MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City's troubled season was dealt another blow Friday with confirmation that defender Ruben Dias will be out for up to four weeks because of a muscle injury.
Four-time defending Premier League champion City has lost eight and won just one of its last 11 games in all competitions.
Manager Pep Guardiola has cited injuries to key players such as Rodri as a factor in his team's troubles and the loss of Dias compounds his problems.
Guardiola said Dias' injury occurred during Sunday's 2-1 loss to Manchester United.
“After 75 minutes against United he felt something. He’s strong and wanted to stay on the pitch, but now he’s injured,” Guardiola told a news conference.
Goalkeeper Ederson is also a doubt for Saturday's game against Aston Villa, he said, but John Stones, Mateo Kovacic and Manuel Akanji could feature. Rico Lewis is available again after suspension.
"The more players that come back the better,” Guardiola said.
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Manchester City's Ruben Dias, left, challenges for the ball with Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
ZURICH (AP) — FIFA has signed Netflix to a United States broadcast deal for the Women's World Cup in 2027 and 2031.
The deal announced Friday is the most significant FIFA has signed with a streaming service for a major tournament. The value was not given.
World Cups are typically broadcast on free-to-air public networks to reach the biggest audiences.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino publicly criticized public broadcasters, especially in Europe, for undervaluing offers to broadcast the 2023 tournament that was played in Australia and New Zealand. That tournament was broadcast by Fox in the U.S.
"This agreement sends a strong message about the real value of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the global women’s game," Infantino said Friday in a statement.
FIFA will likely use the Netflix deal to drive talks with European broadcasters that will be more hardball negotiations.
The 32-team, 64-game tournament in 2027 will be played in Brazil from June 24-July 25. The 2031 host has not been decided, though the U.S. is expected to bid.
Spain won the 2023 tournament after the U.S. won the two previous titles.
Netflix dipped into live sports last month with more than 60 million households watching a heavily hyped boxing match between retired heavyweight legend Mike Tyson and social media personality Jake Paul.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FIFA president Gianni Infantino delivers his speech before the FIFA Football Awards 2024 in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)
