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ENGLISH FA REJECTS LEEDS APPEAL AGAINST PASCAL STRUIJK RED CARD

Leeds’ appeal against the red card shown to Pascal Struijk in Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool has been unsuccessful, the club have announced.

Struijk was shown a straight red, following a VAR review, for a challenge on Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott in the second half of the Premier League match at Elland Road.

With the subsequent appeal having being dismissed, Struijk will now be suspended for Leeds’ next three matches.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men travel to Newcastle on Friday, then Fulham in the Carabao Cup four days later before hosting West Ham the following Saturday.

Struijk’s challenge left Elliott with a fracture dislocation of his left ankle. The 18-year-old Liverpool midfielder underwent successful surgery on Tuesday.

Following the news that Struijk’s suspension would stand, Elliott apologised to the Leeds man and said he thought “it’s wrong”.

Replying to a post about the news on Sky Sports’ Instagram account, Elliott said: “Sorry about this Pascal. I think it’s wrong. But it’ll soon blow over brother and you’ll be back in no time smashing it again. Keep positive.”

Regarding Elliott’s recovery, Liverpool club doctor Jim Moxon told the club’s website on Tuesday: “We won’t put pressure on him by setting a specific timeframe beyond being able to say with confidence we expect him to feature again later in the season following our rehab programme.”

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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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Manchester United set all-time English football record with Wolves win

Manchester United’s victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers this afternoon has seen them set a new mark for the longest away unbeaten record in English football history.

The Red Devils have now gone 28 matches without losing on their travels, a run which includes 18 wins and 10 draws.

Liverpool were the last home team to beat Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side back in January 2020, more than 19 months ago.

Man United’s long run looked in doubt at stages of their trip to Molineux, with David de Gea pulling off a sensational double save to keep the scores level at 0-0.

Mason Greenwood then scored the only goal of the game with 10 minutes remaining, maintain his record of finding the back of the net in every Premier League game so far this season.

The 1-0 triumph sees Man United overtake the record previously held by Arsenal’s Invincibles, who went 27 away games unbeaten between 2003 and 2004 before seeing that run ended by the Red Devils themselves.

The victory takes Solskjaer’s men up to seven points from their three games this season – one of five teams who trail leaders Tottenham Hotspur by two points.

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KICK IT OUT CONDEMNS ALLEGED HOMOPHOBIC CHANTING AT BILLY GILMOUR

Alleged homophobic chanting by Liverpool supporters aimed at Norwich’s on-loan midfielder Billy Gilmour has been condemned by Kick It Out.

The abuse is alleged to have taken place during Liverpool’s 3-0 win at Carrow Road on Saturday.

A statement on Twitter from anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out said: “We are disappointed that only two weeks into the English football season, we have already seen numerous incidents of discrimination at stadiums up and down the country.

“The use of the term ‘rent boy’ in chants by a portion of Liverpool fans at Carrow Road was unquestionably homophobic and has no place in our game. We have also had reports of incidents at other games and are awaiting further clarification.

“As always, we thank those who reported these incidents to us, and urge fans to do the same if they witness discrimination of any kind in football in the future. We will continue to liaise with all relevant clubs and the football authorities to identify and hold accountable those responsible.”

On Saturday, Liverpool LGBT+ fans group Kop Outs tweeted: “Great result today marred by homophobic chanting by some of our fans targeting Chelsea loanee Billy Gilmour. If you can’t support without resorting to bigoted nonsense, you don’t understand.”

That was retweeted by the official account of Liverpool, who said: “The chant is offensive and inappropriate – a message we have repeatedly communicated alongside Kop Outs. We urge supporters to remember the inclusive values of the club and to refrain from using it in the future.”

Scotland international Gilmour, 20, made his competitive debut for Norwich in Saturday’s game after joining the club on a season-long loan from Chelsea in July.

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ENGLAND FA SLAMS RACIST ABUSE FROM WEMBLEY FANS AFTER ENGLAND LOSS

England’s Football Association released a statement in the early hours of Monday morning condemning the online racist abuse of players following the team’s penalty shootout loss to Italy in Sunday’s Euro 2020 final.

The sides drew 1-1 after extra time, and Italy won the shootout 3-2, with England player

“The FA strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and is appalled by the online racism that has been aimed at some of our England players on social media,” the statement said.

“We could not be clearer that anyone behind such disgusting behaviour is not welcome in following the team. We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible.”

