Latest news with #MalcolmMacdonald
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
PSG and Inter could thrill us in the Champions League final, but something has already been lost
Before this season's League Cup final between Newcastle United and Liverpool , the Times (London) interviewed Malcolm Macdonald, the former buccaneering Newcastle centre forward. Macdonald played for Newcastle in the 1974 FA Cup final and brought up the name of Keith Burkinshaw, who was a coach at St James' Park at the time. Burkinshaw moved to Tottenham Hotspur , where he became manager and won the 1984 Uefa Cup – Tottenham's last European trophy until 10 days ago. Burkinshaw walked out soon after a boardroom disagreement. In a famous exchange with the reporter Ken Jones, a former player and cousin of Spurs legend Cliff Jones, both looked back at old White Hart Lane and agreed: 'There used to be a football club over there.' It was actually Jones referencing a Frank Sinatra song, but the point was made. A year earlier Tottenham Hotspur had been repackaged into Tottenham Hotspur plc, which was subsequently floated on the London stock exchange. Others followed. Now shares in clubs, and clubs themselves, could be bought and sold in a way Football Association rules had previously forbidden. It was a historic moment of change; it continues to shape the present. As season 2024-25 reaches its European climax with the Champions League final in Munich between Internazionale and Paris Saint-Germain , the Burkinshaw remark feels as pertinent as ever – not just about Tottenham, but Newcastle, Manchester City and both of these finalists, among others. READ MORE Formed in 1908 via a schism inside AC Milan, Inter remained in Italian ownership until 2013 when a trio of Indonesian businessmen bought 70 per cent of its shares. In 2016 those were sold to Chinese group Suning, who then defaulted on a loan. It means US investors Oaktree today own a sporting institution 117 years old. United States ownership of Serie A clubs is up to eight. PSG were not formed until 1970, via a merger. The French capital did not have an elite football club and the newly renovated Parc des Princes required tenants. Originally fan-owned – annual subscription: six francs – the club moved, some would say stumbled, through various ownerships until 2011 when Qatari Sports Investment acquired them. Whether six-francs fans wanted it or not, PSG were now part of the Qatari regime's 'National Vision 2030″, a policy aimed at turning the Gulf city-state of Doha into an 'advanced, sustainable society'. Apparently European football was deemed essential to this vision. PSG had been champions of France twice until 2013. Between 2000 and 2012 seven different clubs had won Ligue 1. Now so much money has been ploughed in that PSG have been French champions 11 times in the past 13 seasons. Qatari-PSG eliminated variety. At Uefa they were worried quickly. Having seen the inflationary effect of Roman Abramovich at Chelsea , then Abu Dhabi's purchase of City in 2008, Uefa began to formulate new financial regulations to prevent the 'financial doping' concern Arsène Wenger raised in 2009. That remark was about the new Chelsea, with the whiff of Lance Armstrong still in the air of sport. As Miguel Delaney notes in his valuable book on the subject of modern football, States of Play, PSG had an income of €398 million in 2012-13, but an estimated €200 million came from the Qatar Tourism Authority, which was convenient. Delaney quotes a then senior Uefa spokesman saying of PSG: 'They know the rules are that they have to generate revenues to cover their costs without cheating.' His name was Gianni Infantino . As president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino announced Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup in 2034, 12 years after it was hosted by Qatar. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA Wire Doping, cheating: those are quite the words. In May 2014 PSG's Qatari owners and Uefa reached a 'settlement'. There was a headline €60 million fine and a reduction in Champions League squad-size from 25 to 21 players. Later the same month Man City received the same sanction. [ Ken Early: Fifa president Gianni Infantino has relentlessly sucked up to Trump since 2017 Opens in new window ] The new men from the Gulf who ran both clubs were incensed by Uefa's language, but then these are men who are rarely challenged. The Qatari hierarchy in Doha had schemed to get the 2022 World Cup and in doing so had become close to French president Nicolas Sarkozy and Uefa's Michel Platini. They were good at manoeuvring. Even in their anger at Uefa, Delaney writes the situation can be seen as 'two clubs owned by autocracies pressurising a governing body into a secret deal'. As with Spurs in 1983, Delaney traces this compromise as a turning point. With €50 million raised in finger-clicks, the likes of David Luiz, Angel Di Maria and Julian Draxler were added to PSG in the next transfer windows. Then in the summer of 2017 the world record transfer fee was obliterated as Neymar joined from Barcelona for €222 million. Not content with that PSG signed Kylian Mbappé on loan from AS Monaco. 'Loan' is a gentle way of putting it: Mbappé cost €180 million the following summer. Qatar splashed this €400 million, plus €1 million a week for Neymar and all the rest, shortly after they had been geographically isolated by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and others, who cut diplomatic ties. The projection of Vision 2030 was still working for Qatar, but it was alienating neighbours as well as having a numbing side effect on domestic French football's competitiveness. Having arranged to parade David Beckham for the last five months of his career in 2013, in August 2021 Qatar brought Lionel Messi from Barcelona to join Neymar. Qatar had already, controversially and undeservedly, been given the 2022 World Cup. The tournament climaxed with Argentina beating France in an unforgettable final; Messi was draped in a bisht over his Argentina colours as he lifted the trophy. Qatar, make no mistake, thought they owned football. Lionel Messi, then of PSG, gets his hand and lips on the World Cup after victory in Qatar in 2022. Photograph:Who could argue with them? Their ownership of PSG is 13 years old, indisputable, normalised. 'Ici c'est Paris' is PSG branding, a statement of geographical pride; yet when the club played the French Super Cup against Monaco in January, the game was staged in Doha, not France. As reported by Doha News, PSG head coach Luis Enrique said before the game: 'We're going to play this match as if it were at home, because we are at home.' Ici c'est Doha. Doha News, though, was focused on why so few locals stayed around to watch the trophy presentation. 'Why has Qatar's ownership of PSG not translated to fandom at home?' it asked. Maybe, we thought, because it's a manufactured enterprise in a city-state of 1.5 million people with no serious football culture? The bigger issue, of ownership, was not in debate. Burkinshaw had thoughts on all this 40 years ago. Now Tottenham Hotspur send out advisory notes to broadcasters to call them 'Spurs' or 'Tottenham Hotspur' but never simply 'Tottenham'. Even if it's to protect copyright, it's crass and a denial of origin. Such 'brand' policies help explain why six weeks before Tottenham won the Europa League, their fans were on the street protesting about the running of the club and what it has become, a sports company mes que un club. 'Built a business, killed a football club' read a banner. James Montague, in another recent book – Engulfed: how Saudi Arabia bought sport, and the world – notes that sports reporting in the Gulf can be curiously strong, given other criticism is not tolerated. Saudi Arabia came to sport's non-sport potential later than its much smaller competitors, Qatar and the UAE, but the Saudis have rushed to make up for that. They brought out their own Vision 2030 and it now directs much of global golf, e-sports and boxing – Saudi minister Turki Alalshikh bought The Ring magazine; plus football, via its Cristiano Ronaldo-led Saudi Pro League and the acquisition of Newcastle United. Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Al-Owais saves a shot from South Korea's Jae-Sung Lee during a friendly match at St James' Park, Newcastle in 2023. Photograph: Will Matthews/PA Wire Saudi Arabia has a long-standing football culture and connections – Saudi Telecom has sponsored Manchester United for years. Saudi Investment Bank SAIB started sponsoring Real Madrid two years ago. The country's right to hold a World Cup, which they will do in 2034, is more convincing than Qatar's. But how they got it – via the tricky chameleon Infantino – is less so, and Burkinshaw might question the Saudi Public Investment Fund's motivation in taking over at St James'. It was about influence and the hardening of soft power. It involved, as the Daily Mail reported in June 2020, direct contact between then UK prime minister Boris Johnson