Sports
Super League is preparing a comeback to fight against “English supremacy.”
Due to concerns that English teams are growing too strong, the group behind the European Super League is looking to revive their ambitions to create a new league.
Before pulling out in the face of fierce fan opposition, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham were all a part of the first launch. Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid are the only founding members remaining interested after Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, and Inter all withdrew as well.
That trio of clubs have long refused to accept defeat in their attempts to form the Super League and The Times state that they are backing a relaunch of the proposal from leading company A22 Sports Management.
The new plans, which are looking to take shape within three years, are firmly anti-Premier League. In a presentation sent to clubs in an attempt to garner interest, the group state that the English top flight ‘is outgunning all continental leagues’ and that the Champions League ‘is increasingly dominated by English clubs’ who are ‘backed by hedge funds, public investment funds, sheikhs, oligarchs’.
English clubs are blamed for the collapse of the initial plan and painted as a threat to the global game because of their financial might.
“The English Premier League (EPL) is turning into a global Super League [and] is outperforming its continental rivals’ combined net spending on transfers,” the dossier reads.
“This summer, EPL clubs spent €2.25bn (about £1.9bn), more than La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 combined.
“Newly promoted Nottingham Forest’s net spend of €160m was more than the whole of Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 (a total of 78 clubs) combined. The Premier League affords wage costs almost twice as high as its next continental rival.
“On top of broadcasting [income], all big six English clubs are owned by a multibillionaire investor or a state fund.”
The plans also claim that the Champions League is being dominated by English teams, despite the fact that there have been just two English winners in the past ten years.
“The Champions League is no longer a truly open European tournament,” the dossier continues. “The Champions League is increasingly dominated by English clubs and few continental exceptions trying to keep up.
“Two of the past four finals have been all-English contests and only Real Madrid prevented a third all-English final in June. Over the past five years, roughly 75 percent of Champions League semi-finalists were from England, plus the few continental exceptions Paris [Saint-Germain], [Real] Madrid, and [Bayern] Munich.”
Sports
Black Stars fitness coach Ricky Roy reportedly dead
Romeo Ricky Roy, the fitness coach for Ghana’s senior national team, has died.
According to Ghana Football Association president Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku’s Facebook post, he died in Accra on Sunday, April 28, 2024.
Roy joined the Black Stars’ backroom staff in 2021, during Milovan Rajevac’s second spell as coach.
He remained with the national squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the current Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Roy rose to prominence as a member of the coaching staff for Division One League club Vision FC in February 2020, before joining the national squad.
Sports
Veteran Sports Commentator Joe Lartey dies at 96
The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) has reported the death of Joe Lartey, a veteran Ghanaian football pundit and sports writer.
He passed away on Friday, April 26, 2024, at the age of 96.
Joe Lartey was born on June 6, 1927, in Accra and attended Accra Academy. Lartey, often known as “Over to You,” was a well-known broadcaster and SWAG’s founding president.
Lartey began his media career as a football commentator with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in 1961.
He grew to be a popular figure in Ghana’s sports community.
He subsequently spent a decade at Radio Nigeria before returning to GBC in 1990. During his stint, he presented shows including Sports Digest on GTV.
In appreciation of his achievements in sports journalism, Lartey received the coveted “A Life in Sport” award from the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) during the AIPS Sport Media Awards ceremony in Doha, Qatar, in June 2022.
Lartey’s impact stretched well beyond Ghana, with numerous Ghanaian football analysts praising him for moulding their careers.
Fans and colleagues alike will remember him warmly for his pioneering work in sports broadcasting.
Sports
Xavi to stay as Barcelona’s coach until at least June 2025
Barcelona coach Xavi will stay with the club until at least the end of his contract in June 2025, having changed his mind about this being his final season.
The 44-year-old stated in January that he will stand down as manager this summer.
However, with president Joan Laporta desperate for him to stay, the former Barcelona and Spain midfielder has made a U-turn.
Xavi took over as manager of Barcelona in November 2021, after leaving Qatari club Al Sadd, and led the team to the Spanish title in his first full season in charge in 2022–23.
However, they are 11 points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid with six games remaining in the current season.
Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League last week after losing to PSG in the quarterfinals.
Xavi, who won 25 honours during his brilliant playing career at Barcelona, said he felt “liberated” with the revelation that he would leave the position at the conclusion of the season.
When he announced his departure following the defeat to Villarreal, he felt he was not being safeguarded by the club and there was no clear direction.
However, the team’s fortunes have improved since Xavi felt comfortable taking a more casual attitude.
They went ten games undefeated in the league before falling 3-2 to Real Madrid on Sunday.
On Wednesday, there was a meeting at Laporta’s residence, and the club’s desire for him to stay was clear.
If Xavi is unable to strengthen the squad before the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Barcelona will attempt to persuade one of the high-profile managers out of contract, including Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, and Mikel Arteta.
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