Page 10 - English Premier League

Arsenal to wear all white in campaign against knife crime, youth violence

Arsenal will wear an all-white kit in its FA Cup third-round match against Liverpool on Sunday as part of its campaign against knife crime and youth violence. It will be the first time the Premier League team has worn the kit in a home game for its No More Red ' initiative. Young people face multiple challenges as they grow up in today's world and we don't have all the answers, but we are confident that by acting together and shining a light on the support network available across our community, we can make a significant contribution to the lives of our participants, said Freddie Hudson, Head of Arsenal in the Community. The campaign was launched in 2022 and this is the third season Arsenal has worn a kit drained of the club's traditional red to raise awareness. The Arsenal women's team will wear all white for the first time against Watford in the FA Cup later this month. While the kits are not for sale, a community T-shirt will be sold and Arsenal said 100% of the retail price w

England forward Sancho on verge of Borussia Dortmund return: Reports

England forward Jadon Sancho is reportedly on the verge of returning to Borussia Dortmund from Manchester United. German tabloid Bild reported on Thursday that the clubs agreed on a loan deal for the 23-year-old Sancho to the end of the season, with just minor outstanding details to be finalized. Bild reported Dortmund was to pay around 3 million euros ($3.3 million) for the loan. Sancho fell out of favor with United coach Erik ten Haag and has made only three league appearances as a substitute this season. He hasn't played since August. Sancho joined United from Dortmund for 85 million euros (the $100 million) in 2021. He has nine goals in 59 English Premier League appearances. Sancho previously starred in a four-year spell at Dortmund, scoring 50 goals in 137 competitive games. He joined the German club from Manchester City in 2017. Dortmund is inconsistent this season, arguably overachieving in the Champions League by finishing top in a group with Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan

EPL: Salah's brace helps Liverpool beat Newcastle to open up 3-point lead

Mohamed Salah headed off to the Africa Cup of Nations on the back of a starring role for Liverpool in its 4-2 win over Newcastle that opened up a three-point lead in the English Premier League. An individual performance that started with his latest failure from the penalty spot ended with Salah scoring Liverpool's first and last goals and having a hand in the other two for his team in a chaotic game in wet and wild conditions at Anfield. All of the goals came in an end-to-end second half. The league pauses for the FA Cup and then a winter break lasting much of the rest of January with Liverpool looking the team most likely to stop Manchester City winning an unprecedented fourth straight top-flight title. City was in third place, five points behind Liverpool and two behind Aston Villa with a game in hand. Salah, who could be missing until mid-February depending on how far Egypt advances in the Africa Cup, could be the player to lead Liverpool to a record-tying 20th league ...

Man United set to enter Ratcliffe era with spotlight on transfer, Ten Hag

Fans of Manchester United know 2024 will be anything but boring as the club tries once again to end a period of on-field decline that has lasted 10 years for the record 20-time English league champions. British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe agreed Sunday Christmas Eve to buy a minority stake in United. The owner of petrochemicals giant INEOS, and a number of sports teams, will also take charge of United's soccer operations. The announcement of the deal, worth around $1.6 billion, came more than a year after American owners the Glazers put United up for sale in November 2022. The deal requires Premier League approval. Here's a look at the people involved and issues likely to be raised by the deal, including the future of United manager Erik ten Hag. JIM RATCLIFFE The 71-year-old Ratcliffe is one of the richest people in Britain and a boyhood United fan from Greater Manchester. He already owns French club Nice and cycling team INEOS Grenadiers. He is a one-third shareholder of the ..

EPL: Inspired by world champion badge, Man City really to beat Everton 3-1

Trailing 1-0 to Everton at halftime, Manchester City didn't much look like the newly crowned Club World Cup champion despite the new golden FIFA badge on the front of the players' shirts. But Pep Guardiola had a simple message to his players at the break. The manager (told us) at halftime to just keep believing, we haven't got this badge for no reason, City midfielder Phil Foden said. "In the second half, yeah, wow, I think we blew them away with the way we played. Foden started the comeback by equalizing in the 53rd minute, before Julian Alvarez's penalty and a late goal by Bernardo Silva secured a 3-1 win at Everton to put the defending champions back into the Premier League's top four. That's why we're the world champions. The best team in the world, Guardiola said with a smile in a post-game interview on Amazon Prime. Now I'm going to remind them every day. We have a standard to keep. The trip to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup was perhaps a bit of a distraction and allow

