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Alonso signs four-year deal to manage Chelsea

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Alonso coup shows BlueCo now see the value of aura New Chelsea manager’s desire to sign and create mentality monsters breaks with previous club policy 18 May 2026 - The Guardian Jacob Steinberg Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of Xabi Alonso as their new manager. The Spaniard has signed a four-year deal and will start work in pre-season. He becomes the sixth permanent manager of the BlueCo era. The former Real Madrid head coach will take charge of the Blues from 1 July. Calum McFarlane has been in interim charge since the sacking of Liam Rosenior last month and was on the touchline for Chelsea’s FA Cup final loss to Manchester City on Saturday. Alonso said: “Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football and it fills me with immense pride to become manager of this great club.” Alonso lasted eight months at Madrid before leaving the club by mutual consent in January after poor results and widespread media reports that he lost control of the dressing room. That damaged his s...
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Semenyo’s ‘surreal’ journey hits new heights as Cup hero

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TOM JENKINS/THE GUARDIAN From Wiltshire to Wembley, the City winger is enjoying a remarkable rise but expects a ‘kicking’ at Bournemouth 18 May 2026 - The Guardian David Hytner When it comes to Antoine Semenyo , it is almost impossible not to fixate on his career journey. Everybody loves a triumph over adversity, a rise from the lowest level to the very top, and the narrative arc with the Manchester City winger is practically perfect. There were the relentless rejections by the clubs in every corner of London as he grew up, culminating in the one from Crystal Palace at 15 that led him to stop playing football for a year. The rebuild at the Wiltshire Sports Academy in Swindon and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College in Bristol, which led to the big break at Bristol City, and a first professional contract at 17. The loans at Bath City in National League South, Newport in League Two, Sunderland in League One. The progression from Bristol City in the Championship to Bournemouth in the ...
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Grim ending to stunning title race must prompt shift in attitudes

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ANDREW MILLIGAN/PA WIRE Hearts players are led from the Celtic Park pitch amid wild scenes Time for Scottish football to clamp down SPFL and SFA wobble at the knees when punishing their biggest clubs but there can be no repeat of final-day scenes 18 May 2026 - The Guardian Ewan Murray The placing of a full stop on any league campaign offers cause for reflection. In Scotland, there are reasons to wonder if the grim denouement to a stunning title race will prompt a shift in attitudes on two fronts. Whether a Celtic board which has been castigated for its stewardship regards the securing of another title as vindication is an intriguing question. More immediate is how the champions and others will respond to the grim scenes that triggered an enforced conclusion to the visit of Hearts. The behaviour of a section of the Celtic support is so unruly during dominance that one wonders what on earth may happen if the team struggle badly. The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) “utterly c...
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Aarhus end 40 years of hurt to continue Scandinavian trend of underdog glory

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GONZALES PHOTO/ALAMY Aarhus players party with the away end after clinching  their first Danish title since 1986 with victory at Brøndby 18 May 2026 - The Guardian Will Magee When the buses pulled up at Brøndby Stadion on the penultimate weekend of the season, the travelling fans were already celebrating. The final whistle had just blown at Nordsjaelland, where Aarhus’s title rivals, Midtjylland, had been held to a goalless draw. That meant Aarhus Gymnastikforening (or AGF for short) could secure the Danish title for the first time since 1986, with a win against Brøndby. The atmosphere was electric before kick-off, the AGF fans displaying a huge tifo with the message: “Let’s write history together.” It didn’t take long for the team to meet the moment, Henrik Dalsgaard, the former Brentford and Midtjylland defender, scoring from a corner after three minutes. The away end erupted, 40 years of hurt swept away in an outpouring of euphoria. “It was one of the greatest days of my life an...
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R.I.P. Jason Collins

