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UEFA Says Fully Committed to Champions League Finale in Lisbon

UEFA said on Tuesday it was fully committed to staging a Champions League Final Eight tournament in Lisbon in August. (Reuters)
UEFA said on Tuesday it was fully committed to staging a Champions League Final Eight tournament in Lisbon in August. (Reuters)
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UEFA Says Fully Committed to Champions League Finale in Lisbon

UEFA said on Tuesday it was fully committed to staging a Champions League Final Eight tournament in Lisbon in August. (Reuters)
UEFA said on Tuesday it was fully committed to staging a Champions League Final Eight tournament in Lisbon in August. (Reuters)

UEFA said on Tuesday it was fully committed to staging a Champions League Final Eight tournament in Lisbon in August despite several suburbs of the city preparing to go back into lockdown as novel coronavirus cases climb again.

The European football body’s president Aleksander Ceferin said he saw “no need for a Plan B” after discussing plans with Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa, although UEFA recognized that organizing the tournament represented “great challenges”.

“During the meeting, all parties underlined they are fully committed to working together in a collaborative manner in order to deliver a successful event in Lisbon,” UEFA said in a statement.

“The participants discussed the fact that this is an unprecedented tournament which presents great challenges, but reinforced their belief that the necessary conditions will be present in Portugal.”

Last Thursday, the Portuguese government said that those people living in the affected areas of the capital - 19 parishes not including downtown Lisbon - would be allowed to leave home only to buy essential goods or to travel to and from work.

The measure will be in place from July 1-14 and will then be reviewed.

The tournament will use a straight knockout format and the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be staged over one leg, instead of the usual two, with the final to be held on Aug. 23.

“I shared a complete update on the COVID-19 situation in our country and added that all measures are being taken to ensure that we will host this tournament in a safe and secure manner,” said Costa.

Ceferin said he was confident that “we will conclude the season in a positive way in Lisbon. There is no need for a Plan B.”

Paris St. Germain, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta and RB Leipzig have already qualified for the quarter-finals.

The four last-16, second leg matches which still have to be played — Manchester City vs. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea, Juventus vs. Olympique Lyonnais and Barcelona vs. Napoli — will take place on Aug. 7/8, either at the originally scheduled venues or in Portugal.

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Sunderland Worst Hit by Losing Players to African Cup of Nations 

14 December 2025, United Kingdom, London: Sunderland's Habib Diarra (L) and Leeds United's Gabriel Gudmundsson battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Leeds United at the Gtech Community Stadium. (dpa)
14 December 2025, United Kingdom, London: Sunderland's Habib Diarra (L) and Leeds United's Gabriel Gudmundsson battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Leeds United at the Gtech Community Stadium. (dpa)
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Sunderland Worst Hit by Losing Players to African Cup of Nations 

14 December 2025, United Kingdom, London: Sunderland's Habib Diarra (L) and Leeds United's Gabriel Gudmundsson battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Leeds United at the Gtech Community Stadium. (dpa)
14 December 2025, United Kingdom, London: Sunderland's Habib Diarra (L) and Leeds United's Gabriel Gudmundsson battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Leeds United at the Gtech Community Stadium. (dpa)

Premier League Sunderland will have to do without six players over the next few weeks and are the club worst hit as the Africa Cup of Nations takes its toll on European clubs competing over the holiday season.

Sunderland, eighth in the standings, had four of their African internationals in action when they beat Newcastle United on Sunday, but like 14 other English top-flight clubs will now lose those players to international duty.

The timing of the African championship, kicking off in Morocco on Sunday and running through to January 18, has long been an irritant for coaches, with leagues in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain also affected.

Hosting the tournament in the middle of the season impacts around 58% of the players at the Cup of Nations, though the Confederation of African Football did try to mitigate the impact by moving the start to before Christmas, so it is completed before the next round of Champions League matches.

The impact on European clubs was also lessened by allowing them to release players seven days, rather than the mandatory 14 days, before the tournament, meaning they could play for their clubs last weekend.

Sunderland's Congolese Arthur Masuaku and Noah Sadiki, plus full back Reinildo (Mozambique), midfielder Habib Diarra (Mali), and attackers Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco) and Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso) have now departed for Morocco.

