Football rumours: Chelsea turn attention to Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson
What the papers say Chelsea have reportedly added Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson to their list of potential targets up front. According to The Guardian the Blues have already held initial talks with the 22-year-old, as Forest are believed to want £40million for his services. The Independent says Rennes winger Jeremy Doku is attracting a lot of attention from Premier League heavyweights. West Ham, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea are all said to be interested in the 21-year-old. According to The Telegraph, Monaco have set their sights on Tottenham defender Davinson Sanchez. The 27-year-old is unlikely to feature in manager Ange Postecoglou’s future plans, and could make his exit this summer. And the Daily Mail says Manchester City are looking to beat Brighton to the signature of Boca Juniors defender Valentin Barco. Social media round-up Players to watch Benjamin Pavard: The Bayern Munich defender is set to choose between Manchester United and Inter Milan before the end of the window, according to L’Equipe. Bradley Barcola: RMC Sport says Chelsea and Paris St Germain are interested in the Lyon winger. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
1970-01-01 08:00
Gianni Infantino says ‘women have the power’ to achieve equality in football
Fifa president Gianni Infantino said it is women who “have the power to change” football and achieve equality in the game. It has already been a record-breaking Women’s World Cup, with the tournament in Australia and New Zealand setting its highest-ever attendance figures of over two million people as well as drawing booming TV audiences around the globe. The Fifa president also said the World Cup has generated over $570m (£447m) in revenues and has “broke even” financially ahead of Sunday’s final between England and Spain. There remains a huge discrepancy in prize money between the men’s and women’s World Cups, however. Despite a 10-fold increase from the last Women’s World Cup in 2019, the record prize money of $152m (£126m) announced by Fifa before the tournament remains some way short of the reported $440m (£365m) prize money on offer to teams at last year’s men’s finals in Qatar. While Infantino said Fifa remains on track to achieve equal pay between the men’s and women’s World Cup at the 2026 and 2027 tournaments, the Fifa president urged media and sponsors to step to help bridge the gap and said women “have the power to convince men” that equity in football can be reached. Infantino, who was speaking at Fifa’s women’s football convention in Sydney ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final, said in his closing remarks: “We have to start treating men and women, or women and men, in the same way. “And I say to all the women - and you know I have four daughters, so I have a few at home - I say to all the women, that you have the power to change. “Pick the right battles. Pick the right fights. You have the power to change. You have the power to convince us men what we have to do and what we don’t have to do. You do it. Just do it. “With men, with Fifa, you will find open doors. Just push the doors. They are open. And do it also at national level, in every country, at continental level, in every confederation. Just keep pushing, keep the momentum, keep dreaming, and let’s really go for a full equality. “Not just equal pay in the World Cup, which is a slogan that comes up every now and then. Equal pay in the World Cup, we are going in that direction already. But that would not solve anything. “It might be a symbol but it would not solve anything, because it’s one month every four years and it’s a few players out of the thousands and thousands of players. “We need to keep the momentum. We need to push it. We need to go for equality but we have to do it for real. And you, here in this room, all the women in this room, you have the power to do it. So believe in it.” Infantino hailed the impact of the first-ever 32-team Women’s World Cup, which led to historic achievements from several teams at the tournament and several shocks during the the group stages. Colombia, South Africa and Jamaica all reached the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time, defying the odds to upset established nations such as Germany and Brazil. The Fifa president said the tournament has “simply been the best and greatest and biggest Women’s World Cup ever” and said the tournament has answered the “critics” who said the competition was expanding too quickly. “I’m sorry but Fifa was right. Fifa was right,” Infantino said. “As it happens quite often in the last years, Fifa was right once more.” He continued: “We didn’t lose any money and we generated the second highest income of any sport, besides of course the men’s World Cup, at a global stage. More than half a billion “There are not many competitions, even in men’s football, who generate more than half a billion. “This shows what? This shows that our strategy was probably not too bad. That, of course, we have to do still much better. “Before the beginning of the World Cup we heard some critical voices, but now we see the audiences. “So the pledge has to be, and to ask everyone, in terms of broadcasters, sponsors, partners, to of course pay a fair price to women’s football. Not to the World Cup, the World Cup has already generated over 570m, but to women’s football in general in all the countries, in all the leagues, in all the competitions.” Read More ‘Another reason to whinge’: Australian media criticise England after Matildas beaten at Women’s World Cup England’s deadly duo have already provided the answer to the Lauren James debate What time is the World Cup final on Sunday and who will England play? FIFA president calls for ‘full equality’ in football beyond Women’s World Cup ‘They abuse us’: Workers making Fifa World Cup merchandise face harm, says report What time is the World Cup final on Sunday and who will England play?
1970-01-01 08:00
Luxury Maternity Care Center Saint Bella Weighs Hong Kong IPO in 2024, Sources Say
Saint Bella, a Chinese maternity care company that partners with upscale hotels to provide women with luxurious spaces
1970-01-01 08:00
Belfast: All-Ireland funding sought for new Lagan bridge
A proposed foot and cycle bridge over the River Lagan would link Sailortown to the Titanic Quarter.
