Category Archives: Football

Spanish couple detained in Singapore over protest against Valencia owner

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Police say pair ‘assisting with investigations’ after Dani Cuesta posted photo of himself with ‘Lim go home’ sign

A Spanish couple have been detained after the man held a banner to protest against Peter Lim, the billionaire Singaporean owner of Valencia football club.

Dani Cuesta had shared photos on social media of himself holding a sign that said “Lim go home” at various locations in Singapore, including the residences where Lim reportedly lives and the tourist landmark Merlion Park.

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Jens Lehmann fined €135,000 for damaging neighbour’s garage with chainsaw

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  • Incident took place in German’s hometown of Starnberg
  • Lehmann also settles unpaid Munich airport parking fees

The former Arsenal and Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has been fined €135,000 (£113,000) by a court in his hometown of Starnberg for damaging his neighbour’s garage with a chainsaw.

Lehmann, who was accused by the public prosecutor of sawing off a roof beam in the garage, was initially fined €420,000 (£351,000) over the July 2022 incident, which was reduced on appeal.

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Calls for regulation of gambling ads in football as number of promotions soars

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Premier League fans exposed to almost 30,000 messages in one weekend despite restrictions, research finds

Ministers have been urged to intervene to stop football clubs from setting their own rules on curbing gambling advertising, after research showed Premier League fans were bombarded with nearly 30,000 gambling messages on a single weekend.

Clubs in the top flight have so far avoided compulsory restrictions on gambling sponsorship, instead addressing public concern through voluntary measures such as a ban on front-of-shirt logos, starting in 2026.

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Football-mad Morocco dreams of a World Cup final in its own ark

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Buoyed by the team’s success in 2022, the kingdom is eyeing a bigger goal

The rendering is dramatic, a vast white stadium inspired by the design of a Maghrebi communal tent, known as a moussem.

The language used to describe it is no less flowery: think of it as “almost like a Noah’s Ark, a place for all nature and animals to come together”, says Tarik Oualalou, head of Paris architecture firm Oualalou + Choi, one of five teams in the design consortium.

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Starmer’s free tickets for Arsenal and Taylor Swift part of job, says minister

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Business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, defends PM over gifts he has received since becoming Labour leader

Keir Starmer’s attendance at Arsenal football matches and Taylor Swift concerts is “part of the job”, the business secretary has said.

Jonathan Reynolds described the occasions for which Starmer had accepted tickets, including a Coldplay gig and football matches, as “major cultural, sporting events”.

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Real Madrid pauses concerts after ‘torture-drome’ noise complaints

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Football club announces cancellation or rescheduling of gigs at refurbished Santiago Bernabéu stadium

Real Madrid has cancelled or rescheduled all concerts at its Santiago Bernabéu stadium and is working to comply with council noise regulations after local people complained that a series of loud, late gigs had turned the arena into a “torture-drome”.

Although best known as the home of one of Spain’s greatest football teams, the Bernabéu – which has just undergone a five-year, €900m (£760m) refurbishment – has hosted a string of high-profile concerts over the spring and summer. Recent headliners have included Taylor Swift, Luis Miguel and the Colombian star Karol G.

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David Beckham joins mourners at Sven-Göran Eriksson’s funeral in Sweden

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Tributes paid to ‘genuinely kind’ former England and Lazio football manager in his home town of Torsby

David Beckham joined mourners at the funeral of former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson in his home town of Torsby in Sweden to hear tributes to a “genuinely kind” man who “loved good food and drink and travelling first-class”.

Addressing full pews in the Fryksände church, and hundreds more watching outside on a big screen, the priest, a close friend of Eriksson, Ingela Alvskog, spoke of a final months that had been “full of life” despite him being diagnosed with terminal cancer of the pancreas.

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Chinese FA bans 38 players for life in corruption crackdown

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  • Former internationals among those banned
  • Move relates to match-fixing and gambling

The Chinese Football Association has banned 38 players and five club officials for life after a two-year investigation into match-fixing and gambling. The investigation, part of a crackdown on corruption in the sport, found that 120 matches had been fixed, with 41 clubs involved, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The report did not say whether all the matches were in China.

The former China internationals Jin Jingdao and Gu Chao and the South Korea midfielder Son Jun-ho were among those banned for life, according to findings made public on Tuesday.

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‘Betrayal’: Pernod Ricard’s PSG tie-up leaves bitter taste for Marseille fans

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Brand partnership for pastis, a traditional Marseille aperitif, with arch-rival decried as ‘stab in the back’

It is the quintessential pre-dinner apéro enjoyed in the Provençal afternoon sun, as unmistakably southern French as the clicking sound of a game of pétanque.

But the cloudy, aniseed-flavoured aperitif Ricard Pastis is leaving an aftertaste even more bitter than its makers intended in the mouths of some football fans in the southern city of Marseille.

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Mary Earps becomes first women’s football star to get Madame Tussauds waxwork

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The England goalkeeper says decision is example of how she and the Lionesses ‘break barriers and push boundaries’

England goalkeeper Mary Earps has become the first professional female footballer to have a wax figure at Madame Tussauds London.

Members of the public voted for the 31-year-old to be added to the attraction after the Lionesses’ success in reaching the final of the 2023 World Cup and winning the 2022 European Championships.

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Call to ban gambling sponsors from UK sport as hidden harms are revealed

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Eleven Premier League teams start season with major bookmaker backing as industry watchdog report says stats can ‘mask’ scale of problem betting

Official figures on rates of problem gambling in Britain – which have been put as low as 0.3% – can “mask” the scale of harms by including people who never bet, a report published by the industry regulator has warned.

