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Bayern Munich’s Thomas Mueller Says he Will Leave Club at Season End

FILED - 23 October 2024, Spain, Barcelona: Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller applauds the fans after the UEFA Champions League soccer match between FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
FILED - 23 October 2024, Spain, Barcelona: Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller applauds the fans after the UEFA Champions League soccer match between FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
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Bayern Munich’s Thomas Mueller Says he Will Leave Club at Season End

FILED - 23 October 2024, Spain, Barcelona: Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller applauds the fans after the UEFA Champions League soccer match between FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
FILED - 23 October 2024, Spain, Barcelona: Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller applauds the fans after the UEFA Champions League soccer match between FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa

Bayern Munich crowd favorite Thomas Mueller will leave the German record champions at the end of the season after 25 years at the club because he was not offered another contract, he said on Saturday.
In a message on social media, the 35-year-old attacking midfielder, who started as a youth player and won a record 12 league crowns with Bayern - the most by any Bundesliga player - said he would have liked to stay on.
"Even after all these years, regardless of the minutes I play, I still really enjoy being on the pitch with the lads and fighting for titles together for our team. I could have easily imagined taking on this role next year as well," Reuters quoted him as saying.
"However, the club consciously decided not to negotiate a new contract with me for next season. Even if this wasn't in line with my personal wishes, it's important that the club follows its convictions. I respect this step, which the board and supervisory board certainly didn't take lightly."
He did not make any reference to the next step of his club career.
Mueller, for years a guaranteed starter, had seen his playing time drop sharply in the last two seasons and now only plays a minor role under coach Vincent Kompany.
His future has been the subject of intense speculation for several months but until now, both the club and the player have stayed silent. While there is no indication that Mueller will retire from football any time soon, Bayern have hinted they would like him to get involved with the club following the end of his playing days.
A one-club player, a rarity in top football these days, Mueller also won two Champions League titles, two club World Cups and six German Cups with Bayern among other titles. He also helped Germany to the 2014 World Cup.
Mueller could add more titles this season to his bulging trophy cabinet, with Bayern leading the title race by a nine-point advantage. They also face Italy's Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals next week.
The Champions League final will be held in Munich's Allianz Arena.
"Now our full focus is on our sporting goals for the season," Mueller said. "It would be a dream for me to bring the league trophy back home and reach the long-awaited final at home at the end of May."

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Injured Salah Out of Liverpool's Brighton Trip and Egypt's Game with Spain

Liverpool's Egyptian forward #11 Mohamed Salah applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the UEFA Champions League, round of 16 second leg football match between Liverpool and Galatasaray at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Liverpool's Egyptian forward #11 Mohamed Salah applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the UEFA Champions League, round of 16 second leg football match between Liverpool and Galatasaray at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
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Injured Salah Out of Liverpool's Brighton Trip and Egypt's Game with Spain

Liverpool's Egyptian forward #11 Mohamed Salah applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the UEFA Champions League, round of 16 second leg football match between Liverpool and Galatasaray at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Liverpool's Egyptian forward #11 Mohamed Salah applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the UEFA Champions League, round of 16 second leg football match between Liverpool and Galatasaray at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

Injured Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah will miss Saturday's trip to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League and Egypt's friendly with Spain on March 31, manager Arne Slot said on Friday.

The injury caused Salah to ask to be substituted during Wednesday's 4-0 Champions League win over Galatasaray, after the 33-year-old shrugged off a missed penalty to score the final goal of the last-16 tie, which Liverpool won 4-1 on aggregate.

"He is not available for tomorrow. Good thing for Liverpool is we go ⁠to the international ⁠break. Bad news for Egypt, he can't go there," Slot told reporters, adding that Salah had a muscle issue.

"Mo has shown in the past he can recover faster than other players. He takes such good care of his body, he can be ⁠back earlier than others as history has shown. But it's only two weeks until we go again so let's hope in that period of time he can be back."

Salah, who has netted four goals and provided four assists in his last nine appearances for Liverpool, was scheduled to travel to Barcelona where Egypt are set to face Spain in a match that was originally scheduled to take place in ⁠Qatar.

The match ⁠was moved due to the conflict in the Middle East, the Egyptian Football Association said on Thursday.

Liverpool, who sit two points below fourth-placed Aston Villa in their Premier League title defense, are looking for their first win in three English top-flight games.

