Italy will become the laughing stock of international football if they continue to hypothesise routes into the World Cup, federation president Gabriele Gravina said on Saturday.
The Azzurri failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 after losing to North Macedonia in a play-off semi-final in March, a stunning result that has caused much upset.
Former Juventus star Roberto Baggio said this week it was shameful that Italy were not automatically allocated a World Cup place on the basis of their Euro 2020 triumph.
There has been speculation Italy could get in through the back door if Ecuador are thrown out, after FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings into allegations the South American team fielded an ineligible player in their successful qualifying campaign.
According…
Manchester United are interested in signing Inter Milan central defender Milan Skriniar in the summer of 2023, according to . Skriniar is out of contract at former Serie A champions Inter at the end of the season, and ex-Premier League champions United are among the clubs keen on securing the services of the 27-year-old Slovakia international centre-back on a free transfer.
Skriniar has been on the books of Inter since 2017 and is one of the best central defenders in Serie A. The 27-year-old has played almost 200 Serie A matches for the Nerazzurri, and won the Serie A title, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana once each with the Milanese giants.
The Slovakia international centre-back has made 14 starts and one substitute appearance in Serie A for Inter so far t…
Marcus Rashford is thrilled to have Cristiano Ronaldo back at Old Trafford and is hoping the superstar forward can provide a push for Manchester United to win trophies.
The Portugal forward made a sensational return to the red half of Manchester on deadline day this year and has since scored five goals in just six appearances across all competitions – the most of any player at the club.
The 36-year-old has done so despite ranking third at United this season for total shots (23), recording the best conversion rate (21.74 per cent) of any player at the club who has taken at least eight shots.
Ronaldo s finishing and ability to find dangerous positions clearly remain at an elite level, with the forward slightly outperforming his expected goals total of 4.…
With Thomas Tuchel still trying to find some stability since arriving at back in March, it appears that this season’s Bundesliga title chase is going down to the wire.
Although the Premier League might have broken a string of financial records over the past two transfer windows, Germany’s top-flight has produced a host of European superstars this season.
After watching the likes of leave Germany in search of a new Spanish adventure last year, it appears that a number of Bundesliga stars are at the heart of real interest in 2023.
Ahead of what looks like it could be a rollercoaster summer from across Germany, we have taken a look at three Bundesliga superstars who are eyeing a blockbuster move.
Jude Bellingham Borussia Dortmund
While Borussia Dortm…
Asked how much he had enjoyed the competition, Howe said: “I’ve really enjoyed the Champions League. My only frustration is that we have not had the freedom to attack the competition as we would have liked to have done (because of injuries).
“That’s my only feeling that I’m left with that is negative.
“The tournament itself is special, the places we have been are incredible, the stadiums, the atmospheres and the experiences we have had at home have all been memorable.
“We have one more game to go and we have to make this as memorable as possible.
“My message to the fans is to make this a magical European night. They can only do so much, we have to do our bit to make it that.”
Since the competition got under way in September, Howe…
Competition: Euro 2016
Market: England to remain unbeaten in Euro 2016 qualifiers
Odds:
After seeing past Estonia in their recent Euro 2016 qualifier, England maintained their 100% record from three games in Group E. The Three Lions have a maximum nine points, and with a fairly easy group to navigate out of, many believe Roy Hodgson’s side could stay unbeaten for the entire qualifying campaign.
Estonia, Lithuania, Switzerland, San Marino and Slovenia are with England in Group E, and considering they’ve already beaten Switzerland away from home in what was billed as their hardest game of the group campaign Coral are giving odds of 4/6 for England to go the entire qualifying campaign unbeaten.
Roy Hodgson’s men are yet to even conceded a goal in …
Lucas Leiva has announced the end of his playing career after undergoing tests for a heart problem.
The former Liverpool and Lazio midfielder was forced to withdraw from training at Brazilian club Gremio in December after the discovery was made during a routine screening.
After spending some time to evaluate and undergo further tests, Lucas confirmed at a press conference on Friday that he has decided to call time on his playing days.
Firstly I would like to thank Gremio for all the support in these three months, a tearful Lucas said. Today, I am announcing my retirement.
It s been a difficult period, I think this is the first time I ve cried over this case. But I can only thank you. I m ending where I d like, not the way I d like. But I m sure a new c…
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez made a big mistake over the European Super League and seriously damaged his image at the club with his grotesque leadership, according to Ramon Calderon.
Perez was named as chairman of the newly-created organisation behind the breakaway competition, which initially saw 12 of Europe s biggest teams sign up to be involved.
However, following widespread backlash to the plan, the big six from the Premier League Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham all announced they were withdrawing on Tuesday.
The proposal included founding members being certain of playing in the Super League each season, regardless of where they finished in their domestic leagues.
Along with Madrid, LaLiga du…
Paris Saint-Germain have won seven of the past eight Ligue 1 titles. This weekend, they might make it eight out of nine.
But this time, the odds are against them.
In the Qatari Sports Investment era, PSG have turned Ligue 1 into their own personal playground, away from the heartache that Champions League tilts tend the bring.
In 2016-17, they missed out to Monaco, whose lavishly gifted young squad came together at the perfect time.
Kylian Mbappe s supernova emergence inconvenienced PSG so much they decided they had to sign him once the campaign ended, but the France sensation had quite the supporting cast.
Bernardo Silva, Thomas Lemar, Fabinho, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Benjamin Mendy all went on to rake in hundreds of millions of euros collectively as…
Juventus have completed the signing of highly rated Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina for a fee of €70million.
The striker, who turned 22 on Friday, agreed to a four-and-a-half-year deal with the Bianconeri and passed a medical.
Juve will pay the €70m fee over three financial years, plus additional costs of €11.6m. A further €10m will be due to Fiorentina should Vlahovic meet certain sporting objectives.
Vlahovic is the joint-top scorer in Serie A this season with 17 goals from 21 appearances – a tally only matched by Lazio s Ciro Immobile.
He has been linked with a host of top clubs across Europe after his impressive form over the past two seasons.
Vlahovic joins Massimiliano Allegri s Juve team, who have often struggled to turn possessi…