Lineker row offers the BBC a chance to reflect on how it does sport March 16, 2023 National treasuredom isn’t codified. It is a status that creeps up on individuals, usually as they enter their twilight years. It does not reflect universal approbation, but certainly requires dissenters to be in a dwindling minority. Gary Lineker is clearly too divisive a figure to be considered a national treasure just yet, but the past [...]
Manchester United bidders heading for Old Trafford talks this week March 15, 2023 Sir Jim Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s richest men and a hopeful buyer of Premier League outfit Manchester United, is set to appear at Old Trafford tomorrow to receive a presentation on the potential sale of the club. In addition to Ratcliffe’s appearance tomorrow, representatives of Shaikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani – the man behind [...]
Women in Football will ‘probably’ write to Culture Secretary over White Paper diversity concerns March 15, 2023 Campaign group Women in Football says it is likely to raise concerns with Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer about the White Paper on football governance. Women in Football director Jane Purdon said the blueprint for an incoming football regulator appeared to have “stripped out all mention of diversity” targets for a sport already lagging behind. “I [...]
Pep Guardiola makes Manchester City Champions League admission March 13, 2023 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that their Champions League clash with RB Leipzig on Tuesday will help to shape his legacy at the club. Guardiola has delivered nine trophies in six and a half years in Manchester but success in Europe’s top competition has eluded them, despite reaching the final in 2021. The [...]
United hit out at referee after Casemiro red card in 0-0 draw March 12, 2023 Manchester United fumed at referee Anthony Taylor after Casemiro was sent off for the second time in four Premier League games in a 0-0 draw at home to bottom club Southampton. The £70m midfielder’s studs-up tackle earned a straight red card from Taylor after a VAR review, meaning he faces a four-match ban. “Casemiro played [...]
Trossard’s assist hat-trick helps Arsenal go five points clear March 12, 2023 Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard hailed Leandro Trossard after the January signing provided a hat-trick of assists to help the Premier League leaders go five points clear. Trossard set up first-half goals for Gabriel, Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli in a 3-0 win at Fulham that re-established their advantage over second-placed Manchester City. “He has brought some [...]
Does the BBC’s Gary Lineker row show that the government has a problem with football? March 12, 2023 The weather forecast finished and then suddenly there it was: the BBC’s hurried replacement for Match of the Day following its spectacular bungling of the Gary Lineker row. Shorn of its theme tune, opening title, studio, presenter, pundits, commentators and about an hour of running time, this was bleak and surreal; a sort of post-apocalyptic [...]
Sport on TV: What to watch, when is it on and what channel is it on? March 10, 2023 The huge golfing tournaments return to the sports calendar this weekend with the Players, while there’s the continuation of domestic and international sport. Here are five events you need to mark ahead of this weekend. Golf: Players Championship, Thursday – Sunday Reigning champion Cameron Smith is absent for this year’s Player Championship due to his [...]
Newcastle United’s Saudi takeover won’t be re-examined by Premier League, says lawyer March 9, 2023 The lawyer who represented Newcastle United in a battle with the Premier League over the club’s Saudi Arabian takeover expects top-flight chiefs to reject calls to re-examine the deal. A US legal case has raised questions about the influence wielded by the Saudi state over the Tyneside football club, leading to fresh pressure on the [...]
Ten Hag backs Fernandes as United captain despite Liverpool humiliation March 8, 2023 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has come out in support of his club captain Bruno Fernandes despite being part of the humiliating 7-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday. The Portuguese midfielder also faced calls to be banned from football for a number of games for an alleged “nudge” on an assistant referee on Sunday [...]