Women´s Euros: History, contenders and storylines to follow as Spain lead challengers to hosts Engla

Five years after Sarina Wiegman s Netherlands team triumphed on home turf at the European Championship, Sarina Wiegman s England begin among the favourites to triumph on home turf.

Wiegman s switch to coach the Lionesses has served as a key sub-plot to the tournament, which will put women s football in the spotlight throughout July.

It gets under way when England play Austria at Old Trafford on Wednesday, women taking the spotlight in a year when the men s World Cup unusually takes place in November and December.

Almost 120,000 spectators attended games when England s north west staged Euro 2005; however, the overwhelming majority were either at games featuring England, or at the final between Germany and Norway at Blackburn Rovers Ewood Park.

That mea…

Iraq to build ´Sport City´ for 2012 Gulf Cup

Iraq is to construct a Sport City in the southern oil hub of Basra to host the Gulf Cup at the end of 2012, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Saturday.

The council of ministers, on the recommendation of the minister for youth and Sports freed up 446 million dollars to build a 146 hectare modern complex inspired by the architectural style of Basra, he said in a statement.

In January 2009, Gulf football chiefs accepted Iraq s request to host the 21st edition of the tournament.

Youth and sports ministry spokesman Assifa Moussa said the complex would consist of a 65,000 capacity main stadium, a 10,000 seat arena and four smaller training stadiums, each with 400 seats.

A sporting village consisting of eight buildings each housing 16 apartments will…

Lionesses hero Kelly on Barton comments: ´Women can achieve great things´

England forward Chloe Kelly says women should never let anyone tell them they can t succeed, after Joey Barton sparked controversy with comments about female pundits working in football.

Speaking at the launch of the first ever Panini Barclays Women s Super League sticker collection at the National Football Museum, former Lionesses goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis joined Kelly to call for women to ignore Barton s clickbait criticism.

Former Manchester City and Newcastle United midfielder Barton made headlines recently over a series of negative social media posts about women working in the men s game.

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Barton said women shouldn t be talking with any kind of authority in the men s game , calling women s football a different spo…

Manchester City 3-1 Sevilla: Teenager Lewis breaks Benzema record in comeback win

Teenager Rico Lewis kick-started a Manchester City comeback as Pep Guardiola s side beat Sevilla 3-1 to cap a successful Champions League Group G campaign.

City were without Erling Haaland through injury and rested other key players for Wednesday s meeting at the Etihad Stadium, which was stunned into silence when Rafa Mir put the visitors ahead.

However, City deservedly levelled through 17-year-old right-back Lewis when he fired home in the 52nd minute of his full debut, becoming the youngest player in Champions League history to score on his first start in the competition, breaking the record set by Karim Benzema in 2005.

Having teed up Lewis equaliser, Julian Avarez scored with 17 minutes remaining before playing in Riyad Mahrez to round off the victory late o…

Inter Miami to sign Jordi Alba, reuniting him with former FC Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Sergi

Make that three former high-profile FC Barcelona players now on Inter Miami.

The MLS club will sign veteran defender Jordi Alba, reuniting him with Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets.

Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas announced the move Tuesday, while also confirming Messi and Busquets will make their team debuts on Friday against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.

He will debut on Friday, Mas said of Messi. How much, when, what he does, that’s up to him and (coach Gerardo Tata Martino).

Messi and Busquets both participated in their first practice with Miami on Tuesday, three days after Messi officially signed a 2 1/2-year contract that will be worth between $50-60million per year.

Takeoff initiated

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF)

M…

September 14th: Saturday’s Premier League Accumulator – 11/1

With the Premier League making its return this weekend following September’s international break, we have a stacked schedule on the cards this weekend.

With eight top-flight showdowns on the cards, the duo of Manchester City and Liverpool will be looking to extend on their 100% start to proceedings.

So, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have taken a look some of the most intriguing Premier League betting markets that are available.

Saturday, September 14th
BST 12:30 Southampton vs Manchester United

While Manchester United might have made the decision to stick with Erik ten Hag over the summer, the former Ajax boss once again has a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders. Heading into September’s international break with an…

VAR turning football into a computer game – Brendan Rodgers after Madrid mauling

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers likened modern football to a “computer game” after claiming Daizen Maeda was sent off following a needless VAR intervention in his side’s 6-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid.

Maeda saw a yellow card upgraded to red following a VAR review midway through the first half at the Estadio Metropolitano, but Rodgers felt referee made the right call initially.

The Japanese attacker dangled a leg in a 50-50 challenge with Mario Hermoso, who hurt himself as he followed through.

Atleti on fire

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)

Celtic were already trailing to a deflected strike from Antoine Griezmann and Atletico took full advantage of the numerical superiority. Griezmann and Alvaro Morata both struck doubles, while…

Santos has no fears over Jota fitness as Portugal announce Euro 2020 squad

Fernando Santos is confident Diogo Jota will be fully fit for Portugal s Euro 2020 campaign, despite the Liverpool forward s troublesome foot problem.

Jota sustained the injury in last week s 4-2 win over Manchester United  at Old Trafford – a game in which he scored – and has missed the Reds subsequent two games.

However, Klopp revealed on Tuesday that the 24-year-old has a small chance of returning for Liverpool s final match of the season at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday.

After naming him in Portugal s 26-man squad on Thursday for next month s rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament, Santos confirmed Jota is on course for a swift return to action.

The information I have is that he is clinically fit and that on the 27th he will start training with his…

Brighton announce signing of James Milner on free transfer from Liverpool

Brighton have announced the signing of James Milner on a free transfer from Premier League rivals Liverpool.

The former England international has agreed a one-year contract at the Amex Stadium, with the option for a further 12 months.

Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi told his club’s website: “I’m very glad to welcome James to Brighton.

We re pleased to confirm that will join us on a one-year deal with a year’s option when his Liverpool contract expires on 30 June.

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— Brighton Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC)

“He’s an excellent addition for us and I’m sure he will help to bring us to an even higher level.”

Milner, who won 61 international caps between 2009 and 2016, began his career with Leeds and has also p…

Are Manchester United Considering Simone Inzaghi as a Potential Replacement for Erik Ten Hag?

Manchester United are reportedly considering Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi as a potential successor to Erik ten Hag, whose future is uncertain following a . The loss has sparked widespread criticism from former players and analysts, fueling speculation about Ten Hag s position. This article explores the possible outcomes.

Pressure Mounting on Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag s position at Manchester United looks increasingly uncertain after last weekend s home defeat to Tottenham, which left the team and fans frustrated. Former United players like Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand have openly criticized the team’s performance under Ten Hag, adding to the growing pressure on the manager, whose side continues to struggle with consistency.

Football, much like the wo…