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Xabi Alonso Appointed Chelsea Manager on Four-year Deal

FILE - Real Madrid's head coach Xabi Alonso looks on before the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Real Betis Sevilla in Madrid, Spain, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia, File)
FILE - Real Madrid's head coach Xabi Alonso looks on before the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Real Betis Sevilla in Madrid, Spain, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia, File)
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Xabi Alonso Appointed Chelsea Manager on Four-year Deal

FILE - Real Madrid's head coach Xabi Alonso looks on before the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Real Betis Sevilla in Madrid, Spain, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia, File)
FILE - Real Madrid's head coach Xabi Alonso looks on before the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Real Betis Sevilla in Madrid, Spain, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia, File)

Chelsea appointed Xabi Alonso as the club's manager on Sunday on a four-year deal with the Spaniard the latest coach tasked with turning around the club's fortunes.

The Blues lost the FA Cup final to Manchester City on Saturday and lie ninth in the Premier League with two games of the campaign to go.

Alonso rose to prominence as one of Europe's brightest coaches by guiding Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten German league and cup double in the 2023/24 season.

However, he lasted just seven months in the Real Madrid hotseat. Appointed last year, he departed the Spanish giants in January.

"Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Xabi Alonso as manager of the men's team," Chelsea said in a statement.

"The Spaniard will begin his role on July 1, 2026, having agreed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge."

Alonso faces a huge task to get Chelsea back in the running for major honors.

Chelsea did win the World Club Cup and the UEFA Conference League last year but have little else to show for well over one billion pounds ($1.35 billion) of spending on players since as US consortium BlueCo took over in 2022 following Roman Abramovich's trophy-laden ownership of the club.

Defeat at Wembley on Saturday means they have now gone eight seasons without a domestic trophy.

Fans have continuously protested against BlueCo, who have embarked on a scattergun approach to hoovering up young talent from across the globe.

That policy has secured some notable successes such as England international Cole Palmer.

But a lack of experience in both the playing squad and, often in the coaching staff, has been blamed for a lack of consistency.

Alonso becomes the sixth permanent manager to take charge at Stamford Bridge in the past four years after Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior.

The 44-year-old has a point to prove after a turbulent short spell in Madrid.

Alonso's arrival is a coup for Chelsea's much-criticised owners.

Many Liverpool fans were desperate for him to return to Anfield, where he starred for five years as a player between 2004 and 2009, to succeed the under-fire Arne Slot.

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Sports

UEFA Hands Lifetime Ban to Czech Coach who Secretly Filmed Female Players

UEFA Hands Lifetime Ban to Czech Coach who Secretly Filmed Female Players
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UEFA Hands Lifetime Ban to Czech Coach who Secretly Filmed Female Players

UEFA Hands Lifetime Ban to Czech Coach who Secretly Filmed Female Players

UEFA has issued a lifetime ban to Petr Vlachovsky, a Czech women's soccer coach who secretly filmed his players, the governing body announced on Tuesday.

Czech media reported that the coach was convicted in May 2025 and initially received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban for filming FC Slovacko's players in changing rooms, the youngest of whom was 17.

In a statement, ⁠UEFA's Control, Ethics ⁠and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) said it had decided to ban Vlachovsky "from exercising any football-related activity for life" following the appointment of an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate allegations of potential misconduct.

"The CEDB further ⁠decided to request FIFA to extend the abovementioned ban on a worldwide level and to order the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke Mr. Petr Vlachovsky’s coaching license," Reuters quoted the statement as saying.

FC Slovacko did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Football players' union FIFPRO welcomed the ban as well as UEFA's request for ⁠world ⁠soccer governing body FIFA to impose an international ban on Vlachovsky.

"This outcome sends a strong and necessary message that abusive and inappropriate behavior has no place in football and that safeguarding the wellbeing of players must remain a priority at every level of the game," FIFPRO added in a statement.

Vlachovsky had also previously served as coach of the Czech women's Under-19s team.

