Bundesliga is set to become the first European top flight league to trial referees explaining VAR decisions to stadium spectators via loudspeakers.
The German Football League (DFL) confirmed in a statement that the pilot project will begin this Saturday.
Bayer Leverkusen and leaders Bayern Munich, with the public announcement procedure set to feature in five matches this weekend, the DFL said on Monday.
The project will aim for further transparency in refereeing decisions, the DFL added. The public announcement procedure was also used in the Carabao Cup semifinals earlier this month.
Second-tier side Fortuna Dusseldorf’s home game with SSV Ulm on Saturday will be the first match in Germany to feature the procedure, ahead of this weekend’s home fixtures of Bayern, St Pauli, Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Borussia Dortmund, Freiburg, RB Leipzig and Greuther Fuerth are also part of the project.
POLOKWANE, SOUTH AFRICA – JANUARY 27: Haashim Domingo of Cape Town City FC and Relebogile Mokhouane of Sekhukhune United during the Nedbank Cup, Last 32 match between Sekhukhune FC and Cape Town City FC at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on January 27, 2025 in Polokwane, South Africa. (Photo by Philip Maeta/Gallo Images)
Sekhukhune United progressed to the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup after beating Cape Town City 2-0 on Monday evening.
Nedbank Cup
Result: Sekhukhune United 2-0 Cape Town City
Date: 27 January 2025
Venue: Old Peter Mokaba Stadium
Sekhukhune recalled former Orlando Pirates midfielder Thabang Monare and Mamelodi Sundowns loanee Sipho Mbule, who both did not start in a narrow defeat to Kaizer Chiefs.
The Citizens, meanwhile, were also boosted by the return of Thamsanqa Mkhize, Haashim Domingo and Darwin Gonzalez following their win over Richards Bay.
The sides struggled to build any sort of rhythm in the early exchanges, with chances few and far between.
Monare came the closest to breaking the deadlock for Babina Noko just before the half-hour mark with a thumping shot that missed narrowly wide.
City were content to absorb the pressure in the latter phase of the first stanza but they did not get counter-attack opportunities as the first stanza did not produce any goals.
Muhsin Ertugral made a goalkeeping change at half-time as Elson Sithole replaced the experienced Darren Keet due to injury.
The change was unfortunate for City as just before the hour-mark Pirates loanee broke the deadlock with a curling shot that looped just over the fingertips of Sithole.
The Mother City outfit needed spark going forward and the Turkish coach made an attacking change as Jody Ahshene replaced Domingo.
The visitors, however, struggled to get out of their own half and with 20 minutes remaining, Relebogile Mokhuoane doubled the lead for Lehlohonolo Seema’s charges with a glancing header at the near post from a corner by Mbule.
Sekhukhune slowed down the tempo of the game in the dying minutes and City had no response, as the Limpopo side booked their spot in the last 16.
Samuel Eto has responded to CAF’s rejection of his candidacy to become a member of their executive committee.
Samuel Eto’o has responded to CAF’s latest decision to reject his candidacy for one of their high-profile positions.
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It has been speculated in the media in recent months that the iconic striker aspired to become a member of CAF’s executive committee.
The 43-year-old was elected president of the Cameroonian Football Federation in 2021 and, later this year, was hoping to continue his ascent within African football governance.
However, his aspirations have seemingly hit a major stumbling block. In January 2024, allegations surfaced that Eto’o was involved in match-fixing in the Cameroonian top flight.
While CAF stated that they did not have sufficient evidence to charge the former attacker in this regard, they found him guilty of violating the principles of ethics, integrity, and sportsmanship as provided in the CAF Statutes by becoming a global ambassador for 1XBet.
This could have cost him his chances of becoming an executive member of African football’s governing body. According to AfrikFoot, the CAF Governance Committee, which met on 24 January, decided against retaining his candidacy for the position.
The decision has seemingly not gone down well with the former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker, who said he is determined to remain in contention for the role.
“No one can prevent me from being a candidate for the Executive Committee because there are still several bodies that have to decide and as long as they have not yet decided, I am not convicted and I must be able to be a candidate,” Eto’o said to RFI.
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“And I believe that I will not be convicted because we have enough evidence to prove our innocence.”
