Football

Like with WSL clubs, most US teams share another franchise’s premises, be it a men’s team’s ground or a venue usually reserved for other sports, such as NFL stadium Lumen Field for Seattle Reign.

Kansas City buck this trend, and Denver Summit president Jen Millet believes it makes financial sense to follow suit.

“A big part of a sustainable business model is controlling revenue streams,” Millet says. “Women have been tenants and missed out on those things – food, beverage, parking, rentals, retail.

“It’s massively important to operate your own stadium.”

Having their own venue has also enhanced KC Current’s marketing strategy – something Kirsten Ross, president of official supporters’ club The Blue Crew, says has greatly raised the team’s profile.

“[The club] do a really good job of ramping up when the team is playing,” she says.

“Previously, people had no idea FC Kansas City existed. Now you can’t walk anywhere without knowing there’s a game for KC Current.”

Chris Long argues a bespoke stadium brings the best out of players – after all, Kansas City dominated the 2025 regular season and won the NWSL Shield by 21 points, even if they lost in the play-offs.

“It’s the feeling of belonging,” he says. “If you’re a tenant, the schedule isn’t based on you… you put your stuff in the locker room but have to take it out because it’s temporary.”

Jemison adds: “You feel like a visitor in your own home. We didn’t want that.”

Federico Valverde scores his fifth goal in three games as Real Madrid beat Elche to move one point behind Barcelona.

Federico Valverde hit the back of the net, and the headlines, once again for Real Madrid as they beat Elche 4-1 in La Liga, but it was Arda Guler’s last-gasp strike from inside his own half that captured imaginations.

Midfielder Valvrder netted his fifth goal in three games for Los Blancos, having scored a hat-trick in midweek against Manchester City, with a curling effort from the edge of the box just before half-time on Saturday.

It doubled his side’s lead after Antonio Rudiger volleyed home the opener in the 39th minute, following a scramble in the box from a Real corner.

Dean Huijsen was the unlikely player furthest forward to head home Real’s third in the 66th minute, but the defender was left unmarked in the box, where he remained after another corner that Elche had effectively failed to clear.

Even a late own goal by Manuel Angel could not dampen Los Blancos’ spirits, especially when Arda Guler went on to net what will surely be the goal of the season from inside his own half.

The 21-year-old Turkey midfielder spotted Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro off his line and didn’t hesitate to launch a long lob with his left foot that sailed over the hapless ’keeper and bounced once before settling into the net.

The Santiago Bernabeu stadium erupted in applause for the memorable goal that came with the victory beyond doubt in the 89th minute.

Güler joined Madrid from Fenerbache in 2023. He has scored four goals this season, when he has gained more playing time after the exit of veteran Luka Modric.

The win moves Real to within a point of leaders Barcelona, who can restore their four-point advantage when they play Sevilla on Sunday.

The game had been a nervy affair at Bernabeu Stadium until Rudiger’s opener settled the Madrid crowd.

The victory marks a third straight win for Real, who had lost two on the bounce in the league prior to the current run, and parted company with their coach Xabi Alonso in January.

Interim coach Alvaro Arbeloa, also a former Real player, could not have asked for a better week, with one of the best performances of the season produced in Wednesday’s win against City in the UEFA Champions League.

Arbeloa’s side take a 3-0 advantage to Manchester for the return leg on Tuesday, and with the La Liga race tightening, what was looking like a nightmare season could still end with the two most coveted titles for Madrid.

Elche, who were promoted to La Liga last season, remain mired in a relegation scrap, just a point above third-bottom Mallorca, who entertain Espanyol on Sunday.

Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 in a nervy match in the Premier League as they continue their pursuit of the title.

Max Dowman, a 16-year-old Arsenal winger, became the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer with a remarkable stoppage-time strike in his team’s 2-0 win over Everton.

Dowman collected the ball midway in his own half, dribbled around two Everton players and raced clear unchallenged from the halfway line to tap into an empty net, with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford stranded upfield having gone forward for a corner.

An English football prodigy, Dowman — at 16 years, 73 days — was playing just his third Premier League match after two previous substitute appearances at the start of the season.

He broke the record of former Everton player James Vaughan, who was 16 years, 270 days when he scored against Crystal Palace in 2005.

