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      ‘I brought Declan Rice to Arsenal,’ says Keir Starmer after using his son to ‘trick England star into signing contract’

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      SIR Keir Starmer has claimed responsibility for Arsenal’s signing of Declan Rice after using his son to trick him into signing a contract.The Labour leader, 61, joked that he was able to con the England ace when the midfielder signed an autograph for his son last year.Sir Keir Starmer is an Arsenal season-ticket holderCredit: GettyRice has been a revelation for Arsenal this seasonCredit: ReutersRice pictured following the Premier League match between West Ham and Arsenal at London Stadium on April 16, 2023Credit: GettyRice, 25, has been a standout performer in an Arsenal side chasing a first Premier League title for 20 years.The midfielder moved to Arsenal from West Ham for a whopping £105million in July 2023.And Sir Keir, an Arsenal season-ticket holder, has quipped that he played a pivotal role in the high-profile transfer.The politician was in attendance with his son to watch his side play against West Ham at The London Stadium last year, when Rice was captaining The Hammers.Read more sportHe told The Telegraph: “Mark Noble, Mr West Ham, took us down to meet Declan. “And so my boy had his programme open ready for signing and obviously we put the contract [for Arsenal] in underneath. “Declan signed it and thought he was signing the programme, but actually he was signing for Arsenal.”Sir Keir also revealed how he “religiously” pens the dates of Arsenal’s games into his diary when the fixture list is announced each year.Most read in FootballAnd he said watching his club is a “release” from the daily stress of being a politician.Sir Keir, who says he still plays regularly, also said he will continue travelling to the Emirates even if he were to become Prime Minister.Mikel Arteta picks a fight with Premier League supercomputer after he is told Arsenal’s chances of titleArsenal and Premier League legend Thierry Henry is his favourite player of all time, but he also mentions Dennis Bergkamp along with current stars Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Rice.But the Labour leader was muted on Arsenal’s title chances. While acknowledging this season has been “the best title race for ages”, he insisted “it depends on City” and praised stars Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.Sir Keir was last year pictured taking part in a kickabout in North London, though he ended up on the losing side – captaining Homerton Academicals in a 9-6 defeat.But he’s not always been full of praise for Arsenal, and joined many in taking a pop at The Gunners for sacking mascot Gunnersaurus during the Covid pandemic in October 2020.Speaking at the time, Sir Keir said he “takes a dim view” of football clubs spending millions on transfers while making staff redundant.Politicians and their football clubsDAVID Cameron drew nationwide laughs when he appeared to forget which team he supported.
      The then PM seemed to be confused over whether he followed West Ham United or Aston Villa.
      The current Tory leader Rishi Sunak has been open about the team he supports stating he’s a “massive football fan”.
      He supports Championship side Southampton, who were relegated from the Premier League last year.
      His choice of club is not surprising as, like many, Rishi supports the club at the heart of his home town – he was born in Southampton in 1980.
      When Sunak was 18, his father Yashvir owned a season ticket to watch the Saints, and Sunak said that he was given a card signed by the whole team for his 18th birthday celebrations.
      His predecessor Liz Truss revealed in September 2022 that she is a Norwich City fan
      Boris Johnson, meanwhile, is a well-known rugby fan and appears to have less of a liking for football.
      Boris has never stated he supports one particular football team.
      When he was London mayor in 2015, he was asked about his football allegiance but gave a non-committal answer.
      He told reporters he supported “all of the London teams”, refusing to name one.

      Labour Party leader Sir Keir in the stands during Arsenal’s match at Wolves last monthCredit: PA More

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      Clubs threatening to BOYCOTT FA Cup in protest after replays axed as Government wades into row

