Latest news with #TxikiBegiristain
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
INSIDE SPORT: Food and drink prices at Club World Cup revealed after Inter Miami's tournament opener - as event chiefs get a glimpse of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown
A nice touch at the European Clubs Association executive committee meeting in Miami on Friday. Outgoing Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain brought along his replacement, Hugo Viana and introduced the Portuguese to those present. FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom delivered a presentation to the group, which included a video message from City's Erling Haaland along the lines of how much he was looking forward to taking part in the Club World Cup. The presentation also highlighted the sponsorship deals FIFA has secured with big-hitters including Bank of America and Michelob for the event, although insiders disclosed that there was no mention of ticket sales, which appeared to be the elephant in the room at the oceanside Grand Beach Hotel. Jason Gannon, Chelsea president and chief operating officer, also attended. FIFA officials were given a first-hand glimpse of Donald Trump 's immigration crackdown when a boat trip hosted by Telemundo to mark a year to go to the World Cup was the subject of a US Coast Guard raid. The mayor of Miam-Dade Daniella Levine Cava and a host of special guests of the American Spanish-language broadcaster, in smart dresses and suits, were on a luxury catamaran when it was unceremoniously stopped in the middle of the waters off Biscayne Bay while Coast Guard officers came onboard to check papers and carry put a search. Reports claim the inspection lasted for an hour, leading Telemundo to cancel the event and return to shore. There was no expense spared when FOX hosted their own year-to-go party on South Beach. FIFA chief Gianni Infantino joined VIPs for a show which included a performance from 'Tipsy' rapper Shaboozey and a spectacular drone show, with the devices lining up to spell out the names of Club World Cup sponsors. While the tickets may have ended up heavily reduced, as FIFA successfully scrambled to fill the stands at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium for the tournament opener, the same could not be said of the food and drink. A can of Heineken at the Inter Miami versus Al Ahly stalemate cost no less than $14 (£10.32) while a chicken bowl came in at $22.50 (£16.59). A goalless draw may not have been on FIFA's menu, but officials may well have breathed a sigh of relief at the attendance for the first match. The official figure of 60,927 appeared generous, but fears of half empty stands were averted on a balmy night in South Florida. Organisers will also be pleased that there was no repeat of the chaotic scenes a year ago at the same stadium when ticketless fans tried to storm their way into the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia. A ring of steel consisting of police checkpoints ensured that only those with tickets were allowed anywhere near the venue. Ref cam was a positive addition, with those watching on TV given an up close view of what Aussie whistleblower Alireza Faghani saw when he gave a first-half penalty. The Football Supporters' Association has thrown its weight behind the National League's '3UP' campaign. The scandalous situation, which sees only two clubs promoted into League Two, continues, and it is to be hoped that backing from the fans can heap pressure on the EFL. This season, York City finished 13 points clear of third place with 96 points but were thrashed 3-0 at home by Oldham Athletic, who went on to win the play-off final, and missed out on promotion. Change is needed, urgently. British Olympic Association chiefs were amongst the first to get an audience with new IOC president Kirsty Coventry in Lausanne last week. With Coventry set to take the reins from current IOC president Thomas Bach, the delegation met with both the ongoing and incoming president to discuss the future of the Olympic movement. It was also BOA chairperson Katherine Grainger's first formal engagement with the IOC, as both her, chief executive Andy Anson and chief operating officer Shahab Uddin took an early opportunity to solidify relations between the UK and the IOC. Signatures are now being sought to reach the requisite 180 for an MCC special general meeting to try to establish 'Lord's plc.' A group of members want the 238-year-old club to become a public limited company, with each subsequently becoming the proud owner of a share those involve estimate would be worth £50-100,000. Should the magic 180 figure be reached, a two-thirds majority would then be needed to change the rules.
