SPORTS
On the eve of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Johnson flagged that expansion of the A-League Women’s competition and the lowering of costs associated with playing in the second-tier National Premier League needed to be addressed.
And he was adamant that increasing community pathways would help create the growth FA was pursuing.
“That requires investment from federal and state government, mainly, and in particular because of the number of participants we’ve got across the country we need community fields, otherwise we can’t grow,” Johnson said.
“Queensland has become the second-biggest participant state in the country.
“We know in Australia there’s a correlation between our national teams and participation.
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson.CREDIT:FOOTBALL AUSTRALIA/GREGG PORTEOUS
“If we go back to the men’s World Cup in Qatar, what we’ve seen post that competition is a 10 per cent increase in participation across the country.
“One of the objectives of us bringing the Women’s World Cup to Australia was for exactly this purpose, we wanted to see a large increase in participation ... and we’re forecasting that post the Women’s World Cup there will be another 20 per cent on top of that 10 per cent of participants that will start playing the sport.
“I think the bigger challenge in Queensland for our sport is the community facilities, because what we don’t want is kids not being able to play because there’s not enough fields, and that is an issue.”
With the 2023 Women’s World Cup to kick off on Thursday, Johnson said FA had already started planning for what was to come next.
On that radar is the Women’s Asia Cup, and even further down the track the Men’s 2034 World Cup.
Football Australia’s Legacy 2023 Key PointsCREDIT:CANVA
Johnson believed Australia’s time zone, shared with markets less dominated by soccer, would give the nation a competitive advantage in securing more marquee events.
“Playing a major tournament in this time zone is different because you’re not in the typical time zone for world football,” Johnson said.
“We’re in the same time zone as countries like Indonesia, China, Thailand, Philippines, the west coast of the United States, India – these are big markets and high-growth markets for world football.
“This opportunity to watch top-tier football in this part of the world, in this time zone, I think will create legacy for the region and that’s important for the question ‘what’s next?’
“If we’re that country together with New Zealand, that moves the dial in world football, it will be easier to get bids in the future.
“The 2034 Men’s World Cup? Maybe.
“But also let’s not forget we’re bidding for the Women’s Asia Cup, and we’re up against Saudi Arabia, and we’re in the mix.
“We hope that the success of delivering the best-ever Women’s World Cup lands us that competition.”
[theage]
The Gunners, who drew 1-1 with FC Nurnberg in Germany on Friday, are flying out to the US this afternoon, where they are due to face an MLS All-Star XI coached by Wayne Rooney at Audi Field in Washington DC on Wednesday evening.
Arsenal then move on to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to meet Premier League rivals Manchester United on July 22, before closing their tour against Barcelona at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles four days later.
Arteta has now named his squad for the trip, headlined as expected by Rice, who finally completed his club-record £105million transfer from West Ham and trained at London Colney for the first time on Saturday.
He is joined by fellow new signings Jurrien Timber, who officially signed from Ajax in a £40m deal on Friday, and Kai Havertz, who made his debut against Nurnberg after a £65m switch from Chelsea completed last month.
The rest of the travelling squad is very familiar, with Arsenal confirming that they expected the likes of Thomas Partey, who has been linked with a summer exit from the Emirates, and Emile Smith Rowe to join their team-mates Stateside next week.
The club added that “the players who are not part of the squad will be working hard on their fitness and/or recovering from injury”.
Among the players not heading across the Atlantic are Cedric, Pepe and Lokonga, all of whom are expected to leave Arsenal before the summer transfer window closes.
In Pictures: Declan Rice Joins Arsenal
However, Belgian midfielder Lokonga, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Crystal Palace, missed the trip to Germany with a muscular injury and is likely to remain short of fitness.
He wrote on Instagram last week: “Due to a small muscular injury, I’ll sadly not be part of the summer camp with the team in Germany. I’m focus[ed] now on my recovery to prepare the season and be ready to help the team at my fullest capacity.”
Reiss Nelson’s absence is presumably due to an unspecified injury, with the winger having only signed a new long-term contract at Arsenal earlier this month.
Rob Holding, who has been linked with a move to Turkish giants Besiktas, is in the squad, while many of Arsenal’s recent injury absentees - including Takehiryo Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli, Fabio Vieira and Mohamed Elneny - are all travelling.
Goalkeeper Matt Turner is not involved having recently been on Gold Cup duty with the United States, while, like England winner Smith Rowe, Nuno Tavares has been afforded more holiday after spending his early summer at the European Under-21 Championship in Romania and Georgia with Portugal.
Arsenal squad for USA tour in full
1 Aaron Ramsdale
2 William Saliba
3 Kieran Tierney
4 Ben White
6 Gabriel Magalhaes
7 Bukayo Saka
8 Martin Odegaard
9 Gabriel Jesus
11 Gabriel Martinelli
12 Jurrien Timber
13 Alex Runarsson
14 Eddie Nketiah
15 Jakub Kiwior
16 Rob Holding
18 Takehiro Tomiyasu
19 Leandro Trossard
20 Jorginho
21 Fabio Vieira
25 Mohamed Elneny
26 Folarin Balogun
27 Marquinhos
29 Kai Havertz
31 Karl Hein
32 Auston Trusty
35 Oleksandr Zinchenko
41 Declan Rice
45 Amario Cozier-Duberry
Manchester City’s recent success is highlighted by a quick glance at their net spend per trophy over the past 10 years, with Arsenal, Liverpool and the rest following behind.
