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• Deal for Celtic’s Australian manager should be completed soon
• Spanish giants may target England captain as Benzema leaves

Tottenham Hotspur are close to ending their managerial search by hiring Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach, but the north London club could soon have to deal with Real Madrid looking to replace Karim Benzema with Harry Kane.

Spurs have been in a state of flux since parting company with Antonio Conte in March and the impending appointment of Postecoglou, who is fresh from leading Celtic to a domestic treble, should reintroduce certainty. The Australian has impressed since joining Celtic two years ago and a deal to bring him to north London should be completed soon.

Some progress has been made under Erik ten Hag but the FA Cup final showed how far they are behind neighbours Manchester City

One of the funniest things José Mourinho did in his early days at Chelsea, back when his toxic vibe still felt light and fun and only slightly vicious and mean, was to stand at the entrance to the Old Trafford pitch before a Carling Cup quarter-final and make a point of energetically shaking hands with every Manchester United player as they walked on to their own pitch.

United’s players looked bemused but went through with it all the same, submitting to the full routine of neck-cuffs and cheek-pinches, albeit with a weirdly emasculating sense of being ambushed, permitted to take part in a game at their own house by the grace of Mourinho’s hand.

• Sweden’s all-time top scorer hangs up boots at Milan
• Ibrahimovic says a final farewell to fans at San Siro

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has announced his retirement from football, at the age of 41.

The Swedish superstar’s contract expires at the end of June and it will not be renewed following a season plagued by injuries, prompting him to end a remarkable and successful career.

• Pep Guardiola bidding to win treble after FA Cup victory
• Gündogan: ‘We want this one more than all the others’

Ilkay Gündogan has described the Champions League as the trophy Manchester City want “more than all the others” and said the team’s preparations for the final on Saturday against Internazionale in Istanbul, where they will seek to claim the treble, will be “simple”.

Gündogan’s two goals against Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday secured City the Double and made it a case of one more to go as they look to match their neighbours’ triumph of 1999. It was also the 11th major trophy of Guardiola’s tenure at City since he arrived there in the summer of 2016. Under him, the club have won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups.

The Lioness appreciated by colleagues for her bright outlook helped inspire Barça’s comeback win in Eindhoven

Keira Walsh gets caught up in a conga line going past the waiting press, trophy at the front, singing loud. She eventually hauls herself back in order to speak to the journalists, waiting patiently as they finish another interview.

“Keira is an amazing player,” shouts Caroline Graham Hansen over the noise and Walsh grins in response, sunglasses on, flag slung round her shoulders, gold Champions League medal around her neck following victory over Wolfsburg in Eindhoven on Saturday. “Keira brings the vibes and happiness to the team.”

• French striker linked with move to Saudi Arabia
• Carlo Ancelotti: ‘Departure was a surprise for everyone’

Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema scored on his final Real Madrid appearance, just hours after the club confirmed he would leave as a free agent at the end of the season.

After 14 trophy-laden years, Real announced the striker would be moving on after being linked with a switch to Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad. But there was still time for a final farewell, as he scored in Real’s 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao at the Bernabéu.

• Ex-Spurs defender scores in stoppage time against Genk
• Union Saint-Gilloise miss out after letting in three late goals

Toby Alderweireld slammed home a stoppage-time equaliser to hand Royal Antwerp the Belgian championship for the first time in 66 years in a dramatic conclusion to the season in which they edged out Genk and Union Saint-Gilloise in a three-way race.

Antwerp drew 2-2 at Genk to finish one point ahead of their opponents and Union, who were on course for a first title in 88 years but lost out in a dramatic conclusion to their last match at home to outgoing champions Club Brugge.

Portuguese compatriots duel for honours in a patchy first season in the Middle East for the ex-Manchester United striker

When Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr announced the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in late December, their Instagram following jumped from less than 1 million to almost 15 million. On the pitch, despite Ronaldo’s best efforts, the Riyadh club slipped from first when he arrived to finish second in May as Nuno Espírito Santo led Al-Ittihad to a first championship since 2009.

This move was always about much more than football but there was plenty of that to talk about. A first league title as a coach for the former Tottenham and Wolves manager means his Portuguese compatriot will have to wait until next season for the chance to add to the seven domestic championships won with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.

Imperious midfielder key to Pep Guardiola’s treble chasers with European success the last leg of journey after FA Cup victory

Rodri has the gleaming gold of an FA Cup winners’ medal around his neck and the lettering on his dark Manchester City T-shirt frames it all: “June 3rd 2023. CUP WINNERS. Kings of the City.”

