Pinatar Arena has announced that it will be host at least a dozen British football teams in their preparations for the upcoming season during June and July. For a number of them, including St Mirren of the Scottish Premier League and Northampton Town of the English League2, it will be a first visit to the facility, while for others, such as Newcastle United, they have been regular visitors to Pinatar during recent years. However Nottingham Forest will be the first to arrive. They will be located at the 5 star La Finca resort in Algorfa from June 28 to 7 July. The double European champions will train at La Finca but they will play a couple of friendly matches at Pinatar Arena, on 2 July against Dundee and Peterborough Utd on 6 July. Next up will be St Mirren, from July 1 to July 8, while Northampton Town will move in just as the Paisley outfit and Forest depart, from 7 to 14 July. Although St Mirren’s friendly fixtures are to be announced it is understood that ‘The … [Read more...] about A dozen British Football teams descend on Pinatar Arena
British football
Notts County are the saddest story in British football
It was a miserable week for Notts County fans once again as they wait for news on the future of their club. It is impossible not to feel for them. In fact, what has happened at Meadow Lane is probably the saddest story in British football this year. There are plenty of other candidates like Bolton, Bury and Coventry, but for Magpies fans it is just a desperate time. Bolton fans will say their club is administration, while Coventry supporters will have to watch their team play in Birmingham next season. Read More Notts takeover latest Notts supporters have seen their team slip out of the Football League and now they might not have a club at all next season, if their takeover and tax bill is not resolved. When it comes to matters on the pitch the players are to blame. That group of players should have been nowhere near the relegation zone even with all the upheaval of managers coming and going. When it comes to off the field, the owner Alan Hardy has clearly made a lot of mistakes. … [Read more...] about Notts County are the saddest story in British football
Names not on Young Player of the Year shortlist prove British football’s health
Whenever we enter awards season, I’m reminded of a response from that great actor Richard Harris after he was asked to present an Oscar. “Why would I? It takes 14 hours to get there, followed by 10 hours talking to a***holes. I’d rather spend that time in the pub, talking to my mates.” Which is a healthy attitude to take to these over-hyped, politically-dubious, black tie affairs. But I do enjoy the backlash that shortlists throw up, especially in football. Take the PFA Young Player of the Year award, and the gobsmacked response by some to Raheem Sterling and team-mate Bernardo Silva being contenders, despite A) Both turning 25 this year, B) Costing Manchester City £44million each and C) Having almost 600 senior appearances and 85 full caps between them. As social-media wags noted, putting those two up for the Premier League’s finest young player award is the equivalent of Sting and Jarvis Cocker getting nominated for best newcomer at The Brits. … [Read more...] about Names not on Young Player of the Year shortlist prove British football’s health
Hide-and-Seek: How British Football Clubs Secretly Signed Youth Talent
German football club FC Bayern Munich is adamant about landing Callum Hudson-Odoi on its team. The English national-team player from FC Chelsea, an incredibly fast wing who is a strong dribbler and just 18 years old, is very possibly the perfect successor to Franck Ribéry. Bayern is prepared to pay over 30 million euro for Hudson-Odoi, but the transfer is currently in jeopardy because of Chelsea's treatment of 29 underage players. Documents from the whistleblower platform Football Leaks shed light on the obscene amounts of money the Premier League club offered in an effort to lure the children, how they have pressured their parents and run roughshod over the rules of football's governing bodies. International Newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter -- and get the very best of SPIEGEL in English sent to your email inbox twice weekly. Chelsea FC became one of the first English football clubs to catapult itself to the top of the table by injecting massive amounts of cash into the … [Read more...] about Hide-and-Seek: How British Football Clubs Secretly Signed Youth Talent
‘Drunk and aggressive’ British football team hauled off easyJet plane in Spain
A British football team were hauled off a flight by police in Alicante Airport for being 'drunk and disruptive'. It's understood officers in the Civil Guard marched 25 people from the easyJet flight to deal with a "public order" problem they were causing. The team have been described as an “amateur English football team" who had flown from Bristol to Alicante, arriving at 10.50pm on Saturday. The were reportedly met by police off the plane. The current whereabouts of the unidentified team is not immediately known. A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Alicante said in a statement: “Last Saturday on April 6 at 10.50pm the pilot of a plane which had come from Bristol requested the presence of Civil Guard officers at the landing bay to deal with public order problems on the aircraft involving a large number of passengers. “When the plane arrived officers from the Airport Security Section had to remove the 25 members of an amateur British football team, who during the … [Read more...] about ‘Drunk and aggressive’ British football team hauled off easyJet plane in Spain