ISTANBUL, June 2 — Turkey’s Fenerbahce are to appoint veteran Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus as their new head coach for the upcoming football season the club said today.

The 67-year-old led Brazilian side Flamengo to the Copa Libertadores crown in 2019, but is most closely associated with Benfica, winning three league titles there.

Jesus — who left Benfica last December due to a series of poor results and poor relations with the players — has been tasked with leading the Istanbul club to its first title since 2014.

“The signing ceremony (...) of our technical director Jorge Jesus will take place on Friday at 15h00 [1200GMT],” Fenerbahce said in a statement.

Fenerbahce were runners up in Turkey last season under the guidance of Ismail Kartal. — AFP

LONDON, June 2 — Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata will follow Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard through the exit door at Old Trafford when his contract expires at the end of the month, the Premier League side announced today.

The Spaniard, 34, moved to United from Chelsea in January 2014 and made 285 appearances, winning the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League during an eight-year spell.

A skilful playmaker, Mata managed 51 goals and 47 assists for United but failed to consistently replicate the form that made him an indispensable part of Chelsea’s attacking set-up.

“Thank you for dedicating eight years of your career to United, Juan. Everyone at the club wishes you all the best for the future,” United said in a statement. — Reuters

LONDON, June 2 — Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne were on Wednesday named among the six nominees for the English Professional Footballers Association Player of the Year award.

De Bruyne is the current holder of the award, having won it the last two seasons, while Ronaldo won the award twice in his first stint with Manchester United in 2007 and 2008.

The other nominees include Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah and Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane.

De Bruyne was named the Premier League's Player of the Season for the 2021-22 campaign in May. — Reuters

GLASGOW, June 2 — Ukraine kept alive their dream of reaching the World Cup finals, beating Scotland 3-1 in their playoff at Hampden Park on Wednesday in their first game since the Russian invasion of their country.

Ukraine will now face Wales on Sunday in Cardiff with the winner taking a place in November's finals in Qatar. The loss means Scotland remain without an appearance at a World Cup since 1998.

Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk had put a confident and dominant Ukraine 2-0 up before Callum McGregor pulled a goal back for the Scots in the 79th minute.

The goal injected some belief into Scotland who applied some late pressure but deep into stoppage time substitute Artem Dovbyk finished off a counter-attack to secure the victory. — Reuters

LONDON, June 1 — Manchester United attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of this month, the Premier League club announced today.

Lingard, an academy graduate, will end his 20-year association with the club having initially joined their Under-9s team in 2001. The England international, who made his United debut in 2014, scored 35 goals in more than 200 appearances. — Reuters

BERLIN, June 1 — Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich announced today the opening of club offices in Bangkok, their third location outside Germany.

After opening premises in New York in 2014 and Shanghai in 2017, the offices in the Thai capital will serve Bayern’s interests in South-east Asia, India and Oceania, the club said in a statement.

“The office in Bangkok is an important step for FC Bayern,” said club CEO Oliver Kahn.

“Our roots are in Munich and Bavaria, but our goal is a sustainable, direct exchange with our fans around the world.

“We’re delighted to be able to make our club and what it stands for more tangible for the millions of supporters in South-east Asia.” There are currently 39 Bayern Munich fan clubs in South-east Asia and the Bundesliga giants have regularly organised junior competitions and training courses in the region to identify talent. — AFP

PARIS, May 31 — France coach Didier Deschamps has left the national squad after his father died, the French federation (FFF) said today.

“It is with great sadness that I have heard of the passing of Didier’s father this morning. Didier went to join his relatives and I assure him of my friendship and my support in this ordeal,” FFF president Noel Le Graet said.

Today’s training sessions will be held by assistant coach Guy Stephan, the FFF added.

France face Denmark at the Stade de France on Friday, the first of their four Nations League matches in 11 days, with two games against Croatia and one versus Austria also scheduled. — Reuters