Latest news with #Berrada


Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd chief Omar Berrada gets transfer reality check after agreeing latest deal
Omar Berra left Manchester City to lead the rebuild of Manchester United but he and his colleagues are not having things all their own way in the transfer market Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada was hailed as the man who would bring back the glory years to Old Trafford when Sir Jim Ratcliffe lured him away from Manchester City last year. But the 47-year-old has discovered that if you don't enter the transfer market in a position of strength then football becomes a cruel business. Berrada has been working closely with director of football Jason Wilcox to recruit the kind of talent that manager Ruben Amorim is demanding after a nightmare first six months at the club ended with United finishing in their lowest league position for 50 years. Amorim will be delighted that by the time he touches down in Chicago at the start of United's pre-season tour of the United States, he will have Bryan Mbeumo to strengthen an attack that will also include the hugely talented Matheus Cunha. But Berrada has had to sanction a £70million outlay to secure Mbeumo - the price he was quoted two months ago when United had a £55million opening bid rejected immediately by Brentford for the Cameroon star. Cunha was secured for the £62.5million buy-out clause stipulated in his contract at Wolves. And United must pay the fee in three instalments over the next two years after the Molineux club dismissed a notion that the deal could be settled over an extended five-year period. This isn't the way that Berrada did business at the Etihad. When he worked alongside City sporting director Txiki Begiristain, the pair would often walk away from deals if the figures didn't add up. City refused to break their budget when Southampton were asking for a world-record £75million for Virgil van Dijk. While their stance backfired on that occasion, they did the same when it came to negotiations over players like Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire, Fred and Jorginho. The first three of those names ended up at Old Trafford. United's lack of joined-up thinking continued when Berrada arrived last summer. More than £200million was lavished on Levy Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui - and in November the decision was taken to sack manager Erik ten Hag. Amorim was recruited from Sporting Lisbon on Berrada's insistence - despite the Portuguese's three-at-the-back philosophy being an awkward fit for the squad he inherited. With United more than £1billion in debt and facing issues complying with Profit and Sustainability Regulations, the club are unable to spend their way out of the mess that has been created by more than a decade of gross mismanagement. When Amorim's team lost to Spurs in the Europa League Final in May and missed out on Champions League qualification, the need to sell unwanted players to raise money became even more acute. Cashing in on Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia would have potentially raised hundreds of millions of pounds in normal circumstances. But Amorim's decision to group them in a so called bomb-squad, refusing to allow them to train with the players he wants to take into the new season and instructing them to report for fitness sessions late in the afternoon when the chosen ones have left the building at Carrington means interested clubs are playing a waiting game in the knowledge that United are being held to ransom by the policy. Berrada must find a way of breaking the deadlock - and quickly. 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.


Morocco World
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Over 160,000 Middle School Students Drop Out Each Year, Says Education Minister
Berlin – More than 160,000 students drop out of middle school every year in Morocco, according to the Minister of National Education, Mohamed Saad Berrada. He shared the figure on Monday during a session at the House of Representatives. 'These are children without schooling, without training, and often without support in difficult environments,' said the minister during the weekly parliamentary questions. Berrada linked this high dropout rate to incidents of violence around sports stadiums. He said that many young people involved in these disturbances are those who have left school early and spend time around stadium areas. To address safety concerns ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the minister announced that all stadiums hosting matches will be equipped with surveillance cameras to help identify those responsible for acts of vandalism. On other education issues, Berrada explained that overcrowding at the primary level has been addressed, but still exists at the middle and high school levels, with a current overcrowding rate of 12%. This, he said, is not due to a shortage of teachers, but to population growth in specific urban areas such as Beni Makada in Tangier, Médiouna, and Nouaceur in Casablanca. Rural areas are less affected by overcrowding, but face different challenges. In these rural regions, multigrade classrooms, where one teacher handles several grade levels, are still common. The minister said that the development of community schools will eventually allow for the end of this system, which is often seen as less effective. The figures and statements reflect the broader difficulties Morocco faces in keeping students engaged in the education system, particularly in the middle school years and in rapidly growing urban districts. Tags: drop out of schoolsEducation in Moroccovandalism


