Oliver Kay

United Kingdom

Senior Football Writer at The Athletic

Senior football writer @TheAthleticFC @TheAthletic Author of Forever Young: The Story of Adrian Doherty @ForeverYoungAD https://t.co/ogl3TwxP0o

Articles

Crystal Palace and Lyon in Europa League is a problem - but multi-club crackdown is too little too late

5 days ago | nytimes.com | Oliver Kay

It’s there in black and white. On the pitch and off it, football’s rulebook can often be infuriatingly vague, but article 5.01 of UEFA’s regulations for its club tournaments is pretty straightforward.
Donald Trump stunt proves FIFA is happy to play politics when it suits

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Oliver Kay

Timothy Weah sounded like someone who felt he had been ambushed. “It was all a surprise to me, honestly,” the United States national-team player told reporters of his trip to the White House, where he was part of a delegation from his Italian club Juventus standing awkwardly in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump answered media questions about a possible U.S. attack on Iran and riffed about transgender women in sport.
Who is the real Gianni Infantino, FIFA president and 'the king of soccer'?

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Oliver Kay

Inside the White House, President Trump was on a roll. "Amazing," he said. "He's like somebody who just woke up on Christmas morning as a young child and saw those toys under the tree. And that enthusiasm plays very well, I have to say."Gianni Infantino threw his head back in laughter before smiling and nodding along, looking delighted by the United States president's description of him.
Paris Saint-Germain are in the Champions League final, but has Qatar already won?

4 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Oliver Kay

On November 23, 2010, a lunch was hosted at the Elysee Palace, the official residence of the French president. Among President Nicolas Sarkozy's guests that day were Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, now the Emir of Qatar, and Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, who was Qatar's prime minister at the time.
The best and worst of 2024-25

1 month ago | bvmsports.com | Oliver Kay |Stuart James

Manchester City's dominance finally came to an end, Liverpool were able to celebrate the title in front of their fans for the first time in 35 years, two of the 'Big Six' finished in the bottom six and the promoted clubs all went straight back down. Those might be the raw headlines from 2024-25 but this Premier League season offered so much more - this was the campaign, don't forget, when a player got booked for imitating a seagull.
The best and worst of 2024-25

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Oliver Kay |Stuart James

Manchester City's dominance finally came to an end, Liverpool were able to celebrate the title in front of their fans for the first time in 35 years, two of the 'Big Six' finished in the bottom six and the promoted clubs all went straight back down. Those might be the raw headlines from 2024-25 but this Premier League season offered so much more - this was the campaign, don't forget, when a player got booked for imitating a seagull.
What is the best goal that Lionel Messi has ever scored?

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Jack Lang |Oliver Kay

Lionel Messi, in many people's eyes the greatest footballer of all time, has scored 860 goals for club and country in a career spanning more than 20 years. A lot of these goals have been good, a fair few have been spectacular... and a handful have been beyond comprehension. But which one of his dazzling collection is the very best? An impossible question to answer? Perhaps.
Ex-Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth set for FA return

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Oliver Kay

Former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth is set to make a return to the English Football Association. The 54-year-old left the organisation in 2019 to join Brighton and Hove Albion having worked as the FA's director of elite development and later technical director, where he helped develop the men's and women's national teams. The men's technical director at the FA is now John McDermott. Ashworth's return in a wide-ranging strategic role is expected to be confirmed this week.
Was Inter vs Barcelona the greatest Champions League semi-final ever?

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Oliver Kay |Nick Miller

Inter's dramatic 7-6 aggregate win over Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals this week seemed to have it all. Wonderkids doing their thing, a creaking centre-back transforming into a fleet-footed centre forward to take the second leg to extra-time, controversial refereeing decisions, six goals in the first leg, seven in the second leg, and a manager in a suit bellowing instructions in the pouring rain. What more could you want?
Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Liverpool legacy question and why so many fans are angry

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Oliver Kay

Before every Liverpool home game, the team bus turns off Walton Lane and crawls into Anfield Road, where fans line the street, waving flags, blaring horns and filling the air with red smoke.