Lookman brace sees Atalanta hurt Napoli title tilt

Referee body: Probe into Coote’s conduct ongoing

by | Nov 22, 2024 | Sports

Referee body: Probe into Coote’s conduct ongoing

PGMOL, the refereeing body for English football, has said that the investigation into Premier League referee David Coote is continuing and he remains suspended pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.

PGMOL, the refereeing body for English football, has said that the investigation into Premier League referee David Coote is continuing and he remains suspended pending the outcome of the disciplinary process. PGMOL, the refereeing body for English football, has said that the investigation into Premier League referee David Coote is continuing and he remains suspended pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.

PGMOL, the refereeing body for English football, has said that the investigation into Premier League referee David Coote is continuing and he remains suspended pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.

Coote, 42, was initially stood down by PGMOL on Nov. 11 after a first video was posted to X which showed the referee making disparaging remarks about Liverpool and their former manager Jürgen Klopp.

Two days later, another video, filmed by Coote and shared to a friend on WhatsApp, was published by The Sun. It was allegedly taken at a UEFA-appointed hotel on July 6, the day after his final appointment at Euro 2024 as support VAR for the Portugal vs. France quarterfinal, and showed him sniffing a white powder.

Coote had already been suspended by UEFA in alignment with PGMOL, and European football’s governing body subsequently opened its own investigation.

A PGMOL spokesperson said on Thursday: “We are following an internal process and taking the allegations into David Coote’s conduct very seriously as part of our ongoing full and thorough investigation. Whilst David remains suspended, his welfare continues to be important to us and he is aware of the support network available to him.”

www.espn.com – SOCCER

PGMOL, the refereeing body for English football, has said that the investigation into Premier League referee David Coote is continuing and he remains suspended pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.

Sheeran aids Ipswich transfer pre-Taylor Swift gig

by | Nov 22, 2024 | Sports

Sheeran aids Ipswich transfer pre-Taylor Swift gig

Ipswich Town have revealed that pop star and minor shareholder Ed Sheeran was called to help them sign a player moments before he joined Taylor Swift on stage at Wembley Stadium.

Ipswich Town have revealed that pop star and minor shareholder Ed Sheeran was called to help them sign a player moments before he joined Taylor Swift on stage at Wembley Stadium. Ipswich Town have revealed that pop star and minor shareholder Ed Sheeran was called to help them sign a player moments before he joined Taylor Swift on stage at Wembley Stadium.

Nov 21, 2024, 08:52 AM ET

Ipswich Town have revealed that pop star and minor shareholder Ed Sheeran was called to help them sign a player moments before he joined Taylor Swift on stage at Wembley Stadium.

Sheeran, the British pop star and lifelong Ipswich fan bought a small stake in the club in August, ahead of their return to the Premier League for the first time since 2002.

“In the summer, we were trying to persuade one particular player to join the football club and realized very quickly that he was an Ed Sheeran fan,” Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton said, speaking at a Soccerex industry event in Miami.

“Ed jumped on a Zoom call with him at the training ground, just before he stepped on stage with Taylor Swift. Hopefully that was a key part in getting the player across the line.”

Ashton didn’t disclose the player in question, saying only: “He’s certainly scoring a few goals.”

Sheeran and Swift were on stage together at a show at Wembley Stadium on Aug. 15, a day before Ipswich signed Sammie Szmodics from Blackburn.

Szmodics was the top scorer in the second-tier Championship last season, and after scoring from an overhead kick in Ipswich’s 2-1 win at Tottenham this month, he posted a photograph of himself with Sheeran on Instagram.

“Overhead kick, win & a smudge with big Ed. Get in there,” Szmodics, the Ireland international, wrote.

Sheeran is Ipswich’s most famous supporter and has been the club’s shirt sponsor since 2021. His status as a minority owner grants him access to an executive box at Ipswich’s Portman Road stadium and he is regularly seen at matches.

Ipswich hosts Manchester United on Sunday in a match notable for being Rúben Amorim’s first in charge of United.

Ashton spoke highly of Sheeran at the Soccerex event, saying with a smile: “He’s a local man, a global superstar, sponsor of the football club, now a shareholder and now officially a part of our recruitment team.”

www.espn.com – SOCCER

Ipswich Town have revealed that pop star and minor shareholder Ed Sheeran was called to help them sign a player moments before he joined Taylor Swift on stage at Wembley Stadium.

Son lauds Palestine spirit as example to follow

by | Nov 22, 2024 | Sports

Son lauds Palestine spirit as example to follow

Son Heung-Min praised Palestine for the spirit they showed in holding South Korea to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday.

