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    Tottenham confirm Jose Mourinho sacking with short three-paragraph statement despite leading them to Carabao Cup final

    TOTTENHAM have confirmed the sacking of Jose Mourinho in a short statement on the club website.The Spurs boss was fired on Monday after 17 months in charge of the team, just six days before he was due to lead them out for the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
    Mourinho leaves Spurs ahead of the Carabao Cup final this weekendCredit: Mark Pain / Premium Sport
    The statement read: “The Club can today announce that Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff Joao Sacramento, Nuno Santos, Carlos Lalin and Giovanni Cerra have been relieved of their duties.”
    And chairman Daniel Levy, said: “Jose and his coaching staff have been with us through some of our most challenging times as a Club.
    “Jose is a true professional who showed enormous resilience during the pandemic. On a personal level I have enjoyed working with him and regret that things have not worked out as we both had envisaged.
    “He will always be welcome here and we should like to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution.”
    The statement finished by adding: “Ryan Mason will take First Team training today and a further update will follow in due course.”
    Spurs currently sit seventh in the Premier League, five points off the top four with six games remaining.
    They had been knocked out of the Europa League in the last 16, but could be set to end their 13-year wait for a trophy this weekend at Wembley.
    However, Levy and Spurs felt Mourinho’s time was up at the club ahead of the Carabao Cup final.
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    The Portuguese boss replaced Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019, signing a contract until the end of the 2022-23 season.
    Spurs’ academy coach Mason is expected to take over as caretaker manager alongside Chris Powell until the end of the season.
    A permanent replacement for ex-Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho is expected to be named in the summer.
    RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann is the leading contender for the role along with Germany and Spurs legend Jurgen Klinsmann.

    Leicester chief Brendan Rodgers is the early second-favourite, with club favourite Ledley King, Steven Gerrard and Massimiliano Allegri also linked.
    The announcement of Mourinho’s departure comes just hours after Tottenham became one of six Premier League clubs to sign up for the controversial European Super League.
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    Tottenham and Man City will be given 2,000 tickets each for Carabao Cup final as EFL plan for 10,000 fans at play-offs

    MANCHESTER CITY and Tottenham will each be allocated 2,000 tickets for this month’s Carabao Cup Final.EFL chiefs are also planning for crowds of up to 10,000 at the end of season play-offs.
    Manchester City and Tottenham will be allocated 2,000 tickets each for the Carabao Cup finalCredit: PA
    And league bosses believe they can open up the turnstiles at all 72 EFL clubs from the start of next season.
    New chief executive Trevor Birch revealed the upbeat assessment even though the full details of what fans will need to do to be allowed in to games starting with the Wembley showpiece remain unclear.
    Birch said: “The Carabao Cup final will be 2,000 fans for either side.
    “There are a lot of discussions about other measures and fans will have to have either had a vaccination, pass a test or be immune to the virus.
    “Then for the play-off semi-finals and finals, we’re hopefully looking at 10,000 fans, although that’s not confirmed.
    “And our aspiration and goal is that, from August 6, we will be back in full stadia in line with the Government roadmap.”
    Birch added: “It’s vital for the clubs.
    “In rough numbers, clubs have lost about £250m of revenue over 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, so it’s significant in terms of gate receipts, commercial and sponsorship revenues.
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    “Getting back in front of full crowds is vital to the financial wellbeing of the clubs going forward.
    “It’s been offset by a few mitigating factors that have enabled clubs to survive, including the Championship loans and Premier League bail-out of Leagues One and Two.
    “So there were some mitigating aspects but another season behind closed doors would have been unpalatable for most of the clubs.
    “We’re trying to create certainty out of a very uncertain situation to enable the clubs to plan and give them confidence for next season and selling season tickets.”
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    FA Cup final attendance confirmed with 21,000 allowed to attend and fans also in for Carabao Cup showpiece at Wembley

