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Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 rout over 10-man Real Sociedad to regain the lead in Spain on Sunday.
Gerard Martín, Marc Casadó, Ronald Araujo and Robert Lewandowski scored a goal each to put Barcelona one point ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid at the top of the Spanish league. Barcelona is three points ahead of third-placed Real Madrid, which lost 2-1 at Real Betis on Saturday, when Atletico beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 at home.

Sociedad played a man down from the 17th minute after Aritz Elustondo was sent off with a straight red card for grabbing Barcelona forward Dani Olmo to stop a breakaway.

It was the sixth win in a row for Barcelona in the league, and the second loss in three matches for Sociedad, which stayed in ninth place.
Barcelona was in control from the start at Montjuic stadium, with Martín scoring in the 25th and Casadó in the 29th. Araujo added to the lead in the 56th and Lewandowski closed the scoring in the 60th for his eighth goal in his last nine matches.
Lewandowski now has 34 goals this season in all competitions, one more than the 33 he scored in what had been his previous best season with the Catalan club in 2022-23.

Sociedad, which along with Barcelona, Madrid and Atletico is playing in the Copa del Rey semifinals, struggled from the start and had no attempts on goal.
Sociedad defender Hamari Traoré entered the match in the second half to mark his return to action nearly six months after having to undergo knee surgery.
Earlier Sunday, striker Diego García scored two minutes into second-half stoppage time to give 16th-placed Leganes a 1-0 win over 14th-placed Getafe in a match between teams from the Madrid area.
Valencia later Sunday has a chance to move out of the relegation zone with a win at Osasuna.

Spanish club Cadiz has paid tribute to footballer Nico Hidalgo who has tragically passed away from lung cancer at the age of 32. In a statement, Cadiz wrote: “Nico Hidalgo has left us.

“We will never forget your smile and your joy. Your struggle is our example. Rest in peace.”

Nico Hidalgo also played for the club Extremadura, who are now defunct. They posted a statement which read: “This morning we woke up to the sad news of the death of Nico Hidalgo, former Extremadura UD footballer, at the age of 32 due to lung cancer which he had been fighting since 2021.

From [everyone at] CD Extremadura, we would like to express our deepest condolences to his family and friends. We send them all our love and strength in these difficult times.”

When it came to his footballing career, Nico Hidalgo began playing for his hometown club Motril and then went on to join Granada where he played for their reserve side. After being signed to Juventus in August 2014, he was immediately loaned back to Granada and then also had a loan move to Cadiz.

Although he joined Extramadura in 2020, he did not play for the team, and the following year he was diagnosed with lung cancer and had to retire from playing. The Man United Fans Lovers.=% page paid tribute to Nico Hidalgo and wrote: “Nico Hidalgo, a midfielder whose former clubs included Juventus and Cadiz has died aged 32 after suffering lung cancer with bone metastasis. Hidalgo had been diagnosed with the illness in 2021 and contracted bone metastasis- when cancer spreads from another part of the body to the bones.

“Maty his soul rest in peace.”

Gianni Infantino has defended his relationship with Donald Trump, saying proximity to the US president is “absolutely crucial” to the success of the 2026 World Cup.
Fifa’s president also defended the decision to award Saudi Arabia the World Cup in 2034 in rare remarks to the media while attending the International Football Association Board (Ifab) AGM in Belfast.
Infantino attended Trump’s inauguration in Washington last month and a replica of the World Cup sits in the Oval Office. But as tensions rise between the US and a number of former allies, including their World Cup co-hosts Canada and Mexico, Infantino said he believes working with the president is essential.

I think it is absolutely crucial for the success of a World Cup to have a close relationship with the president,” Infantino said. “We are organising a Club World Cup this year, the first ever Fifa Club World Cup, 32 teams in the United States of America. We’re organising a World Cup next year in the United States, Mexico and Canada. And let’s not forget that when the bidding happened for that World Cup, President Trump was already president of the United States.”
On the Ukraine war, Infantino said Fifa was ready to play a role if a peace deal is agreed. “We all hope that peace talks will be successful, because I think it is important that we support it for the world, much more than for football, that we have peace.
“If there is a little role that football can play, once peace is there, then of course, we’ll play our role, and we look forward that all countries in the world can play football.”

