Former West Ham United captain Scott Parker returned to his club as first-team coach, on Wednesday, after signing a two-and-a-half-year contract, in a mission aimed at returning the team to the English Premier League.
The 46-year-old former England midfielder, who made 129 appearances for West Ham between 2007 and 2011, has a distinguished record of promotion to the Premier League. Parker led Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley to promotion from the second division to the top flight in 2020, 2022 and 2025, respectively.
Parker succeeds Portuguese Nuno Espirito Santo, with whom the club ended its association following two successive defeats that kept West Ham in eighth place in the table.
Nuno had taken over as coach of West Ham in September 2025 when the team was going through a difficult period, but he did not succeed in pulling it out of its crisis, overseeing its relegation from the Premier League for the first time since 2011.
Parker said in a club statement: “It is a moment I am very proud of to take up this position and return to a club that means a lot to me and my family. “I have great memories from my time here, as I lived 4 years during which I played perhaps the best football of my career.”
He added: “What excites me more than anything else is this opportunity. I feel proud and grateful for the club’s confidence in me, and I look forward to leading the team back to the Premier League, and taking charge of this club at this important stage.”
Parker's last training stop was with Burnley, which he left last April by mutual consent, a few days after the team was relegated back to the second division.
Frenchman Jean-Philippe Mateta, Crystal Palace striker, will miss his team's next three matches, after the appeal submitted against the decision to expel him during the match that his team lost to Tottenham 0-2, last Saturday, in the English Premier League, was rejected.
British news agency PA Media reported that Mateta, 29, received a red card in the 13th minute of the match held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, following a late intervention on Micky van de Ven, the Tottenham captain.
Referee Michael Oliver had initially shown the yellow card, before changing his decision to expulsion after reviewing the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.
Mateta will miss Crystal Palace's home match against Liverpool next Sunday, in addition to the team's matches against Coventry and Hull City later this month.
The English Football Association said in a statement: “An independent regulatory committee rejected the appeal submitted regarding the invalidity of the expulsion decision, as well as the claim that the punishment was excessive, in relation to the player Jean-Philippe Mateta.”
Amanda Serrano, who comes from Puerto Rico, said yesterday, Tuesday, that she hopes that her legacy will remain linked to the change she brought about in women’s boxing, before her farewell fight against Australian Sky Falzon on her home soil early next year.
The world champion in seven categories will defend her featherweight titles from the World Boxing Organization and the World Boxing Association when she faces Falzon at (Coliseo de Puerto Rico) in San Juan on January 9, in an evening that Most Value Promotions called “the final fight.”
Serrano, who has a record of 50 victories versus four defeats and one draw, including 32 wins by knockout, had previously announced that this fight would be the last stop in her professional career.
“I want people to remember me as a change maker,” she said during a press conference in San Juan. I gave this sport everything I had. In every fight I fought, and in every training session, I did everything inside the ring, and I hope that will be clear to everyone when I fight my last fight.”
Serrano has been a prominent advocate for equality in boxing for years. She is the first male or female boxer from Puerto Rico to become an undisputed world champion. She also made history in 2022 alongside Irishwoman Katie Taylor when they became the first two female boxers to headline an evening of fights in Madison Square Garden in New York.
In 2023, the 38-year-old boxer defeated Brazilian Daniela Ramos in the first unified international fight for women held according to a system of 12 rounds of three minutes each, which is the system used in men’s fights for world titles.
Serrano is looking forward to adding a new achievement to her track record, as she seeks to hold the record for the number of victories by knockout in women's boxing, a number she currently shares with American Christy Martin.
Although Serrano described achieving this achievement as a “perfect coronation,” she stressed that the most important thing for her was to enjoy every moment of her final appearance inside the ring, and on the ground she had always dreamed of fighting on.
She said: “I was keen to return to the system of 12 rounds of three minutes, because I want to enjoy every second and every minute of my last fight there. “I will get in the ring and give everything I have, and if the knockout comes, that will be great.”
For her part, Falzone, who has a record of 12 victories versus two defeats, including seven victories by knockout, said that the opportunity to face Serrano represents a dream come true.
She added: “I actually cried when I learned about it.” “It is an opportunity that I will grab with all my might, and I cannot wait to fight this fight.”
But the 38-year-old Australian boxer stressed that she does not intend to be satisfied with the role of witness to the final chapter of Serrano’s career, but rather seeks to write her own chapter.
“I did not come here to play a role in Amanda’s story, but to create my own story,” she said. If I did not believe in my ability to win, I would not have chosen to be a boxer.”
Serrano welcomed this confidence, saying: “I would not like it for any competitor to enter the ring convinced that she will lose.” “I always like to face the best.”
Serrano confirmed that the decision to retire was simply due to the time factor, and that she always knew that the moment she hung up the gloves would be in Puerto Rico.
She said: “You were by my side from the beginning, supporting me and giving me your love, and I was fighting for you.”
She added: “I carry my country’s flag with me wherever I go, as it resides in my heart.” I am always with you, and I fight for you. All I hope is that you celebrate this long journey, and I think it will be an unforgettable night.”
