More stories

  • in

    Tottenham star Harry Kane will be given until Saturday lunchtime to decide whether he is fit for Carabao Cup Final

    HARRY KANE will be given until tomorrow to decide whether he is fit enough to play in Tottenham’s Carabao Cup Final against Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday.The England striker has not trained since injuring an ankle in his club’s 2-2 draw at Everton last Friday
    Harry Kane given until tomorrow to decide whether he is fit for the Carabao Cup FinalCredit: AFP
    The striker limped off against Everton last week with an ankle injuryCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
    That caused Kane to miss their 2-1 win at home to Southampton on Wednesday.
    Tottenham’s interim boss Ryan Mason, placed in charge of their first team until the end of the season following Monday’s shock sacking of Jose Mourinho, said: “We’re not sure yet.
    “He didn’t train with the team today but we’ll have more of an idea tomorrow to see if we can get him back on the pitch.
    “I’m not really sure of his chances, it’s a case of taking it hour by hour now. So the days are obviously running out.
    “It’s a case of seeing how he feels in the next four hours, the next six hours, and go from there.
    “I can’t really answer that question until tomorrow. Everyone isn’t sure.”
    BETTING SPECIAL: GET 20/1 ON MAN CITY OR 60/1 ON TOTTENHAM

    The situation will evoke memories of the 2019 Champions League Final when Kane declared himself fit to play in the 2-0 by Liverpool in Madrid
    Mason, at his press conference today, said: “I think it was completely different, because Harry had a very long time out injured before the Champions League final.
    “Like I say, I don’t know if Harry is going to be available for training tomorrow, let alone the game on Sunday. But, if he is, then it’s a quick turnaround.
    “A week without training is not a problem for someone in Harry’s condition.
    “But I think we are going to have to assess it later tonight, early on tomorrow morning, and see if we can get him onto the pitch.”

    Harry Kane gives a goal scoring masterclass in Tottenham training More

  • in

    Tottenham MUST invest in transfers as Carabao Cup win not enough to keep Harry Kane, claims Woodgate

    JONATHAN WOODGATE fears a Carabao Cup triumph will not be enough to keep Harry Kane happy at Tottenham.Former England defender Woodgate scored an extra-time winner in the 2008 League Cup final to land Spurs their last piece of silverware.
    Woodgate scored the winning goal against Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup finalCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
    Spurs lifted the trophy in 2008 but had no idea they would have to wait so long for anotherCredit: AFP
    He is hopeful his old side can repeat that feat to end their trophy drought against Manchester City on Sunday.
    But the Bournemouth boss feels it will take more than a Wembley winners’ medal to convince 31-goal Kane that staying put is right for his career.
    Woody, 41, said: “They’ll need more investment for Harry Kane to stay, I’m sure of that.
    “He’s been unbelievable again this season and scored so many goals. He’s evolved as a player by making so many assists. He’s an incredible talent.
    “I’d say Spurs need to invest to try to keep Harry Kane at the club.”
    Just like this weekend, Spurs were the underdogs at Wembley 13 years ago as Avram Grant’s Chelsea were miles above them in the Premier League.
    Didier Drogba opened the scoring with a free-kick but Spurs levelled through Dimitar Berbatov’s penalty.
    Woodgate sealed it four minutes into extra-time, rising to meet Jermaine Jenas’ free-kick, only for Petr Cech’s punch to rebound off his head and in.
    FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

    Tottenham’s record with and without Kane
    Kane watched his Spurs teammates from the stands against Southampton on Wednesday nightCredit: Reuters
    He said: “It was down to Michael Dawson’s misfortune. He got a hamstring strain and I am sure he would have started the final having played all the way through. I was thrust into it.
    “I don’t remember a great deal about the goal! I was getting cramp.
    “I didn’t think Drogba was great at marking from set-plays and he was marking me.
    “So I thought if JJ put it in the right area, I’d go and attack it. I know Petr Cech punched it on to my head and it went in.
    “It’s an out-of-body sensation. You dream of scoring in a cup final in the playground as a kid.”
    Ex-Real Madrid ace Woodgate had only joined Spurs from Middlesbrough the month before.
    Kane has 34 goal involvements in the Premier League so far this season, more than any other playerCredit: AP
    Juande Ramos was boss at the time but the Spaniard did not last much longer and was replaced by Harry Redknapp after a horror start the next season.
    Woodgate added: “I got on quite well with Juande because I could speak Spanish. His English wasn’t great so it was difficult. He had Gus Poyet translating.
    “It’s my only trophy so it’s got to be one of my best moments as a player. Every time I see a Spurs fan, they still tell me about it.
    “My son’s got the medal and Man of the Match trophy in his bedroom.
    “It’s part of the club’s history now, winning that last trophy for them. I’m sure, sooner or later, they’re going to win a trophy.”
    Spurs’ build-up for Sunday has been a disaster, with the European Super League farce and Jose Mourinho’s axe.
    But Woody is adamant they cannot be written off, given the talent at the disposal of interim boss Ryan Mason.
    The former Newcastle man added: “Tottenham have some exceptional players, the likes of Kane, Son Heung-min, Gareth Bale, Dele Alli when he plays.
    “You’ve got to be confident. There’s no point going into the final thinking you can’t win.
    “For me, they stand a chance. You can never write a team of Spurs’ calibre off.”­
    ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
    Gareth Bale scores for Tottenham as they beat Southampton and give Ryan Mason first win More

  • in

    Does the Carabao Cup winner qualify for Europa League 2021/22 next season?