New York Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Manchester City Transfer DealSheet: Summer window latest, key positions and available players
Manchester City have just experienced their toughest season under Pep Guardiola, and the summer is expected to see numerous changes among the playing and coaching staff as they look to bounce back from it. Albeit a third-place finish in the Premier League and being runners-up in the FA Cup being seen a disappointments shows the standards set since Guardiola arrived nine years ago, but however it is looked at, their struggles last season need rectifying. Advertisement There are already changes being announced among the coaching staff, and on the pitch, following several signings in the January window, City will bring in some new faces, while losing others. Here, The Athletic looks at what to expect from the deposed champions' summer. Summer 2025 marks a period of transition for City in this regard. Txiki Begiristain, who was director of football at Barcelona between 2003 and 2010 and has held the same title at City since 2012, is leaving after the Club World Cup, which runs to July 13. He is being replaced by Hugo Viana, who was expected to see out the season with Sporting CP but left the Portuguese club at the end of the January window and officially started work at City in April. The club have been doing all they can to ensure a smooth handover, which is why Begiristain is staying on until after the upcoming competition in the United States, with the new mini-transfer window before that tournament being a key time to make moves. City Football Group chief executive Ferran Soriano remains in place, but Riccardo Bigon is another fresh voice in the decision-making ranks. He was appointed City Football Group's new global football technical director in October after six years as sporting director at Italian club Bologna. There is the possibility that Ederson, their first-choice goalkeeper of the past eight years, could leave, so a new face at that position might be on the cards. Stefan Ortega is an able deputy but the German also left his future in doubt over recent months. So, too, are the full-back positions, where Guardiola took to deploying midfielders Matheus Nunes and Nico O'Reilly due to the lack of options over the season's final months. We reported on Monday that City are pursuing a deal to sign Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Advertisement The gaping hole left by club great Kevin De Bruyne, who announced in April that he is leaving City this summer at the end of his contract, also needs to be filled. There is unlikely to be one single player who can replicate his creative output, so a mixture of ones already at the club and a couple of additions looks to be the formula. Another wide player is also likely, with Jack Grealish's slide down the pecking order leaving only Jeremy Doku and Savinho as conventional wingers. To condense the squad. In an era where most elite managers are pleading for bigger squads to cope with the relentless schedule at the top of the game, Guardiola is railing against that thinking. 'I don't want to leave five or six players in the tribune (stand, having been left out of the matchday squad),' he said, after the 3-1 win against Bournemouth in May. 'I don't want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay. I don't want to have 24, 25, 26 players when everyone is fit. If I have injuries, (then we're) unlucky; we have some players from the academy, and we do it.' As well as Ait-Nouri, City are keen on Milan's Tijjani Reijnders. The Netherlands international recently named Serie A midfielder of the year would fill one of the No 8 spots that City are lacking players for. Turning 27 in July, Reijnders is entering his peak years compared to would-be team-mates Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva, who will be 35 and 31 respectively early next season. City were interested in Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz, but Liverpool appear to be his preferred destination. They are exploring a deal for Lyon's Rayan Cherki, while Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White is another player City under consideration to bolster their midfield options. Ederson is open to a move to the Saudi Pro League, which could have happened last summer had a club there met City's valuation. He only has one year remaining on his contract. Grealish is another who could fetch a significant fee. He was a spare part for most of last season, starting only seven Premier League games, being left on the bench 12 times and failing to make the squad on the final day of the season with Champions League qualification at stake. Advertisement Fellow England international John Stones could potentially move on if clubs come in with the right sort of offers. He managed only 13 starts in all competitions last season and with Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov to pick from, City may be carrying an extra central-defensive body when everyone is fit. Claudio Echeverri could be a player City Football Group uses its network to develop. He was signed from River Plate in January 2024 but was loaned back to them so he could play first-team minutes in Argentina. He eventually made his City debut as a substitute in the FA Cup final defeat last month, in which he spurned several big chances, and it could be that the 19-year-old is one who needs to play more before being expected to perform in the Premier League. Agreements still need to be reached between City and Wolves for Ait-Nouri, but all parties now expect a move to happen. City also had an opening bid for Rejnders rejected last week, and the clubs remain apart on a fee. Rejnders only signed a new deal in March, which ties him to Milan until 2030, so they are keen to extract top value for one of their star players. It is expected that City will return with an improved offer. City are in a healthy position, even after their £183million ($248m) January spree. They should be able to invest heavily this summer in refreshing the squad. In the three years to the end of last season, City booked a cumulative pre-tax profit of £195.9million. Using a combination of estimates and figures disclosed in the accounts, The Athletic's BookKeeper projected City's PSR headroom in last season's calculation came to around £324m. The fees for Nico Gonzalez, Omar Marmoush, Khusanov and Reis will be spread across four and a half years, and City also brought in big money by selling Julian Alvarez, Joao Cancelo and Liam Delap. (Top photos: Reijnders, left, and Gibbs-White; Getty Images)
