Manchester City, the dominant force in English football for over a decade, finds itself once again under the Premier League's microscope. This time, however, the allegations are not about intricate financial dealings or sponsorship controversies, but something seemingly more mundane: breaches of kick-off timing regulations. Recent reports confirm that City has been hit with a substantial fine of £1.08 million for delaying kick-offs and re-starts on nine separate occasions during the 2024/25 season. While a million-pound fine might seem like a drop in the ocean for a club of City's financial might, these sanctions underscore a deeper tension within the Premier League – a battle between sporting integrity, commercial interests, and the relentless demands of a global broadcasting behemoth. This isn't merely a trivial matter of punctuality. It speaks to the meticulous choreography of modern football, where every second is accounted for, and every deviation from the schedule has...
Atletico Madrid's 2-1 comeback triumph over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday was a historic moment for the hosts, but it was also a tense match. Several flashpoints occurred during the 90-minute match at the Metropolitano, one of which occurred soon before halftime when the visitors took the lead.
As the Leverkusen players celebrated Piero Hincapie's goal, Jeremie Frimpong kicked Margarita's bouquet of flowers, which had been placed in the corner of the pitch as a tradition at home games for the past 30 years.
Atleti supporters were outraged by the Dutch defender's actions, which they saw as extremely disrespectful. Immediately following the celebrations, defender Jose Maria Gimenez, a Los Colchoneros returnee from injury, approached him aggressively. However, he has now stated that he was unaware of this and apologized to the club and its followers via his X account.
"After yesterday's game, I learned about the Metropolitano's flower bouquet tradition. I was unaware of it, and when the target was reached, I became overly excited and made a mistake.
"Sorry to the Atletico fans and especially to Margarita."
Atleti appears to have accepted the apology, as he responded to Frimpong's tweet by admitting that he was ignorant of the significance of Margarita's flowers.
Despite losing their status as La Liga leaders last weekend, Atletico Madrid is doing quite well right now. A win in next week's final league phase match against RB Salzburg would mean that they advance directly to the Champions League's last 16, which would be fantastic news for Diego Simeone and his team given the hectic fixture schedule that they will face.
As the Leverkusen players celebrated Piero Hincapie's goal, Jeremie Frimpong kicked Margarita's bouquet of flowers, which had been placed in the corner of the pitch as a tradition at home games for the past 30 years.
Atleti supporters were outraged by the Dutch defender's actions, which they saw as extremely disrespectful. Immediately following the celebrations, defender Jose Maria Gimenez, a Los Colchoneros returnee from injury, approached him aggressively. However, he has now stated that he was unaware of this and apologized to the club and its followers via his X account.
"After yesterday's game, I learned about the Metropolitano's flower bouquet tradition. I was unaware of it, and when the target was reached, I became overly excited and made a mistake.
"Sorry to the Atletico fans and especially to Margarita."
Atleti appears to have accepted the apology, as he responded to Frimpong's tweet by admitting that he was ignorant of the significance of Margarita's flowers.
Despite losing their status as La Liga leaders last weekend, Atletico Madrid is doing quite well right now. A win in next week's final league phase match against RB Salzburg would mean that they advance directly to the Champions League's last 16, which would be fantastic news for Diego Simeone and his team given the hectic fixture schedule that they will face.
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