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Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Revealed: Marcus Rashford's Man Utd exit brokered by ex-ref and darts fanatic
Marcus Rashford's transfer to Barcelona from Manchester United was brokered in part by a former semi-professional referee and darts nut turned respected commercial and technology lawyer. The United striker's brother and representative Dwaine Maynard enlisted the services of Simon Leaf, a highly regarded partner at law firm Mishcon de Reya, where he heads up the sport and technology division. Maynard was further assisted by another well-regarded figure, Kosti Theoharides, who works for the super agent Arturo Canales's AC Talent group, where is involved in player management, contract negotiations, PR and marketing. Leaf, a first-class honours graduate in land economy and management studies from the University of Cambridge, specialises in technology and sports transactions and has a history of working with Premier League clubs, governing bodies, sports stars and global media and technology giants. An Aston Villa supporter and keen darts fan who previously represented Cambridge against Oxford University live from the Darts World Championship, Leaf formerly refereed in the Conference and Premier League under-23 league. He recently co-authored the chapter on financial regulation in Football and the Law, a leading football law book. Rashford celebrated his season-long loan move to Barcelona in some style by dining out with the club's president Joan Laporta and other board members at one of the city's most exclusive restaurants. The England striker was wined and dined at Amar at Hotel El Palace, a sumptuous seafood restaurant run by the Michelin-starred chef Rafa Zafra, on Wednesday night. According to El Periodico, the 18-strong party enjoyed dishes of tuna belly, crab cannelloni, prawns and mongetes (white beans)from Santa Pau as well as Wagyu beef, Galician blonde steak and the restaurant's renowned cheesecake for dessert. Mount vows to make No 10 spot his own Mason Mount has vowed to make himself indispensable to Ruben Amorim – despite the Manchester United manager spending more than £130 million on two new players in his position. New signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have been earmarked for the two No 10 roles in Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system in a direct threat to Mount's place in the team. But the former Chelsea midfielder – who is one of about seven different senior options in the No 10 position – says he is confident of holding down a regular starting place after fighting his way back to form and fitness at the end of last season. 'One hundred per cent – any time you do get that opportunity to be on the pitch, you want to do something, you want to affect the game,' Mount said. 'That's always the way I've looked at it. Any opportunity you get, you've got to try to take it. I'll always back myself. I know what I can do. Obviously with the new signings coming in, they're going to elevate us to another level and we all need to be at that level to really perform. 'When you're at a club like Manchester United, there has to be that competition there to perform. We know last season wasn't good enough so it's about kicking on.' United's new chef On the subject of quality food, United's squad are being catered for by a new head performance chef on their tour. Will Carvalho joined United in June, replacing Omar Meziane who left in October. Carvalho arrived from Brighton, where he had been the executive performance chef for the past two seasons, and has wasted no time in ingratiating himself with the players. His rice pudding is said to be going down particularly well. In an interview with Telegraph Sport earlier this year, Carvalho offered some insight into what he likes to cook for players. At Brighton, he revealed that for breakfast players would have a wide choice of omelette fillings while lunches were themed around 'the home nations or world regions'. Before matches, Carvalho – who also worked for Gloucester rugby union team previously – said: 'We aim for high-carb options, so we always have two: a pizza station and arancini.' These would be balanced with two 'high-fuel' salad options and eight different types of pasta and a mixture of potato and vegetable dishes. Wilcox and Berrada watch training Amorim has been wasting no time putting his United players through their paces in Chicago ahead of a huge season for the club. Despite the heatwave that hit the Windy City on Wednesday, the squad trained for two-and-a-half hours, starting at 8am that morning at Chicago Fire's new state-of-the-art Endeavour Health Performance Centre. The training complex, which has only been open a few weeks, is just a few miles from the team's hotel and is big enough to allow United and the Fire to train there at the same time. Amorim oversaw a shorter 90-minute session on Thursday and has been spotted in conversation on the sidelines with director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada, who have been observing the sessions. The facility boasts an impressive gym which opens out onto pitches in the shadow of the spectacular Chicago skyline, with the iconic Sears Tower in the background. Harry Maguire is training with the squad, having flown out a day later than his team-mates to deal with a personal matter. United face West Ham at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, the venue for next summer's World Cup final, on Sunday in their first game of the Premier League Summer Series, which also involves Bournemouth and Everton. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Manchester United (@manchesterunited) Small travelling staff Up to 450 jobs have been cut under Sir Jim Ratcliffe at United over the course of the past year and there is a distinctly smaller staff on this US tour than in past years, when numbers had ballooned. Around 60 football, security and commercial staff have travelled to America this time around, which does not include Amorim, his coaches and the players. That is a far cry from a decade ago when staff numbers during the US tours when Louis van Gaal was manager were reported to have reached as high as 140.
