Month: June 2023

Alistair Johnston discovered that every triumph was special at Celtic when seeing the joy on serial winner Callum McGregor’s face as the captain lifted the first two trophies of the season.

Johnston is one match away from completing a clean sweep of major honours in Scotland five months after joining Celtic from Montreal.

McGregor is going for his 20th winners’ medal on Saturday when Celtic face Inverness in the Scottish Cup final and Johnston expects it would mean just as much for his skipper to again meet the demands and expectations of fans.

The 24-year-old said: “I know the extraordinary has become ordinary a little bit at this club with how many trophies they have lifted over the past decade. But still, for guys like myself, this would be my third-ever trophy in my entire career.

“And I know Cal is probably on 40 or whatever it is but even for him, when you see how much excitement and joy it brings to him and guys like that – James Forrest, I mean he might be on 50 for all I know – you can really tell how much it means.

“When you see that from the older guys who have been there and done that, especially as a new guy, you are like ‘okay, yeah, this is really big’. I am really excited and I would love to be a part of it.

“When you see over the past decade, not only the trophies but the trebles that have been won, you almost take it for granted a little bit that ‘oh, Celtic won another one, it’s not that big of a deal’.

“But now, being here and truly understanding and seeing the work that goes on behind the scenes and just the amount of effort that each guy puts in, it really rings true to me. It’s like ‘wow, each one of these is special’.

“Just because some guys have won a lot of them, it doesn’t make that next one any less special.

“I am just really excited to be in a position where I could potentially be walking out of here after six months with a treble. That is everything and more I could have asked for, but when I came in those were the expectations, that was what was put on me, it’s trophies or nothing.

“I am just really happy we are delivering for our fans so far but it will be a big match this weekend, it won’t be easy.”

Johnston’s appetite has been further whetted by seeing clips of previous Hampden success, including the penalty shoot-out that won Celtic the Scottish Cup against Hearts in 2020 to clinch the quadruple treble.

The Canada international said: “It gave you that hunger as one of the new players: ‘I want to be part of that, I want to leave my mark on this club as well’.

“As you get closer to these finals, some of those clips come up and it really puts things in perspective. You can just see the joy it brings to the fans and players. That’s something you want to be part of as a footballer.”

At one stage Johnston feared he would not be part of it after suffering a leg injury in a tackle on Rangers full-back Borna Barisic in the semi-final, but he fought back to fitness to play in the final match of the league season against Aberdeen last weekend.

“When I made the tackle, I thought it could be an issue,” he said. “Just because when I stood up and realised I couldn’t put any real weight on it.

“But the scans were better than expected and I have done a lot with the medical team, they have been unbelievable. They have been in every day pretty much with me doing the long hours because I made it really clear I wanted to be back, not only for the cup final, but I wanted to be back to be in contention for selection for the Aberdeen match because I wanted to be out on that pitch.

“You could probably see the joy it brought me being out there, I was loving life. Even though I got a bit tight, it was just precautionary to get me off.

“Now all the focus is on the cup final. I feel good enough to be able to go. I don’t think anyone is perfect at this point of the season.

“They are long years, a lot of matches, a lot of minutes on everyone’s bodies. But it’s a cup final, an opportunity to lift a trophy, and you can get through some pretty serious pain for that.”

Bruno Fernandes believes Manchester United are building something special under Erik ten Hag, who the skipper feels a debt of gratitude to having stood by him amid intense criticism following the Liverpool debacle.

The meticulous Dutchman has helped drag the Old Trafford giants up from a low ebb, leading them back into the Champions League having won the Carabao Cup in his first season at the helm.

Ten Hag now has the chance to end a positive campaign by completing a domestic cup double with a statement victory at Wembley, where United take on treble-chasing Manchester City on Saturday.

The first all-Manchester FA Cup final promises to be a special occasion and one that Fernandes, set to skipper the side, believes can provide the catalyst for further success.

“It is important for us, even to build,” the Portugal international told the PA news agency. “We are now building something we see can be special in the future.

“Obviously I think if we win the FA Cup, it will give a little bit more belief that we can go into the next season and aim for bigger targets.”

Fernandes, who signed a new deal at United towards the end of last season, said: “I want to win trophies at the club.

“I spoke with the club before I signed that contract and said ‘I want to be successful with the club, but I need to make sure the club is going to be the right things and do things in a successful way’.

“I think those steps are being done. We still need some things and I think we will have that. Not only with transfers but also in the dressing room with us stepping up more in moments that we needed it this season, but we didn’t.