Despair then delight at Old Trafford; Utd beat Villa in 1st game after deal

Welcome to Manchester United, Jim Ratcliffe. In the space of 90 minutes, and in front of soon-to-be director Dave Brailsford, Old Trafford witnessed the best and worst of Erik ten Hag's team. Two days after confirmation that British billionaire Ratcliffe will buy a stake of up to 25% in the club, United trailed by two goals inside 26 minutes against Aston Villa and was booed by the home crowd on Tuesday. Ten Hag's players then produced a spectacular second-half comeback to win 3-2 and spark celebrations rarely seen at its famed stadium during a troubled season so far. We said Keep going. Believe it, in ourselves.' That is what I demand from the team," Ten Hag said afterward. "We said it before the game and during halftime, Keep believing and we will win this game.' Going into the game on the back of a run of four matches in all competitions without a win or a goal, United took to the field for the first time since Ratcliffe, one of Britain's richest people, secured an agreement wor

UK billionaire Jim Ratcliffe acquires 25% stake in Manchester United

More than a year after it was put up for sale, Manchester United said Sunday that British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe had agreed to buy a minority stake in the storied Premier League club. Ratcliffe, who owns petrochemicals giant INEOS and is one of Britain's richest people, has bought a stake of "up to 25 per cent" of the 20-time league champions and will invest USD 300 million in its Old Trafford stadium. As part of the deal, United said Ratcliffe would take responsibility for the club's soccer operations. Ratcliffe, who was born in Failsworth, Greater Manchester, had originally bid to buy American owners, the Glazers', majority share of around 69%. "As a local boy and a lifelong supporter of the club, I am very pleased that we have been able to agree a deal with the Manchester United Board that delegates us management responsibility of the football operations of the club," Ratcliffe said. "Whilst the commercial success of the club has ensured there have always been available fund

EPL have its first female referee, Rebecca Welch to officiate on Dec 23

Rebecca Welch will become the first female referee in the Premier League when she takes charge of the match between Fulham and Burnley on Dec. 23, the competition said Thursday. Welch has already worked as the fourth official in the Premier League, for the match between Fulham and Manchester United on Nov. 4, and she was the first woman to referee matches in the second-tier Championship and FA Cup. Welch has been a referee since 2010, initially balancing the role with her job in the National Health Service before becoming a full-time match official. Other countries have been using female referees for years. In Germany, Bibiana Steinhaus was the first woman to referee a Bundesliga game, in 2017. Steinhaus is married to Howard Webb, who is the current chief refereeing officer of the top refereeing body in England. French referee Stphanie Frappart became the first woman to take charge of a men's World Cup game when she handled Germany vs. Costa Rica in November last year, having ...

Everton gets biggest sporting sanction in EPL history for financial breach

Everton was handed the biggest sporting sanction in the Premier League's 31-year history on Friday for breaching the competition's financial rules, with the deduction of 10 points dropping the team into next-to-last place in the standings. The northwest club reported three-year losses totaling nearly 372 million pounds ($454 million) last season. The league's profit and financial sustainability rules allow clubs to lose a maximum of 105 million pounds ($128 million) over a three-year period or face sanctions. The league referred Everton to an independent commission in March because of the alleged breach of profitability and sustainability rules, following complaints from a slew of rival clubs. A five-day hearing was held last month and the commission has now published its verdict, which sees Everton fall from 14 points to four with immediate effect. That's the same number of points as last-place Burnley. Everton has a superior goal difference. The club, which is planning to move t

Man United manager Ten Hag under more pressure as international break looms

The pressure is mounting on Erik ten Hag as his Manchester United reign descends deeper into crisis. The 4-3 loss against Copenhagen in the Champions League on Wednesday was yet another blow for the Dutch manager in a season that is unravelling by the week. He says he is waiting for one moment to turn the campaign around. It needs to come quickly. United now faces the humiliating prospect of being eliminated from the Champions League after the group stages; its defense of the League Cup has already ended and five losses in 11 Premier League games have silenced pre-season talk of a potential title challenge. In any ordinary season United would be expected to sweep its way past teams like Luton at a packed Old Trafford on Saturday. But this is clearly no ordinary season for the 20-time league champions. Last week the club denied a report it was exploring alternatives to Ten Hag after a troubled start to the campaign. A win against Luton would do little to quieten speculation about h

