List of All Articles with Tag 'foo'

Lauren James has promised to “learn” from her sending off at the Women’s World Cup - as the England star apologised to Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie for stamping on her back during the last-16 match. James was shown a straight red card after leaving her studs on Alozie’s back when the defender was on the ground, with the 21-year-old having grown frustrated as Nigeria marked her out of the game. The forward will be suspended for at least the quarter-finals, with England facing Colombia on Saturday after defeating Nigeria on penalties, but a Fifa disciplinary panel could decide that the act merits further punishment. Alozie had tweeted “all respect to Lauren James” earlier on Tuesday after appearing to forgive the England player for the incident, adding “we are playing on the world’s stage, this game is one of passion, insurmountable emotions, and moments”. James replied to Alozie’s post and said: “All my love and respect to you. I am sorry for what happened. Also, for our England fans and my team-mates, playing with and for you is my greatest honour and I promise to learn from my experience.” James has been England’s player of the World Cup but was left frustrated after Nigeria marked her out of the game and lashed out, with manager Sarina Wiegman admitting she “lost her emotions”. Wiegman chose not to criticise James and said: “She’s an inexperienced player on this stage and has done really well, and I think in a split second she just lost her emotions. “And of course she doesn’t want to hurt anyone. She’s the sweetest person I know, and things happen like that and you can’t change it anymore, so it’s a huge lesson for her to learn, but of course it’s not something that she really did on purpose.” England defender Lucy Bronze said James was “upset” as the Chelsea star waits for the disciplinary panel’s verdict, which may not come until after England’s quarter-final on Saturday. “Obviously she’s going to be disappointed in herself,” Bronze said. “I went straight off the pitch after the game to make sure she was OK. Obviously she was a little bit upset and rightfully so and more than anything she just feels bad for the team. I said to her, ‘We’ve made it through. It’s a team, it’s not just one player.’” After receiving a red card, James is automatically suspended for England’s next match against Colombia, however her punishment will be reviewed by a Fifa disciplinary panel. If the forward is deemed to have committed a serious act of foul play, the panel have the power to apply further sanctions. A three-match ban would see James ruled out for the rest of the tournament if England were to reach their first-ever Women’s World Cup final. A decision might not be made until after England’s quarter-final, however, once James serves her automatic one-match ban. Nigeria’s Deborah Abiodun was given a three-match ban after she was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Canada’s Ashley Lawrence in the group stage, but her ban was not increased until after she had served the first game. Read More It’s done – Millie Bright says England have moved on from Lauren James red card Lauren James ‘lost her emotions for a split second’ over red card stamp, Wiegman says Lauren James ‘upset’ as red card puts her World Cup in doubt Why Lauren James must be protected, not vilified, after World Cup red Who and when do England play next? Lionesses route to the World Cup final

Roy Keane has made an official Manchester United appearance for the first time in 18 years as he launched the club’s 2023-24 third kit. The former captain’s successful stay at Old Trafford memorably ended in 2005 after an explosive interview with the in-house TV channel MUTV, in which he criticised his team-mates. Keane has been back to the club many times over the years as a pundit, but his involvement in the promotional video for their third strip is the first in a formal capacity. The Irishman is seen in the video asking the current crop of players whether they have what it takes to be a true red devil – reference to the return of the fan favourite red devil emblem on the jersey. “So you’re a devil are you? Well let’s remind you of the terms,” Keane says. “The devil isn’t something you wear. It’s more like a pact, a deal, shall we say. “It’s not for everyone. We expect a lot. And as sure as the sun will rise, we will know if you mean it. So have a good long think. “What do you get in return? What’s on offer? It’s Manchester United. “So there it is. No small print. Sign on the dotted line. But you already signed, didn’t you? Before you were even born.” Keane ends the sequence sitting at a table in front a plate of prawn sandwiches – a nod to his famous “prawn sandwich brigade” comment, criticising a section of the Old Trafford support. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

