South African football news

Manager relishes ‘challenge’ of Champions League return Emi Martínez reveals he played game with broken finger For Aston Villa, the Europa League must only be the beginning, Unai Emery insisted after winning the trophy for a fifth time. Beating Freiburg 3-0 on Wednesday evening brought Villa’s first major piece silv…

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Real Madrid are confident of signing Rodri from Manchester City amid Pep Guardiola's departure, Bayern Munich plan a shock move for John Stones, Atletico Madrid want Marc Cucurella, plus more.

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Aston Villa beat Freiburg in Istanbul to win the Europa League, with a new generation of heroes etching their names in the history books.

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Unai Emery has reconfirmed his status as master of the competition, but will now want to set his sights higher There are two ways to win a final. You can win it by the odd goal, amid a frenzy of anxiety so the final whistle comes as a relief. Or you can win it as a procession, flexing your superiority, so the final…

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Unai Emery delivers Aston Villa their first trophy in 30 years with a 3-0 win over Freiburg in the Europa League final. BBC Sport takes a look at the man behind Villa's famous victory.

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Where would you like your statue, Mr Emery? Even before this emphatic Europa League triumph, Aston Villa supporters could hardly have held their manager in greater esteem. But now Emery, in winning the competition for a record fifth time, has delivered the thing he always wanted, a trophy to show for his transformat…

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Aston Villa's Europa League win against Freiburg keeps alive the Premier League's chances of having six teams in next season's Champions League.

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Arsenal fans young and old celebrate winning the Premier League title after three consecutive second-placed finishes.

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Friendlies against Denmark and Chile still going ahead Team staff who are based in DRC ‘leaving in next hours’ The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have cancelled their three-day World Cup preparation training camp and a planned farewell to fans in the capital, Kinshasa, because of an outbreak of Ebola in the…

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While there is no denying the magnitude of his achievements, his legacy is also tied up in politics, propaganda and hard power Well, that’s that then. Put out more flags. Mount the iconic Jedi‑style woollen cardigan in the club museum. He really does seem to be done this time . In the absence of formal denials , it…

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⚽️ Europa League final updates from the 8pm BST kick-off ⚽️ Freiburg lowdown | The Europa League king | Mail Scott Villa have form for goalkeeper woes in European finals. Jimmy Rimmer went into the 1982 European Cup final with a sore neck, having taken a whack in training a couple of days before the match. He lasted…

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Manager’s early seasons were far from plain sailing but insiders credit club’s owners for staying the course It didn’t start well for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. On a crisp December night in 2019 at about 1am in a Manchester suburb, Vinai Venkatesham stepped out of Arteta’s home. The Arsenal managing director looked a…

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Uefa will create a two-tier qualification process for the 2030 World Cup which will mean major countries will no longer play minor nations such as San Marino, Gibraltar and Andorra.

Philadelphia, Kansas City and Atlanta are among the hosts showing that price-gouging at this summer’s tournament is, ultimately, a choice Sign up for the World Behind The Cup newsletter Philadelphia has spotted an opportunity. A chance to burnish a budding reputation as one of the East Coast’s most pleasant and inte…

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Having been reinstated into the Championship play-off final after Southampton's expulsion, BBC Radio Tees' Mark Drury lays out Middlesbrough's 'messy' preparations.

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Club need permission for proposed stadium upgrades Draw with Manchester City sealed first ever European qualification Bournemouth are facing a race to complete upgrades to the Vitality Stadium to enable it to stage European football next season. Uefa has granted Bournemouth a provisional stadium licence after meetin…

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Saints believe penalty is ‘manifestly disproportionate’ Hull and Middlesbrough will meet in final on Saturday Southampton’s appeal against their expulsion from the Championship playoff final for spying on opponents’ training sessions has been dismissed by an English Football League arbitration panel, leaving Middles…

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Southampton lose their appeal against expulsion from the Championship play-off final for spying.

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New forward is a priority and Alvarez also on list Funds in place to make one marquee signing Arsenal will reward Mikel Arteta for ending Arsenal’s 22-year wait to be champions by offering him a lucrative new contract that will cement the Spaniard’s status as one of the best-paid managers in the world. The club are…

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Middlesbrough fans say they are in a dream, but the Saints are appealing the decision.

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Former England boss Steve McClaren takes up a newly-created role as head of football at Rotherham, recently relegated to League Two.

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