The European Super League faced backlash shortly after the announcement of its formation on Monday. Football governing bodies and figures condemned the emerging competition.

Twelve clubs are currently members of the competition. The participating clubs are Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Inter Milan, Juventus, A.C. Milan, Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The chairman of the competition is Real Madrid’s president Florentino Perez and the vice-chairmen are Liverpool director John W. Henry, Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke, Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli and Manchester United co chairman Joel Glazer. 

German and French clubs that include FC Bayern Munchen, Paris Saint Germain and Borussia Dortmund all announced that they will not participate in the The Super League. 

Manchester United legend Gary Neville condemned the competition. “The proposal will get kicked out because the fans will hate it, the governments will hate it, FIFA will hate, UEFA will hate it, the Premier League have come out already and say they hate it, you’ll hate it, I’ll hate it. And they are so disconnected from reality to think they could put this forward at any time, let alone now,” Neville said. “Honesty, I’d say I’ve got no words for them but I’ve had a lot of words.”

Neville claimed that the clubs who signed up for the Super League competition “should be deducted points” as a consequence. Neville also mentioned his former club Manchester United should be one of the clubs who should be deducted points for joining. 

UEFA president Aleksandr Ceferin stated, “I cannot stress more strongly UEFA and the footballing world are united against the disgraceful, self-serving, proposals we have seen, fueled purely by greed. These are so-called big clubs, it is clear that the big clubs of today were not always big clubs. Juventus were in Serie B, Man United before Sir Alex Ferguson was I don’t know where.”

Ceferin added that the participating clubs will face sanctions and players could be banned from playing the European Championship and World Cup. 

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung Min suffered racist abuse on social media after the Manchester United game. 

Son Heung Min scored his side’s only goal in the 3-1 defeat against Manchester United. He was also involved in a controversial moment during the game when he was perceived to be fouled by Manchester United player Scott McTominay in the build up to Edinson Cavani’s goal. The VAR then canceled Cavani’s goal. 

Son Heung Min was subjected to racist messages on Twitter and Instagram. As a result, Tottenham released a statement on the matter.

The statement read, “Another matchday and more abhorrent racial abuse suffered by one of our players”. 

Additionally, the club vowed to take action. “This has again been reported to the platforms and we shall now undertake a full review alongside the Premier League to determine the most effective action moving forward,” read Tottenham’s statement.

This is not the first time a Tottenham football player suffered racist abuse on social media. In fact, defender Davinson Sanchez recently received racist messages on social media after Tottenham’s 2-2 draw against Newcastle United. 

Liverpool trio Sadio Mane, Trent Alexander Arnold and Naby Keita all received racist messages following Liverpool’s Champions League loss against Real Madrid last week.

In the meantime, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry announced he would quit social media. Henry told CNN Sport that social media is “not a safe place”.  

Both Twitter and Facebook condemned the racist abuse on their platforms. A Facebook spokesperson claimed, “We do not want it on Instagram and we have removed a number of comments and accounts that broke our rules.” 

Facebook vowed to take action and claimed, “We share the goal of tackling online abuse and holding people who share it accountable. We do this by taking action on content and accounts that break our rules and cooperating with law enforcement when we receive a valid legal request.”

Brazilian football legend Pele congratulated Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo for breaking his goalscoring record. 

After scoring three goals against Serie A side Cagliari, Ronaldo has now reached 770 career goals. Ronaldo has scored for the Portugese national team, Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and current club Juventus. 

Pele took to Instagram to write a congratulatory note to Ronaldo that said, “Life is a solo flight. Each makes his own journey. And what a beautiful journey you are having! I admire you a lot, I love watching you play and this is no secret to anyone. Congratulations on breaking my record of goals in official matches,”

“My only regret is not being able to give you a hug today. But I leave this photo in your honor, with great affection, as the symbol of a friendship that has existed for many years.”

