Connect with us

Sports

Manchester United set for new 100,000-seater home, dubbed the ‘world’s greatest football stadium’

Published

on



CNN
 — 

Manchester United may be experiencing one of the most chastening seasons in its recent history, but the club is planning for a much brighter future.

On Tuesday, the 13-time Premier League champion announced it will be pursuing a new 100,000-seat home which minority owner, billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, promised would be the “world’s greatest football stadium.”

The club’s current ground, Old Trafford, was once considered the among the best stadiums in world soccer, but it is now in dire need of improvement after years of stagnation.

Ratcliffe has previously spoken about creating a “national stadium in the North” which would serve both the Red Devils as well as host other major games, such as the Champions League final and national team fixtures.

“Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport,” Ratcliffe added in a club statement about the new stadium.

“By building next to the existing site, we will be able to preserve the essence of Old Trafford, while creating a truly state-of-the-art stadium that transforms the fan experience only footsteps from our historic home.”

World-renowned architect Norman Foster, who is leading the new design, described it as “one of the most exciting projects in the world today.”

“It all starts with the fans’ experience, bringing them closer than ever to the pitch and acoustically cultivating a huge roar,” he added.

It comes as part of the UK government’s wider regeneration project of the city, which promises social and economic renewal of the surrounding area.

A computer generated conceptual image provided by architects Foster + Partners of what the new Manchester United stadium could look like.

The announcement will come as good news to fans, who have had very little to cheer about in recent months.

United is currently languishing 14th in the Premier League and is on track to finish in its lowest league position in decades.

Off the pitch, the new hierachy is attempting to turn around a dire financial situation, with the club heavily in debt.

In a recent interview with former United star Gary Neville, who is part of the task-force for the new stadium project, Ratcliffe said the club would “run out of money” by November if things didn’t change.

As a result, the club has announced several cost-cutting measures which have proved very unpopular with fans – including hundreds of job losses.

In addition to the job cuts, the club has also taken the decision to end free lunches for staff, reduce executive bonuses and stop donations to certain charitable causes, according to Reuters.

“We can’t put our head in the sand, we have to deal with the problem and it’s a big problem, not a small problem,” Ratlciffe said on The Overlap, in his interview with Neville.

‘Not good enough’ and ‘overpaid’

In another wide-ranging interview with BBC Sport, which was also published the day before the new stadium announcement, Ratcliffe backed new manager Ruben Amorim to turn around the team’s form.

He also admitted the previous regime had made a number of mistakes that have led to poor recruitment decisions which are still costing the club today.

He named the likes of Casemiro, Rasmus Hojlund, André Onana, Antony and Jadon Sancho as players the club has inherited and will be paying for again this summer, due to the makeup of the previous deals.

Without naming exactly which players he was referring to, Ratcliffe also said some players “are not good enough and some probably are overpaid.”

He added: “But for us to mold the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time.”

“We’ve got this period of transformation where we move from the past to the future.”



Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray end coaching partnership after six months

Published

on



CNN
 — 

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have ended their coaching relationship after six months as the 24-time grand slam singles champion continues to struggle for form in 2025.

“Thank you, coach Andy, for all the hard work, fun & support over last six months on & off the court,” Djokovic wrote on his social media channels. “I really enjoyed deepening our friendship together.”

The longtime rivals, who faced off in several all-time classic encounters on the court, announced in November that Murray would be joining Djokovic’s coaching team.

The partnership got off to a promising start as Djokovic reached the semifinals of January’s Australian Open after beating Carlos Alcaraz in a four-set epic in the quarterfinals, only for an injury to cut his last-four match against Alexander Zverev short.

However, Djokovic and Murray have failed to rekindle anything close to that kind of form in the months since.

“Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months,” Murray said in a statement. “I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”

Djokovic’s best performance this year came in reaching the final of the Miami Open, where he lost to unseeded teenager Jakub Menšík. The 24-time grand slam champion lost in the first round at the Qatar Open and Indian Wells before Miami, and in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters and Madrid Open since.

As recently as March, Djokovic said he hoped Murray would be his coach through the French Open and Wimbledon.

The 37-year-old pulled out of the ongoing Italian Open at the end of April, and this week accepted a wildcard into the Geneva Open which begins on May 18.



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Jayson Tatum: Boston loses star to leg injury as Knicks come up huge at home to take 3-1 lead over Celtics

Published

on



CNN
 — 

Jayson Tatum will have an MRI on the lower leg injury he suffered during the Boston Celtics’ 121-113 Game 4 defeat against the New York Knicks on Monday.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Celtics forward went down with an apparent non-contact injury as he tried to go after a loose ball. He quickly grabbed his right ankle and appeared to be in a lot of pain.

