Football News, Results & Other Worldwide Articles in General

Ivan Toney online abuse: Man apologises for racist message..

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A man has apologised in court for racially abusing Premier League footballer Ivan Toney online.

Antonio Neill, 24, of Blyth, Northumberland, admitted a charge of sending an offensive message.

In October, England and Brentford striker Toney, 26, shared an image of an abusive message he had received on Twitter and police investigated.

The message was described in court by a judge as "exceptionally offensive" and had "racial overtones".

District Judge Paul Currer, sitting at Newcastle Magistrates' Court, said he considered the matter to be "very serious".

Officers treated the incident as a hate crime and traced the message - which was not read out in court - to an address in North Shields, North Tyneside.


Family tried to apologise

After the judge told Neill, of Robert Street, to return for sentencing on 30 March, the defendant said: "I'm sorry for what I said to Ivan [Toney].

"I'm disgusted and ashamed and want to become a better person."

Earlier, Kash Khan, mitigating, told the court Neill was "extremely remorseful" and had been under the influence of a "significant amount of alcohol".

Neill was living away from his family at the time in an area where he did not know people and "behaved in a way he would never dream of acting", his solicitor said.

The court was also told Neill's family had tried to extend an apology to Brentford before police became involved.

Leicester City: Chairman relieves club of outstanding debts of £194m to King Power International..

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The Srivaddhanaprabha family have overseen Leicester City's rise to Premier League, their title success in 2016 and their FA Cup victory in 2021


Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has cleared the club's outstanding £194m debt to parent company King Power International (KPI).

The club owed the amount in loans to KPI, which is owned by the Srivaddhanaprabha family.

A debt-to-equity transfer to KPI was completed to relieve the club of its outstanding debts.

Leicester said the move was evidence of "KPI's commitment to supporting the club's long-term sustainability".

"These loans have been provided by KPI to the club over the last four years to fund the construction of the club's world-class new training ground at Seagrave and to continue to support the club's investments into its squad and women's football during the Covid-19 pandemic," the club said in a statement.

"Their conversion into equity serves to strengthen the club's balance sheet, reduce its interest costs, and provide further evidence of KPI's commitment to supporting the club's long-term sustainability."

It is the second time a debt-to-equity transfer has been completed under the Srivaddhanaprabha family's ownership, with £103m worth of debt relieved in 2013, and it ensures all existing shareholder investment in the club will not be carried forward as debt.

Srivaddhanaprabha said: "Maintaining long-term stability is vital for sustainable growth and a fundamental principle that has always guided our investments in the club's future.

"We want to make sure we continue on that path from the strongest, most secure financial footing."

The Srivaddhanaprabha family took control of Leicester in 2010 and have overseen their rise from the Championship to the Premier League, their title success in 2016 and their FA Cup victory in 2021.

"I believe with all my heart in Leicester City and what the club can achieve for our fans, our people and our communities - in Leicester, Thailand and around the world," added Srivaddhanaprabha.

"The faith they continue to place in us to run their club responsibly with ambition and integrity guides our decision making and remains vital to us building on one of the most successful eras in the club's history."

Ten Brackley Town fans praised for 400-mile Tuesday night round trip..

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A handful of non-league football fans have been praised on social media for making a 400-mile (644km) round trip on a weekday evening to watch a 0-0 draw.

Brackley Town travelled to Scarborough Athletic on Tuesday for a 19:45 GMT kick-off in the National League North.

The fans who came from the Northamptonshire town were also treated to a free pint from Scarborough chairman Trevor Bull.

Brackley fan Guy Smith said the fans were "gobsmacked" by the gesture.

The 54-year-old, who travelled from Bicester in Oxfordshire, said: "It was really kind of the Scarborough chairman and we all really appreciate his kindness."

He said the supporters were delayed as part of the M1 was closed and it took almost four hours to get to the ground.

Mr Smith said he got back to Brackley after midnight, dropped two fans off before eventually driving home.

Twitter account Football Away Days posted a photo of nine of the Brackley fans in the stands, describing them as "heroes", which has been widely shared.

But social media users pointed out the photo missed out the 10th fan who was sitting in the stands at the away end of the Flamingo Land Stadium.

