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    Ekow Essuman is the former basketball hopeful turned boxing champ looking to spoil Josh Taylor’s big comeback

    EKOW ESSUMAN has had a slam dunk boxing career after leaving behind his hopes of being a basketball star. Essuman came to the UK from Botswana aged 11 and immigrated with a passion for sports. Ekow Essuman swapped basketball for footballCredit: GettyHe started playing basketball while at school and only began boxing in a bid to better his chances on the court. Essuman told Fight Post: “When I eventually moved to the UK, I got into football and then basketball and I was doing really well at basketball. “One season I went to some try-outs for a big team locally and I didn’t get in because I wasn’t fit enough. “They wanted me to be more ambidextrous. It really got to me and I wanted to better myself, get fitter and come back stronger for the next season. READ MORE IN BOXINGI gave it a go and my first session, I had two left feet and struggled with the bag.”I slowly got into it and it got to the point where I thought ‘I’ll have one bout’ and I just caught the bug.”Before long, Essuman was competing in national finals after only starting boxing at 17 and even earned himself a place on the GB squad. That was all while studying for a Marketing, Design and Communications degree at Nottingham Trent University.Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSHe said: “It was initially just juggling the two. I’d take my uni work with me to camp and do it while between the training sessions and at night when we were meant to be resting. “Shortly after uni, I became a junior web developer for the A.G.A group. Josh Taylor reveals his toughest ever fight that left him peeing BLOOD for five days and unable to walk”I was working on up to 40 websites for them at the time, in different countries, in different languages as well. I was doing that whilst at GB. “But eventually when I got offered the podium spot, I had to put that to one side, as I was spending a lot of time with GB on camp, so I wouldn’t have been able to work from home in regards to web design.”Essuman eventually turned professional in 2016 with Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren. And over nine years and 22 bouts, he has become one of the best welterweights in the country with British and Commonwealth titles to his name. Essuman suffered defeat for the first time in 2023 – losing a decision to Harry Scarff – but he has since returned with two wins since. Now he welcomes former undisputed light-welterweight world champion Josh Taylor to the 147lb division this Saturday in Scotland. I gave it a go and my first session, I had two left feet and struggled with the bag. I slowly got into it and it got to the point where I thought ‘I’ll have one bout’ and I just caught the bug.Ekow EssumanAnd the two know each other well from their time in the GB set up in Sheffield.Essuman told Ring Magazine: “To be honest, I personally touted him as one of the higher talents on GB whilst I was there so I always had respect for him.”I was always just shooting from the hip of him, just being really honest and whatnot. “We’ve talked a few times as pros, just about matches we’d had and stuff like that, and the respect was always there. “He knows I respect him. I’ve been training hard for it because I know he’s going to pose a hard puzzle to solve but I am going to solve it.” Taylor was beaten by Teofimo Lopez in 2023 and then suffered defeat in his rematch with Jack Catterall last May. Read More on The SunAnd his career could be on the line when he returns up in weight. Essuman said: “Regardless of if he has the answers or not, he will come apart because I’m not going to let anything else happen but that.”Josh Taylor steps up to welterweight to fight EssumanCredit: Queensberry Promotions More

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    My dad is a former undercover agent and TV star who’ll be cheering me on in Europa League final, says Tottenham star