Ronaldo himself also posted on his official Instagram after reaching this career milestone. He wrote, “The last few weeks were filled with news and stats considering me the World’s Top Scorer in football history, overcoming Pele’s 757 official goals. Although I’m thankful for that recognition, now it’s time for me to explain why I didn’t acknowledge that record until this moment.”

“The last few weeks were filled with news and stats considering me the World’s Top Scorer in football history, overcoming Pele’s 757 official goals. Although I’m thankful for that recognition, now it’s time for me to explain why I didn’t acknowledge that record until this moment.”

“My everlasting and unconditional admiration for mister Edson Arantes do Nascimento [Pele], such as the respect that I have for mid-20th century football, led me to take into account his 767 score, assuming his 9 goals for Sao Paulo State Team, as well as his single goal for the Brazilian Military Team, as official goals. The World has changed since then and football has changed as well, but this doesn’t mean that we can just erase history according to our interests.”

Ronaldo referred to controversy that occurred a while ago that Pele has scored more than 1000 goals, but FIFA calculated his career total to be 767. 

Further on, Ronaldo stated that he intends to go further and that “this story is still far from being over. The future is tomorrow and there’s still a lot to win for Juventus and Portugal!”

Former FC Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu was arrested as the police continue to investigate the “BarcaGate” scandal. 

Along with Bartomeu, who resigned from his position last year, Bartomeu’s advisor Jaume Masferrer, legal services chief Roman Gomez Ponti and the club’s CEO Oscar Grau were also detained. 

Reports claim that Bartomeu and other club officials are linked with “BarcaGate”, a scandal that involved hiring a company called I3 at an inflated rate to attack FC Barcelona players including current players Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique on social media, while boosting the image of club officials. 

The Catalan club released a statement that indicated the club’s cooperation with authorities investigating the issue. The statement said, “Regarding the entry and search by the Catalan Police force this morning at the Camp Nou offices by order of the Instructing Court number 13 in Barcelona, which is in charge of the case relating to the contacting of monitoring services on social networks, FC Barcelona have offered up their full collaboration to the legal and police authorities to help make clear facts which are subject to investigation.”

“FC Barcelona have offered up their full collaboration to the legal and police authorities to help make clear facts which are subject to investigation. The information and documentation requested by the judicial police force relate strictly to the facts relative to this case. 

“FC Barcelona express its great respect for the judicial process in place and for the principle of presumed innocence for the people affected within the remit of this investigation.”

In response to the incident, presidential candidate Joan Laporta claimed that these arrests “greatly damage the image and reputation of our club”. 

Another candidate, Toni Freixa claimed, “Too many people wanting to hurt Barça. We will not allow it”. 

The FC Barcelona presidential elections will be held in less than a week, with Laporta, Freixa and Victor Font all competing for the position. 

French superstar Kylian Mbappe will likely be at his current club Paris Saint Germain next season, according to reports. 

Mbappe is currently linked to several elite clubs in Europe including La Liga giant Real Madrid and current Premier League champions Liverpool. Meanwhile, PSG is negotiating a contract extension with Mbappe to keep him with the club.

Real Madrid is a likely destination for the French star as many football icons including Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario and Cristiano Ronaldo once played there. Mbappe’s former PSG teammate Jese Rodriguez told El Partidazo de COPE that Mbappe “would love to go to Real Madrid”.

“His [Mbappe] idol has always been Cristiano [Ronaldo],” Rodriguez added. “He loves Madrid and I am sure he will play there one day”. 

Regarding his future, Mbappe told Telefoot that, “We are talking with the club, to find a project. I am thinking about it because if I sign and extend my contract, it is to commit myself on the long term to PSG. And I am very happy here. I have always been very happy here.”

Mbappe was unsure about his future with PSG at one point. “If I had made my mind up today, I would have said it. It is not that I want to gain time or something. It is just that I am thinking about it,” Mbappe said. “I don’t want to extend my contract and say a year later that I want to leave because I didn’t want to sign the new deal in the first place. If I extend, it is to stay.” 

Due to the COVID-19 situation, Real Madrid is facing financial difficulties and may find it difficult to sign Mbappe because of the player’s high value and wages. The price tag for the player is reportedly over 100 million. 

