MANCHESTER City supremo Txiki Begiristain is leaving the Premier League champions.
And the imminent departure of sporting director Begiristain will only increase speculation about the future of boss Pep Guardiola.
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Txiki Begiristain is set to depart the Etihad next summer after 13 yearsCredit: PA
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Manager Pep Guardiola won’t have Begiristain’s assistance next seasonCredit: Rex
Begiristain, 60, joined City from Barcelona in 2012 and was instrumental in bringing Guardiola to the Etihad in 2015 to spark the most successful period in the club’s history.
Begiristain has played a key role in identifying and appointing his replacement, who will start in the role in early 2025.
The outgoing sporting director will spend six months helping the new man settle in before ending his association with City.
The identity of the Etihad’s new football chief has not been revealed but is understood to be a well-known individual currently employed by another major European club.
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Begiristain was intending to quit five years ago, but stayed on to be part of the push for City to win their first Champions League – which they finally did when completing the Treble in 2022-23.
The news comes shortly after positive noises emerged from City about the possibility of Guardiola extending his current deal beyond the end of this season.
Guadiola’s future is not necessarily tied in with that of Begiristain and the club would be very reluctant to say goodbye to the two most important people in their football operation in quick succession.
But the prospect of losing key ally Begiristain, especially after a current season which will be dominated by off-field events, will surely be a factor in Guardiola’s decision.
The pair have known each other for more than 30 years after being team-mates in the Barcelona team that won the club’s first European title in 1992.
Begiristain became director of football at the Camp Nou in 2003.
Pep Guardiola breaks silence on Phil Foden situation after fans’ conspiracy theory over England star’s absence
Under him, Guardiola was given the job of head coach in 2008 and they enjoyed two successful seasons together before Begiristain left in the wake of the departure of president Joan Laporta.
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Begiristain arrived at City a month after former Barcelona chief executive Ferran Soriano, who has held the same role at the Etihad for 12 years.
Their long-term plan to reunite with Guardiola and build a dynasty at the Etihad came to fruition nine years ago.
City have won 15 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and the crowns of European and world champions with the three men at the helm.
A hearing is underway into allegations that City broke PL rules more than 100 times in relation to sponsorship deals, player and manager contracts and failure to cooperate with the investigation.
City deny all the charges. An initial verdict is expected in the spring, but the saga is unlikely to end there and Begiristain will be gone before everything is resolved.
Man City vs the Premier League: Q&A
By Martin Lipton
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BOTH Manchester City and the Premier League were claiming a win after their legal scrap over Associated Party Transactions.
SunSport sifts the claims to try to explain the latest issues.
What was the case about?
City were furious that Prem bosses brought in new tougher regulations – by the smallest possible majority under League rules – in February. They were aimed at blocking clubs bypassing financial controls by earning “unfair” amounts via sponsorship from a company with the same owners, or selling players on the cheap to teams under the same ownership umbrella.
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Why were City so upset?
The Etihad club argued that the rules were illegal and had been deliberately aimed at them by rivals and were both flawed and politically driven. They also branded the “two thirds support” rule that has been part of Prem regulations since its inception as a “tyranny of the majority”
This was an Arbitration Tribunal – explain that?
Under Prem rules, any club has the right to ask for Arbitration if they are unhappy about the regulations or due process. The three retired judges heard evidence in June and their full ruling was distributed to the 20 Prem clubs on Monday afternoon.
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And what did they say?
Depending on who you listen to, they either totally vindicated one side or the other. The actual answer is that there were “wins” for both City and the Prem. But it’s your choice which ones meant more.
OK, what were City’s wins?
Maybe the most important one in terms of the repercussions. That both the new rules and the previous version – brought in after Saudi Arabia’s PIF bought Newcastle in 2021 – were “unlawful” as they exclude shareholder loans to clubs in any APT calculations. City also won over their claims that the rulebook prevented them from responding to Prem decisions over whether two proposed deals with Abu Dhabi companies represented “Fair Market Value”, access to the “databank” of comparable deals and the time it took for decisions to be reached.
