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    Rangers shoot into top ten of Uefa coefficient rankings for last five years and overtake Celtic after Europa League run

    RANGERS are among the top ten clubs in terms of Uefa coefficient rankings points gained over the last five years, a study has revealed.The Ibrox outfit have in recent season really turned their fortunes around in Europe.
    Rangers reached the Europa League final this year, losing on penalties to FrankfurtCredit: Willie Vass
    After a disastrous exit to Progres Niederkorn of Luxembourg in the first round of the 2017-18 edition of the tournament, the Light Blues have returned to being a force on the continental stage.
    That culminated in a trip to the Europa League final this year, after extended runs in the competition in previous seasons under Steven Gerrard.
    Those exploits have landed them in some prestigious company for coefficient points gained over the last five years.
    According to stats compiled by Swiss Football Data, Gers have accumulated 17.075 points, more than the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Juventus have in the same period.
    Top of the pile are Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich on 19.714.
    Liverpool, Man City, PSG and Ajax make up the rest of the top five.
    In between them and Rangers in tenth are FC Salzburg, Red Star Belgrade, Real Madrid and Chelsea.
    Scotland as a whole has picked up 36.9 points in the last five years. Celtic, Aberdeen, Hibs, Kilmarnock, Motherwell and St Johnstone have all scored points for the SPFL.
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was sham & begged me for nude pics, says BB star
    The two Old Firm sides lead the way massively, with Rangers winning 46 percent of the country’s points total, above Celtic’s 38 percent. Aberdeen are next on three percent.
    The other five clubs make up the remaining 16 percent share of points scored.
    Elsewhere, former Rangers defender Bruno Alves has retired from football.
    The Portuguese centre-back arrived at Ibrox in 2019 with a solid reputation but suffered from injuries and was a flop.
    Alves, 40, posted a message on social media to announce the news.
    He said: “Today I communicate that I finish my football player career being grateful for everything and all clubs, managers, teammates, coaches and people who were involved in my sporting life.
    “Thank you to my family and friends for all the support at all times.
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    “A journey that ends but other opportunities will arise see you soon.
    “THANK YOU.”

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    Liverpool demand investigation as war-of-words with Uefa begins over Champions League final fan carnage

    LIVERPOOL and Uefa were involved in a war of words last night after chaotic scenes outside the stadium marred the Champions League FinalReds fans were tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed as thousands were denied entry to the game, which Real Madrid won 1-0.
    Liverpool are in a war of words with Uefa after fans were pepper-sprayed by French policeCredit: Reuters
    A statement from Liverpool said: “We are hugely disappointed at the stadium entry issues and breakdown of the security perimeter that Liverpool fans faced this evening at Stade de France.
    “This is the greatest match in European football and supporters should not have to experience the scenes we have witnessed tonight.
    “We have officially requested a formal investigation into the causes of these unacceptable issues.” 
    The kick-off was delayed because of security issues but UEFA claimed the problems were caused by fake tickets.
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    They said: “In the lead-up to the game, the turnstiles at the Liverpool end became blocked by thousands of fans who had purchased fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles.
    “This created a build-up of fans trying to get in. 
    “As a result, the kick off was delayed by 35 minutes to allow as many fans as possible with genuine tickets to gain access.
    “As numbers outside the stadium continued to build up after kick off, the police dispersed them with tear gas and forced them away from the stadium.
    .css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-1qsre5o{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;}.css-q8gelu{margin-bottom:24px;}.css-7ysxcx{padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-7ysxcx:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1x7hydu{font-family:The Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-1x7hydu::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -0.5px);}.css-1x7hydu::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}Most read in Football.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-zdjvqv{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:space-around;-ms-flex-pack:space-around;-webkit-justify-content:space-around;justify-content:space-around;margin-top:calc(-12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(-12px/2);}.css-zdjvqv:before,.css-zdjvqv:after{content:”;display:block;}.css-1meuhfk{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-top:calc(12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(12px/2);}
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    “UEFA is sympathetic to those affected by these events and will further review these matters urgently together with the French police and authorities, and with the French Football Federation.”
    Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp revealed his thoughts after the final whistle.
    The German said: “I couldn’t speak to my family but I know the families had real struggles to get into stadium. 
    “I don’t know the reasons. We have to wait for the investigation. 
    “I heard a few things, which weren’t good or nice. 
    “It was tricky out there. I don’t know more about it.” More

