Premier League betting: Absent Arsenal players will give Liverpool reasons to be cheerful August 11, 2016 The first match of the season is a time for optimism, with all football fans dreaming that this could be their year. Sometimes those dreams even come true – just ask Leicester. Such hopefulness is thin on the ground at Arsenal, however, with supporters fearing the club has gone backwards over the summer. Chelsea, Liverpool and [...]
England v Spain: Sam Allardyce to face off against fellow international newbie Julen Lopetegui in November friendly August 11, 2016 Sam Allardyce will face fellow new international manager Julen Lopetegui in his first big test as England boss when his Three Lions side play 2010 World Cup winners Spain on 15 November. England will play host Lopetegui's Spain at Wembley in their final match of 2016, four days after a World Cup qualifying match against Scotland. The last time the [...]
Government urged to lift ban and allow Premier League clubs to introduce safe standing August 11, 2016 Sport Minister Tracey Crouch has come under renewed pressure on the eve of the new Premier League season to allow England’s leading clubs to reintroduce standing areas at their stadia. A report published today by think tank the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) says the use of “safe standing” sections is backed by most top-flight teams [...]
End the stadium standing ban: It’s an open goal for football fans and clubs August 11, 2016 Twenty eight people died at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo last year, suffocating in a crush that began when police fired tear gas at away fans entering without tickets. It was another in a long line of stadium tragedies. But like the 2006 PhilSports Arena disaster in the Philippines, and the disasters in Johannesburg [...]
Leicester’s Claudio Ranieri challenges Premier League title contenders to turn big wallets into trophies August 10, 2016 Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri has thrown down the gauntlet to fellow Premier League contenders and challenged them to turn their big-spending summers into a title charge. Defending champions Leicester have not been shy in bolstering their squad with the signing of six players, including a club-record outlay of £16m for forward Ahmed Musa from CSKA [...]
What to watch at the Olympics: Bradley Wiggins and Laura Trott set to star for Team GB with rowing and canoe medals also up for grabs August 10, 2016 Sir Bradley Wiggins is the big name making his bow at the Games on Thursday when the velodrome opens its doors for the men’s team pursuit qualifying round at 9:23pm. The cycling icon won gold in the event eight years ago and is back on the track this year after racing on the road in [...]
Brazil national football team: Why playing at home could be crushing Neymar and co August 10, 2016 If there is one event at this year's Olympics that host nation Brazil could safely boast of both packed out stadiums of supporters and the most accomplished athlete in the field, it's football. While the majority of football loving nations shrug at the Olympic event, Brazil arguably have put together the tournament's strongest squad with elite level superstar Neymar leading [...]
How Manchester United stepped up for sponsors Adidas and Chevrolet when unveiling Paul Pogba August 10, 2016 Football players have always had huge marketing value off the pitch. In fact, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez built the club’s whole strategy around it. He invented the concept of Galacticos in his first stint at the club in the early 2000s, bringing in Figo, Ronaldo, Zidane, Beckham and Robinho before repeating the trick with Cristiano [...]
Jose Mourinho takes aim at Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klopp over criticism of Paul Pogba transfer fee August 9, 2016 Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho took aim at long-time adversary Arsene Wenger and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp after the Old Trafford club completed their world-record £89m capture of midfielder Paul Pogba. Pogba re-joined United from Serie A side Juventus, having left Manchester for Italy in 2012, in the early hours on Tuesday morning in a deal [...]
Transfer window catches fires as Manchester United sign Paul Pogba, Manchester City capture John Stones and more than £150m spent in 24 hours August 9, 2016 The Premier League’s anticipated summer of record-breaking spending has finally caught fire after a flurry of deals saw more than £150m spent by top-flight clubs within 48 hours. Contrary to projections, spending by the end of July was down £40m on the £515m invested at the same time last year, significantly short of a predicted [...]