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That sounds pretty big. So what about the Prem’s side?
The key finding as far as the League is concerned is that the Tribunal backed the concept of APT rules as well as the Fair Market Value tests. Additionally, City’s challenges to the actual decisions on the two proposed deals “failed”. Prem bosses insist the “rulebook has been found to comply with competition and public law standards and is an effective and necessary system”.
Is that it, then?
Of course not. That shareholder loan issue is a big deal, given that it is believed owners have loaned around £1.5bn at low or preferential rates across the Prem. Those loans will almost certainly have to be calculated at commercial rates now, unless the owners convert them into shares. But the League is convinced the main thrust of the rules remains valid.
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And what will be the impact on the “115 charges” case?
Probably nothing. That is an allegation of breaking the rules, while this matter was City questioning whether one small element of the current rulebook was legitimate. But City are using the same legal team, headed by £10,000 per hour Lord Pannick KC. And the stakes on the bigger case are a great deal higher.
Jarlath O’Rourke’s double helped Crusaders to a 3-2 victory over Linfield in the Co Antrim Shield quarter-finals.
Harry Franklin headed in the opener for the Seaview hosts while Chris Shields and Liam Burns netted for Linfield.
Paul O’Neill hit all four second-half goals for Larne as the holders continued their bid for a fifth straight Shield success with a 4-0 win over Newington at Inver Park.
Jay Donnelly and Jordan Jenkins were on target in Glentoran’s 2-0 home victory against Carrick Rangers.
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Aaron Jarvis scored the only goal as Premiership pacesetters Ballymena United beat Cliftonville 1-0 at Solitude.
Crusaders got off to the perfect start when Franklin headed home from Ross Clarke’s cross after just two minutes.
O’Rourke doubled the lead after 38 minutes by firing into the Blues net from the edge of the box.
Linfield pulled one back 14 minutes from time when Shields made no mistake from a penalty after Jimmy Callacher’s foul on Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo is attracting interest, Kevin de Bruyne could be set for a move to Saudi Arabia, while Liverpool are hopeful of keeping Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, 24, is attracting interest from Liverpool, Newcastle United and Tottenham after the Ghana attacker’s impressive start to the season. (Give Me Sport), external
Saudi club Al-Nassr are confident of signing Manchester City’s Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, 33, when his contract expires at the end of the season. (Team Talk), external
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Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, 26, could be convinced to run down his contract at Anfield to join Real Madrid on a free transfer by England team-mate Jude Bellingham. (Sun), external
Real Madrid are stepping up their interest in Alexander-Arnold but Liverpool are hopeful they can convince the 26-year-old to stay. (Football Insider), external
Liverpool have identified Eintracht Frankfurt’s Egypt forward Omar Marmoush, 25, and Borussia Dortmund’s Germany attacker Karim Adeyemi, 22, as potential replacements for Egypt winger Mohamed Salah, 32. (Sky Germany – in German), external
Manchester United’s hopes of signing Colombia midfielder Richard Rios have improved, with Palmeiras willing to consider selling the 24-year-old for 20m euros (£16.7m) in January. (Caught Offside), external
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Arsenal and Manchester United are tracking Wigan Athletic’s 22-year-old English goalkeeper Sam Tickle as they look to bolster their goalkeeping options. (Team Talk), external
Southampton’s hierarchy are set to meet to discuss manager Russell Martin’s future at the club. (Football Insider), external
Paris St-Germain’s France striker Randal Kolo Muani, 25, could leave in January but the Ligue 1 champions want at least 70m euros (£59m) for him. (AS – in Spanish), external
Newcastle United are continuing to monitor Lille’s Canada striker Jonathan David, 24, as a potential January transfer target. (Football Insider), external
Hugo Viana, director of football at Portuguese side Sporting, is Manchester City’s favoured candidate to replace the outgoing Txiki Begiristain in the same role at the Premier League champions. (Fabrizio Romano), external
If flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja is looking for fresh competition to defend his title against, Tatsuro Taira thinks he will have the strongest case.