Bankrolled by billionaire owners, Premier League clubs have been throwing money at new players in the hope it translates to results on the pitch.
Using data from Transfermarkt, we’ve looked at the net spend per trophy won for the ‘big six’ Premier League clubs since 2013-14.
Note: we’ve not included the Community Shield as a major trophy.
The figures show that City are obviously dominating in terms of getting a return on their investments, and while Arsenal have closed the gap considerably, failure to win silverware means their recent heavy investment is looking a little desperate.
Manchester United have the biggest net spend of any Premier League side since 2014, which doesn’t reflect well on their trophy haul since then.
1. Arsenal
Transfer expenditure: €1.37billion
Transfer income: €381.8million
Net spend: €992.09million
Trophies won: 4
Net spend per trophy: €248.02million
2. Chelsea
Transfer expenditure: €2.09billion
Transfer income: €1.37billion
Net spend: €718.38million
Trophies won: 8
Net spend per trophy: €89.80million
3. Liverpool
Transfer expenditure: €1.20billion
Transfer income: €708.97million
Net spend: €493.56million
Trophies won: 6
Net spend per trophy: €82.26million
4. Manchester United
Transfer expenditure: €1.66billion
Transfer income: €418.50million
Net spend: €1246.16milion
Trophies won: 4
Net spend per trophy: €31.15million
5. Manchester City
Transfer expenditure: €1.70billion
Transfer income: €689.30million
Net spend: €1008.52million
Trophies won: 15
Net spend per trophy: €6.72million
6. Tottenham
Transfer expenditure: €1.12billion
Transfer income: €594.02million
Net spend: €523.61million
Trophies won: 0
Net spend per trophy: N/A
[planetfootball]
CHERRIES received $387,827 via FIFA’s Club Benefits Programme for the World Cup last winter.
Kieffer Moore and Chris Mepham were selected to represent Wales in what was the country’s first World Cup since 1958.
Cherries’ two representatives at the World Cup were knocked out in the group stage, limiting the earning potential for their club.
FIFA explained the formula behind the payments in a statement: “The total amount available ($209m) is divided by the total number of days that all of the participating players spent at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 (approximately 19,080), which results in an amount of $10,950 per player per day ($209m divided by 19,080).
This amount is then multiplied by the number of days that each player spent at the final competition of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, starting from their release for the tournament and ending on the day following the last match of the player’s representative team.”
Unsurprisingly English clubs received the most payments, with 46 different teams sharing a spread of $37,713,297 – making up just shy of a quarter of the total UEFA-affiliated clubs earnt.
Cherries received the 40th highest total, the lowest in the Premier League, with Manchester City earning the most, the Cityzens awarded $4,596,445.
[bournemouthecho]
The 22-year-old was an unexpected success story during his loan spell with Reims last season, finding the back of the net 21 times in 37 Ligue 1 appearances.
Balogun's impressive exploits in France caught the eye of the USA international team, and having played for England at youth level, he pledged allegiance to the Stars and Stripes earlier this year.
The former Middlesbrough loanee took no time at all to adapt to the rigours of senior international football, scoring in his second appearance against Canada in the final of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Reims were keen to convert Balogun's loan switch into a permanent move, but the French side did not possess the financial firepower to poach the striker permanently, and he has since returned to Arsenal for pre-season.
Balogun played in the second half of the Gunners' recent friendly draw with Nurnberg, and he was recently named in their travelling squad for their pre-season tour of the USA.
However, it remains to be seen if the 22-year-old can force his way into the first-team setup amid competition from Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz.
Inter are thought to be weighing up an approach for the Arsenal man, as the Nerazzurri seek out alternatives to Romelu Lukaku, having dropped their interest in the Chelsea man after learning of his talks with Juventus.
Now, Gianluca Di Marzio claims that Milan are also plotting a move for Balogun, as the Rossoneri prepare for life without the recently-retired Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Balogun is still under contract with Arsenal for another two years, and the Gunners are reportedly ready to demand as much as £50m to let the 22-year-old leave in the current window.
Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta opened the door for Balogun to make his mark in pre-season when asked after the draw with Nurnberg if he wanted to see the striker remain at the Emirates.
"Yeah. He's just staying here with us at the moment and we will see what happens," Arteta told reporters. "This is what he has been doing and that's why we gave him the minutes that he deserves to show what he can do."
Balogun joined Arsenal's academy in 2011 but has only made 10 competitive appearances for the first team so far, registering two goals and one assist in the 2020-21 Europa League.
A shock switch to Chelsea has also been mooted for the striker, although it is unclear if he would be willing to swap the Emirates for Stamford Bridge - a path that fellow Hale End product Omari Hutchinson walked down last year.
