Real Sociedad appoint Francisco to replace Alguacil as manager from next season
Real Sociedad have appointed their reserve team coach Sergio Francisco as manager from next season to replace Imanol Alguacil who is stepping down at the end of the current campaign, the LaLiga club said on Friday.
Alguacil, in charge since 2018, won the Copa del Rey in 2020 and took Real to European football for five successive seasons. He informed the club on Thursday that he will leave the role at the end of the season, when his contract expires.
The club have again decided to appoint from within, and Francisco, who like Alguacil, began his playing career at Real, has managed their C and B teams since 2017, having previously taken charge of Real Union in Spain's third tier.
Francisco, 45, has signed a deal until 2027, and will take charge of the reserves for the final time on Saturday before dedicating himself to planning for next season.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Italy plans to scrap no single buyer rule in Serie A TV rights sale
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Serie A - Napoli v Sassuolo - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy - August 27, 2023 General view inside the stadium before the match through the television camera REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo MILAN - Italy plans to remove a ban on Italy's Serie A top flight soccer league selling its domestic broadcast rights to a single buyer, a draft government bill seen by Reuters showed, marking a major overhaul of media rules for live sports events. Italy introduced the "no single buyer rule" to avoid creating a dominant player in the pay-TV sector in 2008, when it approved a law entrusting sport leagues to collectively sell the rights to screen live matches. Broadcasting rights are the main revenue source for Serie A clubs but they lag behind those of other major European national leagues. Under existing contracts expiring in the 2028-29 season, Serie A earns some 900 million euros ($1 billion) annually from sport streaming service DAZN and pay-TV firm Sky, with the former screening all of the games and Sky co-broadcasting some of them. That sum is roughly half of the annual domestic broadcasting revenue of England's Premier League, which has a 'no single buyer rule' in place. Germany's Bundesliga, which last year removed its 'no single buyer rule', pockets some 1.1 billion euros annually from domestic broadcasting licences, according to data compiled by UEFA. The Italian government also plans to introduce changes in the way Serie A distributes the TV revenue among clubs, raising to "above 50%" from the current 50% the sum which must be equally split among all clubs, the draft bill showed. Clubs which develop and field young Italian players will be also granted additional revenue.($1 = 0.8758 euros) REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada hits double as Japan thrash Indonesia 6-0
Japan midfielder Daichi Kamada is challenged by Indonesia defender Yance Sayuri during their World Cup qualifier. PHOTO: AFP OSAKA – Crystal Palace forward Daichi Kamada scored twice, as Japan rounded off their successful World Cup qualifying campaign with a 6-0 thrashing of Patrick Kluivert's Indonesia in Osaka on June 10. Kamada, an FA Cup winner with Palace in England this season, struck twice in the first half as already qualified Japan finished the campaign as Group C winners, scoring 30 goals in their 10 matches. Takefusa Kubo, Ryoya Morishita, Shuto Machino and substitute Mao Hosoya were also on target against Indonesia, who finished fourth in the group. 'I think this result was due to the players' determination to improve their level by doing what they could to their best every day during training,' Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said. 'The opponent also had some players down (injured), but I think it wasn't that, but rather the efforts of my players, the determination that the players have that led to today's result. 'And I think it was good that the players broke out of their shells and tried to grow, not just by scoring one goal in the game, but by continuing to take the next goal and the next chance.' Kluivert's Indonesia, who were backed by a large travelling support in Japan, advance to a further round of play-offs with five other teams to decide two more Asian qualifiers for next year's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Japan, meanwhile, can already look forward to the World Cup in North America. 'There is still a lot we need to learn, and both the players and the whole team need to improve. I think we need to improve in all areas,' insisted Moriyasu. The coach has set the ambitious target of winning the World Cup. The Samurai Blue will play friendlies against teams from outside Asia over the next 12 months and Kamada is looking to learn from the experience. 'Playing against Asian teams and against the kind of European teams who will be at the World Cup is totally different,' said the 28-year-old. 'As we play these games, we will start to see a lot of areas where we need to improve. We need to come together as a team and overcome these problems when they crop up.' Japan have already lined up away friendlies against Mexico and the US in September and will face four as yet unnamed opponents at home before the end of the year. The Japanese lost their unbeaten qualifying record in a 1-0 defeat away to Australia last week, with Moriyasu fielding an experimental line-up with qualification already in the bag. He started with two more debutants against Indonesia, handing first caps to defender Junnosuke Suzuki and winger Shunsuke Mito. Kamada opened the scoring in the 15th minute, heading home from a Mito cross. The Palace forward turned provider for his team's second, combining with Kubo before the Real Sociedad man fired past Indonesia goalkeeper Emil Audero. Indonesia lost defender Kevin Diks to injury midway through the first half and his replacement Yakob Sayuri lasted only 15 minutes before he also had to go off after a clash of heads. Kamada scored Japan's third on the stroke of half-time, waltzing through the Indonesia defence before tucking the ball over Audero. Morishita volleyed home at the back post in the 55th minute for his first international goal. Machino and Hosoya also got on the scoresheet as Japan continued to squeeze Indonesia until the final whistle. Elsewhere in Group C, China's Wang Yudong scored in stoppage time to clinch a 1-0 home win over Bahrain. The victory was insignificant, however, as the Chinese finished fifth in the group – three points behind the Indonesians and have already failed to qualify for the 2026 Finals. In Group B, leaders and already-qualified South Korea beat Kuwait 4-0 thanks to goals from Jeon Se-jin, Lee Kang-in, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Lee Jae-sung. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
13 hours ago
- CNA
Atletico Madrid sign goalkeeper Musso from Atalanta
Atletico Madrid have signed Argentine goalkeeper Juan Musso from Atalanta on a three-year contract, both clubs said on Tuesday. The 31-year-old joined Atleti on loan last season, serving as a backup to first-choice goalkeeper Jan Oblak. He made nine appearances during his loan spell, featuring in seven Copa del Rey matches and two LaLiga games. Musso, who has played twice for Argentina since making his debut in 2019, spent three seasons at Atalanta and won the Europa League with the Serie A side last year.