Former SuperSport United striker Thabiso Nkoana has been given another lifeline to revive his football career following his short stint with Highbury FC in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
The 32-year-old has resurfaced at the SAFA North West ABC Motsepe League side Thames FC.
Nkoana was part of the three players shown the exit door by Highbury. This happened just five games into the new Motsepe Foundation Championship campaign. The other two players who were released alongside Thabiso Nkoana were ex-Bidvest Wits midfielder Phumlani Ntshangase and Mamelodi Sundowns product Abram Ngcobo.
He comes in with extensive experience, having also represented teams such as Ajax Cape Town, AmaTuks, Stellenbosch FC, Pretoria Callies, Platinum City Rovers, Venda FC, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila [TTM], and the now-defunct Thanda Royal Zulu.
With Nkoana boasting both Premier League and Motsepe Foundation Championship experience, the club believes the talented centre forward will add value to their attacking options as he revives his football career, aiding the team in reaching their primary objective of qualifying for the ABC League national playoffs and potentially securing promotion to the SA football second tier.
Thames was one of the teams that participated in the 2024 SAFA ABC Motsepe League national playoffs. The playoffs were held in Upington, Northern Cape.
North West ABC Motsepe League side Thames FC Photo: Thames FC
THAMES FC’S POSITION IN THE NORTH WEST ABC MOTSEPE LEAGUE LOG STANDINGS
As things stand, Thames are currently placed top of the North West ABC Motsepe League log standings. They have collected 31 points after 12 matches. In those 12 outings, the side managed to register 10 wins, draw one, and lose one in the process.
Thames will take on Thaba Tshwane FC at home on Wednesday, 29 January 2025. The game will start at 15:00 at Alabama Stadium.
Thames will be gunning to cement their top spot and increase their chances of qualifying for the national playoffs.
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HONOLULU — The Mililani boys soccer team worked extra time to extend its reign in the Oahu Interscholastic Association.
Kahuku, meanwhile, played its way to a trophy for the first time in 12 years.
The defending state champion Trojans received a stern challenge from the Campbell Sabers but they outlasted their OIA West rival for a 2-1 win in double overtime at breezy Kaiser High on Saturday night. It was the Central Oahu school’s fourth straight Division I league championship and record 20th overall.
[Note: See below for more photos of Kahuku-Waipahu football.]
After Campbell’s Bryson Ancheta put the Sabers on the board in the first half, Tyler Tamashiro put in the equalizer on a rebound in the box in the 48th minute and Caleb Ishizaka had the golden goal in the 95th.
Tamashiro’s blast came on a teammate’s long throw-in into the box, aided by strong winds that blew toward Maunalua Bay all night. All six goals scored between the D-I and D-II games were accomplished on that end of the field.
“I just remember we were trying to be direct, put the balls in the box, and I was just lucky to clean it up on there, on the rebound,” Tamashiro told Spectrum OC16’s Jimmy Bender.
The Trojans are one title shy of matching the OIA record of five in a row — Mililani did it from 2002-06 and McKinley won the first five from 1973-77.
Campbell (10-2-1) was denied its first title, falling to Mililani in the final for the second straight year.
In the D-II final, Kahuku surged in the final 10 minutes to come back to defeat Waipahu, 2-1, for the Red Raiders’ third overall title, and first since 2012. All three have come at the D-II level.
A move down from D-I to D-II this year worked out in the end for the Red Raiders, who got the equalizing goal from Kea Lerner on a penalty kick in the 72nd minute and the winner from Noa Vaiaoga on an assist from Lerner in the 77th.
“That’s just been our team all year. We’ve been resilient,” Lerner told Bender. “We were in D-I last year and we got moved down to D-II this year, and it’s just another opportunity. We came out here, did what we do best.”
Waipahu’s Gideon Gonda launched a ball that caught the wind and sailed off the back post and in in the 15th minute. The Marauders appeared poised to attain their second all-time title by weathering a number of Red Raider attacking runs.
Kahuku’s bus got caught in standstill traffic on the way down the coast to Hawaii Kai, resulting in the D-II game starting nearly two hours late.
By the time the D-I game finished, it was after 11 p.m.
