Advance Australia Fair must be played before the NRL All Stars game next season despite some of the biggest names in the game refusing to sing the anthem, according to the minister for indigenous citizens. The Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said removing the song from the pre-match buildup would create a divide in the community. Rugby league stars including Blake Ferguson and Latrell Mitchell caused controversy when they refused to sing Advance Australia Fair during the 2019 season. The Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council will decide this week whether to put forward a proposal to drop the national anthem from the exhibition match which highlights the games indigenous players. Ken Wyatt said the national anthem must be played before the NRL's Indigenous All Stars game next season Indigenous players including Cody Walker caused controversy after they didn't sing the national anthem during representative appearances The Australian Rugby League Commission will … [Read more...] about Minister for Indigenous Australians says the national anthem MUST be played ahead of the NRL All Stars game despite Aboriginal players claiming it ‘doesn’t represent us’
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Tired, worn Old Trafford a symbol of Manchester United’s faded grandeur
Old Trafford is one of football’s most vibrant amphitheatres. During the 109-year history of Manchester United’s home, Billy Meredith, George Best, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo are a few of the greats to grace the stage of England’s record title winners. Yet the venue has become tired and worn. When the Manchester rain poured hard last season the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand leaked. The seating is crammed and wifi patchy. The directors’ box has an antiquated feel and the bars and suites a faded glamour. A venue that hosted 1966 World Cup and Euro 96 matches has not staged a showpiece game since the 2003 European Cup final. For the team left trailing since Sir Alex Ferguson retired the state of their home is an obvious emblem. Old Trafford is no sleek, 21st-century facility like Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, opened in 2006, or the new Wembley (2007), and is further behind cutting-edge venues such as Los Angeles FC’s Banc of … [Read more...] about Tired, worn Old Trafford a symbol of Manchester United’s faded grandeur
Michel Platini, four years on from his downfall, still stalks the stage
As the sun-bleached August prelims fade away and the season proper kicks into gear a significant football date is on the horizon. Contain your excitement if you can. But it is only a month until Michel Platini’s four-year ban from football expires. The obvious response to this is a shrug of mild bemusement and some vague comment about four years not really feeling like four years any more. You know you’re getting old when even the discredited elderly football administrators start looking younger. This is, of course, only a technical unbanning. Platini is unlikely to vault back into a governance role any time soon. He is currently suing pretty much everyone, was questioned in June as part of a police investigation into World Cup corruption and has made his scorn for the unctuous Gianni Infantino clear. Even before his ban over receipt of a “dishonest payment” Platini was seen as a standard issue buffoon by many in this country, a Clouseau-ish figure brimming with … [Read more...] about Michel Platini, four years on from his downfall, still stalks the stage
Nobel board to terminate its relationship with Fifa
In a move that will be a bitter pill for Sepp Blatter, who once harboured improbable ambitions to win the Nobel Peace Prize, the board behind the award is poised to terminate its relationship with Fifa. In light of the chaos that has enveloped world football’s governing body since US prosecutors accused Fifa executives of a “World Cup of fraud”, the Norwegian magazine Josimar reported on Monday night that the Nobel Peace Centre had decided to end its involvement in its joint Handshake for Peace initiative. The director of the Nobel Peace Centre, Bente Erichsen, said it would end its co-operation with Fifa “as soon as the conditions are right for it”. Blatter had long coveted the Nobel Peace Prize, believing that his work to spread football around the globe made it a realistic goal, and his delusional quest was said by some close to the 79-year-old to be one of the reasons he could not bring himself to stand down as president. The chairman of the Nobel … [Read more...] about Nobel board to terminate its relationship with Fifa
Divock Origi earns Liverpool point after West Ham turn tables at Anfield
Ray Clemence and Bruce Grobbelaar were sat together at Anfield and it was no stretch to re-imagine the former Liverpool goalkeepers as those old curmudgeons from the Muppet Show, Waldorf and Statler, ripping into the failings of today’s generation. Loris Karius’s teething troubles continued while Darren Randolph reacted to the final whistle by burying his head in a towel. The West Ham United keeper’s despair was understandable but, for his manager, humiliation has given way to hope. Slaven Bilic has been under intense scrutiny since the 5-1 home defeat by Arsenal and endured an ominous start at Anfield when Adam Lallana swept Liverpool into an early lead. West Ham’s reaction was not that of a team calling time on their manager. Bilic’s name resonated several times from the away end and his players gave what they could to alleviate the pressure. No cause was lost as Dimitri Payet and Michail Antonio edged the visitors ahead by the interval. They were under … [Read more...] about Divock Origi earns Liverpool point after West Ham turn tables at Anfield