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.
Hammers nail Lopetegui to take over from Moyes at London Stadium
May 23 – West Ham United have appointed former Real Madrid and Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui to succeed David Moyes at the London Stadium next season.
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.
Oaktree take control of Inter Milan after Suning default in €395m debt
May 23 – US-based fund Oaktree Capital Management has formally issued a statement that it has taken ownership of the Serie A champions Internazionale after Suning Holdings Group, led by Steven Zhang, defaulted on a €395 million loan taken out three years ago.
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.
UEFA.tv documentary from Extraordinary Stories strand wins Sports Emmy Award
May 23 – A UEFA.tv documentary from the confederation’s Extraordinary Stories programming strand, picked up the outstanding short documentary prize at the Sports Emmy Awards in New York on Tuesday night.
Pixellot to use unmanned cameras and AI to bradcast Tximist Cup
May 23 – Pixellot has announced a new partnership with the Tximist Foundation to broadcast all Tximist Cup matches from the upcoming tournament in Spain using cutting-edge AI technology and unmanned camera setups.
Surat Kargo expands sponsorship to Turkish men’s team pre-Euro 2024 finals
May 23 – The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has signed a two-year deal with the Turkish logistics company Surat Kargo, to become a sponsor of the men’s national team of Turkey.
FIFA sambas the 2027 World Cup all the way to Brazil
Brazil’s success in winning the vote to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup at the FIFA Congress in Bangkok last Friday will undoubtedly provide a stimulus to, until now, a generally unloved women’s game in the country.
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.
Kroos to sign off club career in the Champions League final, leaving Euro 2024 as his swansong
May 22 – Real Madrid and Germany midfielder Toni Kroos will retire from football after the European Championships this summer.
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.
United Airlines get into bed with Wrexham as Welsh club plans US pre-season
May 22 – United Airlines has taken a new step in their ongoing partnership with Wrexham AFC by debuting limited-edition Wrexham-themed amenity kits and pyjamas.