
Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to buy initial stake in Manchester United after outplaying Sheikh Jassim
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos are now in line to buy an initial 25 per cent stake in Manchester United, with the decision set to be ratified at a club board meeting this week. The billionaire petrochemicals mogul wants this to be a “path to a majority”, according to involved figures, and will already be seeking influence on football decisions. While Sheikh Jassim’s withdrawal was confirmed on Saturday evening, this has been interpreted as “face-saving”, as the ultimately underwhelming Qatari bid had been tactically outmanoeuvred by Ineos. It had long been felt by those with knowledge of Ratcliffe’s bid that Avram and Joel Glazer would ultimately never agree on a full sale now – preventing the unanimity required – which led the Ineos bid to pursue alternative options. Ratcliffe’s decision to go for a 25 per cent minority stake, valued at around £1.3bn, was seen as bringing a breakthrough in the last month while also staving off any concerns about legal challenges if he went for the Glazers’ 67 per cent. The owners of A shares had been willing to go to litigation if Ratcliffe only agreed to purchase the more powerful B shares, but he will now purchase a mix. Qatar never budged from only wanting a full sale but their offer of around £5bn was consistently seen as surprisingly low, and figures involved always found it confusing as to why the Jassim-fronted bid went no higher given the obvious prestige of such a club. One figure with knowledge of the Qatari side insisted that some of it came down to the perception of getting a good deal and not being seen to overpay. The irony is that one reason Joel and Avram Glazer have been so reluctant to sell is because they still expect an explosion in valuation over the next decade. Read More Sheikh Jassim withdraws from Manchester United takeover process Sheikh Jassim withdraws offer to buy Manchester United over Glazers’ high price Daniel James insists Wales can still qualify for Euro 2024
1970-01-01 08:00

Italy ease past Malta to keep pressure on England in Euro 2024 qualifying
Italy secured a routine 4-0 victory over Malta to keep the pressure on England in Group C of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. Giacomo Bonaventura opened the scoring for the Italians for his first-ever international goal and Domenico Berardi then scored twice – either side of half-time – before Davide Frattesi added a fourth in added time. Ukraine picked up an important three points in a bid for their group-stage hopes after they ran out 2-0 winners over North Macedonia. Ukraine opened the scoring in rather fortunate fashion as an Heorhiy Sudakov effort from outside the area was heavily deflected into the net to make it 1-0. The Ukrainians had to wait till stoppage time to rubber stamp the points when Oleksandr Karavayev spotted goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski off his line before firing home. In Group G, Hungary put themselves in the driving seat to qualify from the group after they defeated Serbia 2-1 at home. Barnabas Varga put the hosts ahead after 21 minutes and they were pegged back 12 minutes later through Strahinja Pavlovic, but Hungary instantly regained their lead when the ball fell for Roland Sallai, who let fly from 25 yards to win the match. Lithuania registered their first win of the qualifiers at the sixth attempt thanks to defender Pijus Sirvys’ double either side of half-time to beat 10-man Bulgaria 2-0. Three minutes after Adrian Kraev was sent off for a second bookable offence, Lithuania opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time after Sirvys bundled the ball home from a corner and he doubled their advantage 10 minutes after the break to pick up their first three points of the competition. In Group H, Northern Ireland wrapped up a 3-0 victory over lowly San Marino. Paul Smyth opened the scoring for the home side at Windsor Park in superb fashion with his scissor-kick from inside the area and they doubled their advantage six minutes later through Josh Magennis before adding a third – nine minutes from time – when Conor McMenamin netted his first international goal from close range. Slovenia strengthened their grip on qualifying following a 3-0 rout over Finland. Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko netted twice in the first half, firstly from the penalty spot before he raced through on goal and buried his second and all three points were rubber stamped in stoppage-time thanks to Eric Janza’s strike. Denmark stayed level on points with Slovenia to occupy the top two spots after they earned a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan. Jonas Wind opened the scoring in Parken when he bundled home from close range and Robert Skov added a second before he latched onto Christian Eriksen’s through ball to slot home Denmark’s third. Read More New Zealand end Ireland’s World Cup dreams as quarter-final curse continues Ben Earl convinced England can prove critics wrong in last-eight Fiji showdown Sam Tomkins’ career ends with Grand Final loss to his former side Wigan Warren Gatland admits change of referee did not help Wales in Argentina loss Sheikh Jassim withdraws from Manchester United takeover process Emiliano Boffelli stars as Argentina send Wales home from World Cup
1970-01-01 08:00

