Latest news with #JoseBreton
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino departs after one season
Fiorentina's head coach Raffaele Palladino reacts during the Conference League semifinal first leg soccer match between Betis and Fiorentina at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Fiorentina's head coach Raffaele Palladino gives instructions during the Conference League semifinal first leg soccer match between Betis and Fiorentina at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Fiorentina's head coach Raffaele Palladino sits before the Conference League semifinal first leg soccer match between Betis and Fiorentina at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Fiorentina's head coach Raffaele Palladino directs his team during the UEFA Conference League second leg semifinal soccer match between Fiorentina and Real Betis at Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence, Italy, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Marco Bucco/LaPresse via AP) Fiorentina's head coach Raffaele Palladino reacts during the Conference League semifinal first leg soccer match between Betis and Fiorentina at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Fiorentina's head coach Raffaele Palladino reacts during the Conference League semifinal first leg soccer match between Betis and Fiorentina at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Fiorentina's head coach Raffaele Palladino reacts during the Conference League semifinal first leg soccer match between Betis and Fiorentina at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Fiorentina's head coach Raffaele Palladino gives instructions during the Conference League semifinal first leg soccer match between Betis and Fiorentina at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Fiorentina's head coach Raffaele Palladino sits before the Conference League semifinal first leg soccer match between Betis and Fiorentina at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Fiorentina's head coach Raffaele Palladino directs his team during the UEFA Conference League second leg semifinal soccer match between Fiorentina and Real Betis at Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence, Italy, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Marco Bucco/LaPresse via AP) Fiorentina's head coach Raffaele Palladino reacts during the Conference League semifinal first leg soccer match between Betis and Fiorentina at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Fiorentina says coach Raffaele Palladino has left the Serie A club 'by mutual consent' after only one season in charge. It was reported earlier this week that Palladino had handed in his resignation but that the club was trying to convince the 41-year-old coach to stay. Advertisement 'Fiorentina can confirm that Raffaele Palladino's contract, as well as those of his backroom team, has today been terminated by mutual consent,' the Italian club said Friday in a brief statement. Palladino coached Fiorentina to a sixth-placed finish in Serie A and a Conference League spot. It was regarded as a successful season, so his reported resignation had caught club management off guard. Fiorentina also reached the semifinals of the Conference League. It had lost in the final of that competition in each of the previous two seasons, under Vincenzo Italiano. Less than a week after the season ended, the Serie A coaching carousel is ramping up. Massimiliano Allegri returned to AC Milan on Friday and a number of other changes are expected. ___ AP soccer:
Japan Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
Tottenham beats Man United to win Europa League title
Tottenham's Brennan Johnson, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Europa League final soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao, Spain, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) soccer By TALES AZZONI Tottenham beat Manchester United 1-0 to win the Europa League final and lift its first European trophy in more than four decades on Wednesday. It is the first major title for Tottenham since it won the English League Cup in 2008, and first European triumph since it won its second UEFA Cup — the equivalent of the Europa League now — in 1984. Brennan Johnson squeezed in the winner at the end of the first half to help Spurs salvage a dismal season in which it will finish near the bottom of the Premier League standings. The title guarantees Spurs a spot in next season's Champions League, and brings some much-needed relief for manager Ange Postecoglou after he struggled to keep his team on track all year. The victory comes six years after Tottenham fell short against Liverpool in the Champions League final. The defeat adds pressure on United coach Ruben Amorim, whose team sits in 16th place — just ahead of Tottenham — in the Premier League. The club won't play in any European competition next season. United came close to equalizing the match on Wednesday when a header by Rasmus Hojlund was cleared at the goal line by Tottenham's Micky van de Ven in the 68th. Deep into stoppage time, a header by Luke Shaw prompted a difficult save by Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. It had been an even match, with neither team creating many significant scoring opportunities, until Tottenham got on the board in the 42nd minute after a cross by Pape Sarr into the area. The ball ricocheted off Shaw and fell in front of Johnson, who seemed to get just enough of it to poke it across the goal line. United pressed forward after conceding but was not able to get the equalizer in front of a split crowd of nearly 50,000 at Athletic Bilbao's San Mames Stadium. United had last won a trophy in the 2024 FA Cup, and its last European triumph was at the 2017 Europa League under manager Jose Mourinho. The Red Devils lost all four matches against Tottenham this season and is winless against its rival in seven straight games, with the last six under Postecoglou. United and Tottenham had met in just one previous final — the 2009 League Cup when Alex Ferguson's United won 4-1 on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Tottenham striker Son Heung-min, who came off the bench in the 67th, finally ended the title drought in his career. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fans who insulted Vinícius found guilty in 1st hate-crime conviction related to racism in Spain
