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German soccer and Adidas are breaking up.

American sportswear giant Nike will supply all of Germany’s national teams with their apparel and equipment from 2027, the German soccer federation (DFB) surprisingly announced Thursday.

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The new deal extends to 2034 and ends Germany’s long-standing relationship with Adidas, which goes back some 70 years and had appeared unshakeable.

Germany’s men’s team is using Adidas’ headquarters in Herzogenaurach, near Nuremberg, as its team base for the European Championship, which Germany is hosting this summer.

Adidas appeared to be surprised by the DFB’s decision to switch to its biggest rival, only confirming in a brief statement: “We were informed by the DFB today that the association will have a new supplier from 2027.”

German teams wore Adidas gear for all four of the men’s World Cup titles, their three European titles, and the women’s two World Cup and eight European titles.

“We’re looking forward to working with Nike and the trust they’ve placed in us,” federation president Bernd Neuendorf said in a statement. “The future partnership will enable the DFB to continue to carry out key tasks in the coming decade with regard to the comprehensive development of soccer in Germany.

“But one thing is also clear — until December 2026, we will do everything we can to achieve shared success with our long-standing and current partner Adidas, to whom German soccer has owed a lot for more than seven decades.”

Adi Dassler, the founder of the German sportswear brand, sat on the bench beside West Germany coach Sepp Herberger when the German men’s team won the World Cup for the first time in 1954, wearing his company’s screw-in stud boots.

Dassler did not invent the boots with changeable studs, as many believe. They were invented some years before by German shoemaker Alexander Salot, who registered his invention with the German patent office on Aug. 30, 1949.

But they certainly helped the Germans beat Hungary in the 1954 World Cup final. Dassler’s company has been supplying German soccer with its gear ever since, and only last week it presented the new jerseys for Euro 2024, which Germany will host between between June 14 and July 14.

Germany’s under-21 coach Antonio Di Salvo said the decision to change kit supplier was “very surprising for everyone … especially now when the new jersey for the European Championship was presented. I did not expect that.”

It appears to have been driven by financial and other concerns.

“Nike made by far the best economic offer and also impressed with its substantive vision, which includes a clear commitment to the promotion of amateur and grassroots sports as well as the sustainable development of women’s soccer in Germany,” DFB chief executive Holger Blask said.

DFB treasurer Stephan Grunwald also pointed to a rosier future for German soccer as a result of the new deal.

“We are grateful to be able to look forward to an economically stable future as an association thanks to Nike’s commitment,” Grunwald said, without providing details of what the American company will pay.

It’s clearly more than Adidas was prepared to invest to extend its existing deal. But the DFB’s decision to switch has not met universal approval at home.

“I can hardly imagine the German jersey without the three stripes,” German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said. “Adidas and black-red-gold always belonged together for me, a piece of German identity. I would have liked a bit more local patriotism.”

LONDON — The sheer speed of Declan Rice’s evolution at Arsenal has taken many people by surprise. Just not the man himself.

The 25-year-old midfielder signed from West Ham United in the summer for an initial £100 million, with £5m in add-ons, and has been integral to the Gunners’ hopes of winning the Premier League title this season as they sit two points off Liverpool at the top of the table.

“I’ll be honest, some people might stand here and say ‘Yeah, I’ve surprised myself,’ but I haven’t,” Rice tells ESPN. “I was playing this well at West Ham, I feel like my levels at West Ham gave me so much confidence and belief in myself to have that belief I can be a top Premier League player.

“But the main thing was to be myself. Not to change anything. Just because I have been signed for £105 million, don’t do anything different, just be myself. Things can unlock and so far things have gone really well. I’ve signed for six years and there is still such a long way to go in my Arsenal career.”

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Rice is speaking after being named the Premier League Player of the Year at the London Football Awards, which is yet another indication of the significant impact he has made since leaving the Hammers in that club-record deal.

But it was a difficult decision for him. Rice joined West Ham aged 14 after being released by Chelsea and went on to captain the club and make 245 appearances, the last of which concluded with lifting their first trophy in 43 years as they beat Fiorentina 2-1 in the final of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Rice had developed into one of England’s finest midfielders and despite a genuine affinity with the club where he turned from boy to man, the time had come to test himself at the top end of the Premier League. Playing against his old side was always going to be tricky and Arsenal made it unexpectedly harder, losing 3-1 in the Carabao Cup in November — when Rice was a 57th-minute substitute — and then succumbing at home in the Premier League with a 2-0 defeat in which he conceded a penalty in the final minutes.

That backdrop made last month’s league trip to London Stadium — his first start as an opponent in the venue he used to call home — all the more intriguing. But the collective response was emphatic. After receiving a mixed reception when taking an early corner (Yes, he’s on set pieces now, more of that later), the Gunners went on to win 6-0, with Rice refusing to celebrate a brilliant sixth goal which he curled in from 25 yards. And he hasn’t spoken about the emotions of that day until now.

