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Manager must trim Euro 2020 squad to 26 players Alexander-Arnold now expected to be picked Gareth Southgate will tell seven players on Tuesday that their hopes of representing England at Euro 2020 are over, after deciding to wait until the last possible training session to finalise his 26-man squad. The England manager has until 11pm BST to submit his list to Uefa and will oversee a final session for the friendly against Austria on Wednesday before confirming his selection. A press conference with Southgate to explain his decisions was scheduled for 3pm on Tuesday. That will be put back several hours, before which he will inform seven members of his provisional 33-man squad in person that they will not be involved in the finals tournament this summer. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/gareth-southgate-to-break-news-to-englands-unlucky-seven

Clarke’s present contract ends after 2022 World Cup Euro 2020 Scotland’s first major tournament since 1998 The Scottish Football Association will offer Steve Clarke a new contract as reward for taking the country to a first major tournament since 1998 . Clarke’s deal, worth about £500,000 a year plus qualifying incentives, ends after next year’s World Cup finals. Scotland’s progress under Clarke, appointed in May 2019, means the 57-year-old has been linked with a return to club football after the Euros. Clarke was previously assistant manager at Aston Villa, Liverpool, West Ham, Chelsea and Newcastle. He also managed West Brom, Reading and Kilmarnock. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/steve-clarke-to-be-offered-new-deal-to-stay-on-as-scotland-manager

Winger reflects on his time at Selhurst Park in a documentary on the club’s rise from the brink of collapse to promotion As Dougie Freedman recalls with relish in When Eagles Dare, persuading Bristol City’s manager Derek McInnes to allow him to sign Yannick Bolasie in August 2012 a few days after his Crystal Palace side had been thrashed 4-1 at Ashton Gate was one of the most straightforward transfers in which he has been involved. Related: Zidane reveals he quit Real Madrid because he felt undermined by club Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/yannick-bolasie-recalls-playing-for-crystal-palace-everton-middlesbrough

Wales captain insists he wants to focus solely on tournament Bale says he wants to avoid more chaos, drama or distraction Gareth Bale has cast doubt over his future after twice declining the opportunity to deny reports he could retire after the European Championship finals this summer. Last week Bale’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, labelled as “rubbish” a report in the Spanish daily ABC that his client could retire. The 31-year-old is under contract at Real Madrid until the end of next season on a deal worth about £600,000 a week. But the Wales captain, who has just finished a loan at Tottenham, refused to deny he could call it a day after Euro 2020. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/gareth-bale-declines-to-deny-reports-he-could-retire-after-euro-2020

Dreams really do come true. After 14 consecutive seasons of League Two football, Morecambe have finally found the exit door but not how many would have expected. A controversial Carlos Mendes Gomes extra-time penalty ensured a club that spent most of its existence in non-league will grace English football’s third tier for the very first time. In a game where chances were few, a rare moment of quality saw some neat interchange outside the box lead to Ryan Haynes bringing down substitute John O’Sullivan. A spot-kick was awarded but what contact there was arguably came before the penalty area was reached. Derek Adams will not mind one bit. Perennial bottom seven dwellers, Morecambe were rooted to the foot of the Football League when Adams took charge in November 2019. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/morecambe-newport-county-league-two-playoff-final-match-report

Venezia FC are back in Serie A after 19 years away, but cannot hold the usual bus parade in their home city of Venice. Instead, the team took to the city’s famous waterways, with fans draping flags and banners over bridges. Venezia sealed promotion in a two-legged play-off with Cittadella, holding on with just nine men before finishing off the tie with a late second-leg goal. It’s the Bandinis 2021! The complete review of Serie A’s 2020-21 season Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2021/may/31/venezia-players-celebrate-promotion-venice-boat-parade-video

Striker joins on two-year contract with €100m buyout clause Eric García due next from Manchester City as part of rebuild Barcelona have confirmed their deal to sign Sergio Agüero and the striker will be joined in the coming days by another player leaving Manchester City on a free, Eric García. The Spanish club also have an agreement to bring in Georginio Wijnaldum after his contract at Liverpool expires this month and intend to take up an option on the right-back Emerson Royal. Agüero will officially become a Barcelona player on 1 July on a contract to 2023 and the club said his buyout clause was €100m (£86m). He made a tearful exit from City on Saturday night after coming on as a substitute in the Champions League final defeat by Chelsea . Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/barcelona-confirm-aguero-deal-with-garcia-and-wijnaldum-lined-up-to-sign

Isolation regulations prompt Uefa recommendation to move Croatia follow Czech Republic in taking squad out of Scotland Croatia have cancelled plans to stay in St Andrews during Euro 2020 over concerns around self-isolation regulations. The 2018 World Cup finalists will stay at their training centre in Rovinj apart from when travelling to their games. Their decision comes two days after the Czech Republic, with whom they are in Group D with Scotland and England, cancelled their plans to stay in Scotland, also citing Covid-19 rules. They had been booked at the Scottish national training centre in Oriam. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/croatia-cancel-plans-to-stay-in-scotland-for-euro-2020-over-covid-rules

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning , Jonathan Liew and Barney Ronay to discuss Chelsea’s big win in Porto, Gareth Southgate’s squad trimming and the European managerial merry-go-round Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud , Audioboom , Mixcloud , Acast and Stitcher , and join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter and email . Chelsea have won the Champions League for the second time. The panel analyse their performance including where it all went wrong for Pep Guardiola, and where it went right for Thomas Tuchel. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/audio/2021/may/31/chelsea-champions-league-england-euro-2020-football-weekly-podcast

Minute-by-minute updates on the action at Wembley Adams aims to take Morecambe to new heights Any comments? You can email Rob here 2.37pm BST Morecambe (4-2-3-1) Letheren; Cooney, Lavelle, Knight-Percival, Gibson; Songo’o, Diagouraga; McAlinden, Wildig, Mendes Gomes; Stockton. Substitutes: Halstead, Mellor, Davis, Kenyon, Lyons, O’Sullivan, Pringle. Newport County (3-5-2) King; Shephard, Bennett, Demetriou; Lewis, Labadie, Sheehan, Dolan, Haynes; Amond, Collins. Substitutes: Townsend, Farquharson, Ledley, Hartigan, Ellison, Maynard, Taylor. 2.36pm BST It’s another gorgeous day at Wembley, with the temperature pushing 25 degrees. To make things even better, one of the Sky Sports pundits is Championship Manager 01-02 icon Michael Duff. What a pleasure to put a face to a name that gave so many lonely males so much pleasure with his remorseless consistency at right-back. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/may/31/

The film becomes the biggest hit at North American box offices since the start of the pandemic.

