Month: September 2021

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RONALDO’S RETURN AND FIFA BAN HEADLINE PREMIER LEAGUE GAME WEEK 4

Premier League returns after the International break but the most prestigious league in the world welcome the return of a legend of the game as Cristiano Ronaldo steps out to wear the No. 7 shirt of Manchester United once again.

Ronaldo left Juventus with a goal record of 81 in 98 appearances, having scored 311 in 292 appearances for Real Madrid before he joined the Old ladies. The Portuguese’ first experience in England left him with 84 goals in 196 appearances and one of his teammates at Old Trafford in 2009 is now his Manager at Manchester United.

Ronaldo makes his debut as a legend returnee when Manchester United host Newcastle this weekend and fans can’t wait to see him don the shirt of the red half of Manchester again.

On the second leg, the international break ended rather “pandemoniously” for countries like Brazil and Argentina as national team players of Brazil face the FIFA ban and may not feature in this week’s games. Liverpool may play without their number one goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, midfielder Fabinho Tavares and forward Roberto Firmino who has already been listed to be 4 months injured.

Manchester City may also play without Ederson Moraes and Gabriel Jesus. As there have been controversies over the players’ presence in Brazil and why the UK red list principle shouldn’t be activated on these players, their inclusion in this weekend’s games is very doubtful.

Therefore, Liverpool may feed young Caoimhin Kelleher in goal while City may ask Scott Carson to replace Ederson between the sticks.

In other games, Tottenham hopes to continue their 100% start to the season when they visit Crystal Palace on Saturday early kick-off. The Nuno Espirito Santo side have won all 3 games this term and have not conceded any goal.

Arsenal will be searching for their first premier league point when they host Norwich city while the battle at the top continues with Westham visiting Southampton, ManCity travelling to Leicester, Leeds hosting Liverpool and Chelsea battling AstonVilla at the bridge.

Predicted outcome:

Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur          – Spurs to win                  

Arsenal v Norwich City         – Draw         

Brentford v Brighton & Hove Albion          – Draw

Leicester City v Manchester City – ManCity to win 

Manchester United v Newcastle United – Manchester United to win       

Southampton v West Ham United – Westham to win or draw             

Watford v Wolverhampton Wanderers  – Draw              

Chelsea v Aston Villa – Chelsea to win

Leeds Utd v Liverpool – Liverpool to win

Everton v Burnley – Everton to win or Draw

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TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM WINS RIBA ARCHITECTURE PRIZE

Tottenham Hotspur’s 63,000-seat stadium has won a major architecture prize.

The stadium in north London, which hosted its first Premier League game in April 2019, is one of 54 winners of the 2021 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) National Awards.

The awards recognise the UK’s best new buildings and provide an insight into design and economic trends, according to RIBA.

The arena was praised as a “tour de force in stadium design”.

Judges lauded it for “delivering an unparalleled experience for the multiple users of this collection of buildings” and praised its location.

They said: “Uniquely, it is located on a high street, helping to embed it in the local community.”

The stadium cost £1bn to build and is the biggest club ground in London and second only to Manchester United’s Old Trafford in the Premier League.

The viewing experience at the stadium has frequently drawn praise; fans who can afford front-row seats are never more than eight metres from the touchline.

In recognition of Spurs’ past, there are heritage plaques, including one of the centre circle at Tottenham’s former home of White Hart Lane, and pictures of the club’s heroes lining the walls.

Christopher Lee, who designed the stadium, has previously described how he wanted it to be at the heart of the community.

And in sporting terms, Mr Lee said he had tried to create “the most incredible, atmospheric, intimidating seating bowl you can play amazing football in”.

He said he wanted to create a “giant megaphone” to drive noise and songs and chanting, and that this ambition inspired the stadium’s design.

The club played at White Hart Lane for 118 years before the ground was demolished in 2017.

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Result: Damian Szymanski denies England at the death as Poland salvage point

England were denied victory at the death in Poland as substitute Damian Szymanski cancelled out Harry Kane’s stunner in Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier.

Fresh from back-to-back 4-0 victories against Hungary and Andorra, the Three Lions rounded off their September triple-header by heading to Warsaw for what was always going to be their toughest Group I assignment.

England put in a mature performance and Kane silenced the partisan Polish crowd with a fine strike from distance, only for the hosts to roar back as Szymanski secured a 1-1 draw in stoppage time.

