Premier League seeks ‘urgent’ resolution to Everton appeal before end of season

The Premier League says it will seek to ensure the outcome of Everton’s appeal against a two-point penalty imposed earlier this month is known before the last round of top-flight games on May 19.

Everton were docked points by an independent commission last week for an admitted breach of top-flight profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), and have now formally lodged an appeal.

It means PSR appeal processes involving Everton and Nottingham Forest, who sit just above the Premier League relegation zone in 16th and 17th respectively, are ongoing.

Forest’s hearing against a four-point PSR sanction is understood to have been scheduled in the week beginning April 22, and the league has now indicated it will do all it can to ensure Everton’s appeal outcome is …

Spain ready for Serbia test despite missing ´irreplaceable´ stars, says De la Fuente

Luis de la Fuente backed his Spain side to step-up in their Nations League clash against Serbia, despite being without a plethora of their irreplaceable players.

Spain know a victory over Tuesday s opponents will put them within touching distance of qualification, having taken seven points from their first three games.

However, De la Fuente will be without Barcelona s Lamine Yamal for the clash in Cordoba, with the 17-year-old the latest name to withdraw from La Roja s ranks.

Yamal limped off in the 93rd minute of their Nations League win over Denmark before returning to Barcelona to undergo further tests, revealing he suffered a hamstring strain.

(Yamal) is irreplaceable, De la Fuente told a press conference on Monday. (But) we have to play eleven and…

Chelsea sack Tuchel: Potter, Pochettino and the candidates to replace dismissed German at Stamford B

Even accounting for Chelsea s shoddy start to the Champions League, few would have expected Thomas Tuchel to be out of a job by Wednesday.

The Blues started their European campaign with a lacklustre 1-0 setback at Dinamo Zagreb, a result that follows an underwhelming trend to start the season.

With three wins, two losses and one draw from six games, the Blues sit sixth in the infant Premier League table.

Still, most would have expected Tuchel – who has won the Champions League and Club World Cup with Chelsea – to be afforded more time to bed in the likes of Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly following a big-spending transfer window under the club s new owners led by Todd Boehly.

But, alas, he has not, and f…

Drinkwater hopes to have helped Euro 2016 chances

Danny Drinkwater does not think he has done his chances of reaching Euro 2016 with England any harm with his performance against Netherlands at Wembley on Tuesday.

The Leicester City midfielder made his first international appearance in the 2-1 loss for Roy Hodgson s men, playing for 84 minutes at the base of the hosts midfield diamond.

Drinkwater relished his England debut but rued the defeat as he set his sights on continuing to impress Hodgson in order to win a place on the plane to France for the tournament in June.

Hopefully I have not done myself any harm, it s just about carrying on now until the end of the season and seeing if I can add to it, he said to Sky Sports on his Euro 2016 chances.

The lads have made it easy for me all week, it s an ea…

Cavani hints at retirement at end of PSG contract in 2020

Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani has suggested he could retire once his contract expires in 2020.

Cavani joined PSG from Napoli in 2013 and has gone on to write his name firmly into PSG s history, having enjoyed a prolific spell.

Although his goalscoring hauls of 16, 18 and 19 in his first three campaigns were respectable, he really exploded in 2016-17, netting 35 in 36 Ligue 1 outings.

He followed that up with 28 in 32 league games last term, becoming the club s record goalscorer in the process when he netted for the 157th time, overtaking Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Despite his successes in Paris, the last couple of years have seen him linked with moves away, with Napoli said to be eager to bring him back to Serie A, but the Uruguay international is yet …

Pacho makes PSG switch from Frankfurt

Paris Saint-Germain have announced the signing of Willian Pacho from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The defender has signed a five-year contract with the Ligue 1 champions for a reported €45million fee.

In one season at Frankfurt, Pacho made 33 appearances in the Bundesliga, the most of anyone in the squad, and played the most minutes (2970).

I m very happy to be joining Paris Saint-Germain. I hope to bring my personality and show all my determination to win many trophies, he told PSG s website.

Welcome to Paris!

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)

Pacho won possession 216 times in the 2023-24 Bundesliga season, the second-best tally among all centre-backs in the competition behind only Nico Schlotterbeck (245).

Meanwhile, o…

Have Spain moved past player mutiny on their run to World Cup final?

Spain will face England in Sunday’s World Cup final less than a year after 15 players staged a mutiny over their treatment.

The row, which broke out in September last year, threatened to derail coach Jorge Vilda’s mission before an uneasy peace was brokered as the tournament neared.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at what happened and the repercussions.

What is Vilda’s background?

The 42-year-old is steeped in football having grown up watching his father Angel – currently head of women’s football at the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) – working as a physical trainer for among others, Luis Aragones at Atletico Madrid, Johan Cruyff at Barcelona and Jupp Heynckes at Real Madrid.

Having worked his way up through the age groups, he was ap…

French players’ union weigh up legal action over ‘insane’ international calendar

The French footballers’ union is considering taking legal action over changes to football’s international calendar which it says are impacting on players’ physical and mental health.

David Terrier, the vice-president of the UNFP, claims FIFA has introduced a 32-team Club World Cup to an already congested calendar without proper consultation, and says its actions are driven by “a thirst for money”.

Terrier’s comments to the PA news agency follow a warning from Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango in December that the stage had been reached where “people are ready to take legal action” over this issue.

Terrier said: “Faced with the refusal of FIFA and UEFA, faced with the addition of competitions, the drastic incr…

Spain 5-0 Romania: La Roja cap off Euro 2020 qualifying in style

Spain wrapped up their successful Euro 2020 qualification campaign in style with a rampant 5-0 victory over Romania in Madrid.

Robert Moreno s side already had qualification and top spot in Group F secured heading into their final fixture and followed up a 7-0 demolition of Malta with another dominant display at the Wanda Metropolitano on Monday.

With the excellent Santi Cazorla having already hit the crossbar, Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring in the eighth minute. Gerard Moreno s double then put Spain out of sight.

Adrian Rus own goal completed the first-half scoring, with substitute Mikel Oyarzabal picking out the bottom-left corner in the 91st minute to complete the rout.

Jose Gaya s foul saw the hosts have a goal disallowed in the fifth minute, be…

Juventus edge past Roma to close gap on Serie A leaders Inter Milan

Juventus moved to within two points of Serie A leaders Inter Milan thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Roma.

Adrien Rabiot scored the only goal of the game early in the second half as Massimiliano Allegri’s side took advantage of Inter’s draw at Genoa on Friday to close the gap on their title rivals.

The win maintained Juve’s unbeaten record at home in Serie A this season as they bid to win the Scudetto for the first time since 2020, while the defeat leaves Roma seventh in the table and 17 points off the top.

FT | | We end 2023 with victory!

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen)

Jose Mourinho’s side came into the game buoyed by last week’s 2-0 home win against defending champions Napoli and were also boosted by the return of Paulo Dybal…