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, left, passes the ball challenged by Barcelona's Eric Garcia during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, right, and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal compete for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, right, and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal compete for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, left, passes the ball challenged by Barcelona's Eric Garcia during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, right, and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal compete for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) MADRID (AP) — Five Valladolid fans who racially insulted Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior in 2022 have been found guilty in the first ruling in Spain that condemns racist insults in a soccer stadium as a hate crime, the league said Wednesday. A Valladolid court convicted the fans for their insults in a league match, sentencing them to one year in prison plus a fine of up to 1,620 euros ($1,837). The jail time is suspended on condition they don't commit any offense or visit soccer stadiums hosting official national competitions for three years. Advertisement The league called Wednesday's ruling 'a firm step towards eradicating racism in sport.' 'This judicial decision represents an unprecedented milestone in the fight against racism in sport in Spain,' the league said. Last year, three Valencia fans were handed eight-month prison sentences after pleading guilty to racially insulting Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior. That was the first conviction for racism-related cases in professional soccer in Spain, but it was not based on a hate crime. The Valencia fans were convicted of a crime against moral integrity, with the aggravating circumstance of discrimination based on racist motives. Advertisement 'The fact that this ruling explicitly refers to hate crimes associated with racist insults reinforces the message that intolerance has no place in football,' the league said. The league first filed the complaint against the Valladolid fans. It was later joined in the case by the player, Real Madrid, and the public prosecutor's office. ___ AP soccer:
New Statesman
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
The humbling of Pep Guardiola
Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto Football has a habit of making mortals of gods. No matter how crammed your trophy cabinet, how clear your parent company's bank account, or how extensive your soccer sabermetrics, the game can send a serial winner crashing towards untold depths of despair and humiliation. One minute you're on Mount Olympus, sipping from the same goblet as Michael Jordan and Serena Williams, the next you're wandering the land of the 'cooked' and the 'washed' – constantly humiliated by teenage shitposters, drawing away to an already relegated Southampton, and giving yourself the full Tyler Durden treatment in the dressing room. For Pep Guardiola, this is a very new state of being. He is not Steve Bruce. He is not used to this kind of thing. After a storied (but slightly overlooked) playing career, the proud Catalan became a rare manager that innovated, and won. For the best part of two decades, he appeared like a man who'd signed some kind of pact, cracked some kind of code. Now we see him after a very rare failed season, with only tomorrow's FA Cup final to recover some of his much-diminished glory. So, Pep, where did it all go wrong? Until now, pretty much everything he did has worked out. Not only did he pick up pretty much every honour going at Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester City, he could also veer into experimental territory and come out on top, as close as football has come to a Brian Wilson or a Picasso. The man who gave you Dani Alves bombing the wing then gave us Nathan Ake staying put and cutting into midfield. He then perfected the 'false 9' before suddenly splashing big on Erling Haaland, the kind of striker who only touches the ball when white netting is in sight. While some Spanish managers stayed true to the tiki-taka ethos that Pep pioneered, he has publicly admonished it as 'rubbish and pointless'. He won the league playing Fabian Delph at left back, and essentially changed what a goalkeeper needs to be forever. At his pomp, Pep's power was so strong that he had the power to destroy careers as well as making them. When the likes of Joe Hart, Raheem Sterling and Kalvin Phillips were tossed aside, they went into sharp and brutal decline. Like any great man of history, he could give you life, and he could take it away. Although he has presented himself as a humanist and a political liberal, Abu Dhabi-backed Manchester City was the only