A petition to force Nike to make the kit of England goalkeeper Mary Earps available for public purchase during the Women’s World Cup has reached almost 35,000 signatures. England’s home and away replica kits are available for fans to buy but the Lionesses goalkeeper jerseys have not been put up for sale by clothing giant Nike – the team’s kit supplier. This is despite Earps being a genuine superstar of world football and arguably the best goalkeeper in the world – having been the Lionesses’s shot-stopper when they won the Euros last summer and being named Fifa’s Best Women’s Goalkeeper for 2022. The 30-year-old has been instrumental in England reaching the quarter-finals of the ongoing World Cup, making a number of crucial saves during both the 120 minutes of normal play and the penalty shootout in the nervy last-16 win over Nigeria on Monday. In fact, in the four games played by Sarina Wiegman’s side in the tournament so far, she has conceded just one goal – a consolation effort in the 6-1 group-stage thumping on China. England men’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s shirt was available to buy during last year’s men’s World Cup, and Earps’s shirt for club side Manchester United sold well this past season, leading 16-year-old Emmy Somauroo from Northamptonshire to set up a petition demanding Nike produce a replica of the Lioness’s No 1 jersey. The petition on change.org, which has now reached more than 34,000 signatures, expresses the frustration at Nike’s decision: “We need to unite, and demand this decision is overturned. “We need to show togetherness and support Mary and ask Nike to rethink their decision. Let’s make them see just how important our female goalkeepers are. How respected they are and how many young girls aspire to join them in the future. “Any type of exclusion is unacceptable in this day and age and we need to show we will not stand for it. Mary and all female goalkeepers, we love and respect you. You are inspirational and we are behind you.” ITV Anglia also spoke to another young woman supporting the cause, 17-year-old Millie Winslett, from Clacton in Essex, who has written to the sportswear giant to ask the company to think again. “I heard that Nike had completely refused to produce the shirt,” she said. “And I thought I know that I’d like it. My sister would like it. And I was thinking, surely something can be done about it. They can’t just outright refuse to do it.” The letter stated that “every child deserves the right to feel represented by their favourite player, a player that resembles them.” She goes on to say that “you are a multi-billion pound company, even if you only sold one shirt, it would allow for one little girl to feel seen, and that is 100% worth it. We are meant to be moving forwards, not backwards.” Earps was initially alerted to the situation when England captain Millie Bright told her she wanted to buy her kit for her niece, only to find it wasn’t available for purchase. “I can’t really sugar-coat this in any way, so I am not going to try,” Earps told reporters ahead of England’s opening World Cup game against Haiti. “It is hugely disappointing and very hurtful. “My shirt on the Manchester United website was sold out last season. It was the third-best-selling shirt, so who says it is not selling?” “It is the young kids I am most concerned about. They are going to say, ‘Mum, Dad, can I have a Mary Earps shirt?’ and they say, ‘I can’t, but I can get you an Alessia Russo 23 or a Rachel Daly 9.’ “What you are saying is that goalkeeping isn’t important, but you can be a striker if you want.” Popstar Mel B has also since waded into the row, calling Nike’s decision not to stock the shirt “disgusting”. Read More Mel B supports Mary Earps over ‘disgusting’ World Cup kit controversy Mary Earps is an England superstar – even if fans can’t buy her shirt England goalkeeper Mary Earps hits out at Nike for refusing to sell her shirt Reaction as England reach World Cup quarter-finals – Monday’s sporting social Mary Earps: The England goalkeeper and world’s best in profile Mary Earps insists fearless England ready to avoid World Cup banana skin

