Latest news with #City
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Inzaghi eyes glory as Inter face PSG in Champions League final
MUNICH: Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi believes his side's superb run to the Champions League final can give them the confidence needed to get the better of a much-fancied Paris Saint-Germain team in Saturday's showdown in Munich. "It is always hugely exciting before every Champions League match, and especially when it is the final. We fully deserve to be here because we have shown huge desire right from our very first match in Manchester," Inzaghi told reporters at the Allianz Arena, where the final will be played. Inter's European campaign began with a 0-0 draw away to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in September, in a rematch with the team that beat them narrowly in the 2023 final in Istanbul. The Nerazzurri finished fourth in the 36-team league phase, losing just once and conceding only one goal in eight matches. They then beat Feyenoord in the last 16 before seeing off two of the tournament favourites, Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and Barcelona in an epic last-four tie. "These have been great opponents, so our place here is merited even though we know we still have to take the last step, which is the most important one," added Inzaghi, who brushed off questions about his future amid speculation he could depart following the final. It is likely that seven of the players who started the final against City two years ago will again line up for Inter at kick-off against a youthful PSG, with the Italian team's extra experience something that could help them. "Every game is different, and finals can be decided by key moments," he said ahead of the clash with the French side who have, like City, become one of the wealthiest superpowers in the European game over the last decade. "Two years ago we were not the favourites but we went toe to toe with City on the pitch and maybe we could have deserved more." One of the grand old names of the European game, Inter will now have another chance to win their fourth title, following victories in 1964, 1965 and 2010. However, they must pick themselves up from the disappointment of losing out to Napoli for the Serie A crown last weekend. "The mental side of the game is important. The players have worked very hard and of course we have put that domestic disappointment to one side," said Inzaghi, who has a fully fit squad to choose from.
Kuwait Times
3 hours ago
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Man City chief promises ‘swift' transfer deals for Club World Cup
LONDON: Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola waves to the crowd after his team's English Premier League match against Fulham at Craven Cottage in London on May 25, 2025. - AFP MANCHESTER: Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak has promised the overhaul of Pep Guardiola's squad will continue at pace in the weeks ahead of the Club World Cup. After an unprecedented four consecutive Premier League titles, City suffered a dismal season by the standards set during Guardiola's reign. They finished a distant third in the Premier League, won just three of 10 games in the Champions League and lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace to end without a trophy for the first time since 2016/17. Khaldoon accepted the club were not 'aggressive' enough in the transfer market last year to rejuvenate their squad. City responded in January by signing Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez at a combined cost of more than £172 million ($232 million). More arrivals are expected before the start of the Club World Cup on June 14 despite Guardiola's plea to work with a smaller squad next season. 'This January we had to act,' Khaldoon said in his annual end-of-season interview. 'Four players in January (came in), and that gives you an idea of what's coming this summer because we will continue. We have clearly identified who exactly are the targets, in what positions, and we have our clear number one option, our clear number two option. And we'll go about our business and it will be very clear, very swift. And our objective is to try to be ready with the new squad for the Club World Cup.' Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki and AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders are among those linked with a move to the Etihad. Guardiola extended his contract with the club until 2027 back in November during the worst of City's struggles. Khaldoon is confident the side that has dominated English football over the last decade will quickly be back on top. 'We will be back. This season is a season that's now behind us. Today is a new day. We start working and preparing for next season,' he added. 'I can assure you, this club will do everything possible to come back to the standards that we know we all can achieve and that we know, we will achieve.' — AFP
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New developments in Cleveland's fight to keep the Browns downtown
CLEVELAND (WJW) — The Fox 8 I-Team is tracking new developments in the city of Cleveland's fight to keep the Browns playing football downtown. On Friday, attorneys for the city filed a motion in federal court asking a judge to reconsider allowing the Browns to file an amended complaint. I-TEAM: New development in unsolved Cleveland Metroparks double murder 'Defendant the City of Cleveland (the City) respectfully asks this Court to reconsider its May 23, 2025 Order granting the Browns' motion to amend because the Court overlooked the threshold question of whether it even had jurisdiction to grant leave to amend,' the motion filed by attorneys for Cleveland states. 'As the City explained, the Browns did not properly invoke this Court's jurisdiction by suing under the Declaratory Judgment Act as a basis for federal-question jurisdiction.' The Browns are taking steps toward moving to a dome in Brook Park, and last year, they filed suit asking the federal court to throw out the Modell Law, an Ohio law that restricts sports teams from moving. The Browns filed an amended complaint Monday. More tax money requested to build Browns dome site as group support grows: I-Team The amended complaint attacks the city while referring to the plan by the Haslam Sports Group, saying, 'The Haslams' proposal is a fiscally sound solution for the City that will keep the Browns in the heart of the greater metropolitan area for at least another fifty years. Instead of recognizing the benefits of the Haslams' proposal, the City seeks to hold the Browns hostage to its own failure of vision. Instead of a new domed facility that can drive significant economic activity year-round, the City insists on sticking with an aging, uncovered stadium that is used only a dozen or so times annually.' Meanwhile, on Friday Downtown Cleveland, Inc President and CEO Michael Deemer testified before the State Senate Finance Committee in Columbus. Deemer told members of the committee he is in favor of keeping the Browns playing football downtown. The Browns plan to invest more than $1 billion in a dome and entertainment complex, but they are also asking for $600 million from the state. A decision on state funding is expected late next month. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Wait for the ‘Siuuu': What Melbourne City's captain learnt from Cristiano Ronaldo
