When a team wins a league title, the standard procedure is to stick the trophy in the club s museum – but Ajax have taken a slightly different approach this time around.
Ajax claimed their record-extending 35th Eredivisie trophy on May 2 with an emphatic 4-0 win over Emmen, a victory that meant bitter rivals PSV could no longer catch them.
Thousands of Ajax fans defied local coronavirus restrictions to celebrate the success, with police opting against stepping in to avoid violence.
The team and CEO Edwin van der Sar led celebrations on a balcony at the Johan Cruijff ArenA as they showed off the trophy to the baying crowd, with Ajax later insisting this was not pre-planned and was a spontaneous gesture .
While local politicians criticised Ajax s celebr…
that Barcelona manager Luis Enrique is ready to sell Gerard Pique, with both Chelsea and Manchester United waiting in the wings.
The centre-back has been with the Catalan club since the summer of 2008, when he signed from United for just £5m.
Since arriving at the Nou Camp, the 27 year old has made two hundred and seventy-four appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty-one goals and winning a plethora of major honours.
He has won four La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys, two Champions Leagues and two World Club Cups while internationally he was part of the Spain squads that victorious in both the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championships.
However, he has started just five league games for Barca this season and could be set for a return…
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Wayne Rooney encouraged him to get Manchester United attacking again prior to Saturday s 5-1 thrashing of Cardiff City.
The Red Devils were on fire in south Wales in Solskjaer s first match as caretaker manager, with Jesse Lingard scoring twice and Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera and Anthony Martial also on the scoresheet.
It was the first time United have scored five goals in a Premier League game since Alex Ferguson s final match in charge in 2013 and was in stark contrast to the more prosaic approach adopted under former manager Jose Mourinho this season.
Solskjaer claims it was just a matter of allowing a talented team to express themselves, something he says former captain Rooney had also demanded.
Football is easy if you ve…
Maurizio Sarri has agreed a two-year extension with Lazio to keep him at the club until June 2025.
Lazio became the 21st club to be managed by Sarri when the Italian was appointed last June on a deal that was set to expire in 2023.
The 63-year-old subsequently guided the Biancocelesti to fifth in Serie A this season, six points behind fourth-placed Juventus, to secure Europa League football next term.
Sarri, the oldest manager to win Serie A after triumphing with Juventus in the 2019-20 season, has notable experience in the Europa League, having lifted the trophy with Chelsea in 2019.
Lazio have committed to invest in the Sarri project after announcing the coach has signed a new contract with the Serie A club, keeping him in charge for the next three se…
Convince Messi, re-establish La Masia, manage financial crisis – Laporta´s to-do list as Barcelona´s
A new era begins in earnest for Barcelona, with Joan Laporta s second spell as president confirmed on Sunday following his victory in the election.
Regarded as arguably the most important political event at the club in a generation, much was said to be riding on the collective decision of the socios, or members, who voted.
Laporta, Toni Freixa and Victor Font had spent months outlining their plans in public, with La Masia, the club s crippling debt and the tumult caused by the previous administration among the main focuses.
But outsiders can be forgiven for thinking the election essentially boiled down to which candidate stood the best chance of convincing Lionel Messi to stay.
Laporta s first spell as president, from 2003 to 2010, coincided with Messi s …
Favourites Brazil and Argentina were both on the receiving end of shock eliminations in the quarter final stage of this year’s Copa America tournament overnight, leaving the race for the 2011 title well and truly open.
Brazil failed in their quest to break down a resolute Paraguayan outfit that were inspired by their goalkeeper Justo Villar, with the match ending 0-0 after the allotted 120 minutes. Incredibly, the five time World Cup winners missed all four of their spot kicks in the shoot out, sealing their fate on the night.
Meanwhile, the Argentine hosts were the better side in their respective quarter final against Uruguay, but failed to capitalise on their opportunities, going down 5-4 on penalties, with Carlos Tevez missing the decisive shot.
Chile and C…
NFL Week 10 throws a little bit of everything at teams, including an early morning game in Germany. Football bettors need to be conscious of not just which clubs are clashing on that schedule but how the sked itself could impact the outcome.
Situational handicapping — AKA spot bets — is a great layer of analysis to add to your process of picking the best NFL bets each week, going beyond the metrics and matchups, and finding some underlying edges and booby traps hiding in the schedule.
Here are my NFL spot bets to watch for in Week 10.
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