"We only have 60 hours of rest after putting in an enormous physical performance. Brighton has always been a team who want to play, bring the ball out from the back, and make it a very intense game," Slot added.

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Maguire and Mainoo Back in England Squad, First Call-ups for Steele and Garner

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v Manchester United - Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, Britain - February 23, 2026 Manchester United's Harry Maguire applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v Manchester United - Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, Britain - February 23, 2026 Manchester United's Harry Maguire applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
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Maguire and Mainoo Back in England Squad, First Call-ups for Steele and Garner

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v Manchester United - Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, Britain - February 23, 2026 Manchester United's Harry Maguire applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v Manchester United - Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, Britain - February 23, 2026 Manchester United's Harry Maguire applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo and Dominic Calvert-Lewin earned recalls on Friday while James Garner and Jason Steele received first call-ups to England's next-to-last soccer squad before the World Cup.

There was, however, no place for Real Madrid right back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

England is stepping up preparations for the World Cup with home friendlies against Uruguay and Japan this month and coach Thomas Tuchel named an expanded 35-man squad.

Maguire and Mainoo have been in good form for Manchester United under its recently-hired interim coach, Michael Carrick, and Calvert-Lewin has scored 10 goals for Leeds in the Premier League this season.

Sports

FIFA Fines Israeli FA for Anti-discrimination Rules Breaches

Pedestrians pass the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown clock in Boston, Massachusetts, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Pedestrians pass the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown clock in Boston, Massachusetts, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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FIFA Fines Israeli FA for Anti-discrimination Rules Breaches

Pedestrians pass the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown clock in Boston, Massachusetts, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Pedestrians pass the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown clock in Boston, Massachusetts, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

FIFA fined the Israeli Football Association (IFA) 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,700) on Thursday for "multiple breaches" of its anti-discrimination obligations.

A report by the disciplinary committee of world football's governing body found the IFA "failed to take meaningful action against Beitar Jerusalem" for "persistent and well-documented racist behavior".

In October 2024, the Palestine Football Association reported allegations of discrimination by the IFA to FIFA, which began an investigation.

FIFA did not opt for the sanction requested by the Palestinian FA, which argued that the IFA should be suspended.

But the IFA was found to have failed to "abide by FIFA's statutory objectives", in a lengthy decision published by its disciplinary committee, which listed several racist incidents in Israeli football, AFP reported.

The disciplinary committee highlighted "deficient and substantively inadequate" sanctions against Beitar for racist and discriminatory behavior.

Supporters of the club "have engaged in persistent and well-documented racist behavior," the report said.

"The club's use of slogans such as 'forever pure', and the repeated chanting of ethnic slurs such as 'terrorist' directed at Arab players are not isolated incidents but rather form part of a systemic pattern of conduct that offends the basic rules of decent behavior and brings the sport into disrepute.

FIFA said the committee had stressed that Beitar Jerusalem were "only a small example of a general failure by the IFA."

The IFA was issued with a warning and was ordered to display a "significant and highly visible banner" at its next three FIFA competition home matches, stating "Football Unites the World -- No to Discrimination".

The IFA will also have to invest one-third of the fine towards implementing a plan to "ensure action against discrimination and to prevent repeated incidents".

The report also said that the IFA's failure to respond to "political and militaristic messaging" by the CEO of the Israeli professional league and by Maccabi Netanya "further compounds its breach".

"The IFA has made no public statements condemning racism, has not launched any Anti Discrimination campaigns, and has not taken steps to foster inclusion of Arab or Palestinian players," the report continued.

"It has not used its platform to promote peace or to counteract the politicization of football by affiliated clubs and officials."

- 'No action' over Israeli teams in West Bank -

After a separate investigation, FIFA announced no action would be taken against the IFA over allegations that Israeli clubs based in the occupied West Bank were taking part in Israel's leagues.

FIFA's governance, audit and compliance committee based its judgement on the fact that "the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law".

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) welcomed FIFA's ruling, saying "it was a step in the right direction".

However it added: "The PFA observes that the findings do not fully address the scope and gravity of the violations raised in its original proposal."

In 2024, United Nations experts -- mandated by the Human Rights Council but not speaking on behalf of the UN -- said at least eight football clubs had been identified as playing in "Israeli colonial settlements" and called on FIFA to "fulfil its responsibility to respect human rights".

"The autonomy and self-regulation in sport must not be detrimental to fundamental human rights," the experts said.

In addition to roughly three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.