Saka Says This Is Arsenal’s Year after Back-to-Back Premier League Misses

Arsenal's English midfielder #07 Bukayo Saka applauds the fans following during the UEFA Champions League football match between Arsenal and Paris St Germain (PSG) at the Emirates Stadium in north London on October 1, 2024. (AFP)
Arsenal's English midfielder #07 Bukayo Saka applauds the fans following during the UEFA Champions League football match between Arsenal and Paris St Germain (PSG) at the Emirates Stadium in north London on October 1, 2024. (AFP)
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Saka Says This Is Arsenal’s Year after Back-to-Back Premier League Misses

Arsenal's English midfielder #07 Bukayo Saka applauds the fans following during the UEFA Champions League football match between Arsenal and Paris St Germain (PSG) at the Emirates Stadium in north London on October 1, 2024. (AFP)
Arsenal's English midfielder #07 Bukayo Saka applauds the fans following during the UEFA Champions League football match between Arsenal and Paris St Germain (PSG) at the Emirates Stadium in north London on October 1, 2024. (AFP)

Arsenal can go all the way and end their 21-year wait for a Premier League title this season, winger Bukayo Saka said after his side beat Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Arsenal finished runners-up in 2022-23 and took the Premier League title race to the final day last season before once again finishing second behind Manchester City.

The north London side are in the mix this season, sitting third in the league standings, and their impressive victory over French heavyweights PSG underlined their title credentials, with Kai Havertz and Saka scoring in the match.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on us, but I do think that this is the year (that we can win the title)," Saka told CBS Sports.

"I think we've been close the last two years and we're getting closer, but this hopefully will be the year."

Saka, who has established himself as a key player at Arsenal and was their top-scorer in the Premier League last season, said the club's near misses had left him hungry for success.

"Previous years, I've come runners-up a lot. It's just that spirit in me that I want to win this season and of course, I believe in myself a lot," the 23-year-old told Amazon Prime.

"With those two things, it helps. We believe in ourselves, we believe we're a top team. We showed that tonight (against PSG). I did tell the boys we have to make a statement when big teams are coming to the Emirates."

Arsenal next host 19th-placed Southampton in a league match on Saturday.



Ronaldo Nazario to Lead Soccer Taskforce Aiming to Eradicate Racism, Discrimination

FILE - Ronaldo Nazario attends a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
FILE - Ronaldo Nazario attends a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
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Ronaldo Nazario to Lead Soccer Taskforce Aiming to Eradicate Racism, Discrimination

FILE - Ronaldo Nazario attends a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
FILE - Ronaldo Nazario attends a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

Brazil’s two-time World Cup winner Ronaldo Nazario will lead a special taskforce created to try to eradicate racism, discrimination, and violence in South American soccer, the sport's continental governing body said Thursday.
“Its mission will be to design policies and establish prevention and sanction mechanisms that contribute to eradicating these behaviors that affect both sport and society,” CONMEBOL said in a statement.
The 48-year-old Ronaldo retired in 2019 after a career that included World Cup titles in 1994 and in 2002.
The appointment followed a meeting of leaders, government officials, former players and player union representatives convened by CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez to address the issues following his controversial statements about Brazilian football, The Associated Press reported.
Domínguez created a furor when he said Brazilian clubs withdrawing from the Copa Libertadores because of episodes of racism would make the competition “like Tarzan without Cheetah.”
CONMEBOL has been under increased pressure to act decisively against racism. Several Brazilian players and fans have been targeted by monkey chants at away matches in recent years, which has also brought more pressure on officials to act.
In addition to Ronaldo, former FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura and former Argentina player Sergio Marchi, president of FIFPRO South America, will be part of the task force.