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      Man Utd vs Liverpool postponement wreaks HAVOC on Prem fixtures as chiefs try to fit game in tight window

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      THE Premier League fixture list has been thrown into chaos after Manchester United’s home clash with Liverpool was postponed due to furious fan protests.No new date for the game has yet been confirmed, with both clubs in urgent discussions to thrash out a plan.
      Angry Man Utd supporters protested outside Old TraffordCredit: AFP
      Some fuming fans invaded Old Trafford’s pitch causing the Liverpool clash to be postponedCredit: Reuters
      The end-of-season run-in is tight, especially for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer given his side are set to play the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Roma in the Italian capital on Thursday.
      United would normally fly out to Italy early on Wednesday.
      They could, in theory, play against Liverpool today.
      But the potential risk of a further fans protest was being assessed last night, especially given the heavy police involvement yesterday.
      Liverpool might have to shift their game against West Brom on Sunday May 16 to the Monday and visit United on Friday 14 — the day before the FA Cup Final.
      Both teams must play their last games of the season on May 23 at 4pm, with that kick-off time set in stone alongside the rest of the top-flight fixtures that day.
      United and Liverpool are also in midweek action on May 19 — plus there is already a full fixture list next weekend.
      The game was called off following furious fan protests as some angry supporters stormed onto the Old Trafford pitch.
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      United said in a statement: “Following discussion between the Police, The Premier League, Trafford Council and the clubs, our match against Liverpool has been postponed due to safety and security considerations around the protest today.
      “Discussions will now take place with the Premier League on a revised date for the fixture.
      “Our fans are passionate about Manchester United, and we completely acknowledge the right to free expression and peaceful protest.  “However, we regret the disruption to the team and actions which put other fans, staff, and the police in danger.
      “We thank the police for their support and will assist them in any subsequent investigations.”
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      Ed Woodward blasted by fuming Man Utd supporters at fans’ forum after club’s attempts to join European Super League

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      ED WOODWARD was blasted at a fans’ forum after Manchester United’s attempts to break away into a European Super League.The executive vice-chairman, who has announced he is stepping down, was told the bid was ‘disgusting’ and ‘embarrassing’.
      Ed Woodward came in for heavy criticism from supporters at a Manchester United fans’ forumCredit: EPA
      In a lengthy speech read to him on behalf of nine of the eleven forum members, Ian Stirling of the Manchester United Supporters Trust did not hold back.
      Stirling said: “We are disgusted, embarrassed and angry at the owner’s actions in relation to the planning, formation and announcement of the European Super League.
      “Once again this clearly demonstrates that the club’s owners are only interested in maximising their own profits and do not care about or respect the views of Manchester United fans.
      “The complete lack of engagement with fans, our players and manager is a gross mishandling of club affairs and one which we cannot forgive.
      “It was an attack on fans and on clubs across the whole of football and we have simply had enough.
      “Joel Glazer’s subsequent apology is not accepted.
      “Actions speak louder than words and he and his family have shown time and again that their sole motivation is personal profit at the expense of our football club.
      “We should not need to explain to anyone involved in the ownership or running of Manchester United Football Club why the European Cup is an integral part of our club’s history and how this proposal has betrayed it. Yet we clearly need to.”
      He then went on to outline United’s history in the European Cup from the tragedy of Munich to the rebuilding of the team and triumph in 1968 and subsequent wins in 1999 and 2008.
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      But he added: “All of this history has been undermined by an abhorrent plan designed purely to make more money for the self-perceived ‘big clubs’ and prevent any form of competition that exposes them to the risk of other clubs being successful at their expense, regardless of how poorly the founder clubs play on the pitch or are run by their boards and owners off it.”
      Woodward, who the club say will stay in his role until the end of the year, had opened the meeting with another apology after co-chairman Joel Glazer had expressed his regret last week.
      Woodward said: “I know that you will feel angry and let down by the lack of consultation and by the way the proposal failed to recognise the vital principle of open competition. Proper discussion would have helped us avoid the mistake we made.
      “While there would have been a substantial increase in solidarity payments from the leading clubs to the rest of the pyramid across Europe, we fully accept that there were fundamental elements which were badly misjudged.
      “As Joel said last week, we failed to give enough weight to the essential principles and traditions of sporting merit which are so vital to football not just in domestic competition but in European competition since the mid-1950s.
      “We want to restate our commitment to those traditions. I can assure you that we have learned our lesson from the events of the past week, and we do not seek any revival of the Super League plans.”
      He went on to outline how the club remained financially strong and would continue to invest in the squad.
      That is unlikely to placate an angry fan base however with a protest march on Old Trafford planned for before tomorrow’s game with Liverpool.
      Hundreds of Manchester United fans have protested agains the Glazers and Woodward since the ESL plans were announcedCredit: PA

