List of All Articles with Tag 'ball'

Anti-discrimination body Kick It Out received a record number of reports of discriminatory behaviour during the 2022-23 season. Figures released by the organisation show that 1,007 reports – an increase of 65.1 per cent over the previous season – were made during the campaign from the grassroots and professional games and across social media. Reports of online abuse rose by 279 per cent with the organisation receiving 207 more reports related to online forums and social media than in the previous 12 months. The significant leap in reports highlights that discrimination is still a serious issue within the game. Kick It Out Racism was the most common form of discrimination, accounting for just under half (49.3 per cent) of all reports, while reports related to sexism and misogyny represented the largest rise in a specific discrimination type. Figures show a 400 per cent increase in reports of sexism and misogyny, up from 16 to 80. Faith-based discrimination fell slightly due to a 29.5 per cent drop in the number of reports received of an antisemitic nature, but Islamophobia (300 per cent) and sectarian chanting in the professional game (15.8 per cent) were both up. Discrimination reports in the professional game rose by 27.4 per cent to 484, which represents those received from the Premier League, English Football League and National League, domestic cups, European and international competition, Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship. A statement from Kick It Out referred to the rise in reports as a “significant leap” that “highlights that discrimination is still a serious issue within the game”. However, it added: “The record figures could also be attributed to an increased awareness of reporting procedures and fans becoming less tolerant of discriminatory behaviour.” Racism continued to account for more than half of grassroots reports (50.8 per cent) and 43.4 per cent of overall grassroots incidents received were from under-18s or younger age-group games. “Research conducted by Kick It Out suggests these numbers are the tip of the iceberg with many incidents still not reported,” the statement added. Social media abuse comprised a much larger proportion of overall reports compared to previous years, making up 28 per cent of all reports received, up from 12.1 per cent last year. Kick It Out chief executive Tony Burnett said: “The significant increase in reports across the game is alarming and strengthens our resolve to tackle discrimination in all areas of football. “Behind each of these statistics is somebody who has sadly experienced discrimination, and supporting the victims of abuse remains Kick It Out’s utmost priority. “While we continue to work tirelessly to Kick It Out, we call upon fans, clubs, leagues and governing bodies to help us with this cause, and we are encouraged that the number of reports per incident continues to increase, suggesting that people are becoming less tolerant of discriminatory behaviour and more likely to report abuse when they see it. “Our figures provide a snapshot of what is happening across the game, but we still don’t know the full picture because clubs, leagues and governing bodies aren’t currently mandated to share their reporting data. “This underscores why football urgently needs a centralised reporting mechanism to collate and monitor reports. Only once that happens can we understand the full extent of the problem within football and tackle it with the full force of the sport.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Novak Djokovic on Wimbledon challengers: They want to win but it ain’t happening Wimbledon day nine: Iga Swiatek sent home but Novak Djokovic marches on Will Young hits century on Nottinghamshire debut to frustrate leaders Surrey

Edwin van der Sar remains in intensive care but is communicating and “not in life-threatening danger”, his wife has said. The former Manchester United and Netherlands goalkeeper was admitted to a hospital in Croatia last Friday after suffering bleeding around the brain. Annemarie van der Sar said in a statement issued via Dutch club Ajax: “Edwin is still in the intensive care unit, but is stable. He is not in life-threatening danger. “Every time we get to visit him, he’s communicative. We have to wait patiently to see how his situation will develop.” Van der Sar, 52, had been on holiday in Croatia when he reportedly suffered a cerebral haemorrhage. The Dutchman retired in 2011 after winning 130 caps for his country and a club career that included Champions League wins with both Ajax and United. He also claimed four Premier League titles with United and had spells with Fulham and Juventus. He later took up a position on the Ajax board and became chief executive in 2016. He stepped down at the end of last season. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Paul Finebaum is honestly assessing what the Alabama football team could be this season.Going on three years removed since their last national title, Paul Finebaum has some concerns about Nick Saban's Alabama football team heading into a critical season for the Crimson Tide.Finebaum spo...

The Georgia football program is dominating in recruitment because the Dawgs have a firm plan of attack under head coach Kirby Smart.The best teams in any sport typically have a strong identity, and Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs are no different.The former Georgia football player took o...

England’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine in September will be played in the Polish city of Wroclaw. Gareth Southgate’s men have enjoyed a 100 per cent start to European Championship qualification, with four wins from their four Group C matches. England’s next qualifier is on September 9 away to Ukraine, who have been forced to host matches away from their homeland since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. The Ukrainian Association of Football has confirmed that the match will be held in Poland at the 45,000-capacity Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw. They held last year’s Nations League games in Poland – two in Lodz, one in Krakow – and played June’s match at home to Malta in Trnava, Slovakia. The Austrian cities of Vienna and Klagenfurt had been reportedly considered as host cities for the match against England.