The England team also released a statement condemning the abuse directed at its players on social media.

“We’re disgusted that some of our squad — who have given everything for the shirt this summer — have been subjected to discriminatory abuse online after tonight’s game,” the team tweeted.

British police said they would investigate the posts.

“We are aware of a number of offensive and racist social media comments being directed towards footballers following the #Euro2020 final,” the Metropolitan Police tweeted.

“This abuse is totally unacceptable, it will not be tolerated and it will be investigated.”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also condemned the abuse:

He said: “This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media.

“Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan called on social media companies to remove such content from their platforms.

“Those responsible for the disgusting online abuse we have seen must be held accountable — and social media companies need to act immediately to remove and prevent this hate,” Khan said in a tweet.

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VILLA PARK OFFERED AS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL VENUE ALTERNATE

Aston Villa have reportedly offered to host the Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea amid ongoing doubts about the suitability of the match being played in Turkey.

The all-Premier League affair is currently scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 29th at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.

Turkey is currently under lockdown following a surge in Covid-19 cases.

With City and Chelsea now the confirmed finalists, supporter groups, UK MPs and health experts are among those calling for the high-profile fixture to be switched to England.

Wembley is already committed to hosting the Sky Bet Championship play-off final on May 29th, but Villa Park in Birmingham has emerged as an alternative.

UEFA has insisted the venue will not change and is due to announce further details on ticketing, travel and capacity for the game on Friday.

The PA news agency understands at this stage only a request from the Turkish government would prompt the final to be hosted elsewhere.

Switching the game to England would pose a number of logistical issues, including visitors – such as delegates from national associations – being required to self-isolate for up to 10 days upon arrival.

UEFA would also have to inspect and approve the replacement stadium.

Villa fuelled rumours earlier on Thursday by tweeting an aerial footage of their ground, accompanied by a heart emoji.

PA has approached the West Midlands club for comment.
Chelsea booked their spot in the final on Wednesday by overcoming Real Madrid 3-1 on aggregate on Wednesday, while City defeated Paris St Germain the previous evening, winning 4-1 over two legs.

The meeting of the two Premier League rivals could be the second of two all-English European finals as Manchester United and Arsenal are in Europa League semi-final action on Thursday evening.

United travel to Roma holding a resounding 6-2 first-leg lead, while the Gunners must overturn a 2-1 deficit at home to Spanish side Villarreal.

The Europa League final will be staged in Gdansk, Poland on Wednesday, May 26th.

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PREMIER LEAGUE SETS NEW RULES TO PREVENT REPEAT OF EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE

The Premier League has taken action to prevent its clubs threatening to break away again in response to the failed European Super League plans.

Six top-flight teams, including Manchester United and Liverpool, announced on April 18th they were joining the newly-formed ESL, only for it to collapse amid intense pressure within 48 hours.

A new set of measures put in place by the Premier League on Monday includes additional rules and regulations and an owners’ charter that all club owners will be required to sign up to – committing them to the core principles of the competition.

“The actions of a few clubs cannot be allowed to create such division and disruption,” a Premier League statement read.

“We are determined to establish the truth of what happened and hold those clubs accountable for their decisions and actions. We and The FA are pursuing these objectives quickly and appropriately, consulting with fans and [UK] government.”

The Premier League insisted events during the last two weeks had “challenged the foundations and resolve of English football”.

Fan protests in the days that followed the ESL announcement, on top of widespread criticism from the footballing world, resulted in most of the 12 European clubs – including all six Premier League sides – involved in the proposed breakaway pulling out.

A statement continued: “The Premier League, supported by The FA, is taking the following actions to protect our game, our clubs and their fans from further disruption and uncertainty.

“Additional rules and regulation to ensure the principles of the Premier League and open competition are protected, a new Owners’ Charter that all club owners will be required to sign up to, committing them to the core principles of the Premier League, (while) breaches of these rules and the Charter will be subject to significant sanctions.

“And we are enlisting the support of government to bring in appropriate legislation to protect football’s open pyramid, principles of sporting merit and the integrity of the football community.”

The Football Association revealed an official inquiry into the formation of the ESL and the involvement of the six English clubs – which also included Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham – got under way last week.

It also reiterated its desire to ensure any return threat of a breakaway division was thwarted.

A spokesperson for the governing body said: “Since we became aware of the European Super League our priority and focus has been on preventing it from happening, both now and in the future.

