THE SEMI FINAL HURDLE It’s Geopolitics World Cup playoff day, dear reader, and Gibraltar are playing Latvia in a winner-takes-all clash. Sadly, for football romantics, that game is the first leg of a Nations League promotion/relegation playoff. Uefa’s scheduling feels a bit cruel, like making some poor flunky do the graveyard shift while Bacchanalia Revisited

Manchester City midfielder Rodri does not believe being a former Atletico Madrid player rules him out of joining Real Madrid and has said “you can’t turn down the best clubs in the world”. The 29-year-old Spain midfielder, who has made 293 appearances for City since joining from La Liga club Atletico in 2019, will be

Former Juventus star Alessio Tacchinardi says that the current Bianconeri side need a clearer process and hierarchy when it comes to penalty kicks, and believes that Luciano Spalletti is the right man to take Juventus forwards along as he gets the signings he requires: ‘He can’t be expected to perform miracles without them’. Tacchinardi on

Cristian Romero, Tottenham defender, has become one of the standout names in the summer transfer market after a tough season for the London team, amid talks about his desire to move to the Spanish league. Reports talk about a secret clause worth 60 million euros that allows some major clubs to sign him, among these

Former Italy coach Cesare Prandelli is ‘optimistic’ about tonight’s game against Northern Ireland, particularly because of Gennaro Gattuso’s ‘new’ approach, but warns that opponents deserve respect: ‘If you think it’s easy, then it will all become more difficult.’ Italy host Northern Ireland in Bergamo in a massive World Cup play-off semifinal tonight. Advertisement “I’m optimistic

All eyes are currently on Real Madrid’s medical department. The management of Kylian Mbappé’s knee injury has been the subject of scrutiny after RMC Sport reported that the La Liga giants did tests on the wrong knee. Mbappé began having issues back in December and it is only now in March, months later and following

Valverde’s Punishment Sparks Controversy in La Liga… Comparisons with Similar Cases The punishment imposed on Federico Valverde, Real Madrid player, sparked controversy in the Spanish league, following the decision to suspend him for just one match, despite the similarity of his case to other incidents that received harsher penalties, according to the Spanish newspaper ‘Mundo

For Real, however, signing a new central midfielder is one of the priorities for the summer transfer window. After Toni Kroos (retiring in 2024) and Luka Modric (who moved to AC Milan in 2025) left the club in quick succession over the past two years – the two players who had previously shaped Real’s midfield

1 Florian Plettenberg reports that Eintracht Frankfurt will not extend the contract of Mahmoud Dahoud (30) beyond the summer, meaning he will be available on a free transfer when his current deal expires with the player already receiving enquiries from ‘several clubs’. Dahoud, who joined Eintracht on a free transfer from Brighton in 2024, has

The shorter wait is the one worthy of considerably more attention. Four decades have passed since Northern Ireland appeared at a World Cup, which was their second tournament in succession. Any disappointment at finishing third in a group also involving Brazil and Spain was offset by hope of an imminent return. There has been no

Prosecution rules in favour of players According to a ruling accessed by Spanish outlet EL ESPAÑOL, the National Court Prosecutor’s Office has officially dismissed the lawsuit filed by the league against the players’ union. Following the events of matchday nine, where footballers paused for 15 seconds at kick-off to protest plans to relocate a fixture

The Premier League is on a hiatus for three weeks until games return on April 10. International football takes centre stage before the FA Cup and European competition return in early April, with teams competing for the remaining six places at the World Cup, or take part in friendlies. We asked our club writers which

It’s not every day a player moves from Norwich City to Barcelona. Yet that is what happened when Ajay Tavares, a 16-year-old England youth winger who also has Portuguese nationality, signed for Spain’s champions from the English Championship side in February. On March 1, with around 15 minutes left of a league match against Real