Arsenal have enjoyed an excellent start to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign as they look to end a two-decade wait for a league title at the Emirates.

Mikel Arteta’s side have won five and drawn two of their opening seven matches, but still remain third in the table, level on points with Manchester City whilst sitting just a point off current leaders Liverpool.

Winger Bukayo Saka has been crucial in the Gunners’ start to the new season, registering seven assists – an average of one per game – allowing teammates such as Kai Havertz to make an impact in the final third.

However, the latest international break has come at the worst possible time for Arteta’s side, with the North London outfit seeming to gain momentum in their performances over recent weeks.

The aforementioned Saka has already featured for England during the break, but his Arsenal and international teammate had a performance to forget last night.

Declan Rice’s stats for England against Greece

After his start to the season in North London, midfielder Declan Rice has continued to be a key part of the England national team, starting in last night’s Nations League clash at Wembley.

However, he was unable to prevent Lee Carsley’s side from falling to a shock defeat, as their opponents scored their first-ever goal at the new Wembley stadium during the win.

The 25-year-old failed to impress during his 90-minute display, producing some underwhelming stats throughout the international clash in the capital.

Minutes played

90

Touches

76

Passes completed

63/65 (97%)

Duels won

3/7

Possession lost

4x

Fouls committed

2

Key passes

0

Rice may have completed 97% of the passes he attempted, but struggled out of possession, only winning three out of the seven duels he entered during the defeat.

The Arsenal ace also lost possession four times and committed two fouls, receiving a yellow card in an all-round disappointing night for the Gunners’ club-record signing.

However, he wasn’t the only Arsenal star to drop a disappointing display on internet duty with his teammate struggling to make an impact despite his nation’s victory.

The Arsenal star who dropped a 5/10 on international duty

Centre-back William Saliba has formed an excellent partnership with Gabriel at the back for Arteta’s side – helping the club push Manchester City for the title over the last two years.

Whilst at club level he’s thrived, internationally he’s struggled as of late, with the French star often being hounded for his lack of impact under Didier Deschamps. Even the manager, himself admitted back in March that Saliba “does things that I don’t like so much”.

He was previously handed a 5/10 match rating for his display against Luxembourg before Euro 2024, with the 23-year-old receiving another 5/10 rating from French outlet GETFootball last night.

When delving into his stats from the victory over Israel, his rating is understandable, with the centre-back caught out for the opponent’s goal whilst failing to provide any impressive defensive numbers.

He notched a total of 102 touches, with a 97% pass accuracy, but he failed to win any aerial battles whilst only winning 50% of his ground duels.

Saliba also lost possession four times during the victory and failed to complete any of the dribbles he attempted – with the centre-back enduring an evening to forget.

Whilst it’s excellent to see Arsenal first-team members featuring for their nations, there is always a risk that a player could lose confidence or pick up an injury on international duty.

As seen last night, Saliba and Rice both failed to impress, with Arteta undoubtedly wanting his players to return to North London fit and ready for when the Gunners face Bournemouth a week on Saturday.

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1 ByMatt Dawson Oct 10, 2024

After being handed what can only be described as a horror set of fixtures to kick off the Premier League season, Ipswich Town are showing signs that they might be able to beat the drop this year.

Kieran McKenna’s side may have unsurprisingly lost their first two games of the campaign against Liverpool and Manchester City, but they picked up valuable and impressive points away to Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion before securing a third point away to fellow relegation candidates Southampton last weekend.

Now, the Tractor Boys would have wanted to pick up their first win at St Marys, but that point might come in handy down the line, and as the fans will probably admit, it wasn’t the team’s finest display.

In fact, despite the club’s positive start this season, summer signing Sammie Szmodics hasn’t quite hit the ground running in the way some might have hoped, so it could be time for McKenna to replace him in the starting lineup for this afternoon’s clash with Aston Villa.

Why Szmodics should be dropped

So, the first thing to point out is that Szmodics is an undeniably talented footballer who was simply sensational for Blackburn Rovers last season, scoring 33 goals and four assists in 48 games.

However, due to this incredible form, there was an expectation from fans and pundits alike that following his £11m transfer this summer, he’d be able to add some serious attacking threat to the Tractor Boys’ midfield and that even if he couldn’t replicate his form in the Premier League, he’d still maintain a healthy level of output.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case so far. In his five appearances for the club, he has scored just a single goal, which came in the club’s heavy 4-1 defeat away to Manchester City last month.

