Latest news with #EveryMinuteMatters
Scottish Sun
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
‘Absolutely disgusting' – Sunderland fans blasted after footage of how Trafalgar Square was left following party emerges
SUNDERLAND fans were blasted for the "absolutely disgusting" state they left Trafalgar Square in. Black Cats supporters gathered in central London on Friday night to party ahead of Saturday's Championship play-off final at Wembley. Advertisement 10 Sunderland fans left Trafalgar Square in a mess Credit: X formerly Twitter 10 Bottles, cans, bags and litter were strewn across the floor Credit: X formerly Twitter 10 There was a major clear-up job left behind Credit: X formerly Twitter 10 Rival fans hit out at their Black Cats rivals for their selfishness Credit: X formerly Twitter 10 Sunderland supporters took over Trafalgar Square on Friday Credit: Reuters The game kicks off at 3.01pm - the one minute later due to an initiative with the Every Minute Matters, encouraging supporters to learn the life-saving skill of CPR. Regis Le Bris' side face Sheffield United in the £190million match desperate to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017. And their fans made the most of their trip to the national stadium - by descending on Trafalgar Square the night before the big game. Thousands of Sunderland supporters gathered at the iconic London landmark to get in the mood ahead of the final - with some even getting in the fountain. Advertisement READ MORE ON FOOTBALL BLADE STUNNER Why every Premier League club will be supporting Sheff Utd in play-off final But after everyone had gone, video footage of the aftermath emerged - and makes for shocking viewing. The entire square was left littered with cans, bottles, plastic bags and other rubbish. In the video, a man can be heard saying: "Aye we've got to do better than this." And plenty of football fans took to social media to slam the Sunderland fans for their selfish, horrible attitude and antics. Advertisement CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS One labelled it "embarrassing". Another wrote: "It looks awful." Wild scenes in Naples as fans celebrate after Scott McTominay wins Serie A for Napoli A third replied: "Absolutely disgusting - @SunderlandAFC you should be ashamed of it, your club should be billed for the cleaning up." Advertisement And a final user simply wrote: "Vile." In 2023, Newcastle fans were praised for helping clear up their mess at Trafalgar Square ahead of the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United. And Crystal Palace supporters drew similar adulation for the way they played their part to tidy the rubbish after last week's jubilant FA Cup final. Sunderland saw off Frank Lampard's Coventry in dramatic fashion to book their spot in the play-off final - with the winning goal in the 122nd minute. Advertisement Black Cats midfielder Jobe Bellingham is hoping to enjoy his moment in the Wembley spotlight - a year on from his brother Jude lifting the Champions League trophy under the arch. For team-mate Enzo Le Fee, it promises to be an emotional day. He bravely opened up on finding his father dead in bed after he had taken his own life. On the other side, Sheffield United striker Kieffer Moore is relishing his chance to finally play on the hallowed turf - and is desperate to secure a hat-trick of promotions to the Premier League. Advertisement And Premier League clubs will be supporting the Blades because victory for them would ensure a bumper £39m cash bonus windfall due to the parachute payments. 10 Thousands of supporters gathered in central London Credit: The Mega Agency 10 Some even got in the fountain Credit: Reuters 10 This fan held a flare in his mouth Credit: Reuters Advertisement 10 Sunderland fans stayed put until after dark Credit: Reuters
Scottish Sun
24-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Why every Premier League club will be supporting Sheff Utd over Sunderland in the Championship play-off final
Two Sunderland stars desperate for Wembley glory for different reasons BLADE STUNNER Why every Premier League club will be supporting Sheff Utd over Sunderland in the Championship play-off final Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE Championship play-off final is already the richest game in football. Either Sheffield United or Sunderland will be £190million richer as a result of winning at Wembley today. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Sheffield United winning promotion would lead to a bumper cash windfall for Premier League clubs Credit: Getty The game kicks off at 3.01pm - the one minute later due to an initiative with the Every Minute Matters, encouraging supporters to learn the life-saving skill of CPR. But come 5pm, it will not just be the Blades fans hoping Chris Wilder's side have secured victory and snatching the 20th spot in the 2025-26 Premier League season. That is because every remaining Premier League club will also be supporting United against Sunderland. As explained by football finance expert Kieran Maguire, Sheffield United returning to the Premier League will see the rest of the Premier League entitled to a £39million windfall. