DES ABEND NEWS

With the most controversial World Cup set to begin in Qatar in just under a week’s time, FIFA wrote to the 32 competing teams to ‘now focus on the football.’ Credit: Talk Sport. By: Derry Salter. At a time where human rights abuses are arguably at an all time high, FIFA’s letter only served to highlight the body’s insensitivity and weak stance on the matter. President Gianna Infantino signed the letter, stating that football should not be ‘dragged’ into ideological or political ‘battles’ and it should not be ‘handing out moral lessons.’ But, moral lessons are necessary when people are being punished and killed for their sexuality. Ten different European football associations, including England and Wales, as well as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International responded to the governing body stating: ‘Human rights are universal and apply everywhere.’ The 10 responding countries recognised the assurances from the Qatari Government and FIFA ‘regarding the safety, security and incl...

The American owners of Liverpool FC have said that the club is open for investors to buy, just 12 years after buying the club themselves. Photo: liverpool.com By: Sam Feierabend. The Fenway Sports Group (FSG), who also own baseball team The Boston Red Sox, bought Liverpool in 2010 and have overseen an upturn in the club’s fortunes. Since the appointment of Jurgen Klopp as manager in 2015, the club has become regular challengers for silverware, winning the Premier League in 2019/2020 and The Champions League in 2019. FSG announced on 7 November that they would consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club. They have however, reiterated the fact that in the meantime, the group remains committed to the club both on and off the field until a suitable buyer comes forward. The group have invested heavily in the club, mainly in the redevelopment of their famous Anfield stadium with £190m being spent on new stands. They have taken the capacity of th...

An own-goal and a calm finish from Aaron Lewis was enough for Newport County to settle this all League Two clash against Colchester United in the FA Cup First Round. By: Sam Feierabend Newport came into the game unbeaten under new manager, Graham Coughlan, whilst Colchester had not won since 8 th October in all competitions and sat bottom of the Football League. The sides met in League Two just a fortnight ago at Rodney Parade, with Newport coming away with a 1-0 victory. The game started in torrid rain in South Wales, with Newport’s hybrid pitch proving slippery meaning the ball was hard to control, and players often lost their footing in possession. This led to some unattractive ‘hoof-ball’ from both sides trying to get a hold in the game. The first clear chance came in the 18 th minute when Alan Judge cut back for an unmarked Freddie Sears in the box who could only flash his effort just wide of the post. Colchester attempted to overload the midfield, which opened up space fo...

With the FIFA World Cup starting in just a number of days, football fans and pundits are eagerly discussing how the tournament will play out. There are plenty of questions heading into the tournament, but what are the key talking points?   Photo: The Evening Standard. By: Sam Feierabend. 1. Will Lionel Messi finally take glory? Lionel Messi will undoubtedly go down as one of the finest players to ever grace a football pitch. Yet, for all the major tournaments and personal accolades he has won, one major trophy alludes him; the FIFA World Cup.  The closest he came to victory with Argentina was the agonising loss in the 2014 final to Germany. Now 35-years-old, this could be Messi’s last shot at the trophy. In qualifying, Argentina finished second behind Brazil in the South American system and should expect to go far in this tournament with a favourable group pitting them against Poland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. Talent surrounds Messi in this team, with Rodrigo de Paul and Giovan...

Formula One’s (F1) governing body, the FIA, have found the current world champions Red Bull, and Aston Martin, guilty of breaching the sport’s budget cap. Photo: worldnewsera.org. By Sam Feierabend. While the extent of the breach has not been revealed, the FIA have disclosed that it was ‘minor’, meaning that the $145m (£114m) budget was exceeded by less than 5%, or $7.25m in the 2021 season. The punishment for this has not yet been announced. The importance of this is the potential punishment that could be handed out. Aside from financial penalties, Red Bull could be punished with a constructor and/or drivers’ points deduction for the season in question. Max Verstappen won the 2021 Driver’s Championship in controversial fashion, following a last lap shootout with title rival Lewis Hamilton, winning by one point. Any points deduction would see Verstappen stripped of his title, and Hamilton being crowned World Champion for an unprecedented eighth time. While Red Bull can appeal any punis...