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      Solskjaer pleads for peaceful Man Utd protests as 10,000 fans plan to march on Old Trafford before Liverpool clash

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      OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER has made a plea for peace with up to 10,000 Manchester United fans set to march on Old Trafford in protest.The mass gathering will take place outside the Red Devils ground ahead of Sunday’s match against rivals Liverpool which kicks-off at 4.30pm.
      Man Utd wil make their anti-Glazers stance known at Old Trafford on SundayCredit: Getty
      Solskjaer has urged fans to remain peaceful when they carry out the protestCredit: AFP
      Extra police and security have been called in with fears the match may not go ahead if things spill over.
      But Man Utd manager Solskjaer said that while the fans should be heard, he has been backed by the Glazers and any protests should remain peaceful.
      Solskjaer said: “It’s important that the fans’ views are listened to and we communicate better. My job is to focus on the football side and that we have the best possible team.
      “As I’ve said before I’ve been backed, I’ve had great support from the club and the owners and I’m sure I will get the backing again to go one step further. But I’m so happy all the clubs have agreed that this shouldn’t be the way of moving forward.
      “Then again, when the protests are on, it’s important they go in a good fashion and that we keep it peaceful.”
      The protest has been ignited by United’s owners the Glazer family and most significantly co-chairman Joel Glazer trying to move the club into a breakaway European Super League.
      Solskjaer, however, now says his job is to keep his players’ minds focused on the job in hand against Liverpool to cement their place in the Champions League next season.
      Solskjaer said: “The players are focused on the game and nothing else. They’ve handled difficult situations before. Of course it was a strange week before the Leeds game, after the Super League announcement.
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      “But I’ve got to say, I’m not worried one second that our mind is not on the football when it happens.”
      The Glazers were already unpopular amongst fans having laden the club with debt following their takeover in 2005.
      But this move has reignited their opposition to the owners.
      Around 1,000 fans gathered outside Old Trafford last Saturday chanting ‘Glazer Out’ but this will be on a whole different scale.
      On Thursday of last week Solskjaer was confronted by 20 fans who invaded the club’s Carrington Training Ground in protest.
      A number of the United players made their opposition to the proposed European Super League known too.
      The whole ESL plan collapsed just 48 hours after being launched and United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward resigned in the wake of the controversy.
      But feelings are still raw among fans.
      United were joined by Manchester City, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool in their attempt to join a proposed 15 strong breakaway European Super League.
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      Man Utd legend Paul Scholes’ passionate rant about the Glazers in full as he accuses billionaires of using club as ‘toy’

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      Paul Scholes has accused Manchester United owners the Glazers of using the football club as a ‘toy’ in a furious rant.It comes in the wake of the ‘Big Six’ attempting to form a breakaway European Super League, before the idea fell apart within 48 hours.
      Scholes launched a scathing attack on Man Utd’s owners on Thursday eveningCredit: EPA
      “I don’t think the fans will ever have a connection with these owners.””They are greedy, and just use this club as a toy to make money.”No holding back from Paul Scholes.#UEL pic.twitter.com/T5S776m1PC— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 29, 2021