1970-01-01 08:00
China Gloom Fuels One of Worst Weeks of Year in Global Credit
Corporate bonds globally are on track for one of their worst weeks this year, hit by China’s escalating
1970-01-01 08:00
Women’s World Cup LIVE: England prepare for final against Spain and latest reaction to win over Australia
England are through to the Women’s World Cup final for the first time after a stunning 3-1 win over Australia in Sydney set up an all-European title decider against Spain on Sunday. Manager Sarina Wiegman said she was “in a fairytale” after guiding England to the final for the first time, while defender Lucy Bronze was overcome with emotion after playing in two previous semi-final defeats in 2015 and 2019. The Lionesses will play Spain on Sunday in England’s first World Cup final since 1966 and the nation is set to come to a halt as the team look to bring the game’s biggest prize back home. Meanwhile, the FA have confirmed that a plan is already in place for a statue of the England team at Wembley Stadium, while the governing body also said they would “100 per cent” reject any approach from the USA for the Lionesses manager. Follow all the reaction to England’s win against Australia in the semi-finals, get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds, including the latest third place play-off odds here: Read More England finally reach the world’s greatest stage — and that is worth celebrating England’s deadly duo have already provided the answer to the Lauren James debate How England deployed dark arts and cool heads to silence Australian noise
1970-01-01 08:00
India Needs Major Reforms in Food Supply Management, Says RBI
India needs to adopt a sound policy on how to store perishables to shield the economy from repeated
1970-01-01 08:00
FIFA president calls for ‘full equality’ in football beyond Women’s World Cup
FIFA president Gianni Infantino feels equal pay at the Men’s and Women’s World Cups would only be a “symbol” that would not “solve anything” if additional development targets for the women’s game are not achieved. On Sunday, England will play Spain in the final for their share of an increased prize pot of 110 million US dollars (£86.1m) for this tournament, more than three times than what was on offer for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, but still significantly less than the 440 million USD (£346m) awarded at the 2022 men’s competition in Qatar. Infantino has previously outlined ambitions for prize parity by the 2026 and 2027 World Cups but two days before the conclusion of the ninth edition of the women’s showpiece, challenged stakeholders to do more. Infantino said: “Let’s really go for a full equality. Not just equal pay in the World Cup, which is a slogan that comes up every now and then. Equal pay in the World Cup, we are going in that direction already. ...this World Cup generated over 570 million US dollars in revenues, and so we broke even. We didn’t lose any money and we generated the second highest income of any sport, besides of course the men’s World Cup, at a global stage Gianni Infantino “But that would not solve anything. It might be a symbol but it would not solve anything, because it’s one month every four years and it’s a few players out of the thousands and thousands of players. We need to keep the momentum. We need to push it. We need to go for equality but we have to do it for real.” Two months before the tournament, Infantino threatened that he may be “forced not to broadcast” the World Cup in Europe’s ‘big five’ countries following what he felt were “very disappointing and simply not acceptable” offers from broadcasters, though deals were eventually done. Viewing figures have broken records in Australia, where a peak 11.5 million people – about 46 per cent of the population – tuned in to watch the Matildas play England in their semi-final, the country’s most-watched television programme of any kind since 2001 when the existing rating system was established. Back at home, the 7.3 million people who viewed the same contest on BBC One comprised the biggest UK audience of the World Cup so far, and on Friday Infantino reiterated his view that broadcasters have a part to play in the prize parity target. The 2023 tournament was expanded to 32 teams, and is also the first time the competition has been hosted by more than one country. Infantino said: “Some voices were raised, where it cost too much, we don’t make enough revenues, we will have to subsidise. “And our opinion was, well if we have to subsidise, we will subsidise, because we have to do that. “But actually, this World Cup generated over 570 million US dollars in revenues, and so we broke even. We didn’t lose any money and we generated the second highest income of any sport, besides of course the men’s World Cup, at a global stage. More than half a billion (in revenues).” The decision to include more teams initially drew scepticism that it would only highlight the disparity between lower-ranked teams and heavily-resourced nations at the top of the table. Instead, this has been one of the most competitive finals on record, guaranteed a new champion after 2011 champions Japan were eliminated at the quarter-final stage, one round after double-defending title holders the United States were sent packing in the last-16. World number four England managed just one goal against tournament debutants Haiti, 49 places below them in FIFA’s world rankings, while fellow debutants Morocco advanced to the last-16 alongside Jamaica, who were knocked out in the group stage in their only other appearance in a final. Three top-10 sides in Germany, Canada and Brazil were eliminated in the group stage, while England’s quarter-final opponents Colombia advanced to the last eight for the first time. And while breakout performances at this World Cup could lead some players to more lucrative contracts in places like Europe and the United States, FIFA’s most recent benchmarking report revealed the average league and club salaries for women worldwide was just 14,000 dollars (£11,000). Infantino demanded: “Football in general, in all the leagues and all the competitions, pay a fair price. Show that you respect women and women’s sport. You will see the feedback that will be absolutely fantastic. “We need to have more local competitions, more continental competitions, more international competitions because when you see some of the beautiful, stories that were written at this World Cup. “We need to create the conditions in the next four years for them to able to play at professional level at home. This is the biggest challenge we have to take onboard.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live On this day in 2018: Tyson Fury defeats Francesco Pianeta on points in Belfast Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman in front after opening round of BMW Championship Katarina Johnson-Thompson believes heptathlon world title is there for taking
1970-01-01 08:00
Singapore Approves Three Presidential Contenders. Here’s Who They Are.
Singapore will head for its first contested presidential election in over a decade in an exercise seen to
1970-01-01 08:00
Vietnam Tycoon Loses $18 Billion After EV Maker’s Shares Sink
After an astronomical rise in its first day of trading, VinFast Auto Ltd. is now coming back to
1970-01-01 08:00
Bitcoin Plunge Spurs Liquidations as SpaceX’s Token Sale Weighs
Cryptocurrencies extended declines, sliding with global risk assets as investors price in higher interest rates for longer. A
1970-01-01 08:00
China’s Hidden Financial Dangers Erupt With Shadow Bank Crisis
Only a week ago, Zhongzhi Enterprise Group Co. attracted little notice within China and was almost unheard of
1970-01-01 08:00
