England

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp refused to blame Mohamed Salah after the forward contracted COVID-19 having attended his brother's wedding in Egypt, although the German said he would personally avoid social engagements.

Videos emerged of Salah dancing during the ceremony without a face mask or socially distancing, with the 28-year-old later testing positive for the novel coronavirus ahead of Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations clash against Togo last week.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he is unsure what the future holds for Lionel Messi but hopes as a Barcelona fan that the Argentine forward will remain at the LaLiga club until the end of his career.

Guardiola, who has guided City to two Premier League titles, three League Cups and the FA Cup following his arrival in 2016, signed a new two-year deal on Thursday that will keep him in charge until the end of the 2022-23 season.

English soccer authorities (EFL) have shown a lack of leadership in failing to reach a deal to safeguard clubs facing financial problems amid the COVID-19 crisis, a cross-party British parliamentary committee said on Friday.

In a letter addressed to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters and English Football League (EFL) chief Rick Parry, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee urged the two bodies "to stop squabbling and come to an agreement".

MADRID — The last time Atletico Madrid hosted Barcelona, Marcos Llorente spent the whole game sitting on the bench.

But in Saturday's match between the two La Liga rivals he will be one of his side's main goal threats after making an remarkable transformation from a little-used holding midfielder to a deadly forward, capable of turning big matches on his own.

Llorente truly announced himself as an unlikely hitman with two stunning extra-time goals in Atletico's 4-2 win over then Champions League holders Liverpool at Anfield in March.

LONDON — Rebekah Vardy, the wife of an England soccer striker, won the first exchange in her libel case against the wife of his former international teammate Wayne Rooney over accusations she passed on stories to a newspaper about her former friend.

Vardy is suing Coleen Rooney at London's High Court for accusing her on Twitter and Instagram of leaking stories from her private life to the Sun tabloid. Vardy denies the leaks.

There was a perception of Tottenham Hotspur under Mauricio Pochettino that they lacked the self-belief to win silverware and there was plenty of evidence to support that view.

Two near misses in the Premier League title race, FA Cup semifinal losses and then, when glory beckoned, a rather timid Champions League final defeat by Liverpool.

Alex Morgan just started getting into the squad at Tottenham following her return to fitness after giving birth to her first child in May. Now she’ll have to impress a new boss after Spurs’ two co-head coaches were fired on Thursday.

It is fair to say that money controls the Premier League. Money is the reason Manchester City and Liverpool are title contenders, while Brighton and West Brom languish near the bottom of the table.

Soccernomics co-authors Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski calculated that 90 percent of variation in league position in the Premier League is determined by a club's wage bill.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he is hurt by Mesut Özil's situation at the Premier League club but is resigned to facing questions about the German midfielder after every defeat. Özil, 32, who is under contract with Arsenal until June 2021 earns a reported $452,830 per week, but has not played for Arteta’s side this season after being left out of the 25-man Premier League squad.

The playmaker, who last played for Arsenal in March, was also left out of their Europa League squad, leaving him only eligible for Under-23 games. 

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has signed a new two-year contract that will keep him in charge until the end of the 2022-23 season, the Premier League club said on Thursday.

The Spaniard has guided City to two Premier League titles, three League Cups and an FA Cup since his arrival in 2016.