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The  premier league are set to meet again on Friday, with more clubs wanting the season concluded by June 30 because of player contracts, according to Sky Sports. The agenda will be how to end the 2019/2020 season, which has been suspended since March because of the coronavirus outbreak. Clubs are doing everything they can to finish the season, rather than declare it null and void. However, the possibility of many contracts ending before the campaign finishes, would affect several clubs. Their worry is that if the season does not end by June 30, out-of-contract and loan players will be able to walk away from their clubs, even though FIFA has recommended that deals due to expire could be extended to the end date of any domestic campaign. No decisions are expected to be ratified at Friday’s meeting and the season will only restart when the government advises it is safe to do so. Games will most likely be played behind closed doors eventually. Most Pr...

Manchester city playmaker, Kevin De Bruyne, has disclosed that his family may have contracted Coronavirus (COVID-19) while on lockdown in Manchester. According to   De Bruyne, himself, children and wife, were sick for some days, but they all recovered before confirming whether the issues were related to COVID-19. “At the beginning of the lockdown, my family was sick for eight or nine days,” De Bruyne told Sky Sports. “It started with my little boy, then my older boy and then my wife, but I don’t know if we had [Coronavirus] or not. “Luckily, we are out of it, and the last two or three weeks have been perfect, and we are finding a routine and everything, so we are okay. “Well, the first two weeks were a bit weird because I don’t know what is going on. “Then, I managed to get a treadmill. I was swimming a bit because I’m lucky to have a pool downstairs. “I was doing a couple of lengths, but now mostly, I’m doing a run, and I would say every o...

Legendary Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, reportedly offered Cristiano Ronaldo to Barcelona, as he did not want the player to join Real Madrid. Former  Madrid president Ramon Calderon, claims Ferguson was desperate not to sell Ronaldo to the Spanish giants. The Portugal superstar eventually joined Los Blancos from United in the summer of 2009, but the deal itself was agreed the previous year. “(Alex) Ferguson did not want him to leave and in particular, he did not want him to join Madrid, as we had won even more trophies than Manchester United, so he offered the player to Barcelona instead. “Barcelona were delighted with the opportunity but Ronaldo was very clear about the commitment he had with Madrid and a document that had already been signed,” Calderon told Diario AS.

Ousmane Dembele scored the winning goal, as Barcelona started their 2018/2019 season with victory in the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday. The LaLiga champions went behind, after Pablo Sarabia curled his effort past Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the 9th minute. The goal was awarded once VAR had overruled an initial offside decision. Barcelona levelled a minute before the break, when Gerard Pique turned in the rebound after Lionel Messi’s free-kick hit a post. Both sides looked capable of finding a winner in the second half, but Dembele’s thumping drive won it with 12 minutes left. But there was time for Wissam Ben Yedder’s penalty to be saved by Ter Stegen.

Super Eagles forward, Ahmed Musa, who was one of the best Nigerian stars at the just concluded 2018 World Cup in Russia has been shortlisted for the Goal of the Tournament Award by FIFA. According to the football governing body, a total of 169 goals were scored at the 2018 World Cup but only18 from that pool were shortlisted for the top award. Musa’s second goal against Iceland in the group stage made it alongside 17 others including Cristiano Ronaldo’s third goal against Spain and Lionel Messi’s goal against Nigeria. The voting for the Best Goal in Russia 2018 is open until July 23 on FIFA’s official website. Top goals on the list are the two goals scored by Russia midfielder Denis Cheryshev and one from his teammate striker Artem Dzyuba. See other contenders for Goal of the Tournament title below: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal (third goal v Spain) Nacho, Spain (v Portugal) Philippe Coutinho, Brazil (v Switzerland) Dries Mertens, Belgium (v Panama) Juan Quinter...

Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool celebrates (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is confident the team can step up another level in the upcoming campaign. The Premier League side looks to end their trophy drought after coming close in recent seasons, especially last season when they fell to Real Madrid in the Champions League final. The Merseyside outfit’s most recent triumph was a League Cup win in 2012. And despite showing improvement under Juergen Klopp, the German manager has seen them lose three finals since he joined the club in 2015. “We’re going to work our socks off and do everything possible to make it happen this season. “We were very close to silverware but obviously not close enough,” Netherlands international Dijk told Liverpool’s website. “I can improve in any aspect of the game. At the moment, it’s getting back to full fitness, making sure I’m getting better and stronger than I was before. “I will work every day an...

Domagoj Vida PHOTO: Skysport Croatia defender Domagoj Vida’s “glory to Ukraine” video after his team beat Russia on penalties in the World Cup quarter-finals was not a political message, the player said on Sunday Vida’s video after the game on Saturday appeared online and led to criticism from Russian politicians and a warning from FIFA’s disciplinary committee. Relations between Ukraine and World Cup hosts Russia remain fraught after Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula and its backing for a pro-Russian uprising in the east of the country. The 29-year-old Vida previously played for Ukrainian club Dynamo Kiev along with Croatian coaching staff member Ognjen Vukojevic. “I regret that some media representatives have interpreted our communication in such a manner. “It was definitely no political message, but a simple thank you for all the support from Ukraine, where Vukojevic and I spent a number of years,” Vida said in a statement released by the Croatian F...