“It was so tough,” he says. “We lost in the cup to them. We lost in the league at the Emirates; I didn’t play well and gave away a penalty. The West Ham fans bantered me and I can 100% take that; I played for West Ham for 10 years and I know how they work. When I went over to take the corner, there were a few boos, but there were claps as well.

“I know my love for them has never changed; their love for me has never changed. It is one of those things where you move on. Obviously I scored a great goal, it was really odd. Even speaking about it now, it is weird. A lot of the lads asked me afterwards, ‘How does it feel?’ It was a bittersweet feeling, really odd.

“I always said I would never celebrate against West Ham and I don’t think I ever will. They made me who I am. I spent 10 years there; I owe them a lot. I would never ever celebrate; I think that would be really disrespectful. Overall, [it was] a really good day to win and to score, but a bittersweet feeling.”

Rice has brought composure and class to Arsenal’s midfield, but there are new aspects to his game emerging all the time. He had ostensibly been labelled a defensive midfielder — critics arguing earlier in his career that his passing range was too conservative — but under Mikel Arteta’s tutelage, Rice has switched between playing as a deep-lying No. 6 or a more attack-minded No. 8, a change which has helped in part lead to some unexpected goal contributions.

The England international has already equalled his best-ever return in a Premier League season, netting four times, including some vital moments such as a stoppage-time strike against Manchester United and a last-second winner at Luton.

“To score that and watch the goal back, you can’t help but smile,” he says of his goal against United in early September. “Probably my best moment so far. My role has completely changed to what I was doing at West Ham and it has taken time to adapt, to improve, to ask questions, and I am really just trying to buy into it. I was bought for a lot of money, I want to ask questions and improve, and I want to win stuff with this club.”

In perhaps the most unexpected twist yet, Rice is now given responsibility for corners and set pieces — a trait first witnessed with a goal from his corner in Arsenal’s first game back after a warm weather training break in Dubai: a 5-0 win over Crystal Palace.

“We had actually been having conversations about it with Nico [Nicolas Jover], the set-piece coach, since the start of the season,” he says. “Obviously because of my height [6-foot-1], he’s wanted me in the box. I just feel like he wanted a switch-up. If I hadn’t got the assist [against Palace], I don’t think anyone would have been talking about it.

“Obviously I’ve been putting in good deliveries near middle, back post in games. I get excited by getting assists now. It is a big thing for me. Whereas before, goals and assists weren’t really my thing. But now I like getting assists, getting goals and I feel it gives me that extra energy on the pitch. I’m striving, I’ve got targets between the end of the season, what I want to hit.”

Arsenal’s ultimate target is to go one better than last season and win the league. They held an eight-point advantage at the beginning of April only to win three of the final nine league matches as Manchester City overhauled them.

Rice was just an onlooker for West Ham then, aware of the perception that either the Gunners ran out of steam or wilted when the pressure reached maximum intensity.

“I think Arsenal were the best team in the league last season, but they slipped up at the end,” he says. “What they say now is they can’t believe they lost the league from being eight points ahead.

“This year I feel like everyone in the team including the manager, the staff, want to learn from those mistakes. We’re stronger; we have the belief. If we go 1-0 down, we have that confidence and mental strength in us that we can push on and win games. The league is so strong this year anything can happen. There are 12 games to go but the main thing is we’re right in there. At Christmas we had a little wobble, we lost two games on the bounce which wasn’t good, but we’ve won big games at home recently which has been really important.

“Come the end of the season, we’ll see who wins it, but playing in it has been special, going head-to-head with the top teams every week and the pressure, it is so good and I know me and all the lads are really enjoying it. So we’ll continue and see what happens.”

So are there even greater levels Rice can reach?

“I have this conversation with the manager all the time,” he adds. “A couple of weeks ago he said, ‘You don’t realise the potential of how far you can go.’ Maybe sometimes I don’t, maybe sometimes I play it down and I don’t feel as confident as I seem. The next thing is winning trophies.”

Once Arsenal’s season is over, Rice will head to Germany where England are among the favourites to win Euro 2024. Gareth Southgate will hope to benefit from Rice’s progress at Arsenal, Jude Bellingham’s elevation at Real Madrid and Harry Kane’s consistent goal scoring at Bayern Munich. The high-class individual talent at the manager’s disposal will only heighten talk of whether, finally, England can end a 58-year wait for silverware.

“I feel like it is the conversation every time a tournament comes around,” Rice says. “A lot of players are obviously playing really well. So many players in the Premier League: Jarrod Bowen at West Ham, Ross Barkley at Luton, Cole Palmer [Chelsea], Curtis Jones [Liverpool], so many players playing well.

