2 Israeli Clubs Return to Action in UEFA Competitions

Denys Antyukh (L) and Oleg Danchenko (R) of Zorya Luhansk in action against Gavriel Kanichowsky (C) of Maccabi Tel Aviv during the UEFA Europa Conference Leauge group stage soccer match between Zorya Luhansk and Maccabi Tel Aviv, in Lublin, Poland, 09 November 2023.  EPA/Wojtek Jargilo
Denys Antyukh (L) and Oleg Danchenko (R) of Zorya Luhansk in action against Gavriel Kanichowsky (C) of Maccabi Tel Aviv during the UEFA Europa Conference Leauge group stage soccer match between Zorya Luhansk and Maccabi Tel Aviv, in Lublin, Poland, 09 November 2023. EPA/Wojtek Jargilo
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2 Israeli Clubs Return to Action in UEFA Competitions

Denys Antyukh (L) and Oleg Danchenko (R) of Zorya Luhansk in action against Gavriel Kanichowsky (C) of Maccabi Tel Aviv during the UEFA Europa Conference Leauge group stage soccer match between Zorya Luhansk and Maccabi Tel Aviv, in Lublin, Poland, 09 November 2023.  EPA/Wojtek Jargilo
Denys Antyukh (L) and Oleg Danchenko (R) of Zorya Luhansk in action against Gavriel Kanichowsky (C) of Maccabi Tel Aviv during the UEFA Europa Conference Leauge group stage soccer match between Zorya Luhansk and Maccabi Tel Aviv, in Lublin, Poland, 09 November 2023. EPA/Wojtek Jargilo

Two Israeli clubs have returned to action in UEFA competitions after being unable to play two weeks ago because of the country’s war with Hamas.
Villarreal rallied in the second half to defeat Maccabi Haifa 2-1 in a Europa League game played in Cyprus.
The teams could not play in Spain on Oct. 26 and that game has been rescheduled for Dec. 6.
Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Zorya Luhansk of Ukraine 3-1 in a Europa Conference League game staged in the Polish city if Lublin between two teams displaced by war.
Ukrainian teams have played international games in other countries since the Russian military invasion started in February 2022.



Premier League Rejects City Request to Delay Next Season’s Games after Club World Cup

Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Manchester City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 28, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Manchester City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 28, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)
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Premier League Rejects City Request to Delay Next Season’s Games after Club World Cup

Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Manchester City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 28, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Manchester City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 28, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)

The Premier League has rejected Manchester City's request to postpone the first two games of the 2025-26 season to help the players recover after their FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the US, the club's manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.

City and Chelsea are the two English clubs who have qualified for the expanded month-long Club World Cup set to start on June 15. The Premier League's season will begin in August.

An increasingly packed football calendar has been a concern among a growing number of players and managers. A report by global players' union FIFPRO said some players get only 12% of the year to rest.

The Premier League did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.

City midfielder Rodri said in September that players could be close to strike action over the time they are required to play. A knee ligament injury has since put him out for the season.

"I don’t know if we will play more games than the treble year (2022-23)... maybe we'll play less games," Guardiola told reporters.

"The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery. Thank you so much. They don't postpone these games so that will be the moment of, oh, what do we have to do?"

He said the Club World Cup will make it even more difficult for clubs to manage player workload.