Vladimir Petkovic believes the opening game against Wales is key for a side hampered by injuries and a lack of match fitness This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2020 Experts’ Network , a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June. This is Vladimir Petkovic’s third major tournament as Switzerland coach, having guided the team to the last 16 at both Euro 2016 and the World Cup in Russia two years later. There are hopes that the Swiss can go a few steps further this time but there are uncertainties in defence, where Fabian Schär has been out injured for a large part of the season. He returned in May for Newcastle only to be sent off and hit by a three-match ban. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/euro-2020-team-guides-part-2-switzerland

Footballer watched her sister Natasha Jonas box at London 2012 and is targeting gold with Team GB at the Tokyo Games When Nikita Parris watched the 2012 Olympics as a fan, she had one eye on the debut of the Team GB women’s football team. The other was focused on the boxing ring. Why? Because there her sister Natasha Jonas was carving out her own little corner of history, becoming the first British female boxer to compete at an Olympic Games. Nine years later Parris is following a road taken by her sister that perhaps she would not have expected when plans for a Team GB women’s football team for Rio 2016 fell apart . Last week the England and Lyon forward was named in the squad for the Tokyo Games . Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/nikita-parris-realises-dream-of-following-sister-into-olympics-natasha-jonas-team-gb-tokyo

Forward has a big heart and is popular despite his off-field antics. He is the only Switzerland player who fans chant about This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2020 Experts’ Network , a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June. Swiss fans have taken Breel Embolo to their hearts. Despite his escapades and scandals. Or perhaps precisely because of them. No other Swiss national team player has ever had his own fan song, “Oh Embolo, oh Embolo”, sung to the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight. “I de Nati, de Schwiizer Nati, isch de Breel diehi”. Since Euro 2016 in France, the song has been aired by the red and white supporters at every international they have been allowed to attend. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/breel-embolo-the-rebellious-swiss-

‘I feel that the club no longer gives me the trust I need’ Zidane takes aim at Pérez and says he is not finished as a coach Zinedine Zidane walked out on Real Madrid because the club and its president, Florentino Pérez, systematically undermined him, according to an extraordinary open letter the Frenchman addressed to supporters. In the letter, published in the sports daily AS four days after his resignation was made official , Zidane made it clear that he intends to continue coaching and offers his reasons for departing ; above all, he paints a telling portrait of a culture at a club where coaches are not backed by the hierarchy and are subjected to distrust and strategic leaks that weaken their position. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/zidane-reveals-he-quit-real-madrid-because-he-felt-undermined-by-club-perez

The UK economy's post-pandemic performance will outpace other large rich nations, a new forecast says.

Conmebol says it is ‘analysing offers from other countries’ Argentina is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) has said Argentina will no longer host the Copa América, throwing the troubled tournament into doubt 13 days before it is due to kick off. The tournament, featuring 10 South American nations, had been due to be held in Argentina and Colombia between 13 June and 10 July, the first time in its 105-year history with joint hosts. Colombia was removed as a co-host on 20 May after a wave of protests demanding social and economic change spread across the country and Argentina has followed because of what Conmebol said was the “present circumstances”. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/copa-america-in-doubt-with-13-days-to-kick-off-after-argentina-removed-as-host

The move comes after census results showed China's population grew at its slowest pace in decades.

With "noticeable nervousness" around holidays abroad, Welsh firms look forward to a busy summer.

Senior executives who are fully vaccinated can apply to be exempted from a 21-day hotel quarantine.

The reforms will save millions of motorists £35 a year in reduced premiums, the government says.

Financial troubles at the group owned by Sanjeev Gupta puts 35,000 jobs in doubt around the world.

The BBC's Michelle Fleury looks at the problem of hate crime directed at Asian Americans in the US.

Thomas Tuchel keen to add to his attacking options ‘Two or three signings could be very good – we don’t need seven’ Thomas Tuchel is planning a move for Romelu Lukaku as he considers how to build a dynasty at Chelsea and mould a side capable of challenging for the Premier League title next season after winning the Champions League on Saturday night. Chelsea became European champions for the second time after their 1-0 victory over Manchester City at the Estadio do Dragão and Tuchel, who is close to signing a new two-year deal, is already hungry for more success. The manager, who met the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich, in person for the first time on Saturday, is targeting a maximum of three signings this summer and is keen to increase his options in attack, with Internazionale’s Lukaku prominent in his thoughts. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/30/chelsea-eye-romelu-lukaku-as-tuchel-targets-premier-league-title-chal

Hero of 2016 campaign left out of 26-man Wales squad Cardiff teenage midfielder Ruben Colwill a surprise inclusion Hal Robson-Kanu will not repeat his heroics at the European Championship this summer after being left out of the 26-man Wales squad for this summer’s tournament, with Cardiff City’s teenage midfielder Rubin Colwill a wildcard inclusion, alongside the captain Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, and Joe Allen. Wales ramp up their preparations with a friendly against world champions France in Nice on Wednesday before hosting Albania in Cardiff on Saturday. Robson-Kanu scored a sensational goal to help Wales beat Belgium and reach the semi-finals at Euro 2016 but his international career appears to be over after he was omitted by interim manager Robert Page, who will lead the team in the continued absence of Ryan Giggs. Robson-Kanu, who received his last call-up against Mexico in March, was sent home from the last international camp after breaching a curfew at the team hotel and

How Manchester City deal with the burden of their Champions League final defeat will be the ultimate psychological test The morning after the night before, the images retained a haunting quality for Manchester City supporters. Never mind the sight of many of their players slumped over or stretched out along the turf at the Estádio do Dragão following the death of the Champions League dream, it was Pep Guardiola, inevitably, who best caught the frustration and despair. The City manager had wanted to make one thing clear after the 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the final in Porto. “I’d like to say it was an exceptional, exceptional season for us,” Guardiola said, and nobody disagreed. A third Premier League title in four attempts, won by a 12-point margin, is Exhibit A for the defence, and then there has been the quality of the football: fast, incisive, technically brilliant. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/30/pep-guardiola-and-

It’s time to pass a law to make sure no bereaved family is ever again callously made to relive their trauma in court Back in 2009, on the evening of the 20th anniversary, I made a promise to the Hillsborough families at Liverpool town hall that I would do everything I could to support them. Twelve years on, we have arrived at the end of the legal line . But there is one more battle left, and it’s the biggest of them all: the root-and-branch reform of English justice. The families’ 32-year fight for justice furnishes us with all the evidence anyone could need that our legal system is broken. Aside from the brutal, re-traumatising way it treats bereaved families, it has comprehensively failed to provide any real accountability for 96 unlawful deaths and a cover-up. The latter took the form of a false, blame-shifting narrative briefed to newspapers days after the tragedy, was maintained by South Yorkshire police throughout the Taylor inquiry and the first inquest, and was repeated onl

