Sports
Ex-Fenerbahçe striker Dzeko signs contract extension with Schalke
Veteran Bosnian star and former Fenerbahçe forward Edin Dzeko has signed a one-year contract extension with German Schalke after helping them return to the Bundesliga last season, the club said Monday.
The 40-year-old, who captained Bosnia-Herzegovina at the recent World Cup, joined Schalke on a free transfer in January.
He scored six goals in 11 Bundesliga 2 matches to help the team win promotion back to the top flight after three years in the second tier.
“Winning promotion to the Bundesliga ranks among the highlights of my career. It was unbelievable,” Dzeko said in a statement.
“Football has made me happy and driven me throughout my life. I am still hungry, and I want to help our team in the Bundesliga too.”
Dzeko could play his first Bundesliga match since leaving Wolfsburg for Manchester City in 2011 when Schalke kick off their league campaign at Augsburg on Aug. 30.
His former clubs also include Roma, Inter Milan and Fenerbahçe.
Juventus bolstered its squad Sunday by signing Bosnian teen prospect Kerim Alajbegovic from Bayer Leverkusen on a five-year contract and bringing back French forward Randal Kolo Muani for a second stint.
The 18-year-old Alajbegovic played in all four of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s matches at this summer’s World Cup, after a breakout season with Red Bull Salzburg.
Leverkusen activated a buy-back clause in the deal with Salzburg before agreeing to sell the winger to Juventus for 30 million euros ($34.6 million).
Juventus also completed a permanent move for Paris Saint-Germain forward Kolo Muani, who had a successful loan spell in Turin during the second half of the 2024-25 season.
However, he struggled to make an impact at Tottenham last term, scoring just five goals in 41 appearances as the club narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League.
Kolo Muani returns to Juventus on a five-year contract for an initial fee of 38 million euros. The amount could rise to 50 million based on bonuses.
Kolo Muani joined European champions PSG in 2023 for a reported 75 million euros but failed to justify the price tag, with a return of 11 goals in 54 games.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham suggested Sunday that FIFA President Gianni Infantino should step down, saying he is no longer fit to lead world football’s governing body after the collapse of a plan to sell stakes in World Cup commercial rights.
“I do not believe that he is the right man to lead football forward on the world stage,” Burnham said. “The plan that was put forward was offensive to many people, football people, around the world, and it can’t be the case that we just move on and forget that, it wasn’t acceptable.”
On Saturday, European football’s governing body UEFA said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s leadership – possibly paving the way for a challenge to Infantino’s presidency.
The governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer (CONCACAF) said FIFA leadership had “stopped putting football first.”
Infantino was forced into a backdown over his controversial plans to sell World Cup profits through a commercial subsidiary that would run its top competitions.
Infantino’s plans fell apart after UEFA’s 55-member nations agreed Thursday to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions. CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation also said they opposed the plan.
Despite Infantino’s climbdown, UEFA said it would work with other confederations to “devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again.”
“No option should be off the table,” it said.
While Infantino has received pockets of public support from associations including 2022 World Cup host Qatar, Burnham’s words were further evidence of the anger generated by his plans.
The next FIFA presidential election is in March in Rabat, Morocco. The deadline for candidates to enter the presidential contest is Nov. 18, exactly four months ahead of the vote.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka heads into this week’s WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto with her top ranking under threat as she builds toward her U.S. Open title defense.
Sabalenka has won 23 of her 24 hard court matches this year, the lone defeat her loss to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final.
But she was turfed out in the quarterfinals on the clay of Roland Garros and fell to Naomi Osaka in the Round of 16 on the grass courts of Wimbledon.
If Sabalenka fails to reach the Round of 16 in Toronto, Kazakhstan’s Rybakina can rise to No. 1 if she lifts the trophy.
Sabalenka has never made it past the semifinals in Canada, which alternates each year between Montreal and Toronto, but she said she was feeling rested and ready to reassert herself after taking time off in the wake of her All England Club exit.