PSG is reportedly very close to extending Neymar Jr.’s contract and will look to extend Mbappe’s contract as well. 

As the January transfer window deadline approaches, several deals are completed or underway. 

Premier League champions Liverpool signed defender Ben Davies from Preston North End. Davies will be a backup option for Liverpool’s defense after several of the club’s first team defenders are all sidelined with injuries. 

In addition to Davies, Liverpool are reportedly in talks to sign another defender on loan with option to buy, Ozan Kabak, from Bundesliga club Schalke. The Turkish defender has been reportedly in the club’s consideration for a long time. The Reds were also linked with Marseille defender Duje Caleta Car, but the move reportedly stalled. 

Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli is rumored to be in talks with Ligue 1 club PSG to seal a move before the deadline. PSG head coach and Tottenham former head coach Mauricio Pochettino was reportedly pushing for the move to happen. However, there are reports that claim that the move is off and that Alli will stay at Tottenham for the rest of the season.

Arsenal recently signed Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard on loan after the young midfielder did not get enough playing time at Real Madrid. Also, while not identifying any other specific transfer targets, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta claimed that he is optimistic of new arrivals before the deadline.  

The Gunners are linked with Southamption’s Ryan Bertrand, Marseille’s Jordan Amavi and Crystal Palace’s Patrick Van Aanholt. 

La Liga club Sevilla signed midfielder Alejandro Papu Gomez from Serie A club Atalanta. Gomez left the club after falling out with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Meanwhile, Atalanta signed midfielder Viktor Kovalenko from Shakhtar Donetsk. 

Juventus defender Daniele Rugani completed a loan move to Serie A club Cagliari. Rugani recently played in Ligue 1 club Rennes on loan from Juventus. Rugani struggled to get playing time at the French club. 

Bayern Munich’s promising star Joshua Zirkzee completed a loan move to Serie A club Parma. 

Real Madrid star Karim Benzema will face trial due to his involvement in a ‘sex tape’ blackmail case that involved his former France national team teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

In 2015, Benzema was accused of blackmailing Valbuena to release a sex tape that featured Valbuena. Benzema reportedly paid other people to get money from Valbuena by threatening him to release the tape. The French striker even spent the night in custody at the Versailles police station and was questioned over his involvement. Another French player, Dijbril Cisse was also involved in the case.

Since Benzema’s alleged involvement in the case, he did not make an appearance for the French national team. Regarding this incident, the president of the French Football Federation Noel Le Graet told Paris Breizh Media, “Maybe I have protected Karim excessively in this matter, but I really like him and we all make mistakes. He got carried away by stupidity in this case. He has been stupid like a donkey. But I don’t believe in lecturing people.”

Even former French president Francois Hollande claimed in his book that Benzema is not an example of good character. 

At the time, his lawyer Sylvian Cormier undermined Benzema’s involvement in the case, he claimed, “Karim Benzema will show his good faith in this matter as soon as possible. He was charged by the judge who notified him that he was a suspect … It is not a declaration of guilt.”

After the Versailles prosecutors announced that Benzema will face trial, Cormier told AP, “This decision is as much absurd as it was predictable.” 

In reaction to the trial announcement, Benzema responded on his Instagram by claiming that the trial announcement is a “masquerade.” 

The exact date for the trial has still not been announced. If charged, the player could face a prison sentence and pay a fine. 

FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi received a two-match ban after receiving a red card during the SuperCopa de Espana final against Athletic Bilbao. 

Athletico Bilbao defeated the Catalan club 3-2 to win the cup. In the first half, FC Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann scored the game’s first goal shortly followed by the equalizer from Athletic Bilbao midfielder Oscar de Marcos. In the second half, Griezmann scored another goal. In the last minutes of the game, Athletic Bilbao striker Asier Villalibre scored to cancel out Griezmann’s second goal and take the game to extra time. 

