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The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
Real Madrid were offered chance to pursue lucrative global tour over Champions League
Commercial entities floated a plan to Real Madrid that the Spanish club could pull out of the Champions League for a season and stage a world tour. While the Bernabeu hierarchy were never going to agree to the idea due to how much they value winning actual trophies, the fact that external agents could even consider raising such a plan - including quoted figures of potentially €120m in revenue - is seen as reflecting the fraught position the game is in and a potential move to 'globalised football'. Uefa sources say Madrid did not even bother filling in the club feedback survey for the first season of the expanded Champions League in 2024-25, as they continue a legal war with Uefa from the ill-fated launch of the Super League in April 2021. Madrid are also understood to have greatly resisted plans for Barcelona- Atletico Madrid to form the first Liga game in the United States, should the Spanish domestic competition eventually make the long-anticipated leap to playing games abroad. The details come in the paperback update to this writer's book, 'States of Play: how sportswashing took over football', released on Thursday 7 August. A new chapter delves into football in 'the age of authoritarianism', taking in Fifa president Gianni Infantino 's relationship with Donald Trump, as well as how billionaires' impact on the sport is now starting to echo the real world. Those in football even have a phrase for the latter, which is 'billionaire idiot syndrome'. That is the dynamic of figures who became extremely wealthy in one field believing that affords them expertise in all areas, including football. Some managers have even complained of owners sending them proposed team line-ups, offering a modern spin on an old-fashioned problem. The chapter outlines a growing fear in the sport that all of these forces are going to create a fully 'globalised game', where domestic leagues gradually decline in prominence against new competitions like the expanded Club World Cup. Only emphasising Infantino's burgeoning individual relationship with the Trump administration, the Fifa Council - notionally the most powerful body in the organisation - had no advance knowledge that Ivanka Trump would be opening the draw for the Club World Cup in December 2024. It is also reported that Sir Jim Ratcliffe 's initial idea for his first few months of minority ownership of Manchester United was to culminate with Gareth Southgate 's appointment, but the former England manager did not want to discuss another role before Euro 2024. Ratcliffe wanted to make drastic changes in the first four months of his time at Old Trafford, as much to symbolise how things at the club were finally changing. This was intended to culminate with the appointment of Southgate but no deal could be struck before Euro 2024, so United were panicked into keeping Erik ten Hag that summer. A chaotic first year eventually saw the Dutch coach replaced by Ruben Amorim and Dan Ashworth leaving as sporting director mere months into the job, a process that major rivals felt was 'ludicrous'. States of Play, which covers how football has been transformed by geopolitics and capitalism, won 'football book of the year' at the 2025 Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards in May. The updated paperback is out on Thursday 7 August
The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
Lewis Hamilton in a ‘difficult place personally' amid Ferrari struggles, says Martin Brundle
Martin Brundle believes Lewis Hamilton is in a 'difficult place personally' after a difficult start to his Ferrari F1 career. After winning six world titles and spending 12 years at Mercedes, Hamilton moved to Ferrari ahead of the 2025 campaign, targeting a historic eighth world championship this year. However, in a car short of pace compared to frontrunners McLaren, Hamilton is yet to finish in the top-three after 14 grands prix. His best result came when he won the sprint race in China in March. The 40-year-old endured a torrid weekend in Hungary, qualifying and finishing the race in 12th, labelling his own display 'useless' and encouraging Ferrari to look for another driver. 'I'm not looking forward to writing this next section,' said ex-F1 driver Brundle at the start of his Sky Sports column. 'It's about Lewis Hamilton, who endured what must have been one of the worst weekends of his career, in and out of the car. 'He described himself as 'useless' in post-qualifying interviews and suggested the team should change the driver. That was best left unsaid, but he obviously wanted to openly punish himself. 'He's clearly in a difficult place personally, and during the race he would finish in that same 12th position, never really showing signs of progress. 'He sat in the car in parc ferme post-race for what seemed an age and was very downbeat in interviews again.' Hamilton acknowledged he is 'looking forward' to the four-week summer break ahead of the next race in the Netherlands on 31 August – and Brundle believes it has come at the perfect time, before speculating how long Hamilton can cope with this level. 'The summer break couldn't be more timely for Lewis to have a reset,' Brundle added. 'It's painful to observe this great champion in so much strife, and we have to expect that he can weather the storm and return to form given his talent and experience. 'Otherwise I simply can't see him enduring two more seasons at Ferrari, or anywhere else, like this.' Ex-F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has stated that Hamilton, in his 19th consecutive F1 season, should retire from the sport given his current plight.
BBC News
8 minutes ago
- BBC News
The midfield dilemma
Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix spoke to the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast about Leeds' midfield: "If we play 4-3-3, it will be interesting to see who will play in that midfield. Ampadu looked good [against Villarreal] and usually plays every minute and I think Farke will want that back six to become quite fixed."Those other two places [are up for grabs] - Longstaff wants to play, have Stach and Tanaka got to play? Gruev has played loads this pre-season and it's looking like he is not getting sold. It will be really interesting to see who starts against Everton."I think something like Longstaff, Stach and Ampadu will play in the difficult games, and something like Ampadu, Stach and Tanaka or maybe even Aaaronson will play in the games that we think we might win."What do you think the midfield will look like? Tell usListen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
