Manchester United have announced their plans to increase their season tickets for the fourth consecutive year. In an email sent to the season ticket holders on Friday, United said that the season ticket prices will be increased by five percent across all areas for the 2026-27 campaign. After spending over £200 million in the transfer market last summer, the club plans to use the additional funds for football and facilities. United will be aiming to spend big in the summer again to replace their departing players. Next year, the cheapest season tickets at Old Trafford will cost £646, or £34 on average for the 19 home Premier League games. This season, United will just play 40 games, their shortest campaign since 1914-15, due to early exits in both domestic cups and no European football. This decision from the club to increase the ticket prices could receive a backlash from the fans who are already protesting against the club owners, the Glazer family from America. Man Utd defend their decision to increase the ticket prices Manchester United maintains that a 5% increase in Old Trafford ticket prices for the upcoming campaign will aid in their efforts to "return to the top of domestic and European football." The club claims that higher ticket prices during the 2026–2027 season will enable them to make investments in facilities and football. United are chasing their first Premier League title since 2013. "We have a clear objective to return Manchester United to the top of domestic and European football. We want to keep investing in the team and improving our facilities so fans get the best possible experience. We also need to make sure the club stays financially sustainable, taking into account inflation and rising costs," the club said in a statement. "It is within this context that we have made the decision to increase season ticket prices by around five per cent across all areas of Old Trafford," the statement said. After a rare season without playing in Europe, United is in a strong position to return to the Champions League as they sit third in the Premier League under interim head coach Michael Carrick.
06 March,2026 08:05 PM IST | Mumbai | Atharva UpasaniUEFA still plans for Qatar to stage the Argentina vs Spain game known as Finalissima this month even as the emirate is targeted by Iranian missiles in the widening Middle East war started by Israel and the the United States. "At present, there are no alternative venues being considered," UEFA said on Thursday about the scheduled March 27 game in Doha between the reigning champions of South America and Europe in a likely match-up of Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal. "A final decision is anticipated towards the end of next week," said the European soccer body which organises the game with South American counterpart CONMEBOL. Argentina and Spain are due to play at Lusail Stadium that staged the epic 2022 World Cup final. Argentina won a penalty shootout against France after Messi scored twice and Kylian Mbappe got a hat track in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Qatar has close relations with UEFA. Its top soccer official Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain, is a member of the UEFA executive committee."Discussions are ongoing with the local organisers who have made a huge effort to make the match a success," UEFA said. If Doha is too much of a security risk to host the game, it could be moved to Spain or elsewhere in Europe where nearly all the players in the two squads are based. The first Finalissima was at Wembley Stadium in London in June 2022. Argentina and Messi beat Italy 3-0. 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
06 March,2026 09:05 AM IST | Nyon (Switzerland) | AP | PTIMichael Carrick said “defeat hurts” after Manchester United’s 1-2 loss at Newcastle on Wednesday — the first time he has been beaten as manager of the club. William Osula came off the bench to score the winner for the 10-man home team at St James’ Park, putting a dent in United’s push for Champions League qualification. Ramsey sent off Former United midfielder Carrick, who took charge at Old Trafford in January, had won six and drawn one of his seven games in charge before Wednesday’s trip to Newcastle. Jacob Ramsey’s dismissal for a second bookable offence sparked a frenzied conclusion to the first half, during which Anthony Gordon put the home side ahead from the penalty spot before Casemiro restored parity. “We are not happy the way we played tonight. The way the game panned out we had it in our hands largely but credit to Newcastle and the way they approached it. We knew it would be tough, but we navigated the game to a position where we could kick on, but we didn’t. Bitterly disappointed really,” Carrick told TNT Sports. “I don’t think it was the 10 men, we just didn’t play good enough. We can’t make excuses for that. We all take responsibility for that,” he added. Carrick said his team, in third place in the Premier League, “need to get back to work and be better for the next game” as they seek to finish in the top five. Arsenal win, Man City held Premier League leaders Arsenal stretched their lead over Manchester City to seven points on Wednesday with a nervy 1-0 win at Brighton, while Pep Guardiola’s men were held to a costly 2-2 draw by Nottingham Forest. SixNo. of wins for Manchester United under manager Michael Carrick in seven games before this 1-2 loss to Newcastle. One match ended in a draw 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
06 March,2026 08:31 AM IST | New Castle | AFPEngland footballer Harry Maguire has refused to pay a 50,000 pound “bribe” to settle the case regarding his holiday brawl alongside his sister Daisy on the Greek island of Mykonos in 2020. The Man United defender, 33, lost the six-year-old case, where he was involved in a bust-up with police while allegedly protecting Daisy. Maguire claimed that two men drugged Daisy, who began losing consciousness, and while he tried to take her to a hospital, he was taken to a police station instead, and was beaten by cops. Fearing a kidnapping, Maguire said he tried to flee, but was apprehended. On Wednesday, Maguire received a 15-month suspension, which he has refuted, claiming he will take the case to the Supreme Court. “They offered to make it disappear if Harry paid 50,000 pounds. He would rather be found guilty than pay a bribe,” a source close to the player told British tabloid The Sun.
