Sports & Casinos UK

Club legend Steve Fletcher reflects on the wild rise over two decades to playing Real Sociedad in the Europa LeagueIt is 13 years since Bournemouth, a couple of months after finishing runners-up to Doncaster in the third tier, hosted Real Madrid. It was a balmy summer’s day, officially Carlo Ancelotti’s first match in charge, and, a few hours after checking into the Haven hotel on the Sandbanks peninsula, a wave of galácticos took to the pitch: Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Kaká, Karim Benzema, the list goes on.An early, wayward Ronaldo free-kick broke the wrist of an 11-year‑old boy before Madrid ran out 6-0 winners in a bucket-list friendly. Continue reading...

New play spotlights fans’ tortuous trek from the Goldstone Ground, via Gillingham and an athletics stadiumIt was the tip-off that changed Ian Hart’s life for ever. The funeral director from Worthing was co-editor of the Brighton fanzine Gull’s Eye when he received a phone call from Gordon Lucking, a Crystal Palace director, in July 1995.“Gordon always wanted to join the Brighton board, but they didn’t want him there,” Hart says. “Ron Noades [the Palace chair] welcomed him with open arms. One of his [Lucking’s] employees had been on this golf day and someone got pissed in the evening and said: ‘You’ll never guess what’s happened – Brighton have sold the Goldstone Ground and are moving to Portsmouth.’ Gordon loved it, because it was another nail in Brighton’s coffin.” Continue reading...

Man behind US college football’s landmark match in London has dedicated his life to improving crowd safety since his daughter was killed in a crowd crush at a concert aged 23On Saturday afternoon, as he looks out at the crowd of 60,000 he has helped entice to Wembley Stadium, Brian Dubiski’s dream will become a reality. But, as Arizona State and Kansas make history by playing the first US college football game in Britain, Dubiski will think most of his daughter, Madison, who was crushed to death at the age of 23.Madison and nine other people were trampled and suffocated by a crowd at a Travis Scott concert in Houston in November 2021. Dubiski now dedicates his life to keeping people safe at sporting events and concerts and, since December, Wembley is one of the stadiums that follows the protocols he introduced. Continue reading...

Winger was one of the first big-money academy transfers, part of a child labour market that has barely been questioned“What’s your name?”“Raheem.” Continue reading...

International Olympic Committee endorses Fitzroy River courseWorld Rowing and Paddle Worldwide back Australian venueA crocodile habitat has been given the green light to host 2032 rowing after the controversial site passed an assessment “with flying colours”.Olympic authorities on Thursday confirmed they had approved central Queensland’s Fitzroy River as a Brisbane Games venue, ending months of debate. Continue reading...

The much-loved winger has an ‘unbelievable’ Roosters highlights reel but will soon cross codes again for the next rugby union chapter in JapanMark Nawaqanitawase, the prime producer of NRL highlights, will soon be lost to rugby league at the age of just 26. His performances have been described as “freaky” and “ridiculous”, but he is due to return to rugby union as early as Saturday night, unless the Roosters can overcome Cronulla in their semi-final.To say Nawaqanitawase is much loved at Moore Park undersells the widespread affection for him. Officials at the Roosters and Rugby Australia are neighbours in the offices next to Allianz Stadium, and neither has any ill-will towards the winger, despite both losing him as a player during a three-year period in which Nawaqanitawase has reached almost inconceivable cross-code heights. Continue reading...

American chair Boehly leaves role after deal is secured‘I am confident that Chelsea is well positioned’Todd Boehly and Mark Walter have sold their stakes in Chelsea in a deal under which Clearlake Capital takes full control of the Premier League club.The American billionaire businessmen Boehly and Walter were two of the investors who partnered with Clearlake to buy the club from Roman Abramovich in a sale mandated by the UK government in May 2022. The private equity company Clearlake had previously owned 61.5% of the club, with Boehly and Walter carving up the remaining shares with another investor, Hansjörg Wyss. Continue reading...

‘I take responsibility … it doesn’t feel good at the moment’United beaten 3-2 by Brighton after taking two-goal leadMichael Carrick admitted Manchester United’s Carabao Cup capitulation against Brighton that was greeted by boos at Old Trafford was unacceptable and that answers had to be found at Fulham on Sunday.United were knocked out 3-2 by Fabian Hürzeler’s visitors after leading 2-0 after 10 minutes through Shea Lacey and Mason Mount. Goals from Charalampos Kostoulas in first‑half added time, Pascal Gross on 65 minutes and Maxim De Cuyper four minutes later eliminated United. Continue reading...

Granit Xhaka, Sunderland’s captain, believes it is not unrealistic to dream about Régis Le Bris’s side travelling all the way to the Europa League final next spring.It is rarely a good idea to dismiss Xhaka but reaching that showpiece in Frankfurt will necessitate considerably more efficient finishing on his team’s part than proved evident on a highly evocative night on Wearside. Continue reading...

Coach says Argentina’s gung-ho approach forced hand‘No one is more hurt than me, no one wanted it more’Thomas Tuchel stands by his heavily criticised defensive substitutions in the World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina this summer, but the England head coach accepts he made them too early.Tuchel said England were “waiting for death”, unable to cope with the attacking tactics adopted by Argentina in Atlanta as they chased the game after Anthony Gordon’s opener on the hour. He said fatigue and the success of defending with a back five in knockout games against Mexico and Norway also influenced his decisions to sit on the lead. Continue reading...