Category: Sports news

Tottenham contact Barcelona for Clement Lenglet

Tottenham Hotspur have set their sights on Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet for a January transfer, according to the latest reports from The Sun.

Antonio Conte, who admitted that Tottenham’s squad was not up to standard after their loss to Mura in the European Conference League, has managed to whip the team into a fighting shape.

The North London club have kept three clean sheets in their last five Premier League games but Conte is still pining for more defensive reinforcements as he looks to make the Tottenham Hotspur team in his image.

Clement Lenglet has been a target for Spurs for some time, and with Barcelona looking to solve a big financial issue, the Lilywhites could make a move for the 26-year-old French defender and offer Barcelona some much-needed funds.

Lenglet signed for Barcelona from Sevilla in 2018 and is in his fourth season at Barcelona. In that time, he has won a LaLiga title, a Copa del Rey trophy and a Supercopa de Espana trophy during his stay at the club. His fine form for Barcelona in his debut season saw him earn his first call-up to the French national team and he has been a part of their dynamics ever since.

He has since been relegated to being a squad option after an impressive debut season at the Camp Nou which saw him displace fellow Frenchman Samuel Umtiti. 

Spurs are in need of a left-footed defender as Welsh fullback Ben Davies is the only left-footed defender at the club. This will also mean that Lnglet could slot in seamlessly into Antonio Conte’s preferred 3-5-2 formation as the left-sided centre back.

Sevilla contact Barcelona for Lenglet

Lenglet could be returning to his old club Sevilla according to more reports from El Nacional. The defender recently came under fire from Barcelona fans after cameras caught him laughing with Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski following their 3-0 defeat to the German champions in the Champions League which sent them to the Europa League.

El Nacional claims that Clement Lenglet is being looked at by Sevilla who are preparing for the exit of Jules Kounde who could be leaving for Chelsea in the summer. Reports from November also claim that Lenglet was offered to The Andalusian giants for €10 million ahead of the January transfer window. Now, they are the ones reportedly looking into a potential summer deal that could see them paying more to Barcelona for their former defender.

The 26-year-old has started only eight games this season for Barcelona as he has seen his spot usurped by new signing Eric Garcia and former youth player Ronald Araujo. However, unlike Tottenham’s interest in the defender for a January transfer, Sevilla are targeting the Frenchman for a summer transfer.

This could give Xavi some more time with him as the Barcelona manager still considers Lenglet a very important squad player and hopes to keep him beyond the summer.

Allegri unfazed by Mino Raiola’s claims that De Ligt will move on from Juventus

Matthijs de Ligt’s agent, Mino Raiola, is in the news again talking about his client and this time, he has claimed that the former Kopa Trophy winner is ready for a new challenge.

Mino Raiola is a name many fans will have tired of hearing because the players he represents are some of the best in the game and he is always riding on that wave to make provocative statements.

Erling Haaland, one of Raiola’s clients is currently the target of many big clubs and the super agent has rode on that wave to make the race for Haaland look like a movie.

Asides being able to get his players into the biggest clubs for the biggest transfer fees, the agent is also very high maintenance which makes it difficult for many clubs to do business with him. Raiola is also in cahoots with many football big wigs and corporations.

All of these have served to make him a personality fans – and some football stakeholders – love to hate, but his clientele, contacts and track record make him one of the best in the game and deserving of the title, super agent.

This time around, Raiola is talking up a storm in the media about his client, Juventus defender Matthias De Ligt. The agent now claims that the 22-year-old Netherlands international is now ready for life after Juventus.

The former Ajax Amsterdam captain left his boyhood club for Italy in 2019 but has failed to totally justify the €75million transfer fee paid for him by Juventus, no doubt influenced by having Mino Raiola as his agent.

The young defender is now coming into his own this season as Bianconeri boss Massimiliano Allegri has trusted him more than any other defender in the team this season.

His time learning from the veterans Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci is finally paying off and the stats are there to prove it.

The young defender leads the rest of Juventus’ defence in aerial duels and tackles. In light of all these, Raiola has come out to state that the defender is now “ready for a new step”.

De Ligt’s next step is in the game, says Allegri

Raiola’s comment comes just a day after Juventus chief executive Maurizio Arrivabene told Bianconeri supporters to forget about the club making any big-money signings in January because the club wants to focus on footballing and financial stability.

