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Football
Year 12 national rep eyes overseas contract
Former Fiji under-16 national football rep Thomas Dunn has set his eyes on an overseas contract in the near future. The current Navua rep says he is looking forward to the resumption in football. “Really...
Ba works on fitness
Fitness is the key element that Ba is working on as the team heads back into the 2020 Vodafone Premier League. The team is on a tight schedule to be on level terms with the other seven districts before the commencement of competition on July 25. Ba, the defending champion, have played only one match...
Phoenix get fixtures sorted
The Wellington Phoenix will play their remaining six games in the A-League in the space of 24 days. The Phoenix knew they were playing top of the table Sydney FC in their first game back on July 17th, but the rest of the draw has now been released. There are just three days between their...
D.C. launches bid to be 2026 World Cup host city
Washington, D.C., launched its bid Tuesday to be one of the host cities when the 2026 World Cup comes to North America. “With our deep soccer roots and diversity, the culture of our city gives us the foundation to successfully highlight FIFA World Cup 2026, and leave a lasting impact on the future of the...
1st July
Ali aims to nurture next generation of elite footballers
For International Youth Football Academy director Rivaz Ali, nurturing and developing players at a young age will be key to producing the next generation of elite Fiji footballers. Based in Suva and working with children from age 15 and below, Ali said it had always been a drive to shape a brighter future for Fiji...
Bundesliga champion Sarpreet Singh still learning
All White midfielder Sarpreet Singh has won his first Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich but the 21-year-old footballer says he still has plenty to learn from his successful team mates. Bayern Munich has now won the German football title for eight consecutive seasons and Singh is surrounded by experience. The former Wellington Phoenix player joined...
Derby player Wisdom recovering in hospital from stabbing
(Reuters) – Derby County defender Andre Wisdom is currently in hospital after being stabbed during a robbery in Liverpool, the English second-tier club said on Monday. “Andre Wisdom has been the victim of an unprovoked assault and robbery. He sustained injuries which resulted in him being admitted to hospital,” said a statement from Derby, who...
Barcelona sell Arthur to Juventus for 72 million euros, buy Pjanic for 60 million
BARCELONA (Reuters) – Barcelona have reached an agreement to sell Brazil midfielder Arthur Melo to Juventus for a fee of 72 million euros ($80.98 million) and signed Bosnian Miralem Pjanic from the Italian champions for 60 million, the La Liga side said on Monday. The 23-year-old, generally known simply as Arthur, will remain at the...
Pochettino’s 19-year-old son Maurizio signs new deal at Tottenham
(Reuters) – Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino’s son Maurizio has signed a new contract at the Premier League club, the 19-year-old said in a social media post on Monday. Winger Maurizio, whose current deal was due to expire on Tuesday, announced the contract extension on Instagram, sharing a photo with his father along with...
30th June
Brighton’s focus is on Manchester United not survival, says Potter
(Reuters) – Brighton & Hove Albion’s sole focus is on Tuesday’s Premier League opponents Manchester United and they are not worrying about the prospect of fighting a relegation battle at the end of the season, manager Graham Potter said on Monday. Brighton are 15th in the standings with 33 points, six points above the relegation...
English FA to make 124 jobs redundant due to COVID-19 impact
LONDON (Reuters) – The English Football Association (FA) will make 124 positions redundant within the organisation due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the governing body said on Monday. With soccer suspended for 100 days in England due to the pandemic, the lack of revenue from international matches and domestic cup games hit...
Klopp urges Liverpool fans to celebrate safely
(Reuters) – Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has urged supporters of the Premier League champions not to spoil the work done in containing the coronavirus outbreak by gathering in large numbers to celebrate their title victory. Liverpool’s 30-year wait for their 19th English top-flight crown ended on Thursday when Manchester City lost at Chelsea and thousands...
Chaos reigns at Valencia as coach is sacked, sporting director quits
(Reuters) – Valencia have sacked coach Albert Celades and appointed long-standing club servant Voro until the end of the season, the La Liga club said in a statement on Monday. Sporting director Cesar Sanchez then announced his resignation shortly after Celades was dismissed, deepening the institutional crisis at one of Spain’s most prestigious clubs. According...
Bundesliga champion Sarpreet Singh still learning
All White midfielder Sarpreet Singh has won his first Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich but the 21-year-old footballer says he still has plenty to learn from his successful team mates. Bayern Munich has now won the German football title for eight consecutive seasons and Singh is surrounded by experience. The former Wellington Phoenix player joined...
Fiji footballers setting sights on potential World Cup berth
SUVA, 30 JUNE 2020 (RNZ PACIFIC) – The Fiji Football Association is hopeful its national team can make history by being the first-ever Pacific Island women’s team to qualify for the World Cup. Fiji’s chances have been boosted by last week’s announcement that Australia and New Zealand would co-host the 2023 World Cup. New Zealand...
Holders Manchester City cruise past Newcastle into FA Cup semis
(Reuters) – Kevin de Bruyne’s first-half penalty and a superb strike by Raheem Sterling after the break earned holders Manchester City a comfortable 2-0 win away at Newcastle United in the weekend’s last FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday. City’s domination of the first half was absolute and the only surprise was it took a penalty...