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL BELL OF THE BALL Jobe Bellingham ready to step out of brother Jude's shadow and 'explode' That is because Premier League rules state clubs are entitled to three years of parachute payments upon relegation from the top flight - two years if they were relegated immediately after promotion. The parachute payments are 55 per cent, 45 per cent and 20 per cent of the equal share elements of the Premier League distribution to its member clubs. Maguire confirmed this is £48m, £39m and £17m respectively across the three years of payments. However, if a Championship club due to receive parachute payments are promoted back to the Premier League within those three years, they do not get given the outstanding money. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Instead, the cash is kept by the Premier League who then distribute it to their own clubs. After being relegated in 2023-24, Sheffield United received £45m this season and were due to pocket another £39m next season. 'Absolutely disgusting' - Sunderland fans blasted after footage of how Trafalgar Square was left following party emerges However, the Premier League will not have to shell out that money should the Blades return to the top table for 2025-26. Leeds and Burnley's promotions also saved the Premier League £17m and £39m respectively in parachute payments not needing to be paid. That means a total saving of £95m in parachute payments through promotion. Meanwhile, Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton were all relegated immediately after being promoted. That ensures all three clubs are ineligible for the £17m third-year parachute payments, slashing a further £51m from the Premier League's expenditure. It all means the Premier League could save a whopping £146m overall - which will be shared among the top 20 clubs, who would each receive a bumper bonus. Sheffield United booked their spot in the final having fallen away from Burnley and Leeds in the automatic spots - but breezed past Bristol City 6-0 on aggregate in the play-off semi-finals. Sunderland saw off Frank Lampard's Coventry in dramatic fashion - with the winning goal in the 122nd minute. Black Cats midfielder Jobe Bellingham is hoping to enjoy his moment in the Wembley spotlight - a year on from his brother Jude lifting the Champions League trophy under the arch. For team-mate Enzo Le Fee, it promises to be an emotional day. He bravely opened up on finding his father dead in bed after he took his own life. On the other side, Blades striker Kieffer Moore is relishing his chance to finally play on the hallowed turf - and is desperate to secure a hat-trick of promotions to the Premier League.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sheffield United hope luck will change in poignant playoff final against Sunderland
When the half-time whistle blows at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, Tom Lockyer will temporarily replace Sheffield United and Sunderland as the centre of attention. It is two years since Lockyer collapsed on England's most famous pitch after experiencing atrial fibrillation during Luton's Championship playoff final win against Coventry and almost 18 months since he had a cardiac arrest and almost died while playing for the club at Bournemouth. His life was saved by prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation and now, as an ambassador for the British Heart Foundation's Every Minute Matters campaign, Lockyer and the former footballer turned Hollywood actor Vinnie Jones will offer an on-pitch CPR demonstration. The hope is that a decent percentage of the 80,000 Wembley crowd will be inspired to acquire this vital skill. Related: Following Sheffield United in the hope of playoff success is a lifetime of hurt If Lockyer's presence places the losing finalists' pain in important context, two managers who, in different ways, have breathed fresh life into their clubs will be desperate to avoid missing out on at least £220m in additional income next season. That is the prize awaiting the winner of football's so-called richest game in the Premier League's promised land. While United's Chris Wilder has achieved five promotions with four clubs during a career embracing almost every level of English football's pyramid, Régis Le Bris remains a relative novice. Not that a 49-year-old Frenchman who has spent most of his working life as a youth coach and became a manager – at Lorient – three years ago can be underestimated after his startling rejuvenation of an unusually young squad. For far too long playoffs have felt impossibly high altitude for a United side who have never won promotion this way, losing four finals. Wilder has addressed theproblem by reminding his players that the Wembley air is really not all that thin and maintaining that history is bunk. His hopes of avoiding another demoralising repetition of the past should be enhanced by Gustavo Hamer's presence. Two years ago the Brazil-born attacking midfielder scored for Coventry against Luton at Wembley and, as the Championship player of the season, he possesses the confidence and class to alter the Blades' playoff story. Whatever the result, the occasion will be poignant for everyone connected to United. 