
INSIDE SPORT: Club World Cup hit by poor ticket sales, how Blackburn overcharged away fans and WHO are English football's biggest divers?
Is America falling out of love with football? Earlier this week, FIFA slashed ticket prices again for the Club World Cup, and it would appear sales for the Premier League 's Summer Series are sluggish at best, too.
Three Summer Series game days are being staged, with two fixtures each at New Jersey 's MetLife Stadium, Chicago's Soldier Field and Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
These are huge venues, but a line-up of Manchester United, Everton, Bournemouth and West Ham has not set pulses racing.
Swathes of tickets remain available for all three events, which take place at the end of July and the start of August, in what is perhaps a worrying sign for next year's World Cup.
Premier League insiders insist sales will follow typical purchasing trends by increasing in July, and say they are getting positive feedback from the market.
Last week, fans of Chelsea and Manchester City, the English sides heading to the Club World Cup, received emails informing them that, as they had purchased tickets promptly, they would be receiving a 'partial refund as a token of appreciation for your early commitment and support'. One Chelsea supporter, who bought six tickets for the last-16 tie and four for the final, received $596 (£440) back.
Red carpet treatment for Fergie
Sir Alex Ferguson was at the Champions League final as a guest of Paris Saint-Germain.
The Scot, 83, was given the red carpet treatment in Munich, and appeared to be on fine form.
He was overheard telling friends: 'These are the occasions I miss the most.'
Toffees eye Grealish
Everton are monitoring unsettled Manchester City forward Jack Grealish, although Inside Sport understands no talks have yet taken place between the clubs.
Any move would probably be in the shape of a loan, with Grealish's £300,000-a-week wages presenting an issue.
However, bringing the England winger to Bramley-Moore Dock would be seen as a serious statement of intent by the club's new owners, the Friedkin Group.
Rovers apologise for price discrepancy
Blackburn Rovers have been forced to email all of their Championship rivals to apologise after charging away fans £2 more than home supporters for matches at Ewood Park last season.
Those in the away end were not given the option of buying digital tickets and, as such, were subject to a £2 'administration charge' for a paper equivalent.
After discussions with the EFL, Blackburn wrote to all of the other clubs to 'apologise for this inadvertent price discrepancy'.
They have rectified the issue for the coming season.
Will Bach hand around?
The coronation of Kirsty Coventry as president of the International Olympic Committee is only days away, but observers are intrigued as to whether outgoing president Thomas Bach will hang around.
Fears that Bach will be the backseat driver for Coventry's administration have been fuelled by rumours the German will be keeping an office in the Olympic capital of Lausanne, as an ongoing commitment to the various Olympic roles which he will retain.
English football's top divers
Bristol Rovers are the nation's top divers, followed by Chelsea and Burton Albion.
Over the last three seasons, the Pirates picked up eight simulation bookings, with the other two receiving seven.
Just one dive was penalised in the Women's Super League over the same period.
Strikers were the most common divers, with 22 the peak diving age.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Benjamin Sesko to Arsenal transfer update as Mikel Arteta makes final decision
Mikel Arteta could finally have a new striker at his disposal as Arsenal progress in their bid to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig in a crucial transfer window for the Gunners Arsenal face an important summer in the transfer market as they once again attempt to bridge the gap to finding success under Mikel Arteta. For third year in succession the Gunners finished as runners-up in the Premier League and probably missed an opportunity along the way. Arteta is keen to see his squad strengthened in the coming months and a new striker is top of the agenda. The Gunners have been linked to a long list of players, including Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres. It is not the only position Arsenal hope to improve in however. Nico Williams remains of interest for Arteta and Morgan Rogers, Real Madrid star Rodrygo and Leroy Sane are all said to be shortlisted. There are just two days remaining of the first transfer window of the summer. Arsenal won't have long to wait until it is once again available to them on June 16. Mirror Football takes a look at the latest transfer news and rumours around the Emirates below. Sesko talks scheduled Arsenal are set for more talks for the transfer of Benjamin Sesko, as the Gunners attempt to finally land a new forward. There is no agreement in place between the north London side and RB Leipzig just yet but they have already pencilled in another round of talks with positive feelings over reaching an agreement according to Sky Sports Germany. Leipzig still await an official offer from Arsenal, and have placed a price-tag of £60m on the 22-year-old star. Striker convinced Arsenal are solely focused on landing Benjamin Sesko and advancing their course to get a deal over the line, with no move for Viktor Gyokores expected currently, per reports. The deal is said to be advancing well for Sesko, as the consensus appears, with Mikel Arteta proving convincing. It is claimed that Sesko has been 'sold on Arteta's project' having decided to remain in Germany last season amid the Gunners' long-term interest. The 41-cap Slovenia international now appears prepared to leave. Zubimendi concern Martin Zubimendi has two reasons to reject a move to Arsenal with Real Madrid lurking in wait. The Gunners have an agreement in place with Real Sociedad over the transfer but Zubimendi has yet to have a medical and has said he expects a long summer. Reports in Spain suggest that Zubimendi would prefer to remain in his home nation however, eve if he is to leave Real Sociedad. AS claim Zubimendi is 'attracted' to the idea of playing for Real Madrid under Alonso too, having previously played under him for Real Sociedad B. Real Madrid are interested in the 26-year-old and new Los Blancos boss Xabi Alonso is said to have made the player his primary target. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