On Blackpool’s previous visit to this vast stadium, thousands of disenchanted supporters stayed away in protest at the toxic regime running the club but victory here, to seal a welcome return to the Championship after six years away, capped a resounding feelgood tale. They have flourished under fresh ownership and the local-boy-done-good Simon Sadler was among those serenaded at full-time after a stirring comeback win over Lincoln. This arena may have turned a shade of tangerine but the match-winner, Kenny Dougall, the first Australian to score in a club game at Wembley, has bleach-blond highlights. The midfielder became first Blackpool player to score more than once in a match at this arena since Stan Mortensen scored a hat-trick in the 1953 Cup final. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/30/blackpool-lincoln-league-one-play-off-final-match-report

As every successful Chelsea manager has twigged, N’Golo Kanté is the great hidden gift in this group of players The Champions League final of 2021 will be remembered as the night when Manchester City sent out an excess of midfielders, a tripling-up of midfielders, a team clogging every hole with essence of midfielder. In an odd twist Chelsea did pretty much the same, albeit in more targeted fashion. Enter, N’Golo Kanté, the one-man midfield overload. There was a moment in the second half at the Estadio do Dragão when Kanté drew gasps and purrs around the plastic seats, a sense of one man taking the endgame into his own hands. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/30/ngolo-kante-the-one-man-midfield-who-conquered-europe-for-chelsea

Minute-by-minute coverage of the 3pm BST game at Wembley Adams aims to complete Morecambe miracle in play-off final Any comments? You can email rob.smyth@theguardian.com 2.40pm BST The thoughts of Blackpool manager Neil Critchley “I really feel for the kid [Ellis Simms] . It was basically the last kick of the training session yesterday - he took a penalty and felt something go. It’s heartbreaking. He was going to start today, so for that to be taken away in such cruel circumstances is a body blow for us and even more so for him. 2.37pm BST Lincoln didn’t arrive at Wembley until 2.15pm , according to David Prutton on Sky Sports. I can’t speak for the Lincoln players but I would hate that. I panic if I’m not in the MBM dungeon an hour before kick-off, so I’d be all over the show if I was a player. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/may/30/blackpool-v-lincoln-city-league-one-play-off-final-live

Two-thirds of big retailers expect to face legal action from their landlords in July, says a trade group.

Manchester City midfielder hurt in Champions League final loss De Bruyne faces fitness race for Belgium’s first game on 12 June Kevin De Bruyne suffered an acute fracture of the nose and an orbital fracture to his left eye socket in Manchester City’s 1-0 Champions League final defeat to Chelsea on Saturday. The Belgian midfielder has left hospital but faces a wait regarding how the injuries heal before his availability for Euro 2020 can be determined. De Bruyne was injured in a challenge with Chelsea’s Antonio Rüdiger just before the hour mark in Porto. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/30/kevin-de-bruyne-injury-broken-nose-orbital-belgium-euro-2020-doubt

Tuchel continued his remarkable transformation of Chelsea, aided by the Manchester City manager’s unexpected changes If you gaze long into England, England gazes also into you. In his five years at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has grappled with assumptions and sacred cows, expanded perceptions of how football may be maintained, and forced a reconsideration of the role of the goalkeeper and the centre-forward. He has changed the English game, but the English game has also changed him. How else to explain the fact that by the end of Saturday’s Champions League final the team of the high priest of juego de posición , the most influential coach of this century , should have become reliant in its search for an equaliser on long throws from a full-back? The sight of Kyle Walker drying the ball on his shirt, preparing to launch another ball into the mixer, may have become emblematic of those final minutes, but it was only one part of a tactical story that had two distinct themes. Continu

Manager took over a club bottom of League Two and hopes to lead them to the third tier for the first time via the play-off final Derek Adams wants his Morecambe players to stay relaxed before their League Two play-off final but his message, one that has fuelled the club’s transformation this season, does not shy away from the magnitude of Monday’s occasion at Wembley: create history. Morecambe can reach the third tier of English football for the first time with victory over Newport County. Promotion would also complete a stunning turnaround under the former Ross County and Plymouth Argyle manager, who arrived in November 2019 with The Shrimps fighting to preserve their Football League status once again. He now hopes to lead them into uncharted waters. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/30/morecambe-miracle-adams-aims-to-take-side-to-new-heights-at-wembley

Industry-wide shortages mean the builders' merchant will charge more for cement, chipboard and paint.

College educators are trying new technology to make online classes more engaging.

Thomas Tuchel said he was left ‘almost speechless’ after the German head coach won his first, and Chelsea’s second, Champions League title. Kai Havertz scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over English rivals Manchester City in Porto. Pep Guardiola claimed his City team played ‘a really good game’ despite the loss. Chelsea win Champions League after Kai Havertz stuns Manchester City Crazed conductor Pep Guardiola sees Champions League dream fall apart Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2021/may/30/champions-league-reaction-chelsea-tuchel-manchester-city-guardiola

Our favourite images from Porto as Chelsea claimed their second Champions League title Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/gallery/2021/may/30/champions-league-final-2021-chelsea-beat-manchester-city-gallery

Manager to be given deal to 2023 with option of further year Tuchel: ‘I want the next title, I demand to be a part of it’ Thomas Tuchel is close to signing a new contract after leading Chelsea to European glory with a classy victory over Manchester City in the Champions League final at the Estádio do Dragao on Saturday. Chelsea plan to reward Tuchel by handing him an extension to 2023 with the option of a further year after a fine goal from Kai Havertz dashed City’s hopes of winning the Champions League for the first time. The Premier League champions struggled to respond after Havertz opened the scoring just before half-time and it ended up as a night of regrets for Pep Guardiola, who was left to rue his lineup and tactics. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/30/thomas-tuchel-to-sign-new-contract-after-leading-chelsea-to-glory

Exits for Conte and Zidane, together with talk of Pochettino returning to Spurs, epitomise the chaos of modern football At first glance, Antonio Conte leaving a club in dispute with the owners soon after leading them to a league title may not seem particularly significant. This is what he does. His departure from Internazionale follows ostensibly similar departures from Juventus and Chelsea, and he left the Italy national job early as well. But this is about far more than Conte. What is happening at Inter is emblematic of the chaos of modern football and the struggles of an industry that had become a stage for the soft-power machinations of various states and oligarchs and was in need of major financial recalibration even before the pandemic hammered revenues. And as crisis looms, the distressed securities investors begin to hover. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/may/30/managerial-carousel-mirrors-desperate-crisis-en

