Europe

Nottingham Forest have been fined $979,500 and warned for misconduct in relation to a social media post criticizing the referee after their Premier League defeat by Everton last season, the Football Association said on Friday.

Forest were angered at being denied three penalty claims in the 2-0 loss and minutes after the game they issued a statement on Twitter accusing Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Stuart Attwell of being a Luton Town fan.

LONDON — Greece beat England for the first time as striker Vangelis Pavlidis earned the visitors a richly-deserved 2-1 victory to put them in control of Nations League Group B2 at Wembley on Thursday.

While Pavlidis's winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time sparked wild celebrations among the Greek fans, England stand-in manager Lee Carsley got a sobering reality check.

Two victories since Gareth Southgate stood down had raised Carsley's stock as a likely full-time option, but after a ragged defeat at the hands of Greece, his hopes may have dwindled.

MANCHESTER — Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui has undergone a corrective heart procedure after experiencing palpitations but is expected to be available to play in the next few weeks, according to team sources.

Mazraoui withdrew on Monday from the Morocco squad for two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against the Central African Republic on Saturday and Tuesday.

Mazraoui heart procedure

ATHENS — The body of British-born Panathinaikos and Greece defender George Baldock was found on Wednesday in a swimming pool at his home in the southern Athens suburb of Glyfada, police sources said.

The cause of death remained unknown.

Police tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the 31-year-old former Premier League player but could not revive him, a police official said.

The time of death was put at 10pm (1900 GMT).

George Baldock death

Barcelona shared new Camp Nou renderings this week as the future home ground of the Spanish giants begins to take shape. The club have been playing in the Barcelona Olympic Stadium since 2023 while renovations take place.

The new renderings come with good and bad news as the recent images are incredible, however a return date isn’t known. Originally the plan was for Barcelona to play in a partially completed Camp Nou on November 29 for the club’s 125th anniversary.

Barcelona vice-president Elena Fort said that those plans have been scrapped.

BERLIN — German coach Jürgen Klopp has been appointed head of global soccer for Red Bull, owners of several clubs including RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls, the company said on Wednesday, in his first job since leaving Liverpool earlier this year.

Klopp, who ended his successful nine-year stint with Liverpool at the end of last season, will be starting on January 1, 2025.

Jürgen Klopp Red Bull job

BARCELONA — Former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta announced his retirement on Tuesday after a glittering trophy-laden career spanning 24 years.

Iniesta, 40, was at the heart of the Spain and Barcelona midfield during a period of sustained success for both teams in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

"Please allow me to be a little emotional today," a tearful Iniesta, who most recently played for Emirates Club in the United Arab Emirates, told a press conference.

AC Milan took on yet another heartbreaking loss in the Serie A and fans are blaming Tammy Abraham for taking Pulisic off a penalty kick and missing it. This probably the last time that happens.

Christian Pulisic’s AC Milan is not having the best start to the 2024/25 season and their most-recent loss has fans worried over whether the squad is facing internal issues. This because of the now growing 'problem' of letting Pulisic take penalties. 

Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga saved two penalties, excluding one that had to be retaken, before striker Cristhian Stuani scored from the spot deep in stoppage time as they beat visitors Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in LaLiga on Sunday.

Girona sit a provisional 11th in the standings with 12 points from nine matches, while Bilbao are sixth with 14 points.

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The Premier League will not postpone reigning champions Manchester City's opening games of the 2025-26 season to give players recovery time after the FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S., manager Pep Guardiola said.

Elite clubs are increasingly concerned at the impact of an expanding global football calendar on wellbeing of players, some of whom say they are struggling with the physical strain despite the enormous salaries they can earn.