Premier League
MAN UNITED FANS STAGE PROTEST AS EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE BACKLASH RUMBLES ON
Manchester United fans protested against the club’s American owners outside Old Trafford on Saturday (April 24) as the row over the collapse of a proposed breakaway European Super League (ESL) rumbled on.
United were one of 12 clubs to initially sign up to the planned ESL, only to withdraw within 48 hours after a backlash from their own players and fans, as well as governments and football’s governing bodies.
The club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward announced he would be leaving his role by the end of the year amid the fallout.
United are not in action until Sunday, when they travel to Leeds, but fans still gathered outside the club’s stadium to make their voices heard.
The Glazer family have owned United since a controversial leveraged takeover in 2005 saddled the club with hundreds of millions worth of debt.
As the English giants have paid off huge interest payments, amounting to over £800 million (S$1.4 billion), in the last 16 years, the Glazers have still regularly drawn out dividends from their shares.
United fans wore green and gold colours to matches early in the Glazers reign, the colours of Newton Heath, the club founded in 1878 that eventually became Manchester United 24 years later.
Green and gold scarves and flares were back at Old Trafford on Saturday, while there were a number of banners aimed at the Glazers and Woodward.
There has also been huge protests outside Arsenal and Chelsea’s stadiums ahead of matches in the Premier League this week.
However, there was a more subdued atmosphere ahead of Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Newcastle on Saturday with Merseyside Police estimating just 150 fans were in attendance outside Anfield.
Liverpool are also in the hands of American ownership through John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group (FSG).
FSG have been held in higher regard than the Glazers as they rescued Liverpool from the threat of administration under previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Liverpool also ended a 30-year wait to win the Premier League last season.
However, more dropped points on Saturday means they face missing out on the Champions League next season.
One of the most criticised elements of the ESL was to guarantee top level European football every season for 15 founding clubs, without the need to qualify on the pitch.
“Being critical of my own employers isn’t something I do easily,” said Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who spoke out against the plans this week.
“People can disagree with me saying this but my opinion is that our owners have been good for Liverpool. My opinion is built on my own first-hand experiences, from the enormously privileged position of being a player and captain of this football club.
“What matters now, for the team and the club, is that our relationship with our supporters is strengthened on the other side of this.
“We must make sure we protect the close bond that’s been so critical in bringing the success we’ve enjoyed over the past few seasons. The bond between fans and players.”
-AFP
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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