England

LONDON — Former Leeds United and England defender Norman 'Bites Yer Legs' Hunter has died at 76 after contracting the new coronavirus, the Championship (second-tier) club said on Friday.

"Norman was taken to hospital last week after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and despite continuing to battle and the best efforts of NHS staff, he sadly lost his fight earlier this morning," Leeds said on its website.

Newcastle United and USMNT right back DeAndre Yedlin has become the latest soccer personality to speak out in favor of a promotion/relegation system in MLS. 

Speaking to ESPN, Yedlin joined MLS alumni such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, DeMarcus Beasley and Bob Bradley in claiming it would make MLS a more competitive league. 

A possible takeover of Premier League side Newcastle United by a group fronted by British financier Amanda Staveley with Saudi Arabian backing appeared to be moving closer to completion on Tuesday. 

A 31-page charge agreement filed with Companies House and signed by Staveley for PCP Capital Partners and a lawyer for St James Holdings Ltd indicated a framework for a deal was being put in place. 

Anfield erupted as Ilkay Gündoğan's free kick flew wide and the final whistle blew. The Liverpool faithful had witnessed some remarkable European nights at their home ground, but perhaps none as exhilarating as this one. 

The Reds had just completed a miraculous turnaround to claim a 4-3 victory over Jürgen Klopp's former team Borussia Dortmund to advance to the Europa League semifinals, 5-4 on aggregate. Before last year's famous Champions League victory over Barcelona, this game had a strong claim as Anfield's greatest European comeback. 

In many ways the 2004-05 Premier League season marked the beginning of Newcastle United’s fall from grace. Over the course of the previous three years, Newcastle had finished fourth, third and fifth while rubbing shoulders with the likes of Juventus, Inter and Barcelona in European competition.

But the excrement hit the air conditioning in ’04, beginning with an unproductive summer that saw Real Madrid poach Jonathan Woodgate while recruitment was defined by $10 million flop Jean-Alain Boumsong and the rapidly fading star of Patrick Kluivert.

Former Liverpool player and manager Kenny Dalglish, who tested positive for the coronavirus, has been released from hospital, British media reported on Sunday. 

Liverpool said on Friday that Dalglish, 69, was admitted to hospital for an infection. He required intravenous antibiotics but was asymptomatic. The former Scotland international is now back home where he is self-isolating and he hailed the healthcare workers at the National Health Service (NHS) as they battle the pandemic that has killed over 108,000 people worldwide. 

Paul Pogba's stint on the sidelines has made him more determined to succeed on his return from a layoff for a foot injury, the Manchester United midfielder has said. Pogba's injury restricted him to eight appearances so far this season, but he was primed to return before professional football in England was suspended because of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

LONDON — Some of England's leading players will go head-to-head from their living rooms over Easter as part of a new FIFA 20 tournament launched by the FA on Thursday.

With real action suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, players will find themselves in limbo over the holiday weekend — usually one of the most intense times of the season when leagues are nearing their climax.