Tag: Football News

Premier League clubs involved in the latter stages of European cup competitions will be given a delayed start to the 2020-21 season.

Precise details around the calendar for next season will not be decided until later this month.

But it has already been decided in principle that all clubs should be given a minimum amount of time off.

Manchester City and Chelsea are in the Champions League with Manchester United and Wolves in the Europa League.

A 30-day period has generally been accepted, which would mean any club involved in the ‘Final Eight’ stages of the Champions League or Europa League will not start their campaigns on 12 September when the new Premier League will begin.

Manchester City take a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid into their Champions League last-16 second leg tie at Etihad Stadium on Friday. Should they reach the final in Lisbon on 23 August, they will miss the first two weekends of the new campaign.

The same is also true for either Manchester United or Wolves, if either were to reach the Europa League final in Cologne on 21 August.

United and Wolves play their last-16 Europa League second-leg ties on Wednesday and Thursday this week. United lead Austrian side LASK 5-0 while Wolves drew 1-1 with Olympiakos in March.

A decision still needs to be made about a delayed start for the teams who get knocked out in last-16 ties this week. This could include Chelsea, who are 3-0 down after the home leg of their tie against Bayern Munich.

While those clubs would have 30 days between their final game and the opening weekend of the season, given the restart comes immediately after an international break, it would severely limit the number of friendlies those clubs could arrange before their first competitive match.

Speaking on Tuesday United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said “Hopefully we will get some help if we go through to the end.

“I’ll look after the players, we’ll give the players time off to recharge, maybe a couple of weeks.”

Liverpool are interested in signing Norwich City left-back Jamal Lewis for £10m as back-up for Andy Robertson.

Northern Ireland defender Lewis, 22, made 28 Premier League appearances in 2019-20, scoring once, as the Canaries were relegated.

Norwich are thought to be keen on Reds left-back Yasser Larouci, which could help a deal be reached.

Algeria-born Larouci, 19, has one year left on his contract and is keen to get more playing time.

His only two first-team appearances for the Premier League champions came in the FA Cup, with 34-year-old midfielder James Milner usually covering for Scotland captain Robertson, 26, when needed.

Liverpool sold Croatia centre-back Dejan Lovren to Zenit St Petersburg for £10.9m in July.

Fulham beat Brentford in the Championship play-off final to secure an immediate return to the Premier League thanks to two extra-time goals from Joe Bryan.

The left-back caught Bees goalkeeper David Raya off guard with a free-kick from 40 yards in the 105th minute of the game at Wembley, with the Spaniard expecting a cross and then unable to scamper back and save Bryan’s skidding low effort.

With the Bees pouring forward in search of an equaliser, Bryan burst forward and combined with Aleksandar Mitrovic before stabbing past Raya to make the game safe with three minutes remaining.

Henrik Dalsgaard pulled a goal back with a header from eight yards out in the fourth minute of added time, but it was too late for the Bees to spark a comeback.

The goals from Bryan were two rare moments of quality and quick-thinking in an otherwise cagey encounter between the two west London rivals, which finished goalless after 90 minutes.

Manchester City have completed the signing of Valencia winger Ferran Torres for 23m euros (£20.87m).

He is City’s first summer signing and replaces Germany forward Leroy Sane, who left on 3 July for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

The 20-year-old has signed a five-year contract.

“Every player wants to be involved in attacking teams and Manchester City are one of the most attacking in world football,” Torres said.

“I am so happy to be joining City.”

City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain added: “We have followed Ferran’s progress closely and have been very impressed.

“He is young and still developing, but his technical qualities are exactly what we are looking for in a winger. He is quick, direct, can create space with one movement and is capable of producing match-winning moments.”

City have also had a £40m bid for Bournemouth centre-back Nathan Ake accepted.

The 2021 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand could be played behind closed doors and in a bio-secure environment.

Organisers of the tournament, scheduled for February and March, are advertising for a “bio-security manager”.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is understood to be looking at a range of options, in consultation with stakeholders, national governments and health experts.

The tournament will be discussed at an ICC board meeting on Friday.

The men’s T20 World Cup, due to be held in Australia in October and November, was postponed last month because of the coronavirus pandemic.

If the Women’s World Cup is also postponed, the ICC would face a crammed schedule of global tournaments, with men’s T20 World Cups planned for both 2021 and 2022, and women’s T20 cricket set to be part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Any plans to stage the Women’s World Cup on time also depends on the rescheduling of the qualifying event, which should have taken place in Sri Lanka in July.

The qualifying event – featuring 10 teams, including Ireland – will determine the final three of the eight teams which will take part in the tournament proper.

Australia, holders England, South Africa, India and hosts New Zealand have already booked their places.

Former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas has retired from football at the age of 39.

Casillas made 725 appearances for Real during a 16-year career at the Bernabeu, winning three Champions League titles and five La Liga crowns.

He also helped Spain win the 2010 World Cup and two successive European Championships in 2008 and 2012.

Casillas joined Porto in 2015 but has not played since suffering a heart attack during training in April 2019.

During his recovery he was given a role on the club’s coaching staff in July 2019.

He made 156 appearances for the Portuguese side, winning two Primeira Liga titles and one Portuguese Cup.

Casillas won 167 international caps for Spain between 2000 and 2016. Only former Real team-mate Sergio Ramos has made more appearances for the national side.

Announcing his retirement on Twitter, Casillas said: “The important thing is the path you travel and the people who accompany you, not the destination to which it takes you.

“I think I can say, without hesitation, that it has been the path and the dream destination.”

Real Madrid said Casillas, who joined the Spanish giants at the age of nine, was the best goalkeeper in the 118-year history of the club.

“Real Madrid wants to show its appreciation, admiration and love for one of the greatest legends of our club and world football,” read a statement on the club’s website.

“Iker Casillas belongs to the heart of Real Madrid and will be so forever.”

In February, he announced his intention to run for the presidency of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), before later withdrawing because of the “exceptional social, economic and health situation” the country was suffering during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Brentford play Fulham on Tuesday for the chance to return to the English top flight for the first time in 73 years – and earn about £160m in the process.

The west London rivals, separated by just four miles, meet in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Fulham could seal an immediate return to the Premier League.

Victory in the match, often dubbed the richest game in football, would be worth £135m to Fulham and about £160m to Brentford over the next three years.

Brentford finished third in the table, one place above Fulham on goal difference, and won both league meetings during the regular campaign.

If they fail to win, the Bees will have taken part in more unsuccessful play-off campaigns in the English Football League than any other club, with this their ninth attempt.

Borussia Dortmund have set a 10 August deadline to agree a deal for forward Jadon Sancho – who is Manchester United’s top summer transfer target – to leave the club.

The German club have told United they want in excess of £100m for the 20-year-old England winger.

There is no agreement yet on a fee, which would be paid in instalments.

Dortmund have set the deadline because they want undisturbed preparation for the 2020-21 Bundesliga season.

The new campaign starts on 18 September, with the transfer deadline for international deals on 5 October.

Sancho has been at Dortmund for three years, having signed from Manchester City in August 2017 for a fee of about £10m.

In July, Dortmund beat United to the signing of 17-year-old English midfielder Jude Bellingham from Birmingham City in a deal that could be worth over £30m.

They also bought Norway forward Erling Braut Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg earlier in the season – another player United tried hard to bring to Old Trafford.