The sun set over Kaiser High School’s field during the OIA Division II boys soccer championship. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Midfielder Louis Faustino dribbled the ball for Kahuku. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Waipahu goalkeeper Evan Baptista made a diving save. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Kahuku’s Kea Lerner serviced the ball. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Ku Ponciano battled for the ball for Kahuku. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Kahuku’s Kea Lerner, middle left, leaped into teammates after his equalizer goal on a penalty kick. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Kahuku’s Kea Lerner, right, struck his penalty kick in the 72nd minute. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at [email protected].
Premier League, Tottenham’s latest defeat piles more pressure on manager Ange Postecoglou, while Manchester City shrugged off an early deficit to Chelsea — and shaky debut for Abdukodir Khusanov — to pick up a 3-1 win and get back into the top four.
In LaLiga, Real Madrid took control of the title race as Kylian Mbappé scored an impressive hat trick to beat Real Valladolid, though Barcelona thrashed Valencia to remain in contention. Elsewhere, there were talking points for Borussia Dortmund and their caretaker manager, AS Monaco, AC Milan and Juventus.
Luis Miguel Echegaray, Sam Marsden and Constantin Eckner take a look at what you might have missed this weekend.
Top takeaway: Postecoglou’s future in doubt as Tottenham endure worst-ever Premier League run
On Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-1 to Leicester City, a result that moved the Foxes out of the relegation zone. For Spurs and Ange Postecoglou, however, the numbers are not good. Spurs have now recorded their 13th loss of the season — as many as Ipswich Town — which also marked their fourth straight in the league. They haven’t earned a league victory since Dec. 15 and are 15th in the table, only eight points from the relegation zone.
A counterargument could highlight the fact that key injuries are impacting their ability to execute their style of play. Another angle could be the available players and how they should shoulder the responsibility. But these are one-dimensional excuses because this is a situation where, sadly, the main focal point is the manager’s stubborn approach and how it’s costing the team’s physical and mental stamina. For a while now, Spurs have looked very tired and when you have a diminished squad, it is the role of the manager to be more pragmatic and alter the style of play. That’s not happening under their Greek-Australian manager.
I still think he’s a good coach with good ideas and the Carabao Cup run could be their only saving grace, but if this rut continues, the club’s executive chairman and decision-maker, Daniel Levy, will have a lot to think about.
Omar Marmoush — and both delivered headlines for varying reasons. The 20-year-old Khusanov, who doesn’t speak English and had only two training sessions leading up the game, made a huge mistake that resulted in Chelsea’s opener. Then he received an early yellow card after a foul on Cole Palmer. Only Jonathan Woodgate’s debut with Real Madrid (an own goal and a red card) was looking worse for a centre-back, but as the game developed, the Uzbekistan defender grew into it.
Marmoush, however, was a beautiful revelation for the Premier League. His pace, aggression and ability to make dangerous runs will add another dimension to a City side that’s returning to form. To add more erratic themes, Chelsea’s goalkeeper Robert Sánchez wins the lot after his terrible decision to come off his line, allowing Erling Haaland to score and make it 2-1 before Phil Foden netted the third in the 87th minute.
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Did Cole Palmer go missing for Chelsea in their loss vs. Man City?
Luis Miguel Echegaray reacts to Chelsea’s 3-1 loss to Manchester City in the Premier League.
Best goal: Alexander Isak, Newcastle United vs. Southampton
Newcastle United returned to winning ways on Saturday thanks to a 3-1 win over Southampton with Isak scoring a brace in the space of four minutes. It was another trademark weekend by the Swedish international, who at this point is possibly winning the argument for currently the best striker in Europe. The first was a penalty, but the second? A wonderful ball from Jacob Murphy, which split the defensive line and found Isak, who beautifully controlled the ball before putting it past Saints goalkeeper Alex McCarthy. The movement, the placement — all of it was world class.
Our colleague and former Man City defender Nedum Onuoha mentioned this weekend on BBC Sport that Isak brings reminiscences of Thierry Henry, and I have to tell you, I don’t disagree.
MVP of the weekend: Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal
There’s an argument for Bournemouth’s Dango Ouattara following his second-half hat-trick in Bournemouth’s 5-0 rout of Nottingham Forest, but my vote goes to the Italian defender who entered the game in the second half to help the Gunners earn three very valuable points.