Son Heung-Min praised Palestine for the spirit they showed in holding South Korea to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday. Son Heung-Min praised Palestine for the spirit they showed in holding South Korea to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday.

Just as they did back in September, Palestine held mighty South Korea to an improbable draw on Tuesday with a performance that drew praise from Tottenham star Son Heung-Min. Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images

Nov 21, 2024, 04:48 AM ET

Tottenham captain Son Heung-Min praised the spirit showed by Palestine after they held South Korea to a 1-1 draw in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday.

While South Korea were overwhelming favourites for the tie — which was played in neutral territory on Jordanian soil — it was Palestine who took the lead after 12 minutes before Son equalised shortly after.

Despite the designated away team’s best efforts, Palestine were able to hold out for a valuable point that leaves them in with a chance of reaching the next round of qualification at the very least, keeping alive their unlikely World Cup dream.

It was the second time in the campaign that the Palestinians have frustrated their more-illustrious opponents, having memorably eked out a 0-0 draw in Seoul back in September.

Palestine continue to defy the odds amid the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, having not played a true home game since 2019.

It was this spirit that garnered them praise from Son immediately after the match.

“I want to give a round of applause to the Palestine team,” said a magnanimous Son, in spite of his disappointment at the result.

“Seeing them work so hard, even in difficult conditions, is something I think we can learn from.

“I think they were well prepared and executed their plans really well.”

Across their two meetings with the South Koreans, Palestine had to withstand 32 efforts on goal with custodian Rami Hamadeh rising to the challenge on both occasions.

Further highlighting the tribulations that Palestine are persevering through, Hamadeh has now been without a club for over a year and is one of four players in the latest squad who are currently unattached.

Even after their previous meeting with South Korea, Hamadeh had already spoken on the hurdles they have had to overcome just to participate in the qualifiers.

“We haven’t done any [training] camps. The [overseas-based] players haven’t been with us a lot of the time,” he explained.

“I’ve been without a team for a year because of the war – the league has stopped in Palestine.

“I train alone. I train with my friends. [But] I have a responsibility to be here.”

The Asian qualifiers resume in March with South Korea taking on Oman and Jordan, while Palestine will look to continue their spirited showings against Jordan and Iraq.

www.espn.com – SOCCER

Son Heung-Min praised Palestine for the spirit they showed in holding South Korea to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday.

Chelsea captain James suffers new injury setback

by | Nov 22, 2024 | Sports

Chelsea captain James suffers new injury setback

Enzo Maresca has said that Reece James has suffered another hamstring injury and will miss Chelsea’s trip to face Leicester in the Premier League.

Enzo Maresca has said that Reece James has suffered another hamstring injury and will miss Chelsea’s trip to face Leicester in the Premier League. Enzo Maresca has said that Reece James has suffered another hamstring injury and will miss Chelsea’s trip to face Leicester in the Premier League.

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Maresca confirms hamstring injury for Chelsea captain James (0:48)Enzo Maresca says captain Reece James will miss Chelsea’s clash with Leicester City this weekend. (0:48)

Nov 21, 2024, 07:13 AM ET

Reece James has suffered another hamstring injury and will miss Chelsea‘s trip to face Leicester in the Premier League this weekend, head coach Enzo Maresca said in a news conference on Thursday.

James, 24, has suffered from frequent muscular injuries over the past few seasons and only returned from a five-month layoff in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on Oct. 20.

“We have for sure just one injured player, that is Reece. Unfortunately, he felt something small and we don’t want to take any risk for the weekend,” Maresca said

“So it’s only one for sure is the only one for sure that is not available for this weekend. The rest, some of them are better, some of them are still a doubt. We have to see.”

Asked about the exact nature of the injury, Maresca said: “Hamstring. It’s a muscular problem. We don’t want to take, as I said, any risks for this weekend. Hopefully it’s not something long.”

The Chelsea captain played just 482 minutes of first-team football last season as hamstring injuries kept him on the sidelines. He underwent surgery in an attempt to correct the issues in December 2023, before he picked up another hamstring injury during the club’s preseason tour of the United States this summer.

Maresca said on Oct. 18 that he was looking to ease James back into the first-team picture slowly by initially limiting his match time as he felt the player’s body cannot cope with two matches in a week.

Since his return, James started consecutive games against Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United and played the last eight minutes of Chelsea’s draw with Arsenal before the international break.

Saturday’s match at the King Power Stadium represents Maresca’s first return to face the team he led to the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League last season. He was appointed as Chelsea’s new head coach on May 31.