    FANS will be allowed to attend both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals, The FA have announcedThe EFL have now confirmed the 8,000 capacity for the League Cup final, played between Tottenham and Manchester City on April 25.
    Fans will be allowed to attend both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finalsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    The allocation will be made up of fans from both teams as well as local residents and NHS staff, who will be offered tickets as a way of saying thank you for their work during the pandemic.
    Then, there will be an increase to 21,000 supporters by May 15, when the FA Cup concludes with its showpiece at Wembley Stadium.
    It is part of a wider programme to introduce crowds back, which include snooker, comedy, film and business events.
    Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “Our sports stars and great performers need us to find ways to get bums back on seats safely.
    “This science-led pilot programme will be the springboard in getting the buzz back of live performance. 
    “We’ve supported the sports and arts with unprecedented sums, but it’s now time to make that Great British Summer of live events a reality.”
    Last year’s runners up Chelsea play City in the first FA Cup semi-final on April 17.
    A day later, Leicester face Southampton, and a live crowd of 4,000 are set to be in attendance.
    RETURN OF THE FANS ROADMAP
    April 18 – Leicester vs Southampton, FA Cup semi-final (4,000 fans)April 25 – Man City vs Spurs, Carabao Cup final (8,000 fans)May 15 – FA Cup final (21,000 fans)After May 17 – Up to 10,000 fans or 25 per cent stadium capacity allowed to attend final Prem games

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    We have revealed the initial pilot events which will help pave the way for larger audiences at sport, theatre and gigs this summer.The government’s science-led Events Research Programme will work with organisers to undertake studies to get fans and audiences back safely. pic.twitter.com/CFtZKTwNlN— Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) April 3, 2021

    FA CEO Mark Bullingham said: “This is an important first step towards getting fans back, with the end goal of full stadia – hopefully by the end of the Men’s Euros.”
    After May 17, up to 10,000 fans or 25 per cent of a stadium’s capacity will be allowed to attend Premier League games.
    Fans briefly returned in December, with the capacity depending on the various tier systems.
    But by Christmas, the nation was back in lockdown, bringing an end to live crowds.
    The new roadmap hopes to allow fans to attend the delayed European Championships this summer, hosted across 12 cities.
    England kick off their Euros campaign against Croatia at Wembley on June 13 but it has not been decided how many fans will be allowed to attend. More

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    EFL chief Rick Parry warns Uefa new Champions League format could decimate English football

    EFL chairman Rick Parry has warned Uefa its Champions League expansion plans risk decimating the fabric of English football.
    European chiefs are set to confirm the new plans to come into effect from 2024 after getting the backing of Europe’s biggest clubs.

    Rick Parry has warned Uefa of the threat faced by smaller clubsCredit: PA:Press Association

    But Parry, who was supported by Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish, suggested the planned extra 100 Champions League games per season would destroy the League Cup and be potentially fatal for some of English football’s most historic clubs.
    Parry told the European League’s Club Advisory Platform virtual meeting: “The 72 clubs in the EFL are at the heart of their communities
    “The League Cup has been in existence for 60 years and is owned and managed by the EFL.
    “One of the conditions on the formation of the Premier League was that all clubs would play in it.

    “But Uefa proposal poses a major threat to the League Cup, especially with regard to the teams in the Champions League – and it will have a massive effect on EFL revenues
    “We estimate we could lose one third of the revenues we distribute to our clubs – which could pose a very real threat to the existence of those clubs.”
    Parry was echoed by Selhurst chief Parish, who added: “This would have a devastating effect on domestic competitions in England.
    “The League Cup is the largest financial contributor to the EFL and this will be the end of that Cup in its entirety or reduce it to a youth competition.”

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    Clubs like us feel so remote from the decision-making and there is a huge conflict of interest.
    Steve ParishCrystal Palace chairman

    Uefa have reached agreement with Europe’s biggest clubs that there will be no weekend games in its club competitions, leaving the field clear for domestic leagues.
    The deal effectively kills off the planned European Super League, despite efforts led by Real Madrid to breathe life into the dying embers of the breakaway plan.
    But Prem clubs want to thwart the proposal to play two of the 10 games in the initial league phase of the 36-team Champions League “Swiss model” competition in January.
    Uefa will formally announce the new format next month but Parish also blasted Nyon chiefs and the influential European Club Association for ignoring the voices of those left out of the elite group.
    He said: “Clubs like us feel so remote from the decision-making and there is a huge conflict of interest, with Uefa and the ECA now choosing to make changes for the long term in the middle of a pandemic.
    “We are expected to accept them because they’re not as bad as they could have been.
    “But there will be a huge impact on us and the creep is never ending.“
    Parish and Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow also condemned the proposal, backed by the Prem’s ‘Big Six’, for a backdoor safety net to be available for two clubs to qualify for the Champions League through their Uefa coefficient score.

    Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin is set to green light Champions League reformsCredit: REUTERS

    Parry fears for the future of the League Cup if the changes occurCredit: Getty Images – Getty

    The Palace chief said: “If we took it on last season, Leicester were fifth but the two clubs below them [Spurs and Arsenal] would have qualified for the Champions League based on an arbitrary period of success in Europe.”
    Purslow added: “It affects domestic competitions if you boost teams from the Europa League to the Champions League based on what they did in the past.
    “That would give clubs in the Premier League a £45m advantage over a team that may have finished ahead of them. Most people would see that as unfair and not right.”
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    Tottenham’s 2007/08 League Cup winning XI and where they are now as Spurs chase first trophy in 13 years

    TOTTENHAM’S wait for a piece of silverware has now stretched to 13 YEARS.
    It was on this day in 2008 that Juande Ramos led Spurs to the League Cup thanks to a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Wembley.

    This is the Tottenham starting XI that won the League Cup in 2008, 13 years ago

    The Spurs players celebrate their 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea at WembleyCredit: AFP

    Didier Drogba put the Blues in front with a free-kick before Dimitar Berbatov’s penalty sent the game into extra-time.
    Jonathan Woodgate grabbed the winner when Petr Cech punched the ball in from Jermaine Jenas’ free-kick into the defender’s head and it rebounded in.
    Harry Redknapp, Andre Villas-Boas, Tim Sherwood and Mauricio Pochettino all came and went without a trophy.
    Current Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is desperate to end the long drought – and will be eyeing April’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City or the Europa League as the perfect opportunities.

    But what happened to the Tottenham team that beat Avram Grant’s side?
    GK: Paul Robinson
    The former England goalkeeper won his only major trophy that day at Wembley, the year after the last of his 41 England caps.
    He had seven seasons at Blackburn before a two-year, three-appearance spell at Burnley then retired in 2017 and is now doing media work.
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    RB: Alan Hutton
    The Scottish right-back joined Aston Villa in 2011 but had loans to Nottingham Forest, Mallorca and Bolton.
    He played in the 2015 FA Cup final and scored a memorable goal against rivals Birmingham in 2018 before hanging up his boots a year ago to step into media, too.
    CB: Jonathan Woodgate
    Match-winner Woodgate left Spurs in 2011 to join Stoke before returning to Middlesbrough a year later.
    He ended his playing career in 2016 and, after a brief stint as a scout for Liverpool, went into coaching – he took over as Boro manager in 2019 and is now in charge at Bournemouth.
    CB: Ledley King
    Ramos’ skipper that day had his career blighted by injuries and retired as a one-club man in 2012.
    He joined Jose Mourinho’s backroom staff last summer and is trying to help the club end their long wait.

    The 2008 League Cup was the only trophy in Paul Robinson’s career – incredibly he managed more goalsCredit: AFP

    Now the Bournemouth manager, Woodgate grabbed the winning goal in extra-timeCredit: AFP
    LB: Pascal Chimbonda
    The one-cap French full-back left Spurs that summer for Sunderland but returned to White Hart Lane in 2009 for a short stint.
    He then had spells at eight clubs in ten years – including QPR and Doncaster as well as non-league Market Draydon Town and Ashton Town – before stopping in 2019.
    RM: Aaron Lennon
    One of the two members of that team still actively playing professional football is Lennon.
    He had ten seasons at the Lane before joining Everton in 2015, Burnley in 2017 and is now plying his trade at Kayserispor in Turkey aged 33.
    CM: Jermaine Jenas
    Like Hutton, Jenas headed to Villa Park, albeit on loan, in 2011 before a temporary spell at hometown club Nottingham Forest.
    He ended his injury-hit career with the 2013-14 season at QPR before stepping into punditry with BT Sport and Match of the Day – and may even be lined up to replace Gary Lineker as host one day.

    Aaron Lennon is still playing and currently turns out for Turkish side Kayserispor aged 33Credit: Getty Images – Getty

    Jermaine Jenas has stepped into his role as a pundit well since his premature retirementCredit: PA:Press Association
    CM: Didier Zakora
    Zakora spent one more season at Tottenham before joining Sevilla for two years.
    After that Ivory Coast’s most-capped player had spells in Turkey, India and Indonesia and is now assistant boss at AFAD Djekanou in his homeland.
    LM: Steed Malbranque
    Malbranque spent a decade in England, with his time at Tottenham sandwiched between Fulham and Sunderland.
    Like Lennon, he is still active at FC Limonest Saint-Didier in France at the tender age of 41.

    ST: Robbie Keane
    Keane enjoyed a glittering career which also included spells at Inter Milan, Leeds, Liverpool and Celtic before five years at LA Galaxy and finally with ATK in Kolkata.
    A 146-cap Irish legend, he had spells as an assistant manager with Ireland and Middlesbrough, working under team-mate Woodgate.
    ST: Dimitar Berbatov
    Arguably the best player of that Spurs XI was Berbatov, who went on to win two league titles, another League Cup and the Club World Cup with Manchester United.
    The two-time Premier League golden-boot winner featured for Fulham, Monaco, PAOK and Kerela Blasters until his retirement in 2019 – the Bulgarian is now a Betfair ambassador and working towards to get his Uefa Pro coaching licence.
    Manager: Juande Ramos
    Ramos was sacked just eight months later with a win ratio in the league of 29 per cent.
    Harry Redknapp replaced him while he managed to land the Real Madrid job before stints at CSKA Moscow, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and Malaga.
    Younes Kaboul, Teemu Tainio and Tom Huddlestone came off the bench for Spurs that day while Radek Cerny and Darren Bent were unused subs.

    Robbie Keane celebrates at Wembley with his winner’s medal around his neckCredit: PA:Empics Sport

    Dimitar Berbatov made no mistake from the spot to equalise for SpursCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

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    Carabao Cup final could have fans as EFL target pilot events BEFORE coronavirus lockdown ends

    THE Carabao Cup final could see fans welcomed to Wembley Stadium with the EFL targeting pilot events before the coronavirus lockdown ends.
    Earlier on Monday, Prime Minster Boris Johnson confirmed turnstiles will be reopened from May 17 after being closed for the second time in December.

    Fans could be welcomed back to Wembley for the Carabao Cup final on April 26, say the EFLCredit: PA:Press Association

    But the EFL are targeting a return for fans before even that and will work with the Government to make it happen.
    Wembley will play host to the Carabao Cup final between Manchester City and Tottenham on April 26.
    An EFL spokesperson said: “We note the Prime Minister’s announcement today in respect of a roadmap for easing national lockdown restrictions and the Government’s criteria for a phased return of fans to sporting events.
    “As has been our approach throughout the pandemic, the EFL wants to see supporters back in our stadia as soon as it is safe to do so.

    “We will continue to work with clubs, DCMS, the SGSA and local authorities to this end.
    “Following a successful fan pilot programme in the autumn, the EFL and member clubs have shown test events for fans can be safely delivered with the appropriate measures in place.
    “With the Carabao Cup final taking place on April 25 and the culmination of the EFL season on May 8/9, we look forward to engaging with the Government about its pilot programme.
    “We will be working to welcome as many fans as possible to the Sky Bet Play-Off Finals which will conclude the 2020-21 season on the Spring Bank Holiday weekend.”

    Prior to the EFL’s statement, the PM had told the House of Commons: “The turnstiles of our sports stadia will once again rotate, subject in all cases to capacity limits depending on the size of the venue.”
    That opens the prospect of supporters being in seats for the seven Euro 2020 games due to be played at Wembley, as well as Wimbledon.
    It would also allow race fans for the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot in June.
    And supporters will get the chance to watch the England vs India Test series and the Open Championships at Royal St George’s.
    But, initially at least, numbers will be strictly limited.
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    When turnstiles do open, crowds will be restricted to a maximum of 10,000 or 25 per cent of capacity, whichever is the smaller.
    However, it is hoped that those numbers can be swiftly increased, with even the prospect of a 90,000 full house for the Euro 2020 Final on July 12.
    The PM confirmed larger events would be piloted ‘using enhanced testing, with the ambition of further easing of restrictions’.
    And, if all goes to plan, from June 21, the Government aims ‘to remove all legal limits on social contact’ to ‘enable large events above the limits of step three’ to take place. 
    The news is a welcome boost for supporters who have been forced to become stay at home fans for most of the past 11 months since the initial sporting shutdown last March.

