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Karren Brady: The Premier League is the envy of world football.. now Man City’s rivals must fight to save it THIS WEEK

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Karren Brady: The Premier League is the envy of world football.. now Man City's rivals must fight to save it THIS WEEK

PREMIER LEAGUE meetings are usually cordial, professional and unobtrusive affairs.

All 20 clubs, plus their executives, sit in a room and ignore the massive elephant that also lurks in every meeting — the ongoing litigation and the £50million-plus of legal costs racked up fighting and defending claims.

Man City made it four straight Prem titles in may and now face a big fight with the Prem off the field, but so far have a winning PR team

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Man City made it four straight Prem titles in may and now face a big fight with the Prem off the field, but so far have a winning PR teamCredit: Reuters
Pep Guardiola's men are predictably again in contention for the top-flight crown but it's less easy to say what will happen in a big meeting next week

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Pep Guardiola’s men are predictably again in contention for the top-flight crown but it’s less easy to say what will happen in a big meeting next weekCredit: Getty

But at the League meeting next week that elephant is going to get an introduction, as we have just tripped over his trunk.

Manchester City versus the Premier League feels like a boxing match, where at the end of the final round both fighters put their hands up claiming the victory.

If the judges of this heavyweight bout were the public, then City would be clear winners.

They not only have the world’s best team on the pitch but also have the best off it too.

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Their PR and media team got their message across while making the Prem’s set-up look like a lower league outfit by comparison.

But it’s not the public or the media the Premier League has to worry about.

It’s the clubs, the rules that govern them and what on earth happens now.

Next week’s meeting is to decide exactly that.

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Man City vs the Premier League: Q&A

By Martin Lipton

BOTH Manchester City and the Premier League were claiming a win after their legal scrap over Associated Party Transactions.

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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.

Why were City so upset?

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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.

And what did they say?

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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.

That sounds pretty big. So what about the Prem’s side?

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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.

And what will be the impact on the “115 charges” case?

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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.

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But how did we get here?

Most supporters have never heard of the term APT — Associated Party Transactions — or knew about the new rules regulating them when they came into play in 2021.

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APT rules were accepted by the majority of clubs — although by no means all — and were put in place to ensure that all clubs’ sponsorship deals reflect a true and fair market value.

It was hoped to prevent clubs from earning revenue through inflated sponsorship deals from companies related to their owners.

This is important, as the value of sponsorship and other commercial revenue is used to offset the costs of the clubs, like player salaries, agent fees and the manager, which leaves you with a number, usually a loss.

If you go over the League’s number of what they consider to be an acceptable loss — as Everton and Nottingham Forest did — you get a fine, a points deduction or possibly both.

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So, the higher your sponsorship, the higher your costs can be and the less you get into trouble.

City challenged the legality of these rules, alleging the APT Rules breach competition and public law and the League’s application of the rules also breached public law standards.

The Prem claims the three-man Arbitration Tribunal endorsed the overall objective of their rules.

No one wants it to become a competition between too few clubs, usually by rich ones who can afford multiple multi-million transfers and top wages.

They also agreed that if the price of an APT is evidently not at fair market value — what anyone else OTHER than the party connected with the owner would have paid — then the competition will be distorted as the club would be benefitting from what effectively is a subsidy.

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The Prem needs a financial system to ensure that football is, remains and will always be competitive.

The undiminished competitiveness of the Premier League is the envy of every other foreign league and club and the reason why our top-flight is the best in the world.

No one wants it to become a competition between too few clubs, usually by the rich ones who can afford multiple multi-million transfer fees and top wages.

So next week clubs have to agree to make the necessary changes to the APT rules to address the Tribunal’s concerns.

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This requires 14 votes — at least 14 clubs have to agree — or the whole system is thrown into chaos.

It needs to be so that the system can continue to be effective.

We must stop clubs spending whatever they like to get an unbeatable team and create an uncompetitive league.

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Multan cricket pitch: What should England and Pakistan expect in second Test?

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Multan cricket pitch: What should England and Pakistan expect in second Test?