Gareth Southgate’s side dropped points for the first time on the road to Qatar, but they remain in control of the group with four matches remaining.

It was a deflating end to what had been a largely positive evening for the visitors, who kicked on after a lacklustre first half and went ahead when Kane’s strike from 30 yards beat Wojciech Szczesny.

Jordan Pickford almost played himself into trouble when his clearance hit Karol Swiderski and looped over his head, but England were pegged back in stoppage time as substitute Szymanski headed home.

Southgate may regret his decision not to make any substitutions on Wednesday, having made 11 changes to the starting line-up and reverted to the team that won against Hungary.

Just like that night in Budapest the England players were booed when taking the knee, having seen ‘God Save the Queen’ applauded by many home fans after initial whistles.

An impressive din did not let up at the sold-out Stadion Narodowy, with Poland unsettling the visitors by translating that intensity onto the pitch during the early stages.

Kyle Walker blocked a threatening attempt from Tymoteusz Puchacz, who Kalvin Phillips picked up an eighth minute yellow card for a foul on – one of a number of refereeing decisions that irked England.

Poland were defending aggressively and Robert Lewandowski’s presence was proving problematic at the other end, with Jakub Moder getting away a driven attempt before Adam Buksa just failed to reach a cross.

England were enjoying the majority of possession but failed to muster a shot on target in the opening period, with Kane missing the target with a wayward header after Mason Mount bent wide.

Lewandowski had Poland’s best effort of the opening period, bundling through to meet a clipped Karol Linetty pass but just failing to get enough on the ball to beat Pickford.

Tensions frayed at the break. Kamil Glik appeared to pinch Walker before a stoppage-time free-kick, with both sets of players clashing at half-time. Harry Maguire was incensed and eventually booked along with the Poland defender.

England looked to land a quick blow when play resumed after the break, with Jack Grealish getting away a low shot from an acute angle that just went wide of the far post.

Szczesny comfortably dealt with a long-range Phillips shot as the visitors continued in the ascendancy, with fleet-footed Raheem Sterling putting Poland’s backline on edge.

England were beginning to find gaps in the Polish backline through patient probing, plus they were a threat from set-pieces and Maguire saw a header come back off the far post before the flag was raised for offside.

Puchacz burst into the box and struck wide of the near post as Poland settled back down, with Lewandowski trying his luck with a long-range strike.

But just as Poland showed flashes of life, England landed a gut punch from distance as Kane took aim from 30 yards and beat former Arsenal goalkeeper Szczesny.

The goal moved the captain clear of Michael Owen onto 41 international goals but it did not prove the winner in Warsaw.

Pickford was breathing a sigh of relief when his needlessly delayed clearance hit Swiderski and looped over him, leading him to beat a hasty retreat to stop it crossing the line.

However, that moment injected new life into Poland and their fans, with Lewandowski curling just off target as they pushed.

They pushed on undeterred in stoppage time and the Bayern Munich striker stood up a fine ball to the far post, where Szymanski beat Luke Shaw to head home and secure an unlikely point to the delight of the locals.

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CHELSEA FINED AFTER PLAYERS REACTIONS TO JAMES RED CARD IN LIVERPOOL GAME

Chelsea have been fined £25,000 by the Football Association after admitting a charge of failing to control their players in the 1-1 Premier League draw at Liverpool on August 28.

Referee Anthony Taylor sent off defender Reece James after a handball on the goalline, with Mohamed Salah equalising from the penalty spot.

The Chelsea players were incensed by Taylor’s decision to dismiss James, with the Blues feeling the ball had deflected off the England star’s thigh on to his arm.

A statement from the FA read: ‘Chelsea FC has been fined £25,000 for two breaches of FA rule E20.1 which occurred during their Premier League fixture against Liverpool FC on Saturday 28 August 2021.

‘The club admitted failing to ensure that its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during both the 48th minute of the first half and following the half-time whistle.’

Kai Havertz’s headed goal had put the visitors in front before Salah levelled from the spot.

Players also squared up to each other after Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy kicked the ball away, with his clearance hitting Jordon Henderson.

Chelsea’s 10 men held firm for a point however, leaving both sides unbeaten three matches into the new league campaign.

Both Thomas Tuchel and Cesar Azpilicueta thought Taylor should have looked at more than one replay, with the official making his decision in a matter of seconds.