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18 May 2026 - L'Humanité MEJDALINE MHIRI JOURNALISTE INDÉPENDANTE Jason Collins mesurait plus de 2 mètres mais ne s’est probablement jamais senti aussi petit qu’au printemps 2013. À ce moment-là, le basketteur, en fin de contrat avec les Nets, occupe la couverture du célèbre magazine américain Sports Illustrated et affirme : « Je suis un pivot NBA. Je suis noir. Et je suis gay. » Aux États-unis, c’est la première fois qu’un joueur en activité annonce publiquement son homosexualité, et le faible nombre de coming out dans le milieu suffit à envisager le courage qu’il a fallu à Jason Collins pour se présenter comme tel. Sa mort, à 47 ans, mardi 12 mai, des suites d’un cancer du cerveau, doit rappeler la portée politique et humaniste de ses déclarations. Il faut surtout souligner ceci : Collins n’a pas parlé après sa carrière, lorsque les risques économiques, médiatiques et sportifs sont moindres, bien que tout de même présents, il l’a fait depuis le coeur même du système, dans une NB...
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FC Nantes, chronique d’une chute annoncée

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L'équipe de l'attaquant Ignatius Ganago à été battue par le RC Lens le 8 mai. P. LECOEUR/FEP/ICON SPORT Dimanche, face à Toulouse, les Canaris ont joué leur dernier match en Ligue 1.  Le miracle d’un énième barrage arraché n’était qu’une chimère.  Ils sont officiellement relégués à l’étage inférieur, après une saison catastrophique. 18 May 2026 - L'Humanité ÉRIC SERRES Clin d’oeil du destin ou mauvaiseoeil, le FC Nantes a reçu dimanche soir, à la Beaujoire, le Toulouse FC pour la 34 et dernière journée du championnat de Ligue 1 (à l’heure où nous écrivons ces lignes, la rencontre n’a pas encore eu lieu). Sauvée miraculeusement en barrages, déjà face à Toulouse en 2021 et lors de l’ultime journée en 2023 (succès face à Angers combiné à un revers d’auxerre à Lens), la maison nantaise, qui jouait depuis trop longtemps avec le feu, n’avait cette fois-ci plus rien à espérer. Après treize années successives en Ligue 1, le club des bords de la Loire, huit fois champion de France, ...
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Ligue 1 : les coups de coeur et les coups de griffe de la saison

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EPA/MAXPPP  Le Lensois, Florian Thauvin, aux prises avec le Parisien Ousmane Dembélé,  lors du match LENS-PSG, le 13 mai. Découvrez ce qui a plu… et déplu aux spécialistes du football de la rédaction des sports du «Figaro» lors de la saison qui s’est achevée dimanche. 18 May 2026 - Le Figaro Baptiste Desprez et Christophe Remise Voilà, c’est fini… La Ligue 1 cuvée 20252026 s’est achevée dimanche soir, avec le multiplex de la 34e journée. Les amateurs de ballon rond n’auront toutefois pas à attendre longtemps pour reprendre le chemin du stade ou assouvir leurs envies de matchs sur petit écran, avec la finale de Coupe de France entre Lens et Nantes (22 mai) et les finales de coupes d’europe, notamment celle du PSG contre Arsenal, en Ligue des champions (30 mai). Le tout sans parler de la Coupe du monde (11 juin-19 juillet) en Amérique. En attendant, c’est l’heure des bilans pour le championnat de France. COUPS DE COEUR ■ PSG, le titre de la résilience «Le plus dur et le plus sav...
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Felix GALL « J’ai franchi un gros cap »