Lampard shows ruthless streak as Chelsea youngsters hauled off
(Reuters) – Chelsea manager Frank Lampard showed his ruthless side as he hauled off three of his brightest young players at halftime in Sunday’s 1-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Leicester City. Lampard was clearly unhappy with what he witnessed in the opening 45 minutes and admitted he could have substituted seven or eight of...
Barkley strike sends Chelsea into FA Cup semis
(Reuters) – Eight-times FA Cup winners Chelsea reached the semi-finals on Sunday as midfielder Ross Barkley came off the bench to secure a deserved 1-0 victory at faltering Leicester City. Barkley, one of the three changes manager Frank Lampard made at halftime, slid home the winner in the 63rd minute as the west London side...
Watford boss Pearson stays silent on absent trio
LONDON (Reuters) – Watford manager Nigel Pearson said he would wait for the facts before commenting on the absence of Andre Gray, Domingos Quina and Nathaniel Chalobah for his struggling team’s 3-1 home defeat by Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday. It looked like a good opportunity for Pearson’s side to give themselves some...
29th June
Rio protest highlights football’s troubled return in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – The Rio de Janeiro state championship restarted once again on Sunday as Botafogo — one of the clubs opposed to what they see as a premature resumption of top-level football — took the field with a banner protesting the decision. The move to get back underway in Rio has focused...
Watford trio left out of squad after reported lockdown breach
(Reuters) – Watford omitted Andre Gray, Nathaniel Chalobah and Domingos Quina from their squad for the Premier League game against Southampton on Sunday as a precautionary measure, the club said in a statement. British media reported that striker Gray had breached coronavirus lockdown rules by holding a birthday party at his home this week, with...
Burnley must spend to stay competitive, says manager Dyche
(Reuters) – Burnley must start spending more to stay competitive in the Premier League because their current transfer strategy is not sustainable in the long term, manager Sean Dyche has said. Midfielders Aaron Lennon and Jeff Hendrick and goalkeeper Joe Hart left the club this week, while 11 more players will be out of contract...
COVID-19 crisis may disrupt Man United transfer plans, says Solskjaer
(Reuters) – Manchester United have likely taken a bigger financial hit from the COVID-19 pandemic than their rivals and it is unclear what funds will be available to sign players in the next transfer window, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said. United withdrew their annual financial targets in May after losing about 23 million pounds...
Six-goal Werder Bremen avoid automatic relegation
BREMEN, Germany (Reuters) – Werder Bremen extended their 39-year stay in the Bundesliga for at least another 10 days on Saturday, when they thumped Cologne 6-1 to avoid automatic relegation. The four-times Bundesliga champions completed the first half of what could become a great escape as they climbed out of the drop zone and leapfrogged...
Contentious penalty sparks Lazio comeback win over Fiorentina
ROME (Reuters) – Serie A leading scorer Ciro Immobile converted a contentious second-half penalty to set second-placed Lazio on the way to a 2-1 comeback win over Fiorentina that kept them four points behind leaders Juventus on Saturday. Franck Ribery stunned the hosts with a solo goal in the 25th minute and Lazio were struggling...
28th June
Atletico overcome Alaves for fourth win in a row
MADRID (Reuters) – Atletico Madrid beat Alaves 2-1 at home on Saturday in La Liga to maintain their superb run of form since the season resumed, recording a fourth consecutive win to further tighten their hold on third place. Midfielder Saul Niguez broke the deadlock by heading home a pin-point free kick from Kieran Trippier...
Klopp hoping to keep Liverpool’s title-winning squad intact
(Reuters) – Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said on Saturday his main focus is to ensure the squad that delivered the Merseyside club’s first top-flight title in three decades is not broken up in the near future. Liverpool’s 30-year wait for their 19th English top-flight title ended on Thursday after second-placed Manchester City were beaten by...
Bayern demolish Wolfsburg 4-0 to end season on high
BERLIN (Reuters) – Bayern Munich, already crowned Bundesliga champions last week, lifted the league trophy in an empty stadium on Saturday after crushing hosts VfL Wolfsburg 4-0 on the final matchday. The Bavarians, who have matched a club record of 25 matches in all competitions without defeat and are unbeaten in the Bundesliga in 2020,...
Struggling Espanyol sack coach for third time this season
BARCELONA (Reuters) – Struggling Espanyol said on Saturday they have sacked coach Abelardo Fernandez, the third manager they have dispensed with this season, as they fight to extend their 26-year stay in La Liga. Fernandez was appointed in December after David Gallego and Pablo Machin were each dismissed, but despite a positive start since play...
Aspas strikes late to blunt Barca’s title bid
VIGO, Spain (Reuters) – Spain striker Iago Aspas dealt a fresh blow to Barcelona’s La Liga title hopes by striking a late free kick to snatch a 2-2 draw at home to the Catalans on Saturday as Quique Setien’s side twice threw away the lead in a thrilling match. The draw put Barca back on...
