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Max O’Dowd showed the patience required to get the job done in the chase, even as Nepal’s bowlers applied significant pressure of their own

Ashish Pant04-Jun-20245:43

Moody: The depth of Netherlands’ seam-bowling challenged Nepal

Tim Pringle and Logan van Beek’s three-wicket hauls backed up by Max O’Dowd’s patient half-century got Netherlands over the line in a nervy chase in their opening game of the T20 World Cup 2024, against a spirited Nepal in Dallas.It was a rude welcome for Nepal in their first T20 World Cup in a decade, with the Netherlands bowlers putting up a fine show and bowling them out for a mere 106 in 19.2 overs. But Nepal weren’t done yet. They squeezed the Netherlands batters in the middle overs and took the chase into the 19th over. O’Dowd, however, held his own with an unbeaten 54. He rode his luck and made sure to take his side over the line by six wickets and eight balls to spare.Early-morning rain and overcast conditions delayed the toss by 30 minutes and Netherlands captain Scott Edwards had no hesitations in bowling after winning the toss. The bowlers backed up their captain’s decision with Pringle, van Beek, Paul van Meekeren and Bas de Leede all getting among the wickets.In reply, Nepal put up a fight but dropped a couple of crucial chances at key intervals.Dallas turns blue and red, but Orange holds swayThe Grand Prairie Stadium can seat 7000 but the vocal Nepal fans made it feel a lot bigger, flocking in nice and early getting behind their team. But the overcast conditions assisted the Netherlands seamers and they got their first wicket through left-arm spinner Pringle, whose decision to keep giving the ball flight paid off as Aasif Sheikh’s thick outside edge found short third in the second over. Pacer van Beek then struck with his first ball, angling a length ball sharply back into Kushal Bhurtel and catching him plumb in front.Nepal’s players appreciated the lively support they got in Dallas•ICC/Getty ImagesFast bowler Vivian Kingma also found big movement as the Nepal batters found putting bat to ball an arduous task. In the first six overs, Nepal played and missed 17 of the 36 balls (47.22%), which is the highest for any team in a men’s T20I (for which ESPNcricinfo has ball-by-ball data available). They hit five fours but could only manage three singles and a two in the first six overs, as Nepal managed only 29 runs in the powerplay for the loss of two wickets.A stranglehold in the middle and at the deathRohit Paudel, the youngest captain at a T20 World Cup at 21, kept his composure but lost partners at a steady rate. He pumped Kingma for a four over covers in the seventh over, but Pringle came back in his second over to remove Anil Sah, his attempted sweep only going as far as deep backward square leg. Kushal Malla hammered van Meekeren for a four over mid-off but fell three balls later trying a repeat of that shot, deceived by the slower offcutter and spooning the ball straight up.Bas de Leede then got rid of Dipendra Singh Airee caught at slip as Nepal slipped to 53 for 5 after 11 overs. Paudel was busy during his 35 off 37 but ultimately perished giving Pringle his third wicket. Karan KC and Gulsan Jha added 22 off 17 balls for the eighth wicket – the second-highest stand of the innings – to push the score past 100. Van Beek ended the innings with a two-in-two.Rohit Paudel was resilient but fell right before the death overs started•AFP/Getty ImagesNepal apply the chokeEarly wickets was the need of the hour, and Nepal managed that with Sompal Kami getting rid of Michael Levitt with his second ball, caught by the cover fielder. Both Kami and Karan kept the bowling tight conceding only four runs in the first 15 balls. Vikramjit Singh broke the shackles with two back-to-back fours but run-scoring remained slow. Nepal bowled 19 dot balls in the powerplay as Netherlands reached 36 for 1 after the first six.It was going to get tougher for Netherlands in the middle overs, with the spinners coming into the equation. Airee conceded just a single in his first over after the powerplay, before taking out Vikramjit with a length ball that beat the batter’s attempted slog sweep and caught him in front. An over earlier Vikramjit was dropped at deep backward square leg by Kami, but he couldn’t cash in.O’Dowd and Sybrand Engelbrecht tried to steady to ship in a 28-run stand before a run out brought about the latter’s end. O’Dowd struck a straight drive back at Kami, who expertly deflected the ball back onto the non-striker’s stumps and caught Engelbrecht short. Nepal conceded just 48 runs in the middle overs (6 to 15) making Netherlands fight for every run.Max O’Dowd took Netherlands home with an unbeaten 54•AFP/Getty ImagesComposed O’Dowd steers Netherlands homeWhen Edwards fell cheaply, it felt Netherlands’ chase could go astray, but O’Dowd brought all his experience into play. He curbed his natural aggressive instincts and made sure he kept his end secure even when Netherlands went 40 balls without a boundary between the 12th and 18th overs. O’Dowd had a huge slice of luck when Paudel spilled a straightforward chance in the 18th over at long-off. He was on 40 at the time and Netherlands still needed 18 off 17, but the dropped chance seemed to ease his nerves. In the penultimate over, with Netherlands requiring 13 off 12, he smashed Abinash Bohara for a four and six to reach his 13th T20I fifty. De Leede then finished the chase with a four through covers, triggering a sigh of relief in the Netherlands camp and securing two crucial points.