Ironically, Mohamed Salah’s absence from Liverpool to play for Egypt should lower the temperature at the club after his recent outburst against manager Arne Slot, but Manchester United will lose three players in Noussair Mazraoui, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, who scored in Monday’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth.

France is again the country with the most players heading to the Cup of Nations, and with 51 from Ligue 1 clubs. But their absence is much less impactful than previously as Ligue 1 broke after the weekend’s fixtures and does not resume until January 2, by which time the Cup of Nations will be into its knockout stage.

There are 21 players from Serie A clubs, 18 from the Bundesliga, and 15 from LaLiga teams among the 24 squads at the tournament in Morocco.

Sports

Rodgers Takes Charge of Saudi Team Al-Qadsiah After Departure from Celtic 

Then-Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers greets supporters after a Europa League soccer match between Red Star and Celtic at Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP)
Then-Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers greets supporters after a Europa League soccer match between Red Star and Celtic at Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP)
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Rodgers Takes Charge of Saudi Team Al-Qadsiah After Departure from Celtic 

Then-Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers greets supporters after a Europa League soccer match between Red Star and Celtic at Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP)
Then-Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers greets supporters after a Europa League soccer match between Red Star and Celtic at Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP)

Brendan Rodgers has returned to football as the coach of Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah, six weeks after resigning from Scottish champion Celtic.

Al-Qadsiah, whose squad includes Italian striker Mateo Retegui and former Real Madrid defender Fernandez Nacho, is in fifth place in the Saudi Pro League in its first season after promotion.

Rodgers departed Celtic on Oct. 27 and has opted to continue his managerial career outside Britain for the first time, having previously coached Liverpool, Leicester and Swansea.

In its statement announcing the hiring of Rodgers on Tuesday, Al-Qadsiah described him as a “world-renowned coach” and said his arrival “reflects the club’s ambitious vision and its rapidly growing sporting project.”

Aramco, the state-owned Saudi oil giant, bought Al-Qadsiah in 2023 in a move that has helped to transform the club’s status.

“This is a landmark moment for the club,” Al-Qadsiah chief executive James Bisgrove said. “The caliber of his experience and track record of winning reflects our ambition and long-term vision to establish Al-Qadsiah as one of Asia’s leading clubs.”

Rodgers is coming off winning back-to-back Scottish league titles with Celtic, where he won 11 major trophies across his two spells. He also won the FA Cup with Leicester.

Al-Qadsiah's last two coaches were former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler and former Spain midfielder Michel.

Sports

Portugal to Return to F1 Calendar in 2027 and 2028 

12 July 2025, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen leads into turn one during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi. (dpa)
12 July 2025, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen leads into turn one during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi. (dpa)
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Portugal to Return to F1 Calendar in 2027 and 2028 

12 July 2025, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen leads into turn one during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi. (dpa)
12 July 2025, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen leads into turn one during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi. (dpa)

Formula One will return to Portugal's Portimao circuit in 2027 and 2028 after the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort drops off the calendar.

Formula One announced a two-year deal in a statement on Tuesday.

The 4.6-km Algarve International circuit in the country's south last hosted the Portuguese Grand Prix in 2020 and 2021, both seasons impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with stand-in venues.

In 2020, seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton took his 92nd career win at Portimao, breaking the record previously held by Michael Schumacher. Hamilton also won in 2021.

"The interest and demand to host a Formula One Grand Prix is the highest that it has ever been," said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali, thanking the Portuguese government and local authorities.

The financial terms of the deal were not announced.

"Hosting the Grand Prix in the Algarve reinforces our regional development strategy, enhancing the value of the territories and creating opportunities for local economies," said Economy Minister Manuel Castro Almeida.

Portugal first hosted a grand prix in Porto in 1958, with subsequent races at Monsanto and Estoril near Lisbon. The late Brazilian great Ayrton Senna took his first grand prix pole and win at the latter circuit in 1985.

Formula One announced last year that Zandvoort, a home race for four-times world champion Max Verstappen, would drop off the calendar after 2026.

The championship already features a record 24 races and Domenicali has spoken of European rounds alternating to allow others to come in.

Belgium's race at Spa-Francorchamps is due to be dropped in 2028 and 2030 as part of a contract extension to 2031 announced last January.