The placid nature of the Multan surface made batting look easy at times in the first Test – well, if you came from Yorkshire that is!

Harry Brook, who became England’s first triple centurion for 34 years, shared a partnership of 454 with Joe Root, beating the previous best of 411 made by Colin Cowdrey and Peter May 57 years ago.

It came as England posted 823-7 declared – the fourth-highest total in Test history – in response to Pakistan’s 556, before bowling the hosts out for 220 on the final day.

Former England captain Michael Atherton pulled no punches with his assessment of the pitch used for the match.

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“It’s a shocking Test-match pitch,” Atherton said on Sky Sports.

“If you don’t have that balance between bat and ball, you’re going to get a lot of poor cricket. So not a good pitch despite the fact there was a result.”

Ex-England skipper Nasser Hussain said the surface was typical of pitches in Pakistan and that the end result “does not justify everything that went before it”.

So exactly how much of a bowlers’ graveyard was the pitch for the first Test?

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Well, since Test cricket returned to Pakistan in 2019 there have been 16 Tests where ball-tracking has been available to Cricviz.

Of those 16 Tests, this Multan pitch produced the second-lowest amount of average swing (0.63 degrees) but was the third-highest when it came to seam (0.53°).

It is perhaps the spinners who toiled the most – certainly Pakistan’s – with the amount of drift being the lowest of all 16 Tests (1.16°) and it was the fourth-lowest amount of turn (2.86°) seen in that time.

When England were victorious in Multan on their last tour of Pakistan in 2022, the highest score in the match was made by the hosts in the fourth innings – 328 – as England wrapped up a 26-run win.

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BKFC Spain Results: Tenaglia vs. Soto

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BKFC Spain Results: Tenaglia vs. Soto

MMA Fighting has BKFC Spain results for the Tenaglia vs. Soto fight card and more from Marbella Arena in Marbella, Spain.

In the main event, Franco Tenaglia squares off against Tony Soto for the vacant BKFC lightweight title.

Austin Trout defends his BKFC welterweight title against Ricardo Franco, and David Mundell puts his BKFC middleweight title up against Danny Christie on the main card as well.

MMA media personalities Oscar Stephens-Willis and Ben Davis also clash on the main card.

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Check out the BKFC Spain results below.

Main Card (DAZN at 1 p.m. ET)

Franco Tenaglia vs. Tony Soto

Austin Trout vs. Ricardo Franco

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David Mundell vs. Danny Christie

Dan Champman vs. Mike Jurik

Felipe da Silva Maia vs. James Lilley

Hannah Rankin vs. Deborah Mellhorn

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Oscar Stephens-Willis vs. Ben Davis

Yunus Batan vs. Maxine Bellamy

Prelims

Nico Gaffie vs. Radek Stadler

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Arbi Chakaev vs. Jose Daniel

Fran Suarez vs. David Mora

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Maresca becomes first Chelsea boss to be named Manager of the Month for THREE YEARS and one of his stars also honoured

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Maresca becomes first Chelsea boss to be named Manager of the Month for THREE YEARS and one of his stars also honoured

CHELSEA boss Enzo Maresca has been named the Premier League’s Manager of the Month for September.

The 44-year-old led his new team to successive wins over Bournemouth, West Ham and Brighton last month.

Enzo Maresca has been named the Premier League's Manager of the Month

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Enzo Maresca has been named the Premier League’s Manager of the MonthCredit: Getty
Chelsea Women manager Sonia Bompastor was also named WSL Manager of the Month

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Chelsea Women manager Sonia Bompastor was also named WSL Manager of the MonthCredit: Getty

He also took a point from Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea now sit fourth in the Premier League table with 14 points from seven games.

And the club’s impressive form has seen Maresca take home the coveted Premier League Manager of the Month trophy.

The Italian is the first Chelsea manager to win the award since Thomas Tuchel in 2021.

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He told the Premier League: “We had a very good month.

“We all need people around us to make things better. I’m very grateful to have all of them.

