Following are the ownership details and Champions League records of the 12 top European clubs who announced on Sunday the launch of a breakaway Super League, and similar details on Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich, two major European clubs not taking part in the Super League:
ARSENAL
Tic-toc, tic-toc, tic-toc… El fútbol europeo, tal como lo conocemos hoy, vive momentos cruciales ante el posible y pronto anuncio de una Superliga con los 12 clubes más ricos del continente.
Something we often forget about professional footballers is that unlike most of us, they actually have pretty lousy job security. A manager will bench a player who is playing poorly without any second thought because the success of the team is more important than any individual player.
Of course, the starting lineup is always fluid, but players have to fight every week to make the starting XI, even when it seems like their position is secured. And eventually, every player will be replaced; it is only a question of when.
PRAGUE - Arsenal cruised past Slavia Prague 4-0 to book a Europa League semifinal spot on Thursday after they struck three quick-fire goals in seven first-half minutes to advance 5-1 on aggregate.
Alexandre Lacazette scored twice, including a penalty, while Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka also found the net in the quarterfinal second leg to set up a last-four clash with Villarreal.
“Banter club” is a common insult, but it’s 100 percent true for Tottenham Hotspur. How else do you explain the North London club’s recent acquisition of a paint sponsorship that’s already gone awry.
Spurs announced a new sponsorship deal on Thursday morning with paint company Dulux, the first official paint supplier of the Premier League club. Within hours Tottenham was forced to make fun of itself to save face after the new sponsor spent the morning making fun of Spurs on Twitter.
Barcelona have leapfrogged Spanish rivals Real Madrid to become the world's most valuable soccer club with a valuation of $4.76 billion, according to a list published by business magazine Forbes on Monday.
Real Madrid, who have topped the list five times in the past, edged Barcelona 2-1 in El Clásico on Saturday but find themselves second best off the pitch with a valuation of $4.75 billion.
Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela, who is being investigated by UEFA and Police Scotland over alleged racial abuse, has been provisionally suspended for one game ahead of a hearing, Europe's soccer governing body said on Tuesday.
Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara complained of being racially abused by Kudela in their last-16 match, when the Scottish club was knocked out in the second leg, which included a melee on the pitch and clashes in the tunnel afterwards.
Gareth Southgate made the surprising decision to keep Liverpool fullback Trent Alexander-Arnold off his England squad for March’s World Cup qualifiers. The 22-year-old, who was named to the PFA Team of the Year the last two seasons, wasn’t deemed good enough for the Three Lions, perhaps a victim of his club’s poor run of form.
Manchester City announced on Monday that iconic striker Sergio Agüero would be leaving the club at the end of the season. The Argentine joined Man City from Atlético Madrid in 2011 on a $44 million transfer, winning four (and possibly one more this year) Premier League titles in the process.
He is the highest-scoring non-Englishman in Premier League history and will be a highly sought-after transfer target come the summer when his contract expires.
Arsenal, for all its history, had never before won four straight in league play without conceding a goal. With 15 league titles, 14 FA Women’s Cups and a Champions League, but never four consecutive shutout wins in the FA WSL. Manuela Zinsberger made sure it finally happened.