Arsenal will face the MLS All-Stars, Barcelona and Manchester United as part of their USA tour, kicking off against the former in Washington on Wednesday.
[sportsmole]
Nigeria's Women World Cup squad received a warm First Nations welcome in Bribane, Australia.
Some of Nigeria's staff and players joined, Saturday (Jul. 16), their host performing traditional dances.
The ceremony took place 4 days before the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off.
The Nigerians will start their World Cup campaign by facing Canada on Friday (Jul. 21).
This year’s edition of the tournament is the third time the two teams will be clashing in the World Cup, with the West African side undefeated in the previous two head-to-heads.
They'll then clash with Australia four days after Cananda and with the Republic of Ireland also four days after Australia.
The four teams make up group B.
The 9th FIFA Women's World Cup is hosted by New Zealand and Australia.
The Super Falcons have participated in the past six editions. Their best showing to date is a quarter-final appearance in the 1999 World Cup.
Nigeria is one of four squads from Africa which qualified this year.
Zambia is in Group C and will play Spain, Costa Rica and Japan.
South Africa in Group G will go head-to-head with Sweden, Italy and Argentina.
Morocco in Group H will play Germany, Colombia and The Korea Republic.
[africanews]
The summer after a Treble was always going to be interesting. How do you improve? How can you tempt players to stay after winning it all?
Pep Guardiola’s rule has been not to step in the way if a player wishes to leave. Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling were all allowed to bow out and there was to be no begging from City’s part.
Joao Cancelo found that out in January and ended up leaving a side that ended up winning the Treble. A lesson that ego is not everything.
He is bound to be one player that leaves the Etihad this season after an apparent rift with Guardiola. The Catalan coach said he wouldn't have cared if he had joined United in January as was his urgency to get rid.
Bayern Munich opted against his buy-out and it could be a quick in and out at City this summer too. Meanwhile, Ilkay Gundogan has left on very different terms.
He became only the second captain of an English club to win the Treble last season and travelled to Barcelona with a pat on the back and a bouquet of flowers. Cancelo - who was booed upon his Etihad return with Bayern in the Champions League - might not get the same treatment.
Meanwhile, another full-back could be heading out of the door. Bayern are heavily interested in Kyle Walker and the 33-year-old will spy this as his last opportunity to play abroad.
That would leave City without a top-class full-back on either flank, which would be a point of concern for fans.
There is a fear Nathan Ake and Manu Akanji, however well they did at left-back last season, could be found out this time around while City would be wasting John Stones at right-back.
Elsewhere, Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte are being linked with exits. The former was been frequently linked with Barcelona, although whether a suitable offer comes in is debatable given the club’s financial troubles.
But the seemingly imminent arrival of Josko Gvardiol would surely see the exit of Laporte, who struggled for game time amid the current crop of players. There are also rumblings that Riyad Mahrez could be tempted by a move to Saudi Arabia should a proposal come in.
City will probably be fine but they must be careful. Too many exits could disrupt the equilibrium of the squad, which doesn’t have the greatest of depth despite its vast quality.
Mateo Kovacic helps soothe that concern and Gvardiol would add more contentment. But there might be a point where Guardiola has to say no, or at least use the extended olive branch to prod with.
Like any club, City must also consider the restrictions of Financial Fair Play and so would not be able to splash the cash without care, despite the perceptions of some. Losing all of the players mentioned above would be a risky scenario to allow.
In former years, the likelihood would have been that not all would have gone but with the influx of Saudi cash incentives and coming off the back of a Treble, players may want a fresh challenge and new motivation.
That in itself is something that the City boss will need to manage but put bluntly, is there anyone who would dare turn down a request to stay from Guardiola, one of the greatest ever minds in football?
I guess we will find out this summer. Guardiola might have to put his foot down to some either way, though.
[manchestereveningnews]
Harry Kane: Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy meets Bayern Munich over potential sale of England captain
AdminDaniel Levy met Bayern Munich chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen on Thursday to discuss the possible transfer of Harry Kane.
Sky Sports News has been told no meaningful progress was made but dialogue remains open. This is not the first time Levy and Bayern have met or spoken.
Tottenham will continue to try and persuade Kane to sign a lucrative contract extension but fear he will leave for a Premier League rival should he run down his current deal.
Kane has not ruled out any option at this stage and will be part of the Tottenham squad that departs for their pre-season tour to Australia on Friday.
Postecoglou has made it clear that he plans to shape a side that produces exciting, attacking football and would like Kane to be part of it.
Should he start the season in England it will give the club a chance to show him and other senior players that there can be a more positive outlook than recent years.
Bayern believe Kane wants to join them and that appears to be his most likely destination if he departs in the coming weeks. Tottenham have made it clear they do not want to sell their record scorer and certainly won't entertain the £70m figure Bayern are willing to pay.
The England captain has scored 213 goals for Spurs and is the second-highest scorer in Premier League history behind Alan Shearer. He needs 48 more goals to break the record.