Calafiori’s winner against Wolves served as inspiration in a game that saw Arsenal had to fight hard with 10 men after Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card due to “serious foul play,” but it also delivered the most important takeaway: Calafiori’s goal keeps Arsenal’s title hopes alive. — Echegaray
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Did Arsenal keep their title hopes alive with late win vs. Wolves?
Luis Miguel Echegaray reacts to Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Wolves in the Premier League.
Top takeaway: Real Madrid have daylight at the top of LaLiga
There has been heat on Real Madrid this season — at times fairly, as they have failed to deliver in big games — yet this weekend saw them open up a four-point lead at the top of LaLiga. Carlo Ancelotti’s side took full advantage of second-placed Atlético Madrid being held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal as they dispatched Real Valladolid with little fuss, Kylian Mbappé netting three in a routine 3-0 win.
Ancelotti points out there is still a long way to go (17 games, to be exact) but it’s going to be tough for the chasing pack to catch Madrid given this is supposedly them out of form. Their latest win came without Vinícius Júnior, too, who was suspended, but with Mbappé in increasingly devastating form. At the moment, despite injuries in defence and doubts about a Toni Kroos-less midfielder, that is enough.
Atlético, though, will be kicking themselves. After winning eight games in a row to climb to the top of the table, they are now without a win in two. The pending Madrid derby on Feb. 8 at the Bernabéu is not quite make-or-break, but it looks like a game Diego Simeone’s side can afford to lose in the scheme of the title race.
Raphinha and Lamine Yamal were once again good, but coach Hansi Flick will have been happy with the performances from Fermín López and Frenkie de Jong, two players who have struggled for minutes this season. Fermín, in particular, was impressive, scoring twice and creating two more goals.
Best goal: Loïc Badé, Sevilla vs. Espanyol
Badé was the goodie this weekend as he rescued a point for Sevilla against Espanyol with a brilliant curling effort from 25 yards. What made the defender’s goal even more memorable was that it came after he’d just had a goal cruelly ruled out and had been battling back days of transfer links to Aston Villa. He celebrated by sliding into the corner and kissing the Sevilla badge.
MVP of the weekend: Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid
The Frenchman says he has finally adapted to his new surroundings following his summer move from Paris Saint-Germain and the evidence backs him up. He netted a hat trick in the win over Valladolid, his first for Madrid, and he has now scored eight times in his past five appearances in all competitions.
His first two finishes were typical Mbappé, shaping in from the left and finishing with the inside of his right foot. His third came late on from the penalty spot, and was his 15th in LaLiga this season. He is now just two behind the league’s top scorer, Robert Lewandowski. — Marsden
Top takeaway: No win for Dortmund under caretaker manager Tullberg
Dortmund assigned Mike Tullberg, usually the Under-19s head coach, to manage the team against Werder Bremen following Nuri Şahin’s dismissal last Wednesday. The 39-year-old Dane demanded the same kind of grit and hardnosed mentality he himself showed as a player. “I always slogged away ad nauseam, was never the best on the ball. It was all willpower in my case,” Tullberg said before the game.
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While we have witnessed the caretaker manager bump time and time again, with teams generally looking reenergized after a change in the dugout, it did not work out quite like that for Dortmund. In front of a passionate and nervous crowd inside Signal Iduna Park, the similarities to previous outings were striking, with Dortmund having loads of ball possession while looking vulnerable against counterattacks. One fast-paced attack by Bremen caused Nico Schlotterbeck to attempt an unwise last-man tackle, the veteran defender getting a red card barely 20 minutes in.
Fascinatingly, Dortmund did not change their strategy much despite being one man down, scoring twice before making familiar errors that ultimately cost them two points. Bremen staged a comeback thanks to Leonardo Bittencourt and Dortmund native Marvin Ducksch, as both teams played to a draw.
Surely, Dortmund’s courageous display following Schlotterbeck’s dismissal can create hope that there is life in this team. But mentality and willpower are not enough if the Schwarzgelben commit a number of mistakes in almost every game. Whoever is hired as Şahin’s successor will have their hands full.