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    LaLiga will file complaint against PSG to Uefa over Mbappe’s eye-watering new deal that ‘attacks stability of football’

    LALIGA have blasted Kylia Mbappe’s stunning U-turn as “scandalous” and will file a complaint to Uefa about Paris Saint-Germain “attacking the stability of football”. The bitter Spanish top flight also launched a stinging attack on PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
    Kylian Mbappe is staying at PSG and will earn £1.6m per weekCredit: AFP
    PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has drawn the wrath of LaLiga chiefsCredit: Reuters

    Superstar forward Mbappe, 23, looked on course to sign for Real Madrid as a free agent this summer.
    He had agreed a £800,000-a-week contract at the Bernabeu with no transfer fee required.
    But Mbappe has decided to stay put at PSG and has signed a three-year contract at the Parc des Princes worth a whopping £1.6million-per-week AFTER tax – and £500m overall including a £250m signing-on bonus fee.
    The French champions confirmed the announcement this evening with a video of a suited-and-booted Mbappe overlooking the club’s stadium and declaring the club moto: “Ici c’est Paris [This is Paris].”

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Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-1x7hydu::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -0.5px);}.css-1x7hydu::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}READ MORE IN 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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-n392go{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-1p5s3t0{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The 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    Now LaLiga are raging they will not be seeing one of the standout players in world football ripping it up in Spain next year.
    They believe the eye-watering new deal is “attacking the stability of football”.
    LaLiga said: “This type of agreement attacks the economic stability of European football, putting at risk hundreds of thousands of jobs and the integrity of the sport.
    “It is scandalous that a club like PSG, which last season reported losses of more than 220 million euros… can close such an agreement, while those clubs that could afford the hiring of the player without seeing their wage bill compromised, are left without being able to sign him.
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    “LaLiga will file a complaint against PSG before Uefa, the French administrative and fiscal authorities and European Union authorities to continue to defend the economic ecosystem of European football and its sustainability.”
    Real were so confident they would land Mbappe that president Florentino Perez was forced go into the changing room after the draw with Real Betis on Friday to break the news that the Frenchman would NOT be coming to the Bernabeu.
    And LaLiga’s scathing attack continued: “LaLiga and many European football institutions had hope that PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi would abstain from these practices knowing they cause grave damage, but the opposite has been true.
    “PSG is assuming an impossible investment, seeing that it has an unacceptable wage bill and large financial losses in prior seasons. It is violating current Uefa and French economic control rules. 
    I’m really happy to continue the adventure here at Paris Saint-Germain, to stay in Paris, my cityKylian Mbappe
    “This behaviour demonstrates once more that state-owned clubs do not respect and do not want to respect the rules of football.
    “This kind of behaviour led by Al-Khelaifi, president of PSG, and member of the Uefa Executive Committee and president of ECA, endangers European football on the same level as the European Super League.”
    Mbappe spoke on the pitch tonight ahead of the clash with Metz alongside Al-Khelaifi.
    He told the buzzing and raucous home fans: “I’m really happy to continue the adventure here at Paris Saint-Germain. To stay in Paris, my city.
    “I hope that I will continue to do what I prefer to with you all… and win titles together! Thanks a lot.”
    Al-Khelaifi added: “It’s an exceptional moment in the history of PSG.
    “Mbappe now becomes the cornerstone of the club’s project for the years to come, on and off the pitch.
    “I’m very proud and very happy – we are going to open the most beautiful pages of our history”.
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15px;}.css-1qsre5o{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;}.css-16djrfc{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:1;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;padding-top:2px;}.css-1skzs3j{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:1;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;padding-top:2px;}.css-7ysxcx{padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-7ysxcx:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1x7hydu{font-family:The 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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-n392go{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-1p5s3t0{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}PLANE PAIN .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}I’m a flight attendant and there are five kinds of passengers I hate the most
    It is understood part of the negotiations saw the striker reveal his discontent with sporting director Leonardo – which could see him replaced by Luis Campos, who Mbappe worked with at Monaco.
    Manager Mauricio Pochettino’s future is also in major doubt as Zinedine Zidane is eyed as the likely successor. More

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    What is the Europa Conference League and will Man Utd have to play in it?