In November, Dowman became the youngest player in Champions League history at 15 years, 308 days when he entered as a second-half substitute against Slavia Prague.

Dowman is still in school. He was 14 when he was asked by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to train with the senior team in December last year, and he starred on the club’s preseason tour of Asia in matches against AC Milan and Newcastle.

To abide by Premier League regulations for players under 18, Dowman has to change into his Arsenal kit for training sessions and matches in a separate locker room from his senior teammates.

Follow our live build-up, with team news coverage as it drops, before our text commentary stream of the La Liga match.

Who: Manchester United vs Aston Villa
What: English football’s Premier League
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom
When: Sunday March 15, at 2pm (14:00 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live coverage begins at 11:00 GMT

Manchester United and Aston Villa face a crunch clash on Sunday in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification.

The pair hold third and fourth spots respectively in the Premier League, with United edging Villa on goal difference, while Chelsea and Liverpool sit three points behind the pair in fifth and sixth.

With only the top four being guaranteed a place at the top table of European football, the encounter at Old Trafford holds huge value to both with nine games to go of the season.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the match.

Man Utd look to bounce back from first defeat under Carrick

Manchester United’s ⁠interim manager Michael Carrick on Friday said his players were “itching to get going” again, after suffering their first ⁠defeat under his leadership.

Last week, 10-man Newcastle United ended Carrick’s unbeaten run since he replaced Ruben ⁠Amorim in January.

“I understand the first defeat feels different but it was going to come at ‌some point. Most teams have suffered that at some point,” Carrick told reporters.

“It has been a really good week in some ways, we have put ourselves in a position where there is a lot to play for.”

Carrick brushes off Scholes dig at Man Utd

United’s ⁠defeat by Newcastle prompted a dig from former player Paul Scholes, ⁠who wrote on Instagram: “Michael has definitely got something special about him … cos Utd have been crap last four games.”

Asked about his former teammate’s comment, Carrick said: “It was nothing really, nothing to say about it really.

“I think that is just where we are in terms of social media and things, and captions and quotes. It can be taken in different ways, so just be calm about it and understand the real meaning of things.

“Listen, there are different opinions out there and it’s fine. People can have different opinions.

“It’s just things get taken from one extreme to another. It is what it is. I am not worried about it and don’t make a big deal of it either.

“There’s nothing to say about it, really,” he said.

How have Aston Villa fared in the Premier League this season?

Villa had a turbulent start to the campaign, as they failed to register a win in their first five league matches – losing two. A run of 12 league wins in 13, however, propelled them into a title challenge by the turn of the year.

A 4-1 defeat at Arsenal on New Year’s Eve marked the start of another downturn, though, with only three wins recorded in 11 games starting with the defeat in London.

The midlands club have lost three of their last five on the road in the league, recording only one win in that time.

Last up for Man Utd

United suffered their first defeat under Carrick in their match at Newcastle United on March 4.

The home side were reduced to 10 men when Jacob Ramsey was sent off on the stroke of half-time.

It came in a frantic end to the first half that saw Anthony Gorden give Newcastle an injury-time lead from the penalty spot, only for Casemiro to head home an equaliser to send the sides in level.

William Osula netted the winner in the 90th minute to give Eddie Howe’s side all three points despite their numerical disadvantage.

“It was disappointing the way the game ended (against Newcastle) but we have digested that, looked at it and learned from it,” Carrick said ahead of the Villa match.

“We have trained really well this week and the boys are itching to get going.”

Last up for Aston Villa

Villa were 1-0 winners at Lille in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, ending a four-game winless streak that included three defeats.

Ollie Watkins scored the only goal of the game in the 61st minute.

The return leg will be played at Villa Park on Thursday.

What happened the last time Man Utd played Aston Villa?

Villa recorded a 2-1 win in the reverse Premier League fixture at Villa Park in November, despite an encouraging display for Ruben Amorim’s United.

Morgan Rogers scored both goals for Villa – his first was scored in the 45th minute but United were level in first-half stoppage time through Matheus Cunha.

What happened in the corresponding fixture between Man Utd and Villa last season?

United were 2-1 winners in the Premier League match at Old Trafford last season.

The Red Devils were greatly aided by the sending off of Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez just before the break.

Amad Diallo and an 87th minute Christian Eriksen penalty sealed the win for the home side.

