Valencia fans who racially abused Vinícius Júnior given prison sentences
10/06/2024 - Conviction for hate crime is first of its kind in SpainLa Liga hails ‘clear message’ racism will Expand
10/06/2024 - Conviction for hate crime is first of its kind in SpainLa Liga hails ‘clear message’ racism will not be toleratedThree Valencia fans have been sentenced to eight months in prison for hate crimes against Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior, in what La Liga described as the first conviction related to racist abuse at a football match in Spain.The ruling goes back to a match in May last year during which several Valencia fans hurled racist slurs at the Brazilian footballer. The match came to a halt for several minutes as Vinícius pointed to a Valencia fan in the stands, telling his teammates that the man had called him a monkey and made the gestures of an ape. Continue reading... Collapse
Barcelona appoint Hansi Flick and agree €1m bonus for Champions League win
29/05/2024 - Former Bayern manager signs two-year contractXavi forgoes almost €12m despite dismissalHansi Flick Expand
29/05/2024 - Former Bayern manager signs two-year contractXavi forgoes almost €12m despite dismissalHansi Flick has been confirmed as the new coach of Barcelona, after the sacking of Xavi Hernández. The former Bayern Munich manager joins on a two-year deal, worth about €3.5m (£3m) a year plus incentives, which was closed during meetings with the club and his agent, Pini Zahavi, in the city on Tuesday. The 59-year-old had been out of work since his sacking as Germany’s coach in September last year.Barcelona described Flick as a manager “known for his intense, ambitious high press” and cited a “wide experience at club and international level, in which he has won practically every title that can be won in world football”. Continue reading... Collapse
Raised up by Girona, Dovbyk stands alone at the top to claim the Pichichi | Sid Lowe
27/05/2024 - Artem Dovbyk netted a hat-trick to pip Alexander Sørloth and become La Liga’s top scorer but this Expand
27/05/2024 - Artem Dovbyk netted a hat-trick to pip Alexander Sørloth and become La Liga’s top scorer but this was a story of the collectiveSometimes the least important things matter most, small moments that make sense of it all. A last-minute penalty in a 7-0 win on the final day, scored against the worst team around – long since relegated, reduced to 10 men, with a reserve keeper in goal and coach that’s leaving – elevated Artem Dovbyk above everyone. The last shot of the final Friday of the season took the Girona striker to the top of the Pichichi charts. The first shot of the final Saturday – off target by his closest rival for the award Alexander Sørloth – kept him there for ever, legends made of him and those who carried him, countryman and team mate Viktor Tsygankov standing holding a lightsaber to the sky.Dovbyk’s 77th shot of the season, more than anyone, was simple enough. Left footed from the spot, it sent Marc Martínez – the Granada goalkeeper playing his third top flight game aged Collapse
Betis keep Real Madrid at bay in Kroos' farewell to the Bernabeu
25/05/2024 - The LaLiga champions gave the German midfielder a guard of honor Leer
Cádiz pay for failure to make football fun with miserable relegation | Sid Lowe
20/05/2024 - The sun went silently down on the team from the carnival city to leave everything settled in La Expand
20/05/2024 - The sun went silently down on the team from the carnival city to leave everything settled in La Liga with one week still to playLa Liga packed up for the summer a week early, nothing left to do. With seven days still remaining, it’s all decided: the title, second, third and fourth; who goes to the Super Cup and who goes to the Club World Cup; Champions League, Europa League and Conference League; that other league too, the three teams disappearing silently into segunda. Even the Pichichi is probably done after a Sunday evening in which Alexander Sørloth got four of the 31 goals scored, leading Villarreal’s comeback from 4-1 to 4-4 against Real Madrid, and Cádiz got none of them. It was the story of their season, four years in primera coming to a premature and predictable end, curtain closed on 2023-24.Up on the east coast, Madrid’s top scorer Jude Bellingham sat on the bench rested, little to do but laugh as Sørloth began his escape, moving on to 20, then 21, 22 and 23, four ahead of Collapse
Barcelona brush aside lowly Almeria thanks to Fermin Lopez brace
16/05/2024 - Xavi Hernandez's side contained four young graduates from La Masia Leer
Vinícius Júnior at the double as Real Madrid put five past hapless Alavés
14/05/2024 - Vinícius Júnior scored twice as the newly-crowned La Liga champions Real Madrid thrashed visitors Expand
