Skip to main content

Real Madrid's Luka Modric has made an unexpected decision to become a minority owner of Swansea.

Croatian midfielder's player career will not be hampered by the ownership shift. Unexpected decision: Luka Modric has taken his first move into football ownership. Luka Modric, a Real Madrid legend, is set to become a new minority owner of Swansea City. The Croatian, who turns 40 in September, is acquiring a non-controlling interest in the Welsh club. Modric's stake purchase will have no impact on his playing career, as he will continue to play for Real Madrid. He is out of contract with Loc Blancos this summer, but he wants to retire with Real and may extend his stay at the Bernabeu for another year if an agreement can be reached. It comes as a surprise that he has opted to buy a minority share in Swansea, who are currently 12th in the Championship. The move shows Modric, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner, is setting the groundwork for his post-playing career. Swansea's eight-year ownership by Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan ended in November when they sold their co...

Norwegian team Brann won a court verdict on fans' right to sing 'Uefa mafia'.


The Norwegian team Brann won a landmark freedom of expression dispute with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), which ruled that Uefa should not have fined them for fans singing "Uefa mafia" or flying banners with the same message at Women's Champions League matches.

In 2024, the European football governing body penalized Brann twice, with a third action ongoing. Uefa claimed that the instances violated its regulations, which hold clubs accountable for "offensive statements of a provocative nature" from the stands.

Brann filed the first two cases with Uefa's appeals committee. The first was dismissed, therefore Brann moved the issue to Cas in the autumn of 2024, which found in favor of the Norwegian club on March 31. The written justifications will be provided this week.

"We are very pleased with the ruling from Cas," said Aslak Sverdrup, Brann's president. "It is not every day that a Norwegian club moves all of football Europe, but that is exactly what happened today. This is a significant and correct decision in a world where free speech is under siege.


"SK Brann wishes to thank everyone who has contributed to our matter, notably our two lawyers, Jan Magne Isaksen and Erlend Aarlien, who have been consistent throughout the process. We thank Erlend Vågane, the supporter leader, for his cooperation, and Lise Klaveness, our football president, for coordinating the meeting in Nyon and providing a strong voice in the argument. We also applaud the Uefa management for the positive dialogue in Nyon and London prior to the lawsuit."

Brann has stated that the message "Uefa Mafia" is a funny and power-critical statement that falls well beyond the bounds of free speech. Brann also believes that retaliating against powerful organizations like FIFA with penalties is fundamentally flawed.

Uefa believes that the European Convention on Human Rights' freedom of expression does not apply in this instance, and that the term "Uefa Mafia" should be taken as factual charges that the organisation, its administration, and staff are members of an organised criminal group. This is insulting and inflammatory, according to Uefa.


However, Cas stated that the question of whether a speech is offensive or provocative must be judged in light of the circumstances. Cas also agreed with Brann that Uefa's disciplinary laws should be read in light of fundamental human rights like freedom of expression. Brann has so been cleared of paying the sanctions to Uefa.

Cas noted that the use of "Uefa Mafia" would not be admissible in all situations, but that it must be understood in the context of the statement made, and that Uefa must demonstrate that any use of the phrase is disrespectful and provocative in the context.

Comments

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 ...

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...

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 ...