Head-to-head

This will be the 202nd meeting between the clubs with Manchester United winning 107 of the matches. Aston Villa have won 52 of the encounters, which date back to November 1892 and a 2-0 home win for United in the old Division One.

Manchester United team news

Carrick said Mason Mount had taken a “big step” and could return from a two-month absence against Villa this weekend.

The ‌midfielder missed their last six league games due to injury.

“He is an important player for us,” he said.

“He is not 100 percent and he has only trained for a small period of time. ‌But ‌he is back and that’s good for us. We will see if he is involved on Sunday. That is it in terms of the players coming back.”

Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Dorgu and Mason Mount all remain absent though, and Lisandro Martinez has been added to that list with a calf injury, while there remains an injury doubt over Luke Shaw.

The defender was forced off with injury in the defeat by Newcastle, but Noussair Mazraoui, who also came off injured in that game, is set to be available.

Aston Villa team news

Midfielder John McGinn returned to action at Lille on Thursday night and could be in line for a start at Old Trafford.

Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara remain absent through injury, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the Villa lineup.

Right-back Matty Cash is also a doubt having missed the Lille match after picking up a knock in Villa’s last Premier League outting.

Manchester United predicted starting lineup

Lammens; Mazraoui, Yoro, Maguire, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo, Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko

Aston Villa predicted starting lineup

Martinez; Bogarde, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Luiz, Onana, Sancho, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins

Marcus Rashford could return to Manchester United in the summer, Tottenham draw up potential replacements for Igor Tudor and Arsenal prepare Leon Goretzka deal.

England forward Marcus Rashford, 28, could return to Manchester United after his loan spell at Barcelona, who are interested in Chelsea and Portugal winger Pedro Neto, 26, as an alternative. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external

Rashford wants to stay at Barca, but talks have hit a stumbling block and sporting director Deco has proposed a second season-long loan to allow the Spanish side more time to pay off an option-to-buy fee to Manchester United. (Talksport), external

Tottenham are drawing up potential options to replace Igor Tudor as head coach if they decide another managerial change is needed. (Athletic – subscription required), external

While Tottenham boss Tudor is set to remain in charge in the short term, he has already alienated a number of players. (Talksport), external

Manchester United have a five-man shortlist of managers who could replace caretaker Michael Carrick in the summer – Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, Aston Villa‘s Unai Emery, Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth, former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi and Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann. (Sun), external

Napoli will trigger the 44m euro (£38m) clause to buy Denmark forward Rasmus Hojlund, 23, and make his loan deal from Manchester United permanent. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Arsenal are preparing a formal offer to sign Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka, 31, as a free agent in the summer. (Teamtalk), external

However, AC Milan are also interested in Goretzka, who Bayern Munich have already confirmed will leave the club at the end of the season. (Goal), external

Liverpool will have competition from Barcelona if they pursue a move for Inter Milan and Italy centre-back Alessandro Bastoni, 26. (Sport – in Spanish), external

Manchester United are frontrunners to sign Bournemouth and United States midfielder Tyler Adams in the summer, with Chelsea and Liverpool also interested in the 27-year-old. (Teamtalk), external

Arsenal could earn about £1.7m if Juventus move for ex-Gunners and Poland defender Jakub Kiwior, 26, who joined Porto on loan in September with an obligation to buy for about £23m. (Sun), external

Ghana international Thomas Partey faced initial charges of rape just days after leaving Arsenal last summer.

Former Arsenal player Thomas Partey intends to plead not guilty to two new charges of rape, his lawyer told a London court on Friday.

The 32-year-old Ghana midfielder, who now plays for Spanish club Villarreal, is separately awaiting trial on five counts of rape related to two women and one count of sexual assault involving a third woman.

The new charges were brought after a different woman alleged Partey twice raped her on the same day in December 2020. According to a court hearing on Friday, the new allegations arose after the first set of charges were publicised.

Partey was not required to attend Friday’s preliminary session at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. His lawyer, Emma Fenn, indicated he intends to plead not guilty to both charges. The next court date for the case is April 10.

Partey pleaded not guilty to the first set of charges and faces trial in November at Southwark Crown Court. Those alleged offences were between 2021 and 2022, prosecutors have said.

The midfielder had joined Arsenal in 2020 from Atletico Madrid.

