Latest news with #TheNewSaints
BBC News
9 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
TNS target European group stage return
Head coach Craig Harrison says a return to the group phase is the target as The New Saints prepare to face Differdange 03 in the Uefa Conference League second qualifying suffered a painful Champions League exit last week as they conceded deep in extra time against Welsh champions now drop into the Conference League, where they must come through three two-legged knockout ties if they are to repeat the heroics of last season by reaching the group first of those is against Luxembourg champions Differdange, with the first leg at Park Hall on Wednesday (19:00 BST)."We have reached the league phase once and we want to go and do it again," Harrison said. "Saying it and actually doing it are very different things. We have got no god-given right to go and do it again, but that is our aim."TNS became the first club from Wales' domestic leagues to progress from the qualifying rounds to the group stages of a European competition last being beaten in the second stage of Champions League qualifying by Ferencvaros, Harrison's side lost in Europa League qualifying to Petrocub before victory over FK Panevezys sealed their place in the Conference League group phase. TNS then faced Fiorentina, Djurgardens, Astana, Shamrock Rovers, Panathinaikos and Celje, with their solitary group victory coming against Kazakhstan's Astana."When I first spoke to [TNS owner] Mike Harris about coming back, we talked about getting to the group stages in Europe within three to five years," Harrison said."We managed it in two, so we were ahead of schedule. It's now about trying to emulate that. We have to keep standards and expectations very high." Saints were beaten 2-1 in North Macedonia last week after a goalless draw in the first felt the stalemate was a "missed opportunity" and says his players must make home advantage count against Differdange, who have also dropped into the Conference League after losing to Kosovo's FC Drita in the Champions winners of the tie will meet either Estonia's FCI Levadia Tallinn or FC Iberia 1999, of Georgia, in the third qualifying two other Welsh clubs who reached Europe this season, Penybont and Haverfordwest County, are already out of the Conference successes last season had an impact for their fellow Cymru Premier clubs, with the boost it brought in Uefa coefficient points ensuring there will be four Welsh clubs rather than three in Europe in is conscious that TNS are flying the flag for Wales once more, adding: "We know that is our responsibility every year and how much it means to the country."
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Former Tottenham wonderkid breaks down in tears after being ‘racially abused' in Champions League clash
EX-TOTTENHAM star Aramide Oteh was the victim of sickening racist abuse during a Champions League qualifier, his club have claimed. Welsh football club The New Saints released a statement on social media condemning alleged racist abuse against Oteh by a member of the home crowd during their game against KF Shkëndija. 1 The New Saints star Aramide Oteh was left in tears after alleged racist abuse Credit: Alamy The club's coach, Craig Harrison, also claimed the 26-year-old striker was left in tears at the abuse. The North Macedonia-based outfit beat The New Saints 2-1 after extra time to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory in the first qualifying round of the Champions League. However, The New Saints have released a damning statement against a fan placed in the home end of the 3,000-strong crowd at the Tetovo City Stadium. The statement read: "The New Saints FC strongly and unequivocally condemn the racist abuse directed at Aramide Oteh by a member of the home crowd following the conclusion of tonight's UEFA Champions League first qualifying round match against KF Shkëndija. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL "There is absolutely no place for racism - either in football or in society. "Everyone at the club is offering their full support to Aramide and stand firmly by him." "The New Saints are proud to support UEFA's #NoToRacism campaign and remain committed to promoting equality, respect, and inclusion both on and off the pitch." SunSport have contacted Uefa and Shkëndija for comment on the matter. Most read in Football Speaking after the game, Harrison added: "He is in tears - that doesn't happen for no reason. It's clearly what's been said and done. Obviously that's unacceptable. We will be reporting that. Crystal Palace legend Geoff Thomas slams Uefa for denying them a Europa League place "For a fan to speak to anybody like that is an absolute disgrace and let's hope the culprit gets a fair punishment and is dealt with." Oteh, originally from Lee in South London, came on as a late substitute in the clash. Having come through the academy at Tottenham, whom he joined aged eight, he eventually left the club at the age of 18. From there, he joined Queens Park Rangers, going on to make 17 first-team appearances and scoring once. He went on to loan to Walsall, Bradford, Stevenage and Oteh left QPR permanently in 2021 to join Salford on a short-term deal. Crawley were next, with Oteh scoring his first goal for the club in their first-ever win over Harrogate. In 2023, he then returned to Walsall before winding up at TNS a year later. Defeat for the Saints means they have dropped into the qualifiers for the Conference League, where they will face Luxembourg's Differdange.
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Former Tottenham wonderkid breaks down in tears after being ‘racially abused' in Champions League clash
TNS head coach slammed the abuse as "an absolute disgrace" Racism storm Former Tottenham wonderkid breaks down in tears after being 'racially abused' in Champions League clash Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EX-TOTTENHAM star Aramide Oteh was the victim of sickening racist abuse during a Champions League qualifier, his club have claimed. Welsh football club The New Saints released a statement on social media condemning alleged racist abuse against Oteh by a member of the home crowd during their game against KF Shkëndija. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The New Saints star Aramide Oteh was left in tears after alleged racist abuse Credit: Alamy The club's coach, Craig Harrison, also claimed the 26-year-old striker was left in tears at the abuse. The North Macedonia-based outfit beat The New Saints 2-1 after extra time to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory in the first qualifying round of the Champions League. However, The New Saints have released a damning statement against a fan placed in the home end of the 3,000-strong crowd at the Tetovo City Stadium. The statement read: "The New Saints FC strongly and unequivocally condemn the racist abuse directed at Aramide Oteh by a member of the home crowd following the conclusion of tonight's UEFA Champions League first qualifying round match against KF Shkëndija. "There is absolutely no place for racism - either in football or in society. "Everyone at the club is offering their full support to Aramide and stand firmly by him." "The New Saints are proud to support UEFA's #NoToRacism campaign and remain committed to promoting equality, respect, and inclusion both on and off the pitch." SunSport have contacted Uefa and Shkëndija for comment on the matter. Speaking after the game, Harrison added: "He is in tears - that doesn't happen for no reason. It's clearly what's been said and done. Obviously that's unacceptable. We will be reporting that. Crystal Palace legend Geoff Thomas slams Uefa for denying them a Europa League place "For a fan to speak to anybody like that is an absolute disgrace and let's hope the culprit gets a fair punishment and is dealt with." Oteh, originally from Lee in South London, came on as a late substitute in the clash. Having come through the academy at Tottenham, whom he joined aged eight, he eventually left the club at the age of 18. From there, he joined Queens Park Rangers, going on to make 17 first-team appearances and scoring once. He went on to loan to Walsall, Bradford, Stevenage and Colchester between 2019 and 2021. Oteh left QPR permanently in 2021 to join Salford on a short-term deal. Crawley were next, with Oteh scoring his first goal for the club in their first-ever win over Harrogate. In 2023, he then returned to Walsall before winding up at TNS a year later. Defeat for the Saints means they have dropped into the qualifiers for the Conference League, where they will face Luxembourg's Differdange.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Former Tottenham wonderkid breaks down in tears after being ‘racially abused' in Champions League clash
EX-TOTTENHAM star Aramide Oteh was the victim of sickening racist abuse during a Champions League qualifier, his club have claimed. Welsh football club The New Saints released a statement on social media condemning alleged racist abuse against Oteh by a member of the home crowd during their game against KF Shkëndija. The club's coach, Craig Harrison, also claimed the 26-year-old striker was left in tears at the abuse. The North Macedonia-based outfit beat The New Saints 2-1 after extra time to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory in the first qualifying round of the Champions League. However, The New Saints have released a damning statement against a fan placed in the home end of the 3,000-strong crowd at the Tetovo City Stadium. The statement read: "The New Saints FC strongly and unequivocally condemn the racist abuse directed at Aramide Oteh by a member of the home crowd following the conclusion of tonight's UEFA Champions League first qualifying round match against KF Shkëndija. "There is absolutely no place for racism - either in football or in society. "Everyone at the club is offering their full support to Aramide and stand firmly by him." "The New Saints are proud to support UEFA's #NoToRacism campaign and remain committed to promoting equality, respect, and inclusion both on and off the pitch." SunSport have contacted Uefa and Shkëndija for comment on the matter. Speaking after the game, Harrison added: "He is in tears - that doesn't happen for no reason. It's clearly what's been said and done. Obviously that's unacceptable. We will be reporting that. "For a fan to speak to anybody like that is an absolute disgrace and let's hope the culprit gets a fair punishment and is dealt with." Oteh, originally from Lee in South London, came on as a late substitute in the clash. Having come through the academy at Tottenham, whom he joined aged eight, he eventually left the club at the age of 18. From there, he joined Queens Park Rangers, going on to make 17 first-team appearances and scoring once. He went on to loan to Walsall, Bradford, Stevenage and Colchester between 2019 and 2021. Oteh left QPR permanently in 2021 to join Salford on a short-term deal. Crawley were next, with Oteh scoring his first goal for the club in their first-ever win over Harrogate. In 2023, he then returned to Walsall before winding up at TNS a year later. Defeat for the Saints means they have dropped into the qualifiers for the Conference League, where they will face Luxembourg's Differdange.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Striker Oteh 'in tears after racist abuse'
Aramide Oteh came on as a substitute for the final minute of The New Saints' defeat in Skopje [FAW] The New Saints have alleged striker Aramide Oteh was racially abused following their Champions League qualifying round defeat in North Macedonia. Saints head coach Craig Harrison said former English Football League player Oteh, 26, was left in tears by the incident with a home supporter. Advertisement Shkendija scored a winner late in extra time as TNS were beaten 2-1 in front of a crowd of 3,000 at the Tose Proeski Arena in Skopje. "The New Saints FC strongly and unequivocally condemn the racist abuse directed at Aramide Oteh by a member of the home crowd following the conclusion of tonight's Uefa Champions League first qualifying round match against KF Shkendija," a statement from the Welsh champions said. "There is absolutely no place for racism - either in football or in society. Everyone at the club is offering their full support to Aramide and stand firmly by him. "The New Saints are proud to support UEFA's #NoToRacism campaign and remain committed to promoting equality, respect and inclusion both on and off the pitch." Advertisement Englishman Oteh, who came on as a substitute in extra time, joined TNS in 2024 having played for Queens Park Rangers, Bradford City, Stevenage, Salford City, Crawley Town and Walsall. The London-born player was visibly upset following the Shkendija defeat. "He is in tears - that doesn't happen for no reason," said Harrison. "It's clearly what's been said and done. Obviously that's unacceptable. We will be reporting that. "For a fan to speak to anybody like that is an absolute disgrace and let's hope the culprit gets a fair punishment and is dealt with." Advertisement There has been no comment as yet from Shkendija, though the club indicated they would consult security staff and people who may have witnessed the alleged incident. Uefa will review reports from the match in the next few days before deciding whether action will be taken. Shkendija won the tie 2-1 on aggregate following a goalless draw in the first leg at TNS' Park Hall home last week. Defeat means Harrison's team drop into the Conference League, where they will face Differdange of Luxembourg.
