England’s record goalscorer talks girls’ football and her own mental health battle. The FA and Barclays have launched the Let Girls Play campaign. Is it a vital part of trying to keep girls in football? It is because I’m sure so many girls have been lost to the game but this is a welcome opportunity for them to play with boys. At that age, it should be about having fun and building self-esteem. You can make friends by playing football and head down other avenues if you are not going to be a player — coach, journalist, pundit. How have times changed in women’s football? We got the rough end of everything and (former England boss) Hope Powell had to fight to get training pitches for us. The vision of this scheme is about equal access to football in schools for girls by 2024. I was lucky because the boys accepted me when I was a kid because I was good but many will not have stuck with it. There is a lost generation. Powell is still in football and doing a great job …
Football
Footballer needs ten stitches to his penis after freak collision
If there’s one place you don’t want to be getting stitches, it’s probably on your penis – and that’s the unfortunate fate one Argentine footballer suffered this weekend. Albacete defender Mariano Bittolo was involved in a freak collision with one of his team-mates, which saw his sensitive meat requiring urgent attention during a 0-0 Spanish Segnda division draw with SD Huesca. No players scored on the pitch on Saturday, and it’s unlikely Bittolo will be scoring off it in the immediate future after fellow Albacete star Roman Zozulya’s studs scraped down his member and cut it open as the pair jumped near each other in their own penalty area. Bittolo was seen rolling around in agony and pounding the floor in sheer pain before being immediately substituted off. Club doctor Eduardo Rodriguez told Spanish newspaper Marca that he required TEN stitches to mini-Bittolo after the unfortunate 82nd minute collision. It’s not expected that the 27-year-old will miss any matches …
[Read more...] about Footballer needs ten stitches to his penis after freak collision
Football struggles to face up to a future without heading
Matt Smith is an endangered species. At 6ft 6ins, the Millwall striker is a traditional target man and still thriving in a sport falling out of love with players like him. “I'm almost up to 50 stitches in my head and face,” he says. “I had my front two teeth knocked out with a boot to the face in a friendly. I’ve broken my nose and had many, many head injuries. Touch wood I’ve never been aware of a concussion.” Smith has made a career out of being an aerial threat, and suspects he would not have made it in football if heading was outlawed. But his stance typifies the tension between the current generation of players - for whom a ban on heading is unthinkable - and those who have retired who are far more open to it. Alan Shearer spent his 2017 documentary Dementia, Football and Me looking like he had seen a ghost, while Terry Butcher recently called for heading to be phased out . Gary Pallister told Jeremy Wilson last week about his “awful migraines” and feeling like he had a …
[Read more...] about Football struggles to face up to a future without heading
EU Ambassador to the UK: When you play football, you need the referee – which is European Court of Justice
The EU Ambassador to the UK has responded to questions about the European Court of Justice's 's role in Northern Ireland. This week in a move to break the deadlock over the Northern Ireland Protocol, the EU proposed to slash red tape and cut the majority of checks on British goods crossing into Northern Ireland. However, the EU's proposals made no mention of the EU court's oversight of the protocol. Speaking on Chopper's Politics podcast, which you can listen to on the audio player above, João Vale de Almeida said "if Northern Ireland is to remain and to continue to have access to our single market for goods, the European Court of Justice needs to be the ultimate jurisdiction. There is no way around that." "We are talking about the internal market for goods and we are talking about the Northern Ireland Territory. We are not talking about the European Court of Justice having jurisdiction over the entirety of the regime of Law of the EU, neither on the entirety of the territory …
Antonio Rudiger injury blow confirmed as Thomas Tuchel gives five Chelsea updates
Thomas Tuchel has issued an injury update on five Chelsea players ahead of the Premier League visit to Brentford on Saturday. The Blues boss announced that Antonio Rudiger will miss the fixture due to a back problem which ruled him out of Germany’s 4-0 win over Maceonia on Monday. His injury is made more costly by Thiago Silva’s own absence due to the Brazilian representing his country in the early hours of Friday morning. Meanwhile, the manager revealed Chelsea will also be without wingers Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic, who has been out for a month due to an ankle injury. Tuchel said: “Thiago will be back in the afternoon, hopefully safe from this match in Brazil. We had our talk and tactical training, he missed all that. “He played 90 minutes and had 12 hours of travelling so that gives you the answer. “Toni Rudiger is injured, came back injured from the national team. Christian Pulisic is still injured. “We also have doubts with Hakim …
West Brom boss Valerien Ismael disagrees with Callum Robinson’s Covid vaccine stance