“Clay and grass, I wouldn’t say they were that bad,” she said. “I was trying a couple of things, didn’t go the way that I expected. And now we’re kind of back to basics and I really hope it’s going to work out well.”
Sabalenka had exited Wimbledon saying she wanted to “forget about tennis.”
She did that with a summer holiday on the Greek island of Mykonos.
“I think the rest was much-needed,” she told reporters Sunday. “I spent there five, six days maybe. I felt much better, I couldn’t wait to get back on court and start working toward my goals for this swing.”
Sabalenka heads a top half of the draw that also includes two-time winner Jessica Pegula, the third seed, 2024 finalist Amanda Anisimova and seventh-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland.
Former world No. 1 Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, will be aiming to regroup after slumping to a third-round defeat at Wimbledon.
Rybakina anchors a bottom half of the draw that also includes fourth-seeded Coco Gauff, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka and newly crowned Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.
Czech Noskova, who broke into the Top 10 after winning her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, is seeded sixth and could face another rising star in the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala in the third round.
They have met twice already this year, with Noskova winning both times.
Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova is among the notable absentees as she recovers from a minor surgery.
Reigning champion Victoria Mboko of Canada, who thrilled Montreal fans with her run to a first WTA title last year, remains sidelined with the knee injury that forced her out of Wimbledon.
Tricky schedule
The ATP Masters 1000 in Montreal this week has also been hit by high-profile defections, including that of Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner.
Sabalenka said the scheduling is “tricky” for any player that does well in the grass-court season, with the Canadian tournaments followed by a 1000-level event in Cincinnati in a schedule that offers little respite before the U.S. Open begins on Aug. 30.
“If you go far at the grass court (season) you feel really fatigued and you’re not able to pull out any good tennis so what’s the reason of coming when your body is really so much stress,” she said. “It’s very tricky, but this year I didn’t do well so I’m here.”
All 32 seeded players received first-round byes.
Play got underway Sunday with Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima booking a second-round meeting with Sabalenka with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Cristina Bucsa.
Czech Sara Bejlek posted a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 victory over China’s Wang Xiyu, who was hobbled by a left leg problem, and booked a second-round meeting with Swiatek.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams bowed out in the first round, falling 6-4, 6-1 to Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova.
UEFA and CONCACAF said Saturday they no longer had confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino, escalating pressure over his scrapped plan to sell a stake in World Cup commercial rights.
The dramatic fallout from Infantino’s scrapped $4.2-billion proposal has exposed growing unease within world football over his leadership style, with European governing body UEFA leading a chorus of criticism that could complicate his re-election hopes.
FIFA’s proposal had triggered a fierce backlash from regional confederations who said they were blindsided by Infantino’s plans to sell stakes to private investors in a new unit that would run FIFA events, including the World Cup.
Football officials are now demanding greater oversight of decisions that could reshape the governance and commercial future of the sport.
UEFA, whose 55 members had unanimously rejected the proposal earlier this week, declared FIFA’s retreat a “victory for the whole game” while adding that the “task of rebuilding trust in FIFA” had only just begun.
“The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” UEFA said in a statement.
“UEFA thanks all the fans, leagues, clubs, players, individuals, associations and confederations that opposed the scheme, alongside the many Prime Ministers, Heads of State and commentators who have demonstrated to the FIFA President that football is not for sale,” it said in a statement.
“We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account.”
North America, Central America and the Caribbean confederation CONCACAF said the proposal was advanced outside all established governance processes, with no transparency, consultation or due process.
“A proposal of this magnitude does not reach that stage by accident. It is a symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first,” it said.
“This recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behavior. A comprehensive reckoning with this presidency is imperative,” CONCACAF added.
‘Back-room, opaque deal’
The backlash raised questions about Infantino’s political capital as he prepares to seek another term in office.
UEFA reminded Infantino about the promises he made when he was elected FIFA president in 2016, including pledges to run the governing body transparently and to treat FIFA’s funds as belonging to its member associations.
