Football

Ruthless Bayern humiliate Leverkusen with statement win

An astonishing five-goal first-half, including a burst of four in eight minutes, from Bayern Munich delivered a dominant 5-1 win away to Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday as the champions returned…

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Southgate to discuss England contract in next few weeks

England manager Gareth Southgate said he will speak to the Football Association about his contract in the next few weeks as his immediate focus is helping the team reach the 2022 World…

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Croatia lose ground after 2-2 draw with Slovakia

Croatia dented their hopes of qualifying automatically for the 2022 World Cup after a 2-2 home draw with Slovakia in their Group H clash on Monday left them trailing Russia…

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Germany becomes first European team to qualify for 2022 World Cup with North Macedonia win

Germany became the first European team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup by crushing North Macedonia 4-0 away on Monday to secure top spot in Group J with two games to spare. A…

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Football: European Qualifiers – Monday’s results

Here's a round-up of Monday's matches. Cover photo via Malta Football Association Facebook

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Saudi Arabia-led consortium completes takeover of Newcastle United

(Reuters) - Premier League side Newcastle United have been taken over by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium, the league said in a statement on Thursday. "Following the completion of the Premier…

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Facebook outage leaves players twiddling their thumbs

Tottenham Hotspur's Lucas Moura joked that Monday's near six-hour social media outage meant he finally had a chance to connect with his wife, while Everton's Richarlison saw a fresh opening…

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Ferguson says Ronaldo should have started against Everton

Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said Cristiano Ronaldo should have started last weekend's 1-1 home draw with Everton instead of being brought on as a second-half substitute by current boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.…

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Nations League final four offers silverware to Europe’s best

Fans of international football can be forgiven if it has slipped their attention that four of Europe's top national teams are about to play off this week for the Nations League title.…

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Watford appoint Ranieri as manager on two-year deal

English Premier League club Watford have appointed former Chelsea and Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri as their new manager on a two-year contract, the Premier League club said on Monday.…

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Man City complain to Liverpool over alleged fan spitting incident

Manchester City have made a complaint to Liverpool after a fan allegedly spat at their backroom staff during Sunday's 2-2 Premier League draw at Anfield, media reported. Sky Sports said…

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Pioli tells Milan to turn pain into positivity against Atalanta

AC Milan must transform the disappointment of their midweek defeat to Atletico Madrid into positive energy, coach Stefano Pioli said on Saturday ahead of his side’s Sunday night Serie A…

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Shakhtar game not decisive for Inter’s European hopes, says Inzaghi

Inter Milan’s clash with Shakhtar Donetsk will not decide their Champions League fate, coach Simone Inzaghi said on Monday, as he urged his team to take a more balanced approach…

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Zlatan returns to Sweden squad after knee injury

Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been named in Sweden's squad to face Kosovo and Greece in their October World Cup 2022 qualifiers, despite concerns over a knee injury that caused him…

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UEFA nullify proceedings against Super League rebels

UEFA have nullified disciplinary action against breakaway Super League clubs Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus after a Madrid court ruled that European football's governing body should not sanction the rebel…

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Dybala and Morata ruled out of Juventus’ clash with Chelsea

Juventus forwards Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata will not return from injury until after the October international break, the Italian club said on Monday, ruling the pair out of this week's…

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Messi should be in PSG squad for Man City game, says Pochettino

Lionel Messi is expected to play in Paris St Germain's Champions League clash against Manchester City on Tuesday after taking part in a training session. The Argentine forward missed two…

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Italy’s oldest soccer club Genoa set to be bought by U.S. 777Partners

MILAN : Italian businessman Enrico Preziosi has agreed to sell Serie A club Genoa, Italy's oldest soccer club, to U.S. investment firm 777Partners, sources close to the deal said on…

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Juve’s post-Ronaldo nightmare showing no sign of abating

(Reuters) - "Life goes on" was the message from coach Massimiliano Allegri after learning of Cristiano Ronaldo's desire to leave last month, but four Serie A games into a future without their…

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Man City facing injury crisis as key battles loom large

Manchester City will have to field several youngsters in Tuesday's League Cup clash against Wycombe Wanderers as a number of players are suffering from injuries, manager Pep Guardiola said. "I…

