume headed them in front after the break. “I think the team are in good spirits. I’ve said all season, we believe we can compete against anybody in the league,” Mowbray told a pre-match press conference. “This game is against a team who finished 11 points in front of us, finished third in the league, a fantastic season Luton have had, they’ve been growing their club for the last three or four years. “They’ve got an experienced group of players, very together, and you can feel that. I said at the last press conference, you feel their comradeship. “I think we did amazing to come out on top in the first game and I’m not anticipating too much difference second game. It’s a tighter environment of course, if anything they might double down on what they do and how they play and we have to try and do the same.” Sunderland will be aiming to build on their lead at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday night and Mowbray urged his side to “enjoy the challenge” of playing against the Hatters. He added: “Obviously (we’ve) been there this season, it’s a tight ground, tight dressing room, tight tunnel, it feels a tighter pitch than the Stadium of Light. “It’s a totally different challenge for us but one that we should look forward to and go with some confidence and enjoy the challenge of trying to play against a team that are very athletic, very physical. “If they get their game plan right, they could give us lots of problems, of course, but we have to concentrate on what we do well and see if we can give them problems.” There are more injury concerns for an already stretched Sunderland side, with Mowbray admitting he is unsure whether Alex Pritchard and Patrick Roberts will be involved. Both players were withdrawn in the final 10 minutes of the first leg, but Mowbray confirmed that Aji Alese could be involved following his return to training. “Pritchard and Roberts are touch and go, I’d suggest,” the Sunderland boss said. “They might both make it, they both might not make it, one might make it. I sit here today not really knowing. “Alese trained today, which is good. I discussed with him maybe (being) on the bench. “A 6ft 3ins kid who can run all day up and down, whether we get him on the pitch if they’re chasing a goal or putting it in our box, it will be good to have someone over the height of six foot in there to try and head it out. “We’re not too far away from what we were the other day.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Michael Carrick not losing sleep in Middlesbrough’s bid to overcome Coventry Carlos Alcaraz stunned by world number 135 Fabian Marozsan at Italian Open Alex Iwobi targets maximum haul from Everton’s crucial last two games

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick will not be losing any sleep as he tries to guide his club past Coventry into the Sky Bet Championship play-off final. Carrick and his players were woken in the early hours on Sunday morning after fireworks were set off outside the Forest of Arden hotel at which they were staying ahead of their first-leg clash with the Sky Blues at the CBS Arena. Whether the ploy, which has been attributed to mischievous City fans, worked or not is moot after the teams fought out a 0-0 draw, and everything is still to play for in the return at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday evening. Asked if he was the sort of person who ever lost sleep over football matches, a relaxed Carrick said: “I’m generally a good sleeper fortunately. “Sometimes after games…before games I sleep well – most of the time before games, I sleep well. Sometimes after games, if it’s a night game especially… “It was a little bit worse when I was a player because there’s that little bit more adrenaline going through your system, but most of the time I sleep pretty well.” Mark Robins and his players can expect a hostile welcome and a packed Riverside as Boro attempt to book a trip to Wembley and a showdown with either derby rivals Sunderland or Luton, with the Hatters facing a 2-1 deficit as they welcome the Black Cats to Kenilworth Road on Tuesday evening. Asked if that reception might extend to a tit-for-tat last-night display of pyrotechnics, Carrick said: “Fireworks? I don’t know. “As I said after the game, I had a little chuckle and went back to sleep. Fans are fans, they want to create the atmosphere. “For me, it’s about in the stadium, the atmosphere and how the boys can feed off it. We’ll prepare and we’ll plan and we’ll go into the game exactly as we would for any other game. “But there’s no hiding that extra adrenaline. That extra spark that the supporters inside the stadium can create for us is vital to give us that boost, and I’m sure the boys will feel it and feed off it and hopefully respond to it very well. “But it won’t affect how we prepare for the game. That will be a natural kind of feeling that we benefit from.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi insists the players are targeting victories in their final two games to secure their Premier League status. Defeat at home to champions-elect Manchester City was not unexpected, even after the vital, morale-boosting win at Brighton six days previously, and has not really changed the equation for Sean Dyche’s side. One win could possibly be enough to extend their top-flight stay into a 70th season but beating both Wolves away and Bournemouth at Goodison Park would almost certainly do that. A year ago the Toffees safeguarded their future in their penultimate fixture, the final home game against Crystal Palace, but with things so tight at the bottom it is likely the outcome of one or both remaining relegation places will go to the final day. Which is why a maximum haul for Everton will be absolutely crucial. “We can’t be too down but there is a saying in football that you can’t be too high, like against