Category: Sports

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Guardiola to step down after glittering decade at Man City

Pep Guardiola announced on Friday that he will leave Manchester City at the end of the season after a trophy-laden decade that transformed English football.

Guardiola guided City to 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the club’s only Champions League, over the past 10 seasons.

Aston Villa’s visit to the Etihad on Sunday will be his final match in charge, although he is set to continue working for the City Football Group as a global ambassador.

“What a time we have had together!” Guardiola said in a club statement.

“Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving. There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it’s my time.

“Nothing is eternal, if it was, I would be here. Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City.”

News of the Catalan’s impending departure was first reported on Monday.

At that point, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss was tight-lipped on his future as City missed out on the Premier League title to Arsenal 24 hours later.

Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who previously worked on Guardiola’s staff at City, has been widely reported as the man set to take over at the Etihad.

The 55-year-old’s trophy haul also included three FA Cups, five League Cups, the Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and three Community Shields.

Guardiola arrived in England as already one of Europe’s most decorated coaches.

His four-year spell at boyhood club Barcelona between 2008 and 2012 captured admirers across the globe, winning two Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles.

He added three more league titles in three seasons at Bayern.

A similarly short spell was expected when City lured him to the Premier League.

But his influence has transformed the English game at all levels over the past 10 years.

Backed by the deep pockets of Abu Dhabi royalty, City have stepped out of the shadow of local rivals Manchester United to become the dominant force in the Premier League.

Guardiola’s brand of passing football has been copied from grassroots through to the elite level.

Even City’s competitors have turned to his disciples to catch up.

Arsenal’s 22-year wait to win the Premier League was ended by another of his former assistants Mikel Arteta.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has said his coaching philosophy was shaped by watching the City boss’ Barcelona team, while new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso moved to Bayern in the final years of his playing career to gain the experience of working under Guardiola.

The timing of Guardiola’s exit comes with the outcome of an investigation into more than 100 alleged breaches by City of financial regulations still to be released.

First charged by the Premier League in February 2023, an independent commission hearing concluded in December 2024 with the case hanging over City’s achievements on the pitch ever since. (JapanToday)

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Stylish Aston Villa wins Europa League to end 30-year trophy drought

Aston Villa ended their 30-year trophy drought in style as spectacular goals from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia inspired a 3-0 win against Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

Unai Emery’s side took the lead late in the first half in Istanbul through Tielemans’ thunderous volley.

Buendia increased Villa’s advantage with a sublime curler seconds before the interval.

Morgan Rodgers’ second-half goal finished off the outclassed Germans, sealing Villa’s first silverware since the 1996 League Cup and their first major European prize for 44 years.

That famous European Cup final upset of Bayern Munich in 1982, secured by Peter Withe’s goal in Rotterdam, has stood as the most iconic moment in Villa’s 152-year history.

But Villa’s current stars were determined to follow in the footsteps of the club’s golden generation.

Now Tielemans, Buendia, John McGinn and company can share the rarified air previously reserved for Withe, Tony Morley, Dennis Mortimer, Nigel Spink and the rest of the Class of ’82.

Fittingly, with Withe and Mortimer watching from the stands, Villa crushed Freiburg while wearing white shirts instead of their traditional claret and blue kit — just as they did against Bayern.

Villa’s long-awaited continental conquest was the latest Europa League masterclass for Emery, who has now won the tournament five times after victories with Sevilla in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and Villarreal in 2021.

Emery said this week that he didn’t feel like the “king” of the Europa League, but his team’s coronation got the royal seal of approval from Villa fan Prince William, who was celebrating along with around 20,000 ecstatic supporters in the Besiktas Stadium.

Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, another famous Villa fan, joined the party, sending a good luck message to the team before kick-off.

It has been a memorable finish to the campaign for Villa, who sealed qualification for next season’s Champions League with a win against Liverpool last week.

Villa’s success over the last six days would have been impossible to imagine when they started the season with a run of six matches without a win, scoring just twice in that dismal streak.

Their maiden win this season came in the Europa League against Bologna, the first of 13 victories in 15 games in the competition that culminated in their ruthless demolition of first-time European finalists Freiburg.

Despite losing in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals in 2024, and the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals last year, Emery was convinced Villa would eventually cast off their ‘nearly men’ tag.

The 54-year-old Spaniard’s unshakable faith has been rewarded.

The Europa League triumph underlined Villa’s impressive renaissance since Emery took charge in October 2022 with the club languishing just three points above the relegation zone.

Relegated to the second tier in 1987 and 2016 and beaten in their previous four domestic finals prior to arriving in Istanbul, Villa have endured some torrid times since winning the European Cup.

Those miserable memories were banished forever on an unforgettable night on the banks of the Bosphorus.