    THERE is a new Uefa competition on the block this season – the Europa Conference League. Here’s all you need to know about the tournament, which this season saw two English teams take part – Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City.
    Cristiano Ronaldo could be playing in the Europa Conference League next seasonCredit: Reuters
    What is the Europa Conference League?
    The Europa Conference League is Uefa’s third tier European competition, formed in 2021.
    The idea of it is to give more clubs from more countries the chance to play European football.
    Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said: “The new Uefa club competition makes Uefa’s club competitions more inclusive than ever before.
    “There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages.”
    Like the Champions League and Europa League, the competition will consist of a group and knockout stage.
    Which English teams qualify for the Europa Conference League?
    England has been granted one Europa Conference League place.
    The slot is allocated to the side which wins the Carabao Cup, assuming they have not already qualified for Europe through the league.
    However, in 2022/23 it will be allocated to the seventh placed Premier League team as Champions League sides Liverpool and Chelsea have faced off in both the League and FA Cup final.
    Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin says the Europa Conference League gives more clubs than ever before the chance to play in EuropeCredit: EPA
    Which other teams qualify for the Europa Conference League?
    European football now involves a slimmed down Europa League with more teams entering the Conference League.
    Just 57 teams will compete in the Europa League compared to 184 in the Europa Conference League.
    While the champions of every country will get the chance to qualify for the Champions League, all other teams from countries ranked below 15th in the Uefa Coefficients will enter the Europa Conference League rather than the Europa League.
    Teams eliminated from the Champions League preliminary round and first qualifying rounds will also go to the Conference League, as well as those eliminated from the Europa League third qualifying round, play-off round and third place finishers in the group stage.
    After European football’s winter break, the Conference League also welcomes third placed teams from the Europa League group stage, which is how Leicester reached the 2022 semi-final.
    Will Man Utd end up in the Europa Conference League?
    As of May 13, West Ham sit in seventh place in the Premier League, three points behind Man Utd in sixth – a Europa League spot.
    However, the Hammers have a game in hand at home to Man City and and a far superior goal difference.
    Should West Ham win both their remaining games or earn three points more than Man Utd do before the end of the season, they will reach Europe’s second tier competition and condemn incoming United boss Erik ten Hag to the Conference League.
    .css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-1qsre5o{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;}.css-q8gelu{margin-bottom:24px;}.css-7ysxcx{padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-7ysxcx:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1x7hydu{font-family:The Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-1x7hydu::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -0.5px);}.css-1x7hydu::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}Most read in Football.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-zdjvqv{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:space-around;-ms-flex-pack:space-around;-webkit-justify-content:space-around;justify-content:space-around;margin-top:calc(-12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(-12px/2);}.css-zdjvqv:before,.css-zdjvqv:after{content:”;display:block;}.css-1meuhfk{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-top:calc(12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(12px/2);}
    How has the Europa League changed?
    The Europa League group stage has been reduced to 32 teams from the current 48.
    Group winners now advance to the last 16 of the tournament while runners-up will have to play a preliminary knockout stage against the third placed Champions League teams.
    Does the winner of the Europa Conference League qualify for any other tournaments?
    The Europa Conference League winner will qualify for the following season’s Europa League. More

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    David Moyes faces Uefa bench ban after kicking ball at ballboy in West Ham’s Europa League defeat to Frankfurt

    DAVID MOYES faces a Uefa bench ban after his Europa League red card.Moyes was dismissed by Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano after angrily kicking a ball back at a ball boy in the late stages of his side’s semi-final defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt.
    David Moyes is set to face a Uefa banCredit: EPA
    Another red card for West Ham…This time it’s for David Moyes! 😳The manager smashes the ball back in anger and is sent down the tunnel… #UEL pic.twitter.com/YYTZrqp2dg— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 5, 2022