      Joint chairmen Avram Glazer (left) and Joel Glazer (right) are coming under increasing pressureCredit: PA
      And while chief executive Ed Woodward has announced his departure amid the fallout of the ESL controversy, Scholes feels it is also time for the Glazers to leave Old Trafford.
      Speaking to BT Sport, he said: “I’m not sure there ever will be a connection with these owners.
      “I don’t think that’s just this club, I think it’s every club that started with billionaire owners that we brought into here for them to have a toy to make money with.
      “This is a great club as well to actually have that connection with the owners – the young players this club has, the young local lads coming through the academy, there’s a great chance for that connection, but as long as these billionaire owners, from America and other countries, there’s never ever going to be a connection.
      “Look at Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool – is there a connection there? I don’t think there is, I don’t think there ever will be. I think we need to stop pining for that.
      “The most important thing for the fans now is what happens on the football pitch and if you look at the last four or five years at Manchester United; the resources, the money that this club has had, and it’s not won a trophy for four years. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
      “The Glazers chose a man to represent them, to run the football club, who is brilliant at making money, funnily enough, that’s exactly what they want, but has the football side been neglected through that?
      “I don’t think that Ed [Woodward] was a football man, I think David Gill was great at making money, commercial, but he was a football man, he knew what the club needed.
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      “We’ve had five or six years since the manager went, of choosing the wrong managers, not giving them time to produce teams, choosing the wrong type of players for this football club which has been disappointing and it’s all down to the ownership. They’re billionaire owners, who are greedy and just use this club as a toy to make money.”
      Another of the Premier League ‘Big Six’, Arsenal, have recently had an approach from Spotify owner Daniel Ek about a possible takeover of the club.
      But Scholes does not feel Gunners fans should be excited about the prospect of the club changing hands even if it does go ahead.
      He continued: “I don’t think Arsenal fans should celebrate. He’s getting interest by mentioning Bergkamp, Vieira, Henry, it’s the same. It won’t be any different, he’s a money man, he’s a businessman, he wants to make money and this is what they’ll do.
      “They’ll come to clubs like Arsenal, but where are Arsenal? Tenth in the league? Ridiculous. Look at this club [Man United], not won anything for four years, okay, they’re getting on the right track now I hope.
      “They’re almost getting to where they should be, they’re not too far away. It masks a lot when the football is alright, the team are winning trophies, who cares who your owners are?”
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      European Super League shambles has changed English football forever, claims ex-Premier League chief Richard Scudamore

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      RICHARD SCUDAMORE reckons English football has changed forever after the disastrous plans for a European Super League.And the former Premier League boss reckons it will take the six rebel clubs in this country years to be trusted again by their fans.
      Richard Scudamore was amazed the six elite Premier League clubs had not anticipated the huge outcry from fans over their ESL plans
      Former England and Man Utd defender Gary Neville quizzed Richard Scudamore over the ESL, sparking condemnation of the ‘Big Six’ from the ex-Prem chief
      Scudamore, the Prem’s chief executive for 19 years, remains unimpressed with Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal.
      He said:  “I don’t believe life will ever be the same after last Sunday.
      “I think the actions of the six have altered the dynamic forever. There has to be some consequences. Things have to change.
      “There is no switch you can turn that suddenly builds back trust with these people and the fanbase.
      “It is a long and difficult road back. After a period of some healing, we have to rebuild this thing.
      “I cannot explain why any of them thought it was a good idea. I am the person who had been telling them for years it was a crazy idea and could not happen.”
      Scudamore officially left his post Premier League in 2018 but has been advising the organisation over the breakaway plans.
      In an interview with former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, Scudamore revealed his shock that the six did not expect such a furious backlash from fans.