Prolonging matches to tackle time-wasting is “changing the game we fell in love with”, the Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango has said. Referees in competitions around the world have been instructed this season to more accurately measure time lost to stoppages such as substitutions, goal celebrations, VAR checks and injuries, after the approach was first adopted at last year’s World Cup in Qatar. It has already led to 13 minutes of time being added to the second half of Sunday’s Community Shield between Manchester City and Arsenal, and has sparked criticism from City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester United defender Raphael Varane who say the move, combined with an already congested calendar, is pushing players to breaking point. PFA boss Molango says the focus should be on sanctioning individual players and teams who waste time, and told BBC Radio 5 Live: “This is not basketball, this is football. There’s probably a reason why the game was 90 minutes and not 60, and what we’re trying to do here is change the football that we all fell in love with. That’s not, in my opinion, what the fans want to see. “We all agree we need to deal with time-wasting. Whether the solution is to add more minutes to the game, I’m not sure. I think there are other ways to deal with that. The referee has the power to sanction the people who waste time. “If you look at the game on Sunday, these are two teams that do not waste time. There was no time-wasting whatsoever yet in the second half you end up with eight minutes added with two teams who do not waste time. “So you’re thinking when you see teams who use a different type of tactics, how long will the game be?” Molango says many players have echoed Varane’s concerns over the new approach and player workload generally when he has met with them over the summer. He says football must wake up and address the problems with the calendar, which appear set to get worse with UEFA’s club competitions expanding in the 2024-25 season. That campaign will also end with FIFA’s new 32-team Club World Cup in the United States. “This year’s Champions League final is a good example of how saturated the calendar is,” Molango added. “Watching the game as a fan it’s sad to see Kevin De Bruyne not able to finish the first half or to hear after the game Rodri say that they had cramps after 60 minutes. That’s just not what you want to see. What you want to see is players being able to show their best version. Even for those who just see this as a commercial venture, ultimately they are killing the product. Ultimately it will affect the game and viewership. Maheta Molango on football's crowded calendar “Those type of situations need to be a wake-up call to say you’re just not heading in the right direction and we need to do something about that if we don’t want to kill the product. “I’m using the word ‘product’ on purpose because even for those who just see this as a commercial venture, ultimately they are killing the product. Ultimately it will affect the game and viewership.” It has been reported that broadcasters are in talks with the football authorities over the new approach to added time amid concerns it will affect scheduling.

