It’s unfortunate, but NBC has pretty much decided to stop broadcasting most Premier League matches on TV, instead hiding all but a small handful behind the paywall of Peacock Premium. Fortunately, NBC is actually broadcasting some of the biggest matches in England this weekend including the Manchester Derby.
The rise of Sergiño Dest has been meteoric. After all, it’s only been 459 days since he made his league debut with Ajax and 380 since he committed his international future to the USMNT.
But this is a 20-year-old who forced his way into the starting 11 of a title-winning Ajax side before convincing Barcelona to part with $25 million. And early returns in Catalonia have been good — Dest was arguably Barça’s best player in El Clásico.
MADRID — Real Madrid and Germany player Toni Kroos has taken a swipe at FIFA and UEFA, claiming the world and European organising bodies are treating players like "puppets" by expanding tournaments and creating new competitions.
Kroos criticised the creation of the UEFA Nations League in 2018, which he competes in with Germany, as well as FIFA's expanded Club World Cup, which was set to take place in 2021 before being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
MADRID — Real Madrid and Serbia forward Luka Jovic has agreed to pay a fine in exchange for a six-month jail sentence after flouting Serbian's COVID-19 restrictions, according to a court statement.
The court said the striker, 22, has been ordered to pay a fine of 3.5 million Serbian dinar, equivalent to around 30,000 euros or $35,000 USD, within a month in order to avoid prison.
LONDON — Greg Clarke has resigned as English Football Association chairman hours after referring to "coloured footballers" during questions from members of parliament on Tuesday.
The 63-year-old was widely criticised after making a series of inappropriate comments while taking questions from members of the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) select committee.
"We can confirm that Greg Clarke has stepped down from his role as our chairman," the FA said in a statement.
Arsenal brought Gunnersaurus back from the brink of extinction on Tuesday, barely a month after the club's beloved mascot was made redundant as part of a cost-cutting effort aimed at mitigating the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
LONDON — The Premier League will scrap its controversial pay-per-view scheme imminently, chief executive Richard Masters confirmed on Tuesday to a government committee.
Fans, who are currently prevented from attending stadiums because of the COVID-19 pandemic, have been asked to pay out 14.95 pounds ($19.80) to watch games not already selected for broadcast by Premier League rights holders Sky Sports and BT Sport.
World Cup-winning U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe has denounced the lack of investment in women's soccer around the world, saying it is "disgraceful" that a club like Manchester United had taken so long to revive their team.
United faced criticism for not forming a team after their women's side was scrapped in 2005 and were granted a licence to play in the second tier Championship in 2018.
Wales forward Gareth Bale is fit for their international games against the United States, Ireland and Finland after shaking off an ankle injury, assistant manager Robert Page said.
Bale, who missed Wales' October internationals due to a knee injury, was pictured with an icepack on his right ankle after being substituted during Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 win at West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Sunday.
Wrexham fans can look forward to having a drink with Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at matches, the duo said after releasing their mission statement ahead of a proposed takeover of the Welsh soccer club.
The pair said their goal was to grow the club that plays in England's fifth-tier and get them back into the English Football League (EFL), while also increasing attendances at an improved Racecourse Ground.