During extra time, Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams scored a wonder goal and the match winner for his side. Afterwards, Messi received a straight red card after he swung his arm and took out Bilbao striker Villalibre. This red card is Messi’s first in his FC Barcelona career. 

The game’s referee Gil Manzano claimed in his match report that Messi hit his opponent with “excessive force”.

FC Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman defended Messi and told the press, “I can understand what Messi did. I don’t know how many times they fouled him, and it’s normal to react when they keep trying to foul you as a player who is looking to dribble with the ball, but I need to see it again properly.” 

Messi was doubtful for this game due to an injury he sustained. He did not play the semi final game against Real Sociedad, which the Catalan club won. In the last minute, he was included in the starting XI. 

Messi will miss two games with FC Barcelona, which includes a Copa Del Rey game against Cornella and a La Liga game against Elche. The Barca legend was also fined 600 Euros for his actions. 

FC Barcelona is reportedly taking action to appeal the suspension decision. 

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As the January transfer window is live, more and more signings are happening. Also, the window closes on the 30th and so the speculation on certain players’ futures continues. 

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has still not renewed his contract with the club. His current contract expires this year and so the player is expected to renew as the player has previously expressed his desire to retire at Real Madrid. However, reports claim that Ramos and the club did not reach an agreement yet and so the player can possibly leave for another club. Among the clubs interested in signing the Spanish center-back are PSG and Tottenham. 

Another Real Madrid player, Lucas Vazquez, recently rejected a renewal offer from Real Madrid. Vazquez’s contract also expires this year.

FC Barcelona outcast Carles Alena signed for La Liga side Getafe on loan. Alena did not get much playing time and so his exit from the club was expected.

FC Barcelona young player Riqui Puig signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2023. Despite not getting enough playing time under head coach Ronald Koeman, the midfielder is full of potential and is considered a future star for the club. 

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta is looking to offload several players. Recently, Arsenal’s Sead Kolasinac joined Bundesliga club Schalke on loan. Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos is also expected to leave the club this month. 

FC Barcelona legend Lionel Messi could possibly leave the Catalan club at the end of the season. Reports claim that PSG and Manchester City are in the front line to sign the Barca legend. In fact, PSG’s new head Mauricio Pochettino coach claimed that “any big player in the world is always welcome at Paris Saint-Germain,” raising further speculation on the Argentine’s future. Messi’s transfer away from FC Barcelona would definitely be a big loss to the club. 

The January transfer window recently opened and several exciting transfers are completed or in the process of completion.

Premier League club Manchester United is set to sign Ivorian wonderkid Amad Diallo from the Serie A club Atalanta B.C. The player uploaded a photo on his Instagram showing himself boarding a private jet. Concerning the transfer, Manchester United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told reporters, “Amad had the paperwork, I can’t see any obstacles and hopefully within not too long he’ll be with us. I think he has shown his qualities a few times but has to learn to play in England, which is a different way of playing football. We will give him time to develop and express himself.”

Bundesliga club RB Leipzig recently signed Dominik Szoboszlai from the Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg for €25 million. The young talent was reportedly chased by Arsenal but ended up signing for Leipzig. 

Bayern Munich star David Alaba is reportedly in talks for a move to Real Madrid. There are several clubs including FC Barcelona and Chelsea were interested in signing the Austrian defender, but he is clearly interested in a move to the La Liga giants. 

Inter Milan outcast Christian Eriksen is expected to leave the club after a disappointing season. The Danish midfielder is not playing regularly under head coach Antonio Conte. Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta told Sky Sports that the player is on the transfer list and that “there is no punishment, it’s just a situation that has developed and it’s only fair to give him the chance to go where he can play more regularly.” Arsenal is one of the clubs interested in signing the player. 

Arsenal is reportedly interested in signing midfielder Houssem Aouar from Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais. Head coach Mikel Arteta is looking for new players to help strengthen the squad. 

Current Premier League champions Liverpool dropped more points after losing to Southampton, 1-0 at St. Mary’s Stadium.

