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Seven Saudi-based foreign players to feature in 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Qadsiah’s Mexican forward #33 Julian Quinones celebrates with Qadsiah’s Gabonese forward #10 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh. (File/AFP)
Qadsiah’s Mexican forward #33 Julian Quinones celebrates with Qadsiah’s Gabonese forward #10 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh. (File/AFP)
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Updated 14 June 2025

Seven Saudi-based foreign players to feature in 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Qadsiah’s Mexican forward #33 Julian Quinones celebrates with Qadsiah’s Gabonese forward #10 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in Riyadh
  • Five of the selected players featured in the latest season of the Saudi Pro League, while the remaining two played in the First Division

RIYADH: Seven Saudi-based foreign professional footballers have been called up to represent their national teams in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will take place in the US and Canada from June 14 to July 6.

Five of the selected players featured in the latest season of the Saudi Pro League, while the remaining two played in the First Division, highlighting the growing global impact of football in the Kingdom.

Among the standout names is Julian Quinones, the prolific striker for Al-Qadsiah, who earned a spot on Mexico’s national team roster. Quinones had an impressive season, finishing as the fourth highest scorer in the top flight with 20 goals.

Panama included Orlando Mosquera, the dependable goalkeeper from Al-Fayha, who helped his team secure a 13th-place finish in the league.

The Jamaican squad features two Saudi-based players: Demarai Gray, the winger for Al-Ettifaq, and Damion Lowe, the defender from Al-Okhdood.

Curacao’s team includes relegated Al-Wehda midfielder Juninho Bacuna, and Jurien Gaari, the defender from Al-Hazem, who secured promotion to the SPL.

Finally, Honduras will be represented by Romell Quioto, the striker for Al-Arabi, who finished the season 12th in the second tier’s standings.


Barca’s Flick unfazed by criticism of Yamal’s goal celebrations

Barca’s Flick unfazed by criticism of Yamal’s goal celebrations
Updated 22 August 2025

Barca’s Flick unfazed by criticism of Yamal’s goal celebrations

Barca’s Flick unfazed by criticism of Yamal’s goal celebrations
  • Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal sparked controversy with his regal goal celebration last week when he pretended to crown himself after scoring against Mallorca

BARCELONA: Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal sparked controversy with his regal goal celebration last week when he pretended to crown himself after scoring against Mallorca, but manager Hansi Flick on Friday brushed off criticism of his 18-year-old winger.
The gesture appeared to anoint Yamal as the new king after netting his first goal of the season in Barcelona’s 3-0 victory over Mallorca, with the teenager having inherited the iconic number 10 shirt worn by many club greats in the past.
Yamal has found himself under scrutiny recently, with a Spanish disability rights group threatening legal action over reports of people with dwarfism being hired as entertainment at his 18th birthday party last month.
But Flick remains unfazed by the external noise surrounding his player.
“I don’t care what other people say about my team. Lamine is only 18 years old but he’s a fantastic footballer,” Flick told reporters ahead of Saturday’s game away at Levante.
“I will help him to grow in the right way. But what I can see here, his behavior is very good.”
Robert Lewandowski is expected to return to the squad after the veteran striker, who turned 37 on Thursday, missed the LaLiga opener with an injury.
However, he will be competing with Ferran Torres to lead the line.
“We will see, we have some thoughts about how the match is going and what we can change, but at the end we have different options at number nine,” Flick said.
“Ferran scored a goal (against Mallorca) and it’s the best argument to play again. We will try and include Robert if it’s possible.”
Flick also suggested England forward Marcus Rashford could be deployed as a striker after he made his Barca debut as a second-half substitute.
“Rashford gives us some more options. He’s more familiar with the number 11 (position on the wing) but his strengths, his first touch, his speed — he is really helpful for our game,” Flick said.
“We can enjoy a fantastic Marcus Rashford this season, 100 percent.”
Flick said he hopes to have all players registered next week as Barcelona navigate LaLiga’s financial constraints.
The German also insisted on retaining midfielder Fermin Lopez, who had eight goals and 10 assists last season, amid transfer speculation.
“I don’t want to lose any players now because I think it will be a tough season and we need this quality from Fermin. He was doing really good last season and also when we started the new season,” Flick said.
“I’m happy with him, the players — I want to keep everyone here because the options we have now are very good.”


