Football

Brazil bids farewell to ‘king of soccer’ Pele with 24-hour wake

The Brazilian coastal city of Santos, which sporting giant Pele turned into a byword for soccer brilliance during a glittering club career, started bidding goodbye to its hero on Monday with a…

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Ronaldo joins Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr until 2025

(Reuters) -Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on a 2-1/2 year contract, the club announced on Friday, after leaving Manchester United to become a free…

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Soccer’s ‘King’ Pele mourned around the globe

(Reuters) -Football fans were united in mourning on Thursday after the death of Pele at the age of 82, with tributes pouring in for the Brazil great who defined his…

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Brazilian soccer legend Pele dies at 82, his daughter says

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Pele, the legendary Brazilian soccer player who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history, died on Thursday at…

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Quitting Juventus top job wasn’t easy, Andrea Agnelli says

Outgoing Juventus Chairman Andrea Agnelli said on Tuesday his decision to stand down from the top job at the Serie A club was not an easy one to take, and he remained convinced…

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Ten Hag wary that Man United spending must bring results

Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag said he is aware that his club's excessive spending in the close season transfer window means there is pressure to secure a top-four finish…

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Arsenal stretch lead to seven points in Premier League

Arsenal came from a goal down to beat West Ham United 3-1 and extend their Premier League lead to seven points as the top-flight season resumed on Monday. After a…

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Classy Newcastle go second, Lopetegui off to ideal start with Wolves

Newcastle United stormed into second in the Premier League by outclassing Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Monday while Harry Kane overcame his World Cup penalty pain by helping…

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Former Uruguay midfielder O’Neill dies at 49

(Reuters) - Former Uruguay midfielder Fabian O'Neill, who played for Cagliari and Nacional at the club level, died on Sunday at the age of 49, Uruguay's soccer federation said. ESPN…

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Demand for Messi, Mbappe soccer gear spikes after World Cup

LONDON (Reuters) - In the wake of Sunday's World Cup final soccer fans around the world have rushed to buy merchandise, with demand for Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe soccer…

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Ancelotti plans to stay at Real Madrid until 2024

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said he plans to stay at the Spanish club until his contract expires in June 2024 following reports of a possible move to the Brazilian…

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Serie A will have semi-automatic offside detection from Jan. 27 – FIGC

Italy's football federation (FIGC) has authorised the introduction of SAOT technology, the semi-automatic offside detection system, from Jan. 27, it announced on Monday. Serie A president Lorenzo Casini had said…

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UPDATE – Vialli’s health conditions worsens – reports

Former Italy striker Gianluca Vialli's health condition has worsened, with the 58-year-old former hospitalised in a clinic in the British capital due to the worsening of his disease, reportedly pancreatic…

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Argentina’s World Cup winners arrive home to hero’s welcome

Thousands of ecstatic fans gave Argentina's football squad a hero's welcome in Buenos Aires in the early hours before dawn on Tuesday after the plane carrying Lionel Messi and his…

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French hearts are broken but future looks bright

France will be heartbroken after losing the World Cup final to Argentina in a penalty shootout but the genius of Kylian Mbappe and the depth of talent in the squad…

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Croatia’s Modric wants to play Nations League, unsure about Euro 2024

Croatia midfielder Luka Modric said he intends to play for the Balkan nation until the Nations League finals in June next year but has yet to decide about his participation…

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Messi’s jersey will be ready if decides to play at next World Cup, says Scaloni

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said that he will keep Lionel Messi's jersey ready in case the talismanic captain wishes to play at the next World Cup after he ended the…

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Argentina street party erupts after World Cup win

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Hundreds of thousands of Argentines poured into the sunlit streets of Buenos Aires on Sunday, ecstatic after a nail-biting victory on penalties in the World Cup final…

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Argentina win incredible World Cup final on penalties

LUSAIL, Qatar (Reuters) - Argentina won their third World Cup in extraordinary style on Sunday, beating France 4-2 in a penalty shootout after Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-3…

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Stage set for clash of titans as Argentina take on France in World Cup final

DOHA (Reuters) - After 63 matches, the World Cup in Qatar comes to a close on Sunday when reigning champions France take on Argentina in a showpiece final at Lusail…

