Paul Pogba’s four-year doping ban has been officially reduced. The decision was passed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport following an appeal from the French midfielder. Pogba received a ban in 2023 after he tested positive for dehydroepiandrosterone, a substance that enhances the production of hormones like testosterone.The Juventus midfielder denied “knowingly or deliberately taking any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations,” before going ahead to appeal his ban. His…

Montenegro international Milutin Osmajic has been sanctioned with an eight-game ban. The sanction was passed after it was established that the Preston forward bit Owen Beck, the 25-year-old Liverpool loanee to Blackburn Rovers. The biting incident happened during a 0-0 draw between Preston and Blackburn in the Championship. Osmajic was fouled towards the end of the tie and in the confrontation that ensued appeared to have bitten Beck on the…

Lionel Messi, already the most decorated player in football history, added another accolade to his glittering career as Inter Miami secured the MLS Supporters’ Shield with a dramatic 3-2 win over reigning Major League Soccer champions, Columbus Crew. The Argentine superstar’s brace in the first half proved crucial in clinching the trophy awarded for the best regular season record in MLS. Inter Miami’s triumph marks Messi’s 46th career trophy, further…

The fate of soccer’s global player transfer system is set to be decided this Friday, as the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) prepares to deliver a landmark ruling in the case of former French international Lassana Diarra against FIFA. The case, which could lead to a seismic shift in how player transfers are regulated across Europe, has cast a shadow over the future of a system that…

Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman was the star of the show last night as Atalanta secured a comfortable 3-0 win over Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. Lookman scored a goal and had a hand in the other two as the Europa League champions dominated the Ukrainians in Gelsenkirchen.Atalanta went into the game with a point gotten from their goalless draw with Arsenal in their Champions League opening match…

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has conceded that criticism of his team’s performance in the Champions League defeat against Lille is deserved. The Spanish champions struggled against the Ligue 1 side in a loss that leaves them in 17th place out of 36 teams in the league phase of the Champions League.Madrid went behind after Lille’s Jonathan David converted a penalty kick given after the VAR spotted Eduardo Camavinga’s handball.…

Aston Villa reeacted the most famous night in their history with another 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League at home last night. It was the same scoreline from their historic European Cup final victory over the German side in 1982. Peter Withe was the hero of the night from that victory 42 years ago. Last night, it was Jhon Duran who sent Villa Park into ecstasy with…

Atletico Madrid have been handed sanctions for the action of their fans leading to the temporary suspension of their Sunday’s Derby match against Real Madrid. Atletico’s two-fold sanction involves a three-game partial closure of their stands and a €45,000 ban.Atletico’s derby against Madrid had to be abandoned in the middle of the second half after their fans began to throw lighters, bottles and other objects onto the field minutes after…

In a highly anticipated Champions League clash, Aston Villa will take on Bayern Munich at Villa Park, marking the Villans’ return to European nights after many years. Both teams are coming into this fixture having won their opening group games. Villa’s remarkable resurgence under manager Unai Emery, after being in the Premier League relegation zone in 2022, has brought them to the top four and back into the Champions League.…

Lionel Messi’s return to the Argentina national team is the biggest highlight of head coach Lionel Scaloni’s 27-man roster for the October international break. Scaloni named the squad expected to face Venezuela and Bolivia in the World Cup qualifiers scheduled for October. The Albiceleste are currently top of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings after gathering 18 points from eight games including a 3-0 victory over Chile. The world champions…

Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag has reaffirmed that he is still in control of the dressing room at Old Trafford amidst the performance crisis his team is going through.The Dutchman has come under intense pressure with his job at great risk following a terrible start to the season made worse by the club’s humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham last weekend.One of the explanations offered by analysts for United’s…

As Liverpool prepare to face Bologna in a pivotal Champions League group stage encounter, head coach Arne Slot has called on his players to rise to the occasion and showcase their hunger for success in Europe’s top-tier competition.After uncharacteristically missing out on the Champions League last season, Slot wants both the team and the fans to show that they belong among Europe’s elite clubs.The manager expressed his desire for the…