West Brom goal ace Callum Robinson is on a collision course with his manager over his no-vax stance. The 26-year-old has been at the centre of a storm since revealing he’s opted not to get vaccinated against Covid-19 despite twice testing positive. Now West Brom boss Valerien Ismael has revealed it could become an issue for the striker who is a rich vein of form. Robinson goes into Friday's big local derby with Birmingham having scored five goals for Republic of Ireland in the international break. But Ismael admitted the striker needed to be mindful that his stance could have consequences if it threatens to destabilise training sessions at the club. Ismael said: “We cannot force anybody - that is the reality. We just have to make them aware that it’s very important. “If a player takes a decision, he needs to know what the consequences of that might be. “The only way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated. The danger is still there.” He added: …
Jurgen Klopp fires shots at England boss Gareth Southgate over Joe Gomez call
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has fired a subtle dig at England boss Gareth Southgate over his decision not to pick Joe Gomez for the latest round of World Cup qualifiers. Gomez, 24, was a first choice for club and country when he suffered a long-term knee injury while on Three Lions duty last November. The defender made his comeback for Liverpool at the start of the current season and has been welcomed back into the fold by Klopp, making five appearances in all competitions. However, he has been overlooked for the last two England squads, with Southgate preferring to select the likes of Tyrone Mings, John Stones, Conor Coady and Fikayo Tomori. The England boss has a policy of only picking those who are playing for their club - something questioned by Klopp in his latest press conference. "Sometimes Gareth reacts if you are not playing for your club you can't play for the national team," Klopp said. "Obviously there is a special thing for Mr …
[Read more...] about Jurgen Klopp fires shots at England boss Gareth Southgate over Joe Gomez call
Newcastle need 17 transfers otherwise there’s absolutely no chance they win league soon
Newcastle's new owners want to win the Premier League - but they might have to get out of the Championship first! They are buying a club in trouble, and Mike Ashley is no fool. He’s getting out at the right time. I wouldn’t be getting too excited about this if I was a Newcastle fan. They’re dreaming if they think the club is winning in the league in the next five years. They need 17 players! If this was Arsenal or Tottenham getting taken over, you’d go: “Wow, they’ve got a chance, they only need four or five.” Not Newcastle. Who’s going to go there anyway? They need players for a relegation battle. You’ve got to buy a hero. The first thing you have to do is buy a big-name centre forward. But that’s the end for someone like Callum Wilson then - and he’s one of the two best players at the club! They’re just not buying the big, big stars. Harry Kane’s not going to Newcastle. Surely. He’s 28. His career will be over before they win anything. They’ll go …
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer offers five Man Utd injury updates for Leicester clash
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has provided injury updates for five players ahead of Manchester United's clash with Leicester City on Saturday. The Red Devils go into the game having failed to win their last two Premier League fixtures against Aston Villa and Everton . However, United will face an uphill task to gain three points off the Foxes with numerous first-team players out of action. Harry Maguire , Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane, Marcus Rashford , and Eric Bailly have all faced spells on the sidelines in recent weeks. And speaking in his pre-match press conference, the Norwegian has provided an update on the players. "International breaks are sometimes the time to cross your fingers and hope for the best. "Because, as we see with Raphael, he's got an injury, out for a few weeks," Solskjaer said, confirming Varane as out of the clash. "But, then again, Victor and Eric played in the internationals and got good game-time, that's good for …
[Read more...] about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer offers five Man Utd injury updates for Leicester clash
Leeds to battle Arsenal for signing of flying Ajax defender with incredible goal record
Leeds United are set to challenge Arsenal for the signing of Ajax defender Noussair Mazraoui, according to reports. The 23-year-old Morrocan’s contract with the Dutch club runs out at the end of the season, meaning he could be snatched on a free transfer come summer 2022 or for a cheaper fee before. The full-back has also just hired super-agent Mino Raiola as his new representative which could hint towards a possible upcoming move. And according to Football Insider , the club are now on high alert as they eye a potential new right-back to add some much-needed depth in the position. Leeds are believed to be in pursuit of a new right-back with Luke Ayling currently the only senior player at the club who naturally plays in that position. And with 30-year-old Ayling currently injured and entering his latter years, Marcelo Bielsa is believed to be interested in pursuing the Ajax defender. Mazraoui is already a regular at international level, having …