club that could realise his ambitions. He famously demands the highest standards in every department, and from every player, wielding the kind of power that makes most managers seem like mere employees. Pep's City wasn't so much a club, as a royal court. But this season, his empire began to crumble. City look to finish the season somewhere well outside of the top two. At time of press, they have lost nine games, being dumped out of tournaments and desperately throwing money at an array of obscure players in January. While Haaland has remained steady and clinical, Ballon D'Or winner Rodri has been injured all season, and Pep's gambit of bringing back İlkay Gündoğan completely backfired. For the first time, Pep's cast-aways (Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, Morgan Rogers, Romeo Lavia among them) have erupted, while his ageing squad has creaked and spluttered. Pep enters tomorrow's final – his only chance to claw back some glory from the season – not so much a different manager, but a different man. He doesn't seem quite as distressed as he was back in the winter (when he was looking one defeat away from a Greater Manchester Police wellbeing check) but he definitely cuts a more humbled figure. His eyes look a little glazed, a little distracted. He seems very fallible, very beatable, but also, rather zen, perhaps resigned to the concept that, sometimes, things fall apart. Maybe he knew it had to happen eventually. No football manager has ever really sustained that level of success for that long, at that level. Some managers descend into total ignominy, like Jose Mourinho, once Guardiola's arch-nemesis, who has now been reduced to his own tribute act, arguing with Turkish referees like a broke American rapper on a British freshers' party tour. Carlo Ancelotti has won everything in his time, but he's also had the kind of disasters, sackings (and a spell at Everton) that Guardiola could never entertain. Jürgen Klopp and Alex Ferguson essentially quit when the going was good, and as good as they are doing right now, you can well imagine that a spell in the Saudi League, or in charge of the Austrian national team, will come one day for Inzaghi, Slot, Flick et al. A football manager only has so long at the top, and Pep was already riding his luck. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Saturday's result is perhaps by-the-by for City's board. A win against Crystal Palace really proves nothing, and a loss only confirms what we've seen all season. There is a much bigger question at play, one which cannot be answered in one game. Do they stick with what they knew, and cleave to Pep? Or do they cash out and move on? There are two prevailing schools of thought here. One is that, in football, decline is a hard thing to reverse. Perhaps no other industry is as P45-friendly. The prevailing wisdom is that when things are not working, it's time to go; cut it off at the joint, nip it in the bud, send the loser packing. The other theory is that football is in a bit of a flux period right now (or perhaps even a more general decline). This year's Premier League has been a bit of a stinker, with Liverpool winning it on low-battery mode while falling in every other competition. The Champions League was fairly unmemorable before the semi-finals, and a Ligue 1 goalkeeper (PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma) is seriously being touted for the Ballon D'Or. As good as PSG and Barcelona are, football appears to be waiting on another revolution, a tactical tweak or prevailing ideology to take the game to the next level. The kind that Pep Guardiola has always been very good at uncovering. Here, you can see why City seem to be erring towards keeping Pep on. There are some interesting young managers out there, but there are also some who have failed remarkably when trying to innovate at big clubs (see Thiago Motta at Juventus). The most natural successor, Xabi Alonso, has already gone to Madrid, so it looks like City really are sticking with their troubled demagogue, having given him a new contract in November. But the fact it was only two years, suggests that both parties have their eyes on other suitors. Guardiola's track record, his obsessive nature and belief in progression suggests he's the best placed person to come up with a new idea, to take City back to glory. But looking at him yawn his way through press conferences and berate Aaron Ramsdale for time-wasting, and you have to wonder if he has the hunger anymore. But then again, who knows what a taste of silverware can do for a man's appetite. [See also: Sven-Göran Eriksson's struggle] Related
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Here's how Yamal, Raphinha and Pedri led Barcelona to La Liga title in Flick's first season
Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski lifts the trophy after winning the Spanish Copa del Rey final soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Barcelona's Fermin Lopez, left, and Lamine Yamal celebrate after the La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 11, 2025. AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick, left, and Espanyol's head coach Manolo Gonzalez hug before a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Espanyol and Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Barcelona's Fermin Lopez scores his side's second goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Espanyol at Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Barcelona's Lamine Yamal scores during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Espanyol and Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Barcelona's