BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen on Monday appointed Dane Kasper Hjulmand as coach, replacing Erik ten Hag, who was fired after just two league games in charge. The former Denmark coach has been appointed on a contract until 2027. “It is an honour to be entrusted with such a team”, Hjulmand said in a statement, adding: “I’m…
MADRID: Athletic Bilbao defender Yeray Alvarez has been hit with a 10-month ban after testing positive for a prohibited substance following a Europa League clash against Manchester United last season, European football’s governing body UEFA said on Monday. Analysis of a sample provided by the player after the game in May “revealed the presence of…
LONDON: Manchester City and the Premier League have reached a settlement in their dispute over the rules governing commercial deals. City have accepted that the current rules for ‘associated party transactions’ are “valid and binding”. The Etihad Stadium club had launched arbitration proceedings on January 20 against the current rules, which are designed to ensure…
KONYA: Â Mikel Merino struck a hat-trick as Spain hammered Turkey 6-0 on Sunday to take charge of their 2026 World Cup qualifying group. Barcelona’s Pedri Gonzalez netted twice with Ferran Torres also on target as Luis de la Fuente’s side topped Group E with their second victory from their opening two matches. After a comfortable…
ABUJA: Nigeria scraped past Rwanda 1-0 to stay in contention for qualification to the 2026 World Cup on Saturday. It was the first home win by Nigeria in the qualifying series and it moved them up to third in Group C with 10 points from seven matches. They next play group leaders South Africa, who…
PARIS: Gennaro Gattuso enjoyed his start to life as Italy coach on Friday as his team beat Estonia 5-0 to get their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign back on track, while Kylian Mbappe struck as France began their bid with a win against Ukraine. A World Cup winner as a combative midfielder in 2006, Gattuso…
BIRMINGHAM: England extended their 100 percent record on the road to the World Cup but Thomas Tuchel’s side again failed to impress in a laboured 2-0 win against minnows Andorra on Saturday. Christian Garcia’s first-half own-goal at Villa Park was followed by Declan Rice’s header after the interval as the Group K leaders made it…
JOHANNESBURG: Morocco trounced 10-man Niger 5-0 in Rabat on Friday to win Group E and become the first African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Ismael Saibari scored twice in the first half after Abdul-Latif Goumey was sent off and second-half goals from Ayoub el Kaabi, Hamza Igamane and Azzedine Ounahi completed the rout. A…
MIAMI: Â Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez, who spat at a Seattle staff member after the Sounders’ Leagues Cup final triumph on Sunday, apologized in a statement on Instagram on Thursday. “It was a moment of great tension and frustration, where right after the match things happened that shouldn’t have happened, but that doesn’t justify the…
PARAGUANA: South American football’s governing body, Conmebol, disqualified Argentine club Independiente on Thursday from the 2025 Copa Sudamericana competition over a bloody brawl during a game against Universidad de Chile last month. The Argentine side must also play its next 14 matches in Conmebol tournaments without its fans — seven at home and seven away…