“On both these promises, he has failed to deliver. The shabby, back-room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through was anything but transparent,” UEFA added.
“And with reserves standing at over $5 billion, he has also failed to use associations’ money for the benefit of the game.
“UEFA will begin work immediately with partners and stakeholders all over the world and right across the game to propose a new way of distributing resources through the existing FIFA Forward programme.”
FIFA and Infantino declined to comment on UEFA’s statement.
The Dutch FA said the process led to a “fundamental breach of trust” in Infantino, while German FA chief Bernd Neuendorf said the Swiss official “acted unilaterally and without transparency,” failing to operate in the sport’s best interests.
Spanish La Liga President Javier Tebas called for Infantino’s resignation, saying that the withdrawal of the proposal was good news but did not resolve the governance problem.
“The problem was never just one proposal. The problem is a governance model that concentrates power, reduces checks and balances and marginalizes those directly affected by its decisions,” he said on social media.
“I believe that Gianni Infantino should not continue in charge of FIFA. World football needs new leadership to modernise its governance, regain institutional credibility and make future decisions in consultation with those involved,” he added.
However, Infantino received support from Qatar, who said the proposal had merit and fully supported his efforts.
The president of the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, also welcomed the decision to withdraw the proposal but reiterated his support for Infantino.
Storm of opposition
Infantino’s plan, announced Tuesday, quickly ran into a storm of opposition from regional confederations, who complained they had not been consulted on a move that could alter the commercial structure of world football.
Following the backlash, Infantino said world football’s governing body had abandoned the plans after listening “carefully to all the views.”
Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa Saturday welcomed FIFA’s reversal.
Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman said he expected that “any initiative that has the potential to impact global football will be presented and discussed with the Confederations, the FIFA Council, Member Associations and other stakeholders in a timely, transparent and meaningful manner.”
“The future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game,” he added.
Re-election hopes hurt
The controversy comes at an awkward moment for Infantino, who said in April that he intended to seek re-election for a fourth term as FIFA president.
Since taking over from Sepp Blatter in 2016, he has been re-elected unopposed twice and appeared firmly in control of the organization.
While his re-election for the 2027-31 term had appeared a formality, experts told Reuters the backlash against the failed proposal exposed dissatisfaction among some FIFA members and could complicate his path ahead of March’s Congress in Morocco.
“He’s obviously been kind of egomaniacal in everything that he’s done. I know that he’s rubbed many of the member associations the wrong way with some of his decisions,” Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing analyst, said.
The speed of the turnaround has been particularly striking, coming less than two weeks after Infantino was toasting the most commercially successful World Cup in history.
“As close as two weeks ago, he’s riding on top of the world, the most successful sports mega event in the history of this planet,” said economist Victor Matheson, a sports business expert at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts.
“And just two weeks later, he’s fighting for his political life,” he added.
Arsenal will strengthen its squad before the summer transfer window shuts, manager Mikel Arteta said Saturday, vowing the Premier League champions will not “sit still.”
The Gunners have been relatively quiet in the market compared to big-spending rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Chelsea, but the north London side have been linked with moves for Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior.
While Arteta would not be drawn on Arsenal’s reported pursuit of the pair, he told reporters Saturday that the club were determined to “improve and evolve” the squad.
“We expect to have movements in the next few weeks, obviously,” the Spaniard added, speaking after a 4-1 preseason win over Girona.
“We want to get better like anybody else and you just can see the transfer market and our opponents, what we are doing. We won’t sit still and we are very ambitious with what we are doing,” he added.
“The margins are very small. Because we want to get better and the level is going to increase. We need to increase the competition internally. We need to make sure we identify the things that we don’t have in the team,” said Arteta.
Arsenal have so far signed goalkeeper Illan Meslier and forward Christos Tzolis, while defender Piero Hincapie has joined permanently after spending the last season at the Emirates on loan.
Vinicius Junior links
Arteta’s comments come amid reports that the Premier League champions were exploring a shock deal to sign Vinicius from Real Madrid.
