Latest news with #Europaleague
Scotsman
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Social media was unbearable until Ange Postecoglou did the unthinkable
Tottenham Hotspur have won the Europa League Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It will be no surprise to anyone that has logged onto X in the past year or so that the site is now borderline unusable. Once a treasure trove of memes, news and information, X has become a hellscape, a place where hatred or porn is amplified, or the views of people so confident in their argument they have to pay to ensure people see it. Where once you could open it up and see something interesting or funny, it's now predominately monetised bigotry, where the worst people in the world invest to have their hatred heard. It has to all extents and purposes become a propaganda machine, a vehicle for the far-right in America to spread misinformation, hatred, and support for Donald Trump. At least they're things that go together. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As a result, I barely use it, checking in on a big news day, with searching for truth akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. But there is one area, just one, that has remained slightly protected from the relentless march of normalised fascism. I am of course talking about sport, sweet lovely sport, the opiate of the masses I inject into my eyeballs relentlessly and indiscriminately, almost definitely to the detriment of my productivity. The former Hibs boss has sealed glory with Tottenham | Getty Images While I don't post on X any more, preferring the safe space of Bluesky where there's a better news to Nazi ratio, I do still peruse it after significant events, and few were more significant to me than Tottenham Hotspur winning the Europa league. After 17 long, long years, the mighty Spurs have finally won something, all of it delivered by Ange Postecoglou, the man who always wins something in his second season. Born in Greece, the former refugee who moved to Australia as a child after a military coup helped Tottenham like he had so many clubs before, lifting silverware and removing the weight I carried around me for so long. For Celtic, these days are expected, but for Tottenham, they are transcendent. It has been days, and I still do not have my voice back, and I am nowhere close to a come down. This is as much to do with the result as social media, and the numerous ways to celebrate and engage with it, so beyond simply watching the game. I have seen club captain Son Heung-min, a man who signed an extension when the club didn't have a manager, sobbing with tears after finally winning something after 10 years with the club. I also haven't just seen it once, but multiple times, from numerous angles, because I want to drink all of this in. I've enjoyed clips from the players parties after, seeing these elite athletes off their face in ways that almost makes them relatable. It's the cuddles with their families, the videos from the stands, the defiant interviews from a team perennially written off. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It's not even just the celebrations of Spurs that I have devoured, but the love from other teams. Social media is rife with former players celebrating, but also clubs our heroes once represented.
Scottish Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Man Utd & Spurs fans guzzle pints & party on streets of Bilbao in fevered run up to season-saving Europa League final
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MANCHESTER United and Tottenham Spurs fans are guzzling pints and partying on the streets of Bilbao in the run up to the season-saving Europa League final. Up to 70,000 footie fans have flocked from the UK to sunny Bilbao where spirits are at an all-time high - despite some taking a 32-hour ferry ride to get there. 