It is Saturday evening at Wembley and what most people had foreseen – and not just the City kit guys – has come to pass. With Rodri imperious in midfield again, luxuriating in the form of his life, City have beaten Manchester United to complete the league and Cup Double. It is a sensational achievement and yet one which nobody has properly stopped to acknowledge.

Commentator on fighting a sex discrimination case against her former club, tackling trolls and why her job ‘doesn’t feel like work’

‘I get a lot of direct messages during a game and obviously I don’t read them,” Lucy Ward says as, in her role as one of the most astute voices in English football, she explains the ritual abuse that stalks her and other women working in the men’s game.

Ward’s consistent excellence meant that she was chosen as BT Sport’s co-commentator during the pivotal Premier League game of this season, when Manchester City blitzed Arsenal in April to virtually ensure they would become champions again. But rather than allowing Ward’s vast experience and knowledge of football to enhance the experience of watching such an important match, many men sent her venomous messages.

Every deal in the WSL, Liga F, Frauen-Bundesliga, Division 1 Féminine and Serie A Femminile as well as a club-by-club guide

• Men’s transfer interactive: all the latest deals
• Moving the Goalposts: our women’s football newsletter

• Man pictured in Manchester United shirt at FA Cup final
• Shirt had number 97 and ‘Not enough’ on the back

A man has been charged after allegedly being seen on Saturday wearing a shirt at the FA Cup final that appeared to make an offensive reference to the Hillsborough disaster.

James White, 33, of Warwickshire, was charged on Sunday with displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, Scotland Yard said. He was bailed to appear at Willesden magistrates’ court on 19 June.

Jack Grealish was penalised for inadvertently touching the ball with his fingers, giving United the chance to equalise

As it turned out, it didn’t affect the destination of the FA Cup or deny Manchester City a chance at the treble, but it might have done. Manchester United had created very little when suddenly VAR gave them a penalty for something almost nobody appealed. Assuredly, under the laws, as they are now interpreted, the decision was correct. Jack Grealish’s hand was raised almost to shoulder height as Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s header struck it, and that these days is an offence. But really, why should it be?

Why should games be decided not by skill or heart, by organisation or improvisation, but by 75% chances of a goal handed out because of random bounces and bobbles? Grealish was not cheating. He did not seek to gain an advantage. He just jumped and, in twisting to see where the ball went, his arm went out to balance him. This wasn’t a Peter Schmeichel-style star jump, spreading himself to make a block; it was just a man jumping, his arms doing what arms do when somebody jumps.

• Incident happened during Argentinian league game
• Club say ‘there was no violent situation in the stand’

A fan died after falling from a stand at the Argentinian club River Plate’s Estadio Monumental during Saturday’s game against Defensa y Justicia.

The match was suspended after 26 minutes and the venue was evacuated as a result of the incident. According to the club’s report there was no violence or third party intervention.

If, as seems highly likely, this was farewell it was low key in nature. Ange Postecoglou refused to directly address speculation he will be named as Tottenham’s new manager in the lead-up to the Scottish Cup final. He was similarly vague after a domestic treble was secured with victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Everything, however, points towards Postecoglou pitching up in north London within days.

“Before you look ahead, you have to enjoy this,” Postecoglou said. “Everyone has worked very hard for this. They all deserve to enjoy this. Whatever is next will take care of itself.”

• 36-year-old admits ‘desires for other things’
• Goalkeeper remains under contract at Spurs

Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris has admitted he “desires for other things” and is contemplating life away from the club at what he called “the end of an era”.

The 36-year-old retired from international duty with France in January, one year after signing a contract extension that would keep him at Spurs through to the end of next season. There has been speculation, however, that the goalkeeper might have already played his last game for the side he joined in 2012 following his season-ending thigh injury against Newcastle in April.

• Ligue 1 winners officially announce World Cup winner’s exit
• Eden Hazard leaving Real Madrid after contract ended early

Lionel Messi played his final match for Paris Saint-Germain – a 3-2 home defeat by Clermont Foot – after two years in Ligue 1, the club confirmed on Saturday.

“After two seasons in the French capital, Leo Messi’s adventure with Paris Saint-Germain will come to an end at the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign,” PSG said in a statement.