Infantino said Trump had not asked him to consider readmitting Russian sides to the World Cup, with qualifying for 2026 to begin this spring. “No, I have not been asked,” he said. “I think there are more important topics to discuss when you discuss about peace than football. But we want to have all the countries playing.”
On another controversial issue for the Fifa president, Infantino defended the decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia. “There was a [Fifa] congress decision, uniting the entire world. I think it was a very positive step for football, bringing, in eight years, football all over the world, hosting everyone,” he said. “Football is the game of everyone. Everyone loves football. It’s the No 1 sport in the world. We have to be bringing everyone on the table.”

Ifab, the global law-making body for football, is set to gather on Saturday with trials on a new interpretation of the offside law, and the development of a low-cost VAR known as Football Video Support will be discussed.

Crystal Palace have sacked manager Laura Kaminski with the club sitting bottom of the Women’s Super League.
Kaminski guided Palace to the Women’s Championship title last season, securing their promotion to the WSL.
However, their first season in England’s top division has been a difficult one with just one win in 14 games.
“This has been an extremely difficult decision for the club to take,” Palace chairman Steve Parish said.
“Laura has made a fantastic impact since arriving in the summer of 2023, getting the club promoted to the WSL for the first time in its history.”

With eight league games remaining this season, Palace are four points adrift of 11th-placed Aston Villa in safety.
Palace’s next game is against Liverpool in the WSL on Sunday.

The club said they will provide an update on Kaminski’s replacement in due course.
Parish added: “Laura has given her all, on and off the pitch, and she leaves here with all of our thanks and best wishes for the future.”
Kaminski’s exit is the second WSL managerial departure in as many days, with Liverpool sacking Matt Beard on Thursday.

Criminal proceedings brought against AS Monaco owner Dmitry Rybolovlev and his lawyer, Tetiana Bersheda, have been annulled by order of the Monaco Court of Appeal.

The proceedings against Rybolovlev and Bersheda were opened back in 2017 and regarded charges of corruption and traffic of influence. The foundation of the proceedings was based on the extraction and use of Bersheda’s phone by judge Édouard Levrault during another investigation, which opposed Rybolovlev with Swiss art seller Yves Bouvier.
The proceedings were initiated solely on the basis of the extraction of these messages, which was done in violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protects the right to private life. An ECHR ruling in Switzerland several months ago dismissed the criminal proceedings against Rybolovlev and Bersheda and the Monégasque system has now followed suit.

As we have stated consistently over these seven years of judicial inquiry, Dmitry Rybolovlev and Tetiana Bersheda maintained their innocence and awaited the end of the case with confidence” read a statement from the lawyers, Martin Reynaud, Thomas Giaccardi, and Jacqueline Lafont, viewed by Get French Football News.

There are no longer any criminal proceedings against the pair. “They are totally and definitively cleared,” concluded the statement from the lawyers handling the case.

AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural flatland, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour.

Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute for Bologna who moved above Milan into sixth on 44 points, five behind Juve, after winning their long-awaited game in hand.

“We still believe (in qualification), there are a lot of games left to play, teams can drop points and we just have to do our job which is to win matches,” said Milan goalscorer Rafael Leao.
Switzerland attacker Ndoye, who netted moments after Nicolo Casale thumped a header off the post, completed the comeback for Bologna after Leao had put Milan ahead just before half-time.

Milan were sluggish after the break and Santiago Castro had Bologna level in the 48th minute when he forced home a Giovanni Fabbian knockdown which Milan insisted was preceded by a handball.

The away side never recovered and were caught napping at a throw-in for Ndoye’s winner, which came after Nicolo Cambiaghi span Alex Jimenez and whipped in a perfect low cross.

Seven-time European champions Milan host Lazio on Sunday night which might be their last chance to stay in the fight for a place in the continent’s elite club competition.

