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Refs force Chiefs to bench Jawaan Taylor after blatant targeting
Refs force Chiefs to bench Jawaan Taylor after blatant targeting
The Kansas City Chiefs have benched right tackle Jawaan Taylor thanks to a series of penalties called against him against the Jaguars.
2023-09-18 03:50
'Hell is Real' in American soccer's new hotbed
'Hell is Real' in American soccer's new hotbed
Just six years ago, Ohio faced the prospect of being without a Major League Soccer team but on Saturday the Buckeye state will have two clubs going head-to-head for a...
2023-12-01 09:15
The 20 Premier League badges - ranked
The 20 Premier League badges - ranked
The crests of the Premier League's 20 clubs for the 2023/24 season, ranked by how great they look.
2023-10-12 00:48
Mohoric denies Asgreen in Tour de France photo finish
Mohoric denies Asgreen in Tour de France photo finish
Slovenian Matej Mohoric won a photo finish to take stage 19 of the Tour de France on Friday and deny Dane...
2023-07-22 01:20
IShowSpeed extends support to Vinicius Jr amid racism row: 'It's hard being Black'
IShowSpeed extends support to Vinicius Jr amid racism row: 'It's hard being Black'
Vinicius Jr, a Brazilian footballer who plays for Real Madrid, was subjected to racially discriminatory remarks during a match
2023-05-22 19:25
NBA Draft Lottery odds if the season ended today: Who picks No. 1?
NBA Draft Lottery odds if the season ended today: Who picks No. 1?
With the 2023/24 season about a month old, let's take a look at the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery picture.
2023-11-26 23:45
Marquinhos extends PSG contract to 2028
Marquinhos extends PSG contract to 2028
Paris Saint-Germain captain and Brazil defender Marquinhos has extended his contract until 2028, the club...
2023-05-19 22:23
Premier League 2023/24 predictions: Champions, top four, relegation, best signing, top scorer and more
Premier League 2023/24 predictions: Champions, top four, relegation, best signing, top scorer and more
The Premier League is back ahead of a new season with different teams emerging as front runners and the prospect of top players leaving European football. But there is plenty of intrigue surrounding Arsenal and whether they will be able to push champions Manchester City again, especially with their lucrative spending and the addition of Declan Rice. Liverpool will hope that their last campaign was more of a blip with Chelsea also looking to firmly leave the 2022/23 season in the dust. There will be questions concerning Newcastle who surpassed expectations to qualify for the Champions League last time round, as well as Tottenham who finished outside the European spots. While there is great uncertainty at the bottom, with Nottingham Forest looking to avoid a second-season dip, and Luton just looking to survive. Here, our writers make their predictions for the next season: Champions? Miguel Delaney (chief football writer): As promising as Arsenal look, Manchester City are at the point where they have to be considered the default pick for all competitions. Jack Rathborn (sports editor): Manchester City Four in a row? It’ll be a first for the top flight in English football. Ilkay Gundogan is a massive loss, but Pep Guardiola has proven the treble winners are capable of adjusting. Any issues replacing Gundogan (and Riyad Mahrez) should be countered by Arsenal’s clustered schedule back in the Champions League and the teething issues accommodating Kai Havertz in his new role. Richard Jolly (senior football correspondent): Manchester City. A desperately unoriginal pick but while there are reasons to think that each of Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle, Liverpool and Chelsea are stronger this season (and Tottenham will be too, if Harry Kane stays) and that City could miss Ilkay Gundogan, that does not necessarily mean anyone will overhaul City. For starters, it will probably require over 90 points. So City it should be. Karl Matchett: Manchester City. Nobody has made up any real ground on them. I get the train of thought that consistency after winning the lot is tough to maintain, but they have a world-class coach pushing them to do just that - and if the starters don’t perform, well, they only have World Cup winners and a whole string of internationals ready to take their places. Michael Jones: Arsenal. Manchester City are the obvious choice, and will compete again this year, but Mikel Arteta’s side have proven they can challenge so I’ll go with them to be different. They’ve strengthened over the summer and the next step in their development will be to win a big trophy. Why not the Premier League? Luke Baker: Manchester City. Occam’s Razor. No point overthinking this one and you don’t need me to sit here and explain why Man City are the best team in English football right now. Alex Pattle: I’ll admit that my imagination does not stretch