‘I don’t know anymore what happens and what does not happen. We were just a bit worried that he was just looking at a photo and the photo gives a clear image that it’s a red card and a penalty,’ Tuchel told Sky Sports.

‘For me it was too quick, I would have wished for a longer check and to see the whole situation, where it gets deflected.

‘I can remember referees explaining to us, if it’s a deflection and it’s not a very unnatural arm position, then it’s not a penalty.’

Blues captain Azpilicueta added: ‘Harsh. I feel sorry for Reece. The referee got advice from VAR to give it. He went to the screen to watch one replay.

‘We got the double punishment, red card and a penalty – and two yellow cards in the same action. We were angry.

‘But you have to calm down and find a way to fight together as a team. I think the team fought and maybe we had the best two chances in the second half.’

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SCOTT CARSON TO START AS “GOALEE” FOR MANCITY AFTER EDERSON BAN

Scott Carson is set to make his second Premier League appearance in a decade, with Manchester City facing a goalkeeper crisis.

First-choice stopper Ederson is set to miss the champions’ clash with Leicester City on Saturday, after the Brazilian FA asked FIFA to enforce a five-day ban on players that did not appear during the latest batch of internationals.

Ederson along with teammate Gabriel Jesus were two of eight Premier League players to not travel to Brazil, after top-flight bosses unanimously decided to not release those which would need to travel to red-list countries.

Had the 28-year-old turned out for the Selecao, he would have had to quarantine for 10 days upon his return to Manchester, as per the current government guidelines.

Instead, City decided not to release him, but now Brazilian chiefs have told FIFA to enforce the restrictions between September 10 and 14.

City are expected to appeal the ban, but there is a chance he will miss the game at the King Power Stadium.

USA international Zack Steffen is Ederson’s backup , but he is also absent after testing positive for Covid-19 whilst on international duty.

The American had already been suffering with back spasms, but the positive test will definitely see him miss the clash with the Foxes.

That leaves 36-year-old Carson as Pep Guardiola’s most senior option, with youngsters Josh McNamara and Mikki van Sas fighting for a place in the squad.

Carson has played just one Premier League game since leaving West Brom in 2011, turning out for City in the closing months of last season.

Initially signed on loan from the Rams, Carson was announced as a permanent City player during the summer window, signing a one-year contract at the Etihad.

Speaking about his decision to start Carson against the Magpies, Guardiola opened up on the huge influence the veteran keeper has within the City dressing room.

He said: “Maybe people don’t know it but he’s a real leader for us.

“He says straight away what he believes, he has a lot of experience, he has been in incredible locker rooms with big teams.

“He is an incredible person and we are delighted – not just me but Eddy (Ederson) and Zack (Steffen) and the players that today he could play.”

In more positive news for Guardiola and City, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne are both set to return to the squad after missing time in the early portion of the season.

Foden has been out since the Euro 2020 semi final, while De Bruyne missed the 5-0 win over Arsenal before the international break.

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EIGHT BRAZILIAN PLAYERS TO BE BARRED FROM PLAYING IN PREMIER LEAGUE THIS WEEKEND

Eight Brazilian players at Premier League clubs are set to be barred from playing this weekend over a refusal to release them for international duty.

The PA news agency understands that the Brazilian football federation (CBF) has written to FIFA asking that an automatic restriction be placed on the players from appearing for their clubs between September 10 and 14.

The players are Ederson and Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City, Liverpool trio Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, Fred at Manchester United, Thiago Silva at Chelsea and Raphinha at Leeds. The CBF did not request a restriction be placed on Everton forward Richarlison, who was released by the club to play for his country at the Olympic Games this summer.

FIFA in turn has contacted the Football Association and the clubs concerned regarding the Brazilian federation’s request. The world governing body may impose sanctions if the players do feature for their clubs when classed as being ineligible.

The Premier League announced prior to the September international window that players would not be released where that involved travelling to countries on the UK Government’s coronavirus ‘red list’.

Anyone returning from a red-list country or who has been in a red-list country in the 10 days prior to entering the UK must quarantine in a Government-approved hotel for 10 days, which would mean players missing Premier League as well as Champions League and Carabao Cup games.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking for an exemption, but the request was not granted.

Aston Villa did reach an agreement with two of their players – Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia – to play in Argentina’s first two World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Brazil, but miss the third against Bolivia.

Tottenham duo Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso are expected to be fined when they return to club duty, PA understands, after travelling without permission.

