Sports

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has addressed the media ahead of Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona, stressing his side’s readiness for the occasion while offering updates on squad fitness and key selection decisions involving Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Jr. in Jeddah, according to Madrid Universal. Alonso reflected on the significance of the fixture and the chance to claim his first trophy as Real Madrid manager, describing the final as a special moment for th

Morocco have advanced to the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after a 2-0 victory over Cameroon in their quarter-final match at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, marking their first appearance at this stage of the tournament in 22 years. Goals from Brahim Díaz in the first half and Ismael Saibari in the second secured a clean sheet and a strong showing from the host nation in front of home supporters. Díaz opened the scoring in the 26th minute, convert

Real Madrid defeated Atlético Madrid 2–1 in the Spanish Supercopa de España semifinal at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Thursday, booking their place in the final where they will face Barcelona. Real Madrid took an early lead inside the opening 90 seconds, when Federico Valverde scored from a direct free kick, giving Los Blancos the advantage at the outset. Shortly after the interval, Rodrygo Goes doubled Real Madrid’s advantage, finishing a move after rec

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Ministry of Finance are working together to ensure the timely disbursement of bonuses and other financial entitlements owed to the Super Eagles players and officials for their participation in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the National Sports Commission (NSC) has said. The Chairman of the NSC, Shehu Dikko, made the disclosure in Abuja on Thursday, responding to reports that some players had threatened to boycott training and

Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw by Burnley in their Premier League meeting at Turf Moor, with the hosts fighting back after United had taken the lead, resulting in a shared point for both sides. Burnley opened the scoring in the 13th minute through an own goal by Ayden Heaven of Manchester United, but United responded with two well-taken goals from Benjamin Sesko early in the second half to take the lead. Burnley refused to concede the game, and substitute Jaidon An

Interim Manchester United head coach Darren Fletcher has revealed that he consulted former manager Sir Alex Ferguson before accepting the role following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim on Monday. Fletcher, 41, is set to take charge of Wednesday’s Premier League away match against Burnley and could also remain in charge for Sunday’s FA Cup third-round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion. Speaking to reporters, Fletcher said he felt it was important to seek Ferguson’s approval bef

Manchester United are set to bring former defender Jonny Evans back into the first-team environment as an assistant to interim head coach Darren Fletcher, following the departure of Ruben Amorim on Monday. Evans, who retired from professional football last summer, had been serving as the club’s head of loans and pathways before leaving that role last month. The 38-year-old is now expected to support Fletcher as United prepare for Wednesday’s Premier League match against Burnl

Manchester United have sacked head coach Ruben Amorim with immediate effect following a period of poor results and public tension between the manager and the club’s hierarchy. Multiple reports from reliable news outlets indicate that United and Amorim have ended their working relationship as the club seeks to address its position in the Premier League and reset its campaign. Amorim’s departure comes after United endured a difficult run of form, including inconsistent league r

Leeds United and Manchester United played out a 1-1 draw in their Premier League meeting at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon, with both sides sharing the points in a closely contested fixture. Leeds took the lead in the 62nd minute through Brenden Aaronson, who finished a well-worked move, before Manchester United levelled three minutes later when Matheus Cunha converted a pass from substitute Joshua Zirkzee. The result maintained Leeds’ unbeaten league run and saw Manchester

Crystal Palace have confirmed the signing of Wales international Brennan Johnson from Tottenham Hotspur in what the club described as a record transfer. The 24-year-old forward has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Eagles and will wear the No. 11 shirt at Selhurst Park. Johnson is eligible to make his Crystal Palace debut against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Sunday afternoon. Johnson arrives at Palace with a strong scoring record across domestic and Eur

Chelsea Football Club and head coach Enzo Maresca have agreed to part ways, with the Italian leaving his role at Stamford Bridge with immediate effect after a turbulent period marked by poor results and a reported breakdown in relations with the club’s hierarchy. The departure was confirmed on Thursday, following reports that both parties had reached a mutual decision to end the partnership as Chelsea seek to reset their season. Chelsea’s announcement comes after a challengin

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is facing increasing pressure on his position at Stamford Bridge after a run of inconsistent results that has left the club outside the top four in the Premier League. Sources report that Chelsea have managed only one win in their past seven league matches, a sequence that has raised concerns within the club about their performance this season. Internal tensions have been noted following recent results, including a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth tha

Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 victory over Brighton at the Emirates Stadium. Goals from Martin Ødegaard and a Georginio Rutter own goal in the first half gave the Gunners a two-goal lead, before Brighton pulled a goal back through Diego Gómez early in the second period. A key moment in the match came from Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, who made a crucial save to deny a powerful effort from Brighton attacker Yankuba Minteh, helping to maint

Manchester City moved to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest, secured by a late goal from Rayan Cherki in the 83rd minute. The victory extended City’s league winning run to six matches and temporarily placed them one point ahead of Arsenal in the title race. Forest took an early lead when Tijjani Reijnders scored shortly after half-time from a Cherki assist, but Forest responded with an equalizer through Omari Hutchinson before Cherki’s dec

Manchester United secured a 1-0 Premier League victory over Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, with Patrick Dorgu’s first-half volley proving decisive in a match played without several regular starters including captain Bruno Fernandes and midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, both sidelined with injury. Dorgu opened the scoring in the 24th minute when he connected with a long throw-in and struck a first-time volley into the bottom corner, his first goal for Manchester Unite

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has publicly backed the Confederation of African Football’s decision to move the Africa Cup of Nations from a biennial tournament to a four-year cycle, describing the change as a positive step for the development of African football. Broos spoke ahead of South Africa’s second group-stage match against Egypt in Agadir, arguing that the new format would reduce pressure on players and ease recurring conflicts between clubs and national teams.

Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zinedine Zidane, who represented France at youth international levels before switching allegiance in 2025, recorded a clean sheet as Algeria defeated Sudan 3-0 in their opening Group E match at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Zidane qualifies for Algeria through his father Zinedine Zidane’s Algerian descent and made the transition following FIFA approval earlier this year. The match, played at the Prince Moulay Al Hassan Stadium in Rabat, saw Alg

Arsenal reached the EFL Cup semi-finals after defeating Crystal Palace 8-7 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium. The match remained level after 90 minutes despite Arsenal’s dominance in possession and chances in the first half, and it was ultimately decided by a lengthy shootout in which goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga saved the decisive penalty to send the Gunners through. Arsenal had taken the lead through an own goal by Maxence Lacroix late in th

Members of Nigeria’s Super Eagles have formally received their national honours certificates alongside title documents for housing and land allocations promised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu following their second-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire. The presentation took place ahead of Nigeria’s opening fixture of the new AFCON campaign, with players issued certificates for national honours, housing allocations in Abuja or Lagos, and land grants

Liverpool striker Alexander Isak has undergone surgery following the injury he sustained during Liverpool’s 2-1 Premier League win against Tottenham Hotspur, and the club has confirmed he will be sidelined for an extended period. Isak suffered the injury while scoring the opening goal in the match and was substituted after the challenge, with scans revealing a fracture that required an operation on his ankle and fibula. The surgery was completed successfully on Monday, and Is