Former Liverpool player Danny Ings scored the only goal to help the Saints gain three points in the league. Liverpool had several opportunities to score and a few controversial penalties which the VAR denied. 

After the game, Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp was clearly frustrated because of the penalty the club was not rewarded. “[The handball] looked like a clear penalty,” and he told Sky Sports. “I turned to the fourth official, he said: We checked already, no penalty. What [referee] Andre Marriner did with Sadio Mane tonight, I’m not sure that’s ok, to be honest.”

Klopp also claimed that “I hear now that Manchester United had more penalties in two years than I had in five and a half years. I’ve no idea if that’s my fault, or how that can happen.”

However, despite the refereeing controversies, Klopp was clearly disappointed in his side’s poor performance against Southampton. “But it’s no excuse for the performance,” he said. “We cannot change it, we have to respect the decisions. But we can change our performance. That’s our focus now.” 

In addition to the defense, Liverpool’s misfiring trio Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino were questioned for their performances. Liverpool legend Steve Nicol criticized the club’s front three in a talk with ESPN, claiming “I think it’s pretty clear where the problems are. It’s up front. The front three are not producing, not delivering, they’re not even creating!”

Nicol also criticized their performances during the Southampton game, “Yes, at Newcastle they made opportunities but this Southampton game and the West Brom game, they never created anything. If you aren’t going to create, then you aren’t going to score goals.”

Nicol suggested that Klopp should “have a quiet word and a clever word with the front three.” 

Liverpool should solve their defensive and attacking problems sooner rather than later or risk missing out on the Premier League.

Arsenal legend Liam Brady attacked at current Arsenal player Mesut Ozil. Ozil has been left out of the current squad by head coach Mikel Arteta since March.

Talking on the Key and Greys podcast, Brady claimed, “I don’t blame Arteta over Ozil. He gave Ozil plenty of chances and he performed for a couple of months. Ozil just reverted back to type.”

Brady also said that “he’s not a good guy in the dressing room; he’s not a good guy on the pitch. I’ve no problem with Mikel bombing him.” 

Ozil was clearly not in Arteta’s plans when he arrived. Arteta depended more on players like Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. 

Arteta even admitted that the Ozil situation is painful and even told BeIn Sports ““I’m hurt because I don’t like any player in my squad not to have the possibility to participate, or to compete, for me it is really sad because I don’t think anybody deserves that.But at the end of the day I’m sitting here to make decisions, to make the decisions that, in my opinion, are the best for the football club. And this is what I have to do”

When asked if Ozil can participate in the future, Arteta said “Well everybody can and I think since I arrived here you see where some players have started and where they are right now, their careers are completely changed and they have earned that right. We gave them the opportunities and they took them.”

Arteta also claimed that he’s trying “to be as clear as possible with him and with all the media and fans”.

Likewise, former Arsenal head coach Unai Emery previously criticized Ozil and claimed that the player needs to “be self‑critical too, analyse his attitude and commitment.”

After his lack of playing time, Ozil is clearly looking for a move away from the club. Reports claim that the German midfielder is linked to move to the Turkish club Fenerbahce. 

After Liverpool’s 0-0 draw against Newcastle United, the Premier League race is more fierce and challenging.

After the West Brom game, Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp admitted that while Liverpool is still on top after the draw, “that just shows how difficult the season is for everybody.”

While Liverpool is currently in the top position in the league, the club’s fierce rivals Manchester United is in second with only three points behind. Other teams like Leicester City, Tottenham, Everton and Manchester City are also in the title race. 

One of Liverpool’s main concerns is defending. The club lost its most important defender Virgil Van Dijk to an injury at the beginning of the season. The available defenders could still not make up for Van Dijk’s absence. Also, Liverpool defenders Joel Matip and Joe Gomez were both recently injured and so Klopp might rely on the young defenders in the upcoming games.

Liverpool legend John Aldridge told Sunday World that “word has been coming out of Anfield suggesting Liverpool are not looking to sign anyone next month, but it has to be a smokescreen because they simply have to sign a centre-half if they are serious about retaining the Premier League title.” 

