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Ex-Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso set to take Chelsea job: AP source

By The Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Xabi Alonso is set to be named Chelsea coach after reaching an agreement with the Premier League club, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press on Saturday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the appointment has not been publicly announced.

Alonso talked with Chelsea in the past week and is expected to sign a four-year contract.

It would be the Spaniard’s first job since lasting less than eight months at Real Madrid. Alonso left Madrid by mutual consent in January after poor results and widespread media reports that he lost control of the locker room.

Despite the short tenure at the Bernabeu Stadium, Alonso’s reputation remained high across Europe after leading Bayer Leverkusen to a German league and cup double and breaking Bayern Munich’s dominance of the Bundesliga.

Chelsea has been searching for a new coach since firing Liam Rosenior last month.

Rosenior was the second coach to be fired since the turn of the year following the departure of Club World Cup winner Enzo Maresca in January.

Alonso would become the fifth permanent coach appointed by Chelsea’s American owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital since they bought the club in 2022.

After firing Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea brought in Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Maresca and Rosenior in the search for a coach who could bring sustained success.

Club icon Frank Lampard was given an interim role and current interim Calum McFarlane is in his second spell in charge of the first team this season.

Despite spending more than $1 billion on new signings, Chelsea has yet to challenge for the Premier League title under its U.S. owners. It did, however, win the Club World Cup last year as well as the UEFA Conference League.

This season it looks likely to miss out on qualifying for the Champions League for the third time in four seasons. It is also going to end the season trophyless after losing to Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

By WTOP Staff
▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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