Argentina U23 coach Javier Mascherano labelled the occurrence that left his team on the wrong end of a 2-1 result against Morocco in the men’s Olympic football tournament opener on Wednesday, “a disgrace” and “a circus”. Argentina — two-time gold medallists — believed they had fought back for a 2-2 draw in the Group B contest when Cristian Medina netted in the 16th minute of added time, however, the players were taken off the pitch before the referee’s full time whistle as crowd trouble came about. For a while, the outcome of the match was unknown, with the official IOC…
Author: Somto Isaac
New Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca voiced his opinion on Enzo Fernandez ahead of the Argentinean rejoining the squad in time for the start of the Premier League campaign following the racism controversy. The Blues boss revealed he does not expect “any problems at all” following the midfielder’s recent controversy after he posted a video on social media of his and his fellow national team players singing a derogatory chant about the France team while celebrating their Copa America victory earlier in July. The song was seemingly aimed at striker Kylian Mbappe, amongst others and includes racist and homophobic insults. The…
European football governing body, UEFA have begun disciplinary proceedings involving Spain captain Rodri and Alvaro Morata over their behaviour during their Euro 2024 trophy celebration in Madrid. The players sang, “Gilbratar is Spanish” on July 15, the day after they lifted the European Championship in the 2-1 final victory against England in Berlin. Gilbratar is a British territory located at the southern tip of Spain. Gilbratar’s Football Association filed a formal complaint to UEFA about the chant, and UEFA made an appointment to an ethics and disciplinary inspector to weigh whether it violated regulations. The charges against Rodri and Morata…
New Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has stated his intention to develop a more direct style focused on scoring, adding to the club’s traditional passing philosophy. The Catalan giants appointed the former Bayern Munich and Germany manager as the new man at the dugout on a two-year contract after relieving Xavi of his duties. The Spanish giants went through the 2023-24 campaign without a major trophy and Flick has now been tasked with changing the fortunes. “Here the tradition is to play with passing, but I also want them to go straight to the goal,” Flick said to Barca ONE in…
Aston Villa and Unai Emery have been making moves in this summer’s transfer window, following their fourth place finish and UEFA Champions League qualification. The Villa Park outfit have completed the signing of 22-year-old midfielder Amadou Onana from Everton. Both clubs did not disclose the financial terms of the deal but British outlets reported it was worth around £50million and also Villa did not reveal the length of the player’s contract. Onana began his senior career at German side Hamburg – following his birth in Dakar, Senegal. He moved to Lille in 2021 and joined Everton in 2022 – making…
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke on the future of midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and his rumoured exit from the Premier League to Saudi Arabia. The 53-year-old insisted there is no truth to reports linking the Belgian with a move away from the English champions. De Bruyne, who has a contract until 2025 with the Cityzens, stated last month he is not ruling out a switch but Guardiola is adamant that his squad with not be altered at the end of the transfer window. “Kevin is not going,” said Guardiola at a press conference at North Carolina State University on…
Arsenal and Mikel Arteta are close to completing their first major signing ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. The Gunners are in prime position to add a serious boost to their defence line after they finally reached an agreement with Bologna for the signing of Riccardo Calafiori, according to reports. The left-footed Italian defender was a shining light in the previous season and extremely impressive in the just concluded European Championships for the Azzuri. Both clubs have been struggling to reach an agreement on the transfer but breakthrough has finally been made on a reported fixed fee of €40million and €5million…
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reiterated that his team have less depth than their Premier League rivals and remain in the process of building their squad. The 54-year-old also put last season’s misery of finishing in eighth place on injuries. Ten Hag extended his Man United contract, earlier this month, until 2026 despite reports he would be sacked after a disappointing campaign which was surprisingly ended with triumph in the FA Cup. “That’s really too much. We are not the only team that struggled with injuries, other clubs had the same,” Ten Hag said to the Dutch daily…
Following the recent conclusion of the European Championship and Copa América, the world’s football governing body FIFA published the updated rankings after what was a busy month of football. Spain climbed to third spot following their Euro 2024 success against England – in the latest rankings released on Thursday. Meanwhile, reigning world champions Argentina retained their status as the number one national team in the world following their Copa América victory against Colombia in the final. England moved into fourth spot, climbing past Brazil, who were disappointing in the Copa América, crashing out in the quarter final stage. Venezuela, who…
Luka Modric has penned a new one-year contract extension with Real Madrid which will see him remain at the club until 2025. The 38-year-old recently lifted his sixth UEFA Champions League and a fourth LaLiga title with Los Blancos last season. The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner’s previous contract had expired at the end of the 2023-24 campaign but he revealed to fans during Madrid’s 15th Champions League victory celebration that he would remain put at the Spanish capital. Modric is the most successful Real Madrid player, with 26 trophies since his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2012. The veteran…