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TimesLIVE
16-07-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Rayners should have been nominated for Footballer of the Season
End of season awards are by their nature highly divisive and the announcement of the nominees for last season's best performers to compete for the top prizes in the PSL Awards was not going to avoid the storm. After the long wait, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) released their list of nominees on Tuesday and, as per script, the list has been met with strong and contrasting opinions from all quarters. The list is long but sharp focus is on the main categories of the Footballer and Betway Premiership Players' Player of the Season awards, where Mamelodi Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners is conspicuous by his absence. There are those who agree with the coaches and players who voted for not including Rayners in those categories but there are those, like me, who strongly argue he should have been shortlisted. Footballer of the Season is judged by Betway Premiership coaches and the Players' Player of the Season, as the title suggests, by fellow professionals. It is surprising many did not seen Rayners as worthy of a nomination for the top awards, to be announced on July 29. #𝐏𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬𝟐𝟓: Here are the three players nominated for the PSL Footballer of the Season award. — Official PSL (@OfficialPSL) July 15, 2025 Coaches and players have intimate knowledge of the league they take part in but there is nothing stopping supporters from disagreeing with the surprising choices they have made. Some will ask what the point is of this argument because Rayners has been pipped by teammate Lucas Ribeiro, Relebohile Mofokeng of Orlando Pirates and Sekhukhune United attacker Keletso Makgalwa for both categories. Nothing is going to change the situation but this is a good point of discussion and it would be interesting to find out from those who did not vote for him, what motivated their decisions. From where I am sitting, it does not look like coaches and fellow players who voted for Ribeiro, Mofokeng and Makgalwa looked closely at Rayners' impressive goal contribution numbers. 📆 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 The #𝐏𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬𝟐𝟓 ceremony will take place on Tuesday, 29 July, live on the SuperSport PSL channel and SABC Sport. — Official PSL (@OfficialPSL) July 15, 2025 Rayners contributed 14 goals and nine assists in 26 matches for the Brazilians on their way to their eighth successive Premiership title, which is significantly better than Mofokeng (five goals and eight assists in 26 games) and Makgalwa (four goals and 11 assists in 26 matches). Those who don't want to go with numbers, there is a strong footballing argument for Rayners that he was largely the front-line Sundowns attacker ahead of Peter Shalulile, Arthur Sales, Ribeiro (who usually played deeper) and Tashreeq Matthews. As part of coach Miguel Cardoso's attacking plan, he was sometimes used as a forward decoy and this allowed Ribeiro, Sales and Matthews to threaten opposition defenders. The Footballer of the Season award, too, is decided across all the PSL's competitions, while the Player's Player award is for the Premiership. So Rayners not making the cut in the former is even more strange. Rayners was instrumental in helping Downs reach the Carling Knockout final, where they lost 2-1 to Magesi FC in Bloemfontein, with a solid contribution of four goals in as many matches. Rayners — who also had Champions League and Bafana Bafana commitments, which is only relevant for this discussion in considering how it added to his workload — contributed 18 goals and nine assists after 33 matches in all PSL competitions. That is notably is more than both Mofokeng and Makgalwa, which seems the major factor in Rayner's ommission being so widely discussed. In my view, Ribeiro must be named the Footballer of the Season. He established himself as a significant cog in the Sundowns attack and his contribution of 17 goals and 12 assists from 34 matches in all competitions, often from a deeper role, sets him apart as the best player in the country last campaign. There is a strong case for exciting Mofokeng because he scored crucial goals for Pirates, sometimes in the high-profile matches, though he did lack consistency in front of goal. For someone who plays in an advancing attacking role as a winger, No 10 or striker, Mofokeng's return of only seven goals and 12 assists in 36 league and cup games is hardly world class. To be frank, Makgalwa's statistical return in cup competitions was poor and he did not set the league alight with four goals and 11 assists in 26 appearances for a team that did not even finish in the top three. His case could have been enhanced if he helped Sekhukhune to a top three finish but they were pipped to the Confederation Cup by Stellenbosch FC and also did not make it to a cup final. If you look closely at Rayners' goal contributions last season, they are better than Makgalwa and Mofokeng and it is disappointing that for some strange reason, some of the coaches and players were not impressed by his contribution. In my view, he was the second-best player in the league after Ribeiro because of the influence he had for coach Cardoso and the dominant Sundowns who won the league convincingly. He played a role in many of Ribeiro's goals, and vice versa. I have the respect for coaches and players, but I don't agree with them because Rayners was consistent and scored important goals for Sundowns and he deserved at least a nomination for his troubles.
