French giants, Paris Saint Germain have edged Arsenal in a penalty shootout to win the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League final at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday. The match finished 1-1 after 120 minutes before the holders held their nerve from the spot to clinch the title. More details later…
Pep Guardiola has disclosed that fatigue and a desire for a new challenge played a major role in his decision to depart Manchester City after spending a historic 10 years in charge of the club. Guardiola confirmed that Sunday’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa will be his final match as City manager, bringing an end to one of the most successful eras in the club’s history. During his decade at the Etihad Stadium, the Spaniard guided City to 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the club’s first UEFA Champions League triumph. Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Friday, Guardiola said he believes the team now needs “new energy” to continue progressing. “I think the club needs a new manager, new energy with these incredible players that we have right now, and you start to write another chapter,” he said. The 55-year-old admitted that the relentless demands of modern football had taken a toll on him after nearly two decades of constant management. “I feel I will not have the energy that is required, every three days, the expectations to fight for the titles, with being in front of the players,” Guardiola explained. Although he will remain linked with the City Football Group in a global ambassadorial role, Guardiola said he plans to step away from coaching for a period. “I will not train for a while,” he stated. Guardiola reflected on the intensity of his managerial career, which began at Barcelona before continuing at Bayern Munich and Manchester City. “It’s not 10 years. I’ve been, except for a year in New York, I’ve been 17, 18 years, every three days, three days, three days,” he said. “I need to breathe a little bit and relax. I’ll be a while, that is my feeling right now.” Guardiola leaves Manchester City widely regarded as the most successful manager in the club’s history after transforming the side into a dominant force in English and European football.
UEFA has issued a lifetime ban from all football-related activity to former coach Petr Vlachovsky after finding him guilty of secretly filming women footballers in changing rooms and showers. UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body ruled that Vlachovsky had breached regulations relating to insulting and indecent behaviour, as well as bringing the game into disrepute. The decision follows criminal proceedings in the Czech Republic, where he had already received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year coaching ban. Announcing the ruling on Tuesday, UEFA confirmed the severity of the sanction. “The individual is banned from exercising any football-related activity for life,” the disciplinary body stated. Authorities said the case involved covert recordings of players over a period of four years while Vlachovsky was coaching women and girls at top-tier club 1. FC Slovácko. He was arrested in September 2023 after police discovered the footage online, and investigators also found material linked to child sexual abuse offences. The global players’ union FIFPRO said players only learned what had happened after his arrest. A spokesperson described how the recordings were hidden, saying, “The players were filmed using a camera concealed in a backpack, and the youngest was aged 17.” The emotional impact on victims has been severe. Some players later told Czech media that the experience left them deeply traumatised. UEFA has also formally requested that world football’s governing body, FIFA, extend the ban worldwide and instructed the Czech Football Association to revoke Vlachovsky’s coaching licence. Vlachovsky, once regarded as a leading figure in Czech women’s football and a former coach of the Czech Republic U-19 women’s team, has now been permanently removed from the sport following the findings.
Pep Guardiola insisted Manchester City have had a successful season whether or not they win the Premier League title or Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea. Guardiola’s side will put their attempt to catch Premier League leaders Arsenal on hold as they head to Wembley for a fourth successive FA Cup final appearance. City start every season with the Premier League and Champions League as their main targets, but they are on the verge of falling short in both. Knocked out of the Champions League last-16 by Real Madrid in March, City will be five points behind Arsenal if the Gunners beat relegated Burnley at home on Monday. Guardiola’s men can close the gap back to two points with a victory at Bournemouth in their penultimate match of the season on Tuesday. But Arsenal would then still be able to guarantee their first English title since 2004 by winning at Crystal Palace on May 24. Having already won the League Cup by beating Arsenal, City have a chance for a domestic double this weekend. However, Guardiola is adamant the campaign has been positive, no matter what happens at Wembley or in the title race. “It depends on the trophies you lift. Sometimes you lift trophies and the season has been successful,” said Guardiola, who would only offer “we’ll see” when asked if Rodri would be fit to start in midfield. “Sometimes, you lift and the truth is the season has been really, really bad. “I said a few weeks ago this season has been good. Really, really good.” – ‘Do better’ – After starting with Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku on the bench for Wednesday’s win against Crystal Palace, Guardiola isdon’t likely to field a full-strength team against Chelsea instead of prioritising the title fight. “It is the final of the FA Cup. The message is there are two prestigious clubs at Wembley in the FA Cup final. Our fans make an incredible effort to come down to London. It is not cheap,” he said. “We try to perform as much as possible to win. It is always the game-plan.” City have lost the last two FA Cup finals against Crystal Palace and Manchester United, who they had beaten in the 2023 showpiece. “There’s excitement, of course. I hope we can do better than the last two times,” Guardiola said. “Wembley is still a special place. Everything is so nice. The pitch is extraordinary. We are desperate to perform well.” Ahead of his 24th trip to Wembley with City, Guardiola joked that he is “so disappointed” heyou has not had a stand named after him at the home of English football. and “So many times I have been there, at least a lounge or a box orEPL, FA trophies win won’t define Man City’s season, says Guardiola something like that. Maybe I have to go 24 more times!” he said. Guardiola has one year left on his City contract and is yet to sign a new deal amid speculation that he could end his decade at the Etihad Stadium once the current campaign is over. Asked about reports that City’s fitness coach Lorenzo Buenaventura and goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor are set to leave the club, Guardiola said with a smirk: “I extended the contract with them three more years,” before adding: “Nope.”