Paul Mullin has said he wants to "prove himself right" on loan at Wigan Athletic, while opening up on his "sad" Wrexham exit.

Mullin joins Wigan on loanStriker embracing "fresh start"Aims to move on from "sad" Wrexham exitFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Mullin swapped Championship new boys Wrexham for League One side Wigan on loan for the season, potentially signalling the end of his Red Dragons career. The striker was on the fringes of the Welsh side last term, with the 30-year-old watching from the sidelines as Phil Parkinson's team secured promotion. Now, he has spoken about his goals for the campaign and hit back at his detractors.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT MULLIN SAID

He said on : "Nothing really changes for me. I’ve always said that I never want to prove anyone wrong; I always want to prove myself right. There’s many reasons why I haven’t played at League One level through my career, that was purely due to choice a lot of the time, and obviously last year didn’t go the way I wanted. I think that was from a personal point of view, but many people will say ‘oh you didn’t score goals last year’, and they will be the same people that rely on xG, which, to be honest, I don’t believe in, but if that was the case, then I only had an xG of four and managed to score three, so it weren’t such a bad season for those people. I probably started 12 games and scored five goals, so I can spin it any way you want. For me, it wasn’t a successful season. I want to play games, never mind scoring goals, I just want to play and be part of a team that’s successful, that’s the most important thing to me, being successful as a team, and last year we were."

Mullin added on his decision to join Wigan: "It is a fresh start. People could be sad about it, like, obviously, a lot of Wrexham fans, but for me, I’m excited about the next chapter of my book. In life, you have many opportunities to change paths and go in different directions, and sometimes you’ve got to be brave to go and take the next step and see what’s next for you. I’m really looking forward to the future; it’s something I’m really excited about, and yeah, I’m fully excited about what’s to come."

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Despite Mullin being surplus to requirements at Wrexham, the forward will go down as one of the club's greatest ever players. He was instrumental in two of their promotions from the National League and scored 110 goals in just 172 games for the club. Now, he is embarking on a new journey at Wigan.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Mullin, who sent an emotional message to Wrexham fans following his move earlier this summer, will hope to feature more regularly for Wigan this term after being on the bench for three of their five games in all competitions so far. He scored his first goal for the Lancashire outfit last week in the Carabao Cup, but drew a blank in a League One defeat to Luton on Tuesday night after being trusted to start.

The need for the Red Devils to go back into the market was underlined by their 'keeper's howler while the Gunners showed defensive steel once more

The sun was shining, the Stretford End was singing with no music to drown out its cries and the optimism in the air was tangible. But once Manchester United's engaging Premier League season opener with Arsenal was over, Ruben Amorim was not having to speak about his exciting new attack or his usual talisman Bruno Fernandes. 

Instead he was taking questions on the goalkeeper who everyone was blaming for the 1-0 defeat. And this time it was not Andre Onana he was forced to defend, but Altay Bayindir. United's stand-in shot-stopper began the season as their No.1 because Onana had only just recovered from the hamstring injury that ruled him out of pre-season action, but very quickly Bayindir had his head in his hands after his attempt at punching away a corner led to Riccardo Calafiori heading home on the goal-line.

The United boss was in a prickly mood as he tried to defend Bayindir in his post-match press conference, blaming permissive refereeing of Arsenal's physical approach while at the same time criticising his player for his decision-making. "I think you are allowed to do lots of things at corners," he said. "We need to do the same. But when you touch that way, the goalkeeper, he needs to use his hands to catch the ball, not push players. He chooses to push players and let the ball pass."

