Saif Alrubie denies intimidation over transfer fee commission Alrubie alleges he was owed £300,000 from Kurt Zouma deal A top football agent has accused a former Chelsea executive of repeatedly lying about a transfer fee in order for the Premier League club to avoid paying him a commission, Southwark crown court has heard. During an at times irascible appearance as the defendant, the agent Saif Alrubie, said Chelsea’s former director of football, Marina Granovskaia, misrepresented how much West Ham had paid the west London club for France defender Kurt Zouma in 2021 – effectively cutting him ..read more

Manager’s departure news is not to blame for his side losing their grasp on two, quite possibly three, trophies in quick time In isolation, Jürgen Klopp did not have to apologise for losing for the first time in eight visits to Goodison Park. Bad nights happen. In the context of Liverpool’s sorry end to the season, however, an apology felt entirely appropriate. “I really feel for the people, I am really sorry for that,” said the Liverpool manager after Wednesday’s derby defeat by Everton. “We never lost here before and that feels really different. I really apologise for that.” Klopp’s voice an ..read more

Inguinal hernia has hampered £106.8m Argentina midfielder Mauricio Pochettino under pressure after consecutive defeats Mauricio Pochettino’s hopes of holding on to his job as Chelsea’s head coach have been complicated by Enzo Fernández needing to undergo surgery on a groin injury that will rule out the £106.8m midfielder for the rest of the season. Fernández has an inguinal hernia and the operation is set to sideline the Argentinian for the final six games, beginning with Saturday night’s trip to Aston Villa. The former Benfica midfielder has clearly been hampered by the injury and having su ..read more

The Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernández has reversed his decision to leave the club at the end of the season as 'circumstances have changed'. Xavi originally decided to leave Barça, citing 'a lack of respect' with the belief that the club needed 'a change of direction'. However now he has said 'the main motive wasn’t because of the internal pressure' adding that he is keen to 'continue here with the utmost happiness ... [I am] willing to keep working and building a winning project'. Xavi Hernández to stay on as Barcelona head coach in dramatic U-turn Xavi’s Barça U-turn shows breaking up i ..read more

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! “You lost the league at Goodison Park,” serenaded the Everton fans as Liverpool’s players trudged off the pitch on Wednesday evening after their 2-0 defeat, the footballing equivalent of Nelson Muntz giving his teacher a wedgie and yelling: “Ha Ha!” And while Football Daily is convinced that Jürgen Klopp understands the literal translation of schadenfreude, it’s rare that the Liverpool manager has been on the receiving end of the concept. This defeat at Goodison was the first and last of Klopp’s nine-year tenure, and Liverpool’s first defeat ..read more

NFL to open academy for teenagers on Gold Coast Move is latest step in league’s global expansion efforts The NFL will expand its international search for talent by opening an academy in rugby-mad Australia to develop promising teenagers in the Asia-Pacific region into college and pro prospects. The NFL Academy will open in September for student athletes aged 12 to 18, following recruitment camps taking place this summer in Australia and New Zealand, the league announced on Thursday ..read more

Jürgen Klopp apologised for Liverpool's first Merseyside derby defeat at Everton in 14 years and admitted his team need 'a crisis' to unfold at Arsenal and Manchester City to remain in the Premier League title race. Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin soured the Reds' title challenge as the hosts powered their way to a priceless 2-0 derby victory at Goodison Park. After the match the Liverpool manager felt 'very disappointed, frustrated' and summed the game up by saying 'It wasn't good enough. We played the game that Everton wanted.' ‘Not good enough’: Klopp apologises for Liverpool ..read more

SIA boss David Sharpe seeks clarity and reassurance from Wada Cyclist Chloe Hosking says ‘different anti-doping realities’ at play Australia’s sports integrity watchdog has joined international calls for the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) to undertake an independent review of its processes that allowed 23 Chinese swimmers to record positive doping tests but still compete at the Tokyo Olympics. Reports last week said the athletes were found to have traces of the banned substance Trimetazidine (TMZ) in their system in 2021 ..read more

Despite relegation to England’s fourth tier, Cod Army have cast net to be like ‘City Football Group but on a much smaller scale’ Fleetwood United’s celebrations on becoming second division champions in the United Arab Emirates could not be dampened even by a freak thunderstorm in Dubai. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” the captain Ben Pringle told the Guardian. “It was the most rain they have had for 75 years. Cars were underwater on the motorway.” This is not supposed to happen in the glittering city of skyscrapers and excitement but then Fleetwood Town, a club that have just dropped into ..read more

Manager admits only ‘crisis’ at rivals will keep team in title race Klopp: ‘We never lost here before and that feels really different’ Jürgen Klopp apologised for Liverpool’s first Merseyside derby defeat at Everton in 14 years and admitted his team need “a crisis” to unfold at Arsenal and Manchester City to remain in the title race. Liverpool deservedly lost at Goodison Park where Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored to give Sean Dyche’s team three precious points in their fight for Premier League survival. Everton’s victory leaves Liverpool, who are in talks to appoint Feyen ..read more