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The status of the Champions League final on May 29 between Manchester City and Chelsea in Istanbul was thrown into doubt on Friday after the UK government placed Turkey on the red list for travel.

British transport minister Grant Shapps said that travel to red list countries was not allowed except for in "the most extreme circumstances" and anyone returning from a red list country has to enter and pay for compulsory hotel quarantine.

"It does mean that fans should not travel to Turkey," said Shapps, who raised the possibility of the match being moved to England.

Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley said it is time for the "dark forces" preventing the Tyneside club from becoming a powerhouse to step aside, after initiating legal proceedings against the Premier League, British media reported.

It is the second legal action that British businessman Ashley has initiated against the league over an aborted takeover attempt by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium last year.

LONDON — Villarreal held out for a 0-0 draw on a nerve-jangling night at Arsenal on Thursday to reach the Europa League final 2-1 on aggregate as visiting manager Unai Emery returned to haunt the London club that sacked him in 2019.

The Spanish side, who had lost their four previous European semi-finals, one to Arsenal in the 2005-06 Champions League, protected their first-leg advantage with a disciplined display.

English football club Ipswich Town may have fallen on hard times but they are hoping a new shirt sponsorship deal with singer Ed Sheeran will make them the "A Team" with the ginger-haired crooner's fans.

Ipswich, nicknamed The Tractor Boys, was FA Cup winners in 1978 and won the UEFA Cup, forerunner of the Europa League, in 1981 but now finds itself in the third-tier League One.

MADRID — Real Madrid has long prided itself as the king of the Champions League, but its resounding defeat to Chelsea in Wednesday's semifinal second leg laid bare the need for a rebuild to reclaim its place among the continent's elite.

Zinedine Zidane's side may only have lost 2-0 on the night but there was no hiding from the fact they had been outplayed in both legs by Chelsea and had gotten away lightly with a 3-1 aggregate defeat.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino says a new Women's Club World Cup is being planned as part of a plan to "revolutionize" the female game.

In an interview with French sports newspaper L'Equipe, Infantino said he was looking forward to the first edition of the already agreed new 24-team men's Club World Cup but said a women's version was in the pipeline too.

"My dream is also to see the birth of the very first Women's Club World Cup. It’s coming very soon. And it will really revolutionize women's football," he said.

AS Roma has named José Mourinho as its new head coach on a three-year contract, the Italian Serie A club announced on Tuesday, 15 days after the Portuguese was sacked as manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

The 58-year-old will replace Paulo Fonseca for the start of next season, who Roma announced earlier on Tuesday would leave the club at the end of the current campaign.

LONDON — Sergio Agüero's glittering Manchester City career is in its final weeks but the 32-year-old Argentine provided evidence of just how much he will be missed on Saturday.

Injury, illness and manager Pep Guardiola's preference for a line-up featuring no orthodox striker have limited Agüero's appearances in his final season, a decade after joining.

But given a rare start at Crystal Palace he produced a stunning strike to send City on their way to a 2-0 win and to the brink of a fifth Premier League title in 10 seasons.

LONDON — A British soccer-instigated boycott of the world's biggest social media platforms by professional athletes, sports teams, governing bodies and broadcasters got underway on Friday in response to continued online racist abuse against a number of Black athletes.

Albion Rovers striker David Cox said he was retiring from football after being mocked by Stenhousemuir's "bench" over his mental health during Thursday's 1-0 win in a Scottish League Two fixture.

Cox, who was named on the substitutes' bench for the game at Ochilview Park, walked out of the stadium at half-time after the incident.

The 32-year old said in a video on Facebook he was quitting the game after "again having to deal with some mental health shouts at football."