Moreover, aside from pure output, the 29-year-old hasn’t looked particularly impressive in general, with his performance against Southampton last week getting him a 5/10 rating from the East Anglian Daily Times’ Alex Jones.

With that said, his body of work suggests that with time, Szmodics will eventually come good for McKenna and Ipswich, but with a challenging game against Villa this afternoon, the Irishman should be dropped for another of the exciting summer signings.

Why Clarke should start today

So, the summer signing that should take Szmodics’ place on the left-hand side this afternoon is 23-year-old Jack Clarke.

Now, like the Irishman, the former Sunderland ace hasn’t been electric for the Blues so far this season, but unlike the former Blackburn ace, the Englishman has not had the same chance to show what he can do.

In all, he’s played 68 minutes of Premier League football across three games and only started in the League Cup, which is hardly enough time for a new signing to get to grips with the team.

Moreover, thanks to his supreme form for the Black Cats over the last couple of seasons, McKenna should know how talented the dynamic winger is.

For example, in 42 appearances for the Championship side last year, the “unplayable” York-born star, as pundit Adrian Clarke dubbed him, racked up a seriously impressive haul of 15 goals and four assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 2.21 games, which helps to explain why he won the club’s Player of the Year award.

Appearances

50

42

Goals

11

15

Assists

14

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.50

0.45

The campaign before that, he was just as effective, scoring 11 goals and providing 14 assists in 50 matches for the Black Cats, which equates to a goal involvement every other game.

Ultimately, Clarke has proven over the last few seasons that he can be a serious and consistent goal threat, either by scoring them himself or setting up chances for his teammates, and while the Premier League is undoubtedly a big step-up, he deserves an opportunity to start today’s game.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 24, 2024

Manchester City have had plenty of success under Pep Guardiola, with the legendary manager winning numerous trophies at the Etihad, including six Premier League titles.

However, after almost 10 years in Manchester, those behind the scenes may need to start thinking quickly about who they can bring in to replace Guardiola as Man City manager.

Pep Guardiola honours as Man City manager

Premier League (6)

2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

League Cup (4)

2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

FA Cup (2)

2019, 2023

Champions League (1)

2023

Club World Cup (1)

2024

UEFA Super Cup (1)

2024

Community Shield (3)

2018, 2019, 2024

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Posts ByCharlie Smith Oct 21, 2025

Guardiola’s Man City contract is set to expire at the end of the 2024/25 season as things stand, and he hasn’t hidden his desire to manage an international team in the future.

So who could Man City target to replace Guardiola? We’ve taken a look at 10 potential candidates.

Next Man City manager odds (Sky Bet – selected markets)

Manager

Current team

Odds

Michel

Girona

4/1 fav

Xabi Alonso

Bayer Leverkusen

4/1 fav

Ruben Amorim

Sporting CP

4/1 fav

Vincent Kompany

Bayern Munich

8/1

Roberto De Zerbi

Marseille

16/1

Marco Rose

RB Leipzig

18/1

Zinedine Zidane

n/a

18/1

Mikel Arteta

Arsenal

20/1

Mauricio Pochettino

USA

20/1

Luis Enrique

Paris Saint-Germain

20/1

Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham

20/1

Eddie Howe

Newcastle

20/1

Ernesto Valverde

Athletic Club

20/1

Sebastian Hoeness

VfB Stuttgart

20/1

Odds correct as of 22nd October 2024

1 Xabi Alonso Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has been catching the eye across Europe after the work he has done with the Bundesliga side.

Alonso guided Leverkusen to an unbeaten domestic campaign in 2023/24, becoming Germany’s first-ever ‘Invincible’ side. He has been linked with Man City to replace Guardiola, so it’s no surprise to see him backed as a strong candidate.

2 Ruben Amorim Sporting CP

Another manager who has been heavily linked to replace Guardiola at Man City is Ruben Amorim, who is currently with Sporting CP.

The Portuguese boss has drawn praise from Guardiola in the past, who said last year that Amorim “is one of the best at the moment”.

However, close rivals Manchester United have also been linked with Amorim to succeed Erik ten Hag, so City may need to act relatively fast over the coming months if they feel Amorim is the right man.