Best match: RB Leipzig 2, Bayer Leverkusen 2
The most high-profile game of the matchday was the clash between fifth-placed RB Leipzig and second-placed Bayer Leverkusen. Even though Leipzig were coming off their first win in the UEFA Champions League this season and should have felt confident, they were barely able to contain Leverkusen’s transcendent playmaker Florian Wirtz during the first half. The Leverkusen playmaker scored the first goal after a beautiful dribble and he set up Aleix García to score the 2-0, which marked García’s maiden goal for Leverkusen. However, Leipzig fought their way back into the game and were able to snatch points away from Leverkusen.
Interestingly, the match had almost the identical dynamic as their encounter on matchday two, when Leipzig beat Leverkusen 3-2 to end the unbeaten streak for Xabi Alonso & Co. in exciting fashion.
Best goal: Leonardo Bittencourt, Werder Bremen vs. Dortmund
As mentioned above, Bremen managed to get back into the game at Signal Iduna Park despite being down 2-0 at the hour mark. In the lead-up to Bremen’s first goal, Julian Ryerson headed the ball in front of Miloš Veljković from a high cross, with Veljković immediately passing it on to Bittencourt, whose shot from 23 yards out hit the top left corner of the goal. The Bundesliga measured the speed of Bittencourt’s strike at 62 mph.
MVP of the weekend: Florian Wirtz
While Wirtz was unable to secure the win for Leverkusen at Leipzig, he once again stole the show. He could be awarded the MVP laurels this weekend for the way he fooled both Willi Orbán and Arthur Vermeeren before scoring the go-ahead goal alone. — Eckner
What else you missed this weekend
AC Milan, Pulisic, Musah deliver in fantastic comeback win
On Sunday, new arrival Kyle Walker watched in the stands as AC Milan and American duo Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah produced a wonderful comeback to beat Parma 3-2 at the San Siro. Parma led twice thanks to Matteo Cancellieri and Enrico Del Prato’s goals, which were sandwiched between Pulisic’s penalty. The visitors seemed as if they were about to do the league double over Milan, but in stoppage time, magic happened.
Tijjani Reijnders received Musah’s ball to make it 2-2, with Samuel Chukwueze earning the winner in the fifth minute of added time. There was a long check for offside but once the goal was confirmed, the stadium erupted. It was a big win for Milan and Sérgio Conceição, as they try to keep up in the battle for European places. — Echegaray
Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only).
Juve’s invincible dream over
Sticking in Italy, Napoli ended Juventus’ unbeaten start to the Serie A season, sparing us what might well have been Europe’s worst invincible campaign. Frank Anguissa and Romelu Lukaku’s second-half goals helped Antonio Conte’s side come from behind to reaffirm their place at the top of the table, after Randal Kolo Muani had given Juve the lead on his debut. Incredibly, considering they are a staggering 16 points off the pace, it was the Old Lady’s first league defeat of the campaign, but they’ve won just eight of their 22 Serie A games, drawing 13, and slumped to fifth following this weekend’s loss. — Marsden
Panic stations at Benfica?
It has not been a great month for Benfica, who suffered their third defeat in four league games with a surprise 3-1 defeat to Casa Pia this weekend. They are now seven points behind leaders Sporting CP. Throw in the midweek 5-4 loss to Barcelona — a game they led 3-1 and 4-2 — in the Champions League and the pressure is on when they travel to Juventus on Wednesday, attempting to book their place in the knockout round of the competition. — Marsden
AS Monaco end weeks of misery
The winter months have not been nice to Monaco. Following their win over Toulouse in early December, Monaco stumbled from one disappointing result to the next … until this week. First, Adi Hütter’s side beat Aston Villa in the UEFA Champions League thanks to a Wilfried Singo header, improving its chances of qualifying for the first knockout round. Then, it beat Rennes 3-2 in a real shootout on Saturday.
Hütter, who recently extended his contract until 2027 despite the recent slump, must feel some relief. With 30 points after 16 matchdays, Monaco had an identical record as last season. But it seemed as if Hütter’s team could not maintain its level of performance this time around. Perhaps the two recent wins mark a turnaround.
Paris Saint-Germain might already be too far ahead in the Ligue 1 standings, but finishing second once again would still count as a success for the Austrian manager. — Eckner