as far as a world in which Manchester City do not win the league, much as Arsenal improved last season and have made promising signings. Sonia Twigg: As much as I would like to see someone new and unexpected win the league, I can’t look past Manchester City, they just seem utterly dominant. Jamie Braidwood: Manchester City. Kieran Jackson: Manchester City. Undisputed favourites once again. Pep will not let his players relent despite last season’s treble. That being said, perhaps there’s a reason no team has ever won four Premier League titles in a row (said more in hope than expectation…) Who else will finish in the top four? MD: Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool. This could actually be a top five depending on the new coefficient rules with the Champions League expansion, which I think would bring Chelsea in. JR: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United. These four sides look like they’ve separated from the rest, with Liverpool right there with Arsenal as City’s strongest competition. If one of these four endure a rotten spell, how about a real outsider such as Brighton, who were favourites against Manchester United at Wembley towards the end of last season. It’ll be tough now without Moises Caicedo, too, but the Seagulls have proven to be a well-oiled machine. RJ: Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, possibly in that order, possibly not. Liverpool’s fundamental issue last season was in midfield and bringing in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai - perhaps with Romeo Lavia to follow - could help address that so they might leapfrog Newcastle, who face the challenge of balancing Champions and Premier League. Arsenal don’t look one-season wonders while United should benefit from a second season under Erik ten Hag and with a goalkeeper who suits his style of football. KM: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United. MJ: Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool. City and Arsenal are nailed on for two of the spots while United’s increased squad and discipline should repeat their success from last season. The fourth spot is a trickier one but I’m going with Liverpool after a summer overhaul has brought new life into their midfield. LB: Liverpool bounce back as Klopp’s rebuild takes shape, Arsenal kick on from a hugely exciting season with another solid campaign and a decent bash at the Champions League, while Erik ten Hag gets just enough out of a Man United team that still clearly has deficiencies to hold off Newcastle and a surprisingly Postecoglou-inspired Spurs. AP: Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool. Signs suggest that Arsenal should only get closer to City this year, but I have a feeling it may not be quite that simple – especially with Erik ten Hag building something encouraging at United all the while. Also, I don’t expect Chelsea to be far off here. ST: I think Newcastle will push the others close, but having to play in Europe and battle in the league might be too much in the end, so Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. JB: Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool. KJ: Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal. Expecting a Liverpool resurgence, particularly if they can bring in another midfielder before the window closes. Against the grain, predicting a bit of a drop-off for Arsenal with the added task of Champions League football, but they should still finish in the top-four. Man United are a more complete side than Chelsea and Tottenham, with Newcastle just missing out this time round. Who will be relegated? MD: Luton Town, Sheffield United, Wolves . It’s difficult not to think two are going straight back down given quality, although the Premier League has had a habit of disproving such notions in recent years. Wolves have illustrated that but it looks like different issues are catching up with them. JR: Forest should have enough, and Morgan Gibbs-White should push for a place in England’s Euro 2024. Everton have never looked like surging clear of the drop zone in recent years and this season might be their time, with Wolves narrowly escaping. Luton Town, Sheffield United, Everton RJ: Sheffield United, Luton and Wolves. Sadly for the Blades, they look weaker than last season, with the sales of Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge potentially fatal blows to their chances and a lack of funds a major problem. Luton look like they have made some smart acquisitions but they overachieved - particularly relative to their budget - to get promotion and a gulf could be too big to bridge, even for such a well-run club. Wolves have contrived to become a club in crisis without kicking a ball, with Julen Lopetegui’s departure before the season has started. KM: Luton, Sheffield United and, as it stands with a month of the window to go, Wolves. MJ: Luton Town, Bournemouth, Wolves. Of