Category: Sports

At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, 12 of the 32 head coaches were female, including England manager Sarina Wiegman.

“There are simply not enough women in coaching today. We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines,” said Fifa’s chief football officer Jill Ellis.

“The new Fifa regulations, combined with targeted development programmes, mark an important investment in the current and future generation of female coaches.”

Fifa hopes these new regulations will see a rapid increase in female representation, including at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Among some of the most high-profile female coaches is London-born Emma Hayes, who is joined by assistant Denise Reddy at the United States.

In 2024, Hayes told BBC Sport that a lack of female coaches in English football is “a massive issue” and urged the game’s administrators to “come up with more creative ways” to address it.

Other female English coaches at international level include Gemma Grainger at Norway, Casey Stoney at Canada and Carla Ward at the Republic of Ireland.

Canadian Rhian Wilkinson led Wales to their first major tournament at Euro 2025 last summer, while Dutchwoman Wiegman has guided England to back-to-back European titles and has been named the Fifa best women’s coach of the year on four occasions.

Wiegman was the only female coach in the quarter-final stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Speaking at that time, she said: “Of course what we hope is to get more female coaches at the top level and that the balance gets better than it is right now.

“Males are welcome too but if the balance is better than hopefully that will inspire more women to get involved in coaching.”

Chelsea‘s losses to PSG in both legs of their Champions League tie were sandwiched in between them being beaten 1-0 at home by Newcastle United.

The defeat by the Magpies left the Stamford Bridge club sixth in the Premier League – one point behind fifth-placed Liverpool – and out of the Champions League qualification spots with eight games left.

“Every manager goes through difficult weeks,” said Rosenior.

“I’ve had challenging periods before. I’ve lost games in many jobs, like all managers have done. We need to find a way to fight at Everton and come through a difficult period.”

He added: “You want to be in the Champions League. It makes everything clearer, not just from a financial point of view. This club deserves to be in the Champions League. That’s the target.”

Rosenior, who will be without defender Trevoh Chalobah for “around six weeks”, also said the social media criticism of him passing a note to his players when 8-2 down on aggregate against PSG “doesn’t bother me”.

“The reality is that I have to help this club win matches. If I don’t, if I breathe wrong or sneeze wrong, people will talk about it. It doesn’t affect me. It’s my job to be aware. Am I surprised? No,” said the Blues boss.

“In terms of the game on Tuesday, it completely didn’t go the way we wanted it to.

“Me handing out a note is not a reflection of my message not getting across to the players.”

Interim Tottenham manager Igor Tudor has been charged with misconduct over his claim that referee Thomas Bramall favoured the “home team” in Spurs’ 2-1 Premier League loss at Fulham.

Tudor hit out after his relegation-threatened side were beaten on 1 March, saying Bramall “doesn’t understand football”.

The Croat had been angered by the Cottagers’ first goal, which he believed happened because of a push by Raul Jimenez on Radu Dragusin before Harry Wilson put the ball into the net.

Speaking to the BBC after the match, Tudor said: “I didn’t like the referee today, too much of a home team referee. I didn’t feel well with him.

“All the decisions were on their side. He doesn’t understand football, the feeling of what is wrong and what is right.

“He [Jimenez] was not thinking about the ball, he was thinking how to cheat, he cheated the player, was pushing, it was cheating and it’s a foul. Ninety-nine of 100 people will say it’s a foul, it’s so obvious.”

The Football Association said Tudor “allegedly acted in an improper manner during a post-match interview by making comments that imply bias and/or question integrity and/or are personally offensive in relation to a match official”.

Spurs and the 47-year-old have until Monday to reply to the charge.

His ability to thrive in so many different roles suggests a natural feel for the game – something former England international midfielder Owen Hargreaves, who was also frequently used as a right-back, picked up on in his analysis of Gray’s performance against Atletico.

“When he wants, he can play quickly,” he said on TNT Sports. “I think sometimes in these games, players take too many touches. Archie did everything very quickly, and I thought he was incredibly effective.”

Like Hargreaves, Gray could potentially play for a number of nations at international level.