“[It’s a] big one in Germany; never been done on foreign soil. Gareth and [assistant coach] Steve [Holland] have reminded us of that. We’re confident. We’ve got two big games in March [against Brazil and Belgium] which will be a really good test. If we learn from the previous World Cup and the Euros, anything can happen. It is what happens on the day, you know? If you can perform and deal with the pressure. I really believe we can.”

Everton’s punishment for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSRs) has been reduced from 10 points to six on appeal by the Merseyside club, the Premier League announced on Monday.

The initial 10-point sanction was handed down in November, with Everton immediately filing their appeal against what was the harshest such penalty in Premier League history.

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In a statement on Monday, the league said: “Everton FC appealed the sanction imposed against it on nine grounds, each of which related to the sanction rather than the fact of the breach, which the club admitted.

“Two of those nine grounds were upheld by the Appeal Board, which has substituted the original points deduction of 10 for six.

“This revised sanction has immediate effect and the Premier League table will be updated today to reflect this.”

The decision moves Everton from 17th in the league table to 15th, five points clear of the relegation zone.

Everton said they were satisfied at the ruling in a club statement posted Monday.

“We understand the Appeal Board considered the 10-point deduction originally imposed to be inappropriate when assessed against the available benchmarks of which the club made the Commission aware, including the position under the relevant EFL regulations, and the 9-point deduction that is imposed under the Premier League’s own rules in the event of insolvency.

“The club is also particularly pleased with the Appeal Board’s decision to overturn the original Commission’s finding that the club failed to act in utmost good faith.

“That decision, along with reducing the points deduction, was an incredibly important point of principle for the Club on appeal. The club, therefore, feels vindicated in pursuing its appeal.”

The Premier League’s PSRs stipulate that a club can lose no more than £105 million ($133.6m) over a three-year period.

Everton’s figures that led to the punishment showed a fifth straight year of losses, with their total loss over that period amounting to more than £430m.

The club said they had posted a loss of £44.7m for the 2021-22 season earlier this year.

After three straight years of losses in excess of £100m, Everton said they had made significant reductions to their losses, down £76m from last year’s loss of £121m.

Everton were charged again in January for further contraventions of the PSRs, along with Nottingham Forest, but no punishment has yet been given by the league.

“Notwithstanding the Appeal Board’s decision, and the positive outcome, the club remains fully committed to cooperating with the Premier League in respect of the ongoing proceedings brought for the accounting period ending in June 2023,” Everton said of those charges in their statement.

It was not just about Jordan beating South Korea to reach a maiden AFC Asian Cup final.

It was the fact they completely outplayed their more-illustrious opponents who just happen to be two-time champions, traditional powerhouses of the continent, and ranked 23rd in the world.

While many would have been expecting a smash-and-grab job to be Jordan’s best chance of beating South Korea on Tuesday, this was anything but.

The hunger and endeavour were never going to be in doubt. That comes with the territory of being the underdogs.

But Jordan were far more fluid, composed, incisive and decisive, as they claimed a 2-0 win for the ages — courtesy of second-half goals by Yazan Al-Naimat and Musa Al-Taamari — to keep their fairy tale alive.

Perhaps, in the knowledge that South Korea have made a habit of starting matches tepidly at this tournament, the game plan for Jordan was to bring the heat early on — and it worked a treat as they gained the ascendancy from the opening whistle.

Still, as much as the South Koreans have tended to allow their opponents to fire away first in recent outings, they had not shot themselves in the foot like they did on Tuesday.

Having already been wasteful in possession on numerous occasions in the first half, Park Yong-Woo produced another sloppy piece of play eight minutes after the restart – attempting a medium-range ground pass that just did not have enough pace.

It forced Kim Young-Gwon into having to wait for the ball to arrive.

In a blink of an eye, the ball was long gone as Al-Taamari nipped in to win possession before sliding through an incisive pass for Al-Naimat to run onto and finish over the onrushing Jo Hyeon-woo.

13 minutes later, Al-Taamari would cause damage once again — this time without the need for any assistance, as he embarked on a jinking run from the left to the edge of the box before expertly dispatching a shot past Jo’s despairing dive.

From that point on, Jordan never looked like relinquishing their place in Saturday’s final even in spite of South Korea’s newfound reputation of comeback kings.

In fact, it was a sign of how desperate things were getting for the Taegeuk Warriors when Cho Gue-Sung broke into the opposition area late on but — after having an avenue to goal blocked by some resolute last-ditch defending — attempted to win a penalty with one of the most ridiculous dives ever.

South Korea knew. They were up against — and about to be eliminated — by an opposition that was simply superior.

And, for the most part of their campaign, Jordan have indeed been the superior team in every game.

Yet, their reputation means it is unlikely they will be the favourites come the final regardless of whether it is three-time winners Iran or hosts and defending champions Qatar who they are up against.

