News of sports

Diego Maradona, in one of his last public appearances at coach of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata.

13 key findings from expert report into Diego Maradona’s death

03-05-2021 13:36 Expert medical panel concludes actions of the medical team looking after Maradona were “inadequate, deficient and reckless” and “increased the risk” of late footballer’s death.

by Leonardo Nieva

President Alberto Fernandez oversees the delivery of coronavirus vaccines at Ezeiza international airport.

THE WEEK

What we learned this week: April 25 to May 1

01-05-2021 00:01 Our pick of the stories that caught our eye over the last seven days in Argentina.

Diego Armando Maradona (left), accompanied by the president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Claudio Tapia (second left) and the president of Argentina's top flight, Marcelo Tinelli (second right), is honoured before the start of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata's match against Patronato in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province on October 30, 2020.

DEATH OF DIEGO MARADONA

Expert panel says Maradona was left to ‘fate’ ahead of death

30-04-2021 22:17 Diego Maradona received inadequate medical care and was left to “fate” for a "prolonged, agonising period" before he died last year, an expert medical panel concluded Friday.

RUGBY

Pumas skipper Matera to join Super Rugby's Crusaders

30-04-2021 12:09 Argentina captain Pablo Matera will play Super Rugby next year with New Zealand heavyweights the Canterbury Crusaders, the Christchurch-based club said Friday.

FOOTBALL

Argentine sides off to good start in Copa Libertadores ties

30-04-2021 02:18 A total of five Argentine sides currently occupy qualifying spots for the next round of the Copa Libertadores.

by Dan Edwards

Football

Newell's Old Boys creates school in Rosario for kids with disabilities

27-04-2021 12:24 Lionel Messi's childhood club — the famous Newell's Old Boys in Rosario — has launched a football school for children with learning disabilities.

General view of a vaccination center where Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines against COVID-19 are being used to inoculate elderly people, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, in Bogotá on April 7, 2021.

copa américa in doubt?

Bogotá bars football matches as virus stretches health system

26-04-2021 15:34 Colombia's capital Bogotá on Monday barred two continental club football matches from taking place due to the city's health system teetering on the verge of collapse from the coronavirus pandemic.

Super League

Europe’s rebel Super League collapses after fan pressure

24-04-2021 09:37 Football's most powerful clubs face mounting calls for reprisals over Super League fiasco underlines greed and lack of respect for fans.

Football

Vigilance and activism can blunt ambitions of greed

24-04-2021 09:33 For the past week, all football conversations were dominated by one particular theme: the Super League.

by Dan Edwards

FOOTBALL

European Super League flop a familiar sight for South Americans

23-04-2021 23:37 South America has seen several attempts by clubs to take organisational matters into their own hands.

Football supporters demonstrate against the proposed European Super League outside of Stamford Bridge football stadium in London on April 20, 2021, ahead of the English Premier League match between Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion.

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL

English fan power forces Super League billionaires into hasty retreat

21-04-2021 09:24 Leaders of the breakaway European Super League were searching for ways to rescue the ill-fated project on Wednesday after all six English clubs pulled out amid a furious reaction from fans, officials and politicians.

A group of supporters hold up placards critical of the idea of a new European Super League, outside English Premier League club Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium in London on April 20, 2021, ahead of their game against Brighton. The 14 Premier League clubs not involved in the proposed European Super League "unanimously and vigorously rejected" the plans at an emergency meeting on Tuesday. Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are the English clubs involved.

European football

FIFA vows 'consequences' for Super League clubs as backlash intensifies

20-04-2021 11:51 Breakaway plan prompts furious reaction from fans and officials, with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin saying Monday it was motivated by "greediness, selfishness and narcissism."

The Shankly Gates at Anfield stadium, home of English Premier League football club Liverpool, on April 19, 2021.

Football bombshell

Super League announcement opens unprecedented conflict in European football

19-04-2021 10:47 A planned breakaway Super League announced by 12 of European football's most powerful clubs and backed by US investment bank JPMorgan is roundly condemned by fans and federations across the continent.

Carlos Tevez belongs to the lucky few in football who – thanks to his long years in England, Italy and China – enjoy total financial security.

Jugador del Pueblo?

Carlos Tevez seeks to avoid paying Argentina's new wealth tax

17-04-2021 09:54 Boca Juniors striker files court injunction to avoid paying the country's new wealth tax, the latest example of the difficulty in making millionaires comply with the levy.