Republic of Ireland Under-21s international Sinclair Armstrong has spoken of his pride in himself for resisting the urge to punch an opposition player after he was allegedly racially abused. The 20-year-old QPR striker was warming up on the sideline during Ireland’s friendly against the Kuwait Under-22s in Austria last month when a comment was made which prompted him and his team-mates to walk off the pitch and the game to be abandoned after 60 minutes. The Football Association of Ireland has backed the stance of the players and manager Jim Crawford and reported the matter to UEFA and FIFA, although the Kuwaiti FA categorically denied the accusation and claimed a halt was called because of “excessive roughness and tension between the players”. However, speaking to the Training121 podcast, Armstrong said: “I had never experienced racism on the pitch. I remember going out to warm up. It was me and Killian Phillips. He was right beside me. “The lad made a gesture. Me being me, I just laughed. Then he said what he said, and I looked at him thinking: ‘There is no way he just said that’. “It’s kind of like the devil and the angel on my shoulder. Should I go and punch him? Or calm yourself and see what happens. “But I am proud of myself because I know I could have hit him. There was no one stopping me from hitting him, but I just thought, if I hit this lad, I’m not going to get anything out of it. It’s wrong. You can't be saying this sort of stuff on the pitch. Republic of Ireland Under-21s international Sinclair Armstrong “He had already said what he said. I have already heard it. I am proud of myself that I didn’t hit him and just dealt with it the way I dealt with it, by just telling the linesman: ‘He said this’ and telling the gaffer: ‘He said this’. We just walked off.” The game in Bad Radkersburg was one of two abandoned in Austria on the same day with New Zealand refusing to return for the second half of their fixture against Qatar after no action was taken over an alleged racist remark. Armstrong stressed the need for education to address the issue and urged those affected to speak out. He said: “It’s wrong. You can’t be saying this sort of stuff on the pitch. It happens again and again, but I hope I see change. We have to talk about it. Hopefully we do see change.”

Tottenham have announced the signing of attacker Manor Solomon on a free transfer. Spurs moved to bring former Fulham loanee Solomon to the club after he was able to cancel his deal with Shakhtar Donetsk. The diminutive winger has agreed a five-year contract with Tottenham after he returned to the country from holiday last weekend and passed his medical on Monday. Solomon was allowed to cancel his contract with Shakhtar and sign for Spurs after FIFA in May extended its temporary employment rules relating to the war in Ukraine. Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, foreign players contracted to clubs affiliated to Ukrainian or Russian football associations can “unilaterally suspend their employment” until June 30 2024, provided teams are informed of the suspension in writing by July 1. With Solomon’s previous terms with Shakhtar due to expire on December 31, he was able to become a free agent after he exercised the right to suspend his current employment with the Ukraine outfit. The wide forward becomes the fourth addition completed by Tottenham this summer, with Dejan Kulusevski’s loan move being made permanent while last month Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison sealed transfers to the Premier League club. Israel international Solomon showed flashes of his potential during his loan with Fulham last season despite waiting until January to make his full debut due to a serious knee injury. When the 23-year-old was fit, he scored five goals in 24 appearances to earn admirers at Tottenham. Solomon could face old club Shakhtar in a friendly on August 6 after it was announced last month that Spurs would host the Ukraine champions. The Premier League side are set to make a financial contribution to Shakhtar’s charitable foundation while an additional donation of net proceeds from ticket sales has been promised to help with the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Tottenham remain in the hunt for new central defenders with talks continuing with Wolfsburg over the signing of Micky ven de Ven. Spurs also hold interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba and Tosin Adarabioyo of Fulham, but outgoings are another area of priority after Harry Winks recently left to join Leicester. The club’s stance on Harry Kane remains unchanged despite Bayern Munich’s growing interest. Kane will return to training on Wednesday, but speculation over his future continues to intensify with only a year left on his deal. The PA news agency understands Tottenham have offered the forward a new contract that is an increase on his current £200,000-a-week terms. While Kane is yet to make a decision on the contract, Spurs’ stance remains the same with their star striker not for sale. Spurs fly out for their pre-season tour of Perth, Bangkok and Singapore on Friday and a decision will need to be made over whether captain Hugo Lloris is part of the travelling party given interest from Inter Milan. Tottenham are open to selling Lloris for the right offer and an agreement could even be reached to terminate his terms a year early, PA understands. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ange Postecoglou excited about ‘leader’ James Maddison’s role at Tottenham Lotte Wubben-Moy excited about England’s potential ahead of World Cup England retain Jonny Bairstow in unchanged squad for fourth Ashes Test