Sports

Alcaraz Withdraws from Wimbledon with Wrist Injury

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2024 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses for a picture with the trophy after winning his men's singles final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. (Reuters)
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2024 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses for a picture with the trophy after winning his men's singles final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. (Reuters)
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Alcaraz Withdraws from Wimbledon with Wrist Injury

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2024 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses for a picture with the trophy after winning his men's singles final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. (Reuters)
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2024 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses for a picture with the trophy after winning his men's singles final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. (Reuters)

Carlos Alcaraz's hopes of regaining his Wimbledon title have been dashed with the two-time champion announcing Tuesday he is withdrawing as he recovers from a wrist injury.

"My recovery is going well and I'm feeling much better, but unfortunately I'm still not ready to play, I am obliged to withdraw from both Queen's and Wimbledon," said Spaniard Alcaraz, who lost to world number one Jannik Sinner in last year's final.

"These are two really special tournaments for me and I'll miss them a lot. We'll keep working to come back as soon as possible."

Alcaraz sustained the injury during the first round of the Barcelona Open and subsequently pulled out of tournaments in Madrid and Rome and then Roland Garros, where he is the reigning two-time champion.

The world number two became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam in January with his triumph at the Australian Open. The 23-year-old holds a 22-3 record this season and also won a title in Doha.

Wimbledon will be only the third Grand Slam that Alcaraz has missed since making his main draw debut at the 2021 Australian Open.

Alcaraz's injury has stopped him continuing his exciting rivalry with Italian Sinner, 24, who is firm favorite to triumph in Paris and London.

Sports

Guardiola Set for Emotional Man City Farewell After Era-Defining Decade

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
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Guardiola Set for Emotional Man City Farewell After Era-Defining Decade

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)

Pep Guardiola is expected to take charge of Manchester City for the final time on Sunday, drawing the curtain down on a decade that has reshaped not only his club but English football itself.

When the Catalan arrived in 2016, he was already regarded as one of the game's great innovators. What followed was something even more profound: a transformational reign that turned City from wealthy contenders into the defining team of an era.

Ten years on, Guardiola leaves City having won 15 major trophies, not including the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.

His trophy cabinet includes six Premier League titles -- including a record four in a row -- and the club's first Champions League crown, a haul that places him among the most successful ‌managers in English ‌football history.

This season alone, he has guided City to both the League ‌Cup ⁠and FA Cup ⁠titles, and pushed Arsenal right to the wire in the Premier League race.

His final match, expected to be Sunday's league game against Aston Villa, will close the book on a story of dominance, reinvention and influence that extended far beyond results.

And the Etihad Stadium crowd will surely soak up every second, singing their tribute song to their beloved manager: "We've got . . . Guardiola!" to the tune of The Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over".

Guardiola's legacy at City is measured not just in silverware but in the scale of control his teams exerted. At their peak, ⁠they amassed points totals previously unimaginable, winning four straight league titles between ‌2021 and 2024 and forcing rivals into near-perfection just to keep ‌pace.

In 2023, they completed the treble, joining Manchester United's 1999 side as the only English teams to hoist the ‌league, FA Cup and Champions League trophies in the same season.

GAME CHANGER

The 55-year-old is credited with changing ‌the game by imposing a level of control and technical precision rarely seen in English football, turning City into the benchmark for how the game could be played.

His teams did not simply win; they dominated by keeping the ball, dictating tempo and suffocating opponents through positional play and relentless pressing.

Beyond the results, fans will surely miss Guardiola's entertaining, ‌restless presence. Usually dressed in his favored knit jumpers and smart trousers, he prowls the technical area, arms cutting through the air as he ⁠points, waves and barks instructions.

Frustration ⁠flashes quickly, sometimes with a sharp kick at a cooler. He has been known to cushion stray balls with a deft touch of a foot, or turn and encourage the crowd to cheer.

He frequently speaks to opposing players on the pitch after matches, to offer tactical tips or praise a performance.

City's players have praised his impact and marveled at his relentless quest for excellence.

"He changed the way I see football," City captain Bernardo Silva said after Saturday's FA Cup win.

"That winning mentality is nothing like I've ever seen," defender John Stones added.

For all the tactics, Guardiola's greatest legacy will have been cultural. He made style the norm and forced the Premier League to evolve around it.

If Sunday indeed ends his tenure, his influence will not fade.