Allegri was asked in a press conference about Raiola’s comments and if they were insensitive to Juventus’ current plight.

“What do I have to say? Repeat the question? Or not answer?” Allegri asked the journalists back.

“The next step for Matthijs is in the next game. He has to score a goal,” he went on.

“I haven’t heard what Raiola said. Matthijs is improving, he played really well in Bologna, he is 22 and has great quality, he can only improve as any other player, from Kulusevski to Chiesa and Rabiot.

“The growth must be our target, then we’ll see what happens in the market.”

Elsewhere, Barcelona will be looking to get into Raiola’s good books by doing him a favour which could be repaid with the opportunity to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.

Ajax right back Noussair Mazraoui is looking to leave the Eredivisie champions in the summer and wants to play for Barcelona.

Barcelona President Joan Laporta is considering signing the right back as a way to get Raiola to consider Barcelona as a prime destination for Haaland in the summer.

Real Madrid approach Dortmund for Haaland; Dortmund pushing for striker to stay

Borussia Dortmund have revealed that Real Madrid are “very interested” in Erling Haaland after receiving an official inquiry about the Norwegian striker.

The former Red Bull Salzburg striker is the hottest property in football right now and is courted by all the too teams in the world. Real Madrid are looking to make him their next Galactico signing, alongside Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe.

Having reached out to the club to inquire about the striker’s €75 million release clause, Dortmund, through chief executive officer Hans-Joachim Watzke, have now officially confirm Real Madrid’s concrete interest.

“No matter where I go, everyone speaks to you about Erling Haaland,” Watzke told German outlet BILD in a recent interview.

“All I know is a guarantee that Real Madrid are very interested in him. 

“I could name 25 others now. But I know for sure, it can be that he leaves, but it can also be that he stays. A few days ago I had a very good conversation with Mino Raiola, when we are in a target corridor, the conversations are always quite friendly and that phone call was quite friendly. 

“We will certainly have another meeting in the next few weeks. The focus is on the overall development of Haaland. 

“Just like with Lewandowski, I would like to be proud of Erling at some point if he wins the Champions League. Personally, I think it’s good for him if he stays in the Bundesliga a little longer.”

Haaland can wait for anybody, claims Raiola

The 21-year-old is a dream signing for many clubs including Barcelona, whose financial situation will definitely be an obstacle in signing the player at the end of the season.

The Catalan club is currently in need of many reinforcements and is also looking to offload a number of players to offset their wage bill and shake up the squad to beat it back into fighting shape.

Raiola has given the Camp Nou hierarchy a glimmer of hope in their pursuit of the Norwegian, as he says that Haaland can wait for anybody, including Barcelona as he doesn’t rule out another season with Dortmund.

“Could Haaland wait for Barcelona? He can wait for anybody,” Raiola said to NOS when specifically asked about Barcelona’s interest in his client. “We don’t have a pre-agreement with any club.

“We’ll look for the best option for him and I can’t rule out another year at Dortmund. Theoretically, that’s still possible.”

Raiola also went on to note that Barcelona may be down but not out due to their current financial situation.

“Barcelona will always be one of the world’s biggest clubs,” Raiola added. “Even despite their current situation.

“In a year or two they’ll be back. They have the power to find great economic agreements. They’ll only need a year or two to get back.”

The Camp Nou hierarchy, however, could be in Raiola’s good books if they do the super agent a favour by signing one of his players who dreams of playing for the Catalan club.

Ajax Amsterdam right-back Noussair Mazraoui will be out of a contract at the Eredivisie side in the summer and is holding on from contract negotiations as he hopes Barcelona will make a.move for him soon.

Signing Mazraoui could be a step in the right direction for Barcelona’s pursuit of Haaland.

UEFA continues to oppose FIFA’s plans for a biennial World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is still facing a major obstacle in Aleksander Ceferin and UEFA in his plans for a biennial World Cup.

FIFA plans to hold a stakeholders meeting with its 211 member nations on Monday. Ahead of the meeting, FIFA released the results of a fan survey which shows a majority disposition to a more frequent World Cup.