      He said: “Anyone who knows me would know I found this completely unacceptable.
      “To actually suddenly break for the border and create any form of competition was a fraud in its concept. I knew the fan base would not let it happen.
      “I don’t need to name names but even people  in their apology said ‘we spent a lot of time thinking about what our fans would want to do’ but did not spend an iota talking to the fans.”
      Scudamore believes it would be tough to get fan ownership in the Premier  League.
      He added: “I’s difficult. You can’t alter the fact that some can own a specific per cent. You can’t hand ownership over.
      “But an elastic band has been snapped in the last week. There has to be some consequences.
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      “I think something will have to be extracted by way of undertakings or attitude.
      “I am not going to get involved about whether there should be punishments or sanctions.”
      The Overlap is a new YouTube channel from Gary Neville in partnership with Sky Bet.
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      ‘Big Six’ chief execs forced to resign from ALL Premier League roles after failed ESL breakaway

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      THE chief executives of the six rebel European Super League clubs have all resigned their roles with the Premier League.Bosses of the remaining 14 clubs had insisted they no longer trusted those who had tried to set up the breakaway competition.
      Chelsea chief Bruce Buck won’t be involved in some Premier League meetings going forwardCredit: PA
      They demanded the top dogs at Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham be removed from positions on advisory groups and committees.
      And SunSport can reveal all six — Vinai Venkatesham, Ed Woodward, Bruce Buck, Billy Hogan, Ferran Soriano and Rebecca Caplehorn — have now given in to Premier League demands and quit.
      There had been some within the league who wanted heads to roll at the top table, by banning them from the full board.
      That was never going to be imposed in reality, but the absence of any of the top sides in all working groups and committees sees a major shift in power at headquarters.
      League bosses are still going through exactly what happened with the emergence of the ESL to see if any of the clubs involved actually broke any regulations.
      However, all six insist they are legally protected from any charges being imposed and will fight any disciplinary action through the courts.
      SunSport has revealed that at any one time there were between 300 and 400 staff — including bankers, lawyers and communications experts — working in various countries to try and get the European Super League over the line.
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      Vinai Venkatesham, left, will have less Premier League work to doCredit: Getty – Contributor

      Some of the clubs involved had been working on this for months.
      As for the clubs’ media officers, they only found out a couple of days beforehand — and most thought the ESL was a terrible idea.
      Although not all of them.
      Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has been vocal in his desire to continue with contractual obligations for the league to go ahead.
      Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has made his thoughts on Perez no secret and recently said in a damning interview: “Perez is the president of a Super League that didn’t exist, and at the moment he’s the president of nothing.”
      Ceferin also slammed Perez and other names behind the Super League as ‘snakes.’
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      European Super League was no two-bit rush job from 12 greedy owners… 300-400 staff were involved for MONTHS

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      DO not be fooled into thinking that the European Super League was a merry band of 12 selfish football club owners with a few people working for them.The opposite is the case.
      Arsenal fans have protested against the Kroenke family since the European Super League shamblesCredit: Getty
      Man Utd fans flew a plane over their draw with Leeds demanding the Glazer family sold the clubCredit: Reuters
      Because at any one time there were between 300 and 400 staff — including bankers, lawyers and communications experts — working in various countries to try and get this thing over the line.
      It is also completely ludicrous to suggest that this potential game-changer was a sudden thing.
      Some of the clubs involved had been working on this for months.
      As for the clubs’ media officers, they only found out a  couple of days  beforehand — and most thought the ESL was a terrible idea.
      Although not all of them.

