List of All Articles with Tag 'al'

UEFA’s investigation into Manchester City concluded that two £15million payments from a broker was funding from the club’s owners disguised as sponsorship revenue. The report by the adjudicatory committee of UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) is effectively the written reasons behind the decision announced in February 2020 to suspend City from European competition for two years. The report was never published because the club appealed against the decision and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later overturned the CFCB verdict, but it has been obtained by the makers of a YouTube film released on Thursday, and has also been seen by The Times. UEFA did not comment on the report when contacted by the PA news agency on Friday. The report said City’s lawyers had told a UEFA disciplinary hearing that two £15m sponsorship payments from telecommunications firm Etisalat in 2012 and 2013 were made by a man called Jaber Mohammed, who was described as a broker, and that Etisalat repaid the money to City’s owners in 2015. The Times reports that the adjudicatory committee of the CFCB concluded: “Arrangements were made under which payments were made or caused to be made by ADUG (Abu Dhabi United Group, a private equity fund controlled by City owner Sheikh Mansour) but attributed to the sponsorship obligations of Etisalat so as to disguise the true purpose of equity funding, and those arrangements were carried into effect by the payments made by Jaber Mohamed totalling £30million. “The management of the club was well aware that the payments totalling £30million made by Jaber Mohamed were made as equity funding, not as payments for the sponsor on account of genuine sponsorship liabilities.” CAS overturned the two-year suspension in July 2020, and in its judgement it said UEFA should not have dealt with the charges related to Etisalat because they had passed the five-year time limit. It is not known whether the Etisalat payments form part of the Premier League’s ongoing case against City, where they face 115 charges over alleged breaches of the league’s financial rules and a failure to co-operate with the investigation, but, if they do, they would not be time-barred. In the same judgement, the CAS panel also stated it was “not comfortably satisfied” that City had disguised equity funding from Sheikh Mansour or ADUG as sponsorship contributions from the Etihad airline. It said in relation to the Etihad sponsorship: “There is not sufficient evidence on file to establish that arrangements were actually made between MCFC and HHSM (Sheikh Mansour) and/or ADUG, or between HHSM and/or ADUG and Etihad, or that HHSM and/or ADUG funded part of Etihad’s sponsorship obligations directly. “In the absence of a link being proven…the majority of the panel finds that UEFA’s theory on disguised equity funding remains unsubstantiated.” City have not commented on the latest report, but it is understood they believe questions should be asked about the origins of the funding for the new YouTube film, and the motivations of those who provided that funding. Little is known about the company behind it, Sunrise Media, which was registered in the British Virgin Islands on June 9. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Nathan Lyon’s Ashes could be over after ‘significant’ calf strain is confirmed Nathan Lyon arrives on crutches as calf injury puts Ashes role in doubt England name uncapped Saracens hooker Theo Dan in World Cup training squad

Celtic have announced the signing of Australia international Marco Tilio from Melbourne City. The 21-year-old winger has agreed a five-year deal at Celtic Park and becomes the second signing of Brendan Rodgers’ second spell at the club. Tilio, who follows a host of Australians to pull on the green and white hoops, told Celtic TV: “I’m ecstatic that I’m coming over to Europe, coming to such a big club and team, and I’m super-excited. “I hope to bring all my qualities, take on players in and around the box, help the team contribute to goals with assists and hopefully put a few in the back of the net as well. “It’s an amazing opportunity for myself and having seen Aussies go over there and do well at such a prestigious club, it’s a massive opportunity for myself that I couldn’t deny. “And being around those guys, Aaron Mooy and Tommy Rogic, in the national team camp over recent years, obviously helped make my decision easier.” Tilio joined Melbourne three years ago from Sydney FC but always had his sights on a move to Europe. He added: “It’s always been a plan ever since I moved over to Melbourne three years ago. “It was my plan to go over and do well, and hopefully proceed to go on to different and bigger and better things, and now I think is the time for me to come over to Europe and really challenge myself. ‘And I’m really excited with the opportunity I have to come to this club and hopefully I put my best foot forward and play some good football.’ “I think it’s a massive opportunity to be a part of a team that plays in the Champions League, and have a winning mentality in bringing trophies. I think that’s important. “And as a player that’s what you want to be a part of and what you want to do is win trophies, win games. For me it’s always been about that here in Australia and I want to come over there and do the same thing.” Tilio, who will make the journey from Down Under to Scotland in the next week, joins Odin Thiago Holm as the second summer arrival at the club. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live UEFA’s Man City probe ruled £30m from owners disguised as sponsor money – report Nathan Lyon’s Ashes could be over after ‘significant’ calf strain is confirmed Nathan Lyon arrives on crutches as calf injury puts Ashes role in doubt