“Next season we will have learned so we need to do it better.”

Fernandes’ drive and fiercely ambitious nature matches that of Ten Hag, who he credits for overseeing a “big improvement on the team mentality wise and quality wise”.

“I said since the beginning of the season he demands a lot,” the playmaker said. “He wants to win. He wants to be in the position to win everything.

“He has made high demands for everyone to understand that we are in a big club and to be here we have to deserve to be here, we have to show that we deserve to be here.

“And I think that he has been changing the mentality of everyone to not be relaxed, not be thinking that your place is guaranteed here.”

Ten Hag has overseen a largely positive campaign, but there have been some ugly bumps in the road – no more so than March’s club record-equalling 7-0 defeat at arch-rivals Liverpool.

That shellacking saw skipper Fernandes face scathing criticism from the likes of United greats Roy Keane and Gary Neville – a stinging assessment that led to a staunch defence by his manager.

“I’m aware that he’s really happy with the way I train, the way I play, the way I show my emotions, the way I show my passion for the game,” the Portuguese said of Ten Hag.

“He knows I care, that’s why probably sometimes it makes you do some things that you should not do.

“But he knows that I will never do nothing to make the team look bad, my team-mates look bad, or making something that is not good for the team.

“He knows that, so that’s why it protects me. That’s why he did that in that interview and many other times.

“Whenever he thinks that he has to say something that he didn’t like to me, he has called me two or three times in his office and he said ‘look, we have to change this, we have to change this, I think you could do it in a different way’.

“We had many conversations this season. He always called the players to talk with them, he has a lot of individual meetings with the players.

“I think that’s good because he shows you the respect, he shows you the protection. But always with the demands behind that because obviously when you protect someone you want him to give you some back, so he can have his reasons to protect you.”

Captaining United to their first domestic cup double will certainly help repay Ten Hag’s backing and would mean a huge amount to the fans.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s 1999 heroes are the only team to have won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same campaign, adding extra incentive – if any was needed – to Saturday’s encounter under the arch.

“We are aware of this,” Fernandes said. “We know this. We know the story of our club and that the fans don’t want City to do that.

“But for ourselves it is about lifting a trophy. The importance of this for us is winning another trophy, making sure we end the season in the best way possible.

“We know if we win the trophy, the consequence of that is Man City cannot do the treble anymore.

“But from the players’ side, it is just about winning the game because we want to win a trophy for ourselves, the club, the fans. That is it.”

UEFA has confirmed referee Szymon Marciniak will remain in charge of next week’s Champions League final after investigating his alleged links with a far-right movement.

Marciniak was under review after speaking at a recent event organised by Polish far-right leader Slawomir Mentzen and his role as match official for Manchester City’s clash with Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10 was in doubt.

But UEFA is satisfied that Marciniak had been “gravely misled and completely unaware of the true nature and affiliations of the event in question” and will keep the 42-year-old Pole as referee.

UEFA said: “Following Mr. Marciniak’s statement, UEFA acknowledges his profound apologies and clarification.

“UEFA also reached out to “NEVERAGAIN,” an NGO affiliated with the FARE network, which raised the initial concerns about Mr. Marciniak’s involvement in the event.

“They requested that Mr. Marciniak remain in his role as the referee for the upcoming UEFA Champions League final, firmly asserting that removing him would undermine the promotion of anti-discrimination.

“Based on the information provided, UEFA confirms that Mr. Marciniak will fulfil his role as the referee for the 2023 UEFA Champions League final.”

The organiser of the event at which Marciniak was a guest speaker, co-chairman of the Confederation party Mentzen, launched the political slogan ‘We stand against Jews, gays, abortion, taxation and the European Union’.

Anti-racism group Never Again had urged UEFA to drop Marciniak after the event at the International Congress Centre in Katowice.

Marciniak said in a statement: “I want to express my deepest apologies for my involvement and any distress or harm it may have caused.

“Upon reflection and further investigation, it has become evident that I was gravely misled and completely unaware of the true nature and affiliations of the event in question.

“I had no knowledge that it was associated (with) a Polish extreme-right movement. Had I been aware of this fact, I would have categorically declined the invitation.

“It is important to understand that the values promoted by this movement are entirely contrary to my personal beliefs and the principles I strive to uphold in my life. I am deeply remorseful for any perception that my participation may have contradicted them.”

Marciniak, 42, became the first Polish referee to take charge of a World Cup final in Qatar last December when Argentina beat France on penalties.

