Latest news with #UEFAConferenceLeague
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
De Gea expected to pen new Fiorentina deal to 2028
Despite interest from AS Monaco, it is reported that David De Gea will extend his contract with Fiorentina for another three years. The goalkeeper had been out of action for a whole season after leaving Manchester United, as he wanted to wait for the right project to come along. Goalkeeper David de Gea of Fiorentina warms up prior to the UEFA Conference League fouth qualifying round second leg match between Puskas Akademia FC and Fiorentina in Pancho Arena in Felcsut, Hungary, 29 August 2024. EPA-EFE/Zsolt Szigetvary HUNGARY OUT He found that in Florence, revitalising his career with a series of remarkable saves, securing a sixth-place Serie A finish and reaching the Conference League semi-final. Advertisement The contract he signed a year ago had an option to extend in June 2025, but Fiorentina want more guarantees from the 34-year-old. De Gea has flourished at Fiorentina SEVILLE, SPAIN – MAY 01: David De Gea of Fiorentina speaks to the media during an interview prior to the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Semi Final First Leg match between Real Betis Balompie and ACF Fiorentina at Estadio Benito Villamarin on May 01, 2025 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by) According to Tuttomercatoweb, negotiations have been progressing well and De Gea is expected to sign a new deal that will hold him to the Stadio Franchi until 2028. By the time that expires, the Spaniard will be close to 38 years of age. Who he will be working with is another matter, because today Fiorentina officially terminated their contract with coach Raffaele Palladino by mutual consent. The club had only recently locked him down to a new deal, but he surprisingly tended his resignation yesterday.
Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Manchester United told cost of Bryan Mbeumo transfer amid key contract detail
Manchester United and Newcastle are among the clubs chasing 20-goal Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo ahead of the summer transfer window Brentford boss Thomas Frank has warned Manchester United that Bryan Mbeumo will cost "a lot" of money this summer. The Cameroon international was one of the Premier League's most-potent attackers this season, notching up 20 goals and seven assists for the Bees. However, Brentford have reluctantly accepted that after nearly six years in west London, Mbeumo could now be set to depart the club and move onto pastures new. United and Newcastle are eyeing the 25-year-old but Frank insists the Bees won't rollover during transfer negotiations. The Dane told Tipsbladet: 'It is clear that if he is to be sold, it must be for a nice, nice amount. It is a lot. Mucho. Really a lot. 'Then it is clear that it is impossible to replace him one for one. It cannot be done. There is a reason why he costs x number of million pounds, and we do not have x number of million pounds to buy for." When asked to shed light on the extent of potential interest, Frank added: 'I would say that I would be surprised if a lot of big clubs don't look at him. I would be surprised with what he has to offer. "How many wingers score 20 goals for a mid-table club? And then with seven assists plus his work ethic. And his character. All these things mean that he has a lot, so he is a good player.' Between Mbeumo and fellow forward Yoane Wissa, the pair hit 39 goals in the Premier League this term despite losing Ivan Toney to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli last summer. Mbeumo has just over one year left to run on his current contract but Brentford do have a one-year extension option which the club can activate. United are in the market for attacking reinforcements for Ruben Amorim but they're operating with limited finances after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham. They've now activated Matheus Cunha's release clause, worth £62.5million, so their spending power will now be dictated by player sales. Newcastle have long been chasing Mbeumo and he has been on their radar for some time while Arsenal had previously looked at the highly-rated winger. Speaking towards the end of the season, Frank admitted that Brentford remain a selling club and pinpointed that unfortunately, they would struggle to keep hold of their best players moving forward. The Bees narrowly missed out on UEFA Conference League football but they did secure their second top-half finish in three seasons, ending up in 10th spot.
