Football

Manchester City launch legal fight against Premier League’s 115 charges for rule breaches

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Manchester City have reportedly lodged legal challenges against the Premier League over the 115 charges of alleged rule breaches.

The reigning Premier League champions are believed to be disputing both the legality of the charges brought against them and the barrister in charge of the process.

According to The Times, the dispute has arisen in relation to changes in the English top-flight’s rules, with the six-time champions of the belief that they should not apply to investigations into alleged rule breaches before their introduction.

In addition to that, the club are believed to have challenged the involvement of Murray Rosen KC, a self-proclaimed supporter of City’s direct title challengers Arsenal.

Rosen is the barrister at the head of the Premier League’s independent judicial panel – the person in charge of appointing a chair for the disciplinary commission with rules allowing him to appoint himself.

Arsenal will have no direct involvement in the commission which will decide City’s fate.

The Premier League’s statement said ‘commissions are independent of the Premier League and member clubs.

It is not anticipated that the case brought against Man City will produce a result for at least two to four years, with this most recent development set to delay proceedings even further.

City received legal papers from the Premier League in February initially announcing the charges over alleged financial rule breaches.

The club, however, made it abundantly clear that they would take all available steps to defend themselves from the charges, and claimed to have ‘irrefutable evidence’ to dispute the alleged breaches over the last 14 seasons.

There have been a number of changes to the top-flight’s rules over the past few campaigns, and it is as yet unclear which of the rule changes the challenge is directed at.

A change in the rules in February 2022 dictated that individuals must offer up information or documentation on request, as well as answer questions ‘comprehensively’ and on a ‘co-operative and open basis’.

The 2016-17 season saw a further change to guidelines, stating that all clubs must comply ‘in full’ with Premier League investigations and supply information requested by the competition.

However, should the charges of alleged breaches are proven, then there could be a raft of potential consequences for the club.

These could range from a points deduction to expulsion from the Premier League altogether.

The charges against the reigning champions relate to financial information regarding revenue, details of manager and player remuneration, UEFA regulations, profitability and sustainability, and co-operation with Premier League investigations.

Football

Premier League players to honour Pele by wearing black armbands and holding a minute’s applause before games this weekend

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The Premier League has announced clubs will pay tribute to Pele during the upcoming round of matches, following the Brazilian legend’s death on Thursday December 29.

The Brazilian football legend passed away at the age of 82 at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo, after a lengthy battle with colon cancer.

‘We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Pele, an extraordinarily gifted footballer who transcended our sport and inspired millions throughout his remarkable career,’ the Premier League said in a statement.

‘Our thoughts and sincere condolences go to Pele’s family and friends.’ The Premier League confirmed plans for clubs to honour to Pele’s contribution to football, with a minute’s applause to be held prior to kick-offs in this weekend’s matches. Players and match officials will also wear black armbands.

West Ham and Brentford will be the first clubs to pay tribute with the London derby kicking off the Premier League weekend tonight, followed by Liverpool and Leicester when they meet at Anfield.

The gesture will be followed before all games this weekend.

The body of Pele, will be laid to rest at the home of Santos, where he enchanted the world.

Pele will go straight from the Albert Einstein Hospital to Estádio Urbano Caldeira in Vila Belmiro at dawn on Monday and the coffin will be placed in the centre of the pitch.

The public wake is expected to begin at 10 a.m.

Football

Premier League and the FA cancel all football this weekend following the death of Queen Elizabeth II

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The Premier League and the Football Association have postponed all matches this weekend following the death of Queen Elizabeth.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) held a call with all major sports at 9.30am to determine the plan of action for the rest of this weekend’s calendar and left the decision over events up to the individual organisations.

However, the Premier League and EFL released a statement saying they had made the decision to postpone this weekend’s fixtures to honour Queen Elizabeth’s ‘extraordinary life and contribution to the nation’.

The Premier League released the following statement: ‘At a meeting, this morning [Friday], Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

‘To honour her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed, including Monday evening’s game.’

Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive, added: ‘We and our clubs would like to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s long and unwavering service to our country.

‘As our longest-serving monarch, she has been an inspiration and leaves behind an incredible legacy following a life of dedication.

‘This is a tremendously sad time for not just the nation but also for the millions of people around the world who admired her, and we join together with all those in mourning her passing.’

According to the Daily Telegraph, there are now concerns about football taking place next week with police set to be redeployed to the Queen’s funeral in London.

Football

Meet the new manager of Everton football club

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Everton have appointed former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez as their new manager.

The 61-year-old Spaniard has signed a three-year deal and succeeds Carlo Ancelotti, who resigned in early June to return to Real Madrid.

“I am delighted to be joining Everton,” said Benitez.

“I believe this is a club that is going places. I’m determined to play a big part in helping this great club achieve its ambitions.”

Benitez last managed in the Premier League at Newcastle United, leaving in June 2019.

