Cerny set for Besiktas move & Martin has interest in 'fair few' players
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Sweet moment Michelle Agyemang's former club reacts to England's Euro 2025 joy
Crowds gathered at England star Michelle Agyemang 's former club, Brandon Groves Community Club in Essex, to watch the Lionesses ' penalties secure their victory against Spain in the Euro 2025 final on Sunday, 27 July. The 19-year-old was named young player of the tournament, and the Prince of Wales was among those to heap praise on the striker during the presentation ceremony. Agyemang, who has risen to stardom just four years on from her days as a ball girl, said of England's Euro 2025 journey: "It's so hard coming from a loss in the first game to now, but everything happens for a reason and now we're European champions."
The Guardian
10 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘It was so inspiring' – ecstatcic fans sing praises of victorious lionesses
From mid-afternoon on Sunday, the Leyton Star pub in east London was filled with hundreds of pint-clutching fans dressed in the Lioness kit and swaddled in flags to watch England play Spain for their second major international tournament final in two years – hoping this time they might flip the result. They were joined by thousands more fans in pubs and community centres across the UK, and audiences tuning in at home, whose number is expected to surpass the 17.4m peak seen during the semi-final. Members of the dozen grassroots women's teams who had played earlier that day in a nearby football tournament told the Guardian that, although enthusiasm for the Euros had taken a while to build, they felt that women's football was bigger than ever. Fans screamed with excitement as Chloe Kelly scored the winning penalty, securing England's Euros crown for another four years. 'I don't know how they always do this – I lose faith every time. But it was amazing. So inspirational,' said Emmeline Wilcox, who plays for a local team, the Bow Belles. 'The penalties were much better than last time – they've been practising.' Several members of Inter Melanin, which runs two teams in north and south London, shared their verdict on the tournament. 'A rollercoaster. Stressful,' said Jesley Faye. But they were unanimous in their Euros highlight: 'We love Michelle [Agyemang]!' Inter Melanin were formed after the Euros in 2022. 'There was a women's football buzz in the air, there was so much talk around women's football, and how there's not enough representation of women of colour,' said Thema Archer. Inter Melanin's popularity has exploded – and now has a waitlist totalling 200. While Archer thinks a lot of progress on diversifying the women's game has been made, 'there's a long way to go – it starts from grassroots and young players need to be empowered and supported to come up'. The tournament has sparked renewed interest in the women's game, with tickets sales for Women's Super League games soaring and matches upgraded to bigger grounds. The number of grassroots teams has doubled. Brands have approached Inter Melanin inviting them to watch parties – 'ten per match!' said Faye – and they have never seen so many pubs showing the football. 'It was a lot harder to watch it four years ago, or even the World Cup,' said Archer. Kelsea Sunu, who runs a women's team Wingers FC and a men's team, Zingers FC, in north-east London, organised a tournament to raise money for humanitarian work in Gaza after raising £3,200 for Medical Aid Palestinians last year. She felt she had seen 'a lot more people watching and following' the tournament, though she noted that one major difference with the men's game was that the 'group stages don't get as much traction still'. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion She felt the final echoed how England had been 'slow to start' in their earlier games: 'It's a shame we lost Lauren James, but Chloe Kelly coming on earlier than usual is huge. For the last few tournaments she's been the gamechanger for quite a few games, assisting and scoring that penalty.' Sunu acknowledged that Spain were a strong team who were able to capitalise on even England's smallest mistakes and had scored a 'great goal, the header was stunning'. Lorna Masters, who plays for Hot Shots United, said the tournament had been 'absolutely incredible'. 'Watching the Lionesses in the last Euros was so inspiring, it's given us all a boost to get behind them again – to see how Sarina Wiegman works with her super subbing, she's done it all over again,' she added. Masters said that in the tense knockout stages – as England battled their way to the final – 'pubs have been full, people have been screaming, getting really passionate'. Growing up, she encountered lots of barriers to playing football: it wasn't available for girls in PE, she had to travel two hours for tournaments from her home town of Oxford and women's games were given worse time slots. 'Whereas now people are really excited about women's football. How cool would that have been when we were kids?' she said.
The Sun
10 minutes ago
- The Sun
Horse racing faces ‘grave risk' from new betting tax bombshell, bosses warn
A LOOMING tax on horserace betting would wipe £330million off the industry in just five years and risk thousands of jobs, bosses have warned. The levy has been branded an existential threat to the beloved spectator sport and sparked urgent calls for a climbdown. 1 Ministers are proposing to raise the 15 per cent tax on horserace bets into line with the 21 per cent for online casinos. Devastating analysis has revealed this could cost the sector £66million every year and put up to 2,752 people out of a job. Towns where racecourses are a big source of employment - like Doncaster and York - would be particularly affected. The British Horseracing Association has warned this would send the sport into 'irreversible decline' in a blow to the five million racegoers who attend every year. Chief executive Brant Dunshea said: 'This latest tax bombshell from the Government, if followed through, poses one of the gravest risks to horseracing the sport has ever seen. 'The horseracing industry is already in a precarious financial position, and the latest research provides a much more catastrophic forecast than we first thought. 'We're talking thousands of jobs at risk across the supply chain, severely impacted towns and communities, and the irreversible decline of the country's second most popular sport.' David Menuisier, a trainer at Coombelands Racing Stables, added: 'Racing is much more than just a sport in this country. 'It brings fun and excitement to millions and is a major local employer, particularly here in West Sussex as we prepare for another fantastic year at Goodwood.' A Treasury spokesperson said: 'We are consulting on bringing the treatment of online betting in line with other forms of online gambling to cut down bureaucracy - it is not about increasing or decreasing rates, and we welcome views from all stakeholders including businesses, trade bodies, the third sector and individuals.'
