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Albert Stuivenberg to take team in manager’s Covid absence Arteta says Arsenal believe they can beat Manchester City Mikel Arteta has admitted frustration at being forced to watch Arsenal’s meeting with Manchester City in isolation as he recovers from Covid but is still hoping to have an influence from afar against the runaway Premier League leaders. With Arteta recovering after what he described as “a couple of rough days” with the virus, his assistant Albert Stuivenberg will take charge at the Emirates as Arsenal attempt to record their first Premier League victory over City since Pep Guardiola’s arrival in 2016. Who will be alongside the Dutchman, an assistant to Louis van Gaal at Manchester United and Ryan Giggs with Wales before joining Arsenal in 2019, remains uncertain given the large number of cases within the coaching staff. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/31/mikel-arteta-frustrated-watch-arsenal-from-afar

Bielsa admits he is struggling to correct team’s poor form Manager hoping to strengthen squad in transfer window Marcelo Bielsa has revealed that Leeds will be without their key central midfielder, Kalvin Phillips, and their captain, Liam Cooper, until March and admitted he is struggling to correct his team’s poor form. “I have not been able to solve the situation as I thought I could,” Bielsa said. “I wasn’t able to resolve the lowering of performance. The evaluation of my task is negative. I imagined resources would resolve them but evidently those resources were not the adequate ones.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/31/leeds-injury-woes-deepen-with-kalvin-phillips-and-liam-cooper-out-till-march-bielsa

Max Rushden , Nedum Onuoha , Ed Aarons and Ben Fisher discuss 2021’s last Premier League game, Romelu Lukaku and the Football League Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud , Audioboom , Mixcloud , Acast and Stitcher , and join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter and email . The pod look back at Manchester United’s encouraging 3-1 win over Burnley. Scott McTominay was great, and so was Aaron Lennon, who broke his scoring duck against United at the 23rd time of asking. Is interim consultant caretaker Ralf Rangnick working things out? Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/audio/2021/dec/31/rangnick-lukaku-brereton-diaz-and-more-football-weekly-extra-podcast

A victory against Norwich in the absence of Patrick Vieira was most welcome for Crystal Palace but it is unlikely West Ham will give them such an easy ride. David Moyes’ side won a five-goal thriller in the corresponding fixture last year and will be eager to build some momentum against opponents who they have scored against in 15 successive league meetings. Ed Aarons Saturday 5.30pm Sky Sports Premier League Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/31/crystal-palace-west-ham-match-preview-premier-league

Local politician says statue is meant to inspire young people, but critics say it is inappropriate He is idolised as one of the greatest footballers on earth, with his number seven shirt treasured by millions of youngsters dreaming of superstardom. But Cristiano Ronaldo’s astonishing success has not been matched by those seeking to immortalise his image. A statue of Ronaldo in action unveiled this week in Goa has triggered protests by some locals who say Indian players should be honoured ahead of one from the country that was Goa’s colonial ruler until 60 years ago. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/31/protests-over-cristiano-ronaldo-statue-in-former-portuguese-colony-of-goa

Customers were left questioning why their wages had failed to appear in their account on Friday.

Arsenal are undoubtedly in much better shape than when they received an ugly 5-0 thrashing at the Etihad in September, and hopefully will actually give Manchester City some form of test now the young guns are well and truly firing, but Mikel Arteta may still have received a small mercy in having to stay at home as a result of a positive Covid test. Pep Guardiola’s side look almost unstoppable and Arsenal’s much-improved defence will still be highly overmatched, with Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling (you get the idea) flexing their considerable creative prowess. An inexplicable off-day and Arsenal just might avoid a 10th straight league defeat against City. Graham Searles Saturday 12.30pm BT Sport 1 Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/31/arsenal-manchester-city-match-preview-premier-league

Watford attempt to arrest their alarming slump buoyed by the news Emmanuel Dennis will not be playing at the Africa Cup of Nations. The Nigeria forward scored his eighth goal of the season in Watford’s 4-1 defeat against West Ham on Tuesday – their fifth successive loss. His availability in January offers hope but their problems remain in defence. Watford’s inability to keep a clean sheet is likely to be exposed again by a rejuvenated Tottenham. Antonio Conte remains unbeaten in the league and his arrival has reinvigorated Harry Kane after a forgettable autumn. Simon Mail Saturday 3pm Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/31/watford-tottenham-match-preview-premier-league

‘It’s noise that we don’t need,’ says Chelsea manager Striker should realise impact of such comments, Tuchel adds Thomas Tuchel has criticised Romelu Lukaku for giving an explosive interview in which the striker said he was “not happy” with his situation at Chelsea. Lukaku, who became Chelsea’s record signing after leaving Internazionale for £97.5m last summer, added to Tuchel’s problems when comments about his dissatisfaction with his role were released by Sky Italia on Thursday. The striker, who has scored seven times in 18 matches this season, said that he had held talks with his manager and that he wants to return to Inter one day. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/31/tuchel-criticises-lukaku-chelsea-unhappiness

Eddie Howe finds himself in charge at the strangest of moments – over the next month Newcastle are expected to establish themselves as football’s biggest paradox At least Eddie Howe has retained his sense of humour. “If we signed everyone we’ve been linked with we’d end up with a squad of around 1,000 players,” reflected Newcastle’s manager as he surveyed the gap between appearance and reality. Howe finds himself in charge at St James’ Park at the strangest of moments. Over the next month Newcastle are expected to establish themselves as football’s biggest paradox; theoretically the world’s wealthiest club yet currently an extremely hard sell to the planet’s best players. Admittedly Kieran Trippier, an England right-back, could arrive from Atlético Madrid as early as next week after talks between his representatives and Newcastle over activating the £31m release clause in the 31-year-old’s La Liga contract reached an advanced stage in recent days – but that potential deal looks a bit

The former Rangers and Birmingham City midfielder Greg Stewart scored from an unlikely angle in Jamshedpur FC's Boxing Day clash with Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League. He caught keeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill off guard as he curled a free-kick into the top corner. The game finished 1-1, leaving Jamshedpur in fourth place, in position for a place in the play-offs, halfway through the league season Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2021/dec/30/jamshedpur-fcs-greg-stewart-scores-spectacular-bending-free-kick-in-isl-video

European champions’ finances affected by Covid-19 Chelsea ‘reliant’ on owner Roman Abramovich’s company Chelsea have announced losses of £145.6m after tax for the year despite being crowned European champions in May. Thomas Tuchel’s appointment to replace Frank Lampard at the end of January transformed the team’s fortunes on the pitch as they went on to defeat Manchester City in the Champions League final. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/30/chelsea-announce-losses-of-1456m-despite-champions-league-triumph

The error meant around 75,000 people woke up on Christmas morning to a surprise payment from Santander.