He said he is “excited” to face his old side and still talks to some of his former colleagues at the club.

“I’m excited and thankful, it was a fantastic season. The owner, his family are fantastic people. They care for players, staff, all of the people that work in the club. You can see that,” Maresca said.

“It was a fantastic season because I met good people. There was a fantastic connection between the players and staff, and that is something you have to create to be successful. I’m still in contact with them, it was fantastic.”

Asked if he felt he has become a better coach since leaving Leicester, Maresca said: “To be honest, I work every day to become better. I hope [so] because I like to see things and analyse. We try to improve players but also improve staff. I try to improve every day.

“I don’t know if I’m better or worse, but I’m always curious to see things and study. That’s the only thing I focus on.”

Chelsea are third in the Premier League after 11 matches, nine points behind leaders Liverpool. Leicester are 15th, three points above the relegation zone.

www.espn.com – SOCCER

Enzo Maresca has said that Reece James has suffered another hamstring injury and will miss Chelsea’s trip to face Leicester in the Premier League.

Clubs earn $125M in money owed from transfers

by | Nov 22, 2024 | Sports

Clubs earn $125M in money owed from transfers

Football clubs worldwide have been paid $125 million in money owed to them from transfers of their former players, FIFA said on Wednesday.

Football clubs worldwide have been paid $125 million in money owed to them from transfers of their former players, FIFA said on Wednesday. Football clubs worldwide have been paid $125 million in money owed to them from transfers of their former players, FIFA said on Wednesday.

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Gomez: FC Cincinnati breaking MLS transfer record speaks volumes (2:03)Herculez Gomez reacts to FC Cincinnati’s decision to sign Cercle Brugge’s Kevin Denkey for $16.2 million. (2:03)

Nov 21, 2024, 04:08 AM ET

Football clubs worldwide have been paid $125 million in money owed to them from transfers of their former players, FIFA said on Wednesday, with money routed via its finance house in Paris, and there’s a backlog of another almost $200 million.

A further $31.7 million has been agreed but not yet sent.

The payments are being allocated to more than 5,000 grassroots and professional clubs by the FIFA Clearing House.

FIFA published an update on two years of work by the clearing house, which started in November 2022 to bring more transparency to the often murky multi-billion dollar transfer industry. It also tries to ensure smaller clubs get cash they are owed from future sales of players they nurtured.

When Moisés Caicedo made a British transfer record move from Brighton to Chelsea last year, his former clubs in Ecuador were entitled to share millions of dollars from the £115 million ($145 million) deal.

The money routed by FIFA “was a dream,” the president of CD Espoli, Lenín Bolaños, said in the FIFA report, with plans to pay for a practice ground, medical clinic and a gym.

Some parts of the FIFA transfer market rules in place since 2001 are under review after a European court ruling last month in a case brought by former France midfielder Lassana Diarra.

The existing FIFA system entitles players’ former clubs who trained them between the ages of 12 and 21 to share up to 5% of a future transfer fee.

However, clubs often were unaware a transfer had gone through or did not have the expertise or resources to pursue a claim. Now the online process is managed by the FIFA finance house which notifies buying clubs of approved payments that must be made within 30 days.

The wealthiest buying markets, England and Saudi Arabia, have paid the most in so-called “training rewards” FIFA said — $50.1 million and $18.7 million, respectively, in the past two years.

The leading net recipients have been clubs in Netherlands ($8.7 million), France ($7.8 million) and Argentina ($7.1 million).

One reason for the backlog is that clubs are not compliant with the system, the FIFA report said. It said at least 1,600 clubs in more than 100 countries are accredited.

“There are still important challenges ahead and areas for improvement,” FIFA chief legal officer Emilio García said in the 52-page report.

www.espn.com – SOCCER

Football clubs worldwide have been paid $125 million in money owed to them from transfers of their former players, FIFA said on Wednesday.

Lookman brace sees Atalanta hurt Napoli title tilt​​

Referee body: Probe into Coote’s conduct ongoing​​

Sheeran aids Ipswich transfer pre-Taylor Swift gig​​

Son lauds Palestine spirit as example to follow​​

Chelsea captain James suffers new injury setback​​

Clubs earn $125M in money owed from transfers​​

Referee body: Probe into Coote’s conduct ongoing

Sheeran aids Ipswich transfer pre-Taylor Swift gig

Son lauds Palestine spirit as example to follow

Chelsea captain James suffers new injury setback

Clubs earn $125M in money owed from transfers