5 h. ago Africa Cup of Nations shunted into margins as greedy game finds no room at top table | Jonathan Wilson

So long as the Premier League invests in its players and Fifa pays it lip service, the continent’s flagship tournament will always struggle to fit inPerhaps attitudes are not quite as parochial as they once were, but it remains true that, in England at least, the Africa Cup of Nations is discussed less as a tournament in its own right than in terms of what it means for the Premier League.There will be the usual harrumphing about why the tournament is played in the middle of our season, but the Confederation of African Football has tried to satisfy European clubs only to be thwarted by Fifa and the increasing demands of the calendar. Continue reading...

Politics

14 h. ago Arsenal and Chelsea suffer January blow as £39m target snubs transfer for rival club

Arsenal and Chelsea have been monitoring one of European football's hottest prospects but the Premier League pair have been dealt a blow ahead of the winter window

Sport

57 h. ago Ballon d'Or winner denied Chelsea switch and then got "even better" transfer

Chelsea have been among European football's biggest spenders for much of the 21st century but one failed deal more than a decade ago could be the one that got away

Sport

3 d. ago European football: Real Madrid’s Frenchmen run riot at Athletic Bilbao

Mbappé scores twice and Camavinga once in 3-0 winNapoli and Atalanta reach Italian Cup quarter-finalsKylian Mbappé scored twice as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless streak in La Liga.Mbappé’s France teammate Eduardo Camavinga also found the net as Real moved back within a point of Barcelona, who beat Atlético Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Aberdeen's European opponents rocked ahead of Pittodrie trip as Strasbourg captain suspended

Striker’s left out of squad for weekend clash

Politics

4 d. ago Man Utd ready to green light three transfer exits for young stars

Manchester United want to hand some young stars the opportunity to go and thrive elsewhere from January with few opportunities under Ruben Amorim without European football

Politics

6 d. ago European football: ‘Utterly outrageous’ fireworks cause Ajax abandonment

Pyrotechnics in stands cause referee to call haltReal Madrid’s Mbappé levels in 1-1 draw at GironaAjax have strongly criticised an “utterly outrageous” firework display that caused their Eredivisie match against Groningen at the Johan Cruyff Arena to be abandoned.Referee Bas Nijhuis took the players off the field within five minutes of the start after fireworks and flares were ignited behind one of the goals, and the stadium filled with smoke. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago European football: Martínez double keeps Inter on tail of leaders

Forward scores twice in 2-0 win at PisaVillarreal edge out Real Sociedad in thrillerInter’s Lautaro Martínez scored a second-half double to earn his side a 2-0 at Pisa that kept the visitors very much involved in the Serie A title race despite a less than convincing performance.Cristian Chivu’s Inter are third in the standings on 27 points, level with second-placed Roma, who host Napoli later on Sunday, and one behind the leaders, Milan, who beat Lazio 1-0 on Saturday. Pisa are third bottom with 10 points.This story will be updated Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago European football: Olmo double takes Barca top; Díaz fires up Bayern’s late rally

La Liga leaders recover to beat Alavés 3-1Munich set summit record with stoppage-time goalsBarcelona recovered from an early setback to secure a 3-1 victory over Alavés, with first-half goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo and a late second for the latter sealing the win at the Camp Nou.The win lifts the defending La Liga champions to the top of the table on 34 points, two ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who have a game in hand at Girona on Sunday. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Rangers dwell on positives after European 'step' but certain issues still remain

Barron still fighting on multiple fronts ahead of Falkirk test

Politics

9 d. ago Champions League review: Arsenal erupt, PSV stun Liverpool and Benfica revive

Arsenal rout Bayern to stake a claim as Europe’s best, Liverpool spiral again, Benfica revive under Mourinho, and Estevão dazzles on a crowded week of stars• Bayern Munich’s unbeaten run and claim to be the best team in European football were both punctured at the Emirates. Arsenalwere rampant against an opponent who have handed them so much pain in the past. The Gunners opened the scoring through their habitual set-piece goal, Jurriën Timber fulfilling the role of the absent Gabriel Magalhães. Lennart Karl, the 17-year-old, showed off his chops with a fine goal; from within Bayern have found the player they desired when they were thwarted in moving for Florian Wirtz. After that, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze took control in midfield, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli scoring the goals, the latter a humiliation of Manuel Neuer’s sweeper-keeper stylings. Amid the fug of the extended Champions League group-stage format, where matches between elite clubs are routine rather than novelt...

