Luis Enrique was not let go as Spain coach for his extracurricular activities such as his Twitch streams, Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales has insisted.
The former Barcelona boss was dismissed from his post following La Roja s World Cup exit to Morocco in the last 16 earlier this month, with former youth boss Luis de la Fuente named as his replacement.
Before and during the tournament, Luis Enrique caught the eye with several additional activities, such as announcing his Qatar 2022 squad on a bike ride and streaming daily on the video site Twitch.
Some had wondered if he had paid the price in part for those distractions, but Rubiales has now sought to shut down such speculation, stating it was simply time for a change of leadership.
…
Lionel Messi and his father Jorge have filed a corrective payment with the Spanish authorities amid allegations of tax fraud.
The pair are alleged to have filed incorrect tax returns between 2006 and 2009 and a court located near Barcelona confirmed on Wednesday that a payment of just over €5million has been received.
This means Messi will not be set bail, as the State Agency for Tax Administration had requested, with the statement to the media explaining that given the global impact of the Barcelona and Argentina star, there was no doubt as to his solvency .
The statement added that the payment meant there was little chance of Messi and his father withholding further monies during the legal process of a pending tax fraud trial .
A court hearing has been set …
Putting in what was a season-defining performance on Sunday afternoon, Southampton scored an immediate Premier League return as they clinched a 1-0 victory against Leeds at Wembley.
Earning in the region of £140million following Sunday’s play-off final win in north London, it was attacking talisman Adam Armstrong who proved to be the Saints’ hero as the 27-year-old produced a slick finish midway through the first-half.
While Russell Martin’s men might have finished three points behind Leeds in the final Championship standings, the Saints caused their fellow play-off finalists plenty of issues and were a deserving winner.
With emotional scenes among Southampton’s camp following the full-time whistle, Southampton following Leicester and Ipswich in plannin…
West Ham have announced the signing of Algerian winger Sofiane Feghouli on a free transfer.
The 26-year-old had been at Valencia since 2010, but will move to the Premier League after his contract expires at Mestalla.
Feghouli scored just one goal in 21 La Liga appearances last season as the six-time Spanish champions stumbled to a 12th-place finish, but he was on target three times in their Champions League campaign.
He also netted once in the 2014 World Cup group stages, where Algeria progressed to lose to eventual champions Germany in a thrilling round-of-16 tie.
The former Almeria loanee will now link up with West Ham on a three-year deal ahead of a season where the club will play in the Europa League and move into London s Olympic Stadium.
I…
Harry Kane says Bayern Munich need to use Manchester United’s issues to their advantage as the England skipper looks to shoot down his long-term admirers in the Champions League.
Kane has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford but last month moved to the German giants from boyhood club Tottenham.
He has hit the ground running with four goals in as many domestic games as attention turns to Wednesday’s Champions League opener.
: United are going through a tough period and we re expecting a reaction from them. We want to control the game at our home ground, but have to be wary of their strengths. We have to make sure we create enough chances.
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN)
United are the visitors and the England skipper, 30, mainta…
Inter Milan are being linked with a summer bid for Atletico Madrid midfielder Mario Suarez, .
The Nerazzurri are looking at a number of players as they plan to reinforce the midfield department and they have been offered a chance to sign the Spanish footballer.
Mario Suarez is likely to be available for between €12m and €15m, and it remains to be seen if the Serie A side will be ready to meet the asking price.
The 27-year-old has been an integral part of Diego Simeone s title-winning team, although he seems to have fallen behind Tiago in the pecking order of late.
Mario began his career at Vicente Calderon, but he was sold to Mallorca in 2008 as the club officials did not believe he had a future at the club.
Los Colchoneros admitted their mis…
Market: Parma win
Odds: 12/11 @
Two sides who already find themselves battling it out at opposite ends of the Serie B table, Parma will welcome Sampdoria to the Stadio Ennio Tardini on Sunday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, while Parma might have eventually missed out on the chance to secure a Serie A return last season, the Crusaders have certainly come flying out of the traps this time around. Marking their return from September’s international break with a thumping performance as they claimed a 5-0 romp away at Catanzaro, the mood around the Stadio Ennio Tardini appears to be at a red-hot high. Only continuing to gain a string of plaudits since opening up the 2023/24 campaign, Fabio Pecchia’s side will be looking to lay down another Serie B marker her…
Arsenal shrugged off the impending departure of Alexis Sanchez by scoring four times in the first 22 minutes en route to a 4-1 hammering of Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Chile international appears set to make the switch to Premier League rivals Manchester United, who are reportedly ready to pay £35million plus Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the forward s services.
For the second straight game, Arsene Wenger left Sanchez out of his matchday squad and the Frenchman seems poised for a pursuit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a replacement after Borussia Dortmund confirmed the Gunners had made a bid, thought to be in the region of €50m.
But whatever Arsenal s comings and goings before the end of the January window, they were certainly not short of firepower at Emirates …
The awarding of the World Cup hosting rights to Russia and Qatar could be the best thing to happen to football , according to new CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani.
Russia will host the next finals in 2018 and Qatar the 2022 event, with both nations awarded the tournaments in a controversial vote in December 2010.
A lengthy anti-corruption campaign has been led in FIFA and global football in the subsequent years, with a number of officials indicted on charges including bribery and money-laundering following a high-profile police bust in Zurich last year.
Former CONCACAF chief Jeffrey Webb was among those to be arrested and later banned from the sport by FIFA, while ex-president Sepp Blatter is serving a six-year suspension over an alleged disloyal payment m…
Nottingham Forest have announced the sacking of manager Billy Davies in the wake of a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of rivals Derby County.
Forest slipped out of the Championship play-off places as a result of Saturday s humbling defeat, which extended their winless run to eight matches.
A statement from Forest on Monday read: Nottingham Forest Football Club have confirmed the termination of manager Billy Davies employment.
The club thank Mr Davies for his efforts during his second spell as manager since his re-appointment in February 2013 and wish him well for the future.
Nottingham Forest will make a further announcement in due course.
Davies returned to the City Ground 13 months ago, having previously led Forest to the Championship play-offs on two occasio…