Sports

Crystal Palace Says will appeal over Europa League demotion

Published

3 weeks ago

July 16, 2025

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has confirmed his club will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after being demoted from the Europa League.

Palace qualified for the Europa League with a shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May.

But UEFA, European football’s governing body, ruled Palace should drop down to the Conference League over a conflict of interest involving the club’s former director John Textor, who also part-owns French side Lyon.

Textor stepped away from Palace at the start of July, but the ownership issue relates to the end of last season when the south London team secured a maiden European appearance by winning the first major trophy in their history.

UEFA’s ruling would mean Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League, take Palace’s place in the Europa League, but Parish has signalled his intent to contest the decision.

“We are still fighting,” Parish told the The Rest is Football podcast. “There’s an appeal process, so we go to CAS which is the court for arbitration and, you know, we’re very hopeful. We think we’ve got great legal arguments.

“We don’t think this is the right decision by any means. We know unequivocally that John didn’t have decisive influence over the club.

“We know we proved that beyond all reasonable doubt because it’s a fact.”

UEFA rules say that no owner or co-owner can have a controlling interest in more than one club competing in the same European competition during the same season.

Palace’s position throughout has been that Textor did not have a sufficiently controlling role for the club to fall foul of the regulations.

But the deadline for shareholders to divest their interest in a club, or in some other way to alter their ownership structure, in order to comply with the regulations was March 1.

Sports

Liverpool Confirm Nunez’s £46.2M Move To Al-Hilal

Published

31 minutes ago

August 9, 2025

Editor

Liverpool sold striker Darwin Nunez to Saudi side Al-Hilal, both clubs confirmed on Saturday, in a move that could allow the Premier League champions to make a fresh bid for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.

Nunez joined the Reds for an initial 75 million euros ($87 million, £65 million) from Benfica three years ago but has failed to live up to that price tag.

The Uruguayan scored 40 goals in 143 appearances but slipped down the pecking order at Anfield under both Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot.

According to reports in the British media, Al-Hilal will pay an initial 53 million euros for the 26-year-old.

“Al-Hilal Club Company is pleased to announce the signing of Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez from Liverpool FC on a three-year contract,” Al-Hilal said in a statement.

Nunez was likely to play even less this season after Liverpool signed Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz as part of a 300 million euro spending spree that also includes full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.

However, the club could still break the British transfer record by signing Isak.

Liverpool reportedly had a first bid of £110 million rejected, with Newcastle demanding a fee of up to £150 million for the Swedish striker.

The sale of Nunez would take Liverpool’s income for transfer sales this window to nearly 200 million euros after the departures of Luis Diaz, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Tyler Morton.

Nunez is the latest big name to join Al-Hilal, who shocked Manchester City to reach the quarter-finals of the recent Club World Cup.

Coached by former Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi, the Saudi club’s squad includes Portuguese internationals Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo, Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly, and former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

AFP

Sports

Messi Ruled Out Of Miami’s MLS Clash With Orlando

Published

38 minutes ago

August 9, 2025

Editor

Lionel Messi will miss Inter Miami’s Major League soccer clash with Florida rivals, Orlando, on Sunday as he continues to recover from a “minor” muscle injury, coach Javier Mascherano said Saturday.

“No, Leo will not be available tomorrow,” Mascherano said. “He is fine, but obviously it would be crazy to risk taking him to Orlando because of all that is ahead.

“We are optimistic that he will soon return with us.”

After the Florida Derby clash with Orlando, Inter will host the LA Galaxy on August 16 and three days later they play a Leagues Cup quarter-final against Mexico’s Tigres UANL.

Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, missed the club’s last Leagues Cup group stage match after suffering the “minor muscle injury” in his upper right leg in Miami’s win over Necaxa on August 2.

Inter are currently fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference, eight points behind leaders Philadelphia and a point ahead of Orlando with three matches in hand.

Despite the setback for Messi, Miami have been buoyed by the arrival of his Argentine compatriot Rodrigo De Paul, who scored his first goal for the Herons in a 3-1 victory over Pumas UNAM that clinched their Leagues Cup quarter-final berth.

AFP

Sports

PSG Complete Signing Of French Goalkeeper Chevalier For $46.6m

Published

49 minutes ago

August 9, 2025

Editor

Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday signed French goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier from Lille for a reported 40 million euros ($46.6 million).

“Paris Saint-Germain are delighted to welcome Lucas Chevalier into our family,” club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said on the club’s website, which added that the 23-year-old had signed until 2030.

“I’m a kid who is living his dream,” Chevalier said.

Chevalier has been a member of several France squads but has yet to win a senior cap.

He shone as Lille reached the last 16 of last season’s Champions League, particularly in a 1-0 win at home over Real Madrid and a 3-1 victory away to Atletico Madrid.

PSG, meanwhile, won the Champions League, Ligue 1 and French Cup with Italian star Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, backed up by Russian Matvey Safonov and Spaniard Arnau Tenas who are still in the squad.

Chevalier is the second goalkeeper the club have signed this summer, after Italian-Brazilian teenager Renato Marin.

Sources close to the club said PSG sporting director Luis Campos had assured Chevalier he would be first-choice goalkeeper.

Chevalier is expected to be available as early as Wednesday when PSG face Tottenham in the European Super Cup in Udine, Italy.

AFP