Ten hurt, 90 arrested as match abandoned following fan violence in Argentina

Ten hurt, 90 arrested as match abandoned following fan violence in Argentina
Updated 21 August 2025

Ten hurt, 90 arrested as match abandoned following fan violence in Argentina

Ten hurt, 90 arrested as match abandoned following fan violence in Argentina
  • A stun grenade was among the objects hurled by fans as the last-16 second-leg encounter in the regional competition at the Libertadores de America stadium was initially suspended and then abandoned

BUENOS AIRES: Ten people were hurt and 90 arrested Wednesday after violent clashes erupted between rival fans during a Copa Sudamericana match involving Argentina’s Independiente and visiting Universidad de Chile in Buenos Aires, club officials and police said.
A stun grenade was among the objects hurled by fans as the last-16 second-leg encounter in the regional competition at the Libertadores de America stadium was initially suspended and then abandoned.
In shocking and chaotic scenes, one fan of the Chilean visitors jumped from the stands to escape attacking opposing supporters after being cornered.
Home supporters beat and stripped some visiting fans of their clothes, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
The violence had flared at half time when fans of the Chilean side began throwing stones, sticks, bottles and seats at a section housing home supporters.
“We have 90 people detained outside the stadium because they tried to cause trouble and they have already been taken to the police station,” a source from the security ministry told AFP.
An Independiente spokesperson said that 10 people were injured.
The match was 1-1 when it was suspended in the 48th minute, before being abandoned.
The Chilean side won the first leg 1-0.


Suarez fills Messi void as Inter Miami beat Tigres 2-1

Suarez fills Messi void as Inter Miami beat Tigres 2-1
Updated 21 August 2025

Suarez fills Messi void as Inter Miami beat Tigres 2-1

Suarez fills Messi void as Inter Miami beat Tigres 2-1
  • Luis Suarez scored a penalty in each half to give Inter Miami a 2-1 victory over Tigres UANL on Wednesday, stepping up to fill the void after Lionel Messi was ruled out of the Leagues Cup final

MIAMI: Luis Suarez scored a penalty in each half to give Inter Miami a 2-1 victory over Tigres UANL on Wednesday, stepping up to fill the void after Lionel Messi was ruled out of the Leagues Cup quarter-final clash.
Messi, who has battled a “minor” muscle injury since a Leagues Cup group match on August 2, returned Saturday after a two-week absence, scoring a goal after coming on as a substitute in a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy.
However, the 38-year-old World Cup winner was ruled out against Tigres as Inter advanced in the cross-border club competition for teams from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga-MX.
“We rely on how Leo feels and it wasn’t the best,” Inter assistant coach Javier Morales said. “We preferred not to take risks, not to go backward in his recovery.”
In a duel that produced few scoring chances, veteran Uruguay striker Suarez was the difference as Inter kept alive their hopes of regaining the title they won in 2023, during Messi’s first season in MLS.
Things swung Miami’s way in the 20th minute when Javier Aquino slid to intercept a cross and the ball hit his left arm in the area.
The referee awarded the penalty and the 38-year-old Suarez converted.
Tempers flared, with Suarez moving to calm things down after Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul and Uruguayan compatriot Fernando Gorriaran exchanged words.
Inter coach Javier Mascherano was sent off at half time, receiving a red card for heated protestations to officials after injury time dragged on past what had been indicated.
Mascherano watched from a front row of the stands when Tigres grabbed their equalizer in the 67th minute, Angel Correa slipping between two defenders and beating Miami keeper Oscar Ustari.
Another handball by Aquino in the 87th minute, confirmed by VAR, gave Miami another penalty and Suarez converted again, this time going left as goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman dived in the opposite direction.
“The game was really difficult because they played very well,” Suarez said. “Every day I just try my best to help the team win.”
Miami booked a semifinal clash with Florida rivals Orlando City, who beat Liga MX champions Toluca FC 6-5 on penalties after the teams played to a scoreless draw in Carson, California.
Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was the hero, saving two penalties in the shootout and scoring the decisive penalty himself.
Orlando beat Miami 4-1 in an MLS clash this month in which Messi was missing.
In the remaining two quarter-finals on Wednesday, Los Angeles Galaxy hosted Pachuca, while the Seattle Sounders take on Puebla at home.
There’s more at stake than the Leagues Cup trophy.
Both finalists and the third-place match winner will qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, with the Leagues Cup champion securing direct entry to the Champions Cup round of 16.


Mohamed Salah wins PFA Player of the Year award for unprecedented third time

Mohamed Salah wins PFA Player of the Year award for unprecedented third time
Updated 20 August 2025

Mohamed Salah wins PFA Player of the Year award for unprecedented third time

Mohamed Salah wins PFA Player of the Year award for unprecedented third time
  • Salah, who joined Liverpool in 2017, was the Premier League’s top scorer last season, with his 29 goals, along with 18 assists, playing a key role in the club winning the league title

MANCHESTER: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was named the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year on Tuesday, with the Egyptian becoming the first player to win the award three times.