Former Spain and Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has apologised to the LGBTQ+ community, blaming a ‘hacked account’ for a tweet which announced he was gay. Credit: Pinterest. By Sam Feierabend. The tweet read, ‘I hope you respect me: I’m gay’, which was initially met with mostly praise and acceptance across the globe. Such a high profile coming out would have been a huge step for the footballing world, which has grappled with a homophobia problem for decades. Just hours later however, the tweet had been deleted. Spanish media initially reported that, in response to a divorce earlier this year, Casillas was rumoured to be dating a number of women since this. They claimed that it was an ill-judged joke to poke fun at the media for interfering personally with his love life. Seemingly embroiled in the saga is Casillas’ former Spain teammate, Carles Puyol, who replied to the original tweet with, ‘It’s time to tell our story Iker.’ The pair were instrumental in Spain’s triumph at ...

The National League, the top two tiers of English non-league football, has announced that it is changing its laws on clubs streaming and posting match highlights. The change allows clubs to post match highlights immediately after BT Sport’s highlights show on a Saturday evening, instead of the 48-hour ban previously in place. Photo: The National League By: Sam Feierabend This move is crucial for clubs in the system as match highlights allow fans who are unable to attend the game, or casual football fans in general, to keep up to date on what has been happening with the club of their choice. Volunteers put in endless hours to provide high-quality media coverage for their clubs, and the ban in place previously delayed views, potentially losing clients who either forget the game has happened or are more eager to see more recent game footage if one had taken place in the meantime. BT Sport originally gained the exclusive rights to broadcast The National League in 2013, with one game ea...

An investigation by the Australian Football League (AFL) has begun against one of its’ most successful teams, following worrying allegations of racist treatment towards Indigenous players at the club. Photo: BBC News. By: Sam Feierabend. The AFL have described the claims as “extremely serious”, levelled at the team Hawthorn who are 13-times champions of the ‘Aussie Rules’ national league. The report has cited that club staff had separated players from their families, with one player even claiming that coaches urged him to have his partner’s pregnancy aborted. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) undertook an independent review, commissioned by Hawthorn themselves, and spoke to players (who were not named) about their experiences playing for the club. One player claimed that former head coach Alastair Clarkson and his assistant Chris Fagan told him to ‘kill his unborn kid’. Then he was allegedly told to remove his SIM card so there was no further contact between him and his...

The ongoing cost of living crisis has started to trickle down to the lower reaches of the footballing pyramid. Some clubs are being pushed to the brink of their finances, while others are searching for solutions to cut costs to run day to day activities. Photo: jooin.com.  By: Sam Feierabend. Britain’s energy regulator in the past weeks has announced price hikes to bills in the coming months, but unlike domestic consumers, there is no price cap on businesses like pubs or football clubs. This means sky-high prices for places that have not got the financial turnover to sustainably last them for the future. One pub was seen on social media sharing their energy bill forecast for the next 12 months as £64,000; an increase from £6,000. For football clubs, especially those at the lower end of the professional game, costs are piling up, and with the cold winter months setting in, using heat and light is crucial to the everyday running of the clubs. This can be coupled with the fact tha...

Ukraine has been the focal point of the world’s attention for six months since being invaded by Russia. Whilst the conflict is still ongoing, President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that on 23 August, the country’s Day of the National Flag, domestic football will restart in Ukraine. Credit: Getty Images. By: Sam Feierabend.  This may seem an odd step to take, considering the country is still crippled by fighting and conflict, yet this has subsided since initial attacks. Russian advancements have stalled and Ukraine are in the process of launching counter-attacks in the southern region of the country in an attempt to regain territory lost in initial stages of fighting. The return of football to the country has been described as ‘a big step’ by head of the Ukrainian FA, Andriy Pavleko, and ‘a sign to the world that Ukraine can and will win’. The Ukrainian Premier League was officially halted in April this year and subsequently suspended. Many teams have been forced to reloc...

  The BBC have come under fire after the decision to quietly axe the reading of classified football results on Saturday evening on their Radio 5 Live service, BBC Sports Report. The weekly tradition had been in place since the early 1950s and had quickly become a staple in football fans’ routines after matches with results read out throughout the football pyramid. Credit: The Mirror. By: Sam Feierabend. This decision has been scrutinised for various reasons. The first at a footballing level, where fans of clubs across the system could hear their teams in the same breath as some of the biggest names in world football. Each team was given the same status and same amount of air time, albeit just for a split second. Some have suggested that the BBC are prioritising the Premier League over lower leagues as they have cited the reason for the axe is to give more live coverage to the weekly 5:30pm Premier League fixture. Those criticising the decision include legendary former commentator J...