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Posts 2 ByStephan Georgiou Oct 28, 2024 3 Vincent Kompany Bayern Munich

With a statue outside the Etihad, a return to Man City in the dugout for former captain Vincent Kompany would be a fairytale.

The Belgian has been making strides in management after winning the Championship title with Burnley. He was unable to keep the Clarets in the Premier League before leaving for Bayern Munich in the summer, and will now be learning what it is like to lead one of Europe’s best sides.

Should he impress in Munich, City chiefs may see him as a potential candidate to come in.

4 Michel Girona

One of the favourites to replace Guardiola at Man City is Girona boss Michel, with the La Liga side a part of the City Football Group.

The relationship between City and Girona could therefore help in a potential deal, with Michel guiding his current side to Champions League qualification last season.

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Posts ByStephan Georgiou Jan 23, 2025 5 Luis Enrique Paris Saint-Germain

If experience is what City are after following Guardiola’s eventual departure, Luis Enrique could be a standout candidate.

The former AS Roma, Barcelona and Spain manager is currently in charge of Paris Saint-Germain, where he won the treble in his first season with the French giants.

Enrique also won numerous honours with Barcelona including the Champions League, so he could be a safe pair of hands to come in.

6 Sebastian Hoeness VfB Stuttgart

VfB Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness reportedly turned down Manchester United over the summer – something which would immediately make him liked on the blue side of the city.

The 42-year-old has been working his way up in management, taking charge of RB Leipzig’s and Bayern Munich’s youth teams before getting the Hoffenheim job in 2020.

Hoeness finished as runners-up in the Bundesliga ahead of Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich in his first season with Stuttgart, so he could be someone on City’s radar.

7 Mikel Arteta Arsenal

Arguably the most controversial appointment on the list would be Mikel Arteta, who was previously Guardiola’s assistant at the Etihad before joining Arsenal.

In recent years, Arteta and Guardiola have gone head-to-head in the Premier League title race, with City coming out on top.

However, should Guardiola extend his stay in Manchester for a few more years and Arsenal fall away slightly, perhaps City could look at a dramatic move for Arteta.

8 Xavi Free agent (last job: Barcelona)

Xavi Hernandez is currently out of work so could be a relatively straightforward appointment for City chiefs. His first taste of management came in Qatar with Al-Sadd before spending three years in charge of Barcelona.

He won La Liga in 2022/23 before leaving the Nou Camp in 2024 and is someone who Guardiola knows well during their time with the Catalan giants.

9 Simone Inzaghi Inter

Man City and Guardiola got the better of Simone Inzaghi and Inter in their famous Champions League final triumph in 2023, but he too could be another potential replacement at the Etihad.

Inzaghi has gained plenty of experience in the dugout with Inter and Lazio, winning nine senior honours as a manager.

Guardiola couldn’t beat Inzaghi in the Champions League back in September, though, with Man City left frustrated in a 0-0 draw with the Nerazzurri.

10 Roberto De Zerbi Marseille

Former Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi was seen by some as the natural successor to Guardiola during his time in England.

However, the Italian surprisingly left the Seagulls earlier in 2024 and has since taken over at Marseille. Guardiola recently hailed De Zerbi as “one of the most influential managers in [the] last 20 years”, so if he has a say on who his successor is, perhaps De Zerbi’s name will come up in conversation.

Leeds United were unable to record a third straight win in the Championship as they were forced to settle for a point against Norwich City at Carrow Road.

The Canaries started strong and took the lead in the first half after Joe Rodon brought Josh Sargent down in the box, with the striker beating Illan Meslier from the spot.

A second half strike from Largie Ramazani, who was assisted by Wilfried Gnonto, secured a point for the Whites, who have now lost once in eight league matches.

However, Leeds could have pushed on to secure all three points as they began to gain momentum after the equaliser in the 60th minute, but they were derailed by Daniel Farke’s substitutes – including Joel Piroe.

Joel Piroe's cameo against Norwich

The Dutch forward was brought on to replace Ramazani as part of a double change that also saw Mateo Joseph go off for Patrick Bamford, as Brenden Aaronson moved out to the flank.

That move turned out to be a clanger by the Leeds head coach because the former Swansea centre-forward put in a dismal display in his cameo.

The Whites had been finding joy in transition from Norwich’s loose passes, with the likes of Gnonto, Aaronson, and Ramazani causing problems with their pace, but that threat was neutralised by those changes.

