Category: Sports

“The size, layout, and positioning of the banner in the stadium shall be submitted by the Israel Football Association to Fifa at the latest 15 days before each match for approval,” said Fifa in a statement.

It has also ordered the IFA to “invest one third of the fine … towards the implementation of a comprehensive plan to ensure action against discrimination and to prevent repeated incidents”.

Fifa added “the decision remains subject to a potential appeal” by the IFA.

The PFA also accused the IFA of “allowing inclusion of football teams located on the territory of another association (Palestine) in its national league”.

On this, Fifa said it “should take no action given that … the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law”.

Meanwhile, the Palestine FA said its national team’s friendly matches against Mauritania and Benin in Morocco later this month have been cancelled because of the conflict in the Middle East.

Entering a football match in England and Wales without a ticket will become a criminal offence under new laws that come into force before Sunday’s Carabao Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley.

Offenders will face a football banning order of up to five years, as well as a fine of up to £1,000.

The legislation has been introduced as a result of the serious disorder that marred the European Championship final between England and Italy at Wembley in July 2021, when thousands of fans forced their way into the stadium.

The new act is designed to clamp down on ‘tailgating’ – where supporters without tickets make their way through turnstiles by staying close behind legitimate ticket-holders.

It will also be illegal to knowingly attempt to gain entry using forged tickets, passes and accreditation documents, or by posing as a member of staff.

Until now, there have been no specific legal penalties for entering a football match without a ticket, with supporters that are caught doing so tending to be ejected without any further punishment.

“Football fans should be able to enjoy the game without feeling unsafe or threatened,” said policing minister Sarah Jones.

“We’re giving the police the tools they need to ensure the chaos we saw at Wembley five years ago never happens again.

“Anyone who endangers others by forcing their way into stadiums faces serious consequences.”

A Football Association (FA) commissioned report led by Baroness Louise Casey said the disorder at the Euro 2020 final could have led to deaths.

It found that about 2,000 people got into the match illegally, with 17 mass breaches of disabled access gates and emergency fire doors.

The Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Act follows Baroness Casey’s findings that sanctions on breaking into stadiums were weak, and that tailgating should become a criminal offence.

Italy beat England on penalties in the final to be crowned European champions.

England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland are co-hosts of Euro 2028.

Emery became the quickest Villa manager to 100 wins with victory in France last week.

Villa Park marked the achievement with fans holding up ‘Emery 100’ cards as the teams walked out.

He knows how to get the job done and, with Villa searching for their first trophy in three decades, the end of the drought is in sight.

Villa did what was necessary against Lille, even if the performance still lacked the style, tempo and class they have produced this season.

Those levels remain from their stumble in the Premier League, with just two wins from 10 games, which has added jeopardy, something which did not look likely at the start of the year.

Overhauled by Manchester United, Villa – who host West Ham on Sunday – are lucky to still be in the top five, mainly due to Liverpool and Chelsea’s failings.

But Emery, rightly, continues to ask to be judged after 38 games and where they will be at the end of the season.

Last month he was being asked about being in the title race and on Wednesday he pointed out being in Europe and in the top four was just a dream for the club when he took over three and a half years ago.

In his first press conference the former Arsenal and Paris St-Germain boss stated he came to Birmingham to win trophies and Villa have edged a little closer to that goal.

Emery has now reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League for the eighth time, no other manager has done so more than five times, while Villa have made the quarter-finals of a major European competition in three straight seasons.

“Villa [were] very professional, not outstanding, just doing enough to get to the next round,” Dublin said.

“That’s what they need, but they will have to up their performances if they want to get to the latter stages of the competition.

“I think there is more to come from them. If they do that, they can really surprise a few people.”

While the Europa League will continue to offer respite from an otherwise difficult season for Forest, the additional games present challenges.

Forest will take on Porto in the quarter-final on 9 and 16 April, welcome Aston Villa to the City Ground in between the two legs and then host Burnley the following weekend.

Winning games means positive momentum and that can only be a help when it comes to fighting to stay in the league.

But it also means more games and Pereira, who is set to take charge in his first European quarter-final, must find the balance between keeping his side in the top flight and managing the demands of competing in Europe.

“When we win it’s different,” Pereira said.

“The spirit is different, the energy is different and the boys deserve it because they are a fantastic group, very good players and with team spirit, character – we showed everything today.

“I don’t have any doubt that we have the quality and we will compete to achieve our targets.”

Yates added: “That winning feeling is special, you want to keep that momentum going.

“Momentum at this stage of the season is huge. We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. Recover now, focus on Tottenham now and keep building, keep getting those wins.

“It’s not over yet, we’re still dreaming.”

“Given your first choice, you’d be in a natural break in the summer.

“In football, you don’t get to pick these times.”

St Mirren will take on Celtic, who they beat in December’s League Cup final, in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden on 19 April, with Dunfermline Athletic playing Falkirk in the other semi on 18 April.

Lasley indicated St Mirren were considering candidates who had applied as well as those the club had approached. He also praised the interim management team led by Craig McLeish for how they had “stepped up really well”, with the Paisley side visiting Falkirk on Saturday.

“We’ve got points to win in the league to hopefully move ourselves away from the bottom end of the table and also a big semi-final coming up in the short term, which is great to have on the horizon,” Lasley said.

“We need somebody who can come in and really galvanise and really push us forward in that short term.

“We want to make sure it’s the right person to push us forward in the long term.”

Bruno Guimaraes is wanted by some big-name teams, Manchester United are set to rebuff another season’s loan for Marcus Rashford, and Tottenham captain Cristian Romero downplays talk of a move.

