Champions League 2021-22: Which are the easiest and hardest groups? September 14, 2021 The Champions League returns in earnest this evening when the group stage gets under way, with holders Chelsea mong those in action. Despite the use of a seeding system to make the draw fairer, some groups appear to pack a lot more pedigree than others. So which is the hardest Champions League group and which [...]
A brief history of cryptocurrency in football – and how blockchain technology might shape our experience of the game in future August 30, 2021 Bitcoin and cryptocurrency have reimagined finance and money as concepts. Now more than ever, however, blockchain technology and, more specifically, NFTs and tokens are disrupting everything else. And that includes human culture. NFTs especially have captivated millions of people around the world. This is because we, as humans, have an innate desire to collect and [...]
Uefa chief Ceferin hails ‘correct decision’ as away goals rule is scrapped from European club football June 24, 2021 European football is breaking with more than 50 years of tradition and scrapping the away goals rule. Uefa has used the away goals rule to separate teams who finished level after a two-legged tie since 1965. Instead, from next season Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League ties that finish level will go straight [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Ukraine told to change Russia-baiting Euro 2020 kit; Germany muscles in on London NFL patch; beIN and Channel 4 bag rights deals June 10, 2021 Euro 2020 may not have started yet but it has already kicked off between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine tweaked the nose of Russia earlier this week when it revealed a Moscow-baiting new football kit, to be worn at Euro 2020. The yellow shirt features a map of Ukraine that includes Crimea, which Russia annexed in [...]
Zinedine Zidane to leave Real Madrid after season without a trophy May 27, 2021 Zinedine Zidane has left Real Madrid for a second time as a manager after the Spanish powerhouse finished the 2020-21 season without a trophy. Real said they respected the decision of their former player Zidane, who returned to the Santiago Bernabeu dugout in 2019. They said his “professionalism, dedication and passion” over the years would [...]
Trevor Steven: Thomas Tuchel must be brave if Chelsea are to deny Manchester City their Champipons League moment May 27, 2021 Football is about moments and Saturday’s Champions League final against Chelsea feels like it is Manchester City’s. When City hired Pep Guardiola five years ago it was in order to win this competition and they have never had a better chance than this. Saturday’s clash in Porto is their opportunity to make the step up [...]
UEFA moves Champions League final from Istanbul to Porto May 11, 2021 UEFA has moved this month’s Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea from Istanbul to Porto, according to Turkish media reports on Tuesday. European football governing body declined to comment on the reports from the media outlets, which included television channel HaberTurk, while Turkish Football Federation officials were not immediately available for comment. Turkey [...]
European Super League organisers claimed Bayern had caved in order to tempt PSG to table May 4, 2021 European Super League organisers lied about which teams had joined the breakaway in a bid to get others to sign up, sources close to the talks have claimed. Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, last season’s Champions League finalists, were among the big clubs to refuse a spot in the scuppered project. But just hours before [...]
Europe’s lesser lights put Super League plotting in shade in across the continent April 26, 2021 The European Super League (ESL) has hogged the headlines to such an extent lately that it has obscured the real drama playing out across the continent. With just a handful of games left to play in this most unpredictable of seasons, league titles and Champions League places remain the subject of fierce tussles in Spain, [...]
A significant skirmish in an intensifying war: How player power helped bring the European Super League to its knees April 23, 2021 James Milner seemed to speak for many Premier League players and managers when he said on Monday: “I don’t like it and hopefully it doesn’t happen.” The Liverpool midfielder was referring to the European Super League, the audacious and ultimately short-lived breakaway launched by 12 of Europe’s richest football clubs just hours earlier – including [...]