Frank says club’s journey ‘is absolutely unbelievable’ Swansea manager Cooper says defeat can galvanise club Thomas Frank said Brentford’s fairytale promotion to the Premier League should encourage clubs across the world to dare to dream, after they returned to the top flight for the first time in 74 years. Brentford’s victory over Swansea City in the Championship play‑off final is worth £178m but Frank said they will not stray from their shrewd data-led philosophy. “The journey the club has been on is absolutely unbelievable,” the manager said of a club who were in the third tier in 2014 and the fourth tier in 2009. “A lot of credit should go to [the owner] Matthew Benham. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/thomas-frank-hopes-brentford-promotion-helps-other-clubs-to-dream-championship-playoff-swansea

The young German’s winning goal in the Champions League final announces him as a generational talent in the making The last of the daylight retreated over the back of the stand and tiptoed over the banks of the Douro River. It was shortly after 8.30pm in Porto, and the fun and frolics of the first half hour were over. As dusk fell over the Estádio do Dragão, as the roar of the socially distanced crowd began to harden into a tight, desperate growl, somehow you got the sense that the serious part of the Champions League final was about to begin. Like many of his generation of young German prodigies, Kai Havertz is a serious sort of player. He has an intense gaze and a purposeful stride and a sort of restless, unrequited yearning: as if this game here is his last chance to win the golden ticket off the island and see mama and papa again. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/30/thomas-tuchel-faith-kai-havertz-helps-chelsea-beli

Kai Havertz and N’Golo Kanté thrived, helped immeasurably by Fernandinho’s absence from City’s starting lineup Ederson The Brazilian denied Werner but was left exposed by his defence when Havertz gave Chelsea the lead. His challenge wasn’t enough to save City. 6 Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/manchester-city-0-1-chelsea-player-ratings-champions-league-final

Clive Betts asks why new guidance for leaseholders selling or remortgaging flats is not being followed.

When Thomas Tuchel was given the job of reviving Chelsea at the end of January, he wanted to return them to next season’s Champions League via a top-four Premier League finish. The notion that he might actually win the thing for only the second time in the club’s history was ludicrous. Not any more. On a night of glory for him and his team, the manager applied the final brush strokes to his renaissance masterpiece, out-manoeuvring his friend and rival, Pep Guardiola, and watching Kai Havertz score the decisive goal just before half-time. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/manchester-city-chelsea-champions-league-final-match-report-kai-havertz

Manchester City’s manager – the defining tactical brain of his age – picked a team that malfunctioned and looked muddled Oh, Pep. Why Pep? Why do it to yourself? On a soft, balmy, thrillingly boisterous night in the suburbs of Porto, the defining tactical brain of the age sent out the strongest squad in Europe to face a team that had lost three of its last four games. And yet again, he blinked. Porto is a sleepy town, the only real disturbance in the past few days some gentle English infighting. But this was a case of a man very publicly mugging himself. This City team has been irresistible for the last five months, has found a shape, a system, a set of rhythms that have carried them though the field without breaking stride. At which point, enter the black cloud. Hello doubt, my old friend. I’ve been expecting you. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/pep-guardiola-champions-league-final-fall-apart-manchester-city

The striker moved with minimum waste and maximum joy in the play-off final, menacing Swansea in both boxes The last time Brentford played in the top flight, the future Queen Elizabeth II had yet to announce her engagement to Philip Mountbatten; Charlie Chaplin was being threatened with deportation from the United States for suggesting that capitalism caused wars; and Derby County were about to make Billy Steel the subject of British football’s first £15,500 transfer. Minds were blown a few months later in 1947 when Notts County paid Chelsea £20,000 for Tommy Lawton so football inflation was already in effect. But anyone trying to convince people that Brentford would one day win a match carrying a reward of at least £170m across three years might have been told to ease off the Burton. Yet here Brentford were, contesting such a showdown for the second time in two seasons – and at last they prevailed . Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/footb

Champions League updates from Porto, kick-off 8pm BST The Fiver: sign up now and get our free daily football email And feel free to email Scott with your thoughts on the game 3.08pm BST Welcome to our live MBM coverage of the 29th Champions League final … or if we’re doing things properly, paying proper heed to history and romance, the 66th European Cup final. Had things gone smoothly, we’d be at the Ataturk in Istanbul for the latest edition of the biggest and most glamorous club match in world football, but coronavirus has put paid to that, and so everyone’s made it to the easier-to-access Estádio do Dragão in Porto instead. A shame in one respect, given the other-worldly Ataturk would have been a fitting venue for the denouement of an unearthly season … but a day on the Douro is one heck of a Plan B. Está ligado! Manchester City are playing in their first European Cup final. It’s the end of a journey they began in 1968, when Malcolm Allison promised his and Joe Mercer’s En

After suffering a flurry of failures on the big stage, this time Brentford made promotion look like a doddle. They soared into an early two-goal lead courtesy of an Ivan Toney penalty and a cool Emiliano Marcondes strike, and Swansea City, overawed by the occasion, offered no reply. For the first time since 1947, Brentford will play in the top flight of English football, finally conquering the play-offs at the 10th time of asking. At full-time, the sun-drenched, red-and-white segment of this enormous arena bobbed with joy. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/brentford-promoted-to-premier-league-after-stinging-swansea-championship-play-off-final-report

Premier League place up for grabs in 3pm BST Wembley game Ben Fisher catches up with Lincoln City’s Michael Appleton And you can drop an email to Barry or tweet @bglendenning 1.36pm BST Related: Sign up to The Fiver email newsletter 1.36pm BST Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/may/29/brentford-v-swansea-city-championship-play-off-final-live

The veteran midfielder is thrilled her choice of seeking playing time on loan at Everton has resulted in another shot at an Olympics After making just two starts in Manchester City’s first 10 league games of the season, Jill Scott decided to join Everton on loan in January in an attempt to salvage her chance of making the slimmed-down Team GB squad of 18 players heading for the Tokyo Olympics. Having made the cut, England’s second most-capped player feels vindicated by her bold move. “If I’m completely honest, if my situation had stayed the same as it was before Christmas then I don’t think I would be sat here today,” she says. “I knew something had to change and that wasn’t me sulking or anything like that, I appreciated the position I was in, but I also knew I had a lot more to give as well.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/jill-scott-team-gb-return-old-is-in-gold-everton

