SPORTS AGENDA: Police to step up crackdown on tragedy chants after Burnley fan accused of ‘mocking Munich air disaster’… while Phil Foden shows he’s still a house boy in blade
The police intensify their repression against tragic songs. A Manchester United fan was fined and banned for mocking the Hillsborough disaster following his club’s FA Cup win over Liverpool, and police made another arrest at Old Trafford on Saturday.
This time it was a Burnley fan, with Nathan Rawlinson, 44, being arrested outside for allegedly chanting about the Munich air disaster. Rawlinson, of Bacup, was charged under the Public Order Act and released on bail.
SKY LOSE INTERMEDIATE KEY WITH CLUBS
A blow for Sky Sports: the much-loved Adam Craig must leave and join Gary Neville’s Buzz 16 production company.
Craig has been with the network for 23 years and is their main point of contact with the clubs. He is highly regarded by senior team officials, with whom he maintains close relationships to improve Sky’s access before, during and after matches.
A Burnley supporter (centre, hooded top) has been charged by police with tragic singing after he was seen making what are believed to be air gestures towards Man United fans on Saturday.
A Manchester United fan was also fined and banned for mocking the Hillsborough disaster during their FA Cup clash against Liverpool earlier this year.
In a memo to staff, Sky praised Craig’s influence and his “overhaul of Section K” – the media rights section of the Premier League regulations.
“He leaves behind him an unrivaled contact book,” he adds. Agenda understands that Craig’s successor has not yet been chosen.
FODEN IS STILL A HOUSE BOY AT HEART!
A stunning season has made Phil Foden one of the favorites for the Footballer of the Year award, but the Manchester City striker is not about to abandon his roots.
The 23-year-old England playmaker eschewed posh venues to recently host a baby shower at a venue near Edgeley Park in his home town of Stockport.
Foden, certain to be on the plane to Germany for the Euros, is expecting a third child with his girlfriend Rebecca Cooke.
Phil Foden may be one of the favorites for the Player of the Year award, but he hasn’t forgotten his roots.
THE MASTERS’ TIPPING POINT
It was interesting to hear Premier League chief executive Richard Masters condemn the increasingly congested match schedule, which he said had left the game and player welfare at a “tipping point “.
Masters was right to point out that the elite has not changed its form, unlike international and regional competitions. However, the executive did not use FIFA statistics, which show that domestic leagues and cups account for 72 percent of players’ workload, compared to around 28 percent for elite and continental competitions. FIFA.
Some are also wondering how the Premier League’s “summer series”, established last year and which saw a number of teams travel to the United States for a pre-season tournament, is impacting this “tipping point”.
Richard Masters has condemned the increasingly busy schedule which he says leaves players’ welfare at crisis point.
COURAGEOUS MOVE OF NICHOLAS FROM MCC
Mark Nicholas has told MCC members he will step down as president of Southern Brave if he becomes the next MCC president. Members will be asked to support his nomination at the club’s AGM on Wednesday.
MCC president Nicholas is also in the running to be recognized in the King’s Birthday in June for his services to cricket, having played, commentated, written and co-founded the charity Chance To Shine.
RUSSIA’S OWN GAMES
Russia’s response to the International Olympic Committee’s ban on participation in this summer’s Paris Olympics is to try to stage its own multi-sport Games for the world’s best athletes later this year. Laughably, the event is called the World Friendship Games.
To give some credibility to this sham, Russia created a global organization called the International Friendship Association, based in Dubai. The secretary general of the IFA is none other than Jérôme Valcke, who was secretary general of FIFA during the huge corruption scandals under Sepp Blatter. You couldn’t make it up.
AN EVENING WITH GROWS
Team GB is bringing back many legends for this summer’s Paris Olympics.
After opening the doors of Team GB House – the team’s home venue in Paris – to fans for the first time, a number of big British Olympic names are set to be announced as part of a new series of “evenings with”.
Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill is the first to be announced, hosting two evenings at Team GB House, with more expected to follow in the worlds of cycling, swimming and athletics.
PSYCHO’S 62nd ANNIVERSARY
Psycho is about to meet Johnny Rotten. Stuart Pearce, the former Nottingham Forest and England left-back, is a huge music fan and loves attending concerts across the country.
For his 62nd birthday, Pearce was given a ticket to an audience with John Lydon, as the Sex Pistols frontman, 68, heads out on tour of the UK and US.
Nottingham Forest legend Stuart Pearce has been given tickets for an audience with Sex Pistols frontman John Lyndon.
A VICTORY FOR ADIDAS
Now that the dust has settled on this summer’s sportswear announcements, it’s clear that Adidas has won the battle of the big two with Nike.
After watching Nike’s problems with the St George’s Cross on England’s jersey unfold, followed by a botched launch of the US team’s Olympic kit – with an unflattering cut on the team’s kit women’s athletics – adidas can safely claim victory with its simple Team GB Retro Kit for this summer’s Olympic Games.