Brighton, and then too low about City. We just need to kick on and go again,” said Iwobi. “The mindset is to have the belief that we can stay up and get maximum points – get six points. “We have to prepare, analyse and see Wolves’ weaknesses and how we capitalise against them.” Despite the City defeat the fans who remained behind at a rapidly-emptying Goodison Park were keen to voice their support for the players. Iwobi accepts that will be crucial for the final day of the season against a Bournemouth side who are already safe but said it was an important boost for the squad heading to Molineux before that, especially in a campaign which has been fractious between fans and the club. “To have the fans having our back after a disappointing result shows how much the fans care and want us to do well,” he added. “We use that as motivation to go into the next game. If they can fight for us, it is only right that we can fight for them as well.” Right-back Nathan Patterson is still trying to find his feet in the side having struggled with fitness and it has been difficult for him coming into an under-performing side, starting the last two matches due to an injury to Seamus Coleman. But having been given his chance he is focused on the fight for survival rather than worrying too much about his own personal difficulties. “You always have to be ready any time you are called upon and I feel I’ve done that in the last couple of games,” he said. “We are making sure we are focused on the things we do and as long as we do our job and do our best I’m sure we will be fine. “All season we’ve concentrated on ourselves, trying to not look at the table and anyone around us. “We just have to make sure we are focused and everyone is on the right page.” Everton are still waiting to find out the extent of striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s groin problem, which forced him to be taken off as a precaution at half-time with the side already 2-0 down against City. Manager Sean Dyche refused to take any chances after the injury-plagued forward reported a niggle in the first half and took him out of the firing line in the hope he can still feature in their remaining two games. While Calvert-Lewin has scored only once in five appearances after two-and-half months out with a hamstring problem, his return to the side has contributed to better performances with him being able to provide a focal point. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rising stars have chance to emulate footballing greats at FIFA youth tournament Carlos Alcaraz stunned by world number 135 Fabian Marozsan in Rome FA take no action against Oxford’s Ciaron Brown after spot-fixing investigation

A tournament which gave players like Sir Bobby Charlton, Pep Guardiola and David Beckham one of their first tastes of international competition is poised for its 83rd edition this week. The Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup was first held in the Swiss city of Zurich in 1939, with FIFA assuming the patronage of the event in 1991 before it took on its current name in 1995. It welcomes clubs’ under-19 teams from around the world, and since 2018 a women’s tournament runs concurrently with the men’s. This year, Liverpool and Arsenal have been invited to the men’s and women’s tournaments respectively. Any players in their squads who are in need of any extra motivation heading into the tournament on May 17 and 18 need only look at some of the star names who have competed in the past. Manchester United’s ‘Busby Babes’ team – featuring Charlton and Duncan Edwards among others – triumphed in 1954, one of 18 titles won in this tournament by the Red Devils. A decade later, a United side featuring George Best took part. Best, who had just turned 18, wrote a postcard to his parents from the tournament, reporting: “The weather here is brilliant. The food isn’t too good. The girls are fabulous.” United’s ‘Class of 92’ also took part, with Beckham playing in the tournament alongside Gary Neville every year between 1992 and 1995. Paul Scholes also featured in 1992 and 1994, while another United star Roy Keane took part in the event for Nottingham Forest in 1990. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is another Blue Stars alumnus, having played at the 1988 tournament for Barcelona alongside Albert Ferrer. The pair would go on to help the Catalan giants become champions of Europe just four years later. Current Arsenal midfield star Lia Walti sees the event in her home country as an event the young Gunners should relish playing in. “Looking back at my childhood, it was mostly small tournaments we played,or tournaments at weekends when we used to camp overnight,” the Switzerland international told fifa.com. “So yes, I would have loved to have had more of those tournaments as they gave me some of the best memories from my childhood. I’m sure that nowadays women and girls have more opportunities than 15 or 20 or years ago when I was at that age. “At the beginning (of my career) we could hardly make a living from the game, the pitch conditions were bad and there were only a few spectators. “Now the time (for women’s football) has come, and everything is a bit closer to the men’s game. Not yet on a financial level, but the situation in general, with better pitch conditions, lots of fans, big stadiums and more support.” Walti described the Arsenal team which will go for glory in Zurich as “physical”. They will be up against Swiss sides Basel and Zurich, along with Swedish outfit Rosengard in Group A. The top two from the group advance to the semi-finals to take on the top two from Group B. The teams finishing third and fourth in each group will also face each other. The men’s competition follows the same format. Liverpool are in Group B alongside founding club Blue Stars, their Zurich neighbours Grasshopper and Brazilian side Corinthians. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Alex Iwobi targets maximum haul from Everton’s crucial last two games Carlos Alcaraz stunned by world number 135 Fabian Marozsan in Rome FA take no action against Oxford’s Ciaron Brown after spot-fixing investigation