the newly promoted teams Luton will probably struggle the most to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League. Bournemouth’s search for a new identity under Andoni Iraola could hit a few bumps and Wolves seem to be entering that phase when they need to drop down a league to fully reset – like Burnley under Vincent Kompany. LB: Sheffield United, Wolves, Bournemouth. I’m a football romantic, so am backing Luton to survive by listening to my heart, not my head. I also think a Burnley side that blitzed the Championship will be fine, which puts some of the more established sides at risk. Wolves have been heading in the wrong direction for a while and are in turmoil with Julen Lopetegui’s departure. Then I’ll say the Andoni Iraola project at Bournemouth comes up short and Sheffield United fail to adapt to the step up, with Fulham and Nottingham Forest just about surviving instead. AP: Luton Town, Sheffield United, Wolves. ST: I think Everton will do just enough to survive again so, Luton, Bournemouth and Sheffield United. JB: Luton Town, Sheffield United, Wolves. Or Gary O’Neil gets the last laugh and sends Bournemouth down. KJ: Wolves, Sheffield United, Bournemouth. Echoes of Blackpool in 2010-11 for Luton Town this season, but the romantic in me believes they’ll somehow stay up, just. Sheffield United will struggle after selling Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge while Wolves’ state of disarray already does not bode well. Bournemouth will regret ditching Gary O’Neil, too. Player of the season? MD: He might not transform Arsenal into champions but the signing of Declan Rice has the feel of one that just fits. JR: The importance of Martin Odegaard could emerge even further after Arsenal’s reinforcements, but away from the absolute favourites, Trent Alexander-Arnold has the ability and the character to produce the best season of his career. He’s now relishing a new role inside and appears to be physically stronger. With so many exciting options for Liverpool going forward, Alexander-Arnold should thrive and put up an outrageous assist total to attract attention for this award. RJ: If Erling Haaland gets anything like a similar goal tally to last year, he will probably scoop the individual awards again, though a personal view is that Kevin de Bruyne can be the best footballer of virtually any season. But, in a bid to say something different, perhaps another unique talent, in Trent Alexander-Arnold. KM: The first full "normal" season in a while; it feels as though Kevin de Bruyne is an obvious potential winner here as a result if he can stay fit for seven or eight months. Other than him it might be those who have stand-out roles: Trent Alexander-Arnold’s all-action and all-creative one for Liverpool, Bruno Fernandes if he operates deeper with more regularity for Man United or maybe, just maybe, Kai Havertz in a very different role for Arsenal. Creativity rather than goals might be key if the man mentioned below simply monsters every defence again. MJ: Harry Kane. This one comes with the requirement that Tottenham don’t sell Kane to Bayern Munich in the summer. Should he stay at Spurs, this is probably Kane’s last season with the club, and he will give it everything he’s got. Winning Spurs a trophy will be on his bucket list, and he’ll want to prove that he’s still a wonderful striker at the age of 30 ahead of a potential move next summer. LB: Probably Haaland but where’s the fun in saying that? If I think they win the league (I do), then it sort of has to be a City player. Kevin de Bruyne will be mesmerising once more but let’s get England fans really excited with an incredible season from Jack Grealish as he continues to improve under Pep Guardiola. AP: Kevin De Bruyne. He’s so often been that player in recent years, and when he hasn’t, it’s been debatable and largely down to injury. With City losing Ilkay Gundogan and with Bernardo Silva’s future unclear, De Bruyne may need to be at his decisive best this season. I back him to be just that. ST: Having backed Manchester City for the league title it is not inconceivable that Erling Haaland could even break his own record in a more traditional or “normal” season. JB: Kevin De Bruyne. There’s a chance he doesn’t play enough in order to win this award, as De Bruyne has been held back by Guardiola or gone through a patch of poorer form in each of the last two seasons, but the Belgian’s peak remains higher than anyone else in the Premier League. Haaland, quite rightly, got a lot of the attention last season but De Bruyne’s case will be unable to ignore if his contributions come more regularly. KJ: Luis Diaz. Something a little different from the City-led norm - predicting a big year for the Colombian at Liverpool. Electric in his first half-a-season at Anfield, his last campaign was curtailed by injury but he has hit the ground running in pre-season. Can be Jurgen Klopp’s consistent match-winner. Golden boot? MD: The only question is how many, and whether Erling Haaland can break last year’s record. JR: Harry Kane could push Erling Haaland close if he stays at Spurs, but it feels like only injury will stop a repeat for the Norwegian. RJ: Erling Haaland - Last year, I picked a forward who got 30 goals in an exceptional season. Although I did choose Harry Kane and everyone else picked Erling Haaland so they were right and I was wrong. Lesson learned this year. Perhaps only injury could stop Haaland from retaining the Golden Boot. KM: Let’s not be silly. Erling Haaland with a better than 1.0 goals per 90 mins strike rate yet again. MJ: Erling Haaland. 