James Reade, University of Reading Uncertainty is what makes sports entertaining. If you always knew who was going to win a match, that would be boring. In the 1960s, an economist called Walter Neale said that the New York Yankees prayer should be: “Oh Lord, make us good, but not that good.” This “peculiar economics of professional sports”, as Neale ...

Glasgow Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo is a major doubt for Super Eagles’ international friendlies against Ivory Coast and Tunisia next month, after he suffered a setback during his recovery, Saturday PUNCH reports. Aribo has made four appearances for the Eagles and scored twice since he made his debut for the Eagles in a friendly against Ukraine a year ago. The 24-year-old has ...

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Ike Shorunmu has told  Saturday PUNCH a private hospital in Ibadan declined treating Ajibade Babalade before the retired 3SC defender died in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Friday afternoon. According to Shorunmu, Babalade’s teammate at the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal, the former footballer died in Ibadan after suffering cardiac arrest. Babalade, 48, died while ...

Luka Modric blows out his cheeks. “It would be a huge loss,” he says. “Like when Cristiano left. But you can’t think about the past. It’s football and that’s it.” Modric has faced Lionel Messi 21 times and is the only player since 2008 other than Cristiano Ronaldo to beat him to the Ballon d’Or. He knows what it would ...

Lionel Messi has told Barcelona he wants to leave the club after nearly two decades with the Spanish giants. The club confirmed to The Associated Press yesterday that the Argentina great sent a document expressing his desire to leave. The announcement comes 11 days after Barcelona’s humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, one of the ...

Bayern Munich won the European Cup for the sixth time on Sunday as Kingsley Coman’s goal gave them a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in an engrossing Champions League final in Lisbon, completing a fantastic season for the German giants and leaving their opponents still searching for the trophy they covet more than anything. It was often a cagey final, ...

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was left struggling for words after the club achieved their dream of reaching a first Champions League final. PSG eased past RB Leipzig 3-0 in Tuesday’s semi-final thanks to goals from Marquinhos, Angel Di Maria and Juan Bernat in Lisbon. Marquinhos put PSG ahead in the 11th minute, powerfully meeting Di Maria’s cross, before the ...

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Saturday said his side lost 3-1 to Olympique Lyonnais to exit the UEFA Champions League because they lacked the perfection needed in Europe’s top competition. Manchester City fell behind to Maxwel Cornet’s strike in a sloppy first half of the quarter-final match. They then looked like their usual selves after the break and levelled ...

Bayern Munich are now just one match away from competing for the Champions League trophy following a decisive 8-2 win against a toothless Barcelona side in the quarterfinals. They will face off the winner of Manchester City and Lyon for that very opportunity. Five of the eventual 10 goals scored in this match were put into the back of the ...

David Randles, Liverpool John Moores University The Champions League is back underway, after being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Manchester City have successfully appealed a ruling that would have seen them banned from the competition and are resuming their bid to win the most coveted trophy in European football. The club recently saw off one of their biggest ...