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Pep Guardiola tells Jack Grealish he could be playing football at 'another place' next season after £100million star was snubbed in final game against Fulham
Pep Guardiola has admitted that Jack Grealish could leave Manchester City this summer. The £100million winger was left out of the City squad for the victory over Fulham to confirm qualification for the Champions League and is now assessing his options ahead of next season. City could sanction a loan move for the 29-year-old, who has started only one Premier League game since Christmas. 'Of course Jack has to play,' Guardiola said. 'He's an unbelievable player that has to play football every three days. It didn't happen this season and last season either. He needs to do it - with us or another place. 'It's a question for Jack, his agent and the club. If he stays it will be fine and he fights like he fought from day one to make a contribution. 'Who said I'm not happy with Jack? It's not personal. I'm the person who fought for him to come here and the person who fought for him to stay here this season and the last season. 'I'm the one who said I want Jack Grealish. Now he didn't come (to Fulham) because he didn't come but not something else. What happens in the future is a job for Txiki (Begiristain), Hugo (Viana) and the agents.' Guardiola said Grealish's omission was down to 'selection' and bemoaned having to leave players out of his travelling party. And the Catalan suggested that it will not be a transfer market of revolution at the Etihad Stadium as the club look at securing two midfielders and at least one full back. 'New faces will come, especially in positions where we are weaker, but I don't think a lot,' Guardiola added. 'We have players under contract who want to stay here and I don't want a lot of players. Today we have 23 players under contract so I don't have the feeling that a lot of people will come. We will see. 'The summer is long, maybe players realise they are not going to play and want to leave. But it's not my business. I have qualified for the Champions League for next year and the rest belongs to the club.'
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'I'm the one who said that I want Grealish'
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has provided a defiant response in his post-match news conference when asked about Jack Grealish's future at the club: "Don't ask me about Jack. Who said I'm not happy with Jack?"Rico [Lewis] was not selected. [James] McAtee was exceptional against Aston Villa and Wolves, so why not ask me about McAtee? It is not personal."I have 24 players. I had to get rid of six players last game and five players today because [Mateo] Kovacic got sent off."I treat Jack like [Abdukodir] Khusanov, McAtee and all the players who have not been selected, but you say they are in trouble? It's not about that. I have 24 players and I had to get rid of five players because Kovacic was sent off in the last game."It is nothing personal with Jack. I'm the person who fought for him to come here, the person who fought for him to stay here this season, and the same next season. I'm the one who said that I want Jack Grealish."He didn't come because he didn't come, but not for some other reason. What happens in the future is a job for Txiki [Begiristain], Hugo [Viana] and the agents."
New York Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Jack Grealish exclusion from Manchester City's final game ‘not personal'
Pep Guardiola has said Jack Grealish's exclusion from Manchester City's final matchday squad of the campaign was 'nothing personal'. Grealish, 29, was left out of the squad for City's two-goal victory at Fulham on Sunday to conclude their 2024-25 campaign. Grealish has started in just seven Premier League matches for City this term and was an unused substitute in last week's FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace. Advertisement Since January, the England international has made just one league start for Guardiola's side — the 2-0 win against Leicester City in April. 'Don't ask me about Jack, who said I'm not happy with Jack?,' Guardiola asked when questioned on whether he was unhappy with Grealish. 'Rico (Lewis) was not selected, (James) McAtee was exceptional against Aston Villa and Wolves, why not ask me about McAtee? 'I have to get rid of six players last game and five players today because (Mateo) Kovacic got sent off. 'I treat Jack like I think of (Abdukodir) Khusanov, McAtee and all the players who have not been but you say I'm selecting we are in trouble? It's not about that. 'It's nothing personal with Jack. I'm the person who fought for him to come here and the person who fought for him to stay here this season and the next season. I'm the one who said I want Jack Grealish. 'Now he didn't come because he didn't come but not something else. 'What happens in the future is a job for Txiki (Begiristain, City's director of football), Hugo (Viana, the club's sporting director) and the agents.' Following the FA Cup final, Guardiola said the club's hierarchy would hold talks with Grealish's representatives in the summer, and acknowledged that any player in 'all the locker rooms around the world' would not be happy with limited gametime. 'What is going to happen will happen, but he has to come back to start to play minutes again,' Guardiola said. Grealish signed a six-year deal upon joining City in 2021 for a club-record fee of £100million ($135.4m; €119.1m). The figure still stands as City's highest-ever transfer fee, and fourth highest of all-time relating to transfers in and out of British clubs. The former Aston Villa playmaker has made 32 appearances this season, with 16 as a substitute. He has registered three goals and five assists in all competitions, scoring once in the Premier League. ()
