4 d. ago Why my radical FA Cup change would reward clubs who have taken competition seriously

An unfamiliar quarter-final line-up in the FA Cup could bring about a first-time winner, and Robbie Savage argues there's a surefire way to permanently refresh the competition

Events

4 d. ago Marco Silva has Fulham dreaming of Europe and their first major trophy

Fulham sold their best player in the summer but they keep getting better and have two routes to European football By WhoScoredMarco Silva had his work cut out for him at the start of the season. The Fulham manager could only watch on as João Palhinha, Tosin Adarabioyo and Willian left the club in the summer. Silva is no stranger to losing key players, having previously had to cope with the exits of Fábio Carvalho and Aleksandar Mitrovic. When Fulham lost their first game of the season, it looked like it could be a tough year for the club. But, with the end of the campaign looming, they are flying high in two competitions.The Premier League is likely to have five clubs in the Champions League next season and, as outlandish as it sounds, Fulham could be one of them. They are eighth in the table, just three points behind fifth-placed Manchester City. A place in the Europa League is more realistic, especially as they have two routes to the competition. Fulham host Crystal Palace in the ...

Politics

1 week ago Chelsea left in the dark over Club World Cup plan as opponents are REMOVED from tournament

Club Leon have been removed from FIFA's Club World Cup tournament later this year, leaving Chelsea down an opponent in the competition after the club's owners breached rules

Society

1 week ago How can Manchester City stop Chelsea in the Women’s Champions League? | Tom Garry

Nick Cushing’s side must shut down Mayra Ramírez, have the right mentality and take their chancesChelsea are unbeaten in 28 games under Sonia Bompastor – with 26 wins – and arrive in Manchester for the first leg of their European quarter-final as strong favourites to progress to the semi-finals, and harbour realistic ambitions of winning their first Women’s Champions League title in Lisbon in May.The task of trying to beat this seemingly unstoppable force, over two legs across the next nine days, falls to Manchester City, who are in the unenviable position of facing Chelsea in four consecutive games in three competitions. Nick Cushing, who has been back at the club for only a week, has said their performance in his first game back in charge, the League Cup final defeat on Saturday, gave him belief that they could better Chelsea in Europe – but what do they need to do to achieve that? Continue reading...

Sport

2 w. ago Chelsea win Women’s League Cup final after own goal denies Manchester City

Women’s League Cup final: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester CityRamírez 8, Hasegawa 77og; Fujino 64Sonia Bompastor won her first trophy in English football and continued her unbeaten first season as Chelsea manager as they triumphed over Manchester City in a well-contested Women’s League Cup final at Pride Park.The result gave Chelsea a 26th victory from Bompastor’s 28 competitive matches in charge of the club so far in all competitions, while the interim Manchester City head coach, Nick Cushing, lost his first game back in charge of the club, after the sacking of Gareth Taylor. Continue reading...

Sport

2 w. ago Nottingham Forest have a Champions League place within their grasp

The last time the club played in Europe’s premier club competition, in 1980, they were the defending championsBy WhoScoredNottingham Forest’s 1-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday was a statement. Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have claimed some impressive results at the City Ground this season. They beat Aston Villa and Tottenham at home in December; they smashed Brighton 7-0 last month; and they have taken points off Liverpool and Arsenal. Yet victory over the defending champions in a battle for a Champions League finish spoke volumes. It was Forest’s first home win against City since Jason Lee bagged a brace and Steve Stone added a third in a 3-0 victory in September 1995. It was a win a long time in the making.Importantly, though, the result wasn’t a huge shock. Forest beat the drop by just six points last season, albeit with a four-point deduction, but they are now third in the table and on course to qualify for the Champions League. They are four points clear of fifth-placed Ci...

Sport

3 w. ago Cost of new stadium could impact team, says Man Utd chief executive Omar Berrada

Berrada says the club want ‘to continue being competitive while we are building a new stadium’.

Politics

3 w. ago Russia still wields huge influence inside Ceferin’s Uefa despite bans | Philippe Auclair

Alexander Dyukov and his fellow Putin-backed officials’ continuing role has largely been ignoredUefa’s response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine could not have been swifter. Hours after the fighting had started in Luhansk, European football’s governing body convened an extraordinary meeting of its executive committee and, three days later, on 28 February 2022, Uefa, with Fifa, announced that all Russian clubs and national teams had been banned from their competitions until further notice.Under-17 male and female teams were allowed back in September 2023, on condition they compete without their national kit, flag or anthem, only to be banned again after a dozen member associations threatened a boycott. Continue reading...

Science

3 w. ago Trump unveils new Club World Cup trophy alongside FIFA chief Infantino

Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino held a joint unveiling of the new trophy for FIFA’s Club World Cup competition during a meeting at the White House.

Politics

3 w. ago Third print competition of the season for Motherwell photography club

There were 36 prints entered into two sections

Culture

3 w. ago Premier League revenues almost double those in La Liga and Bundesliga

New Uefa figures show extent of Premier League powerReport says Chelsea 2024 squad was most expensive everThe Premier League’s financial power continues to blow its European rivals out of the water, with combined revenues almost double those in Germany and Spain according to newly released figures from Uefa.In the latest evidence of England’s sizeable competitive advantage, Uefa’s annual European club finance and investment landscape report showed Premier League clubs reporting revenue of just over €7.1bn (£5.9bn) in the 2023 financial year. The top flight’s nearest competitors, La Liga and the Bundesliga, brought in €3.7bn and €3.6bn respectively. It forms part of a wider picture in which revenues in the continent’s top divisions totalled €26.8bn, 17% more than before the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Jose Mourinho makes 'better coach' admission as potential Man United return now in fresh doubt

Manchester United could play Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce in the Europa League this season should both clubs progress to the semi-finals of this year's competition

Events

3 w. ago Fifa launches new Women’s Champions Cup but delays Women’s Club World Cup

Champions Cup to involve six clubs from across the worldClub World Cup was due in 2026 but will start in 2028A new six-team Women’s Champions Cup is to be established next year, featuring clubs from across the world. The competition was approved at a Fifa Council meeting on Wednesday that also confirmed a two-year delay to the first Women’s Club World Cup.The 16-team Women’s Club World Cup was due to launch in 2026 but, as first reported by the Guardian, has been put on hold. It is understood Fifa believes the delay will ensure it has time to create space in the calendar for the additional fixtures. The competition will be played every four years from 2028. In the meantime the Women’s Champions Cup will get under way, to be played annually other than in Women’s Club World Cup years. The champions of each confederation’s club tournament will take part. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Unai Emery singles out Aston Villa hero for tribute after huge Champions League win

Aston Villa have one foot in the quarter-finals of European football's premier club competition after a 3-1 win over Club Brugge in Belgium, with the second leg at Villa Park to come next week

Sport

4 w. ago Unai Emery makes feelings clear to Aston Villa team with Champions League demand

Aston Villa will meet Club Brugge once more in the Champions League - having already lost to the Belgian side in the group stage - as they enter the last 16 stage of Europe's premier club competition

Sport

4 w. ago Aston Villa captain John McGinn's telling admission over Unai Emery's public comments

Aston Villa facing Club Brugge in the last 16 of the Champions League with Unai Emery maintaining Villa are contenders in Europe's premier club competition - but his skipper has clear feelings on his public comments

Events