Why Fifa’s 2026 World Cup U-turn risks a fresh player welfare row March 14, 2023 Fifa is set to risk a new player welfare row by redesigning the format of the next men’s World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, according to reports. Football’s world governing body had planned to divide the 48 teams at the expanded 2026 tournament into 16 groups of three, in order to allay fears [...]
Pep Guardiola makes Manchester City Champions League admission March 13, 2023 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that their Champions League clash with RB Leipzig on Tuesday will help to shape his legacy at the club. Guardiola has delivered nine trophies in six and a half years in Manchester but success in Europe’s top competition has eluded them, despite reaching the final in 2021. The [...]
Gary Lineker to return as host of Match of the Day: BBC apologises for ‘confusion by grey areas’ March 13, 2023 Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker will continue as a BBC presenter after the corporation apologised for a “difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters, and most importantly, our audiences”. A host of sports presenters and pundits pulled out of BBC shows at the weekend after the former England striker was told to step back [...]
Gary Lineker row: Now George Osborne weighs in on Tory immigration rhetoric March 12, 2023 Support has poured in for Gary Lineker following his suspension from the BBC amid an ongoing row over the government’s policy on stopping small boats crossing the Channel. Football pundit Lineker was pulled off air last week after tweeting about the UK’s asylum policy following the announcement of the new Illegal Migration Bill by Suella [...]
United hit out at referee after Casemiro red card in 0-0 draw March 12, 2023 Manchester United fumed at referee Anthony Taylor after Casemiro was sent off for the second time in four Premier League games in a 0-0 draw at home to bottom club Southampton. The £70m midfielder’s studs-up tackle earned a straight red card from Taylor after a VAR review, meaning he faces a four-match ban. “Casemiro played [...]
Trossard’s assist hat-trick helps Arsenal go five points clear March 12, 2023 Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard hailed Leandro Trossard after the January signing provided a hat-trick of assists to help the Premier League leaders go five points clear. Trossard set up first-half goals for Gabriel, Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli in a 3-0 win at Fulham that re-established their advantage over second-placed Manchester City. “He has brought some [...]
Does the BBC’s Gary Lineker row show that the government has a problem with football? March 12, 2023 The weather forecast finished and then suddenly there it was: the BBC’s hurried replacement for Match of the Day following its spectacular bungling of the Gary Lineker row. Shorn of its theme tune, opening title, studio, presenter, pundits, commentators and about an hour of running time, this was bleak and surreal; a sort of post-apocalyptic [...]
Sport on TV: What to watch, when is it on and what channel is it on? March 10, 2023 The huge golfing tournaments return to the sports calendar this weekend with the Players, while there’s the continuation of domestic and international sport. Here are five events you need to mark ahead of this weekend. Golf: Players Championship, Thursday – Sunday Reigning champion Cameron Smith is absent for this year’s Player Championship due to his [...]
Survey reveals shocking impact on footballer injuries of Qatar World Cup March 9, 2023 More than half of footballers who took part in a major new study say they were exposed to increased risk of injury by the scheduling of last year’s World Cup in Qatar. Some 54 per cent of players surveyed by professional footballers’ union Fifpro in January reported an injury or felt more likely to suffer [...]
Newcastle United’s Saudi takeover won’t be re-examined by Premier League, says lawyer March 9, 2023 The lawyer who represented Newcastle United in a battle with the Premier League over the club’s Saudi Arabian takeover expects top-flight chiefs to reject calls to re-examine the deal. A US legal case has raised questions about the influence wielded by the Saudi state over the Tyneside football club, leading to fresh pressure on the [...]