Author: Jeff Jones Jr

Lazio’s Loum Tchaouna racially abused in Europa League win over Twente. The Lazio winger was substituted after being racially abused by fans during his side’s Europa League win against FC Twente on Thursday. Lazio’s Loum Tchaouna racially abused Tchaouna, 21, was clearly incensed when he was taken off in the 89th minute of Lazio’s 2-0 win in the Netherlands. The France Under-21 international appeared to imitate monkey noises when explaining to referee Nikola Dabanovic and…

The showdown between two of Europe’s biggest football nations can be a marker of where the Lionesses must improve before the summer. It has not been plain sailing since their Euros success, with disappointment in the Women’s Nations League and missing out on Olympic qualification. They did reach the Women’s World Cup final in 2023 however, and won the first Women’s Finalissima a few months before. But there has been growing criticism of England’s performances,…

The magic of the FA Cup is live and kicking as lower league teams get TV air time. Kettering Town’s trip to League One side Northampton Town is one of two FA Cup first-round ties to be shown live on BBC Two in November. There are 82 places separating the two sides, who have faced one another in a competitive fixture just twice before. Seventh-tier Kettering FC make the 17-mile trip to Northampton on 2…

How Sturm Graz ended Red Bull’s title dominance by hard work, principles of play and the Klopp formula. The Austrian Bundesliga has been a broken record for the past decade. Red Bull Salzburg have dominated that domination has been ended by a loveable underdog Sturm Graz. They’ve won 14 of the last 19 league titles, outspending and overpowering all those who dare challenge the mighty Red Bull machine. How Sturm Graz ended Red Bull’s title…

Ellen Molloy earns Republic of Ireland recall for Georgia tie after a solid performances over the last few months for Sheffield United. Ellen Molloy earns Republic of Ireland recall Midfielder Molloy, who recently joined Sheffield United from Wexford, and has been out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Her last game for her country was the Women’s World Cup qualifier against Slovakia in September 2022. With goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan suspended, uncapped Athlone Town stopper Katie…

Harrogate Town almost sold out hospitality for their blockbuster FA Cup tie against Wrexham “within two minutes” of the draw being made, according to chief executive Sarah Barry. The Yorkshire club’s fixture against Hollywood-backed Welsh glamour club at their own Wetherby Road ground is one of the more intriguing ties in the first round proper. And while Barry admitted there were easier first-round opponents than Phil Parkinson’s League One high-fliers, she insisted there was a…

Arsenal’s teenage goalkeeper Porter was handed a shock start in their EFL Cup tie against Bolton with number one choice David Raya out with a thigh injury, and summer signing Neto cup-tied having already played in the competition for parent club Bournemouth. Porter is highly rated by Arsenal and signed a scholarship with them in the summer, with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta saying the 16-year-old frequently trains with the first team. The England Under-17s player…

Lazio and Atletico Madrid have been fined by Uefa after their supporters were found guilty of racist behaviour. The Serie A side have been fined £36,660 (45,000 euros) following incidents during their 4-1 Europa League win over Nice in Rome on 3 October. Lazio will also have to close two sections of the Stadio Olimpico for their next Europa League fixture against Porto on 7 November. European football’s governing body issued the club with an…

Cheltenham Town v Reading: EFL Trophy game postponed due to rain Cheltenham Town’s home EFL Trophy match against Reading has been postponed due to heavy rainfall. Both clubs posted on social media that the pitch at the EV Charger Points Stadium was “unsafe to play on” and the game would be moved to a rearranged date in due course. Both Cheltenham and Reading won their respective opening ties in the EFL Trophy. The Robins defeating…

King’s Lynn Town are to increase stewarding numbers for their FA Cup replay against Worksop following the trouble at Saturday’s game. A number of supporters were attacked following the third qualifying round tie, which ended in a 1-1 draw, although Worksop have described it as a “minor disturbance”. King’s Lynn pay for extra stewards King’s Lynn say that any Worksop supporters who try to get into the home end on Tuesday evening will be ejected…

Everton and Newcastle United were both left frustrated after playing out a scrappy stalemate at Goodison Park. Newcastle United played the more controlled football in a frenetic contest but squandered a first-half penalty when former Everton forward Anthony Gordon saw a first-half penalty saved by England keeper Jordan Pickford. After James Tarkowski was rightly penalised for foolishly dragging Sandro Tonali to the floor at a corner. Gordon saw a first-half penalty saved Gordon had been…

Paul Pogba says his “nightmare is over” after a four-year ban for a doping offence was reduced to 18 months following a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas). Sources close to the 31-year-old Juventus midfielder told BBC Sport he can resume training in January 2025 and will be eligible to play again from March. France international Pogba was suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal (Nado) in February after a drugs test…

