Sports Poets Society

Vor der Kadernominierung türmen sich die Probleme beim DFB – vom Umgang mit dem Comeback von Manuel Neuer über die Rolle von Joshua Kimmich bis hin zur Personalie Antonio Rüdiger.  An diesem Donnerstag muss sich Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann erklären. 21 May 2026 - Rheinische Post VON SEBASTIAN KALENBERG Im Mai 2024 – einen Monat vor Start der Heim-EM – hatte sich der DFB eine kreative Aktion einfallen lassen und häppchenweise den Kader für das Turnier im eigenen Land von Prominenten, TV-Shows und Radiosendern bekannt geben lassen. Auch vor der WM 2026 in den USA, Mexiko und Kanada bekommt die Öffentlichkeit in den Tagen vor der eigentlichen Nominierung, die am Donnerstag (13 Uhr) in Frankfurt stattfindet, stündlich mitgeteilt, welche Spieler beim Turnier im Sommer dabei sein werden. Diesmal allerdings nicht über einen PR-Stunt des Verbandes, sondern über Tweets und Pushnachrichten von offenbar gut unterrichteten Journalisten. Trotz dieser Kaskade an Vorabmeldungen über seinen Ka...

FOTO ED ZURGA/GETTY IMAGES De Trophy Tour in Kansas, afgelopen april,  waar inwoners warm werden gemaakt voor het WK. WK VOETBAL  21 May 2026 - NRC Milo van Bokkum  Over drie weken begint het WK voetbal. Kansas City, een van de speelsteden, hoopt het imago van anonieme Midwest-stad van zich af te schudden. Maar als kleinste speelstad is het evenement ook een grote uitdaging. „Ik wil niet te veel beloven.” „Als ik nu in Nederland naar mijn thuisclubje ga,  denk ik: daar kunnen ze nog wat van leren.”    - Patrick Bakker, voorzitter Dutch Club Kansas City. Het toernooi kost de staten Kansas en Missouri samen 70 miljoen dollar, en de stad draagt ook nog eens 15 miljoen bij KANSAS CITY - In de hal van het art deco-stadhuis van Kansas City hangen ze nog, geplakt tegen het marmer. Twee paarse postertjes met daarop de tekst: We want the World Cup. Ze zijn al vier jaar oud oud, uit de tijd dat Kansas City per se, absoluut, koste wat kost speelstad wilde worden....

AHMAD MORA/UEFA/GETTY IMAGES Emi Buendía (No 10) watches his shot curl home for Aston Villa’s second Rogers seals Europa glory in dream final for Villa Freiburg 0 Aston Villa 3 Tielemans 41, Buendía 45+3, Rogers 58 21 May 2026 - The Guardian Ben Fisher Where would you like your statue, Mr Emery? Even before this emphatic triumph, Aston Villa supporters could hardly have held their manager in greater esteem. But now Emery, in winning the competition for a fifth time, has delivered the thing he always wanted, a trophy to show for his transformative body of work. Those who were not around for Rotterdam in 1982 will always cherish Istanbul in 2026. Thomas Tuchel had it right a few years ago when he suggested Uefa may as well rename the Europa League the Unai Emery trophy. Just like 82, it was Villa in white against German opponents in red, this time Freiburg and Youri Tielemans, Emi Buendía and Morgan Rogers the goalscorers. All three goals were sparkling, Tielemans and Buendía scoring bea...

First few years of manager’s tenure were far from smooth, but promising young players and his vision led to title ‘It was much better to be the manager  t hat followed the manager who succeeded Wenger’ 21 May 2026 - The Guardian Rob Draper It didn’t start well for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. On a crisp December night in 2019 at about 1am in a Manchester suburb, Vinai Venkatesham stepped out of Arteta’s home. The Arsenal managing director looked around, satisfied with his meeting. Arteta had just outlined a “hugely impressive” five-year plan to rebuild a club reeling from Arsène Wenger’s departure and Unai Emery’s failed succession. Venkatesham stepped into his car and was driven away with his colleague Huss Fahmy. The club were about to take a huge gamble, but one with which they were increasingly comfortable. For many Arsenal executives, Arteta had won the interview round in 2018 when Wenger left. Yet it seemed too much to ask a 36-year-old rookie to manage a seismic transition and ...

Nicknamed Diet Pep, Enzo Maresca  won two trophies with Chelsea What City learned from Maresca’s spell at Chelsea While it seems the decision to hire the Italian was made a long time ago, it may not be easy to deliver glory at City 21 May 2026 - The Guardian Jacob Steinberg Now the secret is out it is possible to look at Enzo Maresca’s incendiary remarks about his “worst 48 hours” at Chelsea through a different lens. Change is coming at Manchester City, who are preparing for Pep Guardiola’s departure at the end of the season, and it does not require much reading between the lines to work out their decision to pass the crown to Maresca was made a long time ago. There never was a clear explanation from the Italian after he sat in front of the media after Chelsea’s unspectacular 2-0 win over Everton on 13 December and surprised the room by taking the extraordinary step of going to war with his employers. “Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many peop...