Kane scored an impressive 30 league goals last season as Spurs could only finish eighth.
One thing that is clear is Tottenham will not sell to an English club in this transfer window, ruling out a move to Manchester United, with Erik ten Hag shifting his focus to Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund.
Postecoglou: No guarantees over Kane future
Postecoglou said at his first Tottenham news conference on Monday that he had received no guarantees over the future of his star player. "No, I haven't had any assurances [over Kane's future] and I wouldn't expect any assurances because with these kind of things you're never dealing in definites or certainties.
"I'm trying to concentrate on the things that I know right now, and what I know right now is that Harry's part of this squad. He's looking forward to coming back to training, getting among the players back in here and we start working together.
"If I spend too much time worrying about the impact that it may have either way, I'm going to miss trying to build a team because ultimately that's what's going to make us successful.
"If we build a team that plays football a certain way. I'm not going to miss this initial opportunity to lay down what I know is going to be important in the long term.
"What's important in the long term goes beyond individuals. It's more about overriding philosophy on who we want to be as a team and the key people within that."
Speaking ahead of Wednesday's meeting with Kane, Postecoglou said: "I don't think it is my role to sit there and sort of treat people in a manner because of their circumstances. I am big on treating everyone the same.
"Harry is already part of the history of this club and I want him involved here. My conversation with him will be about how we can make this club successful and that is what he wants as well.
"I doubt it will be defining in the manner people think. I want to introduce myself to Harry, give him my vision, get an understanding from him over what his vision is and try be successful."
Postecoglou officially started his new role as Tottenham head coach on July 1, but he's been working hard behind the scenes for nearly a month already.
Since the announcement of his appointment was made on June 6, the Australian has been planning thoroughly for what appears to be a huge job at Spurs, who face the reality of no European football for the first time since 2010.
[SkySports]
Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon has heaped praise on Jeremie Frimpong as the young Dutchman nears a move that will net Celtic a significant sell-on fee. The Bayer Leverkusen wingback is wanted by a number of top teams with a fee of upwards of £40m mentioned.
As reported by Glasgow World, Lennon revealed the process behind signing Frimpong as well as his initial impression of the talented youngster.
“He was brilliant for me. I saw him playing for Man City’s Under-21s at Lennoxtown and I really liked the look of him.
“It was great to see him in the flesh and it’s so much better than looking at Y Scout and watching videos. He came in and he just blew us all away with his pace and his quality – and his enthusiasm. He’s got a very infectious personality. He’s a lovely boy but he could be quite naughty at times too.
“He took the plunge to go to Germany and he has excelled and I’m really proud of him. He’s deceptive. He’s small but he’s so powerful, good on the ball and quite different from a lot of fullbacks out there. I follow his career and I hope he gets the move that he wants now.
“It will mean more money for Celtic – and that’s the model: find a young player who can enhance the team and then sell him on for a profit.
“We got a bit lucky with him and got him for about £300,000 because he was a wee bit under the radar but it worked out very well for Celtic.
“We had a few of these with Fraser Forster, Victor Wanyama and Virgil van Dyk and I always follow guys like that – but not just the Celtic lads, Hibs boys too like John McGinn and Ryan Porteous who have obviously gone on to do very well.”
Frimpong joined Leverkusen in January 2021 after an impressive spell with Celtic; albeit, he was only there for 18 months.
The move has paid dividends for both Celtic and the player as he has been able to push on after struggling to see a path under Neil Lennon in the 2020/21 season. Now, he is attracting interest with powerful running down the right hand side. Clearly Frimpong is attracting interest having played in a more advanced role, playing him as an out-and-out winger as opposed to a full-back.
Celtic, who paid £350,000 for the players services from Manchester City, received an offer they couldn’t refuse for Frimpong and it was off to the Bundesliga and Bayer Leverkusen for Jeremie for a fee on £13m. Even with a sell on clause due to City, Celtic will likely net a tidy sum on Frimpong’s next move.
[caughtoffside]
U.S. soccer veteran Megan Rapinoe raised the ire of retired tennis great Martina Navratilova when she said this week she would "absolutely" support a trans woman playing on the American squad.
The inclusion of transgender athletes in women's events is one of the most contentious and divisive issues in sport with World Athletics and World Aquatics among global federations that have tightened their rules in recent months.
The Women's World Cup which kicks off July 20 in Australia and New Zealand will feature some of the fiercest advocates for LGBT rights and visibility, but FIFA are reviewing their trans eligibility policies, a move announced a year ago after swimming passed their new tighter rules.
"We as a country are trying to legislate away people's full humanity," Rapinoe told Time. "It's particularly frustrating when women's sports is weaponised. Oh, now we care about fairness? Now we care about women's sports?"
Navratilova, a trailblazer for gay rights, tweeted a one-word response: "Yikes . . ."
Rapinoe and partner, retired WNBA star Sue Bird, were among the 40 professional athletes to sign a letter to U.S. lawmakers in April, opposing a federal bill that stipulates Title IX compliance requires banning transgender athletes from playing women and girl's sport. Title IX is a 1970s civil rights law which bars discrimination based on sex.
