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      Tottenham in transfer battle with Brentford to sign Sunderland wonderkid Dennis Cirkin

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      BRENTFORD are set to rival Tottenham for Sunderland’s highly rated left-back Dennis Cirkin.The Bees are looking at the England youth star, 20, as a potential long-term replacement for Rico Henry, 25, if he leaves.
      Dennis Cirkin is a transfer target for Brentford and TottenhamCredit: Getty
      Tottenham are also tracking their former youth team star and he may have a decision to make during the next window in January.
      The Black Cats only signed Cirkin from Spurs last year.
      But the Championship side may be tempted to make a quick profit and cash in on the left-back.
      SunSport exclusively revealed last week that Spurs were interested in re-signing their former academy star.
      Read More In Football
      The defender came through the ranks at Tottenham after moving to London from Ireland aged three.
      Spurs then surprisingly let him go last summer, allowing him to move up north.
      The defender was sold to the Black Cats for an undisclosed fee.
      Cirkin has played 50 times in total for Sunderland since joining from Spurs in August 2021.
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      The left-back has featured nine times in the Championship this season.
      He scored in today’s 2-1 win over Wigan after missing the last five weeks through injury. More

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      Best premier league ground for away fans named – and it might surprise you

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      SPURS have ended their trophy drought — if only by being named tops for visiting fans.The North London club, who last won anything 14 years ago, were voted best away day experience.
      Tottenham were well ahead of rivals Arsenal and Newcastle in the rankingCredit: PA
      They scored 7.11 for their new £1.2billion 62,850-seater stadium, the £5.19 price of a pint and £3.80 cost to park.
      Tottenham, who won the League Cup in 2008 and were last champions in 1961, were well ahead of rivals Arsenal and Newcastle — both given 6.14.
      The Magpies boosted their total thanks to selling pints for £4.90.
      Aston Villa and Brentford were next in the poll, organised by the Online Betting Guide. Bottom of the Prem, just as in real life, were Leicester City, who scored a meagre 2.46.
      READ MORE ON Premier league
      Also in the table’s relegation zone were West Ham — charging £7.60 a pint — and Southampton, where visitors face a 23-minute walk to a bus stop or station.
      Spurs fan Mike Hardy said: “Polling top is surely worth a trophy. And beating Arsenal is as satisfying as finishing above them in the Prem each season.”
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      ‘I’m still selling £3m match ball from Maradona’s Hand of God goal against England’, says shameless ref

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      THE rubbish ref flogging the Hand of God football says he does not care about the backlash in England.The Sun yesterday tracked Ali Bin Nasser, 78, to his shabby flat where he told us: “I’m still selling.”
      Bin Nasser, 78, described England as the home of footballCredit: Darren Fletcher
      The ball could fetch £3million at auction in London next monthCredit: Getty
      He claimed he did not see Argentina’s Diego Maradona punch the ball past Peter Shilton in the 1986 World Cup quarter final.
      He kept the Adidas Azteca — the only ball used in England’s 2-1 defeat — and stashed it in a cupboard.
      It could fetch £3million at auction in London next month.
      Gary Lineker, who scored in the match, and Three Lions fans have accused the ref of cashing in on his clanger.
      READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP
      Told of the furore yesterday, Bin Nasser hit back: “I’m still selling it. I don’t care what you think.”
      His sons are thought to live in two other flats in the £150,000 building in the Tunisian city of Ariana.
      Bin Nasser told us: “You should not be coming to my house. Go away. The company is responsible for me and the ball. I’ve signed a contract and can’t talk to anyone.”
      Earlier, Bin Nasser had said England was the home of football and he hoped the buyer “is in a position to put it on display or share it with the public”.
      Most read in The Sun
      Lineker has said: “How the hell did the referee end up with the ball?
      I’m so thrilled he’ll cash in on his cock-up.”
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      I’m A Celebrity signs England football star for this year’s show

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      Lioness Jill Scott has signed up for the new series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!The midfielder, 35, retired after playing in the game that beat Germany 2-1 in the Uefa Women’s final in July.
      Lioness Jill Scott, 35, has signed up for the new series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!Credit: AP
      It has long been rumoured that ITV wanted a Lioness to enter the jungleCredit: Rex
      But her expletives gained almost as much attention as her ball skills when a clip of her swearing at Germany’s Sydney Lohmann went viral.
      A TV insider said: “Jill became an instant star following that memorable moment, with most Brits forgiving the minor outburst.”
      “It was always rumoured that ITV wanted one of the team in the jungle and Jill is a natural choice.”
      Jill presented an award at the NTAs this week and joked that she was skint and had been forced to sell her winner’s medal.
      READ MORE ON JILL SCOTT
      I’m a Celeb returns to the Australian Jungle next month.
      Other stars include former rugby player Mike Tindall, DJ Chris Moyles and comic Seann Walsh.
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      From team that won match without scoring to game’s first black player – Gary Lineker reveals incredible football stories

