8 h. ago Barcelona in Miami; Milan in Perth? Welcome to the league of anywhere | Jonathan Liew

What goes on tour, stays on tour as Uefa meets to discuss La Liga’s and Serie A’s request to play competitive matches abroadThe caramel-coloured tiles on the facade are long gone, and the name changed eight years ago, and there are now wraparound LED screens and an “immersive” museum experience and a lot more bright yellow than you would ideally want. And it’s harder to park right next to the ground like you used to, and many of the locals still insist on calling it El Madrigal. But still they come every other weekend, and buy horchata from the stalls out the front, and sit with the same old friends in the same old bars with the same old faded photos on the wall. Because for all that has changed over the years, this is still their town, their team, their tradition. And when their beloved Villarreal are playing there is nowhere else they would rather be.But when they play their home game against Barcelona the week before Christmas, the Estadio de la Cerámica is likely to be sitting e...

Politics

3 d. ago Uefa must not betray its principles by approving games abroad

Comment: Barcelona and Villarreal could play a LaLiga game in Miami this December to usher in a new era that would change football forever. But Miguel Delaney explains why Uefa should be doing everything in their power to stop this

Politics

1 week ago Fifa urged to block ‘disarray’ of major European fixtures being played on different continents

Supporters’ groups warn against ‘dangerous precedent’Governing body to rule on La Liga call for Miami gameFifa has been urged by leading supporters’ groups to block domestic league matches from being played abroad and avoid “a Pandora’s box of disarray for football”, as the prospect of major European fixtures taking place on different continents looms large.World football’s governing body is likely to be tasked with deciding whether Villarreal face Barcelona in Miami in December after La Liga’s request to make the switch was approved and submitted by the Spanish football federation. Milan and Como are also looking to play a Serie A fixture in Perth, Western Australia, in February. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Luis Suarez appears to spit at Seattle Sounders coach after Inter Miami loss

The former Liverpool and Barcelona superstar reacted furiously after Inter Miami’s defeat to Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup final

Politics

1 week ago Uefa to decide in September on Barcelona request to play in Miami

La Liga game would be against VillarrealPlan also needs approval from Fifa and othersUefa will decide in September whether to approve a request by the Spanish football federation for Villarreal and Barcelona to contest a La Liga game in Miami in December.European football’s governing body is expected to discuss the matter at its next executive committee meeting in Tirana on 11 September and, should no move be made to block the request, a landmark move will edge closer to reality. No major league has held a domestic game on foreign territory, despite prolonged attempts from the Spanish top flight to do so. Uefa’s signoff would clear a huge section of path, although the plan also requires approval from Fifa, US Soccer and Concacaf. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Blockbuster Champions League draw is intriguing but ultimately irrelevant | Jonathan Wilson

Fans will continue to lap up massive games but perhaps the teams involved will conclude they are not that importantLiverpool v Real Madrid! Arsenal v Bayern! Chelsea v Napoli! Madrid v Manchester City! Bayern v Chelsea! Newcastle v Barcelona! Inter v Liverpool! PSG v Bayern! City v Napoli! Madrid v Juventus! Chelsea v Barcelona! It can’t be denied that the Champions League draw threw up some ties that look like massive games.These are games that have massive teams in them. They are happening in a massive competition. There will be famous players in famous kits in famous stadiums. There will be Champions League branding. They will play the Champions League theme tune. They will use the Champions League ball, taking its cues this season from the night sky and featuring hand-drawn zodiac signs in gold that symbolise heroic deeds and heavenly destiny. It will all look like something really important. Continue reading...

Sport

2 w. ago La Liga players reject proposal to play game in USA after Premier League makes stance clear

La Liga had planned to take Villarreal's game with Barcelona to Miami but those hopes have been dealt a huge blow as leading lights in Spain rejected the proposal

Sport

3 w. ago Premier League clubs to have final say on playing matches abroad as vote option emerges

Spanish football will break new ground this season after Villarreal and Barcelona were given permission to play their LaLiga fixture in Miami on December 20 - but English football will not follow suit for now

Politics

4 w. ago Triumph and disaster for you, soft power for the Premier League: fantasy football is back | Jonathan Liew

Celebrities play it. Footballers play it. Gradually, insidiously, fantasy football has seeped into the way we consume the gamePerhaps you’re a template kind of guy. Perhaps, by contrast, you’re spurning the triple Liverpool consensus and stacking your team with handy differentials like Jarrod Bowen and Donyell Malen. Perhaps even Erling Haaland could be considered a differential given his historically low current ownership stats. Perhaps you’re feeling a cheeky BB GW1, followed by a FH GW2. Perhaps, by contrast, you’re furiously stabbing at the “close tab” button on your browser in the hope of purging these words from your eyes as expeditiously as possible.In which case, relax. This is actually a column about sport: what it is, what it isn’t, how we watch it, where it’s going. Most important, you can rest assured I shall not be relating any details of my Fantasy Premier League exploits, for the same reason I will not be sharing my dreams, my Wordle stats or the contents of my belly ...

Sport

4 w. ago Football Daily | La Liga, where every team plays each other home and away. Unless they’re in Miami

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!Spanish football is famed for nothing if not its integrity. Whether it’s Franco using his influence to elevate Real Madrid, in general, but with particular regard to the Di Stéfano affair; the way the government facilitated the sale of Madrid’s training ground for a gazillion euros; Barcelona conjuring then pulling their beloved levers; the way it treats the women’s game, in general but with particular regard to the Luis Rubiales affair; racism more suited to a dissertation or police report than a tea-timely email; to say nothing of the Fuentes blood bags.To Manchester United I decided and said yes. I wanted to join Manchester United, to see Alex Ferguson [but Dortmund] could not sell me, because they knew if I stayed they could earn more money, and that I could wait maybe one or two more years” – Robert Lewandowski on how he almost became a Red Devil in 2012, two years after a volcanic ash cloud scuppered a planned move to Blackbur...

Politics