Pep Guardiola has emulated Sir Alex Ferguson in several ways. Usually, however, that tends to be something to savour. As Manchester City’s most decorated manager became the first coach to lose three consecutive Community Shields since his Manchester United counterpart, he could have taken solace in the bigger picture. Call it the curse of the Community Shield, perhaps, but then, as now, its winners rarely went on to taste Premier League glory. Only one of the previous 12 victors – albeit City themselves in 2018 – have been able to call themselves champions of England 10 months later. Arsenal won the Community Shield in 2020 and only finished eighth that season. Three years on, they were happy to ignore history. The celebrations suggested it was more than just a pre-season trinket to them. “This is what I visioned when I joined,” said Declan Rice and although Arsenal hope their £105m recruit actually imagined something more glorious, the previous time they made a midfielder the most expensive Englishman of all time, Alan Ball won nothing in their colours. Rice had no trophies to show for the first 244 games of his club career: he has two in two now, even if the Europa Conference League and the Community Shield are not the most prestigious prizes in football. The broader question – and a perennial one at this stage – is whether the Community Shield is a marker for the campaign. Arsenal got a first glimpse of what £200m bought them. Rice was disciplined and diligent in midfield but an unspectacular outing may be a deceptive debut: for the majority of matches, he is likely to be a lone defensive midfielder, rather than dovetailing with Thomas Partey, in a team who seem primed to exchange attacking ambition for more mettle. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz was bought to operate in midfield and instead deputised for the injured Gabriel Jesus in attack. Arteta branded the £65m man “superb” but it felt a microcosm of the Chelsea Havertz: intelligent movement, eager pressing, ineffectual finishing. There is a case for saying that Havertz performed too accurate an impression of Jesus: Arsenal prospered last season by sharing the goals around, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard all getting either 14 or 15 in the Premier League. Leandro Trossard provided their Community Shield equaliser, even if it required a huge deflection. Whether Arsenal can afford profligacy in attack, or from Havertz, remains to be seen but the reinvention of the German in midfield may yet be the gamble that shapes Arsenal’s season, one way or another. Jurrien Timber’s bow may have been the most auspicious: quietly assured, the versatile Dutchman slotted in at left-back, though it is perhaps only his third-best position; Kieran Tierney, seemingly on his way out, fared less well when he replaced the Dutchman and Cole Palmer scored. That Arteta bought Timber and is bidding for David Raya is a sign he is willing to create a threat to those who had seemed entrenched in his team. Ben White could be dislodged by Timber, Aaron Ramsdale by Raya. The goalkeeper’s match-winning display showed he had produced the right response and suggested competition could be healthy. Ramsdale’s rhetoric was instructive, too. He argued a mental block against City, forged in three years of defeats, was lifted. That City had returned to training two weeks later than Arsenal and removed Erling Haaland at 0-0 offered the impression that victory meant less to them; the result will nevertheless assume an added importance if it helps shift the balance of power in the Arteta-Guardiola rivalry. A clearer indication may arrive when they meet in October. Perhaps then Arsenal will borrow from their Wembley gameplan, reuniting two defensive midfielders, fielding a back four who – unlike when Oleksandr Zinchenko twice faced City last season – are all specialist defenders, playing deeper to limit space both behind and in front of their rearguard. If last season’s Arsenal was about idealism and excitement, the surprise surge of a youthful team, perhaps this season’s side are charged with showing more physicality, solidity and nous against City, borrowing from a greater strength in depth to alter their style of play. Such wins can feel signs of progress, staging posts on the route to something greater. Arsenal beat Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea last season, taking 19 points from a possible 24 against them, but not City. But such occasions can also be a false dawn. After their triumph in the 2020 Community Shield, they won their first two league games, but only two of the next 12. They sank as low as 15th. A repeat feels implausible. But more than most, Arsenal know it is hard to judge precisely what winning the Community Shield signifies. Read More Kevin De Bruyne ‘way ahead’ of schedule on return from hamstring injury Kevin De Bruyne says new approach to added time ‘doesn’t make any sense’ Cole Palmer shows he can replace Riyad Mahrez — and become Man City’s missing piece Aaron Ramsdale makes his case to remain first choice – as Arsenal make their own one for major trophies

England defender Lucy Bronze revealed she made a post-match beeline to console “upset” Lauren James after the forward was shown what could be a World Cup-ending red card in the Lionesses’ nervy last 16 victory over Nigeria. James will miss at least her side’s quarter-final clash with either Colombia or Jamaica after she was sent off late in Monday night’s knockout match in Brisbane for deliberately stepping on the back of Nigeria defender Michelle Alozie. Bronze was one of the 10 Lionesses who doggedly defended their way through 30 minutes of extra time in the goalless draw before Bethany England, Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood and Chloe Kelly wrapped up the 4-2 win on penalties. Bronze said: “Obviously she’s going to be disappointed in herself. I went straight off the pitch after the game to make sure she was OK. “Obviously she was a little bit upset and rightfully so and more than anything she just feels bad for the team. I said to her, ‘We’ve made it through. It’s a team, it’s not just one player.'” James’ World Cup fate will now be decided by FIFA’s disciplinary committee, who could extend her ban to three matches, which would see her miss the rest of the tournament even if the Lionesses reach a first-ever final. The first red card of the competition was shown in the group stage to Nigeria’s Deborah Abiodun for her tackle on Canada’s Ashley Lawrence, who will join James at Chelsea after signing a three-year deal with the Blues on 1 July. Abiodun’s punishment was extended to three matches after she served the first game, so the same outcome for James, who boss Sarina Wiegman said “lost her emotions” in the incident, is a real possibility. Bronze and Greenwood are the only two Lionesses to have featured in the past three World Cups, while this is the 21-year-old Chelsea forward’s first. James is the younger sister of Chelsea and England defender Reece James and said before the tournament that she hoped to use the World Cup to carve out an identity separate from her sibling, whose name is regularly mentioned in tandem with hers but rarely, if ever, vice versa. She had begun to do so in stunning style before she was sent off in the 87th minute of Monday night’s match-up, scoring the only goal in England’s 1-0 group stage victory over Denmark before netting two and picking up three assists in the Lionesses’ 6-1 win over China, in the process becoming the only England player of either gender to contribute to five goals in a single World Cup contest. Bronze said: “Although LJ is the youngest in the team, she’s had to mature from a young age because she’s been thrown into the spotlight, whether that’s to do with her brother and her family, or that she’s a fantastic player on her own. “In the last game, everyone put the spotlight on her. She deals with it very, very well. She likes hanging around with the older players, myself, Jordan (Nobbs), Alex Greenwood, we are the three that she comes to asking for advice. “LJ didn’t start the first game, she didn’t feature at all during the Euros. “She’s a massively talented player. We all know that and obviously we’re very disappointed to lose a player of her calibre going into the next game. No one’s going to be more disappointed than LJ. It’s important to support her.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: Harry Kane imposes deadline on move away from Spurs Billy Vunipola nearing comeback after being named in England’s World Cup squad Leigh wing Tom Briscoe hoping to hurt Hull KR in Challenge Cup final again

