European Super Football

The United Kingdom is set to host the 2035 Women's World Cup  It has been reported via FIFA that the UK bid is the sole valid bidder for the tournament. Author - Craig H Will the UK World Cup build on the growing popularity within women's football Source | European Super Football Flickr England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland submitted a joint expression of interest in March to hold the World Cup across the home nations. Under Fifa rotation rules, the tournament must be in Europe or Africa. Straight away, this made the UK bid one of the favourites to win. The Spainish federation president Rafael Louzan had apparently said last week that they were working on a joint bid alongside Portugal and Morocco. However, the deadline for expressions of interest passed on Monday and FIFA officials have said the UK's bid is the only one received for 2035, while the United States are set to host the 2031 edition. Source | Daniel on Flickr Formal bids for the 2035 World Cup...

Some reaction to Manchester United’s proposed new stadium They have announced plans to build the biggest stadium in the country. Author - Liam C Source | Man United YouTube account   This will be an iconic new £2bn 100,000-seater ground close to their current stadium. Once construction is complete, the "current"  Old Trafford is likely to be demolished. United's decision follows a thorough consultation on whether to renovate Old Trafford or construct a brand-new stadium. Old Trafford has been Manchester United's home since 1910, and the club would remain there until any new stadium is completed. The stadium will form part of a wider regeneration of the Old Trafford area, predicted to be the biggest such project in the United Kingdom since the transformation of the Stratford area that accompanied the 2012 Olympics in London. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has already given government backing to the plans. Jim Ratcliffe said the following in a statement that was publishe...

Rangers turn to a familiar face as they look to end their season positively They have appointed former captain Barry Ferguson as head coach on an interim basis until the end of the season. Author - Mark Lee He will be joined by ex-teammates Neil McCann, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor , who all return to Ibrox in coaching roles. Issame Charai, who was only brought in as Philippe Clement’s assistant last month, will also remain part of the backroom team. The club has confirmed that a permanent managerial appointment will be made in the coming months as their football review continues. Ferguson enjoyed a glittering playing career at Rangers, winning five league titles, five Scottish Cups and five League Cups across two spells in Glasgow. His appointment follows the dismissal of Philippe Clement on Sunday , just 16 months into his tenure. The Belgian’s departure also saw coaches Alex Rae, Colin Stewart and Stephan van der Heyden leave the club. A Rangers fan responds Jim, a lifelon...

It was an historic night for Everton fans. Nearly 10,000 Evertonians got their first taste of life at their new stadium as they watched the club’s academy side fall to defeat against Wigan’s youngsters. Author - Sarah W Wigan’s Harrison Rimmer – a lifelong Liverpool fan, no less – etched his name into the history books by scoring the first-ever goal at the new ground. And he didn’t miss the chance to wind up the home crowd, celebrating by holding up six fingers in reference to Liverpool’s six Champions League titles. Cole Simms doubled Wigan’s lead shortly after, before Everton pulled one back late on through a penalty from 16-year-old Ray Robert. Regardless of the defeat for their side, this was an incredible opportunity for those young Everton players. It will be interesting to see how many of them end up playing for the first team at the stadium. Read more | The last Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park The ground in an earlier stage of construction . What do Everton fans think o...

Luke Williams has departed Swansea City after an awful run of form that saw them lose seven of their last nine matches. Williams leaves after just over a year in charge, with the Swans sitting 17th in the table, eight points clear of the relegation zone with 13 games remaining. His departure is accompanied by the exits of assistant head coach Ryan Harley and first-team coach analyst George Lawtey. Author - Mark Milward Assistant head coach Alan Sheehan has been placed in temporary charge for a second time, with the club confirming that the search for Williams' successor is "already under way."  Sheehan will be supported by coach Kristian O’Leary and goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson as Swansea prepare for Saturday’s home clash with Blackburn Rovers. Williams was interviewed after that recent defeat to Stoke A dramatic decline Williams’ exit comes after a dramatic downturn in form since the start of 2025. At the turn of the year, Swansea looked well positioned for a p...