NBA fans sent into meltdown by bizarre technical malfunction on Pacers-Thunder TV broadcast
The digital logos projected onto Oklahoma City's home court during Game 2 of the NBA Finals became a distracting eyesore for fans trying to watch the Thunder and visiting Indiana Pacers. At the heart of the issue is the NBA's years-old decision to remove the Larry O'Brien Trophy and NBA Finals logo decals from the court during the annual best-of-seven championship series. Only this year, with fans already questioning the decals' absence, the NBA tried replacing them with digital projections in Game 2. The resulting display irritated fans considerably. Sometimes the two Larry O'Brien Trophy projections would be delayed after replays and randomly reappear at peculiar moments. At other points, the digital images would be projected over players as they ran down the court. With the Thunder logo at midcourt, the floor art for Sunday's Game 2 also included a rotation of digital graphics as well as on-court advertisements for Paycom, YouTubeTV sideline and Michelob Ultra. 'This floor is a NASCAR hood,' SiriusXM's Rob Perez joked on X. Fans were left disgusted, not just at the chaotic scramble of logos, but also at the poor image quality of the projections, some of which cut in and out. 'This is worst (sic) than just having the most minimal effort,' one fan wrote. 'FANS: The NBA Finals are supposed to be special. You could at least put the logo back on the court,' popular commenter Mike Beauvais wrote. 'NBA: Here are the terribly low-res digital Larry O'Brien Trophies superimposed on the court like you wanted. They're glitchy and disappear if we cut back to them too quickly.' Many other fans pointed out that the NBA managed intricate court designs for the in-season tournament, but appear relegated to using digital projections for ABC's Finals broadcasts. 'Why do we get this court for the lame a** cup games, yet we don't get any good courts for the Finals? no Finals logo @nba make it make sense. the ads all over the place have diminished entertainment value.'


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Dollar steadies after rally, focus shifts to US-China trade talks
June 9 (Reuters) - The dollar held steady against all major currencies on Monday, as exuberance over an upbeat U.S. employment report gave way to caution ahead of pivotal U.S.-China trade talks set to take place in London later in the day. The talks come at a crucial time for both economies, with China grappling with deflation and trade uncertainty dampening sentiment among U.S. businesses and consumers, prompting investors to reassess the dollar's safe-haven status. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are expected to represent the U.S. at the trade talks, while vice premier He Lifeng would likely be present with the Chinese delegation. "A deal to keep talking might be better than nothing, but unless we see a concrete breakthrough, the impact on sentiment is likely to remain muted," said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets. Friday's upbeat U.S. jobs report yielded some relief for investors following other bleak economic data last week. The dollar advanced against major peers after the employment report, which cut weekly declines in the dollar index by more than half. However, it is still down by more than 8.6% for the year. On Monday, the yen firmed 0.10% at 144.750 per dollar, as data showed Japan's economy contracted at a slower-than-expected pace in the January-March period. The Swiss franc was steady at 0.8221 per dollar by 0041 GMT. The euro was last flat at $1.1399, while the sterling fetched $1.3535. The dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against six others, was steady at 99.169. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was flat in early Asia trading, after a more than 10 basis points jump on Friday. New Zealand's dollar last bought $0.6020, while the Australian dollar inched up 0.1% at $0.65 in light volumes as markets were closed for a public holiday. An inflation report out of the U.S. for the month of May will be in the spotlight later in the week as investors and Federal Reserve policymakers look for evidence on the damage trade restrictive policies have had on the economy. Fed officials are in a blackout period ahead of their policy meeting next week, but they have signalled that they are in no rush to cut interest rates and signs of better-than-feared economic resilience are likely to further cement their stance. Interest rate futures indicate that investors are anticipating the central bank may cut borrowing costs by 25 basis points, with the earliest move expected in October this year, according to data compiled by LSEG. "May is the first month where the impact of Trump's 10% universal tariff on imports ex-USMCA is expected to show. The Fed will want a few months of inflation data in order to judge the tariff impact and most importantly, its persistence," analysts at ANZ Bank said. Elsewhere, China's offshore yuan was last at 7.187 per dollar ahead of inflation and trade data.