52 goals in his debut season with Manchester City shows how hungry he is to succeed. He may not hit the same heights but as the main striker for the best team in the league he’ll get ample opportunity to come close. LB: Again, probably shooting myself in the foot by not going for Haaland. Darwin Nunez weirdly tempts me but Harry Kane ends up staying at Spurs, finds himself really enjoying life under Ange Postecoglou and is talked into signing another deal with the club after notching 35 goals to move within striking distance of Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League record. AP: Erling Haaland. I picked against him last season, thinking he might just need a bit of time to adapt to the league. I’d feel foolish picking against him again. ST: Erling Haaland. JB: Erling Haaland. KJ: Erling Haaland. Surely only injury will stop the Norwegian claiming another golden boot? Signing of the season MD: Alexis Mac Allister. An obvious one, maybe, but that's why Jurgen Klopp wanted him. You can see how it will work. JR: I’m excited to see how Mahmoud Dahoud slots in at Brighton, in what should be a lovely fit under Roberto De Zerbi, while Christopher Nkunku’s knee injury likely takes him out of genuine contention. So let’s go with the electric Harvey Barnes, who could quickly become a real force for Newcastle in that front three. RJ: If Brighton get Mohammed Kudus then it might be him. It could have been Christopher Nkunku, until injury meant he will miss much of the campaign. But even in a summer dominated by talk of sales to Saudi, there are a host of intriguing, potentially excellent imports, including Sandro Tonali, Pau Torres, Nicolas Jackson, Rasmus Hojlund and Szoboszlai. If forced to pick one, Moussa Diaby should bring Aston Villa goals, assists and excitement. KM: Could be Kai Havertz if he has the impact the Gunners are hoping for! Otherwise, Moussa Diaby should be an excellent addition for Aston Villa, Brighton signing Bart Verbruggen as their new long-term goalkeeper is really exciting and Dominik Szoboszlai has every trait to be a big success at Liverpool. At the other end of the payscale, Ola Aina on a free is magical business by Forest and Jefferson Lerma to Palace is another really good pickup without cost. For the best overall: Szoboszlai for the final-third impact. MJ: Declan Rice. If he can replicate his form while playing for West Ham and England, he’ll become a mainstay in the Gunners’ midfield and will take them to new heights. LB: Declan Rice. It was so easy to take Rice for granted at West Ham because he was just so consistently superb every single week. Every time in his career that he’s been forced to step up a level (to the West Ham first team, to the England team etc), he’s thrived and it gets a bit overlooked at how remarkable it is that a Hammer etched his name in stone on the England teamsheet so quickly. There’s still so much more to come from him - he’s a properly classy footballer and playing with the superior talent at Arsenal will unlock another level. No one will ever call £105m a bargain but he’ll tear it up in the Premier League and Europe. AP: Mohammed Kudus, if Brighton can get that deal done. ST: Having been a consistent performer for West Ham for a number of years, if Declan Rice can make the step up and do the same at Arsenal he could turn them into title winners. JB: Andre Onana. A signing that will truly alter how Erik ten Haag’s team look to play, which will be interesting to watch no matter which way it goes. The goalkeeper’s passing range is incredible and gives United an edge over their rivals, yet it could also go horribly wrong. David de Gea needed to leave, but he saved United countless times last season and still leaves a huge hole to fill. KJ: Andre Onana. Perhaps replace “best” with “most entertaining.” The David de Gea era is over at Old Trafford and Onana replaces him as a box-office goalkeeper. Emotional, bold and often brilliant on the pitch, he’ll bring an extra dimension to United’s build-up play with his passing range. There’ll be mistakes, but it’ll be captivating to watch. What are you looking forward to most? MD: The Premier League’s remarkable capacity for storylines. