Paris Saint-Germain beat Marseille on penalties to win a topsy turvy French Champions Trophy in Kuwait on Thursday. PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier was the hero of the night, saving two spot-kicks as PSG took the penalty lottery 4-1 after a frenetic end to the match left the two sides locked at 2-2. Desire Doue converted the decisive spot-kick after Chevalier had saved efforts from Marseille’s Matt O’Riley and Hamed Traore. PSG will also be keen to wrap up automatic qualification to the Champions League last 16. The holders are third in the league phase standings. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 January,2026 09:03 AM IST | Kuwait City | AFPArsenal boss Mikel Arteta said the Gunners have come out of a gruelling festive schedule in a stronger position despite the disappointment of being held 0-0 at home to Liverpool on Thursday. Arteta’s men dropped points for the first time since December 6 as five consecutive Premier League wins prior to Liverpool’s visit and the faltering form of Manchester City has opened up a six-point lead for Arsenal. “Yes, every time you don’t win [it is a missed opportunity],” said Arteta. “I have to really praise the team for what they have done in this Christmas period. To come out of this period with all the issues we had the boys deserve all the credit. We are in a really strong position and we have to go again.” Liverpool are 14 points behind the leaders but have not conceded a goal in two meetings with Arsenal this season. Meanwhile, Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli said he had apologised to Conor Bradley for shoving the Liverpool defender off the pitch when badly injured. Martinelli posted on Instagram: “Conor and I have messaged and I’ve already apologised to him. I really didn’t understand he was seriously injured in the heat of the moment. I’m deeply sorry for reacting.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 January,2026 09:03 AM IST | London | AFPManchester City signed Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth on Friday to strengthen its attacking options ahead of the team’s tilt at the Premier League and Champions League titles. Semenyo, who has scored 10 goals and been one of the best attackers in English football this season, has moved in a deal worth a reported 65 million pounds ($87 million) and on a five-and-a-half-year deal. He’ll provide competition to City’s stock of wingers that already includes Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush, Savinho and Oscar Bobb. Savinho and Bobb are currently injured, while Marmoush has been out of favour this season. Semenyo, 26, was linked with Manchester United and Liverpool. He was at Bournemouth for two-and-a-half seasons after joining from second-tier Bristol City. “I have so much scope for improvement,” Semenyo said in a City statement, “so to be at this club, at this stage of my career, is perfect for me. It’s a real privilege to be here. My best football is yet to come, I am sure of that. Everything just aligned,” said the forward, whose two-footedness means he is a danger on either wing. “It makes it so difficult for defenders to mark me — it’s my God-given talent,” Semenyo said. “I feel very chaotic on the eye, just spontaneous and can do anything at any moment.” Manchester City’s top 5 most expensive transfers Player Price YearJack Grealish £100mn 2021Josko Gvardiol £77.6mn 2023Antoine Semenyo £65mn 2026Omar Marmoush £59mn 2025Kevin De Bruyne £55mn 2015
10 January,2026 09:03 AM IST | Manchester | AP | PTIAfter achieving a decent 104 rank towards the end of 2020, Indian football oscillated between the 104th and 109th position for the next couple of years. In 2023 though there was an upswing thanks to an impressive season, where the Blue Tigers won the Intercontinental Cup (June) at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar (beating Lebanon 2-0), and the SAFF Championship (July) at the Sri Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru (beating Kuwait 5-4 via tie-breaker after the scores were locked 1-1 at the end of full time), ensuring the team broke into the top 100 ranking — 99 to be precise though they did hit 102 the same year. In 2024 though things took a turn for the worse. India flopped in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 which was held in early 2024 and plummeted to 117. This was followed by a poor show at the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, where India made a second-round exit. India did not win a single match in 2024 and ended up No. 127th that year. The next year was worse. India struggled in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers and slipped to 142 — its lowest ranking in a decade. Year India’s FIFA rankings 2020 Fell from 104 to 1092021 Fell from 104 to 1072022 Fell from 104 to 1062023 Fell from 99 to 1022024 Fell from 117 to 1272025 Fell from 127 to 142 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