Critics of transgender inclusion in women's sport say going through male puberty imbues athletes with a huge physical advantage that transition does not mitigate.
The U.S. women's team, including Rapinoe, famously lost 5-2 to an under-15 FC Dallas boys team in an informal training match in 2017.
There is no timeline for FIFA's updated guidelines as officials, like those in swimming and athletics did, try to balance the desire for inclusion with safety and fairness.
"Certainly the pendulum is swinging back in a negative way. There's little doubt of that," Joanna Harper, a Canadian-born transgender woman and author, told Reuters.
"In terms of FIFA, I'm reasonably optimistic that FIFA will continue likely to be inclusive, although I don't know that for certain.
"I'm not necessarily optimistic about various more regional or national football organizations. In much of the world, trans people are just lucky to stay alive. So those countries will not be having trans football players."
"CORRECT GENDER"
FIFA's rules, first published in 2011, state that only men are eligible to play in men's competitions, and the same for women.
Each participating member association must, "prior to the nomination to the national team, ensure the correct gender of all the players to be considered ... by actively investigating any perceived deviation in secondary sex characteristics."
Swedish defender Nilla Fischer revealed in her recent book that she and her team mates had to "show their genitalia for the doctor" at the 2011 World Cup, after allegations that the Equatorial Guinea squad had male players.
A cloud of uncertainty hung over Zambia captain Barbra Banda after she was ruled ineligible for last year's Africa Cup of Nations amid speculation of high testosterone levels.
The 23-year-old, who twice netted hat tricks at the 2020 Olympics, will captain Zambia at the World Cup in Australia, but she has been the target of unforgiving scrutiny.
LGBT advocates say the debate over transgender inclusion in women's sport has also made for an increasingly hostile environment for gender diverse people in North America.
Quinn - who goes by one name - became the first openly non-binary trans athlete to win an Olympic medal when Canada captured women's soccer gold in Tokyo.
The 27-year-old, who will make their second World Cup appearance in Australia, told the Toronto Star they have witnessed growing negativity towards gender diverse people.
"I think it is a scary time, for me," Quinn said. "I think I do have a lot of points of privilege when entering this conversation, so I have to be mindful of that. But I think the reality is, it's scary."
According to LGBT website Outsports, a record of at least 87 out players will compete at the World Cup, more than double the 38 who played in the 2019 version.
Several teams including England had hoped to wear a "One Love" armband at the World Cup, but FIFA instead designed eight armbands with different "Unite" messages that teams can support. The "Unite for Inclusion" most resembles the "One Love" band.
Sarah Gregorius, of players union FIFPRO, said she thought it was a sensible solution given the geographic breadth of the teams at the tournament.
"You've got players who might feel something individually, but know because of their cultural context that that's going to be a particularly dangerous stance to take, so it's difficult to say 'This is the position on behalf of all 32 captains of all 32 national teams'," she told Reuters.
[Reuters]
More...
Lionel Messi has finalised his deal to join Major League Soccer, and after years of planning and pursuing, Inter Miami has landed a global icon.
Messi’s contract became official Saturday, a little more than five weeks after he declared that he would be coming to Inter Miami. The team will introduce him Sunday night at its stadium in Fort Lauderdale, and the first home match of the Messi era could be as early as Friday in a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul.
A formal news conference is scheduled for Monday, and his first training session with his new club is expected on Tuesday. The club previously announced that Messi’s deal will be for 2 1/2 seasons and will pay him between $50 million and $60 million annually — putting the total contract value between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone.
“BIENVENIDO 10,” the team posted Saturday on Twitter.
Welcome, Messi, indeed.
“We are overjoyed that the greatest player in the world chose Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer, and his decision is a testament to the momentum and energy behind our League and our sport in North America,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “We have no doubt that Lionel will show the world that MLS can be a League of Choice for the best players in the game.”
It is, in many ways, an unusual marriage. Messi — still perhaps the biggest star in the game — is signing with a team that entered Saturday in last place in the MLS’s Eastern Conference standings. It’s a club in just its fourth season that plays in a temporary home that will seat only about 22,000 people when some rushed renovations like adding extra bleacher seats get completed.
Doesn’t matter. Soccer royalty now plays for Inter Miami.
Messi arrived in South Florida on Tuesday following vacation, then started the process of physicals and paperwork on Wednesday and the deal got finalized Saturday afternoon. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner — the trophy given annually to the world’s best player — is making his Miami move after two years with Paris Saint-Germain.
“I’m very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States,” Messi said in a statement. “This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build this beautiful project. The idea is to work together to achieve the objectives we set, and I’m very eager to start helping here in my new home.”
It was widely known that Messi would be leaving PSG. The mystery was where he was going. Some thought Messi eventually would choose to play for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, following longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo to a kingdom where some clubs now are funded by its sovereign wealth fund. Going back to Barcelona, a storied franchise where he spent most of his career, was another possibility.
In the end, Miami won. An idea that co-owner David Beckham began floating publicly in 2021 — two years before, evidently, the team actually started thinking about how to pull this off — has now become reality.
