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Tag: UEFA

  • UCL: Bayern send Arsenal packing after 3-2 aggregate win, Real Madrid evict City 4-3 on Penalties

    UCL: Bayern send Arsenal packing after 3-2 aggregate win, Real Madrid evict City 4-3 on Penalties

    Arsenal football club on Wednesday night exited the money spinning UEFA  Champions League after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich. 

    Joshua Kimmich jumped up to nod Raphael Guerreiro’s cross in the 63rd minute to send the Germans through to the semi-finals 3-2 on aggregate after the two teams had drawn 2-2 in London in the first leg.

    While Harry Kane had just nine touches in the opening 45 minutes, Neuer was forced into another save by Martin Odegaard’s deflected attempt, which had the long-serving Bayern Munich keeper scrambling across his line.

    With so much at stake for both teams, it was perhaps understandable chances were in limited supply but the second half was a livelier affair with Leon Goretzka heading against the post before Guerreiro’s follow up was scrambled away by Raya, via the post.

    But Kimmich’s attacking header proved decisive and ensured Arsenal’s wait to win the Champions League for the first time goes on.

    Real Madrid continued their quest for a 15th UEFA Champions League title after a dramatic 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory eliminated holders Manchester City and booked a fourth successive semi-final appearance.

    Cityzens boss Pep Guardiola was able to bring back three key players into the starting XI from last week’s 3-3 draw in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in the form of goalkeeper Ederson, captain Kyle Walker and integral midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.

    The return of Walker might have meant Carlo Ancelotti’s ploy of overloading players down the Real Madrid left in the first leg, including Rodrygo, would not prove as fruitful this time, but it was the Brazilian international who struck after an uncharacteristically cautious opening from both clubs.

    Madrid worked the ball into the right of the area well with Vinícius Júnior finding compatriot Rodrygo in space with a low centre. Ederson was perfectly positioned to repel the winger’s initial right-footed effort, but the rebound sat up invitingly for the visiting No11 to place just out of reach of his fellow countryman.

    City could have sealed progress deep in normal time, but De Bruyne was unable to double his tally, curling a long-range effort narrowly over the bar before side-footing over from close range.

    The teams were unable to maintain the intensity of the first 90 minutes in extra time, City substitute Julián Álvarez unable to beat Lunin at the goalkeeper’s near post deep into the additional half hour.

    It was Lunin who proved to be the hero in the shoot-out, guessing correctly to deny Mateo Kovačić and Bernardo Silva after Ederson had stopped Luka Modrić’s kick. The 14-time winners of this competition duly confirmed their place in the last four thanks to Antonio Rüdiger’s low penalty into the bottom corner.

  • UEFA Tourney: Future Eagles fly to Spain on Tuesday

    UEFA Tourney: Future Eagles fly to Spain on Tuesday

    Nigeria’s U15 boys, nicknamed Future Eagles, will fly into Spain on Tuesday afternoon for a UEFA U16 Development Tournament to which the African giants have been invited.

    The special invitation has come as a result of Nigeria’s pedigree in youth football, in which she has won five world titles at U17 boys’ level and reached the FIFA World Cup final on two occasions at U20 level.

    As part of its preparation for the tournament, the Future Eagles trained for a week at the Remo Stars’ Sports Institute in Ikenne, during which it played two matches against the Remo Stars’ U16 boys (Beyond Limits FC), winning one and losing the other.

    Only last month, the Future Eagles, coached by Patrick Bassey, also won one and lost one against their Moroccan counterparts on a two-match tour of that North African country. Their first game ended in a 2-3 defeat, but they buckled up to win the second game 5-3 in the city of Kenitra.

    The UEFA U16 Tournament, which brings warm memories of the UEFA-CAF U17 Meridian Tournament that started in 1997 but was discontinued a decade after, will take place at the Pinatar Arena Football Centre in San Pedro del Pinatar.

    It can be recalled that the UEFA-CAF Meridian Tournament was part of a cooperation agreement between UEFA and CAF, and Nigeria won the inaugural tournament in 1997. The Eaglets defeated the Spain U17 team 3-2 in the final in Lisbon, Portugal.

    Spain won the next three tournaments hosted by South Africa (1999), Italy (2001) and Egypt (2003) before France broke their run by winning the 2005 edition hosted by Turkey. The tournament was abolished in 2007.

    At this new tournament, the Future Eagles will play against Belgium on Friday, 12th April (8pm), face Italy on Sunday, 14th April (8pm) and square up to England on Wednesday, 17th April (1pm). Other games will see England against Italy on Friday, 12th April 5pm), England against Belgium on Sunday, 14th April (5pm) and Italy against Belgium on Wednesday, 17th April (11am).

    The Future Eagles’ delegation to Spain, inclusive of 20 players, will be led by Zannah Mohammed Malah, a member of the NFF Technical and Development Committee.