14/05/2024 - Vinícius Júnior scored twice as the newly-crowned La Liga champions Real Madrid thrashed visitors Alavés 5-0 on Tuesday after the hosts had paraded the trophy in front of the home fans before the game.Jude Bellingham and Vinícius scored a goal each inside 30 minutes before Federico Valverde put Real 3-0 up at the break, unleashing an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net in first-half stoppage time. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Leverkusen smash Bochum to reach 50 games unbeaten
12/05/2024 - Bundesliga champions win 5-0 at BochumParis Saint-Germain stunned at home by ToulouseThe Expand
12/05/2024 - Bundesliga champions win 5-0 at BochumParis Saint-Germain stunned at home by ToulouseThe Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen, crushed hosts Bochum 5-0 on Sunday to stretch their unbeaten run across all competitions to 50 matches.Last Thursday Xabi Alonso’s team, aiming for a treble of titles, surpassed Benfica’s longstanding European unbeaten record set from 1963 to 1965 with a 2-2 draw against Roma that sent them through to the Europa League final. Continue reading... Collapse
Real Madrid keep the good times rolling with dominant win over Granada
11/05/2024 - Brahim Diaz netted twice as Los Blancos cruised to victory Leer
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Madrid gonna Madrid and the mighty Williamses: La Liga review and awards
10/06/2024 - It’s The Sids … featuring the revelation that was Girona, a big year in Bilbao and the Beatles Expand
10/06/2024 - It’s The Sids … featuring the revelation that was Girona, a big year in Bilbao and the Beatles besting the StonesIn the end the calendar was cruel, serving up a metaphor for the season, for football and for life. Like something out of a sitcom, someone had double booked a celebration and a funeral. Same time, same place: mid-May, a Saturday evening at Los Carmenes. Newly confirmed league champions Real Madrid had come to play Granada, who had just watched on television in the hotel as the relegation they long knew was coming finally got sealed, players sitting in tears en route to the ground, where it was all they could so to stand in formation, applaud their opponents on to the field and then lose again.As for Madrid, they came, played, won and got out quietly, the party postponed. The Federation had suggested giving them the trophy that evening, but they said no. Instead, it was silently handed over behind closed doors the following morning, then taken on a bus down the Castellana Collapse
Jude Bellingham voted La Liga player of the season after starring for Real Madrid
29/05/2024 - Votes cast by fans, club captains and panel of expertsBellingham was Bundesliga player of the Expand
29/05/2024 - Votes cast by fans, club captains and panel of expertsBellingham was Bundesliga player of the season a year agoJude Bellingham has been voted La Liga’s player of the season after the 20-year-old played a pivotal role in leading Real Madrid to their 36th league title.Bellingham edged out his teammate Vinícius Júnior, Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid), Artem Dovbyk (Girona) and Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) in votes cast by fans, club captains and a panel of experts. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Barcelona beat Sevilla in bittersweet farewell for Xavi
26/05/2024 - Frosinone relegated from Serie A after late Empoli goalGalatasary and Club Brugge win titles in Expand
26/05/2024 - Frosinone relegated from Serie A after late Empoli goalGalatasary and Club Brugge win titles in Turkey and BelgiumBarcelona ended the season with a 2-1 victory at Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday, making Xavi Hernández’s farewell bittersweet after a trophyless season in which they finished 10 points behind Real Madrid.The final game for Xavi, who was sacked on Friday, leaves Barça second after a disappointing campaign in which they lost the Spanish Super Cup final to Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight. Continue reading... Collapse
Why there are no winners in sorry story of Xavi’s exit from Barcelona
24/05/2024 - Knives finally came out for coach who signed new deal in September, resigned in January and made Expand