Despite his grandad Frank and great-uncle Eddie representing Scotland, Gray has opted for England, although he has yet to make a senior appearance for the Three Lions. A final decision on his international allegiance will have to be made soon if he continues this form, with a call-up likely on the cards.

For now, though, the focus cannot shift from Spurs and the focus that will be needed to pull clear of relegation trouble. Gray, perhaps more than anyone in the Tottenham squad, looks ready to face that fight head-on.

The Premier League has announced that the £30 price cap on away tickets has been extended for a further two seasons.

Clubs voted unanimously to keep the cap until the end of the 2027-28 season at a Premier League Shareholders’ meeting.

The decision means it will have been in place for 12 consecutive seasons, having first been introduced in 2016.

“Away fans help create the incredible atmosphere Premier League matches are renowned for,” a Premier League statement read.

“Since the cap’s implementation in 2016, it has contributed to attendance at away games increasing from 82% to 91%.

“The Premier League and clubs also acknowledge the additional costs associated with travelling to follow their teams around the country.”

The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) welcomed the news in a social media post.

“Great news and a reminder that the away cap was an FSA campaign that so many told us couldn’t happen… but it did thanks to the relentless campaigning of our members,” they wrote on X.

In November, more than 100 fan groups came together to urge Premier League clubs to freeze home ticket prices for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.

A letter published on the FSA website, external read: “Rising prices are making it harder for regular fans, especially younger generations and working-class communities, to attend matches.”

However, so far seven clubs – Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley, Leeds United, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Sunderland – have announced that home ticket prices will increase next season.

Europe’s top leagues have been summoned to a meeting with Uefa in the summer to discuss how video assistant referee (VAR) technology is being used.

The summit of referee chiefs from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 will discuss how to reset VAR to its intended interpretation of only intervening in the clearest of errors.

Roberto Rosetti – the head of Uefa’s referees – called the meeting after saying last month the game must not “go in this direction of microscopic VAR interventions”.

Uefa wants to discuss with leagues how they use VAR, and the thresholds applied.

“I believe that we forgot the reason why VAR was introduced,” Rosetti said.

“In objective decisions, it is fantastic. For interpretations, subjective evaluation is more difficult.

“That’s why we started to speak about clear and obvious mistakes – clear evidence.”

VAR is operated very differently across Europe.

The Premier League has the lowest VAR intervention rate this season – 0.275 per game – thought that has not meant less controversy over decisions.

Figures released last month showed the Bundesliga and La Liga come next at 0.38 interventions per game, with Serie A at 0.44 and Ligue 1 at 0.47.

In the Champions League, interventions are at a rate of 0.45 per game.

Rosetti also wants all leagues to speak “only one technical language” after controversy over the inconsistent application of laws such as handball.

It is hoped the meeting could lead to a more universal approach to the laws and with how VAR is used.

Galatasaray also confirmed that Victor Osimhen suffered a fracture to his right forearm during the first half.

The Nigeria forward went down holding his arm following a challenge with Ibrahima Konate in the eighth minute, but he played on until he was replaced by Leroy Sane at half-time.

“Following the match, a check-up at the hospital under the supervision of our medical team revealed that our player had a fracture in his right forearm, and a cast was applied,” Galatasaray said.

“A decision regarding surgery will be made in the coming days after further evaluation.”

Buruk complained about referee Pawel Raczkowski’s decision-making following Osimhen’s injury.

“Looking at Osimhen’s position, we saw that Konate was able to commit these fouls very easily, he could easily apply any kind of foul,” Buruk said.

“While we were expecting the best referee in the world, perhaps one of the worst referees officiated the game.”

Liverpool will face reigning champions Paris St-Germain in the quarter-finals.

The decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title is “abject” and “we have to denounce it” a senior figure at African football’s governing body has said.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in January’s final but the Confederation of African Football (Caf) overturned the result on Tuesday because Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest when hosts Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty.

Play resumed after a 17-minute delay, and Brahim Diaz’s penalty for Morocco was saved and the game went to extra time, where Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored the winner.