What the papers say Harry Kane has reportedly placed a time limit on any potential move to Bayern Munich. According to the Telegraph, the Tottenham forward will abandon his pursuit of a transfer if no deal is agreed by the end of this week, with the German club believed to be preparing one final offer for the 30-year-old England captain. The Times says Bernardo Silva is close to agreeing terms on a contract extension with Manchester City. However, citing Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, the paper reports the 28-year-old Portugal midfielder is prepared to wait a few days before signing in order to leave a window open for a potential Barcelona approach. Liverpool are believed to be considering their options after a third bid for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia was rejected. According to the Liverpool Echo, the Reds view the 19-year-old as a long-term replacement for Fabinho, but Saints will not part with him for anything less than £50m. And the Guardian reports West Ham have signed Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez in a £32m deal. Social media round-up Players to watch Neymar: The Brazil forward has informed Paris St Germain he wants to return to Barcelona, according to L’Equipe. Jorginho: The Times says the Italy midfielder could leave Arsenal for Turkish club Fenerbahce. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Nigeria forward Ifeoma Onumonu criticised a lack of support from the country’s football federation after the Super Falcons were knocked out of the Women’s World Cup by England on penalties, revealing that players sometimes have to share beds at their training base back home due to insufficient resources. Nigeria were eliminated from the World Cup after a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat to the Lionesses but were the better team in large spells against the European champions, who held on to a goalless draw following Lauren James’ red card late in normal time. Nigeria’s build-up to the World Cup was disrupted by a pay dispute, with the team’s American manager Randy Waldrum revealing before the tournament that some players had not been paid in two years by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Onumonu went further after the defeat to the Lionesses and said that although Nigeria could take pride from competing against one of the best teams in the world, the Super Falcons were being held back by a lack of resources compared to their European counterparts. “I’ve seen what England have access to,” Onumonu said, as reported by the Guardian. “In Nigeria we don’t have access to much. Our training fields aren’t great. Where we sleep isn’t great. Sometimes we share beds. It’s not good enough. In terms of recovery, we don’t have much of any of that. We don’t have access to a gym in camp in Nigeria. “There’s a lot that needs to be done. Hopefully more people start to talk about it. Coming here it’s hard to adjust. We do what we can because we love playing for our country but hopefully they make it easier for us to do our best. “[Back home] the [pitches] aren’t great. The grass is rocky, bumps everywhere. The stadium we play on for qualifying… you’d be surprised, I was surprised. You don’t even know where the ball is going to jump at you. “Our under‑20s went far in their World Cup and when they were sent home they were sleeping in airports for 24 hours. That’s not acceptable. What we have to fight for is bigger for us.” The Women’s World Cup has been defined by shocks and countries such as Nigeria, Jamaica and South Africa have upset the odds to surprise teams who are backed by far bigger budgets. It has drawn attention to the lack of funding that teams have had to overcome, with Jamaica reaching the last-16 after having to rely on crowd-funding campaigns to make to travel to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, while South Africa’s players only called off a strike after a billionaire made a donation to support the team. “We’re on the rise and it’s growing,” Onumonu said. “A lot of people don’t watch as much as they do in Europe and so underestimate who we are, what we are capable of. No one believed in us and now a lot of people are. “Other teams are catching up and growing, including us. There’s no longer going to be that one team that you are absolutely going to say they’re going to win. Every game will become a battle. Every game has become important. “As women start to play more internationals and at clubs, more and more teams are going to catch up. There’s a shift. A lot more are coming.” Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today England’s heroic penalty takers saved Lauren James from sporting ignominy The Sam Kerr mystery is over and Australia are World Cup contenders again Chloe Kelly: England’s woman for the biggest occasion strikes again A timeline of Donald Trump’s spat with Megan Rapinoe