FIFA’s survey claims 63.7 percent of football fans surveyed would like to see a more frequent World Cup tournament. However, the survey respondents voted in favour of a more frequent World Cup if it will not increase player workload.

Meanwhile, UEFA has come out with their own reports and has warned of a “deeply negative outlook” for international football should FIFA’s plans scale.

Also, in FIFA’ survey, European fans made up a small percentage of the majority vote and the major percentage of the minority vote of 48 percent who voted against the biennial World Cup.

The minority vote against the biennial World Cup came from three of the strongest footballing nations of England, Germany and France which also presents a headache for President Infantino.

The results of the FIFA survey and UEFA’s stance

Majority of Europe were against it, but 10 percent of the English fans surveyed were in favour of the idea.

African and Asian fans made up the majority of the positive responses with 76 percent and 66 percent of fans from these continents voting for the idea respectively.

Age also played a role in the votes, with the younger fan demographic mostly in support and the older ones opposing the idea.

UEFA’s study to rival FIFA’s survey “raise severe concerns over the sustainability of the plan for European associations”, according to reports. UEFA’s study also noted that the plans for the biennial World Cup raised issues for other sports, a concern previously brought up by the International Olympic Committee.

UEFA’s study had a survey in which only 25 percent of European fans gave their yeses while 40 percent said they would watch less knockout and group matches and 60 percent thought the World Cup’s prestige would drop.

UEFA’s statement read: “In this dark sporting context, the research conducted by Oliver & Ohlbaum projects a deeply negative outlook for European national team football, should the FIFA plan be implemented.

“Adding up the losses from centralised revenues (media rights of men’s European Qualifiers and Nations League; distributions from UEFA EURO) and from individual sources such as ticketing and sponsorships, revenues for European national associations might drop between €2.5 and €3 billion over a cycle of four years, depending on the number of qualifying windows available (two or just one).

“Echoing the clear objections expressed by the European stakeholders on several occasions and the firm and motivated opposition announced by fans’ organisations, UEFA believes that radical changes should be proposed only if they result in clear and unquestionable benefits for the game and its actors.”

Why is FIFA proposing a biennial World Cup?

FIFA claims that a biennial World Cup will create more funds that could benefit African, Asian and South American member nations who have a greater reliance on FIFA funds.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino also wants to “make football truly global” by opening up the World Cup to smaller countries.

This move has already begun with the expansion of the tournament to 48 teams from 2026 and is expected to solidify with the biennial World Cup.

 

Brazilian club Cruzeiro become Ronaldo’s second club

Brazil legend Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, popularly called Ronaldo, is now the new owner of his boyhood club, Cruzeiro Esporte Clube.

Ronaldo’s bid beat Fenway Sports Group (FSG), owners of Liverpool FC to secure the rights to the major shares of the club, giving the local hero the reins to his boyhood club.

Cruzeiro is currently struggling in the second tier of Brazilian football but their acquisition by O Fenomeno has given the club’s hierarchy something to smile about and a future to look forward to.

Ronaldo only spent a year with Cruzeiro’s senior team in the Brazilian Serie A back in 1993/94 but his impact was felt all through the nation.

His 44 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions helped the club to win their first ever Copa do Brasil in 1993 and gave him visibility in Europe.

Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven were the ones to snap him up from Cruzeiro and the rest, as they say, is history.

The 45-year-old is now enjoying retirement from a career that was cut short due to injuries and has made a name in Brazil as an astute businessman, with sports business being one of his many ventures.

Cruzeiro is the second club he has acquired. Spanish Segunda side Real Valladolid is the first, and he currently serves as both owner controlling an 82 percent stake (51 percent when he bought it in 2018) in the club, and president who oversees the day to day running of the club.

“I have a lot to give back”, Ronaldo tells Cruzeiro fans

The final agreement to make Ronaldo the majority shareholder between Ronald and the club’s president Sergio Santos Rodrigues was reached during a meeting in Sao Paulo on Saturday.

Ronaldo and Rodrigues both announced the news on an Instagram live session.

“I have a lot to give back. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We will. We have a lot of work and ambition to do the Cruzeiro again,” Ronaldo said during the Instagram live.

Rodrigues added: “The club that revealed Ronaldo to the world, now Ronaldo is opening the doors to the world again.