Talking about Liverpool’s injury crisis, Aldridge said, “The injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have ripped a hole in Liverpool’s defensive line and with Matip clearly struggling with his fitness, Liverpool are horribly short at the centre of their defence.”

Aldridge also suggested that Liverpool could make a new signing during the January transfer window and claimed that “Liverpool’s transfer committee, and especially recruiter-in-chief Michael Edwards, has done a magnificent job of identifying the right players in recent years and now they need to pull another rabbit out of the hat.”

While it’s unclear whether Liverpool will actually sign a centre back in January, the club will have to find a solution to the current defence crisis. 

FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi sat down with Jordi Evole for a very candid and personal interview for La Sexta.

After the problems he had in the summer with the Catalan club, Messi did not hold back from expressing his love for FC Barcelona. He claimed, “Barça is my life. I love Barça and Barcelona. I have always given my all for this club. I feel everything for this shirt. Barcelona is my life. I grew up both in the club and in the city. I learned everything here. The club has given me everything, trained me as a footballer and as a person. I have a love affair with Barça and the city.”

Messi started playing for FC Barcelona at a really young age. He spoke on his arrival from Argentina to the Catalan club and claimed, “It was a difficult time, I left everything behind. My life changed completely. But I was just thinking about trying to achieve my dream. And that’s why I focused on training, matches and school. Little by little, I made friends.”

The Barca superstar discussed his troublesome summer with the club and the reasons why he wanted to leave after so many years. Messi claimed that he “had been telling [Bartomeu] for six months that I wanted to leave and asking for his help and he just said ‘no, no, no,” As a result, Messi sent a burofax to the club to make his decision about leaving the club official. 

Messi also claimed that Barotmeu started to leak things to the public to make the player look like the “bad guy” in front of everyone. 

When asked about current head coach Koeman’s project, he said, “With Koeman, the team and the club have a seriousness about them and an idea. He is doing things very well, and has been a great success. However, it’s not an easy situation because there are new and young people.”

Messi also did not give a clear answer on whether he will leave FC Barcelona in June or not, but expressed his desire to play for the MLS “one day.” 

In the midst of the Christmas festivities, the Premier League boxing day fixtures were also happening. 

Arsenal got its first win in a long time after defeating Chelsea 3-1. In the first half, the Gunners were awarded a penalty scored by Alexandre Lacazette. Afterward, Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka scored a brilliant free-kick to double the score for his side. In the second half, young Arsenal star Bukayo Saka scored a stunning goal. In the last minutes of the game, Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham scored his side’s only goal. The Blues were awarded a penalty, but the penalty was shot by Jorginho and saved by Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno. Despite the new signings, Chelsea has not drastically improved from last season. 

Leicester City drew with Manchester United 2-2. In the first half, United star Marcus Rashford scored the first goal. Afterward, Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes scored his side’s first goal. In the second half, United’s Bruno Fernandes scored his side’s second goal. Shortly after, Unite’s Axel Tuanzebe scored an own goal. The result was fair to both sides.

Manchester City defeated Newcastle United, 2-0. In the first half, City’s Ilkay Gundogan scored the first goal. In the second half, City’s new signing Ferran Torres scored the second goal. Manchester City played a good game, unlike previous ones.

Everton defeated Sheffield United, 1-0 after a late goal from Gylfi Sigurosson. The Toffees made an unexpected start to the season and are now third in the Premier League. 

Aston Villa defeated Crystal Palace 3-0. In the first half, Villa’s Bertrand Traore scored an early goal. Before half time, Villa’s Tyrone Mings was sent off after a second yellow card. In the second half, Villa’s Kortney Hause and Anwar El Ghazi each scored. The game looked quite easy for Aston Villa against a struggling Crystal Palace. 

The Fulham and Southampton game ended in a goalless draw. 

Ligue 1 club Paris Saint Germain have fired head coach Thomas Tuchel after PSG’s 4-0 win against Strasbourg. 