Joel Piroe	Vs Norwich
Minutes played	19
Accurate passes	0/2
Duels won	0/1
Possession lost	3x
Dribbled past	1x
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Piroe did not complete a single pass and lost 100% of his duels, whilst losing possession three times, in 19 minutes – plus four minutes of stoppage time – on the pitch.

The Dutch lightweight lost the ball three times from four touches and one of his first involvements in the match was to misplace a pass straight out of play near the dugout as Leeds looked to break the Norwich press.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

His lack of mobility and pace meant that the away side could not break as quickly as they had been doing before his introduction, which is what allowed the Canaries to take control of the final 15-20 minutes of the game.

What Farke could have done instead

It remains unknown as to whether or not Joseph and Ramazani needed to come off when they did, due to fitness issues, but the latter staying on could have helped Leeds to win the match.

The former Almeria winger was causing Shane Duffy and Jack Stacey, who had come on at half-time due to an injury to Jose Cordoba, all sorts of problems down the right side of the pitch for Norwich.

His clean first touch and pace, both in running and movement of the ball, created plenty of dangerous situations for Leeds, whilst he completed 89% of his attempted passes.

Instead of removing him from the field to bring Piroe, who endured a difficult 23 minutes or so off the bench in Norfolk, Farke could have kept Ramazani on for another ten or 15 minutes to push for a second goal before, then, handing some of his stars a rest.

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Dan Emery

Oct 1, 2024

Crystal Palace sealed a deadline day loan move for Chelsea outcast Ben Chilwell and will pay half of his wages.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Chilwell joins Crystal Palace
• Palace will foot half of his wages
• Has not played since September

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Chilwell has been cast out of the Chelsea squad by Enzo Maresca since the Italian signed with the Blues last summer. The left-back was told by the west London side that he was not a part of his plans for the season but failed to secure a move away from Stamford Bridge and has only played once this season – a 45-minute-stint in the Carabao Cup third-round clash against fourth-tier side Barrow.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chilwell has been looking for an exit this winter and has been linked with a number of clubs. However, Crystal Palace have now struck a deal with Chelsea and signed the England international on a six-month loan until the end of the current season.

• WHAT CHILWELL SAID

  He told the club's media: "I'm very excited to be here. Crystal Palace are a club that's going in a great direction. You look at the last few months, with the results and how the team's playing, and it was a no-brainer to make the decision to come here."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  As per The Telegraph, Crystal Palace have agreed to foot half of Chilwell's massive wages during the period of the loan. The England international earns close to £200,000-per-week at Stamford Bridge and his wages had been a major factor in all of his failed moves since the start of the summer as clubs did not want to foot that massive a wage.

Louis Cole gives testimony to SJN hearing after claims by several players banned over fixing scandal

Firdose Moonda25-Oct-2021There was no racial discrimination in the investigation and sanctioning of seven South African players for conspiring to fix matches in the 2015-16 Ram Slam, according to Louis Cole, the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) officer who headed the inquiry.Cole was testifying at CSA’s Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) hearing in response to claims made by Alviro Petersen, Ethy Mbhalati, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Thami Tsolekile, who agreed to bans of 2-12 years for their role in the fixing scandal.They told the SJN that they were targeted because of their race. Cole disputed that with details of their attempts to fix matches and their negotiations involving sums of money ranging from R30,000 (US$2,000) to R1,000,000 (US$68,000), after being recruited by Gulam Bodi.Related

