Manchester City can stage their Champions League second-leg meeting with Real Madrid in England after the government’s culture secretary declared “the British summer of sport is back on.”
“I am grateful to the sports governing bodies who have worked closely with us to put in place stringent protocols to ensure these events can go ahead safely,” Oliver Dowden said while announcing new lockdown measures Sunday, according to The Associated Press.
“It will mean that fans of the British Grand Prix, international cricket, and Champions League football can look forward to yet more sporting action on home soil – a further boost to our national recovery.”
As part of the revised coronavirus protocols, selected sports stars competing in the country will be exempt from the mandatory two-week quarantine upon arrival. They will instead live in “bubbled” environments behind closed doors to minimize the risk of them contracting and spreading COVID-19, The Associated Press explains.
That should allow Real Madrid players to travel to the Etihad Stadium for the reverse fixture of their last-16 scuffle with Manchester City. The English club holds a 2-1 advantage from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Lionel Messi is so angry with Barcelona that he could leave when his contract expires next summer.
The 33-year-old is upset that recent reports make him look responsible for the club’s troubles, and he’s frustrated about the squad’s lack of quality, sources told ESPN’s Moises Llorens.
As a result, Messi has refused to enter negotiations over a new contract, according to Cadena Ser’s Manu Carreno, and he could depart after his 17th season with the Blaugrana.
If Barcelona can’t repair their relationship with Messi, they could lose the six-time Ballon d’Or winner on a free transfer when his deal runs out in June 2021.
Messi had the opportunity to move on from the club this summer, but a clause allowing him to terminate his contract reportedly expired last month. The Argentine was given until May to decide, according to Llorens.
Problems began in January when Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal suggested the players are to blame for the firing of manager Ernesto Valverde. In an uncharacteristic rebuke, Messi snapped back at Abidal, saying he was “encouraging” rumors and avoiding responsibility.
In April, Messi said he was surprised club officials would question whether the players would accept pay cuts during the coronavirus pandemic.
President Josep Maria Bartomeu is looking to reach a new deal with Messi before leaving his post in 2021. Bartomeu was reportedly hoping to sign one of Lautaro Martinez or Neymar to convince Messi the team is still competitive.
The pandemic may have changed all that. Barcelona had already lost around €120 million in matchday revenue and TV and commercial income by the start of May, vice president Jordi Cardoner told ESPN.
Messi scored his 700th goal in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid. Barcelona are currently four points behind Real Madrid in the La Liga standings with five matches remaining.
“Rocky I, II, III, V” and “Rocky Balboa” (1976, 1979, 1982, 1990, 2006)
Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith), the short-tempered manager of Rocky Balboa, is a former boxer who finally gets a shot at a world title when Apollo Creed issues a surprising challenge to the “Italian Stallion.” Mickey’s relationship with Rocky is strained at first but blossoms into a father-son-like connection as the pair undergo countless hours of sweaty training sessions punctuated by lines from the manager such as, “You’re gonna eat lightning, you’re gonna crap thunder.”
49. Lou Brown
“Major League” (1989) and “Major League II” (1994)
James Gammon plays the role of Cleveland Indians manager Brown, a surly skipper who leaves his job as a tire salesman to become the leader of a team meant to go nowhere. Throughout his tenure as Indians bench boss, Brown does a wonderful job of bonding his club through the use of hilarious props – including stripping down a cardboard cutout of mischievous owner Rachel Phelps – to get his team to win games.
48. Jess Bhamra
“Bend It Like Beckham” (2002)
Mirroring the film industry as a whole, the sports film canon hasn’t featured a ton of diversity in the types of stories it’s told. However, Jess (Parminder Nagra) is a great reminder that the love of the game can transcend race, gender, and religion. As the protagonist of “Bend It Like Beckham,” Jess nimbly navigates both a Sikh community steeped in familial traditions and the world of amateur English football.
47. Carl Spackler
“Caddyshack” (1980)
Private golf clubs are known to be pristine, well-mannered, and stodgy. Groundskeeper Spackler (Bill Murray), on the other hand … not so much. Between living in a dilapidated shack on the premises and attempting to eliminate the club’s gopher problem with explosives, it’s fair to wonder if Carl creates more trouble than he’s worth.