Following his side's draw with Brighton on Wednesday, Chelsea's head coach, Thomas Tuchel, complained about the lack of player welfare when asked if Chelsea have any hope of cutting City’s lead. 'How should we compete in a title race? It would be stupid. I simply don’t know what I can expect from my players. Nobody knows it.' Unable to build on Romelu Lukaku’s first-half header, Chelsea could have few complaints after slumping to their third draw in their past four league games. Brighton’s Welbeck stuns Chelsea as Tuchel labels title chances as ‘stupid’ Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2021/dec/30/how-should-we-compete-in-a-title-race-tuchel-bemoans-chelsea-absences-video

The goal that sealed England’s Euro 2020 last-16 win sparked Wembley mayhem and a belief that football was coming home When Harry Kane scores, he tends to jump up in celebration before performing a low fist pump. It is controlled, fuss free, the modern-day interpretation of the Alan Shearer outstretched palm in the air. Not this time. When the England captain stooped to conquer against Germany in the Euro 2020 last-16 tie at Wembley, he took leave of his senses – as did virtually everyone else inside the stadium – making off towards the corner flag and launching into an Olympic-style long jump. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/30/jaw-dropping-sport-moments-of-2021-harry-kane-scores-against-germany

Typical prices leap almost £24,000 since January, making the strongest year since 2006, Nationwide says.

Premier League updates from the 8.15pm GMT kick-off Chelsea v Brighton: join David Tindall for our MBM Live scoreboard! Keep up with all the day’s goals and games Get in touch! You can email Rob with your thoughts here Three changes for Brentford from the defeat at Brighton on Boxing Day. Mads Roerslev, Frank Onyeka and Yoane Wissa replace Sergi Canos, Christian Norgaard (suspended) and Bryan Mbuemo (calf injury). Brentford are missing 11 players in total. The booze brothers are back for City, who make four changes from that madcap 6-3 win over Leicester. Nathan Ake, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish come in; Oleksandr Zinchenko, Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling are rotated out. We don’t know yet how City’s front six will line up - I’ve put Phil Foden as the false nine but it could be any of them. Except Fernandinho; that would be a bit weird. Pep would probably make it work, mind. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.thegu

2022 is shaping to be a significant year for Australian football, but what does that mean for the Socceroos, Matildas, and the A-Leagues? Best case scenario: A packed AAMI Park lifts Australia’s men to a thumping win over Vietnam in January and kick-starts a run that, combined with Japan collapsing, and an already-qualified Saudi Arabia putting their cue in the rack, culminates in automatic qualification for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. At that tournament, a favourable draw allows a unit led by a new generation of stars in Daniel Arzani, Harry Souttar, Ajdin Hrustic, Denis Genreau, Riley McGree, and Nathaniel Atkinson to win their first World Cup game since 2010 and remain in the mix to progress to the knockout stages heading into the final minutes of group action. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/29/what-will-happen-in-australian-football-in-2022

Dark months are ahead for the hospitality industry, the chief executive of Adnams says.

Premier League stadiums are at full capacity while a short hop away Scottish grounds are limited to 500. Why the anomaly? It is not the case that followers of Scottish football gaze enviously at the Premier League. Camera phones capturing goal celebrations and public investment funds bearing gifts mean Scots revel in their own authenticity. It may be thud and blunder but it is our thud and blunder. Recent days, though, have seen wistful glances across the border. After Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, implemented a limit of 500 people at outdoor sporting events the Scottish Professional Football League’s board took the unusually smart decision to expedite their top-flight winter break. At what traditionally is a hectic, joyous time it was deemed better to close the gates. In a stark divergence between UK and Scottish policy, 52,178 watched Newcastle draw with Manchester United on Monday. Few face masks were seen. Leicester’s defeat of Liverpool had more than 30,000 in att

Manchester City forward says manager changed mood in squad Southgate said taking the knee built unity among players Raheem Sterling has hailed Gareth Southgate for transforming the culture and atmosphere within the England squad but insisted their journey won’t be complete unless it ends with a major tournament victory. Speaking as part of his appearance as guest editor on Radio 4’s Today programme, Sterling admitted that the players had felt “scarred” by their performances at Euro 2016, where they were defeated by the last 16 by Iceland, and felt a huge weight on their shoulders until Southgate helped the team come together. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/29/raheem-sterling-targets-world-cup-and-credits-southgate-for-englands-belief

Spaniard’s previous infection prompted English shutdown Stuivenberg and Round in charge against Manchester City The Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be absent for his side’s New Year’s Day clash with Manchester City after testing positive for coronavirus. The Spaniard is now isolating and will be unable to attend the tea-time kick-off at the Emirates Stadium, but he is still expected to do press duties before the Premier League game on Thursday. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/29/arsenal-manager-mikel-arteta-sidelined-covid-positive-manchester-city

Club’s former captain had left Aston Villa in summer Terry keen to become a manager and gain experience John Terry is set for a return to Chelsea next month after agreeing to take up a part-time role as a coaching consultant in the club’s academy. The former England captain has been looking for a fresh opportunity after leaving his role as Aston Villa’s assistant manager last summer. Terry is keen to become a manager and hopes to gain more coaching experience by working with Chelsea’s youngsters. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/29/john-terry-set-to-return-to-chelsea-academy-as-coaching-consultant

Jürgen Klopp admitted he does not have 'a proper explanation' for Liverpool's performance in their 1-0 defeat to a depleted Leicester City side. Defeat means Liverpool could be 12 points behind league leaders Manchester City by the time they next play a Premier League game on Sunday, but Klopp is more concerned by his team's form than the title race. 'If we play like tonight, we don't have to think about catching City' said Klopp afterwards. 'Finding an explanation [for the performance] is my main concern. I didn't like a lot tonight, we have to do better,' the Liverpool manager added. 'We have a few days to think it through, improve and go again'. • Klopp rues 'very bad display' as Liverpool lose at Leicester Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2021/dec/29/jurgen-klopp-baffled-by-liverpool-loss-at-leicester-video

The pop icons' surprise return helped UK vinyl sales top five million for the first time since 1990.