The youthful Imps have made a mockery of a bottom-half budget to reach Sunday’s League One play-off final against Blackpool For Lincoln City, regular reminders of what a dazzling team performance looks like are never too far away. Overhead, in fact, with the club’s training base across the road from RAF Scampton, home of the Red Arrows. “New signings come in the building and think it is amazing, so you have the normal little joke with them: ‘Yeah, because you’re a new signing we asked them to go up and show you what they are about,’” says manager Michael Appleton. “But they do become a bit of a nuisance because when you are trying to get a point across the players cannot hear a bloody word you are saying.” On the day the defender Lewis Montsma arrived at the training ground last summer, the Hawk jets were busy practising loop-the-loops. The Dutchman, a free transfer, has been one of several shrewd signings at Lincoln, who have made a mockery of a bottom-half budget to reach Sunday’s

Inter overthrew Juventus, who had a season to forget, even if Gigi Buffon offered a sterling farewell. It’s awards time! Less than a week has passed since the end of the Serie A season, and already it feels like some distant era. Eight of the league’s top 10 clubs have said farewell to their managers, including the newly-crowned champions and the team they just deposed. Juventus’s decision to move on from Andrea Pirlo came as no surprise. The winners of the previous nine Scudetti could not content themselves with barely scraping into the top four. Antonio Conte’s separation from Inter was another matter. After Inter raised the Coppa Campioni d’Italia on Sunday, the club president, Steven Zhang, had told reporters that their success was “most of all thanks to him”. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/may/29/its-the-bandinis-2021-the-complete-review-of-serie-as-2020-21-season

Residents fear spike of infections as English supporters arrive Hundreds of maskless fans flood bars by city’s Douro river A last-minute decision to relax Covid-19 safety rules for Saturday’s Champions League final has angered locals as hundreds of English fans not wearing masks packed Porto’s riverside bars on Friday night. European football’s governing body Uefa moved the final between English clubs Manchester City and Chelsea from Istanbul to Porto to allow fans to travel to the match under Covid-19 restrictions. Some Porto residents fear a spike in infections because of the highly contagious coronavirus variant spreading in parts of England after first being identified in India. Others are upset that foreign fans can go into the stadium but locals have been banned from attending matches for months. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/porto-locals-anger-as-covid-rules-eased-for-champions-league-final-fans

When it comes to wealth, there’s little between Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich and Manchester City’s Sheikh Mansour Welcome to the battle of the billionaires. On the pitch the Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City in Porto on Saturday will be the biggest match of most of the players’ careers. On the touchline it is also the culmination of a 13-year struggle between two of the world’s richest people – and their wallets – for world football supremacy. Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch who bought Chelsea in 2003, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family who purchased Manchester City in 2008, have collectively spent more than £3.7bn on buying players since they bought the clubs. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/oligarch-v-sheikh-how-champions-league-finals-club-owners-sheikh-mansour-roman-abromovich-spend-on-and-off-the-field

My country has been ravaged by Covid, but will still play host to an international tournament in two weeks’ time. Conmebol and Argentina president Alberto Fernández should be ashamed Conmebol found a simple solution for its recent problems with the upcoming Copa América. It just wasn’t a very good one. Weeks of anti-government protests in Colombia, that have left at least 43 dead, forced South American football’s governing body to move the tournament from the co-host country, to Argentina, a nation that has been brought to its knees by Covid-19 . At the time of writing, roughly two weeks before the tournament is scheduled to kick off in Buenos Aires, only just more than 5% of Argentina’s population is fully vaccinated. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/argentina-cancel-copa-america-coronavirus

The two brilliant talents first faced each other at academy level in 2017 and are now poised for the biggest match of their lives Even now, knowing what has happened since, there is something fresh and shocking to them. As you watch footage of the FA Youth Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City, what strikes you above all is just how comfortable these miniature humans look with a ball at their feet, how effortlessly they bend the game to their will. The year is 2017, and Mason Mount and Phil Foden are facing each other on a football pitch for the first time. Related: Domènec Torrent: what it is really like to be Pep Guardiola’s right-hand man Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/foden-and-mount-local-heroes-renewing-rivalry-on-grandest-stage

A goal that meant nothing also meant everything, because football is about a lot more than football Very little gets people as excited as football, a fairly embarrassing admission to make given 200,000 years of human history: a bunch of people kick a ball about, then the rest of us go on like it’s something we’ve done ourselves. Except in a way it is, because our clubs were built by us and form part of us, representing where we’re at and what we believe in. So inasmuch as anything makes sense the extent of our love for them makes sense, and when we talk about football what we’re really talking about is love – love for who we are. Related: Golden Goal: Ronaldinho for Barcelona v Chelsea (2005) | Daniel Harris Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/may/29/golden-goal-bryan-robson-for-manchester-united-v-wimbledon-1993

Celtic have been without a manager since Lennon’s exit Club announced discussions with Eddie Howe ended Former Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou is on the verge of an historic appointment with bookies installing him as favourite to take charge of Scottish giants Celtic. It would be a significant appointment for the 55-year-old, who won the Asian Cup with Australia in 2015 and the J-League title with Yokohama F. Marinos in 2019. Several UK bookmakers have put Postecoglou at the front of the market to take over at Parkhead following the collapse of a deal to appoint ex-Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe on Friday. Howe was expected to win the race to replace Neil Lennon but the club confirmed on Friday the deal was off. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/former-socceroos-coach-ange-postecoglou-in-line-for-celtic-post

Juventus have lost five Champions League finals but everything clicked for them in the 1995-96 season By Emmet Gates for The Gentleman Ultra Teams do not usually sell their best player and go on to win the Champions League, but that’s exactly what Juventus did in the 1995-96 season. Roberto Baggio, perhaps the best player in the world at the time, was told in no uncertain terms that his salary was to be reduced by 50% if he were to remain at Juventus. Baggio’s contract had actually expired but, this being months before Marc-Jean Bosman’s landmark ruling, he could not join another club until a fee was agreed. Juve’s derisory offer was more a message than a proposal: it was time to go. Marcello Lippi and the club’s infamous triad of directors – Luciano Moggi, Roberto Bettega and Antonio Giraudo – believed they had an in-house replacement in the form of the bushy-haired 20-year-old Alessandro Del Piero. Baggio, knowing his worth, was not prepared to take a drastic wage reduction, so a

Manager delighted if players think he is crazy or fear him Tuchel promises ‘we will have fun’ if he wins Champions League “I love it when other people are happy,” Thomas Tuchel said, imagining the after-party if Chelsea beat Manchester City in the Champions League final on Saturday night. “It means more to me around Christmas that I have good presents for others. It’s very hard to give me a gift. Maybe I’m not the guy to dance on the table, but I will be so super-happy if we win and I see my team, my staff, the families, and when I feel what it means to my family. This is huge for me.” Five months after arriving in London, Tuchel sounds as if he is in a good place. The acrimonious manner of his split from Paris Saint-Germain, who sacked him on Christmas Eve , is in the past. Tuchel has barely put a foot wrong since joining Chelsea in January and, in contrast to the snappy persona he often presented at PSG and Borussia Dortmund, is in a compelling and playful mood as he prepares to

The proposed budget would bring the US to spending levels not seen since World War Two.