Mr Smith said he "didn't have a clue who" the fan sitting down was, and the other nine supporters included two from the Scarborough area who supported Brackley.

Despite the lack of goals he said it was "absolutely" worth the trip, adding: "You'd never get me saying anything else."

The Northamptonshire club are fourth in the National League North and on a 17-match unbeaten run since former Wolves and Birmingham defender Roger Johnson became manager.

Scarborough Athletic, managed by former Manchester United midfielder Jonathan Greening, are in fifth, four points behind Brackley.

Morecambe: 20-year-old entrepreneur Sarbjot Johal in process of buying club..

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Morecambe say they are in the process of being taken over by 20-year-old businessman Sarbjot Johal.

The Shrimps, whose owners Bond Group Investments put the club up for sale in September, are 19th in League One.

Co-chairman Graham Howse said Johal's takeover remains reliant on him passing the EFL's owners and directors' test.

It comes after world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, who lives in the town, said he had been offered the chance to buy the club in October.

Howse told the club website that Johal's purchase had not "progressed as quickly as we all would have liked" but "exciting times are ahead both on and off the pitch".

"Sarbjot, through his company Sarb Capital, has recently purchased equity in the club, injecting more than useful income into us," Howse said.

"I am, along with Sarbjot, keen that the process should now move on at pace to come to a positive conclusion."

The Lancashire side were put up for sale by owners Bond Group Investments, with Jason Whittingham and Colin Goldring stepping down from the board.

Whittingham and Goldring also owned rugby union side Worcester Warriors, who went into administration in September and were subsequently banned from playing in the Premiership this season and relegated to the second tier.

Morecambe are in just their second-ever season in League One and have won four of their past five games.

Manchester City finances: What do Premier League charges mean?..

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The Premier League's decision to charge Manchester City with breaking its financial rules has shocked the domestic game.

The Premier League champions have become a dominant force in English football in recent years, winning six league titles since they were taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008.

But how have City got here? How significant are the charges? And could they really be kicked out of the Premier League?

BBC Sport answers the key questions.

Why are Man City being charged?
After an investigation lasting more than four years, the Premier League released a statement on Monday saying it had charged City with more than 100 breaches of financial rules from 2009 to 2018.

"In terms of charges, there are two areas," football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"First, accusations that Manchester City have artificially inflated the money coming into the club, with particular respect to commercial and sponsorship deals. The Premier League appears to be claiming the money was actually coming from the club owner, which doesn't count towards FFP (financial fair play), but was being disguised as sponsorship income, which does count towards FFP.

"The other charges are in relation to Manchester City being alleged to have artificially deflated the costs of running the club by having managers on contracts with another company connected to the owners so that they only put through a small element of the true cost of managing the club through the books."

How have City got here?
In November 2018 German newspaper Der Spiegel published leaked documents alleging City inflated the value of a sponsorship deal and deliberately misled Uefa so they could meet FFP rules which require clubs to break even.

Following the allegations, Uefa launched an investigation and ruled in 2020 that that City committed "serious breaches" of FFP regulations between 2012 and 2016.

However, a two-year ban from European competitions was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) later that year.

The Premier League's investigation started in December 2018. City said the allegations were "entirely false" and that allegations in Der Spiegel came from "illegal hacking and out of context publication of City emails".

Why now?
City said they were not given advance warning of the Premier League statement this week.

They questioned the timing - given the UK government's white paper on football governance is due to be published this month. It is felt that bringing this case is likely to be used by the Premier League as evidence of dealing with governance issues itself rather than a proposed independent regulator.

"It would be good for the league to be seen to have some teeth and take on a member - and a shareholder - so we are entering a period of lobbying and politics. There is little coincidence that the two things have occurred [at the same time]," said Maguire.

"There's an awful lot of the dark arts of politics taking place and football is being used as a vehicle for this. We've had a period of self-regulation within football and that has brought us to where we are."

BBC sports editor Dan Roan said: "It is easy to see why insiders at City are suspicions of the timing.

"While the timing is intriguing, the sheer number of charges perhaps shows why it has taken the Premier League so long to get here.

"However, many will say the suggestion that this is linked to the football regulator white paper being delayed as a little far-fetched. After all, the fact it has taken the Premier League four years to actually bring charges arguably strengthens the case for external regulation rather than undermining it.

