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Reports: Chelsea Agree Deal for Pochettino to Become Manager

Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain Training - Ooredoo Training Centre, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France - November 19, 2021 Paris St Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino during training. (Reuters)
Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain Training - Ooredoo Training Centre, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France - November 19, 2021 Paris St Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino during training. (Reuters)
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Reports: Chelsea Agree Deal for Pochettino to Become Manager

Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain Training - Ooredoo Training Centre, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France - November 19, 2021 Paris St Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino during training. (Reuters)
Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain Training - Ooredoo Training Centre, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France - November 19, 2021 Paris St Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino during training. (Reuters)

Chelsea have reached an agreement to appoint former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris St Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino as their manager, Sky Sports and the BBC reported on Sunday.

Pochettino will take charge of the club at the end of the season, the reports said, succeeding Frank Lampard who took over as interim manager at Stamford Bridge last month following the sacking of Graham Potter.

Chelsea have lost six of their eight matches under Lampard, leaving them 11th in the league standings and without European football for next season after their quarter-final exit from the Champions League.

The London club won the Champions League in 2021, but will end this season without any silverware and are stumbling towards their worst campaign since 1993-94 when they finished 14th under Glenn Hoddle despite their new US owners' huge outlay on players.

Pochettino, who favors a high-pressing and attacking style of play, will be tasked with reviving their fortunes.

The 51-year-old Argentine garnered a reputation for fostering young talent and led Southampton to an eighth-place finish in his first full season in England before joining Spurs in 2014.

Under Pochettino, Tottenham reached the 2019 Champions League final and became Premier League title contenders as they finished in the top four for four straight seasons from 2015-19 before he was fired.

Pochettino joined PSG in January 2021, winning a French Cup and a Ligue 1 title, but he was sacked after failing to deliver in the Champions League.

Reuters has contacted Chelsea for comment.

Chelsea travel to Manchester City and Manchester United, before hosting Newcastle United in their final game of the season.

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Sports

Europe's Top Leagues Add to Pressure on Infantino by Calling for FIFA Reform

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup - Group A - Poland v Argentina - Arena Katowice, Katowice, Poland - September 5, 2026 FIFA President Gianni Infantino reacts inside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup - Group A - Poland v Argentina - Arena Katowice, Katowice, Poland - September 5, 2026 FIFA President Gianni Infantino reacts inside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo
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Europe's Top Leagues Add to Pressure on Infantino by Calling for FIFA Reform

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup - Group A - Poland v Argentina - Arena Katowice, Katowice, Poland - September 5, 2026 FIFA President Gianni Infantino reacts inside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup - Group A - Poland v Argentina - Arena Katowice, Katowice, Poland - September 5, 2026 FIFA President Gianni Infantino reacts inside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo

The Premier League and three other top European leagues have called for governance reform of FIFA following Gianni Infantino's failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.

A joint statement with leagues from Spain, Italy and Germany accused FIFA's president of actively promoting “exploitative ideas rather than safeguarding against them.”

The Premier League is soccer's richest and most popular league. Its collaboration with Europe's other leading leagues adds to the growing pressure on Infantino, who plans for stand for re-election despite losing the support of many national federation over his controversial plan to sell profits in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary.

“Football’s longstanding foundations have, in recent years, been threatened by a fundamental governance problem,” the statement said.

Sports

Alcaraz Calls for End to Late-night Finishes at Grand Slams

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses on the black carpet upon arrival to attend the Laver Cup opening night gala, in Greenwich, east London on September 24, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses on the black carpet upon arrival to attend the Laver Cup opening night gala, in Greenwich, east London on September 24, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)
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Alcaraz Calls for End to Late-night Finishes at Grand Slams

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses on the black carpet upon arrival to attend the Laver Cup opening night gala, in Greenwich, east London on September 24, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses on the black carpet upon arrival to attend the Laver Cup opening night gala, in Greenwich, east London on September 24, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)

Carlos Alcaraz has had enough of pulling all-nighters at Grand Slams, urging organizers to finish play by 11 p.m. after his US Open title defense came to an end in a grueling 3:33 a.m. finish earlier this month.