Lamine Yamal scores during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Espanyol and Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski lifts the trophy after winning the Spanish Copa del Rey final soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Barcelona's Fermin Lopez, left, and Lamine Yamal celebrate after the La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 11, 2025. AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick, left, and Espanyol's head coach Manolo Gonzalez hug before a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Espanyol and Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) Barcelona's Fermin Lopez scores his side's second goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Espanyol at Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Barcelona's Lamine Yamal scores during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Espanyol and Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lamine Yamal provided the dazzle, Pedri set the pace and Raphinha scored the crucial goals as Barcelona won the La Liga title by playing its most electric soccer since the heyday of Lionel Messi. While his players excelled in a campaign that also included a Copa del Rey title, Barcelona's success was in large part due to coach Hansi Flick. Advertisement The former Bayern Munich manager took the same core of a squad that won nothing the previous season under Xavi Hernández and turned it into the one of the most entertaining sides in Europe. Flick's non-negotiable game plan of pressing high up the pitch to recover balls in attacking position was fervently executed by his players. The result was a domestic double and a memorable Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan that Barcelona was seconds away from winning. Backed by Yamal's 53rd-minute goal, Barcelona clinched the title Thursday with a 2-0 victory over Espanyol. Here are the other keys to Barcelona's success in the 2024-25 Spanish league season: Advertisement Give the ball to Yamal Yamal confirmed his status as the rising star of international soccer just weeks before the club season began when he stole the show in Spain's European Championship victory. He carried his fantastic play into Barcelona's season, and over the course of the campaign his weight in the attack increased, as did his role as a vocal motivator. His comment to a teammate when Madrid was up 2-1 in the Copa del Rey final summed up his and Barcelona's mentality: 'It doesn't matter if they score one goal, it doesn't matter if they score two goals. They can't hang with us.' Barcelona went on to win 3-2. Advertisement Yamal helped lead several comebacks and was a big reason that Barcelona swept all four clasicos against Real Madrid by a combined score of 16-7: two in the league, the cup final and the Spanish Super Cup. Reinvented Raphinha If there is one player who symbolizes the renewal of Barcelona this season it is Raphinha. Raphinha blossomed from a workhorse winger into a decisive scorer and team leader who could play at multiple positions. The Brazil forward scored 18 of his 34 goals in the league, including twice in a 4-3 comeback over Madrid that pretty much decided the title race. Robert Lewandowski poured in 25 league goals as the veteran striker completed a formidable front three that was comparable to the great Barcelona trident of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez. Advertisement Their goals and the superb play of right back Jules Koundé helped vindicate the decision made by club president Joan Laporta three years ago to sell off future TV rights and other assets so that Barcelona could sign Koundé, Lewandowski and Raphinha as part of a bid to rekindle the club's winning ways. Ferrán Torres also emerged as a super sub striker, especially when Lewandowski was injured late in the season. Pedri, the man in the middle Despite the fantastic play of Barcelona's forwards, Pedri was the most indispensable player for Flick. The midfielder, who at age 22 is already completing his fifth season as a undisputed starter, put in his best campaign since he broke out for Barcelona as a teenager. He led the team in minutes played and firmly established himself as the successor of midfield greats Xavi and Andrés Iniesta thanks to his ball control, vision, passing and sense of timing. Advertisement Pedri was helped by new arrival Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi Páez, Fermín López and Marc Casadó to provide Barcelona with the best midfield in the league. Pressure and high defensive line Flick's most notable imprint on the team was its very high line in defense. The first-choice back four of Alejandro Balde, Iñigo Martínez, Pau Cubarsí and Koundé were masters of pushing up the field and coordinating perfectly to spring offside traps. They compacted the space the opponents had to work in and allowed their teammates to swarm in and steal balls to devastating effect. An honorable mention goes to Wojciech Szczesny, who came out of retirement to play in goal for the injured Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. Advertisement A young team for years to come Barcelona's future looks bright. Yamal at 17 leads its youth movement, and Pedri, Gavi, Cubarsí, Fermín, Balde, Casadó, Pablo Torre, Ansu Fati and Gerard Martín, along with other youth-team players used by Flick, are all under 23 years old. The only players near the end of their career are Lewandowski at 36 and Martínez at 33 years old. So, all in all, Flick's Barcelona has the potential to keep this going for years to come. ___ AP soccer:
