Football

Thomas Tuchel would probably rather be talking about Croatia, three points and England’s bid to recover from their Nations League defeat by Spain.Instead, the drama surrounding Manchester City has followed him into the England camp.England head to Rijeka tonight (7 pm) looking for a second win of the campaign after beating the Czech Republic 2-0 in Prague. But one of the biggest talking points around the squad has been the Premier League’s case against Manchester City and the potential consequences for a club that supplies England with a significant number of players.##LINKED_NEWS_69536##Tuchel admitted there was no realistic way of avoiding the subject.”If I said it doesn’t distract us, then I’d only be speaking for myself, and that would be very limited,” the England manager said. “Let’s say it is a topic, but whether it is a distraction, I don’t know.”The German revealed that the situation has been discussed within the squad, including around the breakfast table, while City’s player..

Harambee Starlets striker Violet Nanjala made an emphatic start to life at Hibernians Women FC, after scoring a hat-trick on her debut in Malta’s Women’s First Division.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsNanjala, who recently joined the Maltese side from Saudi Arabian Women’s Premier League outfit United Eagles FC, announced her arrival in style as Hibernians cruised to a 5-1 victory over Birkirkara FC.##NAJAVA_MECA_10000358##Handed a starting berth for her first appearance, the experienced forward wasted little time making her mark, opening the scoring in the 11th minute to give Hibernians an early advantage.Birkirkara responded strongly after conceding, and managed to frustrate the visitors for much of the opening half. Hibernians, however, held onto their slender advantage as Nanjala’s early strike separated the two sides at the break.Kenya U17 coach reveals identity of friendlies lined up in Spain ahead of second World Cup appearanceThe match opened up after the restart, w..

Belgium needed a response after their narrow defeat by France four days ago. They got one – and, fittingly, it came from two of the biggest names in Belgian football.Kevin De Bruyne scored twice and Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to add another as Belgium beat Turkey 3-0 in the third round of the UEFA Nations League.The scoreline perhaps flattered Belgium. Turkey created enough chances to make the game uncomfortable, while Belgium’s defence often left far too much space. But when the moments arrived, De Bruyne and Lukaku made the difference.##LINKED_NEWS_69428##De Bruyne opened the scoring in the 10th minute, exchanging passes with Dodi Lukebakio before slipping the ball through a Turkish defender’s legs and calmly finding the corner.Vincenzo Montella’s side refused to retreat. Arda Guler tested Senne Lammens from distance several times, while Belgium’s midfield – without a natural holding midfielder – struggled to control the game. Lukebakio hit the post at the other end, but Merih ..

Guinea extended their long-standing home dominance over Kenya with a narrow 1-0 victory in Conakry, maintaining an undefeated record against the Harambee Stars on Guinean soil. Download Our MozzartSport App For More NewsPaulo Duarte’s tactical plan relied heavily on wide overloads and targeted underlapping runs to breach Kenya’s defensive block. While Benni McCarthy’s Harambee Stars demonstrated competitive parity in physical box presence – accumulating 19 touches in the opposition penalty area compared to Guinea’s 17 – their initial press lacked cohesion. ##NAJAVA_MECA_10000358##Serhou Guirassy’s first-half strike capitalized on wide combination play, cementing Guinea’s victory despite a structure-altering second-half push from the visitors.Paulo Duarte organized Guinea in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Mohamed Camara started in goal behind a backline comprising right-back Ibrahima Fofana, center-backs Soumah Mohamed and Keith Aboubacar, and left-back Sekou Sylla.Harambee Stars remain winless i..

Once upon a time, Philippe Coutinho was one of European football’s most feared little magicians. Liverpool made him a star, Barcelona paid €135 million to bring him in, and the Brazilian international looked set to spend the best years of his career among the game’s elite.Then came the fall.##LINKED_NEWS_62719##Coutinho was never quite the same player at Barcelona. The dream move turned into a nightmare, the price tag became a burden, and the Brazilian eventually drifted through Bayern Munich, Aston Villa and a series of loan spells, slowly disappearing from the centre of football’s attention.But forgotten for good? Not yet.Now 34, Coutinho has returned to Brazil, where he is wearing the famous black-and-white of Santos and sharing a dressing room with Neymar. On Saturday night, he finally made his debut, and it came in one of Brazilian football’s biggest fixtures, away to Sao Paulo.##LINKED_NEWS_55453##Santos came from behind to win 2-1 in the rearranged 21st-round clash, and while Co..