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Last year, Tsolekile and Petersen made similar claims on a national radio show, leading to CSA issuing a notice of its willingness to reinvestigate if players were racially discriminated against during in the investigation.Cole, whose testimony lasted for four hours, said there was no discrimination and that the inquiry was conducted in line with both the ICC’s Anti-Corruption guidelines and South Africa’s criminal investigatory proceedings.Bodi, Pumi Matshikweand Jean Symes, the three other players involved, have not appeared at the SJN. In 2019, Bodi was sentenced to five years in prison under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act while Symes has appeared before South Africa’s specialist crimes unit, the Hawks, and Matshikwe has been approached by them.”The allegations that the players made before the SJN, based on the evidence that we uncovered and that I presented today, in my opinion, is a misrepresentation of the facts,” Cole said. “It is very unfortunate that they would have used this platform of the SJN, which I feel is very important for cricket in South Africa, and also for players.”As the ombudsman has alluded to, the terms of reference was to investigate discrimination against players within the game. For these players to use this platform, which could have been used to investigate and deal with players who had genuinely been discriminated against, is very unfortunate. We investigated this over a period of 20 months, where it really took its toll. I think that is very unfair.“Cole presented the SJN with video evidence from interviews conducted with the players during the investigation as well as one of a cellphone camera which documented Tsolekile’s meeting with a match fixer. Tsolekile could be heard telling the fixer about team selection and the players he could recruit.”At the moment, I am talking about the definites. It’s me and Lopsy,” Tsolekile is heard saying in the video. “And Pumi. Symes is in, but I don’t think he is going to play. If Pumi is fit he will play.”Thami Tsolekile claims he received a harsher punishment because of racial discrimination•PA PhotosThe video also contained an interview which the ICC’s interim general manager of the Anti-Corruption Unit, Martin Vertigen, conducted with Manish Jain, one of the fixers Bodi was working with. Jain picked Tsolekile, Tsotsobe, Matshikwe and Petersen out of a photo board of players he had recruited to fix matches.Jain confirmed to Vertigen that he offered Tsolekile, Tsotsobe and Petersen R220,000 (US$15,000) for a fix that involved Tsotsobe conceding more than 10 runs in an over (the over number was going to be finalised before the match), while Tsolekile and Petersen were due to score slowly. The money would be paid to the players after the game between Lions and Dolphins on November 4, 2015, provided the fix took place. But, it didn’t.In a later part of the video, Bodi detailed how he collaborated with a different fixer, who made offers of R600,000 (US$40,800) to Tsolekile and R10,00,000 (US$68,000) to Tsolekile and Tsotsobe jointly for fixing. However, the only money that changed hands was an amount to secure the players’ availability for the fix.Cole confirmed that Bodi said Tsolekile received R75,000 (US$5100), Tsotsobe received R60,000 (US4000) and Matshikwe, Mbhalati and Symes got R30,000 each (US$3000), while there was no evidence that Petersen received any money. This despite him agreeing to R100,000 (US$6800) to confirm his involvement, only for him not arrive to collect it.The video evidence also corroborates CSA’s statement, made last year, that Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Craig Alexander rejected Bodi’s offer to fix and blew the whistle on his plans.Bodi confirmed to investigators that he had “a no” from both van Jaarsveld and Alexander, who were mentioned by Tsotsobe, in particular, as having not been investigated because of racial privilege. van Jaarsveld is white, while Alexander is coloured.Cole also explains why the seven players in the Ram Slam scandal received bans of several years when Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams, who were involved in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal of 2000, were sanctioned for just six months each. “There was no anti-corruption training and there was no ICC code at that time,” he said, while explaining the penalty was a “practical one”.SJN ombudsman Dumisa Ntsebeza, whose terms of reference do not include match-fixing, said Cole’s testimony has added to the complexities of his task in order to determine the extent of racial discrimination in South African cricket.”In as much as there may be an emphasis as to who became the victims of what happened in the past, there is a sense in which the irony becomes one where even the perpetrators are the victims in a sense, if what the victims are alleging turns out to be manifestly inaccurate or untrue,” he said. “Then the alleged perpetrators become the victims themselves of what has been said about them.”Which is why even within the strictures of time that this project has unfortunately been compelled to act within, an opportunity had to be provided for everyone, especially those who had been mentioned to their detriment to rebut allegations, to explain where allegations need to be explained and also to give me the opportunity to reflect, at the end of it all, what I make of the evidence.”

The lower order dug in but Victoria wrapped up victory midway through the final session

AAP30-Oct-2021

Jon Holland and Will Sutherland celebrate the final wicket•Getty Images

Marcus Harris’ magic touch continued at Drummoyne Oval, where the opener snaffled a one-handed catch to help Victoria secure a 204-run Sheffield Shield victory over NSW.NSW, set a target of 339 when Peter Handscomb declared late on day three in Sydney, resumed at 1 for 33 on Saturday morning. The hosts were bowled out for 134, with top-scorer Peter Nevill fighting hard to almost drag the contest into its final hour but eventually running out of partners.Former Test keeper Nevill remained unbeaten on 29 from 129 deliveries, with Tanveer Sangha’s dismissal to Jon Holland ending the match.On-song paceman Scott Boland, who snared the key scalp of captain Kurtis Patterson with a delivery that kept low and struck off stump, finished with a match haul of 7 for 73. Boland also removed Gilkes and Jack Edwards on day four. Edwards, Sean Abbott, Trent Copeland and Nathan Lyon faced a combined 209 balls during NSW’s stonewall.Related