A pan-industry scheme is testing invisible barcodes on plastic packaging to boost recycling rates.

Namibia wants to use its abundance of sunshine and wind power to make and export hydrogen.

West Ham were still running hard deep into added time. David Moyes has turned them into one of the fittest teams in the Premier League and they did not look like they needed any rest when Nikola Vlasic finished off this comprehensive win over Watford, making it 4-1 with his first goal in claret and blue. Behind to Emmanuel Dennis’s early goal, West Ham ended up too powerful for Watford. Mark Noble offered authority after coming in for his first start in the league this season, ensuring that the absence of Declan Rice was not felt too keenly. There were fine goals from Tomas Soucek and Said Benrahma, who had an excellent game, and Watford were left to reflect on their eighth defeat in 10 games under Claudio Ranieri. West Ham’s faltering push for Champions League football is not over yet. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/28/watford-west-ham-premier-league-match-report

It threatened to be a long afternoon for Southampton when Mohammed Salisu was sent off with 51 minutes left to play but Tottenham Hotspur had to make do with a point from this breathless encounter. Antonio Conte may have preserved his unbeaten league record, becoming the first Spurs manager in history to go without defeat in his first seven matches in charge but there was no escaping the air of annoyance in his demeanour at the final whistle, after they failed to build on Harry Kane’s first-half penalty. In fact, Southampton could have snatched victory had Davinson Sánchez not blocked from the substitute Armando Broja after Eric Dier made a hash of a routine clearance midway through five minutes of stoppage time. Conte was mindful of disrupting the momentum fostered in the last few weeks and so stopped short of radically changing things but decided to give Lucas Moura – arguably Spurs’ star performer in the victory over Crystal Palace on Boxing Day – a breather, until calling on him

On a mild, drab day in south London Crystal Palace eased their way past the yellow and green substance currently passing itself off as Norwich City of the Premier League with a performance that barely needed to slip out of second gear. The score finished 3-0 at Selhurst Park, but the numbers seemed by-the-by, a result of Palace’s players easing through the entire second half like men stoically seeing out some clock-watching festive obligation.* Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/28/crystal-palace-norwich-premier-league-match-report

‘Health and wellbeing is top of the list and we do that well here’ Klopp named Burnley when questioning block on five subs Sean Dyche has insisted player welfare is “off the scale” after Jürgen Klopp accused Burnley of putting players’ safety at risk by blocking the return to five substitutions. Klopp has been outspoken in calling for substitutions to be increased from the current three per game in the face of fixture congestion caused by the impact of Covid-19. The Liverpool manager mentioned Burnley this week, saying he was not sure how many of their players are internationals and are resting when “our players play three games”. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/28/player-welfare-is-off-the-scale-dyche-hits-back-over-busy-schedule-complaints

Updates from the 3pm GMT kick-offs on Tuesday Live scoreboard: the latest from Tuesday’s matches And you can contact John by email or via Twitter Some more detail on that Ferran Torres move. No Conor Gallagher for Crystal Palace , which is a blow, while Wilfried Zaha is suspended after his silliness against Spurs. Marc Guehi is back, though, in place of James Tomkins. Dean Smith has made six changes from the team that lost 5-0 to Arsenal though he probably wanted to make more than that. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/dec/28/southampton-v-tottenham-and-more-premier-league-clockwatch-live

Additional clauses could take the transfer fee to €65m Signs five-year-deal that includes €1bn buyout clause Ferran Torres has completed his transfer from Manchester City to Barcelona in a deal worth an initial €55m plus add-ons. The Spain forward has signed a five-year contract at the Camp Nou that includes a buyout clause of €1bn. The overall fee could rise to €65m depending on the player’s achievements. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/28/ferran-torres-completes-55m-move-to-barcelona-from-manchester-city

Younger brother of Argentine football legend died after suffering heart attack, says Napoli football club Diego Maradona’s younger brother, Hugo, has died in Naples at the age of 52 just a year after the death of the Argentine football legend, the Italian football club Napoli has confirmed. “Hugo Maradona has died,” Napoli said in a brief statement on Tuesday, confirming reports in the Italian press that the former footballer had suffered a heart attack. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/28/diego-maradonas-brother-hugo-dies-in-naples-aged-52

People should take a rapid test before going out for new year's eve, Gillian Keegan says.

Chilwell set to be out for season with ACL injury Everton’s Lucas Digne among replacement options Chelsea could be forced to sign a left wing-back in January after deciding Ben Chilwell needs an operation on an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Chilwell has been out of action since sustaining a serious knee injury against Juventus last month , but Chelsea have been waiting to see if the problem heals naturally. Thomas Tuchel’s side have not been the same without the England defender and there were hopes that the 25-year-old would boost their title chances by making a swift recovery after he returned to light training earlier this month. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/28/chelsea-ben-chilwell-cover-left-wing-back

Our cartoonist recalls moments from the past year in football and files them in alphabetic order because he’s good like that Like what we do? Consider supporting our journalism Doing some shopping? Buy a cartoon here Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2021/dec/28/david-squires-on-the-a-to-z-of-football-in-2021

Interim manager concerned by energy in 1-1 draw at Newcastle Eddie Howe praises Joelinton but sees injury to Callum Wilson Ralf Rangnick has been known throughout his career for his directness, without ever being a firebrand type of coach, and the Manchester United interim manager played true to form even if his team fell well short of expectation at St James’ Park. “I didn’t like the performance at all,” he said bluntly after a fortuitous 1-1 draw at Newcastle on Monday night, salvaged by the substitute Edinson Cavani’s second-half equaliser. “We had too many unforced errors when we had the ball.” Rangnick lamented a first-half display in which United teetered on the brink of total ruin, punctuated by Allan Saint-Maximin’s opener. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/28/not-a-problem-of-formation-rangnick-bemoans-manchester-united-physicality

The new interim manager has quickly realised he has a job on his hands to turn things around at Old Trafford The festive programme in the Premier League is fabled for its surprises, but for Manchester United this was an unwelcome dose of déjà vu. From the start at St James’ Park, this game called to mind the early days of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s reign, with this exact fixture his fourth game in charge – and fourth win – three years ago and precisely two weeks into his tenure at Old Trafford. On that occasion at least club and fans were still basking in their escape from the José Mourinho psychodrama, and a sense of goodwill towards Solskjær was clear. The Norwegian had his fingerprints smeared generously over the victory too, his double substitution just after the hour – bringing on Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sánchez – swinging a game of high tension and low quality . It seemed feted, Lukaku breaking the deadlock 38 seconds after coming on as a second-half substitute and Sánchez at the h