Kenya Women’s U17 head coach Mildred Cheche has revealed that her side is set to face Australia and a couple of Spain clubs, as part of their preparations for this year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsCheche, speaking during the team’s training session at Kasarani Annex on Friday, 2 October, said her squad was angling to build up competitiveness with the friendly matches, which are scheduled to take place within the side’s two-week camp in Spain, before the global tournament kicks off on Saturday, 17 October.##NAJAVA_MECA_10000336##“We are looking to play against Australia in Spain, and also a couple of clubs like Real Betis and Cadiz,” Cheche said. “Hopefully when we get to Spain, that is what we are looking forward to.”All through September, Cheche and her team were in residential training in Nairobi, where they worked on form and fitness, while playing a number of friendlies with local women and men sides.Livid McCarthy fingers ‘i..

Lionel Messi has added another football club to his growing portfolio after officially becoming the new owner of Spanish second-tier side Eldense, the club announced on Thursday.Eldense had previously been controlled by Colombian investment group Grupo TH, which also has interests in clubs based in Colombia and Switzerland. Messi’s takeover, however, represents a major new chapter in the history of the Spanish club.🚨 Messi Completes Takeover Of Spanish Second-Tier Club Eldense- Messi completes acquisition of Spanish second-division club Eldense- Club says the deal marks “a new and exciting stage” in its century-long history- Deal remains subject to approval by Spain’s Higher Sports… pic.twitter.com/YmSLzGlvYB— Football Culture (@CultFooty) October 2, 2026 “The arrival of one of the most significant figures in sports history into Spanish professional football as the owner of CD Eldense signals the beginning of a long-term project aimed at driving the club’s sporting, institutional, and ..

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy pulled no punches at a lively press conference following his team’s 1-0 loss to Guinea on Thursday, 1 October, expressing pride in the Kenyan team, but utter contempt for match referee Mohamed Maarouf of Egypt.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsSometimes smiling at the press in front of him, McCarthy had mixed reviews for Harambee Stars, who in Conakry fell to a solitary first-half goal from Serhou Guirassy, to leave them winless in Group D of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers.##NAJAVA_MECA_10000349##“If we had some experience like Guinea had, I think maybe it would have been a different situation,” the former Bafana Bafana striker said post-game. “We created some nervy moments for them [Guinea], but unfortunately lacked a bit of experience in the final third.”That said, however, McCarthy had positive reviews of his squad, who despite being 28 places below Syli National in the FIFA rankings, stayed within touching distan..

Tanzanian Premier League side Pamba Jiji FC head coach Francis Baraza has attributed the club’s difficult start to the 2026-2027 campaign to a combination of injuries, player departures and delays in securing work permits for new signings.The Mwanza-based outfit has collected just two points from their opening six matches, leaving them with a challenging start to the new season in complete contrast of last season emphatic start. Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsSpeaking to Mozzart Sport, Baraza was candid about the difficulties he has encountered, identifying the three factors as major contributors to Pamba’s struggles. Pamba have been hit by a string of injuries to key players, with newly signed FKFPL ‘Golden Glove’ winner Stephen Ochieng among those currently sidelined after suffering an Achilles tendon injury. ##NAJAVA_MECA_69523##Defender Brian Eshianda is also nursing a knee problem, while the club’s second-choice goalkeeper is unavailable alongside several other first-..

Harambee Starlets midfielder Diana Wacera has completed a permanent move to Greek side Olympiacos SFP. Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsOlympiacos confirmed Wacera’s arrival ahead of the new season, announcing that the 28-year-old has signed her contract and joined the club’s women’s football squad.“Olympiacos announces the start of its partnership with Diana Wacera. The international Kenyan midfielder has signed her new contract and joins the roster of the Olympiacos Women’s football team,” the club stated in its announcement.The transfer represents Wacera’s first move outside Kenya after three fruitful seasons with Kenya Police Bullets, where she established herself as one of the key midfielders in the domestic women’s game.##NAJAVA_MECA_10000272##During her spell with the club, Wacera helped wonn the FKF Women’s Premier League title on three occasions. Wacera has also been a regular member of the Harambee Starlets setup. She featured prominently for Kenya during the 2025 ..