    The Hammers chief apologised after the match, conceding he had been in the wrong.
    But he added: “It didn’t hit him – I think I bent it past him.”
    Moyes, though, will face disciplinary action – with a ban that would come into effect next season likely.
    Under Uefa regulations, every red card is assessed for punishment by a disciplinary committee.
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    The committee also studies the official reports by the referee and the Uefa match delegate.
    All red cards carry an automatic one match ban, with each case viewed independently.
    And that means Moyes could be banned from the bench for the start of West Ham’s next European campaign.
    The London Stadium club currently in seventh and seem unlikely to overtake sixth-placed Manchester United.
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    That would see West Ham playing in the Conference League next term.
    And a likely two-match ban for Moyes would prevent him being involved for either leg of the August play-off round when West Ham will be expected to earn their place in the group stage.
    The Hammers travel to Norwich on Sunday in the Premier League as they look to take another step towards European qualification. More

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    Uefa want to scrap Champions League semi-final second legs – football must resist their Super Bowl delusions

    HANDS up everyone who watched this week’s Champions League thrillers and thought, “We must scrap these two-legged semi-finals.”Because chances are you are Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin or Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
    Football must not let Uefa scrap Champions League semi-final second legsCredit: Getty
    Every supporter in the world would have been gripped by Villarreal’s brave but ultimately futile comeback attempts against Liverpool on Tuesday night.
    And Real Madrid’s incredible 6-5 aggregate win against Manchester City will go down as one of the greatest games in Champions League history.
    But Ceferin and Al-Khelaifi are not football fans.
    They are marketing men who see every match as a financial opportunity.
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15px;}.css-1qsre5o{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;}.css-16djrfc{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:1;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;padding-top:2px;}.css-1skzs3j{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:1;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;padding-top:2px;}.css-7ysxcx{padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-7ysxcx:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1x7hydu{font-family:The 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Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}REAL COMEBACK .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk share talk that inspired Reds win at Villarreal
    So at a meeting of the Uefa executive committee next week, the two most powerful men in European football will press ahead with their plans to reform the Champions League.
    And one of the main tenets of their proposal will be to make the semi-finals a one-legged, straight knockout affair to ease the fixture congestion caused by ten first-round group games.
    So less City v Real and more Shakhtar Donetsk v FC Sheriff. Thanks a bunch.
    The big idea is to stage both semis and the final in the same city over one week in an event which Ceferin has compared to the Super Bowl.
    .css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-1qsre5o{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;}.css-q8gelu{margin-bottom:24px;}.css-7ysxcx{padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-7ysxcx:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1x7hydu{font-family:The Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-1x7hydu::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -0.5px);}.css-1x7hydu::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}Most read in Football.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-zdjvqv{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:space-around;-ms-flex-pack:space-around;-webkit-justify-content:space-around;justify-content:space-around;margin-top:calc(-12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(-12px/2);}.css-zdjvqv:before,.css-zdjvqv:after{content:”;display:block;}.css-1meuhfk{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-top:calc(12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(12px/2);}
    FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
    He revealed: “Even if you lose two matches you can get more revenue to compensate.
    “It could be a fantastic event for broadcasters and sponsors.”
    Notice he doesn’t mention the supporters, who barely seem to figure in his grandiose schemes.
    And it’s no surprise he is backed by Al-Khelaifi, the man who has run rings around Financial Fair Play rules for years yet is now calling the shots.
    Ever since the collapse of the European Super League last year, the opportunist PSG president has been cashing in on his club’s refusal to join the break-away rebels.
    So not only is he now a Uefa board member but also president of the European Clubs Association.
    Yet his loyalty to Uefa was only ever down to the fact beIN Sports — of which he is also the chairman — owns the Champions League broadcast rights.
    RESIST SUPER BOWL DELUSIONS
    And he was never going to jeopardise that lucrative deal by signing up for a rival competition.
    Two years after PSG’s one and only Champions League final, he still speaks fondly about the 2020 format, when the global pandemic led to both semis and the final being played in Lisbon over six days.
    And the fact PSG have been the biggest bottle jobs in football has got absolutely nothing to do with his enthusiasm for getting rid of the second leg.
