Herculez Gomez and Shaka Hislop weigh the pros and cons of CONCACAF’s qualifying format for the 2022 World Cup, which emphasizes the FIFA rankings. Gustavo Matosas has stepped down as manager of the Costa Rica national team after less than a year in the job, blaming the frequent downtime between games that made him feel
Football
Gab Marcotti recommends closed-door games to punish fans following the racist chants directed at Romelu Lukaku during Inter’s win over Cagliari. Jadon Sancho has spoken out about the detrimental impact of racism in football, following the abuse given to Romelu Lukaku at Inter Milan. ESPN FC’s Gab Marcotti discusses the actions that need to be
Sahal Abdul Samad knows Oman quite well. He has lived practically all his life on its eastern border in Al-Ain, the oasis city in the United Arab Emirates. Oman’s football team had not piqued Sahal’s interest until the draw for the FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers. India drew the gulf champions, Asian champions Qatar, Afghanistan
ESPN FC’s Steve Nicol recaps Juventus’ extraordinary 4-3 win over Napoli in Turin. ESPN FC’s Gab Marcotti reacts to the news that Juventus’ talisman Giorgio Chiellini has a torn ACL and will be out until at least February Emre Can has said he is extremely shocked after Juventus did not include him in their Champions League
The transfer window for Europe’s major leagues is closed again for the rest of the year, but how did your team do? Did they leave any gaps? Our correspondents assess how the top clubs failed to address their weaknesses this summer. Jump to: Real Madrid | Atletico Madrid | Juventus | Inter | PSG | Bayern | Dortmund BARCELONA: Too few attackers, too
The Exploding Heads are back to help Raul Jimenez sell his wrestling masks, while Declan Rice has some newspaper headline suggestions. The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to bring you all the weirdest stories, quirkiest viral content and top trolling that the internet has to offer, all in one place. Jump to: Chelsea
Christoph Metzelder won La Liga with Real Madrid and the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund. Former Germany international Christoph Metzelder is under investigation on suspicion of spreading child pornography, Hamburg public prosecutors told ESPN FC on Wednesday. Metzelder’s property in Dusseldorf was searched on Tuesday and his electronic devices were seized for further inspection. Hamburg public prosecutors
England scored 10 goals in their first two Euro 2020 qualifiers. International football makes a welcome return this week as England face Bulgaria and Scotland host Russia in Euro 2020 qualifying action. Running total: +£31.50 The Banker Bulgaria head to Wembley on Saturday to face an England side who look well set to qualify for Euro
Khama Billiat is a serious doubt for Zimbabwe’s 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying opener against Somalia this week, and he’s but one of many injuries littering rosters. The Kaizer Chiefs forward picked up a pelvic injury in the club’s 2-1 win away to Cape Town City last week, and Chiefs’ front office is not being
ESPN FC’s Alejandro Moreno speaks of Virgil Van Dijk’s importance to Liverpool, after the Dutch star-man was awarded UEFA player of the year. ESPN FC’s Steve Nicol thinks Sadio Mane’s temper tantrum is “the reason Liverpool are so good.” There is no change at the top of Shaka’s top 10, but a pair of Italian