“Throughout this period, we have been in ongoing discussions with the Government, the Premier League and UEFA.

“In particular, we have been discussing legislation with government that would allow us to prevent any similar threat in the future so that we can protect the English football pyramid.

“Last week, we started an official inquiry into the formation of the European Super League and the involvement of the six English clubs.

“We wrote to all of the clubs to formally request all relevant information and evidence regarding their participation. Once we have the required information, we will consider what appropriate steps to take.”

The fallout of the European Super League boiled over on Sunday when Manchester United supporters broke into Old Trafford to protest against the Glazer family, with their plans to join the competition one source of frustration towards the Red Devils’ ownership.

It resulted in the postponement of United’s home match with Liverpool while two police officers were injured.

“Fans have played a vital and impactful role in helping to stop the European Super League from happening, and we understand their frustrations,” the FA statement continued.

“However, we cannot condone the violent and criminal behaviour that took place before the scheduled Manchester United vs Liverpool match, which The FA is now investigating.”

The Premier League added: “We are committed to maintaining close dialogue with supporters and their representatives, as we work with The FA and Government to identify solutions, but ask that all protests are peaceful.

“The actions of a minority of those present at Old Trafford on Sunday have no justification and will be investigated by the Premier League and The FA as well as by the Greater Manchester Police.”

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FA LAUNCHES INQUIRY INTO PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS INVOLVED IN EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE

England’s Football Association (FA) has launched a formal inquiry into the role played by Premier League clubs in the attempt to create a breakaway European Super League (ESL).

Last month, Premier League clubs Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea, as well as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan, joined forces to create a new-look tournament.

However, the backlash led to all six of the Premier League clubs withdrawing just 48 hours after the original tournament was announced.

“Last week, we started an official inquiry into the formation of the European Super League and the involvement of the six English clubs,” an FA spokesperson said on Monday.

“We wrote to all of the clubs to formally request all relevant information and evidence regarding their participation. Once we have the required information, we will consider what appropriate steps to take. Clearly what happened was unacceptable and could have caused great harm to clubs at every level of English football,” the spokesperson added.

The owners of all six English clubs apologised for the breakaway plans, but supporters have protested at various grounds since the withdrawal. Sunday’s clash between Manchester United and Liverpool was postponed after fans invaded the Old Trafford pitch in a demonstration against the Glazer ownership.

There have also been protests at Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal games since the Super League plan was announced.

“The fans have played a vital and impactful role in helping to stop the European Super League from happening, and we understand their frustrations. However, we cannot condone the violent and criminal behaviour that took place before the scheduled Manchester United vs Liverpool match, which the FA is now investigating,” the spokesperson added.

“Throughout this period, we have been in ongoing discussions with the government, the Premier League and UEFA. In particular, we have been discussing legislation with government that would allow us to prevent any similar threat in the future so that we can protect the English football pyramid.”

According to sources, executives from the clubs involved have stepped down from their posts on the Premier League’s subcommittees.

The Premier League also announced plans to prevent clubs from planning to join breakaway clubs in the future and “ensure the principles” of the league and “open competition are protected.”

A statement on Monday read: “The events of the last two weeks have challenged the foundations and resolve of English football.

“Opposition to the proposed Super League united the whole of football, with the fans’ voice clearly heard,” it added. “The Premier League recognises the strength of feeling and the right of fans to know what is happening. We are committed to maintaining close dialogue with supporters and their representatives, as we work with The FA and Government to identify solutions, but ask that all protests are peaceful.

“The actions of a few clubs cannot be allowed to create such division and disruption. We are determined to establish the truth of what happened and hold those clubs accountable for their decisions and actions. We and The FA are pursuing these objectives quickly and appropriately, consulting with fans and government.”

A new “owners’ charter” will be introduced as part of the league’s governance — all club owners will be required to sign up “committing them to the core principles of the Premier League.”

“Breaches of these rules and the Charter will be subject to significant sanctions,” the league added.

The statement also said the league will “enlist the support of government to bring in appropriate legislation to protect football’s open pyramid, principles of sporting merit and the integrity of the football community.”

The league added that they will work with supporters, UEFA, the FA, English Football League, Professional Footballers’ Association and League Managers Association to “to defend the integrity and future prospects of English football.”

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Man City into FA Cup quarters with record 15th straight win

It’s 15 straight victories and counting for Pep Guardiola’s irrepressible team, which has another domestic treble in its sights.