“We are always looking at new things and how we can improve from different football and different countries.”

Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer also won a Premier League award for September.

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Cole Palmer has been named Player of the Month

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Cole Palmer has been named Player of the MonthCredit: Alamy

He was named Player of the Month after scoring five goals and assisting two.

Palmer impressed fans after netting four against Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

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His season hit another positive note earlier this week when he was named England’s Player of the Year.

Chelsea also enjoyed a successful start to the WSL season with new manager Sonia Bompastor.

The former Lyon boss won both of her opening two games in England.

She claimed the WSL Manager of the Month award this week as a result.

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Iceland 2-2 Wales: Manager Craig Bellamy ‘pleased’ with performance

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Iceland 2-2 Wales: Manager Craig Bellamy 'pleased' with performance


The draw in Iceland means Bellamy is the first Wales manager to remain unbeaten after his first three competitive matches.

His opening draw with Turkey and 2-1 win in Montenegro last month had rejuvenated Wales, with a progressive new approach exciting fans, players and pundits alike after the disappointment of missing out on Euro 2024.

Wales looked to be heading for a second successive victory and top spot in Group B4 after an impressive first half in Reykjavik, but collapsed after the break.

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Iceland wasted several chances before scoring their two goals and had further opportunities to take all three points.

Wales, by contrast, were non-existent as an attacking force in the second half and will hope to rediscover their first-half verve when they face Montenegro in Cardiff on Monday.

“I’m a big fan of Iceland so I knew it was going to be a difficult game,” said Bellamy. “Of course we were 2-0 up by half-time but my words were ‘this is going to be a long half’.

“A very good manager [Iceland boss Age Hareide], we knew being 2-0 down they were going to throw more men at the press because they had to.

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“How were we going to find the solutions? Because the solutions were there but it’s being able to find them at the time.

“There’s a lot to benefit us, especially the second half. It allows us to coach more, it builds a library in the players’ heads: ‘Remember this situation, remember when we found this period difficult’. They can memorise it. This is our third game together.

“In the long run, I’m really happy. And this is not me trying to sugar-coat drawing after being 2-0 up, it really isn’t. What I’m telling you now I told the players. This was really good.”

Wales will be without Tottenham Hotspur forward Brennan Johnson and Rennes midfielder Jordan James against Montenegro due to suspension after they picked up their second bookings of the campaign against Iceland.

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Johnson, who has scored seven goals in seven games for club and country, was taken off at half-time after taking a knock during the first half.

“It was a precaution. He took a kick,” said Bellamy. “He did feel something from impact so we’ll get him checked out.”



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Sammy Harvey: Meet the 14-year-old Turks and Caicos Islands international goalkeeper

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Sammy Harvey: Meet the 14-year-old Turks and Caicos Islands international goalkeeper

For most kids aged 14, their thoughts will be on getting their homework done, or playing video games with friends.

But for Sammy Harvey, that was the age he was making his international debut.

The teenage goalkeeper started for the Turks and Caicos Islands last month in their Concacaf Nations League match against Anguilla – whose starting goalkeeper in contrast was 41.

Unfortunately for Harvey that game ended in a 2-0 defeat, but he and his team-mates have the chance to gain revenge when the two sides meet again on Sunday (03:00 BST).

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“After the first game, I did cry, knowing that my first game was a loss,” Harvey told BBC Sport.

“[My coach] called me that same night to help me get my head back in it and get my head back up, and I was ready.

“I let it sink in knowing that, yes, I did play international level at 14 with a great experience. Let’s get ready for the next one to go again and prove to them that I can play at this level.”

Harvey says his footballing hero is his national team coach, Aaron Lawrence, who played in goal for Jamaica at the 1998 World Cup.

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“I’ve watched a lot of his highlights from the World Cup days,” adds Harvey, who says he also admires Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and Manchester City’s Ederson.

The teenager says it was his sister who first got him into football at the age of five, but initially he did not play as a goalkeeper.

“I started off as a left and right-back,” he said. “But when coach Aaron joined the programme I was on, his first days there, he put me in a goal and worked on me, my first ever goalkeeper coach.”