24/05/2024 - Knives finally came out for coach who signed new deal in September, resigned in January and made U-turn in AprilParco on Passeig de Gràcia does the best sushi in Catalonia, or at least the most famous. If the Vatican has white smoke, FC Barcelona had a delivery boy in a white helmet getting off his motorbike and pressing the buzzer at Joan Laporta’s penthouse flat near the top end of Diagonal. It was just before 11pm on 24 April and he held in his hand an embossed brown paper bag containing the takeaway which in that instant became a symbol of celebration and agreement, the scene excitedly broadcast live. The restaurant had free publicity and Barcelona had a new coach, same as the old one.For a couple of hours the crowd outside had seen people arrive, a show played out in public the way they wanted it. It had started at San Joan Despí, the outcome uncertain, but they had decamped to the president’s place. Outside, journalists watched Xavi turn up, reverse into a parking space too Collapse
European football: Sorloth scores four goals in 17 minutes against Real Madrid
19/05/2024 - Striker snatches Villarreal 4-4 draw and goes top of goal chartsSlot says goodbye at Feyenoord | Expand
19/05/2024 - Striker snatches Villarreal 4-4 draw and goes top of goal chartsSlot says goodbye at Feyenoord | Montero takes charge at JuveAlexander Sorloth struck four times in 17 minutes to help Villarreal fight back and snatch a 4-4 home draw against champions Real Madrid and take himself top of La Liga’s scoring charts.Real opened the scoring in the 14th minute when the Turkish youngster Arda Guler slotted home a low strike off a Brahim Díaz pass before Joselu doubled the lead with a close-range header on the half-hour mark. Continue reading... Collapse
Super Depor are on their way back, led by the sacrifices of Lucas Pérez | Sid Lowe
16/05/2024 - Former La Liga winners have been languishing in Spain’s third tier but, led by their devoted Expand
16/05/2024 - Former La Liga winners have been languishing in Spain’s third tier but, led by their devoted captain, hope is returning There was a moment late in Deportivo de La Coruña’s win over Barcelona on Sunday in which they got a corner and Lucas Pérez went to take it, gazing up at Riazor en route. When he got there, bouncing the ball before laying it down by the flag, he held out his arm for the linesman to inspect and leant in to whisper something. The linesman leant back, looked at the evidence presented and nodded. Then he smiled. It was true what Depor’s captain said: the hairs on his arm really were standing on end.You and everyone else, Lucas. Continue reading... Collapse
Barcelona reclaim second after downing Real Sociedad
13/05/2024 - Yamal got the first goal of the game, while a late Raphinha penalty wrapped up proceedings Expand
13/05/2024 - Yamal got the first goal of the game, while a late Raphinha penalty wrapped up proceedings Leer Collapse
Real Madrid celebrate 36th La Liga title with victory parade – video
12/05/2024 - Real Madrid celebrated their 36th La Liga title as they paraded through the streets of the Spanish Expand
12/05/2024 - Real Madrid celebrated their 36th La Liga title as they paraded through the streets of the Spanish capital. Madrid had clinched the league title a week earlier, with four games to spare, but could not celebrate the triumph before last midweek's Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich. Continue reading... Collapse
Portu’s brilliant burst seals Girona’s top-four fairytale in the perfect way | Sid Lowe
06/05/2024 - Michel’s team of misfits showed against Barcelona why they deserve their plaudits despite the big Expand
06/05/2024 - Michel’s team of misfits showed against Barcelona why they deserve their plaudits despite the big blue elephant in the roomCristian Portugués Manzanera was lying on the physio’s bench, pissed off, his manager pointing at him. It was the morning of the best day of their lives and Miguel Sanchez Muñoz, Michel II of Vallecas, Prince of all Girona, had just named the team that would go down in history. This time, Yan Couto wasn’t in it and he wasn’t happy either, so the coach took him aside and explained. Which is when the Brazilian saw his teammate getting treatment. “Look at Portu,” Michel insisted, “he scores goals and I never start him. He says: ‘You’re sinking me, but OK, I’ll just go out and score again.’”And so it was. Continue reading... Collapse
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Gerard Piqué to be investigated over Super Cup’s Saudi Arabia switch
30/05/2024 - Ex-Barça star’s company allegedly received illegal paymentsAgreement for €40m bonus according to Expand
30/05/2024 - Ex-Barça star’s company allegedly received illegal paymentsAgreement for €40m bonus according to court documentsA Spanish judge has placed former Barcelona player Gerard Piqué under official investigation for his alleged involvement in illegal payments in the relocation of Spain’s Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.Judge Delia Rodrigo concluded there were indications of wrongdoing in the deal between Piqué’s company Kosmos and the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF), according to a court document. Continue reading... Collapse