Bayern Munich are staging meetings to decide whether to make one last bid for Harry Kane or wait for his contract to run, as their latest offer was understood to be still at least £10m short of what Tottenham would accept. The England striker wants his immediate future settled before the Premier League starts this weekend, which puts another element of time pressure on the deal. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy did nevertheless delay a response to Bayern on their third offer earlier this week, and the feeling is that he was unimpressed by the German club's attempts to force the situation by setting a deadline of last Friday. All parties are now effectively conditioned by Kane's own deadline, although Bayern themselves want any deal in place before this weekend's German Super Cup against Leipzig. The Bundesliga champions have four options available to them, all of which will be discussed over Tuesday. One is another bid, although it remains to be seen whether they would go high enough to match Levy's demands. The second is waiting until January, when they could well get Kane for a knock-down price, in a similar manner to Christian Eriksen's exit for Internazionale in January 2020. A third is negotiating a pre-contract once Bosman rules allow at that point. A fourth, currently being mooted, is acting on longstanding interest in Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani. Kane has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Tottenham, but ignored the noise around his future to score four goals in a 5-1 friendly win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday. Dejan Kulusevski set up Kane’s hat-trick strike and hailed the professionalism of his team-mate. “He scored four goals, so very good,” Kulusevski exclaimed. “Nah, he’s unbelievable. Honestly, his mentality, I can learn from him like everybody. He just goes out and performs day in day out. “He’s a true professional. I’m happy I helped him score today but of course we want him to stay and we’ll do everything to make him stay.” Read More Tottenham respond to latest Bayern Munich bid for Harry Kane Ange Postecoglou aims ‘deadline’ dig at Bayern Munich over Harry Kane transfer saga Gary Lineker worried about Tottenham’s campaign with or without Harry Kane Tottenham respond to latest Bayern Munich bid for Harry Kane Dejan Kulusevski vows to ‘do everything’ to keep Harry Kane at Tottenham Postecoglou aims ‘deadline’ dig at Bayern over Kane transfer saga

Let's take a look at some of the biggest surprises with regard to the first Coaches Poll of the 2023 college football season.College football is right around the corner, which means we have some rankings to dissect, alright.The USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll was released on Monday. ...

West Ham have made an improved £30million bid for Manchester United and England centre-back Harry Maguire, the PA news agency understands. The Hammers have been linked with Maguire throughout the summer but a previous £20million offer was rejected. Maguire, 30, fell down the pecking order at Old Trafford last season and was recently replaced as captain by manager Erik ten Hag. United, however, have always maintained that Maguire remains an important member of their squad and would be happy for him to stay and fight for his place. Maguire, who joined United for £80million in 2019, faces competition from Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof for a spot in the side. West Ham, meanwhile, have also been linked with a move for Maguire’s United team-mate Scott McTominay. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

With the Pac-12 being dealt two fatal blows by the Big Ten and Big 12, you better believe the dying league's bowl-game tie-ins have been greatly compromised as a result.While an expanded College Football Playoff will remove the Big Ten/Pac-12 tie-in to the Rose Bowl in 2024, the dying leagu...