RTÉ News
15-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Tyrone flex muscles to power into All-Ireland quarters
Table-toppers Tyrone go directly through to the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals after seeing off Cavan with some style at Brewster Park. The Red Hands never looked like losing this one, but were given plenty of trouble by a Cavan side that lacked the ruthless streak that could have kept them in the game. Darren McCurry and Darragh Canavan shared a 14 points haul as Malachy O'Rourke's side earned a two-week break ahead of their return to Croke Park for the first time since 2023. But Cavan also go through to the knock-out phase and a preliminary quarter-final next weekend. Tyrone lost Michael McKernan to a shoulder injury after just three minutes, but his replacement Peter Harte played an influential role in picking holes in the Cavan cover as they eased into a comfortable lead. Mattie Donnelly, another veteran, also made incisive cuts to pick off a couple of early scores as they went seven points clear by the end of the opening quarter. Darragh Canavan also landed a delightful score, with goalkeeper Niall Morgan and Harte both raising orange flags. Cavan put an effective press on Morgan's kick-outs, with Cormac O'Reilly hitting the target twice. But the Red Hands reeled off 0-07 without reply to lead by 0-09 to 0-03 at the end of the opening quarter. Dara McVeety's industry helped the Breffni men recover to narrow the gap through O'Reilly and Paddy Lynch, who kicked 0-04, including a two-point free. And they almost had a goal when McVeety intercepted a Morgan restart to fire in a shot which the goalkeeper redeeming himself with a fine save. The Red Hands finished the half with another run of scores, Cavan, Darren McCurry, Donnelly and Kieran McGeary all on target for a 0-17 to 0-08 interval lead. Lynch closed the gap with a two-point free, but the Red Hands pressed aggressively on Cavan's Cavan kick-outs, with Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick and Kieran McGeary winning the battle for possession to keep their side going forward. Another run of six unanswered points saw the gap stretch out to 13 by the 49th minute, and Raymond Galligan's men needed something special to kick-start their challenge. McCurry swung over a couple of gems, with Ciaran Daly and McGeary also nailing points, with a Sean McEvoy point the only Cavan reply during a difficult 17-minute spell. But they threw caution to the wind moving into the final quarter, substitute Ryan O'Neill claiming a two-pointer, with Lynch and Ruairi Curran also raising flags. The introduction of former All-Star Conor Meyler following a two-year injury hell raised the biggest cheer of the day from Tyrone fans, and the procession towards the Cavan goal continued, with McCurry unerring from placed balls as he brought his tally to 0-09 for the day. Under-20 Footballer of the Year Eoin McElholm also came off the bench to become the eleventh Tyrone scorer, with Canavan bringing his total to five, and news of Donegal's win over Mayo confirmed Tyrone's top-of-the-table round-robin finish. Tyrone: N Morgan (0-2, tpf); C Quinn, P Hampsey, N Devlin (0-01); M McKernan, R Brennan (0-03, 1tp), P Teague; B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick; S O'Donnell (0-01), K McGeary (0-02), C Daly (0-01), D McCurry (0-09, 3f, 1tpf), M Donnelly (0-04), D Canavan (0-05, 1f). Subs: P Harte (0-02, tp) for McKernan (3), A Clarke for Devlin (29), E McElholm (0-01)for Donnelly (47), C Meyler for McGeary (54), B McDonnell for Kilpatrick (66) Cavan: L Brady; N Carolan, K Brady, C Reilly; B O'Connell, C Madden, P Faulkner; O Kiernan, E Crowe; G Smith, D McVeety, C Brady; C O'Reilly (0-04), P Lynch (0-09, 3f, 2tpf, 1 '45), O Brady (0-01).