Xavi warns next Barcelona manager faces ‘difficult job’ after Camp Nou exit
27/05/2024 - Xavi sacked by club after making previous U-turn to stayFormer Germany manager Hansi Flick Expand
27/05/2024 - Xavi sacked by club after making previous U-turn to stayFormer Germany manager Hansi Flick expected to replace himXavi has warned his successor as Barcelona manager to be prepared to “suffer” in the job.The former Spain midfielder was informed last week he was to be sacked, having previously performed a U-turn saying he wanted to stay on after announcing his intention to leave this year. The former Germany and Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick is expected to replace him. Continue reading... Collapse
Barcelona plan to hire Hansi Flick as coach after telling Xavi his time is up
24/05/2024 - Club announce Xavi’s last game will be at Sevilla on SundayXavi was due to stay until at least Expand
24/05/2024 - Club announce Xavi’s last game will be at Sevilla on SundayXavi was due to stay until at least 2025 after U-turn in AprilBarcelona intend to make Hansi Flick their new coach after announcing that Xavi Hernández will leave after the season’s final game on Sunday. The president, Joan Laporta, informed Xavi of his fate in a meeting at the training ground on Friday.Barcelona have been talking to Flick for months and although the German’s camp denied there had been a meeting in London this week with the coach, his agent Pini Zahavi and the club’s sporting director Deco, an agreement has been put in place for the former Bayern Munich and Germany manager to take over. The B team coach, Rafa Márquez, has been suggested as an alternative. Continue reading... Collapse
Xavi says he retains trust of Laporta amid rumours he faces sack at Barça
18/05/2024 - Xavi Hernández made a U-turn on decision to resign in April‘We have the same enthusiasm to take on Expand
18/05/2024 - Xavi Hernández made a U-turn on decision to resign in April‘We have the same enthusiasm to take on this season and next’Xavi Hernández insists “nothing has changed” and that he still has the “same enthusiasm and ambition” amid reports that Barcelona have decided to sack him – just three weeks after celebrating his decision to perform a U-turn and continue as coach.The Catalan, who resigned on 27 January only to change his mind on 24 April, said that no one had told him he would not be in the post next season, and that the message from the club had been one of “calm”. Continue reading... Collapse
FIFA accepts Real Madrid and Barcelona can play LaLiga matches in Miami
15/05/2024 - Lionel Messi might not return to Barcelona, but they will be coming to him Leer
Granada lose hope, fans and La Liga place in a footballing death foretold | Sid Lowe
13/05/2024 - Real Madrid refused to dance on the grave but with relegation confirmed elsewhere, Los Cármenes Expand
13/05/2024 - Real Madrid refused to dance on the grave but with relegation confirmed elsewhere, Los Cármenes resembled a crematoriumCarlo Ancelotti had the cool cat shades and the big fat cigar but this wasn’t the time, not just yet. Real Madrid’s party, the manager taking to the mic, and the dancefloor, a conga line forming round the most famous fountain in the city, would have to wait a little while; first they had a funeral to go to. On Sunday morning, the champions boarded an open top bus down the Castellana and a stairway up Cibeles, goddess of fertility. But not before they headed to Los Cármenes on Saturday evening to face Granada – a week after Madrid won the league, three days after they reached the European Cup final, and two hours, 38 minutes after Granada were relegated.The calendar and the contrast were cruel, and it could have been even worse. When Madrid wrapped up the title last Saturday – finally confirmed two hours after beating Cádiz, the players watching together as Barcelona Collapse
European football: Real Madrid thrash Granada as Dortmund slump at Mainz
11/05/2024 - Granada 0-4 Real Madrid, Mainz 3-0 Borussia DortmundNapoli 0-2 Bologna, Milan 5-1 CagliariReal Expand
11/05/2024 - Granada 0-4 Real Madrid, Mainz 3-0 Borussia DortmundNapoli 0-2 Bologna, Milan 5-1 CagliariReal Madrid earned an emphatic 4-0 win over relegated Granada, extending their unbeaten league run to 28 games – while their upcoming Champions League final opponents, Borussia Dortmund, slipped to a 3-0 defeat at Mainz.Carlo Ancelotti made a number of changes from the Champions League semi-final win over Bayern Munich, but the La Liga winners continued their relentless form. Fran García broke the deadlock after a passing move in the 38th minute, then set up Arda Guler to double Real’s advantage just before half-time. Continue reading... Collapse
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