Various surveys suggest a problem gambling rate in Britain in a range of between 0.3% to 2.5%. But in the new report that figure rose sharply when non-gamblers were excluded – and was even higher among those who gambled on online casinos.

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Deafening concerts have turned Madrid stadium into ‘torture-drome’, say residents

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People living next to Santiago Bernabéu venue say gigs – including those by Taylor Swift – are ruining their lives and are taking action

When Delphine de Pontevès opens the window of her first-floor flat in Madrid a little before 10pm on a Tuesday night, more spills into the living room than the unforgivingly hot night air.

The voices and shouts of the crowds below give way to cheers, then to bass-heavy beats and music that will last until midnight and further stretch the patience of those who, like De Pontevès, live next door to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.

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Gibraltar’s government and FA criticise Spain players’ chants at Euro 2024 party

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  • Morata and Rodri said ‘Gibraltar is Spanish’
  • Government calls remarks ‘rancid’ and FA to involve Uefa

The Gibraltar government has ­criticised the “rancid remarks” ­members of Spain’s Euro ­2024-winning side made at a victory rally in central Madrid on Monday night. The territory’s football association is to make a formal complaint to Uefa over the matter.

The controversy, which follows Spain’s 2-1 victory against England in the final on Sunday, erupted after the Spain captain, Álvaro Morata, and the midfielder Rodri chanted “Gibraltar es español” [“Gibraltar is Spanish”] while on stage in front of a ­massive crowd in the Spanish ­capital’s Plaza de Cibeles.

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Irish glee as Sinn Féin leader congratulates Spain on Euros win over England

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For some it was harmless banter but others say Mary Lou McDonald’s post on X was an example of obnoxious trolling

It’s a venerable football equation: English defeat = Irish glee.

Mary Lou McDonald, the Sinn Féin leader, reflected this tradition when she posted “Olé, Olé, Olé” and celebrated Spain’s victory over England in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin on Sunday. “Felicidades! Comhghairdeas to the champions of Europe,” she added, using the Irish word for congratulations.

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‘I’ve never seen owt like it’: England fans in Benidorm in high spirits before Euro final

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Supporters enjoy a ‘buzzing’ atmosphere and predict ‘carnage’ whatever the result in match against Spain

Anticipation had been building on Benidorm’s Calle Gerona, affectionately known as the strip, from early in the afternoon.

Some holidaymakers had travelled especially to the town in the hope of finding the ultimate party atmosphere in which to celebrate: Spain’s most British town.

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Starmer says England have ‘made country proud’ as fans arrive in Berlin for Euros final

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More than 50,000 England fans expected in German capital as men’s side hope to make history against Spain

Tens of thousands of England fans are arriving in Berlin as Gareth Southgate’s men’s team attempt to make history and beat Spain to win a first major tournament since 1966.

More than 50,000 England fans are expected to be in German capital for the final of the European championship, many of whom will be without tickets.

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Low alcohol sales boom ahead of Euros final

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More fans are embracing ‘nolo’ booze and canned ‘mocktails’ while watching the game to be sure of a clear head the next day

For some England fans it would be unthinkable to watch the Euro 2024 final without a beer in hand, but with the prospect of work in the morning, many will be dodging a hangover by switching to alcohol-free booze.

Retailers have seen huge sales of no- or low-alcohol (nolo) beer, cider, wine and canned “mocktails” in the past few days, as hosts get ready for Sunday night’s viewing parties.

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Lineker and Shearer v Keane and Wright: does BBC or ITV have the stronger Euro 2024 final lineup?

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The two big channels prepare to slug it out for viewers for the climax of the tournament

Forget La Roja versus Three Lions. Sunday’s battle between the big two terrestrial channels, which will simulcast the action, looks set to be an equally tasty clash.

Last Wednesday, a peak of 21.6million viewers watched England’s nervy semi-final win over the Netherlands on ITV1. Ratings will rise even higher for the showpiece final, but this time fans must decide whose coverage to watch. ITV hoped to gain an early edge by scheduling its build-up to begin at 6.30pm, ahead of the 8pm kick-off. Initially BBC1 wasn’t slated to start until 7pm until the Beeb made a last-minute change to replicate its rival – the broadcasting equivalent of a late Jude Bellingham equaliser. Here’s how the TV teams will line up…

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How Sydney’s endless rain is ruining football seasons and breaking young hearts

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As Saturday after Saturday gets wiped out by bad weather, clubs are drowning in a sea of unplayed fixtures

The first thing Jamie Amendolia’s boys ask him when he picks them up from school every afternoon is the same: “Is training on? Is the game on? Has it been called off? Are we playing?”

Both of his sons, Sebastian, 10, and Alexander, eight, play football at Enfield FC in Sydney’s inner west. They’re footy fanatics. Except both have had their season thrown into chaos by the wet weather that has hit and bogged down Sydney’s weekends for months.

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Germany summons Turkish ambassador over ‘wolf’ goal celebration

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Diplomat urged to explain gesture by Turkey footballer Merih Demiral and take measures to prevent a repeat

Turkey’s ambassador to Germany has been summoned to the foreign ministry in Berlin over the rightwing extremist “wolf salute” displayed by the Turkish footballer Merih Demiral, as his goal celebration at the European Championship became the subject of diplomatic exchange.

Ahmet Başar Şen was urged to explain the gesture and take measures to prevent its further use, a ministry spokesperson said, the day after Germany’s ambassador to Turkey was summoned to the foreign ministry in Ankara as Turkey’s government accused Berlin of “xenophobia” over its criticism of the symbol associated with the Grey Wolves group.

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