EUROPA League
PEP GUARDIOLA OPTIMISTIC MAN CITY CAN ESCAPE BAN
Pep Guardiola, in his first press conference since being confronted with the possibility of a two-year Champions League ban for Manchester City over alleged breaches of Uefa’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, said he was confident in his club’s ability to defend its position.
Speaking after Wednesday night’s 2-0 Premier League win over West Ham, courtesy of strikes by Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne, the City manager was adamant the matter was not finished and that he hoped they would be playing in Europe next year.
“The club believes it is unfair so we are going to appeal (to the Court of Arbitration for Sport) and we are going to wait,” Guardiola, whose side remain in second place, 22 points behind runaway leaders Liverpool (76), said.
“I trust 100 per cent what my club have said and what they have done, they have explained to me the reasons. We are going to fight, and we are optimistic that next season, if we qualify for the Champions League, we will be there.”
Guardiola is under contract until the end of next season and he confirmed he will not be walking away from the club before that point.
“Unless they sack me, which can happen, I will not leave,” the Spaniard said. “Why should I? I love this club, I like to be here, and after we have seen the sentence, we will focus on what we have to do.
“I want to stay to continue to help the club and maintain this level as long as possible. That’s not just because I have a contract, we want to fight to the end for the people who support this club.”
City are battling for trophies on three fronts – the Champions League, the FA Cup and the League Cup. Guardiola insisted his players would not lose focus in light of the legal ramifications.
“We are professional on the pitch,” he added. “(We) play our games as best as possible.”
City chief executive Ferran Soriano claimed in a video interview that was posted on the club’s website the club had “irrefutable evidence” that Uefa’s charges were false.
While Guardiola admitted that evidence was not yet presented to him, he made it clear he trusted his directors implicitly.
“All I can say is that I support the club and trust what the directors have told me,” he said.
“You have to try and fight if you think you have a case and we are going to do it.”
He also responded to a taunt from Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who thanked Uefa for its work on FFP in the wake of its announcement regarding City.
“My advice would be don’t talk too loud, because everybody is involved in situations,” said Guardiola, a former Barca player and coach.
“Hopefully in the future, we can play against Barcelona in the Champions League.”
The case against City began after leaks of internal club e-mails in 2018 appeared to suggest the club misled Uefa’s financial controllers over the true sources of its revenue.
The most damaging allegation was that the team’s principal sponsorship with the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned airline, Etihad, was largely made up of cash infusions from City owner Sheikh Mansour’s investment fund.
Four-times Europa League winner Unai Emery booked an astonishing sixth final in the competition as a manager on Thursday when his Aston Villa team swept aside Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their all-English semi-final.
The 54-year-old Spaniard has won three times with Sevilla (2014, 2015, 2016) and once with Villarreal (2021) – either side of a defeat with Arsenal (2019) – deservedly earning him the epithet “Mr Europa League” from some fans and media.
Now he goes to the 2026 final seeking a fifth title, this time with Aston Villa against Bundesliga side Freiburg.
“His track record speaks for itself,” said Villa striker Ollie Watkins, heaping praise on his boss as the man to guarantee Europa League success. “We need to go and win it now.”
Emery was delighted with how his team overturned a 1-0 deficit to Forest in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final to score four times at home and win 4-1 on aggregate.
“Now we have to look to the final,” he said, hoping that Villa will do “something fantastic” for their fans.
Though thrilled at Thursday’s win, Emery left the pitch quickly after the final whistle, pumping his fist a few times at the crowd before letting his players enjoy the moment with fans
He and his Villa side will be favourites at the Europa League final in Istanbul on May 20, but Emery was taking nothing for granted. “Of course German teams are so difficult, their coaches, their players are so good,” he added of the upcoming opponents.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
List of teams which have qualified for the next round of the Europa League after the league phase concluded on Thursday, ranked by table position:
Directly to the round of 16:
1. Olympique Lyonnais (France)
2. Aston Villa (England)
3. Midtjylland (Denmark)
4. Real Betis (Spain)
5. Porto (Portugal)
6. Braga (Portugal)
7. Freiburg (Germany)
8. AS Roma (Italy)
Knockout phase play-off places (seeded)
9. Genk (Belgium)
10. Bologna (Italy)
11. VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
12. Ferencvaros (Hungary)
13. Nottingham Forest (England)
14. Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)
15. Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
16. Celta Vigo (Spain)
Knockout phase play-off places (unseeded)
17. PAOK (Greece)
18. Lille (France)
19. Fenerbahce (Turkey)
20. Panathinaikos (Greece)
21. Celtic (Scotland)
22. Ludogorets (Bulgaria)
23. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
24. SK Brann (Norway)
-Reuters
UEFA Europa League – Aston Villa v RB Salzburg – Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain – January 29, 2026 Aston
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv will not accept any away fan tickets for their Europa League match at Aston Villa next month, even if local authorities reverse the decision to ban their supporters, they said on Monday.
The ban followed safety concerns raised by British Police, who cited potential protests outside Villa Park, following demonstrations at Israel’s recent World Cup qualifiers in Oslo and Udine.
“From hard lessons learned we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context,” Maccabi said in a statement.
“We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”
Aston Villa announced the decision last week, saying they were following instructions from the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), who are responsible for issuing safety certificates for games at Villa Park.
West Midlands Police described the match as high risk, past incidents, including violent confrontations and hate crime offences involving Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters ahead of a November 2024 game in Amsterdam.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described the announcement as “shameful”.
Villa are third in the Europa League standings while Maccabi Tel Aviv are 30th after two rounds.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Host CAF General Assembly For Third Time, CAF Awards For Seventh
Atlas Lions Embrace AI As Google Gemini Becomes Official Partner
NPFL at 36: Why Nigeria’s League Top Scorers Rarely Become Super Eagles Legends
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
NIGERIAN FOOTBALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SANUSI CHARGES NIGERIAN COACHES TO BE UPRIGHT, DILIGENT
- Boxing1 week ago
Usyk backs Joshua to beat Fury ahead of heavyweight showdown
- World Cup4 days ago
FIFA Plans Three Opening Ceremonies in All Host Nations for 2026 World Cup
- World Cup3 days ago
United States Unveils Hollywood-Style FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony
- World Cup3 days ago
Mexico president wavers on plan to cut school year by 40 days for the World Cup
- World Cup4 days ago
Burna Boy Joins Shakira for Official 2026 World Cup Song ‘Dai Dai’
- World Cup1 week ago
Despite 2026 Absence, Nigeria Still Leads Africa’s World Cup Winners’ Chart
- Nigerian Football4 days ago
Sporting Lagos Crowned 2026 NNL Champions After Dramatic Super Four Finale
- Premier League4 days ago
Man United’s Fernandes and City’s Shaw win FWA Footballer of the Year awards