Ben Shelton beat Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the US Open in the latest-ever finish at the year's final Grand Slam.

Prior to that, three matches ended after 2 a.m. during the tournament's opening week, while two more ran well beyond midnight and Venus Williams was involved in the latest-starting clash that began at 12:13 a.m.

"I think it's too much," seven-times Grand Slam champion Alcaraz told reporters in London on Thursday ahead of the Laver Cup.

"The last match people stayed but if ⁠that match was ⁠played earlier, the court could have been packed.

"I would like to change the schedule a little with a maximum finish at 11 p.m., or whatever would be better."

The United States Tennis Association, which organizes the US Open, did not immediately respond to a Reuters emailed request for comment outside regular business hours, but the body has said it will evaluate scheduling options in ⁠the future.

Other Grand Slams have taken action to curb late finishes, with Wimbledon halting play under an 11 p.m. local curfew and the French Open limiting night sessions to one match.

The issue has gained traction amid a broader pushback by top players over working conditions, including a packed competitive calendar.

Andre Agassi, captain of Team World at the Laver Cup, stressed the need for guaranteed downtime at the end of the season.

"It would be my hope (for) an off-season of some relative form of security for both the players, but also for the fans so that ⁠they look ⁠forward to the game," the eight-times Grand Slam champion told reporters.

"I think in a lot of cases, tennis would benefit from that."

Asked about where the Laver Cup, which is named after Australian great Rod Laver and borders on being an exhibition event, fits into the tennis schedule, Agassi replied: "I think this is a fantastic event.

"I'd hate to see the compromise ever come on an event like this that is hosted under such a magnificent name and person that none of us would be here today without in this game.

"So this wouldn't be the place I would choose to cut some edges. But I would like to see these awesome athletes always be at their best. I think everybody wins with that."

Sports

Scaloni Says he Did his Best to Convince Messi to Return for Argentina Farewell

Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni speaks with the press after a training session at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training camp in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires Province, on September 24, 2026, ahead of the friendly matches against Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and Benin. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni speaks with the press after a training session at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training camp in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires Province, on September 24, 2026, ahead of the friendly matches against Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and Benin. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
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Scaloni Says he Did his Best to Convince Messi to Return for Argentina Farewell

Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni speaks with the press after a training session at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training camp in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires Province, on September 24, 2026, ahead of the friendly matches against Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and Benin. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni speaks with the press after a training session at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training camp in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires Province, on September 24, 2026, ahead of the friendly matches against Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and Benin. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said he "pushed hard" to ensure Lionel Messi would return to the national team for a farewell match soon after announcing his retirement because he was not sure he would be in charge to orchestrate it later.

Messi announced his retirement from international football in August, just over a month after Argentina were beaten 1-0 by Spain in the World Cup final.

However, the former Barcelona and Paris St Germain forward was called up weeks later by Scaloni to make a final appearance in a home ⁠friendly against Benin ⁠at Buenos Aires' Monumental Stadium on October 6.

"I believe that a player like him deserves this. Personally, I did my part because I wanted to be at his farewell," Scaloni told reporters on Thursday.

"Since I don't know if I would be here later, we ⁠pushed hard so that he could be in this match.

We knew everything he was going through and even so, he put in the desire and effort to want to come and be able to say goodbye with his people, with the people who love him so much.

"If we have to pay tribute, we have to do it at this moment. With him, it will never stop, but later, the magic might not be ⁠the same."

Scaloni, ⁠who guided Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title and two Copa America triumphs, will be out of his contract in December.

Asked if he had received an update on his future, Scaloni said he would meet with Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia in the coming days.

"It is a dream come true, but that doesn't mean I have to cling to the job forever," AFP quoted the 48-year-old as saying.

"There are certain conditions we need to discuss with the president and we'll see if we can reach an agreement."