Month: December 2024

Rafael Benitez has ruled out the possibility of leaving Napoli to return to former club Liverpool.

The Spaniard s deal as Napoli head coach expires in June and talks on a new contract are on hold.

Benitez still has family on Merseyside having enjoyed a six-year spell as Liverpool manager between 2004 and 2010, leading the club to the UEFA Champions League title in 2005.

Liverpool have made an underwhelming start to the season and have just 14 points after 11 matches.

Subsequently there have been rumblings that the club may look to replace Brendan Rodgers in the Anfield dugout, but Benitez who visited Liverpool during the international break insists he is not considering leaving his post at the Stadio San Paolo.

If I go to Liverpool, everyone says…

Ivan Perisic is a target for Chelsea and Manchester United / image via goal.com

Ivan Perisic did not move from Inter Milan to Manchester United last summer as everyone expected, but the Croatia international could be going to England after all. According to the media in Italy, Inter have agreed to let Ivan Perisic leave the club this summer, but on one condition the player is expected to help Nerazurri book a place in the next season s Champions League.

The Croatia winger has been linked with a move to England for a while now, as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal were all mentioned to be in recent attempts to sign the experienced player. However, nothing ever materialized. Inter now feel they could let the 30-year-old move on as they continue competing in Champions…

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola welcomed the result of elections in Catalonia on Thursday that gave pro-independence parties a majority in the Spanish region.

Guardiola has been vocal proponent of Catalan independence, recording a campaign video for the Junts pel Si party before regional elections in 2015 and speaking at a rally in favour of a referendum on the region s future in July this year.

When that referendum arrived in October, it was declared illegal by the national government in Madrid and the aftermath of a vote in favour of secession from Spain plunged the country into a constitutional crisis.

The Catalan parliament was dissolved, leading to this week s fresh elections, and prominent pro-independence politicians Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart wer…

Boss Vera Pauw said her players were bowing out as “world stars” after the Republic of Ireland’s debut Women’s World Cup campaign concluded with them securing a historic point.

Having seen their last-16 hopes end following a 1-0 loss to co-hosts Australia and 2-1 defeat to Canada in their opening two matches, Ireland’s final match at their maiden major tournament ended in a 0-0 draw against Nigeria in Brisbane.

Asked how it felt for the Girls in Green to have claimed their first ever World Cup point, Pauw told RTE Sport: “It’s a fantastic feeling.

Couldn t be prouder

We ll be back | |

— Ireland Football (@IrelandFootball)

“They are 11-time African champions and I think we really had the better play. They always look…

Verdict: France Draw no bet

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New coach Giampiero Ventura will not have an easy task on his Italy debut as the Azzurri play host to star-studded France at Stadio Comunale San Nicola in Bari. Les Bleus failed to lift the Euro 2016 title on home soil and will be looking to show a response to the disappointing defeat in the final with a win over their old rivals.

Italy

The Italian national team haven’t exactly enjoyed too much success of late, and it’s now been ten years since they lifted their last major trophy. After Cesare Prandelli led the Azzurri to a second-place finish at the Euro 2012, his side crashed out in the group stages at the 2014 World Cup before showings some improvement under Antonio Conte. Italy defied the odds …

Gillingham and their chairman Paul Scally have been found guilty by the Football Association of an act of race victimisation  and fined £75,000.

The charges were brought against Gillingham and Scally in October, in relation to the sacking of former striker Mark McCammon.

London-born Barbados international striker McCammon represented the club for three years before having his contract terminated in 2011.

He subsequently won an appeal for unfair dismissal due to racial discrimination at an employment tribunal in 2012 a ruling that saw McCammon awarded £68,000 in damages and that was upheld the following year.

A statement on Friday from the FA read: Gillingham FC and its chairman Paul Scally have been fined £75,000 each, subject to any appeal, after FA…

La Liga side Sevilla have narrowed down the list of potential successors of Eduardo Berizzo.

Los Rojiblancos sacked Berizzo a week after his surgery to treat prostate cancer and have been actively seeking for a permanent solution ahead of the second part of the season.

Sevilla are without a win in their last four matches in all competitions and headed into the Holiday season on the back of a 3-1 loss to Real Sociedad which kept them in fifth in the La Liga standings.

The club officials have ultimately decided to thank Eduardo Berizzo for his service at the club despite not choosing the most opportune moment to do that and have already begun the process of appointing a new manager who is expected to take over after the winter break.

The Candidates

The Sp…

Chelsea slumped to their third Premier League defeat in five games on Saturday 3-1 at Everton  as their slow start to the new season continued.

Steven Naismith was the Toffees hero with a hat-trick with Nemanja Matic s stunning 35-yard drive nothing more than a consolation for the London club.

There were plenty of post-match statistics to emphasise the problems facing the defending champions and manager Jose Mourinho.

Here are a selection:

This is the first time that Jose Mourinho has lost two successive Premier League games since May 2006.

In their last seven Premier League games, Chelsea have conceded 16 goals  one more than they conceded in the whole of Mourinho’s first Premier League season in charge of the Blues in 2004-05 (15).