Will the former Liverpool player make a difference to Burnley? Burnley have secured the services of former Newcastle United and England midfielder Jonjo Shelvey on a deal running until the end of the season. Author - Jack L Shelvey playing for Newcastle United back in 2016 The 32-year-old joins as a free agent after his contract with Turkish Super Lig side Eyupspor came to an end. A five-cap England international, Shelvey also had a stint in Turkey with Caykur Rizespor. He arrives at Turf Moor after spending time on trial with the Championship club earlier this month. EFL: 2024/2025 Shelvey began his career in Charlton Athletic’s academy before moving to Liverpool, where he made 65 appearances. He left Liverpool in the summer of 2013 to sign for Swansea City, where he went on to play all but six games in the top-flight during his first season in South Wales. After three years with Swansea, scoring 10 goals in just under 100 appearances and gaining an additional five England caps, S...

It has been an interesting few days at the London Stadium West Ham have parted ways with manager Julen Lopetegui after just six months at the helm, with reports suggesting Graham Potter is in discussions to replace him. Author - William G   The former West Ham boss after a defeat to Villa earlier in the season The 58-year-old former Wolves boss was appointed in May after David Moyes’ departure but only officially began his tenure on 1 July. During Lopetegui’s time in charge, the Hammers managed just six Premier League wins. Saturday’s 4-1 defeat to Manchester City marked their ninth loss in 20 league games this season, leaving the club 14th in the table, just seven points above the relegation zone. Talks have reportedly taken place with Graham Potter, the ex-Chelsea and Brighton manager, over taking the job on a short-term basis. How did we reach this point? West Ham's next match is an FA Cup third-round clash against Aston Villa on Friday. The pressure on Lopetegui began to mou...

It's going to be the end of another era at Anfield Mohamed Salah has declared that he expects to leave Liverpool at the end of the season.  Author - William G Salah's first 200 goals for Liverpool. Mohamed Salah has ended speculation about his future, confirming that this will be his final season as a Liverpool player. The 32-year-old Egyptian forward announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, closing what has been an historic chapter at Anfield. This announcement cements the clues Salah hinted at earlier. Back in September, following a match against Manchester United , Salah implied that this season would likely be his last with the Reds. Today’s statement brings an end to the speculation. Despite the prospect of his departure, Salah continues to demonstrate why he’s regarded as one of the Premier League’s finest. He’s currently the league’s top scorer with 17 goals and has also contributed 13 assists, remaining an indispensable player f...

What next for an English football legend? Head coach Wayne Rooney has parted ways with Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle by mutual consent. Author - Peter Grainger The video below shows Rooney’s reaction after a recent defeat against Norwich City. The 39-year-old former England captain managed only four league victories while suffering 13 defeats in 23 Championship matches since taking charge of the Pilgrims in May. His departure leaves the club rooted to the bottom of the table. Rooney arrived at Home Park just four months after being sacked by Birmingham City, where his short 83-day tenure saw nine defeats in 15 games. Sunday's 2-0 loss to Oxford United , which extended Plymouth's winless run to nine matches, was met with boos from the crowd. It marked their sixth defeat in that run, which began in early November. Under Rooney’s leadership, Plymouth have struggled at both ends of the pitch. They’ve scored the joint-fewest goals in the Championship and conceded mor...

Stoke City have made a big decision as they head into 2025 They have parted ways with head coach Narcis Pelach just 19 games into his tenure. Author - Lee Poxen Pelach, who replaced Steven Schumacher on 18 September with a three-year deal, managed only three Championship wins, the most recent coming on 6 November. Stoke currently sit 19th in the table. Interesting news. More reaction coming up on https://t.co/CizyD3ifp5 https://t.co/mackj7PU3C — European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) December 29, 2024 The Potters suffered a 2-0 defeat to Leeds United on Boxing Day , a match that saw the 36-year-old face criticism for his frequent tactical adjustments. Former Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross will step in as caretaker manager for Sunday’s home fixture against Sunderland, supported by Alex Morris, Dean Whitehead, and Darren Behcet from the backroom staff. Goalkeeper coach Paul Clements and performance analyst Harrison Glew have also left the club. Both Clements and Whitehead joined ...