Reflecting on his BBC ‘furore’, the presenter opens up on refugees, tweeting politics and Alan Shearer making him cry in a taxi

Gary Lineker is squeezed into the back of a Fiat Punto whizzing through Italian streets. All sharp, frantic, narrow turns, something about the scene feels familiar, echoes of the opening to Asif Kapadia’s film on Diego Maradona, and from behind the driver going up and down through the gears there’s a grin. “I’ve never felt so close to Diego,” the former England striker says, voice just audible over the rattle of cobbles and the sound of sirens. “If only it was Naples.”

Instead, this is Rome. Lineker has come to receive a Sport and Human Rights award from Amnesty International. Here, not sticking to sport is cause for commendation, not criticism, still less punishment. “A lot of people like footballers having a voice, using their platform; when they don’t, it’s often because they disagree with the opinion,” he says, as the city speeds by. “It’s interesting to be in Italy for this, with the government they have now.” There’s a pause, a laugh. “I doubt they know about it. It’s a nice gesture. I’m sure the recent furore brought me here.”

With his loan spell over and unwanted by Atlético, the £113m prodigy dealing in cameos is still looking for his masterpiece

João Félix took Mykhaylo Mudryk’s volleyed pass in the centre circle and ran at the Manchester United defence. Raphaël Varane, unprotected by a central midfielder, backed off. With a slight feint, Félix had Varane shift his weight right when it needed to go left, glided into the space that opened up as a result and then drove his finish low from the edge of the box past David de Gea.

At a different time, in another context, it might have been regarded as a stunning goal, an intervention of the highest quality. Everything about it was precise and direct. But it was in the final minute of a 4-1 defeat.

Violence, homophobia, racism and sexism make many fans at away games feel unsafe – and clubs aren’t doing enough to help

Ask anyone what they enjoy about attending professional women’s football and the answers will be similar: they are reeled in not only by the quality but the atmosphere, friendliness and inclusivity. With the women’s game growing, the toxicity around men’s football, especially for travelling supporters, is an even more glaring contrast. As the season ends, the Guardian spoke to fans of clubs across the Premier League and EFL who reported offensive chants, language, behaviour and sexual assaults. For women, families, black, Asian and minority ethnic and LGBTQ+ fans, following their team on the road can be difficult and uncomfortable.

One female supporter spoke of experiencing sexual assaults regularly when following her team and going to other games with friends. “I’ve normalised it,” she said. “You’d think I’d turn around and call them out, but I didn’t. Last time, it was only [when] walking back to the car I said to my husband: ‘Oh yeah, that’s happened again.’ I should have been more horrified, but it happens all the time, particularly at away games where people have been drinking all day. They think that’s acceptable. I don’t accept that.”

Erik ten Hag turned to striker for equaliser against Manchester City but only underlined how money bloat sealed fate years ago

With 14 minutes remaining, Pep Guardiola made his first substitution of the afternoon. Off came Kevin De Bruyne, the best player on the pitch, perhaps with a view to giving him a rest before next Saturday’s Champions League final. On came a fresh Phil Foden, one of the best young players in Europe. Right. Your move, Erik ten Hag.

So it was that a minute later, Manchester United unveiled the secret weapon that they hoped would win them the 2023 FA Cup: Wout Weghorst.

Defender planted olive trees to compensate for emissions from his Watford to Salernitana loan and wants football to educate and act

This month, on 14 June to be precise, the summer transfer window opens. It is not usually the prompt for a footballer to visit an orchard. But on Thursday William Troost-Ekong took a trip to see the olive trees planted in Salerno to compensate for the carbon dioxide emissions created by his January loan from Watford to the Serie A side Salernitana.

His move was, he believes, the first carbon-neutral international transfer. The defender says he wanted to switch club “without harming the planet – or at least as little as possible” and believes the wider game should follow suit. “There is always a lot of money involved in a transfer. It would be good if part of this, and it is actually a small amount, is used as standard to make the transfer climate neutral. This should be the goal for all players and clubs.”

The atmosphere was part carnival, part powder keg as Manchester United and Manchester City fans shrugged off questions of money and politics and enjoyed the spectacle

When the full-time whistle blew, it felt like the cheers at the sky-blue Waldorf pub in Manchester city centre would be heard at Wembley.

“We’ve won so much over the last 10 years,” grinned 26-year-old Tom Lucas. “But this is special. This is one we’ll be telling our grandkids about.”

Our cartoonist hands out his end-of-season awards with nods to a reinvented Roy Hodgson and Eddie Howe’s biggest fan

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It was a long season. How much do you remember about it?

