December 15 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the 2030 and 2034 World Cup bidding processes as “the best FIFA can do for football, covering the entire world in only eight years”. A bidding process for a World Cup usually takes years, but FIFA and Infantino awarded the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, subject to confirmation by the Congress …

December 15 – Rebecca Welch will make history when she becomes the first female referee to take charge of a Premier League match on December 23 when Fulham take on Burnley. Welch has already worked as the fourth official in the Premier League, for the match between Fulham and Manchester United on November 4, and she was the first woman …

As rumours continue to swirl regarding Erik ten Hag’s position at Manchester United, the man himself isn’t paying any attention whatsoever to the noise. After another awful week when the Red Devils were dumped out of Europe and beaten 3-0 at Old Trafford by Bournemouth, the Dutchman now takes his floundering side to Anfield, scene of a 7-0 drubbing last …

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including Premier League managers’ behaviour towards referees, Jose Mourinho to Newcastle and Liverpool vs Man United.  Premier League managers need their wings clipped when it comes to referees I agree with Ange Postecoglou, I think we need to get back to respecting …

Dusan Vlahovic is facing challenges in scoring goals consistently for Juventus, indicating a possible crisis of confidence for the striker. Despite being one of the most expensive players in Serie A, Juventus invested heavily in Vlahovic based on his impressive form during his time with Fiorentina. However, the Bianconeri have not seen the expected return on their investment, leading to …

Barcelona will be taking on a tricky Valencia outfit tomorrow away at the Mestalla in what is a crucial encounter after their back-to-back defeats to Girona and Royal Antwerp. Valencia, under Ruben Baraja, have not been consistent but are capable of pulling off a surprise, especially on their home turf with the support from the fans. Three notable absentees However, …

Juventus manager Max Allegri has commented on the post-playing careers of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci following Chiellini’s recent retirement. After a season and a half in the MLS, Chiellini has returned to Italy and announced his retirement. It is anticipated that he will continue to be involved in football, securing an administrative role with Juve in the coming weeks. …

It’s been a while since Barcelona did any particular damage to the UEFA Champions League. Nearly a decade since they have won it, and half a decade since they have even sniffed a semi-final spot. In fact, over the last two seasons, Barcelona failed to even qualify for the round of 16, getting relegated to the Europa League after finishing …

“Are you thinking about resigning?” Coming on the back of back-to-back losses against Girona and Royal Antwerp, there is a tense atmosphere at Barcelona, and the start of Xavi’s press conference ahead of their game against Valencia suggested nothing different. The Catalan coach, however, is still in high spirits, and believes he is sitting right where he deserves, coaching his …

Transfer market specialist Fabrizio Romano has affirmed that Serie A side AC Milan have asked Barcelona about the availability of their on-loan defender Clement Lenglet for the January transfer window. A few days ago, we reported that Bayern Munich are contemplating the idea of incorporating Lenglet in January and since the Frenchman is not getting any playtime in the Premier …