Manchester City reportedly ‘strongly refute’ allegations of breaching EU competition law after La Liga president Javier Tebas confirmed that the Spanish league have filed a legal complaint against the Premier League champions to the European Commission.
Tebas claims that the complaint was filed by La Liga in 2023 and is related to the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which concerns foreign subsidies granted by non-EU states to companies involved in economic activities within the internal market.

La Liga have filed their complaint as they believe that Man City has received foreign support from the United Arab Emirates, which has allowed the Citizens to enhance their competitive position and cause substantial distortions across various national and EU markets.
“All they do is they think about how they can avoid the rules and regulations,” Tebas told reporters during a remarkable press conference on Thursday.
“We have reported this to the European Union with facts and figures. Why? Because it’s an English team that is not part of the EU but they have commercial activities in Europe.
“It’s really important that all clubs are subject to transparency rules and governance and real competition in the financial and sporting side of their business.”

La Liga accuse Man City of breaching EU competition law amid separate 115 PL charges case

La Liga are accusing Man City of receiving resources under non-market conditions that disrupt a plethora of closely-related markets, enabling the club to sign elite players and coaches for fees far beyond what would be deemed feasible under normal market conditions.

The Spanish top tier are also stating that this disruption is enabling Man City to secure sponsorship revenues at levels that do not align with fair market value.

Man City’s performance on the pitch are therefore said to have directly improved as a result, according to La Liga, and they have restricted their rival’s capacity in the process.
Pep Guardiola’s side are yet to officially comment on the matter, but Sky Sports News reports that the Citizens ‘strongly refute’ the allegations and they have pointed to their accounts as evidence of no wrongdoing which are a matter of public record.
The report adds that Man City view Tebas, who has been La Liga president since April 2013, as someone who ‘has a long history of attacking the club’.
It is understood that meetings have been held to discuss this matter, but La Liga are currently awaiting a decision and/or further progress from the EU Commission.

La Liga’s complaint against Man City is said to be separate and unrelated to the case relating to the 115 financial charges levelled at the Citizens by the Premier League, with an outcome on that case set to be made public before the end of this season.

The Coppa Italia semi-finalists have been set, as while Inter vs. Milan is another Derby della Madonnina, the other intriguing clash is between unexpected Bologna and Empoli.

Juventus won the trophy last season and were widely expected to sweep through comfortably against an Empoli side that had managed two points from its last nine Serie A rounds.
However, they went out on penalties, just like Fiorentina had done in the Round of 16, and Empoli reached their first ever Coppa Italia semi-final.
The minnows will face Bologna and their coach Vincenzo Italiano, who had already taken Fiorentina to the Final in recent years.

Unexpected Coppa Italia semi-finalists

Inter and Milan have already gone head-to-head twice this season in Serie A, plus again in the Supercoppa Italiana Final, with the Rossoneri winning two and drawing the other.
The semi-final is the only round of the Coppa Italia in 2024-25 that will be played over two legs, home and away.
It is also the only stage where extra time is planned if the scores are level on aggregate after both games are completed, whereas the others all go straight to a penalty shoot-out.

Although the dates are not yet confirmed, the first leg should be around April 2, with the return approximately on April 23.
The Final is a one-off match at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on May 14.

Endrick’s well-taken strike earned Real Madrid a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad in a tight Copa del Rey semi-final first leg clash on Wednesday.
However there was controversy when just before half-time the match was briefly paused because of chants of “Asencio die” being aimed at Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio, according to Spanish media.

Vinicius racially abused at Sociedad 

A video subsequently emerged on social media of a Real Sociedad fan appearing to make monkey gestures at Vinicius Junior while the game was stopped.

Spanish and European champions Madrid took control of the tie ahead of the second leg on April 1 at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Endrick pounced after 19 minutes, finishing with the outside of his boot after racing on to Jude Bellingham’s diagonal ball, and it was enough to claim his side the win.

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was without French superstar Kylian Mbappe after a dental problem as well as Fede Valverde and Thibaut Courtois.
The Real Madrid boss chose to rotate his side ahead of the visit to face Real Betis in La Liga on Saturday and next week’s Champions League last 16 clash against Atletico Madrid.