He refereed the second leg of City’s semi-final win against Real Madrid and has taken charge of seven other Champions League fixtures.

Former England international Jesse Lingard will leave Nottingham Forest at the end of his contract.

Lingard raised eyebrows when he joined Forest last season following their promotion to the Premier League, turning down West Ham to sign a lucrative one-year deal.

But his time at the City Ground did not work out and he made just 20 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals in the Carabao Cup.

He featured just four times in 2023, but was a constant presence on the touchline as Forest beat the odds to retain their Premier League status.

The 30-year-old will now look for a third club in three years, with reports linking him to a number of cash-rich leagues abroad.

Andre Ayew, who signed a short-term contract in January, will also depart the City Ground this summer, along with Jack Colback, Cafu, Lyle Taylor and Jordan Smith.

Right-back Serge Aurier, who was a key performer in Forest’s survival mission, has triggered the one-year option in his contract so will stay for the 2023/24 campaign.

Loanees Dean Henderson, Keylor Navas and Renan Lodi come to the end of their deals, though Forest are understood to be interested in exploring permanent moves for Manchester United goalkeeper Henderson and Brazilian Lodi.

Forest are not expected to have a repeat of last summer’s recruitment drive, which saw them sign 22 players by the end of the transfer window and go up to 30 by the end of January.

But it is still likely to be busy as boss Steve Cooper targets a smaller number of quality additions and will be keen to move several players on as he trims a bloated squad.

Manchester United are through to the FA Cup final where they will face their bitter rivals Manchester City. 

Erik ten Hag’s team are looking to land their second piece of silverware at Wembley, having already won the Carabao Cup earlier this season. 

They also have the extra motivation of being able to prevent City from winning a possible Treble — an achievement the Red Devils famously managed in 1999. 

Ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final, we take a look at United’s route to Wembley. 

Third round — Manchester United 3-1 Everton

United’s journey to the famous arch began with a home match against Premier League opposition in the form of Everton. 

The hosts took the lead after just four minutes when Marcus Rashford’s pace gave him the space to deliver a cross that Antony converted. Ten minutes later, Conor Coady equalised for the Blues

Another dangerous cross from Rashford in the second half saw Coady put the ball in his own net. The England forward completed the scoring from the penalty spot in added time. 

Fourth round — Manchester United 3-1 Reading

Reading ended up being relegated from the Championship but they made life tough for United at Old Trafford. 

The scoring was not opened until early in the second half when Antony released Casemiro, who dinked the ball home. Four minutes later the midfielder scored a second with a deflected long-range effort. 

Things got worse for Reading when Andy Carroll was sent off and Fred quickly scored a third. Though the Royals pulled one back through Amadou Mbengue, United were through comfortably in the end. 

Fifth round — Manchester United 3-1 West Ham

The last 16 saw the Red Devils back up against Premier League opposition as West Ham visited Old Trafford. 

For the first time in this FA Cup run, United found themselves behind after Said Benrahma smashed home to give the Hammers the lead early in the second-half. 

With 13 minutes remaining, a corner was headed into his own net by West Ham’s Nayed Aguerd to trigger a comeback. Alejandro Garnacho put United ahead in stoppage time with a brilliant curled finish before Fred sealed victory. 

Quarter-finals — Manchester United 3-1 Fulham

The quarter-finals saw another home game against a Premier League side and another 3-1 victory in which the opposition took a second-half lead. 

Fulham looked like they could pull off a shock when Aleksandar Mitrovic put them ahead but he would be sent off later in the half for rowing with the ref after Willian received a red card for handling on the line. 

Bruno Fernandes converted the resulting penalty to make it even with 15 minutes left. Marcel Sabitzer flicked home to put the hosts ahead soon later and Fernandes completed the scoring with his second. 

Semi-finals — Manchester United 0-0 Brighton (7-6 on penalties)

The semi-finals at Wembley saw United play away from home for the first time in this FA Cup run as they met Roberto De Zerbi’s high-flying Brighton. 

It was the Seagulls who had the better of the 90 minutes and extra-time and David de Gea kept his side in the game with saves from Alexis Mac Allister and Julio Enciso. 

The clash went to penalties with the first six from both teams being converted. Eventually, Brighton’s Solly March skied an effort over and Victor Lindelof took the opportunity to set up a first Manchester derby in the FA Cup final.

UEFA will decide on Friday whether to replace Champions League final referee Szymon Marciniak due to his alleged links with a far-right movement in Poland.