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, it offers something else. JR: The early stages of two ambitious London projects. Angeball at Spurs and the return of Mauricio Pochettino to the Premier League at Chelsea. Specifically the derby on 4 November and what could be a mixed reception given to the Argentine on his return to north London. RJ: Seeing how last season’s success stories get on. The Premier League is sometimes accused of predictability but last year a host of clubs - Newcastle, Aston Villa, Brighton, Fulham, Brentford and Bournemouth - did considerably better than most expected. If expectations may be higher at each, there is the question of how they follow it up. Newcastle, Villa and Brighton, in particular, could be seriously good teams again. KM: Spurs as a rebuild project under Ange Postecoglou should be really interesting, mostly if Harry Kane does depart. On a wider view, 99th-minute winners becoming a regular thing might get interesting from all perspectives: stamina levels, fans getting extra irate or extra elated depending on which side of it they’re on, increased VAR tensions and more. And no mid-season interruption or getting started later than planned, or after shortened pre-seasons, is fairly novel these days too! MJ: A close title race. Man City will miss Ilkay Gundogan’s crazy form at the back end of the season while Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool have seemingly closed the gap with recent additions. Throw Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle in the mix and there’s plenty of clubs who can challenge at the top of the table. LB: Lots of debates about VAR and its usage conducted in a typically open-minded, respectful manner with lots of really well-researched, fresh points enhancing the conversation every week as people easily avoid becoming entrenched in whichever ‘side’ they deem to be right... It is in no way the most tedious debate in sport. AP: Seeing if Arsenal really can close the gap to City and pull off what would be a refreshing title win – one that might be vital for the competition. Also the overdue return of Mauricio Pochettino and whether he can make it work at Chelsea. ST: Seeing the balance of power shift away from the traditional “top four” or “top six” with the recent rises of Newcastle, Brighton and Aston Villa. It has made for a much more exciting Premier League all the way down, especially with the seemingly unlimited funds at Newcastle’s disposal. JB: Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou. It might take a bit of time, and patience could be required at first, but Postecoglou’s attempts to dramatically shift Tottenham’s style of play from last season and replace the desperate sense of doom that surrounded the club with optimism and belief should be fun to watch. Top four might be beyond them this season but as a partnership this seems to be a great fit. KJ: Spicy, late drama: bring on the 100-minute game. How will more added time change results? Will the referees maintain strict law and order whilst allowing a more physical contest? The new rules add a different aspect to this season. Read More Harry Kane has fantasy managers on tenterhooks – Thursday’s sporting social ‘Pundits, prepare to eat your hats’: Airport backs Luton Town with giant message Manchester City treble heroics were ‘once in a lifetime’ triumph – Pep Guardiola I’ll give absolutely everything – Edson Alvarez signs for West Ham from Ajax We Are Newcastle United: When will it be released and what do we know about it? Premier League LIVE: Harry Kane fee agreed with Bayern Munich plus latest team news
2023-08-11 14:21
Spanish football’s ‘me-too moment’ is a mirror for the entire game
Spanish football’s ‘me-too moment’ is a mirror for the entire game
Right up until the moment that Luis Rubiales took the microphone at the Spanish federation on Friday afternoon, senior figures in Uefa were adamant he would resign. The expectation had even stopped some prominent football officials publicly speaking out. What followed, even for a sport like this, left many involved “speechless”. It says more than any statement, mind, that Rubiales’ “jaw-dropping political speech” – to use the words of one shocked source – probably wasn’t the most consequential moment of the day. All of this will eventually lead to real action, way beyond words or Spanish football. In terms of the most immediate effect, Fifa has now suspended Rubiales for 90 days and ordered him not to contact the player he kissed on the lips after the World Cup final, Jenni Hermoso. One of the most striking and important lines of Fifa’s statement announcing Rubiales’ suspension was the directive that he is not allowed contact her or her “close environment”. Four official complaints against Rubiales are now being investigated and they could ultimately see him banned from sport for anything between two to 15 years. “This is the end,” Miquel Iceta, Spain’s minister for culture and