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Friday’s centuries from Harris and Handscomb put their side in the box seat for victory, while also sending a timely reminder of their talent to national selectors. Harris then held catches to dismiss Matthew Gilkes and Abbott on Saturday, with the former a sensationally sharp effort at gully.”I’m not sure he saw that,” Handscomb said. “It happened to stick…it was awesome. In terms of his batting, he’s picked up where he left off last season for Victoria and also in England this year.”He’s in red-hot form. Great for him to come out here and do this in the first game. Especially with the Ashes coming up, he can take a lot of confidence going into that.”Handscomb noted he would relish a chance to play for Australia A or Australia in coming months but was looking no further ahead than the MCG clash with NSW that begins on Friday.”If that opportunity came, I’d grab it with both hands,” Handscomb said.Prodigy Will Pucovski, who sat out this match because of concussion, and express paceman James Pattinson, who recently retired from international cricket, are likely to return next week.”What a good problem to have. You have a win then two Australia players coming back into the fold,” Handscomb said. “I’m sure all the right protocols are happening [with Pucovski] and when he’s ready to go, he’ll be out there.”NSW coach Phil Jaques indicated allrounder Moises Henriques was an unlikely starter in the next Shield match. Jaques praised the venue-record stand of 261 runs between Harris and Handscomb, while lamenting his own charges’ batting.”We were on the wrong end of a pretty good partnership between two pretty good players at the top of their game,” former Test opener Jaques said. “I know they’re hurting. We’ll bounce back really quickly…we’ll be looking to try to get some revenge on them next week.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Um ano para ser lembrado e guardado para sempre. Essa é a premissa do livro “O Brasil é do Galo!”, produto oficial que será lançado pelo Atlético-MG, em parceria com a editora Onze Cultural. Os autores são Caio Ducca e Emmerson Maurilio, membros do Centro Atleticano de Memória. A obra tem lançamento previsto para o mês de março de 2022, com edição numerada e personalizada.

Em grande formato, capa dura e 264 páginas, a publicação já conta com uma campanha de pré-venda exclusiva, criada pela editora, na plataforma Kickante.

O ano de 2021 foi um dos mais especiais da história do Galo, que, além de conquistar o Campeonato Mineiro, “sobrou” no Brasileirão e goleou na decisão da Copa do Brasil, também tendo alcançado a semifinal da Libertadores.

A pré-venda foi aberta nesta segunda-feira, sendo disponibilizados 3 mil exemplares na primeira edição.

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Entre as recompensas que podem ser adquiridas pelos compradores está a personalização do livro com o nome do torcedor, além de dez exemplares autografados pelo elenco campeão de 2021.

Para participar da campanha de pré-venda, basta acessar o site https://nova.kickante.com.br/pre-venda-coletiva/livro-o-brasil-e-do-galo-atletico-bicampeao-brasileiro.

يحظى المهندس هاني أبو ريدة، رئيس اتحاد الكرة المصري السابق وعضو المكتب التنفيذي في الاتحادين الدولي والإفريقي لكرة القدم، بدعم قوي من أعضاء الجمعية العمومية لـ”كاف” في سباق انتخابات مجلس “فيفا”، والمقرر إجراؤها يوم الأربعاء المقبل في القاهرة.

وتشهد الجمعية العمومية غير العادية للاتحاد الإفريقي، التي تُعقد في العاصمة المصرية، انتخابات مهمة تشمل اختيار رئيس “كاف”، وأعضاء اللجنة التنفيذية، وممثلي القارة السمراء في الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم.

وحظي هاني أبو ريدة بإشادة واسعة من الوفود المشاركة في الاجتماعات، وسط ترحيب مصري رسمي بوفود الدول المختلفة، حيث استقبل عددًا من رؤساء الاتحادات الإفريقية، بالإضافة إلى باتريس موتسيبي، رئيس الاتحاد القاري.

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وتتركز الأنظار على الانتخابات الخاصة بممثلي “كاف” في مجلس “فيفا”، حيث يتنافس 13 مرشحًا على 6 مقاعد، بعد إلغاء نظام التوزيع الجغرافي المعتاد.

