Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni joked he will retire if La Albiceleste win the Copa America in Brazil.
Argentina – runners-up in the past two editions – open their Copa campaign against Colombia in Salvador on Saturday.
La Albiceleste, who lost to Chile in 2015 and 2016, also suffered a last-16 World Cup exit at the hands of France last year.
Argentina s elimination led to Jorge Sampaoli s departure and Lionel Messi s brief international retirement before the five-time Ballon d Or winner s return ahead of the Copa.
The South American giants have not won a major international tournament since lifting the Copa America in 1993 and previewing their Group B opener, Scaloni joked: If we win the Copa America, I will retire.
Tras la conferenci…
Pep Guardiola remains unsure if Manchester City can win an unprecedented quadruple but will strive to improve his Champions League record at the Etihad Stadium.
EFL Cup winners City were on course for four major trophies this season until they were eliminated from the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals after Raheem Sterling saw a stoppage-time strike ruled out following a VAR review in a dramatic second leg against Tottenham in April.
Guardiola s team have since held off the challenge of Liverpool to retain the Premier League title and can become the first English men s team to complete a domestic treble if they beat Watford in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.
The former Barcelona coach, who also got his hands on the Community Shield for the fi…
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said he has no grudge to bear against former club Real Madrid ahead of their Champions League semi-final clash.
But Pellegrini admitted he was not happy with being sacked by the La Liga club after just one season at the helm in 2010.
Pellegrini was plucked from Villarreal to lead a Madrid side that had just acquired Cristiano Ronaldo for a world record fee from Manchester United but could only finish second behind Pep Guardiola s Barcelona at the end of the 2009-10 season.
I was upset at the time because we played so well and did not win the title, the Chilean said as City prepare to host Madrid at the Etihad Stadium in Tuesday s first leg.
We scored more than a hundred goals and when we played at Barcelona we …
Hamza Choudhury has been fined by the Football Association and ordered to attend an educational course after he was charged with misconduct for social media posts.
Leicester City midfielder Choudhury apologised for messages he wrote on Twitter in 2013 and 2014 that included references to race, suicide and women s football.
The FA charged the 21-year-old with misconduct and has now fined Choudhury £5,000.
Comments posted by the Leicester City player on social media between 20/06/13 and 10/05/14, which included reference to ethnic origin and/or race and/or sexual orientation, were found to be abusive and/or insulting and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute, the FA confirmed on Friday.
The midfielder was also warned as to his future conduct…
Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea will go head-to-head in a friendly in China in July.
Beijing will be the location for the pre-season clash with Arsenal and Chelsea set to meet outside of United Kingdom for the first time at the Bird s Nest Stadium on July 22.
The announcement comes as runaway Premier League leaders Chelsea welcome London rivals Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
In this moment we are focused on winning a very important game against Arsenal in the league but we are happy to be travelling to China for another exciting match in the summer, said Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte.
I have seen already the passion our supporters have for Chelsea here in England and last summer in America, and I believe our fans in China will show…
Luton have been fined £120,000 by the Football Association and issued with a two-year action plan after their fans’ homophobic chanting at Brighton on the opening day of the season.
The Hatters, promoted to the top flight for the first time in 31 years in May, have accepted the charge and said any fans identified will be banned by the club.
An FA Statement said: “An independent Regulatory Commission has imposed an action plan and £120,000 fine on Luton Town for misconduct in relation to crowd control at their game against Brighton Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday 12 August 2023.
An independent Regulatory Commission has imposed an action plan and £120,000 fine on for misconduct in relation to crowd control at their game against Brighton Hove A…
Kasper Schmeichel has signed a five-year contract extension with Leicester City, the Premier League club have confirmed.
Denmark goalkeeper Schmeichel joined Leicester from Leeds United in 2011 and was one of the stars of the Foxes remarkable march to the Premier League title in 2015-16.
Fresh terms running until 2023 will take the 31-year-old into a second decade with the club after he impressed during his country s run to the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup.
Schmeichel s future was the subject of transfer speculation after those displays for Denmark but he has joined fellow fans favourite Jamie Vardy in securing a renewed deal at the King Power Stadium.
Five more years to continue what s been an amazing journey at this club.
— Kasper Schme…
Nathan Redmond says Southampton expected Manchester City s defence to give up chances in their 1-1 Premier League draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola s side went behind in the first half when John Stones poor pass allowed Redmond to round Claudio Bravo and finish, though substitute Kelechi Iheanacho rescued a point after half-time.
The result takes City back to the top of the table, above Arsenal and Liverpool on goal difference, but Guardiola has now failed to celebrate a win in five matches for the first time since 2009, when he was at Barcelona.
And Redmond said Southampton were waiting for City s back three of Stones, Aleksandar Kolarov and the returning Vincent Kompany to make a mistake at some stage.
From watching them in preparatio…
Gareth Bale has suggested Wales need to master football s dark arts after they let a Nations League draw slip in a last-gasp 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands.
The Oranje emerged as victors in Group A4 following a dramatic stoppage-time period in Cardiff, where the Red Dragons looked to have seized a late point, only to lose it again.
Rhys Norrington-Davies appeared to have cancelled out Teun Koopmeiners opener in the 92nd minute, only for Wout Weghorst to snatch a winner in the fourth added minute.
Both teams were much-changed and the result made for a sharp comedown after Wales World Cup qualification on Sunday.
But Bale speculated whether improved game management might have helped the underpowered hosts cling on, telling S4C: It was a difficult game.
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Watford are set to complete the signing of Ismael Kone from Montreal, according to Fabrizio Romano, for what is expected to be a record sale for the Canadian club.
Kone is a 20-year-old midfielder, standing 6 2 tall, mostly playing in a central role and contributing equally at both ends of the pitch. However, he is perfectly capable of playing deeper as a shield ahead of the back line, or further up behind a striker.
Having joined Montreal in August 2021 as a free agent, Kone made a total of 32 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring four goals and producing five assists. He is now set to sign a long-term contract with Watford, being apparently happy with the project at the Championship club under the Pozzo family.
The Pozzos intend to continue the…