Henry Cejudo’s dream of fighting on the anniversary of his Olympic gold-medal win has been derailed by injury, the ex-UFC champion has said. Cejudo was due to face Marlon “Chito Vera” at a UFC Fight Night on 19 August – the 15th anniversary of his wrestling triumph for the United States at the Beijing Games. However, a shoulder injury will prevent Cejudo, 36, from competing this summer, denying him the chance to bounce back from a recent loss. Cejudo, one of just four dual-weight champions in UFC history, retired from mixed martial arts in 2020 but returned in May, losing to bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling on points. “Unfortunately due to my right shoulder, I won’t be able to fight,” Cejudo said on Instagram on Thursday (29 June). “I’ve already torn my left shoulder, where I was out for about a year. I don’t want it to tear further than what it already is. “The cat’s out the bag. It’s actually a 50 per cent tear. I stretched it out to as much as I possibly could, because I love that Chito Vera match-up, but between my shoulder and my baby expected on 25 October, it’s the best decision for me and my family to not fight in August. “Nothing changes with my future goals. I want my title back. When I’m back to 100 per cent, you’ll see me in the Octagon again. But until then, I need to heal. I hope the UFC can find a replacement to fight Chito, so he could stay on the card. I would’ve loved to fight him in Boston on the 15-year anniversary of my gold medal. But I’ll be back.” Cejudo won the UFC flyweight title in 2018 and claimed the bantamweight belt in 2019. He retained each title once and vacated both prior to retiring in 2020. In May, he returned to MMA and attempted to reclaim the bantamweight title by challenging Sterling, who beat Cejudo via split decision. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Conor McGregor doubles down on Ultimate Fighter criticism as Michael Chandler’s team dominate Tyson Fury’s ‘game-changing’ return to be announced in ‘next week or so’, Frank Warren says Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg: Who would win a fight between tech titans? Strickland vs Magomedov live stream: How to watch UFC Fight Night online and on TV this weekend

Chelsea and Reece James cause a stir on social media after awkwardly interacting with an Arsenal fan about a potential move to the Emirates Stadium.

Pau Torres is due for a medical at Aston Villa as a fee is agreed with Spanish outfit Villarreal.

Premier League quartet Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle United hold talks with agent Jorge Mendes over the signing of young Spaniard Gabri Veiga.

What the papers say The Sun says West Ham have delayed the £105million sale of Declan Rice as they wait for Arsenal to bring an acceptable payment plan. West Ham reportedly want the hefty sum paid by early 2025, Arsenal are hoping to pay it in increments over the next five years. The deal is said to be close to being settled. Villarreal defender Pau Torres is heading to the Premier League with Aston Villa as Unai Emery gets his man on a deal worth around £35million, according to the Guardian. Chelsea have identified their replacement for Mason Mount, who has agreed to a deal with Manchester United, in Spanish midfielder Gabri Veiga, the Standard reports. The 21-year-old is currently LaLiga club Celta Vigo. Manchester City and Liverpool are also said to be interested in Veiga’s signature. Wilfried Zaha will be a free agent on Friday with the club great in talks Crystal Palace to potentially stay on at the club, the Daily Mail said. Jose Mourinho is reportedly considering a raid on Leicester with the Roma boss eyeing up Kelechi Iheanacho and Patson Daka, the Daily Express reports. Social media round-up Players to watch Jurrien Timber: The Ajax defender is set for a medical at Arsenal as the clubs have agree a fee of around £36million, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports. Romelu Lukaku: The Belgian striker, who was on loan from Chelsea at Inter Milan last season, has rejected multiple offers from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal as he wants to stay at the Serie A side, Italian media outlet Gazzetta dello Sport says. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Starling Marte should have listened when a Mets fan behind home plate screamed not to swing at everything before a bases-loaded, game-ending strikeout.As the halfway point of the season approaches, New York is on pace to match the record of the 1992 "Worst Team Money Could Buy" Mets. S...

After reporting about the Suns hosting Kyrie Irving on a free agent visit emerged, a Suns insider called the rumor "absurd."According to John Gambadoro, the Suns are not going to meet with Kyrie Irving for a serious free-agency meeting. This came after a previous report from Chris Hayn...

The New England Patriots may have given a contract extension to DeVante Parker, but that's not stopping them from pursuing this player.The New England Patriots have been spending this past week making some in-house moves, with the biggest being the retention of wide receiver DeVante Parker....

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones revealed his goal for the 2023 season that is not related to his desire for a new contract.The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to repeat as Super Bowl champions at the end of this upcoming season. Before the campaign even starts, the Chiefs do have ...

NBA rumors about James Harden leaving the 76ers are on fire with one NBA insider suggesting big-name replacements for Philadelphia.The news that James Harden is opting in with the 76ers in order to facilitate a sign-and-trade has set off the NBA rumor mill.Shams Charania says the Heat are in...