One of the most relentless schedules in the history of English soccer hasn’t stopped Manchester City putting together a record-setting run of wins.

It’s 15 straight victories and counting for Pep Guardiola’s irrepressible team, which has another domestic treble in its sights.

By beating second-tier Swansea 3-1 to reach the FA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, City broke the record for most consecutive wins in all competitions by a top-flight team, a mark that had lasted for nearly 130 years. Preston won 14 in a row in 1892 and that was later matched by Arsenal’s class of 1987.

City has gone one better during a pandemic, when matches in the Premier League or domestic cup competitions are being played every three or four days to fit them into a condensed season that started a month later than usual.

Indeed, by also advancing last month to the English League Cup final, City has played every weekend and midweek since Nov. 21 except for an eight-day break from Dec. 26-Jan. 3 during which the team’s training ground was closed because of a coronavirus outbreak. The number of first-team players to test positive ran into double figures.

“That means a lot in this toughest period, in the Christmas and winter time,” said Guardiola, whose side leads the Premier League by five points with a game in hand. “To do what we have done in this time is quite remarkable.”

Guardiola earned his 200th win in 268 games in charge of the team.

City won 20 straight games in all competitions from August-December 2017, also under Guardiola, but one of those victories came in a penalty shootout in the League Cup after a 0-0 draw after extra time.

Also advancing to the last eight was Sheffield United, a 1-0 winner against second-tier Bristol City, and Leicester, which beat Brighton by the same score thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho’s goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

EASY FOR CITY

In the 2018-19 season, City became the first English team to achieve the domestic treble, beating Swansea en route to winning the FA Cup that year by coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in the quarterfinals.

City didn’t need to produce anything as dramatic this time, taking the lead in the 30th when Kyle Walker’s low cross into the penalty area was missed by the sliding Ferran Torres at the near post and ended up creeping inside the far post.

Rodri played in Raheem Sterling to double the advantage in the 47th, before Gabriel Jesus controlled a header across goal by Bernardo Silva and slammed in a left-footed shot three minutes later.

Morgan Whittaker grabbed a consolation for Swansea, which included two United States internationals — Jordan Morris, who made his first start, and Paul Arriola, who made his debut as a second-half substitute following his loan move from D.C. United. Their U.S. teammate, Zeck Steffen, played in goal for City.

Everton was hosting Tottenham in the late game Wednesday.

Manchester United and Bournemouth advanced to the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

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KLOPP ESCAPES FA SANCTION DESPITE COMMENTS ON MANCHESTER UNITED PENALTIES.

Jurgen Klopp has escaped an FA fine despite criticising Andre Marriner and questioning Manchester United’s penalty record.

The German made the comments after his sides 1-0 defeat to Southampton on Monday evening. Klopp felt his side should have had a penalty in the first half when Sadio Mane went down after a collision with Kyle Walker-Peters.

Liverpool’s goalless performance led to only their second defeat of the season and United, who are level on points with a game in hand, now have a chance to go ahead.

Annoyed by the decision, Klopp claimed Marriner did not handle the Mane moment properly. Not stopping there, the Reds boss also questioned United’s large number of penalties. Across the 2018/19 and 19/20 seasons United were awarded 11 more penalties than any other team in the league.

But despite his comments, Klopp will face no action, according to reports.

“We had a really good view of it [the Mane incident], and it looked like a clear penalty,” said Klopp at full-time. “I turned around to the fourth official and asked if it was going to be checked, he said it already had been and was not a penalty. That’s 100 per cent true, and now someone wants to tell me how quick they had it in all these different angles.

Last year, there was a penalty against Leicester when people said Sadio Mane goes down too easily – if he goes down easily, we would have had a penalty in this game and the last game, a stonewall penalty, but what Andre Marriner did with Sadio Mane I’m not sure if that’s okay.

The boy tried everything, had a few great challenges with Walker-Peters. But there were a lot of situations which should have been free-kicks. The last one, when he goes down, you see that back and in the box he hits him in the end with his left foot, that’s a penalty.

“We cannot change. I hear now that Manchester United had more penalties in two years than I had in five-and-a-half years. I’ve no idea if that’s my fault, or how that can happen.”

Managers can be punished for their post-match comments, but the FA say “provided they are not personal in their nature, imply bias or attack the integrity of the officials in charge of the match, or in any other respect bring the game into disrepute.”

Despite Klopp questioning United’s number of penalties it seems his comments were not strong enough to warrant any action.