Memorable moments and indelible images from another captivating top flight season

Also: Players | Managers | Goals | Matches | Young players | Signings | Flops | Gripes | Pundits

The season began with Manchester City’s new £51m signing, Erling Haaland, scoring … a lot. The Norwegian struck twice on his Premier League debut at West Ham, scored another against Newcastle where City rescued a 3-3 draw, and then racked up back-to-back hat-tricks against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest. Contrast that with Darwin Núñez, Liverpool’s big summer recruit, who netted on his league debut at Fulham before head-butting Palace’s Joachim Andersen to earn a red card and suspension. The highlight (lowlight?) of the month came after Chelsea’s match with Tottenham, when the rival managers, Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte, became locked in a comically fierce handshake.

The best players, most gripping games and finest signings – plus the biggest flops and greatest gripes

Has Erling Haaland been the best player or the most blisteringly, devastatingly effective? Is there a difference? Either way, Kevin De Bruyne cast aside a mixed opening half of the season by his sky-high standards to turn on the style for Manchester City’s title charge and shades his colleague for all-round brilliance. Until Arsenal’s tail-off Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard were running him mightily close: it has been a joy to see the latter, in particular, fulfilling the expectations that have followed him around for a decade. Nick Ames

We thought Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea would finish in the top four and that Fulham and Bournemouth would go down

What we predicted: “Winning the Champions League is the focus for City, although anything less than top spot domestically will be a disappointment for a team aiming to set higher standards each season. Liverpool’s evolution and improvement will keep City on their toes and ensure there is, at the very least, a two-horse race for the title.”

We select a few contenders for the Premier League’s match of the season – and invite you to have your say

Also: Players | Managers | Goals | Young players | Signings | Flops | Gripes | Pundits | Photos

The darkest hour is before the dawn, they say, and Erik ten Hag’s United regime began with two grim league defeats. After Brighton had won at Old Trafford, brilliant Brentford made hay in boiling temperatures as the new United, in attempting to play the ball out from the back, looked rather like the failing collective of the previous decade. David de Gea dropped clangers, Cristiano Ronaldo snarled at his teammates. “[Ten Hag] will need to be an exceptional manager, a man of considerable moral courage, to recover from this,” I wrote in my match report that day. He has gone a considerable distance to suggest he might be. Brentford, meanwhile, confirmed they were here to stay as a fly in any passing elite-level ointment.

Players time-wasting, fans expecting too much and the continued dominance of gambling adverts all make our list

Also: Players | Managers | Goals | Matches | Young players | Signings | Flops | Pundits | Photos

Surely we are at the stage where we do not need to constantly criticise players who have not reached the level a fan wants them to in the first few months of the season? We can all now look at Jack Grealish being integral to Manchester City’s title-winning side and realise what happens when someone with incredible talent is allowed a year to settle in. Grealish has worked out what he needs to do after making the big leap from doing what he wanted at Aston Villa to learning a new role in the best team in the world. This season, Darwin Núñez has been questioned after not providing the goods at Liverpool, while Antony’s consistency for Manchester United is under scrutiny. Players should be allowed time to show their worth; it does little good berating them for their failings after arriving in a new country to play at a higher level. That said, if they are still underwhelming at the end of next season: fill your boots.

We select a few contenders for the Premier League’s rising star of the season – and invite you to have your say

Also: Players | Managers | Goals | Matches | Signings | Flops | Gripes | Pundits | Photos

When I wrote the equivalent article a year ago, Saka was again the first name on my list. I finished my entry with: “What is frightening is how much better he could become, especially if Arsenal invest in a proper striker and a right-back capable of overlapping and creating more space for Saka.” The emergence of Ben White at right-back and the signing of Gabriel Jesus have indeed furthered Saka’s development: he has scored 14 league goals and only Kevin De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard and Mohamed Salah have more than his 11 assists. Before the World Cup, many were unsure whether Saka had a place in Gareth Southgate’s first XI. By the end of the tournament, he was probably the second or third name on the team sheet. For club and country, the cheerful Saka is a smiling assassin and has propelled Arsenal from also-rans to title contenders in less than 12 months. Gunners fans will be delighted about his new four-year contract, which will allow Mikel Arteta to build around him.