46. Ernie McCracken
“Kingpin” (1996)
Back-to-back roles from Murray hit our rankings, with the latter being his portrayal of womanizing bowling veteran McCracken in “Kingpin.” After losing to Roy Munson at the 1979 Odor-Eaters championship, McCracken shows a villainous side by setting his rival up in a game during which he loses his prized bowling hand. While “Big Ern” offers plenty of gut-busting comedy, nothing is funnier than his legendary comb-over.
45. White Goodman
“Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” (2004)
There’s nothing subtle about Goodman (Ben Stiller). The egomaniacal leader of the Globo Gym Purple Cobras struts around in leather and shoulder pads like “Macho Man” Randy Savage with a Napoleon complex. Goodman’s over-the-top nature is made even funnier in comparison to everyman Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn).
44. Teddy KGB
“Rounders” (1998)
Teddy KGB (John Malkovich) is an underground poker-playing legend and antagonist to Matt Damon’s character in Rounders. It may be hard to read the tells of the Russian mobster throughout his few appearances in the film, but when he’s on screen, it’s easy to fall in love with his card-playing caginess and undying love for Oreo cookies.
43. Harry Doyle
“Major League” (1989), “Major League II” (1994), and “Major League: Back to the Minors” (1998)
Real-life sportscaster and former player Bob Uecker is wise-cracking Indians announcer Doyle in the “Major League” flicks. Uecker’s comedy throughout the films is unmatched as he constantly tries to paint a brighter picture of a team and its most embarrassing moments.
42. Isis
“Bring It On” (2000)
Don’t be fooled by its bubbly appearance, “Bring It On” offers a nuanced – and evergreen – look at how privileged white performers appropriate and profit off the art and culture of Black creators. Isis (Gabrielle Union) is initially painted as an aggressor when, in reality, it’s her predominantly Black and Latinx cheer squad whose routines have been unknowingly pilfered by Torrance’s (Kirsten Dunst) suburban San Diego team.
41. Tony D’Amato
“Any Given Sunday” (1999)
Warning: Video contains coarse language.
It doesn’t get much better than a legendary actor chewing the scenery as a head coach who sees football as a microcosm for the world at large. As Coach D’Amato, Al Pacino’s “Inches” monologue has stood the test of time as one of the truly great inspirational pep talks in movie history.
English-speaking soccer commentary features widespread racial bias, according to a study by Danish firm RunRepeat.
The study, performed in coordination with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), analyzed 2,073 statements from English-speaking commentators across the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, and Ligue 1 this season.
It found that players with darker skin tones are “significantly more likely” to be reduced to physical traits such as “pace” and “power.”
Roughly 62% of praise was aimed at players with lighter skin, who were often lauded for their intelligence, hard work, and quality. Meanwhile, 63.33% of commentators’ criticism relating to the intelligence of a player is aimed at those with darker skin.
In addition, a player’s power is 6.59 times more likely to be discussed by commentators if he has darker skin, while his pace is 3.38 times more likely to be talked about.
“To address the real impact of structural racism, we have to acknowledge and address racial bias. This study shows an evident bias in how we describe the attributes of footballers based on their skin color,” PFA equalities executive Jason Lee said.
He added: “Commentators help shape the perception we hold of each player, deepening any racial bias already held by the viewer. It’s important to consider how far-reaching those perceptions can be and how they impact footballers even once they finish their playing career.”
RunRepeat’s study – which spanned six months and analyzed commentary from 80 matches across the aforementioned leagues – was sourced from several broadcasters, including Sky Sports, BT Sport, FreeSports, beIN Sports, NBCSN, ESPN, and TSN, according to Sachin Nakrani of the Guardian.
Among those broadcasters examined, roughly 5% of commentators and co-commentators were from a Black, Asian, or minority ethnic (BAME) background, Nakrani adds.
In response to the study, ITV’s Clive Tyldesley wrote to the PFA to say co-commentators should receive better training before being allowed to work during matches.
“Aside from all the cliches and the hype we’re accused of, we do try, or we should try, to use the language accurately and responsibly,” Tyldesley said. “Racial stereotypes are not just wrong, morally wrong, they are inaccurate and they are irresponsible. They are lazy, thoughtless, and, in my blown-up opinion, far too much sports commentary is lazy and thoughtless.”