The Irish Sun
17-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
PDC World Championship schedule released as fans hail ‘mind-melting amount of darts this Christmas'
SPORTS fans are in for a very merry footballdartsmas this year after the schedule for the Darts World Championship was released. The PDC have expanded the tournament to 128 players for the 2025/26 edition of the Alexandra Palace showpiece. 2 The PDC have revealed the schedule for the 2025/26 Darts World Championship Credit: PA 2 The competition has been expanded with more players, more money and more fans Credit: Alamy This comes with a record-breaking prize pot of £5million on the line, with this year's winner set to pocket an eye-watering £1m. And the schedule for the expanded competition has now been revealed by organisers. It will be a 20-day darts bonanza held across 36 sessions which is expected to welcome more than 100,000 fans. The likes of READ MORE IN DARTS Round one will last over a week through to Friday, December 19, with every day except for the opening day and Wednesday, December 17 featuring an afternoon and evening session. Those who progress will then commence with the second round from Saturday, December 20, which will be played through to Tuesday, December 23 when the competition then takes a break for Christmas. The darts then return with round three action on Saturday, December 27. That will last through to Monday, December 29, when three round three clashes play out at the same time as two round four games. Most read in Darts BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The remainder of round four will be played out across two sessions on Tuesday, December 30. Similarly, the quarter-finals will take place across an afternoon and evening session on New Year's Day. Darts legend Bobby George sends stark message to Luke Littler as he warns sensation he can 'go from hero to zero quick' Friday, January 2 will see the semi-finals played out, before the darts festival then concludes on Saturday, January 3. Fans have called the tournament a "a mind-melting amount of darts". However, A record 40,000 were bought by annual members in the first 30 minutes of pre-sale for the event last year. The PDC website struggled to cope with the traffic and some fans fumed as they got stuck on a "black screen". Other fans were left furious after touts got their hands on tickets before reselling them on some sites for a colossal £800. List of all-time Darts World Champions BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year. The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions. That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once - Barney also won four BDO titles - and none of Eric Bristow's five BDO titles are included. 1994 - Dennis Priestley 1995 - Phil Taylor 1996 - Phil Taylor (2) 1997 - Phil Taylor (3) 1998 - Phil Taylor (4) 1999 - Phil Taylor (5) 2000 - Phil Taylor (6) 2001 - Phil Taylor (7) 2002 - Phil Taylor (8) 2003 - John Part 2004 - Phil Taylor (9) 2005 - Phil Taylor (10) 2006 - Phil Taylor (11) 2007 - Raymond van Barneveld 2008 - John Part (2) 2009 - Phil Taylor (12) 2010 - Phil Taylor (13) 2011 - Adrian Lewis 2012 - Adrian Lewis (2) 2013 - Phil Taylor (14) 2014 - Michael van Gerwen 2015 - Gary Anderson 2016 - Gary Anderson (2) 2017 - Michael van Gerwen (2) 2018 - Rob Cross 2019 - Michael van Gerwen (3) 2020 - Peter Wright 2021 - Gerwyn Price 2022 - Peter Wright (2) 2023 - Michael Smith 2024 - Luke Humphries 2025 - Luke Littler Most World Titles 14 - Phil Taylor 3 - Michael van Gerwen 2 - John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright 1 - Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
Scottish Sun
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
PDC World Championship schedule released as fans hail ‘mind-melting amount of darts this Christmas'
Tickets will not be easy to come by if last year was anything to go by On the bull PDC World Championship schedule released as fans hail 'mind-melting amount of darts this Christmas' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SPORTS fans are in for a very merry footballdartsmas this year after the schedule for the Darts World Championship was released. The PDC have expanded the tournament to 128 players for the 2025/26 edition of the Alexandra Palace showpiece. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The PDC have revealed the schedule for the 2025/26 Darts World Championship Credit: PA 2 The competition has been expanded with more players, more money and more fans Credit: Alamy This comes with a record-breaking prize pot of £5million on the line, with this year's winner set to pocket an eye-watering £1m. And the schedule for the expanded competition has now been revealed by organisers. It will be a 20-day darts bonanza held across 36 sessions which is expected to welcome more than 100,000 fans. The likes of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries will have to wait to discover their fate in the draw, but they know the round one action will get underway from Thursday, December 11. READ MORE IN DARTS LUKE OUT Darts legend Bobby George sends stark message to Luke Littler Round one will last over a week through to Friday, December 19, with every day except for the opening day and Wednesday, December 17 featuring an afternoon and evening session. Those who progress will then commence with the second round from Saturday, December 20, which will be played through to Tuesday, December 23 when the competition then takes a break for Christmas. The darts then return with round three action on Saturday, December 27. That will last through to Monday, December 29, when three round three clashes play out at the same time as two round four games. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The remainder of round four will be played out across two sessions on Tuesday, December 30. Similarly, the quarter-finals will take place across an afternoon and evening session on New Year's Day. Darts legend Bobby George sends stark message to Luke Littler as he warns sensation he can 'go from hero to zero quick' Friday, January 2 will see the semi-finals played out, before the darts festival then concludes on Saturday, January 3. Fans have called the tournament a "a mind-melting amount of darts". However, fans could be hard-pressed to get tickets as the popularity of darts continues to soar. A record 40,000 were bought by annual members in the first 30 minutes of pre-sale for the event last year. The PDC website struggled to cope with the traffic and some fans fumed as they got stuck on a "black screen". Other fans were left furious after touts got their hands on tickets before reselling them on some sites for a colossal £800.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Berkshire darts world champion recognised in Kings Birthday Honours