We select a few contenders for the Premier League’s signing of the season – and offer you the chance to have your say

Also: Players | Managers | Goals | Matches | Young players | Flops | Gripes | Pundits | Photos

The simplest deals are often the best deals, and too many overthought this one. What would a manager like Pep Guardiola do with a guaranteed goal machine with the cruising speed of a runaway Scania and the height of an Olympian pole vaulter? The answer, once the requisite adjustments had been made, was that Guardiola and Manchester City now had the use of a goalscoring force so powerful that early 20th-century ghosts such as Dixie Dean and George Camsell were brought back to prominence. All while journalists reached for metaphors along the lines of “wrecking ball” and “Death Star”; Haaland appears to have made City more powerful than they could possibly imagine. Pity poor Darwin Núñez, who entered the season being compared to the Norwegian, and at Liverpool had the kind of inconsistent season that might be expected of a new signing in a new country. From two goals on his league debut at West Ham onwards, there could never be doubts in Haaland.

The Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, has urged his players to take the 'great opportunity' in front of them and win the English FA Cup at the expense of their local rivals Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday. While City are seeking to lift England's oldest trophy for the seventh time, the Reds are hoping for a 13th triumph. City are also seeking the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles – a feat only previously achieved by United in 1999.

José Mourinho escalated his verbal attacks on the referee Anthony Taylor after Roma’s Europa League final defeat by swearing at him in a car park while calling the English official “a disgrace”. Mourinho was filmed shouting abuse at Taylor in English and Italian in the VIP car park before leaving the Puskas Arena in Budapest. Towards the end of about 50 seconds of criticism he walked up to the passenger door of what appears to be the van in which Taylor was to be driven away. The Roma manager could face punishment from Uefa for his conduct there and in the press conference after Roma lost on penalties to Sevilla.

• José Mourinho swears at referee Taylor and labels him ‘disgrace’ in car park

• José Mourinho angry with referee and unclear on Roma future after defeat

Fans celebrated late into the night after Sevilla beat Roma 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Budapest to lift the Europa League trophy for a record-extending seventh time, handing Roma manager José Mourinho his first defeat in six European finals. "I think this was a reward for having never stopped believing," said Sevilla midfielder Óliver Torres. "Many times during this season there have been people who did not believe in us, and we always stayed strong and together, so this was a reward for all our work this year."

• Match report from the final in Budapest

• Mourinho swears at referee Taylor and calls him ‘disgrace’ in car park rant

• Jonathan Wilson: José fights the bad fight and ends up on losing side

Everton's 1-0 win over Bournemouth made sure that Sean Dyche's side finished two points above Leicester, whose 2-1 win over West Ham proved to be in vain. The Everton manager, Sean Dyche, said there was 'no joy in it, other than getting the job done', and credited the players for changing their mentality amid a culture of negativity at the club. Dean Smith's Leicester have gone down, with the interim manager expressing 'massive disappointment' as the former Premier League winners joined Leeds and Southampton in the Championship.

• Everton seal Premier League survival as Doucouré screamer sinks Bournemouth

• Leicester relegated from Premier League despite victory over West Ham

• Leeds go down with a whimper as Tottenham miss Europe despite win

The Roma mannager, José Mourinho, joked that the Italian club allowed him the opportunity to win last season's Europa Conference League showpiece whereas his former club Tottenham gave him 'no chance' of winning the 2021 English League Cup final, due to his sacking shortly before that contest against Manchester City at Wembley. Mourinho was speaking before his side's Europa League final against Sevilla in Budapest.

• ‘Better coach, same DNA’: Mourinho matures as Roma target more glory

Thousands of Benfica fans took to the streets of Lisbon to celebrate their side becoming Portuguese champions after a 3-0 win at home against bottom-placed Santa Clara. Benfica players joined the celebrating supporters who gathered at Marquês de Pombal roundabout, in downtown Lisbon, where they traditionally celebrate. This was the club's record-extending 38th league title and their first in four years. Fans turned out in their masses to celebrate with flares and fireworks.

• Manager dismissed by MLS club after four straight losses
• ‘I want to thank Phil for his hard work,’ says Beckham

Phil Neville has been sacked as manager of the Major League Soccer side Inter Miami. The 46-year-old has paid the price for a poor run of form, with the 1-0 defeat by New York Red Bulls proving the final straw.

Neville, who was appointed in January 2021 after his resignation as England Women manager, leaves the club bottom of MSL’s Eastern Conference after four successive defeats. The assistant Javier Morales has stepped in as interim head coach, with the team next in action at home against DC United on Saturday.

• Harder and Eriksson join champions on deals to 2026
• Arsenal’s Maanum and Chelsea’s James sign new contracts

Pernille Harder and Magda Eriksson have joined Bayern Munich after leaving Chelsea at the end of their contracts. They have signed for the Frauen Bundesliga champions on deals to 2026.