Marciniak is being investigated by UEFA after it was claimed he spoke at a recent event organised by a Polish far-right leader Slawomir Mentzen.

UEFA appointed Marciniak last month to referee the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10.

European football’s governing body said: “UEFA is aware of the allegations surrounding Szymon Marciniak and is seeking urgent clarification.

“UEFA and the whole football community abhor the ‘values’ that are promoted by the group in question and takes these allegations very seriously.

“A further announcement will be made (on Friday) after reviewing all the evidence.”

Mentzen, co-chairman of the Confederation party, launched the political slogan ‘We stand against Jews, gays, abortion, taxation and the European Union’.

Anti-racism group Never Again has urged UEFA to drop Marciniak after claiming he had promoted and was one of the keynote speakers at an event held by Mentzen at the International Congress Centre in Katowice.

Marciniak, 42, became the first Polish referee to take charge of a World Cup final in Qatar last December when Argentina beat France on penalties.

He refereed the second leg of City’s semi-final win against Real Madrid and has taken charge of seven other Champions League fixtures.

David Moyes insists West Ham will not resort to the use of dark arts following Fiorentina’s admission they will employ tactical fouls in next Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final.

The Serie A club’s boss Vincenzo Italiano has outlined his strategy for the showpiece in Prague, stating it will be necessary to combat the Hammers’ most potent threat.

“We will try to not give them dangerous balls and to work on tactical fouls, preventative tackles, to avoid counter-attacks. These are the counter-measures to play against this kind of attitude,” Italiano said.

But Moyes promises that West Ham, who are aiming to win their first trophy since defeating Arsenal in the 1980 FA Cup final, will stick to the rules.

“It will be down to the referees to sort that out and not for us to have a huge opinion on it,” he said.

“We’ll try to play a fair game and from my point of view that’s always the best way to try and do it.”

West Ham have completed the Premier League season without receiving a single red card while also incurring the lowest number of yellows in the competition with 43.

“I didn’t know that stat and it’s obviously a good stat. You always want to be well disciplined in finals and in any games. Hopefully that’s the way it remains,” Moyes said.

“You also hope that the referees are looking at that and saying, ‘they’re a well disciplined side going about their job correctly’. Hopefully they’re doing their homework as well.”

Lionel Messi has nothing left to prove in his career and there would be plenty for him to like about playing in Saudi Arabia, according to Steven Nzonzi.

With his time at Paris Saint-Germain seemingly coming to an end after two years, Messi has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, where long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo is already playing with Al-Nassr.

The World Cup winner is also being courted by former club Barcelona in LaLiga, while he has often been connected with the possibility of finishing his career in the United States. 

Messi, 35, has a big decision to make and Nzonzi, who has spent two seasons in the Middle East playing with Al-Rayyan in Qatar, knows a move would make a seismic impact on the region, with its reach stretching beyond football.

With World Cup success for Argentina now secured, Nzonzi does not think Messi should feel any pressure to continue chasing the game’s biggest honours, even if the prospect of a return to the “club of his heart” Barca may be appealing.

Nzonzi told Stats Perform: “If you are Messi, I think that you have done everything in football, so you can do whatever you want and be fine with your decision.

“You literally have nothing left to prove. It has been already years and years that he has had nothing left to prove – but now he just got the World Cup too.

“So just an easy decision for him, I would say. Maybe not easy, because it’s between Barcelona, the club of his heart, and Saudi Arabia, it might not be so easy, I don’t know. 

“But in any case, it would be great for Saudi Arabia if you go there for sure. You [would] have [Cristiano Ronaldo] and Messi, the most famous and two of the best players in the world ever. It’s great for the Middle East, for Saudi Arabia and for football in general.

“Of course, [with] a player like Ronaldo going into a league like Saudi Arabia, it’s going to boost the league, it’s going to boost the Middle East as well, because it’s the whole area that can be impacted by this.”

Nzonzi, who won the Europa League during a three-year stay with Sevilla that saw him regularly do battle with Messi at Barca, acknowledges the new league would take some getting used to for the forward after playing at the top level for so long, but thinks the lifestyle has plenty to offer.

Asked about playing in the Middle East, he added: “I’ve been there, I’ve stayed there two seasons. It was good, it was challenging, because we’re always trying to change.

“It is a big change when you’ve been playing at a high level for a long period of time. I was happy to live there. You know, the lifestyle is great. And the football is good, too.

“You learn in any experience, you learn. And that was the most important thing for me, to keep learning to keep helping other players if I can and keep doing my job. That’s what I enjoyed the most.”