'You obviously have to wait for him to do his celebration before you start celebrating with him but it was great, it was surreal,' Behich said with a smile. 'I watched him when he was at Manchester United and I was a young guy - I followed him then. It's something I will look back on. 'In Turkey was where I played with a lot of players who had accomplished a lot,' Behich said. 'The year we won the league [İstanbul Başakşehir, 2019-2020] we had players like Martin Skyrtel, Gael Clichy, Robinho and Demba Ba - I've been fortunate to share the changerooms with guys like that and then played against the likes of Lionel Messi and those sort of players for the Socceroos - you learn a lot about yourself as a footballer. 'It gives you experience at a higher level. I've always been one to embrace challenges and test myself against the best in the world.' The charismatic veteran is now 34 and all his experiences help him set a stellar example for his relatively young team as they face the furnace of a sold out, pro-Victory crowd. But Behich's whole football career reached its sliding doors moment when he was thrown onto the field for Victory in the 2009-2010 grand final against Sydney FC at a bursting Marvel Stadium. Behich was a skinny teenager on a youth team contract who played as a speedy winger. In the final minutes of normal time with scores tied 1-1, he had a header close to goal which was saved by the keeper. Sydney went on win on penalties 4-1 and Behich was let go with the newly formed Melbourne Heart, City's old name, signing him for its inaugural season, a move that launched his career. 'One thing my parents always told me is when one door closes, another door opens, and after that night, that door closed but I got an opportunity for Melbourne Heart,' Behich said. 'The rest is history.' Does he ever think about what might have happened if he scored and became a Victory legend? 'It could have gone in and my career could have been on a different path but I couldn't be more grateful for the journey I've had so far,' Behich said. It was in that first Heart season that then coach John van't Schip moved Behich to left-back where he has ascended to 75 Socceroos caps, an Asia Cup win in 2015, two World Cups and a decade of club football in Europe - he's still a regular with the Socceroos as well. That move was made without warning when Heart lost veteran left-back Dean Heffernan to suspension before the first Melbourne Derby, so Behich was thrown into the role and never looked back. 'I had never played there but John said he saw the type of player I was and knew I would do well there, so go enjoy it,' Behich recalled. 'We ended up winning that first derby and I got stuck there so I got to give credit to John who I like dearly - he played a big part in my career and development.' Behich has become a respected figure at City and within the Socceroos and his captaincy has been praised by City coach Aurelio Vidmar this season. 'I certainly felt that while we've got some strong leaders at the club, the only one who could do the job we'd expect would be Aziz,' Vidmar said. 'We certainly missed him the last six months of last season and he's been instrumental, he's been so important for us this season. 'Sometimes as a coach, it's not easy to control the changeroom and he's made my life easier because anything that happens or even prior to things happening, he's already onto it, it's like he can sense it.' Loading Winning the championship at home in Melbourne would be special for Behich. 'I'm straight out of Meadow Heights in Broadmeadows and I loved my childhood and where I come from,' Behich said proudly. 'It's made me the person I am today.'
The Sun
5 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Inzaghi: Inter Ready to Challenge PSG in UCL Final
INTER MILAN coach Simone Inzaghi believes his side's superb run to the Champions League final can give them the confidence needed to get the better of a much-fancied Paris Saint-Germain team in Saturday's showdown in Munich. 'It is always hugely exciting before every Champions League match, and especially when it is the final. We fully deserve to be here because we have shown huge desire right from our very first match in Manchester,' Inzaghi told reporters at the Allianz Arena, where the final will be played. Inter's European campaign began with a 0-0 draw away to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in September, in a rematch with the team that beat them narrowly in the 2023 final in Istanbul. The Nerazzurri finished fourth in the 36-team league phase, losing just once and conceding only one goal in eight matches. They then beat Feyenoord in the last 16 before seeing off two of the tournament favourites, Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and Barcelona in an epic last-four tie. 'These have been great opponents, so our place here is merited even though we know we still have to take the last step, which is the most important one,' added Inzaghi, who brushed off questions about his future amid speculation he could depart following the final. It is likely that seven of the players who started the final against City two years ago will again line up for Inter at kick-off against a youthful PSG, with the Italian team's extra experience something that could help them. 'Every game is different, and finals can be decided by key moments,' he said ahead of the clash with the French side who have, like City, become one of the wealthiest superpowers in the European game over the last decade. 'Two years ago we were not the favourites but we went toe to toe with City on the pitch and maybe we could have deserved more.' One of the grand old names of the European game, Inter will now have another chance to win their fourth title, following victories in 1964, 1965 and 2010. However, they must pick themselves up from the disappointment of losing out to Napoli for the Serie A crown last weekend. 'The mental side of the game is important. The players have worked very hard and of course we have put that domestic disappointment to one side,' said Inzaghi, who has a fully fit squad to choose from. 'The players are all available and so it comes down to me to select my team. The players must not be obsessed, but they need to have the right degree of determination.'
