Luke Bosher

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was given a five-match ban for spitting on the floor as the match officials walked past him following their 2-2 draw with Fulham last month. Marinakis’ ban was confirmed last week after an independent regulatory commission investigated him following a Football Association (FA) charge of misconduct. That commission has now released the reasons for its decision, including the testimonies of the parties involved. Referee Josh Smith, assistant James Mainwaring and fourth official Tim Robinson all testified that Marinakis spat on the floor by them as...

France Football’s editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia has suggested that Vinicius Junior’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or were harmed by the achievements of Real Madrid team-mates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal. Vinicius Jr had been the favourite to win the men’s award, which is presented by France Football who co-organised it with UEFA, before it emerged ahead of Monday’s ceremony in Paris that Manchester City midfielder Rodri was to receive the accolade. Bellingham finished third in the voting with Carvajal in fourth and there were two other Madrid players in the top 30: Toni...

luke bosher Manchester City confirm Therese Sjogran as new women's director of football

Fenerbahce head coach Jose Mourinho says his team played “against the VAR and against the system” during their 3-2 win over Trabzonspor on Sunday night. Mourinho was highly critical of the VAR Atilla Karaoglan in a post-match interview, suggesting that the official was “drinking Turkish tea” instead of watching the game. The Portuguese coach said it was “unbelievable to win this match against so many powerful people” and implored Turkish people to speak out. Mourinho also suggested that the system could make his words “disappear”. “Man of the match: Atilla Karaoglan,” The...

Sargent has registered four goals and five assists for his club side Norwich City this season.

English non-League side Harborough Town have announced the signing of former Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers midfielder Sandro. Sandro had retired from football in September 2023 at the age of 34, having also played for Internacional, West Bromwich Albion and Antalyaspor, as well as the Brazil national team. Harborough manager Mitch Austin told the club’s website that he had a “chance conversation” with Sandro which led to the 35-year-old signing for the seventh-tier side. Harborough have made headlines in recent weeks after beating National League South side Tonbridge Angels...

Tottenham Hotspur vice-captain Cristian Romero has avoided a serious injury but forward Richarlison faces a “little while” out with a left hamstring problem. Romero and Richarlison sustained injuries during Tottenham’s 4-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa on Sunday. Both had to be withdrawn in the second half, with Richarlison playing fewer than 20 minutes having come on early in the half for Son Heung-min. Richarlison posted about his injury on social media earlier on Wednesday and Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou gave an update on his squad when speaking ahead of Thursday’s...

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is hopeful Kai Havertz will be available for Sunday’s trip to Chelsea after the German sustained a “big cut” during their Champions League loss against Inter Milan. Havertz collided with Inter defender Yann Aurel Bisseck during the second half of the 1-0 defeat and received treatment on the pitch before being withdrawn while bleeding. “Kai, he has a big cut,” Arteta said. “He had to come off because he needed some stitches. Hopefully, he will be OK for the weekend.” Arteta, meanwhile, confirmed that Mikel Merino had to be...

Cole Palmer says he needed persuading to join Chelsea from Manchester City last summer. In an interview with British GQ, Palmer said his manager helped convince him to make the move to the west London club after he had decided he wanted to leave City. He has previously spoken about how initially only wanted to leave City on a season-long loan before returning to the first team, but was told he had to either leave permanently or remain at the club. Palmer, 22, completed a move to Chelsea for a fee worth up to £42.5million (now $54.1m) on deadline day and enjoyed a hugely successful individual...

Claudio Ranieri has been appointed as the new the head coach of Roma. The Athletic reported earlier this week that Ranieri was in talks to take over at the Serie A side, having previously announced his retirement from coaching after steering Cagliari to safety at the end of last season. Roma say that at the end of this season, Ranieri will “transition into a senior executive role, where he will be an adviser to the ownership on all sporting matters at the club”. The club add that the search for their head coach will proceed over the coming months and Ranieri will be involved in the...