Amorim then tried to take the heat off Bayindir by pointing to his performance against Arsenal in the FA Cup against the Gunners eight months ago, but he was unable to say what he clearly thinks: that United need to spend yet more money and buy a new goalkeeper. 

The combined £133.5 million spent on Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha looks to have been well spent, and if it were not for some top-draw saves from David Raya and some steely defending from William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, United might well have won the game. But unless they find an upgrade on Bayindir and Onana, then Amorim will be facing plenty more questions about his two goalkeepers from now until the end of the season, or the January transfer window at the very least.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Old Trafford…

Getty ImagesWINNER: Arsenal defence

The jury remains out on whether Arsenal have solved their striking problems, but their backline remains as mean and determined as ever. The Gunners possessed the best defensive record in the last two Premier League campaigns, and on this evidence they will make it three in a row. 

Sure, Mbeumo and Cunha gave them plenty of scares, but each time Gabriel and Saliba managed to put out the fires. Gabriel blocked a powerful effort from Mbeumo in the first half, and when the new signing burst through the middle of the pitch after latching on to a Bruno Fernandes pass, it was the Brazilian who got back to take the ball off him.

Saliba, meanwhile, blocked a dangerous-looking shot from Mason Mount, coolly dispossessed Patrick Dorgu in the area, and then, in the last couple of minutes, beat Cunha to the ball as United had all their bodies stationed in the box. To cap the strong defensive display, it was Calafiori who made the difference after Saliba had put Bayindir under pressure from the corner.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLOSER: Big-money strikers

Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres were supposed to be the headline acts of this fixture as the two clubs' marquee signings, arriving with the hope of shaking up each side's blunt attacks. But it said a lot of their contribution that the only goal of the game came from a goalkeeping howler from a corner.

Sesko started on the bench despite Amorim declaring he was "ready", although the coach's decision could be understood given the Slovenian had only arrived from RB Leipzig eight days ago. Int the end, Sesko got 25 minutes to show what he was made of, but fluffed his one chance, heading well wide.

Gyokeres, however, will be more disappointed even though he ended up on the winning side. The Sweden striker had only 21 touches before he was replaced by Kai Havertz on the hour mark having not managed a single shot. He was out-thought by Leny Yoro and out-fought by Matthijs de Ligt as Amorim's warning that his former charge should expect a "more physical league" rang true.

It was a damning indictment that in the closing stages of the game, both clubs were back to where they started last season, with Havertz leading the line for Arsenal while Harry Maguire became United's focal point.

Getty ImagesWINNER: Cunha & Mbeumo

United's two new forwards brought with them 36 Premier League goals from last season, and they demonstrated on Sunday that they will need no bedding-in process as they instantly brought the hosts' attack to life. 

Mbeumo left Calafiori in a heap when the game was less than a minute old and burst forward with menace, before ultimately bungling his pass to Cunha. The Cameroon international was a constant thorn in Arsenal's left side, forcing a save from Raya and then smashing an effort against a blocking Gabriel. He continued to trouble the Gunners after the break, obliging Raya to save well from his header before missing narrowly with an overhead kick.

Cunha was equally impressive down the other flank, twisting his way past Declan Rice and Saliba before steering a shot towards the far bottom corner which Raya brilliantly kept out with his fingertips. Between them, the debutants had nine shots on goal and five on target. 

"They created a lot and they were in the right positions," said Bruno Fernandes. "They were dangerous and it was a good first impression for them. But I’m sure they will do much better."

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Getty Images SportLOSER: United's goalkeeping situation

Onana being injured would not normally be seen as a major problem at most clubs, but United were soon reminded once more that however unreliable they think their No.1 is, the alternative is far worse. Bayindir's hand was too weak to push Rice's corner away from his goal, never mind away from the box, and it gifted Calafiori the opening goal and completely undid United's otherwise positive start. 

Most goalkeepers manage to avoid conceding directly from a corner throughout their entire career, but Bayindir has now done it twice in his two years with United. Those are far from the only mistakes he has made, either, as his careless chip straight to the head of Joelinton gifted Bruno Guimaraes a goal at Newcastle back in April.  In the final game of last season,  meanwhile, he fumbled the ball straight to the feet of Morgan Rogers and was only saved by the referee mistakenly blowing his whistle before the Aston Villa midfielder could put the ball in the net. Bayindir has now conceded 21 goals in his 12 United appearances, and has been directly culpable for at least three.