Tuchel became PSG’s head coach in 2018 after the club sacked Unai Emery. During his time at the club, the team won the French league twice, the Coupe De France, Coupe De La Ligue and the Trophee des Champions twice. Tuchel also led PSG to the UEFA Champions League final last season.

Tuchel was recently caught up in a controversial issue after an interview with Sport 1. Tuchel’s controversial comments on the club might have led to his dismissal as PSG coach. 

In the interview, Tuchel discussed his job as PSG coach and claimed, “Sometimes it’s very easy, sometimes it’s a big challenge. At a club like PSG there are many influences. That’s why it can be very challenging to keep all the guys happy.”

The German coach raised eyebrows by claiming that, “Honestly, in the first six months here it felt like I was more of a sports politician or sports minister than a coach.”

After the interview was released, Tuchel told Canal + that his comments on PSG were misunderstood. He said, “I didn’t say it’s more about politics than sport, nor that I lost the fun of training. This is not true. It is possible they translated incorrectly.” 

He also said, “Watch the video interview. I just said that PSG are unique and that it’s a big challenge for me. It’s always been like that. I like this challenge and nothing has changed.”

Reports claim different candidates like Mauricio Pocettinho, Massimiliano Allegri and PSG under 19 coach Thiago Motta could replace Tuchel as head coach. Pochettino is the former head coach of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspurs. Allegri is the former head coach of Serie A club Juventus. Motta is a former PSG player and is currently coaching the under 19 team. 

An announcement of the next PSG coach is expected soon.

During this week’s La Liga fixtures, Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid all clinched victories. 

Atlético Madrid defeated Real Sociedad, 2-0. In the first half, neither side managed to score. In the second half, Atlético Madrid’s Mario Hermoso scored his side’s first goal assisted by Yannick Ferrera Carasco. In the last 15 minutes of the game, Atlético Madrid’s Marcos Llorente scored his side’s second goal assisted by Carasco. Atlético Madrid is currently on top of La Liga. 

FC Barcelona defeated Real Valladolid, 3-0. In the first half, FC Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet scored the first goal assisted by FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. Shortly after, FC Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite scored the second goal assisted by Serginho Dest. In the second half, Messi scored a brilliant third goal for FC Barcelona assisted by emerging young star Pedri. Messi has now scored 644 goals for FC Barcelona and has surpassed soccer legend Pele’s record for scoring the most goals for a single club. FC Barcelona is currently fifth in La Liga.

Real Madrid continued their winning streak after defeating Granada, 2-0. In the second half, Real Madrid star Casemiro scored the first goal assisted by Marco Asensio. In the added time, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema scored his side’s second goal assisted by Real Madrid outcast Isco. Real Madrid is currently second in La Liga, having the same number of points as Atletico, but the Galacticos have played two more games. 

The players are now on Christmas break and La Liga will return on Dec. 29. FC Barcelona is scheduled to face Eibar at the Camp Nou. Atletico Madrid is scheduled to face Getafe at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. Real Madrid is scheduled to face Elche at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero. 

The La Liga race is still far from over and there will likely be many twists as games return after Christmas break. 

Juventus and Portugal international star Cristiano Ronaldo’s reaction to Robert Lewandowski winning the FIFA The Best award created a lot of controversy in news outlets and on social media.

The Portugese legend previously won the award five times and finished second behind Lewandowski in this year’s award. When FIFA president Gianni Infantino surprised Lewandowski and handed him the award, Ronaldo clearly was not so happy about it. 

It was evident that Ronaldo wanted to win the award for the sixth time and tie with his eternal rival Lionel Messi, who already has six. However, neither Messi or Ronaldo deserved to receive the FIFA The Best award this year despite being two of the greatest or arguably the greatest players to ever play soccer. 

Ronaldo had a pretty mediocre season compared to his previous ones, winning the Serie A with Juventus. He was not even crowned as the Serie A’s top scorer, which went to Lazio’s Ciro Immobile. 