The sportswear giant and Brazilian footballer give conflicting accounts of why they parted ways.

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! The denouement of Big Vase was perfect, wasn’t it? Everybody who doesn’t support Manchester United was naturally thrilled to bits, while plenty of others sought solace in a result that reflected no glory on the despised Glazers (or on Ole Gunnar Solskjær if they’re in the subset of fans hankering for a slightly more proactive manager than one who embodies the seize-the-day positivity of Charlie Brown, spending 98% of the time peering morosely from the dugout at an indiscriminate point roughly 1,000 yards in the distance, only occasionally snapping out of it to pretend to take notes). That’s pretty much everyone in England covered, if our shoddy calculations and glib assertions are correct. What a night! Everybody happy! What a glorious nation! Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/28/its-big-cup-final-time-manchester-city-chelsea-schadenfreudefest

Restaurants, cafes and pubs are particularly short of waiting staff and chefs, UK Hospitality says.

The eastern branch of the planned high speed rail network will be completed, the transport secretary says.

Call for barrister defending South Yorkshire police’s former solicitor to retract comments and apologise The mayors of Greater Manchester and the Liverpool city region have formally complained to the Bar Standards Board about comments by a QC appearing to blame misbehaviour by Liverpool supporters for the Hillsborough disaster. Jonathan Goldberg QC , a veteran barrister, defended South Yorkshire police’s former solicitor, Peter Metcalf, against a charge of perverting the course of justice, in a trial that collapsed on Wednesday. He later told the BBC that the behaviour of Liverpool fans on the day of the tragedy was “perfectly appalling … causing a riot”. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/28/hillsborough-mayors-accuse-qc-of-repeating-lies-about-liverpool-fans

Laporta ‘moderately optimistic’ Messi will sign contract Manager’s agents hit out at delay over Koeman’s future With a month left on Lionel Messi’s contract, Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta is “moderately optimistic” that the club’s greatest player will stay. “There will be a new contract for Messi but it is not done yet,” Laporta said on Friday in his first news conference since he started his second stint as president. Laporta also addressed the future of Ronald Koeman, saying the manager had told him he wanted to continue but that “we are in a period of reflection with him to see what we do”. His remarks drew a spiky response from Koeman’s agents at Wasserman in a swiftly deleted tweet: “Imagine: I want to marry you, but I have doubts. Give me two weeks to find a better partner… If I can’t find the right person, we will get married anyway!” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/28/barcelona-president-laporta-moderat

First summer deal agreed for France Under-21 centre-half ‘I will be joining one of the best teams in the world’ Ibrahima Konaté has agreed to become Liverpool’s first summer signing after the club activated the £36m release clause in his contract with RB Leipzig. The 22-year-old central defender will officially become a Liverpool player on 1 July having finalised personal terms last month and passed a medical. Konaté, whose transfer is subject to international clearance and a work permit, was Jürgen Klopp’s first choice to strengthen the department that was blighted by injury last season. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/28/liverpool-seal-36m-deal-for-rb-leipzig-defender-ibrahima-konate

‘An intense, complicated year but still wonderful,’ Pirlo says Allegri returning after successful spell from 2014-19 Andrea Pirlo said he had no regrets about taking the Juventus job after being sacked on Friday after one season as manager. Pirlo was appointed with no senior coaching experience and led the reigning Serie A champions to fourth place. Massimiliano Allegri is returning for a second spell to replace him on a contract to 2025. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/28/andrea-pirlo-no-regrets-juventus-sack-him-allegri-manager

Despite the tariff-free deal agreed with the EU, a study finds up to £3.5bn of exports have had taxes applied.

Coach who has worked with Guardiola at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City on training, Foden and Messi Domènec Torrent has been talking for 90 minutes plus added time, explaining processes and planning, the mechanics that go into every match, the tiny details that decide destinies and the wider shifts in footballing culture, when he picks up the computer screen and twists it. “That?” he says. “That’s the net.” Hanging on the wall behind him at his home near Girona, fully visible now, is a piece cut from the goal at the 2009 Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United in Rome. “It’s my daughter’s,” he adds, smiling. That night ended better than it started. One of Torrent’s roles as Pep Guardiola’s analyst was to help his colleague Carles Planchart prepare a motivational video. Gladiator-themed, scenes from the film cut with footage of every member of the squad, the video was secretly shown to coaching staff the evening before and got a good reaction. But

Fast food, Oasis singalongs, unusual trivia: here’s all you need to know about this year’s Manchester City v Chelsea showdown Much has been written about Pep Guardiola’s Premier League title winners and Thomas Tuchel’s fast-improving Chelsea in the buildup to Saturday’s Champions League final in Porto. But here are a few fun facts and potential omens that you may not be aware of: • Manchester City have been designated as the home side in the final. Uefa have confirmed that “both finalists may wear their first-choice colours, but if there is a clash then [Chelsea] must use an alternative kit”. However, when the two sides met in the Premier League earlier this month both wore their respective home, blue kits. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/28/champions-league-final-teetotalism-tactics-dinners-fun-facts-manchester-city-chelsea

Total is the latest energy giant to face pressure from shareholders to reduce carbon emissions faster.