Fenway Sports Group sells minority stake in Liverpool FC to Dynasty Equity

Dynasty Equity's investment will be used to pay down bank debt incurred during the Covid-19 pandemic and capital expenses made to enhance Anfield and build the AXA Training Centre

Sancho's future depends on him: Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag

Manchester United head coach Erik Ten Hag has asserted that Jadon Sancho's future at the club "depends on him"ahead of their Sunday clash against Burnley. Sancho has been an outcast for the past two weeks following his fallout with Ten Hag. Sancho was left out of Manchester United's squad against Arsenal on September 3.After their 3-1 loss against the Gunners, Ten Hag was quizzed about the absence of Sancho to which he replied, "Jadon, on his performances in training we did not select him. You have to reach a level every day at Manchester United and we can make choices in the front line. So for this game, he was not selected."Sancho took out his frustrations with a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he claimed that he was training well and that he has "been a scapegoat for a long time which isn't fair."Ahead of their match against Burnley on Sunday, Ten Hag was quizzed about Sancho's situation to which he replied as quoted from Sky Sports, "It depends on him. For the rest, we are ...

Ten Hag questioned about Man United player unrest and transfer dealings

Erik ten Hag's second season at Manchester United is not going to plan. Three defeats in the Premier League already have left his team a long way off the pace at the top of the standings, while United's return to the Champions League ended in a 4-3 loss at Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Ahead of Saturday's trip to Burnley, Ten Hag has had to deal with reports of unrest among some players and on Friday faced questions about the influence of agent Kees Vos in terms of the club's transfer dealings. Vos is Ten Hag's agent, and his Sports Entertainment Group also represents Rasmus Hojlund, who was an $82 million signing from Atalanta in the offseason, and negotiated Sofyan Amrabat's deadline day loan move from Fiorentina. Reports this week claimed there were concerns from some United staff about Vos' involvement in deals, but Ten Hag dismissed suggestions that there could be a conflict of interest. For player decisions, transfers, it's always 50-50, we both have a veto the club, represen

Premier League: Manchester City star Jack Grealish nears return from injury

Jack Grealish is close to returning from injury and could be involved in Manchester City's game against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday, Pep Guardiola said. The England international has been sidelined with a knee injury that has seen him miss City's last three games. But he is back in training and in contention to make the squad for the home game against Forest. Jack is coming back. He has trained well and maybe he will be ready for some minutes, City manager Guardiola said Friday. Mateo Kovacic is also nearing recovery from muscular injury, but Bernardo Silva is out after being withdrawn in the first half of City's Champions League win against Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday. (Silva) has a little injury. It is nothing much. The clinical development is good but it could be one week, 10 days, two weeks that he will be out, Guardiola said. Kevin de Bruyne and John Stones are also out for City.

Premier League: Manchester United's Antony takes leave of absence from club

Manchester United winger Antony has been given a leave of absence in order to address allegations made against him of violence towards women. The 23-year-old player earlier this week was dropped from the Brazil squad after accusations of physical aggression on several occasions since January towards his former girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin, which are being investigated by police and which he denies. United have agreed with the player for him to stay away from the club in order to focus on defending himself. Antony has not been arrested or charged and says he will co-operate with police in order to prove his innocence. United, fresh from dealing with Mason Greenwood's exit from the club, said in a statement: "Manchester United acknowledges the allegations made against Antony. "Players who have not participated in international matches are due back in training on Monday. However, it has been agreed with Antony that he will delay his return until further notice in order to address the

Explained: Manchester United's Brazillian winger Antony's controversy

Antony's ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin alleged him of domestic violence which led to the player being dropped from Brazil's national squad

Manchester United stock sees biggest intra-day fall as Glazers put off sale

Manchester United shares plummeted after their US owners the Glazer family put off the sale of the club for which negotiations had begun in December 2022

Premier League: Rice, Jesus score in injury time; Arsenal beat Man Utd 3-1

Arsenal recovered from a scare as Alejandro Garnacho's goal was ruled out in the 89th minute and then scored two of their own through Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus in the injury time registering a 3-1

Premier League: Manchester Utd manager expects huge impact from Hojlund

Manchester United head coach Erik Ten Hag is expecting the young Rasmus Hojlund to make a "huge" impact as he closes on to making his first appearance in the Premier League for the Red Devils

Premier League: Erling Haaland dwarfs Shearer's record as City thump Fulham

The Norwegian talismanic striker Erling Haaland's hattrick against Fulham ensured Manchester City remained the only team to win their first four matches before the international break