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Bromley agree deal to sign Northampton's Pinnock
Bromley have agreed a deal to sign midfielder Mitch Pinnock when his contract expires this summer at League One side Northampton late May, Northampton announced that the 30-year-old had been offered a deal to stay but opted to leave due to family previously played for the Ravens during the 2014-15 Conference South season, making eight made 200 appearances for Northampton, scoring 24 goals and registering 35 assists. "The reason I chose Bromley was because after meeting with the manager and the chairman, I was excited about the future ambitions for the club," he told the club website, external."What I can bring to the team is experience of getting promoted out of League Two and on the pitch, I can bring energy, creativity and character."
Daily Mail
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Aussie soccer stars hit with bombshell alleged corruption scandal
Two men, including a Western United footballer, will face court for their involvement in an alleged betting scandal surrounding the A-League men's soccer season. Detectives from the Victoria Police Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit charged a 24-year-old West Melbourne man and a 27-year-old Kingsville man on Sunday with numerous offences, including use of corrupt conduct for betting purposes. Both were bailed to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 31. While the individuals are yet to be publicly named, it is confirmed one is a player at Western United, which finished third in the A-League Men competition this season, while the other man is a state leagues player. 'The club is aware that one Western United player has been charged in relation to an alleged breach of sports betting guidelines,' a United club spokesperson said. 'We take this matter seriously, condemn any actions that compromise the integrity of the game, and are cooperating fully with all relevant authorities. 'Given the nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment any further on the matter.' Police allege four matches in April and May 2025 were the subject of 'player to be carded' wagering manipulation. The Australian Professional Leagues, who run the A-League competitions, confirmed a player had been charged. 'The Australian Professional Leagues is aware that one A-League player has been charged by Victorian Police with offences related to gambling,' a spokesperson said. 'The integrity of our sport is something that has to be protected without compromise, and we are engaging with all relevant authorities to assist with this matter.' In a statement, a Football Australia spokesperson said it took the integrity of the game extremely seriously and was fully cooperating with external authorities. 'Football Australia has taken swift action today to impose 'no fault interim suspensions' to the two individuals charged, and those suspensions will remain in place until further notice,' the statement said.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wildlife trust's call to protect hoverfly 'heroes'
A wildlife trust has called on gardeners to help protect and save hoverflies. The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said hoverflies are the second most significant pollinator after bees. They are also food for birds and help break down gardens' organic matter but intensive agriculture, pesticides and climate change have meant their population has declined, BBOWT and the RHS said. In 2022, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature added hoverflies to its Red List of threatened species. "Hoverflies are a tiny but essential part of the natural world," Andy Coulson-Phillips, BBOWT's principal ecologist, said. "They are vital for pollinating both wildflowers and garden plants alike, so we'd love everyone across our three counties to invite them into their gardens or outside space." Stingless hoverflies are often mistaken for wasps, bees or hornets. Common species include Batman, Footballer and Marmalade, named after their distinctive markings and colours. Hoverflies have only one pair of flight wings but bees and wasps have two. They can be easily identified by their behaviour, rather than the way they look, because they hover or zigzag around plants. Vicki Hird, strategic agriculture lead for The Wildlife Trusts, said hoverflies are the "hidden heroes of our gardens and countryside". "Whatever their shape, size or disguise, they are critical for our food security," she added. The RHS's senior wildlife specialist, Helen Bostock, said the gardening charity wants people to "open their garden gates to hoverflies this summer". She said: "Gardeners can help attract them by planting open, easily accessible flowers. "In spring, they'll be drawn to aubretia. In summer, they'll love blackberry flowers, oxeye daisy, marigolds, fennel, cow parsley and poppies. Come autumn, they can be seen on heather, aster and even common ivy." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. City hopes to become 'pollinator capital' In pictures: High hopes for Cairngorms hoverflies Thousands of rare fly grubs released in Cairngorms Hopes for record breeding season of rare hoverfly Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) Royal Horticultural Society