    MICKY VAN DE VEN is out to crack the case of Tottenham’s trophy drought — with the support of his detective dad.The Dutch defender will have his old man watching him in Bilbao as Spurs look to end 17 years without silverware by beating Manchester United in tomorrow’s Europa League final.Micky van de Ven is out to end Tottenham’s trophy droughtCredit: PAVan De Ven’s dad Marcel is former detective and TV star in the NetherlandsCredit: Twitter @ESPNUKThe Dutchman was written off as a teenager at VolendamCredit: GettyMarcel van de Ven is a former undercover agent who later became famous on the Dutch version of TV show Hunted.Despite Van de Ven Sr’s busy schedule fighting crime, somehow he still had time to go to all of his son’s matches right from youth level.Micky, 24, said: “Every game he was there, even when I was younger. You have to ask him how he managed that!”Midweek, most of the time he was gone because he had a job to do and couldn’t tell us everything about it.READ MORE ON FOOTBALL”But at the weekend when we had to play, the most important part, he was always there.”Literally until today, he’s everywhere. Every home game, every away game, he wants to be everywhere. He always tries to be there.”It was my dad, my mum and my sister who were the ones who kept pushing me.”Because even when you’re younger, every year you get a new gaffer.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK”Then the people around you are the ones you are close with.”Even now, these days after a game they help me. They’re like, ‘You could do this better or that better’, they are still the people who help me.”How Europa League final will be decided – four key Man Utd vs Tottenham tactical battlesMarcel may have always backed his son’s foray into football but Micky was not always so well supported by the professionals overseeing his development.In fact, there was a feeling at his first club Volendam that a teenage Van de Ven did not have the ability to make it as a footballer.It was only when former Sheffield Wednesday star Wim Jonk became his manager at the second-tier Dutch club that the young defender got his big break, which led him to Wolfsburg in 2021 then on to Spurs in the summer of 2023.And Van de Ven, also a Netherlands international, still uses being written off in his teens as motivation to succeed today.On those that believed he would not make the grade, he added: “That’s crazy.”At Volendam there were people who didn’t have the trust in me and now I am standing here. I proved them wrong.”We have all been standing behind Ange since day one, since he joined here.Micky van de VenVan de Ven’s Spurs defensive partner Cristian Romero also once revealed he was so miserable at his own first club Belgrano back in Argentina that he considered quitting the game.Romero, nicknamed Cuti, went on to win the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 alongside the iconic Lionel Messi.Tottenham ace Van de Ven continued: “There are a lot of players in their careers who get doubts from multiple people.”It depends a bit on how late in your career you are getting doubts, of course.”I was getting doubts when I was 17, 18 years old.”Then you might have to think about something different. Then it’s all down to yourself and the people around you to keep pushing.”That’s what Cuti probably did and that’s what I did, and now we are both standing here.”And Cuti won a World Cup. I am now in a European final. It’s a beautiful thing.”Coaches at Volendam told van de Ven he wouldn’t make the gradeCredit: GettyNow Van de Ven is determined to change Tottenham’s trophyless ‘Spursy’ tag with victory over the Red Devils.He said: “It would be a big thing, of course.”Everybody knows that when you join Tottenham you get, ‘Ah, you’re not going to win a trophy’, people saying you will be trophyless for the rest of your career.”All the guys that came up here were like, ‘We’re going to change something about this club’.”It was the gaffer and it was the whole squad who said, ‘We’re going to come here and change something’.”For us, it’s the job now to make this happen in Bilbao.”Van de Ven could come up against his compatriot Matthijs De Ligt, 25, in Bilbao — provided the United centre-back is fit to play.De Ligt may only be a year older yet he is a hero to Van de Ven, who used to watch him play for Ajax as a supporter in the stands when both were teenagers.Ironically, it was Tottenham’s unforgettable comeback win against Ajax in the 2019 Champions League semi-final — when Lucas Moura scored a second-half hat-trick and Spurs won on away goals — that stands out most in his memory.Van de Ven explained: “The first thing that pops up in my head is the game against Tottenham.”I was in the stadium. He was playing that game.”These games I can remember are more from the Champions League when Ajax went to the semi-final. He was playing unbelievable.”When you’re a young kid, you’re looking up at him — captain at 18 years old, doing an unbelievable job. Then you think, ‘I want to be like him’.”Spurs have had an awful league campaign, with a record 21 defeats.Even if they beat United, boss Ange Postecoglou is expected to leave the club.Yet Van de Ven reckons the Aussie has proved his worth by taking the club to just its second European final in 41 years.He added: “We have all been standing behind the gaffer since day one, since he joined here.”He showed his quality, he brought us to a European final.Read More on The Sun”Of course, he’s getting a lot of doubt from the media and we see these things.”But I think he proved all you guys wrong and we’re standing in a European final, so hopefully we can lift the trophy. Not only for us but also for him.” More

