News of sports

AFA confirms top-flight football in Argentina will return on October 30

15-10-2020 00:54 AFA chief Claudio Tapia confirms that top division teams will restart matches on October 30, after seven months without Argentine league football.

Argentina sees off Bolivia to win at altitude in World Cup qualifying

13-10-2020 22:18 Goals from Lautaro Martínez and Joaquín Correa enough to see off Bolivians in a match played 3,600 metres above sea level in La Paz.

Messi to put Barça drama behind him as Albiceleste seek fast start

07-10-2020 01:04 Lionel Messi will take a break from his Barcelona soap opera as he bids to fire the Albiceleste to the World Cup in Qatar.

Schwartzman shocks Thiem to reach first Grand Slam semi-final

06-10-2020 16:14 Argentine defeats US Open champion and third seed Dominic Thiem in a five-hour epic to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals, Schwatzman's first ever Grand Slam last-four appearance.

Lionel Messi says it’s time for Barcelona to unite

30-09-2020 14:09 Lionel Messi wants to put his dispute with Barcelona behind him and called for the club and its fans to unite.

World Cup ties pose selection dilemmas for Albiceleste

26-09-2020 10:25 Putting out an Albiceleste XI for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers is an acute logistical and selection dilemma for Lionel Scaloni. But despite the difficulties, some of Argentina’s old-guard still can’t find a spot in the squad.

by Dan Edwards

Argentine sides return to action in Copa Libertadores

17-09-2020 23:52 All five of Argentina's Copa Libertadores participants were back in action in the continental competition this week, dusting off the cobwebs after the extended, seemingly endless absence forced upon them by the coronavirus pandemic.

by Dan Edwards

World Cup fixture pile-up overshadows FIFA Congress

17-09-2020 16:43 When the 70th FIFA Congress meets on Friday, one issue will very much be on members’ minds – how to find time in the football calendar for hundreds of qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup.

by Anthony Harwood

Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone has Covid-19, confirms club

13-09-2020 08:32 Argentine coach isn't showing any symptoms and is in isolation, say club officials.

Salah bags hat-trick as Liverpool edge Bielsa's Leeds

12-09-2020 16:06 Marcelo Bielsa's perform well but lose 4-3 at Anfield, as Leeds return to English top-flight after 16-year absence.

Messi trains alone as Barça reintegration begins

07-09-2020 15:25 33-year-old trains alone in first session since Ronald Koeman was appointed coach and his first since he said on Friday he had been forced to stay at Barcelona.

Six Pumas players test positive for Covid-19

06-09-2020 15:59 Players are asymptomatic and have been placed in managed isolation, the Argentina Rugby Union said in a statement Friday.

Lionel Messi confirms in interview he will stay at Barcelona

04-09-2020 13:39 Messi confirms he will stay at Barcelona, insisting he could never go to court against "the club of his life" and letting rip at Club President Josep Maria Bartomeu.

Boca Juniors reveal positive virus tests for 18 players

03-09-2020 16:35 Boca reveals 18 players have tested positive for the coronavirus, just two weeks before restarting their Copa Libertadores campaign. President Fernández casts doubt over whether games will go ahead.

Messi skips required coronavirus testing with Barcelona

30-08-2020 08:42 In another strong sign that Lionel Messi’s time with Barcelona may be coming to an end, the player did not report for required coronavirus testing scheduled for the whole squad on Sunday.

Messi calls time at Barcelona – what happens next?

29-08-2020 10:25 Any club in the world would want Lionel Messi. But only a select few could make a financial deal work for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Report claims Messi wants to move to Manchester City

26-08-2020 16:48 Local daily La Nación claims Argentine superstar has decided to move to English Premier League side Manchester City, where he would be reunited with former coach Pep Guardiola.

Top European clubs circle as Messi calls time at Barcelona

26-08-2020 09:14 Lawyers for Argentine star sends club a fax confirming Messi's desire to rescind his contract by triggering a release clause, sending shockwaves throughout the world of football.

Ronaldinho released from Paraguay detention after five months

25-08-2020 09:08 Retired Brazilian footballer released from house arrest after spending five months detained in Paraguay for entering the country with a false passport.

Leeds Utd owner Andrea Radrizzani on Bielsa's stress, one-year deals

21-08-2020 14:44 Leeds owner is counting on Marcelo Bielsa to lead the team in the Premier League, while at the same time planning for a future without the enigmatic manager.

Questions surround Messi’s future amid Barcelona chaos

18-08-2020 07:56 Barcelona fired coach Quique Setién on Monday, three days after the team’s humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the first step in what it said would be “a wide-ranging restructuring" of the club.

Problem mount for Independiente as clubs return to training

15-08-2020 10:18 The case of El Rojo, one of the traditional 'big five' of local football, is emblematic of the struggles likely to become commonplace in this uncertain new world.

by Dan Edwards

Brazil's Serie A already in doubt after infected first round

11-08-2020 12:18 Nine football players in Brazil have tested positive for Covid-19, casting doubt on the decision to resume the championship originally scheduled to start in May.

Could new Champions League format lead to new name on trophy?

10-08-2020 01:53 The Champions League moves to Lisbon this week for the start of the 'Final Eight' with the intriguing prospect that a new format could lead to a new name on the trophy.

Former tennis player Mariano Puerta admits lying to get reduced ban

04-08-2020 09:05 Argentine tennis player Mariano Puerta admitted on Monday he lied to get a reduced sentence when he was caught doping following the 2005 French Open final he lost to Rafael Nadal.

Don Julio’s shadow still looms large over Argentine football

01-08-2020 10:01 Six years on from his death, Julio Grondona continues to live long in the public’s memory. That is a measure of his towering presence – but also the inability of his successors to clean up the mess he left behind.

by Dan Edwards

Investing legend uses distressed debt to hunt for next Messi

24-07-2020 15:26 Martin Schubert, the pioneer of emerging-market debt swaps, is searching for the next Lionel Messi though an out-of-the-box trade combining distressed notes and sports.

Leeds planning contract talks with Bielsa after promotion

18-07-2020 17:35 Championship title winners Leeds plan to offer contract extension after the Argentine ended the club's 16-year exile from the Premier League.