The Press Association reported that Arsenal inquired about the Brazil international, who has one year remaining on his contract at the Bernabeu.
It is believed that a move for Vinicius – who scored 22 times for Real last season and netted four goals for Brazil at the World Cup – is in its very formative stages as manager Arteta looks to land a marquee signing to build on the club’s first Premier League title in more than two decades.
Vinicius, 26, fits that bill, with Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and Bradley Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain also on their radar.
Arsenal bolstered their attacking options with the 34 million pounds ($45.3 million) signing of Tzolis from Club Brugge earlier this week.
Morgan Rogers had also been identified as a target, but it is believed Arsenal were not prepared to pay more than 80 million pounds for the England international, who ultimately joined Chelsea in a 117 million pound deal – a British record fee.
Vinicius’ future at Real is uncertain following Jose Mourinho’s return and the club could look to cash in on the player, rather than risk losing him for nothing in a year’s time.
Mourinho, who has signed a three-year deal at the Bernabeu, was criticized for comments he made after Vinicius accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him during a Champions League tie in February.
Mourinho, Benfica manager at the time, said “something happens, always” in matches where Vinicius plays. Prestianni was banned for six matches after he admitted to using homophobic language toward Vinicius.
Tzolis followed Piero Hincapie – who turned his temporary deal with Arsenal into a full-time switch – and goalkeeper Illan Meslier, a free signing from Leeds, as the Gunners’ third signing.
Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes could also move to the Emirates with Arsenal keen on the Brazil international.
Speaking after Newcastle’s 1-1 pre-season draw at Gateshead Saturday, manager Eddie Howe said: “We don’t want to lose our best players.
“I’ve spoken to him (Guimaraes) as I would do. Bruno is just a fantastic person. We’ve had some really good conversations, both before the World Cup, during the World Cup and after the World Cup.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with Bruno’s future. That’s for other people to, one, speculate about, but also conversations that I’m not part of.”
Turkish Süper Lig giants Trabzonspor have reportedly joined the race to sign Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah after the former Liverpool forward’s proposed transfer to rivals Beşiktaş fell through.
According to Turkish media reports, Trabzonspor officials have made initial contact with Salah’s agent.
While club management has not publicly confirmed the discussions, negotiations remain ongoing as the 34-year-old icon evaluates his options for the upcoming season, beinsports.com.tr reported, citing club sources.
The sources dismissed initial reports claiming that a two-year contract has already been signed or that special commercial provisions tied to jersey sales have been finalized as inaccurate.
However, if the transaction moves forward, the overall financial commitment for Trabzonspor, including base salary and performance bonuses, is expected to range between 16 million euros ($18.5 million) and 17 million euros ($19.6 million) annually.
To offset the substantial financial outlay, Trabzonspor’s board is actively seeking corporate sponsorship backing to fund a portion of the package.
Salah became one of the summer’s most high-profile free agents after mutually agreeing with Liverpool to terminate his contract a season early.
The legendary winger recently captained Egypt to the Round of 16 at the World Cup, intentionally delaying any decisions regarding his club future until after his country’s tournament run concluded.
Trabzonspor’s aggressive push comes immediately on the heels of collapsed talks between Salah’s camp and Istanbul powerhouse Beşiktaş.
Club director Önder Özen recently held a press conference to clarify the status of their pursuit, confirming that the club had officially “shelved” its efforts after negotiations reached a standstill over financial demands.
Özen explained that early discussions between the parties had progressed smoothly before hitting an impasse when financial terms were introduced.
He added that Beşiktaş would not compromise its long-term financial integrity or structure to secure a star signing, confirming that no improved terms would be offered from their end.
With Beşiktaş stepping back, Trabzonspor now face competition from major international suitors, with the Egyptian forward also in discussions with clubs in Saudi Arabia and Major League Soccer.
However, Trabzonspor remains hopeful that a competitive package, bolstered by Turkish corporate sponsors and the prospect of leading an ambitious Süper Lig campaign, will convince Salah to make the move to the Black Sea coast.
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