Barca fire Xavi, Hansi Flick to take over
May 24 – Barcelona have sacked manager Xavi with former Germany and Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick set to replace him.
World Football
AC Milan fire Pioli after second place Serie A finish behind Inter
May 24 – Stefano Pioli has been sacked as head coach of AC Milan two years after guiding them to the Serie A title, the Italian giants announced on Friday.
Ajax put faith in Italy’s Francesco Farioli to return them to their true philosophy
May 24 – Ajax Amsterdam have put their trust in Italian manager Francesco Farioli to lead the Dutch club for the next three seasons. He succeeds John van’t Schip.
Hankook Tires keeps on rolling with Europa and Conference League renewals
May 24 – Hankook Tire has renewed its sponsorships of UEFA’ Europa League and Conference League for a further three seasons, taking them to until the end of the 2026/27 season.
Concacaf releases match schedule and centralised group structure for 2024/25 Nations League
May 24 – Jamaica will open against Cuba and Costa Rica will start against Guadeloupe as they chase for places in the 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League quarter finals alongside pre-qualified Mexico, United States, Panama, and Canada.
Budapest to host 2024/25 UCL final. UEFA waits for San Siro refurb news before awarding 2025/26
May 23 – Next season’s Champions League final will be staged at Budapest’s 67,215-capacity Puskas Arena, UEFA have decided.
Alonso feels the pain of Europa League loss as Leverkusen now look to German Cup final
May 23 – Losing for the first time in 361 days was a bitter pill to swallow for Bayer Leverkusen’s young coach Xabi Alonso following 51 unbeaten games.
EA Sports launches new UNICEF projects as it nears £100m fund raising mark
May 23 – Electronic Arts, developers of the FC24 hit video game, have announced that their EA Sports FC Futures initiative has opened up grassroots football to more than 170,000 people over the course of its debut year.
Kompany set to move from Burnley to Bayern, reports
May 23 – Bayern Munich are reported to be in advanced talks over the shock appointment of Vincent Kompany as their new coach.
Lookman hat-trick drives Atalanta to Europa League title and end Leverkusen’s run
By Samindra Kunti in Dublin
May 22 – Ademola Lookman’s hat-trick stunned Leverkusen 3-0 to lead Atalanta to the Europa League crown and the Italian club’s first-ever continental silverware, ending the German champions’ dream of a treble and a perfect season.
Cameroon chaos as sports tribunal blocks appointment of Marc Brys as coach
May 22 – Football chaos in Cameroon has taken yet another downward turn after the appointment of Belgian Marc Brys as head coach was blocked by the country’s top sports tribunal.
Europa League final: Bayer Leverkusen start as favourites but Atalanta are hungry for silverware
May 22 – It may not be the grand farewell for Jurgen Klopp that Liverpool fans had hoped for, but Atalanta or Leverkusen will be crowned Europa League winners on Wednesday in the Irish capital.
Forward thinking. England drop Rashford from Euro 2024 squad
May 22 – Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford was the most controversial omission when England manager Gareth Southgate named his provisional squad of 33 for the European Championship.
Gambia name McKinstry as Saintfeit’s successor
May 22 – The Gambia have named Irishman Johnathan McKinstry as their new coach as World Cup qualifying resumes in June. He succeeds Tom Saintfiet, who has switched continents to take on the managerial role with the Philippines.
Security fears force Scots to close Hampden’s doors for Nations League visit of Israel
May 21 – Israel’s visit to Scotland for a Euro 2025 qualifying game on May 31 will be played behind closed doors because of security concerns amid public protests over Israel’s continued military operation in Gaza.