Similarly, Messi had a mediocre season after not managing to win any trophies. Messi was La Liga’s top scorer and the Argentine legend also broke FC Barcelona legend Xavi’s assist record. 

Due to having mediocre seasons, several people believed that Messi and Ronaldo were not supposed to be among the top three finalists. Other names like Neymar Jr. were perhaps more deserving. 

Meanwhile, the award deservedly went to Lewandowski who won five trophies with Bayern Munich including being the top scorer of the UEFA Champions League and Bundesliga. Messi and Ronaldo dominated in the previous years, but Lewandowski won everything to deserve the award. 

In his FIFA vote for the top 3, Ronaldo chose Lewandowski in first place, Messi in second and Kylian Mbappe in third. Messi chose Neymar Jr. in first place, Mbappe in second and Lewandowski in third. Lewandowski gave his vote to Thiago Alcantara in first place, Neymar in second and Kevin De Bruyne in third.

Manchester City defeated Arsenal 4-1 in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals to pile more pressure on the struggling Gunners.

Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus scored an early goal assisted by Oleksandr Zinchenko. Before the end of the first half, Arsenal Alexandre Lacazette scored a goal assisted by Gabriel Martinelli to equalize the score before half time.

In the second half, Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez scored his side’s second goal. Afterward, City’s Phil Foden scored the third goal assisted by Fernandinho. City defender Aymeric Laporte scored the fourth goal assisted by Foden.

After this game, Arsenal’s season went from bad to worse. The Gunners are currently 15th in the Premier League and have lost three of their four last games. In fact, this past Saturday, Arsenal lost against Everton, 2-1.

Head coach and former Arsenal player Mikel Arteta admitted his disappointment while talking to Sky Sports. “It’s a hard one to take considering how the game went,” Arteta said. “This level of opponent, when you give the goals away it makes the game impossible. A lot of strange things are happening in every game and that makes things really difficult.”

Arteta also claimed that “we have to turn it around, there is no question. If we don’t we’re in big trouble. This is the moment that’s going to decide our season.”

The Spanish head coach strongly believes in his players and said that he has “fighters” in the team who are capable of saving Arsenal’s season.

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola commented on his ex-assistant, “What I can say in our position as a manager we’ll be judged by the results. I was with him a long period, the most successful period our club had. Sometimes in our job we need time. It’s time to be patient. He’s an outstanding manager, incredible work ethic and puts the club in front of any decisions he has to make”. 

Arsenal is clearly in a dreadful situation and could potentially face relegation from the league if the team does not start winning. The Gunners have a difficult upcoming fixture against Chelsea on Dec. 26 at The Emirates.

FC Barcelona legend Lionel Messi cleared things up regarding his future at the Catalan club. 

Messi recently broke Brazilian legend Pele’s record of scoring 643 goals for a single club. The FC Barcelona superstar scored his 643th goal for FC Barcelona during the La Liga game against Valencia. 

This past summer, Messi wanted to leave the club and join another one but was unable to. Messi claimed that former FC Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu previously told him he was free to leave in the summer, but then according to Messi, the president did not keep his word. 

In the past few months, Messi has been linked to clubs like Paris Saint Germain and Manchester City. Both clubs are rumored to have tried to negotiate and sign Messi in the January transfer window or in the summer. However, a transfer away from FC Barcelona was not confirmed by Messi until now.

After many rumors surrounding Messi’s future at FC Barcelona, he decided to sit down to discuss his situation at the club. In an upcoming interview by LaSexta, Messi claimed, “The truth is that as of today I’m good. It’s true I had a terrible time in the summer, though it started before that. What I went through before the summer, with the end to the season and the burofax and all of that.”

“Then that carried over a little bit into the start of the season. But right now I’m good and I’m keen to really fight for everything we’ve got in front of us, I’m excited. Really excited. I know the club is going through a difficult period, in terms of the administration and the team and it makes everything around Barcelona difficult, but I’m keen.”

The full interview is set to be released on December 27 and more information concerning Messi’s future at the club could possibly be discussed.