Sport

9 d. ago Man Utd news: Triple transfer plans for January as Ruben Amorim hits out over his tactics

Manchester United are in a battle to return to European football and are likely to be active in the January transfer window, as Ruben Amorim has hit out at critics of his tactical approach

Events

9 d. ago ‘The whole journey was fantastic’: how Bob Houghton led Malmö to European Cup final

Englishman was not an obvious candidate to lead them but Swedes pushed Nottingham Forest all the way in 1979Early in the 1979 European Cup final, Kenny Burns misjudged a long ball and ended up lobbing it up in the air for Jan-Olov Kindvall. He, in turn, attempted to knock the dropping ball over Peter Shilton but the goalkeeper was not as close as he had perhaps anticipated and Shilton ended up catching it simply. The chance was gone and, with it, Malmö’s hopes of beating Nottingham Forest.“I had quite a good chance to score and then they were the better team,” says Kindvall. “But maybe if we had got the first goal, maybe we had a chance. We were very good when we didn’t have the ball ourselves. We had good organisation in the defence. And Forest were very good without the ball as well. It was more difficult for us to play against a team who were more like our team. We played the English way.” Continue reading...

Sport

1 week ago Scotland's European light flickering as Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen and coefficient face crunch time

Do-or-die week for Scottish clubs’ hopes of progressing in Europe

Politics

1 week ago Martin O'Neill confirms his final Celtic European match as Wilfried Nancy appointment nears

O’Neill set to lead Celtic out in Europe for final time

Politics

1 week ago Why Feyenoord’s 1970 European Cup win was a sliding doors moment for Celtic

The final remains curious in a Celtic context because it is the showpiece occasion the club would rather forgetIt feels cruel in part to use Thursday’s meeting of Feyenoord and Celtic to reflect upon illustrious times. The Dutch side are 29th in the 36-team Europa League table, with Celtic’s position in 27th only more slightly more palatable to supporters because Rangers are bottom of the pile.Those fans disrupted an annual general meeting to the point of abandonment last week, demonstrating the disharmony that has engulfed Celtic for months. A club that progressed to the Champions League’s knockout phase last season, looking an overdue but serious European force, have starkly regressed. Celtic have the spending power to outshine clubs who routinely embarrass them in a bigger pond than St Mirren and Motherwell occupy. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago India slump to heaviest home Test defeat as South Africa sweep series with 408

Chasing an improbable 549, India were all out for 140 on the final day

Politics

1 week ago European football: Jude Bellingham snatches late draw for Real Madrid at Elche

Roma claim 3-1 away victory to move top of Serie AMilan take derby honours after Maignan penalty saveReal Madrid were held to an entertaining 2-2 draw at Elche on Sunday after a pulsating second half in which the visitors came from behind twice with Jude Bellingham’s late goal rescuing a point.The result extended Real’s winless run to three matches in all competitions, but they reclaimed top spot in La Liga, one point ahead of Barcelona. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago European football: Ferguson ends goal drought for Roma in win against Cremonese

Roma claim 3-1 away victory to maintain league formTeenager Ouédraogo scores in victory for RB LeipzigRoma gave themselves a chance of finishing the weekend top of Serie A with a 3-1 win at Cremonese, where the Irish striker Evan Ferguson came off the bench and ended his almost 13-month goal drought at club level.Roma are on 27 points, two points ahead of Napoli who beat Atalanta 3-1 on Saturday, with Inter third on 24 points going into their home derby with Milan on Sunday night. Cremonese are 12th in the standings on 14 points. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Aston Villa rally to put Leeds in trouble with Morgan Rogers double

Five defeats in six and the anxiety is beginning to show for Leeds. For the second game in a row they took an early lead through Lukas Nmecha but ended up with nothing, Morgan Rogers producing a pair of remarkable finishes to lift Aston Villa into the Champions League qualification slots. Leeds remain in the relegation zone.Villa began the season apparently still feeling the hangover from the defeat at Old Trafford on the final weekend of the last campaign that cost them European football. But having failed to win any of their first six games, they have won nine of their last 11 in all competitions, the depth of their squad beginning to tell. Donyell Malen began on the bench and, while he may not have scored in his third successive game, his arrival at half-time shifted the momentum of the game as Villa became only the second away side in 26 to win in the league at Elland Road. Continue reading...

Events