North Korea have included Swiss Super League based pair Pak Kwang-ryong and Cha Jong-hyok in their 22-man squad for the upcoming Asian Cup.
Pak, currently playing on loan at Vaduz from Swiss champions Basel, is one of only four players in Jo Tong-sop s party to play outside of North Korea.
Defender Cha also plies his trade in Switzerland s top flight and he is one of just two players in the squad that played in the 2010 World Cup with goalkeeper Ri Myong-guk having also represented North Korea in South Africa.
Head coach Jo has also named eight players from Rimyongsu, who finished runners-up at the AFC President s Cup in May.
North Korea are participating in the tournament for the second time running and will hope to better their group-stage exit in Qatar…
Stoke boss Tony Pulis admits this season s Europa League adventure has taken its toll on his players.
The Potters enjoyed a strong run in the group stage before being knocked out by current semi-finalists Valencia in February.
Although Pulis found the experience in the competition highly rewarding, he conceded that playing upwards of 50 matches in the campaign has left his players drained.
He told Absolute Radio: We ve had a great season this year in respect of the European experience.
It s been a wonderful opportunity to watch and be involved in European football for the first time for a long time at this football club.
The supporters and everybody connected to the club, (the) chairman, the family, have really, really enjoyed that experience.…
Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona if he does not accept a pay cut, according to presential candidate Emili Rousaud.
Messi s future remains an important topic at embattled LaLiga giants Barca after the superstar captain handed in a transfer request following a tumultuous 2019-20 campaign.
The six-time Ballon d Or winner was tipped to join Premier League powerhouse Manchester City before opting to remain in Spain, though he has since been linked to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and Inter.
Rousaud, who is in the running for the presidential election which takes place on January 24 following Josep Maria Bartomeu s resignation in October, discussed Messi s future amid the coronavirus pandemic
We ll have to sit down with Messi and ask him to make a sal…
New Barcelona signing Antoine Griezmann has credited Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone for his form in recent seasons, saying he felt lucky to have played under the Argentinian.
Griezmann completed his €120million move to Barca last week after spending five years at Atleti playing under Simeone.
His exit left a sour taste in Madrid, with Atletico adamant they should have been paid €200m because they say Griezmann and his new club agreed terms before July 1, when his release clause dropped by €80m.
Barcelona are confident there is no evidence of such an agreement taking place and, despite the bad blood between the two clubs, Griezmann has spoken glowingly about Simeone.
I am lucky to have learned from Cholo Simeone. Thanks to him, I ve been p…
Mikel Arteta felt Arsenal deserved much more than what we got following their 3-2 Premier League defeat to Manchester United on Thursday.
Arsenal took the lead in bizarre circumstances at Old Trafford, Emile Smith Rowe volleying home from 20 yards while David de Gea laid on the ground injured after a collision with Fred.
Referee Martin Atkinson did not blow his whistle until the ball crossed the line and following a VAR review the goal was allowed to stand.
However, Bruno Fernandes drew United level in his 100th appearance for the club and Cristiano Ronaldo put the Red Devils in front with his 800th career goal.
Martin Odegaard restored parity three minutes later but his foul on Fred gave away a penalty that Ronaldo thundered home, giving United…
Benjamin Mendy has been remanded in custody after the Manchester City defender was charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
Mendy was charged by Cheshire Constabulary on Thursday in relation to alleged attacks between October 2020 and August 2021.
The 27-year-old France international appeared in Chester Magistrates Court on Friday, where he spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth.
Mendy was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Chester Crown Court on September 10.
The left-back was suspended by City pending an investigation after being charged.
City said in a statement released on Thursday: Manchester City can confirm that following his being charged by police today, Benjamin Mendy has been…
Sheffield United were relegated from the Premier League following a 5-1 thrashing by Newcastle United at St James Park on Saturday.
Alexander Isak netted in both halves as the Magpies came from behind, with Bruno Guimaraes helping to complete the turnaround after Anel Ahmedhodzic s early opener.
Callum Wilson rounded off the scoring after Ben Osborn s own goal had taken the game away from Chris Wilder s side, sending them back to the Championship.
Newcastle stay in seventh place, four points above West Ham in eighth, while the Blades sit bottom of the table after a 25th league defeat of the season.
Defeat for the Blades.
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited)
On a day when United needed to win, they got off to a fast start as Gustavo Ha…
Cameroon coach Rigobert Song made no secret of his pride in Breel Embolo despite the Switzerland forward scoring the winning goal against his birth nation at the World Cup on Thursday.
Embolo s second-half strike from Xherdan Shaqiri s cross proved decisive as Switzerland won 1-0 at Al Janoub Stadium, giving Switzerland a victorious start to their Group G campaign.
The goal was even more notable due to the fact Embolo was born in Cameroon but represents Switzerland after spending much of his childhood there.
Despite not choosing to play for the nation of his birth, Embolo retains links to the country and Song revealed the pair share a strong personal relationship.
As such, Song felt a degree of pride in seeing Embolo prevail on Thursday.
Asked if …
Stoke City have confirmed the signing of Michael Owen on a one-year contract.
The 32-year-old, who was released by Manchester United in the summer, will join Tony Pulis side subject to approval from the Premier League.
The striker moved to Old Trafford back in 2009 as Sir Alex Ferguson looked to bolster his attacking options following Cristiano Ronaldo s 80 million pounds to Real Madrid.
Despite netting a dramatic winner in the 4-3 win over arch-rivals Manchester City, he failed to establish himself at the club and made just 31 league appearances, scoring five times.
Speculation over recent days suggested a return to Liverpool could happen as a possible way of boosting their striking options but Stoke have completed a deal to bring him to the Britannia S…
Pirlo hints at Premier League move
Juventus star Andrea Pirlo has hinted that he could make a move to English Premier League.
The 33-year-old is enjoying his time at Juventus, but admits he was very close to joining Chelsea some three years ago.
“Actually, Milan wouldn’t let me go,“ Pirlo . “I have a very strong connection with Ancelotti so I was in touch with him when he went to Chelsea and I’m still in touch with him now he’s at Paris Saint-Germain.
“I had already started negotiating with the people at Chelsea but then finally Milan didn’t let me go. That’s why I stayed.”
However, the experienced midfielder doesn’t want to rule out a possibility of playing in the Premier League one day in the future.
“Maybe, who …