Referee Mauro Vigliano found himself at the centre of a media furore after awarding a soft penalty.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

Spare a thought for the man in the middle

17-04-2021 08:19 Top-flight referee Mauro Vigliano found himself in the middle of media furore this week, after an honest error in the high-profile Racing Club-Independiente derby.

by Dan Edwards

copa américa

President Fernández urges caution ahead of Copa América

15-04-2021 15:41 President Alberto Fernández on Thursday cast doubt over the upcoming Copa América the country is due to co-host with Colombia, insisting that the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic must be taken into consideration.

FOOTBALL

Bielsa denies he is close to signing new contract with Leeds

15-04-2021 12:24 Marcelo Bielsa denies La Nación reporting claiming he is "very close" to signing a new two-year contract with Leeds United.

copa américa

China's Sinovac to donate vaccine jabs for Copa América

13-04-2021 15:11 South American footballers will be given the Chinese Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine ahead of the Copa América that starts in June, following donation of 50,000 doses.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

AFA’s restrictions may prove too little, too late for local football

10-04-2021 08:28 A costly shutdown looks inevitable for Argentina’s top flight, after more than 100 players test positive for Covid-19.

by Dan Edwards

FOOTBALL IN ARGENTINA

AFA tightens restrictions as players, coaches test positive for Covid-19

10-04-2021 08:21 Game’s authorities order return to strictest protocols as virus sweeps through clubs.

Diego Maradona (centre), pictured with his lawyer Matías Morla (left) and Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata President Gabriel Pellegrino.

DEATH OF DIEGO MARADONA

Maradona lawyer blasts late star's daughters over inheritance dispute

06-04-2021 14:31 Matías Morla, Maradona's former lawyer, hits back at the late Argentine football legend's daughters, Dalma and Gianinna, after his offices were raided by anti-fraud police, accusing them of abandoning their father.

International Transgender Day of Visibility on Wednesday was marked by a demonstration outside Congress calling for Tehuel de la Torre, 21, a transgender youth missing since March 11, "to reappear alive."

THE WEEK

What we learned this week: March 27 to April 3

03-04-2021 08:55 A pick of some of the headlines that caught our eye over the last seven days in Argentina.

FOOTBALL TRANSFERS

Lucas Torreira says he wants to play for Boca following mother's death

02-04-2021 02:55 Arsenal's Uruguay international midfielder Lucas Torreira, who is on loan at Atlético Madrid, says he wants to leave Europe and play for Boca Juniors.

Sergio Agüero, plying his trade for Independiente aged 15.

IS 'KUN' COMING HOME?

Independiente dreaming of return of prodigal son Agüero

30-03-2021 20:29 Manchester City star Sergio Agüero is wanted by Independiente, coach Julio Falcioni revealed Tuesday.

Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero looks on after the English FA Cup quarter-final football match between Everton and Manchester City at Goodison Park in Liverpool, north west England on March 20, 2021.

WHERE NEXT FOR 'KUN'?

Sergio Agüero starts long farewell as Man City exit looms

30-03-2021 14:43 Agüero himself is adamant his departure does not mean the end of the story for him personally, with reports suggesting PSG, Juventus, Inter Milan and Barcelona rumoured to be interested in signing him up.

Manchester City's Sergio Agüero celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's third goal during the English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester City at Villa Park.

ARGENTINE STRIKER

Man City confirms Sergio Agüero will leave club at end of season

29-03-2021 21:28 Record-breaking Argentina striker Sergio Agüero says he is "proud" of his time at Manchester City, after both parties confirm he will depart the English side when his contract runs out this July.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

Tinkering leaves Argentina’s lower leagues stripped bare

27-03-2021 08:06 A stampede has formed at the AFA’s gates on Viamonte Street as clubs battle for one for a one-in-four-decade chance.

by Dan Edwards

The Italian son of late football idol Diego Maradona, Diego Armando Maradona Sinagra, known as Diego Junior, poses by a poster of an International Campaign for the Right to Identity, after he was granted the Argentine nationality on March 25, 2021 during a ceremony at the Argentine Consulate in Rome. Diego Junior is joining the International Campaign for the Right to Identity which helps search for the children stolen by the 1976-1983 military dictatorship from their missing parents, and helps Italians who have had links with Argentina between 1974 and 1983 and who have doubts about their identity.

DEATH OF DIEGO MARADONA

Maradona's Italian son granted Argentine nationality

25-03-2021 15:29 Diego Armando Maradona Sinagra Junior, the Italian son of the late footballing legend, was awarded his father's Argentine nationality on Thursday.

Lionel Messi takes on two Bolivia players during Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup South American qualifiing match this week.

International football

CONMEBOL wants FIFA protection after virus postponements

23-03-2021 19:06 CONMEBOL on Tuesday urged FIFA to protect its member federations after the postponement of South America's latest round of World Cup qualifiers over coronavirus restrictions.

TENNIS

Del Potro targets Tokyo Olympics with fourth knee operation

22-03-2021 22:41 Juan Martín del Potro said Monday he will undergo a fourth operation on his right knee in a bid to be fit for the Olympic Games tennis tournament in Tokyo.

One year since games were first cancelled due to pandemic.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Long winter lies ahead for Argentine football

20-03-2021 07:12 One year on from the Covid lockdown, it would be comforting to think that normality, or something approaching it, should now be on the horizon. On this first anniversary, however, there is little optimism on that front.

by Dan Edwards

A screenshot from a video showing Chacarita Juniors fans in the streets before the match.

DISCRIMINATION IN FOOTBALL

DAIA to file complaint after Chacarita Jnrs fans' anti-Semitic chants

19-03-2021 15:43 Anti-semitic chants heard before second division clash between fiery local rivals Atlanta, a team historically linked to Argentina's Jewish community, and Chacarita Juniors.

Lionel Messi is seen during Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup South American qualifier football match against Ecuador at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires on October 8, 2020.

International football

CONMEBOL should switch World Cup qualifiers to Europe, claims insider

15-03-2021 16:11 All South American qualifiers for the next World Cup should be played in Spain and Portugal to get around coronavirus restrictions at home, says one well-placed football insider.

by Anthony Harwood

FOOTBALL

Boca, River gear up for another Superclásico without fans

13-03-2021 08:33 La Bombonera set to host its second derby match against River Plate in the space of two months – the atmosphere remains far from normal, but is another thriller on the way?

by Dan Edwards

Marseille's new Argentine head coach Jorge Sampaoli gives his first press conference held for his presentation at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille, south-eastern France on March 9, 2021.

FOOTBALL

Sampaoli takes over Marseille and praises passion of fans

09-03-2021 21:27 Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli unveiled as new manager of French side Marseille, following a path once trodden by Marcelo Bielsa.

FOOTBALL

Cavani unhappy in England, eyes South America return, says father

09-03-2021 21:21 Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani is unhappy in England and wants to finish his career in South America, his father told local media, saying the Uruguay international fancies a move to local giants Boca Juniors.

FOOTBALL

Messi to Paris: Barcelona's nightmare, and PSG's unattainable dream?

09-03-2021 09:47 PSG and City are probably the only likely destinations for Lionel Messi should he leave Barcelona. But could a switch to Paris really happen?

Diego Schwartzman celebrates his victory.

Tennis

Diego Schwartzman claims Argentina Open title

08-03-2021 14:35 Diego Schwartzman beat Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday to lift the ATP Argentina Open.

This handout photo released by the press officer for Diego Armando Maradona shows the Argentine football legend shaking hands with his doctor, Leopoldo Luque, at the Olivos clinic.

DEATH OF DIEGO MARADONA

Expert panel begins debating cause of Maradona's death

08-03-2021 14:30 Panel of 20 experts begins debating cause of football icon Diego Maradona's death, to determine if there was negligence on the part of health care professionals.

Boca Juniors' Colombian midfielder Edwin Cardona celebrates after scoring a goal against Velez Sarsfield during their Argentine Professional Football League match at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, on March 7, 2021. ALEJANDRO PAGNI / AFPBoca Juniors' Colombian midfielder Edwin Cardona (L) celebrates after scoring a goal against Velez Sarsfield during their Argentine Professional Football League match at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, on March 7, 2021.

FOOTBALL

Without fans, South American clubs lose more at home

08-03-2021 14:24 AFP analysed clubs' results across three first-division seasons in three countries – Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay – and found their home performance declined when fans were barred from stadiums because of Covid-19.

International football

CONMEBOL postpones World Cup qualifiers over travel constraints

07-03-2021 08:12 CONMEBOL postponed two rounds of 2022 World Cup qualifiers scheduled later this month because of Covid-19 quarantine rules affecting European-based players and the threat of clubs refusing to release their international stars.

Los Dogos, the Argentine national team squad made up of homosexual and heterosexual players.

