In a landmark development, the English Premier League (EPL) is set to commence operations in Mumbai, its first-ever office in India. The Premier League has a long-standing relationship with India, consistently engaging with its vast and passionate fanbase and supporting football communities across the nation. Since 2007, it has partnered with the British Council to implement its Premier Skills programme, aimed at developing grassroots football. Over the past 18 years, this initiative has been rolled out across more than 18 Indian states, training over 7,300 coaches, referees, and educators, and positively impacting the lives of more than 124,000 young people. At the elite level, the League has forged a strong collaboration with the Indian Super League (ISL) since its inception in 2014. This partnership has facilitated the exchange of expertise in several core areas, including governance, youth development, coaching, and referee training. A key milestone in this relationship was the launch of the Next Gen Cup in 2019, an elite international youth tournament designed to nurture emerging talent. The sixth edition of this tournament is scheduled to take place in Mumbai in May 2025, where top ISL youth squads will compete against U19 teams from Premier League clubs, marking another significant step in youth football development. The establishment of the Premier League’s India office aims to bolster its existing initiatives by enhancing collaboration with Indian football authorities and strengthening both grassroots and elite-level programmes. Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters expressed his enthusiasm, stating: "We and our clubs have a fantastic and knowledgeable fanbase in India, and we know football continues to grow in popularity. We are proud of our longstanding commitment to India, having worked to deliver community football programmes for 18 years and, more recently, our partnership with the Indian Super League. Opening this office marks a significant milestone for the Premier League. We are looking forward to the opportunities it will create in the region." This move follows the League’s global expansion strategy, with international offices already operating in Singapore (2019), New York (2023), and Beijing (2024), aimed at deepening fan engagement, supporting local football growth, and protecting content rights.
29 April,2025 06:39 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentWorld Cup-winning French midfielder Paul Pogba has provided an update on his potential comeback, saying it "might be today" or "might be in two years" before he's back on the pitch. Pogba has been out of competitive fixtures since September 2023, when he was hit with a ban for failing a dope test after featuring for Juventus in their opening game of the 2023-24 season against Udinese on August 20. He had tested positive for DHEA, a banned substance that boosts endogenous testosterone. However, Pogba's management team challenged the decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), which upheld the four-year suspension, and the ban was reduced to 18 months which ended in March this year. Pogba has shared a video on his personal Instagram account in which he said, "Just a little message. Nothing to show really, just somebody that is still hungry for the comeback, been training by himself, but never gives up on chasing his dream and what he wants to achieve." "Just a message for all of you guys that if right now you don’t get what you want, but just keep trying and keep pushing until you get it. It might be tomorrow, it might be in one year, it might be two years, but what’s going to happen is meant to happen. Let’s go! Big up and see you very soon," he added. Pogba was cleared to resume his professional career in March, but he remains a free agent. The 32-year-old was also released by Serie A giants Juventus while serving his ban in November last year. The midfielder has been linked with several clubs, including former side Manchester United, and Marseille, as well as teams from MLS and the Saudi Pro League are also reportedly interested. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 April,2025 01:50 PM IST | New Delhi | IANSAntonio Rudiger needs to show "class" and respect for others, German national team sporting director Rudi Voller has said, after the defender appeared to throw ice toward the referee during Real Madrid's Copa del Rey loss to Barcelona. Rudiger shouted at the referee and seemed to throw a small bag of ice during extra time in Madrid's 3-2 loss to Barcelona on Saturday. Rudiger has since apologized for his behavior but the incident prompted former Germany player Dietmar Hamann to call Sunday for the defender to be left out of Germany's squad for the Nations League final four in June. "You can't do that. And especially not as a player for the German national team. He needs to change that and he knows that himself, his public reaction shows that," Voller told the dpa news agency in comments published Monday. "Toni is a classy player, but as a player for the German national team he also needs to display class in his behavior. He rightly demands respect for himself (and) he needs to show this same respect to others without exception." Voller's comments did not address whether Rudiger's conduct could have any impact on national team selection. He added he didn't want Rudiger to tone down his emotional approach to the game. "Toni is an excellent soccer player and a very emotional guy, a fighter on the field," Voller said. "And he should stay that way." Germany plays Portugal in the Nations League semifinals in Munich on June 4. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 April,2025 10:33 AM IST | Berlin | APArne Slot says sky-high expectations at Liverpool will not allow for any let-up next season after they won the Premier League title in style. A crushing 5-1 victory against Tottenham at a raucous Anfield on Sunday put the Reds out of reach of nearest challengers Arsenal with four games to go. Level with Man Utd on titles Liverpool are now level with bitter rivals Manchester United on 20 English top-flight titles after winning just their second league crown in the Premier League era. It is a remarkable achievement for Slot, who took over the managerial reins from Jurgen Klopp last June, with few pundits expecting him to win the league in his first season. Also Read: Jaiswal’s willow, Pant’s helmet for Chappell Foundation auction Thousands of fans lingered outside Anfield hours after the final whistle on Sunday, chanting and letting off fireworks as they revelled in the club’s success. The emotion was heightened by the memory of their 2020 title, with that trophy lifted behind closed doors due to Covid restrictions. Slot, who has eased seamlessly into life at Anfield, said plans were already in place for next season and there would be no problems in motivating his men as he targets more silverware. “I don’t have to manage expectations because the expectations of this club are always the same,” said the former Feyenoord boss. Slot hails camaraderie “We have to compete for every trophy, and that didn’t change when I came in and that doesn’t change next season. We have a group of players that are able to win things, but we’re not the only one. There are so many great teams in this league and in the Champions League, so it’s never going to be easy, but we have to compete.” Mohamed Salah labelled Liverpool’s record-equalling 20th English title as “way better” than their previous Premier League triumph five years ago. “This is way better, 100 per cent,” the Egypt forward said. “Without Sadio [Mane], without Jurgen, without Bobby [Firmino] — without everybody it feels more special. We have a different group now, different manager, so to be able to do it again is something special.” Salah was delighted to win the title in front of Liverpool’s frenzied supporters. Their previous title came during the Covid-19 pandemic when lockdown restrictions meant fans weren’t allowed into Anfield to celebrate. “It is incredible to win this with our fans. I’m glad we won it here,” he said. How Liverpool did it! Five reasons why Reds dominated this English Premier League season Liverpool boss Arne Slot 1 Arne Slot is known to be a quick-thinker who loves to learn from footage of clubs all over the world. His way of playing attacking, aggressive football has contributed heavily to the team’s success this season. He is the first Dutch manager to win an English top-flight title and the fifth manager to win in his debut season 2 Positive results vs big five opponents (Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham) helped Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah is all smiles after their title triumph 3 Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has enjoyed a superb season with a league-leading 28 goals and 18 assists so far, a record for goal involvements (46) 4 The Reds lead the Premier League rankings for goals, shots and shots on target Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk after their win over Tottenham in Liverpool 5 Skipper Virgil van Dijk is the only outfield player to play every minute in the 34 games played this season. He and Salah played over 3,000 minutes each This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 April,2025 07:45 AM IST | Liverpool | AFPPep Guardiola said winning the FA Cup will not be enough to salvage Manchester City’s troubled season after they reached the final on the day Liverpool ended their reign as Premier League champions. Liverpool’s coronation was sealed with a 5-1 rout of Tottenham that finished at almost the exact moment the full-time whistle blew at Wembley to signal City’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-finals. Rico Lewis scored after just 109 seconds before Josko Gvardiol extended City’s advantage in the second half. City will face Crystal Palace in their third successive FA Cup final on May 17. Also Read: Boss Arteta wary as Arsenal host PSG But when it was put to the Spaniard that FA Cup glory and Champions League qualification would mark a “successful” campaign, he replied: “No, and I have said that many times. This season has not been good. We are a thousand million points behind Liverpool, so come on, this season has not been good. “Look at the Champions League. How many games did we win? One or two? And we have always been a machine in that. We cannot confuse that the season has been good if we finish in the top five and qualify for the Champions League.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 April,2025 07:27 AM IST | London | AFPArsenal boss Mikel Arteta will have to beat one of the most influential figures in his football life when the Gunners face Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals. Also Read: Youngest IPL centurion Vaibhav Suryavanshi headlines Royals' eight-wicket win over Titans Arteta’s side host PSG in the first leg on Tuesday as the Spaniard aims to lead Arsenal to only the second Champions League final appearance in their history. Standing in his way is a close friend who, along with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, played a major role in his compatriot’s impressive transition from the pitch to the dug-out. Luis Enrique was a senior star at Barcelona when Arteta started his playing career at the Camp Nou, a period that had a major impact on his managerial philosophy with Arsenal. “He was extremely supportive with the young players, he was one of the main characters by far. I have really good memories of him,” Arteta said. “What I love about him is wherever he’s been, as a player or a manager, his fingerprints are all over the place. You can sense it’s his team with the way his players behave, the way they want to attack and dominate games.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 April,2025 07:24 AM IST | London | AFPLiverpool demolished Tottenham 5-1 to clinch the Premier League title at an impassioned Anfield on Sunday, sealing a record-equalling 20th English top-flight crown. Arne Slot's men stormed back after conceding a surprise early goal to dominate the first half as the decibel level soared among the 60,000-plus crowd. Liverpool, who can no longer be caught by second-placed Arsenal, are now level with bitter rivals Manchester United as the joint-most successful club in English top-flight history. Slot's men started on the front foot at an expectant Anfield after a stirring rendition of club anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" in the warm spring sunshine. Mohamed Salah had an early sighter and Cody Gakpo went close with a spectacular overhead kick but Tottenham briefly threatened to become party poopers when Dominic Solanke powered home a header from a James Maddison corner in the 12th minute. But Liverpool were level just four minutes later when Luis Diaz converted Dominik Szoboszlai's cross from close range. The offside flag went up but VAR awarded the goal. The momentum was now all with Liverpool and the home side took the lead in the 24th minute when Alexis Mac Allister thundered the ball home from the 18-yard line past the flying Guglielmo Vicario. Now the party was well and truly started and Gakpo made it 3-1, slamming a shot into the bottom corner after Spurs failed to clear. Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou had made eight changes from the team that lost to Nottingham Forest last week as he prioritises the semi-finals of the Europa League and they now had a mountain to climb. The Liverpool fans -- deprived of celebrating the 2020 Premier League trophy due to Covid restrictions, ran through their full repertoire of songs as their team pushed for a fourth goal in the second half. Liverpool's English midfielder Harvey Elliott, Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah, Liverpool's English defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool's English defender Joe Gomez, Liverpool's Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Liverpool's Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo pose with teammates after winning the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England. Pic/AFP Salah selfie Top-scorer Salah scored the goal the crowd craved, collecting Szoboszlai's pass before cutting in and blasting his shot into the bottom corner. He celebrated by grabbing a fan's phone before taking a selfie in front of the Kop. Deafening cheers of "We're going to win the league" and "We shall not be moved" rang out. Liverpool had a fifth when Spurs defender Destiny Udogie poked the ball past his own goalkeeper from close range with about 20 minutes to go as the game turned into a procession. As the game went into added time the club's anthem rang out again as scarves were held aloft and the final whistle elicited a thunderous roar. "It was clear we couldn't lose this game," said Slot. "Everyone on the bus said there's no way we're going to lose this game. They always find a way to win. "Incredibly proud, not only of the players but the people standing here, sport directors, my staff members, we should give them a big round of applause. "Let's forget it's the second in 35 years, it's the second in five years (second since 2020)." The win leaves Liverpool on 82 points, 15 clear of nearest challengers Arsenal with just four games remaining. Tottenham are a miserable 16th in the Premier League table after their 19th defeat of the season, putting Postecoglou under enormous pressure. Tens of thousands of fans swarmed around Anfield in the build-up to kick-off in anticipation of Liverpool's coronation, setting off flares as the home team bus arrived. Flags and scarves saying "Liverpool 20-time Champions" were on sale from stalls outside the ground. At the start of the campaign, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City were favourites to extend their dynastic Premier League reign and make it five titles in a row but their form collapsed. Arsenal emerged as their closest challengers but they drew too many games, failing to take advantage of the rare Liverpool slip-ups. It was feared Liverpool's players would need time to adapt to the methods of Slot, who replaced Jurgen Klopp last June following the German's departure after nine trophy-filled years at Anfield. But the former Feyenoord boss has sailed serenely through the season despite relentless speculation over the futures of three of his biggest stars -- Salah, captain Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Both Salah and Van Dijk have now signed two-year extensions, though England defender Alexander-Arnold is believed likely to be on the verge of a move to Real Madrid. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
28 April,2025 10:07 AM IST | Liverpool | AFPBrazilian striker Jair da Costa, who won the World Cup in 1962 and helped Inter Milan win its first two European Cups in the 1960s, passed away at the age of 84. Also Read: It was an unbelievable performance: Palace boss The Brazilian Football Confederation announced the death on late on Saturday without elaborating. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
28 April,2025 08:05 AM IST | Sao Paulo | AP | PTICrystal Palace reached the FA Cup final for the first time in nine years as Ismaila Sarr’s double and a rocket from Eberechi Eze sealed a 3-0 win against Aston Villa on Saturday. Oliver Glasner’s side took the lead in the semi-final through Eze’s long-range blast in the 31st minute before Sarr netted twice in the second half to seal victory (58th minute and 94th minute). Also Read: Man Utd grab late goal for 1-1 draw vs Bournemouth Oliver Glasner “All credit to the players. They had to work so hard to overcome a few difficult moments,” Glasner said. “It was an unbelievable performance. The players stuck to the plan and we never lost our heads,” he added. The Eagles have never won the FA Cup, losing their two final appearances to Manchester United in 2016 and 1990. Meanwhile, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery apologised to his supporters for his team’s dismal display at Wembley Stadium. “They deserve to win, we have to accept it. I feel sorry for our supporters,” he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
28 April,2025 08:03 AM IST | London | AFPReal Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger apologised on Sunday for throwing an object at the Copa del Rey final referee. Rudiger had to be held back from confronting the official after a penalty not given. He got a red card for his troubles. Also Read: Baulkline 4.0 snooker at NSCI from April 28 “There’s definitely no excuse for my behaviour last night. I’m very sorry for that. I made a mistake,” said Rudiger in a post on Instagram. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
28 April,2025 08:01 AM IST | Seville | AFPRasmus Hojlund saved Manchester United from another EPL defeat with a stoppage time equaliser in yesterday’s 1-1 draw against Bournemouth. Also Read: Rawal, bowlers shine as India hammer Lanka by nine wickets in rain-hit ODI United were rocked by Antoine Semenyo’s 23rd minute goal, but the tide turned when Bournemouth forward Evanilson was sent off in the 70th minute, with the Red Devils making sure to steal a point at the death. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
28 April,2025 07:57 AM IST | Bournemouth | AFPADVERTISEMENT
