Labasa in uphill battle

Boost for Suva in title defence

Fresh from playing the final of the Oceania Football Confederation Champions League, the Suva football side has set its sights on defending the Digicel Fiji FACT title. The Babs Khan-coached side received a major boost ahead of the tournament which starts this Friday. Extra Supermarket, Container Haulage and All Freight Logistics have come on board...

Navua ready for big guns

The Navua football side is heading into this year’s Digicel Fiji FACT with an aim to continue the tournament form they had last year. In the last tournament held on the Fiji FA calendar last year, Navua made the final of the IDC at the HFC Bank Stadium before losing to Suva. The side held...

Seven players to leave Leicester City after relegation

(Reuters) – Seven players will leave Leicester City when their contracts expire in June, officials from the club who were relegated from the Premier League said on Monday. Youri Tielemans, Caglar Soyuncu, Daniel Amartey, Nampalys Mendy, Ryan Bertrand, Ayoze Perez and Tete will leave the club. “The Football Club extends its thanks to all seven...

Brazil and Spain to play friendly in anti-racism campaign

(Reuters) – Brazil will play a friendly against Spain next March as part of an anti-racism campaign under the slogan ‘One skin’, both countries’ football federations announced on Monday. A statement from the Spanish soccer governing body (RFEF) said the match will be held in Spain to “reinforce the commitment of both entities against violence...

Seven punished by Spanish government for racist insults against Vinicius

(Reuters) – Seven people involved in different racist attacks against Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr have been punished by Spain’s State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport, the country’s Sports Commission said on Monday. Four men were fined 60,001 euros ($64,255) and banned from sports venues for two years after hanging a...

Saudi wealth fund to take control of soccer star Ronaldo’s club

DUBAI (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund will take control of four of the kingdom’s top soccer clubs including Al-Nassr, which Cristiano Ronaldo plays for, as the government revives a plan to privatise several state-owned sports clubs. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) will own 75% of al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr, and Al-Hilal, the sports ministry...

Europa Conference final is real deal for West Ham and Fiorentina

(Reuters) – The Europa Conference League might be very much UEFA’s third club competition but for West Ham United and Fiorentina, whose solitary European successes came over half a century ago, Wednesday’s showdown is being treated like a World Cup final. Fiorentina, who lost to Real Madrid in the second European Cup final in 1957,...

Argentina’s Messi keen on rejoining Barcelona, says father

(Reuters) – Lionel Messi, who last week played his last game for Paris St Germain, is open to making a return to LaLiga side Barcelona, the Argentine forward’s father said on Monday. Barca were forced to let their talisman leave in 2021 because his high wages coupled with strict LaLiga financial rules could have jeopardised...

Capital City boys out to defend FACT title

Suva football head coach Maxwell Thaggard and his side will be out to maintain their status as defending champions of the Digicel Fiji FA Cup Tournament (FACT) when it kicks off this weekend. Thaggard said their goal was to defend their title for a third time and was adamant his side had what it takes...

Soccer-Benzema scores on farewell but Real held at home by Bilbao

MADRID (Reuters) – Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema netted a penalty in his final LaLiga game at the Bernabeu but was unable to inspire them to victory as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Earlier on Sunday, Real announced that Ballon d’Or winner Benzema will leave the club as a...

New Caledonian side snatch victory with 100th-minute winner

A winning goal that came 10 minutes into added time has given AS Academy Féminine an opening-day victory in the Oceania Women’s Champions League. AS Academy Féminine beat host nation team Hekari United 2-1 in Port Moresby. The New Caledonian side opened the scoring in just the second minute when Drenga Leme finished superbly after...

Labasa in first loss

The Digicel Labasa football side suffered its first defeat at the OFC Women’s Champions League in Papua New Guinea going down to Solomon Island’s Koloale FC 1-nil yesterday. Labasa was a shadow of a side compared to the performance in which they beat Samoa’s Kiwi FC 6-nil earlier this week. Women’s football in the Solomon...

Argentinian court gives suspended sentence to Boca Juniors’ Villa

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Colombian striker Sebastian Villa Cano, who plays for Argentina’s top club Boca Juniors, was given a suspended prison sentence of more than two years on Friday after being found guilty of violence against his former partner Daniela Cortes. Villa was denounced in April 2020 by Cortes through photos of injuries published...

Diyalowai makes history with first goal

Digicel Labasa women’s football captain Sofi Diyalowai jotted her name down in history books scoring the first goal of the OFC Women’s Champions League in Papua New Guinea yesterday. In a historic match against Samoa’s Kiwi FC, Diyalowai collected the ball just inside the opponent’s box and raced 45 meters to place the ball beyond...

Teams gear up for league

The five teams competing in the inaugural OFC Women’s Champions League in Papua New Guinea, including the Digicel Labasa women’s team, received a warm welcome at the official pre-tournament cocktail function at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium on Tuesday night. The teams mixed and mingled with each other before hearing from keynote speakers, including PNGFA President...

Lyon’s Aouar gets first Algeria call-up after switch from France

ALGIERS (Reuters) – Olympique Lyon’s Houssem Aouar has been called up to the Algeria squad for the first time ahead of games against Uganda and Tunisia, the national football association said on Tuesday. The 24-year-old midfielder played one game for France – a friendly against Ukraine in 2020 – before switching allegiance to Algeria, where...

Galatasaray clinch 23rd Turkish league title

ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish giants Galatasaray claimed their 23rd league title on Tuesday with a 4-1 win over Ankaragucu in their penultimate match of the season, with a double from Mauro Icardi and further goals from Baris Alper Yilmaz and Sergio Oliveira. It was the first time the Istanbul club have claimed the league title since...

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