    Because if we thought City were bad at getting over the line, they don’t compare to Le Chokers from Paris, who famously once beat Barcelona 4-0 yet still managed to lose the second leg 6-1.
    So it’s no surprise that Al-Khelaifi doesn’t trust his players when the pressure is on and wants to manipulate things in their favour.
    But the rest of Europe must resist these Super Bowl delusions.
    The Champions League is doing just fine without Mickey Mouse moves for Disneyfication.
    Everton reckon the officials have got it in for themCredit: Reuters
    RIGHT OLD CARRY ON BY FRANK
    INFAMY, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me.
    Everton are becoming increasingly paranoid as they face the prospect of Championship football at Goodison next season.
    For the second time in weeks they have made an official complaint to referees chief Mike Riley over failed penalty appeals.
    On the first occasion Riley actually apologised for VAR missing Rodri’s handball in the 1-0 home defeat by Manchester City.
    But now boss Frank Lampard has been charged by the FA for his comments after the 2-0 loss at Anfield when he said: “If it’s Mo Salah at the other end, you get a penalty.”
    To make matters worse, there is now a chance Richarlison might be banned for the relegation run-in after lobbing a flare back into the crowd after scoring Sunday’s winner against Chelsea.
    So now they’re banking on the Merseyside Police getting involved and stringing their investigation out beyond the end of the season.
    But the only way that Everton are going to get out of this mess is by continuing to play as if it’s them against the world.
    Because if they’re relying on help from anyone else, it’s going to end in former Toffees stalwart Mikel Arteta sending them down on the final day of the season at Arsenal.
    Liverpool ace Andy Robertson is also focusing on helping Scotland to the World CupCredit: Getty
    SCOT FAR BIGGER FISH TO FRY
    ANDY ROBERTSON has already played 51 games for club and country this season and still has another six to go as Liverpool close in on the Quadruple.
    But even the Champions League final against Real Madrid in three weeks’ time is not going to be his biggest game of the year.
    Because four days after the Paris showdown, the unstoppable full-back will be a key man in Scotland’s World Cup play-off against Ukraine.
    If they win that highly-emotional Hampden clash, it’s off to Cardiff four days later for a winner- takes-all meeting with Wales for the right to become England’s World Cup whipping boys.
    And while Champions League finals are becoming ten a penny for Robertson these days, the chance to play at the World Cup is a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity when you’re Scottish.
    MY CHAIN REACTION
    AN email from Fifa landed in my inbox the other day to announce a new partnership with a technology company.
    Apparently they will become the official blockchain platform of Fifa to provide the official blockchain-supported wallet solution.
    It goes on to explain that blockchains allow non-editable data to be permanently recorded and distributed on digital  networks — while also facilitating innovations and ensuring untampered exchange of value and assets such as non- fungible tokens.
    I can only assume that whoever sent this information has mistaken me for someone who gives a f*** about this sort of stuff.
    Because I don’t have a clue what they are going on about and the day when I actually care about blockchain solutions is also the day hell freezes over.
    Katie Taylor put on a boxing spectacle against Amanda SerranoCredit: The Mega Agency
    TAYL’S BALL WOMAN
    KATIE TAYLOR’S thrilling title defence against Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden is rightly being put up as the fight of the year.
    But I think her coach Ross Enamait got slightly carried away when he claimed: “She’s built different. Balls of steel.”
    Because if that was true, the WBC, IBF, WBA and WBO might all want to take a closer look at undisputed lightweight champion Taylor.
    .css-16e4f55{margin:16px 0;}.css-1546w7m{background-color:rgba(237,245,242,1);margin:16px 0;}.css-1tapza8{padding:20px 15px;}.css-1bk4jdt{padding:20px 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Sun.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-gmec1d{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;height:auto;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-align-content:center;-ms-flex-line-pack:center;align-content:center;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:flex-start;margin-left:calc(-20px/2);margin-right:calc(-20px/2);}.css-fh9577{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-left:calc(20px/2);margin-right:calc(20px/2);}.css-65fvqt{max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-1exhbll{box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;background-color:rgba(237,245,242,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;position:relative;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-bk55po{box-sizing:border-box;display:block;position:relative;margin-bottom:0;}.css-1shocxe{box-sizing:border-box;}.css-1a2irou{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;}.css-1a2irou 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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-n392go{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-1p5s3t0{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}CHELLE’S PAIN .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Michelle Heaton in tears on Loose Women over rehab letter from husband
    COR BLIMEY
    TERRIBLE times for West Ham fans with the news that James Corden is returning to the UK so he can attend more games at the London Stadium.
    Stay strong you Irons. More