12 Fans gather ahead of the UEFA Europa League Final football match Credit: Getty 12 Spurs and and Manchester Utd fans gather in Bilbao ahead of tonights Europa league final . Credit: Darren Fletcher 12 A Manchester United fan and Tottenham Hotspur fan smile at one another 12 Tottenham Hotspur fan Jangwon Son plays the trumpet ahead of the UEFA Europa League Final Credit: Getty Bilbao bars have been flooded with Brit fans chanting and drinking ahead of the anticipated final tonight. Both sets of supporters have been pictured marching through the streets, chanting songs with drinks in hand as they gear up for the Europa League final. Images show one Spurs fan playing the trumpet for gargantuan crowds, while Man United supporters hold up their beers to cheers. Footage taken by The Sun showed fans filling the streets, with around 70,000 fans thought to have flocked to Spain - despite the stadium being at 53,000-capacity. read more on the final RING OF STEEL Bilbao launches 'biggest security op ever' after fan brawls & trashed streets Some have braved an epic 32-hour-plus ferry ride which set sail at 10pm on Sunday evening and didn't arrive until this morning. With flights to Spain rocketing over £1,000 after the Prem teams sealed their final spots, many took advantage of the cheaper sea-route option, which set them back £260 for a cabin. The sky-high air prices are due to just six direct flights from Britain to the Basque region's industrial port city each day. And with only 65 hotels in Spain's tenth largest city, accommodation has been fully-booked for weeks. Each club has millions of fans across the globe, but since there are just 14,000 tickets allocated to each team, bagging a seat to the showpiece event has been a tricky task. On Sunday night, precious tickets to the big game were selling on the black market for up to £10,000. 12 Tottenham Hotspur fans standing on top of traffic lights Credit: Getty 12 Spurs fans holding up their pints Credit: Reuters 12 Manchester United gather in Bilabao Credit: Reuters 12 Both sets of supporters have been pictured marching through the streets Credit: Getty EasyJet was charging £1,823 to fly from Gatwick to Bilbao on Wednesday morning and return on Thursday morning, while the cheapest hotels for Wednesday night cost around £1,200. But for those fans who managed to snap up the golden tickets, footage has shown them enjoying themselves. Despite dismal Premier League seasons - United finishing 16th in the table and Spurs in 17th, perilously close to the relegation zone - die-hard supporters were emptying their bank accounts and flocking to Bilbao. Aside from European glory, the victorious team qualifies for next season's cash-riddled Champions League, worth a cool £100m to the club lifting the prized trophy. The travel chaos endured by thousands of footie fans has mirrored the 1987 American road trip comedy movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles starring Steve Martin and John Candy. Spurs fan John Affleck of Enfield, Herts., was today enjoying local delicacy pintxos - snacks on a slice of bread resembling an open sandwich - washed down with Sangria. He told The Sun: 'I flew to Madrid then got the train down. There are no hotel rooms so I'm bunking up with a pal on his hotel floor. "The trip will cost me more than £5,000. I'm broke, but I really don't care. We just need to win." 12 Manchester United fans in high spirits ahead of tonight Credit: PA 12 Fans drinking beer before the UEFA Europa League Final Credit: Alamy 12 Fans of Tottenham Hotspur gather to show their support to their team 12 Fans have filled the streets Credit: Getty Frank Johns, a Red Devils season ticket holder, jetted out yesterday from Heathrow via Schiphol in Amsterdam. He said: "It has been a pitiful season but none of that will matter if we lift the trophy." Under-fire Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou face the chop if they don't prevail in the final - cruelly dubbed "El Crapico" by rival fans and pundits. Amorim masterminded Manchester United's 7-1 semi-final demolition of ten-man Athletic Bilbao. And Postecoglou guided his Tottenham team to a 5-1 triumph over Norwegians Bodo/Glimt in the other to set up the all-English final. Tottenham were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final, while Chelsea beat Arsenal 4-1 in the Europa League final in the same year. United beat Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final and Spurs KO'd Wolves to win the 1972 Uefa Cup. Tottenham have already beaten the Manchester outfit on three occasions this season - twice in the league and once in the Carabao Cup. They are looking to end a trophy drought that dates back to 2008 and has hung over the club - to the delight of opposing fans. United meanwhile have continued to be dire in the Prem with Amorim claiming his side are "not ready" to be competitive domestically and in the Champions League.