sport, told El Pais. “This can’t continue like this.” And yet it went on a bit longer. Iceta's comments were before the farcical late-night statement outlining how Rubiales’ federation would take legal action against the Futpro Union representing Jenni Hermoso, the player he kissed after the World Cup final, while insisting the president “has not lied” through the use of still images in an attempt to show Hermoso had initiated the incident. It felt like a point of no return, if only the latest. That deepens the question over why Rubiales didn’t just resign, although many would point to a total income from the role and connected positions of almost €1m a year. Others would point to a belligerent defiance when “cornered” that sums up his personality. It has similarly led to open comment in Spanish football about how this could be a precursor to a political career. Rubiales’ statements blaming “false feminism” undeniably played into the culture-war sentiment that Spain’s far-right party Vox has long been trying to court. This is what has finally set Rubiales in open conflict with the Spanish squad, after what has really been months of build-up. It has also brought the most significant and symbolic effect. The Spanish squad admirably came together as one, creditably supported by many of their colleagues around the women’s game as well as Spanish clubs and some male footballers, to declare they would not play for the national team while “the current management” remains at the federation. It has been quite a move – and almost the grim inverse of one of midfielder Aitana Bonmati’s supreme turns – for the country’s senior football body to turn the glory of a World Cup win into such a global public relations disaster, which is just about the most generous description. The women’s world champions currently don’t have a team. Going up against your now hugely popular winners is quite the position. The front page of Marca declared it all a “global embarrassment”, which echoes the mood of most of Spain. There are multiple other layers to this, a landmark moment for football as a whole. One of the main arguments has been what a rightful shame it is that the players’ glory has only seen a man’s behaviour being discussed, and that this man is who represents Spanish football on the global stage. It is in some ways both a separate story, though, and one more deeply fundamental to the squad’s achievements. Some of those achievements, of course, are successfully demanding better standards for women’s football that ultimately served their World Cup win. This is where there is a wider context to “little more than a kiss”, as Rubiales so provocatively put it. Even after Spain’s semi-final victory over Sweden, the federation chief was the first figure from the Spanish camp to publicly mention the player mutiny that framed this campaign, talking about “people with resentments” with a similarly provocative tone. It was impossible not to interpret all of this in terms of his own sense of personal vindication for standing by Jorge Vilda and facing down rebellious players, all of which translated into this belligerent triumphalism in the moment of victory. What else does the infamous crotch-grabbing symbolise other than “I’m the man”? And yet it is that very triumphalism that could lead to his downfall, “the end”, as Iceta put it. Those very celebrations have now led to a situation where Hermoso has now said: “I want to make clear that not in any moment did the conversation occur that Mr Luis Rubiales references, and much less that his kiss was consensual. In the same way I want to reiterate how I did in that moment that what happened was not enjoyable. “I felt vulnerable and a victim of aggression, an impulsive act, sexist, out of place and without any type of consent from my part. In short, I wasn’t respected.” Hermoso then spoke about how she, her family, friends and teammates “have been under constant pressure to come out with some sort of statement that would justify the acts of Mr Luis Rubiales”. While Victor Francos, the president of the Spanish High Council for Sport, had echoed the mood of many involved by saying nobody should “put the responsibility for this” on Hermoso, there was still a widespread pride in how she spoke. This is the other side of the shame Spain is feeling at how its football culture looks on the world stage. As regressive as much of the powerbrokers appear, the women’s teams have been pioneers. Spain can be proud of them for much more than winning a World Cup. They are affecting real change. Similarly, a lot of the country has looked at this and decided which side they are on. It is not that of Rubiales or Vilda. An admirable statement from Osasuna spoke of how the applause in the room “represents how far away Mr Rubiales and those who support him are from the majority sentiment of society”. On that, if Vilda’s managerial relationship with the players was