Australia’s top flight A-League soccer competition has banned fans from matches for the rest of the season in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus, Football Federation Australia (FFA) said on Monday. Media had speculated that the league would be suspended due to government travel curbs that require two teams, Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne
Western Sydney have shown coach Markus Babbel the door, axing the German midway through his three-year contract. It comes in the wake of Sunday night’s 1-0 A-League loss to an under-strength Perth Glory. The former Liverpool defender becomes the third A-League coach to be sacked this season after Marco Kurz at Melbourne Victory and Ernie
Former Australia boss Ange Postecoglou is now 90 minutes away from becoming the first Australian coach to win the J-League, Japanese football’s top division. His Yokohama F. Marinos side thrashed fourth-placed Kawasaki Frontale 4-1 away from home, leaving them three points clear at the top with just one round remaining. Second-placed FC Tokyo suffered a
Unai Emery has been sacked as Arsenal manager. His 18-month reign came to a crushing end after the club’s 2-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League. The result stretched a winless run to seven matches, the club’s worst run of results for 27 years. The Spaniard, who previously led Paris St-Germain to the
Former Adelaide United striker Ken Ilso Larsen was banned Friday for two years by Australian authorities after testing positive for cocaine. The presence of benzoylecgonine — the drug’s main byproduct — was detected during a test in January. Larsen was provisionally suspended in March while an investigation was conducted by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.
Robbie Fowler’s first season as a coach gets underway this weekend when Australia’s ailing and expanded A-League kicks off, with the Liverpool great keen to stamp his mark on a Brisbane Roar side that struggled last year. While Fowler was briefly player-coach of Thai club Muangthong United, and has worked extensively at Liverpool’s academy, he
In an incredible stroke of luck, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia were drawn alongside UAE in Group G of the qualifying zone for the 2022 World Cup. Vietnam are the reigning AFF Suzuki Cup champions. Meanwhile, Singapore will have Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Palestine and Yemen for company in Group D. The two Koreas will also
Australia has held talks with Indonesia about making a joint bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Curiously, the Southeast Asian nation is involved in another bid with their regional neighbours for the same tournament. Football Federation Australia told Reuters on Thursday that it had met Indonesian soccer federation (PSSI) officials to discuss a 2034
The United States will be looking to defend the crown they won in Canada four years ago – but it looks like a bumpy road ahead. A cluster of five, six contenders are also gunning for glory in France – and they boast stars who can make a difference. Here’s some of them. Sam Kerr
Australian champions Sydney FC have made an early statement ahead of next season’s title defence. They have signed up New Zealand striker Kosta Barbarouses, the leading goalscorer from their fiercest inter-city rivals, Melbourne Victory. Barbarouses netted 14 goals for Melbourne Victory in the recently completed A-League season before declining a contract extension. The 29-year-old said