Latest news with #ALeague
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
English winger Joe Lolley's bid to join Perth Glory denied by Sydney FC
Sydney FC has refused a request from star winger Joe Lolley to leave the club to join Perth Glory. The news comes as the Sky Blues prepare to add to their attacking arsenal with the signing of former Adelaide United and Macarthur FC forward Al Hassan Toure from American outfit FC Tulsa. Englishman Lolley, 32, was linked with a move to Perth two months ago despite being contracted to Sydney until the end of the 2025-26 A-League season. At the time, the Sky Blues would only agree to a move if it was in exchange for star Glory striker Adam Taggart, but that was rejected by Perth, who had no intention of letting the Socceroos marksman leave the club. However, Glory director of football Stan Lazaridis has confirmed that the club has kept a visa player spot free in its 2025-26 squad and written to the Sky Blues asking them to accept Lolley's request to join Perth. 'Joe got in contact with us to tell us he wanted to play for us,' Lazaridis said. 'We would love to have Joe Lolley at our football club, and we wrote to Sydney about it, but they don't want to let him go. 'There's not a lot more we can do, as Joe is contracted to Sydney.' Sky Blues chief executive Mark Aubrey said Lolley was a 'required player' at Sydney. 'We have no intention of letting him go,' Aubrey said. Sydney's head of player management Alexander Baumjohann is understood to have the same attitude as Aubrey in not allowing Lolley to leave. However, it's believed that Sydney coach Ufuk Talay would have no qualms about Lolley leaving the Sky Blues, fearing that keeping a player who did not want to be at the club would have a negative effect on the team. But Aubrey said Lolley – who played in the Sky Blues' 2-1 win over Wrexham last Tuesday – was a 'professional' and would get on with his job of being a Sydney player. Meanwhile, 25-year-old Toure is hoping to revive his career with his move to the Sky Blues after spending the past two seasons abroad. Before joining Tulsa in April, the former Australian under-23 international had stints in Turkey with Eyupspor and Sanliurfaspor, and in France with Ajaccio. In 75 A-League appearances – 33 as a starter – for Adelaide and Macarthur, Toure scored seven goals. Elsewhere, the Glory has added to their coaching staff, with former Wellington Phoenix assistant coach Adam Griffith joining Perth in a similar role. The Glory also has a new goalkeeper coach, with German Kristian Barbuscak replacing Danny Milosevic.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
All White Tommy Smith leaves Auckland FC
Auckland FC's Tommy Smith takes a team photo. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Auckland FC vice-captain Tommy Smith has left the A-League club after one season to return to the United Kingdom. The club said the centre-back made the decision to depart "in order to devote more time and support to his young family". Smith has two children with his wife Leanne. The All White made 25 appearances for Auckland FC last season, including 12 starts, and helped guide the team to a historic milestone as the first New Zealand side to lift A-League silverware . "It's been an incredible year in Auckland, and I was able to lift silverware. That's something I'll carry with me forever," Smith said. "The team, staff and fans made me feel so welcome returning back to Auckland. I'm truly grateful to have played a part in such a special first chapter for this club. It was a difficult decision to leave such a special city. "From the first day of pre-season, the journey we shared has been unforgettable. There's a real sense of pride in what we built together. The fans created an atmosphere and community that made it feel like home. They've truly reignited the passion for football in Auckland." With a career spanning the English Championship, Major League Soccer, and the international stage with the All Whites, Smith brought a wealth of international and professional experience into the squad. His influence extended beyond the pitch as he was recognised by The Port as their "Hero of the Year" for his contribution to the fans. Auckland FC director of football Terry McFlynn said Smith had been a leader on and off the field. "He bought into the vision of what we're building at Auckland FC." Club chief executive officer Nick Becker said Smith would always be remembered as a "proud member" of our inaugural squad. "He is part of a team that made history and will be remembered with fondness. We completely respect his decision to depart, and we wish him and his family all the best for the future." Auckland FC play their first pre-season game on 22 July and play their first Australia Cup game on 29 July. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Nepal captain signs for Wellington Phoenix
Photo: Photosport The Wellington Phoenix have secured the signature of Nepal women's captain Sabitra Bhandari for the next two A-League seasons. Bhandari, 29, has been a prolific goal scorer for both club and country. The striker, popularly known as Samba, has scored 66 goals in 60 matches for Nepal, including netting three hat-tricks in three matches in the recent AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification tournament. She found the back of the net more than 60 times in 24 matches in the Indian Women's Super League, helping secure a move to En Avant Guingamp in France, where last year she became the first Nepalese player to play and score in a top European league. Interim Phoenix head coach Amy Shepherd believed the Phoenix have signed a player of "exceptional calibre". "She has demonstrated her abilities against some of the best players in the world in France, and brings a wealth of international experience and attacking prowess to our squad. "Sabitra is a national icon in Nepal and the country's all-time leading goal scorer, and her leadership, experience, and on-field excellence will be invaluable both on and off the pitch. "Her natural movement, intelligent link-up play, and clinical finishing are qualities we believe will significantly enhance our effectiveness in the final third. Her presence promises to add a new dimension to our attacking play. "Beyond her footballing talents, Sabitra's inspiring journey, determination, and deep love for the game resonate strongly with the values of our club." Bhandari will get to Wellington for the start of pre-season training in September. "I am really excited to come to the Phoenix, score lots of goals and make the fans super happy," she said. "When I heard about the Phoenix's ambitions for next season, it was easy for me to make the decision to join." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rosie O'Donnell says she ‘expected' Trump to threaten her citizenship after ‘20 years of abuse'