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    Abandoned iconic UK stadium left to rot with track ripped up 110 years after hosting FA Cup final

    AN ICONIC athletics stadium that formerly hosted the FA Cup final is being given a new lease of life. Crystal Palace National Sports Centre fell into disrepair after closing almost four years ago. Crystal Palace National Sports Centre has been closed for almost four yearsCredit: The TimesThe stadium has fallen into a state of disrepairCredit: The TimesThe athletics track is in dire need of repair and has been ripped up in partsCredit: The TimesThe diving and Olympic swimming pools lie emptyCredit: The TimesNature has begun to claim back certain areas of the facilityCredit: GettyThe South London complex was shut in November 2022 following unexpected safety concerns. Concrete pillars holding up the floodlights were discovered to have been unsafe. Prior to 2012, the 19,000-capacity ground hosted the London Grand Prix before the event was switched to the nearby London Stadium.The FA Cup final was also held on the same site between 1895 and 1914, with the current stadium opened at the same address in 1964.READ MORE ON SPORTFollowing its surprise closure, the site quickly grew into a state of disrepair.The running track was partially ripped up, with the scoreboard and stands littered with fox and rat poo. An Olympic-sized swimming and diving pool on the site has also been closed.The move has frustrated local coaches, who maintain the facilities must reopen to help train new talent. Most read in AthleticsBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKJohn Powell, chair of Crystal Palace Sports Partnership, told the Guardian: “At the moment you’ve got an indoor track with rats on it and pigeon excrement all over the place. “There are trees growing out of the West Stand and then there was the floodlight farce, which meant no one can train there after dark now.  Former top flight stadium left abandoned and overgrown just two years after club last played a game there”London is the only capital city in Europe that doesn’t have a dedicated athletics centre. “Crystal Palace is the most accessible athletics stadium in the country so it’s a total joke what has been allowed to happen.”Extra funding has now been provided to restore Crystal Palace to its former glory.Track repair at the site began in late 2023, with more work expected in the coming yearCredit: x/CPSP2020The facility is set for a phased reopening between 2027 and 2028Credit: The TimesThe track has now been relayed, while the reopening of the 50m and diving pools remains the key priority for the project. London Assembly Member for Bexley and Bromley, Thomas Turrell, said: “The phased target openings for facilities across the estate remain for 2027 and 2028. “The project is currently at the mid-point of the contractor procurement process, aiming to have a contractor on board by Spring 2025. “A planning submission will follow later in the year with works programmed to start on site in 2026.“I am pleased to this project developing. While there is still a lot to do, and I know local people are keen to see the pool in particular opened as soon as possible, it is good to see progress finally being made. Read More on The Sun”The Centre has been forgotten for too long and I am really excited by this plan. “It is time to bring UK athletics home to Crystal Palace!” More

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    I became Tottenham legend after winning them their last European trophy – then did everything wrong after that