“A job very well done and sewn for a while. Already known as president, now majority shareholder of Cruzeiro SAF.”

Ronaldo will be taking charge of a Cruzeiro with serious financial problems just like he did with Real Valladolid, and will hope that he can take them back to the Brazilian Serie A and into better financial times.

Xavi: Top four is main objective at Barcelona

Xavi Hernandez has managed his return to Barcelona relatively well given the resources he has had to work with, but his comments before the Elche game suggest a humble disposition for the Spanish giants this season.

Xavi took charge of his fifth LaLiga game since taking over from Ronald Koeman at Barcelona earlier in the season and his side marched on to a hard-fought win over relegation strugglers Elche.

Before the game, Xavi admitted that Barcelona are way off the mark in terms of squad strength and quality this season but will be fighting for the top four positions.

“The main objective is to be in the top four and to win titles,” Xavi said in the pre-match press conference before his side went on to beat Elche.

“Nothing can be ruled out, we are a long way behind the leader but I have great confidence in the squad.

“The results aren’t coming but I am confident, the feelings are better and positive, even if the results aren’t, tomorrow is another huge test.”

Xavi has now won three, drawn and lost one each of his five LaLiga games so far and is currently seventh on the table with 27 points.

The Elche match could have ended differently but his side left it late, with Nico Gonzalez’s second goal of the season sealing all three points for the Blaugrana at the Camp Nou.

Xavi praised the fighting spirit of his young squad, singling out Pablo Gaviria who surpassed Lionel Messi to become Barcelona’s third youngest ever goal scorer.

Xavi: Barcelona have lost their style

Xavi, however, also noted that the squad has been poor and said that they have “lost the Barcelona style”.

“We’ve lost [Barcelona’s] model of play and we have to bring it back,” Xavi said after the game.

“I have not been here for six years and there are things that have surprised me tactically. I wasn’t here so I don’t know who’s responsible for it, but it’s making [the job] hard for us.

“The large majority [of players] don’t understand positional play. There are mechanisms that I understood from the age of 11 and we have players here that haven’t worked on them.”

He also expressed hopes that this win will mark a turning point in their season as they march forward towards their objectives of finishing in the top four of LaLiga.

“We hope this will be a point of inflection,” the 41-year-old said. “We complicated things for ourselves. Elche survived on our errors and that cannot be the case. We have to learn and be more responsible.

“I was a little angry [after they equalised] because I wasn’t imagining not winning the game. We deserved much more, but in the situation we’re in, these are three golden points.”

Barcelona tracking Haaland; will need to fulfill condition to become key destination for Dortmund striker

Before the Elche game, Xavi spoke about the club’s interest in Erling Haaland.

“At the moment we have a difficult economic situation,” he noted.

“We have to be realistic and think that it will not be easy to strengthen the team, there is a problem with the salary limits. We will see what happens. I don’t know anything about Haaland, everyone would be interested.”

Barcelona could jump ahead of the competition for Haaland’s signature next summer if they can do a favour for Mino Raiola, however.

Sport reports that Barcelona President Joan Laporta is willing to do anything to land the Norwegian striker and that includes signing another of Raiola’s clients, Ajax Amsterdam right-back Noussair Mazraoui.

Mazraoui is currently enjoying his best football at Ajax, scoring four goals and providing three assists as Ajax defends their Eredivisie title. His defensive abilities are also top-tier, having helped the club keep 14 clean sheets in the 21 games he has played so far.

Mazraoui has expressed a desire to play for the Catalan giants and with his contract expiring at the end of the season, could become a cheap option for Barcelona who are currently struggling at the right-back position.

This deal could sway Raiola’s favour towards Barcelona as they battle with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain for Haaland’s signature.

Robert Lewandowski matches Cristiano Ronaldo’s best goal tally for a calendar year; breaks two other records

Robert Lewandowski has matched Cristiano Ronaldo’s best goal scoring year in the last gameweek of the German Bundesliga in 2021.

The France Football Striker of the year scored the last goal as Bayern cruised to a 4-0 victory over Wolfsburg to score his 69th goal of 2021, matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s 69 goals from 2013 with Real Madrid.

The goal was also Lewandowski’s 19th goal of the current Bundesliga season, a feat achieved in just 17 games. This is also a record in the Bundesliga as no striker has scored this much after just 17 games.