'We're incredibly sad George is not with us,' said Wilder, remembering the team's much-loved former right-back George Baldock. The Greece defender drowned in his swimming pool in Athens last autumn, shortly after joining Panathinaikos. Baldock, known as 'Starman', was a big favourite at Bramall Lane who twice played an integral part in helping United win promotion to the top tier. 'We've tried not to use George's death as a motivational tool,' Wilder said last week. 'But his spirit has been with us on the journey. His old shirt has always been in our dressing room, home or away, this season. As a player, and a person as well, George was incredibly driven, always wanting to be the best.' United's hopes of holding their own at elite level were boosted in December when five financially challenged years under the ownership of Saudi Arabia's Prince Abdullah were ended by a takeover. It placed a club relegated from the Premier League last spring under the control of COH Sports, a US-based consortium that immediately extended Wilder's contract and bankrolled seven January signings including Ben Brereton Díaz, Tom Cannon and Hamza Choudhury. They benefit from operating in front of Michael Cooper, one of the second tier's most reliable goalkeepers. Wilder describes the quiet Devonian as 'a librarian rather than a rockstar' but 'extremely effective'. Sunderland, semi-final losers to Luton, with Lockyer on the scoresheet, two years ago, lack similar experience and finished the season 14 points behind Saturday's opponents. Only two of the Sunderland XI that started the second leg of the semi-final against Coventry were aged over 25 but the squad bristles with the youthful verve and fearlessness epitomised by the 17-year-old Chris Rigg and 19-year-old Jobe Bellingham. It also contains the gamechanging skills of the Roma loanee playmaker Enzo Le Fée who, from the age of 10, was mentored through a troubled childhood by Le Bris. Wilder is suitably wary yet undaunted. 'Sunderland have plenty of energy, quality and personality,' he said. 'We need to be bang at it. This is one of the biggest games in world football and Wembley is not a place for losers. But we know how to win.' As Le Bris addressed reporters in Sunderland's training ground on Thursday, a BBC radio commentator presented him with an elegant ribboned cake box containing a batch of the pink slices that remind the Breton of his favourite French patisseries. A manager noted for his capacity to create powerful connectivity and build strong bonds seemed touched by this good luck gift but those traybakes will taste infinitely better if it is mission accomplished on Saturday. 'When I first met with the players last summer, and it was here, in this room, I asked them: 'What is this season's purpose?'' Le Bris recalled. 'They said: 'We want promotion' – and here we are. We don't know the future so, when you have an opportunity like this, it's important to catch it.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sheffield United hope luck will change in poignant playoff final against Sunderland
When the half-time whistle blows at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, Tom Lockyer will temporarily replace Sheffield United and Sunderland as the centre of attention. It is two years since Lockyer collapsed on England's most famous pitch after experiencing atrial fibrillation during Luton's Championship playoff final win against Coventry and almost 18 months since he had a cardiac arrest and almost died while playing for the club at Bournemouth. Advertisement His life was saved by prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation and now, as an ambassador for the British Heart Foundation's Every Minute Matters campaign, Lockyer and the former footballer turned Hollywood actor Vinnie Jones will offer an on-pitch CPR demonstration. The hope is that a decent percentage of the 80,000 Wembley crowd will be inspired to acquire this vital skill. Related: Following Sheffield United in the hope of playoff success is a lifetime of hurt If Lockyer's presence places the losing finalists' pain in important context, two managers who, in different ways, have breathed fresh life into their clubs will be desperate to avoid missing out on at least £220m in additional income next season. That is the prize awaiting the winner of football's so-called richest game in the Premier League's promised land. While United's Chris Wilder has achieved five promotions with four clubs during a career embracing almost every level of English football's pyramid, Régis Le Bris remains a relative novice. Advertisement Not that a 49-year-old Frenchman who has spent most of his working life as a youth coach and became a manager – at Lorient – three years ago can be underestimated after his startling rejuvenation of an unusually young squad. For far too long playoffs have felt impossibly high altitude for a United side who have never won promotion this way, losing four finals. Wilder has addressed theproblem by reminding his players that the Wembley air is really not all that thin and maintaining that history is bunk. His hopes of avoiding another demoralising repetition of the past should be enhanced by Gustavo Hamer's presence. Two years ago the Brazil-born attacking midfielder scored for Coventry against Luton at Wembley and, as the Championship player of the season, he possesses the confidence and class to alter the Blades' playoff story. Whatever the result, the occasion will be poignant for everyone connected to United. 