    TONY PARKS’ penalty save against Anderlecht is an iconic Tottenham image.Plunging to his right and haring off around White Hart Lane with both arms raised to be engulfed by Spurs team-mates.Tony Parks is a Tottenham legend for his heroics in the 1984 European CupCredit: GettyThe keeper made two penalty saves as Spurs went on to beat AnderlechtCredit: GettyYet while he will always be associated with the 1984 Uefa Cup final shootout, he admits it was too much to soon.Parks was just 21 when he denied Arnor Gudjohnsen – father of future Chelsea, Bolton and Spurs attacker Eidur – to win Tottenham’s third European trophy for Keith Burkinshaw’s side.Their fourth can arrive 41 years on if Ange Postecoglou’s side manage to beat Manchester United in Bilbao on Wednesday.Yet even if it goes to penalties again and Gugliemo Vicario repeats Parks’ heroics, it is hard to see it having the same impact.READ MORE ON TOTTENHAMParks – only in the team with Ray Clemence deemed unfit – recalled: “I’d saved the first penalty, from Morten Olsen, and gone left on them all.”Danny Thomas had the chance to win it for us but he missed. He was gutted but the whole crowd started singing his name. I’d never seen that before.”When Gudjohnsen stepped up, I thought I had to do something different and dive the other way.”He didn’t hit it very well, I made the save, I got up and just started running.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK”I knew my mum and dad were in the crowd and I ran towards where they were. If the gates had been open, I’d have been at Seven Sisters 20 minutes later.”It should have been lift-off for Parks’ career. Instead, it was a turning point for all the wrong reasons.How Europa League final will be decided – four key Man Utd vs Tottenham tactical battlesParks told The Spurs Show podcast: “The drama of it was amazing.  I remember watching it back.”But, for me, it was too much, too early. I thought that was it, that it was going to happen every year. “That’s kind of how you think when you’re a kid, isn’t it?  But I played the rebel a little bit.  “I did everything wrong that I could do wrong.”Not that he could be blamed initially. Parks added: “Every pub I walked in for about six weeks was free beer.”Honestly, I’d walk into any place and whatever I wanted was free.”I remember going out for a meal. Rod Stewart was in the restaurant and apparently thought I’d only saved one penalty; his friends said it was two.Parks made two saves against Anderlecht in the shootout at White Hart LaneCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd”So the waiter came over and said, ‘I’d like to know how many penalties you saved’. “I said, ‘Two’ and he said, ‘Would you like a bottle of wine from Rod Stewart?’”It was all amazing. But if you’re weak in the head, like I was, they tip you over the edge.”You have to be stronger than that to be a professional athlete.”Instead, I got arrested for drinking and driving, came back for pre-season with an injury.”Ray made sure that when he came back, he was 100 per cent fit and focused, ready to go — while I’d lived the life of a kid.”We’d be in the pub or down the snooker hall by 12. It was ‘win or lose, on the booze; if we draw, we’ll have some more’. It was crazy.Tony ParksParks stayed on Spurs’ books for another four seasons but only made 19 more appearances before going to Brentford.His career took him to a total of 14 clubs including West Ham and Falkirk in Scotland. But he concedes it was never quite the same.Parks recalled: “As a youth-team player getting into the first team, my contract was up at the end of that season.”I actually didn’t get a new contract until after the game, so the money I was on wasn’t great.”But if you’re in the first team, you’re getting appearance money, you’re getting bonuses and at 21 that was money to blow your brains out really. “Nowadays players get to the training ground at 7am and are still there at 4pm or 5pm.’I’d dive head first through a brick wall for him’ – Ange Postecoglou’s rallying speech reduces Tottenham fans to tears”But we’d be in the pub or down the snooker hall by 12.  It was ‘win or lose, on the booze; if we draw, we’ll have some more’. It was absolutely crazy.”It didn’t matter what age you were, it was, ‘You’re coming’. If Steve Perryman tells you you’re coming, you’re coming.”Keith was a brilliant manager who gave young players a chance and if he had stayed it may have been different for me.”But he’d had a big fall-out with the chairman, Irving Scholar, and was going at the end of the season.”I didn’t really like working for David Pleat or Terry Venables after that. It wasn’t their fault — it was all my fault.”Venables eventually got rid of me.  It’s not until you leave a club like Tottenham you realise, ‘S*** — what have I done?’”I get called a legend but I don’t see that, I really don’t.”For me, goalkeeping legends of the football club are Pat Jennings and Ray Clemence. They’re my idols, my Tottenham legends.”Looking back to the final, it was a magical night, brilliant.”When we got the trophy, a  Uefa guy gave me a replica of the trophy. I thought it was the man-of-the-match prize and put it in my bag in the dressing room.”But Irving Scholar came in, sat in a wheelchair as he’d broken his leg. No one wanted him there, he was firing our boss.Read More on The Sun”But he wanted to know where the trophy was and took it out of my bag – that was the replica the club could keep!”We stayed for hours celebrating and stood on the roof next to the car park. There were still thousands of fans there waiting for us. I will never forget that.” More