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    England’s Three Lions anthem saved for the nation after flaky FA bosses’ U-turn

    FLAKY FA bosses yesterday ditched plans to axe England’s Three Lions anthem — after The Sun exposed their plot.They bizarrely claimed the “arrogant” lyrics might offend nations at the World Cup in Qatar, which outraged fans.
    As The Sun exposed a ridiculous bid to axe England’s Three Lions anthem as our World Cup anthem in Qatar, flaky FA bosses ditched their plotCredit: Dan Charity
    1966 hero Sir Geoff Hurst said: ‘Thank goodness they’ve seen sense’Credit: The Sun
    1966 hero Sir Geoff Hurst said: “Thank goodness they’ve seen sense.”
    Furious England fans yesterday halted the FA’s ridiculous bid to axe Three Lions as our World Cup anthem in Qatar.
    They were joined by legends of the game and showbiz stars in forcing footie chiefs into a weaselly u-turn.
    After The Sun revealed the plot yesterday, the FA was mauled on TV and radio for six hours before announcing it was backtracking. And woke bosses shamelessly tried to suggest they hadn’t discussed ditching the song.
    We had told how they feared using the classic 1996 tune in stadiums before World Cup kick-offs — because other nations viewed it “arrogant” to sing about England being the home of football.
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Worldcup.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-gmec1d{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;height:auto;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-align-content:center;-ms-flex-line-pack:center;align-content:center;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:flex-start;margin-left:calc(-20px/2);margin-right:calc(-20px/2);}.css-fh9577{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-left:calc(20px/2);margin-right:calc(20px/2);}.css-65fvqt{max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-1exhbll{box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;background-color:rgba(237,245,242,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;position:relative;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-bk55po{box-sizing:border-box;display:block;position:relative;margin-bottom:0;}.css-1shocxe{box-sizing:border-box;}.css-1a2irou{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;}.css-1a2irou 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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-n392go{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-1p5s3t0{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}’WOKE NONSENSE’ .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}England fans refuse to stop singing Football’s Coming Home amid axe plan
    The FA had even considered replacing it with American singer Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline.
    England 1966 World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst, 80, led our swift counterattack and said: “I appeared in the original Three Lions video and have loved the tune ever since.
    .css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-1qsre5o{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;}.css-q8gelu{margin-bottom:24px;}.css-7ysxcx{padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-7ysxcx:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1x7hydu{font-family:The Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-1x7hydu::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -0.5px);}.css-1x7hydu::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}Most read in Football.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-zdjvqv{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:space-around;-ms-flex-pack:space-around;-webkit-justify-content:space-around;justify-content:space-around;margin-top:calc(-12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(-12px/2);}.css-zdjvqv:before,.css-zdjvqv:after{content:”;display:block;}.css-1meuhfk{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-top:calc(12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(12px/2);}
    “It’s a song about football for English football fans. I can’t believe anyone would want to replace it with Sweet Caroline, which is American and has nothing to do with the game.
    “Three Lions is light-hearted and full of fans’ hopes and dreams and I can’t see how anyone could find it offensive. And if we win the World Cup again then football really will have come because we are the country that invented the game.
    “Why get so serious? It’s just fun and I’m pleased we’ll be singing It’s Coming Home loud and proud in Qatar.”