Tatum was helped off the court as he couldn’t put any pressure on his right leg and was taken through the tunnel in New York’s Madison Square Garden in a wheelchair.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the game Tatum suffered a “lower body injury” and will have the scan on Tuesday.

“You are always worried about someone’s health,” Mazzulla told reporters. “He’s the type of guy that gets right up. He didn’t and we’ll know tomorrow exactly what it is. It’s tough to watch a guy like him getting carried off like that.”

To make matters worse, Monday’s defeat means the Boston Celtics now trail 3-1 in the series and face elimination in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Trainers check on Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum after he was injured late in the fourth quarter.

Down by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, New York ended the period on a 12-2 run to take an 88-85 lead into the fourth.

With less than six minutes remaining in regulation of a tied 102-102 game, OG Anunoby drained a three-pointer to give the Knicks a 105-102 lead, which New York would not relinquish.

Four Knicks players scored at least 20 points with Jalen Brunson leading the way with 39 points, 12 assists and five rebounds. Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 23 points and Anunoby added 20.

After the victory, Brunson discussed the comeback win and extending the series lead.

“It means a lot. It’s a big game for us, just the way we responded, is what I’m most proud of, sticking together and making sure we are not quitting,” Brunson said at the postgame news conference.

“That’s a tough team over there. Obviously, we want to get off to better starts, but they got experience. They’re the defending champs for a reason.”

Tatum finished with a game-high 42 points, tying Celtics legends Larry Bird and John Havlicek for the most 40-point postseason games in franchise history. Tatum also had eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks in 40 minutes.

“That’s our brother, hate to see him go down. We know the type of guy he is. It’s tough to see him go down,” Celtics guard Derrick White, who scored 23 points in the loss, said after the game. “We just have to find a way to win Game 5.”

Boston guard Jaylen Brown, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, said it was “tough” seeing Tatum go down.

Tatum is set to undergo an MRI Tuesday.

“Tonight is tough. I think everybody is kind of at a loss of words just because, one losing a game, but obviously, the concern with JT. But we pick our heads back up tomorrow and go from there,” Brown said.

Brunson said he’s “praying for the best” for Tatum.

“We want to go out there and compete, but when a player of his caliber goes down and he’s rolling in pain like that, you know something is wrong, so that why I gave my thoughts and prayers because you never want to see something like that ever. ”

The Knicks will look to eliminate the defending NBA champion Celtics on Wednesday in Boston.



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Coco Gauff makes history with dominant victory over Emma Raducanu to advance to Italian Open quarterfinals

Published

on



CNN
 — 

American tennis star Coco Gauff put on a dominant display as she eased past Emma Raducanu on Monday to book her spot in the Italian Open quarterfinals.

The No. 4 seed dropped just three games in her convincing 6-1, 6-2 win over her British opponent in Rome, needing just 79 minutes to secure victory.

In reaching the quarterfinals, the 21-year-old becomes the youngest player to reach four quarterfinals in WTA 1000 clay tournaments since the top-level events were introduced in 2009.

Gauff will face world No. 7 Mirra Andreeva in the final eight on Wednesday after the 18-year-old came back to beat Clara Tauson in three sets.

Gauff is showing impressive form on clay at the right time with the French Open just around the corner.

The American has won eight of her last nine matches on the surface, with her only loss coming in the final of the Madrid Open to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Gauff revealed after her victory over Raducanu that she has been focusing on her footwork over the last two weeks in preparation for playing at Roland Garros, and highlighted her forehand – which has been inconsistent of late – as a key factor in her win on Monday.

“I think, today, (it) was the reason why I won the match,” Gauff told reporters. “Especially on this surface, I think I can do a lot with it.”

Gauff was in control from the outset against Raducanu on Campo Centrale and never let up. She won 39 of her 59 service points and broke Raducanu’s serve four times.

Gauff has now won both of her matches against Raducanu during her career.

She admitted that it has taken some time to get adjusted to playing on a different surface in Italy but feels good about where she is now.

“It still feels so slow compared to Madrid,” Gauff said, “but I’m getting used to it with each match. I feel really happy with how I played. I think I really was the one dictating the match for the most part.”

Elsewhere on Monday, Sabalenka held of a stiff challenge from Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk to book her spot in the quarterfinals, winning 6-1, 7-6 (8) in two hours and five minutes.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending