Latest news with #JohnBarnes
Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Times
John Barnes: ‘Kabul isn't a place you imagine going on holiday'
John Barnes, 61, is one of England's most celebrated footballers. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he moved to London when he was 12 and spent most of his playing career at Watford and Liverpool, earning 79 England caps. He is a pundit and campaigner and was awarded the MBE in 1998 for his services to football. He lives in Heswall, in the Wirral, with his wife, Andrea, and children, Isabella, 20, Tia, 19, and Alexander, 14. Football has taken me to 92 countries — almost half the world. Some of those trips, to places such as Somalia and Rwanda, leave a deeper mark. In Rwanda I met boys the same age as my kids who had been child soldiers. You hear their stories and realise that they didn't choose that life — soldiers came, killed their families, gave them guns and drugs and told them to fight. You can't judge them; you just feel grateful for what you have. But I've never needed tragedy to understand what matters. After the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 a lot of players said they re-evaluated things, but I already knew that football wasn't the most important thing in life. Kabul, the Afghan capital, isn't the kind of place you imagine going on holiday, but when I went there with the UN to coach children I was struck by how beautiful it was. The city stands in a natural amphitheatre surrounded by the snow-capped Hindu Kush, as though it's inside a vast football stadium. People imagine that growing up in Jamaica must have felt like a holiday, but when you live there it's just normal life. We weren't by the beach — we lived in a big house on an army base in Kingston, because my dad was a colonel. He was also the national boxing champion, played squash and football for the country and ended up being president of the Jamaican Football Federation and Swimming Association. My sister played squash for the national team and I swam competitively, but I was always kicking a ball and would even fall asleep with one in bed. If no one was around I'd just kick one against a wall, usually breaking something in the process. We moved to London in 1976. One day a taxi driver happened to see me playing football and told a scout about me, and within weeks I was training with Watford. That was six months before we were scheduled to go back to Jamaica. I'd already accepted a scholarship to study international relations at Howard University in Washington DC; then Watford offered me a contract, and that was that. I was in the first team within two months and two years later I was playing for England, on a Jamaican passport — no one ever asked (my dad was a diplomat so we hadn't emigrated). Every time we travelled for matches I'd be stuck in a separate immigration queue while the team waited on the coach. Eventually, I got a British passport. These days my wife organises everything to do with our travels — I just show up in a sunhat. We went to Bali when our daughter was a week old and the locals made such a fuss of her. In their culture babies are considered divine beings until they reach three months, so seeing a newborn was a huge deal for them. We stayed near Seminyak, right on the beach — it was paradise. That is one reason that the Maldives is so great too — turquoise water, white sand and nothing to do but relax. My next stop there, at the end of the month, is with the Campioni Soccer Academy on Kuramathi Island, where I run coaching sessions for children while their parents sip pina coladas — it's not serious, but occasionally I do spot a talented player and pass their name on. • 24 of the best hotels in Bali for 2025 I don't have a travel bucket list. My wife wants to go to Hawaii, so we probably will. Personally I just want to tick off more countries and get that count over 50 per cent, even if it means flying somewhere obscure just to say I've been there. That said I'd love to go to Argentina, to La Bombonera, Boca Juniors' stadium, for a derby match against River Plate — that's where Maradona used to play, whipping the crowd into a frenzy, and I want to feel that South American intensity for myself. My favourite country? South Africa, hands down. I've done the Garden Route to Durban and spent time in Johannesburg, but it's Cape Town that does it for me, particularly Camps Bay, with the Atlantic on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other. If you want to ski, surf and hike, it's all there in South Africa — and the favourable exchange rate makes it unbeatable too. • 21 of the best things to do in Cape Town And then there's Anfield in Liverpool. It's not the biggest stadium in the world, but it's the most intense and you feel it in your chest. The beauty of football is that it connects people everywhere — whether you're on a pitch in a refugee camp or a private beach, kids just want to play. That's the magic, and why — despite all the places I've been — the biggest buzz for me still comes from sitting on my sofa watching the first game of the season. Campioni Soccer Academy will be at Kuramathi Maldives from July 28 to August 8, with John Barnes and his fellow former England player Stuart Pearce ( For more on the resort see
Irish Daily Mirror
27-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
England and Liverpool legend John Barnes racks up debts of £1.5m
Former England and Liverpool footballer John Barnes has racked up debts of £1.5m through his media company, according to recent documents from liquidators. The paperwork reveals that the ex-winger owes substantial amounts to HMRC and other creditors. The debts include £776,878 in unpaid VAT, NI and PAYE to the taxman, £461,849 to unsecured creditors, a director's loan worth £226,000, and liquidator's costs amounting to £56,535. The football legend has managed to repay £60,000 after agreeing to pay back the director's loan in instalments. However, the latest report warns that only a "small distribution" towards the tax bill will be paid, while "no funds" will be available to pay unsecured creditors. John Barnes Media Limited went into liquidation in 2023 due to unpaid taxes. Barnes, now 61, was banned from acting as a company director for three-and-a-half years last year. This followed his media firm's failure to pay £190,000 in VAT and corporation tax. An investigation by the Insolvency Service, which began in September 2023, found that the company failed to pay £78,839 in corporation tax between August 2018 and January 2020, reports the Mirror. The company also failed to pay £115,272 in VAT between February 2019 and 2020. During this period, the company's turnover was £441,798 and the company filing returns outlined what VAT payments should have been made. A statement from the Insolvency Service read: "The Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted a disqualification undertaking from Barnes. His ban started on Wednesday 24 April." Barnes, an ex-England star with 79 caps and previous stints at Watford and Newcastle United, established his company back in September 2012 and served as its only director. When caught up with by the Mirror at his Heswall residence on the Wirral, Barnes declined to comment. His financial troubles are not new; reports show he's faced six different bankruptcy petitions since 2010. He previously shared in 2009: "I don't like dealing with taxes, of course. I just hate not having enough money. Apart from that, I don't like dealing with bills and never have done. "I let my wife Andrea deal with them. I don't even like opening them."
Scottish Sun
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Fans say ‘you can't pretend it isn't rigged' as Carabao Cup draw hands out play-off final repeat and huge derby
CAR CRASH Fans say 'you can't pretend it isn't rigged' as Carabao Cup draw hands out play-off final repeat and huge derby Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE first Carabao Cup draw of the 2025-26 campaign took place on Thursday afternoon - and it left some fans seething. Among the first-round fixtures drawn by John Barnes and Shay Given were a huge derby and a repeat of a recent play-off final. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The Carabao Cup first round draw has been made Credit: PA Chelsterfield will host rivals Mansfield Town at the SMH Group Stadium. The two clubs last faced each other in April 2018, with Mansfield snatching a 1-0 win away from home. The rivalry between the two - branded the Miners strike derby - dates back to 1933 with Chesterfield having won the most games. Meanwhile, Luton Town will travel to face Coventry. The two sides went head-to-head in the 2022-23 Championship play-off final, with Luton earning promotion. Jordan Clark opened the scoring for the Hatters in the 23rd minute before Gustavo Hamer equalised for Coventry after half-time. With the score 1-1 after 120 minutes, penalties were needed and Luton went on to win. Some fans were less than thrilled with the outcome, with one person taking to X to write: "Hahahahaha you honestly can't pretend this isn't rigged." Another commented: "Typical we get drawn against these lot." While a third simply wrote: "Rigged." THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.
The Irish Sun
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Fans say ‘you can't pretend it isn't rigged' as Carabao Cup draw hands out play-off final repeat and huge derby
THE first Carabao Cup draw of the 2025-26 campaign took place on Thursday afternoon - and it left some fans seething. Among the first-round fixtures drawn by John Barnes and Shay Given were a huge derby and a repeat of a recent play-off final. 1 The Carabao Cup first round draw has been made Credit: PA Chelsterfield will host rivals Mansfield Town at the SMH Group Stadium. The two clubs last faced each other in April 2018, with Mansfield snatching a 1-0 win away from home. The rivalry between the two - branded the Miners strike derby - dates back to 1933 with Chesterfield having won the most games. Meanwhile, Luton Town will travel to face Coventry. The two sides went head-to-head in the 2022-23 Championship play-off final, with Luton earning promotion. Jordan Clark opened the scoring for the Hatters in the 23rd minute before Gustavo Hamer equalised for Coventry after half-time. With the score 1-1 after 120 minutes, penalties were needed and Luton went on to win. Some fans were less than thrilled with the outcome, with one person taking to X to write: "Hahahahaha you honestly can't pretend this isn't rigged." Most read in Football Another commented: "Typical we get drawn against these lot." While a third simply wrote: "Rigged." THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video . Like us on Facebook at
The Sun
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Fans say ‘you can't pretend it isn't rigged' as Carabao Cup draw hands out play-off final repeat and huge derby
THE first Carabao Cup draw of the 2025-26 campaign took place on Thursday afternoon - and it left some fans seething. Among the first-round fixtures drawn by John Barnes and Shay Given were a huge derby and a repeat of a recent play-off final. Chelsterfield will host rivals Mansfield Town at the SMH Group Stadium. Meanwhile, Luton Town will travel to face Coventry. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