“After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the league of the United States to live football in another way,” Messi said in June when announcing his decision.
He led Argentina to the World Cup title last December. Messi has more than 800 goals in his career for club and country, making him one of the greatest scorers in the sport’s history. He scored twice in last year’s World Cup final against France, a match that ended 3-3 with Argentina prevailing 4-2 on penalty kicks.
He is a four-time Champions League winner and his 129 goals in the top club competition are second to Ronaldo’s 140. Messi has won 10 La Liga titles and two Ligue 1 championships, seven Copa del Reys and three Club World Cups plus a Copa América and Olympic gold medal for Argentina.
“Ten years ago, when I started my journey to build a new team in Miami, I said that I dreamt of bringing the greatest players in the world to this amazing city,” Beckham said. “Players who shared the ambition I had when I joined LA Galaxy to help grow football in the USA and to build a legacy for the next generation in this sport that we love so much.
“Today that dream came true.”
The club had a road match Saturday at St. Louis, yet when word got out that Messi may have been at the team’s facility that morning a couple hundred fans showed up just hoping for a glimpse, not even deterred by a late-morning thunderstorm. Many wore Messi jerseys — some the light blue of Argentina, some the pink-and-black of Inter Miami. Some carried flags; one carried a sign mostly in Spanish, but the words “Messi” and “GOAT” made the messaging clear.
It’s just part of a welcome party that is only getting started.
Messi was seen at a Publix supermarket near Fort Lauderdale — the grocery chain is an Inter Miami sponsor — with his family earlier in the week, and the cart had a few items picked out by the kids: Froot Loops, Cap’n Crunch, Lucky Charms. The scene went viral by the time he hit the checkout lane.
A serial goal scorer is evidently a cereal fan as well.
And now, it’s time for the soccer to start. Inter Miami plans to introduce Messi on Sunday night, at an event the club is calling “The Unveil.” Shakira is rumored to be attending, and tickets are long gone for the show that has been anticipated for weeks.
Hopes for the franchise are now officially sky-high. Inter Miami has never contended for a title; Messi could change everything in a hurry for a team that has won only 34% of its matches in MLS play.
“Lionel Messi is an incomparable talent,” Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said. “What he brings on and off the field will elevate everyone around him and we’re excited to have him at Inter Miami.”
[firstpost]
It happened on Thursday night at the Yar Adua Conference centre, Abuja.
Some of the most outstanding athletes in Nigeria’s Olympic sports in the past six decades (therefore all Olympians), assembled for a special bi-annual re-union organised to remind their government and prick the conscience of Nigerians about the pledge embedded permanently in eternal words within their national anthem, words passionately sung by the athletes when going into ‘battle’ in their sports: “the Labour of our heroes past, shall never be in vain”.
It was a very emotional night for me because I was given the privileged role of delivering the dinner-talk.
Unfortunately, that meant waiting till the tail end of the event, when all the awards would have been given, tributes paid ànd the lavish citation of awardees read and dinner served.
Emmanuel Babayaro, the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Olympians Association, called me after the event and lamented that it was a poor idea to have put my speech after dinner, because soon after, the big hall emptied of the invited guests.
My dinner-talk ended up as a sermon to the Olympians. It was meant to take the audience into the world of Olympic athletes, to be presented from my personal first-hand experience of the Olympics since 1968 to date. It was to serve also as a reminder of what it takes and what it means to be an Olympian.
Before going into how that turned out, permit me to tell you about the award and awardees.
The hall was packed with awardees and their ‘supporters’. The most notable recipients included the Deputy-Governor of Edo State, the wife of the immediate past Governor of Benue State, the immediate past Minister of Sport, the President of the Nigerian Olympic Committee, and several other outstanding athletes from past Olympic games.
All of that went well.
Then, my sermon.
My earliest impression about the Olympics, derived from Greek mythology, is that the the sports events at the Games were the pastime of gods on Mount Olympus. The gods would run, jump and fight to the cheers of the large population of angels. Humans were not in the picture.
The news from Mexico that hit the airwaves with a bang in Nigeria was that the Green Eagles, the national team of Nigeria, that quietly went to football’s first Olympic Games, had held ‘giant’ Brazil to an unbelievable 3-3 draw! That attracted every Nigerian’s attention.
It was the first realisation that humans took part in the Olympics. Our footballers were human. We were familiar with them. They were flesh and blood. The Olympic ‘gods’ were actually human: Peter Fregene, Inua Lawal Rigogo, Samuel Garba, Peter Anieke, and so on. It shattered a myth.
Last Thursday night, for the first time since that team returned to Nigeria in the summer of 1968, the Nigerian Olympians Association, invited three surviving members of that historic team to Abuja to honour them.
They were celebrated and given special awards. The gladiators were Durojaiye Adigun, Ganiyu Salami and Kenneth Olayombo. Kenneth actually scored two goals in that memorable match.
