EUROPA League
ARSENAL EASE PAST DUNDALK TO STAY PERFECT IN EUROPA LEAGUE
Arsenal maintained their perfect record in this season’s Europa League as goals from Eddie Nketiah, Mohamed Elneny, Joe Willock and Folarin Balogun sealed a 4-2 win at Dundalk in their final Group B match on Thursday (Dec 10).
Much-changed Arsenal, who rested several senior players having already qualified for the last 32, went ahead in the 12th minute when Nketiah chipped the ball over Dundalk goalkeeper Gary Rogers for his fifth goal in all competitions this season.
Elneny doubled the lead with a shot from distance six minutes later for his first Arsenal goal in three years, but the Irish side hit back through Jordan Flores who beat Runar Runarsson following a neat exchange with Michael Duffy.
Bottom-placed Dundalk had the opportunity to equalise but Darragh Leahy’s effort from point-blank range was blocked by Calum Chambers before Willock struck with a low shot after the interval to make it 3-1 to Arsenal.
Substitute Balogun added a fourth with a side-foot finish after being played in by Nicolas Pepe 10 minutes from time before Sean Hoare nodded in a consolation goal for the hosts at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
“The group stage in general is really positive. It’s never easy to win six games in Europe. We’ve been really consistent and performing well,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told reporters.
Arsenal, who scored 20 goals in the six group games, will discover their last-32 opponents in Monday’s draw in Nyon, but Arteta was focusing Sunday’s Premier League game against Burnley.
Arsenal are 15th in England’s top flight with 13 points from 11 games, three places above Burnley who are in the relegation zone.
“We need to start winning football matches immediately. We know that has to start on Sunday,” Spaniard Arteta said.
-Reuters
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
Crystal Palace’s appeal against UEFA’s decision to drop them from the Europa League to the third-tier Conference League was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday.
UEFA demoted Palace while allowing Olympique Lyonnais to play in the Europa League as, at the time of assessment on March 1, the Eagle Football Group were majority owners of Lyon while their chairman, John Textor, owned a controlling stake in Palace.
Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season, will replace Palace in the Europa League.
“After considering the evidence, the panel found that John Textor, founder of Eagle Football Holdings, had shares in CPFC and OL and was a board member with decisive influence over both clubs at the time of UEFA’s assessment date,” the CAS said in a statement.
“The panel also dismissed the argument by CPFC that they received unfair treatment in comparison to Nottingham Forest and OL.”
Palace did not respond to a request for comment. Club chairman Steve Parish told reporters on Sunday that if Palace lost the appeal, they would “have to look if there’s any steps after that.”
The club, who qualified for the Europa League as FA Cup winners, appealed against UEFA’s decision last month.
The appeal came days before New York Jets co-owner Robert Wood “Woody” Johnson completed the purchase of Eagle Football Holdings’ stake in Palace.
Textor has also resigned from Lyon’s board of directors with Michele Kang appointed chairwoman and president.
As both Lyon and Palace had qualified for the Europa League, the French club were allowed to keep their place because they had finished higher in their respective league. Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1 while Palace were 12th in the Premier League.
“Olympique Lyonnais welcomes today’s decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirming its participation in the Europa League,” Lyon said in a statement.
Palace, who won the Community Shield on Sunday , beating Liverpool in a penalty shootout, are set to play in the Conference League’s qualifying playoff round later this month.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
UEFA has decided to postpone its assessment of the multi-club ownership case involving Olympique Lyonnais and Crystal Palace until the French club’s relegation has been confirmed, European football’s governing body said on Monday.
The multi-club ownership regulations do not allow clubs under the same ownership compete in the same European competition, and American businessman John Textor holds a stake in both Palace and Lyon.
Palace qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup last season while Lyon reached the competition by finishing sixth in Ligue 1 but have since been relegated to Ligue 2 by French football’s financial watchdog (DNCG).
Lyon are appealing the decision, which came following an audit of the club’s finances, and UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body will now await the outcome of the appeal before making its decision.
UEFA and Lyon reached a settlement agreement over the club’s breach of the financial sustainability requirements, and as part of the settlement, Lyon agreed to their exclusion from European competition should the DNCG confirm their relegation.
League of Ireland club Drogheda United lost an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier this month over their exclusion from the Conference League, after falling foul of the multi-club ownership rules.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Two of a Kind: Pelé and Yekini Celebrate Birthdays in the World Beyond
After Super Eagles’ big win, Super Falcons plot another doomsday for Benin in WAFCON Qualifier
Osimhen double guides Galatasaray to 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt
- World Cup1 week ago
Victor Osimhen qualifies South Africa for World Cup as Super Eagles go for Play-Off
- FIFA RANKING6 days ago
Nigeria Jumps Four Places in New FIFA Rankings; Stirs Optimism in Local Football Circles
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Serial offenders, Kano Pillars Fined ₦9.5m, Banished to Katsina
- AFCON1 week ago
Tinubu Hails Super Eagles’ Spirit, Assures Support Ahead of World Cup Play-Offs
- CAF Champions League4 days ago
Remo Stars Host Mamelodi Sundowns in Crucial CAF Champions League Showdown
- CAF Champions League5 days ago
Two Decades After Their Defeat, Mamelodi Sundowns Return to Abeokuta
- CAF Champions League5 days ago
Black Bulls Edge Rivers United 1–0 in CAF Champions League Clash
- Nigerian Football4 days ago
Jay-Jay Okocha Call Turns NPFL Boss to Instant Celebrity in Madrid