He was initially charged last July, just days after his Arsenal contract expired. Villarreal signed him in August, two days after he was granted bail.

Ghana has qualified for the World Cup and is in the same group as England, Croatia and Panama.

Partey played in three World Cup qualifying games in September and October. He has made more than 50 appearances for Ghana.

Who: Real Madrid vs Elche
What: Spanish football’s La Liga
Where: Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain
When: Saturday, March 14 at 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport’s live coverage begins at 17:00 GMT

After stuttering and spluttering in Spain’s La Liga of late, Real Madrid stormed back into life with a resounding win in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.

Now the record La Liga winners return their focus on catching league leaders, and defending champions, Barcelona, in the Spanish top flight.

Elche arrive in Madrid with major concerns of their own, sitting one place above the relegation zone.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the game.

How is Real Madrid and Barcelona’s La Liga title race looking?

Barcelona are four points clear of Real, having both played 27 matches. Barca have won 22 of their matches and lost four, while Real have lost that same number but have only won 20, drawing two more games than their rivals.

Barcelona entertain 14th-placed Seville on Sunday, meaning Real can cut the lead to just a point if they beat Elche.

How have Real Madrid fared in La Liga this season?

The turbulent time that marked the end of Xabi Alonso’s spell as Real manager appeared to return in recent weeks, with Los Blancos losing two on the bounce in La Liga for the first time this season.

With a tricky trip to Celta Vigo following the defeats by Osasuna and Getafe, Real’s title challenge appeared on the line.

A 2-1 win in Vigo, thanks to goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde, last Friday cut Barca’s lead at the top to only a point, only for the Catalan club to restore their advantage with a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Los Blancos had won 13 of their opening 14 games in all competitions this season, only dropping points in the 5-2 defeat in the Madrid derby at Atletico.

The two wins in eight that followed set the tone for the remainder of Alonso’s time in charge, even five wins on the bounce thereafter couldn’t save the former Real midfielder from the chop, with the end coming following the Spanish Super Cup final 3-2 defeat by Barcelona.

Interim head coach, Alvaro Arbeloa, endured a torrid start – with a humiliating 3-2 defeat at Albacete in the Copa del Rey, but won the next five league games on the bounce to renew hope of catching Barcelona.

How have Elche fared in La Liga this season?

Elche were unbeaten in their opening seven games of the season, all in the league, winning four.

A seven-match winless run followed in La Liga, plunging the Alicante-based club into the relegation scrap.

Their latest winless run stretches to 11 matches – 10 in La Liga – with seven defeats in that time and only four league points snared.

Eder Sarabia’s side are now just one point and one place above the bottom three and are the only side in the competition yet to win away from home this season – losing nine of their 13 games on the road.

Last up for Real Madrid

Real’s season was given a welcome boost in midweek with a resounding 3-0 win against Manchester City – led by former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola – in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie.

Valverde, who netted the winner last weekend in Vigo, scored a first-half hat-trick to hand Los Blancos a significant advantage heading to Manchester for the return fixture.

Last up for Elche

Elche were defeated 2-1 at Villarreal in La Liga last Sunday, in what was their fifth consecutive defeat on their travels.

The last four of those came in the league, while the run began with their Copa del Rey exit at Real Betis.

Leo Petrot had given Elche the lead in the 58th minute, but a double from Chimy Avila turned the game.

Stat attack – Elche

Elche are yet to keep a clean sheet on their travels in the league this season. In the 13 games on the road, they have conceded 26 goals – but, on a more optimistic note, they have managed to score in all but two of those games.

What happened the last time Real Madrid played Elche?

Elche secured a valuable point in a 2-2 draw in the reverse match against Real in La Liga this season.

Aleix Febas and Alvaro Rodriguez twice gave the home side the lead, the latter netting in the 84th minute, but Dean Huijsen and Jude Bellingham twice levelled for Los Blancos, before Victor Chust was sent off for the home side in injury time.

What happened the last time Elche entertained Real Madrid?

Real were 3-0 winners in this fixture in October 2022, with Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio netting the goals.

Los Blancos took the reverse fixture 4-0 in February 2023.

When did Elche last beat Real Madrid?

It has been a long wait for Elche to come away with the spoils in this fixture, with their last win – a 3-1 victory – coming in 1978.

