Paying for the shirt: what football kits reveal about soccer's filthy money and sportswashing
When I was a youngster in the 1980s, all of us passionately following English soccer clubs and the Ireland team, nobody wore replica jerseys – or hardly anyone. One kid came to hurling training in full Spurs kit one evening, around 1984 or '85; he might have been clad in diamond-studded spandex, such was our wide-eyed amazement.
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Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Paying for the shirt: what football kits reveal about soccer's filthy money and sportswashing
When I was a youngster in the 1980s, all of us passionately following English soccer clubs and the Ireland team, nobody wore replica jerseys – or hardly anyone. One kid came to hurling training in full Spurs kit one evening, around 1984 or '85; he might have been clad in diamond-studded spandex, such was our wide-eyed amazement.
Irish Independent
8 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Thomas Frank calls for unity at Tottenham Hotspur after replacing Ange Postecoglou
Speaking for the first time since replacing Ange Postecoglou - who was sacked just weeks after delivering Spurs their first trophy in 17 years - the former Brentford boss said there would need to be 'alignment' among the club's hierarchy, including with chairman Daniel Levy, if the team is to build on their Europa League triumph. Spurs will play in the Champions League for the first time since 2022 courtesy of victory over Manchester United in Bilbao in May, despite recording their lowest finish of 17th in the Premier League. It was this fact, together with 22 league defeats, that persuaded Levy to dismiss Postecoglou and turn to Frank. 'I've only heard good stuff about all the people here, the training ground, the players,' Frank told the club's website. 'It's a good squad. It's an exciting, massive club with massive potential. So, it's just super, super exciting. 'I had very good conversations and meetings with Daniel Levy, (chief executive) Vinai Venkatesham and (technical director) Johan Lange where we discussed everything in depth, details about the club structure, processes, and of course I came with my views on things, how I saw it, my ideas, and the way I want to do things and how I try to build a team and a club.' There has been open hostility between Levy and supporters in recent seasons with fans largely directing their ire at the chairman rather than Postecoglou last season as the defeats mounted. Levy has at different times been accused of failing to invest in the team and has been blamed for the club's apparent drift since they reached the Champions League final in 2019. Frank is Spurs' fifth permanent appointment since Mauricio Pochettino, who led them to that final in Madrid, was sacked five months later. 'If you want to do something quick, you can go alone,' said Frank, who led Brentford to 10th place last season following finishes of 13th, ninth and 16th in their three previous Premier League seasons. He also brought them into the top flight via the play-offs in 2021. 'If you want to do something big or achieve something big, you go together. So, it's definitely about doing things together - me, the staff, the players. 'I think alignment is key, from top to bottom. Of course it starts from Daniel, Vinai, Johan, and me, and the more the four of us can be aligned, just like a unit, an unbreakable unit, the stronger we'll be. 'There'll be ups and downs. Right now, it's a fairytale. Everyone's happy, the sun is shining, it's fantastic.'
The 42
11 hours ago
- The 42
Man City ease into Club World Cup campaign
PHIL FODEN scored inside two minutes to set Manchester City on the way to a comfortable 2-0 win against Wydad Casablanca in their opening match at the Club World Cup on Wednesday. Jeremy Doku was also on target before half-time at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where the majority of the 37,446 crowd were supporting City, but most of the noise was made by the fans of the Moroccan side. The afternoon was slightly marred for City as Rico Lewis was sent off for a dangerous tackle late on, but Pep Guardiola will be satisfied to see his team get off to a winning start. City have come to the Club World Cup eager to turn the page after a disappointing season domestically and in the Champions League. Tougher tests await than those provided by the team that finished third in the Moroccan league, with the English club next facing Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates before they complete Group G against Juventus. Guardiola used this occasion to field something of an experimental line-up, with new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki making their debuts while teenage defender Vitor Reis started for just the third time since arriving in January. Advertisement This was always going to be a big ask for Wydad, whose coach Amine Benhachem was only appointed in the run-up to the Club World Cup. Their reinforcements for the tournament include a Brazilian defender signed on loan from the Portuguese second tier, a Dutch defender recruited from the Bosnian league, and 38-year-old Moroccan international Nordin Amrabat. French international creator Cherki was deployed in a floating central role for City close to Foden, and it was the England star who got the breakthrough in the second minute. Used sparingly in the final weeks of the Premier League campaign, Foden was perfectly placed to sweep the ball home inside the box after goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid patted a Savinho centre out into his path. Wydad, who qualified as a recent winner of the CAF Champions League, were not cowed and did have chances to give their passionate support something to celebrate. - Cherki, Reijnders make debuts - When Cherki gave the ball away cheaply, Thembinkosi Lorch produced an audacious attempt to beat Ederson from inside his own half, but the Brazilian goalkeeper was able to save. South African forward Cassius Mailula then missed a fine opportunity after being set up by Lorch following a Reis error. Nathan Ake and Foden had chances for City before the latter set up the second goal in the 42nd minute as his corner from the right was headed in by Doku. Doku should then have done better after being left with just the goalkeeper to beat after pouncing on defensive hesitation early in the second half. There would be no more goals, but Guardiola made a raft of substitutions as the second half went on, including withdrawing Cherki, Doku and Foden on the hour mark as Rodri and Erling Haaland came on. They could come into the starting line-up against Al Ain in Atlanta on Sunday, but Lewis will not feature in that game. The 20-year-old right-back was shown a straight red card in the 88th minute by the Brazilian referee after catching Wydad substitute Samuel Obeng high up with his studs. – © AFP 2025