complex before, what will it be like after effusively clapping Rubiales after his speech? All of this is why this entire story has had real cut-through, to the extent it has surprised many in Spain. Francos said: “We’re facing the ‘me too’ moment of Spanish football”. It also touches on bigger themes in global football. That is of course if global football snaps out of this apparent paralysis – although the paralysis is part of the point. The silence from some of the most senior people in football has been alarming. Uefa still have no official position on their vice president, although the explanation from those within the organisation is that Rubiales is only there because of a vote from the national federations, that they don’t want to interfere with a member association, and that do they want to cut across Fifa when the global body has opened a case. “The optics are bad if they say nothing,” one source conceded. It sums up the mood of many football figures, who all echoed a description of Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin as “such a disappointment”. Nor has there been any public comment from the Football Association, even though chair Debbie Hewitt was right beside Rubiales in her new role as Fifa president as all of this was happening. Another explanation there is the expectation he would resign and that Hewitt is now likely to be a witness in Fifa’s investigation. There has then been the widespread silence from the men’s game, other than admirable exceptions like Borja Iglesias, Isco, Hector Bellerin and Javier Aguirre. The contrast has already been drawn with how activist women’s players are by contrast, with one agent privately confiding that most male footballers only ever take on a cause if it suits their public relations purposes. “It’s a low bar but how many current men’s players ever talk up?” This is in part why this story has gone well beyond Spain. Football faces a crisis of leadership and vision, that has directly facilitated many existential threats to the sport itself, at least as regards the positive community form we know it from most of its history. Rubiales really reflects a type of man – and it is always a man – that rises to senior administrative roles in football, and doesn't seem to have the foresight, let alone other qualities, to properly serve the game as a whole. It is another vintage example of the sport mirroring society in terms of patriarchal structure, of course, but what is so troubling is how its community values could still be so positive. As the most prominent examples, what has been the response to sportswashing? What has been the response to the corrosive influence of private equity and other forms of a very Western capitalism? What has been the response to multi-club projects and how they distort club identities? What has been the response to the problematic concentration of the vast majority of football’s wealth in the men’s game in western Europe? What has been the response to the destructive erosion of competitive balance? Bar mostly waving all of this through, the most common response has just been to add more games and competitions, so even more money swirls around the top end. It has lamentably become a sport that is only ever exploiting its own immense popularity, rather than using it for the good it could do. And yet that’s the other side of such popularity, and when something spreads among more people like that. Those in charge can lose control of it. The development of the women’s game has led to that more prominent activism previously missing. This multi-layered story may well end up the most emphatic proof of that. It may end up a victory that goes further than the World Cup itself. Read More Spanish FA threatens legal action over Jenni Hermoso ‘lies’ as World Cup kiss row deepens Spain’s World Cup winners refuse to play until Luis Rubiales is removed
2023-08-26 21:58
James scores season-high 37, hits go-ahead free throw as Lakers hold off Rockets 105-104
James scores season-high 37, hits go-ahead free throw as Lakers hold off Rockets 105-104
LeBron James scored a season-high 37 points, including the go-ahead free throw with 1.9 seconds remaining, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Houston Rockets 105-104
2023-11-20 13:49
Rubiales kiss 'should never have happened', says FIFA chief Infantino
Rubiales kiss 'should never have happened', says FIFA chief Infantino
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Thursday that Luis Rubiales' kiss on the mouth of Spanish women's football star Jenni Hermoso...
2023-09-01 06:19
Braves retire Andruw Jones' No. 25 in honor that could boost momentum for Hall of Fame
Braves retire Andruw Jones' No. 25 in honor that could boost momentum for Hall of Fame
Andruw Jones, who won 10 Gold Gloves in a career that began with 12 seasons in Atlanta, became the 11th Braves player or manager to have his number retired
2023-09-10 10:22