The Guardian

Manchester City’s chair is key to the project of making Abu Dhabi a secure world power but his next move may be the sale of the club No one better understands the precarious tightrope Abu Dhabi walks when it tries to balance its relationships with western Europe while weighing the complex geopolitics of the Gulf region than Manchester City’s chair, Khaldoon al-Mubarak. He was eight when his fathe…

Plus: two political leaders at the same club game, a very long-term suspension and extremely quick equalisers Mail us with all of your questions and answers “Oli McBurnie is back in the Scotland squad,” noted John Cant last week. “With his record of 16 appearances [now 20] and zero goals, he said in a recent interview, ‘a tap-in on Saturday or one that goes in off my backside would be lovely’. Th…

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini and Paul Watson to preview the return of the Premier League including Manchester City’s first game since their guilty verdict Continue reading...

Some of the biggest names in European football will bid for a franchise in ESL-style league, now due to launch in 2028 The launch of NBA Europe will be delayed 12 months until 2028, with a pre-qualifying competition planned for next year to find four temporary members to join the 16-team league’s inaugural season alongside 12 permanent franchises. The NBA is planning to invest about $10bn (£7.6bn…

They are the top scorers in the league, they have the best goal difference and they demolished the champions By WhoScored Wingerless, without Danny Welbeck and third in the Premier League. Brighton spent the summer losing some of their best players; they are dealing with a growing injury list; and their outstanding player this season has been a 35-year-old they signed in January for £1.7m. In spi…

A series of dispiriting friendly results have El Tri reeling. But the problems run much deeper than the team’s new coach When a new coach ascends to lead Mexico’s national team, fans say he is sitting in “la silla mas caliente” – the hottest seat in town; one that can also burn. Usually the coach arrives with a new idea, a new vocabulary, a new promise. For a while, everyone agrees that something…

Extra investment agreed at latest WSL board meeting Calls for fully professional match officials have grown Women’s Super League clubs have agreed to a major funding increase for match officials but the wait for full-time referees in the English top tier is set to continue until 2029, the Guardian has learned. The extra investment, decided at the latest WSL Football board meeting, will focus on e…

From transfers to stadium works and even the training-ground dog, there is no doubting the Spaniard’s influence at the club If anyone doubts Mikel Arteta’s status as No 1 at Arsenal in the week he committed his future to the club until 2030 , just ask Win the dog. The chocolate labrador who played a starring role in the celebrations when Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions in May has be…

Head coach pleased ‘everyone bought in’ to new ideas Jarell Quansah says: ‘We can really dominate teams’ Thomas Tuchel believes England have unlocked a new level after moving forward with his tactical tweaks in the opening Nations League fixtures. The head coach wanted the players to retain their aggression, especially in the high press, to step on to the front foot and to harness the chaos often…

Championship winners only 16th in new IMG gradings NRL money contingent on London Super League side Runaway Championship winners London Broncos have been graded below even Barrow Raiders for next season – but they are still set to become the 15th team in an expanded Super League next season, the Guardian can reveal. The Broncos have swept aside the second tier in 2026 , winning all three domestic…

Premier League clubs, and their European rivals, left with a long list of absentees after a gruelling international break A four-match international break has presented a stress test. “The intensity of the squad, the athleticism of it, really, I think it’s designed for the elite,” said the Wales head coach, Craig Bellamy, on the completion of four matches in 11 days. Elite club coaches would disa…

Teams have always symbolized division within America. And the Fever have come to prominence during a time of dark political intensity It’s over for now, but no professional sports team spent more time receiving and drawing attention to itself than did the Indiana Fever this season. The Fever has broken, the team eliminated by the defending champion Las Vegas Aces for the second straight season, b…

A speech at Anfield in 2009 was met with boos but it led to a change in tack by Labour government and an apology from David Cameron Since dawn, visitors from as far afield as Australia had been laying flowers, scarves and messages underneath Anfield’s Eternal Flame. These Hillsborough memorial anniversary services were usually subdued and respectful affairs, with 10,000 mourners sitting on the Ko…

This long-awaited fight is happening exactly as intended: at the sweet spot where commercial potential meets a genuine absence of jeopardy The 1912 Olympic marathon was held in a brutal Scandinavian heatwave, and before long Shizo Kanakuri of Japan was flagging. His journey to Stockholm had been debilitating; he had barely trained and struggled to sleep. At around the 16-mile mark he finally gave…

While most supporters seem to want to get behind the club, some fear actions of the owners will divide fanbase Nicola Schofield, City fan for more than 40 years: One of my (million) concerns, as someone who feels angry with the owners, is if the owners’ strategy causes a split in the fanbase. I think everyone wants to get behind the club and team, but this is different to the experience of a rele…