He moved to China to coach Dalian Professional FC and left them in January after 18 months in charge.

Everton say Benitez “will commence work with the squad when they return for pre-season training from 5 July”.

The club said he was given the job “after a robust and wide-reaching recruitment process over the last three weeks – a process which has included multiple interviews with several candidates”.

Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri said: “Rafa impressed us greatly with his knowledge and experience but, above all, the passion and hunger he showed to join our club.

“We are appointing Rafa because we believe he will bring success to our club and to Evertonians. To put it simply – we need to be competing at the top end of the league and to be winning trophies.

“Rafa is a proven winner with huge experience in coaching internationally and we have secured the best man to achieve that for us.”

Benitez replaced Gerard Houllier as Liverpool manager in June 2004 and guided them to Champions League and FA Cup success.

Football

Another loss to Fulham today; Liverpool is losing form

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Liverpool’s incredible slide continued with a sixth successive Premier League home defeat as Fulham secured a crucial win to give their survival hopes a huge boost.

Mario Lemina’s goal on the stroke of half-time, after the Gabon midfielder had dispossessed Mohamed Salah, gave the visitors a deserved win and saw them draw level on 26 points with 17th-placed Brighton.

It was Fulham’s first win at Anfield since 2012, while champions Liverpool are now struggling to finish in the top four after another uninspired performance at home.

The Reds, who won the title last season by 18 points, had gone 68 home league matches unbeaten before their current run started with a loss to Burnley in January.

Since then they have also lost on home soil to Brighton, Manchester City, Everton, Chelsea and now Fulham.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp made seven changes following the defeat to Chelsea in attempt to freshen things up, but Fulham were the better side and carved out four chances in the opening half an hour alone.

Ademola Lookman, who was given the freedom of Anfield, twice got behind the Reds defence but could not finish while Josh Maja was denied by a brave save by Alisson.

The winner came after Liverpool thought they had cleared a free-kick but Salah was caught on the ball by Lemina who produced an arrowed finish, his first goal since joining on loan from Southampton.

Diogo Jota, making his first start since 28 November, was denied an equaliser by an acrobatic save from Alphonse Areola early in the second half before substitute Sadio Mane hit the post with a looping header.

But Liverpool were poor and have now failed to win their last eight home games.

Weary Liverpool look broken

It was this time last year that Liverpool went 22 points clear at the top of the table after a win over Bournemouth in front of a raucous Anfield crowd.

Twelve months on and Premier League games at Anfield have become an uncomfortable watch for Klopp and this was another stodgy repeat of recent performances.

The Liverpool manager’s attempts to shake things up by making wholesale changes backfired as Fulham, who have spent most of the season in the bottom three, took advantage of another inexperienced centre-back partnership in the shape of Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams.

Lookman and Maja were a constant source of worry as they exploited huge pockets of space before Salah, the Premier League’s leading scorer, was dispossessed by Lemina for the goal.

Klopp sent on Mane, Fabinho and Trent Alexander-Arnold in an attempt to rescue the game but, despite an improved second-half showing, this was another woeful performance which extended an inexcusable run of home losses.

They have not kept a clean sheet at home since 6 December while they are yet to score a goal in open play at home in 2021.

A plane circled above Anfield during the game towing a banner which read: “Unity in Strength – Let’s Go Reds YNWA’.

But Liverpool, who are in Champions League action on Wednesday, have the weary look of 

Football

Manchester United almost lost tonight’s match

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Manchester United’s already slim Premier League title hopes were dealt a blow as they were held to a goalless draw in a drab encounter at Crystal Palace.

The visitors dominated possession but struggled to create many meaningful chances, with Nemanja Matic going closest in the first half when he brought out a decent save from Vicente Guaita.

Palace did not manage a shot on target until early in the second half when Jordan Ayew fired straight at keeper Dean Henderson after a good one-two with Christian Benteke.

But the hosts almost pinched it right at the end when Patrick van Aanholt was put in on goal, but he was denied by Henderson.

The draw means Manchester United are 14 points behind leaders and local rivals Manchester City before the two sides meet on Sunday.

The point for Crystal Palace moved them on to 34 points and 11 points clear of the relegation zone as Roy Hodgson’s side edge closer to securing another season of Premier League football.

This is the start of a potentially season-defining month for Manchester United. After facing their city rivals on Sunday, they have games against AC Milan in the Europa League, as well as an FA Cup quarter-final at Leicester.

It was, therefore, important they made a strong start to March. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have only lost once in the Premier League since 1 November, but too many of their recent games have ended in draws.

This was a match they really needed to win to keep up the pressure on Manchester City, but they were far from their best as they displayed a severe lack of creativity.

Even Bruno Fernandes, so often their attacking spark having contributed to 25 goals this season, was below par as he struggled to make an impact on Wednesday’s game.

Indeed, for large periods of this fixture the increasing thickness of the fog that had descended over Selhurst Park was the most exciting thing to develop, as Manchester United played out their third goalless draw in a row.

