Latest news with #ofCroatia
Daily Record
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Celtic learn Champions League seeding fate as Hoops discover who stands in way of £30m bonanza
Brendan Rodgers' side suffered a bruising Scottish Cup Final defeat but have landed a huge European boost Celtic will be seeded for next season's Champions League playoffs after Dinamo Zagreb were dethroned as the Kings of Croatia. The Hoops face a two-legged qualifier to reach the £30million promised land after Scotland slid down the coefficient table. The four-in-a-row champions have benefited from automatic qualification with the big boys over the last three years. However, as Scotland dropped down to 14th in UEFA rankings, the Scottish Premiership lost its guaranteed spot. Celtic are one of ten teams who will compete via the Champions Path, but due to their coefficient standing, had to rely on other results to secure a seeded space. Dinamo Zagreb (56.000), Bodo/Glimt (49.000), FC Copenhagen (44.875), Red Star Belgrade (44.000) and Ferencváros (39.000) were all above Celts (38.000) in the pecking order. And with the Norwegian, Serbian and Hungarian title-winners all wrapped up, the Parkhead side had to rely on either Dinamo Zagreb or FC Copenhagen finishing runners-up in their respective leagues. Fortunately for the Hoops, Rijeka pipped Zagreb to the Croatian title on Sunday night - despite finishing level on points. A bizarre sorting rule in the Croatian Football League states that first place will be decided by head-to-head record in the final round of fixtures if they are tied on points, taking precedence over the difference in goals scored and conceded between the sides. That meant Rijeka simply had to defeat Slaven Belupo - or better Zagreb's result - to be crowned champions for the first time in eight years. And they did just that, as Niko Jankovic and Toni Fruk scored in each half to secure the title and, in turn, guarantee Brendan Rodgers' troops a seeded position for the Champions League play-off round draw. It means Celtic will now face one of five unseeded teams in the winner-takes-all playoff over two weeks on August 19/20 and 26/27. Swiss side Basel, Austrians Sturm Graz, Romanian giants FCSB, Polish champs Lech Poznan or Rijeka could lie in wait. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp, where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here. Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Olympics water taxi service between Long Beach to San Pedro takes a step forward
In their pursuit of keeping people out of their cars during the Olympics, Los Angeles County leaders will consider installing a water taxi for the 2028 Olympics to transport fans between San Pedro and Long Beach, where multiple events will be hosted. County Supervisor Janice Hahn introduced a motion Wednesday during Metro's Olympics and Paralympics committee meeting to launch a feasibility study assessing ridership demand, cost and possible routes. The motion was unanimously approved by the committee members and public comment was overwhelmingly supportive, with some residents suggesting a water taxi be installed sooner to accommodate for the upcoming months-long closure of the Vincent Thomas Bridge. 'If we're serious about the 2028 games being transit-first, we must make transit safe, accessible, reliable and fun for people, and we can't only rely on our buses and trains,' said Hahn, who chairs the committee. '[The water taxi] would give residents, workers and tourists an affordable alternative to driving and parking at these games venues.' The motion was co-authored by Mayor Karen Bass, Metro board members Fernando Dutra and Jacquelin Dupont-Walker, and Inglewood Mayor James Butts. The study will be delivered back to the board in 90 days. Read more: Metro's Olympics plans rely on federal funding. Will Trump threaten it? So far, San Pedro isn't slated to host any games, but will serve as the "Croatia House" — a cultural hub for Croatia's athletes, leaders and tourists. That agreement was made last year between L.A. City Councilmember Tim McOsker and Zlatko Mateša, the President of the National Olympic Committee of Croatia. Long Beach will host 11 games, including beach volleyball, water polo and rowing. Los Angeles faces challenges in meeting its transit goals for the 2028 games, which Bass proposed as a 'car-free' Olympics, largely dependent on the acquisition of thousands of buses to transport fans to venues across the region. Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the city has received leasing commitments for about 650 buses. Officials' goal is to lease nearly 3,000 buses for a price tag of roughly $2 billion. Metro previously asked the federal government to cover the funding in a request for $3.2 billion towards Olympics projects. But as the Trump administration has threatened funds across multiple departments, the monies remain in flux. Hahn previously told The Times that Metro will move forward with its plans under the assumption that funding will be fulfilled. The water taxi would offer alternatives to bus needs and was presented as a way to alleviate congestion along the two bridges connecting San Pedro to Long Beach and surrounding roads. Fans would be able to park in San Pedro, or board the ferry from Metro's J Line. There is precedent for the ferry service, Hahn said, citing an operation that once shuttled passengers between the Terminal Island fishing village and San Pedro. That ferry ran from 1941 to 1963, according to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, which is housed in one of the original ferry buildings. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