FOOTBALL & HOMOPHOBIA

Football and homosexuality: two incompatible worlds?

06-03-2021 09:00 In men’s football, homophobia is law and hardly anybody dares to break with the norm, with very few coming out of the closet. This, however, is in stark contrast to attitudes in women’s football.

by Claudio Gómez

Luis ‘Pulga’ Rodríguez, football player.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

'Pulga' Rodríguez deserves his dream move to Boca

06-03-2021 08:53 Out of every crisis arises possible opportunity. And at the Bombonera, a tantalising prospect: that local legend Luis 'Pulga' Rodríguez could finally receive his chance to shine at one of Argentina's biggest football institutions.

by Dan Edwards

River Plate's players and coaching staff celebrate their win.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

Five-star River Plate hammer Racing in Supercopa Argentina-2019 final

05-03-2021 02:53 River Plate were crowned champions of the Supercopa Argentina-2019 on Thursday night after hammering Racing Club 5-0 in the first ever match at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, in Santiago del Estero.

COPA AMÉRICA 2021

Colombia to allow stadiums to be 30% full at Copa América

02-03-2021 20:47 Number may be raised if Colombia's vaccination campaign goes according to plan, and the number of coronavirus cases drops, said the minister.

Paris Saint-Germain's Argentine head coach Mauricio Pochettino poses at the team's training grounds in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, outside Paris, on March 1, 2021.

Football

Refreshed Mauricio Pochettino embraces the PSG project

02-03-2021 14:36 Mauricio Pochettino was given the luxury of time at Tottenham Hotspur to build a team that would go on to reach a Champions League final, but the Argentine knows the demands are different now he is in charge at Paris Saint-Germain.

Giannina Maradona (R), daughter of late Argentine football star Diego Maradona, arrives at the public prosecutor's office accompanied by her lawyer Federico Guntin in San Isidro municipality, Buenos Aires province, Argentina, on February 26, 2021.

Death of Diego Maradona

Maradona's daughters give testimony to probe into footballer's death

01-03-2021 16:42 Maradona's daughters, Gianinna and Jana, have contributed fresh witness testimonies to the involuntary manslaughter probe into their father's death.

Argentinos and Vélez locked horns in the first domestic match screened on the TV Pública.

FUTBOL PARA TODOS

Echoes of the past as football returns to TV Pública

27-02-2021 07:58 Last night Argentinos and Vélez locked horns in the first domestic match screened on the TV Pública for almost four years, a throwback to the ‘Fútbol para Todos’ era which appeared to have gone forever.

by Dan Edwards

FOOTBALL

Marseille await Sampaoli in hope of turning around troubled season

26-02-2021 13:13 Sampaoli, fiery 60-year-old Argentine who coached his country at the 2018 World Cup and this week announced his departure from Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro, set to take charge of French side.

International football

Australia, Qatar pull out of 2021 Copa América

23-02-2021 21:01 Australia and Qatar have pulled out of the 2021 Copa América starting in June, South American football's governing body CONMEBOL confirms.

Diego Maradona, pictured a few weeks before his death.

DEATH OF DIEGO MARADONA

Prosecutors convene medical board to rule on Maradona's death

23-02-2021 13:17 Prosecutors to convene a medical board on March 8 to decide whether or not Diego Armando Maradona received proper medical treatment before his death.

FOOTBALL – PREMIER LEAGUE

Bielsa says Leeds should wait before extending his contract

22-02-2021 13:01 Marcelo Bielsa says it would be better for Leeds United to wait until the end of the season before deciding whether to extend his contract.

Aldosivi and Godoy Cruz clash at the Estadio “José María Minella,” in the opening round of Zona A of the Copa de la Liga Profesional.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

Emotions run high on opening weekend of season

20-02-2021 07:24 Ricardo Zielinski was one of 10 new coaches on display on the opening weekend, and each fared mixed fortunes.

by Dan Edwards

Adriana #14 of Brazil celebrates her goal against Romina Nunez #18 of Argentina during the SheBelieves Cup at Exploria Stadium on February 18, 2021 in Orlando, Florida.

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

Covid-ravaged Argentina slump to defeat in SheBelieves Cup

20-02-2021 07:19 Albiceleste women’s side loses 4-1 to Brazil in opener. Preparations for the game were rocked just hours before kick off after four players tested positive for Covid-19.

Leopoldo Luque (1949-2021)

World Cup winner Luque dies of heart attack after contracting Covid

16-02-2021 14:53 World Cup winner Leopoldo Jacinto Luque died on Monday of a heart attack while he was receiving treatment for Covid-19.

