Month: November 2024

Four out of five women coaches have experienced sexism and misogyny in their working environment, a new Kick It Out survey has found.

Eighty per cent of the 115 coaches surveyed by the charity, ranging from those working in the professional game down to grassroots, said they had encountered discrimination, with 70 per cent of respondents saying they experienced sexism while on a coaching course.

Of that 70 per cent, 71 per cent did not feel comfortable reporting what they had experienced to the course leader.

Although 60 per cent of all respondents thought coaching was an inclusive space, 54 per cent of those who said they had experienced sexism or misogyny admitted they had thought about quitting coaching as a result of their experiences.

Over half (57 p…

Stefano Pioli hailed Rafael Leao after he returned to form with a brace in Milan s remarkable 4-0 rout of Napoli, declaring the forward had not gone anywhere during his recent goal drought.

Having gone 11 games without a goal for Milan, Leao tore Napoli apart as the defending champions claimed a memorable win over the Serie A leaders at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

After lobbing Alex Meret for the opener, Leao scored his second of the game – and his 10th of the Serie A season – with a powerful left-footed finish to cap a lightning break from Pioli s men.

Leao – Serie A s Player of the Season last campaign – attracted criticism during his recent lean spell, but Pioli always had faith he would rediscover his best form.

Asked whether Leao was b…

Best odds: 8/11

Bookmaker:

The first leg of the Europa League last-16 tie between West Ham United and Freiburg ended in controversy, with Freiburg securing a 1-0 lead. The match was marred by a questionable decision that denied West Ham a late penalty.

Now, as they return to the London Stadium for the second leg, the Hammers will be determined to overturn the deficit and secure a spot in the quarterfinals. The atmosphere is expected to be electric as the home crowd rallies behind their team.

On the other hand, Freiburg will aim to maintain their advantage and advance to the next round. They will be prepared for a tough battle against a motivated West Ham side.

West Ham

The clashes between Freiburg and West Ham in the 2023/24 Europa League have s…

Chelsea spent more than £75million on agents’ and intermediaries’ fees this season, according to figures released by the Football Association.

The data, which covered the 12 months to February 1 and therefore this season’s two transfer windows, showed the total spend by top-flight clubs was £409.59m – an increase from £318.2m for the 2022-23 campaign.

The Blues head the list paying £75,140,524 – having brought in players like Moises Caicedo, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer over the period covered – which was almost £32m more than previously spent.

Despite the outlay Mauricio Pochettino’s expensively-assembled squad have endured an inconsistent Premier League campaign – and were branded “blue billion-pound bo…

Jose Gaya sees himself as a one-club man after signing a new deal with Valencia, as he outlined his hope to represent the club at the World Cup.

Gaya has been a regular in the first team since graduating from Valencia s academy in 2012 and has gone on to make 239 LaLiga appearances.

Named captain in 2020 following Dani Parejo s transfer to Villarreal, Gaya signed a new deal on Wednesday to keep him at the club until the end of June 2027.

The 27-year-old made his international debut in 2018 and hopes to be a part of Luis Enrique s squad for Qatar, though he has the likes of Marcos Alonso and Jordi Alba to contend with.

Whenever I go away with the national team I try to represent Spain and I think it s the best a player can aspire to do, Gaya told Valencia…

Best Odds: 9/4

Bookmaker:

Looking to pounce on what is a major opportunity in Amsterdam and finish off their EURO 24 qualifying job, the Netherlands will host Group B rivals Ireland on Saturday night.

Netherlands

Starting with the hosts, although the Netherlands might have continued to struggle with their consistency since they reappointed Ronald Koeman earlier in the year, the European giants do find themselves sat in pole position to book their major tournament return. Last seen signing off October’s international break with what was a crucial 1-0 victory away at Greece, the former Barcelona boss knows that his superstar squad faces another must-win showdown here. Despite enduring real Nations League heartbreak over the summer, Holland have won four of thei…

Best odds: 5/6

Bookmaker:

Genoa will strive to continue their unbeaten streak at Stadio Luigi Ferraris when they host Juventus in the opening match of Serie A s 16th round on Friday.

Under Alberto Gilardino s management, Genoa have not faced defeat at the Marassi since early October. This impressive home streak could potentially continue against Juventus, who are determined to climb to the top of the league standings, currently occupied by Inter Milan.

Genoa

Genoa started the season with mixed form but consistently displayed resilience against some of Serie A s top teams. They notably secured a 2-2 draw against Napoli, triumphed 4-1 against Jose Mourinho s Roma, and experienced an unfortunate loss against AC Milan on October 7.

Following that de…

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been heavily criticized lately, abused even by a section of the football public via social media. The 30-year-old did himself no favours when he scored an own-goal in England s friendly win over Scotland earlier this week, but West Ham striker Michail Antonio, who has played quite a few times against Maguire, believes the criticism received by the former United captain is rather excessive.

It s gone way, way too far!

Michail Antonio has been discussing the criticism of Harry Maguire.

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport)

Truth be told, Maguire s performances have been poor, both for United and England, especially in the light of the vast expectations placed on his shoulders after his £80m transfer from Leice…

Manchester City saw their main rivals for the Premier League title get off to a flying start on Saturday before the champions stumbled at Tottenham on Sunday.

Son Heung-min continued his phenomenal recent record against City with the only goal, while Pep Guardiola s men drew a blank for a third consecutive game in all competitions. Perhaps there s someone in north London who could help them out with that?

Manchester United and European champions Chelsea revelled back in front of full houses and Liverpool gave newly-promoted Norwich City a reality check.

But those are the bare facts. Let s delve a little deeper to examine some of the quirkier happenings on the Premier League s opening weekend.

3 Manchester City have lost three consecutive games in all comp…

Finally, Newcastle United have new owners.

Saudi Arabia s Public Investment Fund have completed a deal to buy an 80 per cent stake in the Premier League club, with Amanda Staveley s PCP Capital Partners and the Reuben brothers RB Sports Media splitting the rest between them.

The deal was approved by the Premier League on Thursday after  legally binding assurances were received that Newcastle will not be controlled by Saudi Arabia, meaning the Mike Ashley era is over.

Staveley made clear the new owners  intentions in a statement, saying: Our ambition is aligned with the fans — to create a consistently successful team that s regularly competing for major trophies and generates pride across the globe.

To do that, money will need to be invested in th…