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    Arsenal left Eberechi Eze crying in his room for a whole week before becoming £60million Crystal Palace and England star

    EBERECHI EZE almost didn’t make it as a footballer.By the time he was 20, the midfield maestro had become “used to the feeling” of being released.Eberechi Eze is preparing to face Man City in the FA Cup finalCredit: GettyThe likes of Arsenal, Fulham, Reading and Millwall brushed him aside.But now, at the age of 26, he is considered among the best English players in the Premier League.His journey hasn’t been straightforward – but his setbacks have clearly made him stronger.And he is now preparing for an FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe ‘not so nice part’ of GreenwichEze grew up in a ‘not so nice part’ of Greenwich in London and first established his love for the beautiful game in a football cage on his estate.Speaking to The Independent in 2020, he explained: “It wasn’t the easiest life and you don’t have as much as other kids around you.”The first place we’d go after school is to the cage. We’d stay there till our parents called us in, not eating, playing all day and night.”There wasn’t really anything else to do. But that’s where the love comes from. Most read in FA CupCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS”You don’t realise it’s actually how you’re learning your trade.”His talent would eventually set him apart from many of his peers, resulting in Eze being scouted by Arsenal while at secondary school.Ebereche Eze wins £15,000 in celebrity online chess tournament – and celebrates more than his Wembley FA Cup goalArsenal heartacheEze’s time with the Gunners did not last long and he was released at just 13 years old.The setback left him devastated – so much so that he was close to tears the next time he played against Arsenal during his spell at Fulham.After unsuccessful trial spells with several EFL clubs, Eze was signed by QPRHe recalled to The Independent: “I remember crying in my room for a solid week, my mum telling me that it’s going to be OK but not being able to get over it.”Then I went to Fulham and I was finally starting to enjoy my football again.”We played Arsenal a few months later but, when I went over to shake the academy manager’s hand, I started welling up. All the feelings came back.”Following a series of unsuccessful spells at Fulham, Reading, Millwall, Sunderland, Bristol City and Swansea, Eze almost gave up on his dream of becoming a professional footballer and even prepared to take a part-time job at Tesco.However, his sheer determination helped him to secure a place at Queens Park Rangers.QPR breakthroughWhile studying at college, Eze enjoyed a successful trial with QPR and impressed the club’s technical director, Chris Ramsey.He officially signed in August 2016 and made his first-team debut five months later in an FA Cup match against Blackburn Rovers.The midfielder enjoyed four years at QPRCredit: Getty Images – GettyThat was his only senior appearance that campaign and he went on to join Wycombe Wanderers on loan the following season.There, he made 22 appearances and scored five goals before returning and featuring regularly for the Hoops.In 112 outings for QPR, Eze scored 20 goals and provided 12 assists.Then, his Premier League dream came true.Crystal Palace move & England debutIn August 2020, the midfielder completed a £17million move to Crystal Palace.He made his debut two weeks later against Southampton in the opening match of the Premier League season and scored his first goal – a free kick – a few months later.Eze has established himself as a fan favourite at Crystal PalaceCredit: GettyThe 26-year-old has scored 38 goals for Palace so farCredit: AlamyEze earned his first England call-up in 2023Credit: GettyEze quickly established himself as a fan-favourite and became one of the club’s most-important players.The 26-year-old has 38 Palace goals and 28 assists to his name from 164 appearances.He was also handed his first England cap in 2023 as a result of his impressive form.And now he is valued at around £60m, with some of England’s biggest clubs interested in a transfer.Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham have all expressed an interest.SunSport understands Crystal Palace are open to letting him leave this summer in order to fund a squad overhaul.Final countdownWith his future at the club up in the air, Eze will be eager to potentially end his time at Selhurst Park on a high by winning the FA Cup.The England international scored once to help Palace to a 3-0 win over Aston Villa in the semi-final last month.And he is set to start when the Eagles face Man City in the final at Wembley.Read More on The SunFrom the ‘not so nice part’ of Greenwich to Wembley, it’s been quite the journey for Eze so far…And the best is likely yet to come.Eze is now being linked with a huge transferCredit: Getty More