For all the Manchester City player’s sustained Premier League brilliance he has not had a crowning wider world moment You failed. No matter. Fail again, fail better. All very well. But when you’re as good as Kevin De Bruyne – which is, to be clear, very good indeed – and as the bloom of those peak years continues to roll by, you probably want to start nailing a few of those moments too. “We need to learn, it’s not good enough,” De Bruyne told the TV cameras nine months ago, wreathed in Beckettian despair in the bowels of Estádio José Alvalade. Defeat by Lyon had capped Manchester City’s Champions League run at the quarter-finals for the third successive year, and for the third successive year in disappointing circumstances. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/28/kevin-de-bruyne-has-the-stage-in-porto-to-make-his-case-for-ballon-dor-manchester-city

The latest news ahead of Saturday’s showpiece in Porto Tuchel: inside the mind of an obsessive with a winning touch And you can email John , tweet @johnbrewin_ or post BTL 8.58am BST Saturday is also upon us , and it will be a tremendous day of red hot soccer. Brentford and Swansea, two teams who play the game the ‘right’ way will serve as an hors d’oeuvre for the evening’s events in Porto when they play in the EFL Championship play-off final. It will be a match when every kick can be measured by how much money it might cost, football divined right down to the pecuniary. Talking of which, can Manchester City reach the holy grail of winning the competition their owners set out to win on buying the club in 2008 or will Roman Abramovich celebrate success for the second time, having set out a similar target five years before. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/may/28/champions-league-final-and-play-offs-news-weekend-fo

The Liverpool and England player on why he helped launch an initiative to assist children who often feel they have no hope When you grow up without opportunities you can feel like the world is against you, other people are more fortunate than you and there is no hope for a better future. I grew up in an area of Liverpool called West Derby and right now there are a staggering number of young people trapped in poverty in that community alone. About 34% (6,487) of children there are living below the breadline. To put it more bluntly, that’s more than 10 in a school class of 30. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/28/we-must-tackle-the-shocking-poverty-afflicting-our-young-people-trent-alexander-arnold

The successful share listing comes despite a crackdown on some of China's biggest e-commerce firms.

The acquittal of two ex-South Yorkshire police officers in relation to the 1989 stadium tragedy is the final blow for campaigners Steve Kelly, 68, was 35 when he lost his older brother Mike in the Hillsborough stadium disaster. Along with the families of the other 95 people who lost their lives, he’s spent the last 32 years fighting for truth and accountability only for it to have been denied again for the final time after two former South Yorkshire police officers and a former solicitor for the force, Peter Metcalf, were cleared of perverting the course of justice. “I’ve given nearly half my life only to be beaten by a technicality .” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/28/hillsborough-last-chance-of-justice-slips-away-for-bereaved-families

People renewing their home or motor insurance will pay no more than new customers from January.

Air France and Austrian Airlines Moscow routes are stopped as Russia rejects their new flight plans.

It comes as the social media giant attempts to diversify its revenue sources from advertising.

UK firms' offices are undergoing radical shifts as firms allow staff to continue working from home.

A warning on NatWest's banking app warns customers to beware of cryptocurrency scams.

Ali Issa Ahmad says he was falsely imprisoned and assaulted after wearing Qatari shirt in 2019 A British football fan is launching a legal action against six senior officials in the United Arab Emirates after claims of torture and false imprisonment while he was on holiday there in 2019. Ali Issa Ahmad, 28, a Sudanese-born British citizen, went on holiday to UAE in January 2019 to attend the AFC Asian Cup, which was hosted by UAE between 5 January and 1 February 2019. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/27/uk-football-fan-launches-legal-action-after-alleged-torture-in-uae

The world's largest planemaker says demand from the crisis-hit airline sector will hit pre-Covid levels by 2025.

Pochettino believed to be interested in return from PSG Antonio Conte open to discussions after leaving Inter Tottenham have held talks with Mauricio Pochettino over a sensational return to the club. Pochettino, sacked by Spurs 18 months ago, joined Paris Saint-Germain in January and has caused surprise by entertaining the idea of a swift return to London. The Argentinian is believed to be interested in reviving his former club, who have encountered frustration in their attempts to replace José Mourinho, and the previously ridiculous notion of a reunion could come to pass. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/27/tottenham-hold-talks-with-mauricio-pochettino-over-return-as-manager

Club has a first trophy after beating Manchester United, thanks to a second-choice keeper who had never taken a penalty The greatest victory of all belonged to everyone, a whole team effort. So often said, this time it was true. Gerard Moreno, Dani Raba, Paco Alcácer, Alberto Moreno, Dani Parejo, Moi Gómez, Raúl Albiol, Francis Coquelin, Mario Gaspar, Pau Torres, Gerónimo Rulli: by the time Villarreal had won their first trophy every player on the pitch had scoredand it wasn’t just them either. It was everything and everyone; a town of 50,577, the smallest to have a European title and, then, at the end of it all a single man standing there alone, trying not to think about it. After 98 years of history, 24 years under the men who changed the club for good , 21 seasons in the top flight, 14 years in Europe and four semi-finals at which they fell, always halted at the gate; after 120 minutes, two goals and 20 penalties, every one put away, it came down to this. To their goalkeeper. The

Psychologists and players share their tips for staying self-assured – and explain why the trick could be in your left hand By Ben Welch for The Blizzard Kepa Arrizabalaga is on his knees, hands on hips, watching Southampton’s Che Adams wheel away to an empty corner of Stamford Bridge. Celebratory screams echo around a vacant stadium haunted by a global pandemic. There are no comforting looks from Kepa’s teammates, no shouts of encouragement, just an awkward air of inevitability. It had happened again. The world’s most expensive goalkeeper had cost his team yet another goal. “That was a nightmare as far as the goalkeeper and the Chelsea defence were concerned,” observed the BT Sport commentator Ian Darke. This time the young Spaniard had let a poor backpass from Kurt Zouma slip under his leg, before comically sliding into the post as he tried to atone for his error. Adams retrieved the ball and smashed it into the roof of the net to level the scores. Continue reading... from Foot

Aerospace firm Rolls-Royce inaugurates £90m aircraft engine testbed in its home town, Derby.

Police visited Twitter offices after it tagged a ruling party spokesman tweet as "manipulated media".