That goal was also the Polish striker’s 43rd German Bundesliga goal in 2021, breaking the record set by German icon GERD Muller almost 50 years ago.

The Bayern Munich front man now has 30 goals in all competitions for the German giants this season, and is only 11 away from 500 goals in club football, after achieving a career total for both club and country of 500 in January 2021.

Wolfsburg will currently be rueing their luck as Lewandowski has made them his favourite opponents. That goal was his 24th in 21 matches against the club.

Bayern Munich rule themselves out of January transfer window

Bayern Munich have officially ruled themselves out of any business in the January transfer window.

Speaking to the media before the Wolfsburg game, Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic confirmed that the club would not be signing any new players in the upcoming winter transfer window.

“It’s not a topic for us at all,” Salihamidzic told broadcaster DAZN before the match. “We are really well-staffed, that’s a fact.

“We will continue as things are this season.”

Bayern spent in excess of €60 million in the summer to secure both Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sanitizer from Red Bull Leipzig while also signing Omar Richards from Reading and Sven Ulreich on free transfers.

However, a few departures from the club may be seen in the winter. Corentin Tolisso, Marc Roca and Mickael Cuisance are the possible departures from the club.

Bayern considering Ousmane Dembele transfer

Bayern Munich will be having a quiet winter but not a quiet summer of 2022.

They are already identifying targets including Erling Haaland, who they see as Robert Lewandowski’s long-term replacement if the Pole chooses to move on in the summer.

They are also working on closing new deals for their current players to extend their time at the Allianz Arena. One of such players is Kingsley Coman, whose contract talks are not going as planned for the German giants.

Coman’s contract with the German champions expires in 2023, but if Bayern cannot agree a new deal with the forward by summer of 2022, they will be putting him on the market as they don’t want to lose Coman for free, according to Christian Falk of SportBild.

Falk claims that Bayern have identified Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele as a potential replacement for Coman if their contract renewal talks fall through.

Dembele is also giving Barcelona a hard time with his own contract renewal talks and it is looking more than likely that the Frenchman may leave Camp Nou in the summer for free.

Barcelona targeting Marcus Rashford as Sergio Aguero replacement

More reports from Spain now claim that Barcelona are paying attention to Marcus Rashford’s situation at Manchester United and are considering him as a replacement for Sergio Aguero.

Sergio Aguero announced his retirement in a press conference on Wednesday at the Camp Nou after missing a month of action due to heart related issues.

The striker clutched his chest after challenging for a ball with Deportivo Alaves defender Victor Laguardia back in October and had to be led out of the pitch.

Further testing showed that Aguero has heart arrhythmia and after some more weeks of monitoring, the Argentine was advised to call it quits on his stellar professional career.

Barcelona, who he featured for only four times, is now left without a striker. The Spanish giants were already in the market for a back up striker but the latest developments now mean that they are stepping up their search for a replacement for Aguero.

Mundo Deportivo reports that Marcus Rashford is the new name on Barcelona’s list. He joins Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Edinson Cavani, Timo Werner, Ferran Torres among others as potential transfer targets for January.

Rashford agreed to Barcelona move in 2018

According to a 2020 report by Mundo Deportivo, Marcus Rashford spoke to Barcelona who were at the time looking for a long-term replacement for Luis Suarez back in 2018.

The striker, 20 at the time, had agreed to the deal but later pulled out due to fears of fitting in with Barcelona’s super star-studded team at the time.

Barcelona reportedly did not stop monitoring the England international but never made a concrete move for him. With Aguero gone, his name has been pushed up the potential transfer options list by President Joan Laporta.

Rashford has a little over 18 months on his current contract and has, in the past, talked about joining the Catalan club if the opportunity arises.

Arsenal told to stay away from Anthony Martial

Elsewhere, Arsenal have been warned by former Aston Villa captain Gabriel Agbonlahor to stay away from wantaway Manchester United striker, Anthony Martial.

The Frenchman has struggled for game-time at Manchester United for two seasons and is no longer looking to convince anyone at the club about his qualities, choosing instead to try his luck elsewhere.

Many clubs are interested in the 26-year-old including Atlético de Madrid and Arsenal, but the Gunners have been specifically warned by Agbonlahor to steer clear of Martial as he would present another Nicolas Pepe-like problem for them.