Yahoo
19 hours 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:
Sinar Daily
a day ago
- Sport
- Sinar Daily
History-makers Chelsea roar back to beat Real Betis in UEFA Conference League final
WROCLAW - Chelsea roared back to beat Real Betis 4-1 in the UEFA Conference League final in Wroclaw on Wednesday, becoming the first club to complete a clean sweep of European trophies. Manuel Pellegrini's enterprising Betis caught the favourites cold with an early goal from Abde Ezzalzouli against a flat-footed and listless Chelsea. Real Betis' French defender #15 Romain Perraud lies on the ground after being fouled by Chelsea's Portuguese midfielder #07 Pedro Neto during the UEFA Conference League final football match between Real Betis and Chelsea FC in Wroclaw on May 28, 2025. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) But Enzo Maresca's second-half substitutions injected energy and Cole Palmer changed the complexion of the game in a five-minute spell, setting up Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson to score. Substitute Jadon Sancho made the game safe in the 83rd minute as the Spanish side faded in their first European final and Moises Caicedo added gloss to the scoreline. Chelsea are the first club to win the full set of five UEFA club tournaments -- the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Super Cup and the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup. They have also won their first silverware since Todd Boehly's consortium took over from former owner Roman Abramovich in 2022, following an era of unprecedented success for the club. Boehly was on the pitch at the end, savouring the win that seemed unlikely when Betis were in control in the first half. Chelsea have ended the season with a flourish after also securing a place in next season's Champions League following a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League. Maresca, in his first season at Stamford Bridge, said he hoped Conference League glory would be a launchpad for the club. "The club have invested lots of money in the last three or four years, so they are also waiting for results," Maresca told TNT Sports. "Hopefully this can be a starting point and from tonight, from this season, (we are) building something important." The Spanish side went ahead in the ninth minute through Ezzalzouli, who scored the goal against Fiorentina that took his side to the final. Chelsea's Argentinian midfielder #08 Enzo Fernandez celebrates after scoring the equalising goal during the UEFA Conference League final football match between Real Betis and Chelsea FC in Wroclaw on May 28, 2025. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) Malo Gusto lost the ball and it broke to Betis captain Isco, who produced a clever pass to find Ezzalzouli on the edge of the box, with the Moroccan drilling a left-footed shot across Filip Jorgensen. Minutes later Marc Bartra tried his luck from distance but this time Jorgensen was equal to the task, producing a flying save. Urged on by their massed ranks of fans, Betis went close again when Johnny Cardoso's shot from inside the box was deflected behind. The Premier League side were enjoying the bulk of possession but struggling to create meaningful chances, with Betis defending well and Isco, a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, pulling the strings. Palmer magic Maresca brought on James for the struggling Gusto at the break and the English side looked livelier. Pellegrini was forced a change when goalscorer Ezzalzouli was forced off, with Jesus Rodriguez coming on to replace him. Maresca also made a number of other changes, including bringing on Sancho, but it took two moments of magic from Palmer to turn the tide. The England man produced a pinpoint inswinging cross from the right that found onrushing Argentina midfielder Fernandez, who got between two defenders to head the ball past Adrian in the 65th minute. Suddenly Chelsea's tails were up and the fans behind the goal were in full voice. Five minutes later Palmer twisted and turned before producing another superb cross that Jackson bundled into the net. Jackson should have scored a second goal but a heavy touch allowed the Betis goalkeeper to gather. But Sancho made it 3-1 when he combined with fellow substitute Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and finished from an angle and Caicedo added a fourth from the edge of the box. Victory for Chelsea breaks an astonishing cycle of wins for Spanish teams. Taking into account World Cups, European Championships, Champions League and the UEFA Cup/Europa League, of the previous 27 men's finals involving Spanish teams, all 27 had had Spanish winners. Four Spanish club sides had been defeated in that time, but in all cases by fellow La Liga sides. Earlier, the centre of Wroclaw was packed with fans from both clubs, with green-and-white clad Betis fans outnumbering their English rivals. Poland's Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said police made 28 arrests after supporters clashed in the city's market square. - AFP
New York Times
a day ago
- Business
- New York Times
Nottingham Forest Conference League explainer: Dates, potential opponents and prize money
Nottingham Forest will be playing in Europe next season for the first time since 1995-96. Though Nuno Espirito Santo's side narrowly missed out on the Champions League football they and the fans craved, their seventh-place finish confirms their spot in the final qualifying round for the league phase of the UEFA Conference League. Here, The Athletic gives you the lowdown on how that competition works, who Forest might face in that play-off and what the overall schedule looks like. The tournament has been running since the 2021-22 season, when it was introduced as UEFA's new third-tier European competition — below the Champions League and Europa League. Roma of Italy won the competition in its first season, to secure their only major UEFA trophy. This prompted the club's manager at the time, Jose Mourinho, to observe that they had 'made history'. David Moyes then led West Ham United to a nail-biting win in 2023, calling it one of the biggest moments of his long career. The following year, Forest's sister club Olympiacos became the first Greek side to win a major UEFA trophy. In the 2024-25 edition, which Chelsea won earlier this week, the Conference League — after the completion of four qualifying rounds — followed the Champions League and Europa League in adopting a league phase with all 36 competing teams in together instead of the pre-existing eight-groups-of-four. This format will be used next season, too. Advertisement Each side played six different opponents (three games at home, three away), rather than the eight matches in the Champions League and Europa League, with the top eight in the final table advancing directly to the round of 16 and those sides who finish from ninth to 24th entering knockout stage play-offs, with the eight victors from those ties completing the last 16. The bottom 12 after the league phase are eliminated. After the league phase, it is a straight two-leg, home-and-away knockout competition all the way to a one-off final in May. Forest's play-off round tie will be held over two legs on August 21 and August 28, which is after the start of the new Premier League season. They will not find out who their opponents will be until the draw on August 4. All 36 teams entering the league phase will do so by qualifying, with none being directly placed into the competition proper. The stage at which teams begin qualifying is based on their domestic association's club coefficient ranking, which is calculated by UEFA. England currently tops these rankings, ahead of Italy, Spain, Germany and France — which is why Forest will enter qualifying in the last round before the league phase. Before that, three qualifying rounds — which will decide who Forest might face in that play-off — will take place. First qualifying round: June 17 Second qualifying round: June 18 Third qualifying round: July 21 Play-off round: August 4 First qualifying round: July 10 and 17 Second qualifying round: July 24 and 31 Third qualifying round: August 7 and 14 Play-off round: August 21 and 28 There are many possibilities. The teams guaranteed to be in the play-off round — other than Forest — are Fiorentina, Germany's Mainz, Rayo Vallecano from Spain and France's Strasbourg. The top five nations in the association club coefficient rankings only have one team each in the competition, with all of them starting their involvement in the play-off round. However, Forest will be seeded for the play-off round so will face, in theory, a side from the weaker half of the pot. This will not influence whether they have a home or away match in the tie's second leg, though. There are places in qualifying given to clubs from all across the continent, ranging from AZ (the Netherlands), Santa Clara (Portugal), Dundee United (Scotland) and AEK Athens (Greece) to some genuine minnows, such as Araz-Naxcivan (Azerbaijan), Astana (Kazakhstan), St Patrick's Athletic (Republic of Ireland), Haverfordwest County (Wales), Calpe City Magpies (Gibraltar) and La Fiorita (San Marino). La Fiorita play in a town called Montegiardino, which has a population of around 1,000. Advertisement Teams eliminated in certain qualifying rounds for the Champions League and Europa League will also join the party at various stages of the Conference League's qualification process. So in short, Forest have no idea who they might be up against in that play-off. The league-phase matches will take place on the following dates: Matchday 1: October 2 Matchday 2: October 23 Matchday 3: November 6 Matchday 4: November 27 Matchday 5: December 11 Matchday 6: December 18 The knockout-stage ties will take place on the following dates: Knockout phase play-offs: February 19 and 26 Round of 16: March 12 and 19 Quarter-finals: April 9 and 16 Semi-finals: April 30 and May 7 Final: May 27 League phase: August 29 Knockout phase play-offs: To be determined Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final: February 27 The draws for the league phases of all three UEFA club competitions are now done via computer, to speed up the complicated process. All roads for the 2025-26 competition lead to the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany. Home of Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, it has a capacity of just under 48,000 and hosted games at the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2024. As well as the glory of a European trophy, the Conference League's winners are guaranteed a league-phase place in the following season's Europa League — unless they have already qualified for the Champions League by virtue of their domestic league position, as Chelsea have done this time. As for the prize money, reaching the league phase of the 2024-25 Conference League earned you an estimated base fee of €3.2million (£2.7m; $3.6m), while each win in that league phase worth €400,000 and every draw €133,000. Teams who secured a top-eight finish in the league phase received another €400,000, while finishing from ninth to 24th earned €200,000. There was an €800,000 bonus for reaching the round of 16, €1.3m more for getting to the quarter-finals and €2.5m if your challenge ended in the semis. Runners-up Real Betis took €4m home to Spain and Chelsea received €7m. Advertisement Some optimistic Forest fans have already been booking flights to, and hotels in, Leipzig for the dates around the final, on the off-chance that their team do play in that fixture in a year's time. There is no possibility of Forest's sister club, Olympiacos, dropping down into the Conference League to potentially face them, as they will be in the Champions League as Greek title winners. This means there will be no conflict of interest for Evangelos Marinakis, who owns both clubs. He had placed his shares in Forest in a blind trust and had planned to step away from having any influence in the running of the club, in preparation for both teams potentially being in the same European competition and in order to adhere to UEFA's rules on multi-club ownership, but this will no longer be necessary. The bottom line is that Forest are playing in European competition for the first time since Frank Clark led them to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup (now the Europa League) in March 1996 where they lost to eventual winners Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. The prize money and kudos may not be on the level they would have been if Forest had qualified for the Champions League, but the fans will be determined to enjoy the ride wherever on the continent it takes them. And as we have seen with other English teams in recent years, the chance to compete for a European trophy is not to be sniffed at.