Fifteen top-flight matches postponed after December outbreaks Previous weekly record of positive cases was 90 A record 103 positive Covid-19 cases were found among players and staff in the Premier League over the past week, the league said on Monday following a raft of fixture postponements during the busy festive period. “The League can today confirm that between Monday 20 December and Sunday 26 December, 15,186 COVID-19 tests were administered on players and club staff. Of these, there were 103 new positive cases,” the league said in a statement . Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/27/premier-league-announces-record-103-new-positive-covid-19-cases

Foxes play Liverpool on Tuesday night after City on Sunday Bertrand latest player to be ruled out through injury Brendan Rodgers says it is “ridiculous” that Leicester City have to play Manchester City and Liverpool in 48 hours as he battles an ever deepening injury crisis. Ryan Bertrand is the latest Leicester player to become unavailable after he was injured during the warm-up before Sunday’s 6-3 defeat at Manchester City , with Rodgers having to remove him from the substitutes’ list. The Leicester manager had been forced to name Jamie Vardy and Wilfred Ndidi on the bench despite the forward’s tight hamstring and midfielder’s accumulation of minutes. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/27/leicesters-brendan-rodgers-slams-ridiculous-fixture-list-amid-injury-crisis

New data reveals a 37.2% decline in footfall compared with 2019, with central London badly affected.

Max Rushden is joined by John Brewin , Simon Burnton and Jordan Jarrett-Bryan to run the rule over the Boxing Day action in the Premier League Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud , Audioboom , Mixcloud , Acast and Stitcher , and join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter and email . The panel discuss Manchester City moving six points clear at the top of the table as they put six past Leicester who at one point looked like staging a the comeback of all comebacks. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/audio/2021/dec/27/a-boxing-day-belter-at-the-etihad-football-weekly

League leaders made to sweat before beating Leicester 6-3 Sterling hits two as City go six points clear at the top Raheem Sterling feels Manchester City need to learn to be more ruthless after holding off an unlikely Leicester comeback in a high-scoring Boxing Day thriller. The Premier League leaders were made to sweat before eventually prevailing 6-3 in an enthralling encounter which Pep Guardiola described as a “rollercoaster”. City had raced into a 4-0 lead inside 25 minutes only to be pegged back to 4-3 before late goals from Aymeric Laporte and Sterling – his second of the game – finally secured the points. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/27/manchester-city-must-be-more-ruthless-says-raheem-sterling-after-6-3-win

The forward landed in Catalonia on 4 August to sign a new contract and then he was gone amid tears and recrimination Even when it was official , it didn’t seem real. Even when it was repeated, the president standing there saying so, it didn’t ring true. Even after all those warnings, everyone clung to the hope that there might be some solution. Which there was – right before there wasn’t. At about 9pm on 4 August, Lionel Messi and his family landed in Catalonia on a private flight from Ibiza. He came to sign a new contract with Barcelona, all those worries washed away. The next thing they knew, a statement announced that he was leaving. He had arrived at the club at 13. Now, at 34, having become their everything, he was leaving . No one saw it coming, even if maybe they should have done, and many still didn’t see it then. Messi hadn’t. “We were convinced we were continuing here, at home,” he would eventually say three days later, the delay another reason it felt as if this wasn’t act

This was some way for Romelu Lukaku to reintroduce himself. He returned to from an ankle injury in style, coolly heading in before running half the pitch to earn a stoppage-time penalty at Aston Villa to help Chelsea earned a much-needed victory. Thomas Tuchel certainly tested the give in the turf here – bouncing up and down in frustration as Chelsea trailed to a first-half own goal by Reece James – but by close of play he could count himself happy, a first league win in three matches ensuring his side move level with Liverpool, who have a game in hand, and can still spy leaders Manchester City on an afternoon when those below them in the table gathered speed. In the absence of Steven Gerrard, who had to watch from home after testing positive for coronavirus, it was down to his assistants, Gary McAllister and Michael Beale, to conduct Villa’s rhythm. Villa did not lack any early momentum, Ollie Watkins harrying and cutting out James’s pass within a matter of seconds and Tuchel was soo

Manchester City were ruthless, fell asleep, and then awoke to finally end a Leicester resistance that came in a sparkling second-half riposte to the champions, who were 4-0 up at the break. But what Pep Guardiola characterised as a “typical Boxing Day” encounter – a throwback to yesteryear’s high-scoring affairs – might have ended differently if Brendan Rodgers’ men were as merciless as City. When James Maddison slipped in Kelechi Iheanacho on 70 minutes, the striker was stopped by Ederson from moving the visitors to only 5-4 behind. Marc Albrighton later spurned a headed chance to do the same. If either opening had been taken, who knows what the closing phase might have thrown up. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/26/manchester-city-leicester-premier-league-match-report

Dean Smith was left bemoaning individual errors as the Norwich head coach admitted after a Boxing Day thrashing by Arsenal that standards had “dropped massively”. A brace from Bukayo Saka either side of a rare Kieran Tierney strike had Arsenal on course for three points before a late Alexandre Lacazette penalty and a goal for the substitute Emile Smith Rowe secured a comfortable 5-0 victory. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/26/norwich-arsenal-premier-league-match-report

The forgotten man of England’s creatives hauled Leicester back into the game before Manchester City pulled away again One touch took Aymeric Laporte out of the game, sending him sliding into no-man’s land. A second took James Maddison past Rúben Dias, last season’s Footballer of the Year, with conspicuous ease. Then came an exchange of passes with Kelechi Iheanacho and an assured finish. Then there was the weaving run that took him past a series of defenders before Iheanacho released Ademola Lookman to score Leicester’s second goal. Then came his second long-range shot, whipped with menace, that Ederson tipped on to the bar. This one fell obligingly for Iheanacho to tap in the rebound. In 10 minutes, Maddison had conjured a comeback out of nothing. For nothing, too: Leicester’s three-goal salvo may have inspired Manchester City to score two more . But it was a virtuoso display of quality, showcasing a flair player’s full armoury: shooting from distance, mesmeric dribbling, delicate t

