Sports

Chelsea fined N850m, Juventus kicked from European competition by UEFA

Published

3 years ago

July 29, 2023

Chelsea fined N850m, Juventus kicked from European competition by UEFA

CHELSEA have agreed a resolution with European football governing body UEFA that will see them hand over 10 million euros (about 11 million dollars or N850 million).

This was after the English clubside owned up to “incomplete financial reporting” under the Roman Abramovich regime.

A new ownership group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed their take-over of the club in May last year from Abramovich.

The Russian was sanctioned over his links to Russia president Vladimir Putin.

UEFA, which has also banned Juventus from competing in the Europa Conference League this season due to financial irregularities, confirmed it was approached “proactively” by the Boehly-led consortium.

They detected instances of partial financial information being submitted in historical transactions occurring between 2012 and 2019, breaching UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play regulations.

A UEFA statement said: “Following its assessment, including the applicable statute of limitations, the CFCB (Club Financial Control Body) First Chamber entered into a settlement agreement with the club.

”It has agreed to pay a financial contribution of 10 million euros to fully resolve the reported matters.”

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The sanction represents another blow for Chelsea’s current owners after a disappointing first year at the helm.

The club’s 12th-place finish in the Premier League last term their worst since 1993/1994.

Chelsea have forked out around 600 million pounds (770 million dollars) in transfers since Boehly’s arrival.

Also, former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has been tasked with turning around their on-pitch fortunes.

Chelsea said in a statement the owners became aware of potential impropriety when carrying out a “thorough due diligence process” prior to the purchase.

It said upon completion of the take-over, they reported this to UEFA.

The statement added: “In accordance with the club’s ownership group’s core principles of full compliance and transparency with its regulators, we are grateful that this case has been concluded by proactive disclosure of information to UEFA and a settlement that fully resolves the reported matters.

“We wish to place on record our gratitude to UEFA for its consideration of this matter.

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“Chelsea greatly values its relationship with UEFA and looks forward to building on that relationship in the years to come.”

Juventus have also been reprimanded after a separate UEFA investigation and as well as throwing the Italian giants out of European football, they have been fined 20 million euros.

However, half of that fine has been suspended and Juventus will only have to pay if their financial records for the next three years do not comply with the accounting requirements.

Juventus were docked 10 points last season over their past transfer dealings, effectively ending their hopes of UEFA Champions League qualification.

They were found to have violated the framework of a settlement agreement with UEFA in August last year.

Juventus president Gianluca Ferrero said in a statement on the club’s website: “We regret the decision of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body.

“We do not share the interpretation that has been given of our defence and we remain firmly convinced of the legitimacy of our actions and the validity of our arguments.

“However, we have decided not to appeal this judgment. In spite of this painful decision, we can now face the new season by focusing on the field and not on the courts.”

Chelsea fined N850m, Juventus kicked from European competition by UEFA

(dpa/NAN)

Sports

Galatasaray Stun Juventus 5–2 in UEFA Champions League

Published

10 hours ago

February 18, 2026

Trends Admin

Victor Osimhen

Galatasaray Stun Juventus 5–2 in UEFA Champions League

Galatasaray delivered a remarkable comeback to defeat Juventus 5–2 in the Champions League knockout playoff first leg at Rams Park, Istanbul, giving the Turkish side a commanding three-goal advantage ahead of the second leg in Turin on 25 February 2026. The match was a thrilling spectacle of attacking brilliance, defensive lapses, and key disciplinary moments that turned the game in favor of the hosts.

Juventus initially took the lead after Gabriel Sara opened the scoring for Galatasaray in the 15th minute, only for Teun Koopmeiners to equalize immediately and then score again in the 32nd minute, giving the Italian side a 2–1 advantage at halftime. The Serie A giants appeared in control, but the second half saw Galatasaray shift momentum dramatically.

Just minutes into the second half, Noa Lang scored to level the game at 2–2, followed by Davinson Sánchez heading in a set-piece goal in the 60th minute to give Galatasaray the lead. Juventus’ hopes were further dented when Juan Cabal, a second-half substitute, was shown a second yellow card in the 67th minute, reducing the visitors to 10 men and giving Galatasaray a clear numerical advantage.

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Exploiting their superiority, Noa Lang netted his second goal of the evening in the 74th minute, and Sacha Boey sealed the emphatic 5–2 victory with a late strike in the 86th minute, completing one of Galatasaray’s most memorable Champions League performances in recent years.