Harder and Eriksson, who are a couple, recently won their third consecutive Women’s Super League and Women’s FA Cup double. Harder is returning to the Bundesliga after she left Wolfsburg to join Chelsea in 2020 for what the German club said was a world record fee in women’s football. “I’m happy to be back in the Bundesliga and can’t wait to play here again,” said the Denmark forward, who scored 105 goals in 114 games for Wolfsburg.

The governing body for the game in Canada has been questioned by MPs looking into abuse and poor governance. But some believe little progress has been made

Testimony by newly elected Canada Soccer president Charmaine Crooks has been called “revisionist” by a former board member after her appearance in front of members of parliament investigating sexual misconduct within sport.

Crooks joined Concacaf president Victor Montagliani and other former Canada Soccer presidents and executives as they faced criticism from the Canadian parliament’s Heritage Committee for poor governance and failing to take allegations of abuse seriously.

• Galtier: ‘I had privilege of coaching the best player in history’
• Will Still extends Reims contract, Igor Tudor quits Marseille

Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier has confirmed Lionel Messi will play his final match for the club this weekend.

Messi’s contract with the French club expires this summer and Galtier confirmed on Thursday what many had expected.

• Gala beat Ankaragucu 4-1 with two goals from Mauro Icardi
• Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce five points behind

Galatasaray claimed their 23rd Turkish league title, and first since 2019, with a 4-1 victory over Ankaragucu in their penultimate match of the Super Lig season on Tuesday, with two goals from Mauro Icardi and further goals from Baris Alper Yilmaz and Sergio Oliveira securing the triumph.

Icardi gave the Istanbul club the lead in the seventh minute but Ankaragucu striker Milson levelled nine minutes later. Icardi restored Galatasaray’s advantage five minutes before half time. Yilmaz scored in the 73rd minute and Sergio Oliveira sealed the win five minutes later.

Milan’s narrow victory in Turin sealed a top-four finish but for Juventus the scandal over alleged false accounting continues

It should have been blood and thunder, two of Italy’s biggest clubs squaring off on the penultimate weekend with Champions League football on the line. Juventus and Milan instead gave us dull, with blunders, in front of a listless crowd.

Significant sections of the Allianz Stadium were empty at kick-off. Fewer than 500 Milan supporters had made the short trip to Turin, others balking at the €80 (£70) ticket price in the away section. Juventus Ultras from the Curva Sud, meanwhile, were staging a protest outside against what they perceive as heavy-handed treatment from their club, including restrictions on flags, banners and instruments that can be brought into the ground.

• Footballer suspected of involvement in shipments during 2020
• Spartak Moscow’s Dutch forward also facing assault charges

Spartak Moscow’s Dutch forward Quincy Promes is being prosecuted in the Netherlands for his alleged involvement in drugs trafficking, Dutch prosecutors said on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old former international is suspected of having been involved with smuggling 1,360 kilos of cocaine to the Netherlands or Belgium in two shipments in 2020, the prosecutors stated in an email.

Lens have stayed true to their mining heritage while booking a place in the Champions League for the first time in 20 years

By Raphaël Jucobin for Get French Football News

As he buried his first penalty of the season – for his 20th goal overall – there was only one way for Lens striker Loïs Openda to celebrate. The Belgian striker had just equalled Roger Boli’s record goal tally over a single campaign for the club and proceeded to mimic the Franco-Ivorian striker’s iconic aeroplane celebration.

The goal – the third in a 3-0 victory over already relegated Ajaccio – secured the team’s spot in next season’s Champions League. The anthem for that competition provided the background music to the celebrations at the final whistle as the Ligue 1 runners-up revelled in their most successful campaign in 25 years. Lens have become one of the very few underdogs to upset French football’s established hierarchy of European qualifiers over the past few decades.

City winning five of the last six titles has not diluted interest as the popularity of England’s top flight outstrips its competitors

There are concerns in England about whether the increasing dominance of Manchester City will reduce the popular and commercial appeal of the Premier League. The signs in Asia, the biggest overseas market, however, suggest that even a succession of City processions will result in more fans for the club rather than fewer for the league.

“Nobody in South Korea thinks that the Premier League will not be competitive, especially if City can also achieve meaningful results continentally and there are still dogfights between big clubs to qualify for the Champions League,” Baek Jung-hyun, head of planning at KBS Sports, South Korea’s public broadcaster, said. “There are enough interesting points in the Premier League for Korean fans. Arsenal could have been champions and nobody expected that at the start of the season.”

