New York: After the final whistle of his 50th and final game with Chelsea, Rafa Benitez walked toward the visitors' dugout at Yankee Stadium, raised his left hand in a small acknowledgement to someone in the crowd and disappeared into the tunnel. "A lot of fans, they were supporting in the end," he said. "Some of them, maybe we couldn't change their minds. But we did our job."
Far away from the jeering supporters at London's Stamford Bridge, Benitez completed his brief but productive stint as manager with a 5-3 loss to Manchester City in a season-ending friendly on Saturday night.
Distrusted by Chelsea fans following his tenure at Liverpool, Benitez never settled in after he was hired on a seven-month contract in November to replace Roberto Di Matteo, who was sacked six months after leading Chelsea to their first Champions League title. Still, Benitez did manage to lead Chelsea to the Europa League title during his short time with the team.
Outgoing Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is expected to return to Chelsea for a second stint, the ninth managerial change under owner Roman Abramovich since 2004. Benitez appears headed to Napoli....
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09:41 AM, May 26, 2013
New York: Sergio Aguero has committed his future to Manchester City by signing a contract through to 2017. The 24-year-old Argentina striker's deal removes some of the uncertainty over his future with the recently deposed Premier League champions. Aguero joined from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and scored the stoppage-time goal against Queens Park Rangers in May 2012 to clinch City's first English league title in 44 years. ...
01:04 AM, May 26, 2013
Caretaker manager Gary Bowyer has been rewarded for keeping Blackburn Rovers in the English Championship (second tier) by being giving the job permanently on a one-year rolling contract. "It is a huge honour and a proud moment for me," the 41-year-old said in a statement on Friday. "I have been at the club for nine years, I know the traditions. The foundation of the club was built on hard work...
09:28 AM, May 25, 2013
Manchester: Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan left the Premier League champions on Friday as new manager David Moyes prepared to make his own coaching appointments. Former United player Phelan is departing along with goalkeeping coach Eric Steele ahead of the arrival of Moyes, who takes over from the retired Alex Ferguson on July 1. "I would like to put on record the club's thanks for everything Mike and Eric...
08:29 PM, May 24, 2013
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is set to step up his interest in PSG forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic after discussions with the Blues technical team over potential summer transfer targets. If Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney joins PSG this summer, then according to reports in France, PSG board will allow Ibrahimovic to leave for the right money. The Swedish international helped his Parc des Princes side to clinch their first domestic title...
04:52 PM, May 24, 2013
English soccer champions Manchester United(MANU.N) have trimmed 10 million pounds off the annual interest bill on their debt through a refinancing arranged by Bank of America. The move could free up more cash to help new team manager David Moyes to strengthen his team for next season after taking over from Alex Ferguson, who retired this month after leading United to 13 English league titles. The American Glazer family bought...
03:11 PM, May 24, 2013
London: Manchester City have set their next manager the daunting task of winning five trophies in the next five years. City sacked manager Roberto Mancini earlier this month, saying the club had failed to achieve any of its stated targets for the season except qualification for the Champions League and are expected to appoint Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini. "If we look at the next five years, I would say I...
02:00 PM, May 24, 2013
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian billionaire Vincent Tan is exploring an IPO of U.K football team Cardiff City as early as this year, people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, in a deal that would follow the team's recent promotion to the Premier League. Cardiff City would be the second Premier League team to float shares in the past year, after Manchester United (MANU.N) listed on the New York Stock, raising...
09:29 AM, May 24, 2013
Manchester: Rio Ferdinand has signed a new one-year contract with Manchester United that will take him into a 12th season at Old Trafford. The 34-year-old defender retired from international football last week to concentrate on his club career. Ferdinand has made 432 appearances for United since his debut in 2002, winning a sixth Premier League title this season. He says, "Who wouldn't want to play in this fantastic team in...
07:06 PM, May 23, 2013
St. Louis: Chelsea players seem pleased Jose Mourinho appears headed back for a second stint as manager, even after he failed with Real Madrid. Midfielder Juan Mata said Wednesday prior to the first of two U.S. friendlies against Manchester City that the 50-year-old Mourinho is among the best coaches in the game. "We don't know what's going to happen but if he comes he's welcome because he's one of the...
04:34 PM, May 23, 2013
Miami: Manchester City and the New York Yankees have formed a new Major League Soccer team to play in New York City from 2015, the organizations said on Tuesday. English Premier League club Manchester City, owned by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, will be the majority partner in New York City Football Club with the Yankees, the biggest name in baseball, an "active member of the ownership group". "This is...
10:13 PM, May 21, 2013
London: Manchester United earned a record 60.8 million pounds in Premier League television revenue this season en route to a 20th English title. Deposed champion Manchester City, who finished 11 points behind United in second, received 58.1 million pounds, according to figures released by the league on Tuesday. Even finishing last was lucrative, with Queens Park Rangers returning to the second tier after earning 39.8 million pounds from TV companies....
04:55 PM, May 21, 2013
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson capped his final season in charge of the English Premier League champions by clinching the League Managers' Association Manager of the Year award for the fourth time on Monday. The 71-year-old Scot's unparallelled success in British soccer ended on Sunday with a remarkable 5-5 draw against West Bromwich Albion. "In a way I am glad it is all over now because it has been hard...
08:23 AM, May 21, 2013
With the 2012-13 English Premier League (EPL) title having been decided, IBNLive runs the rule over the most valuable players. Enjoy! David de Gea: The Manchester United goalkeeper was slammed by critics initially for committing errors but the young Spaniard proved everyone wrong in the second half of the season, giving spectacular performances one after the other and kept nine consecutive clean sheets to asserts himself as United's No. 1...
08:04 AM, May 21, 2013
London: Arsenal qualified for the Champions League for the 16th straight season after edging Tottenham to fourth place in the Premier League, as Alex Ferguson bowed out as Manchester United manager with a 5-5 draw against West Bromwich Albion. Laurent Koscielny's 52nd-minute volley sealed an unconvincing 1-0 for Arsenal at Newcastle, rendering Spurs' 1-0 victory over Sunderland - courtesy of a late screamer from Gareth Bale - meaningless. Chelsea finished...
10:40 PM, May 19, 2013
Manchester: Roberto Mancini bade farewell to Manchester City fans by taking out a full-page advert in the local newspaper on Saturday, thanking them for their support during his 3 1/2 years in charge. The Italian was fired by City on Monday after failing to win a major trophy in a season of regression, even though he guided the club to a first Premier League title 12 months earlier. In an...
08:45 PM, May 18, 2013
London: Manchester United's outgoing manager Alex Ferguson has criticised neighbours Manchester City for sacking Roberto Mancini. The Italian boss was sacked on Monday having failed to retain the Premier League title he won last season and after losing the FA Cup final to Wigan Athletic. Mancini took out a full-page advertisement in the Manchester Evening News on Saturday, thanking fans for their support during his time in charge. The former...
07:47 PM, May 18, 2013
David Beckham's longevity and his ability to reinvent himself were "absolutely incredible", retiring Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has said. Beckham and Ferguson, who were synonymously linked with Manchester United until the former England captain moved to Real Madrid, both announced in the past 10 days they would retire from soccer at the end of the current season. The 71-year-old Ferguson's final game in charge after 26 years at Old...
09:31 AM, May 18, 2013