Crystal Palace did not want to play here, as they struggled to control a Covid outbreak that hit the manager, Patrick Vieira, and a number of players, and they wanted it to end from the moment Wilfried Zaha caught the collective mood of frustration and got himself sent off. There were 37 minutes on the clock, Tottenham were 2-0 up and Zaha let his team down when he grappled with Davinson Sánchez before hurling his opponent to the ground. The club’s marquee name was already on a booking and Palace were en route to extending a worrying run of results. It is now just one win in seven Premier League games. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/26/tottenham-crystal-palace-premier-league-match-report

West Ham’s challenge for a place in the top four is in danger of falling apart. After defying expectations for so long, David Moyes’s side can barely do anything right at the moment. They have become too easy to play against and their need for defensive reinforcements to arrive in January could scarcely have been more glaring during this shoddy defeat to Southampton, who ruthlessly exposed their’s weaknesses without Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna holding everything together at the back. Those injuries to Zouma and Ogbonna have taken a heavy toll. The harsh reality is that a central-defensive pairing of Issa Diop and Craig Dawson will not be enough for West Ham to qualify for the Champions League. The balance of the team has disappeared and although Moyes’s side twice dragged themselves level in the second half here, they could have no complaints when Jan Bednarek headed Southampton into the lead for the third and final time with 20 minutes left. Continue reading... from Football | T

Liel Abada fired a severely depleted Celtic side to victory against St Johnstone but Kyogo Furuhashi suffered fresh injury trouble. Abada struck twice and the stand-in Celtic captain, Nir Bitton, sealed a 3-1 win after Chris Kane headed the hosts back into contention. Celtic had already been missing eight players before the Scott Bain, Callum McGregor, Anthony Ralston, Greg Taylor and Liam Shaw dropped out due to Covid. The Hoops handed a debut to their 18-year-old former Scunthorpe striker Joey Dawson as a 15th-minute replacement for Furuhashi, who appeared to aggravate a hamstring problem. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/26/st-johnstone-celtic-rangers-st-mirren-scottish-premiership

Pep Guardiola believes masks should be mandatory in every public space to help ensure games will not have to be played in closed stadiums again due to the surge in Covid cases. Facing the prospect of football being played behind closed doors Guardiola said: 'I would not love it, honestly. You cannot imagine how different it is playing with people. But cases rise all around the world, not only in the UK, and in the football bubbles. These people go to the stadiums and can contaminate [others because] in the stadiums, people don’t use masks.' Mandate wearing of masks to keep stadiums open urges Pep Guardiola Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2021/dec/26/its-the-best-way-to-protect-guardiola-calls-for-mask-wearing-mandate-in-stadiums-video

Premier League rejects late request by Palace on Christmas Day Vieira self isolating as Osian Roberts takes charge at Tottenham Crystal Palace will be without their manager, Patrick Vieira, for the Boxing Day trip to Tottenham Hotspur after the Frenchman tested postive for Covid-19. The latest blow for Palace comes after the club failed in their attempt to get the 3pm GMT kick-off called off due to an outbreak of the virus in their squad. Palace were in discussions with the Premier League on Christmas Day about postponing their trip across the capital following a number of new positive cases, but it is understood the league were dissatisfied with the late application. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/26/patrick-vieira-spurs-crystal-palace-boxing-day-covid-19-football-premier-league

Priti Patel plans to expand law to include online offences ‘Football has been marred by this shameful prejudice’ People who post racist abuse online could be banned from attending football matches in England and Wales for up to 10 years, Priti Patel has said. The Home Secretary is reportedly bringing forward legislation so football banning orders, which can be imposed on those convicted of violence, disorder and racist or homophobic chanting, can be expanded to include online hate offences. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/26/new-uk-law-means-online-racist-abusers-could-face-10-year-bans-from-football

Head coach absent at home to Chelsea and away to Leeds Only 10 EFL games due to go ahead on Boxing Day Aston Villa’s head coach, Steven Gerrard, will miss the club’s next two Premier League games after testing positive for Covid-19. Gerrard will not be in the dugout for the Boxing Day fixture at home to Chelsea or Tuesday’s trip to Leeds. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/25/steven-gerrard-to-miss-two-aston-villa-games-after-positive-covid-test

European Super League protests showed us that when fans and players are on the same page, no one in the game can stop them Remarkably, the website is still live. Eight months after the European Super League disintegrated in an embarrassing fireball, you might think its founders would be minded to erase all trace of their hubris and humiliation. But perhaps that would be to credit them with too much competence. And so there it remains to this day: “The Super League is a new European competition between 20 top clubs comprised of 15 founders and five annual qualifiers.” Well, good luck with that. There is, of course, an alternative theory. After all, the Super League is still not quite dead in a legislative sense; certainly not if you believe the loud and persistent avowals of Andrea Agnelli at Juventus, Joan Laporta at Barcelona and Florentino Pérez at Real Madrid, the three remaining hoarse men of the apocalypse. Meanwhile the impulses that generated the Super League – greed, inequa

Accounts reveal the former US president's two golf courses in Scotland made financial losses last year.

The tournament in England could be huge as the hosts are contenders and the game is championed as never before We are becoming accustomed to hearing moments in women’s sport – on and off various fields, pitches, courts, pools and tracks – be described as gamechanging. It could be seen as an overused phrase or an exaggeration given how frequently it is rolled out. Except women’s sport is benefiting from a broader movement and advocacy for women in society generally – against sexism and abuses, for reproductive rights and equal pay – and the broad increase in consciousness around these issues. What is no longer acceptable in wider society is also not acceptable in women’s sport and athletes, coaches and the women’s sports community are picking up the pitchforks to demand better in increasing participation and, critically, there is momentum behind the drive for change. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021/dec/25/euro-2022-can-ki

Fans rate the best and worst of the season so far – the stars, the flops and what needs to change in 2022 Part two: Liverpool to Wolves Going into Boxing Day in fourth is more than we could have hoped after our worst start ever. The recovery has definitely been helped by the inconsistency of others but, in the chaos of the pandemic, most of us are just grateful to be able to witness some genuinely scintillating football. There’s enough appetite, intensity and resolve on show to inspire even the most fickle among the Arsenal faithful. 7/10 Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/25/premier-league-fans-half-term-reports-part-one-arsenal-to-leicester

Fans rate the best and worst of the season so far – the stars, the flops and what needs to change in 2022 Part one: Arsenal to Leicester It’s going pretty much how most Liverpool fans expected: we’re up at the top and we cruised through the Champions League group stage to the knockouts. We’re playing some brilliant football and we’re a joy to watch. We’ve had our big names back from injury, which has boosted confidence, and, when we do go behind, the belief is there that we’ll score and score again, and usually go on to win. 9/10 Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/25/premier-league-fans-half-term-reports-part-two-liverpool-to-wolves

The number of visitors to city centre High Streets is down, with inner London taking a big hit.

