Skip to main content

Manchester City Faces Premier League Sanctions Over Kick-Off Timing Breaches.

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...
Post a Comment

The 2024/25 season's last international break had four major highlights.


When an international break occurs, especially in the middle of a league season, few football fans rejoice.

Club football was put on hold for over two weeks when players traveled to represent their countries in the Nations League and 2026 World Cup qualifications.

While many will welcome the end of this brief hiatus, the international break provided plenty of drama and discussion points.

Here are four major takeaways from the final international break of the 2024/25 season.

Myles Lewis-Skelly has a dream England debut.


Myles Lewis-Skelly, an Arsenal player, made an impressive start for England in their World Cup qualifying opener against Albania.

The teenager opened the scoring for the Three Lions, latching onto a brilliant pass from Jude Bellingham and slotting home to become England's youngest player to score on his professional debut.

Lewis-Skelly's historic 20th-minute strike also set the tone for England's 2-0 victory at Wembley Stadium, giving new manager Thomas Tuchel a successful debut.

At 18 years and 176 days old, the Arsenal prodigy smashed an almost decade-old record established by Marcus Rashford.

Lewis-Skelly became the youngest player to score on his senior England debut since the Manchester United star, who was on loan at Aston Villa in 2016, when he scored against Australia at the age of 18 and 209 days.

Raul Jimenez's brace helps Mexico win its first-ever CONCACAF Nations League title.


In what may have been the feel-good story of the 2024/25 season, Fulham striker Raul Jimenez scored twice to lead Mexico to their first CONCACAF Nations League title.

While West Ham United's Edson Alvarez donned the armband, the focus was squarely on his Fulham counterpart, who led Mexico to a close victory over Panama.

Jimenez opened the score eight minutes in, but Javier Aguirre's team was pegged back on the stroke of halftime when Adalberto Carrasquilla converted a penalty.

However, Jimenez delivered the ultimate blow with a penalty two minutes into stoppage time.

Jimenez has come a long way since a devastating head injury ended his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 33-year-old is currently 13 goals away from breaking Javier Hernandez's Mexican record of 52 goals.

Japan was the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.


Japan became the first country to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico with a 2-0 victory over continental underdogs Bahrain.

The Asian powerhouse advanced to the final after going undefeated in eight of six games (D2).

Despite starting on the bench, Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada took the spotlight.

Only three minutes into his cameo, the 28-year-old broke the deadlock with a wonderful dinked finish, unlocking a tenacious Bahrain defence that refused to give anything away.

Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad, who set up Kamada for the opener, then sealed the victory late in the game, making Japan's remaining games meaningless.

Japan's subsequent game against Saudi Arabia ended in a goalless tie. They will finish the qualifying campaign with matches against Australia and Indonesia.

Bad news for Nottingham Forest as Chris Wood sustains an injury on international service.


Chris Wood has been in great form for Nottingham Forest this season, having the most productive campaign of his career.

The 32-year-old is one of the Premier League's most dangerous strikers. He is now fourth in the Goals Rankings, having scored 18 times for the Tricky Trees.

Only Manchester City's Erling Braut Haaland, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, and Newcastle United's Alexander Isak have more goals than Forest's No. 9.

Wood continued his momentum on international service with New Zealand, scoring a hat-trick in a 7-0 victory over Fiji.

However, he sustained a hip injury in New Zealand's subsequent 3-0 triumph over New Caledonia, leaving his club concerned about his long-term fitness.

Wood has already been ruled out of this weekend's FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton and Hove Albion.

With nine Premier League games left this season, Forest cannot afford to lose their talisman if they are to qualify for the Champions League.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

🇩🇪 Adeyemi and Juventus agree on conditions as the deal develops.

According to rumors, Karim Adeyemi has reached an agreement in principle with Juventus and is currently awaiting further talks with Borussia Dortmund. The Bianconeri have begun to move forward in the transfer market after selling Dean Huijsen to Bournemouth and Matias Soule to Roma, and are preparing to make a serious bid for Atalanta star Teun Koopmeiners. The team is also looking for Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo. Juventus is in the early stages of their new project under Thiago Motta, and there are still a few concerns to overcome before the 2024-25 season, such as the future of star winger Federico Chiesa, who could move to the Premier League. Adeyemi has agreed to an agreement with Juventus . Page 14 of today's Tuttosport reports that Juventus is currently working on final contract details after reaching an agreement in principle with Adeyemi, who has approved a five-year contract worth roughly €3.5 million net per season with add-ons. Once the Bianconeri have finalised the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bompastor expressed excitement for Chelsea's next game against Manchester City, stating that it will be a wonderful match.

Chelsea's head coach, Sonia Bompastor, says her team is excited to play Barclays Women's Super League title rivals Manchester City this weekend. On Saturday evening, the Blues will host The Citizens at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea manager Bompastor stressed the importance of the game during the pre-match news conference, adding that her team is excited to put themselves to the test against Manchester City. "It's obviously an important game against a very good team," Bompastor explained. "There will be two fantastic teams with a nice dynamic and good outcomes, so we are looking forward to it and are really excited. "My role as a manager is to ensure that the players have the appropriate game plan for tomorrow. We practiced this morning, and I believe everything is crystal clear in each player's head. We feel prepared, even if we anticipate a difficult game. Manchester City is doing well and has excellent players, but it will be a wonderful game for eve...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thierry Henry was denied a joyful homecoming as France was defeated by gold medal winners Spain.

Exactly 36 years after Vinnie Jones, Dave Beasant, Lawrie Sanchez, and others ripped up the rulebook to propel Bobby Gould's Wimbledon to a storied FA Cup victory, Thierry Henry's France fell agonisingly short of capturing an emotional Olympic gold medal in front of a sold-out Parc des Princes in Paris. Henry, who gave his young French team the nickname the 'Crazy Ones' due to their fun-loving nature, won nearly everything as a player, and despite the stars appearing to align for a historic gold medal on home turf, the Arsenal legend was overshadowed by Santi Denia's slick Spaniards in a dramatic 5-3 extra-time defeat. Sergio Camello of Rayo Vallecano was their unexpected late nemesis, dunking French goalkeeper Guillaume Restes with 100 minutes on the clock to startle a stunned capacity crowd. And he delivered a virtual carbon copy of that finish with the game's final kick, charging in on goal as the French flung bodies forward to slot past Restes and cruelly ...
Post a Comment
Read more