Pellegrini denies shadow of Guardiola has derailed City’s silverware tilt this season February 23, 2016 Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini last night denied that the shadow cast by the impending arrival of Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium has derailed his side’s tilt for silverware this season. City beat Sunderland the day after announcing that departing Bayern Munich boss Guardiola would replace the Chilean at the end of the current [...]
Beckham urges United to give Van Gaal more time but also calls for Mourinho’s Premier League return February 23, 2016 Former England skipper David Beckham believes under-fire boss Louis van Gaal should be given more time by his old club Manchester United but also wants to see Jose Mourinho back in the Premier League as soon as possible. Van Gaal has overseen a turbulent campaign at Old Trafford which sees fifth-placed United currently six points [...]
Charlton fans convince energy drink Coco5 to rule out making commercial deal with the club as part of protests against owner Roland Duchatelet February 23, 2016 Charlton have missed out on a potential commercial deal after their own fans persuaded a possible partner not to work with the Championship club. Energy drink brand Coco5 ruled out a financial arrangement with Charlton after being bombarded with social media messages from Addicks fans upset at the way their club is being run. Supporters [...]
Fifa elections 2016 candidates: Everything you need to know about Sheikh Salman, Gianni Infantino, Prince Ali, Tokyo Sexwale and Jerome Champagne February 23, 2016 Now the disgraced Sepp Blatter has finally been given the boot, Fifa will elect its first new president since 1998 next week with five candidates in the running for football's top job. The diverse ballot list features a former anti-apartheid campaigner, two members of gulf state royal families, a former French diplomat and a bilingual [...]
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino should follow Manchester City manager Mauricio Pellegrini’s lead and prioritise the biggest competitions February 23, 2016 Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino cannot have failed to notice the furore that greeted Manchester City’s rotation policy as the Argentinian ponders team selection for Thursday's match against Fiorentina. Read more: Chelsea dump much-changed Man City out of FA Cup City boss Manuel Pellegrini has been pilloried this week after his experiment of fielding six teenagers [...]
Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu wants Europe’s biggest clubs to be given wildcard entry into the Champions League February 23, 2016 Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has backed the idea of the Champions League offering wildcard entries to elite European clubs who fail to qualify for the competition. Members of the European Club Association (ECA), the representative group of the continent's biggest clubs, tabled the idea of offering wildcards as a way of ensuring well-supported teams [...]
Former Manchester United man signs huge Adidas sponsorship deal worth £31m over 10 years February 23, 2016 Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is set to sign a 10-year sponsorship deal with Adidas worth an eye-watering £31m, after spending years resisting being tied down to a particular sportswear brand. The Juventus star has so far not been affiliated to any one brand and has been happy to sport an assortment of different [...]
Fifa election: Vast majority of fans “have no confidence” in scandal-ridden governing body but would prefer Gianni Infantino over Prince Ali or Sheikh Salman as new president February 23, 2016 Less than a quarter of football fans retain any confidence in Fifa, according to a new poll conducted ahead of this week's vote to elect Sepp Blatter's successor as president. In a poll of over 25,000 fans from 28 countries, 69 per cent said they did not have confidence in Fifa, 12 per cent were [...]
Fifa election 2016 candidate Prince Ali’s lawyers attempt to suspend Friday’s vote with request to CAS February 23, 2016 Lawyers representing Prince Ali bin al Hussein, a candidate in Friday's election for Fifa president, are attempting to have the vote suspended. The Jordanian prince's lawyers have submitted an official request to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to suspend the election after his request for transparent voting booths was rejected by Fifa. Prince [...]
Shrewsbury Town 0, Manchester United 3: We needed help from Europa League conquerors FC Midtjylland to make FA Cup progress, admits Van Gaal February 22, 2016 Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal admitted that playmaker Juan Mata’s contentious free-kick was stolen from Europa League conquerors FC Midtjylland after the 11-time FA Cup winners cruised past League One strugglers Shrewsbury Town. A second-half strike from Jesse Lingard complemented goals in the opening period by Chris Smalling and Mata as United set up [...]