Despite being unable to help PSG to what remains an elusive Champions League triumph, Messi has been productive in winning Ligue 1 twice. 

This season he has 32 goal involvements (16 goals and 16 assists) in 31 top-flight matches, with Saturday’s contest at home to Clermont still to come.

Ronaldo and Al- Nassr, meanwhile, sit second in the Saudi Pro League. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star has scored 14 goals in 16 league appearances.

Manchester United are prepared to offer Harry Maguire as part of a package deal to land Mason Mount from Chelsea this summer.

The Red Devils have reportedly agreed personal terms with the England midfielder, whose current contract at Stamford Bridge expires at the end of next season.

But Mount, 24, is still valued at around £70million by the Blues and adding his international colleague to the deal could soften the blow to the Red Devils’ bank balance.

According to The Sun, United view Maguire as a £30m player despite paying £85m for him in 2019.

The 30-year-old defender was restricted to just eight Premier League starts by Erik ten Hag this season and appears to have no future at Old Trafford.

Chelsea have already turned down a £30m bid from Brighton for Levi Colwill, say the Daily Mail.

The 20-year-old centre-back enjoyed a superb season on loan at the Seagulls and will likely be a part of Mauricio Pochettino’s long-term plans.

In other news

Aston Villa have joined Newcastle in the race to sign out-of-favour Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney, according to The Times.

The Standard report that Champions League finalists Inter Milan are pushing hard to sign 23-year-old centre-back Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea.

Lionel Messi has been offered £43m to spend four seasons in the MLS with Inter Miami, say Sport, after his Paris Saint-Germain exit was confirmed on Thursday.

Jude Bellingham hopes to help inspire the next generation of footballers to take up a sport that the teenage sensation surprisingly admits he did not like growing up.

The 19-year-old is one of the greatest talents in the world and was this week crowned Bundesliga player of the season after going agonisingly close to winning the title with Borussia Dortmund.

Bellingham has established himself as a key figure for country as well as club, shining in England’s run to the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar during the winter.

But if it had not been for a light-bulb moment as a kid, things could have been so very different.

Despite regularly going to watch his father, Mark, score goals aplenty for non-league clubs around the Midlands, football initially sparked indifference rather than excitement in Bellingham.

He said: “I just wasn’t really having it.

“My dad would take me to his non-league games and over time it kind of clicked but it did take a while.

“I think it was frustrating for him for a while, but when it did I was addicted and I still am, thankfully.”

Bellingham cannot pinpoint the exact moment of football enlightenment but says his time at boyhood club Birmingham made him “fall in love with it”.

He fondly remembers the “wide-eyed happiness” he felt going to training at Blues – the same kind of joy he is now looking to bring to others.

Bellingham has joined McDonald’s Fun Football as an ambassador – a programme that provides free, inclusive football coaching for children aged five to 11 across more than 1,500 locations in the UK.

Speaking after his first taste of Fun Football, he said: “It was a pleasure for me to come here and play with the kids and have a kickabout with them and see what it’s all about.

“It’s obviously my first time experiencing the things that McDonald’s are doing and how they want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get into football.

“For me, it’s so important because the game is showing that it’s becoming more inclusive.

“You know, what the (England) women did last year (winning the Euros) kind of put women’s football on the map essentially, and you had such a great mix of boys and girls today from whatever backgrounds.

“They all just come and have a great time and they’re playing. When they’re having fun and laughing, that puts a smile on my face and is exactly what it is all about.”

Bellingham feels “a lot of pride” knowing he can “make an impact on the next generation” and spent time signing autographs and posing for photos long after the session.

Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney were the kind of players he idolised growing up and the teenager finds it surreal to now be the subject of similar adulation.

“Days like today are really humbling, to be honest,” Bellingham said. “You come in and there’s people with your shirt on and they know who you are straightaway, and they can’t wait to play football with you.

“I think, for me, it’s a feeling that’s priceless to be honest. You do what you do on the pitch and you hope that people enjoy watching it but their love for you is so genuine, it’s so pure.

“They really enjoy being around you, not because they want something because it’s just a fun day for them. I wanted to repay that and make sure that they had as much fun as possible but, yeah, it’s all come very fast.

“It still feels a bit surreal but I’m trying to enjoy it one day at a time.”

:: Jude Bellingham was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football session to announce his role as an ambassador for the UK’s largest grassroots participation programme for 5-11 year-olds. Find your nearest free session at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/football.