Head-to-head

The teams have met 54 times, with Real winning 35 of the encounters. Elche have emerged victorious on six occasions.

All six of Elche’s victories have come at home.

Real Madrid team news

Kylian Mbappe’s absence remains Real’s major frustration, but the French striker heads a long list of absentees.

Ferland Mendy is a major doubt, having been forced off in the victory against Manchester City due to injury.

The defender could join Mbappe, Eder Militao, Jude Bellingham, Dani Ceballos and Rodrygo on the sidelines

Franco Mastantuono is suspended for the game, but Alvaro Carreras and David Alaba are both close to shaking off calf injuries.

Elche team news

Hector Fort, who is on loan from Barcelona, is out with a shoulder injury.

Pedro Bigas and John Donald are both injury doubts and face late fitness tests.

Predicted Real Madrid lineup

Courtois; Carvajal, Asencio, Huijsen, F Garcia; Valverde, Camavinga, Tchouameni; Guler; Vinicius, Brahim

Predicted Elche lineup

Dituro; Chust, Affengruber, Petrot; Josan, Febas, Aguado, Valera; Neto; A Silva, Rodriguez

Hall of Fame high school football coach Bob Johnson, who turned El Toro and Mission Viejo into powerhouse high school football programs and became one of the winningest coaches in state history, has died. He was 80. He had been battling Alzheimer’s.

“I feel for the family,” Mission Viejo football coach Chad Johnson (no relation) said Wednesday.

Johnson passed early Wednesday morning,

Johnson won six Southern Section titles coaching at Mission Viejo and three at El Toro while winning 338 games, the second winningest in Orange County history and in the top five in state history, according to the Orange County Register.

He retired after the 2017 season and was inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame in 2023.

His two sons, Rob and Bret, were standout high school quarterbacks before enrolling at USC and UCLA, respectively. Rob made it to the NFL. Both became coaches after their playing days were completed. Rob still coaches as an assistant at Mission Viejo.

Barcelona needed Lamine Yamal’s penalty with the last kick of the game to cancel out Harvey Barnes’s opener.

Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal struck ⁠from the ⁠penalty spot with the final kick of the game to salvage ⁠a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in the first leg of their ⁠Champions League last-16 tie, cancelling out a late strike from Harvey Barnes.

Newcastle appeared set to take a ‌slender advantage into the second leg after Barnes scored in the 86th minute, when he volleyed home Jacob Murphy’s cross on Tuesday.

But elation for the home fans turned to heartbreak when Malick ⁠Thiaw brought Dani Olmo ⁠down in the box in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and Yamal fired the penalty into ⁠the bottom corner as Aaron Ramsdale dove the ⁠wrong way.

Newcastle’s Joelinton thought ⁠he had scored earlier in the second half when he smashed home the rebound of Barnes’s shot ‌off the post, but the linesman quickly raised his flag for offside. ‌

The ‌second leg is at Barcelona on March 18.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Mario Lemina’s early diving header handed Galatasaray a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in their Champions League last-16 first leg in Istanbul, leaving the tie finely balanced after ⁠a compelling contest in which both sides saw goals disallowed.

The Turkish champions struck after seven minutes, when Lemina nodded home after Victor Osimhen headed a corner back across goal, giving them a precious advantage ahead of ⁠the second leg at Anfield.

In Italy, Bayern Munich dismantled ⁠Atalanta 6-1 ⁠in a dominant Champions League last-16 first-leg performance on Tuesday, seizing ⁠control from the outset in Bergamo.

The visitors surged into a ⁠three-goal lead within the opening 25 minutes, leaving the home side struggling to gain any sort of foothold ‌in the contest.

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid tore Tottenham Hotspur apart in ⁠a stunning ⁠first-half blitz on Tuesday, powering to a 5-2 victory in the first leg of their Champions ⁠League last-16 tie and leaving the Premier League side with a mountain to climb in London.

The visitors’ ⁠22-year-old goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky, endured a night to forget on his first appearance since October and only his third of the season.

Two costly errors from the Czech helped Atletico ‌race into a commanding lead, and he was substituted in the 17th minute by manager Igor Tudor immediately after Atletico’s third goal.

Protesters blocked a bus carrying Iran’s women’s football team outside a hotel in Australia after five players slipped away to seek asylum duing the Women’s Asian Cup. They say the remaining players could face danger if forced to return to Iran after staying silent during the national anthem.