Will this announcement mark an end to some of the uncertainty? The club have confirmed Omer Riza as their manager on a deal lasting until the end of the season. Author - Jamie P Riza, previously a coach at Watford, stepped in as interim boss after Erol Bulut was dismissed in September following the club’s worst start to a league campaign. Since then, Riza has guided the team to a noticeable improvement, collecting 16 points from 12 games and adopting a more attack-minded approach. However, the Bluebirds have struggled recently, failing to win any of their last five matches, leaving fans concerned about the ongoing uncertainty around the managerial role. Riza initially joined Cardiff as an assistant coach at the start of the season but was promoted to interim manager on 22 September when Bulut was sacked. He made an encouraging start, winning four of his first seven games, but the club's leadership took over two months to settle on a permanent appointment, drawing criticism from...

Thomas Tuchel has been named as England's new manager Author - William G The 51-year-old German has signed an 18-month contract which will start on January 1st 2025. This makes him the third non-British coach to take permanent charge of the men’s team, following in the footsteps of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. Gareth Southgate stepped down from the role in July after England’s loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final. Lee Carsley, who has overseen four matches as interim manager since his appointment in August, will continue to lead the team for their Nations League fixtures against Greece and the Republic of Ireland next month. The best man for the job? The FA's decision to appoint Thomas Tuchel as England manager will likely be seen by some as a betrayal of the widely promoted pathway from St George’s Park to the top. Is this a snub to homegrown coaching talent? Tuchel, a German, will replace Gareth Southgate, who held the role for eight years after previously mana...

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has penned a new three-year contract with the club The Spaniard was due to see his current contract expire at the end of the season, but he has now extended his stay until 2027. Arteta, who was working as a coach under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, was appointed to replace Unai Emery as Arsenal's manager in December 2019. He led the team to victory in the FA Cup final at the end of the 2019-2020 season, securing his first major trophy as a manager. Under his guidance, Arsenal has finished as runners-up to Manchester City in the Premier League for the past two seasons, with the 42-year-old aiming to bring the club its first top-flight title since the 2003-04 season. So, is this a good move? Arsenal have undeniably regained their competitive edge under Arteta, and this new three-year deal underscores the club’s belief that he is the man to end their long wait for a Premier League title. Given the strong relationships he’s built within the club an...

The draw for the League Phase of the 2024/2025 Champions League phase has been made. The four Premier League teams in UEFA Champions League recently discovered their eight league phase opponents as the draw was made in Monaco for the 36 participating clubs. Manchester City and Arsenal will each face Inter Milan and PSG. The 2024 Premier League champions will face Inter at home in a repeat of the 2022/23 final, while Arsenal will travel to Italy and vice versa for their matches with PSG. Last season's Premier League top two also face an additional two Italian opponents, with City also facing Juventus as Arsenal travel to Atalanta. Liverpool will face a tough draw, facing the champions of Spain and Germany, Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen, at home, while also travelling to RB Leipzig and AC Milan.   Aston Villa will face Bayern Munich, whom they beat in 1981 to win the European Cup and fans will be dreaming of glory nights once again. How does the new Champions League...

There has been an interesting announcement from the FA. Lee Carsley is anticipated to step up as the interim manager for the England men's team for their Nations League matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland next month. Carsley previously guided England Under-21s to victory in the European Championship in 2023, marking their first triumph in the tournament in 39 years. Gareth Southgate resigned from his role as England manager two days after the team's defeat by Spain in the final of the 2024 Euros last month. The progression from Under-21s manager to interim senior team manager is a familiar route, with Howard Wilkinson, Stuart Pearce, and Southgate himself having made the transition after leading the Young Lions. Southgate eventually secured the permanent position and managed the team for eight years, achieving notable successes such as reaching the World Cup semi-final in 2018 , the World Cup quarter-final in 2022, and the Euros finals in 2021 and 2024. ...