Kenyan Referee Aden Marwa disgraced in Russia A Kenyan referee who had been due to officiate at the ongoing World Cup in Russia has been handed a life ban after being caught in a bribery sting. Aden Marwa was filmed receiving a 600-dollar bribe during Confederation of African Football (CAF) assignment in Ghana. He is one of 22 referees sanctioned by CAF in an unprecedented clean up, announced at the weekend. Marwa, who was a reserve at the 2014 finals in Brazil, had earlier been removed from the list of match officials due to officiate in Russia. The life ban was handed out by CAF’s disciplinary board, which also banned 10 other referees for between two years and 10 years for similar offences. A further 11 persons have been suspended pending an appearance at the board in August. African football has long been plagued by allegations of bribery but never before has CAF banned such a large number of officials.

England players celebrate their victory Photo: Sky Sports Headers from Harry Maguire and Dele Alli gave England a 2-0 win over Sweden as they reached their first World Cup semi-final in 28 years. England dominated the ball in Samara and were good value for the victory, but did have goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to thank for avoiding a nervous ending. After a laboured start, England took the lead through Maguire’s header from a corner (30), his first international goal and England’s fifth from a set-piece at this World Cup, more than any other side. Alli doubled England’s lead on 58 minutes with another header, creeping in at the back post to convert Jesse Lingard’s cute delivery. Pickford was indomitable in the England net, making three fine saves in the second half to keep Sweden at bay, as England kept a clean sheet for the first time in the tournament. Sweden slowed the tempo early on as the game got off to a dull start, but the first half-chance fell to England as Ha...

Brazil down and out Brazilian fans’ hopes of celebrating a sixth World Cup title in Russia have been dashed with their national team’s loss to Belgium in the quarter-finals, late on Friday. Belgium struck early and held off a late Brazil fightback to send the five-times champions tumbling out in an end-to-end thriller that earned it a semi-final with France. Engineer Flavio Montez flew the more than 12,500 km (7,767 miles) from his home in Sao Paulo to the Russian World Cup host city of Kazan for the game. “We are very disappointed because we came here to go to the semi-finals and finals. “But it was, I think in the end, a great match and Belgium played well. We have to accept that this is football, he said” Daniel De Freitas Ariano, also from Sao Paulo, was not happy with Brazil midfielder Fernandinho, who inadvertently gave Belgium an early lead by scoring an own goal as the ball came off his shoulder into the net from a corner. “We feel bad because Belgium played...

Lionel Messi looking downcast after the loss to France Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi saw their World Cup dreams snuffed out on Saturday as French teenager Kylian Mbappe flew the flag for a new generation in Russia. Ten goals were scored on a gripping first day of the knockout phase as France progressed to a quarter-final tie against Uruguay but Messi and Ronaldo may have played their last games on football’s biggest stage. In the first match, France roared back to beat Argentina 4-3, with Mbappe scoring twice. Later in Sochi, Ronaldo — who started the World Cup with a hat-trick against Spain — was powerless to prevent Portugal slipping out of the tournament as Edinson Cavani scored twice in a 2-1 win to send the European champions home. The Paris Saint-Germain striker opened the scoring with an early header and curled a superb first-time shot past Rui Patricio to win the match after a Pepe equaliser. Cavani, who forms a dangerous front-line pairing alongside Luis...

Calvani celebrates his goal: Photo: BBC Edinson Cavani’s double earned Uruguay a 2-1 win over Portugal and a World Cup quarter-final against France, with a tearful Cristiano Ronaldo knocked out on the same day as his rival Lionel Messi. Argentina’s hopes of going one step better than a narrow defeat to Germany in the 2014 final were ended by a 4-3 loss to Les Bleus, with Ronaldo quickly following Messi out of the tournament. Cavani struck in the seventh minute of Saturday’s last-16 tie in Sochi to put Uruguay in control, but Portugal hit back after the interval when Pepe headed home Raphael Guerreiro’s cross. However, Uruguay soon led again when Cavani curled in a peach of a finish, though his delight soon turned to anguish as the striker limped off after appearing to pull a muscle. Portugal pressed in search of a second equaliser but Bernardo Silva missed their best chance to level, screwing off-target when faced with an open goal after Fernando Muslera dropped ...

Mbappe scored for France The ‘almighty’ Argentina that painfully crashed the super Eagles out of the world cup have also met their doom after France defeated them moments ago, 4-3. France have beaten Argentina  to send the South American side out of the World Cup, with Lionel Messi set to be in the shadow of Diego Maradona without a World Cup in his kitty. Messi has never won a World Cup and a Copa America trophy and football pundits said he needs to win the World Cup to be greater than Maradona and rank among the great. France opened scoring on 13 minutes through a penalty converted by  Antoine Griezmann. Argentina goalkeeper, Franco Armani dived to his left,as Griezmann rolled it fairly centrally. A super strike from Angel di Maria on 41 minutes equalised for Argentina. Ever Banega passed the ball to Angel di Maria,who played in France for Paris St-Germain, he got the ball onto his left foot and from 30 yards sent a rocket of an effort past...