Still, either of those two teams only have to look at Tuesday’s display to know that the Jordanians should not be taken lightly.

Having never made it past the quarterfinals previously, this tournament has already served up a dream run for Jordan.

If they play like they did against the South Koreans, there is no reason why there cannot still be one final chapter to be written — to complete the biggest fairy tale in Asian Cup history.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has rubbished suggestions Erling Haaland is unhappy at the club.

Haaland has been the subject of reports in Spain which have suggested the striker wants to end his stay at the Etihad Stadium because he dislikes Manchester and the weather in the city and secure a summer move to Real Madrid.

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But Guardiola believes the 23-year-old, who has returned to the team following two months out with a foot injury, is settled and is not looking to leave.

“I don’t know, you have to ask the media from Madrid,” Guardiola told a news conference on Friday.

“Maybe they have more info than we have. We don’t have that feeling that he’s unhappy. He was [unhappy] because he could not play for two months because he was injured but maybe the media from Spain, and especially Madrid, have more information than us.”

Haaland scored 52 goals in 53 goals last season to lead Guardiola’s side to a historic treble and has already got 19 in 23 games this term. He made his return from injury in the 3-1 win over Burnley on Wednesday, coming off the bench to play the final 20 minutes.

The 23-year-old is halfway through his second season at the Etihad, where he has a contract until 2027.

He has been continually linked with a move to Real Madrid since his time at Borussia Dortmund with reports that the Spanish giants would eventually like to sign both the Norway international and Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappé, who could be a free agent at the end of the season.

“We cannot say he didn’t adapt quickly and he was not fine since he arrived — just the level he showed since he arrived on day one,” Guardiola said. “But we cannot control what people say. What’s important is he’s happy. And when he’s unhappy, he will take his decision.”

Late rally fails to save Tottenham in 4-2 loss at Brighton

Tottenham Hotspur’s top-four ambitions suffered a blow as they lost 4-2 at Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Thursday with only a late rally saving them from their heaviest defeat since Ange Postecoglou became manager.

Dec 28, 2023, 09:40 pm – Reuters

The winter transfer window hasn’t re-opened in Europe yet, but there are moves in the works and plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!

TOP STORY: Gunners mull moves for Solanke, Toney

Arsenal have identified AFC Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke and Brentford star Ivan Toney as potential targets in January, according to Calciomercato.

The Gunners have their eyes firmly set on the title this season and are currently sitting one point ahead of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, with manager Mikel Arteta reportedly eager to bolster his forward options ahead of what will be a busy second half of the season.

Gabriel Jesus has netted seven goals in all competitions for Arsenal this campaign; however, should the Brazil international suffer an injury, Arteta would be light on attacking replacements with Eddie Nketiah the only other recognised striker in the first-team setup.

Solanke has been in impressive form for Bournemouth this season, notching nine goals in 17 Premier League outings, while Brentford forward Toney has missed the first half of the campaign following an eight-month suspension for betting charges. The 27-year-old, however, will be available to play from Jan. 17 onwards.

Neither option will be cheap for the Gunners, although they have proved willing to splashing the cash over the past six months. Arsenal brought Declan Rice to the Emirates from West Ham United in the summer for £100 million, whilst Kai Havertz also made the move to north London from Chelsea in the same transfer window for £65m.

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PAPER GOSSIP

– Real Madrid have set a valuation of €60m for defender David Alaba amid interest from Manchester United, Juventus and Al Ittihad, according to Sport. However, the Austria international suffered an ACL injury in Los Blancos’ 4-1 win against Villarreal on Sunday, which makes a move unlikely in January. Man United, in particular, are desperate for defensive reinforcements, with Lisandro Martínez missing the majority of the season with injury and Raphaël Varane reportedly keen to leave Old Trafford in the winter.

– Arsenal and Manchester City have identified Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz as a target, reports Football Insider. It is suggested that Villa will not be receptive to any approaches in January, with manager Unai Emery desperate to keep hold of the 25-year-old, who has impressed for the Midlands outfit this season.

– Juventus are keeping tabs on Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface, according to Calciomercato. Boniface has notched an impressive 15 goals and eight assists in all competitions this season, which has led to admirers across Europe. The report reveals that Boniface would currently set Juventus back €40m in January, which means the Italian giants would likely have to facilitate Dusan Vlahovic’s departure in order to match Leverkusen’s valuation.

– Dion Drena Beljo is seeking a move away from Augsburg in January, with several clubs in Europe interested in the forward, says Florian Plettenberg. The Sky Sports Deutschland journalist reports that the 21-year-old is unhappy with his current game time, which has seen him primarily limited to substitute appearances. Alongside other clubs in Germany, it is reported that teams in England and Italy are monitoring the forward, who could depart in the winter.