The Iranian women’s footballers returning to the country after their Asian Cup campaign in Australia will be welcomed home “with open arms”, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.

Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei urged the players to “come home” on Tuesday, hours after five members of Iran’s squad sought asylum in Australia following their team’s exit from the tournament.

“To Iran’s women’s football team: don’t worry – Iran awaits you with open arms,” Baghaei wrote on X.

His post came shortly after the office of Iran’s general prosecutor said the remaining members of the team were invited back to the country “with peace and confidence”.

“These loved ones are invited to return to their homeland with peace and confidence, and in addition to addressing the concerns of their families,” the general prosecutor’s office was quoted as saying by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

Australia’s decision to provide visas to five players came amid uncertainty and concerns for the team’s safety following their decision to stand in silence during Iran’s anthem before their first match of the tournament on March 3.

The players sang and saluted the anthem in their remaining two matches, on Thursday and Sunday, prompting fears that they could face punishment upon their return home.

Australian Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke told a news conference on Monday that he had informed the five members “that they are welcome to stay in Australia, that they are safe here, and they should feel at home here”.

He added that he had also offered the other team members the chance to stay in Australia.

The Department of Home Affairs named the five team members as captain Zahra Ghanbari, midfielders Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Sarbali Alishah, Mona Hamoudi, and defender Atefeh Ramezanizadeh.

The players’ decision to stand in silence during Iran’s anthem before their match against South Korea was labelled as the “pinnacle of dishonour” by a commentator on Iran’s IRIB state broadcaster.

The announcement to grant the players visas came after United States President Donald Trump, who is currently waging war on Iran alongside ally Israel, said he had spoken to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about the “delicate situation” faced by the team, and that Albanese was “on it!”

Iran’s Baghaei dismissed Trump’s statement, questioning the US president’s claims of “saving” the players after new footage of a February 28 attack on an Iranian elementary girls’ school in Minab, which killed 165 students, suggested that the site of the school was likely hit by a Tomahawk missile – a weapon used by the US that Israel and Iran do not possess.

The US had previously accused Iran of the attack.

“They slaughtered more than 165 innocent Iranian schoolgirls in a double-tap Tomahawk attack in the city of Minab, and now they want to take our athletes hostage in the name of ‘saving’ them?” Baghaei said.

Following the Australian government’s decision to grant humanitarian visas to five Iranian players, they were moved to an undisclosed location under police protection, Australian officials were quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.

Iranian media quoted Farideh Shojaei, vice president for women’s affairs at the Iranian Football Federation, as saying the team had left the hotel through the back door with the police.

“We have contacted the embassy, the football federation, the ‌Foreign Ministry and anywhere possible to see what will happen,” she said.

“We have even spoken with the families of these five players.”

Some of the Iranian players left their hotel in the northeastern city of Gold Coast on Tuesday afternoon on a bus that was surrounded by members of the diaspora protesting against the Iranian government. They flew to Sydney airport on Tuesday evening before being transferred to the international terminal.

It was not clear how many players arrived at the airport or where they were going.

Trump initially posted on social media that Australia was “making a terrible humanitarian mistake” by allowing the team to be sent back home, apparently unaware that Australia had been in secret talks with the women for several days.

Trump said members of the team would “likely be killed” if forced to return to Iran. “The US will take them if you won’t,” he added.

In a later post, Trump said he had spoken to Albanese and that the Australian leader was “doing a very good job having to ⁠do with this rather delicate situation”.

The Iranian general prosecutor’s office said “some members of our country’s women’s football team have, unintentionally and emotionally provoked by the enemy’s conspiracy and mischief, behaved in a way that has caused the delusional excitement of the criminal leaders of the imposed American-Zionist war.”

The US and Israel attacks on Iran have killed 1,255 people in the country and left 1,200 injured after 11 days.

Tehran has responded by launching waves of missiles and drones at Israel and towards several military bases in the Middle East where US forces operate.

The head of anti-discrimination body Kick It Out says that initial proposals by English football’s independent regulator “put equality, diversity and inclusion on the subs bench”.

The watchdog for the top five tiers of the men’s game is devising a new code of governance, with clubs having to show what they are doing to tackle under-representation of minorities in order to be granted a licence.