“There’s something about Martial that I don’t really like,” Agbonlahor told Football Insider.

“He turns up for one game but then misses three games. You could have another Pepe on your hands, I’d stay away from that if I was Arsenal.

“He’d probably be sulking if he went to Arsenal after being at Man United. I just don’t see that one happening.”

Christian Eriksen and Inter Milan part ways

Christian Eriksen and Inter Milan have mutually parted ways as Italian national medical laws prohibit people with heart issues from active sports.

Eriksen suffered a cardiovascular risk in Denmark’s Euro 2020 game against Belgium in June and has been out of action in the months that followed as he recovered.

The Dane is now back to full fitness and ready to pick up from where he left off in his career. However, he will be playing with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator for the rest of his career.

This issue has led to the club he was contracted to up until the unfortunate incident, Inter Milan, to end things with the 29-year-old because local health regulations will not permit Eriksen to keep playing in Italy.

“The club and the entire Nerazzurri family wish Christian all the very best for his future,” Inter said in the statement announcing the termination of the Dane’s contract.

“Although Inter and Christian are now parting ways, the bond shall never be broken. The good times, the goals, the victories, those Scudetto celebrations with fans outside San Siro – all this will remain forever in Nerazzurri history.”

Termination of Inter contract not the end for Eriksen

Italy’s laws are strict, but Eriksen could continue his career in another country where the rules are different.

Eriksen has begun his journey back to match fitness in his home country of Denmark at Odense Boldklub, the club where he started his career.

Eriksen leaves Inter after 60 games, eight goals and a Serie A title, and could begin anew very soon according to his agent Martin Schoots, who spoke to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport.

Schoots confirmed that Eriksen is studying some proposals as he is not ready to call it quits on his career.

“I can confirm that Christian will continue to play football. Two clubs called me a few weeks ago,” Schoots told Gazzetta Dello Sport.

Ajax is one of the rumoured clubs, but transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has claimed the current Eredivisie champions are not interested.

The Eredivisie giants, who Eriksen played for between 2010 and 2013 currently employ the services of Daley Blind, who is also fitted with a pacemaker like Eriksen.

Elsewhere, Sergio Aguero had to call it quits on his professional career on Wednesday after suffering a heart issue of his own back in October.

The striker leaves football after winning several trophies for Argentina, Atlético de Madrid and Manchester City. 

Premier League clubs move to suspend 2021/22 season due to COVID-19

Following the rise in COVID-19 cases in the past few months, multiple English Premier League clubs have come out to petition the Premier League governing board to suspend the ongoing season until January.

Tottenham Hotspur was the first club to have a match postponed due to a new COVID-19 outbreak in their club’s facilities. Manchester United have also had two matches postponed on the bounce, as have Leicester and Everton.

Rob Dawson of ESPN claims that these developments have led to most of the top flight clubs moving to have the league suspended for the next three weeks as they work out a solution to the fresh outbreaks.

Dawson reports that the proposal for the suspension would affect four game weeks of the current season as tests are carried out and measures get put into place to mitigate the spread of the virus, particularly the new omicron variant which scientists have claimed to be the variant in circulation.

Football in England will resume on January 7 2022 with the third round of the FA Cup if the Premier League governing body agrees to this suspension call by the clubs.

Darren Bent throws weight behind calls for Premier League suspension

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa striker is in support of doing whatever needs to be done to ensure that football is safe for the players, staff and fans.

Bent spoke to talkSPORT breakfast show: “First and foremost, you want everybody to be safe. I think that’s the most important thing,” he said.

“We all love football, we all missed football when it wasn’t there but in terms of life football is relatively small in terms of what’s going on.”

Bent also referred to the last shutdown, claiming that it took too long to mitigate because the authorities waited too long.

“Last time, in my opinion, it went on too long,” Bent said.

“They keep talking about this new variant that’s meant to be a lot strong and a lot worse, so they’ve got to come to a decision quickly rather than waiting to see what happens.

“They need to get ahead of it and make a decision.”

The Premier League is not the first league to shut down some of its venues due to a fresh outbreak. Some major American sports leagues like the hockey league and the NBA are dealing with the same problems also.