All four Argentinians are at the centre of a separate row over allegations that they had declared false information on official forms to the Brazilian health authorities on entering that country and in doing so had broken quarantine rules.

Health authority officials entered the pitch during the Brazil v Argentina match in Sao Paulo on Sunday seeking to deport three of the players on the field at the time, forcing the match to be suspended. The situation was described as “crazy” by Infantino this week and FIFA has now opened a disciplinary investigation involving both countries’ national associations.

FIFA is understood to have also received requests from two other South American nations asking for restrictions to be imposed – from Paraguay in the case of Newcastle midfielder Miguel Almiron, and from Chile in relation to Francisco Sierralta of Watford and Ben Brereton-Diaz of Blackburn.

The Mexican federation has requested Raul Jimenez be ineligible for Wolves between September 9 and 13.

It remains to be seen whether clubs will follow the restrictions this weekend, and, unless an agreement can be reached, then the whole situation looks set to flare up again ahead of the October international window.

In previous international windows since the pandemic began, clubs had been allowed to refuse to release players if they would be required to quarantine for five days either on arrival with their national team or on their return to their club.

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Tottenham, Chelsea to play world’s first net zero match

According to a release, Tottenham Hotspur will work to minimise emissions from matchday activity such as travel to and from the stadium for both fans and clubs, and dietary choices at the stadium.

On September 19, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are all set to renew their city rivalry in the Premier League but this time there will be a sense of uniqueness permeating through the proceedings. According to a release issued by Spurs’ official website, the match aims to become the world’s first elite-level football game which aims to be a net zero carbon fixture. With that in mind, they have branded the match as #GameZero.
What does net zero mean

Net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere.

In the context of the match, this can be achieved when direct emissions associated with it (for example, fan and employee travel, energy use of the stadium, production of food and drink) are reduced as much as possible and the remainder is ‘offset’ through natural projects, says BBC.

These can include investing in organisations that plant trees or charities that help clean oceans, or by contributing to projects exploring more ways to produce renewable energy.

Spurs and Chelsea vow to adhere to the plan

According to the release issued by the Tottenham website, for the match to be net zero, the club will work to minimise emissions from matchday activity such as energy used to power the game, travel to and from the stadium for both fans and clubs, and dietary choices at the stadium.

They will be encouraging fans attending the Chelsea match to take sustainable actions on the day, including, using public transport, cycling to the match, choosing a plant-based food option with all food served inside the stadium locally and sustainably sourced, with plant-based options available across all outlets and in Premium areas. They will also keep an eye on recycling waste with clear recycling instructions for fans on its bins, as well as a reusable beer cup scheme.

Furthermore, the Spurs squad will travel to the match by coach to reduce the number of car movements, and as the away team, Chelsea will also be asking all their staff to travel across London sustainably.

Both sets of players will head to the stadium on a coach that is running on biofuel, which is a form of renewable diesel produced from food waste products and reduces carbon emissions significantly and the players from both teams will also be drinking water on the day from cartons provided by Spurs, as opposed to plastic bottles, the release further stated.

Spurs chairman hails historic occasion

Tottenham Hotspur chairman, Daniel Levy, said: “We are delighted to be the chosen partner of Sky on this ground-breaking initiative that will demonstrate the role our game can play in addressing the urgent issue of climate change.

“As the Premier League’s greenest club, Tottenham Hotspur is passionate about our planet – we look forward to showcasing our wide range of sustainable measures that are already in place and encouraging our fans to take simple actions that can make a huge difference.”

In January, Spurs were named the Premier League’s greenest club, after a study was conducted by the Sport Positive Summit, who are supported by the UN.

This match is supported by COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference and Jonathan Licht, managing director at Sky Sports, explained that even small changes can help.

“We hope that by using the power of sport, we can inspire and support football fans to make simple changes to reduce their carbon footprint and make more climate-friendly choices,” he said.

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Liverpool lining up club-record £80m Jude Bellingham swoop

Liverpool are reportedly preparing to launch a club-record £80m bid for Borussia Dortmund starlet Jude Bellingham.

The 18-year-old continues to impress for club and country since making the move to the Bundesliga from Birmingham City last year and remains contracted to BVB until the summer of 2025.

However, Bellingham’s impressive breakthrough has supposedly led to interest from top clubs such as Chelsea, who are said to be plotting a swoop for the teenager in 2022.