File photo dated 29/05/25 of Luke Humphries who has been made an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the King's Birthday Honours list, for services to Darts. Issue date: Friday June 13, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: John (Image: John Walton/PA Wire) Berkshire's former darts World Champion, Luke Humphries, has been awarded an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours. Born and raised in Newbury before moving to Crewe, Humphries won the 2024 Darts World Championship, losing in the 2025 final to Luke Littler, but got revenge last month as he lifted the Premier League crown. Advertisement Teenage sensation Littler has also been awarded an MBE for services to darts in what was a mixed weekend as the pair were dumped out of the World Cup of Darts after defeat to hosts Germany. Humphries said: 'When I got the letter, I kind of couldn't believe when I opened it and it's a very proud moment. My mum and dad are obviously incredibly proud as well. It usually happens later on in people's careers, but it's happened in mine pretty early. I feel pretty blessed, to be honest, I'm fortunate enough to get one.' On his and Littler's impact on the popularity of their sport, he added: 'We've changed the face of darts over the last couple of years. It's starting to become a younger man's game. It's nice to be at the forefront of that.' Other sports starts to receive honours from the King include David Beckham, who is to be knighted, and 1977 Wimbledon champion Wade, who has been made a CBE
Scottish Sun
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Barry Hearn left stunned by darts' 10-year-old ‘next Luke Littler' who can't even reach double 20
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BARRY HEARN believes he may have spotted darts' next Luke Littler - and he is just ten years old. Matchroom founder and president Hearn, 76, spent 20 years as chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation until stepping aside in 2021. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Luke Littler won the Darts World Championship aged 17 Credit: AP 3 Former PDC chairman Barry Hearn has spotted the 'next Littler' aged just ten Credit: Getty And he reckons the rising star he spotted recently is destined for greatness. There is just one catch, though. Due to his size, the youngster cannot reach the top of the board to remove his darts when he hits double 20. Hearn told SunSport: 'There is a tsunami of people around the world who have been inspired by Luke Littler. READ MORE IN DARTS MIC DROP OUT Van Gerwen PULLS OUT of tournament at last minute after shock first round exit 'I'm an anorak, right? So I follow everything. 'I saw a 10-year-old the other day. 'He had a 106 average and he checked out 140 and 154. 'He had one problem in his life: he couldn't reach the darts to take him out of the double top.' CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS When SunSport asked for the child prodigy's name or where he is based, Hearn understandably refused to give any more details. He added: 'Oh no, I'm not gonna put any pressure on these kids. 'One of the best things I've ever seen' - Frank Lampard stunned as Coventry star hits 180 with first-ever three darts 'I watched him on a stream. I'm saying no more than that, buddy. 'Don't be parochial. Don't just think about England, but there is a lot in England. 'But there are also kids out there in Holland, in Germany, in Belgium, in Spain, in Italy, now in France. And now we're seeing China suddenly pick up on darts, too.' One of the reasons why darts talents can emerge at such a young age is because it is a cheap and accessible sport. Hearn is then passionate about creating a pathway for those rising stars to reach the top of the game. Hearn explained: 'It doesn't cost a lot of money to play darts. You can put a dartboard up in your bedroom. 'It's all about discipline and dedication. 'Then you need three big things: structure, understanding and common sense. Littler could be a generational great. We can't take away the pressure of play - that's on the field of play - but we can help your life around it. Barry Hearn 'Structure: if a player doesn't have opportunities, you never see a sport expand so you've got to create those opportunities. 'In darts, we have the Junior Darts Corporation, which starts at six years old and goes up through the ages into the Developmental Tour, which is 16 years old. 'Then you can dream of going to Q School then win your professional card, but it's tough, tough, tough. 'The standard is hugely high. There's thousands of kids all around the world trying to get there, which is what you want in a sport. It's aspirational.' Littler has blazed the trail and set the example for any wannabe darts star. The Warrington kid's stunning rise saw him reach the World Championship final aged 16, win the Premier League at 17 and be crowned king of Ally Pally before he turned 18. And Hearn is keen to emphasise the need to manage him and others that will follow in his footsteps so they are protected and do not burn out or get taken advantage of. He continued: 'Luke is a sensational player, a great, great, great player and he could be a generational great. 'So we've got to help him through because you will find that your life changes. 'He has a manager, he has a mother and father who are very supportive and they have people they can turn to should they need any help in any direction possible. 'We can't take away the pressure of play - that's on the field of play - but your life around it, I think we can help. There's always someone to talk to.'
