Blues aim for top finish

Chelsea hire Thomas Tuchel as manager on 18-month contract

Thomas Tuchel has been confirmed as Chelsea’s new manager, replacing Frank Lampard at the Premier League club. The 47-year-old former Paris St Germain coach has signed an initial 18-month contract and will get to work immediately, Chelsea says. The German boss replaces Lampard at Stamford Bridge, becoming the 15th manager of owner Roman Abramovich’s tenure....

Suva vs Labasa CVC match postponed

The Pillay Garments Champion vs Champion Series between Suva and Standard Hire Labasa has been postponed. Fiji FA chief executive officer Mohammed Yusuf confirmed that due to the adverse weather condition the CVC series has been postponed. “The weather focus for the weekend is not favorable so we had no option but to postpone the...

2021 VPL: Blues aim for top finish

Lautoka is aiming for a top finish in the 2021 Vodafone Premier League after a dismal performance last season. The Blues have secured the services of Tagi Vonolagi as head coach and roped in the likes of Misiwani Nairube (Ba), Benaminio Mateinaqara (Suva) and Afraz Ali (Nadi) to boost its squad. Lautoka defeated Ba 5-2...

Phoenix still searching for first win

Wellington Phoenix remain winless in 2021 after slumping to a toothless 2-1 defeat to wooden spoon favourites, the Newcastle Jets. The Phoenix dominated the shot count at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on Sunday but conceded twice after being hit on the counter attack. “It was a frustrating night,” coach Ufuk Talay said. “We had [23]...

Manchester United knock out Liverpool in FA Cup thriller

A scream from Andy Robertson was a forlorn attempt to distract Mason Greenwood beginning Manchester United’s comeback. The defender won’t be the only one shrieking at Liverpool after going out of the FA Cup. Not that everything went wrong for Liverpool at Old Trafford, with Mohamed Salah scoring twice. The Liverpool striker’s opener was cancelled...

Klopp says Burnley shock can spark Liverpool turnaround

(Reuters) – Liverpool hit a new low in Thursday’s 1-0 loss to Burnley, extending their winless Premier League run to five matches, but manager Juergen Klopp has backed his team to rediscover their ruthless streak. Liverpool are fourth with 34 points at the halfway stage of the league campaign, six points behind leaders Manchester United...

Arsenal unsure if Aubameyang available for Southampton

(Reuters) – Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he is unsure if skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be available for their Premier League trip to Southampton on Tuesday as the Gabon international striker deals with a personal matter. Aubameyang missed Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup fourth-round defeat by Southampton which knocked the holders out of the competition. Arteta...

Hazard ends drought, Benzema scores twice as Real rout Alaves

VITORIA-GASTEIZ, Spain (Reuters) – Eden Hazard scored his first goal in almost three months while Karim Benzema bagged a brace as Real Madrid eased to a 4-1 win away to Alaves in La Liga on Saturday in the absence of coach Zinedine Zidane. Zidane tested positive for COVID-19 the day before the game so assistant...

Watkins breaks goal drought as Villa sink Newcastle

BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) – Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins scored his first Premier League goal in 10 games and midfielder Bertrand Traore added another to give them a 2-0 home win over struggling Newcastle United on Saturday. It was no more than Villa deserved as they missed several chances to win by a bigger margin...

Man City escape shock Cup exit with late goals at Cheltenham

CHELTENHAM, England (Reuters) – Fourth-tier Cheltenham Town came within minutes of one of the great FA Cup shocks before Manchester City scored three late goals to win an absorbing fourth-round tie 3-1 on Saturday. Alfie May looked poised to write his name into the competition’s folklore when he pounced to put his side ahead in...

Conte sees red as Inter Milan are held to Udinese stalemate

(Reuters) – Inter Milan missed out on the chance to go top in Serie A as coach Antonio Conte was sent off for dissent in a 0-0 draw at strugglers Udinese on Saturday. The visitors travelled to Udine on a high after beating title rivals Juventus 2-0 last weekend but they couldn’t break down the...

Cardiff City appoint former Ireland boss McCarthy as manager

(Reuters) – Cardiff City have appointed former Ireland boss Mick McCarthy as their new manager until the end of this season to replace the sacked Neil Harris, the Championship team announced on Friday. McCarthy twice coached the national team and led them to the knockout stage of the 2002 World Cup. He has also managed...

Man City’s Guardiola calls for fewer teams in Premier League, EFL

(Reuters) – Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has called for a reduction in the number of clubs in the Premier League and English Football League to improve the quality of competition amid talk of a breakaway European Super League. The concept of a European Super League, as an alternative to European soccer governing body UEFA’s...

Villa’s Smith ‘reluctantly’ accepts FA charge for insulting officials

(Reuters) – Aston Villa manager Dean Smith said on Friday that he “reluctantly” accepted an FA charge for insulting the match officials during a 2-0 loss to Manchester City earlier this week. Smith had been charged for allegedly using abusive language towards referee Jon Moss, who showed Smith a red card on the touchline in...

Breakaway Super League plan threatens bitter battle

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – European football risks a damaging civil war after plans from top clubs for a breakaway Super League were met with a hard line rejection and threats from the sport’s governing bodies. With billions in broadcast and commercial revenues at stake and complex legal issues in the background, the power battle comes...

Super 7s: Police Blue beat Tabadamu to secure semifinal spot

The Police Blue side has defeated Tabadamu 17-12 in extra time in the first semi final of the Super 7s Series. Tabadamu led 12-7 at half time however Police Blue leveled scores before full time. The match went into extra time and no team could score points in the first spell of extra time. Police...

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