'We're incredibly sad George is not with us,' said Wilder, remembering the team's much-loved former right-back George Baldock. The Greece defender drowned in his swimming pool in Athens last autumn, shortly after joining Panathinaikos. Baldock, known as 'Starman', was a big favourite at Bramall Lane who twice played an integral part in helping United win promotion to the top tier. 'We've tried not to use George's death as a motivational tool,' Wilder said last week. 'But his spirit has been with us on the journey. His old shirt has always been in our dressing room, home or away, this season. As a player, and a person as well, George was incredibly driven, always wanting to be the best.' Advertisement United's hopes of holding their own at elite level were boosted in December when five financially challenged years under the ownership of Saudi Arabia's Prince Abdullah were ended by a takeover. It placed a club relegated from the Premier League last spring under the control of COH Sports, a US-based consortium that immediately extended Wilder's contract and bankrolled seven January signings including Ben Brereton Díaz, Tom Cannon and Hamza Choudhury. They benefit from operating in front of Michael Cooper, one of the second tier's most reliable goalkeepers. Wilder describes the quiet Devonian as 'a librarian rather than a rockstar' but 'extremely effective'. Sunderland, semi-final losers to Luton, with Lockyer on the scoresheet, two years ago, lack similar experience and finished the season 14 points behind Saturday's opponents. Only two of the Sunderland XI that started the second leg of the semi-final against Coventry were aged over 25 but the squad bristles with the youthful verve and fearlessness epitomised by the 17-year-old Chris Rigg and 19-year-old Jobe Bellingham. It also contains the gamechanging skills of the Roma loanee playmaker Enzo Le Fée who, from the age of 10, was mentored through a troubled childhood by Le Bris. Advertisement Wilder is suitably wary yet undaunted. 'Sunderland have plenty of energy, quality and personality,' he said. 'We need to be bang at it. This is one of the biggest games in world football and Wembley is not a place for losers. But we know how to win.' As Le Bris addressed reporters in Sunderland's training ground on Thursday, a BBC radio commentator presented him with an elegant ribboned cake box containing a batch of the pink slices that remind the Breton of his favourite French patisseries. A manager noted for his capacity to create powerful connectivity and build strong bonds seemed touched by this good luck gift but those traybakes will taste infinitely better if it is mission accomplished on Saturday. 'When I first met with the players last summer, and it was here, in this room, I asked them: 'What is this season's purpose?'' Le Bris recalled. 'They said: 'We want promotion' – and here we are. We don't know the future so, when you have an opportunity like this, it's important to catch it.'
ITV News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
Why Sunderland's Championship play-off final is kicking off at 3.01pm
Sunderland's Championship play-off final at Wembley this weekend will kick-off at 3.01pm, rather than the usual 3pm, to highlight the fact that 'Every Minute Matters'. This campaign aims to inspire supporters to learn CPR, equipping them with vital skills that could save someone's life. Meanwhile, this weekend's other play-offs in League One and League Two will also kick off a minute late. The campaign is being supported by the Red Sky Foundation, a heart health charity who have provided seven defibrillators around the Stadium of Light. The Sunderland based organisation has also provided defibrillators at Bramall Lane, the home of The Black Cats' opponents in the play-off final, Sheffield United. Sergio Petrucci, CEO of the Red Sky Foundation, said: "This will raise awareness of CPR across the country, not just to football fans, but to the general public as well. The reason why we're doing that is because every minute does count. "When it comes to CPR and somebody's having a medical emergency, the most important thing to do is to call 999, and begin hands-on CPR, start the compressions, and have that blood circulating around the body, most importantly to the brain." EFL Chief Executive Officer, Trevor Birch said: "The Sky Bet Play-Offs are a special moment in the football calendar and tens of thousands of supporters will be at Wembley Stadium across the weekend with millions more tuning in from home. "By kicking off all three Play-Off Finals one minute later, Every Minute Matters continues to harness the power and visibility of football to encourage even more people to learn CPR, which could ultimately help to save even more lives."