    Striker Sir Geoff, whose hat-trick clinched England’s 4-2 win over Germany, also spoke of his joy at singing and dancing to the tune at a Lightning Seeds gig in London before last year’s Euros final.
    ‘Woke nonsense’
    Sir Geoff said: “I was asked to introduce the song but ended up getting pulled on stage with the band and singing my heart out with (creators) David Baddiel and Frank Skinner. It’s that kind of song. It gets fans going and will always be my No1.”
    All 32 nations competing at Qatar are required to nominate an official song, with choices submitted this summer.
    Woke alarm bells sounded last year when Uefa stopped Baddiel and Skinner from singing the hit before the Euro 2020 final branding it too “partisan”.
    Yet Croatia’s players used the song for motivation ahead of their 2-1 triumph over Gareth Southgate’s England team at the 2018 World Cup semi-final in Moscow.
    And Italian fans sang “It’s coming to Rome” after their penalties win over the Three Lions in the Euro 2020 final.
    Yesterday there was a national outcry following our front page. BBC Radio Two star Jeremy Vine was flooded with calls from fans after asking phone-in listeners: “Is it wrong to ditch the Three Lions song?”
    He added: “The FA is apparently thinking about dropping the iconic song over fears it is ‘arrogant’. Is that a good idea or just woke nonsense?”
    The FA is apparently thinking about dropping the iconic song over fears it is ‘arrogant’. Is that a good idea or just woke nonsense?BBC Radio Two star Jeremy Vine
    Former England World Cup star Peter Reid blasted moves to replace the song on Nick Ferrari’s LBC show.
    Peter, 65, said: “England fans are great, they sing and get behind the team. I don’t see that offending anybody or making us seem arrogant.
    “I had a look at the lyrics and they’re brilliant. Nothing in there, I don’t think, makes us arrogant or offends anybody.”
    TV star Vernon Kay said the song was part of our football history, adding: “It unites England fans.”
    Nadine Dorries, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, led political support. She said: “For more than 25 years, Three Lions has endured as the anthem of English football.
    Perfect pitch for football classicAlex James
    WRITING a football anthem that catches on is much harder than you might think. Which is what makes Three Lions such a precious jewel that we must protect.
    Its simplicity is key to its success. Simple words. Simple tune. But don’t let that fool you — getting it right is anything but simple.
    Doesn’t matter how famous you are, like The Spice Girls, who were about the biggest band on the planet when they released (How Does It Feel to Be) On Top of the World — the ill-fated official tune for the 1998 World Cup.
    Or Mick Hucknall, who was a kind of old-fashioned Ed Sheeran when he wrote We’re In This Together for Euro 96. The Lightning Seeds were a pretty cool indie band in 1996 and Baddiel and Skinner had a funny TV show.
    Together they managed to write a simple song with, crucially, two parts that everyone could sing — “It’s coming home . . . ” along with the rousing “Three lions on a shirt . . . ’ bit that connected and resonated with the crowds on the terraces.
    Where else do thousands of people, sometimes tens of thousands, all sing together, totally united and completely unaccompanied, other than at the football?
    And the best way to get that massed triumphant choir going is to come up with something that harks back to the tradition of ­terrace chants, which all have a faint glimmer of the proud tradition of folk music. Written by ordinary people, for ordinary people.
    Vindaloo, which I wrote with the comedian Keith Allen, had a one-word chorus, “Vindaloo”, and a one-note refrain, (“We’re gonna score one more than you”).
    I played a demo version to a music exec and he shook his head and said, “Sorry mate, you’ll never get that on the radio. It won’t work.” I swear, I’ve still not once heard it on the radio but people are still singing it six World Cups later.
    Ultimately the people decide what they want to sing. I’ve always loved Sweet Caroline. It’s a great singalong. But it has absolutely nothing to do with football or England and hearing it played at England matches makes me feel completely nauseous.
    Please don’t suggest that Three Lions is “offensive to other nations” and wokewash us with this irrelevant nonsense.
    Be warned, those who would wield the word “official”. You’ve literally never got it right. It’s coming home, you morons

