Interview in Italy with Carlos Cuesta, the 30 y/o Parma head coach & Arteta confidant. He has a fascinating story. On percolating ambitions in mum's coffee shop, climbing the ladder via social media, the empathy in young managers & toughest decision of his life: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Interview in Italy with Carlos Cuesta, the 30 y/o Parma head coach & Arteta confidant. He has a fascinating story. On percolating ambitions in mum's coffee shop, climbing the ladder via social media, the empathy in young managers & toughest decision of his life: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Zvonimir Boban on Dinamo, freedom, forms & materials, Ceferin, his legacy at Fifa/Uefa – and, of course, Infantino & World Cup draw. "Disrespectful and irresponsible, I couldn’t watch it ... Sorry for Fifa, sorry for him, sorry for football.” Interview in Zagreb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Zvonimir Boban on Dinamo, freedom, forms & materials, Ceferin, his legacy at Fifa/Uefa – and, of course, Infantino & World Cup draw. "Disrespectful and irresponsible, I couldn’t watch it ... Sorry for Fifa, sorry for him, sorry for football.” Interview in Zagreb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Big interview with Zvonimir Boban in Zagreb. On his stormy departure from Uefa, the shame of Infantino's peace prize and why galvanising his beloved Dinamo will be the final task of an incredible life in football: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Big interview with Zvonimir Boban in Zagreb. On his stormy departure from Uefa, the shame of Infantino's peace prize and why galvanising his beloved Dinamo will be the final task of an incredible life in football: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Bits going round about Russia returning to international football through FIFA U15 event – but it's worth noting their U15s & younger age groups have actually played in numerous UEFA development tournament games since February 2022. Here's one example from September: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP77...

Chelsea had a great opportunity to put a foot in the knock-outs but now face the spectre of 21 games before the end of February. Report from Bergamo: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Chelsea had a great opportunity to put a foot in the knock-outs but now face the spectre of 21 games before the end of February. Report from Bergamo: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Two excellent finishes in two games now – Norway's latest stellar export has lift-off.

Declan Rice: best player in Europe, for the best team in Europe. It’s still early *but* - it would take something (else) new and unusual to leave Arsenal empty handed this season: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Declan Rice: best player in Europe, for the best team in Europe. It’s still early *but* - it would take something (else) new and unusual to leave Arsenal empty handed this season: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Valerenga, in Norway, want anti-doping rules changed after an extraordinary case that saw a player in their women’s team test positive for a stimulant that came from an artificial pitch’s rubber crumb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Valerenga, in Norway, want anti-doping rules changed after an extraordinary case that saw a player in their women’s team test positive for a stimulant that came from an artificial pitch’s rubber crumb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Sindre Walle Egeli's first taste of English football was heartbreaking: at seven, he travelled to Anfield but found family's tickets were fake. Now he aims for better memories at Ipswich. Interview with Norway's highest youth scorer & Championship record signing: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Sindre Walle Egeli's first taste of English football was heartbreaking: at seven, he travelled to Anfield but found family's tickets were fake. Now he aims for better memories at Ipswich. Interview with Norway's highest youth scorer & Championship record signing: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

This week has been an antidote to power club football. Make do and mend teams, full of faulty parts giving their people a night or two of glorious delirium.

Hope the "thank goodness the Premier League is back!!" takes are kept to a minimum this week – the past few days has been football at its best & purest.

Can the public really tell this? Or are they simply force-fed it 24 hours a day?

Some of these WCQ ties have been quite brilliant – one of the best weeks in calendar living up to its reputation. DR Congo, an enigma for so long, have outplayed a woeful Nigeria and deservedly won on penalties to reach March play-offs. Should be favoured to get through what will be a real mixed bag

No fairytale for Graham Potter just yet. Report from Geneva: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

No fairytale for Graham Potter just yet. Report from Geneva: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

It's gone a little under the radar but Kosovo have had a stunning qualifying campaign. They've made the play-offs by winning in Slovenia and have a genuinely decent chance of getting through them. Utterly inconceivable a decade ago.

Graham Potter and Sweden - no pressure, but also all the pressure: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Graham Potter and Sweden - no pressure, but also all the pressure: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

This largely has the effect of disengaging people from competitions that are (1) worth watching and (2) rather *need* the engagement. Current – growing – level of atomisation does not serve either the fans or the sport.

FA throw their weight behind international tournament qualifying revamp: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Well, this is quite a serious allegation. I do hope the BBC shows true impartiality and investigate whether or not some of its Board members are systemically biased. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...

They eventually won the league by 13 points - only one defeat all season. Won’t see much else like it.

A wild ride that left everyone back where they started: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

A wild ride that left everyone back where they started: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

If you read anything this weekend, make it this by @barneyronay.bsky.social - www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Inside Villa Park, everyone stuck to football. Outside, a palpably disquieting undertone was kept in check. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Inside Villa Park, everyone stuck to football. Outside, a palpably disquieting undertone was kept in check. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Not to downplay the much bigger issues but, from what I've seen in the last couple of hours outside Villa Park, the proliferation of YouTubers and influencers has given the police as much trouble as anything else.

It was always going to be all about a right-back: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

It was always going to be all about a right-back: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Qatar and Saudi Arabia have used their wealth and influence to tilt the football world in their favour, but now, for the first time, they have tilted the playing field too. Story on how opaque rule changes that paved Saudi Arabia and Qatar’s path to 2026 World Cup www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/w...

You know Christmas can't be a million miles off when the Super League pops back up ...

I wasn't at the fight last night but the extraordinary Fabio Wardley show rolls on. Trailing on the scorecards, again, he stopped Joseph Parker to complete another stunning comeback victory. Our interview ran earlier this week and he shared his story in detail www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/o...

Spurs bad, Vicario very good: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Serie A's planned Milan v Como fixture in Perth may be next for the scrapheap, hot on the heels of La Liga's shelved Miami game. There's some confidence within UEFA that game won't go ahead, and understand AFC coming under pressure not to sanction. Story: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Serie A's planned Milan v Como fixture in Perth may be next for the scrapheap, hot on the heels of La Liga's shelved Miami game. There's some confidence within UEFA that game won't go ahead, and understand AFC coming under pressure not to sanction. Story: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Mjällby have just won the Swedish league with three games left - and they haven’t simply won it, they’ve absolutely ripped it up. No asterisks or sugar daddies here, just the best story European club football will produce all year. From August, this is their tale: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Mjällby have just won the Swedish league with three games left - and they haven’t simply won it, they’ve absolutely ripped it up. No asterisks or sugar daddies here, just the best story European club football will produce all year. From August, this is their tale: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Lovely show for this in print today.

Gerard Deulofeu hasn't played since Jan 2023. ACL surgery & devastating cartilage infection saw to that. But every day he wakes, trains alone & dreams of appearing in Serie A again. He aims to make the most unlikely top-level return in history. Interview in Udine: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

In January it will be three years since Gerard Deulofeu kicked a ball. Even in a best case scenario, he won't manage to for a good few months after that. But he is hellbent on achieving the impossible: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

In January it will be three years since Gerard Deulofeu kicked a ball. Even in a best case scenario, he won't manage to for a good few months after that. But he is hellbent on achieving the impossible: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Gerard Deulofeu hasn't played since Jan 2023. ACL surgery & devastating cartilage infection saw to that. But every day he wakes, trains alone & dreams of appearing in Serie A again. He aims to make the most unlikely top-level return in history. Interview in Udine: www.theguardian.com/football/202...