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      FOOTBALL is the one thing that has always been in my life. I used to be in the box as a player, now I’m on the box as a presenter.
      Gary Lineker has shared with us five of his favourite incredible football storiesCredit: Getty
      Gary’s new book 50 Times Football Changed The World is filled with inspirational tales
      Football has a long and rich history with so many memorable moments, unforgettable tales and incredible stories from across the world which all show the numerous ways the game has been a force for good.
      I’ve put 50 of the most fascinating, educational and inspiring tales in my new book, 50 Times Football Changed The World.
      Here I’m sharing five of my favourites.
      READ MORE ON GARY LINEKER
      The first black professional footballer in the world
      ARTHUR WHARTON was born in 1865 in Jamestown, Gold Coast, West Africa, which is now Accra, in Ghana.
      Not much is known about Arthur’s early life, but when he was 19 he moved to Darlington to train as a missionary.
      Arthur Wharton, who played for Darlington FC., was the first black professional footballer in the worldCredit: NNP
      Arthur was born in 1865 in Jamestown, Gold Coast, West Africa, which is now Accra, in Ghana, moved to Darlington when he was 19Credit: Sharon Doorbar
      Most read in The Sun
      It wasn’t long before he started playing as goal- keeper for Darlington FC.
      He was said to be an entertaining performer with a phenomenal punch, by which they meant punching the ball, not his opponents (hopefully)!
      He also used to catch the ball between his legs and he would sometimes pull the crossbar down (it was only made of tape in those days) so shots would miss.
      That would certainly get a red card today.
      It wasn’t long before he moved to Preston North End, one of the biggest teams in England at that time, then Rotherham Town, Sheffield United, Stalybridge Rovers and Ashton North End, before finishing his career at Stockport County in 1902.
      As a professional, Arthur earned a lot of money, so he would often donate part of his wages to help people in need.
      Unfortunately, after retiring from football, his life was hard.
      He gradually spent all the money he made from his sports career and had to work as a coal miner to support his family.
      He passed away in 1930 and was buried in an unmarked grave.
      For many years afterwards, Arthur and his great achievements as a true sports pioneer went unrecognised.
      He was finally given the footballing recognition he deserved in 2003, when he was welcomed into the English Football Hall of Fame, having paved the way for so many of the talented players we see today.
      Arthur paved the way for so many of the talented players we see today (pictured: Marcus Rashford)Credit: AFP
      The team that played on the sea
      NOTHING makes you want to grab a football and kick it around quite like watching an incredible match.
      And that’s exactly what happened when the children from a fishing village called Koh Panyee, in Thailand, were watching the 1986 World Cup finals.
      Children from a fishing village called Koh Panyee, in Thailand made a football pitch in the seaCredit: EPA
      But there was one not-so-small problem . . . Koh Panyee is in the sea.
      It is a floating village built on stilts. No one had ever been able to play football there because . . . well, there just wasn’t space.
      The children really, really wanted to play, though, so they came up with a brilliant idea — if the village could float, then so could a football pitch.
      So they began gathering bits of wood and old rafts, took a boat just a little way out on to the sea and started building a surface they could play on.
      It was like no other pitch in the world. Sharp nails jutted out from the wood.
      There was no barrier between the edge of the pitch and the sea.
      And splinters were a real hazard for their bare feet.
      But the children loved it — despite having to jump into the water to retrieve the ball an awful lot.
      When they entered their first proper tournament, Panyee realised they were actually really good. All that playing on their floating pitch had paid off.
      They have become one of the best youth teams in southern Thailand, winning seven regional titles on the trot between 2004 and 2010.
      Today they have a smooth new pitch, which even has a fence to stop the ball going into the water.
      The village has also benefited from tourists coming to see the incredible pitch and hear the team’s amazing story.
      It just shows what you can do with determination, courage, teamwork . . . and a few bits of wood.
      When the worst team in Britain didn’t give up
      MADRON is a village in Cornwall. About 1,600 people live there and it also has a football team, Madron FC.
      At the start of the 2010–11 season, they were in the first division of Cornwall’s Mining League.
      Madron FC. were branded the ‘worst team in Britain’ but they eventually won a match after 30 straight defeatsCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
      They began the season full of hope and positivity and were ready to give it their all.
      But in their first game they lost 11-0. Ouch! And things didn’t get better.
      As the season progressed, Madron lost 16–0, 29–0 (yes, twenty-nine) and 9–0.
      Later in the season, when they played against Illogan Reserves, they lost . . . wait for it . . . 55–0.
      That means Illogan scored a goal nearly every two minutes. One of their players scored ten goals — more than three hat-tricks.
      Madron were branded in the newspapers as “the worst team in Britain”.