Steven Gerrard has won four out of six since taking the reins at Aston Villa and his rejuvenated side will guarantee a stern examination of Chelsea’s wobbly form. Thomas Tuchel knows all about the new manager bounce – delivering a Champions League within months of his appointment is hard to beat there – but the magic has faded. The N’Golo Kanté-shaped hole in Chelsea’s midfield looks set to be filled, though: he came off the bench in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win over Brentford, so Kanté v John McGinn looks could be a key battle. Tuchel knows keeping the France international fit is crucial if Chelsea are to maintain a credible Premier League challenge. Luke McLaughlin Boxing Day 5.30pm Sky Sports Premier League Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/24/aston-villa-v-chelsea-match-preview

It follows an inquiry into Passenger Play, which allowed games to be played while a car was moving.

The results on 26 December 1963 – 66 goals in 10 games – are celebrated every year. They are only half of the story By Richard Foster for The Football Mine As the frenetic Christmas schedule swings into action, players in England are very much in the minority among major European leagues in readying themselves for the customary glut of games squeezed into the tightest of holiday schedules. While the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 are embarking on a winter break, Premier League and Football League clubs face the prospect of three games in a week, starting with the traditional Boxing Day fixture. Until the late 1950s, there was even a full programme of games on Christmas Day itself, as one of the few public holidays that allowed working people to attend matches. Boxing Day has become enshrined in English football culture as a much-loved curiosity of the fixture list. One reason why Boxing Day matches gained popularity was the extraordinary events of 1963, when 10 matches in the Firs

Midfielder won the Champions League and Euros but could not join Modric among the non-forwards to have won our award Who is the most important player in a football team? Is it the goalkeeper who stops the goals going in, or the forward who scores them? Or is it the midfielder who contributes to both? That debate has raged for more than 100 years and is unlikely to be solved in 800-odd words on this page but it is a pertinent question as we survey this year’s Guardian top 100 male footballers in 2021. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/24/jorginho-misses-out-on-top-spot-despite-chelsea-and-italy-triumphs

Train operator CrossCountry says it has cancelled many services on Friday.

Asia's biggest metaverse - an intricate world populated by young women shopping for avatar outfits.

Data suggests that demand for flats is reviving after the race for space during the pandemic.

It has been a year full of surprises in Ligue 1 and the final round of fixtures were no different By Eric Devin for Get French Football News The final Ligue 1 matches of 2021 were a microcosm of a year that saw unexpected league champions, an unexpected arrival and some unexpected and worrying issues on the terraces. There were nine games on Wednesday night and most of them told a story that reflects back on the last 12 months. There was a shock result for PSG, who needed a last-minute equaliser to earn a point away to Lorient. Without Kylian Mbappé, the leaders looked quite ordinary, as has often been the case this season, even with Sergio Ramos adding his presence – and an obligatory red card – to the proceedings. There was also drama involving Marseille (although not of that kind, thankfully). Dimitri Payet scored from the spot in the eighth minute of stoppage time to earn them a point against Reims. And the match between Strasbourg and Clermont was called off (again, not for an

Manager refers to ‘disbelief’ over decisions in Newcastle games Howe questions whether his team’s fixture schedule is fair Newcastle United have written to the Premier League requesting “clarity” regarding a series of recent contentious refereeing decisions which have gone against them during defeats against Manchester City, Liverpool and Leicester City. At Leicester a penalty was awarded against Eddie Howe’s side despite Brendan Rodgers’ midfielder James Maddison appearing to have initiated the contact; Diogo Jota scored for Liverpool at a moment when Newcastle’s Isaac Hayden was down with a head injury; and last Sunday against City , Ederson seemed to clearly foul Newcastle’s Ryan Fraser but no penalty was awarded. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/23/eddie-howe-newcastle-contact-premier-league-over-referees-feeling-of-injustice

The US technology firm says sorry after it urged firms not to source products from Xinjiang.

Almost half of Britons are to travel to visit loved ones, but caution about Omicron is widespread.

Tactics, selections, transfer policy and set of standards have Gunners on an upward curve but there remains work to do Successful clubs crave stability because that is what keeps them at the top. It is a trait Arsenal have lacked on and off the pitch in recent years but Mikel Arteta is bringing it back and putting them on an upward curve. When Arteta arrived the team were all over the shop but he has brought together a cohesive unit thanks to his tactics and the club’s recruitment. The former midfielder has enjoyed plenty of highs and endured numerous lows in his two-year tenure while sticking to his principles, which is paying dividends. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/dec/23/how-mikel-arteta-and-arsenal-brought-back-the-emirates-feelgood-factor

Households face another sharp rise unless the government intervenes to ease the impact of gas prices.

‘Nobody wants to go back to where we were,’ manager says Arteta wants players’ concerns over welfare taken seriously Mikel Arteta has urged the government not to put football back behind closed doors, saying it is a “different sport” when fans are not present and that the game’s essence gets lost. Matches in Wales will take place without spectators over the Christmas period and Scottish stadiums will be reduced to capacities of 500 . As things stand, though, English venues can host full houses despite the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Arteta hopes it can stay that way, although his view on the situation is nuanced and he has serious concerns about the schedule clubs are being asked to undertake over the coming days. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/22/arsenal-mikel-arteta-desperate-for-games-in-england-to-continue-with-fans

‘He had symptoms and he’s got a young family,’ manager says Gerrard admits it will be a ‘nightmare’ if Villa down to 14 players Steven Gerrard says anxiety over Covid-19 is reaching such a level that one Aston Villa player was reluctant to get out of their car. An outbreak at Villa forced their match against Burnley last Saturday to be postponed at short notice, and Gerrard says it will be a “nightmare” if the club have to tackle two matches in two days with only 14 players available. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/22/steven-gerrard-covid-anxiety-left-aston-villa-player-reluctant-to-get-out-of-car

Charge relates to new complainant and is alleged to have taken place in July this year The Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been accused of another count of rape. Mendy, 27, who was already accused of a series of sexual offences, was charged last week with the further count of rape, but this was subject to reporting restrictions. The restrictions were lifted on Wednesday as Mendy appeared at Chester crown court for a hearing ahead of his trial next year. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/22/manchester-city-footballer-benjamin-mendy-accused-another-count

The country says it hopes to send Iran $5m worth of tea each month to clear its debt.

