Dutchman Bert van Marwijk has signed a one-year deal to become Saudi Arabia s new head coach.
Former Argentina boss Alejandro Sabella had been widely expected to take up the post following the recent departure of Faisal Al Baden but turned the offer down, prompting the Saudi FA to approach van Marwijk.
The 63-year-old, who guided the Netherlands to the 2010 World Cup final and won the KNVB Cup during his time with Feyenoord, is determined to help guide Saudi Arabia to the 2018 World Cup in Russia to end their 12-year absence from the tournament.
I have declined quite a few offers in recent years, he said. The big difference this time was that I was given the freedom to set my own staff.
It is a great challenge and I hope I can help the team wi…
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has hit back at criticism that the club s current board of directors are not staying true to their philosophy and is adamant they have no intention of stepping down.
There has been criticism of the way Bartomeu and his colleagues have run the club since taking charge in 2014, with the Catalans caught up in a number of scandals.
Barcelona have been involved in court cases over irregularities surrounding the transfer of Neymar from Santos in 2013, while they also received a transfer ban from FIFA following the illegal signing of underage players.
Nevertheless, Bartomeu remains unperturbed by recent events and believes the board has done a fine job leading the club.
From some sectors the ability of this board to run …
Ansu Fati has been advised to stay humble by Barcelona great Lionel Messi, who the teenager would love to see alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in a five-a-side dream team.
Spain international Fati has made a huge impact at Camp Nou since bursting onto the scene in August 2019, setting a number of records along the way before being struck down by a knee injury that has ruled him out since November.
Fati is Barca s youngest ever goalscorer, the youngest player to score and provide an assist in a single LaLiga game, the youngest Camp Nou goalscorer and the youngest player to score in a Champions League game.
Many have compared the 18-year-old s rise to stardom as being similar to that of Messi, who has gone on to win a record six Ballons d Or across his 17 seasons in…
With the MLS making its return in midweek, we have a string of interesting battles throughout the early hours of Thursday.
So, for those of you who are looking to chuck on a midweek flutter, we have found a couple of intriguing showdowns that are worth keeping an eye out for.
00:30 Toronto FC vs Philadelphia Union
While Philadelphia might have seen their Leagues Cup adventure come to an abrupt end thanks to a 4-1 drumming at the hands of Inter Milan on August 16th, the Union should still find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high. Once again gaining a string of plaudits from across the Eastern Conference this season, there is no doubt that Thursday’s guests will be smelling the chance to make another statement here.
Last seen over the weekend put…
Jose Mourinho claims Cristiano Ronaldo thinks he knows everything amid reports that the duo s relationship broke down at Real Madrid.
The Portuguese departed the Spanish capital after three years in charge of Real and has returned to manage former club Chelsea in the Premier League.
Ronaldo joined the club in 2009 for a fee reported to be in the region of 80 million pounds and has scored over 200 goals in all competitions in four seasons.
Mourinho insists he tried to help further develop Ronaldo s game, but feels that the former Manchester United attacker is not capable of accepting criticism.
I had only one problem with him, very simple, very basic, which was when a coach criticises a player from a tactical viewpoint trying to improve what in my view could have been improved,…
Antonio Conte becomes Roman Abramovich s 10th Chelsea head coach after signing a three-year deal to take over at Stamford Bridge.
The former Juventus coach, who becomes the fifth Italian to manage Chelsea in the Premier League era, will succeed interim boss Guus Hiddink at the end of the season.
During his playing career, Conte won Serie A five times and he has continued that success as a coach, leading Juventus to three consecutive league titles before taking over as the Italian national team manager.
Here are some of the key facts and figures from Conte s career to date, courtesy of Opta:
Antonio Conte will be Chelsea’s fifth Italian manager after Gianluca Vialli, Claudio Ranieri, Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Di Matteo. No other team in t…
Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is not concerned by Bayern Munich rival Robert Lewandowski making a flying start to the season.
Lewandowski converted a penalty in the champions 3-0 win at Schalke on Tuesday to move on to six goals in five Bundesliga outings this term.
Dortmund can regain top spot with victory at Hamburg on Wednesday, where last season s Torjagerkanone winner Aubameyang will look to improve upon a record of four in four.
The Gabon international scored 31 to Lewandowski s 30 last term as the battle to be Bundesliga top scorer went down to the final day and Aubameyang is happy to play the long game.
The race is on. When Lewy moves ahead, I am used to catching him up, he told Bild.
It s enough for me to overtake …
Cristiano Ronaldo s Champions League debut for Juventus quickly turned into a nightmare as he received a contentious red card against Valencia on Wednesday, but it was a fairly tame incident compared to some more infamous dismissals.
Ronaldo, who joined Juventus for €112million in July, clashed with Valencia s Jeison Murillo on the edge of the box in the 29th minute of the Serie A champions 2-0 win.
Murillo went tumbling and Ronaldo, seemingly irritated by a perceived exaggerated fall, appeared to grab the Colombian s hair, sparking a response and the subsequent red card.
It could yet lead to a three-match ban that would prevent him from facing former side Manchester United.
Some suggested the sending off was harsh, while others believe a lengthy san…
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Manchester United s Matteo Darmian is wanted by three Italian clubs, namely Juventus, Inter Milan and Napoli.
Darmian joined United in 2015 as a wish of Louis van Gaal, the club s manager at the time. However, at the end of the defender s first season at Old Trafford, van Gaal was replaced by Jose Mourinho and Darmian s time on the pitch started gradually decreasing. With Antonio Valencia mostly preferred in the right-back position throughout Mourinho s tenure and Diogo Dalot arriving this summer, Darmian has clearly become surplus to requirements.
He is reportedly keen on returning to his homeland, and the three Serie A clubs are looking to take advantage of the situation and bring him in.
United would apparently (and sensibl…
Everton appear on the verge of completing a swoop for French defender Lucas Digne after Barcelona allowed him to leave their California training camp.
Digne, 25, has been linked with the Toffees for several weeks and has been permitted to finalise his departure ahead of a reported €25million move.
The former Lille, Paris Saint-Germain and Roma player has been unable to dislodge incumbent left-back Jordi Alba in two seasons at Camp Nou, managing just 29 LaLiga starts.
He was part of France s squad at the 2014 World Cup, but was overlooked for the country s triumphant 2018 campaign.
Everton have also featured in the race to sign Digne s team-mate Yerry Mina, although the Colombia international is believed to favour a move to Lyon should he leave Barca.