10 January,2026 08:07 AM IST | Doha | AgenciesHeimir Hallgrimsson, the former coach of the Iceland national football team, who, along with co-coach Lars Lagerback, masterminded the tiny nation’s stellar run to the quarter-finals of the UEFA European Championship in 2016 — including a shock 2-1 win over England in the last-16 stage — sure knows a thing or two about unlocking a country’s football potential. And the struggling Indian football system, which seems to have kicked itself in the teeth with poor results and shoddy management, could well learn some valuable lessons from this successful dentist-turned-football-coach. Currently, the global ambassador and football mentor of Sports For Life, a grassroots sports development initiative in India, Hallgrimsson offered some golden words of advice that could spark a similar rise in India’s footballing landscape. Education of coaches “One of the reasons for Iceland’s success is that we have invested a lot in coaching education. For example, if you send an eight-year-old for football training in Iceland, irrespective of whether you live in a small village or a big city there’s a 90 per cent chance that the place will have a UEFA A or B licensed coach to train youngsters,” Hallgrimsson, 58, who also coached Iceland, a country of less than four lakh inhabitants, at their maiden FIFA World Cup campaign in 2018, told mid-day at a city hotel on Friday. His team eked out a famous 1-1 win against the mighty Argentina at the 2018 quadrennial showpiece in Russia. Hallgrimsson stressed on bringing the same model to India via SFL. Some of his key duties include designing modules to train Indian coaches to be on par with their European counterparts at the grassroot level. “Just imagine if we have the same number of high-quality coaches available throughout India, how fast football will develop in the country,” added Hallgrimsson, who currently manages the Republic of Ireland national team. The reason behind focussing on grassroot development is simple. “Up to the age of 12, kids are like sponges, you can teach them a lot of technique. After puberty it’s difficult to fine-tune motor skills. After that age, they will learn more about the tactical, physical, and mental side of the game,” explained Hallgrimsson. Difference in Iceland & India Hallgrimsson had a very important warning though when it comes to teaching the game to youngsters. He noticed a stark difference between Iceland and India’s footballing landscape is that youngsters in the sub-continent are put under a lot of pressure to win matches. “We [Iceland] focus on individual improvement, whereas here [India] the focus is on winning games, come what may, at youth level. That is the big difference. It should not about winning a match when you are just 10 years old. It should be about growing into becoming a good player when you are 17. This time should be utilised to improve the young players and help them acquire all the skills they need to succeed at this game. Winning matches at such a young age is not going to make you a good footballer. That’s a mindset we need to change,” concluded Hallgrimsson, whose international focus will soon turns towards the upcoming FIFA World Cup Play-off tie against Czechia on March 26. If Ireland win, they face either Denmark or North Macedonia for a place in this prestigious event to be held in USA, Canada, and Mexico (June 11 to July 19). Heimir’s Highs >> Along with co-coach Lars Lagerback, he helped Iceland qualify for the UEFA European Championship 2016 — the country’s first-ever major tournament >> In their first match at the Euros, Iceland held Portugal to a 1-1 draw. Portugal went on to win the tournament, highlighting Iceland’s ability >> Tiny Iceland stunned football powerhouses England 2-1 in the Round-of-16 >> Hallgrimsson, now the sole coach of Iceland with Lagerback moving on, helped them qualify for their maiden FIFA World Cup, becoming the smallest nation by population (3.35 lakh) to qualify for the mega event. Curacao (population of 1.56 lakh) recently broke that record for the upcoming World Cup >> Iceland held Lionel Messi’s mighty Argentina to a 1-1 draw in the league phase of the 2018 World Cup
10 January,2026 08:06 AM IST | Mumbai | Ronan CarvalhoLiverpool legend Kevin Keegan, has been diagnosed with cancer, his family said Wednesday. Keegan, 74, was recently hospitalised after presenting abdominal symptoms and has undergone further tests. “These investigations have revealed a diagnosis of cancer, for which Kevin will undergo treatment,” read a statement from Keegan’s family. Keegan is a two-time Ballon d’Or winner and also won 63 caps for England. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 January,2026 09:11 AM IST | Newcastle | AP | PTIManchester United’s interim boss Darren Fletcher labelled Wednesday’s 2-2 draw against relegation-threatened Burnley ‘a massive disappointment.’ Benjamin Sesko’s brace (50th and 60th min) for United was cancelled out by an own-goal from Ayden Heaven (13th min) and a wonder-strike from Jaidon Anthony (66th min). “[It] is a massive disappointment. If you look at the chances we created, goal-line clearances, a disallowed goal, 30 shots, lots of attacking play. We did more than enough to win the game,” said Fletcher. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 January,2026 09:09 AM IST | Burnley | AgenciesBarcelona’s Spanish teenaged phenomenon Lamine Yamal is not just cashing in on the pitch, but off it too, with Swiss-based CIES Football Observatory ranking him as the most valuable player in the world. The 18-year-old is reportedly worth . 