Russian oligarch ends his case against journalist Catherine Belton over her book Putin’s People The Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has settled his libel claim against the journalist Catherine Belton over her best-selling book Putin’s People , after an agreement was reached late on Tuesday. The text will now recognise that the allegation Abramovich bought Chelsea football club at the Russian president’s behest is not a statement of fact. It will include additional denials from the oligarch’s spokesperson and the club. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/22/roman-abramovich-settles-libel-claim-over-putin-biography

A union says members voted to strike as they felt the role of guards was being undermined.

Shorter Covid self-isolation in England should mean fewer cancelled trains, says the Rail Delivery Group.

Official figures for growth before Omicron impact are revised down on weaker consumer spending.

Max Rushden is joined by Nicky Bandini , Archie Rhind-Tutt and Jonathan Fadugba for a round-up of the major European leagues as they break for winter Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud , Audioboom , Mixcloud , Acast and Stitcher , and join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter and email . On the podcast today: an exciting title race in Italy with just six points separating the top four, a José Mourinho update and a look at Dusan Vlahovic, arguably the most exciting youngster in Europe. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/audio/2021/dec/21/la-liga-and-serie-a-surprises-but-business-as-usual-in-the-bundesliga-football-weekly

Christmas journeys are at risk as train operators prepare for more disruption.

There are three theories that explain how the armband arrived in British football and they are all partly true By Tom Nicholson for The Blizzard There is something missing from the picture. Bobby Moore beams as he waves the Jules Rimet trophy, just as he always has done. Geoff Hurst and a grimacing Ray Wilson carry Moore aloft. Exhausted, George Cohen drapes an arm over Bobby Charlton’s shoulder. But one thing’s off: Moore isn’t wearing a captain’s armband. It doesn’t look strange until you realise it’s not there, but once you have it’s hard to shake. A captain without an armband feels unofficial, somehow, robbed of some muscular nobility. To pull on the captain’s armband is publicly to take responsibility for both what happens on the pitch and become a focus for the nebulous ideas – values, history, hopes, fears – which a team and its fans gather off the pitch. The thing is, nobody seems to know for sure when and where they came from, even the governing bodies. Continue reading...

Small and medium-sized firms can claim back money spent on statutory sick pay for Covid-hit employees.

Our cartoonist on the former Argentina and Manchester City striker, who has been forced to retire after a stellar career Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2021/dec/21/david-squires-on-the-life-times-and-goals-of-sergio-aguero

The lira sees strong gains for the second day running in response to moves to strengthen the currency.

City pair pictured on a night out following victory over Leeds ‘I pay a lot of attention to behaviour,’ says Guardiola Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City players that they must behave on and off the pitch in order to be picked for games. Phil Foden and Jack Grealish were pictured on a night out after the 7-0 win against Leeds United and were subsequently dropped for the win over Newcastle on Sunday. City won 4-0 but Guardiola told the BBC after the game: “I pay a lot of attention to behaviour on and off the pitch. And when off the pitch is not proper they are not going to play. So they have to be focused all the time because the distractions in the Christmas time and everything that happens – you have to still be focused.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/21/phil-foden-and-jack-grealish-warned-by-pep-guardiola-after-night-out

Internet celebrity Huang Wei, known as Viya, is accused of hiding her personal income from officials.

The World Economic Forum has been rescheduled for "early summer" due to the spread of Covid.

Ella Toone shines for Manchester United, Tottenham have goalkeeper to thank and could Aston Villa end up in trouble? Leicester City’s manager, Lydia Bedford, said before a 2-0 defeat of Birmingham pulled her team off the bottom of the table that “getting three points on Sunday doesn’t secure our WSL status”. She is right of course, but the impact of a first win and the side’s first points in the top flight – having had the worst start of a promoted side – is a real sign that the team are no longer willing to be the competition’s cannon fodder. The new year gives the opportunity to continue the fresh start under Bedford after some much-needed rest. For the Foxes, clawing themselves off the bottom before the winter break is just reward for the investment in the women’s set-up and support for the team that the club have provided in recent years, which stand in stark contrast to the struggles of Birmingham. Suzanne Wrack Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.the

McVities, which also makes Jaffa Cakes and Penguins, is facing higher ingredient and labour costs.

Julian Nagelsmann has added increased control to the Bundesliga champions so hope of a title race looks over before Christmas This should have been the ideal fixture to take us into the Winterpause . A soupçon of a possible fight for the title, an indication that Bayern Munich would have work to do in the second half of the season, a sense of leaving the public begging for more in the last match of the calendar year – along the line of tradition like last year’s late, late Robert Lewandowski goal digging out a win at Bayer Leverkusen, or the two goals in the last four minutes that were needed to put away Wolfsburg, Friday night’s visitors , two years ago in this same fixture seeing us into Christmas 2019. By the end of the match, however, all Die Wölfe were begging for was mercy. There was never any cliffhanger potential here and if you were looking for statistical hope, you were doing so in the wrong place. Never before has a team with 43 points or more at Christmas failed to go on

Tottenham cancelled fixture because of Covid outbreak Conte’s team will not progress in Europa Conference League Tottenham are out of the Europa Conference League after Uefa awarded Rennes a 3-0 victory for the match called off because of a Covid outbreak at Spurs. Tottenham were unable to find an alternative date for the match before the cut-off point at the end of this month, and the decision means they finish third in their group behind Rennes and Vitesse. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/20/spurs-out-of-europe-after-uefa-awards-rennes-3-0-win-for-cancelled-game-europa-conference-league

The so called Gulf derby turned into an ultimately painful exposure of the yawning chasm in class currently separating Abu Dhabi owned Manchester City and Saudi Arabian controlled Newcastle United. Both clubs may be regarded as having been “trophy” purchases on the part of their oil rich owners but only table topping City are likely to secure silverware anytime soon. Creditably Eddie Howe’s side refused to surrender but television viewers in Riyadh and Jeddah may have felt the need to watch through their fingers whenever City, and in particular, the outstanding Joâo Cancelo assumed possession. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/19/newcastle-united-manchester-city-premier-league-match-report

