Andrej Cukic/EPA
Referees’ calls often come under attack even though those making the criticisms know the punishmenst were warranted.
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Sports programmes have the potential to improve lives by offering positive social connection.
Champions League hopeful Pep Guardiola at a pre-tournament press conference.
EPA-EFE/ADAM VAUGHAN
Does more games mean more excitement?
Real Madrid won the Champions League in 2024.
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It’s another step in the ‘gamblification’ of sport.
Dziurek/Shutterstock
A new study found the benefits of amateur sport outweigh the risks of a single blow to the head – but repeated concussions are likely to do more damage.
The league claims that players reported half as many concussions after the caps were mandated for practices.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
For the first time, players will be permitted to wear Guardian Caps over their helmets during regular season games.
Scottish fans during the UEFA Euros in 2024.
Maciej Rogowski Photo/Shutterstock
For Scotland fans, it’s less about losing, but rather how the team lose.
David Cliff / EPA Images
Semi-automated offside technology tracks players at very high speeds and levels of detail.
Punters place their bets on European soccer games.
Isaac Kasamani/AFP
What outsiders might view as wasted time (betting on sports) is actually being used productively to prepare for the future.
The first two weeks of practice are hardest as the body acclimatizes.
Derek Davis/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
An athletic trainer explains why bodies need time time to acclimatize, and the risks to watch out for.
Tolga Akmen/EPA
Southgate’s record as England manager is only bettered by Alf Ramsey, under whom England won the 1966 World Cup
A visitor to the Marcus Rashford mural in Withington, where tributes were placed in support of him following the Euro 2020 final.
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Two former players in this research team’s study retired early from professional English football because of the traumatic toll of racial abuse.
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Regularly watching sporting events – whether in person or on TV – is linked to higher wellbeing.
Ronaldo reacts to his missed penalty against Slovenia.
Ronald Wittek/EPA-EFE
Some performances symbolised Europe’s wider struggle to retain its power, influence and relevance.
Not your typical hooligans.
Jose Breton/Anadolu via Getty Images
The most successful teams at Europe’s soccer championship comprise diverse players, often thanks to immigration. Could that be influencing fans’ views of nationalism?
Jude Bellingham prepares for his spot kick in England’s quarter-final penalty shootout against Switzerland.
Xinhua / Alamy
A newly developed technique called functional imagery training could help footballers improve their performance in the most pressured situations.
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The humble kebab has been voted the favourite food of fans at the 2024 European men’s football championships.
Birmingham boy Bellingam during England’s Euro 2024 match against Slovenia.
Vitalii Vitleo/Shutterstock
The divisions lower down the football pyramid deserve greater support.
Optimistic Scotland fans at the opening match against hosts Germany at Euro 2024.
AP / Alamy
For host cities football fans are simultaneously potential consumers and criminals. But they have rights, and fan zones are a good way of protecting fans, the public and the streets.
The Georgian men’s national team celebrate after winning their match against Portugal, setting themselves up for a last-16 tie against Spain.
Georgi Licovski / EPA
Georgia’s football team has surpassed expectations as political turmoil rumbles on at home.