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Ten Hag has spent £100m trying to replace Maguire… but stats prove England ace is easily Man Utd’s best centre-back

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Ten Hag has spent £100m trying to replace Maguire... but stats prove England ace is easily Man Utd's best centre-back

ERIK TEN HAG has forked out £100MILLION trying to replace Harry Maguire – but the stats prove he is still Manchester United’s best centre-back.

Ten Hag ensured he was reunited with his ex-Ajax defenders as United chiefs paid £56.7m for Lisandro Martinez in 2022, before splashing £42.7m on Matthijs de Ligt this summer.

Harry Maguire is United's most in-form centre-back

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Harry Maguire is United’s most in-form centre-back
This comes after Erik ten Hag has spent just shy of £100m on his replacements

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This comes after Erik ten Hag has spent just shy of £100m on his replacements
Lisandro Martinez was adored by fans in his first season - but has since fallen out of favour

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Lisandro Martinez was adored by fans in his first season – but has since fallen out of favour

But the data SunSport has gathered shows that Maguire is actually by far and away the most in-form centre-half at Old Trafford.

After a solid debut season in Manchester, Maguire soon faced the wrath of fans, becoming a figure of fun for rivals and a soft touch for the experts after some questionable performances.

The fact that the England ace – who arrived from Leicester for £80m – was automatically handed the club captaincy by Ole Gunnar Solkajaer didn’t help his case.

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He was soon stripped of the armband by Ten Hag in June 2023 – being replaced by Bruno Fernandes, after falling behind the first-choice pairing of Martinez and Raphael Varane.

And United even agreed to sell Maguire to West Ham last summer – before the former Sheffield United defender vowed to fight for his place.

And he’s done just that, proving that he’s arguably still the best centre-back at Ten Hag’s disposal.

In fact, Maguire has beaten Martinez and De Ligt in nine out of 13 stat categories recorded in all competitions so far this term.

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Maguire has won the most duels with 5.3 per 90 minutes, compared to Martinez’s 2.9 and De Ligt’s 4.8.

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Matthijs de Ligt has failed to hit the mark after joining from Bayern this summer

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Matthijs de Ligt has failed to hit the mark after joining from Bayern this summer

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The England star also came out on top in interceptions won, possession won, and successful completed passes (61.81) per 90.

And he’s level with De Ligt in terms of goals scored (one) and total shots, despite starting four matches in all competitions this term.

Roy Keane blasts ‘don’t bloody say it you fool’ in furious rant at Eriksen after Man Utd star’s controversial comment

Martinez comes out on top only in tackles made and won – which is synonymous with his “Butcher” reputation.

The Argentine enjoyed an impressive debut season in 2022-23 but his form significantly dropped after recovering from surgery on his metatarsal bone last summer.

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Both Maguire and Martinez were in-and-out of the matchday squad last term, as United suffered an unprecedented number of defensive injuries and recorded a negative goal difference for the first time in Prem history.

Maguire started the first two Prem games this season, but was dropped for a mistake during Danny Welbeck‘s opener in their 2-1 defeat at Brighton.

New signing De Ligt was brought in to start instead but has come under intense scrutiny for his own performances.

Particularly in United’s 3-0 home defeat to Spurs and the 3-3 Porto game where the Red Devils again lost a 2-0 lead.

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Club legend Paul Scholes has frequently said: “I’m not convinced De Ligt is better than Maguire.”

Maguire was brought on in the final 10 minutes in the Europa League in Portugal when United trailed 3-2 – before his headed winner saved Ten Hag’s job at the death.

The 31-year-old and Jonny Evans were then trusted to start against Aston Villa, replacing De Ligt and Martinez – who many assumed would be the first-choice pairing going forward.

But Maguire faced yet another setback after suffering a fresh calf injury and left Villa Park in a protective boot, after he was replaced by De Ligt at half-time.

People scoffed at Maguire starting against Unai Emery’s side but Ten Hag will see his temporary loss as a big one.

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