Latest news with #ArsèneWenger
Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Vic Akers: Thierry Henry said Kelly Smith could have played for men's team
Can anyone match the breadth of intimate connections Vic Akers has to the Arsène Wenger era at Arsenal? He may even rival the Frenchman. Akers spent over three decades at Arsenal, and was the men's team's kit man from Wenger's arrival in 1996 to the great manager's farewell in 2018. In that conduit role between staff and players, he had private chats with 'the gaffer', watched rom-coms with Dennis Bergkamp and mustered a rare bout of anger towards Mathieu Flamini. But his unique feat came elsewhere. Between 1987 and 2009, Akers was also manager of Arsenal's pioneering women's team, winning 33 major trophies. That's 12 league titles, ten FA Cups, ten League Cups and, most strikingly of all, one Champions League crown as part of
International Business Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- International Business Times
Tottenham vs Manchester United Live Streaming: How to Watch the UEFA Europa League Final Online in the US, UK and India
The 2024/25 UEFA Europa League title will be decided when Tottenham Hotspur take on Manchester United in a much-anticipated final at San Mames on Wednesday. This marks the first European final of the 2024/25 season, though it has sparked some unexpected criticism. Tottenham and Manchester United will battle it out for the trophy, each hoping to salvage disappointing seasons by securing a spot in next year's UEFA Champions League. Among the critics is Arsène Wenger, who has questioned the rule granting the Europa League winner automatic entry into the next season's Champions League. However, the backlash appears exaggerated, since the rule has existed for ten years without inviting any controversy. A Fight to Prove Supremacy However, turning attention to the action on the field, Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the UEFA Europa League final with a dominant 5-1 win over Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals. Prior to that, they edged past AZ Alkmaar and Eintracht Frankfurt in closely contested ties, having secured fourth place in the group stage. Meanwhile, Manchester United cruised to a 7-1 aggregate win over Athletic Club in the semi-finals, denying the Spanish side the chance to compete for the title on home soil at San Mames. The Red Devils narrowly overcame Lyon in the quarter-finals but comfortably handled Real Sociedad in the round of 16. United had finished third in the group stage and remain the only unbeaten team in all of Europe this season. Despite their success in Europe, both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have had an extremely disappointing Premier League campaign, currently sitting 16th and 17th, respectively, in the standings. Neither side has managed a league win in more than two months, making a Europa League title a potential silver lining in otherwise disappointing campaigns. The two clubs have met three times this season, with Tottenham coming out on top in every encounter. When and Where The Tottenham vs Manchester United UEFA Europa League final match will be played at San Mames Stadium, Bilbao, Spain, on Wednesday, May 21. The match begins at 8 PM BST, 3 PM ET and 12:30 AM IST (Thursday). How to Live Stream United States: The Tottenham vs Manchester United UEFA Europa League final will be broadcast on Paramount+ in the USA. The Tottenham vs Manchester United UEFA Europa League final will be available to stream online live on Fubo, DirecTV Stream, Paramount+, Unimas, TUDN and ViX. United Kingdom: The Tottenham vs Manchester United UEFA Europa League final will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 2, and is available to stream online live on discovery+. India: The Tottenham vs Manchester United UEFA Europa League final will be broadcast on JioTv. The Tottenham vs Manchester United UEFA Europa League final will be available to stream on tabii, Sony LIV.
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Business Standard
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Business Standard
City to United: Check full list of FA Cup winners in the 21st century
The FA Cup, English football's most prestigious domestic cup competition, has delivered countless iconic moments in the 21st century. While the tournament dates back to 1871, the results of recent years have been nothing but mesmerising. From underdog triumphs to dominant displays by elite clubs, the tournament continues to capture the imagination of fans around the world. Arsenal have been the most successful side in this era, lifting the trophy six times since 2000 under the guidance of Arsène Wenger and later Mikel Arteta. Their 2005 and 2014 wins stand out, ending silverware droughts in dramatic fashion. Chelsea have closely followed with five titles, their powerful squads often marching through to Wembley glory. Manchester United added to their illustrious history with wins in 2004 and 2016, while rivals Manchester City have asserted modern dominance with victories in 2011, 2019 and, most recently, in 2023 under Pep Guardiola. Meanwhile, Wigan Athletic's stunning 2013 victory over Manchester City remains one of the greatest upsets, highlighting the FA Cup's unique magic. Check full list of FA Cup winners in the 21st century: Season Winner Runner-up Score 2000–01 Liverpool Arsenal 2–1 2001–02 Arsenal Chelsea 2–0 2002–03 Arsenal Southampton 1–0 2003–04 Manchester United Millwall 3–0 2004–05 Arsenal Manchester United 0–0 (5–4 pens) 2005–06 Liverpool West Ham United 3–3 (3–1 pens) 2006–07 Chelsea Manchester United 1–0 (a.e.t.) 2007–08 Portsmouth Cardiff City 1–0 2008–09 Chelsea Everton 2–1 2009–10 Chelsea Portsmouth 1–0 2010–11 Manchester City Stoke City 1–0 2011–12 Chelsea Liverpool 2–1 2012–13 Wigan Athletic Manchester City 1–0 2013–14 Arsenal Hull City 3–2 (a.e.t.) 2014–15 Arsenal Aston Villa 4–0 2015–16 Manchester United Crystal Palace 2–1 (a.e.t.) 2016–17 Arsenal Chelsea 2–1 2017–18 Chelsea Manchester United 1–0 2018–19 Manchester City Watford 6–0 2019–20 Arsenal Chelsea 2–1 2020–21 Leicester City Chelsea 1–0 2021–22 Liverpool Chelsea 0–0 (6–5 pens) 2022–23 Manchester City Manchester United 2–1 2023–24 Manchester United Manchester City 2–1 2024-25 Crystal Palace Manchester City 1-0
Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Uefa refuses to close Champions League route for Europa League winners