The Irish Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Man Utd & Spurs fans guzzle pints & party on streets of Bilbao in fevered run up to season-saving Europa League final
MANCHESTER United and Tottenham Spurs fans are guzzling pints and partying on the streets of Bilbao in the run up to the season-saving Europa League final. Up to 70,000 footie fans have Advertisement 12 Fans gather ahead of the UEFA Europa League Final football match Credit: Getty 12 Spurs and and Manchester Utd fans gather in Bilbao ahead of tonights Europa league final . Credit: Darren Fletcher 12 A Manchester United fan and Tottenham Hotspur fan smile at one another 12 Tottenham Hotspur fan Jangwon Son plays the trumpet ahead of the UEFA Europa League Final Credit: Getty Bilbao bars have been flooded with Brit fans chanting and drinking ahead of the anticipated final tonight. Both sets of supporters have been pictured marching through the streets, chanting songs with drinks in hand as they gear up for the Europa League final. Images show one Spurs fan playing the trumpet for gargantuan crowds, while Man United supporters hold up their beers to cheers. Footage taken by The Sun showed fans filling the streets, with around 70,000 fans thought to have flocked to Spain - despite the stadium being at 53,000-capacity. Advertisement read more on the final Some have braved The sky-high air prices are due to just six direct flights from Britain to the Basque region's industrial port city each day. And with only 65 hotels in Spain's tenth largest city, accommodation has been fully-booked for weeks. Advertisement Most read in Football Each club has millions of fans across the globe, but since there are just 14,000 tickets allocated to each team, bagging a seat to the showpiece event has been a tricky task. On Sunday night, precious tickets to the big game were selling on the black market for up to £10,000. 12 Tottenham Hotspur fans standing on top of traffic lights Credit: Getty 12 Spurs fans holding up their pints Credit: Reuters Advertisement 12 Manchester United gather in Bilabao Credit: Reuters 12 Both sets of supporters have been pictured marching through the streets Credit: Getty EasyJet was charging £1,823 to fly from Gatwick to Bilbao on Wednesday morning and return on Thursday morning, while the cheapest hotels for Wednesday night cost around £1,200. But for those fans who managed to snap up the golden tickets, footage has shown them enjoying themselves. Advertisement Despite dismal Premier League seasons - United finishing 16th in the table and Spurs in 17th, perilously close to the relegation zone - die-hard supporters were emptying their bank accounts and flocking to Bilbao. Aside from European glory, the victorious team qualifies for next season's cash-riddled Champions League, worth a cool £100m to the club lifting the prized trophy. The travel chaos endured by thousands of footie fans has mirrored the 1987 American road trip comedy movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles starring Steve Martin and John Candy. Spurs fan John Affleck of Enfield, Herts., was today enjoying local delicacy pintxos - snacks on a slice of bread resembling an open sandwich - washed down with Sangria. Advertisement He told The Sun: 'I flew to Madrid then got the train down. There are no hotel rooms so I'm bunking up with a pal on his hotel floor. "The trip will cost me more than £5,000. I'm broke, but I really don't care. We just need to win." 12 Manchester United fans in high spirits ahead of tonight Credit: PA 12 Fans drinking beer before the UEFA Europa League Final Credit: Alamy Advertisement 12 Fans of Tottenham Hotspur gather to show their support to their team 12 Fans have filled the streets Credit: Getty Frank Johns, a Red Devils season ticket holder, jetted out yesterday from Heathrow via Schiphol in Amsterdam. He said: "It has been a pitiful season but none of that will matter if we lift the trophy." Advertisement Under-fire Amorim masterminded Manchester United's 7-1 semi-final demolition of ten-man Athletic Bilbao. And Postecoglou guided his Tottenham team to a 5-1 triumph over Norwegians Bodo/Glimt in the other to set up the all-English final. Tottenham were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final, while Advertisement United beat Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final and Spurs KO'd Wolves to win the 1972 Uefa Cup. Tottenham have already beaten the Manchester outfit on three occasions this season - twice in the league and once in the Carabao Cup. They are looking to end a trophy drought that dates back to 2008 and has hung over the club - to the delight of opposing fans. United meanwhile have continued to be dire in the Prem with Amorim claiming his side are "not ready" to be competitive domestically and in the Champions League. Advertisement Footie fanatics get the party started early By Sun man in Bilbao, Dave Courtnadge IT'S barely midday in Bilbao on the day before the Europa League final between Manchester United and Spurs - but it's already getting lively. I arrived in the city at about 9am after a 32-HOUR ferry ride from Portsmouth. And the first thing a lot of fellow fans planned to do was find a pub for a well-earned drink. Walking around the area around the San Mames stadium this morning, a fair few others had the same idea. Many have had long journeys, stopping off overnight in another city to keep down the soaring cost of getting here, with some direct flights over £1,000. So it's no surprise many are already getiing the party started, or the Bilbao leg of the party anyway. Spurs fan Gary, who flew out from London before an overnight stay in a Madrid hotel resembling a "prison cell", joked as he supped a pint in the sun: "I'm just getting some practice in for tomorrow." The atmosphere has been brilliant so far, and hopefully that will continue. There had been claims that Spurs fans are set to outnumber United fans by 5 to 1, with an estimated 50,000 supporters of the two English sides expected to arrive. One Tottenham follower I spoke to joked that they had bought all the flights out of London to keep the Reds out. Based on the number of Spurs shirts I've already seen, he might be right.