  • Man Utd, Nice facing UEFA ban

    Man Utd, Nice facing UEFA ban

    Premier League club Manchester United and and French side Nice are facing a UEFA ban next season over Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s co-ownership.

    The Sun says United and Nice face being blocked if they both qualify for the same competition.

    The two clubs are on track to qualify for the Europa League this season.

    A UEFA source said: “It is correct that Manchester United and Nice cannot play in the same competition.

    “They could play in different competitions, as there is no ‘feeding’ between competitions any more.”

  • UCL: UEFA bans Bayern Munich fans from attending quarter-final clash with Arsenal

    UCL: UEFA bans Bayern Munich fans from attending quarter-final clash with Arsenal

    Bayern Munich fans will not have the luxury of attending the club’s quarter-final Champions League quarter-final first leg tie at the Emirate.

    The fixture was held on Friday in Zurich.

    But according to the UK Standard, supporters of the Bundesliga champions will not be allowed to travel to the UK for the match.

    This is because Bayern fans threw fireworks onto the pitch during their 3-1 aggregate win against Lazio in the Round of 16.

    Arsenal will therefore be able to fill the vacant away end with their own fans for the home leg.

    The first legs of the quarter-final fixtures will be played on April 9 and 10, with the second-leg fixtures on April 16 and 17.

  • UEFA to begin use of computer for Champions League draws

    UEFA to begin use of computer for Champions League draws

    UEFA has concluded arrangements to conduct its first computerized Champions League draw starting  from next season due to its new format.

    There will be four pots of nine teams, determined by UEFA’s five-year performance coefficient, with a club facing two opponents from each pot.

    According to UEFA  drawing each club’s opponents manually, as was the case under the old format, would take up to four hours and require up to 900 balls due to the complex considerations within the draw.

    It means the only manual aspect will be the ceremonial part of choosing the team whose fixtures are to be decided. The computer will then allocate that team’s opponents automatically from all four pots, and decide which fixtures are home and away.

    UEFA insists that its computer systems are robust and audited by Ernst & Young to underpin fairness.

    Each club will play eight games, four at home and four away.

     

     

  • BREAKING: New UEFA Champions League format confirmed, to begin from 2024/25 season

    BREAKING: New UEFA Champions League format confirmed, to begin from 2024/25 season

    The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has announced a new format for the UEFA Champions League.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports UEFA as saying the new format will begin with the 2024/25 season of European club football.

    This promises an exciting new era for the UEFA Champions League as the popular group stage has been knocked off.

    The pivotal change in the reforms announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on Monday is the departure from the current format’s group stage system.

    The present Champions League group stage includes 32 participants divided into eight groups of four.

    However, from the 2024/25 season, 36 clubs will participate in the Champions League league phase (former group stage), giving four more sides the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe.

    Those 36 clubs will participate in a single league competition in which all 36 competing clubs are ranked together.

    Under the new format, teams will play eight matches in the new league phase (former group stage).

    They will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – but will instead face fixtures against eight different teams, playing half of those matches at home and half of them away.

    To determine the eight different opponents, the teams will initially be ranked in four seeding pots. Each team will then be drawn to play two opponents from each of these pots, playing one match against a team from each pot at home, and one away.

    The results of each match will decide the overall ranking in the new league, with three points for a win and one for a draw still applying.

    The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the round of 16, while the teams finishing in 9th to 24th place will compete in a two-legged knock-out phase play-off to secure their path to the last 16 of the competition. Teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated, with no access to the UEFA Europa League.

    In the knockout phase, the teams which finished between 9th and 16th will be seeded in the knockout phase play-off draw, meaning they will face a team placed 17th to 24th – with, in principle, the return leg at home.

    The eight clubs which prevail in the knockout phase play-offs will then progress to the round of 16, where they will each face one of the top-eight finishers, who will be seeded in the round of 16.

    From the round of 16 onwards, the competition will continue to follow its existing format of knockout rounds leading to the final staged at a neutral venue selected by UEFA.

    All games before the final will continue to be played in midweek, recognising the importance of the domestic calendar of games across Europe, while the final will continue to be played on a Saturday.

    According to UEFA, the decision to tweak the format was taken after extensive consultations with key stakeholders in the European football community.

    “UEFA has clearly shown that we are fully committed to respecting the fundamental values of sport and to defending the key principle of open competitions, with qualification based on sporting merit, fully in line with the values and solidarity-based European sports model,” said UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin.

    He went further to say: “I am really pleased that it was a unanimous decision of the UEFA Executive Committee, with the European Club Association, European Leagues and national associations all agreeing with the proposal made. Another proof that European football is more united than ever.”

    According to a report on UEFA website, similar format changes will also be applied to the UEFA Europa League (eight matches and therefore eight different opponents in the league phase) and UEFA Europa Conference League, which will be called the UEFA Conference League as of 2024/25 (six matches and therefore six different opponents in the league phase), with both competitions also featuring 36 teams in the league phase.

    “There is a reason that European football is one of the world’s most successful and popular sports.