A glance at the Premier League table will do nothing to improve Thomas Tuchel’s mood. Chelsea had arrived at Molineux full of righteous fury after their failed request for this game to be postponed and although Tuchel’s side did not respond by throwing their toys out of the pram, it was difficult to find many positives after 90 minutes of toil against Wolves cast further doubt on their ability to keep up with Manchester City and Liverpool. In the end the only bright spot for an irritable Tuchel, who had seven players out with Covid-19, was that his depleted team refused to wilt after a difficult start. Otherwise it was another tale of frustration for the European champions. This was another spluttering display in attack and Tuchel will wonder if Chelsea have the ruthlessness to catch City, who are six points ahead of them. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/19/wolves-chelsea-premier-league-match-report

Stoppage after supporter abused Osnabrück’s Aaron Opoku Both sets of fans unite in ‘Nazis out’ chant after incident Duisburg’s match against Osnabrück in the German third tier has been abandoned after racist abuse was aimed at a visiting player. The 3. Liga game was halted by the referee Nicolas Winter in the 33rd minute, with the club’s Twitter account reporting “a racist remark from the stands” was aimed at Osnabrück winger Aaron Opoku. Players from both teams returned to the dressing room, with both sets of fans uniting in a “Nazis out!” chant of solidarity. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/19/germany-duisburg-osnabruck-abandoned-due-to-racist-abuse

Plans to invest more in the women’s game are marked by the absence of what has long been its most essential ingredient Welcome the A-Leagues, the new land of milk and honey. Or, perhaps more accurately, the land of $130m in funding from an American-based global technology investment firm. The Australian Professional Leagues, capitalising on its newfound independence and operational and commercial control of the domestic top flight, announced on Tuesday it had sold off a 33.3% equity share in itself to Silver Lake. The deal, which valued the APL’s properties at approximately $425m, brings the organisation into a Silver Lake investment folio also featuring the likes of The Madison Square Garden Company and City Football Group. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/20/silver-lake-windfall-only-underlines-need-for-home-and-away-alw-season

Live updates from the 4.30pm GMT kick-off Covid chaos leads Klopp to demand action to tackle anti-vaxx players Feel free to email Rob with your thoughts Plenty of notable team news, as you’d expect in these peculiar times. Dele Alli gets a rare start, one of five changes from the 3-0 win over Norwich a fortnight ago. Ryan Sessegnon, Tanguy Ndombele, Emerson Royal and Harry Winks also come in, with Japhet Tanganga, Sergio Reguilon, Lucas Moura, Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg left out. All bar Hojbjerg are on the bench. We’re not sure where Ndombele and Alli will line up; Antonio Conte may have switched to 5-3-2 to give more protection in midfield. Liverpool are without their entire first-choice midfield , so the teenager Tyler Morton gets his first Premier League start. He was born on 31 October 2002, ten days before James Milner, who also starts today, made his Premier League debut. The three changes in midfield - Morton, Milner and Naby Keita for Jordan Henderson, Th

Live updates from the 2pm GMT kick-off Jack Grealish targets Manchester City treble but admits he must improve Feel free to email Simon or tweet @Simon_Burnton Not encouraging. Five changes for Newcastle, who are “counting the cost of a couple of knocks and injuries”, according to Eddie Howe. He says he has picked “really good athletes” with “energy and vibrance” because, to summarise, they’ll have to spend the entire match chasing Manchester City players about. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/dec/19/newcastle-united-v-manchester-city-premier-league-live

Chelsea make request after three more positive Covid-19 tests Premier League deems Chelsea have enough players available Chelsea’s fixture with Wolves at Molineux will go ahead as planned on Sunday after the Premier League denied the visitors’ request to postpone the game due to an increase in positive Covid-19 tests. Thomas Tuchel’s side made the request after recording another three Covid cases in their latest round of testing. It brings the club’s total number of positives to seven after Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi and the injured Ben Chilwell all tested positive before Thursday’s draw with Everton. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/19/premier-league-chelsea-request-wolves-game-postponed-covid-19

The health secretary refused to rule out further restrictions for England, as Omicron continues to spread.

Billionaire owner of Chelsea qualifies under Portugal’s naturalisation scheme for descendants of Sephardic Jews The billionaire oligarch Roman Abramovich has become an EU citizen, three years after withdrawing his application for a UK visa amid diplomatic tensions between London and Moscow. The surprise development was confirmed on Saturday by his spokesperson, who revealed the Russian-born owner of Chelsea Football Club had secured Portuguese citizenship earlier this year. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/19/roman-abramovich-gains-eu-citizenship-via-portuguese-passport

Bassett’s 89th-minute goal lifts US to 1-0 friendly win US men’s team set new record with 17th win in 2021 Cole Bassett scored in the 89th minute of his US national team debut and the Americans set a record for victories in a calendar year with a 1-0 friendly win over 10-man Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday night. Bassett, a 20-year-old midfielder for the Colorado Rapids, slammed home a rebound of a shot by 18-year-old Jonathan Gomez, the former Louisville City defender headed to Real Sociedad. Gomez had also just made his US debut as a second-half substitute. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/18/usa-bosnia-friendly-report-cole-bassett

Premier League updates from the 5.30pm GMT kick-off Villa Covid outbreak forces Burnley game to be postponed And feel free to mail your thoughts on the match to Scott Leeds are decimated by injuries and suspension. Dan James, Diego Llorente and Jamie Shackleton all picked up knocks during the 7-0 humiliation at Manchester City, while Junior Firpo is suspended. Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford are still out with hamstring injuries. Robin Koch is back, though, having recovered from a pelvic problem. Cody Drameh makes his first Premier League start at right-back. No changes for Arsenal from the impressive victory over West Ham. The ill-disciplined Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang misses out altogether again. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/dec/18/leeds-united-v-arsenal-premier-league-live-score-updates

England forward opens scoring after just 55 seconds Nicolò Zaniola and Chris Smalling also on scoresheet Tammy Abraham scored two goals as Roma put on a counterattacking clinic to stun Atalanta with a 4-1 win in Bergamo on Saturday and climb to fifth place in Serie A. José Mourinho’s side finished the game with 29% possession and eight shots to Atalanta’s 17, but they were far more efficient with their chances. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/18/european-roundup-abrahams-first-minute-goal-fuels-roma-win-at-atalanta

Premier League game called off hours before kick-off Only four top-flight matches still on this weekend Aston Villa’s Premier League match against Burnley has been called off less than three hours before kick-off as a result of more Covid-19 cases at Villa. The postponement leaves left one Premier League match remaining from the six that were scheduled to take place on Saturday, with Leeds against Arsenal in the late kick-off the only surviving fixture. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/18/aston-villa-covid-outbreak-forces-game-with-burnley-to-be-postponed