Uruguay turn to Bielsa to develop their next generation on world stage
May 16 – The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) have confirmed that legendary manager Marcelo Bielsa is the new coach of Uruguay.
World Football
German VP Herman Winkler hits bad traffic over Zelensky social media post
May 16 – German Football Association (DFB) Vice President Hermann Winkler issued an apology on Monday for a social media post that mocked the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Berlin. During Zelensky’s visit, central parts of Berlin were under security lockdown.
Euro U17 finals kick off in Estonia with wins for Spain, England, France and Swiss
May 16 – The opening round of the 2023 UEFA European Women’s Under-17 Championship in Estonia on Sunday saw Spain, Switzerland, France and England all make winning starts.
North Macedonia’s Vardar Skopje fans open donation page to keep team playing through promotion play-off final
May 16 – Supporters of North Macedonia’s most decorated club Vardar Skopje are making a new attempt to save their team, which has been torn apart by financial problems.
Real Madrid lose €400m claim against IPIC for ending its deal to sponsor Bernabéu revamp
May 15 – Real Madrid have lost a claim for €400 million in the Court of International Trade in Paris for the breaking of a sponsorship agreement with the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) in 2017.
Battle for US hearts, minds and money builds as Man Utd, Barca, Real and Juve head west for summer series
May 15 – While the English Premier League is taking six teams – including Chelsea and Newcastle United – to play a series of friendly fixtures on the East coast of the US at the end of July, Arsenal and Manchester United have signed up to play on the west coast.
Protesting Groningen fans invade pitch forcing abandonment of Ajax league match
May 15 – On the weekend that Feyenoord clinched the Eredivisie league title, the Groningen vs Ajax tie had to be suspended after nine minutes fater fans let off of flares and fireworks.
Lewandowski’s goals and Xavi’s defensive focus steer Barca back to winning titles
May 15 – Spanish giants FC Barcelona won their 27th league title after two first-half goals from Robert Lewandowski led the club to a 4-2 victory against crosstown rivals Espanyol. It’s Barcelona’s first title in four years and comes at a welcome time with major financial problems and the shadow of a refereeing scandal off the pitch.
Textor-owned Molenbeek repay investor confidence with a return to Belgian top flight
May 15 – With a 1-0 victory against RSCA Futures, RWD Molenbeek ensured their return to the Belgian topflight after a 21-year absence.
Saudis build African partner base with CAF co-operation agreement
May 15 – Having signed a development agreement with Botswana last week, the Saudi Arabian FA has now taken a step further up the football’s political ladder in Africa, with a memorandum of understanding with the regional governing body, the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Turkey’s Buraspor agrees one season stadium naming rights deal as it targets climb back up the leagues
May 15 – Turkey’s Bursaspor has sold the naming rights to its stadium to Turkish company Sütaş.
Croatia
How they qualified
The Croatians did not qualify the easy way for the finals. In a tough group, they struggled with an opening defeat at home to Austria, 3-0. A 1-1 draw with France kept the East Europeans in the race and with perseverance two wins against Denmark as well as a victory in Paris proved to be decisive. They edged the team of Kasper Hjulmand Danish team for the top spot by a single point.
Mexico
How they qualified
Mexico only just squeezed past Jamaica to top their group, drawing with the Reggae Boyz 2-2 in the final group game, but they had to come from behind twice to win the point needed to qualify. Bobby De Cordova-Reid opened the scoring in the 8th minute for Jamaica before Orbelín Pineda levelled on 17 minutes. Jamaica were ahead again 16 minutes later when a ball from De Cordova-Reid bounced off the left thigh of Edson Álvarez for an own goal.
USA
How they Qualified
The USMNT secured their qualification for the 2023 Concacaf Nations League Final Four with a 1-0 win against El Salvador on March 27 at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando. The US had gone into the game needing just a point to qualify. Ricardo Pepi was the saviour for the US, coming off the bench in the second half against El Salvador to score with his first touch. Three days earlier the US had demolished Grenada 7-1,
Spain
How they qualified
Like the other finalists, Spain were inconsistent in the group stage with a home defeat to Switzerland and a draw against the Czech Republic. Alvaro Morata got his team across the finish line with a late strike in a 1-0 win away to Portugal.
Tournament record
Spain didn’t make the finals in 2019, finishing runners-up behind England in their group, but they came close in the last edition.