06 March,2026 08:15 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentUEFA have confirmed their plan to stage the Finalissima in Qatar later this month, despite the war in the Middle East. The Finalissima will be played between Copa America winners Argentina and European Champions Spain. Speaking on the planned March 27 match in Doha between the current champions of South America and Europe, UEFA said on Thursday, "At present, there are no alternative venues being considered. A final decision is anticipated towards the end of next week." Argentina and Spain are scheduled to play at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, which was the venue for the World Cup final 2022, between Argentina and France. Argentina won the penalty shoot-out after a thrilling 3-3 draw, with Lionel Messi getting his hands on the World Cup trophy. UEFA and Qatar have a close relationship. Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of Paris Saint-Germain, which is owned by Qatar, is a member of the UEFA executive committee. "Discussions are ongoing with the local organisers who have made a huge effort to make the match a success," UEFA statedThe match might be shifted to Spain or another part of Europe if Doha poses too much of a security risk. In the last Finalissima, Messi-led Argentina beat Italy 3-0 at Wembley. Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal to face off for the first time The Finalissima would be the first time Argentine great Lionel Messi faces Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal. Yamal, who is currently donning the famous number 10 at Barcelona, has admitted in the past that Messi was his idol growing up. The highly anticipated clash could be the only time Messi and Yamal face each other. Messi has hinted at retirement after the World Cup 2026 in the USA, where Argentina will defend their title. Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal, still only 18, will aim to carry forward Messi's legacy in the blue and red of Barcelona. Argentina defeated Colombia 1-0 in the final to win yet another major trophy on their way to Finalissima qualification. Meanwhile, Spain defeated England 2-1 in Berlin to win the Euro 2024 and qualify for the Finalissima. (With AP Inputs)
05 March,2026 07:33 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAtletico Madrid struggled through a 3-0 Copa del Rey semi-final second leg defeat at Barcelona on Tuesday but scraped into the final 4-3 on aggregate. The Spanish champions almost produced a comeback for the ages after their 4-0 first leg defeat in early February, but fell just short at Camp Nou. Youngster Marc Bernal netted twice for the record 32-time winners and Raphinha scored a penalty as Barcelona tried in vain to claw back Diego Simeone's side's lead. Atletico, who clung on desperately in the final stages, returned to the final for the first time since 2013. They will face Real Sociedad or Athletic Bilbao, who meet on Wednesday in the second semi-final second leg. "We are disappointed but we can be very proud about the performance we showed today," Barca coach Hansi Flick told reporters. "It was an amazing game from us and we created a lot of chances to score even more goals. In the end it didn't happen and we have to accept it." Simeone insisted his team deserved to progress over the two legs. "We were close to getting back to the final (in recent years), and in this two-legged game we were better than Barcelona," said Simeone. Barcelona came out flying and Fermin Lopez's long-range effort just over the bar set the tone, as Hansi Flick's team threw everything they had at a potential comeback. They were dealt an early setback when Jules Kounde went off injured in the opening stages. Antoine Griezmann came close against his former side as Atletico threatened on the counter-attack. Ferran Torres fired wide and had a shot saved low at the near post by Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso before Barcelona took the lead. Teenage star Lamine Yamal drilled across the face of goal for Bernal to finish from close range, with one 18-year-old setting up another. Ademola Lookman headed narrowly off-target for Atletico and came to rue the miss as Barca doubled their advantage before the interval. Spain midfielder Pedri was tripped in the box by Marc Pubill and Raphinha sent Musso the wrong way from the spot. Atletico hold out Joao Cancelo almost grabbed the third but his shot was beaten away by Musso at full stretch, with Simeone's team on the ropes. Bernal set up a frantic finale when he volleyed home Cancelo's swirling cross to take Barca within one goal of the crumbling Rojiblancos. Flick put centre-back Ronald Araujo up front for the final stages, in search of a fourth goal to "make the impossible possible", as he called on his team to do before the game. Gerard Martin hammered narrowly over the bar as Barca turned the screw, with fans roaring the team on through six minutes of stoppage time. The Rojiblancos fended off Barca and booked their place in the Seville final on April 18. "It's been five years since we won a trophy, we wanted to get to a final for our fans," said Atletico midfielder Koke. "We knew we would be up against it... you have to suffer and resist. The team did what it had to do to get through." Atletico do not know if talisman Antoine Griezmann will still be at the club by the time the final comes around. The French forward has been linked with a move to MLS side Orlando City. "I hope he will (play in the final), he deserves it more than anyone," said Simeone. Barcelona are left to focus on La Liga, where they lead Real Madrid by four points, and the Champions League, in which they face Newcastle in the last 16. "The quality we saw today from the team, it's there, it's unbelievable, I'm really proud of my team," added Flick. 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
