The Guardian

In this exclusive book extract, Rob Draper and Jonathan Northcroft reveal the remarkable process which led to Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as England manager In 2024, when the Football Association was tasked with finding Gareth Southgate’s successor, Mark Bullingham hired two external data companies who built a profile of what successful international managers looked like then tailored it to mesh …

Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh Dawn Steele stars in Ron Ferguson’s warm-hearted tale of a town whose fortunes are tied to those of its coal mine and local team Black diamonds are what they used to dig up from the Fife coalfields. The Blue Brazil is the unlikely nickname of Cowdenbeath football club. Together, in the 1993 book by Ron Ferguson , they represent the bittersweet hopes of a downtrodden town: …

Gary Lineker called it possibly the worst VAR decision he has seen. Celtic’s win against Motherwell is another reason to ditch the system This moment was inevitable. One when observers from Gorgie to Guadalajara ponder how Scottish football got itself into such a tangle with the video assistant referee system. Sadly for Hearts, the incident in question may prove fatal in their push to make histor…

Northampton and Bath were well beaten over the weekend: will Leicester or Exeter force themselves into the top two? There are small but significant moments in every league campaign. Until the weekend it was widely assumed that Northampton and Bath, the two frontrunners in the English Prem, were all but nailed on for home semi-finals and, by extension, would almost certainly meet in the grand fina…

The new Women’s Super League season kicks off this weekend with some big-name coaches and a new format By No Helmets Required Wigan have won more league titles than any other team in men’s rugby league, but their dominance in the women’s game is a recent and rapid development. They swept the board last season, winning the Challenge Cup, League Leaders Shield and their first Women’s Super League t…

The Kenyan player has been recognised for his advocacy and grassroots work to tackle sport’s carbon footprint “Most well-known people who talk about climate change are in North America and Europe,” says Kenyan rugby sevens star Kevin Wekesa, “but for us this is a very relevant conversation . It is not only about future tournaments or big international pledges. In Kenya, we see the effects in risi…

Australia striker to leave after six and a half years Kerr is Chelsea’s all-time leading WSL goalscorer Sam Kerr will leave Chelsea this summer when her contract expires, the club have announced, ending her six-and-a-half-year spell with the English side. The 32-year-old Australia striker is Chelsea’s leading goalscorer in the Women’s Super League with 64 goals and has scored 115 times for the Lo…

Two-cap veteran picked on bench against France Forward had contract but returned to dentistry career Dentist and lecturer Liz Crake has been named on the bench for England’s grand slam decider against France on Sunday as Kelsey Clifford has been ruled out with injury. Crake, who has two caps, was called into the squad after Hannah Botterman was ruled out of the entire Six Nations with an ankle is…

Having viewed the incident that led to Celtic being awarded a spot-kick against Motherwell more often than we’ve put on socks, Football Daily still can’t understand how referee John Beaton arrived at his decision. Of course we’ve seen all the freeze-frame stills on Social Media Disgrace that suggest the ball probably did hit Sam Nicholson’s forehead-adjacent paw, but even then it doesn’t automati…

Italian rider beats Jasper Stuyven in city centre finish Portugal’s Afonso Eulálio retains overall lead Italian Davide Ballerini won stage six of the Giro d’Italia as a crash on the cobbles took out several sprint specialists near the finish in Naples on Thursday. Ballerini (XDS Astana Team) comfortably beat Belgium’s Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step) on the city centre finish after a flat 142km…

Former Real Madrid manager likely to be offered job Reece James fit to face Manchester City in FA Cup final Chelsea’s players believe Xabi Alonso is the ideal candidate to become their next head coach. Talks with Alonso’s camp are moving in the right direction and the feeling in the dressing room is that the former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen manager is the man to get the team back on track.…

Hearing over spying allegations on or before Tuesday Fans warned before booking travel and accommodation The English Football League has indicated that Southampton could be kicked out of the playoffs and that the date of the Championship playoff final may be delayed if the club are found guilty of breaching regulations. Southampton have been charged by the EFL for allegedly spying on Middlesbroug…

A stoppage-time eruption and a crying Manolo González means the Catalan club’s long-awaited victory changes everything After 143 days and many more sleepless nights Manolo González was liberated, if only for a little while. In the 92nd minute of the 19th game of 2026, something amazing happened: Espanyol won and Espanyol went wild. A goal up against Athletic Club, a late Gorka Guruzeta header had…

Pierre Sage has done a great job at Lens and the Coupe de France final next Friday offers them another shot at glory By Get French Football News By the time Paris Saint-Germain finally travelled to Lens on Wednesday evening, they had all but wrapped up their fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title. Their six-point advantage, bolstered by a clear lead in goal difference, was already insurmountable with tw…

Six years ago interim manager was working for a charity in south London. On Saturday he leads Chelsea out at the FA Cup final As meteoric rises go, Calum McFarlane’s takes some beating. Six years after he and his assistants Harry Hudson and Dan Hogan were working for a south London charity that provides football and education for disadvantaged children, they will lead out Chelsea to face Manchest…