The game’s stakeholders must meet with Jewish bodies to take guidance and spell out the penalties for discriminating against my community

Football is rooted in love. As kids, we love the simple joy of the game, and as we grow alongside it we love how it melds with what we love – community, family and friends. Football is who we are.

But where there are in-groups there are out-groups, and while as fans our antipathy to everyone who is not “us” mainly constitutes harmless fun … sometimes it doesn’t. The WhatsApp conversations of the Ashburton Army, a prominent Arsenal supporter group, were riddled with antisemitism that included references to Israel, the Holocaust and circumcision. Though I wasn’t surprised when I heard about them because to a Jew, antisemitism is never surprising, when I saw them I was staggered by their harrowing specificity, blase ferocity and mind-boggling abundance – likewise the apparent failure of any of the chat’s administrators to intervene. It is partially because of that omission that police are now investigating the matter.

Exclusive: in the first of his series of Guardian columns, Arsenal’s head coach runs the rule over two clubs he has faced in the past two seasons

The narrative of the past three Champions League finals has been similar, with one team really coming out, dominating and profiting from their goalscoring opportunities early on. It is the chance to gain momentum and give the opponents a game they maybe hadn’t prepared for.

In last year’s final, Barcelona were on the receiving end of a fast start from Lyon. In Saturday’s final, between Barcelona and Wolfsburg, we will probably see both teams attempt to start aggressively.

Tuesday marks 12 months since the takeover by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital and they feel lessons have been learned

Last week, as the first anniversary of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completing their £2.5bn takeover of Chelsea drew closer, the overriding feeling was relief. The season from hell was almost over.

Around the training ground the talk is of widespread misery and players openly looking to leave, though there is plenty of blame to go around. The coaching staff have been shocked at the apathy in training. Frank Lampard, whose time as interim head coach ended on Sunday, has derided the dip in standards. Some people believe that Mauricio Pochettino, whose appointment is an undeniable positive, will be in for a shock when he gets to work.

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Saturday, Wembley Way. The tribes will gather, demarcated by red and blue – though Mancunian fashion by-laws dictate all adult males must wear white ankle socks below thigh-revealing shorts, should temperatures top 15 degrees. It’s likely to be bad-tempered; it always is between these two, but rail strikes and lengthy motorway delays from Congleton downwards are hardly likely to ease the mood.

Plus: league winners missing out on promotion; relegated champions; and who were shipwrecked on their way to a game?

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“There surely can’t be many nations whose capitals have had as long a European drought as Moldova with Chisinau,” tweets Richard Wilson.

It’s certainly been a while since the denizens of Chisinau have had anything to look out for on the European stage – you have to go back to 2017-18 for the city’s last appearance of any kind in European competition, Dacia Chisinau crashing out of the Europa League in the first qualifying round with a 7-0 aggregate defeat to North Macedonia’s Shkendija Tetovo.

Any more for any more? Email us or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini, Lars Sivertsen and Sid Lowe as Sevilla beat Roma to win the Europa League for a record-extending seventh time

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Today: Sevilla win an incredibly ugly Europa League final on penalties, their seventh title in their favourite competition. José Mourinho was unhappy with just about everything that happened – the panel ask how Sevilla keep doing this and whether we’re tired of the Roma manager’s histrionics.

Today’s tittle-tattle is back in the room

Like a Fleetwood Mac comeback tour, Rumours are back, baby.

Four goals (and one red card) in 20 games for Chelsea has not convinced Mauricio Pochettino to keep on João Félix at Chelsea, but has the Portuguese flickered brightly enough to convince other clubs? Félix has been offered to Newcastle and certainly would be an interesting option for Eddie Howe, who doesn’t have a ready-made second striker in his ranks. Félix’s parent club, Atlético Madrid, have already admitted that they “don’t have anything planned” for the fifth most expensive player in history, who is currently consoling himself on a yacht in the Med.

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzanne Wrack, Robyn Cowen, chair of Chelsea Pride Tracy Brown, and the FA’s Kelly Simmons to wrap up on the final day of the Women’s Super League, and look back on a cracking season.

In today’s pod: the final day of the Women’s Super League season went as we expected. Chelsea are champions for the fourth consecutive season, and after eight years, Reading’s time in the top flight came to an end. Leicester did their job in beating Brighton and Arsenal secured Champions League football despite defeat to Villa. The panel look back at the highs and lows of the 22-23 season.

Plus: Kelly Simmons, the women’s professional game director for the FA, joins us as she prepares to leave the role this summer after over 30 years driving the women’s game in this country.