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    Fulham’s posh new £100m stand is like none I’ve ever seen with a swimming pool and cocktail bar

    IT’S half-time and I’d normally be setting off to tackle a tortuous queue for a pint and a pie, as is the norm after 45 minutes of Prem action. But what’s this — waiters hovering with champagne and fine wine? Dainty pastries, plush seating and cocktail terraces? Toilets fit for ­royalty? This is like no football ground I’ve ever seen. Fulham FC’s new ­Riverside stand will make matchday something more like a mini-break in DubaiCredit: SuppliedThe south-western corner overlooks what will soon be an infinity pool and hotelCredit: SuppliedThe pitchside view of the Riverside Stand at Fulham’s Craven Cottage stadiumCredit: RexThis is Fulham FC’s new ­Riverside stand, six years in the making at a cost of well over £100million, and about as far removed from the British football experience as you can get — with prices to match. The Sun was invited to see the new Sky Deck ­hospitality area, three floors of five-star lounges, bars and restaurants in the West London club’s historic Craven Cottage stadium — the capital’s oldest football ground. The club’s US billionaire owner Shahid Khan has reinvented match day as something more like a mini-break in Dubai. With many smaller Premier League clubs struggling to bring in the cash to keep up with transfer fees and wage bills, money-spinning sidelines like this could offer ­salvation. READ MORE FULHAM NEWSUnder profit and sustainability rules, tycoons cannot just keep pumping money into their clubs to keep them afloat. But they can expand to ­create new revenue streams and grow the business — and get more value from stadiums, which often sit idle when there is no game on. Fulham are unashamedly chasing after cash from locals in this well-heeled part of London. The hospitality facilities operate as a members’ club on non-match days, with fees of £780 to £1,200 a year — footie not included. Most read in FootballBut to enjoy the Sky Deck experience when Fulham play Manchester City on Sunday, May 25, the fans — and spend-happy tourists — will fork out £718 for ONE GAME. Sky Deck day prices vary, but a ­season ticket costs £9,300. Premier League club’s incredible new stand boasts ultra VIP experience with rooftop bar and POOLAnd with many Fulham supporters already seething at sky-high prices (regular season tickets cost up to £3,000), one wonders what message such an opulent project sends to the loyal, less loaded club followers.  We are greeted with a glass of fizz and, as soon as we sit, smiling staff bring endless plates of beef carpaccio, scallops and venison. There is no denying that the development is breathtaking. Guests enter hospitality via a grand spiral staircase from the stylish Riverside ­concourse, where fans with regular tickets can enjoy food and drink. But upstairs lies a different world. Three hours before kick-off, our ­lanyard gives access to three vast floors with different ­theming, going from cruise ship to Orient Express carriage to high-end hotel. A grand piano will be installed shortly. We are greeted with a glass of fizz and, as soon as we sit, smiling staff bring endless plates of beef carpaccio, scallops and venison. Footie fans will be able to swap their pint for cocktails with a view over the ThamesCredit: SuppliedNo pies at half-time for Fulham fans, as smiling staff bring endless plates of beef carpaccio, scallops and venisonCredit: SuppliedNo balti pies or Bovril here, this is a bream and bottomless ­bubbly joint. On the top floor are two open-air terraces, where margaritas are lined up on the bars. The south-western corner overlooks what will soon be an infinity pool and hotel. ‘Weep into our beer’ Panoramic views take in landmarks such as Wembley Stadium, The Shard, St Paul’s Cathedral and Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge ground. Craven Cottage opened as ­Fulham’s ground in 1896 — but the club’s new showpiece has little to remind you that you are in a ­football stadium at all. There is barely any reference to Fulham FC other than some subtle black and white details on the walls, a single tile in the unfinished pool and a club badge on a walkway from the directors’ lounge. This is a football stand for people who don’t necessarily like football. One of the pricier hospitality tiers gets you private dining for ten ­people, with a signed team shirt draped over each seat. But you won’t see pictures of ­Fulham legends like Jimmy Hill, Johnny Haynes or George Best. And fans in hospitality rarely glimpse the pitch, unless at their seats. The architecture focuses on the Thames — this is the stretch where Oxford and Cambridge battle it out in the Boat Race, an event that’s an extra cash bonanza for the club. This is a football stand for people who don’t necessarily like football. Of the 29,600 fans who can fit into Craven Cottage, 2,303 would now be using hospitality seats. Most clubs offer some level of luxury for sponsors, guests and VIPs. But for the posh rooms to seemingly hide the club’s football heritage feels like a new departure in the game. Fan forums are buzzing with debate. @Lighthouse, a fan since the 1960s, wrote on Friends Of Fulham: “Football has become a class thing now. The haves will always look down on the rest of us.” But many feel that Khan is merely doing what is necessary for the club to survive and thrive without moving from its old ground. @cookieg wrote: “If it brings in a few more quid for the club then good.” And @Logicalman chipped in: “We can all weep into our beer glasses for how it used to be. But it just means we are refusing to accept that life keeps moving on.” Read More on The SunAs we sit in the sunshine sipping cocktails, it’s easy to forget we’re there to watch a match — Fulham v Everton, with Fulham needing a win to keep their hopes of Europe alive. The Everton end is in full song throughout the game (which the Toffees win 3-1). In the Fulham hospitality seats, there’s not much noise other than the swishing of rowers passing behind us on the Thames. Craven Cottage in 1959, as Tosh Chamberlain thrills the fansCredit: GettyFulham ace WillianCredit: Rex More

