Key events
Paul MacInnes
Bournemouth have announced Vitality as their new front of shirt sponsor from next season, replacing the gambling company bj88.
The move comes as the Premier League prepares to start a voluntary ban on gambling companies acting as front of shirt sponsors, which is due to come in from next season.
Research by the company GlobalData estimated the overall value of shirt sponsorship deals by gambling companies to be worth a combined £104million in 2024-25.
Last May, the gambling commission wrote to Bournemouth and four other Premier League sides warning them over their relationships with their front of shirt sponsors, as the gambling brands did not have a licence to operate in the UK.
The Cherries have agreed a ‘multi-year’ deal with Vitality, who are already the title sponsors of their stadium. AFC Bournemouth’s president of business operations, Jim Frevola, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Vitality as the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor and further our relationship, which is already built around our shared principles of energy, resilience and community.”
Another fans story, via the BBC in Essex.
Southend United fans have called for a refund after their 250-mile away day to Rochdale was rained off for the second time.
The National League tie was being won by the hosts 2-1 before it was abandoned in the 77th minute on Saturday.
It followed many fans making their way to the Crown Oil Arena in September, only for the game to be postponed due to heavy rainfall less than two and half hours before kick-off. Hoping their next meeting would be third time lucky, supporters group Shrimpers Trust said: “At this or any level, this is unacceptable.”
Lancashire clubs – Rochdale is Greater Manchester but formerly Lancs – have had it wet this season. See Blackburn’s problems against Sheffield Wednesday last week. Their second abandonment of the season.
Yet more Slot: “Alex [Isak] got a knock in the first half, so let’s see how he recovers from that today and if he is able to start tomorrow.
It’s helpful in the upcoming weeks that we won’t play as many games as we did until now. I wonder if there are more teams that have played three games in seven days this season. We had to do it three times already this season.
“I am almost happy we are out of the League Cup, because if we had to play with 13 outfield players available with any Premier League experience, and we had to go to Arsenal away on Tuesday after already so many games played, then maybe people can understand a bit better why I made that line-up against Crystal Palace.
“It wasn’t good for me but I made that decision for the team. Losing a game of football is never a good idea, but sometimes players need rest as well.”
The Women’s Super League will review its broadcast slots at the end of the season amid disappointment at some viewing figures during the first half of the campaign.
An average audience of 59,000 watched live Sky Sports coverage of Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Liverpool last Saturday lunchtime, even fewer than the 71,000 people who watched Arsenal v Chelsea on Sky in the same noon kick-off slot last month, leading to criticism from fans about the scheduling of such flagship games.
A bit more Slot on Salah: “Who made the call? I think we decided as a club and I was part of that not to take him to Inter. I am always in contact with them with lineup and squads, that is always left to me. I talk to Richard Hughes more than Michael Edwards, we speak about many things.
“Do I want him to stay? Another way of asking but the next time I speak about Mo will be with him. I see no reason why I don’t want him to stay.”
England fans outrage at ‘laughable’ World Cup ticket prices
England fans say they have been “slapped in the face” by Fifa after it was revealed a run to the World Cup final would cost supporters over £5,000 for tickets. The pricing policy was described as “laughable” by the Football Supporters’ Association’s England Fans’ Embassy, while Football Supporters Europe (FSE) called the prices a “monumental betrayal” of match-going fans and urged Fifa to call a halt to the sale process.
Fans hoping to access tickets through their national associations’ travel programmes and loyalty schemes discovered on Thursday that the cheapest final ticket would cost 4,185 US dollars (£3,120). The Football Association shared pricing information with the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC) on Thursday evening, which showed that if a fan bought the cheapest ticket for every game through to the final it would cost 7,020 US dollars (£5,228).
In a post on X, the England Fans’ Embassy said: “These prices are a slap in the face to supporters who support their team outside of the flagship tournament that appears every four years.
“To call the Category 3 tickets, the cheapest available to ESTC members, ‘Supporter Value Category 3’ that comes at a cost of 7,020 US dollars if you want to follow England from start to finish, is laughable. A game for supporters, loyalty has been thrown out of the window and supporters of the participating nations have been completely let down.”
FSE said, from the ticket price information it had available, supporting your team from the first game to the final at the 2026 tournament would cost five times as much as at the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Will Unwin
Kolo Toure will be doing the Manchester City press conference today because Pep Guardiola has a personal matter to attend but the head coach will be in the dugout at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Slot has been talking about Liverpool’s injuries, too: “Endo and Gakpo? Going to be weeks. Cody is a muscle injury and Wata is ankle.
And his new strike pairing of Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak: “What we all saw, which is normal, the more they play, the more they will adapt and the better they will cooperate. The other two No 9s on the pitch for Inter were more used to playing with each. It’s the second time they have played together and I think we will see more of this in the future. Alex got a knock in the first half, so let’s see if he is able to start tomorrow.
“I don’t think height tells you a player is perfectly equipped for that direct style. Some are tall and struggle, others aren’t and dominate. Alex and Hugo, you can better use them in behind than long balls into their body. I see Hugo trying to do this better and better but there’s room for improvement as there is with so many parts of our games.”
More Slot on Salah: “I have no reasons to not want him to stay.”
Slot set for Salah talks today
Seems it’s undecided whether he plays a part against Brighton.
“I will have a conversation with Mo this morning and the outcome determines how.
“What I need is a conversation with him and the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. There’s not much more I can say. I speak to him today and the outcome determines how things will look tomorrow.
“You can try in multiple ways but I just said the next time I speak about him should be with him. I think there’s been a lot of conversations since the last week between his reps and ours. An apology? Normally I’d say you’ve had your three questions…”
The week’s big story has been the Mohamed Salah affair. Liverpool play Brighton this weekend, a game Salah pinpointed might be his last. There’s also talk of a midweek meeting with Jordan Henderson; does that mean Saudi Arabia or Brentford? Arne Slot is due to speak this morning.
Preamble
Good morning, football. We’re back back back for another Friday buildup to the day’s action, reporting on all the big stories, and previewing another big weekend of Premier League action.
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