Now, the Daily Star claims that Jurgen Klopp has earmarked Bellingham as the perfect addition to his midfield, with the Reds failing to replace Georginio Wijnaldum in the most recent transfer window.

The report claims that Liverpool are ahead of Manchester United in the race for the England international, who remains content at Dortmund but is aware that a Premier League move may be inevitable.

Bellingham has already scored one goal and set up two more in three Bundesliga appearances this season, and he garnered significant praise for his performance in England’s 4-0 thrashing of Andorra at the weekend.

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WCQ: HALLER’S BRACE LIFTS IVORY COAST AS SOUTH AFRICA DOWNS GHANA

Ivory Coast striker Sebastien Haller netted both goals to secure a 2-1 home win over Cameroon while South Africa scored late to beat Ghana in two heavyweight clashes in African World Cup qualifying on Monday.

Both victors took an early advantage in their respective groups where only the winners advance to the final phase of qualifying for Qatar 2022.

Haller netted a 20th minute penalty and added a second nine minutes later as he broke free of the visiting defence to give the Ivorians the halftime lead in the Group D clash Abidjan.

But the home side, who were allowed a small crowd to support them after all other African World Cup qualifiers were ordered to be played behind closed doors, had to endure a nervy finish after missing chances when Cameroon pulled one back.

Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu’s 60th minute penalty handed Cameroon hope before Ivory Coast’s Jean Michael Seri hit the bar with a free kick. Substitute Christian Kouame might have finished Cameroon off in the last five minutes with just the goalkeeper to beat but fluffed the opportunity.

The Ivorians have four points from their first two matches.

South Africa had a first-half effort from Percy Tau controversially ruled offside and then missed two good chances before Bongokuhle Hlongwane’s 83rd minute winner against a Ghana team without six key English-based players.

The absentees did not travel to Johannesburg because South Africa is on the UK government’s COVID-19 ‘red list’ and they would have had to quarantine for 10 days on returning to their clubs.

Hlongwane got an inadvertent touch to a cross seven minutes from time to ensure four points for South Africa from their first two Group G matches.

For a second successive game in Group J, Democratic Republic of Congo’s Dieumerci Mbokani scored to give his side the lead only for hosts Benin to pull level before halftime in Cotonou in the 1-1 draw. Benin have four points with the Congolese on two.

Mali head the Group E standings on four points after the opening two rounds after they played out a 0-0 draw away to Uganda earlier on Monday.

Minnows Djibouti, who conceded eight to Algeria last week in Group A, let in another four as Niger beat them 4-2 in Rabat, Morocco. Both countries had to move their home qualifiers to neutral territory because of the poor state of their stadiums.

Djibouti led at halftime but two goals from Victorien Adebayor saw Niger come back to triumph in a section where Burkina Faso host Algeria on Tuesday in Marrakesh.

Kpah Sherman scored the only goal of the game in Douala as Liberia, coached by Englishman Peter Butler, won 1-0 away to the Central African Republic in Group C.

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Gareth Bale not in favour of biennial FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar could be Gareth Bale’s last opportunity to play in the tournament but the forward said making the competition a biennial event would diminish its appeal.

Wales captain Gareth Bale said he is not in favour of a FIFA proposal to hold the World Cup every two years.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar could be the 32-year-old’s last opportunity to play in the tournament but the winger said making the competition a biennial event would diminish its appeal.

“I like the tradition of every four years. It has that prestige, like the Olympics where it comes around every four years. It feels that little bit more special because it’s not happening too often,” Bale said.

“It does make it that bit more prestigious … I don’t really like that every two years because it loses that bit of history.”

Manchester City’s chief executive Ferran Soriano said the football calendar was already overwhelmed.

“There is no space for anything,” he said. “No room at all. The players cannot play more games.”

Nasser al-Khelaifi, the European Club Association (ECA) president and Paris St Germain chief executive, and Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani urged FIFA to engage with clubs on the matter.

“I would like every four years but perhaps there could be a discussion around every three,” Radrizzani added.

A joint statement signed by Football Supporters Europe (FSE) and fans’ groups from across the six confederations called on FIFA to abandon their proposals.

“Such a move threatens to destroy the already fragile balance between local, domestic, continental, and international competitions and calendars,” the statement read.

“The game needs to change. But it needs to change for the better. We do not want or need more World Cups.”