Alabama proves it’s not even a College Football Playoff sleeper against Arkansas
After being pushed to the brink by Arkansas, no, Alabama is not a College Football Playoff contender. They are going to lose at least one more game before decision day, aight.
1970-01-01 08:00

College football rankings: Should Georgia still be No. 1 over Michigan?
The Georgia Bulldogs are 7-0 and ranked No. 1, but some people may think the Michigan Wolverines are better. How wrong are they? Could Michigan overtake Georgia in the next AP Top 25 poll?
1970-01-01 08:00

Spooky Season: Eclipse creates creepy aura over Georgia-Vanderbilt
A partial solar eclipse took place in Nashville in a game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs.
1970-01-01 08:00

IMF steering committee calls for new funds, share plan by June 2025
MARRAKECH, Morocco International Monetary Fund members on Saturday pledged to complete a review of quota funding by Dec.
1970-01-01 08:00

Oregon vs. Washington series history: Records, last wins, streaks and more
Who holds the edge in the Washington Huskies vs. Oregon Ducks all-time series ahead of their Week 7 matchup?
1970-01-01 08:00

Sheikh Jassim withdraws from Manchester United takeover process
Sheikh Jassim has withdrawn from the process to buy Manchester United, the PA news agency understands. Fans have protested against the Glazer family since their controversial leveraged takeover in 2005 and last November’s announcement of a strategic review brought hope of change. The possibility of a full sale was mentioned and Sheikh Jassim became the first bidder to publicly confirm he had made an offer for the Old Trafford giants. Sir Jim Ratcliffe swiftly followed but the interminable potential takeover process has rumbled on as the demanding Glazer family dragged their heels. It is now understood that, following further discussions, a frustrated Sheikh Jassim has withdrawn from the process to buy the Premier League club. The Qatari banker informed the United owners of his decision in the last few days. Sheikh Jassim’s team announced in February that he had submitted a bid to buy 100 per cent of the club, promising a completely debt-free takeover via his Nine Two Foundation. The bid is understood to have eventually reached around double the current 3.2billion dollars (£2.6bn) market valuation of the Premier League club. An additional 1.7bn dollars (£1.4bn) is believed to have been pledged for infrastructure projects. Earlier this month it was reported that rival bidder Ratcliffe was considering changing his offer and buying a minority stake in United. It was reported he may seek a stake in the region of 25 per cent as part of a proposal to try to bring the drawn-out sale process to an end, having initially wanted to complete a majority takeover. If the Glazers accepted this new reported offer, it would see the American family still retain majority control of the club. United sit 10th in the Premier League after a difficult start to the season for Erik ten Hag’s team. Read More Emiliano Boffelli stars as Argentina send Wales home from World Cup Joe Root dismisses ODI retirement talk with next Cricket World Cup in his plans Michael O’Neill hails Paul Smyth impact on first Northern Ireland start
1970-01-01 08:00

South Africa Chides Rich Nations Over ‘Just’ Transition to Green Tech
South African central bank chief Lesetja Kganyago urged wealthy nations to meet commitments to share the cost of
1970-01-01 08:00

How Colorado can qualify for a bowl game after Stanford loss
A collapse for the ages in the second half vs. Stanford has Colorado between a rock and a hard place when it comes to achieving bowl eligibility. How can the Buffaloes qualify for a bowl game now? Can they still do it?
1970-01-01 08:00