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    Carabao Cup to be sacrificed with Prem’s top clubs to skip competition under new Champions League expansion plans

    THE LEAGUE Cup will have to be sacrificed if the Prem wins a battle to change the Champions League revamp.
    Top-flight clubs agreed at their latest “shareholder” meeting on three points of contention with the latest Uefa-led plans for a 36-team competition from 2024.

    The Carabao Cup might fall victim to the expansion of the Champions League, if the Prem gets its way over group gamesCredit: PA:Empics Sport

    Current Premier League leaders Manchester City beat Aston Villa 2-1 in last season’s Carabao Cup finalCredit: Getty Images – Getty

    League chiefs will now go to Uefa seeking changes to the expansion to 225 games from 125 matches in the current competition, the access list limiting English football to five places and plans to extend the opening phase into the January each season.
    Premier League chiefs, instead, will argue that all the initial games – Uefa want 10 matches in the opening “Swiss model” single table phase – should be completed before Christmas, leaving January free for domestic action.
    But that will only be possible if teams in European action duck out of the League Cup, with the 20 clubs agreeing the future of the competition would have to be thrashed out and discussed as part of the new-look calendar.
    The agreement at least avoided any of the anticipated contention between the clubs, although issues have not gone away with a number of the smaller teams unhappy at the involvement of the Big Six.

    All of the Big Six are members of the influential European Club Association, whose chief executive, Charlie Marshall, gave his backing for the Uefa scheme.
    Speaking at the FT Business of Football Summit, he said: “More European matches are important in the development of football. 
    “These plans are bang in the centre of where we are coming from and we don’t see causes for alarm, which seems to be hysteria and reactionism.”
    And the Uefa plans were given a further boost by Simon Green, head of current Champions League and Europa League broadcaster BT Sport, who savaged the competing proposals for a new closed shop European Super League.

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    Green said: “Of course a European Super League would be extremely appealing to broadcasters but it would not be worth as much as the existing leagues and Champions League are at the moment. 
    “It would be undoing the value that already exists and reinventing something that is worth less, while undoing the strengths of the leagues. 
    Overall, maintaining what exists now is the best strategy football should adopt, rather than reinventing something which theoretically will do better – because it won’t.”
    Meanwhile, club chiefs agreed to continue to broadcast all Prem games live until fans can return to grounds in significant numbers, not thought likely before next season.

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    Fans could attend FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals at Wembley with FA hoping to have 27k supporters at Euro 2020 games

    FANS could be allowed in to watch the two domestic cup finals – in a trial to help ensure supporters for Euro 2020.
    The FA is determined to open up some of the Wembley turnstiles for the seven games due to be played in the stadium during the tournament in June and July.

    Scenes of fans spaced out across Wembley Stadium may be welcomed back in the springCredit: Graham Hughes – The Times

    And that could see up to 10,000 supporters in for the April 29 Carabao Cup final between Manchester City and Spurs and the FA Cup final the following month.
    Both events would be staging posts towards the summer, with the FA hoping to be able to fill 30 per cent of Wembley’s 90,000 capacity by the Euros.
    FA chiefs are part of the Government’s Sports Technology Innovation Group, headed by Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross.
    Discussions over the past year have included concepts such as digital Covid passports for spectators, with football bosses signalling their willingness to act as “guinea pigs” for the safe re-opening of the country.

    And even getting reduced numbers in to Wembley in the spring would be a huge staging post in the right direction.
    Expectations of a lifting of Covid restrictions in the coming weeks will make the possibility of reopening turnstiles more realistic, although there is no expectation of fans being back in Prem grounds before next season.
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    The FA is understood to have told Uefa it hopes to be able to allow in around 27,000 – representing 30 per cent of capacity – for the Euros, although Wembley will still be used to hold matches if no supporters are allowed in.

    That would be part of a gradual easing of crowd restrictions at other sporting events, including Test cricket, Wimbledon and summer horse racing events like the Derby.
    Government approval would be required for all such measures but trials for the two finals would also allow sports governing bodies to judge the ease and efficiency of entry regulations which could be rolled out across other events.

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