and Saudi's ultimate leader Mohammed Bin Salman. A purchase stalled suddenly changed gear. Public delight at St James' baffled and disturbed. But northeast England had long felt a geographic distance from political power, which fed Brexit sentiment. At Newcastle United the feeling was doubled by the deliberately hollow running of the club by previous owner Mike Ashley, for whom it became a commercial billboard. A club's identity is precious, but not impregnable. Those who disdain Newcastle since the Saudi takeover may be fed up hearing these explanations as to why there is almost no protest in the city – Montague did not find many dissenters; instead a big river of more than 200,000 people flowed through the streets in celebration at winning this season's League Cup. Equally, Newcastle fans are fed up with hearing about Saudi Arabia's human rights record, or having it pointed out that the League Cup could not have been won without Saudi money, or that the reserve team kit is Saudi green, training camps are held in Riyadh and in September 2023 Saudi Arabia staged two friendlies at St James'. Those of us there for the South Korea game heard the tannoy announce: 'It's been a pleasure to host Saudi Arabia here at St James' Park.' Everyone got the message. And as each match, each season passes, it all puts the norm in normalisation. Flowers of variety There never used to be a football club over there: so in Paris they created PSG. It was not for the same reason Viktor Orban, for example, has built his club, Puskas Akademia, in Hungary but like the former Felcsut FC, Qatari-PSG has been transformed into a different entity. PSG's identity has become increasingly blurred under in recent years. Photograph: David Davies/PA Wire And here they are in the last game of the season. We all admire this version of PSG, however – how could you not with talents such asKhvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué? [ In Orban's Hungary, football clubs like Robbie Keane's Ferencváros are no longer just teams Opens in new window ] It makes for a strange end to a curious season, which was somehow simultaneously dull and dazzling. The new Champions League format worked, mainly, and there were great nights for Celtic and Aston Villa. The incredible Inter-Barcelona semi-final made you smile out loud. In England Liverpool may have walked alone to the Premier League title, yet there were amazing scenes of jubilation at Crystal Palace, in Leeds, Newcastle and at 'Tottenham', in Tottenham. In Scotland 40 years of Old Firm league domination was offset by Aberdeen's Scottish Cup win. Flowers of variety have bloomed. On Saturday night we have an enticing climax. Qatar has its name literally written all over it – Qatar Airways' press release on Thursday revelled in their sponsorship of both finalists and the tournament itself. And it's not over. Six years after Jürgen Klopp sat in an Edinburgh hotel preseason and warned of player burnout, bureaucratic ego and sports politics – Infantino – bring us the needless, money-soaked Club World Cup, starting in Miami in a fortnight. Football in 2025. It never ends. Laugh and sigh.
The Independent
06-02-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Newcastle's near misses: The six times glory slipped by since last major trophy
Newcastle United moved a step closer to ending a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy when they saw off Arsenal to reach a second Carabao Cup final in three seasons. The Magpies completed a 4-0 aggregate victory over the Gunners at St James' Park on Wednesday and will now face either Liverpool or Tottenham at Wembley on Sunday, March 16. Here is a look at Newcastle's near misses on home soil since winning the FA Cup in 1955. Liverpool 3 Newcastle 0 – 1974 FA Cup final Nineteen years after their sixth and last FA Cup triumph, the Magpies, who had Malcolm Macdonald spearheading their armoury, headed back to Wembley with high hopes. But they were undone by a man who would later play a significant role on Tyneside as Kevin Keegan scored twice, either side of Steve Heighway's strike, to send the trophy to Merseyside. Man City 2 Newcastle 1 – 1976 League Cup final The Magpies' bid for a first League Cup success ended in disappointment despite Alan Gowling cancelling out Peter Barnes' early opener. A minute into the second half, Dennis Tueart dashed their hopes with a spectacular overhead kick after Tommy Booth had headed Willie Donachie's cross back across goal. Premiership 1995-96 Keegan's Newcastle