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    Champions League, you’re having a laugh? Wild Uefa changes almost make it harder for Premier League sides not to qualify

    CHAMPIONS LEAGUE? You’re having a laugh.We’ve all heard it. The derisory chant from opposition fans when one of the so-called ‘big guns’ is having an off day.Six English teams will qualify for next season’s Champions LeagueCredit: GettyEither Tottenham or Man Utd will earn Champions League qualification this season despite finishing 17th or 16th in the Premier LeagueCredit: GettyFor example, Southampton supporters had every right to aim it at the multi-billionaires of Manchester City last weekend, when they couldn’t find a way past the worst team in the Premier League.Only now what was once a mildly amusing terrace jibe sums up perfectly what the leading club competition in the world has become. A joke.Next season there will be a record SIX English teams in the Champions League.Almost one third of the entire Premier League will be waved straight into the bizarre league phase by Uefa’s welcoming doormen at an empty small town disco on a wet Tuesday night.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAnyone can come in. From Liverpool who finished top, right down to hapless Tottenham or abject Manchester United hovering above the relegation zone.It is time to officially ban the phrase ‘elite competition’ whenever the Champions League is mentioned on TV and radio or written in print.There was a time when you had to win your domestic league to progress into the highest level of European football the following season.Simple as that.Most read in Champions LeagueCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSChelsea are set to qualify for the Champions League despite being 20 points adrift of LiverpoolCredit: GettyWe are now at a point where English Premier League teams have to work harder to stay out of the modern Champions League than to get in.Spurs and Man United, regular participants in the past, have done spectacularly well trying to cock up their seasons. Yet by virtue of winning the Europa League one of them will be alongside Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, the already declared winners of their respective leagues.’I’d dive head first through a brick wall for him’ – Ange Postecoglou’s rallying speech reduces Tottenham fans to tearsErratic Chelsea, under the guidance of boss Enzo Maresca, have lost to Ipswich, Fulham and Brighton. From winning five Premier League games in a row, they went winless in the next five and couldn’t string a pass together.They lag 20 POINTS behind the bona fide champions of England from Anfield and are fifth.Don’t bet against them being in next season’s Champions League.The constant tinkering and chiselling away at a once simple game has led to Uefa getting its knickers in a right old twist.Fifth in this year’s Premier League grants a free pass into the treasure trove of the Champions League thanks to the coefficients which measure success where once it was about winning.A whole page is devoted to thrill-a-minute ‘coefficients’ on the governing body’s website to explain how a system that would baffle Stephen Hawking’s much cleverer cousin actually works: “Uefa calculates the coefficient of each club each season based on the clubs’ results in the  Uefa Champions League, Uefa Europa League and Uefa Conference League.“The season coefficients from the five most recent seasons are used to rank the clubs for seeding purposes (sporting club coefficient). “In addition, the season coefficients from the ten most recent seasons are used to calculate revenue club coefficients for revenue distribution purposes only.”And that’s just the overview.There’s a gag in there somewhere about how many coefficients does it take to ruin a game of football? Only I can’t see a funny punch line.There was a time back when the world was black and white in the 1950s when two imaginative French journalists took inspiration from South America and came up with the idea of the best clubs from each country competing for a trophy on our continent.Ironically, it wasn’t called the Champions League back then. It was the plain old European Cup. A cup fought over by teams in Europe. Simple eh?Liverpool’s first steps into the European Cup came in 1964, our sole representatives having won the league the previous season under Bill Shankly.Next season they share the honour with five other English teams and some of them are pretty ordinary.If Spurs win the Europa League and follow it up by winning the Champions League next year, the champions of Europe will come from a team currently 17th in England’s top division.Read More on The SunYou can argue it won’t happen. Yet somehow a side which has lost more league games than it has won this season is in a European final next week.That’s cup football for you and it’s a wonderful lottery. Qualification for the Champions League is not. It’s a boring carve up.The top five teams in the Premier League will qualify for the Champions League due to European coefficientsCredit: AFP More