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Real Madrid stage late comeback to win at Valencia

Real Madrid forwards Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema scored within the space of three minutes deep in the second half to propel their side to a 2-1 win at Valencia…

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French League to meet after Lens v Lille crowd trouble

PARIS (Reuters) - The disciplinary committee of the French League (LFP) will meet on Monday to discuss the crowd trouble that marred Saturday’s RC Lens v Lille derby, the LFP…

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Former England and Tottenham striker Greaves dies aged 81

LONDON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Jimmy Greaves, one of England's most prolific strikers and Tottenham Hotspur's record goalscorer, has died at the age of 81, the Premier League club said…

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Verona and Cagliari fire coaches three games into Serie A season

(Reuters) -Cagliari announced the dismissal of coach Leonardo Semplici on Tuesday, hours after Hellas Verona sacked Eusebio Di Francesco three games into the Serie A season. Both sides have begun…

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FIFA backs down on threat to fine Premier League clubs who play South American players

(Reuters) - FIFA will allow Premier League players from Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Paraguay to compete this weekend after those countries agreed to waive a five-day travel restriction period, a…

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Too many meaningless matches not good for the international game, says FIFA president Infantino

DOHA (Reuters) - FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Wednesday questioned the international match calendar, saying that there were too many meaningless games and that such a structure was unsustainable for…

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Pele recovering in hospital following removal of tumour

Brazil soccer great Pele said on Monday that he was recovering in hospital from surgery to remove a tumour from his colon. Pele, the only player to win three World Cups, did…

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Spending on international transfer fees nearly tripled in 10 years: FIFA

Spending on international transfer fees over the last decade increased from $2.66 billion in 2012 to a peak of $7.35 billion in 2019, while players' agents received $3.5 billion in…

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Juventus re-sign Moise Kean

Juventus have signed Moise Kean on a two-year loan from Everton, the Serie A club said on Tuesday, as the Italian striker returns to the side where he made his professional…

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Mancini keeps faith with Euro winners for World Cup qualifiers

Aug 27 (Reuters) - Coach Roberto Mancini has recalled all but the injured Leonardo Spinazzola from Italy's triumphant Euro 2020 squad for their World Cup qualifiers. Mancini has called up…

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Arsenal say Odegaard clear for League Cup, Lacazette training again after COVID

Arsenal's new signing Martin Odegaard is available for Wednesday's second-round League Cup game at West Bromwich Albion, while forward Alexandre Lacazette resumed training after his COVID-19 diagnosis, the Premier League…

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Serie A opening weekend talking points

The list of players to have left the Serie A during the close season includes 2020-21 Player of the Season Romelu Lukaku, Defender of the Year Cristian Romero, Euro 2020…

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Premier League talking points

LONDON (Reuters) - Talking points from the Premier League weekend: DOMINANT LUKAKU FITS RIGHT IN Chelsea fans left Arsenal's Emirates Stadium chanting the name of Romelu Lukaku after the club's…

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Germany and Bayern Munich football legend Gerd Muller dies aged 75

Germany and Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller has passed away, aged 75. A statement on the Bundesliga club’s site confirmed the news. “Today the world of FC Bayern stands still.…

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No away fans for September FIFA & UEFA international matches due to European Covid spike

dpa - FIFA and UEFA have informed national associations that visiting fans will not be allowed to travel to next month's international matches due to coronavirus concerns. European World Cup…

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Messi says dream is to lead Paris St Germain to Champions League glory

Lionel Messi said on Wednesday he was delighted to have signed for French club Paris St Germain and that he was ready to help the team clinch their first ever Champions League…

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Brazil retain their Olympic football title

Brazil retained their Olympic football title with substitute Malcolm scoring an extra-time winner in a 2-1 victory over Spain in the men's gold medal match on Saturday. After the game…

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Former footballer Michael Ballack’s teenage son Emilio dies after quad-bike accident

LISBON (Reuters) - Former Germany and Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack's 18-year-old son Emilio died in a quad-bike accident near Lisbon on Thursday, Setubal's emergency services said. A spokesperson for the…

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Juventus apologise after racist eye gesture tweet

