Allardyce apologises to Leeds fans after failure to stop relegation

Manchester United boss Ten Hag calls for more investment

(Reuters) – Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has called for more investment in the club so they can challenge for trophies after the team finished third in the Premier League this season. United sealed the third place, finishing the season with 75 points, after they came from behind to defeat Fulham 2-1 in the...

Kerr nets double as Chelsea crowned WSL champions, Reading relegated

READING, England (Reuters) – Sam Kerr scored twice as Chelsea cruised to a 3-0 victory over Reading on Saturday to win their fourth consecutive FA Women’s Super League title, completing a league and FA Cup double on the last day of the season and condemning their hosts to relegation. The Blues finished on 58 points...

Bayern win Bundesliga with last-gasp goal in dramatic season finale

COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) -Bayern Munich snatched their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title in dramatic fashion with a final day 2-1 win at Cologne on Saturday courtesy of Jamal Musiala’s 89th minute goal, grabbing the trophy from the hands of rivals Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund had gone into the last game of the season in top spot but...

Patel praises teams’ turnout

Fiji Gujarati Sports Association president Sanjay Patel was happy with the turnout yesterday at day one of the FGSA Inter District Championship in Nausori. “I am happy with the turnout today (Saturday) despite the lack of resources and facilites,” said Patel. “We will shift our tournament tomorrow (today) to Ratu Cakobau Park and it being...

Fiji bows out of WC

The Junior Bula boys have completed their second ever appearance at a FIFA U20 World Cup with a heavy 9-0 loss to Ecuador in Santiago Del Estero in Argentina. It follows a 4-0 defeat by Slovakia and a 3-0 loss to the USA. The South Americans were a class above Robert Mimms team producing nearly...

Spanish grassroots club players see more racism outside the sport

LES FRANQUESES DEL VALLES, Spain (Reuters) – As public debate about racism in Spanish football hit boiling point this week after complaints from Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr, players at grassroots football clubs saw racism in sports as a lesser problem than in their everyday lives. On Sunday, racist chants were hurled at the Brazilian...

Arsenal must ‘seek excellence’ in transfer market – Arteta

(Reuters) – Arsenal must make smart decisions in the close-season transfer window so they can once again compete for the Premier League next season, manager Mikel Arteta said on Friday. Arsenal topped the table for much of this season, but collapsed in the last two months as Manchester City won the title with three games...

We will live or die on Sunday, says Leeds’ Allardyce

(Reuters) – The final Premier League game is a do-or-die situation for relegation-threatened Leeds United, manager Sam Allardyce said on Friday as his side bids to retain their top-flight status. With Southampton relegated from the league, three teams – Leeds United (19th), Leicester City (18th) and Everton (17th) – remain in danger. Leeds have lost...

In-demand Feyenoord coach Slot signs new contract with Dutch club

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Feyenoord coach Arne Slot signed a contract extension with the Dutch champions on Friday, formally ending the possibility of any immediate move to England. The 44-year-old coach had said on Thursday that he was discussing staying with Feyenoord as he looked to quell speculation, after being heavily linked with a possible move...

Ajax decline invitation to honour women’s team

(Reuters) – Ajax Amsterdam’s women’s team will not be honoured with a public celebration in the Dutch capital on Monday despite claiming the Eredivisie title, as club officials fear the poor performance of the men’s team this season will solicit a lukewarm response. Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema had invited the triumphant women’s team for a...

Brazil to play African nations in anti-racism campaign to support Vinicius Jr

(Reuters) – Brazil will play friendlies against two African nations as part of an anti-racism campaign in support of their Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr, who has been racially abused in Spanish League games this season, the Brazilian FA (CBF) said on Friday. The five-time world champions will face Guinea in Barcelona on June 17...

Junior Bula Boys thrashed at World Cup

The Digicel Junior Boys were thrashed 9-nil by Ecuador in their final pool match at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Argentina this morning. Fiji trailed 4-nil at halftime. It was a disappointing finish to Fiji’s campaign after facing earlier defeats against USA(0-3) and Slovakia (4-0).