Villa dominated from the start and should have been ahead in the opening moments when Noah Atubolu denied Rogers. (JapanToday)

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Southampton expelled from world’s most lucrative football match for spying

Southampton have been expelled from the English Football League (EFL) Championship playoff final after admitting to spying on a training session of semifinal opponents Middlesbrough.

Middlesbrough have been reinstated as a result of Tuesday’s decision and are set to face Hull at Wembley on Saturday for a place in English football’s Premier League.

The match is regarded as the most lucrative in world football, given the winner is promoted to the Premier League – the richest club competition in the global game – and receives 200 million British pounds ($268m) in extra income.

Southampton will also be docked four points next season after admitting to multiple breaches of regulations related to the “unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training” sessions, according to a statement from the EFL.

“An independent disciplinary commission has today expelled Southampton from the Sky Bet Championship play-offs,” the EFL said.

Southampton, relegated from the Premier League last season, confirmed they would appeal the sanctions.

The EFL said the parties were working to ensure an appeal could be heard on Wednesday.

“Subject to the outcome, it could result in a further change to Saturday’s fixture,” the EFL said.

A member of the Southampton coaching staff was caught by Middlesbrough officials recording training on his phone.

The EFL confirmed further charges had been laid against Southampton, and that the club had also admitted observing training sessions ahead of matches against Oxford and Ipswich.

The first leg ended 0-0 before Southampton progressed with a 2-1 win after extra time in the second leg.

Middlesbrough issued a statement welcoming the outcome of the disciplinary commission hearing.

“We believe this sends out a clear message for the future of our game regarding sporting integrity and conduct,” the statement said. (AlJazeera)

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Chelsea beats Spurs to leave rivals in ’embarrassing’ relegation danger

Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-1 on Tuesday to leave Roberto De Zerbi’s men in danger of relegation from the Premier League with one game left of the season.

Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring in the 18th minute, curling home from outside the box, and Andrey Santos doubled the home side’s league midway through the second half.

Tottenham gave themselves hope in the 74th minute when Richarlison converted from close range after Pape Matar Sarr’s backheel.

Spurs poured forward in search of an equaliser but could not find another goal.

The result gives renewed hope to West Ham, who are 18th in the table, two points behind Tottenham.

Spurs, who have not been relegated since 1977, face Everton in their final match on Sunday with a draw realistically good enough for survival given their superior goal difference.

“We have to give everything for the club, for the badge, for the fans,” said Spurs midfielder James Maddison.

“It’s a bit embarrassing that we’re in this position.”

The Hammers must beat Leeds to have any chance of extending their 14-year stay in the Premier League.

Burnley and Wolves have already been relegated.

Chelsea’s win at Stamford Bridge was their first in the English top division since early March and lifts them to eighth in the table. (JapanToday)

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Ronaldo to lead Portugal at sixth World Cup as Martinez names squad

Cristiano Ronaldo will embark on a sixth World Cup at the age of 41 after Portugal coach Roberto Martinez named him in a 27-man squad for the tournament, with a symbolic “plus one” in memory of the late Diogo Jota.

Speaking at Cidade do Futebol before a packed auditorium on Tuesday, Martinez confirmed that fourth-choice goalkeeper Ricardo Velho, of Genclerbirligi Ankara, will travel with the squad, but can only be added to the official 26-man list in the event of an injury to one of the three registered keepers.

Portugal, the reigning Nations League champions, open their Group K campaign at the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 17 in Houston.

They then face Uzbekistan at the same venue on June 23 and conclude the group stage against Colombia in Miami on June 27. The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19.

Martinez said his selection comprised “27 players plus one”, a reference to Liverpool forward Jota, who died in a car accident in July last year, aged 28.

“He is our strength, our joy,” Martinez said. “Losing Diogo was an unforgettable and very difficult moment, but the very next day, it was up to all of us to fight for Diogo’s dream and for the example he always set in our national team. Diogo Jota’s spirit, strength and example are the +1 and will always be the +1.”

The coach defended his decision to name four goalkeepers and five fullbacks, while leaving out players including Mateus Fernandes, Ricardo Horta and Pedro Goncalves.

“The complexity of the tournament is very important – the demands of the weather, the time zone, everything we already experienced in March,” Martinez said. “There are positions where we need to have more than two players per position. And we need five fullbacks.”

He highlighted the versatility of Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo and Matheus Nunes, and pointed to attacking options such as Joao Felix, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Francisco Trincao operating between the lines, with Rafael Leao, Pedro Neto and Francisco Conceicao providing width.

Martinez added that Velho understood his role as a training goalkeeper, noting that FIFA rules only permit replacement in the event of injury during the tournament.

