News of football

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.

Cristiano Ronaldo tests positive for Covid-19

13-10-2020 14:02 Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Portuguese football federation said Tuesday.

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

'Nothing surprises me anymore' – Messi laments Suárez departure

25-09-2020 12:24 Lionel Messi bid an emotional farewell on Friday to Luis Suárez, the day after the Uruguayan striker had said tearful goodbyes to Barcelona after the club sent him to Atlético Madrid.

Gonzalo Higuaín set to sign for Beckham's MLS side Inter Miami

13-09-2020 09:34 Argentine forward flies into Miami for medical, ahead of finalising terms with new US club. Former Juventus and Real Madrid striker set to follow former Juve teammate Blaise Matuidi to South Florida.

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.

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.

Rosario left deflated but still hopeful, as Messi says he'll stay put

06-09-2020 08:09 Rosario had dared to dream, but it was left disappointed after the city's most celebrated son Lionel Messi announced he was staying at Barcelona on Friday.

Barcelona wants face-to-face meeting to change Messi’s mind

01-09-2020 15:48 Talks with Messi’s father, who is also his agent, are expected this week in Barcelona, but the club also hopes to sit down with the player himself.

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.

From Ballon d'Or to abject humiliation: why Messi seeks pastures new

26-08-2020 09:08 Barcelona have insisted in the past they had plans for coping with Messi's retirement, whenever it came, but the truth is their number 10 is irreplaceable.

Goals, records, trophies: Messi's glittering career

26-08-2020 08:51 After announcing he wants to leave the Catalan club, here's a look at the career highlights of one of football's all-time greats.

Nacional's high-fliers mocked as AFA’s creates another monstrosity

20-08-2020 22:25 The men from Viamonte have done it again: just when you thought they couldn’t mess up the national game anymore, they’ve created another monstrosity, rendering a host of already played matches irrelevant in the process.

by Dan Edwards

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.

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.

First tentative steps toward ‘normality’ for the national game

08-08-2020 10:07 Argentine football's stars are finally preparing to shed the paunch and unwelcome kilos as they head back to training.

by Dan Edwards

Bartomeu has 'no doubt' Messi will stay at Barcelona

27-07-2020 15:54 "Messi has said many times that he wants to retire here and I have no doubt that he will re-sign," says club president.

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.

Messi blasts 'weak' team after Barcelona loses league title

17-07-2020 02:08 Messi blasted his team for being “weak” after Real Madrid wrested the league title away from Barcelona for the first time in three years on Thursday.

70 years on from the 'Maracanazo,' Brazil and Uruguay cannot forget

15-07-2020 23:21 July 16, 2020 marks the 70th anniversary of the "Maracanazo," when hosts Brazil was beaten 2-1 by Uruguay in the final of the 1950 World Cup in front of a crowd of almost 200,000 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. The defeat inflicted crushing disappointment across Brazil and still reverberates to this day.