Premier League
LEICESTER CITY HELICOPTER CRASH: WITH OR WITHOUT THE CLUB OWNER’S BODY, FUNERAL HOLDS ON SATURDAY
The funeral of the Leicester City owner who died in a helicopter crash is to begin in Thailand on Saturday BBC reports.nnVichai Srivaddhanaprabha died along with two members of his staff, the pilot and a passenger when the aircraft came down in a car park moments after taking off from the King Power Stadium.nnDetails announced in Thailand said the ceremony would begin in the evening with Buddhist bathing rituals.nnCrash investigations are still taking place at the football ground.nnNusara Suknamai, Kaveporn Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer and his partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz also died in the crash on Saturday.nnPolice have now formally identified four of the victims and coroners are still to formally identify the fifth.nnThe funeral details, issued to Thai media, said a bathing ceremony would start at a temple in Bangkok on 3 November.nnThis will be followed by recitation ceremonies over seven days. The date of a cremation ceremony has not been set yet.nnBecause of Mr Vichai’s contributions to various charities, the funeral has been described as “royal sponsored”.nnThe BBC understands a funeral ceremony would take place with or without the 60-year-old’s body.nnAs investigators work to find the cause of the crash, aviation experts analysing video footage said it suggests there was a problem with the tail rotor before the helicopter started spinning.nnEarlier this week, Mr Vichai’s son, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha – known as Top – said he would now try carry on his father’s “big vision and dreams” for Leicester City.nnA huge display of floral and footballing tributes has been left outside the stadium and a steady stream of people have been signing a book of condolence at the ground since it opened on Tuesday.nnFamilies of those who died, players and members of the wider Leicester community have also been visiting the memorial, and club staff and players have been offered counselling.nnFormer manager Claudio Ranieri visited the site on Thursday with Mr Vichai’s family to lay his own wreath.nnRanieri, 67, was appointed manager of the Foxes in 2015, guiding them to the Premier League title a year later in what many called “a fairytale” for the club.nnCurrent manager Claude Puel said his players made the decision to go ahead with the Premier League match at Cardiff City on Saturday.nnThe club’s Carabao Cup match with Southampton, originally scheduled for 30 October, was postponed following the crash, and Mr Puel said the result of Saturday’s game is “not important”.nnSpeaking in a press conference on Thursday, Puel added: “Playing football has not been at front of our minds this week.”nn”But for this weekend, and all the matches thereafter, we play to honour a man who did so much for our club,” he said.nnIn Leicester, two sisters are planning a memorial walk from the city centre to the King Power Stadium on 10 November, with thousands of people expected to attend.nnPupils at a Leicester school were allowed to wear Leicester City shirts or something blue with their uniform on Thursday in recognition of the club chairman.nnAnd Leicester Cathedral said it would be ringing its bells for an hour on Friday evening in memory of all those who died.nnLeicester City have confirmed they will travel by road to their game at Cardiff on Saturday rather than fly, as it was felt insensitive to go by plane given the circumstances of Mr Vichai’s death.nn nn
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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