Pep Guardiola says a week in which Manchester City can reach the Champions League final and win the Premier League again is a “dream come true”. Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat at home to Brighton following City’s victory by the same scoreline at Everton means Guardiola’s side can clinch a fifth title in six seasons next weekend. But before that City will have to get past holders Real Madrid in a home semi-final second leg to maintain their quest for a first Champions League triumph, with the tie level at 1-1. “It is a dream come true being here, honestly,” said Guardiola, whose side also have an FA Cup final against Manchester United to look forward to next month. “I know at the end we maybe don’t get all the trophies, people say we are a not good team, a ‘failure’ team, but it is a dream come true being here. “We are the only team in Europe fighting for all the competitions: the FA Cup final with Manchester United and still it is not over, the Premier League never ends, we know that from the past with Liverpool. “(We have) the semi-final at home with our people, second leg trying to reach the final of the Champions League. “Where we have come from previous seasons is an extraordinary season and hopefully we can finish well.” It is a dream come true being here, honestly. We are the only team in Europe fighting all the competitions Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola City, who are currently on an 11-match winning run in the league as part of a 22-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, can guarantee the Premier League title with victory at home to Chelsea next Sunday. But they will be confirmed as champions even sooner if Arsenal are defeated at relegation-battling Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening. Guardiola is taking nothing for granted but knows the win at Everton, after their draw in the Bernabeu, was key in keeping the Gunners out of reach. Everton went into the game on the back of an impressive 5-1 win at high-flying Brighton but a brace from Ilkay Gundogan either side of Erling Haaland’s 36th league goal of the season secured the points for City at Goodison Park. “When I see Chelsea and Brighton (City’s next two matches) we have a lot of work to do,” Guardiola added. “But this one (Everton) away was a tricky one. “I was really impressed by the way Everton handled the game against Brighton but from the first minute we controlled the game, except certain transitions. “They are the best in the Premier League from every free-kick and corner since Sean Dyche went in there, it is almost a goal every time. Arsenal lost here for one corner, so it happens. “We had the patience and momentum and movements from Riyad (Mahrez) and Phil (Foden) was really good in behind. We scored the goals in the right moment. “It was so important and nice to to celebrate with our fans away because they are always with us.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Wrexham plan talks with Ben Foster over whether he wants to carry on playing Nat Sciver-Brunt says mental health break helped put her in a ‘good place’ Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are out on their own, says Curtis Strange

Wrexham are to hold talks with Ben Foster over whether the former England goalkeeper wants to prolong his career with them in the English Football League. Foster was retired for nine months until he answered a Wrexham SOS in March after regular goalkeeper Rob Lainton was ruled out for the rest of the campaign through injury. The 40-year-old played the final eight games of the season, saving a stoppage-time penalty in the crunch 3-2 victory over title rivals Notts County, as Wrexham won the National League with a record points total of 111. “A discussion will take place with Ben Foster to establish if his intention is to return to retirement or continue playing,” Wrexham said in a statement announcing their end of season release/retained list. Foster said last month he could extend his career after Wrexham ended a 15-year absence from the EFL under the ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. “You have to contemplate it because to be part of Wrexham is a special thing,” said Foster, who had a loan spell at the Welsh club in 2005 before going on to play for Manchester United, Watford, Birmingham and West Brom. “It’s nice to be a man of leisure and freedom and I really enjoyed my retirement. I had a great time for nine months. “But everybody who plays here can see that Wrexham is a really special club.” Wrexham have extended Paul Mullin’s contract by a further season following promotion. Mullin has scored 76 goals since joining from Cambridge in the summer of 2021, 47 of them coming last season. Mark Howard and Anthony Forde have also had one-season contract extensions and Liam McAlinden will be offered a new deal. Wrexham will exercise the option to keep Scott Butler and Aaron James. Harry Lennon is to retire from playing due to injury, while Reece Hall-Johnson, Jake Hyde and Rory Watson are among other players to be released. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Nat Sciver-Brunt says mental health break helped put her in a ‘good place’ Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are out on their own, says Curtis Strange Martin Odegaard admits Arsenal must learn from crushing Brighton defeat