Portugal warm up against Chile in Oeiras on June 6 and Nigeria in Leiria on June 10. FIFA has stipulated that the squad must be in their Palm Beach, Florida training camp at least five days before their opening match. (AlJazeera)

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Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from Wimbledon with wrist injury

Carlos Alcaraz says he will ⁠skip Wimbledon ⁠as he recovers from the right wrist injury that also forced the Spaniard ⁠out of the French Open, the world number two men’s tennis player said on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old ⁠seven-time Grand Slam champion has not played since withdrawing from the Barcelona Open last month.

“My recovery is going well and I feel much ‌better, but unfortunately I’m still not ready to be able to play, and that’s why I have to withdraw from the grass-court swing at Queen’s and Wimbledon,” the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon champion wrote ⁠on X.

Alcaraz’s rivalry with ⁠Italian Jannik Sinner has captivated men’s tennis, and his absence from the next two Grand Slam tournaments is a ⁠huge blow to fans and broadcasters alike.

The pair contested ⁠an epic French Open final ⁠last year, with Alcaraz coming back to win the title before Sinner turned the tables to take the ‌Wimbledon crown.

Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam this year when ‌he ‌won the Australian Open. (AlJazeera)

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Arsenal crowned Premier League champions as Man City draw at Bournemouth

Arsenal are confirmed Premier League champions for the first time since 2004 as Manchester City fail to win at Bournemouth.

City needed to win their final two games, as well as hope Arsenal failed to win their final match, but were held to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday.

The result put an end to Pep Guardiola’s title challenge with one round of the season to go as the draw left Arsenal with an unassailable four-point lead at the top, ending their 22-year wait for the title.

Arsenal fans celebrated wildly outside its Emirates Stadium as news of the score line came through.

City threatened another twist when Erling Haaland scored in stoppage time to equalise Junior Kroupi’s first-half strike, but it was too late to find a winner.

Mikel Arteta’s players can now stand alongside club icons Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Ian Wright, who previously led the club to the summit of English football. And Arsenal’s current class could yet break new ground by winning the Champions League for the first time in its history later this month.

Thoughts of this month’s final against defending champion Paris Saint-Germain can be put on the back burner, for now.

Now is a time for celebration and relief for Arteta after finishing runner-up in the league three years running.

In back-to-back seasons in 2023 and ’24, he watched as Guardiola’s City chased down Arsenal’s lead to be crowned champion. And another chance was missed last year when coming second to Liverpool.

Once again, Arsenal has led the way for most of this campaign, and despite seeing its points advantage ebb away during a gripping run-in, it has finally managed to get over the line after a decades-long wait.

Arsenal’s last champion was the so-called “Invincibles” team of 2004, which went an entire campaign without losing in the league. (AlJazeera)

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Man City keeps title race alive; Liverpool frustrated by Chelsea

Manchester City kept the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win over Brentford, while Liverpool were booed off after a 1-1 draw against struggling Chelsea on Saturday.

With three games of the season left for both title contenders, City closed to within two points of the Gunners, who face a tricky trip to relegation-threatened West Ham on Sunday.

After a dramatic 3-3 draw at Everton on Monday, Pep Guardiola’s men could not afford another slip up if they were to retain hope of a seventh title in nine years.

A resolute Brentford, still in the running for European football themselves next season, held out until the hour mark when the in-form Jeremy Doku curled into the top corner.

Erling Haaland backheeled in a second to move four goals clear of Brentford’s Igor Thiago in the battle for the Golden Boot.

Haaland then turned provider for Omar Marmoush to score what could be a vital third in stoppage time.

“We will see, it is not in our hands,” said Guardiola. “We will do our job and wait.”

City cut the goal difference gap on Arsenal to one and now must hope the Hammers cause an upset in a huge clash at both ends of the table at the London Stadium.

Arsenal face already-relegated Burnley and Crystal Palace, days before the play in the Conference League final, in their final two games. (JapanToday)

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Spurs draw with Leeds for priceless point in Premier League survival fight

Tottenham Hotspur took a small and potentially crucial step towards retaining its Premier League status after drawing at home with Leeds United 1-1 on Monday.

Spurs, just above the drop zone, moved two points clear of relegation rival West Ham.

Tottenham went ahead in the 50th minute with a lovely strike by Mathys Tels.

However, Tels’ foul on Ethan Ampadu with 15 minutes left led to a Leeds penalty that Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted with aplomb.

Spurs takes on Chelsea away and Everton at home in their last two games, while West Ham is away at Newcastle before facing Leeds at home on the final day of the season.

One of the two will join the already relegated Burnley and Wolves in next season’s Championship.

Spurs came into the game on a high after two consecutive victories but though they dominated the first half in terms of possession and shots on goal they didn’t break the deadlock until five minutes into the second half.

Pedro Porro’s corner kick was cleared to an unmarked Tels, who coolly struck into the far corner of the net from 20 meters out. It was the center forward’s first goal since Jan. 7.

Tels, however, turned villain 24 minutes later when his high foot was adjudged to have made contact with Ethan Ampadu’s head inside the box.

