Walter Mazzarri: Watford appoint former Napoli boss as head coach on a three-year deal May 21, 2016 Watford have appointed Italian Walter Mazzarri as their new head coach to replace the outgoing Quique Sanchez Flores. The 54-year-old Mazzarri has signed a three-year deal with the Hornets following spells with Inter Milan and Napoli, who he guided into the Champions League for the first time in 21 years. Despite securing a second consecutive [...]
Major League Soccer salaries revealed: Chelsea legend Frank Lampard paid $6m, dwarfing former team mate Ashley Cole’s $300,000 salary May 20, 2016 Former England midfield partners Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard will be the fourth and fifth best-paid football players respectively in America next season. Gerrard, at LA Galaxy, will earn $6.1m and New York City's Lampard is in line for $6m but it is AC Milan and Real Madrid's former Brazilian forward Kaka who tops the [...]
Pardew aiming to land a blow for English managers by guiding Palace to first major trophy May 19, 2016 Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew is desperate to make it third time lucky in the FA Cup final and land a blow for English managers in the increasingly cosmopolitan upper reaches of the domestic game. Pardew has tasted defeat in the Wembley showpiece twice before: as a player against Manchester United in a 1990 prequel to [...]
Clubs divided over plans for a fifth division of the Football League May 19, 2016 English league football could get a fifth division under sweeping changes being considered for introduction in 2019-20. The current 92-club, four-division system would become five tiers of 20 teams, in a move designed to ease fixture congestion. If approved, the plans could pave the way for a long-discussed winter break and for many FA Cup [...]
Van Gaal: Winning FA Cup would make up for missing out on Champions League May 19, 2016 They may have suffered the ignominy of failing to qualify for the Champions League, but manager Louis van Gaal believes Manchester United can salve that disappointment by winning the FA Cup on Saturday. Beating Crystal Palace would secure not only the first silverware of the under-fire Dutchman’s two-year reign at Old Trafford, but also the [...]
Football betting: Experimental Roy knows his opponents are no Turkeys May 19, 2016 No sooner has the domestic season finished than the countdown to Euro 2016 starts, with England hosting Turkey at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. After naming a 26-man squad on Monday, Roy Hodgson has this friendly, plus two more against Portugal and Australia, to trim his squad and decide on the starting XI for the first group game against [...]
FA Cup final betting: Pardew plotting Palace’s revenge but United will nick it May 19, 2016 The oldest cup competition in the world reaches its climax on Saturday when Crystal Palace and Manchester United meet at Wembley in the FA Cup final. Forget those who put a downer on the tournament, the magic will well and truly be alive for the thousands of fans who walk down Wembley Way dreaming of their [...]
Euro 2016: French intelligence chief warns of Islamic State attacks May 19, 2016 Security fears over Euro 2016 have been raised after the country's spy chief warned that Islamic State terrorists are planning a series of bomb attacks on large crowds. The Euro 2016 football tournament kicks-off in France next month amid fears of a possible terror attack first triggered when an international friendly was targeted by suicide [...]
Liverpool 1, Sevilla 3: Klopp criticises side’s “loss of faith” as Reds boss loses fifth successive final to leave Anfield club with no European football next season May 19, 2016 Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp lambasted his side’s “loss of faith” after a second-half collapse handed Sevilla an unprecedented third successive Europa League crown and denied the Reds a place in next season’s Champions League. A second-half blitz, consisting of an equaliser from prolific marksman Kevin Gameiro and captain Coke’s double, saw Sevilla destroy a previously [...]
Chinese businessman Tony Jiantong Xia buys Aston Villa for £60m May 18, 2016 Aston Villa are set to become the first major English club to fall into Chinese ownership after the club confirmed a takeover by businessman Tony Jiantong Xia. The deal, which still has to be ratified by the Premier League and Football League, is thought to be for £60m – roughly the same price current owner [...]