Uefa’s executive committee confirmed last year the most significant changes to the Champions League in a generation. Days before the failed European Super League plot was launched back in 2021, Uefa announced reforms to the Champions League had received unanimous backing from the European Club Association and Uefa Club Competitions Committee. It confirmed plans to change the format of European football’s top club competition from 2024, giving the tournament its first new look in 20 years. The proposals were not met with the same level of backlash that greeted the Super League plans but have still been criticised by leading fans’ groups, including the Football Supporters’ Association [FSA]. “We are united in opposition to proposals to reform the Champions League that are a back door attempt at a return to the discredited idea of a European Super League,” read a statement from the FSA’s Premier League Network. But what are the changes, and how will the Champions League look from 2024 now the plans have been voted through? Here’s everything you need to know. What would the new Champions League look like? Since 2003, the Champions League has been a 32-team competition with a single group-stage phase followed by a knockout phase. The 32 teams, seeded according to league position and Uefa coefficient, have been split into eight groups of four, with the top two teams progressing to the last-16 after six rounds of matches in a round-robin format with both home and away matches. That has then been followed by three two-legged rounds, the last-16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, with matches played home and away, before the final at a neutral venue. From 2024, the group stage will look completely different. There are two main changes: four additional teams will be added to take the number of clubs up to 36, and a single league format will be used. The league phase will determine an overall ranking - from 1st to 36th, with three points for a win and one for a draw as usual. The top eight teams will advance to the last 16, with the 16 teams finishing between ninth and 24th entering the play-off round over two legs, with a victory securing passage to the last 16. Teams who finish 25th or below will be eliminated and will not drop down to the Europa League. How will the league format work? Uefa and the European Club Association reached agreement on this last year. The number of fixtures is set to increase from the current six to eight, after Uefa compromised on its original plan of ten. Fixtures would be determined using a ‘Swiss-style’ seeding system. All eight matches will be played against different teams, with four at home and four away, and organised by seeding. All the results would contribute to the overall league ranking. Will it change the knockout phase? Apart from the play-off round, the knockout phase is set to be the same from the last 16 stage. There have been reports, however, that Uefa will discuss the idea of scrapping two-legged semi-finals in favour of a ‘final four’ format played across a week in one European city. Will some clubs be able to qualify based on past performance? No, this has been scrapped by Uefa, after the plans were met with criticism and would have opened the door to there being a safety net for the biggest clubs and widening the inequalities in European football to an even greater extent. Instead, Uefa will award two extra places to the countries who collectively performed best in Europe in the previous season. If applied to next season that would mean England gaining an extra spot, along with the Netherlands. This would mean the Premier League would have five Champions League teams for that season. Unlike the coefficient plans, it would mean there would be no barrier to certain clubs receiving an additional spot. How will the other two extra Champions League spots be allocated? According to Uefa, the other two spots will be allocated according to this criteria: Slot one: One of the additional places will go to the club ranked third in the championship of the association in fifth position in the Uefa national association ranking. Slot two: Another will be awarded to a domestic champion by extending from four to five the number of clubs qualifying via the so-called ‘Champions Path’. Read More Uefa insist Champions League final will be held in Istanbul despite Turkey election unrest UEFA in talks over salary cap and ‘everyone agrees’ – Aleksander Ceferin Ceferin would not rule out a Champions League final being held in United States Bruno Fernandes warns Alejandro Garnacho he cannot relax at Manchester United Brighton win puts Manchester City on title brink – 5 things from Premier League Sam Allardyce refuses to criticise Leeds’ Patrick Bamford despite penalty miss

Manchester United are considering a move for Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel - despite ongoing contract talks with David de Gea. While Erik ten Hag wants the Spanish goalkeeper to stay, the Dutch coach is also intent on creating competition and ensuring he has different tactical options. Kobel is one of those who fits the profile required, especially given his ability with his feet, something that has been an issue for De Gea this season. Dortmund, aware of long-standing interest from a number of clubs, including Chelsea, are intent on offering Kobel a new deal themselves. The Switzerland international’s current contract runs until 2026 but has established himself as one of the leading goalkeepers in the Bundesliga this season, and among the most promising in the game. While the 25-year-old did make headlines following a high-profile error in Dortmund’s showdown with Bayern Munich, he is seen as having been influential to a first proper title challenge in years. Read More Mikel Arteta knows why Arsenal suffered title agony - here’s what must come next Erik ten Hag finally within sight of matching a past Manchester United great... no, not that one Bruno Fernandes warns Alejandro Garnacho he cannot relax at Manchester United