A successful managerial career is reportedly coming to an end Former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp has ruled out the possibility of becoming the England manager and hinted at potentially retiring from management altogether. Klopp during his time as Dortmund manager before he left in the summer of 2015.Photo from  Tim Reckmann | Flickr The German coach departed from Liverpool at the end of last season after nine successful years, during which he won all major trophies and ended the club’s 30-year wait for a Premier League title. Klopp has been linked to the England manager’s position following Gareth Southgate’s decision to step down after Euro 2024. However, the 57-year-old stated he has not received any offers and reiterated his intention to take a break from football. Further reports suggest that Klopp wishes to return to work after his break, though it may not be in a managerial role. The video below displays the announcement that followed Klopp's announc...

There has been interesting news from Madrid Real Madrid captain Luka Modric has agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Spanish champions. Modric, 38, has amassed 26 trophies, including six Champions League titles and four domestic championships, since joining Real Madrid from Tottenham in 2012. The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner has made 534 appearances for Los Blancos, scoring 39 goals. In the 2023-24 season, the Croatian played in 46 matches across all competitions, though he was in the starting lineup only 23 times. Modric started all three of Croatia's matches at Euro 2024, where they were eliminated after finishing third in their group. His contract was set to expire at the end of June, Modric’s renewal ensures that manager Carlo Ancelotti will have his experienced presence as he prepares for his 13th season at the Bernabeu. This has reportedly delighted the Real Madrid manager and their fans.  Click here for more Real Madrid news and stories Discover more news from...

There has been a dramatic announcement in the aftermath of the Euro 2024 final England manager Gareth Southgate has stepped down just two days after the team's defeat by Spain in the 2024 European Championship final. The Three Lions were narrowly beaten 2-1 in Berlin on Sunday , marking their second consecutive Euros final loss, following a penalty shootout defeat to Italy at Wembley three years ago. Southgate, aged 53, has overseen 102 matches during his eight-year tenure. His contract was due to end later this year. Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham has indicated that the search for Southgate’s replacement has already begun, and the FA aim to complete the process quickly. Southgate rekindled England fans' belief in their national side Aside from Sir Alf Ramsey, who led England to World Cup victory in 1966, Southgate is the only manager to have guided the men's team to a major tournament final. He managed England in four major tournaments, reaching ...

Craig Bellamy is the new Wales manager The 44-year-old succeeds former team-mate Robert Page, who was sacked in June. Cardiff-born Bellamy won 78 Wales caps and captained the side between 2007-2010. He takes up the role having left Burnley, where he had been acting head coach before Scott Parker's appointment last week. Parker was keen to work with the Welshman, but Bellamy leaves Burnley with the blessings of everyone at the club. Bellamy, back in the day, with a certain Gareth Bale stood behind him.  Reports from across Wales and beyond had suggested that Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, Georgia boss Willy Sagnol and surprise contender Des Buckingham, the Oxford United manager, were all spoken to. However, it has now been confirmed that Bellamy was the Football Association of Wales first choice. Bellamy is said to have impressed during discussions - and will now get the chance to lead the side in qualification for the 2026 World Cup. His first game as Wales manager will be a N...

 Let's have a look at the latest news and stories from across the countries competing at Euro 2024. Lewandowski to miss Poland's first game. Author - Matt F Poland's striker Robert Lewandowski will be absent from his team's opening Euro 2024 match against the Netherlands this Sunday due to a thigh injury. The 35-year-old picked up the injury during a 2-1 victory over Turkey on Monday in their final warm-up game before the tournament. Lewandowski had to leave the pitch after just 33 minutes. Poland will face Austria in their second game on 21 June, followed by their final Group D match against France on 25 June. Lewandowski scoring for Poland at Euro 2016 France manager wants to create more history Should Didier Deschamps lead France to glory in Germany, he will become only the second person to win a European Championship as both a player and a manager, after German Berti Vogts, and the first to have achieved the double double.  When he retired from playing in 2001, t...