"Furthermore, had the Premier League wanted to send a message to government that it could regulate itself, surely it would have made this move some time ago, before plans for the regulator were finalised."

How significant is this?
"This is potentially the biggest financial scandal in the Premier League's history," said Roan. "No club has ever faced such a catalogue of charges.

"If cheating is proven it would be harmful to the dominant force in the English game, to its Abu Dhabi owners, to the concept of state-owned clubs and the whole idea this is a fair competition.

"City could also lose Pep Guardiola, the manager warning last year he would resign if it turned out the club had misled him when denying breaking the rules.

"This could drag on for months and cast a long shadow over the Premier League in the process."

Maguire said: "If Man City are guilty, there have been accusations against other clubs and does this actually create a snowball?

"Certain clubs have been lobbying against Man City. Does this now create a vicious circle in the world of the Premier League where everyone is pointing fingers at each other."

What have City said?
City said they were "surprised" by the charges, because of what they say the "extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials" they claim had been provided to the Premier League.

"The club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position," read a statement.

"As such we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all."

City are understood to be confident in their position, and that includes the charges that were time-barred in their Uefa case. They believe they provided the relevant evidence around those charges to the Premier League some time ago.

What will happen to Man City?
The Premier League has referred City to an independent commission over the alleged rule breaches.

The proceedings of the commission - chaired by Murray Rosen KC - will be confidential and heard in private.

After the commission has made its decision an appeal can be made to a separate appeals body within the Premier League, says sports law barrister Ashley Cukier.

"At that point, generally speaking, that is where the process will end," Cukier said.

"It's not like the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) where things can escalate on to a European level. This is a Premier League matter that is going to be dealt with domestically."

What punishments are available?
If City are found guilty of rule breaches, the commission can impose punishments ranging from a fine and points deductions to expulsion from the Premier League.

"The potential tariffs are limitless," Maguire said.

"It could be anything from 'don't do it again', to a fine, to a points deduction, to stripping Man City of titles, to even expelling them from the Premier League."

In 2011 QPR escaped a points deduction but were fined £875,000 after being found guilty for breaching transfer regulations, while Leicester and Bournemouth received fines for breaching FFP rules when they won promotion to the Premier League in 2013-14 and 2014-15 respectively.

When Rangers entered administration in 2012, its registrations with the Scottish FA and Scottish Premier League were terminated and they were forced to start again at the bottom of the football pyramid.

Last month Italian side Juventus were docked 15 points in Serie A following an investigation into transfer dealings.

"I don't see any restriction in what they can do in terms of sanctions," Cukier said.

"The question for the commission will be what sanction it feels is appropriate."

Christian Atsu found dead after Turkey earthquake..

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Atsu played 121 games for Newcastle in two spells and left the club in 2021

Footballer Christian Atsu has been found dead under the rubble of his home almost two weeks after the Turkey earthquake, his agent has confirmed.

The Ghana international, 31, had spells with Premier League sides Everton, Chelsea and Newcastle.

Atsu had been missing since the 6 February quake that caused the collapse of his apartment in Antakya, Hatay.

"There are no words to describe our sadness," tweeted his Turkish top-flight club Hatayspor.

"We will not forget you, Atsu. Peace be upon you, beautiful person."

In the aftermath of the quake, Hatayspor initially reported Atsu had been rescued "with injuries", but a day later that position changed.

His agent Nana Sechere, who has been in Hatay, confirmed the news on Saturday on Twitter, writing: "It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce to all well wishers that sadly Christian Atsu's body was recovered this morning.

"My deepest condolences go to his family and loved ones. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support."

The Ghana Football Association said Atsu's body was recovered on Saturday morning after "almost two weeks of emotional torture".

The earthquake and aftershocks in southern Turkey and northern Syria are known to have killed more than 40,000 people.

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Atsu won 65 caps for Ghana and helped the Black Stars reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final in Equatorial Guinea where they lost to Ivory Coast on penalties

Sergio Ramos: Spain defender retires from international football with a 'heavy heart'..

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Spain's 2010 World Cup-winner Sergio Ramos says he is retiring from international football with a "heavy heart" after being told he will not be picked by new boss Luis de la Fuente.

