The Guardian

Former Iranian women’s team players ‘overwhelmed’ by support Ramezanisadeh and Pasandideh have trained with Brisbane Roar The two members of the Iran football team who remained in Australia after the Women’s Asian Cup are beginning their new lives away from the spotlight, even if their dream is to return to elite football. Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh issued a statement on Friday s…

Thirteen of the Damallsvenskan’s 14 teams are based in the south. For Piteå IF, rising costs are now the priority Piteå IF are entering their 17th season as a top-division side in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan, but the challenge for them is getting tougher and tougher every year. And it is not a small budget compared to clubs such as Hammarby and Häcken who have, in recent years, been able to rely on t…

A seismic clash between City and Arsenal, Tottenham need leadership, and could Eddie Howe recall Yoane Wissa? Josh King learned of the difficulties that come with being a Premier League player at Liverpool on Sunday. The 19-year-old was withdrawn at the break after a tough first half at Anfield as Marco Silva wanted to change things when two goals down. It will be interesting to see how King reac…

Public Investment Fund withdraws support for rebel tour and other sports could be hit too with Newcastle United uncertain The reverberations of an unscheduled meeting of LIV Golf executives in New York this week have been felt way beyond their swanky offices in Hudson Yards, on the west side of Manhattan. A slowdown in Saudi Arabia’s lavish spending on sport, which is conservatively estimated to …

Hull 14-24 St Helens Battling display in defeat feels like coach’s last stand There is rarely a shortage of emotion and passion in this particular part of the rugby league world but even by the usually high standards set in Hull, this was a night many, least of all their head coach, will never forget. On any other night, the headline would be St Helens producing another impressive statement of th…

The final whistle brought a second of relief before the celebrations truly kicked in after Nottingham Forest secured a place in the Europa League semi-finals. It should have been easier but nothing is simple at the City Ground as they made hard work of overcoming Porto, who played almost the entire match with 10 men. Morgan Gibbs-White settled the match, to set up an all English clash with Aston …

Ollie Watkins kickstarted Aston Villa’s near-perfect evening as his 100th goal for the club enabled Unai Emery’s side to cruise into a semi-final against Nottingham Forest. The England striker, looking to earn a late recall into Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, tapped home in the 16th minute before goals from Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers followed the latter’s spurned penalty. Ezri Konsa, wh…

John Gosden’s three-year-old was among those catching the eye at the Craven meeting, which has been attracting dreamers and optimists since 1771 Captain Cook was a few months away from landfall after his first circumnavigation of the earth when the first Craven meeting was held on Newmarket heath in the spring of 1771. It is older than any of the Classics, and old enough too to have the great Pot…

BlueCo ownership can point to commitment of Caicedo Jan Paul van Hecke and Alex Scott are players of interest Moisés Caicedo has handed Chelsea a major boost after verbally agreeing a new deal with the club. The midfielder has been a star performer since his £115m move from Brighton in 2023 and his decision to extend his current deal represents a show of faith in the Chelsea project after a turbu…

Manager’s grounded attitude has helped the free-scoring German giants set up a tantalising Champions League showdown and de facto final If you thought that was good, wait until you have done it at Ewood Park. While everyone else struggled to compose themselves after watching a modern classic unfold between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, it was Vincent Kompany who supplied the cooling balm. He had…

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Archie Rhind-Tutt and Jonathan Liew to discuss Wednesday’s Champions League action On today’s pod: a Champions League classic in Munich. Bayern beat Real Madrid 4-3 on the night, 6-4 on aggregate, in a game that had just about everything . The panel try to unpack it, from Manuel Neuer’s early mistake to Arda Güler’s brilliance, Harry Kane reaching 50 go…

Mikie Sherrill says taxpayers should not carry burden Costs at World Cup have come under increased scrutiny New Jersey’s governor, Mikie Sherrill, has hit out at Fifa after reports her state’s transport system will charge $100 for a return ticket to World Cup matches this summer. New Jersey Transit lists the price for a round-trip ticket from New York’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium, which will…

Austrian was capped 33 times for his national team Manninger won Premier League during Arsenal spell The former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger has been killed in a road accident, his first club Red Bull Salzburg have announced. The Austrian Bundesliga club said on Thursday that the 48-year-old had died, in a post on its official X account. It said: “We mourn our former goalkeeper Alexander Man…

The semi-finals are set after a dazzling meeting between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. But there was plenty more to talk about in the last eight Bayern Munich ’s thrilling 4-3 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday, which gave them a 6-4 victory on aggregate and set up a semi-final meeting with PSG, was a stone-cold classic. If either of the semis is as good as Real and Bayern’s quarter-final, this s…

‘Etihad is the ultimate test – bring it on,’ says midfielder ‘We have six games to go and we know how big it is’ Declan Rice has insisted Arsenal must be better at Manchester City on Sunday if they are to press their Premier League title claims. The midfielder is conscious of his club’s curious situation: six points clear of City at the top of the table, albeit having played an extra game, and th…