Godoy Cruz striker Santiago 'Morro' García.

FOOTBALL

Uruguayan striker Santiago García’s death confirmed as suicide

13-02-2021 09:35 Godoy Cruz striker Santiago 'Morro' García was found dead last Saturday at his home; Courts confirm Uruguayan, a fan’s favourite, took his own life.

BOCA JUNIORS

Boca and evergreen Tevez aim big, amid unwelcome distractions

13-02-2021 09:29 It would not be a Boca pre-season without at least a few rumours of both Tevez's dissatisfaction and general unrest in the club camp.

by Dan Edwards

DEATH OF DIEGO MARADONA

Maradona death probe widens to include nurses, psychologist

09-02-2021 09:17 A psychologist and two nurses – one male, one female – who helped care for Diego Maradona before his death have been added to a widening involuntary manslaughter probe.

FOOTBALL

Crespo quits Defensa y Justicia after Copa Sudamericana title

08-02-2021 15:12 Former Argentina striker Hernán Crespo has left his role as coach of Defensa y Justicia after leading the club to the Copa Sudamericana title last month.

People queue outside a vaccination centre at River Plate’s basketball court, bellow the grandstand of the Monumental stadium, in Buenos Aires.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Theatres, football clubs join fight against Covid-19

06-02-2021 10:21 Buenos Aires’ legendary Teatro Colón and some of the capital’s most beloved football clubs are assisting the battle against coronavirus, becoming testing and vaccinating sites.

Diego Armando Maradona, the football star.

IDOL’S LAST DAYS

Leaked messages reignite controversy over Maradona’s death

06-02-2021 09:25 Scandalous new details of Diego Maradona’s final days emerged this week, as rows and allegations continue to swirl over the late footballing legend’s death.

Platense´s celebrations after winning the game.

LOCAL FOOTBALL

Platense return to Argentina’s top fight after 22-year absence

06-02-2021 09:21 The Calamar defeat Estudiantes de Río Cuarto on penalties to win promotion.

LOCAL FOOTBALL

Argentine football continues to come back in torrents

06-02-2021 09:16 The dust has barely settled on the Copa Diego Armando Maradona but in just one week's time, the 26 Primera teams will lock horns once more in a brand-new tournament.

by Dan Edwards

Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has joined local giants Boca Juniors for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League club announced on February 2, 2021.

ROJO RETURNS TO ARGENTINA

Man Utd's Marcos Rojo completes Boca Juniors switch

02-02-2021 14:58 Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has joined local giants Boca Juniors for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

Platense desperate to end 22-year stay outside top flight

30-01-2021 09:03 To teams and their fans stuck in the lower reaches of the football pyramid, every moment away from the promised land of the top flight can feel like an eternity. Platense know that sensation better than most.

by Dan Edwards

Football players Pedro de la Vega and Jose Sand.

COPA SUDAMERICANA

Pepe and Pepo head Lanús’ push for second Copa Sudamericana title

23-01-2021 10:40 The financial devastation caused by the events of the last 12 months prompted Lanús to look even more closely at their young talent.

by Dan Edwards

In this August 13, 2020 file photo, Barcelona's Lionel Messi waves as he arrives at the the team's hotel in Lisbon, Portugal.

TRANSFER SPECULATION

PSG's Pochettino guarded over Messi move

20-01-2021 10:59 Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino played his cards close to his chest when tackled on Spanish radio over a potential move for Lionel Messi.

Players from Boca Juniors' women's team celebrate winning the Transicion 2020 title, after defeating River Plate 7-0.

WOMEN'S FOOTBALL

Boca thrash River to claim Argentina's inaugural women's pro football title

20-01-2021 08:07 Boca Juniors thrash arch-rivals River Plate 7-0 to claim inaugural professional women's football championship title.

Ángel Cabrera

Brazil arrests Ángel Cabrera, fugitive golfer accused of abuse

15-01-2021 14:19 Ángel Cabrera, wanted by Interpol on domestic violence charges, was arrested in Rio de Janeiro Thursday, and will be extradited to Argentina to stand trial.

COPA LIBERTADORES

Libertadores: River's heroics fall just short, timid Boca fail to get going

15-01-2021 01:25 Any hopes (or fears) of a repeat of 2018's Superclásico Copa Libertadores were extinguished over the course of 48 hours this week.

by Dan Edwards