Salah, who joined Liverpool in 2017, was the Premier League’s top scorer last season, with his 29 goals, along with 18 assists, playing a key role in the club winning the league title, finishing 10 points ahead of runners-up Arsenal.

The 33-year-old had already clinched the Premier League Player of the Season award, the Golden Boot for most goals scored and the Playmaker award for most assists, making him the first player to win all three awards in the same season.

Salah first won the PFA award in 2018 after his first season at Liverpool, and again in 2022, and this year came out on top of a six-man shortlist, voted for by PFA members from the 92 Premier League and Football League teams.

That shortlist included his Liverpool teammate Alexis Mac Allister, along with Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.

Salah signed a two-year contract extension with Liverpool in April, ending months of speculation linking him with a move to the Saudi Pro League.

Aston Villa and England midfielder Morgan Rogers was voted Young Player of the Year, after the 23-year-old scored eight league goals in his 37 starts last season and netted four goals in the Champions League including a hat-trick against Celtic.

Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldentey was named Women’s Player of the Year. The Spaniard scored nine league goals in her first season with the club along with eight goals in the Champions League where Arsenal beat her former club Barcelona to win the trophy.

Canadian 21-year-old forward Olivia Smith, Liverpool’s leading scorer last season across all competitions with nine goals, picked up the Young Player of the Year award.

Smith has since joined Arsenal for a reported fee of one million pounds ($1.35 million), making her the first female player to break the seven-figure barrier.

Liverpool had four players from last season, including Salah, named in the Premier League team of the year, along with new signing from Bournemouth, Milos Kerkez.

Premier League Team of the Year:
Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest); Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth), William Saliba (Arsenal), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal); Declan Rice (Arsenal), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool); Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Alexander Isak (Newcastle United), Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest).


FIFA hit with $76m claim by Lassana Diarra in decade-long football transfer rules case

FIFA hit with $76m claim by Lassana Diarra in decade-long football transfer rules case
Updated 18 August 2025

FIFA hit with $76m claim by Lassana Diarra in decade-long football transfer rules case

FIFA hit with $76m claim by Lassana Diarra in decade-long football transfer rules case
  • Diarra’s case, which is back in court in Belgium, is supported by the global players’ union FIFPRO, its European division and their national member union in France

GENEVA: Lawyers for former France international Lassana Diarra said Monday he is claiming €65 million ($76 million) from FIFA and the Belgian Football Federation after a landmark legal win about transfer rules.

Diarra’s decade-long challenge to FIFA after a breakdown in relations with his former club Lokomotiv Moscow led to a ruling at the European Court of Justice last October that some aspects of football transfer rules do not comply with the 27-nation European Union’s labor and competition laws.

Lawyers for the 40-year-old former Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid midfielder cited “unsuccessful settlement negotiations with FIFA” for the financial claim for damages throughout his career.

“Lassana Diarra is claiming €65 million gross (€35 million net) in compensation from FIFA and the Belgian Football Association,” his legal firm Dupont Hissel said in a statement.

FIFA said it would not comment about “on-going legal matters” — the latest high-stakes legal challenge to their authority.

Football’s governing body said in a statement it “has been working with its stakeholders to amend its regulations following the guidance offered by the ECJ.”

Diarra’s case, which is back in court in Belgium, is supported by the global players’ union FIFPRO, its European division and their national member union in France.

The legal case started in the home country of Charleroi, the Belgian club that wanted to sign Diarra after his contract in Moscow was terminated.

FIFA transfer rules at the time made the player and the potential signing club liable for paying the former club when a contract was ruled to have been broken without “just cause.” The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld FIFA’s ruling in favor of Lokomotiv.

The case was sent to the European court in Luxembourg which said some aspects of the FIFA rules “hinder the free movement of players and competition between clubs.”

Diarra’s dispute with Lokomotiv and FIFA forced him to miss the 2014-15 season. He then signed for Marseille and ended his career at Paris Saint-Germain six years ago.

“I am doing this for myself,” Diarra said in a statement Monday published by his lawyers. “And if I have been able to hold out against the FIFA steamroller, it is because I had a good career.”

“But I have also done it for all the up and coming, lesser known players who do not have the financial and psychological means to challenge FIFA before real judges,” he said.

Diarra’s lawyers also are working on a class action suit filed this month against FIFA and some national football federations in Europe which claims could benefit 100,000 players over more than two decades.