Wales Online
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
ITV make huge Love Island announcement about summer 2025 show
ITV make huge Love Island announcement about summer 2025 show I've got a text... well, not a text but an Instagram notification to say that Love Island is coming back this Summer. Love Island 'signs up five big stars' for 10th anniversary spin-off (Image: ITV ) Love Island fans are going wild as the ITV show has announced a special one-off anniversary special to mark ten years of the series. The reality show which started in 2015 was a revival of the earlier celebrity series of the same name, which aired for two series in 2005 and 2006. After plenty of texts and dates over the years, the special called Love Island: A Decade of Love, will bring back some of Love Island's most iconic Islanders to look back on their time in the villa how it changed their lives forever. The special will appear on ITV 2 and ITV X and will be broadcast in June ahead of the Summer season of Love Island. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . Love Island: A Decade of Love will revisit unforgettable moments from the past decade, I think we can all think of a handful of memorable moments. They will also feature exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes insights as some of our favourite Islanders will be returning to our screens. Among the returning couples are series two winners Cara De LaHoyde-Massey and Nathan Massey, series seven champions Millie Court and Liam Reardon, series nine winners Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan, and series eight finalists Indiyah Polack and Dami Hope. Other iconic Islanders who will be popping up will include scouser Hannah Elizabeth, Gabby Allen, Montana Brown, Dani Dyer, Georgia Steel, Curtis Pritchard, Anton Danyluk, Whitney Adebayo, Catherine Agbaje and more. Article continues below The series Creative Director, Mike Spencer, says: "We've had an incredible ten years of love, drama and unforgettable moments in the villa - now it's time to look back and celebrate the icons who made it all happen. Expect big laughs and plenty of heart as we revisit a decade of Love Island magic." Paul Mortimer, Head of Reality, says: "Love Island has become a true phenomenon over the past decade, delivering must-see TV moments every summer. This special offers viewers a chance to relive some of the show's most iconic moments with the Islanders who made them so memorable. Content cannot be displayed without consent On Instagram, ITV and Love Island have teased the new series, as they have posted: "100% our type on paper" alongside a video of a printer. The printed paper then says "Attn: Love Island is coming soon. Attendance mandatory. Signed, Maya x CEO of Love." Series nine winner Kai Fagan who will be appearing in the anniversary special, responded to the teaser: "Omg sun is shining, United are about to win the Europa league and Love Island is back.. what else can we possibly need" One fan added: "My summer isn't complete without a love island season I'm so ready" Article continues below Another joked: "RIGHT THATS IT THE WATER BOTTLES OUT IM SAT AT THE FIREPIT BABES " They have not yet announced an official start date for the new series or the anniversary special, however if they follow the format of previous years viewers can expect to see it on their screens in early June live from Mallorca.
The Hindu
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Is the away-goal rule applicable for Europa League 2024-25 semifinals?
The Europa League 2024-25 campaign has reached the twilight stage, where four teams will play a two-legged semifinal tie to determine who will battle it out for the crown on May 22 at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao. With the teams playing over two legs, a common question is whether the 2024-25 Europa League semifinals will have the away-goal rule applicable or not. Is the away-goal rule applicable? The answer is, no. The away-goal rule is not applicable to the Europa League 2024-25 semifinals. Away goals were removed from UEFA competitions in June 2021. This means the away-goal rule is not applicable in all three tiers (Champions League, Europa League, Conference League) of European competitions. The rule change was made after recommendations from the UEFA Club Competitions Committee and the UEFA Women's Football Committee. European knockout ties that finish level after both legs head to extra time and then penalties. Who are playing in the 2024-25 Europa League semifinals? Following are the semifinal fixtures for the current Europa league campaign: Athletic Club vs Manchester United Tottenham Hotspur vs Bodo/Glimt