Earlier last week, NFL player DeShaun Watson was given a mere six-game ban after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. This isn't the first and won't be the last time sportsmen get off scot free when it comes to sexual assault. Credit: The New York Times. By: Derry Salter. The Cleveland Browns quarterback has been accused by 24 women in Texas; despite this shockingly high number of accusers, the NFL’s personal conduct policy saw it fit to only charge him with a six-game ban. Watson allegedly assaulted numerous massage therapists during treatment sessions across 2020 and 2021 and has since settled 23 of the 24 lawsuits. A Texas court decided not to pursue criminal charges against the quarterback, but the NFL undertook an inquiry into whether Watson violated the sport’s personal conduct policy. Watson continues to claim innocence.   The NFL already wish to appeal the decision, with hopes that Watson would be suspended for just a year. However, the National Football Leagu...

After 56 years, English football fans can finally rejoice and celebrate a national team winning a major international tournament. England women have exceeded expectations and, by beating Germany 2-1 to win Euro 2022, have done what the men could not to bring glory back to millions.    Credit: cbsnews.com By: Sam Feierabend. The irony of this historic victory is that when England last lifted a major trophy, women were outlawed from playing football. It was not until 1971 that The Football Association (FA) finally lifted the fifty year ban on women’s football, sparking a revival in the sport that has led to the popularity of it seen today. Last Sunday’s final will undoubtedly be seen as a landmark moment not just for women’s football, but English football in general. The success of the Lionesses has ended the famed ‘56 years of hurt’ coined by the song Three Lions; many people proclaiming how football has finally come home. 87,900 people were in attendance at Wembley for the f...

Darwin’s signing shows Liverpool’s evolution, but this year's golden boot race will be survival of the fittest. The Premier League is viewed by many as one of the elite club football competitions in the world, with 20 teams competing for glory and substantial prize money. Within that, players vie to win the Golden Boot for their personal collections.  The signing of Darwin Nunez shows Liverpool adapting their attack - Credit: Gualter Fatia.     By: Sam Feierabend.  Some of the best players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Shearer, and Sergio Aguero, have all come out on top of the scoring charts for the Golden Boot. Last season, Heung-Min Son and Mohamed Salah shared the award, scoring 23 goals apiece, but this year’s race is being hotly debated and is set to be one of the most intriguing personal battles for many seasons. The topic on everyone’s lips across this summer transfer window are the two ‘mega signings’ made by last sea...

Shocking reports of sexist and homophobic behaviour by fans at last week’s Formula One (F1) Austrian Grand Prix has caused many within the sport to speak out against the worrying developments. Credit: The-Mia.com By: Sam Feierabend. F1’s governing body, called the incidents 'completely unacceptable', which allegedly included verbal and physical abuse directed towards women, and abuse aimed at those supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Many of the sport’s drivers used press conferences post-race to speak out. Among those, Lewis Hamilton highlighted how it is 'still an issue all over, it comes down to education, and, of course, ignorance.' Sebastian Vettel, a famed champion of equality, called for those involved to be banned from motorsport for life. However, the events at the Grand Prix are a continuation of a long line of discrimination in motorsport as a whole, putting minorities off of getting into the sport in fear of abuse. During the Black Lives Matter movement, F1 c...

English football in 2022/23 looks as tantalising as ever. The Premier League is close, with Liverpool and Manchester City expected to lock horns once again in a thrilling title race, with the usual scrap for European places extending to multiple sides in the upper mid-table. In The Football League, the race for promotion to the top-flight from the Championship has no clear favourite, whilst League One has the strongest line-up seen for years with Derby County’s relegation seeing multiple former Premier League sides vying for a return to their glory years. Last season's National League winners, Stockport County - Credit: Manchester Evening News. By: Sam Feierabend. However, the closest and unpredictable leagues could be the National Leagues. Comprised of three divisions -  The National League, National League North and National League South – the system represents elite clubs in the non-league set up. They feed The Football League, with some fans and pundits even arguing that the ...