Manchester United are in advanced negotiations to sign Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes for about £69m, but renewed interest ​from Real Madrid threatens to complicate the move for the 28-year-old Brazil midfielder. (Reuters), external

However, the Magpies are keen to keep Guimaraes and are lining up talks over a record new contract. (Teamtalk), external

Manchester United will reject Barcelona’s efforts to extend the loan of England international Marcus Rashford, 28, for another season, telling the Spanish club to pay the previously agreed £26m or send the forward back to Old Trafford. (Mirror), external

Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero has dismissed speculation linking him with a summer transfer, with the Argentine, 27, stating his commitment is to helping the club avoid relegation. (Independent), external

Meanwhile, striker Randal Kolo Muani, who is on loan at Tottenham from Paris St Germain, is being lined up for a permanent move to Juventus where the 27-year-old spent time last season. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah, 33, has yet to make a decision about his future amid interest from Saudi Arabia, while Al-Hilal are confident they can tempt Reds sporting director Richard Hughes to join them. (Mail – subscription required), external

Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans, 28, is ready to reject any offers to leave Aston Villa having been on the radar of several clubs in Saudi Arabia. (Football Insider), external

Real Madrid are in discussions with their 33-year-old Germany defender Antonio Rudiger over a new deal. (Marca), external

Borussia Dortmund are interested in re-signing English forward Jadon Sancho. The 25-year-old, on loan at Aston Villa, will be out of contract at parent club Manchester United in June. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Manchester City are increasingly resigned to manager Pep Guardiola leaving at the end of the season, with potential replacements being assessed. (Football Insider), external

Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is a target for Inter Milan and the 29-year-old Italy international is believed to be open to a move to the Serie A club. (Calciomercato – in Italian), external

Brighton keeper Carl Rushworth, on loan at Coventry City, is attracting interest from as many as six Premier League clubs with the 24-year-old Englishman expected to command a fee of about £20m. (Talksport), external

Football journalist David McIntyre, who has covered QPR for 26 years, says Vale’s versatility and ability on the ball could make him a great fit for the Republic of Ireland.

“He’s left-footed, he can play on the wing, left-back, centre midfield or as a 10 behind the striker,” said McIntyre.

“Recently, he’s been playing on the right so he can cut in on his left foot. He’s very good at that. Most of his best moments for QPR have come from that position.

“He has a good range of passing and a good set-piece delivery. He doesn’t have serious pace but he’s a determined runner and he’s certainly not slow.”

While Vale joined QPR from Chelsea, McIntyre admits he has gone “under the radar” with much of the spotlight on strikers Richard Kone and Rumarn Burrell, who have netted a combined 18 goals this season.

“He’s definitely a good option for the Republic of Ireland. Solid Championship players like Josh Cullen have done well in that squad and Vale falls into that bracket,” added McIntyre.

“I can see why he’s got a place in the squad. If they were chasing a game, he can give them something, but he’s also neat and tidy in possession so he can be an option if you’re looking to shut up shop.”

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has been announced as an investor in a new global chess tour.

The 25-year-old is backing the Norway Chess organisation, which is set to launch the Total Chess World Championship Tour next year.

Four tournaments will be staged annually in different cities, with a world champion crowned across three disciplines – fast classic, rapid and blitz chess.

It is being supported by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and a pilot tournament is planned for this autumn.

Each season will have a minimum prize pool of $2.7m (£2m) with Fide describing it as “one of the most significant developments in modern chess”.

Speaking to the federation’s website, Haaland said chess was “an incredible game” and he likened it to football as “it sharpens your mind”.

“You have to think quickly, trust your instincts and think several moves ahead. Strategy and planning are everything,” he added.

“I’m investing in Norway Chess because I believe the new Total Chess World Championship Tour can turn chess into an even bigger sport for spectators around the world.”

People have been panning Tottenham boss Igor Tudor but they will look upon him in a different light if his side win this game.

Maybe he just needs to identify the opposition’s threat a little bit better than he does opposing managers – that clip of him mistaking someone else for Arne Slot at Anfield last week did make me chuckle.

Nottingham Forest‘s issue is that they don’t score enough goals, and that lack of attacking threat might just cost them here.

I know I keep mentioning it, but Forest manager Vitor Pereira has still not won a Premier League game all season, after 12 attempts with Wolves and Forest.

I don’t think he will win this week, either, although this is going to be an extremely tight game.

Spurs’ first aim will be to avoid any calamities like their red card against Crystal Palace in their previous home league game.

They have a few injuries, but they still have a fair bit of quality in their team.

Tottenham also have a bit of positivity and momentum after Wednesday’s home win over Atletico Madrid, even though it wasn’t enough to turn around their Champions League tie. Now they need to build on that.

Sutton’s prediction: 1-0

Amari’s prediction: If we play like we did against Liverpool and we get some players back from injury too, then we can do this. Forest have got some good players but we just need to get a result, it doesn’t matter how. 3-2

Amari on why he supports Spurs, and his favourite players: It’s down to my dad – every single person on my dad’s side is a Spurs fan. When I was kid, my heroes were Gareth Bale and then Dele Alli – when he first came to us, he was incredible.

Amari on whether Spurs will stay up or not? It’s been such a frustrating time because I don’t know what’s been going wrong. We can say it’s because of injuries but every team has those. We have been missing lots of players, but we still have a good squad.

I’ve been stressed about it before, but I am not stressed about it right now. If we are still in this situation with three games left then it is different, we might be going down. Now? I do believe we can get out of this.

Genesis’ prediction: I am going to give you a strange one here – I think Forest will surprise people. 1-3

AI’s prediction: 2-1

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.”