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      CLUBS are threatening to boycott the FA Cup after the FA axed replays.On Thursday, it was announced that replays were being scrapped along with other changes.Clubs are threatening to boycott the FA CupCredit: PAA spokesman for Rishi Sunak has demanded to know why the changes have been madeCredit: AlamyThe FA also confirmed that the mid-season break would be removed and a £33million increase in funding for grassroots football.There has been a huge amount of backlash to the decision to dump replays as it could affect potential revenue for lower league clubs.It now appears that a number of EFL and National League clubs are threatening to boycott the competition next season.A number of EFL sides have issued statements condemning the changes made by the FA and Premier League.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLTranmere Rovers chairman Mark Palios has suggested he would be willing to back a boycott.He told the Telegraph: “There needs to be further debate.”But if that was the situation that most of the clubs felt that way, I’d support it.”His comments came after Accrington Stanley’s chairman Andy Holt posted on social media.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSHe said: “I would support a boycott if enough clubs feel the same.”Traditionally replays have taken place until the fourth round if a match ends in a draw.Huge changes being made to English football schedule next seasonHowever, the changes will see all first-round and onward matches go to extra-time and penalties if no winner can be found before the 90th minute.Leading Government figures have also waded in on the controversial matter.A spokesman for the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said: “David and Goliath fixtures are a part of the magic of the Cup.”We know that replays have been a welcome source of income for smaller clubs throughout the years.”These are, however, decisions for the footballing authorities.”But clearly it’s incumbent on the FA and Premier League to explain this decision and why it is in the interests of fans.”Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer slammed the decision as “wrong” and said that replays are “part of the tradition of the FA Cup”.Why FA Cup changes are GOOD NEWSBy Martin Lipton
      THE FA and Premier League should have done the deal to scrap FA Cup replays years ago.
      No doubt traditionalists will moan but it is right that the competition has finally been brought into the 21st century.
      Ending replays will bring extra sharpness and excitement to the ties, with the knowledge that there will be a winner, whether in 90 minutes, extra-time or penalties.
      If big guns have a bad day, they are more likely to pay the price. Replays after draws give them a fall-back they do not deserve.
      Giving the FA Cup total and absolute priority over four weekends – and ensuring there is no competing match on the day of the Final – will enhance the profile of a competition that was in danger of falling out of the spotlight.
      And as long as the FA ensures a better split of the prize money fund, weighting it more towards the earlier rounds, and potentially a similar move with  TV match money, there should be few losers.
      Read more on the FA Cup by clicking here. More

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      Sir Keir Starmer branded ‘pie snatcher’ after warning football fans to watch what they eat

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      SIR Keir Starmer was branded a ‘pie snatcher’ after warning football fans to watch what they eat to help the beautiful game go green.The Labour chief says there are “little things” supporters can change with their travel and eating plans as part of a veggie food push.
      Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been branded a ‘pie snatcher’ after warning football fans to watch what they eatCredit: Jonathan Brady / PA Wire
      The Labour chief says there are ‘little things’ fans can change with their travel and eating plans as part of a veggie food pushCredit: Getty
      But senior Tories seized on the comments telling him to keep his hands off their half-time pies as he made the comments ahead of his team Arsenal beating Liverpool 3-1 yesterday.
      It comes as Labour donor and Forest Green Rovers chairman Dale Vince calls on environment issues to be part of the new football regulator’s remit.
      Sir Keir told Sky Sports: “I think what can happen with football is, if you get a campaign and it sort of surfs the wave, it can really take off.
      “If you look at some of the work that was maybe done in relation to racism. That really caught the imagination of fans. 
      READ MORE BEAUTIFUL GAME
      “And now it is really rare actually in the stands to hear much racism.
      “I’m not saying it’s gone away completely.
      “If the same can happen on sustainability, capture the imagination, little things that fans can do, whether its travelling, eating, whatever it is. I think this is good.”
      But  Cabinet Office Minister Esther McVey, said:  “I know Labour is being bankrolled by vegan and net zero extremist Dale Vince.
      Most read in Football
      “But I am not sure Keir Starmer’s desire to turn every club into Forest Green Rovers puts him in touch with most football supporters.
      The so-called Minister for Common Sense added: “If Keir thinks telling football fans to give up their half-time meat pies is a vote winner I think he is badly mistaken.”
      Eighty-five of the country’s top clubs signed up to the Green Football Weekend with plant-based burgers and pies offering a veggie match day experience for fans.
      Figures show that if football fans ate one veggie meal a day it would save the equivalent carbon of taking 5.5 million cars off the road.
      Tory MP Jonathan Gullis said:  “What fresh hell is this from Sir Keir?!
      “His idea to spend £28 billion extra every year on green projects with no plan of how to pay for them is madness.  Now he’s acting as a pie snatcher!
      “Sir Keir may love scoffing tofu but footy fans don’t need pious lectures from an holier-than-thou vegetarian about match day nosh. Keep your hands off our meat pies Sir Keir.”
      A Labour source insisted: “Football legends from Peter Crouch to Jamie Carragher back this important campaign. Football fans will surely be devastated to learn that the Tory Party do not.” More

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      Mason Greenwood’s Man Utd future in further doubt after MPs urge club to ‘do what’s right’