The win marks a historic European night for Galatasaray, boosting confidence and positioning the Turkish side strongly for progression to the round of 16. Juventus, meanwhile, faces a challenging second leg in Turin, needing a near-perfect performance to overturn the three-goal deficit.

The match showcased Galatasaray’s attacking prowess, tactical discipline, and resilience, highlighting their ability to exploit opportunities and capitalize on numerical advantage while keeping pressure on a historically dominant European side.

Galatasaray Stun Juventus 5–2 in UEFA Champions League

Sports

Vinicius Jr’s Wonder Goal Gives Real Madrid Victory Over Benfica

Published

10 hours ago

February 18, 2026

Trends Admin

Vinicius Jr

Vinicius Jr’s Wonder Goal Gives Real Madrid Victory Over Benfica

Vinicius Jr scored a stunning match-winning goal to secure Real Madrid’s 1–0 victory over SL Benfica in the UEFA Champions League play-off first leg at Estádio da Luz in Lisbon on Tuesday. The Brazilian winger’s brilliance, however, was overshadowed by a racism controversy that marred the game.

The decisive moment came five minutes into the second half when Vinicius Jr curled a magnificent strike into the top corner, breaking the deadlock against a resilient Benfica defence. The goal put Real Madrid in a strong position ahead of the return leg in Madrid next week.

The celebrations quickly sparked tension when Vinicius ran toward the Benfica supporters after scoring. According to reports, Gianluca Prestianni, an Argentinian winger for Benfica, allegedly directed a racial slur at Vinicius. The referee, François Letexier, paused the game for about 10 minutes under UEFA’s anti-racism protocol as players and coaches conferred on the field. (goal.com)

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Television footage showed Prestianni covering his mouth while speaking to Vinicius, which many interpreted as an attempt to conceal a racist comment. Real Madrid players, including Kylian Mbappé, confronted the Benfica player, calling for disciplinary action. Mbappé later said Prestianni “doesn’t deserve to be in the Champions League.”

The crowd reacted with hostility toward Vinicius, frequently booing him and even throwing objects on the pitch. Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold described the alleged abuse as “a disgrace to football,” reflecting widespread frustration over persistent racism in European competitions.

Vinicius responded strongly on social media, calling the abusers “cowards” and emphasising that racism remains a serious issue in football. He urged stronger measures to protect players and ensure zero tolerance for racial discrimination.

Benfica manager José Mourinho defended his club, insisting Benfica is not racist and pointing to its history of diversity and iconic Black players. Mourinho acknowledged the tension around Vinicius’s goal celebration but urged players and fans to exercise restraint.

Despite the off-field drama, Real Madrid emerged victorious thanks to Vinicius Jr’s technical brilliance, taking a crucial advantage into the second leg. The match will be remembered both for the goal of the night and the alleged racial incident, which continues to spark debate across football communities.

Vinicius Jr’s Wonder Goal Gives Real Madrid Victory Over Benfica

Sports

X Restored After Global Outage Disrupts Millions Worldwide

Published

2 days ago

February 17, 2026

Trends Admin

X Restored After Global Outage Disrupts Millions Worldwide

The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has been fully restored after a global outage that left millions of users unable to access the service across several countries on Monday.

The disruption, which began earlier in the day, affected users in the United States, United Kingdom, Nigeria, India, and parts of Europe and Asia, with widespread complaints of blank timelines, login failures, error messages, and inability to post or refresh feeds. Both the mobile application and web version of the platform were impacted.

Online outage-tracking platforms recorded a sharp spike in user complaints, confirming that the issue was global rather than country-specific. Many users reported seeing messages such as “Something went wrong” while attempting to access their accounts.

After roughly two hours of downtime, services were gradually restored, with users regaining access to timelines, posts, messages, and other core features. By mid-afternoon GMT, functionality had largely returned to normal worldwide.

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While the platform confirmed restoration through improved service performance, X did not issue an official explanation for the outage. There was also no immediate public statement from the company’s owner, Elon Musk, regarding the cause of the disruption.

Industry observers described the incident as an international technical failure, stressing that it was not linked to government restrictions or localized internet shutdowns. The outage adds to a growing list of service disruptions experienced by the platform in recent months, raising renewed concerns about platform stability and infrastructure resilience.

X remains one of the world’s most influential social media platforms, widely used for breaking news, public discourse, business communication, and real-time updates, making the outage particularly disruptive for users and organizations that rely on it for timely information.