      Some teams might give up after a defeat like that, but not Madron.
      The following weekend they put on their game faces once again.
      Could they bounce back from that defeat with a victory? Well, no — this time they lost 22–0.
      By the end of the season they were bottom of the table with zero points, having lost every single game.
      Their goal difference was minus 395.
      But throughout the season Madron had continued to try their best, week in, week out.
      As one of the players said: “I’d rather play for a bad team that has fun than a good team that you don’t enjoy playing for.”
      The following season Madron lost their first game 8-2. But their second game ended 4-3 — to Madron.
      After 30 straight defeats and 407 goals conceded across both seasons, they had finally won.
      The Madron players ran around the pitch, did laps of honour, cheered, shouted and high-fived one another. It was as if they’d won the league.
      Their hard work had finally paid off. They showed the true value of believing in yourself and never giving up.
      Referee who took on football authorities and a dictator
      IT’S not easy being a referee. Every match is a battle.
      But in the case of Lea Campos, the battles started long before she even got on to the pitch.
      Lea Campos had to take on football authorities and a dictator to fulfil her dream of becoming a refereeCredit: Museu do futebol
      Lea was born in Brazil in 1945 and loved playing football.
      Unfortunately, women were banned from playing organised sports in those days.
      Instead, she was encouraged to take part in beauty pageants.
      She won quite a few, and one helped her back into football.
      Cruzeiro is one of Brazil’s biggest football teams, and after winning the title Queen of Cruzeiro in 1966, Lea got a job with the club where she helped to promote it by speaking to journalists and organising player interviews.
      She realised the love of football she’d had hadn’t gone away.
      Lea still wasn’t allowed to play, but she discovered there was nothing to stop her becoming a referee.
      In 1967, she did an eight-month course and became one of the first female referees in the world.
      Even though she was qualified, the Brazilian sporting authorities — led by a man, João Havelange — still wouldn’t let her on the pitch.
      She was told women’s bodies weren’t suitable for the sport.
      Lea wasn’t going to stand for that, though. In one of the beauty contests she had met an army commander.
      She asked him if he could arrange for her to have a meeting with the president of Brazil, Emílio Garrastazu Médici.
      But Médici was a brutal leader who ruled the country with violence.
      What was he going to think about a woman requesting to be a referee?
      Over lunch, the president told Lea that one of his sons was a big fan of hers.
      Then he handed her a letter.
      It was a written request for Havelange to let her become a referee.
      And everyone knew you didn’t say no to the president.
      Lea went on to referee 98 matches in Brazil.
      Fans might still disagree with a lot of referees’ decisions, but one thing we can all agree on is that what Lea Campos did was incredibly brave — and has helped to change the world’s opinion on female referees.
      When a team won without scoring a single goal
      THERE were four teams in the play-off tournament to decide Madagascar’s 2002 champions — Adema Analamanga and Stade Olympique de l’Emyrne, who were big rivals, and Domoina Soavina Atsimondrano Antananarivo and Union Sportive Ambohidratrimo.
      In the penultimate game of the tournament, L’Emyrne were leading 2–1 but, with full time approaching, the referee awarded their opponents, Antananarivo, a penalty.
      L’Emyrne scored an own goal approximately every 30 seconds as a protest in their match against Adema
      The players and manager of L’Emyrne were certain the penalty should not have been awarded but, despite their complaints, the referee didn’t change their mind (they rarely do) and Antananarivo scored the spot kick.
      The final result was 2–2.
      This meant L’Emyrne couldn’t win the tournament.
      The manager and players were convinced the referee had been biased — and at their next match, the last game of the tournament against their arch rivals Adema Analamanga, they decided to protest.
      The game kicked off, and as soon as a L’Emyrne player got the ball, he did something very odd.
      Instead of running towards Adema’s goal, he ran towards his own team’s goal and scored an own goal.
      It was 1–0 to Adema. L’Emyrne kicked off again and this time . . . the same thing happened.
      They scored another own goal, making it 2–0 to Adema. And it happened again, and again.
      Adema’s players couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
      The spectators couldn’t believe it either, and many of them started demanding their money back.
      But still the game went on, with L’Emyrne scoring an own goal approximately every 30 seconds.
      By the time the final whistle blew it was 149–0 to Adema — without any of their players touching the ball.
      It was very odd, and in some ways very funny, but the Madagascan football authorities didn’t think so.
      L’Emyrne’s manager, Ratsimandresy Ratsarazaka, who organised the protest, was banned from coaching for three years and four players were also banned for the rest of the season.
      Read More on The Sun
      It truly was an amazing, game-changing moment.
      One team did something extraordinary to stand up for themselves and to let everyone know that they weren’t going to put up with what they believed to be cheating. More