Salah ‘devastated’ as Liverpool miss Champions League spot

(Reuters) – Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah said he was “totally devastated” that they had failed to secure Champions League qualification and that the club had let the fans down. Manchester United’s 4-1 win over Chelsea on Thursday ended Liverpool’s hopes of earning a berth in Europe’s premier club competition next season. Juergen Klopp’s side are...

Manchester United back in Champions League with 4-1 rout of Chelsea

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -Manchester United will be back in action in next season’s Champions League after they hammered Chelsea 4-1 on Thursday to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League. Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes (penalty) and Marcus Rashford scored for United, who needed a point from their final two league games to officially...

OFC Champions League: Suva out to re-write history

The Suva Football Club has secured a spot in the finals of the Oceania Football Confederation Championship in Vanuatu, after a thrilling 4-2 win over Tahiti’s AS Pirae. Suva FC will now face Auckland City at 3pm and will be out for redemption after losing to the same side 3-1, in their pool game. Fiji...

England’s Southgate concerned by Maguire form, conditions of Toney ban

(Reuters) – Gareth Southgate said Harry Maguire’s lack of playing time makes it difficult to guarantee he will start games for England while the manager also had concerns over Ivan Toney’s rehabilitation during his eight-month ban from football. Maguire, who became the world’s most expensive defender when Manchester United signed him for 80 million pounds...

Brighton snap champions Man City’s winning streak

BRIGHTON, England (Reuters) -Champions Manchester City’s 12-match winning streak in the Premier League came to an end as Julio Enciso’s stunner earned sixth-placed Brighton and Hove Albion a 1-1 draw to seal them a Europa League berth on Wednesday. Treble-chasing City, who wrapped up a fifth title in six seasons at the weekend, lacked their...

Argentina to visit Indonesia for national team friendly

JAKARTA (Reuters) – World Cup winners Argentina will visit Indonesia next month for a friendly against its national team, its top football official said on Wednesday, in a boost for a country that has suffered a succession of recent soccer setbacks. The visit will be part of an Asian tour by the South American side...

Guardiola praises Man City intensity after draw

BRIGHTON, England (Reuters) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised the intensity of his Premier League champions after a 1-1 draw at Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday despite admitting to some booze-fuelled celebrations a little over 48 hours before. For the first time since February, City dropped league points as a stunning goal by...

US sees off Fiji boys

It was a much-improved performance by our Digicel Junior Boys despite going down 3-nil to USA at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Argentina yesterday. A gallant defensive effort from the Bobby Mimms-coached Fijians saw scores locked nil-all at half-time. Diego Luna, Cade Cowell and Caleb Wiley got the goals as USA overcame a valiant...

Ronaldo says Saudi league could become top five in the world

(Reuters) – Portuguese soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo believes the Saudi Pro League he joined this season could in time become one of the top five leagues in the world. The Portugal skipper joined Al-Nassr in January on a contract estimated by some media reports to be worth more than 200 million euros ($220.16 million). Ronaldo...

Spain arrests 7 after racist incidents targeting Vinicius Jr

MADRID (Reuters) -Police detained seven men on Tuesday over separate alleged hate crime incidents against Real Madrid football player Vinicius Jr as Spain’s main soccer league urged changes to Spanish law that would enable it to take steps to curb racism in stadiums. Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed support for Vinicius Jr, whom he...

Guardiola wants Premier League financial charges against City dealt with quickly

(Reuters) – Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola would like the financial charges against the club to be dealt with “as soon as possible”. City, who secured their fifth league title in six seasons under Guardiola last weekend, were charged by the Premier League in February with more than 100 alleged breaches of the league’s financial...

Ronaldo stunner puts Al-Ittihad title celebration on ice

(Reuters) – Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning winner on Tuesday as Al-Nassr came back to beat visitors Al-Shabab 3-2 and put Al-Ittihad’s Saudi Pro League title celebrations on hold. Al-Ittihad remain favourites to clinch the title with two games remaining in the season after beating Al-Batin 1-0 through Romarinho’s header in the ninth minute. The...

Juve determined to qualify for Europe in wake of points deduction

(Reuters) – Juventus still hope to qualify for Europe and are determined to prove on the pitch that their recent Serie A points deduction is just another obstacle that can be overcome. Juve were docked 10 points on Monday after a new ruling by an Italian soccer court in a case centred on their transfer...

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