Sports

Man Utd kick off Premier League season before Man City face new-look Chelsea

Published

2 years ago

August 16, 2024

497 Views

Manchester United kick-off the 2024/25 Premier League season at home to Fulham on Friday before Manchester City begin the defence of their title at free-spending Chelsea on Sunday.

New Liverpool manager Arne Slot will be under the spotlight on Saturday with a trip to newly-promoted Ipswich for his first competitive game since succeeding Jurgen Klopp.

AFP Sports looks at what to expect from the opening weekend of the new season:

Ten Hag needs fast start

Manchester United’s shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City back in May went a long way to keeping Erik ten Hag in charge at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman has been backed by United’s new football operations hierarchy, led by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, and was handed a contract extension to 2026.

Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui have arrived to strengthen Ten Hag’s squad for around £150 million ($192 million).

But after finishing eighth last season — United’s worst ever Premier League finish — Ten Hag needs a fast start to the new campaign to dispell doubts he is the man to lead the club forward.

Fulham won at Old Trafford for the first time in 20 years in February.

Any repeat on Friday will have United fans fearing another season to forget.

Ipswich plan Slot shock

Arne Slot faces a tricky start to his Premier League career when Liverpool travel to an Ipswich side back in the top-flight after a 22-year absence and buoyant after successive promotions.

Liverpool are yet to make a single signing in the transfer window but have been rampant in pre-season with eye-catching wins over Arsenal, United and Sevilla.

Victory at Portman Road would bring some relief to Liverpool fans still coming to terms with the end of Klopp’s iconic reign.

The Reds could then build some momentum with a comfortable run of fixtures to come before the October international break.

But Ipswich defender Axel Tuanzebe is confident of maintaining Ipswich’s proud home record over the past two seasons.

“We’re going to empty the tank and give everything we’ve got,” Tuanzebe told the BBC.

“They’re just humans” he added. “It is just 11 v 11 on the pitch. Not many teams win at Portman Road and we intend to keep it that way.”

Chelsea chaos v City continuity

New Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has a baptism of fire against his former club.

Maresca was part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at City before leading Leicester to promotion from the Championship last season.

The Italian inherits a chaotic situation at Stamford Bridge with a first team squad now boasting over 50 players and question marks over the future of most of them.

Chelsea’s issues were exposed in a torrid pre-season, that included a 4-2 defeat to City in the USA.

By contrast, there have been few changes for Guardiola’s champions.

Brazilian winger Savinho is the only new arrival, while Argentine forward Julian Alvarez departed this week for Atletico Madrid.

City’s England trio of Kyle Walker, John Stones and Phil Foden, plus Spanish midfielder Rodri, only returned to training this week after competing in the Euro 2024 final and are unlikely to start against Chelsea.

Fixtures:

Friday (all times GMT)

Manchester United v Fulham (1900)

Saturday

Ipswich v Liverpool (1130), Arsenal v Wolves, Everton v Brighton, Newcastle v Southampton, Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth (all 1400), West Ham v Aston Villa (1630)

Sunday

Brentford v Crystal Palace (1300), Chelsea v Manchester City (1530)

Monday

Leicester v Tottenham (1900)

Related Topics:Chelsea MAN City Man United Premier League Season

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Infantino To Seek Re-Election As FIFA President In 2027

If re-elected, the 56-year-old Swiss would remain FIFA president until 2031.

Published

1 hour ago

September 7, 2026

OCHEFA

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FIFA says Gianni Infantino will stand for re-election in 2027.

If re-elected, the 56-year-old Swiss would remain FIFA president until 2031.

Infantino, who has served as FIFA president since 2016, has faced growing pressure following his controversial proposal to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investment firms.

The plan triggered widespread criticism across the football community, with UEFA threatening to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, in opposition to the proposal.“Of course, nothing has changed. Mr Infantino will be standing for re-election,” FIFA said in a statement.

The confirmation comes after Infantino declined to answer questions about his political future when questioned by reporters at the Women’s Under-20 World Cup in Poland on Saturday.

Sports

FIFA Accuses UEFA of ‘Smear Campaign’ Against Infantino

Published

3 days ago

September 4, 2026

Charles Flames

42 Views

FIFA has accused UEFA of launching a “smear campaign” against the organisation and its president, Gianni Infantino, in a sharp escalation of their dispute over a now-abandoned plan to sell a stake in the World Cup’s commercial rights.

In court filings submitted in the United States, FIFA described UEFA’s recent legal applications as “little more than press releases” designed to damage its leadership. UEFA had sought court orders in New York, Florida and Colorado for the disclosure of documents and testimony related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which it said could support potential criminal proceedings in Switzerland.

The FFE plan, which aimed to sell around a 20% stake for approximately $4.2 billion to private investors, was withdrawn at the end of July after widespread opposition from UEFA and other confederations. UEFA has alleged mismanagement and questioned the valuation promoted by Infantino.

FIFA countered that the scheme was only a proposal that required democratic approval from member associations and the FIFA Council. It accused UEFA of refusing to engage in that process and instead pursuing a weeks-long public campaign against FIFA and its president.

Sports

Romero Replaces Messi As Argentina’s New Captain

With Messi’s international retirement bringing an end to a 21-year Argentina career, Romero now faces the challenge of leading a team that has enjoyed unprecedented success in recent years.

Published

7 days ago

August 31, 2026

OCHEFA

78 Views

• Messi’s successor, Cristian “Cuti” Romero

Cristian “Cuti” Romero has emerged as Argentina’s new main captain following Lionel Messi’s retirement from international football, marking the beginning of a new leadership era for the world champions.

Romero, who previously served as the third-choice captain behind Messi and Nicolás Otamendi, has now been entrusted with the armband by both Argentina’s coaching staff and his fellow players.

The Tottenham Hotspur defender has long been regarded as one of the most influential voices within the Argentina dressing room, with his vocal leadership and uncompromising style making him a natural successor to Messi.

His promotion also reflects the growing importance of the defender to the national team since establishing himself as a key figure under head coach Lionel Scaloni.

Romero’s leadership credentials have previously received the backing of Messi, who praised the defender’s impact on Argentina’s defensive stability and described his contribution as “extraordinary”.

With Messi’s international retirement bringing an end to a 21-year Argentina career, Romero now faces the challenge of leading a team that has enjoyed unprecedented success in recent years.

Under Scaloni, Argentina won the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America, with Messi at the heart of the team’s transformation from perennial underachievers to a dominant force in international football.