Michael O’Neill hails Paul Smyth impact on first Northern Ireland start
Michael O’Neill was delighted to see Paul Smyth grab his Northern Ireland chance with both hands as the QPR winger got a goal and an assist on his first international start in a 3-0 win over San Marino. Smyth, who also had a goal disallowed, did his best to light up what was a largely drab affair at Windsor Park as Northern Ireland ended a run of five straight defeats in Euro 2024 qualifying but did not fully catch fire. Smyth’s trademark backflip celebration was seen just five minutes into the match after he leapt to volley in a Jamal Lewis cross and six minutes later Smyth’s low cross was turned home by Josh Magennis. It might have been even better when Smyth met Jonny Evans’ ball from deep with the ideal finish to lift it over the goalkeeper, but after a lengthy VAR check the strike was ruled out for offside and instead it was substitute Conor McMenamin who made it 3-0 with his first international goal late on. Smyth, who this summer returned to QPR after two years with Leyton Orient, made his Northern Ireland debut five years ago but this was only his sixth cap. “He’s had to be patient, Paul,” O’Neill said. “I gave him his debut against South Korea in 2018. We are five years on and his appearances have been limited since then. “He’s in a good place at his club. He’s got himself back into Championship football, he’s played a lot of times for QPR this season. “I know at his club he sometimes plays a lot at wing-back, but in that 4-3-3 not only does he give you width and crosses, he has an eye for a goal. It was a brilliant finish for his goal and a brilliant finish for the one that was disallowed.” O’Neill was delighted with the way his side started but admitted they lost momentum too quickly, with the manager identifying Smyth’s disallowed 31st-minute strike as a key moment. “When Paul’s goal was disallowed it kind of took the momentum out of the game with the time it takes to make the decision,” O’Neill said. “It was a long time for just an offside, I’m not sure why it takes so long. “I thought in the second half again we’d chances, at times we got a little bit bogged down in our play, but equally it was good to get a the third goal.” San Marino coach Fabrizio Contantini called Northern Ireland deserving winners, but also felt substitute Conor Washington should have seen red when caught Lorenzo Lazzari heavily on the ankle in the 66th minute. Referee Bram van Driessche was sent to the monitor by the VAR but opted only to book Washington. “In my opinion it was totally a red card,” Constantini said through a translator. “It is strange because the VAR tells the referee to go and see it and very, very few times the referee goes to the screen and decides not to show the red card. But at the same time it was not a key moment.” Unsurprisingly, O’Neill disagreed, saying Washington’s challenge looked worse than it was when slowed down. More frustrating for him was a late yellow card for Paddy McNair which rules the Middlesbrough man out of Tuesday’s match against Slovenia. “I think the referee possibly got the wrong player,” O’Neill said. “I think it was young Callum (Marshall) who was more forceful in the tackle. I’m not sure if we can address that, but if it rules Paddy out it will be disappointing. “He blows the full-time whistle 10 seconds later. Is it really necessary to brandish a yellow card in that situation? We’ll deal with whatever the outcome of that is coming into the Slovenia game.” Read More Rob Page to ‘ignore the noise’ amid reports his Wales job could be in jeopardy Josh Hodge hat-trick helps Exeter inflict record defeat on Saracens Paul Smyth stars as Northern Ireland see off San Marino Ben Stokes ‘getting better day by day’ but Afghanistan game could come too soon World Cup has given Rob Burrow the rugby union bug – Kevin Sinfield Returning Antoine Dupont ‘inspires fear in opponents’ – Mathieu Jalibert
1970-01-01 08:00

IMF sees recent yen falls as reflecting fundamentals
By Leika Kihara MARRAKECH, Morocco (Reuters) -The yen's recent declines are driven by fundamentals and do not meet any of
1970-01-01 08:00