England defender Lotte Wubben-Moy is convinced the Lionesses are yet to test the limits of their true potential as they dare to dream of a maiden World Cup title. The European champions begin their global mission against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22 before taking on Denmark and China to conclude the group stage. With the July 31 one-year anniversary of her side’s Euro 2022 Wembley triumph fast approaching, Wubben-Moy and her team-mates are ready to consign that victory to the history books and focus on their next chapter. “In terms of preparation I think it is a Euros but then a level up,” the 24-year-old said during a training session on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. “The focus, the desire, the intensity, I think it’s all taken a step up and that’s what I’d expect really. “We’ve come off the back of a Euros, we’ve won that, and it’s not a case of settling on that, it’s ‘ok, what’s next? how much more can we push?’ because I don’t think this team knows how far we can go really and that’s quite a nice place to be in because in that sense you can dream and always be excited about what’s next.” England arrived in Australia, tournament co-hosts alongside New Zealand, on Friday and will train at the Sunshine Coast Stadium until they make their way to Brisbane ahead of their opener. While several Lionesses have praised the hosts for making them feel at home in such a short period of time, there are some unquestionable differences between this World Cup and last summer’s Euros in England – things like the kangaroos roaming the grounds of the team hotel. Wubben-Moy continued: “From the food room you can look out onto the water, and there are these like mad, massive blue fish, similar to the colour of the kit actually, so there’s going to be plenty of wildlife that we see. Hopefully none of the scary ones, because I think quite a few people are scared of spiders and snakes. “I don’t mind spiders but snakes, nah, no, not having it. Oh, the thought of it. So hopefully we don’t encounter any of them.” I don’t think this team knows how far we can go really and that’s quite a nice place to be in because in that sense you can dream and always be excited about what’s next Lotte Wubben-Moy While a combination of retirements and injuries will force Sarina Wiegman to debut a new-look line-up from the identical one she fielded for every match last summer, Wubben-Moy is less likely to be among her head coach’s top choices to start at the back. Millie Bright, named captain in place of the injured Leah Williamson, looks set to return after recovering from the knee injury that kept her out of the Lionesses’ pre-departure goalless draw with Portugal, while stalwarts Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood will feature in their third consecutive World Cups. Jess Carter and Esme Morgan both earned starting places in that friendly, while Wubben-Moy remained on the bench. However she is employed this tournament, the Arsenal defender vowed she will make the most of the experience. She added: “I think it’s difficult, a player is always going to want to play as much as possible. “I guess I’m not naive to the fact that the minutes I’ve got this year with England haven’t been massive, so my focus on this tournament is to enjoy it, gain the most out of it and actually ideally give the most of myself. “I’ve spoken a lot about consistency and being the best person that I can be for my team-mates, whether that’s on the pitch or off the pitch, and I hold myself to high standards in general, so that’s definitely something that I see as a goal for the tournament, regardless of whether I get minutes or not.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ange Postecoglou excited about ‘leader’ James Maddison’s role at Tottenham England retain Jonny Bairstow in unchanged squad for fourth Ashes Test Royal Birkdale to host Open Championship in 2026

Ange Postecoglou is excited about the role “leader” James Maddison will play in helping implement his style of football at Tottenham. Maddison completed a transfer worth £40million plus add-ons to Spurs last month after five years with Leicester where he won the FA Cup and scored 55 goals in 203 appearances. England midfielder Maddison had been tracked by Tottenham since he was a teenager at Coventry and officially begins work with the club on Wednesday when the next group of international players, including Harry Kane, return. His new boss feels the playmaker will be key to the sizable task of getting a squad accustomed to pragmatic, counter-attacking football now in sync with the aggressive, possession-based style set to be used by the Australian. Postecoglou said: “Really excited to get James as part of the group. “Any manager will tell you that part of the key to being a dominant team is having multiple attacking threats and having a midfielder who can score and create goals. “They’re not easy to come by. He’s proven himself at that level in the last few years as somebody who can do that. “When you look at Tottenham the last few years, they’ve been really reliant on the front three to get their goals. “I thought it was a really good fit for us to look for a player like James – even better if we could get James, so we ended up getting James. “I was really pleased and the fact we did it early was great because it allows him to have a break. He’s had the birth of twins so I don’t know what shape he’ll be in when he gets here! “But once we get him in, it means he can come on the tour with us and I know he’s really excited about joining the group. “He obviously knows a few of the lads and I think he’s in a stage of his career where it feels like he can be a leader, which is great as well because we need players who want to embrace that responsibility within this group. “Whether it’s their first year in or they’ve been here for ages, we’re going to need leadership on the field and he feels like he can be a player who does that.” Postecoglou held his first press conference since switching Celtic for Spurs on Monday and struck the right chord between confidence alongside realism. Tottenham finished eighth in the Premier League last season – using three different head coaches – but more significantly have spent the last four years playing counter-attacking football. Gradually it wore down a disgruntled fanbase impatient for success with no trophy since 2008 and while a return to an aggressive, front-foot style will be welcomed, Postecoglou is aware rebooting a squad used to a certain way will be no mean feat. He added: “Absolutely that will be the biggest challenge and that’s what I’m concentrating on at the moment. “We don’t have the whole group here but the guys we have, it’s about changing that mindset and changing the way the players see the game and maybe their roles within in. “Because even with the positions they play, there’s going to be adjustments in how I want them to do things. Again, I love that. That’s why I’m here. “If it was just me rolling up and they’re going out there, doing their thing, it wouldn’t excite me. That’s part of the challenge – it will be a shift from the way the club has played for three or four years. “In terms of how quickly the players embrace that, the new players coming in will help. That’s the part I have control over, whether that’s James Maddison or Guglielmo (Vicario) in goal. “They’re players who fit in the direction I want to go in, which helps. Then it’s about seeing with the existing group how many of them are able to adjust and embrace the way we’re going to play.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lotte Wubben-Moy excited about England’s potential ahead of World Cup England retain Jonny Bairstow in unchanged squad for fourth Ashes Test Royal Birkdale to host Open Championship in 2026