The lack of attacking threat will surely be a growing concern for Solskjaer going into a crucial period of their season.

Football

Frustrated Foden wants Man City to work on finishing after dropping more points at West Ham

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The Blues midfielder stepped off the bench to net an important goal at the London Stadium, but Pep Guardiola’s side were held to a 1-1 draw

Phil Foden admits Manchester City are disappointed to have seen more points slip through their grasp in a 1-1 draw at West Ham, with Pep Guardiola’s side needing to work on their finishing.

Things could have been worse for the Blues were it not for the half-time introduction of an England international.

Foden cancelled out Michail Antonio’s spectacular opener within six minutes of stepping off the bench.

City had plenty of chances to find a second after that strike, with 14 shots fired in by the visitors across 90 minutes at the London Stadium.

Guardiola’s side also saw almost 70 per cent of the ball, but that dominance could not be converted into a welcome win and it is a case of going back to the drawing board for Foden and Co.

The 20-year-old midfielder told BT Sport afterwards: “We came out second half playing a lot quicker and more aggressive. I think we need to work on finishing our chances and we should be OK.

“We started slow in the first-half and weren’t passing quick enough. We didn’t have a good tempo but the manager spoke well at half-time and we played much better second half.

“I enjoy scoring goals and I want to continue this form. It’s nice to be playing as much as possible. I love this club and I love playing for them.”

Foden added on a third outing of City’s 2020-21 Premier League campaign that has seen them drop points: “It was a frustrating game. We had enough chances to win it but we’re disappointed we couldn’t get the second goal.

“We knew they were in good form going into the game, which is something the manager touched on beforehand. Their goalkeeper kept them in it, but we were just unlucky today.

“It’s been a strange year. A lot of games are coming quickly so maybe some players are feeling it. Everyone has the ability to make an impact.

“We would like to get the points today, I think we played very well and controlled most of the game.

“Very disappointed to not win the game but we will get over it tomorrow and improve on things for the next game.”

Stalemate in east London has left City 11th in the English top-flight table, with a Champions League trip to Marseille next on their agenda.

Football

‘Adrian is the WORST back-up goalkeeper in the Premier League’ – Liverpool man faces more questions after Everton goal

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Liverpool may live to regret not signing a new back-up goalkeeper this summer, believes Tony Cascarino, who claims Adrian is the WORST number two in the entire Premier League.

The Spaniard, deputising for the injured Alisson against Everton, was called into question once again for failing to stop Michael Keane’s first-half header during the eventful 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.

And talkSPORT host Cascarino admits he’s ‘worried’ for the Reds with the Spaniard in between the sticks.

Adrian has already started two games for the champions this season, and they have both ended in defeat; on penalties against Arsenal in the EFL Cup and the humiliating 7-2 mauling at Aston Villa a fortnight ago.

Liverpool were linked with a late move for ex-England goalkeeper Jack Butland in the final week of the extended domestic window.

It was even claimed he could be signed in time to make his debut in the derby, but the 27-year-old ultimately joined Crystal Palace instead in a deal worth less than £1million.

Liverpool did sign teenage Brazilian goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga, but Adrian remains No. 2 at Anfield.

And Cascarino believes the decision not to bring in a new back-up for Alisson – widely regarded as one of the world’s best – may come back to haunt Jurgen Klopp and his team.

“I think he’s the poorest second keeper in the Premier League,” said the Weekend Sports Breakfast host.

“I spoke openly at the start of the season about how I felt Liverpool needed a new goalkeeper, and that they need to go and get one if they haven’t got a young keeper to come through.

“Adrian started the rot at Villa Park.

“He tried to overplay in a terrible situation that cost them a goal, and it fell apart after that in front of him.

“He isn’t the scapegoat, there were lots of bad performances in that game, but he worries me.”

Football

Lionel Messi: Manchester City have ‘financial strength’ to sign Barcelona forward

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Manchester City have the financial strength to sign Lionel Messi next summer if the Barcelona forward still wishes to leave, says the Premier League club’s chief operating officer.

Messi had sought to leave Barcelona for free at the end of last season and he favoured a reunion with his former head coach Pep Guardiola in Manchester.

But the six-time Ballon d’Or winner got into a bitter contract dispute with the club he joined as a teenager from his native Argentina and, ultimately, had no choice but to stay in Barcelona.

City missed out but, according to chief operating officer Omar Berrada, the club will be ready to pounce should Messi allow his contract with Barcelona to expire next summer.

He told the Manchester Evening News: “He’s the best player in the world, he’s the best player of his generation. I think any club in the world would like to explore the possibility of him joining their team. Sponsored Links

“He’s probably an exception to potential investments that we’d do… but our planning has been done with this current squad and it is being considered with the current opportunities that we have.

“For every single position we have to be prepared because there can be so many things that can happen but, at the same time, I think we have the financial strength and system ability to make that investment when required.”

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