3:28 AM ET Chelsea’s ownership battle is turning sour — ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. PLUS: Why Erling Haaland snubbed Manchester United. Jump to: Why Haaland snubbed Man United | Barca keen but Lewandowski move unlikely | Mata’s next move | No US-style World Cup prep for England Chelsea bidder’s concern amid dirty tricks
Football
3:16 PM ET Wayne Rooney has responded after his former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo called him “jealous” following Rooney’s criticisms of Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford during an appearance on Sky Sports earlier this week. Rooney’s response: Who isn’t jealous of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner? “There’s probably not a football player on the
6:02 PM ET Cesar Hernandez Despite being friends with LAFC‘s Carlos Vela since their academy days with Chivas, the LA Galaxy‘s Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez won’t hold back against his countryman in Saturday’s El Trafico. “I love him, I admire him, but then when the whistle goes, he’s no one for me,” said Hernandez in a
4:53 PM ET Barcelona rallied for a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League quarterfinal first leg on Thursday night. The hosts had a penalty waved off following a VAR review in a scoreless first half, but took the lead shortly after the break from Ansgar Knauff’s stunning long-distance shot. – Hunter: Ousmane
12:58 PM ET A group of U.S. cryptocurrency investors, including Philadelphia 76ers’ president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, have completed a takeover of English fourth-tier club Crawley Town, currently 13th in League Two. WAGMI United, led by co-founders Preston Johnson — a former ESPN gambling analyst — and Eben Smith — a former derivatives trader
8:04 AM ET The final international break of the 2021-22 European soccer season — the most consequential one in years — is officially in the rearview mirror, and it’s once again time to focus on the homestretch of the club season. In terms of title races, relegations, future Champions League spots or the current Champions
6:00 AM ET The first legs of the Champions League quarterfinals featured contrasting fortunes for the Madrid clubs, wins for Premier League title chasers Manchester City and Liverpool, a chastening loss for defending champions Chelsea and a shock for Bayern Munich. Rob Dawson, Bill Connelly and Derek Rae give their views on the big questions
9:24 AM ET UEFA’s executive committee has approved new “sustainability regulations” to replace the previous Financial Fair Play system, president Aleksander Ceferin said on Thursday. A new “squad cost rule” will limit spending on wages, transfers and agent fees to 70% of a club’s revenue — with that figure reached after a three-year gradual change.
9:30 AM ET Laura Ricketts has insisted it is her “life’s work to fight against discrimination” after acknowledging the family’s proposed takeover of Chelsea will not win over all fans “right away” amid ongoing opposition to their offer for the club. The Ricketts family investment group, led by Joe Ricketts’ children Tom, Todd and Laura
5:55 AM ET Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said a victory for his team at Manchester City on Sunday would not mean the Premier League title is theirs and that the club must focus on winning all of their remaining games to ensure success. The match in Manchester is being billed by many as a