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England manager Southgate to stay on until Euro 2024

(Reuters) -England manager Gareth Southgate has decided to stay on and lead the campaign for the 2024 European Championship, the Football Association (FA) said on Sunday. The popular 52-year-old led…

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Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 to finish third in World Cup 2022

DOHA (Reuters) - Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 in the World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday to secure a top three finish in the tournament for the second consecutive edition. Runners-up…

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Scaloni tight-lipped on Argentina lineup ahead of World Cup final

DOHA (Reuters) - Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni kept his cards close to his chest when quizzed about his likely line-up as he prepares to face holders France in the World…

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Virus-hit France focused on finishing the job against Argentina – Deschamps

(Reuters) - France have not been overly troubled by the virus that has hit several players in the past few days, coach Didier Deschamps said, as the squad prepare to…

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Super league project still very much alive, says CEO of A22

The project to create a European Super League is still very much alive, Bernd Reichart, the chief executive of A22 Sports Management, a company formed to sponsor and assist in…

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Former football player and coach Sinisa Mihajlovic dies of leucemia at 53

ROME (Reuters) - Sinisa Mihajlovic, who played for and coached numerous Italian Serie A teams, died on Friday after a long battle with cancer. Mihajlovic was sacked as manager of…

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World Cup matches were politics free so fans could enjoy the football – Infantino

The Qatar World Cup kept political messaging away from the football so that fans could enjoy "a little moment of pleasure and joy", FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Friday.…

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Polish Szymon Marciniak named World Cup final referee

Poland's Szymon Marciniak was named as the referee for the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France on Sunday at the Lusail Stadium. The Polish referee is considered a…

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France into final with 2-0 win as Morocco go down fighting

AL KHOR, Qatar (Reuters) - France set up a heavyweight World Cup final against Argentina after an early goal by Theo Hernandez and a late one from Randal Kolo Muani…

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Messi confirms Qatar final will be his last World Cup game

Lionel Messi has confirmed he will play his last World Cup game when Argentina take on France or Morocco in Sunday's final in Qatar. Messi lead Argentina to a 3-0 win over Croatia…

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Police in France prepare for high-stakes World Cup match with Morocco

Police in France geared up for the country's World Cup soccer semi-final against Morocco on Wednesday, after scuffles which followed last week's Moroccan quarter-final win over Portugal. Some 10,000 police…

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Vialli suspends commitment with Italian national team for health reasons

Gianluca Vialli has announced his decision to temporarily suspend his commitments with the Italy national team for health reasons, Football Italia reports. Vialli communicated his intention to step back from…

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Argentina sweep past Croatia 3-0 to reach World Cup final

LUSAIL, Qatar (Reuters) - Two goals by swashbuckling striker Julian Alvarez and a Lionel Messi penalty gave Argentina a 3-0 victory over 2018 runners-up Croatia in the first World Cup…

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Argentina have worked out where to hurt Croatia – Scaloni

Argentina will trust their system when they face Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals and believe they have worked out how to hurt the 2018 runners-up, coach Lionel Scaloni said…

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Pele’s health improving but no forecast for hospital discharge, doctors say

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The health of Brazilian soccer great Pele was improving but there was still no forecast for when he could be discharged from hospital after being admitted…

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Croatia in the way of Argentina’s dream of a World Cup final spot

Argentina, led by superstar Lionel Messi, came into the World Cup as one of the favourites but they face a big roadblock in the semi-final on Tuesday with 2018 runners-up…

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France favourites but Morocco eye another knockout punch

After putting Belgium, Portugal and Spain to the sword in Qatar, Morocco are looking to bring another soccer superpower to their knees when they face France in the World Cup…

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Ronaldo says dedication to Portugal unchanged but will ‘let time be a good adviser’

Cristiano Ronaldo said on Sunday that he had always been dedicated to being a part of the Portuguese national team, which was knocked out of the World Cup a day…

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Don’t expect any man-marking of Messi in semi-final, say Croatia

DOHA (Reuters) - Croatia will not attempt to stop Argentina superstar Lionel Messi by man-marking him but instead will focus on immobilising the entire team in their World Cup semi-final…

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Ronaldo pours out feelings after Portugal’s World Cup exit