ومن أبرز الأسماء المرشحة بجانب هاني أبو ريدة، كل من فوزي لقجع (المغرب)، وأحمد ولد يحيى (موريتانيا)، وأوجوستين إيمانويل سنجور (السنغال)، وأماجو ملفين بينيك (نيجيريا)، وعائشة يوهانسن (سيراليون)، وآخرين.

ووفقًا للوائح “كاف”، سيتم اعتماد القائمة النهائية للمرشحين خلال اجتماع اللجنة التنفيذية الذي يسبق الجمعية العمومية، والمقرر عقده صباح الثلاثاء، بعد سلسلة اجتماعات لمناطق الاتحاد الإفريقي بحضور رئيسه باتريس موتسيبي.

ويمثل “كاف” حاليًا في مجلس “فيفا” كل من باتريس موتسيبي، وهاني أبو ريدة، وفوزي لقجع، وأماجو بينيك، وماتورين دي تشاكوس، وعائشة يوهانسن، إضافة إلى المالي ماموتو توريه.

Ian Watmore has stood down as chair of the ECB with immediate effect after just over a year in the role.Watmore, who experienced an almost equally brief period as chief executive of the FA just over a decade ago, is understood to have lost the confidence of the ECB board and the counties after a demanding couple of weeks which has seen England cancel their tour to Pakistan and a failure to agree a domestic schedule for the next couple of years.The 63-year-old, who has also recently stood down from the position of First Civil Service Commissioner, is understood to be retiring completely. Current ECB Deputy Chair, Barry O’Brien, will step up as interim Chair, but has indicated to the ECB board that he will not be a candidate for the role. Instead a process to find a successor will begin shortly.Watmore, the first chair to receive a salary for the role (£150,000 a year before expenses), could be forgiven for finding the job very different to the one he expected. His period in office, which officially started on September 1, 2020, has been defined by the battle to stage cricket in a time of Covid and has seen the ECB make relatively large-scale redundancies and suffer serious financial pressures. In a statement released by the ECB, Watmore alludes to some “wellbeing” concerns – he had a heart problem at the time he left the FA and is understood to have been wearied by the unrelenting pressure of his time at the ECB – and admits the demands of the job “taken have a personal toll” on him. It is understood that, when the issue of his future was raised, he was willing to move aside.While initially popular with the counties, who welcomed his gentle style of management after years of more robust characters such as Giles Clarke and Colin Graves, Watmore appears to have lost their confidence in recent weeks. It is understood that several counties contacted the ECB to express their concerns after a meeting of the county chairs at Lord’s last week in which he was described as somewhat confused. Several present at the meeting described it as “shambolic”. The ECB has also been stung by criticism of the decision to cancel the England tour to Pakistan which was made by the ECB board chaired by Watmore.Related

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But while Watmore’s tenure at the ECB is unlikely to be remembered as especially successful, he did have an impact at the ICC. He was a key figure in Manu Sawhney’s departure as the organisation’s CEO and gave crucial impetus in the push towards cricket embracing Olympic participation.It may be relevant, however, that the ICC part of his role demanded far more time than he had originally anticipated. And, at a time when the ECB seemed to lurch from crisis to embarrassment with only brief moments of respite between, he found himself worn, jaded and exhausted. Even his critics acknowledge he was a decent, well-meaning man who inherited an incredibly tough situation.It might also raise questions about the character required for the role. Watmore, a data-led individual who didn’t relish the spot light, was initially welcomed as a breath of fresh air after the eras of Graves and Clarke. But subsequent events might suggest their unquenchable self-belief and determination are pre-requisites for the job.”It is with regret that I step down as Chair of the ECB, but I do so in mindfulness of my own wellbeing and that of the game which I love,” Watmore said in a statement. “I was appointed to the post in a pre-pandemic era, but Covid has meant the role and its demands on time are dramatically different to all our original expectations, which has taken a personal toll on me. Given this, the Board and I feel the ECB will be better served by a new Chair to take it forward post pandemic. Leaving now, at the end of the season, gives the Board time to find a new Chair to support cricket through the challenges of the 2022 season and beyond.”On a personal level, I also retired last month after five years at the Civil Service Commission and recently became a grandfather. I would now like to retire completely from work and enjoy our great game as a spectator.”