Former Netherlands international John Heitinga has announced his retirement from football effective immediately.
Heitinga was on the books of Ajax this season but only managed to see 40 minutes of Eredivisie action.
The 32-year-old decided to bring an end to his career after talks with his agent Rob Jansen and Ajax coach Frank de Boer.
I realised in December that the time to put an end to my active career came closer, he told the official Ajax website.
I conducted good talks with my agent Rob Jansen, Ajax coach Frank de Boer and Edwin van der Sar among others. And now I have made it known that I stop playing football immediately.
The farewell is slightly ahead of schedule, but I keep Ajax in my heart and I look forward to this new chapt…
Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff is hoping the solution to his team s lack of firepower can be found when they host New York City FC in MLS.
The Verde and Black sit 10th in the Western Conference with a place in the playoffs within touching distance.
However, a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Sporting Kansas City stopped them from leapfrogging the Seattle Sounders into ninth.
While Wolff is confident being back at home will provide a boost to the team, he admitted there are still worries over the lack of goals.
I don t know [why the team are struggling to score], he said. When we re at home, we seem to generate a lot more chances and more goals, and there s proof of that in our games.
We look a lot better at home, and I m not happy with the performan…
Harry Kane s England team-mates have backed their captain to regain his top form in their semi-final against the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Kane has scored twice at the tournament so far, with one of those a vital winner in the first minute of extra time against Slovakia, but has otherwise failed to show a clinical edge.
He managed just two shots against Switzerland in the quarter-finals before being forced off in extra time, managing an expected goals of just 0.12.
Kane s performances have drawn criticism, with some calling for him to be dropped for their game against the Netherlands.
However, Trent Alexander-Arnold brushed off the idea, claiming that would play into their opponents hands.
Anyone who is facing England would like to see Harry Kane…
Srdjan Vasiljevic has not ruled out Angola s progression to the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations but insists qualification for the tournament was the main goal.
Angola missed out in 2015 and 2017 but made the cut with the extended format this time around.
Vasiljevic s men have drawn their two Group E games so far – against Tunisia and Mauritania – but head into Tuesday s clash with Mali within a win of putting themselves through.
However, Vasiljevic believes his side must be proud of simply making it to the finals, as they look to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
I reiterate that our initial goal has already been achieved from the time we qualified for this championship, he told a news conference.
Let s play our game with dedica…
Accrington defender Mitch Clark has been charged with alleged breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules.
In a statement, the FA said the allegations relate to 312 bets placed on matches between February 8 2022 and March 10 2023.
Clark has until May 17 to respond to the charges.
The 24-year-old Welshman made 49 appearances in all competitions for Stanley this season as they were relegated from Sky Bet League One.
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Youri Tielemans is contracted to Leicester City until the summer of 2023, and the club have offered him a new one in the hope of keeping his services for a long time to come, but according to , them midfielder has decided not to accept their offer and his future now lies elsewhere. The club will obviously have to try and find a solution to the problem this year if they wish to avoid losing such a player on a free transfer.
Tielemans is a midfielder with plenty of Premier League experience. He s made a total of 135 appearances in all competitions since joining the Foxes from AS Monaco in 2019. He also has 47 caps as a Belgium international to his name, and on top of it all, he s still only 24, with the best football of his career likely to come in the future.
Obviously a…