05 March,2026 09:25 AM IST | Barcelona | AFPA gritty India conceded a goal in the injury stoppage time to go down fighting against higher-ranked Vietnam 1-2 in their Women's AFC Asian Cup opening match here on Wednesday. Debutant Sanfida Nongrum, a second half substitute, equalised in the 65th minute after Vietnam took the lead in the 30th minute through Ngan Thi Van Su. India were agonisingly close to grab one point from the match but conceded a goal in the fourth minute of second half added time with Ngan Thi Van Su (94th) scoring her second of the match. It was a heartbreak for the Indians under new head coach Amelia Valverde from Costa Rica as there was just three minutes left in the match after seven minutes added for injury stoppage. Despite the loss, India, lowest ranked in Group C at 67th, will hold their heads high against the 36th-ranked Vietnam, who though dominated throughout. Vietnam had made it to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and had reached quarterfinals in the previous edition of the Asian Cup in 2022. Goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu was outstanding under the bar, making as many as five saves, while captain Sweety Devi Ngangbam marshalled the Indian backline with aplomb. Forward Manisha Kalyan, who currently plies her trade in a top tier league in Peru, was a constant threat for the Vietnamese defence. Early in the second half, Vietnam thought they had scored but the goal was disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee, ruling for a handball instead on the part of an attacker during a goal mouth melee. India were lacklustre in the first half, as they could not hold ball for a considerable period of time to construct attacking moves. They also lost possession easily. Vietnamese midfielder Nguyen Thi Bich Thu was the main threat for India and her shot in the 14th minute struck the crossbar. Next minute, goalkeeper Panthoi was called into action as she parried a Cu Thi Huynh Nhu shot from close range. She made another save in the 17th minute. Vietnam were, however, not to be denied in the half-hour mark as Ngan Thi Van Su sent a curling shot from the left side of the box to beat Panthoi after Nguyen Thi Bich Thu did the hard work. A few minutes before the half time, Manisha was brought from the left flank to the centre, and India had a golden chance to score in the 41st minute. Manisha did a great job to outwit her marker and sent a beautiful pass to Soumya Guguloth, who, however, had a heavy first touch. With the ball quite far away from Soumya, Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh had enough time to come of her line and cleared the ball. India dished out a much better performance in the second half with Nongrum and Rimpa Haldar coming in for Dangmei Grace and Soumya Guguloth at the re-start. The Indians held the ball for longer periods of time and built on attacking moves more often than not, while also not giving too much space for the Vietnamese. The Vietnamese supporters at the Perth Rectangular Stadium were stunned with Nongrum scoring the equalising goal in the 65th minute after hard work from Halder. The Meghalaya player's left-footer got through the fingers of the Vietnamese goalkeeper to hit the nets to the joy of the small Indian supporters at the stadium. Vietnam attacked relentlessly, searching for another goal. Panthoi made another fine save in the 76th minute to keep the scoreline 1-1. Seven minutes were then added as injury stoppage time and India almost escaped with a draw but Vietnam scored in the 94th for a deserved win. India came into the match without enough international game time since they have not played any international match this year. India, though, are hoping to punch above their weight and reach the knock-out round which will allow them to take a shot at 2027 FIFA World Cup qualification for the first time. The top two sides from each of the three groups, along with the two best third-placed teams, will progress to the quarter-finals. The four quarter-final winners will qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. The losing quarter-finalists will contest the play-offs for the two remaining direct spots allocated to the AFC for the World Cup. The two play-off losers will have another chance of qualifying for Brazil via the play-off tournament. India face Japan on March 7 here, while their final Group C match will be against Chinese Taipei on March 10 in Sydney. 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
05 March,2026 09:19 AM IST | Perth | PTIArne Slot admitted Liverpool must solve their habit of conceding late goals to save their troubled season after Tuesday’s embarrassing 1-2 loss at 20th-placed Wolves. Liverpool fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’s strike with 12 minutes left before Mohamed Salah’s equaliser (83rd) looked to have rescued a point for the Reds. However, Liverpool’s Achilles heel of surrendering goals in the final seconds came back to haunt them again as Andre’s shot deflected over wrong-footed keeper Alisson Becker in injury time. Arne Slot “Same old story. In the last six or seven games, we struggle and find it very hard to score open-play. End result, we score one and they score two — and indeed another time in extra time, so it sums up our season again in this game as well,” said a frustrated Slot. FiveNo. of EPL matches lost by Liverpool this season after conceding in injury time 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