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      Manchester City sensation Erling Haaland reveals bizarre diet that’s helped him take the game by storm

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      PREMIER League scoring sensation Erling Haaland has taken the game by storm by feasting on a diet of hearts and liver.The Man City striker, who bagged his 20th goal of the season at the weekend, lifts the lid on his Hannibal Lecter-style routine in a documentary.
      In documentary Haaland: The Big Decision, the scoring sensation reveals his diet of hearts and liver
      This is just one quirk of the former Borussia Dortmund man’s huge, 6,000 calories-a-day diet
      The Norwegian series also reveals that he only drinks water through a complicated filter system
      The Norwegian series also reveals he only drinks water through a complicated filter system and tries to look at sunshine as soon as he wakes.
      Showing off huge chunks of heart and liver from his butcher, he says:
      “You (other people) don’t eat this, but I am concerned with taking care of my body.
      “I think eating quality food that is as local as possible is the most important.
      READ MORE ON HAALAND
      “People say meat is bad for you but which? The meat you get at McDonald’s?
      “Or the local cow eating grass right over there? I eat the heart and the liver.”
      Heart and liver are superfoods rich in vitamin B, iron, phosphorus and copper and magnesium.
      In Haaland: The Big Decision filmed ahead of his move from Borussia Dortmund to City, the £375,000-a-week ace adds: “The first thing I do in the morning is to get some sunlight in my eyes — it is good for circadian rhythm.
      Most read in The Sun
      “I have also started to filtrate my water a bit. I think it can have great benefits for my body.”
      On a tour of City’s training ground, Haaland tells chefs: “You should be my favourite people” as he requests a cheese and ham omelette.
      Haaland, 22, has previously confessed a love for doner kebab pizza.
      And he feasts on lasagne made by dad Alfie as part of his 6,000 calories a day diet.
      Haaland’s love of meat echoes chilling Hannibal Lecter in 1991 film The Silence of the LambsCredit: REX
      Erase Steenslid, Haaland’s trainer at Dortmund, has joked how the star was “always the closest to the buffet and his plate was literally a mountain of food”.
      Alfie, who also played for City, said his son was inspired to eat healthily by seeing how it helped superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
      He said: “He was told a story by (ex-United player) Patrice Evra about a lunch he had with Ronaldo and Cristiano had fish, nothing else. Erling now tries to do the same.”
      Read More on The Sun
      Haaland’s love of meat echoes Anthony Hopkins’ chilling Dr Lecter character in 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs.
      The 6ft 4in striker is also a fan of ice baths, and glasses which filter out blue light to improve his sleep. More

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      ‘Concentrate on your own f***ing game’ – Inside fiery Man Utd inquest after City mauling with two stars airing views