Uefa will resist pressure to change its rule that the Europa League winner qualifies for the following season's Champions League. Either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur will get that backdoor route to the riches of next season's Champions League despite their awful domestic campaigns — they are 15thand 16th in the Premier League table respectively. Uefa chiefs believe the new format has been a success and are none too happy that Arsène Wenger, the former Arsenal manager who is now Fifa's global head of football development, has called for the Europa League winners rule to be reviewed. Other critics claim the Europa League is now weaker as no teams drop down from the Champions League — until last season eight did so — and there
The Guardian
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Wenger wants to fix VAR offsides but broken handball rule is the real problem
Five years ago, Fifa's chief of global development, Arsène Wenger, outlined his bold plans to change the offside law. 'The most difficult [issue] that people have [with VAR] is the offside rule,' he said. 'You have had offsides by a fraction of a centimetre, literally by a nose. It is the time to do this quickly. 'There is room to change the rule and not say that a part of a player's nose is offside, so you are offside because you can score with that. Instead, you will be not be offside if any part of the body that can score a goal is in line with the last defender, even if other parts of the attacker's body are in front. That will sort it out and you will no longer have decisions about millimetres and a fraction of the attacker being in front of the defensive line.' I can't actually recall someone being offside literally by a nose – VAR came in after Alan Smith stopped playing (many apologies Smudge, first big-nosed player that came to mind; a compliment if anything). Fortunately for all of us, Wenger's plea to do this quickly didn't materialise. And it is astonishing that neither he, nor anyone around him, has noticed how absolutely disastrous this change would be. Five years later, on beIN Sports this week, he reiterated this position. 'In 1990 we decided that [there is] no offside any more when you are on the same line [as the defender]. In case of doubt the doubt benefits the striker. That means when there's a fraction the striker could get the advantage. With VAR this advantage disappeared … It's frustrating. That's why I propose that as long as any part of your body is on the same line as the defender then you are not offside.' Now to be absolutely clear, I am a big daylight fan. My kids love daylight. I spend a great deal of time in daylight, I see some of my best friends in daylight. I'm also a big admirer of Wenger. The football Arsenal played under him was glorious at times – even if they did on occasion just try to walk it in. This is not suggesting he's past it and we should ignore his views on the game in the way people should definitely stop asking Des Lynam what he thinks of female pundits. However frustrated we are talking about toenails and shoulders, and any other pointy bit you can score with – your knees, your chins, your Adam's apples – this would just change the discussion to heels and protruding backsides. Terrible implications perhaps for the buttock augmentation industry (I confess to not being an expert in this particular field). If you consider a striker sprinting through and a defender stepping out, if the attacking player is deemed onside if the point of the toe of his fully extended trailing leg is just in line with the heel of the centre back, it would weigh things in the attacking team's favour to a ludicrous extent. High lines would disappear, and we love high lines – Barcelona, Spurs, Aston Villa, etc – however terrifying they are for the supporters. It is extraordinary that someone in such a position of influence, or at least someone who has watched so much football, can't see how this would change the game. Low blocks everywhere. Set pieces would be impossible to defend. A couple of months ago, Wenger supported the continuation of trials over 'torso offsides' discussed at an International Football Association Board (Ifab) meeting in Belfast. According to our reporting, moving the line back, to where the player's torso is in line, is gaining favour among lawmakers, with the rationale that not only would it be a more balanced cutoff point but that the torso is easier to capture using tracking software, potentially allowing for quicker decisions. So is it daylight, is it the torso, or is it where we are currently? Can we stop moving the goalposts – apologies, probably best not to bring goalposts into this. The torso idea is interesting. When it was first suggested, there were a number of offside goals in the Premier League that would have counted in a torso world. I'd be interested to see a game of profile but no importance (eg the Community Shield) try it out so we could all see. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion But if the problem is that really close VAR offsides are frustrating for everyone (and really close VAR offsides are frustrating for everyone), then moving the line doesn't change anything. There will always be a line, there will always be decisions made by millimetres. When does daylight begin? 1cm? 1mm? 0.1mm? What's the right amount of daylight? When does a torso begin? Do players start hitching their shorts to Simon Cowell heights? Offside wasn't introduced for any of this. It was introduced to stop goalhanging. The endless delays for offside are one of the main reasons my VAR journey has gone from vaguely pro to indifferent to in favour of getting rid. But I disagree with Wenger that offside is the most difficult issue fans have with VAR – when I say fans, I mean me. And with no apologies for repeating myself, VAR has broken the handball law. Myles Lewis-Skelly's handball in Wednesday's PSG-Arsenal game is one such example. No one in the ground or at home noticed it. In fact, when 'Potential penalty check' appeared on the screen, a hoard of Arsenal fans being filmed at Boxpark Wembley presumed it was for them because the ball was up the other end. We are so far down the handball rabbit warren that people just accept it. Thank goodness Sue Smith on the international co-comms made all the important points: 'It's so close, he's turning his back, his arm is out for balance, I think that's a really harsh penalty.' In no world should that be a penalty. And everyone involved in managing the laws of football should be ashamed that they've let the game get to this stage. That PSG get an 80% chance of a goal because the ball brushes Lewis-Skelly's hand when goals are such a rarity in football is ridiculous. And goals being a rarity are what makes football the greatest sport. If we are determined to penalise all handballs, make this a free-kick. Hopefully someone at Fifa or Ifab, even Arsène Wenger, will acknowledge this and try to change it. Yours, desperately hoping someone will see the (day)light. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