Despite his many changes, including starts for Arda Guler, Fran Garcia and Eduardo Camavinga, Madrid put on a solid showing at the Reale Arena in San Sebastian.
Endrick sent Los Blancos ahead when Bellingham sent the 18-year-old attacker through in on goal.
After taking one touch to control, with his second Endrick stroked home stylishly at the near post.
It was his sixth goal of the campaign, four of those coming in the Copa del Rey, where Ancelotti has given him the most chance to shine.

Bellingham, who missed Madrid’s win against Girona in La Liga last weekend through suspension, looked fresh and helped his side stay largely on top.
Vinicius came close with a low shot which Alex Remiro tipped to safety.
Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin made a fine double save early in the second half to keep Mikel Oyarzabal and Takefusa Kubo at bay.
Madrid came close to a second at the other end when Endrick crashed a shot against the bar from the edge of the box.
Remiro produced a fine save to push away Bellingham’s deflected strike and then another to thwart the same player from long range in the final stages, keeping Real Sociedad’s hopes of a second leg comeback alive.

In the other semi-final first leg on Tuesday Atletico Madrid fought back to draw 4-4 with record 31-time cup winners Barcelona.

According to Bild, eight Bundesliga sides are monitoring the development of FC Nürnberg midfielder Caspar Jander ahead of a potential summer move.

Having secured the 21-year-old’s signature on a free transfer from MSV Duisburg in the summer, Jander has gone on to feature 24 times for Der Club this season, scoring three goals and collecting four assists from central midfield.
Jnader has, therefore, played a key role for Miroslav Klose’s side, and this has not gone unnoticed by those in Germany’s top flight.

In Nürnberg’s most recent outing away at Hertha Berlin, it is understood that eight Bundesliga sides sent scouts to watch the 21-year-old in action.
As stated in the report, Bayer Leverkusen, VfB Stuttgart, and SC Freiburg are the three sides that have shown the most interest in the German U20 international.

However, RB Leipzig, Mainz 05, Borussia Mönchengladbach, TSG Hoffenheim, and FC Augsburg also sent club officials to the Olympiastadion on Friday evening.
Nevertheless, the Franconian outfit are still unsure on whether they want to offload the talented midfielder after only one year at the club.

Since last summer, Klose’s side have overseen the sales of Jens Catsrop, Stefanos Tzimas, Finn Jeltsch, and Can Uzun for a combined €55 million.
While there is no financial need to sell Jander just yet, with reports suggesting that those interested in his signature would only be willing to pay within the region of €7-9 million, Nürnberg could certainly hold onto the midfielder for another campaign, where his valuation could double.

If Leicester City are relegated this season – and as things stand it is more likely than not – then their squad will undergo an overhaul in the summer.

It happens to some degree every time a Premier League team drops into the Championship. Not only are there players whose qualities earn them moves back into the top flight, but the clubs themselves need to adjust to the much lower budget they will be working with in the second tier.

When City were relegated in 2023, they saw a total of 13 senior players leave, many on free transfers (frustratingly, given what they would have been worth under contract), some for significant fees, and some on loan.

They had to rebuild. They brought in nine senior players, five on permanent deals for just under £40m, and then with a few loan fees added on top.

That was a significant outlay, and one that paid off, at least in getting City back into the Premier League. But it would also have contributed to the issues City have been having around Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Those concerns saw City spend less than fellow promoted clubs Ipswich and Southampton in the summer, and restricted the deals that could be done in the January window.

City’s series of poor financial years are slowly dropping out of the three-year period assessed under PSR, and therefore easing pressures.

But if they go down again, they should still hope to avoid having to pay out millions to rebuild their squad. And there are signs already they won’t have to.
When City went down previously, they had a couple of academy graduates already established in the squad in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Hamza Choudhury, and then a few more were promoted into Enzo Maresca’s group.
Kasey McAteer was brought into the fold and featured reasonably regularly, while Jakub Stolarczyk was promoted to back-up goalkeeper, with the likes of Ben Nelson and Wanya Marcal playing a handful of games too.