Berlin (dpa) - Cristiano Ronaldo has poured out his feelings after Portugal's exit from the World Cup in Qatar following a 1-0 defeat to Morocco on Saturday. In a post…

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Giroud header sends France past England into semi-finals

AL KHOR, Qatar (Reuters) - A brilliant Olivier Giroud header 12 minutes from time kept France on course to retain their World Cup title with a 2-1 win over England…

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Morocco beat Portugal to go through to World Cup semi-final

DOHA (Reuters) - Mococco extended their dream run at the World Cup on Saturday as they out-thought and out-fought Portugal in a 1-0 win to become the first ever African…

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Ronaldo stays on the bench for Portugal

DOHA (Reuters) - Portugal again left captain Cristiano Ronaldo out of their starting line-up, keeping hat-trick hero Goncalo Ramos in the team for Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against Morocco. Portugal’s…

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Maradona is watching us from above and pushing us, says Messi

LUSAIL, Qatar (Reuters) - Lionel Messi said Argentina have felt the presence of the late, great Diego Maradona throughout their World Cup campaign, including on Friday when they beat the…

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Neymar says he is unsure if he will play again with Brazil

AL RAYYAN, Qatar (Reuters) - Brazil's Neymar said on Friday he was unsure if he would play again for the national team after their heartbreaking World Cup quarter-final defeat to…

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Messi’s Argentina go through on penalties after Dutch comeback

LUSAIL, Qatar (Reuters) -Argentina beat the Netherlands 4-3 in a penalty shootout to keep Lionel Messi's World Cup dream alive on Friday after the Dutch had snatched a 2-2 draw…

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Croatia oust favourites Brazil 4-2 on penalties to reach semi-final

AL RAYYAN, Qatar (Reuters) - Croatia stunned favourites Brazil 4-2 on penalties on Friday to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the second time in a row after battling back…

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Hat-trick hero Ramos helps Portugal thrash Swiss and reach quarters

LUSAIL, Qatar (Reuters) -Portugal's Goncalo Ramos rose to the occasion on his first World Cup start to net a hat-trick in a 6-1 demolition of Switzerland on Tuesday, sending his…

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Morocco knock Spain out of World Cup on penalties

AL RAYYAN, Qatar (Reuters) - Morocco dumped Spain out of the World Cup in a last-16 penalty shootout on Tuesday with Spanish-born Achraf Hakimi scoring the decisive spot-kick after Spain…

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Germany team director Bierhoff leaves role after World Cup debacle

Germany team director Oliver Bierhoff has become the first casualty of their first-round World Cup exit in Qatar after agreeing to leave his post two years before his contract ends,…

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Van Dijk is one-up over Messi but still rates him best

Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk remains wary about the threat Lionel Messi poses when the Dutch go up against Argentina in Friday’s World Cup quarter-finals, even though he came out…

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Auditor signals reservations over amended Juventus loss

Independent audit firm Deloitte said amended accounts filed by Juventus provided an accurate overview of the Serie A soccer club's financial position but took issue with the size of the…

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Female fans feel safe at Qatar World Cup thanks to reduced alcohol consumption

Many supporters were up in arms at the idea of the World Cup taking place in a conservative country like Qatar where the sale of alcohol is highly restricted, but for some female fans it has led to a safer experience…

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Coventry City served with stadium eviction notice

Coventry City have received an eviction notice from former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley's Frasers Group, which acquired the Coventry Building Society Arena last month, the English Championship club said…

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Ronaldo in sharp focus ahead of Portugal match against Switzerland

Speculation regarding the future of Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and his outburst following his substitution against South Korea were in sharp focus on Monday ahead of their World Cup last-16 game…

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Imperious Brazil smash Koreans 4-1 to reach quarters

An irrepressible, irresistible Brazil lit up the night sky on Monday with one of the performances of the World Cup to shred South Korea 4-1 and set up a quarter-final clash with Croatia. The Brazilians…

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Brazil’s Neymar fit to face South Korea, says coach Tite

Brazil forward Neymar is set to play for the five-times champions in their World Cup last-16 match against South Korea on Monday after recovering from an ankle injury, coach Tite said. Neymar suffered…

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