#scottish-football-association

#scottish-football-association

The table is so tight that the title race and the fight to survive relegation looks like going to the wire, with teams battling for Europe still also looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone.

Italy's elimination from the World Cup playoffs, sealed in a penalty shootout against Bosnia and Herzegovina, marks a watershed moment in European football, as they become the first former World Cup winners to miss three consecutive tournaments.

The ongoing discussions regarding future structural changes to the game, such as the introduction of new tournaments (eg. Fifa Club World Cup), further intensify this challenge. These changes have the potential to significantly reduce the downtime available to elite players, affecting their recovery and overall well-being.

Toronto FC will consider a permanent transfer for on-loan Rangers midfielder Jose Cifuentes after a strong run of form, indicating his potential value to the team.

"I was scared. I remember right away feeling, oh this isn't right. It was 10, 15 minutes into the game, I blocked a pass against Everton and I knew right away..."

John Rankin has been appointed as the interim manager of Ayr United for the rest of the season, replacing Scott Brown, who left by mutual consent.

"It's the first time in 18 games that I had to have a go. I didn't like that I had to do that. We were passive in the first half, passing side to side, that was not us."

I know how it goes. If you lose those two games, I'm not in the conversation at all. I think we had two relatively-positive performances. Again, still so much about those that I'm not entirely happy about and want to keep improving on, but I think we've got things moving in a decent direction.

"If I'm being completely honest, I knew I was going to have to be in this camp to have a real chance of going to the World Cup. I set myself targets and goals and I really did commit to the process ever since November, using it as fuel to make sure I got into this one."

Regis Le Bris's Black Cats impressed during the first half of the season, but have only recorded two wins from nine league games so far in 2026. They enter Saturday's skirmish at Bournemouth on a three-game losing run in the league and sit 12th in the table. Sunderland's injuries have suddenly mounted since Sunday's defeat by Fulham, with fresh problems for Romaine Mundle, Jocelin Ta Bi, Nordi Mukiele and Brian Brobbey.

I tossed and turned with the adrenaline. It was a late night, but it's always better when you win!

He, like all Hearts' signings, went through Jamestown Analytics' assessment and passed the test. "If he had rated poorly, we wouldn't have signed him. It just wouldn't have got over the line," McInnes said of Findlay on Open Goal, external in October. "He's a brilliant boy in terms of being a brilliant team-mate. He allows you to play with that high line, gives you that left-sided balance."