    “It perfectly captures what it means to be an England fan; the hope, the heartbreak but above all the belief in the team. I fully expect England fans to be singing it at games throughout the World Cup.”
    Tory Julian Knight, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said plans to scrap the tune were “nuts”. He added: When the Germans won Euro 96 they adopted Three Lions and sang it on their victory parade. You really do wonder about the mentality of the FA if they can’t just let sleeping lions lie over this issue.”
    ‘You can’t take that song off us’
    Tory MP Lee Anderson, a Nottingham Forest fan, said: “This is unbelievable arrogance from the suits at the FA. It only shows how far the people at the top are from the ordinary football fan.
    “The wokery nonsense seemingly about the entire country has now affected the FA.”
    Senior sources at the FA had given The Sun detailed accounts of how bosses wanted to get rid of the song. Yesterday England legend Paul Gascoigne told us: “You can’t take that song off us. This woke nonsense has no place in football.”
    TalkTV presenter Piers Morgan added: “This song is all about wallowing in 30 years of pain and hurt and not winning anything. How can anyone say it’s arrogant?”
    In their feeble bid to downplay us rumbling their plot, the FA said yesterday: “Contrary to reports this morning, the FA still plays Three Lions at major Wembley matches and has never had any intention of doing otherwise.
    .css-16e4f55{margin:16px 0;}.css-1546w7m{background-color:rgba(237,245,242,1);margin:16px 0;}.css-1tapza8{padding:20px 15px;}.css-1bk4jdt{padding:20px 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    “The song belongs to the fans and is about the hope of following the England team.
    “It was requested by the FA to be played as one of our team songs at the 2018 World Cup and at the Euros last summer, and this is our plan at tournaments going forwards.”
    Furious fans were joined by footie legends and showbiz stars to push chiefs into a U-turn. Pictured: song creators David Baddiel and Frank SkinnerCredit: Anthony Upton
    England legend Paul Gascoigne told us: ‘You can’t take that song off us. This woke nonsense has no place in football’Credit: Getty
    Sir Geoff added: ‘I appeared in the original Three Lions video and have loved the tune ever since’Credit: Not known, clear with picture deskIT’S TOP CHAT Andy Robinson

    OUR story on Three Lions facing the axe dominated discussion on the airwaves yesterday.
    Callers bombarded radio shows, social media went into a frenzy and TV talk shows debated it.
    TalkTV’s Julia Hartley-Brewer spoke about the Football’s Coming Home controversy on her breakfast show and made it her “question of the day”. Sky Sports News covered the topic all day and Jeremy Vine mentioned it on Channel 5.
    TalkSport also argued against flaky FA fears while former England midfielder Peter Reid called Nick Ferrari on LBC to fight the anthem’s corner. More

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    Two-legged Champions League semi-finals could be SCRAPPED in favour of ‘football festival’ from 2024-25 in shock plans

    UEFA are planning to scrap two-legged semi-final fixtures in the Champions League, reports suggest.That is according to The Times, who report that an initiative, dubbed a “week of football”, is gaining momentum and could be put into effect from the 2024-2025 season.
    UEFA are considering some groundbreaking Champions League changesCredit: Getty
    Classic semi-final matches like Manchester City vs Real Madrid won’t have a second legCredit: AFP
    The game’s governing body is keen to hold the Champions League semi-finals and the final on the same week in one city.
    That means the final-four participants will only play once without a return fixture before the final.
    That would make it a festival-type event similar to the Nations League finals, where two semi-finals and the final are played in the same country over five days.
    It would also be like the 2019-2020 Champions League and Europa League knockouts – starting from the quarter-finals – which took place in Portugal and Germany respectively due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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    Therefore, there will no longer be a second leg for thrilling encounters, such as Manchester City’s 4-3 showdown against Real Madrid last Tuesday at the Etihad.
    UEFA said that no decision has been made at this time but the European Club Association (ECA) is reportedly ready to back that idea.
    However, the European Leagues organisation would also need to approve it.
    UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin previously spoke in favour of such a project and compared it to the Super Bowl.
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    Ceferin said: “Personally I think it would be very good.
    “If you look at the Super Bowl it’s a great event and they do it in a great way, they have concerts and people go there and have fun.
    “Even if you lose those two matches you can get more revenue to compensate. It could be a fantastic event for broadcasters, for sponsors.
    “In the same week you could have the final of the women’s Champions League or youth competitions, you could really have a fantastic week of football. These knockout matches are different and more exciting.” More