297 million (approximately Rs 3591 crore). The news comes as little surprise, considering how important the winger has become to his club’s fortunes. So far this season, Yamal has notched up nine goals and 11 assists in 22 games across all competitions for Barcelona. In the previous season, he played a pivotal role in helping the Catalan giants win a domestic treble. He has also starred for Spain, netting six goals and providing 12 assists across 23 games for them in the year. Second on the list is Manchester City’s Norwegian goal-machine Erling Haaland, with a value of . 217 million (approximately Rs 2624 crore), and after him comes Real Madrid’s French ace Kylian Mbappe at . 174 million (approximately R2104 crore). These assessments were based on their age, period of contract and projected performance. Top 5 most valuable football players . Lamine Yamal - . 297mn (approximately Rs 3591cr). Erling Haaland - . 217mn (approximately Rs 2624cr). Kylian Mbappe - . 174 mn (approximately Rs 2104cr). Jude Bellingham – . 132.5mn (approximately Rs 1602cr). Michael Olise – . 118.6mn (approximately Rs 1434cr)
09 January,2026 09:08 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentPep Guardiola admitted Manchester City cannot think about catching Arsenal in the English Premier League title (EPL) race after their winless run extended to three matches. Guardiola’s side wasted a chance to put pressure on Arsenal as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. Erling Haaland drilled in his 150th goal for City from the penalty spot in the 41st minute, but the Norway striker was guilty of several misses, with Bernardo Silva and Rayan Cherki also squandering opportunities. Pep Guardiola Hampered by injuries to several defenders, City cracked in the 60th minute as Kaoru Mitoma’s first goal since September dealt a huge blow to their title hopes. Second-placed City are five points behind leaders Arsenal, who can extend the gap to eight points if they beat Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday. “Of course if you don’t win games we cannot think about these things,” Guardiola said when asked if City were still in the title hunt. Guardiola bemoaned City’s wasted chances as Brighton joined Chelsea and Sunderland in successfully frustrating the Spaniard over the last three matches. “The result is the result. I’m not a person who believes what we have done isn’t fair. One point for them, one point for us. That is what it is. I love a lot the way we played, we did many good things, but we don’t score goals. There were too many clear chances. That is the reason why we could not win the [recent] games” lamented the Spaniard. 09No. of times Man City have dropped points from winning positions in the EPL this season 22No. of shots on goal for City vs Brighton; their most in EPL without scoring more than a goal since Dec ’24 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 January,2026 09:03 AM IST | Manchester | AFPLiverpool manager Arne Slot believes his inconsistent side can still do ‘special things’ if everyone is fit and firing, but his comments will be put to the test against the ruthless league-leaders Arsenal when the two face off in the English Premier League (EPL) on Thursday. The Reds head to the Emirates having steadied their ship marginally over the last month — they are unbeaten in their last nine games, however four of them have been draws. They sit in fourth place, but still trail the Gunners by 14 points. While retaining their crown seems highly unlikely, Slot remains convinced that the team is still capable of beating the best in the business. “We aren’t where we want to be, but I feel we have a very talented squad. If everyone’s available, then we can [still] do special things,” said Slot. Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo (centre) celebrates scoring vs Fulham on Sunday. Pic/Getty Images The Dutch coach also said toppling the table-toppers could do wonders for their confidence and could even spur them to clinch silverware in other competitions. “It would mean a lot because if you win games like these, it tells you that you can compete in the latter stages of the FA Cup and the Champions League. We’ve shown that we can do this already because we have already beaten Arsenal at home,” said Slot, while referencing their 1-0 win over the Gunners at the end of August. However, this time around, Slot’s side will be short of firepower with Mohamed Salah playing for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike remain sidelined with injuries. 26No. of times Liverpool have beaten Arsenal in the EPL; no other opponent has defeated the Gunners more often 20No. of consecutive EPL games in which Arsenal have conceded against Liverpool This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 January,2026 08:42 AM IST | London | AgenciesSports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday announced that the Indian Super League, which was on pause due to lack of a commercial partner, will start on February 14. The ISL will feature all 14 clubs. The I-League, which was also on pause, will be held ‘around the same time’ The ISL will feature 91 matches on home and away basis. The I-League will be a truncated event with 55 matches. “A Rs 25 crore central pool has been made for the ISL. 10 per cent of this fund will come from AIFF, 30 per cent was to come from a commercial partner, but since we don’t have one right now the AIFF will pitch in with that contribution,” AIFF head Kalyan Chaubey said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
07 January,2026 08:52 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIADVERTISEMENT