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With the Football League playoff semi-finals having proved themselves – yet again – over the past few weeks to be just about the best set of fixtures in the entire football calendar, the finals were somewhat more jittery, stodgy affairs over the bank holiday weekend. Four goals were spread across the first 362 minutes of showpiece action at Wembley, with two 1-1 draws going all the way to penalties … then Josh Windass popped up with one of the more dramatic winners you’ll ever see in the 363rd, sending Sheffield Wednesday up to the Championship at the expense of South Yorkshire neighbours Barnsley.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Barney Ronay and Jonathan Fadugba as the 2022-23 Premier League season draws to a close. Plus, Suzy Wrack is here for a WSL debrief.

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Today: Everton survive on a sort of dramatic final day in the Premier League. The panel ask what now for them and for Leicester and Leeds, the two sides relegated with Southampton.

Is the US market big enough for two Division I leagues – and which one will the stars choose to play in?

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Major news struck the US soccer landscape last week as the National Women’s Soccer League may have a domestic competitor in operation from as early as next year.

New manager can use lack of European football to his advantage provided he finds an answer to team’s chronic lack of goals

Mauricio Pochettino needs Chelsea’s controlling co-owners, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, to see him as the boss. The new manager must pay attention to Arsène Wenger saying that Boehly was wrong to enter the dressing room after Chelsea’s defeat by Brighton to tell the players that the season has been “embarrassing”. Boundaries have to be established. Pochettino’s has to be the loudest voice.

We assess how each team fared and select the best players, rising talents and goals of the season

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries to Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, Leah Williamson and Laura Wienroither. Season-ending injuries to Kim Little and Lia Wälti. Long-term injuries to Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley. Arsenal’s season was blighted by the absence of key personnel. Yet, somehow, they have a League Cup trophy and a place in the Champions League next season. The resilience of the squad, the willingness and desire of players to step up and fight for each other as the challenge has got harder and harder, has been incredible. SW

No team with talented players such as James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans should be this bad

As the clock ticked past 80 minutes at the King Power Stadium, with Leicester beating West Ham but hostage entirely to events at Goodison Park, it felt fitting that this should be one of those relegations sung to its rest by ghosts of other games, of goals unscored, energy waves, rumours, the Mexican wave of death.

Several times through those final 10 minutes the ground was gripped by sudden contortions of false joy, leaping, roaring sections of crowd lifted by news of fake survival, reality-lag, non-redemption. If Bournemouth score a non-goal and nobody tells the King Power it doesn’t exist: is that non-goal still a goal? And who does Youri Tielemans sign for next season?

Arsenal winning the title in his memory was a fanciful thought, but in the end this team showed me something more valuable

“Come to see the Arsenal … you’ve only come to see the Arsenal …” The refrain continues, as it always will, repeated in the treasured memories of watching Arsène Wenger’s fabulous team with my father, Ray, in their glory years. But we’re not singing along. Ray is most likely succeeding in not showing his delight after another goal is rattled in, while sharing a knowing look with my brother, Adam, and I. Meanwhile our poker faces will have undoubtedly left a little to be desired. How we basked in the choir’s production, almost silent partners muddled in with hapless home supporters safe and smug in the simple truth that we had, indeed, only come to see the Arsenal.

Growing up as Arsenal fans in Telford made these clandestine trips a necessity. My brother and I fell in love with the club thanks to our dad’s passion and to an individuality built quickly through standing together in a playground crammed with Manchester United fans. Originally from Essex, Ray’s career dictated frequent moves before we settled in Shropshire, where our north London outpost felt like it would be forever stationed.

From Antonio Nusa to Mathys Tel, we pick 60 of the most talented players born in 2005. Check the progress of our classes of 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014

• Twenty of the best Premier League prospect from 2022

We pick the best youngsters at each club born between 1 September 2005 and 31 August 2006, an age band known as first-year scholars. Check the progress of our classes of 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014

Five years ago we picked 80 promising players from around the world and have followed their progress since then.

• Premier League Next Gen 2017 | Rest of the world 2017

Talent spotting in football can be a brutal and precarious business. There are so many pitfalls on the way and a player who is outstanding at 16 may not make it for a variety of reasons: loss of form and/or confidence, injuries and a host of personal reasons.

Every now and then, however, a player comes through who is so good that he or she seems destined to make it to the top. Erling Haaland – or Erling Braut Håland as he was known back then – is one of them. Of course, a serious injury could have derailed his career but he was one of those kids who stand out from an early age.