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      MASON Greenwood’s Man United future has been placed in further doubt after politicians voiced their opposition to an Old Trafford return.Yesterday local Labour MP Andrew Western urged the club to “do what’s right”.
      Mason Greenwood’s Man United future has been placed in further doubt after politicians voiced their opposition to an Old Trafford returnCredit: AP
      Greenwood has been suspended since he was arrested in January 2022.
      Charges of attempted rape, assault and coercive control were dropped last February.
      We revealed yesterday United are on the brink of a U-turn which could block his comeback.
      Bosses had been ready to announce the star, 21, was returning after a club probe into his conduct.
      read more on mason greenwood
      Mr Western’s comments were echoed by Trafford Labour councillor Fianna Hornby, who tweeted: “I always stand in solidarity with survivors of domestic violence.”
      A United spokesman said: “Manchester United has planned for various potential scenarios in relation to the future of Mason Greenwood.
      “This is a difficult and sensitive case.
      “It is entirely proper that we have taken a careful and thorough approach to planning for the various potential outcomes, including how we would engage with stakeholders and explain the decision after it is made.”
      Most read in Football More

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      Keir Starmer admits his fave footie memory was watching England lose to Germany on penalties at Euro 96

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      SIR Keir Starmer last night admitted one of his favourite footie moments was watching England LOSE to Germany on penalties.The self-claimed footie mad Labour chief recalled watching the nation’s humiliation at Euro 96 ahead of the World Cup starting next week.
      Sir Keir is a self proclaimed football fanatic but admits shocking fave football memoryCredit: Alan MacGregor Ewing
      Sir Keir laughed as he described the “agonising” experience of sitting “up almost on top of” Gascoigne in the stands when the England legend missed an open goal during extra time.
      Away from footie, Sir Keir also confessed yesterday he HAS kissed a Tory and he’s not ashamed of it.
      The Labour leader’s admission came after lefty loonies sparked outrage this year for parading around in “never kissed a Tory” t-shirts.
      Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell joined in too, even posting a snap in the top on social media.
      READ MORE ON WORLD CUP
      Sir Keir slammed the divisive garment in an interview with The Times, revealing: “I’m afraid I’ve broken that rule”.
      But the Labour chief, who insists he isn’t “tribal”, won’t kiss and tell.
      He said: “I’ve got very good friends who are Tories and they’ve been very, very good friends of mine for a very, very long time, and long may that last.”
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      Karren Brady: Our game does NOT need Labour’s ‘football regulator’… we have the FA, and are better off the Wembley way

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      NEVER mix sport and politics is an age-old expression and right now it is as accurate as a Harry Kane penalty.Labour Party deputy leader Angela Rayner made a joke-laden speech this week at her party’s conference, in which she outlined plans to create a new football regulator.
      Angela Rayner and Labour want to bring in a new football regulatorCredit: EPA
      The FA currently regulate football… and that’s the way it should beCredit: Reuters
      It was mentioned right alongside sewage control, which was rather fitting as it’s a foul idea.
      Football already has a regulator — it’s called the Football Association.
      The FA is the right and proper regulator for the game in England and Wales.
      It looks after all areas of governance, including anti-doping, gambling, safeguarding — the list goes on.
      Read More Football News
      Rayner continued by saying the Labour Party “together will transform this country”.
      I don’t wish to curb her enthusiasm but government and the “beautiful game” should be many, many football pitches apart.
      The fan-led Tracey Crouch review has been a great catalyst for change at the FA and there has already been widespread reform in their corridors of power.
      More importantly, the FA already remains truly independent — something it would not be if the Government started poking their noses in.
      Most read in Sport
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      If the Government appointed an outside regulator, it would be akin to asking state approval for this, that and the other.
      It would be the Ofsted of football — governed by poorly designed regulations, with lots of paperwork, it would be highly burdensome and expensive and take years to set up and implement.
      Plus, what would the international bodies, Uefa and Fifa, have to say about it — would they stand by and happily allow another  outside regulator with no  knowledge of the game to set rules they are supposed to  ultimately govern? I doubt it.
      For those cynics who say I’m only backing the FA as they would give clubs an easier ride — stacks of yellow cards and precious little red — my answer would be this…
      Why not give the FA the chance to show what it can do and, if it doesn’t deliver, the Government can intervene.
      By giving the FA the remit, it’s a real live test to see if they have the muscle to do it. Nothing ventured nothing gained.  It might not be perfect from the get-go — but it would certainly be progress.
      Rayner and her buddies see this as a way to push their “pro-fans” credentials ahead of a general election, which is two years away.
      Labour wants to create a regulator with extensive powers, including financial ones, designed to extend Premier League revenues “more fairly”.
      Contrary to popular myth the Premier League’s success is already widely shared.
       We already give away 20 per cent of our annual revenue to the EFL, FA, charity and so on. Name another industry that does that?
      I don’t wish to curb her enthusiasm but government and the “beautiful game” should be many, many football pitches apart.Karren Brady on Angela Rayner
      Over the next three years £1.6billion will be committed by the Premier League to the other 72 league clubs, the women’s game, charity and grass-roots facilities.
      That’s not including money the EFL makes from player transfers and Carabao Cup revenue.
      This pot-sharing makes the EFL the best-funded second-tier league in the world, with the best-paid second-tier players.
      Not since Portsmouth has there been a significant regulatory failure in the Premier League.
      The likes of Derby, Bury and Macclesfield were in the EFL, where regulations were not  adequately enforced.
      The FA must be doing something right as nearly all the clubs from the professional league system introduced in the 1920s are still in existence, many within two divisions of where they were back then.
      Read More on The Sun
      I think the Premier League has a decent track record when it comes to finances and, don’t forget, players pay their dues — to the tune of £1.5bn in taxes last year.
      That’s money which does make a huge contribution to the nation’s coffers at a time when, boy, we certainly need it. More