Rosie O'Donnell said she wasn't surprised that President Trump threatened to revoke her US citizenship, claiming that she's endured '20 years of abuse' from her longtime foe. The former talk show host took to social media Tuesday to slam the 'absurd' attack after the president triggered a social media brawl with O'Donnell when he branded her a 'threat to humanity' in a fiery post on his platform. 'I'm safe here in Ireland. I'm out of the reach of the tangerine Mussolini,' the former talk show host said in a nearly 10-minute TikTok video addressing her longstanding feud with Trump. 'I have to say that I was expecting him to do something as absurd as he did for a few reasons. Number one, I read Project 2025. Number two, I've had 20 years of abuse from him so I knew it wasn't going to stop, and number three, I know myself well enough to know that I wasn't going to shut up.' O'Donnell, 63, moved overseas to the Dublin suburb of Howth with her 12-year-old non-binary child in January in response to Trump's victory against Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. She called the move a 'necessity' to protect her family, saying her 'heart couldn't take the pain' of what Trump was planning – or what he has already done. But the actress, who was born on Long Island, remains unfazed by the president's warning shot. 'Can't take away someone's citizenship, they have to renounce it themselves in the constitution, so, you know, I'm not that worried,' the 'A League of Their Own' star remarked. 'However, the Supreme Court has given him unbridled powers and I believe his dementia forces him to think that he is actually a king. We don't have kings in America. That's why we started America, not wanting to have kings, no monarchy. Liberty and justice for all, for all people in the United States.' Under current law, Americans cannot lose their US citizenship status even if they obtain citizenship elsewhere. On Saturday, the commander in chief raged on Truth Social that he's giving 'serious consideration' to taking away the former TV personality's citizenship. 'Because of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great County, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship,' Trump wrote. 'She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!' The actress quickly fired back with a flurry of Instagram posts ripping Trump as a 'dangerous old soulless man' who craves 'loyalty' and picturing him with notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. While it remains unclear what legal grounds Trump could invoke to strip O'Donnell of her citizenship, she claimed the prez was clearly 'rattled,' as she was still living 'rent free' in his 'collapsing brain' nearly two decades after their infamous feud erupted in 2006. In her latest post, the activist made it clear she has no intention of ever renouncing her citizenship. 'I will never renounce my American citizenship,' she said. 'I am waiting happily for my Irish citizenship so that I can be a dual citizen, but I will never renounce my American citizenship, ever.'
The Australian
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Australian
A-League: Melbourne City not expecting Marco Tilio to return
Melbourne City coach Aurelio Vidmar says its unlikely that Socceroos winger Marco Tilio will return to the A-League champions for their 2025-26 campaign. Tilio has spent the past season-and-a-half on loan to City from Celtic after signing a five-year deal with the Scottish giants in June 2023. The 23-year-old attacking weapon is in Portugal for Celtic's pre-season camp and started for the Hoops in a 3-2 weekend friendly loss to Estrela Amadora. Tilio set up Celtic's opening goal for Reo Hatate, but reports out of Scotland suggest that he isn't part of the club's plans for the upcoming season. However, Vidmar isn't expecting Tilio to again return to City despite the club remaining interested in his services. 'It's clear with Marco that he's been pretty keen to go back to Europe,' Vidmar said. 'He was involved in a friendly game last weekend, so it's highly likely we won't have the return of Marco, but we just don't know where that's going to end. 'He's part of Celtic's property. We don't own the player, so we'll see where that goes. 'There'll be ongoing discussions until we actually know what's happening before we make the next move.' Vidmar also said the club was continuing 'negotiations and discussions' with Yonatan Cohen in the hope that the 29-year-old Israeli forward – who scored the only goal in City's 1-0 grand-final win over Melbourne Victory in May – would re-sign with the champions for the new season. 'I don't know where that's going to go,' the City coach said. Vidmar's men are back on the training paddock ahead of their Australia Cup round-of-32 clash against NPL NSW club Apia Leichhardt on July 30 at Leichhardt Oval. 'By that time we'll only be 2½ weeks into our pre-season, so it's going to be a difficult game, but it's another opportunity for maybe some new faces, some younger faces, to impress,' he said. Marco Monteverde Sports reporter Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. @marcothejourno Marco Monteverde