Four years later in 1972, now freed from the psychological prison that Olympians were not human, a Nigerian boxer went to the Munich Games and fought his way to Nigeria’s first medal, a Bronze. Last Thursday night, Isaac Ikhuoria was present to receive his well deserved award.
Since Ikhuoria, boxing has become a good source of medals for Nigeria at the Games.
In 1976, Nigeria, now fully prepared for an onslaught on the Theatre of dreams, took probably the most powerful squad in the country’s history to the Montreal Olympics. The team was pulled out of the Games at the last minute to ‘fight’ a global political cause, and the athletes, therefore, missed out on fulfilling their greatest dreams.
Moscow 1980 was a most uneventful Olympics. It was marred by the politics of the Cold War between the USA and the USSR over Afghanistan. Taking a page from the book of the consequence of the 1976 boycott, led by Nigeria and Tanzania, the USA led their own boycott of the Mosçow games by Western countries.
The power of sport was now evident, a tool that can be deployed to serve various purposes even outside of sport.
FoU Nigeria, Moscow was barren.
1984, Los Angeles Games. The USSR avenged the treatment by the USA in 1980. They marred the Games with their own boycott, along with their allies.
But Nigerians seized the opportunity to make their mark. Led by Innocent Egbunike, Henry Amike, and a superb 4 x 400m relay quartet, they resumed their Olympic hunt for medals with the country’s first Silver medal in Track and Field.
In 1988, in Seoule, South Korea, Nigeria had a large squad that included football again and tennis for the first time.
For some reason, it was more memorable for its lack of medals.
At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, it was both historical and memorable for right and wrong reasons. On the eve of the Games, one of the fastest girls in the world was a Nigerian. Along with a few others, she was charged and suspended for drugs usage.
FoU Nigeria, it was a shattering development, particularly for àthletes that had spent 4 previous years, come rain, come shine, pounding the tracks and the fields in search of a few seconds, minutes or even milimetres that could change their lives forever.
Meanwhile, some other athletes wrote their names in the history books at Barcelona ’92. Mary Onyali led a quartet relay team that also included Christy Okpara-Thompson to run a race that defined the true essence of ‘winning’ at the Olympics. Thè quartet came third but were celebrated more than the teams that came first and second because of the manner they celebrated third place. Mary and Christy were in Abuja last Thursday and were both celebrated.
The 1996 Atlanta Games came and became the best Olympics for Nigeria, ever.
For Chioma Ajunwa, it marked a vindication. From the depths of hell four years before, she emerged, rose and became the brightest star in the constellation with a performance and a result of a life time. Her Gold medal remains Nigeria’s only individual Gold medal to date.
Her victory opened the flood gates to more victories: a second Gold Medal in Football; Silver medals and Bronze medals in other events.
At this point, Nigerian athletes had joined the club of gods and goddesses of the Olympics.
From Atlanta Nigeria finally launched into the spirit of the Olympics as proper and equal contenders.
From Sydney 2000 and thereafter, a new generation of gods and goddesses was born and bred. Some of them were remembered and received awards last Thursday night.
It was indeed, a great night of bright Stars.
Through the generations of these gods and goddesses, I had been a LIVE witness.
I am thinking.
Why would I, an ordinary football player, without any imprint on the Olympics landscape, be the one to tell the story of Olympians?
I think my purpose for being an Olympian is to be a part of it in order to document them, experience what it takes to be an Olympian and to regularly remind the athletes that it is the hardest status to achieve in sports. That it is a long, lonely, expensive, hard, and challenging journey, strewn all the way with the requirements of self-sacrifice, hard work, highest level of discipline, single-mindedness, supreme patience, pain, failures, injuries and disappointments.
Yet, at the end, all of these come down to a few seconds, or minutes, of competing and hoping to win against the very best opponents in the world.
It is no mean feat and should not be treated with levity, laxity, or, worst of all, taken for granted. It is hard! If others do not, Olympians must constantly remind themselves and each other of their hard-earned successes and sacrifices in sport.
They must always remind themselves never to forget what Nelson Mandela said about the power of sport to change the world. His life was influenced greatly by the boycott of 1976 when Nigerian athletes led other African patriots to make the ultimate sacrifice to boycott the Games and support his cause and that of his people in South Africa.
That sacrifice was party responsible for the end of Apartheid in South Africa, Mandela’s release from jail, his ascension as the first Black President of a new South Africa, and granting the hosting rights of the first FIFA World Cup to be held in Africa to South Africa.
That ‘power’ of sport is still available and must be deployed creatively by Nigeriàn Olympians to change their lives, impact their country and make the world a better place.
They can do those things if only they always remember that, indeed, they are gods and goddesses!
The most hotly anticipated tennis match of the year takes place today as Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic face off in a historic match.
Will it be a passing of the torch? signalling a new era for tennis, or will the old guard prevail for an eighth time?
Alcaraz is currently the world No. 1, having overtaken Djokovic just before Wimbledon began after winning at Queen's.
Djokovic, meanwhile, has won a record 23 Grand Slam men's singles titles and only Roger Federer has won more times at Wimbledon than the Serbian.
Someone tried to heckle Novak Djokovic earlier.