If City go down again, there are excellent signs that they will be able to more greatly rely on their academy.

Stolarczyk, McAteer and Luke Thomas, all in the squad at the moment, may be able to play more prominent roles in the Championship.
While injury has prevented him from featuring regularly on loan at Oxford, Nelson could be a contender to start if City fall into the second tier.
Will Alves will return to the club a better player, and capable of starting if his first few games with Cardiff are anything to go by.
Marcal could come into contention again, while midfielder Sammy Braybrooke, after a full year of football after his ACL tear gives City a potential option in the centre of the pitch.

Then there’s 16-year-old prodigy Jake Evans, who would surely be ready to play in the Championship next season given his form at Under-21 level and how close he’s come to a Premier League outing in recent weeks.
The same could probably be said for 15-year-old Jeremy Monga, although there are doubts over his long-term future at the club as the Premier League’s big guns sniff around him.
Midfielder Louis Page is another who is progressing a rate of knots, the 16-year-old a regular at Under-21 level already.
McAteer jumped from League Two to the Championship to play a part for City last term, so there’s no reason why right-back Brandon Cover may not be able to do the same after a season with Port Vale and Fleetwood.

Midfielder Henry Cartwright and centre-back Tom Wilson-Brown have both been on the first-team bench in the past couple of months. Full-back Jayden Joseph has been a regular in training under Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Michael Golding, having received rave reviews at Chelsea before joining City, may be closer to being ready for first-team football.
There are others who are impressing in Premier League 2 as City’s development squad go from strength to strength. Full-back Bade Aluko looks to have a good future ahead of him, while attacking midfielder Logan Briggs is capable of stand-out performances, scoring a brace in a 2-1 win over Derby this week.

Under Leon McSweeney’s guidance, City’s Under-21s are having their best season in recent years. They’ve now won four games in a row in all competitions, face QPR in the Premier League Cup last-16 on Friday and are well-placed to qualify for the end-of-season play-offs in Premier League 2.

Not all of the mentioned players will be ready to step up to play for City’s first team if they fall into the Championship, but it feels certain that the club will be better positioned to draw upon their academy to build their senior squad than when they previously went down.

Liverpool and Everton will pay a combined £115,000 in fines after the FA dished out punishments following the unsavoury scenes during their Merseyside derby.

The two teams played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in what was their last ever fixture at Goodison Park with James Tarkowski scoring an equaliser deep into stoppage time. After the full-time whistle though tempers flared with numerous red cards being handed out.

Curtis Jones took issue with Abdoulaye Doucoure celebrating in front of the travelling Liverpool fans before the majority of players involved themselves in a mass brawl. Arne Slot wandered over to referee Michael Oliver and ended up being red carded after making his views known.

The Liverpool boss has since been hit with a touchline ban as the clubs each cop individual fines. Everton will pay £65,000 with Liverpool fine £50,000 after they were both charged with acting in an improper manner.

A statement from the FA read: “An independent Regulatory Commission has sanctioned Everton, Liverpool, Arne Slot and Sipke Hulshoff in relation to the Premier League fixture between the clubs on Wednesday 12 February.
“It was alleged that both clubs failed to ensure their players and/or technical area occupants did not behave in an improper and/or provocative way following the final whistle. Everton and Liverpool admitted the charges, and the Regulatory Commission imposed £65,000 and £50,000 fines on them respectively following a hearing.

It was alleged that the Liverpool head coach acted in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards both the match referee and an assistant referee after the match had finished. Arne Slot admitted the charge, and the Regulatory Commission imposed a two-match touchline suspension and £70,000 fine.

“It was alleged that the Liverpool assistant head coach acted in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards a match official, which led to his dismissal. It was further alleged that he acted in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards a match official after being sent off. Sipke Hulshoff admitted the charge, and the Regulatory Commission imposed a two-match touchline suspension and £7,000 fine.”
Slot has since seen Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to 11 points but the Dutchman will have to watch their games with Newcastle and Southampton from the stands following his touchline ban.