The referee pointed to the spot and Calvert-Lewin, who was denied a first-half penalty after a video review, confidently dispatched the spot kick.

Both sides suffered through an edgy last few moments and a remarkable 15 minutes of added time but there were no more goals and Spurs, for whom goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was outstanding. They will content themselves that their destiny remains in their hands.

“We played a good game but there was big pressure,” Tottenham coach Roberto De Zerbi said. “We didn’t play calmly. We wanted to win immediately without passes. When you are fighting for relegation you can’t play every game calmly.

“Leeds played a good game and we hope they play like that against West Ham in the next game.”

Spurs have taken eight out of a possible 12 points since De Zerbi’s debut defeat at Sunderland on April 12.

“We deserve to stay up,” he said. “We will fight until the end. . . . Even if we had won today it wouldn’t have been finished yet.”

Hull will play Southampton or Middlesbrough in the Championship playoff final after second half goals from Mo Belloumi and Joe Gelhardt gave it a 2-0 win over Millwall in London.

Belloumi’s 64th-minute strike with his left foot broke the deadlock in the second game of the two-leg affair and Gelhardt made sure with a low shot that squirmed past the Millwall goalkeeper.

The win means Hull have one match to secure a place in the Premier League for the first time since it was relegated in 2017. (JapanToday)

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PSG hold off Bayern to set up UCL final with Arsenal

Luis Enrique and Paris Saint-Germain are headed back to the Champions League final after a 1-1 second-leg semifinal draw with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.

PSG edged a thrilling 5-4 game in the first leg in Paris last week, and the defending champions made the advantage count to progress 6-5 on aggregate to set up a final in Budapest against Arsenal on May 30.

“It’s magnificent, two finals,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said after the game. “Now we will go there and try to fetch a second star. I said to the players we are warriors.”

PSG’s defense – breached four times in Paris last week – kept Bayern’s much vaunted attack of Harry Kane, Luis Díaz and Micheal Olise largely in check.

“We know how to suffer and we’re ready for what we have to face,” PSG midfielder João Neves said. “We’re very proud of how far we’ve come.”

Ousmane Dembélé blasted home a first-time finish to open the scoring, with the assist going to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after a blistering run down the left flank and cutback pass to the France international.

Bayern were up in arms shortly after the 30-minute mark when the referee neglected to call handball on Nuno Mendes, who was already on a yellow card, and then waved off shouts for another possible handball on João Neves — this one coming in PSG’s own penalty area.

It did not appear the VAR was consulted on either decision, while replays showed that the referee had already blown his whistle for a handball on Bayern’s Konrad Laimer before the perceived Mendes infraction.

With the assist, Kvaratskhelia became the first player to score or assist in seven consecutive Champions League knockout stage games in a single season and drew level with Kylian Mbappé for the most goal contributions in the UCL season with 16 (10 goals, six assists).

Try as they might, the hosts could not find a way back into the game in the second half until Kane scored a late consolation goal just before the final whistle blew. Bayern had won five of their past seven meetings with PSG in Munich, and were going for a repeat of the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble they won in 2020 and 2013.

That bid ultimately came up one goal short, with PSG looking more likely to score than Bayern in the second 45 minutes.

“I understand if they’re disappointed,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany told TNT Sports when asked what he said afterwards to his players. “I think we gave everything.”

After the teams returned from the break, Manuel Neuer saved twice in quick succession from Désiré Doué and Kvaratskhelia. Doué tried again soon after with a low drive that brought the best stop yet from the Bayern goalkeeper.

The hosts came close again through Diaz, who was denied by Matvei Safonov, but PSG were carrying the greater threat. Doué blasted an effort inches wide of the post with Neuer beaten as the European champions looked to seal it.

Kvaratskhelia brushed past Bayern’s defence and bore down on goal but badly missed his kick, with the goal and tie at his mercy.

England captain Kane finally found space inside the box to lash a finish into the roof of the net deep in stoppage time, but a famous fightback was not to be.

PSG and Bayern came into the second leg as the top-scoring sides in the competition with 43 and 42 goals, respectively. It’s the first time two teams have scored more than 40 in the same season — with the expanded League Phase format playing a role.

“It was a game of details. I think we’ve played five times against PSG in the last two years and we’ve won two times, they’ve won two times and now was a draw, so it’s just been that kind of game every single time,” Kompany added. “We have to look at some of the phases that were decided by the officials across the two games which.

“It’s never an excuse for everything, but it matters.”

Arsenal sealed their spot in the final on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Atlético Madrid to advance 2-1 on aggregate over Diego Simeone’s side.

PSG will try to become only the second team to repeat as Champions League winners, with Real Madrid having done so twice by winning the competition three times in a row between 2016 and 2018. (ESPN)