Brilliant Unai Emery’s Villa revival has hit new heights at The Villa. Emery’s shrewd strategy also unsettled Bayern, with a more direct approach targeting defender Dayot Upamecano with Ollie Watkins running in behind. He was also aware of Bayern keeper Neuer’s habit of playing as a sweeper keeper, which led directly to Duran’s goal. In football terms that ploy worked to perfection. Mention what Emery brings and one Villa insider said: “Attention to detail. An…

Grimsby Town boss David Artell compared his side’s defensive structure in their win over Gillingham to the legendary AC Milan side that won back-to-back European Cups in 1989 and 1990. The Mariners beat the League Two leaders 1-0 on Tuesday to record a third successive win. Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan side, featuring players including Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Paolo Maldini, conceded only 14 goals in 30 games as they won the Serie A title…

Uefa has reopened the bidding for stadiums to host the 2027 Champions League final, after the match was stripped from Milan. The San Siro was to be the venue for the showcase final but, after Milan officials failed to assure Uefa that planned redevelopment work would not hamper the event, European football’s governing body opted to take it away from them. AC Milan and Inter Milan are considering building a new stadium in the San…

Part of the reason revenues are soaring in the WSL is because of the money and resources men’s football provides to its women’s clubs, allowing them to grow quicker. Philippou uses Arsenal as an example. The women’s team regularly plays home matches at Emirates Stadium and has access to the same marketing resources as it’s men’s team. “Their income has massively increased and a huge part of that is their matchday income, which is having…

AFC Wimbledon’s League Two match against Accrington Stanley has been postponed as the Dons have been unable to find an alternative ground to host the fixture after their Plough Lane home was damaged in flooding. The pitch was damaged and buildings and concourse left underwater after heavy rainfall on Sunday night and Monday morning led the nearby River Wandle to burst its banks. Wimbledon had already postponed Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third-round fixture against Newcastle United,…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says any changes regarding football’s increasing fixture demands must be led by the players. City’s Spain midfielder Rodri, 28, said on Tuesday that footballers are close to going on strike in protest at the number of games in the calendar. “If something is going to change, it must come from the players. They are the only ones who can change something,” Guardiola said. “The business can be without managers, sporting…

“I’m humiliated,” Wotton told BBC Radio Devon after the match. “It’s embarrassing, we were second best. I don’t even think we were second best, there’s absolutely zero credit to be had today. “Bishops Cleeve should have won by more, I’m at a loss really. “I can’t accept that performance for Torquay United. We didn’t win a header, we didn’t win a tackle. “Our physicality was non-existent, our forward play was non-existent. I can suffer a…

Following in the success of CR7 Bellingham is also developing his brand, starting by revelaving what Ancelotti said to Jude Bellingham after the massive transfer to Real Madrid. The Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has revealed, in a new documentary on his YouTube channel, that manager Carlo Ancelotti once jokingly threatened to replace him with his younger brother Jobe. The comment came after the younger Bellingham sibling scored a brace for his new club Sunderland…

Ask Jefferson Louis how many clubs he has played for and he takes a pause before declaring: “I lost count years ago.” Taking a glance down his list of former clubs, it is not hard to understand why he cannot remember. Thame United (three spells), Lewes, Weymouth (two spells), Gainsborough Trinity, Darlington, Brackley Town (two spells), Whitehawk, Lowestoft Town, Staines, Oxford United, Oxford City, St Albans City…the list goes on and on. Louis is football’s…

Cole Palmer has been left out of Chelsea’s European squad In a shocking development Cole Palmer has been left out of Chelsea’s European squad for the Conference League. Instead younger midfielders Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka, and striker Marc Guiu have been selected in their place as the Blues look to spread minutes around fringe players in a competition they are strong favourites to win. Left-back Chilwell has also been dropped and continues to be…

As for the successors of recently retired players, Marc-Andre ter Stegen is expected to take Neuer’s place. The 32-year-old Barcelona keeper has been given the number one jersey for the games against Hungary and the Netherlands, indicating he has finally reached his goal after a long waiting period. By contrast, there is no clear-cut successor for Kroos as the deep-lying playmaker. The most realistic choice might be Bayern’s Aleksandar Pavlovic, who withdrew from the Euros…

Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah’s brilliant early-season form illustrates why footballers must get proper rest periods, players’ union chief Maheta Molango has said. In their first three Premier League matches of the 2024-25 campaign, Manchester City striker Haaland has scored seven times and Liverpool forward Salah has three goals and three assists. Neither player featured in post-season major tournaments and were highlighted as case studies by Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) chief executive Molango as a…

On paper, AFC Croydon Athletic’s game at Camberley Town in the Combined Counties League on 9 April seemed a pretty unremarkable affair. So unremarkable, in fact, only 43 paying spectators bothered turning up to watch the midweek match in English football’s ninth tier. Yet among those inside Krooner Park that night was Wilfried Zaha, who has become accustomed to playing in front of crowds of 50,000 since joining Turkish giants Galatasaray. As co-owner of non-league…