Latest news with #Pepi
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
The protesters and residents pushing back on tourism in Barcelona
As protesters marched through central Barcelona on Sunday, they shouted at the tourists who were filming them to "Go Home!". Bemused couples sitting in street cafés got squirted with water pistols and a luxury clothes store was pasted with stickers declaring the tourists who'd shut themselves inside unwelcome. Tourism is hugely important to Spain and Barcelona is a top destination for visitors. But the crowds are growing so fast that many locals complain they're being squeezed out of their own cities. Here and in popular spots across southern Europe, residents are pushing back. "We cannot live in this city. The rents are super high because of BnBs and also the expats who come and live here for the weather," Marina explained, holding her own banner as the crowd gathered. It declared "Your AirBnB used to be my home". Other signs called for a ban on the giant cruise ships that dock here, with one announcing that over-tourism is "killing" the city. "Our goal is not to stop tourism, because it's also good, but to have it at a normal rate," Marina said. The protesters' route wound towards one of Barcelona's biggest attractions, the towering Sagrada Familia church designed by Catalan architect, Gaudi. A combination of stunning architecture, sea and sun drew more than 15 million visitors to the city last year, almost ten times the local population. No wonder it's feeling the strain. "We're not against individual tourists, it's about how we're managing this," Elena, a young marine biologist, said. "Young people can't afford living here or even normal things like coffee that are all really expensive for our salaries." It's not only the young who are struggling. At 80 years old, Pepi Viu has just been evicted from her home of almost a decade, in a popular neighbourhood. She thinks the owner wanted to earn more rent than the pensioner could pay. Pepi is now in a hostel, and searching for somewhere more suitable, but prices have soared almost 70% since she last rented. "I can't find anything – and there's no support. I feel like I have no protection and it's upsetting," she says, frail and leaning on a stick. "There's only tourist flats now, but we residents need somewhere to live!" In some areas of town, almost all locals like Pepi have already been pushed out. But in a narrow, paved street of the Gothic quarter, right in the tourist heart of Barcelona, Joan Alvarez is fighting to hold on to the flat his family have rented for 25 years, and at a price he can afford. His landlord has terminated the contract, but Joan refuses to leave. Most of the apartments in his building have already been divided into single rooms to bring in more rent. Joan's little oasis, with tiled floors and a terrace that looks towards the cathedral, is one of the few still intact. "It's not just about the money, it's the principle," he explains, cats winding through potted plants as he talks. "This is central Barcelona and there's hardly any of us residents left. It shouldn't be like that." "Housing shouldn't be big business. Yes, this is his property, but it's my house." Under pressure from the protests, the authorities in Barcelona have already taken the radical step of announcing a complete ban on short-term rentals to tourists from 2028. 10,000 landlords will lose their tourist housing licenses. But Jesus Pereda, who owns two popular tourist flats not far from the Sagrada Familia, thinks that's the wrong response. "They stopped giving out new licenses 10 years ago, but rents have still gone up. So how are we to blame? We're just an easy enemy," he insists. Managing the flats is his job, providing an income for himself and his wife. "Now we have anxiety." Jesus believes it's the 'nomad' workers moving from elsewhere in Europe who are pushing rents up, rather than tourists. "They earn and pay more. You can't stop that." He argues that tourist flats like his help spread the crowds, and the cash, to other areas of the city. Without tourism he believes Barcelona would have an "existential crisis" - it represents up to 15% of Spain's gross domestic product (GDP) as a whole. If he loses his tourist license, Jesus won't take on local tenants in any case: a price-cap means long-term rental is barely profitable so he plans to sell both the flats. The protest in Barcelona culminated in chants of "You're all guiris!" – local slang for foreigners – and a burst of firecrackers. Red smoke billowed up in front of rows of police officers blocking all routes to the Sagrada Familia. A little earlier, the crowd had targeted a busy hotel, kicking a flare into the lobby. Tourists inside, including children, were clearly shaken. There were similar protests elsewhere in Spain and more crowds in Portugal and Italy: not huge, but loud and insistent. The concerns are the same and there's no consensus on how best to tackle it. But Spain is expecting more tourists this summer than ever. Additional reporting by Esperanza Escribano and Bruno Boelpaep
Fox Sports
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
US striker Ricardo Pepi to be sidelined 'a long time' with knee injury
Associated Press EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) — PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi will be out of action for 'a long time,' coach Peter Bosz said Friday after the United States international sustained a knee injury in a midweek win over Liverpool in the Champions League. The 22-year-old Pepi scored the winning goal — moments before halftime — in the 3-2 victory but was substituted off in the 76th minute. Pepi has scored 17 goals in 28 games in all competitions this season and reportedly has drawn interest from Premier League club West Ham. Bosz told a news conference that the team would look for a replacement before the winter transfer window closes. He did not specify how many months Pepi would miss, saying that it's 'not a matter of weeks.' The Texan played for FC Dallas before transferring to Bundesliga club Augsburg in January 2022. PSV leads the Eredivisie by four points from Ajax entering the weekend. The team was drawn Friday to face Juventus in a two-leg playoff for a spot in the Champions League round of 16. ___ AP soccer: in this topic
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
