July 23 – The AFC’s Referees Committee has raised the entry age of its Referee Academy and lengthened the ‘retention’ period of graduates to two years to ensure ongoing monitoring and mentoring of its top officials. The committee, meeting virtually, said it was encouraged by the ‘consistent rise of Asian refereeing in the global context”, with AFC officials increasingly being …

While Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi were heralded as the top breakout stars for Barcelona last season, a certain Fermin Lopez also enjoyed an excellent debut season with the Catalan heavyweights. The 21-year-old midfield prospect ended the campaign with a return of 11 goals and an assist from 42 games, showcasing his potential and quality. Based on his exploits for …

There’s been lots going on behind the scenes at Newcastle United of late, not least the restructuring that needed to occur once Dan Ashworth departed the club. Eddie Howe’s position remains unaffected, though it’s likely he’ll want some guarantees that the way of working that he enjoyed under Ashworth continues with new sporting director, Paul Mitchell. If not, there’s every …

Eddie Howe has offered a positive update on “massive player” Sandro Tonali as the midfielder nears the end of his 10-month ban which began all the way back in October last year. Speaking to BBC Newcastle, the boss revealed that he’s in a good place, looks fit and has added an extra edge to his game now we’re close to …

With a Champions League campaign to look forward to in 2024/25, Aston Villa manager, Unai Emery, knows that he’ll need a deep enough squad to cope with those European commitments on top of a domestic season. He only needs to remind himself of what happened to Newcastle United last season once injuries started to bite, ostensibly as a result of …

The 1996-97 English Premier League title was won by Manchester United, holding off a trio of challengers in the form of Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool, to collect the trophy with games to spare. Despite a shaky mid-season spell, United were deserved champions, ending on 75 points for their fourth league in the space of five years. CHANGES One transfer …

Wojciech Szczesny is on his way out of Juventus, but his next career step remains shrouded in mystery. So what would be his most likely destination? The Bianconeri have recently signed Michele Di Gregorio from Monza and will hand him the starting gloves, while Mattia Perin will be his backup. Therefore, Szczesny now finds himself outside of Thiago Motta’s project, …

Though the expectation is surely that Tottenham Hotspur don’t look vastly different as a squad from how they do at the moment, there are clearly one or two areas which need refreshing for Ange Postecoglou ahead of the new season. From a manager’s perspective, it’s always good to have an evolution of sorts. Even if it’s only the odd change …

It is no secret that FC Barcelona have Nico Williams as their utmost priority for the current summer transfer window. The Blaugrana have already tabled a contract offer for the 22-year-old Spaniard and are hoping for a positive response from the Athletic Club so as to close the operation as early as possible. Nico has been attracting interest from clubs …

Barcelona are currently fully focused on the signing of Nico Williams from Athletic Club, with the Spaniard being the top target for this summer. However, at the same time, the club are not losing sight of players who could be valuable additions to the team in the medium to long term. The centre-forward department is seen as a position that …