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      ERIK TEN HAG demanded a Manchester United inquest after the devastating 6-3 derby defeat to rivals Manchester City.And in a fiery exchange one player told another to concentrate on their “own f***ing game”.
      Erik ten Hag demanded an inquest after the 6-3 defeat to Manchester CityCredit: Reuters
      Lisandro Martinez was vocal during the discussionCredit: Getty
      Scott McTominay was not afraid to air his viewsCredit: Getty
      The thrashing last weekend laid bare the ongoing problems at Old Trafford.
      Ten Hag called players in on Monday for an analysis of their performance but passions ‘boiled over’ during the ‘frank and heated’ heart-to-heart.
      New boy Lisandro Martinez, 24, and midfielder Scott McTominay, 25, were said to be among the more vocal United players.
      One source said: “Ten Hag asked each player one-by-one to explain their mistakes to one another.
      Read More Man Utd News
      “Some players were blaming others for not covering, which led to full blown arguments.
      “One player told another to ‘concentrate on your own f***ing game’.
      “It all got smoothed over but tensions are high. Ten Hag actively encouraged it.
      “He’s told them he wants to see that level of passion on the field, not after the game has been put to bed.”
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      A United source said: “Erik wants them to get angry. It was frank and heated and that’s what he wants to see.
      “You’d be surprised if he didn’t encourage it. He wants them to have that fighting spirit.”
      Meanwhile club captain Harry Maguire was given special permission to take a break in Portugal this week to “clear his head”.
      Boss Ten Hag was happy for his injured defender to jet off to the golf resort of Quinta do Lagofor while his Manchester United team-mates struggled in the Europa League.
      Maguire’s sunshine break with family members was sanctioned to help him “clear his head” whilst recovering from injury picked up on England duty.
      Ten Hag is desperate for the under-fire centre-back to rediscover his long-lost form after a series of poor displays for club and country.
      But his decision to let captain Maguire jet to Portugal instead of accompanying his teammates to Cyprus has sparked fury within Old Trafford.
      Harry Maguire was given permission to jet to PortugalCredit: PA
      Maguire is currently sidelined by injuryCredit: AP
      Ruthless Ten Hag has previously insisted on all injured players remaining within the squad at the club’s Carrington training ground as they fight back to fitness.
      A source said: “Erik has high standards for everyone to abide by. He expects all injured players to remain with the group.
      “He believes they should function as one unit – injured or not.
      “But in Harry’s case he felt there were exceptional circumstances. He wanted him to have a mental break from the pressure he’s under.
      “He went away with his family and Erik hopes that will put him in a better place to recover from injury and rediscover his form.
      “But it’s not a good look when the club captain is missing from the plane to Cyprus – and is instead allowed to go and play golf in Portugal.”
      Maguire is set to miss Sunday’s match against Everton at Goodison Park as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
      Ten Hag has backed the skipper repeatedly after a series of flops.
      And after Maguire’s abysmal England display in a 3-3 draw with Germany, Ten Hag insisted: “I have to back him but I back him because I believe in him.
      “I can see the qualities and even after he wasn’t in the team he trained really well and, more importantly, the quality was really there.
      “You see his career, almost 50 caps for England, for Leicester and Man United – he’s performing really well, what you see is high potential.
      “And then it’s about him. The players in the dressing room, the coaches, the manager believe in him.
      “That’s what I told him, I’m sure he can do it and he will turn it around, I’m convinced of that.”
      But his absence in Cyprus has caused further splits within the dressing room.
      A United spokesman said: “Harry was given permission to travel to Portugal to continue his rehabilitation while the rest of the squad was in Cyprus, allowing him to benefit from the same warm weather conditions.
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      “Harry was accompanied by a MU physio and has been working hard on his recovery.
      “He is due back at Carrington on Sunday.”
      Ten Hag’s side return to Goodison Park this weekendCredit: AFP More

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      Furious Ten Hag wants under-fire stars to tour Man Utd MUSEUM after being shocked at their lack of historical knowledge

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      MANCHESTER UNITED’S under-fire stars are being urged to visit the Old Trafford MUSEUM after Erik ten Hag and his staff were shocked by how little some of them know about the club’s glorious history.The Old Trafford manager grilled his players after last Sunday’s humiliating 6-3 derby hammering at Manchester City.
      Erik ten Hag challenged his squad for the lack of knowledge about Manchester UnitedCredit: PA
      Ten Hag wants his stars to visit the Old Trafford museumCredit: Getty
      The Red Devils have underperformed so far this seasonCredit: Reuters
      Ten Hag challenged his squad on their knowledge of the club’s history and footballing DNA — and was stunned when some admitted they had never even set foot in the museum.
      A United insider revealed: “The manager was furious with the performance against City.
      “He was saying to the players that anyone representing Manchester United cannot freeze and get beaten so badly.
      “He said: ‘You’re playing for United. Do you not know what that means, given the history of the club?’.”
      Read More Man Utd News
      United have been champions a record 20 times and have won three European Cups, 12 FA Cups and five League Cups.
      Sir Alex Ferguson’s side won the Treble in 1999 while in 1968, United became the first English side to win the European Cup.
      Our source added: “He asked them what they knew about the club. When some said they had never been to look around the museum or only walked through it, he was astounded.
      “He’s visited twice since joining this summer.
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      “He has told all the players they need to make time to go in either before it opens or after it closes, so they can learn more about what it means to represent United.”
      United were contacted for comment. More