Ashley Young is in talks with Everton following his departure from Aston Villa, the PA news agency understands. The 38-year-old is a free agent having left Villa at the end of his contract. A move to Goodison Park could be next, as it is understood that things are moving in a positive direction on that front. Young made over 100 appearances for Watford before joining Villa, for the first of two stints with the club, in 2007. He subsequently signed for Manchester United in 2011 and won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League during nine years at Old Trafford. Young moved on to Inter Milan in 2020 and helped them claim the Serie A title, becoming the third Englishman to win Italy’s top prize after Jimmy Greaves and Gerry Hitchens in 1963. The 39-times capped England international, who can play as a left-back or left winger, then rejoined Villa in 2021. He made 32 appearances last season, and 250 for Villa across his two spells. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

England were knocked out of the World Cup following a 2-1 extra-time defeat to Croatia in the semi-final on this day in 2018. Gareth Southgate’s youthful squad had travelled to Russia without the weight of expectation on their shoulders, but ignited the nation with a remarkable run to the last four which sparked genuine hope of bringing an end to their wait for tangible success. Not since Sir Alf Ramsey’s men had lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy at Wembley in 1966 had England got their hands on a major piece of silverware, and the near misses of Italy 90 and Euro 96 had simply increased the hunger. Having emerged from Group G as runners-up to Belgium, England edged past Colombia on penalties in the last 16 and dispatched Sweden 2-0 in the quarter-finals to set up their showdown with Croatia at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium. England fans were dreaming of a possible final clash against France or Belgium when Kieran Trippier’s stunning free-kick gave his side a fifth-minute lead, and it was one they held until the 68th minute. But it was then that the tide turned. Ivan Perisic’s equaliser gave Croatia fresh impetus as they took the game into extra time, during which Mario Mandzukic blasted home what proved to be the winner. Southgate’s disappointment after the final whistle was matched only by his pride at the efforts of a squad he freely admitted had exceeded its own expectations. He said: “It’s too easy sometimes to move on quickly, but, certainly, I’m hugely proud of what they’ve done. I couldn’t have asked them to give any more for me or for the country. “They have broken through a number of barriers over the last few weeks.” England had the unenviable task of dusting themselves down for a third-fourth play-off reunion with the Belgians, who came out on top once again, while the Croatians went down 4-2 to France in the final. Southgate’s men would go one better three years later at the delayed Euro 2020, where they were beaten by Italy on penalties in the final, and the wait for glory goes on.

What the papers say Manchester United are reportedly looking to sell England international Harry Maguire after he only started in 16 games for the club last season. The Red Devils have placed a £50million price tag for his signature, the Manchester Evening News reports. Maguire joined the club in 2019 for £80million. The Daily Mail says Manchester United will reportedly complete their £43million deal with Inter Milan to sign goalkeeper Andre Onana from the Italian club. Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse could be set for a move to West Ham, who want to sign the England midfielder for around £20million. However, the Saints value the 28-year-old at £40million, according to the Daily Mail. Newcastle are looking to make room for Leicester midfielder Harvey Barnes, with the Telegraph reporting they could look to sell Allan Saint-Maximin, who is being pursued by Saudi clubs. Social media round-up Players to watch Matt Doherty: TeamTalk report the Republic of Ireland full-back could return to former club Wolves after leaving Atletico Madrid. Micky van de Ven: Tottenham are reportedly looking to sign the 22-year-old Dutch defender from Wolfsburg for around £25million, according to the Mirror.