Undefeated Japanese sensation Taira (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will look to put his resume over the top for a crack at the 125-pound belt when he takes on Brandon Royval (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 244 main event, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+).
Pantoja has already beaten the majority of the top-ranked contenders in the division, and some of them twice over. There’s only a few new matchups for the champ, and Taira is one of them if he gets through Royval.
Amir Albazi would have a case if he beats Brandon Moreno in the UFC Fight Night 245 main event on Nov. 2. Former RIZIN FF champ Kai Asakura has also been rumored for a crack at gold in his promotional debut. Nothing is seemingly set in stone, though, and Taira aims to show the promotion he’s the guy.
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“I’m very excited to see the Albazi vs. Moreno fight,” Taira told MMA Junkie through an interpreter on Tuesday. “Of course, I’m looking forward to Kai Asakura, how he can do as well. But just thinking of the results and records that I have in UFC, I’ve been the one who has been consistently winning and showing strength. I’m pretty sure I would belong as the next title contender.”
Taira made his octagon debut in May 2022 and has already rattled off six UFC wins, with four of those coming by stoppage. The 24-year-old has three Performance of the Night bonuses to boast, as well, and as a result has positioned himself for this breakthrough opportunity against Royval.
“I wouldn’t say (my rise up the division is happening) fast, but I would say it’s a good pace,” Taira said. “It’s been working well so far. I’m ranked No. 5 now and I definitely want to show the fans that I belong here and also I belong as a champion soon and become a very strong champion.”
Taira’s desire to become UFC champion is unwavering, and he said nothing has distracted his commitment to the sport. He is determined to keep his undefeated streak going for as long as possible, because the fear of losing is also a driving force.
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“If I start thinking of losing and stuff, I do get kind of scared,” Taira said. “But once the fight is coming and I start focusing, I don’t really even think about my record. I just really focus on the fight. That’s how much I love MMA. I just want to keep winning.”
El-Abd will initially combine his work with England with a final season as head coach of Oyonnax as the French second-tier side attempt to regain their place in the Top 14.
“I will have to compartmentalise the roles, but when I am here, I am all in,” he said.
El-Abd says that he does not plan to uproot the basis of the defensive system put in place during Jones’ stint.
Jones transplanted the fast, high-risk ‘blitz’ defence that he developed over four years and two successful Rugby World Cup campaigns with South Africa into England’s tactics.
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“Now my job is to come in and take what is working, and there has been lots,” El-Abd added.
“We are going to continue to come up hard off the line and be dominant in the collisions and now we want to see where we can go even further.
“Teams will be watching us to see what they can do and we need to be one step ahead all the time.”
Northampton full-back George Furbank expects evolution, rather than revolution, from El-Abd.
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“I think Joe recognises that our defence has taken leaps and strides recently so I don’t think he’s coming in to rip the paper up and start afresh,” said Furbank.
“He’s just looking to add layers and keep improving it. It is not going to be too complicated, but he’s definitely going to bring his touch to it, which is just exciting.”
Dustin Poirier is used to being a closing act in the UFC octagon, but on Monday night, he did so during the wildly popular Kill Tony comedy program.
During comedian William Montgomery’s set on the popular comedy show, hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe, he mentioned the former interim lightweight champion. He accused Poirier of talking trash about him and added that he could not stand the popular fighter.
As Montgomery’s voice got higher and higher, “The Diamond” showed up from the backstage area behind Montgomery on stage. After going nose-to-nose, the two hugged it out before simultaneously yelling, “We ain’t ever going to stop” to wide fanfare.
Watch the video of Poirier’s appearance above.
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Poirier did his absolute best to put on a mean face, but you could tell he couldn’t hold his laughter back at moments before the friendly payoff.
Following a submission loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 in June, Poirier hinted at retirement. Since then, Poirier has teased one more fight, which has yet to be announced.
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