— Caesars Sportsbook & Casino (@CaesarsSports) July 14, 2023
His response was perfect ?pic.twitter.com/gZ4JKF0hDu
Alcaraz is feeling confident he can beat his rival, with the pair currently tied 1-1 having only played each other twice.
"I am ready for this," Alcaraz declared. "It is no time to be afraid. I will believe that I can beat him here. I dreamed of playing a final here. It is no time to be tired. It is going to be a really tough challenge for me. I am going to go for it."
Djokovic, meanwhile, was complimentary about his foe, stating: "He can do pretty much anything on the court and I consider myself to also be a very complete player. He's very motivated. He's young. He's hungry. I'm hungry, too, so let's have a feast."
Tennis fans are in for a real treat this afternoon as the two best players in the world face off, but whoever wins will be in for an even better treat.
How much do players earn by round:
Winner - £2,350,000
Runner-up - £1,175,000
Semi-Finalists - £600,000
Quarter-Finalists - £340,000
Fourth Round - £207,000
Third Round - £131,00
Second Round - £85,000
First Round - £55,000
Total prize money - £32,154,000
World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz will face Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon men's singles final today at 2pm on BBC.
[wimbledonguardian]
Mayra Bueno Silva defeats Holly Holm via submission (standing guillotine) at 0:38 of round 2
Mayra Bueno Silva just picked up what is undoubtedly the biggest win of her career.
The fight ended with a rare standing guillotine/ninja choke against the fence, giving Mayra her third consecutive submission inside the octagon. The Brazilian endured a close opening round with Holm before seizing the opportunity as Holly pushed her against the fence. Mayra had the choke locked in tight immediately and even maintained control as Holm spun them around in an attempt to break free.
Bueno Silva is now tied with Ronda Rousey for the most submission wins in women’s bantamweight history (3). This is only the second time in Holm’s career that she has lost by submission, with the first coming at UFC 196 against Meisha Tate.
Mayra followed up on her victory (which earned a performance bonus) with a very vulnerable and inspiring post-fight interview detailing her struggles with life:
“Recently I found myself in a huge huge depression, I thought that life was not worth it anymore – find somebody, go and talk (to them), reach out to somebody. The victory is always there.”
Mayra Bueno Silva (Fabiano Buskei translation) post-fight UFC Vegas 77
Jack Della Maddalena defeats Bassil Hafez via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jack Della Maddalena finally got his chance to fight after he had two opponents pull out of bouts scheduled for UFC 290, and a fight is certainly what he got.
Bassil Hafez was able to trouble JDM early on with the threat of some takedowns and a willingness to exchange in the pocket. 14 men previously attempted to fight in a phone booth with Jack Della Maddalena and they were all punished heavily for it; Hafez actually performed well in that area early on. Jack was able to find some more success in the second round, almost finishing Hafez. The third round was even more in Jack’s favor as he had Hafez on wobbly legs multiple times.
In the end, JDM went the distance for the first time in his UFC run and got the victory. He even threw a small dig at the judges during his post-fight interview, despite being crowned the winner:
“I thought it could go either way. So, when I heard it was a split- the judges always don’t make good decisions so, (we) might have a good show.”
Jack Della Maddalena post-fight UFC Vegas 77
Other Results:
Francisco Prado defeats Ottman Azaitar via TKO at 4:05 of round 1
Francisco Prado dropped Ottman Azaitar with a spinning elbow and followed up with thunderous ground and pound to get the finish. Azaitar was desperately hanging on as Prado continued his ground assault. Eating unanswered punches in the process, Ottman received a stern “fight back” from the referee; Ottman decided to give a thumbs up to the ref as Prado was fully postured up raining down fight-ending shots. The ref quickly called the fight off, and Ottman protested heavily soon after.
Jun Yong Park defeats Albert Duraev via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:45 of round 2
Jun Yong Park picked up yet another submission win and is now tied for the second-longest active win streak in the middleweight division (four consecutive victories, Du Plessis holds a six-fight win streak). After dropping Duraev with a short left elbow, “The Iron Turtle” swarmed him hunting for the submission. Once he flattened Duraev out from the back position, Park sank in a rear-naked choke and ended the contest, with a victory dance to boot.
Norma Dumont defeats Chelsea Chandler via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Norma Dumont extended her win streak to three in a row with a decisive victory over Chelsea Chandler. Dumont looked impressive in the sense that she won virtually all aspects of this fight, but her performance was ultimately overshadowed by Chelsea Chandler’s 40-yard dash:
Nazim Sadykhov defeats Terrance McKinney via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:07 of round 2
Nazim Sadykhov got off a beautiful submission (with a bit of help from grabbing the cage) and finished Terrance McKinney early on in the second. That’s six consecutive finishes and nine straight victories overall for the Ray Longo product. Nazim was able to trap one of Terrance’s arms with his left leg from the back position, leaving McKinney with just one limb to defend himself. Keep an eye out for Nazim Sadykhov, he may be one of those fighters that climbs the ranks quicker than most given his level of competition just one year into his UFC run.