    TOTTENHAM are taking on Man City as they look to deprive Pep Guardiola’s men of a fourth straight Carabao Cup title.But could the trophy be a ticket to European football for Spurs? Here’s all you need to know.
    Tottenham could book a ticket to Europe if they win the Carabao CupCredit: Getty
    Does the Carabao Cup winner qualify for the next season’s Europa League?
    The Carabao Cup winner does qualify for Europe next season but will NOT enter the Europa League.
    Many fans will recall that the competition did provide a Europa League place to the winner as recently as last year.
    However, the winner of the Carabao Cup will now qualify for Uefa’s third tier competition – the Europa Conference League – instead.
    But if the winner qualifies for Europe through other means by the end of the season, then this place is transferred.
    Should Manchester City win the Carabao Cup, the Conference League place would be transferred to the team that finishes in sixth position in the Premier League.
    And assuming the FA Cup winner finishes in the top five as well, the seventh placed team will pick up the Conference League place with the sixth placed team entering the Europa League proper.

    What else do they win?
    Aside from the silverware, the two teams in the final will also pocket some cash.
    But it will not come as a huge windfall for the Premier League sides, with the winner taking home £100,000.
    The runners-up will leave with £50,000. More

  • in

    Gary Neville demands Man City clash with Tottenham in EFL Cup is CANCELLED as ‘they don’t care’ over Super League plans

    GARY NEVILLE has called for the Carabao Cup final to be cancelled because Manchester City and Tottenham ‘don’t care’.Two of the six breakaway rebels are due to meet at Wembley on Sunday for the first piece of silverware this season.
    Gary Neville believes the two teams involved in the Carabao Cup final should not get their date at WembleyCredit: Sky Sports
    🗣 “Cancel it, who cares about it? They don’t care about English football.”@GNev2 says the emotions of big games like the Carabao Cup final have lost all meaning after this announcement pic.twitter.com/4uREkfPJFf— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 19, 2021

    City are aiming for a fourth final victory in a row while Spurs hope to end a 13-year wait for any trophy.
    Neville, though, believes their plans to join the European Super League and therefore abandon English domestic football should be punished.
    Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, the passionate ex-England defender said: “You have to act here. It is a big attack.
    “The idea that something happens… cancel the game on Sunday, City vs Spurs.
    “Who cares about it? They don’t care about it.
    “Cancel it. They don’t care about English football.
    “Why should they play in the EFL Cup?
    “Things like that, for me now, have to be on the table because they have to know they can’t bully their way through everybody in this country.
    “They are bullying the 14 clubs, the EFL, the FA and they run this country – it is the six owners.”
    FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

    MORE ON SUPER LEAGUE OUTRAGE

    City and Spurs are joined by Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal in agreeing to join the franchise-style, closed-shop Super League.
    Furious fans took to stadiums across the country on Monday to voice their anger at the clubs’ owners with more protests planned.
    And Neville also believes the showdown between United and Liverpool on May 1 is now meaningless.
    If there was no pandemic and restrictions, he believes a mass march uniting the two sets of rival fans would have taken place.
    Neville added: “All the emotions in the last 24 hours have been going through my head. I think of the Manchester United versus Liverpool game in two weeks.
    “If it wasn’t for Covid, you’d mobilise a march – you’d bring all Manchester United and Liverpool fans together and march on that stadium.”
    Neville also clashed with Jurgen Klopp after the Liverpool boss responded to the pundit’s criticism of the Anfield club while Reds legend Jamie Carragher believes owner John Henry will be driven out if Klopp resigns over European Super League plans.
    ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

    Manchester City are due to take on Tottenham in the Carabao Cup finalCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

    Jurgen Klopp hits back at Gary Neville over his Liverpool Super League rant More

  • in

    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.
    FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

    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.
    ⚽ Follow all of the latest news and live reaction to Jose Mourinho’s sacking here

    Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur football club amid a horror 2021 season More

  • in

    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.
    GRAND NATIONAL: GET £140 IN FREE BETS FOR FESTIVAL AT AINTREE

    “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.”
    ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
    Manchester City ace Kevin De Bruyne agrees new four-year contract More

  • in

    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

    FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

    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

  • in

    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.”

    FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

    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.”
    ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

    PSG vs Barcelona – Watch LIVE for FREE, channel info and kick-off time More