      ROLL THE DYCHE
      CRYSTAL PALACE have yet to sort out who will be their boss next season — and it is a situation which looks like dragging over the next few weeks.
      Keeping Roy Hodgson, 73, would be the safest option.
      But if Palace chiefs offer him a new deal, there is no longer a 100 per cent guarantee that the former England boss would continue.
      There is a chance Hodgson could quit management in the summer.
      Burnley boss Sean Dyche has always been in the frame for Palace.
      But it would cost nearly £3million to  get him out of Turf Moor — and that hefty figure would not include the rest of his management team.
      Eddie Howe has gone cool on the Celtic job, knowing that Palace were also interested, but there is a concern whether he would be the right fit.
      Sean Dyche is Crystal Palace’s first choice to take over should Roy Hodgson leaveCredit: AP
      One player who is not going anywhere in the summer will be Wilfried Zaha.
      He is now leaving his current advisors Roc Nation, so Zaha is looking for his fourth set of agents in a year.
      Yet Zaha’s issue is not who represents him.
      He is aged 28 and on a fat contract, so the interest from clubs such as Arsenal ended a long time ago.
      But Palace have a lot of recruiting to do as 11 players will be out of contract.
      Yet despite all this, it has still been a  decent season in South London.
      THERE was a shock result in the Croatian fifth division with second-bottom Omladinac winning 5-0 at title-chasing  Matulji.
      And the story gets really weird.
      The new chairman of Matulji is Ivan Brbac, who replaced 56-year-old Sandi Sneler after he died from Covid-19.
      Yet Brbac, 30, still plays for Omladinac — and he played 75 minutes of the famous win over Matulji.
      Imagine that happening in the National League.
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      Norwich players donated their shirts for Cure LeukaemiaCredit: Alamy
      WOLVES, Watford, Crystal Palace and Harry Kane have all donated signed shirts for an auction in aid of Cure Leukaemia.
      Norwich also told players they had to donate their shirts from Saturday’s game at QPR for the auction — even if they had won the title.
      In the end, Norwich’s title party was put on hold so the players will be able to keep those prized shirts from their special day if, as expected, they win the Championship.

      GARETH SOUTHGATE was hoping each team at Euro 2020 would have squads of 23.
      He has always felt this size is a better test for a manager.
      Equally, the England boss is relaxed with the fact that Uefa are set to allow squads of 26 at the summer tournament.
      Southgate will name his squad in the week beginning May 24.
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      Daniel Ek ‘is an Arsenal obsessive who watches live games on his laptop during Spotify board meetings’

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      DANIEL EK is obsessed with Arsenal and watches live matches during Spotify board meetings, according to reports.The Swedish billionaire, 38, is reportedly set to launch a multi-billion pound takeover bid for the North Londoners.
      Daniel Ek is an Arsenal superfan known to watch their matches during Spotify board meetingsCredit: Getty
      Spotify founder Ek is said to have enlisted the help of Gunners legends Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira.
      The song-streaming entrepreneur has supported the Gunners since he was eight and his favourite player – and compatriot – Anders Limpar graced Highbury.
      And he has taken his love for the North Londoners into adulthood.
      Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol tweeted: “Daniel Ek is said to be Arsenal obsessive who even watches live games on his laptop during Spotify board meetings.

      “Watches every Arsenal game and has been to Highbury and Emirates Stadium many times.”
      Disgruntled Gunners supporters want current owner – American billionaire Stan Kroenke – to quit after the club signed up to the money-grabbing closed shop European Super League.
      And Ek seems to be leading the race to take the reins at the Emirates.
      But despite widespread excitement over Ek’s interest, many are skeptical as to whether he would be any better than the current owners.
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      As a kid growing up, I’ve cheered for @Arsenal as long as I can remember. If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I’d be happy to throw my hat in the ring.— Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) April 23, 2021

      Infamous YouTube channel Arsenal Fan TV tweeted their support for Ek after Solhekol’s tweet.
      The channel’s twitter account replied: “This is the kind of guy we want running our club.”
      But Gary Lineker made a very salient point amid widespread calls for 50+1 fan ownership models to be introduced.
      The former England striker and presenter simply tweeted: “This is a big part of the problem.
      “Fans want these billionaires to buy their clubs….just hoping for better billionaires than the ones they already have.”
      Supporters of the North Londoners went into meltdown this week as Spotify prices went up on the same day Ek launched his takeover bid.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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