The 36-year-old Paris St-Germain defender is Spain's most capped player of all time with 180 appearances.

He has not played for Spain since March 2021 and was left out of former coach Luis Enrique's World Cup squad.

"The time has come," Ramos posted on social media on Thursday.

"The time to say goodbye to our beloved and exciting national team.

"It's the end of a road that I hoped would stretch out further and would end with a better taste in my mouth, on a par with all the success we achieved with La Roja."

Ramos said he came to the decision after having a telephone call with De la Fuente, who took over from Enrique after Spain were knocked out of the World Cup by Morocco in the last 16.

"This morning I received the call from the current coach who told me that he doesn't and will not count on me, regardless of the level I can show or how I continue my sporting career," Ramos said.

A 2010 World Cup winner and back-to-back European champion with Spain, Ramos made his international debut aged 18 in 2005.

However, he has not played for his nation since coming on as a late substitute in a 3-1 win over Kosovo in a World Cup qualifier two years ago.

"I think that my path deserved to end because of my personal decision or if my performance was not up to the level that our national team deserve, but not because of age or other reasons," he said.

"Being young or less young is not a virtue or a defect, it is only a temporary trait that is not necessarily related to performance or ability.

"I look with admiration and envy at [Luka] Modric, [Lionel] Messi, Pepe... the essence, tradition, values, meritocracy and justice in football.

"Unfortunately, it will not happen to me because football is not always fair and football is never only about football."

Lionel Messi: Argentina forward wins best Fifa men's player of the year award..

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Argentina and Paris St-Germain forward Lionel Messi has been named men's player of the year at the 2022 Best Fifa Awards.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner beat French forwards Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema to the award.

Messi, 35, helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, scoring 27 goals in 49 games for club and country in 2021-22.

Barcelona's Alexia Putellas was named women's player of the year.

At the ceremony in Paris, Lionel Scaloni, who led Argentina to their third World Cup title, was named men's coach of the year.

Scaloni beat Pep Guardiola - who led Manchester City to a sixth Premier League title - and Real Madrid's Champions League-winning boss Carlo Ancelotti to the honour.

England manager Sarina Wiegman was named women's coach of the year after guiding the Lionesses to European Championship glory on home soil last year, the team's first major trophy.

Liverpool accounts: Premier League club announces pre-tax profit of £7.5m for 2021-22..

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Liverpool have announced a pre-tax profit of £7.5m for the 2021-22 season as the Premier League club's overall revenue rose by £107m to £594m.

During the 2021-22 campaign the Reds played in all 63 club games possible as they won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

They have recorded a profit for the first time since 2018-19, despite a £69m increase in administrative costs.

However, matchday revenue rose by £83m to £86m, as supporters returned following the coronavirus pandemic.

"Some of the numbers in these latest accounts look slightly skewed as a result of the previous reporting period being impacted by the global pandemic," managing director Andy Hughes said.

"However, the underlying strength of our financial position remains strong and we continue to operate a sustainable club, which is our main objective from a financial perspective," he added.

Liverpool owner John Henry said this month that he is not selling the Premier League club, but added he does expect some investment.

The Champions League finalists rose four places to third in the latest Deloitte Money League study, behind Premier League winners Manchester City and European champions Real Madrid.

However, Jurgen Klopp's seventh-placed side are in danger of missing out on a lucrative Champions League place next season.

Liverpool signed seven new players during the year, including forward Luis Diaz for an initial £37m, while Jordan Henderson, Harvey Elliott, Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson, Alisson Becker, Stefan Bajcetic and Diogo Jota all signed new long-term contracts.

While commercial revenue rose by £29m to £247m, the club also said annual operating costs for Anfield had increased by nearly 40% over the past five years.

"The cost of running a football club does continue to rise but we maintain our position of growing this club with significant investment with new and existing players signing contracts and the construction of the new Anfield Road Stand, which we look forward to coming on stream in the summer," Hughes said.

"In the last five years we have invested over £250m in infrastructure and created world-class facilities for our players, staff and supporters," he added.

"What's important now is to finish this season as strong as possible, both on and off the pitch, while we continue to manage costs and explore opportunities for growth in our commercial operations so we can continue to reinvest revenues in players and infrastructure."


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