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      England risk being kicked out of the World Cup under barmy Labour border plans

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      ENGLAND risk being kicked out of the World Cup under barmy Labour border plans.
      Sir Keir Starmer wants arrivals from every country to spend ten days in hotel quarantine.

      😷 Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

      England risk being kicked out of the World Cup under barmy Labour border plans that would see arrivals from every country to spend ten days in hotel quarantineCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Under the proposals Gareth Southgate’s team would have to forfeit qualification games in Poland, San Marino and AlbaniaCredit: PA:Press Association

      There are no exemptions for elite sports stars coming from nations where quarantining in hotels is requiredCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      There would be no exemptions for Three Lions aces.
      Currently, the measures will apply to 33 countries and there are no exemptions for elite sports stars coming from nations where quarantining in hotels is required.
      But if the proposals were expanded under Labour’s plans, England’s World Cup qualification games in Poland, San Marino and Albania would have to be forfeited.

      Gareth Southgate’s team would be handed a 3-0 loss in each game, severely denting their chances of qualifying for Qatar 2022.
      If the games did go ahead, they’d risk the Premier League’s wrath as stars would be held for ten days in hotels on their return.
      The move would also throw the Euros, the Premier League, the Champions League, rugby’s Six Nations and the new Formula 1 season into chaos.
      MPs will vote on Labour’s proposal which lists one exemption to the blanket ban — for hauliers.

      Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: ‘By quarantining all arrivals, we can help protect vaccines against new strains’Credit: PA:Press Association
      Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “By quarantining all arrivals, we can help protect vaccines against new strains.”
      But the Premier League has worked hard to make teams Covid secure, with players often travelling in bubbles.
      A Tory Party spokesman said: “Labour’s plan to put 20,000 people a day in hotels is implausible.”
      An insider said: “All sports have the strictest covid protocols but if these measures were introduced British teams in Europe have a real headache over how to compete.
      “That in turn would have financial implication, as well as issues over future qualification.”
      The source added the measures would impact the “already truncated” season which needs to finished before the delayed Euros this summer – which would also be affected by the measures, as Wembley stadium hosts all three England group games, the semi-finals and final.
      Motor racing would also be affected, with the Formula 1 season set to start in weeks in Bahrain.
      Races in “red listed” Brazil and Abu Dhabi are taking place at the end of the year, when organisers hope restrictions have been lifted.

      The England Football team could miss out on next year’s World Cup due to Labour’s proposalsCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
      A Formula 1 spokesman said: “Last year we proved we could compete safely with over 80,000 tests and 0.1 per cent positives.
      “We employ over 40,000 both directly and indirectly through supply chains and have over 25,000 highly skilled engineers.
      “We cannot operate if we cannot travel and the elite sport exemption is quite simply keeping our sport and others going and saving jobs.”
      A Whitehall source said: “So long as we remain confident on public health grounds, we’d support players travelling to compete.
      “A blanket ban would effectively stop us playing in international competitions and be devastating for sports’ finances.
      “At various points Labour have tried to disrupt sport continuing through covid, whereas the government has done everything it can to keep it going safely”.

      Qatar are due to host the tournament in 2022

      A Labour spokesman said: “Labour’s proposals outlined do include scope for exemptions, we have asked the Government to provide all of the basis or the decisions around exemptions. 
      “Every effort should be made to allow elite international sport to continue, through quarantine exemption, although the key priority has to be against importing a strain of the virus that is resistant to the vaccine.”
      The Premier League declined to comment.

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