Transport costs for matches at the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 have been reduced after strong backlash from fans over what were described as excessive fares for services to venues in the United States. As reported by BBC Sport on Wednesday, prices for train and shuttle bus travel to MetLife Stadium, which will be referred to as New York/New Jersey Stadium during the tournament, were initially set at levels supporters criticised as far above normal rates. Following the criticism, rail ticket prices have been reduced from 98 (£73), while shuttle bus fares have been cut from 20 (£15). The venue will host eight World Cup matches, including one of England’s group-stage fixtures and a semi-final The Football Supporters’ Association’s England fan representative, Thomas Concannon, had earlier condemned the pricing as “astronomical,” arguing it was “completely out of the norm” compared with standard transport fares. For comparison, a return rail journey from Penn Station in Manhattan to the stadium typically costs around $`12.90 (£9.50), highlighting the scale of the initial pricing. New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill said the revised fares were made possible through commercial sponsorship and would not rely on taxpayer funding. She said the changes were aimed at making travel more affordable for fans attending matches. “Good news: Ahead of NJ Transit World Cup train tickets going on sale, NJ Transit is lowering ticket prices to `$98 without New Jersey taxpayer money. “Thank you to our partners for helping make this possible,” Sherrill said. New York Governor Kathy Hochul also welcomed the reductions, saying access to the tournament should be as affordable as possible. She announced a 75% cut in round-trip bus fares and said a portion of tickets would be reserved for New York residents. Despite the reductions in New Jersey, concerns remain over transport pricing in other host cities, with fans travelling to Foxborough in Boston facing significantly higher fares compared with usual rates. England and Scotland supporters are expected to be among those affected, with fixtures scheduled across multiple US venues during the tournament. The pricing adjustments come amid continued scrutiny of logistics and affordability as preparations intensify for the expanded 2026 World Cup across North America.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez on Tuesday called club elections and announced that he would stand again. “I am not going to resign,” the 79-year-old Perez told a press conference towards the end of a season in which Real Madrid will finish trophyless. Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 2-0 in the Clasico at Camp Nou on Sunday to claim back-to-back La Liga titles with three games to spare. Madrid bowed out of the Champions League with a quarter-final exit against Bayern Munich. Current Real coach Alvaro Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso in January, is unlikely to remain at the helm next season and former Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has been linked with a potential return. This season has seen Madrid finish without a major trophy for a second year running. Fans have been protesting against star player Kylian Mbappe for a perceived lack of commitment, while there are stories of multiple training ground bust-ups, including one that sent midfielder Fede Valverde to the hospital. Perez justified his bid for a new term in response to what he dubbed an “absurd campaign” against Real Madrid. “I’ve made this decision because an absurd situation has been created to generate a tide of opinion against the interests of Real Madrid,” argued Perez. “I’ve been here 26 years, and it’s been a wonderful time.” Perez took aim at media campaigns and other personalities, claiming they were taking advantage of this season’s poor results to target him personally. “I want to put an end to this anti-Madrid current that wants to destroy Real Madrid,” he said. “I’m standing for re-election to return the club’s assets to its members. “If anyone wants to run, they shouldn’t just pretend — let them run, but let them say what they’re going to do, how they’re going to finance everything.” Perez added: “They say out there that Real Madrid is a problem case, but it’s the most prestigious club in the world.” But he admitted that he was as frustrated as the rest of Madrid’s fans about the lack of trophies for the second consecutive year and also about the altercation between Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni. “I think it is very bad and I think it’s even worse that it was made public,” Perez said of the clash, which ended with both players being fined 500,000 euros. Perez added that he and his backers were putting together a 500-page dossier that he will send to UEFA over allegations of corruption in Spanish refereeing. “It’s the most serious case of corruption in football,” he said. “I’ve only won seven Champions League titles and seven league titles, when I could have won 14 because the others were stolen from me.” Barcelona are currently being investigated by Spanish authorities in a sports corruption case after paying the former vice-president of Spain’s refereeing committee (CTA), Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, seven million euros ($8.3 million) over several years. The club deny any wrongdoing.
Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain dominated the 2025/26 UNFP Awards ceremony held in Paris on Monday, with forward, Ousmane Dembélé, named Ligue 1 Player of the Year. The French winger secured the honour for the second time in his career after an impressive campaign with PSG, succeeding former teammate, Kylian Mbappé, who won the award five consecutive times before joining Real Madrid. The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner and recipient of ‘The Best’ award has been instrumental in 16 matches this season, with 10 goals and 6 assists. In 2026, he has also recorded 12 direct goal contributions in the league, just one fewer than Esteban Lepaul. Reacting after receiving the award, Dembélé credited his teammates for his success. “This is an individual trophy, but all the individual trophies I’ve won are thanks to this team,” he said in a statement issued on Monday by PSG. PSG youngster, Désiré Doué, was also recognised for his performances this season after winning the Best Young Player award. In the coaching category, Pierre Sage was named Coach of the Year after guiding Lens to one of PSG’s closest title challenges during the campaign. Lens also produced the league’s Best Goalkeeper, with Robin Risser taking the award following a string of standout performances. Meanwhile, Michael Olise was named Best French Player Abroad after impressing for Bayern Munich this season. Full list of winners: Best Player: Ousmane Dembélé Best Young Player: Désiré Doué Best Coach: Pierre Sage Best Goalkeeper: Robin Risser Best French Player Abroad: Michael Olise
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde was treated in hospital after a clash with team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni following a training session on Thursday, several Spanish media outlets reported. Uruguay international Valverde, who was accompanied to the hospital facility near the club’s Valdebebas training complex by Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa, needed stitches to treat a facial wound, according to the reports. The two players rowed on Wednesday in training and their argument continued on Thursday during and after the session. Spanish newspaper Marca, who first reported the story, said Valverde’s cut was caused unintentionally and not directly by a punch from France midfielder Tchouameni. Real Madrid and the agents of the two players did not comment when contacted about the incident by AFP. Spanish media reported Valverde refused to shake Tchouameni’s hand and later fouled him in Thursday’s training session, with the pair scrapping afterwards in the dressing room when the injury occurred. Tensions are running high at Real Madrid with the club on the verge of a second consecutive season without a major trophy. Los Blancos visit rivals Barcelona in a La Liga Clasico on Sunday, with the Catalans, 11 points clear at the top, able to clinch back-to-back league titles if they do not lose. AFP
Villarreal coach Marcelino will leave at the end of the season despite guiding the Yellow Submarines into next season’s Champions League, the club announced on Monday. It is the second year running that the 2021 Europa League winners have qualified for Europe’s top club competition, but Marcelino was unable to agree to an extension with the club, according to local press. The 60-year-old Spaniard is in his second spell at the club, having coached Villarreal from 2013-16 and then rejoined the team in 2023. He took the team away from the relegation zone in 2023/24 and up to an eighth-placed finish, and the following season led Villarreal to fifth and Champions League qualification. Their 5-1 thrashing of Levante on Saturday ensured a top-four finish — they are currently third — and a second consecutive Champions League appearance for the first time. According to the local press, Rayo Vallecano coach Inigo Perez is in the running to succeed Marcelino. Mid-table Vallecano are playing in Europe for only the second time in their history and take a 1-0 first-leg lead into their Europa Conference League semi-final second leg away to Strasbourg on Thursday. AFP
Top Iranian football officials departed Canada ahead of the FIFA Congress after raising concerns over their treatment by immigration authorities at Toronto’s international airport, Iranian media reported on Wednesday. Iran’s football federation president and deputy secretary general “returned to Turkey on the first flight due to the inappropriate behaviour of the immigration officials at the airport and the insult to one of the most honourable organs of the Iranian Armed Forces”, several outlets reported, without providing further details. In 2024, Canada designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a terror group, barring its members from entering the country. The Iranian reports said the officials had travelled to Canada with “official visas” before turning around. Canada is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with the United States and Mexico, while FIFA’s congress is to be held in Vancouver this week. Fears have risen about the Iranian team’s attendance because of the Middle East war that began on February 28 with a massive wave of US-Israel attacks. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted last week that Iran’s footballers would be welcome at the global spectacle. But he warned that the United States may yet bar entry to members of the Iranian delegation it judged to have ties to the Revolutionary Guard, which is also designated a terrorist organisation by Washington and several other governments. No one “from the US has told them they can’t come,” Rubio said. The Iranian football federation (FFIRI) had said in April it was negotiating with FIFA to relocate the country’s World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico. But FIFA President Gianni Infantino told AFP last month that Iran would be at the World Cup and that they will play “where they are supposed to be, according to the draw”. The FIFA chief reiterated that stance in Washington earlier this month. AFP
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