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    Premier League’s most expensive stand opens at full capacity with £15k season tickets, stunning views and SWIMMING POOL

    THE most expensive stand in the Premier League has opened – and it has some incredible features.Fulham unveiled the new £100million Riverside Stand hospitality section last weekend.The amazing new stand is on the banks of the River ThamesCredit: SuppliedFulham’s new Riverside Stand has openedCredit: AFPThe balcony offers incredible views of LondonCredit: FulhamIt also has an infinity pool overlooking the River ThamesCredit: FulhamThe new stand offers Michelin-star menusCredit: Fulham FCThe project was six years in the making and it provides a luxury way of watching football.Fans with tickets for the stand will have access to Michelin-star inspired menus, rooftop access on the three-floor ‘Sky Deck’ as well as an infitity pool.They will also have stunning views across the River Thames and London. But the luxuries come at a huge cost.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLSeason tickets in the top tier will set fans back a whopping £15,000 while individual tickets in the cheaper areas cost over £100 each for adults.Meanwhile, non-corporate season tickets are priced up to £3,000. On Fulham’s website, club owner-chairman Shahid Khan boasts: “Make no mistake, the Riverside development will be a location like no other, a real game-changer for Fulham Football Club, our neighbourhood and all of London.”And chief executive Alistair Mackintosh told BBC Sport: “Fulham has always been blessed with a wonderful location but until today not had wonderful hospitality.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS”This has been a long time coming. We wanted the best stand in the world.”Going way back, this was a real vision for me – but we had delays with Covid, and needing a lease for the River Thames.I experienced the poshest, most exclusive stand in the Premier League and it was like no other”I spoke to the Fulham Supporters’ Trust when I first started 17 years ago, and they said two things were important to them. First, sustainability and then staying at Craven Cottage.”They had moved before and it wasn’t right. The owner Shahid Khan took the vision and put it on steroids.”The new stand places focus on the River Thames.Fans can enjoy the views from an exclusive balcony and a new infinity pool.The top priced season tickets are £15,000Credit: Supplied More