were in pole position to claim a first league title since 1927 and a fifth in total when they went 12 points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table in January 1996. However, they won only seven of their last 15 games as United took 40 points from a possible 45 – three of them from an Eric Cantona-inspired 1-0 win at St James' on March 4 – to claim the title by four. Arsenal 2 Newcastle 0 – 1998 FA Cup final A cup run which included a hard-fought victory over non-league Stevenage in the fourth – a tie which went to a replay as Alan Shearer returned to the starting line-up after a lengthy injury lay-off – eventually resulted in another trip to Wembley for Kenny Dalglish's men. However, goals from Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka either side of half-time saw Arsenal complete the league and cup double. Man Utd 2 Newcastle 0 – 1999 FA Cup final Having led Chelsea to FA Cup glory in 1997, Ruud Gullit took the Magpies back to Wembley two years later, intent on a repeat. This time, it was their misfortune to come across a Treble-chasing Manchester United side, with goals from Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes doing the damage. Man Utd 2 Newcastle 0 – 2023 Carabao Cup final Newcastle's first trip to Wembley in 24 years was delivered by Eddie Howe as his Saudi-backed resurgence promised to pay dividends much sooner than expected. However, once again they could not reproduce the form which had got them there as Casemiro and Marcus Rashford both struck within six first-half minutes to extend the wait.
The Independent
05-02-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Newcastle's near misses: The chances that slipped by during 70 years of hurt
Newcastle moved a step closer to ending a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy when they saw off Arsenal to reach a second Carabao Cup final in three seasons. The Magpies completed a 4-0 aggregate victory over the Gunners at St James' Park on Wednesday and will now face either Liverpool or Tottenham at Wembley on Sunday, March 16. Here, the PA news agency looks at Newcastle's near misses on home soil since winning the FA Cup in 1955. Liverpool 3 Newcastle 0 – 1974 FA Cup final Nineteen years after their sixth and last FA Cup triumph, the Magpies, who had Malcolm Macdonald spearheading their armoury, headed back to Wembley with high hopes. But they were undone by a man who would later play a significant role on Tyneside as Kevin Keegan scored twice, either side of Steve Heighway's strike, to send the trophy to Merseyside. Man City 2 Newcastle 1 – 1976 League Cup final The Magpies' bid for a first League Cup success ended in disappointment despite Alan Gowling cancelling out Peter Barnes' early opener. A minute into the second half, Dennis Tueart dashed their hopes with a spectacular overhead kick after Tommy Booth had headed Willie Donachie's cross back across goal. Premiership 1995-96 Keegan's Newcastle were in pole position to claim a first league title since 1927 and a fifth in total when they went 12 points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table in January 1996. However, they won only seven of their last 15 games as United took 40 points from a possible 45 – three of them from an Eric Cantona-inspired 1-0 win at St James' on March 4 – to claim the title by four. Arsenal 2 Newcastle 0 – 1998 FA Cup final A cup run which included a hard-fought victory over non-league Stevenage in the fourth – a tie which went to a replay as Alan Shearer returned to the starting line-up after a lengthy injury lay-off – eventually resulted in another trip to Wembley for Kenny Dalglish's men. However, goals from Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka either side of half-time saw Arsenal complete the league and cup double. Man Utd 2 Newcastle 0 – 1999 FA Cup final Having led Chelsea to FA Cup glory in 1997, Ruud Gullit took the Magpies back to Wembley two years later, intent on a repeat. This time, it was their misfortune to come across a Treble-chasing Manchester United side, with goals from Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes doing the damage. Man Utd 2 Newcastle 0 – 2023 Carabao Cup final Newcastle's first trip to Wembley in 24 years was delivered by Eddie Howe as his Saudi-backed resurgence promised to pay dividends much sooner than expected. However, once again they could not reproduce the form which had got them there as Casemiro and Marcus Rashford both struck within six first-half minutes to extend the wait.
