Niko Kovac says he will continue to be honest despite angering Bayern Munich supporters by suggesting former club Eintracht Frankfurt have the best fans in Germany.
Bayern are second in the Bundesliga and needed late goals from Serge Gnabry and Thomas Miller to overcome second-tier Bochum 2-1 in the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday, saving under-fire boss Kovac from further scrutiny.
But Kovac risked backlash speaking after the game as he talked up supporters of Eintracht, Bayern s next league opponents.
Given the opportunity to redress his comments on Thursday, the 48-year-old chose instead to defend his right to have an opinion on such matters.
I watched three of their [Europa League] qualifying games at the beginning of the season there was some great choreogr…
Rangers were knocked out of the Europa League after conceding the only goal against Benfica at Ibrox to lose 3-2 on aggregate.
Philippe Clement’s side were caught on the counter-attack by a simple forward ball in the 66th minute and Rafa Silva’s goal stood following a VAR check after initially being ruled out for offside.
Rangers had twice taken the lead in Lisbon last week but a penalty and an own goal cost them victory in the first leg and they could not take advantage of several chances in a tighter affair in Glasgow.
The Rangers fans in the Broomloan Stand produced a massive pre-match display that showed their sights were very much on the road to Dublin for the final on May 22 ahead of the last-16 second leg.
But there will be no repeat of the clu…
The thought of Harry Kane joining Newcastle United prompted a Kevin Keegan impression from Rob Lee, who told Stats Perform: I would love it!
Kane s Tottenham visit St James Park on Sunday for Newcastle s first game since their takeover was approved.
Widely unpopular owner Mike Ashley has been replaced by a consortium fronted by Amanda Staveley, whose PCP Capital Partners has purchased 10 per cent of the club, and backed by Saudi Arabia s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The PIF, which bought 80 per cent of Newcastle, has become the richest football club owner in the world, prompting links to a host of high-profile signings.
Kane has not been among those, but he pushed for a move away from Spurs ahead of this season.
The England captain has scored fi…
Raheem Sterling insists he is at Manchester City for the long haul but would like to fulfil his dream of moving to a foreign club before the end of his career.
The 24-year-old has spent the past four seasons playing in the Premier League with City following his high-profile switch from Liverpool in 2015.
He has won six major honours during his time at the Etihad Stadium, including back-to-back league titles, and is under contract until 2023.
However, Sterling has reiterated a desire to try his luck abroad in the coming years, hinting a move to LaLiga could be his preference.
New
— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7)
Looking at it now it s like, Manchester, I love it. I love it here, he told British GQ. This is one of the best clubs in t…
Zlatan Ibrahimovic bounced back from missing a penalty by scoring to help Milan round off their fine finish to the Serie A season with a comprehensive 3-0 home victory over Cagliari.
A supreme run of form that has secured Stefano Pioli s future as head coach continued as Milan, who were sure of finishing sixth regardless of Saturday s outcome, moved to 13 games unbeaten since the restart.
Ragnar Klavan scored an own goal after 10 minutes of a first half that also saw Ibrahimovic s spot-kick saved by Alessio Cragno.
Pioli said ahead of the game he was hopeful it would not prove to be Ibrahimovic s last for the club as negotiations over a new contract continue.
And the former Sweden international showed what the fuss was about with a fine strike after 55 m…
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall has signed a new “long-term” deal, the Women’s Super League side have announced.
The PA news agency understands the Swedish head coach, who was first appointed in June 2021, has agreed to a three-year contract with the Gunners.
Last season, the 40-year-old led Arsenal to the Continental Cup trophy and steered his side to the Champions League semi-finals.
He said: “I’m full of pride to have signed a new contract with this football club.
“I’m aware of the huge privilege and responsibility that comes along with my role at Arsenal. This is a special place with a special group of players and staff and we all believe there is a great future ahead of us here, so I am delighted to have agreed a new deal.
“We’…
A late goal from Jens Hauge secured a 1-1 draw for Milan at home to 10-man Sampdoria on Saturday.
A superb strike from Fabio Quagliarella had put the visitors in front in a tight contest at San Siro before substitute Hauge levelled with Milan s first shot on target after 87 minutes.
Claudio Ranieri s side played the final half-hour with 10 men and looked to have done enough before Hauge s clever finish.
However, Stefano Pioli s men have now gone consecutive home games in all competitions without a win for the first time since December 2013, leaving their Scudetto hopes looking slim.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was the busier keeper by far in the first half, denying Manolo Gabbiadini and Tommaso Augello before a flying save kept out Morten Thorsby s header.
…
Sadio Mane has yet to kick a ball in the Bundesliga and already the former Liverpool striker is facing jibes – including a tongue-in-cheek volley from Bayern Munich s opening-day opponents.
Eintracht Frankfurt president Peter Fischer is relishing Friday s tussle between his team, who lifted the Europa League trophy in May, and German champions Bayern.
There is a feelgood factor around Eintracht as the new season arrives, with a UEFA Super Cup clash against Real Madrid coming up next Wednesday.
Confidence is surging, and even the prospect of facing Bayern is not intimidating the team that trailed in 11th in last season s Bundesliga.
Bayern have lost Robert Lewandowski since he hit 50 goals last season, and few would expect new addition Sadio Mane to come…
Sergio Aguero s next destination is a hot topic of conversation after Manchester City confirmed he will leave at the end of the season.
The Argentina forward has been linked with a host of clubs, including Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.
The 32-year-old has spent the past decade in England with City.
TOP STORY BLUES IN BOX SEAT FOR AGUERO
Chelsea have moved into pole position to land Aguero, who wants to remain in England according to the Daily Mail.
The Blues, who wanted to sign Aguero in 2011 when he left Atletico Madrid for City, will be in the market for a forward with rumours about Timo Werner s future after an underwhelming debut season at Stamford Bridge.
Portuguese publication Record claims Benfica are also…
Marcelo Brozovic has signed a contract extension at Inter that will keep him at the club until June 2026.
The Croatia international s deal was due to expire at the end of the current season, leading to reports of interest from the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Tottenham.
But the midfielder has ended the speculation by agreeing to fresh terms, with the reigning Serie A champions confirming the new four-year deal on their website on Wednesday.
| RENEWAL signs a new deal with Inter until 2026
— Inter(@Inter_en)
Brozovic initially joined Inter on a one-and-a-half-year loan deal from Dinamo Zagreb in January 2015, with a conditional option for the Serie A outfit to buy.
The 29-year-old has since been an integral par…