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BBC News
22 minutes ago
- BBC News
Real Madrid 'strongly' reject La Liga match in USA
Real Madrid have strongly rejected plans to play Villarreal's La Liga match with Barcelona in the United States, saying it "sets an unacceptable precedent". The fixture is scheduled for 21 December at Villarreal's Estadio de la Ceramica, but the Spanish football federation (RFEF) approved the proposal on Monday to host the game in America. The RFEF will now seek permission from Fifa and Uefa to switch it to the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which is set to host seven matches at the 2026 World Real Madrid have expressed their "strongest rejection of the proposal" to play the match outside Spain. In a statement, the club, external said: "If this proposal is carried out, its consequences would be so serious that they would mean a before and after for the world of football." The Spanish football supporters' association (FASFE) has also joined Barcelona and Villarreal fan groups to make clear their firm opposition to the proposal, warning they would "take appropriate legal action" if it went ahead. However, Villarreal president Fernando Roig told the club's website the US opportunity is something they "must seize". "We have to expand the brand of our football and of Villarreal CF," he added."Many clubs agree on the need to internationalise and to look for ways to generate more revenue so we can get closer to other leagues, such as the Premier League."Fifa's rules currently do not allow domestic league matches to be played abroad, but last year it set up a working group to explore the matter. Last year, La Liga said it wanted to hold Barcelona's meeting with Atletico Madrid in Miami, before dropping the idea because of time who have won a record 36 La Liga titles, said Villarreal playing their home fixture away from their own stadium would be "altering the competitive balance and granting an undue sporting advantage to the applicant clubs". Barca are scheduled to face Villarreal at the Nou Camp on 1 March, 2026. "The integrity of the competition requires that all matches be held under the same conditions for all teams," added Real in their statement. "Unilaterally modifying this regime breaks the equality between contenders, compromises the legitimacy of the results and sets an unacceptable precedent that opens the door to exceptions based on interests other than strictly sporting, with a clear impact on sporting integrity and the risk of adulteration of the competition." The club said it had asked Fifa not to authorise the staging of the game without the prior consent of all La Liga clubs, and asked Uefa to urge the RFEF to withdraw the one-off matches, such as the Italian Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup, have been held abroad in recent the San Siro hosting the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in February, AC Milan are hoping to play their Serie A match against Como in Perth, Australia, as the two events clash. The plans, however, have yet to receive approval from Fifa, Uefa, Football Australia and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The Sun
22 minutes ago
- The Sun
Man Utd transfer news LIVE: Baleba ‘WANTS United move', Red Devils ‘eye Upamecano', Donnarumma ‘battle' heats up
Nkunku open to return Manchester United target Christopher Nkunku is reportedly open to the idea of returning to RB Leipzig. The French star is not wanted at Stamford Bridge and could leave before the end of the transfer window. The Athletic have claimed that he would be open to a move back to RB Leipzig to secure an exit. He joined the Blues from the German side, having impressed for them on the pitch.
The Guardian
39 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Club World Cup and summer tennis bring in the bets for Entain
A flurry of bets on the football Club World Cup, England's triumphant European Women's Championship campaign and summer tennis tournaments helped the UK gambling company Entain to better-than-expected results, helping it brace for looming tax rises in its domestic market. The owner of brands including Ladbrokes and Coral reported an 11% rise in underlying profits to £583m in the first half of the year, on revenues that rose 3% to nearly £2.6bn. At BetMGM, Entain's 50%-owned US joint-venture, revenues rose by more than a third. US sports betting continues to grow rapidly following the supreme court's overturning in 2018 of a decades-old ban on the practice. But Entain also performed strongly in its home market, with online gambling revenues up 21% in the UK and Ireland. Entain said the Club World Cup, held in the US earlier this summer, had delivered 'fantastic results' for the company, despite a muted response to the tournament in the UK. Entain describes Brazil as one of its 'must win' markets, alongside the UK and US, and it has a partnership with the São Paulo team – and Club World Cup participant – Palmeiras. The company said this helped boost local interest in betting on the tournament. The Club World Cup final, between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, was the year's most popular event by the number of bets taken. The French Open and Wimbledon tennis tournaments also delivered new records for the company, amid surging interest from gamblers in a sport whose design inherently creates opportunities to place rapid-fire wagers. Female tennis players have spoken out this year about the abuse they receive, often from gamblers frustrated by having lost bets. Entain's chief executive, Stella David, appointed earlier this year after her predecessor, Gavin Isaacs, departed suddenly after five months, said the results showed the company was 'getting stronger, fitter and faster'. Entain's improved fortunes in the UK could cushion the blow if the Treasury goes ahead with plans to target the gambling industry with higher taxes, as the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, casts around for ways to plug a fiscal hole. Gordon Brown, a former prime minister who also served a decade as chancellor, called recently for gambling duties to increase by £3bn, from about £2.5bn at present, to pay for lifting the two-child limit on benefits. The Treasury is expected to increase taxes levied on the sector, albeit by a smaller amount than Brown has suggested. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Speaking to analysts about tax, David said: 'People should look at the maths and be very careful about where we go forward. There is already a large black market in the UK and driving up tax rates has the potential of reducing the tax take because people go to the black market.' Industry lobbyists have argued that increased taxes would force bookmakers to pass on the cost in the form of worse odds available to gamblers, which would drive them to illegal operators. While Entain reported rising underlying profit, it lost £96m before tax overall, due to the impact of one-off costs including amortisation of acquisitions and the cost of legal issues. These include alleged non-compliance with money-laundering laws in Australia and a deferred prosecution agreement relating to bribery charges involving a business it owned in Turkey.