05 March,2026 09:02 AM IST | Wolverhampton | AgenciesPep Guardiola said it’s ‘a dream’ for Manchester City to not just be alive in the English Premier League title race, but across all competitions, as they look to keep up the pressure on league-leaders Arsenal when they take on 17th-placed Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. “It is a privilege to be in March and we’re in all the competitions. It’s a dream to be alive in this [title race],” said Guardiola. Pep Guardiola The Sky Blues trail the Gunners by five points, but have a game in hand. They head into their next clash on a six-match unbeaten run in the league. However, in their path stands a plucky Nottingham Forest outfit, who are in a relegation battle of their own, and Guardiola knows his side cannot afford to drop points. “Pereira [Forest coach] is a top-class manager. They have top players like Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi. They’re playing for important things like us. This is the decisive part of the season. We can’t [afford to] drop points,” added Guardiola. 36No. of years since Man City’s last loss to Forest at home 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
04 March,2026 09:02 AM IST | Manchester | AgenciesReal Madrid published a medical report on striker Kylian Mbappe, confirming the French international has suffered a left knee sprain. The club posted the report on its website five days after Mbappe missed the 2-1 home win over Benfica in the UEFA Champions League, and just hours before Monday's La Liga home game against Getafe, for which he was also left out of the squad. "Following the tests conducted on our player Kylian Mbappe by French specialist doctors, under the supervision of Real Madrid's Medical Services, the diagnosis of a sprain in the left knee and the suitability of the conservative treatment being followed are confirmed," Real Madrid said in the report. The club did not give a return date for Mbappe, only saying it was "pending evolution." The injury has been troubling Mbappe for around three months, with the forward playing through pain before deciding to rest after his form dipped in recent matches. Mbappe has scored 38 goals in 33 games for Real Madrid and another eight goals for France. Only Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane has scored more goals for club and country in one of Europe’s top leagues this season (60). He has scored 23 goals in La Liga and 13 in the Champions League this season, and his availability is now uncertain for Friday's league visit to Celta Vigo and the two-legged Champions League tie against Manchester City. Real Madrid will face Manchester City in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. The first leg will take place at the Bernabéu on March 10 or 11, and the return leg at the Etihad Stadium on March 17 or 18. If they advance, the team managed by Arbeloa would face the winner of Atalanta-Bayern in the quarterfinals. The first leg will be played on April 7 or 8, and the return leg on April 14 or 15. The semifinals are scheduled for April 28 or 29 and May 5 or 6. The final will take place on May 30 at the Puskás Arena in Budapest. 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
03 March,2026 10:34 AM IST | Madrid | IANSReal Madrid lost a second straight La Liga match when a stunning volley from Martin Satriano gave Getafe a shock 1-0 win at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Monday. The result prevented the capital club from cutting the four-point gap to leader Barcelona. Getafe had lost all eight of its previous league encounters with Real Madrid and early saves from goalkeeper David Soria kept it from falling behind. Soria turned over a shot from Arda Guler midway through the first half, not long after frustrating Vinicius Junior when he was through on goal. Madrid had more of the ball but lacked punch up front and it paid a price for its profligacy six minutes before halftime when Getafe took the lead. A hopeful cross from the right was headed clear but it fell to the feet of Satriano, who volleyed into the roof of the net from 20 meters out. It was the second goal in three games for the Uruguayan, who joined on loan from Lyon during the last transfer window. Madrid continued to dominate possession in the second half and Antonio Rudiger and substitute Rodrygo were among those who came close to grabbing an equalizer. But it could not find a way past Getafe's stuffy rearguard and an in-form Soria. Madrid's task became even harder when Franco Mastantuono was sent off for dissent in stoppage time and although the numbers were evened up in the last minute when Getafe's Adrian Liso was also shown a red card it came too late to make any impact. Getafe held on to secure a historic win, its first at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2008, and a vital three points in its bid to stay in La Liga. "Coming here is always very difficult," Getafe defender Kiko Femenia told broadcaster DAZN. "We have to congratulate the team, we did a superb job at the back and we scored when had the chance. We might even have scored more on the counterattack." They jumped three league places into 11th and were eight points above the relegation zone. 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
03 March,2026 10:33 AM IST | Madrid | APADVERTISEMENT