US striker Ricardo Pepi to be sidelined 'a long time' with knee injury
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) — PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi will be out of action for 'a long time,' coach Peter Bosz said Friday after the United States international sustained a knee injury in a midweek win over Liverpool in the Champions League. The 22-year-old Pepi scored the winning goal — moments before halftime — in the 3-2 victory but was substituted off in the 76th minute. Pepi has scored 17 goals in 28 games in all competitions this season and reportedly has drawn interest from Premier League club West Ham. Bosz told a news conference that the team would look for a replacement before the winter transfer window closes. He did not specify how many months Pepi would miss, saying that it's 'not a matter of weeks.' The Texan played for FC Dallas before transferring to Bundesliga club Augsburg in January 2022. PSV leads the Eredivisie by four points from Ajax entering the weekend. The team was drawn Friday to face Juventus in a two-leg playoff for a spot in the Champions League round of 16. ___ AP soccer: The Associated Press
Fox Sports
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Source: USMNT, PSV striker Ricardo Pepi could miss two months with knee injury
In the aftermath of the match-winning Champions League goal he scored against title favorites Liverpool on Wednesday, Ricardo Pepi seemed unstoppable. It was the U.S. men's national team forward's 18th strike this season and his second in the world's most prestigious club competition, and the clearest proof yet that the 21-year-old Texan has earned the right to be the undisputed starting forward for both the USMNT and Dutch champs PSV Eindhoven. Those plans will have to wait. Pepi suffered a knee injury in the second half of PSV's 3-2 victory over the Reds that could sideline him for two months, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to FOX Sports on Thursday following multiple media reports in the Netherlands. The severity of the ailment is still being assessed, the source added. But if the initial timeline is accurate, it would rule Pepi out of the U.S.'s Concacaf Nations League semifinal against Panama on March 20 and a potential final against historic rival Mexico in Los Angeles three days later. That would be a significant loss for Mauricio Pochettino's squad, which is also expected to be without fellow striker Folarin Balogun until April. Balogun, the USMNT's first choice center forward under previous USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, has yet to appear under Pochettino after undergoing shoulder surgery last fall. Pepi grabbed the role with aplomb in Balogun's absence, scoring in Pochettino's debut win in October and in both legs of November's Nations League quarterfinal win over Jamaica. England-based pair Josh Sargent and Haji Wright are probably the leading candidates to replace Pepi in March, though both recently returned from their own long-term injury layoffs. MLS strikers Patrick Agyemang and Brandon Vazquez are among the other options for Pochettino. At PSV, Pepi has mostly been used as a substitute since joining the 25-time Dutch champs at the beginning of 2023-24, with former Barcelona forward and Netherlands international Luuk de Jong entrenched as manager Peter Bosz' first choice. Yet despite the limited playing time, Pepi has outscored De Jong this season and is second in the Eredivisie's Golden Boot race, with 11 goals in just 681 minutes played. Bosz rewarded that consistent production on Wednesday by giving Pepi his first Champions League start of the season. He was rewarded handsomely. In addition to his game-winning goal just before halftime, Pepi also set up the hosts' opener against Liverpool with a clever assist. Pepi will also miss PSV's two-leg Champions League playoff series next month against either Eredivisie rivals Feyenoord or Italian titans Juventus. He could return for the tournament quarterfinals in April if PSV gets that far without him. The club, which won its only European title in 1988, was eliminated in the round of 16 last year. Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports who has covered the United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him at @ByDougMcIntyre . FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Ricardo Pepi United States FIFA Men's World Cup Get more from United States Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
PSV star subject of $25M transfer offer hours after Liverpool victory in Champions League
Ricardo Pepi scored in PSV Eindhoven's 3-2 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League, and if West Ham gets its way, it won't be the last time he comes up against the Reds this season. That's because the Hammers reportedly lodged a bid for Pepi in the hours after the five-goal thriller at PSV's Philips Stadion. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported that West Ham offered PSV a package totalling €25million ($26m) for Pepi, but the bid was apparently rejected. Liverpool itself has been linked with a move for Pepi this season, with Caught Offside reporting in November that the Reds were showing the strongest interest in signing the United States international out of a group of clubs that included Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid. READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Salah sent new Saudi message, James McConnell plan, Chiesa admission READ MORE: Liverpool reaches Stefan Bajcetic transfer decision hours after Champions League appearance It was reported that Liverpool scouts viewed Pepi as a good fit for Arne Slot's team due to his technical and mental qualities. The youngster has registered 18 goals and three assists in 29 appearances in all competitions this season. Meanwhile, Pepi spoke of the challenge of playing against Liverpool after Wednesday night's five-goal encounter. 'No matter what team they [Liverpool] have, the first or second team, we know that they have quality players," Pepi said. "It's nice to play against teams like this. I think [the debutants] were amazing to be honest, congrats to them. But everyone put in a decent performance, so that was good. 'I just try to stay focused and fill in my role. At the end of the day, I'm a striker, so I'm going to score goals. I don't know how I do it. I just prepare and train my craft.'