TURIN (Reuters) - Juventus were forced into issuing an apology after their women's team account tweeted a picture containing a racist gesture on Thursday. The tweet, which was published at…

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Man City sign Grealish from Villa in British record 100 million pounds deal

(Reuters) -Manchester City have signed England midfielder Jack Grealish on a six-year contract after paying the 100-million pound ($139.27 million) release clause, Aston Villa announced on Thursday, making him the…

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Spain’s La Liga attracts $3.2 billion investment from CVC

La Liga, Spain's top soccer league, has agreed in principle to sell 10% of a newly formed company housing most of its business to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners for…

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FIFA launches #ReachOut campaign for better mental health

FIFA has launched #ReachOut, a campaign designed to raise awareness of the symptoms of mental health conditions, encourage people to seek help when they need it, and take actions every…

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Everton suspend first team player pending police investigation

(Reuters) - Everton have suspended an unnamed first team player pending a police investigation, the Premier League club said on Tuesday without providing any further details about the case. "The…

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Bundesliga retain five substitutions, to welcome away fans from Aug. 27

(Reuters) - The Bundesliga and second-tier Bundesliga 2 will permit five substitutions per match in the 2021-22 season while away fans will be allowed to attend games from matchday three…

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Marcus Rashford ‘sorry’ for missing penalty in Euro final but says ‘will never apologise for who he is’

In a heartfelt Twitter post, England footballer Marcus Rashford said he is 'sorry' for missing the penalty in the shootout against Italy but he will never apologise for who he…

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Brazil beat Peru 1-0 to move into Copa America final

Brazil reached the Copa America final after a first-half goal from Lucas Paqueta -- his second in two games -- gave them a 1-0 win over Peru on Monday. The host nation will…

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UK’s Johnson says: support England’s football team responsibly

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said supporters should back England enthusiastically but responsibly this week, when asked the risk posed by fans heading to venues to support the soccer team…

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Possession will be first battle against Italy, says Spain coach

Spain coach Luis Enrique believes Tuesday's Euro 2020 semi-final against Italy could hinge on who dominates possession. Spain broke a tournament record for possession in their opening game against Sweden but had little to…

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Germany trio in doubt for last-16 clash with England says Loew

Germany's Ilkay Gundogan, Robin Gosens and Antonio Rudiger are doubtful for their Euro 2020 last-16 game against England at Wembley on Tuesday, with a decision on their fitness to be taken on…

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England’s Southgate wary of new contract talk ahead of Germany clash

England manager Gareth Southgate has said that "outside backing" will determine his future and dismissed talk of a new deal despite support from his Football Association (FA) bosses ahead of Tuesday's Euro…

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Overview of teams to reach the last 16 at Euro 2020

The European Championship is entering its knockout phase and the following is an overview of the remaining 16 teams: AUSTRIA Led by coach Franco Foda, Austria finished second, behind the…

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UEFA turn down request for ‘rainbow lights’ in Munich

UEFA have turned down a request from the mayor of Munich for the city's stadium to be lit up in rainbow colours for Wednesday's Euro 2020 match between Germany and Hungary. Munich mayor Dieter Reiter…

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UEFA says no plan to take away Euro semis, final from Wembley

UEFA has no plans to replace Wembley as host stadium of the Euro 2020 semi-finals and final, European soccer's governing body said, after Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi called for…

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Austria advance to last 16 with win over Ukraine, to play Italy next

Austria advanced to the European Championship knockout stages for the first time after they beat Ukraine 1-0 in their final Group C match on Monday to finish second and set up…

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Juventus legend and former club president Giampiero Boniperti dies at 92

Giampiero Boniperti, the former Juventus forward and one of Italy's greatest players, has died, the Serie A club said on Friday. He was 92. He spent his entire playing career at…

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Wales relishing chance to silence Turkish fans, says Bale

Wales captain Gareth Bale said the tem will feed off a hostile atmosphere created by a large Turkish fan contingent at Wednesday's Group A match in Baku, and the reception…

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Copa America registers another 11 positive COVID-19 tests

The number of COVID-19 cases recorded among people involved in the Copa America rose to 52 on Tuesday, an increase of 11 on two days previously, Brazil’s Health Ministry said. Two of the new…

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