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Felix Gall, auteur d’une très belle ascension du Blockhaus vendredi (il a fini 2e de l’étape  à seulement 13 secondes de Jonas Vingegaard), pointe pour l’instant à la 3e place du classement général. Deuxième au Blockhaus à seulement 13 secondes de Jonas Vingegaard, Felix Gall tentera de confirmer, aujourd’hui à Corno alle Scale, qu’il peut être un candidat au podium, voire mieux. "On y verra beaucoup plus clair au soir du chrono"    - SÉBASTIEN JOLY,  DIRECTEUR SPORTIF       CHEZ DECATHLON-CMA CGM  17 May 2026 - L'Équipe JULIEN CHESNAIS FERMO (ITA)– Au matin de la huitième étape, hier, Gall s’est présenté tout sourire devant la cathédrale de San Giustino, à Chieti, là même où Giulio Ciccone s’est marié il y a trois ans. La veille, au Blockhaus, l’Autrichien ne s’attendait pas à perdre si peu de temps sur Jonas Vingegaard , 13 secondes, alors que Jai Hindley (3e), Giulio Pellizzari (4e) et tous les autres étaient au-delà de la minute. « C’est...
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Paolo Pulici - “Avevamo il tremendismo grazie al Grande Torino. All'inizio ero l'unico a credere nello scudetto”

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Nel 50° anniversario dell’ultimo tricolore lo scrittore Baricco dialoga con l’attaccante “L’anno dopo quelli della Juve hanno deciso che non lo dovevamo più vincere”    - ALESSANDRO BARICCO La Stampa - Sabato 16 maggio 2026 Pagina 22 Giusto per capirsi: il pallone era ancora bianco a scacchi neri, i numeri sulle maglie andavano dall'uno all'undici, potevi passare indietro al portiere e si potevano fare al massimo una o due sostituzioni. Cioè. Non ne sono proprio sicuro. Magari glielo chiedo. «Finite quelle, quando uno si faceva male restava in campo, lo mettevamo a pascolare sull'ala sinistra, non so esattamente perché proprio lì». Dato che la vita è strana, e alle volte molto generosa, la risposta me la sta dando Paolino Pulici , cioè un essere mitico, che credevo esistesse soltanto nei miei sogni. Invece, è reale. Dev'essere evaso dal mio album Panini e adesso è lì davanti a me, a ricordare quando cinquant'anni fa il Toro ha vinto lo scudetto più bello di tutti. ...
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O’Neill stands between Hearts and immortality

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Edinburgh side rescued from ruin by fans need a point to secure a first title in 66 years but a championship for a 74-year-old manager would be a remarkable triumph ‘We know there’s a lot of goodwill towards us trying to win and hopefully we can go and do it’ 16 May 2026 - THE GUARDIAN/ Sport Ewan Murray This Hearts story did not begin with Stuart Findlay’s late winner at Tannadice in August, a stoppagetime intervention from Alexandros Kyziridis against Livingston later that month or the September victory at Ibrox that materially fuelled belief among Derek Mcinnes’s squad. Brian Cormack, Alex Mackie, Jamie Bryant, Donald Ford and Garry Halliday will not feature in the Hearts team seeking to create history at Celtic Park but that quintet set this club on a path that after 16 years has almost – though only almost – reached the ultimate glory point. Cormack and Mackie joked back then, when among a group establishing the Foundation of Hearts, that one day they would watch the team they lov...
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Thirteen years in the making: Mourinho nears Madrid return

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Some at the Bernabéu have waited a long time to get ‘the boss’ back – he will find a club in collapsing into crisis 16 May 2026 - THE GUARDIAN / Sport Sid Lowe The last time José Mourinho was at the Santiago Bernabéu, he parked up in the bus. That night in late February the Benfica manager was suspended, a red card from the first leg of the Champions League playoff meaning he wasn’t allowed on the touchline he had prowled 13 years and a lifetime ago, so Real Madrid prepared a media booth for him to watch from. Situated on the eighth floor, Cabin No 6 had been supplied with nuts, fruit, salad and jamón sandwiches. As kick-off approached, a crowd gathered by the door. But if the camera phones were out, he wasn’t. Mourinho never showed. Instead, he stayed in the basement 10 floors below, watching from an ipad on board the bus and leaving the post-match press conference to his assistant, João Tralhão. The next time he comes, which could be as soon as this season ends, it is likely to be di...
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