Following an appeal by the Moroccan Football Association (FRMF), Caf ruled that by walking off the pitch Senegal had forfeited the match, with the “result being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.

Augustin Senghor, a Caf executive committee member and former head of the Senegalese Football Federation, told BBC World Service’s Newsday: “In a situation like this, we have to fight against injustice.

“Football is fair play, football is played is on the field, not in offices.

“What happened with Caf was unacceptable.

“When you see a committee taking such a decision in violation of our rules, in violation of the Fifa laws of the game, to take the trophy and give it to Morocco, I think it is something very abject.

“We have to denounce it.”

The FRMF said in a statement on Wednesday that the Caf verdict “upholds respect for rules that are necessary for the proper functioning of international competition”.

It added: “This decision helps to clarify the framework applicable to similar situations in the future and contributes to the consistency and credibility of international competitions, particularly African football.”

But Senghor believes that the decision was made after pressure from the FRMF.

“Senegal will fight because what happened is happening for the first time in the story of African football, in world football,” he added.

“I am sure that if we [appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport] then we will win and the trophy will never leave Senegal. It is clear in my mind.”

The issue that has created the most noise since Tuchel took charge is about how he has dealt with Jude Bellingham and the battle for the number 10 position.

The Real Madrid midfielder was left out of the October camp after injury despite wanting to join up as Tuchel favoured keeping a settled group after excellent performances.

Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers impressed in qualifying, starting five of England’s eight group games, and has become the first-choice number 10.

“Rather than finding positions for my best players just so that I can have them on the field, I prefer to put everyone in their best positions and have some competition,” Tuchel said when speaking about the pair going up against each other.

There is no denying Bellingham is one of the best midfielders in the world when he is fit and in form, but the midfielder is currently working his way back from a hamstring injury and has not played since 1 February.

It’s easy to forget that Bellingham is just 22, given he has already produced some iconic moments for England such as his last-gasp bicycle kick against Slovakia at Euro 2024 and his assist for Cole Palmer’s goal in the final.

Tuchel has made a point about how his England team need to be settled and united, but if Bellingham is producing his best for Madrid at the end of the season, the England manager has a very difficult decision on his hands.

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who has also had injury problems this season, has barely played under Tuchel, featuring for just 65 minutes.

And Phil Foden’s role is not clear in this England squad – he was called up as a back-up striker for the last camp and assisted Eberechi Eze in the win over Serbia at Wembley in November from that position.

Yet it was telling that those in the away end applauded their side off at full-time and repeatedly vowed to “support you ever more”.

The travelling support had certainly not forgotten that Newcastle had reached the last 16 of the competition for only the second time in the club’s history.

Or that the visitors lost just three of their dozen Champions League fixtures this season.

Or that they put in valiant displays in 1-1 draws against Barcelona and holders Paris St-Germain.

“This is where we want to be,” said Howe. “As much as today is a harsh scoreline on us and a painful experience, to see the players play in the way they did in the first half and execute 90% of what we wanted, it was a great feeling and a great sight.

“I don’t think that all should be forgotten with the scoreline, as difficult as that is for everyone to see.”

However, this sobering trip to the Nou Camp felt another timely reminder of the gap Newcastle have to bridge.

It is challenging enough for them to regularly qualify for the Champions League year in, year out.

It will be harder still to compete for such heavyweight honours as CEO David Hopkinson has set out to do as soon as 2030.

Howe spoke afterwards “about learning from today and evolving and changing if we need to”.

Those words did not just feel like a reference to the games to come.

You anticipate this side will look a little different when Newcastle next play in Europe, and that is before taking departures into account.

It was rather telling that Howe was fielding questions about the future of Sandro Tonali on the eve of one of the biggest games in the club’s recent history following yet another batch of comments from the midfielder’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, at the weekend.

Qualifying for the Champions League did not exactly help the club’s cause when it came to keeping hold of Alexander Isak.

But failing to finish in the top five will leave Newcastle particularly vulnerable in a window they have to get right following the turbulence of last summer.