Uefa Champions League: Ranking this week’s European goals February 16, 2023 The first legs of the opening four matches of this year’s Champions League round of 16 have concluded this week. There were wins for Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica and AC Milan, but how good were the goals? City A.M. rank them. 5: João Mário penalty vs Club Brugge It was a simple penalty for [...]
Barcelona and Manchester United are both on the way back up but the Premier League club is on a much surer footing February 16, 2023 Some fixtures just feel like they belong in the Champions League and Barcelona versus Manchester United is one of them. Tonight, however, they will meet in Uefa’s second-tier competition, the Europa League, in the first leg of a play-off tie to reach the last 16. It is a sign of how far both teams have [...]
Ed Warner: The European Super League isn’t dead yet – and it’s because of the Premier League February 16, 2023 “Laughable”, “all hot air”, “flimsy”, a “walking corpse”. So has English football, on a mostly unattributable basis, dismissed the attempt to breathe new life into the European Super League concept which unraveled so swiftly and spectacularly two years ago. But sat on this side of the English Channel, we would say that, wouldn’t we? Is [...]
Barcelona deny wrongdoing after £1m referee payments allegations emerge on eve of Manchester United tie February 15, 2023 Barcelona have strenuously denied any wrongdoing on the eve of their Europa League meeting with Manchester United after it emerged they paid a referees’ chief more than £1m. Spanish media reported that the club’s payments to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira were being investigated by local prosecutors over possible tax irregularities. Barca said the fees paid [...]
Everton investment blow as MSP Sports Capital switches focus to £3.1bn Tottenham Hotspur takeover February 15, 2023 Everton’s hopes of securing investment have suffered a blow after US private equity fund MSP Sports Capital reportedly turned its attention to a takeover of Tottenham Hotspur. MSP held talks about buying a minority stake from Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, who is seeking investment to help the cash-strapped club fund its new stadium build. [...]
Trevor Steven: Why Arsenal’s title race cannot sustain defeat to Manchester City tonight February 15, 2023 The Premier League’s top two finally meet in north London tonight and if Manchester City beat Arsenal I think it’s “here we go again” time. For the first time this season I feel that the trophy will be staying with champions City, who look like they’re ready to make a big push in the title [...]
Castore co-founder Tom Beahon on shelving IPO plans, bucking the Brexit trend by expanding in Europe, and the Andy Murray-backed sports brand’s first shoe launch February 15, 2023 At a time when Brexit has caused some British businesses to retreat from Europe, fast-growing premium sportswear brand Castore is eager to buck the trend. The company, founded by former City boys Tom and Phil Beahon and which counts Andy Murray among its investors, has opened a distribution centre in the Netherlands and is increasingly [...]
Lionesses set for record crowds in Arnold Clark Cup as England look to cash in on Euros February 15, 2023 This year’s edition of the Arnold Clark Cup will break attendance records as women’s football cashes in on last year’s Lionesses Euros win. The competition – an invitational hosted by England’s women and this year attended by the Lionesses, South Korea, Italy and Belgium – is expected to see over 20,000 attend the opening double [...]
Manchester United sale: Saudi Arabia and US consortium set to rival Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatar in £5bn takeover battle February 14, 2023 Suitors from Saudi Arabia and the US are set to go up against Sir Jim Ratcliffe and a Qatari bid in the battle to buy Manchester United, City A.M. understands. The bank handling the sale, the Raine Group, has set a deadline of Friday for offers to be made to United’s owners, the Glazer family. [...]
Fifa pick Saudi Arabia for next Club World Cup February 14, 2023 Saudi Arabia will host the next edition of the Club World Cup, Fifa confirmed today, in what will be the Kingdom’s first major global footballing tournament. The tournament will be held in the Middle East between 12 and 23 December 2023 and, as always, will consist of the winners of each continent’s top draw European [...]