The Irish Sun
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Furious Man Utd fans slam new ticket prices as ‘another slap in the face' and warn decision will do ‘enormous harm'
FURIOUS Manchester United fans condemned a new ticket-price rise as a "fresh kick in the teeth". The club have introduced a new match categorisation model, charging some members up to £97 for top fixtures - starting with the Premier League opener against Arsenal on August 17. 3 Manchester United fans have hit back at the club's new pricing structure Credit: Reuters 3 Chief exec Omar Berrada insists supporters were consulted on the changes Credit: Alamy Around 20,000 supporters buying tickets for home matches at Old Trafford through the membership scheme will be affected in some form. Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) claim the club "failed to consult any of the fans' representative bodies on the details of the decision". However, chief executive A MUST statement read: "After how last season went, we might have hoped that the club would reconsider their plans for this new ticketing model. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL "It will see eye-watering price increases for 20,000 supporters per game who buy tickets on a match-by-match basis. "This really is a fresh kick in the teeth for Manchester United fans." Supporters were already at war with the club after Berrada admitted this week in an interview with United We Stand that the club had made a mistake. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The opener with the Gunners is one of six Prem games priced between £59 and £97 for members. Fixtures against Paul Scholes lays into Sir Jim Ratcliffe for 'having the cheek' to introduce 'ridiculous' Man Utd's ticket prices Category B includes 11 league matches, with two games - against Wolves and Sunderland - priced in the Category C band. Cup games are in the lowest Category D band. The changes will see MUST added: "Once again, they have failed to consult any of the fans' representative bodies on the details of the decision. "And, once again, they are making choices against the interests of fans and the club as a whole. "This match categorisation model will do enormous harm." 3 The club insist fan groups were consulted and say ticket prices are lower than those first proposed to the Fan Advisory Board, whom Berrada claims to have engaged with heavily since the £66 decision. But another protest group, "Dialogue with the club is broken, ignored or treated with contempt. 'Fans raise genuine concerns, the club responds with spin and price hikes. "Profit comes first. Supporters, the lifeblood of this club, come last."


Daily Mirror
18-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Ruben Amorim closes on second summer signing as another star snubs Man Utd move
Manchester United's transfer window is finally gathering pace again after the arrival of Matheus Cunha from Wolves, with Ruben Amorim close to his second signing of the summer Manchester United's summer transfer window is steadily progressing. Boss Ruben Amorim is looking to enact a major overhaul at Old Trafford following a miserable season that left them 15th in the Premier League. Matheus Cunha has already arrived from Wolves in a deal worth around £63million. Further investment is needed though if Amorim is to turn around his reign after a dismal time in charge so far. High up his list is a new striker, but top target Liam Delap has snubbed a move to Old Trafford to instead join Chelsea. And the Red Devils have received a fresh setback with another target making it clear he will not be joining Amorim's squad. That comes as United chief executive Omar Berrada insisted that he has full confidence in the club's plans for the summer window. Berrada believes that Amorim has a clear vision that will be a success. Berrada's comments come with United closing in on their second signing of the summer window. Here, Mirror Football rounds up all the latest Manchester United transfer news. United close to second signing Tom Heaton is set to sign a new one-year contract with Manchester United to remain as their third-choice keeper. Heaton has spent the last four years with the Red Devils in what is his second spell at Old Trafford. Before that, the 39-year-old had successful spells at Bristol City, Burnley and Aston Villa, earning regular call-ups to the England national team. He had been set to be out of contract this summer. But Heaton is now close to putting pen to paper on a new deal which will keep him at Old Trafford until next summer. The decision has been approved by Amorim and his coaching staff. Berrada speaks out on plans United chief executive Omar Berrada has confirmed the club will be busy for the rest of the summer window. Berrada has overseen a massive cost-cutting process over the past year. Despite that, he has told The United Stand that the Red Devils will be 'active' over the summer. He also backed the 'vision' Amorim and director of football Jason Wilcox share for the direction of the club. 'We've put ourselves in the best position possible by doing everything that we've had this year around cost-cutting,' Berrada added. 'I'm confident that we will come out of the window with a much stronger team than what we've gone into.' Target snubs move Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kauã Santos has insisted he will snub a move to Manchester United. Santos featured in 14 games this season before suffering a major injury and has a contract running for another five years, though United have grown interested in him. 'The people in charge in Frankfurt have shown enormous trust in me. They wanted to continue working with me before these rumours even surfaced. They still have a lot of faith in me here, so it was clear to me that I wanted to extend my contract," he told Die Welt. "I want to establish myself as a goalkeeper, perform well, and achieve as much as possible. I'm not busy with anything else at the moment, because my entire focus is on Eintracht Frankfurt.' Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. 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.


Glasgow Times
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Omar Berrada confident Man Utd can deliver men's and women's titles by 2028
Berrada, who first told staff of his 'Project 150' vision in September last year, knows that represents a significant challenge with Ruben Amorim's side having just endured a worst top-flight season since relegation in 1973-74, while Chelsea continue to dominate the Women's Super League. However, he believes marking a major milestone in the club's history since it was founded as Newton Heath in 1878 with double title success is realistic. In an interview with the United We Stand fanzine to be published on Wednesday, Berrada said: 'It's establishing a series of targets within a timeframe so we can focus our efforts and energy on that goal. 'Can the team win the Premier League title by 2028? Of course. 'We've just finished 15th and it seems an impossible task. But why not aim for it? Why not do everything in our power?' Manchester United lost the Women's FA Cup final to Chelsea (Jonathan Brady/PA) While United finished third in the WSL, 16 points behind champions Chelsea who also beat them in the FA Cup final, the men languished just three places above the Premier League relegation zone and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham. Nevertheless, Berrada is sticking to his timetable. He said: 'I firmly believe we can do it. We have two or three summer windows to build a team to start competing to win the Premier League.'