In correspondence sent to the independent football regulator (IFR) as part of a consultation process – and seen by BBC Sport – Kick It Out claims that the proposed measures are “inadequate”.

“[It] doesn’t go far enough in addressing the stubborn challenges that the game currently sees,” said Kick It Out chief executive Samuel Okafor.

“We’ve been really clear with the regulator in terms of the gap that currently exists. And the gap is significant.

“We’re really concerned that what we’ve seen in the first proposal, in essence, puts EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] on the subs bench, [and] maintains the status quo.

“It’s really important that the regulator uses the powers that it has to drive the change that we all want to see.”

Among a series of recommendations, Kick It Out says it wants annual publication of clubs’ workforce diversity data, and every club to have board-level accountability for EDI.

Last month, police confirmed they were investigating after four Premier League players experienced online racial abuse over the course of one weekend, and Okafor said the spate of incidents showed why change was required.

“It should send a message to the regulators [over] the importance of why EDI really matters, why they need to prioritise it, why they need to take it seriously,” he said.

In response, an IFR spokesperson said that it will shortly be launching a second consultation on its licensing policy, “and so it is premature to assert deficiencies in our approach to EDI”.

Tottenham‘s Djed Spence a target for Juventus, Real Madrid put Mauricio Pochettino on managerial shortlist, Liverpool consider move for French winger Moussa Diaby.

Juventus are interested in signing Tottenham and England full-back Djed Spence, 25, in the summer. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Liverpool are giving serious thought to signing 26-year-old Al-Ittihad and France winger Moussa Diaby, with the former Aston Villa man keen to leave the Saudi Pro League club this summer. (Teamtalk), external

Real Madrid have the USA head coach and former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino on the shortlist of candidates to replace Alvaro Arbeloa in the Bernabeu hot seat ahead of next season. (ESPN), external

Newcastle are determined to hold on to midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, 28, and are engaged with contract talks with the Brazil international despite Manchester United‘s interest. (Caughtoffside), external

Manchester United will will not rush into appointing a permanent manager despite interim boss Michael Carrick advancing his case. (The Athletic – subscription required), external

Newcastle and England defender Tino Livramento, 23, is not close to agreeing to join Manchester City in a summer deal despite speculation. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, 27, is not planning to hold talks with Liverpool over a new contract this summer but is happy at Anfield despite links with Real Madrid. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external

Napoli want to extend the contract of Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay until 2030 in a bid to ward off any interest in the 29-year-old this summer. (Il Mattino – in Italian – subscription required), external

West Ham striker Callum Wilson has verbally agreed terms on a new one-year contract despite Celtic’s interest in the 34-year-old Englishman. (Sky Sports), external

Manchester City are unlikely to trigger a clause which would see talented 16-year-old American midfielder Cavan Sullivan join them from MLS outfit Philadelphia Union next season. (The I – subscription required), external

Former Tottenham midfielder Ryan Mason is a leading candidate to replace Igor Tudor as interim boss at Spurs. (Football Insider), external

Bayer Leverkusen will consider the future of boss Kasper Hjulmand at the end of the season. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Tom Brady‘s return to the football field will take place on U.S. soil.

Right here in Los Angeles, to be specific.

The Fanatics Flag Football Classic, featuring Brady and a slew of other NFL stars and athletes, will take place March 21 at BMO Stadium, the venue that is also slated to host flag football during the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The event was originally scheduled to take place on the same date, but at a location more than 8,000 miles away at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia.

No official reason for the relocation has been given, although the move was made amid increased tensions in the Middle East after the United States and Israel began military strikes against Iran this month. Last week, Iran used two drones to strike the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital city.

The event will feature three 12-player teams. Brady, the retired seven-time Super Bowl champion and minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will co-captain the Founders FFC team, which will be coached by Denver Broncos’ Sean Payton.

A second team, Wildcats FFC, will be co-captained by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, with San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan coaching. During a March 18 draft, the two teams will be built from a pool of athletes that include Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, former Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr., four-time Super Bowl-winning tight end Rob Gronkowski and WWE star Logan Paul.

The third team in the event is the U.S. national flag football team, the reigning IFAF flag football world champion coached by Jorge Cascudo and captained by Aamir Brown and Darrell “Housh” Doucette.