Pep Guardiola is expected to leave Manchester City  after  winning 17 major trophies during his 10-year stay at the club Guardiola’s City legacy is tied to politics and propaganda There is no denying scale of manager’s achievements but he has also been a frontman for a repressive nation state "His brilliance has been vital in giving the project  heat and life – but it also diminishes him"    - Barney Ronay on a decade of Guardiola at Man City 21 May 2026 - The Guardian Barney Ronay Well, that’s that then. Put out more flags. Mount the iconic Jedi-style woollen cardigan in the club museum. He really does seem to be done this time. In the absence of formal denials, it now seems highly likely the scheduled final year of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City contract will be spent trawling the high-concept food ateliers of the Iberian peninsula, debating spatial architecture with a Slovenian Cluedo grandmaster over hummingbird martinis, and generally recharging after a de...

Jhonatan Narváez (tout à sa joie hier en franchissant la ligne en vainqueur) s’est  adjugé trois des quatre étapes remportées par l’équipe UAE Emirates-XRG sur ce Giro. L’Équatorien d’UAE Emirates-XRG a remporté sa troisième étape sur le Giro, hier à Chiavari.  À 29 ans, il est dans une forme étincelante. «Je crois que je suis dans ma meilleure forme,  physiquement et mentalement»    - JHONATAN NARVAEZ 21 May 2026 - L'Équipe DE NOTRE ENVOYÉ SPÉCIAL À CHIAVARI  Thomas Perotto Si les UAE Emirates-XRG ne peuvent plus voir la vie en rose, Jhonatan Narváez a le mérite de voir la vie en triple. L’Équatorien de 29 ans, vainqueur à Cosenza dès le retour en Italie, puis à Fermo, s’est encore imposé hier, à Chiavari. Il n’est ni un sprinteur ni un pur grimpeur mais il a déjà réussi la passe de trois après onze étapes, ce qui situe sa performance et son niveau actuel. « On a la chance d’avoir un “Jonny” exceptionnel, il a vraiment de très grandes jambes. On...

Fausto Coppi massé par son soigneur aveugle, Biagio Cavanna, dans sa chambre d’hôtel, sur le Tour de France 1952, que le « Campionissimo » remportera cette année-là pour la seconde fois. Le peloton arrive aujourd’hui à Novi Ligure, la ville de Biagio Cavanna, qui joua de multiples rôles, tous plus fous les uns que les autres, auprès de la légende piémontaise, Fausto Coppi. «Cavanna était un visionnaire qui considérait le cyclisme  comme une double extension des beauxarts et de l’art de la guerre»    - FAUSTINO COPPI, LE DE'FAU'STO FILS COPPI  «C’est aux muscles du cou et à ceux des reins  que j’apprécie la force d’un coureur»    - BIAGIO CAVANNA 21 May 2026 - L'Équipe DE NOTRE ENVOYÉ SPÉCIAL THOMAS PEROTTO CHIAVARI (ITA) – Existe-t-il homme avec pareille liste de qualificatifs, tous aussi mystérieux les uns que les autres ? Existe-t-il homme avec pareille allure, suscitant à la fois méfiance et fascination? Né le 3 juillet 1893 et mort le 21 ...

Al giro di boa è sempre più il Giro di Jonathan Narváez . Tris calato con ogni mano possibile: in volatona di gruppo a Cosenza alla quarta, in solitaria a Fermo all'ottava, allo sprint in fuga a due a Chiavari all'11esima. Ai -15 km lui e Enric Mas , al debutto al Giro, staccano Aleksandr Vlasov , l'ultimo superstite. E all'arrivo se la giocano loro due. Si fa per dire, perché il capitano della Movistar sa di non poter vincere. Narváez - che più che mai ha corso di testa oltre che di gambe - prima lo infilza come da copione poi ai microfoni gli chiede pubblicamente scusa per i mancati cambi in salita, terreno d'elezione dello spagnolo. Per il 29enne della UAE quinto successo in carriera al Giro dopo Cesenatico 2020 e la prima tappa rosa di Torino 2024. E quarto per la sua UAE, che già alla seconda in Bulgaria ha perso Adam  Yates, Marc Soler e Jay Vine ma ha vinto pure con Igor Arrieta a Potenza. Nel (troppo) lungo avvicinamento al tappone di Pila, tutto immutato ...