Faced with a Villarreal-style low block Manchester United rely on individual brilliance and that is not enough at elite level What if David de Gea had converted his penalty in the shootout against Villarreal? How much difference would it have made had he scored on Wednesday and Gerónimo Rulli had been the goalkeeper to miss from the spot? Was that really it, that one kick, 4.5% of a penalty shootout, was that all that determined whether this season could be considered a success or not for Manchester United? How absurd it should all come down to the capacity of one goalkeeper to beat another. Even at the best of times, De Gea has the air of a doomed llama. Having extended his run of penalties conceded in a row to 36 over a six-year period (does Bruno Fernandes, who has scored 32 of his past 33 for United and Porto, not including shootouts, practise against him? If he does, is there a more futile contest taking place on any training ground?), there was a glum inevitability as he stepp

Allegri had hugely successful spell from 2014-19 Pirlo departing after one disappointing season Juventus are to sack Andrea Pirlo as manager and replace him with Massimiliano Allegri. The club has acted after a disappointing season in which they finished fourth in Serie A and went out of the Champions League in the last 16. Allegri was in charge of Juventus from 2014-19, winning five successive league titles, and has not taken a job since. He also reached the final of the Champions League twice with the club. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/27/juventus-to-sack-pirlo-and-reappoint-allegri-as-manager

This week’s roundup also features all 100 Roland Garros wins for Rafa Nadal, rejection from the pool gods and Cliff Thorburn 1) While cynical fouls to deny a goalscoring opportunity should be vehemently discouraged as being against the spirit of the game, they also happen to be one of the entertaining things in football. Step forward Bournemouth’s Chris Mepham, who managed to mis-control a pass, turn slower than milk, and rugby tackle Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo to the ground on Saturday, with the defender shown a red card in the crucial semi-final second leg of their Championship play-off. Mepham, formerly of Brentford, was serenaded off the pitch by the home supporters: “He’s one of our own!” Depleted Bournemouth would go on to lose 3-2 on aggregate , with Brentford set to face Swansea at Wembley in the final this weekend. Next, we recount Natiya Pantsulaya’s spectacular bodycheck/WWE move on Northern Ireland’s Sarah McFadden, when it seemed a lot easier for the Ukrainian midfielder

The firm's retail revenues top £1bn but Covid-related costs take a bite out of underlying profits.

Manager wins competition for record fourth time ‘Some days we were coming at 6am to the stadium’ Unai Emery praised his “impeccable” players for their dedication after claiming Villarreal’s first major trophy by beating Manchester United in the Europa League final . The Spanish side won a thrilling penalty shootout 11-10, after a 1-1 draw, with the goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli scoring his side’s 11th before making the decisive save, stopping his United counterpart David de Gea’s spot-kick. It was a record fourth Europa League triumph for Emery as a manager, after winning the competition three times with Sevilla. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/27/unai-emery-revels-in-villarreal-impeccable-europa-league-triumph

Ole Gunnar Solskjær said Manchester United’s trophy-less campaign amounts to an unsuccessful season after going down to Villarreal on penalties in the Europa League final. The teams finished 120 minutes locked at 1-1 before the Spanish side won an epic shootout 11-10. Speaking after the match in Gdansk and following a league campaign where the club finished second, Solskjær said success is measured in trophies. “No, it is not a successful season, of course,” he said. “And that is the fine margins in football, sometimes one kick can define a season as a good one, or a successful one, and one kick says it’s not.” Villarreal beat Manchester United 11-10 on penalties to win Europa League final Solskjær: Manchester United ‘did not turn up’ for Europa League final Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2021/may/27/not-a-successful-season-solskjr-rues-fine-margins-after-europa-league-final-defeat-video

City’s Cup Winners’ Cup victory 51 years ago was overshadowed by another final and proved the last hurrah of a great side The night of 29 April 1970 is among the most famous in English football. As Chelsea overcame Leeds in the FA Cup final replay at Old Trafford, David Webb nodding an extra-time winner, an estimated 28 million viewers were watching. In the history of British television, only the 1966 World Cup final has received a wider audience for a sporting event. Related: Riyad Mahrez: from timid talent to ‘a monster’ inspiring Manchester City | Ed Aarons Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/27/how-joe-mercer-malcolm-allison-brought-glory-in-europe-to-manchester-city-1970-cup-winners-cup

Fifteen England players included in 18-strong squad No Cuthbert, Nobbs, Mead, Greenwood or Beth England Five 2012 Olympians have been included in the 18-player Team GB women’s squad for the Tokyo Olympics this summer. The England captain Steph Houghton, midfielder Jill Scott, striker Ellen White, goalkeeper Karen Bardsley and Scotland’s midfielder Kim Little competed in London as Team GB reached the quarter-finals, where they lost 2-0 to Canada . Bardsley, who joined OL Reign in February, is a surprise inclusion, the 36-year-old having played only once for England since suffering an injury during the quarter-final defeat of Norway at the 2019 World Cup. In a friendly with Canada in April, Bardsley came on in the second half for Chelsea’s Carly Telford and was caught in possession in her own six-yard box to gift the visiting team a second goal. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/27/karen-bardsley-a-surprise-choice-in-t

The meeting between the top US and Chinese trade negotiators was described as "candid and pragmatic".

The rail firm failed to engage properly with a member of the public who had to sell their home, a report says.

President Hassan Rouhani says the energy-consuming activity must be halted for four months.

It's a year since businesses made racial diversity pledges following George Floyd’s death - so what has changed?

Man Utd player receives ‘at least 70’ abusive messages ‘Good luck trying’ to make him feel worse, striker says Marcus Rashford was subjected to more racial abuse on his social media accounts following Manchester United’s Europa League final defeat in Gdansk. The England striker said he had received “at least 70 racial slurs” on social media in the wake of United’s penalty shootout loss to Villarreal. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/27/marcus-rashford-receives-racial-abuse-social-media-after-europa-league-loss

Villarreal win trophy after penalty shootout marathon Manager says season cannot be considered a ‘success’ Ole Gunnar Solskjaer declared Manchester United’s season was unsuccessful after his team “didn’t turn up” for their Europa League final against Villarreal. United were beaten 11-10 in a remarkable penalty shootout that featured 21 converted spot-kicks before goalkeeper David de Gea’s final attempt was saved by his opposite number, Gerónimo Rulli. His stop ensured United’s four-year wait for silverware continues and brought Villarreal their first trophy from their first major final. It also made Unai Emery the most decorated coach in the competition with four triumphs. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/27/ole-gunnar-solskjaer-united-did-not-turn-up-for-europa-league-final

Biotiful CEO Natasha Bowes says her firm could have grown faster "had I recruited staff earlier on".

Conte goes weeks after leading club to Serie A title Inzaghi and Allegri among managers being considered Antonio Conte has left his job as manager of Internazionale, three and a half weeks after leading the club to their first Serie A title in 11 years . After talks on Wednesday the former Chelsea manager and the club agreed to part ways, with the 51-year-old receiving a payout of €7m (£6m). He had one year remaining on a contract with a €13m salary. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/26/antonio-conte-leaving-inter-over-plan-to-sell-80m-of-players

Bereaved families react with dismay after a judge rules former police officers have no case to answer A judge has stopped the trial of two former South Yorkshire police officers and the force’s former solicitor, who had been charged with perverting the course of justice for amending police statements after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster . Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/26/hillsborough-why-has-the-trial-collapsed-and-what-happens-next

Thousands of small businesses are still waiting for Covid-related insurance payouts.