    “It never stands still. Since the inaugural competition, known as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, kicked off in 1955, UEFA has continuously evolved and adapted the UEFA Champions League to keep pace with wider changes in the game,” it stated.

  • UCL: City, Arsenal to know opponents as Round of 16 draws hold today

    UCL: City, Arsenal to know opponents as Round of 16 draws hold today

    UEFA will today conduct the draws for the Champions League Round of 16 fixtures for all teams that secured qualification.

    Defending champions, Manchester City, have been tagged favourites to retain the trophy. The Cityzens  finished the group stages with a 100 per cent record.

    Another English Premier League side, Arsenal also finished top of their group and are among the seeded teams for the draw.

    Two other EPL sides, Manchester United and Newcastle crashed out of the competition after finishing last in their groups.

    The two Premier League clubs will fancy their chances of reaching the quarter finals, because the group winners will avoid the other big guns like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

    City can draw teams from PSV, Napoli, Inter Milan, Lazio, Paris Saint Germain and Porto.

    ‌ The draw will take place at 12pm (WAT).‌

    The first legs are scheduled for the midweeks of February 13-14 and 20-21 in 2024, while the second legs will be played March 5-6 and 12-13 in 2024.

  • UCL: Saka, Haaland listed in UEFA team of the week

    UCL: Saka, Haaland listed in UEFA team of the week

    Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka have all ben named  in the UEFA Champions League team for this week.

    UEFA made the announcement in a post via its website on Thursday after the end of round of 16 games on Wednesday night.

    Recall that Haaland and Kane scored a brace each in their teams’ Champions League win over Young Boys and Galatasaray, respectively.

    Saka, on the other hand, scored a goal in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Sevilla on Wednesday.

    Here is the Champions League team:

    Goalkeeper

    Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid) – 12 points

    Defenders

    Giorgi Gocholeishvili (Shakhtar Donetsk) – 12 points

    Pepe (FC Porto) – 13 points

    José María Giménez (Atlético de Madrid) – 10 points

    Midfielders

    Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 14 points

    Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad) – 13 points

    Diogo Gonçalves (Copenhagen) – 11 points

    Samuel Lino (Atlético de Madrid) – 13 points

    Forwards

    Harry Kane (Bayern) – 13 points

    Erling Haaland (Man City) – 14 points

    Antoine Griezmann (Atlético de Madrid) – 14 points

  • War: UEFA suspends football related activities in Israel

    War: UEFA suspends football related activities in Israel

    Following the ongoing crisis between Israel and Palestine, UEFA has suspended all football related activities in the Country until further notice.

    No matches organised by UEFA will be played in Israel “until further notice” due to the “current safety and security situation” in the country, European football’s governing body said in a statement on Thursday.

    “After a thorough evaluation of the current safety and security situation in the whole territory of Israel, the UEFA executive committee decided that no UEFA competition matches shall be played in Israel until further notice,” the statement read.

    “The Israel Football Association and its clubs Maccabi Haifa FC and Maccabi Tel Aviv have been requested to propose alternative venues/stadiums (which must comply with all applicable UEFA regulations) outside the territory of Israel for their home matches to be used for as long as this decision remains in force,” UEFA said.

    Maccabi Haifa’s game at Villarreal on Oct. 26 has been put back to Dec. 6 and Maccabi Tel Aviv’s home game against Zorya Luhansk that had been scheduled for the same day will now be held on Nov. 25.

    Earlier this month UEFA postponed all matches scheduled to take place in Israel over a two-week period after Hamas´ surprise attack.

    That included Israel´s match against Switzerland in 2024 European Championship qualifying at Tel Aviv´s Bloomfield Stadium.

  • UEFA scraps plan to re-instate Russian football teams

    UEFA scraps plan to re-instate Russian football teams

    European football’s governing body UEFA said Tuesday it had abandoned plans to re-admit Russian under-17 teams into the youth European Championship next year.

    “No technical solution to allow Russian teams to play could be found,” UEFA said.

    In September, UEFA reinstated Russian youth teams to its competitions, having suspended the country’s senior sides due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

    Many football federations were angered by this decision, including the Ukrainian football federation, which was joined by at least 11 other federations out of the 55 UEFA members, stating they would boycott all competitions involving a Russian team.

    The reversal decision was made at a meeting Tuesday that was attended by UEFA Senior Vice President Karl-Erik Nilsson, who lost his job as the head of the Sweden sports confederation days ago for backing UEFA’s pro-Russian move. Nilsson faced pressure from his home federation, which opposed the inclusion of Russian teams.

    UEFA has awarded hosting rights to its 2028 European championship to the United Kingdom and Ireland, both of which had their football federations threaten boycotts of games against Russian sides.

    Aleksandr Dyukov, the Russian delegate on the UEFA executive committee, did not attend the meeting. The Russian football union has made no immediate comments.

    On Tuesday, Kyiv thanked UEFA for scrapping the plans.