The much-touted league stage of the new Champions League format is off to an interesting start. The first round of matches ended yesterday with 18 games played in different arenas across Europe. The games were a mix of massive wins, intense and heated ties as well as interesting upsets. Here are some of the takeaways from week 1 Champions League results: Goals everywhere Bayern Munich’s attacking firepower was unrestrained against…

Premier League champions Manchester City stand accused of financial fair play rules violations in a landmark case. The hearing into the case, which is expected to go on for months, started on Monday. The club has denied all charges and continues to maintain it has irrefutable evidence to clear it of any wrongdoing.However, a lot is at stake in this epoch-making case. Among other penalties, City could be at risk…

Real Madrid and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has seconded Manchester City midfielder Rodri’s warning about a players’ strike. Rodri voiced concerns over the number of games footballers now have to play during a press conference on Tuesday where he said, “there will be a moment where” players are left with no other option than to embark on strike action.Courtois’s endorsement came on Wednesday during a chat with popular Spanish streamer…

Manchester United’s plans to erect the “Wembley of the North” may eventually involve demolishing the Old Trafford, reports indicate. The initial plan was to use the monument as a replacement for the Leigh Sports Village for the use of the club’s women’s teams and its academy. This would follow a downsizing of the stadium from its current 74,000 capacity to about 30,000, according to the Manchester Evening News. The rationale…

Daniele De Rossi’s Roma tenure is over. The former Italy midfielder was sacked by the club earlier today after four Serie A games this season. The 41-year-old coach has been overseeing Giallorossi since January when he was appointed to replace Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho. He steered Roma to a sixth place finish in the Serie A and the semifinal of the Europa League where they lost to Xabi Alonso’s invincible…

Legendary Italian soccer player, Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci has died, aged 59.A statement by the Palermo hospital where he was being treated for colon cancer disclosed this on Wednesday.Schillaci was diagnosed with colon cancer and was admitted to Palermo Civico Hospital in September. Schillaci rose to international fame at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, where he starred for the national team, nicknamed Azzurri, scoring six goals to win the golden…

Actions continue today in the UEFA Champions League. Six games are slated for today, featuring both clubs with high European pedigree and clubs without much of a history in the competition. Two games start early at 5.45pm (WAT), Bologna hosting Shakhtar Donetsk at the Stadio Renato Dell’Ara. The Rossoblu are having a slow start to the season following the departure of key figures from their historic team last season. Manager…

England striker Harry Kane got Bayern Munich off to an impressive start in the new Champions League competition format. Bayern hosted Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb last night to kick off the league stage of the Champions League. In a show of absolute dominance, the Bavarian side put nine goals past their opponents despite having two goals disallowed while conceding only two. Kane found the net four times with Olise, Guerreiro,…

Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri has addressed the possibility of strike action by professional footballers. Rodri was responding to interview questions ahead of the English champions’ Wednesday Champions League tie with Inter Milan. When asked about the potential for a players’ strike, Rodri said, “I think we are close to that. If things continue this way, there will come a time when we have no other option, but let’s…

The elite European football competition is back, and it’s bigger than ever. Fans will experience the new expanded format of the Champions League as the tournament returns today across arenas all over Europe. Viewers have plenty of options to choose from, with six fixtures scheduled for today: two early kickoffs and four later games. Today’s fixtures feature a balanced mix of familiar household names, long-absent teams, and at least one…

Barcelona’s major summer signing, Dani Olmo, will be sidelined for at least a month due to a hamstring injury, according to reports. Olmo, who joined the Blaugrana from RB Leipzig for a fee of €55 million, sustained the injury during Barcelona’s 4-1 win over Girona on Sunday. The 26-year-old was substituted in the second half after scoring his third goal in as many games, highlighting what has been an impressive…

Although he’s only at the start of his third season at Manchester City, Erling Haaland is undoubtedly the embodiment of Pep Guardiola’s side—strong, resilient, and precise. Since his arrival two seasons ago, he has been a perfect fit, securing back-to-back league titles and golden boots. The Norwegian striker has silenced any doubts about whether he could dominate the Premier League after coming from the German league. Haaland continued his stellar…