Premier League – Inside World Football

Assistant ref Hatzidakis cleared of intent after elbowing Liverpool’s Robertson

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 12:54:39 +0000

April 14 – Assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis will not face further disciplinary action for allegedly elbowing Liverpool’s Andy Robertson in the face.

Video replays appeared to show the official raise his arm toward Robertson, who had approached Hatzidakis after the halftime whistle during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.

Robertson was led away by teammates and received a yellow card.

Hatzidakis was stood down from duty while the English FA looked into matter including discussions with the body that appoints referees for matches,

Premier League moves to ban bookies from club shirt fronts, but leave sleeves open

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 14:50:42 +0000

April 13 – Premier League clubs have voted to ban gambling sponsors on the front of their shirts from the start of the 2026-27 season. The league said the clubs had taken the measure “voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising”.

Eight Premier League clubs – none of the top six clubs – have gambling companies as shirt-front sponsors, with the value of those deals estimated at £60 million a year. Everton (Stake) and West Ham (Betway) have the most valuable deals.

Zilliacus pulls out of Man Utd bidding saying Glazers are showing ‘no respect’

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 06:15:40 +0000

April 13 – Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus (pictured) has pulled out of the bidding for Manchester United, saying the decision by current owners the Glazer family to go to a third round of bidding is a “farce”.

The 69-year-old said the Glazers were giving “no respect” to the club.

Zilliacus, Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim and Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe have publicly submitted second bids.

“The delays will make it very difficult for any new owner to build a winning team for next season,”

Man Utd bidding goes to third round with Glazers still pushing for £6bn

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 14:57:32 +0000

April 4 – Manchester United will reportedly accept a third round of bids from prospective buyers by the end of this month as speculation intensifies into who the new owners will be.

According to media reports, there are as many as seven investment parties in the mix that have all been contacted by the Raine Group, the investment bank running the process, regarding their initial bids.

The two leading bidders, Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe,

Is it Hatzidakis’ turn to get the elbow after spat with Liverpool’s Robertson?

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 08:17:33 +0000

April 11 – It isn’t every day that an official is at the centre of a foul play inquiry but assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis (pictured) has been stood down while the English Football Association looks into a clash with Liverpool defender Andy Robertson on Sunday.

The linesman appeared to raise his arm when colliding with Robertson at halftime during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield.

Robertson was seen remonstrating with Hatzidakis and video replays appeared to show the official brushing off the Scotland international defender and catching him with his elbow.

Kompany’s bounce back Burnley return to Premier League at first attempt

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 00:12:06 +0000

April 11 – Burnley are back in the big time. With seven matches to spare, the Clarets clinched promotion to the Premier League with a 2-1 victory against Middlesbrough, the culmination of Vincent Kompany’s one-season transformation of the club.

The Belgian guided Burnley back to the top flight after dominating the entire season, moving 19 points clear of third-placed Luton to ensure automatic promotion.

“It’s Easter and there are seven games to go and we’re already celebrating,” said Kompany.

Liverpool and Chelsea condemn Hillsborough chants at Stamford Bridge

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 05:39:42 +0000

April 5 – Liverpool have hit out once again at the “vile chants” about the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium disaster, the latest culprits being Chelsea fans during Tuesday’s 0-0 Premier League draw.

Hillsborough was the scene of Britain’s worst sporting disaster when 97 Liverpool fans lost their lives. A section of the home support were heard chanting ‘Murderers’ and ‘Always the victims’.

“We know the impact these vile chants have on those who continue to suffer as a result of football tragedies.

Eight game ban for Fulham’s Mitrovic for pushing ref

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 05:27:33 +0000

April 5 – Fulham’s Serbian international striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has been handed an eight-game ban by the English Football Association for grabbing the referee in the FA Cup quarterfinals against Manchester United last month.

Mitrovic was shown a straight red card after pushing and remonstrating aggressively in the face of referee Chris Kavanagh, who had just given United a penalty and sent off Fulham winger Willian for a handball.

Fulham had led 1-0 before the penalty was awarded,

‘Last man standing’ – Klopp says he has only kept his job based on past performance

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:03:23 +0000

April 4 – Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp has bemoaned the rate at which Premier League managers are losing their jobs and says he’s only still at his club because of past successes.

Chelsea sacked Graham Potter on Sunday with the club sitting 11th in the league, hours after relegation-threatened Leicester City off-loaded Brendan Rodgers. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur parted company with Antonio Conte late last month.

Klopp is the longest-serving current manager in the English top flight,

Aston Villa owner Nassef Sawiris launches three-club academy project

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 05:08:21 +0000

April 4 – Aston Villa owner Nassef Sawiris has announced a three-club partnership with Portugal’s Vitória Sport Clube and Egypt’s Zed FC. Vitoria is part-owned by Sawiris through his Eden Sports business while Zed FC is owned by his brother Naguib.

The agreement will see the three clubs work together to develop academy talent.

“Villa aim to create new and positive opportunities for young footballers in Egypt and will assist in the technical and physical development of Academy players,