So, even after spending over £200m in the transfer market, United desperately need to sign a new goalkeeper, and ideally two, before the window closes on September 1. It says a lot about United's dire goalkeeping situation that the club have even looked into bringing David de Gea back, two years after unceremoniously dumping him.

Damning new statistics suggest that Manchester United have the worst value-for-money squad in the Premier League.

Figures released by TransfermarktUnited bottom of tableComes despite promising new signingsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to a new table put together by statisticians Transfermarkt, Manchester United are the worst side in the Premier League when it comes to overspending on players. The table compares squad cost against value, and with United's £1.1 billion squad cost far surpassing its value of £769m, Ruben Amorim's team has been deemed the Premier League's worst value-for-money.

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This is a point people within the world of football have been making for years; whether it's splashing £85m on Antony or investing a whopping £73m in the signing of Jadon Sancho, the club has consistently squandered resources on flashy players who have failed to make an impact. These recent figures are proof of how wasteful the club has been.

DID YOU KNOW?

The gap between the cost of Amorim's squad and its anticipated value is a huge £322.9m, with high-profile flops including Casemiro, Antony, and Sancho. The latter player — who's currently rotting in United's 'bomb squad' — could end up leaving the club for as little as £17m this transfer window.

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Getty WHAT NEXT FOR AMORIM?

The Red Devils boss can do nothing about his club's past expenditure, and with the recent arrivals of talented players like Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, things appear to be looking up. It's been a mixed start to the 2025/26 campaign, but Cunha and Mbeumo's brilliance has already been clear to see.

Nicolas Jackson's proposed loan move to Bayern Munich is off after Chelsea told the striker to return to London following an injury to Liam Delap.

Jackson's move to Bayern is offChelsea pull plug after Delap injury Jackson asked to return to LondonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Jackson, 24, had travelled to Germany after Bayern reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign the Senegal international on a season-long loan with an option to buy in a total package worth £69 million (€80m/$93.5m), according to The Athletic.    

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However, the report states that Chelsea have now informed Bayern they will not be proceeding with the deal after Delap, 22, sustained a hamstring injury in their 2-0 victory over Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. 

DID YOU KNOW?

Jackson had been deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea following the arrivals of Delap and Joao Pedro from Ipswich Town and Brighton and Hove Albion respectively this summer. Pedro, 23, has made a fantastic start to life at Stamford Bridge, scoring his second league goal of the season in his side's win over Fulham.  

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN AND CHELSEA?

Bayern are hoping to make it two league wins from two when they take on Augsburg in the Bundesliga later on Saturday. Meanwhile Chelsea are next in action when they travel to Brentford in the Premier League on September 13, following the conclusion of the upcoming international break. 

Dewald Brevis was not part of the 16-man group, with the selectors saying they would look to introduce him via T20 cricket

Firdose Moonda18-Jan-2023Fast bowler Sisanda Magala has made a comeback to South Africa’s ODI team after a year when he was named in the 16-man squad for the upcoming three-match series against England at home in January.There was no room in the squad for the hard-hitting 19-year old Dewald Brevis, who is currently third on the SA20 run-scorers’ list. Earlier in the week, Enoch Nkwe, South Africa’s director of cricket, said Brevis would likely enjoy a David-Warner-like introduction to international cricket by moving from the T20I squad upwards and selection convenor Victor Mpitsang confirmed he would be considered for the series against West Indies in March.At the time of the squad announcement, Brevis and Magala were in action in the SA20 game with the latter accounting for the former’s wicket for six. Magala is the joint third-highest wicket-taker at the SA20 and was the leading wicket-taker in this season’s domestic one-day cup. Despite his form, Magala was left out most of last year, because he struggled to pass CSA’s two-kilometre time trial in the fitness test. He has now made the 8:30 mark and is therefore eligible for selection.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”Sisanda has been a good performer in the last few years. We have had some fitness issues with him in the past and that’s the only reason he was left out,” Mpitsang said. “His consistency has been the reason why he has been selected.”The squad will be coached by Shukri Conrad, who was named as South Africa’s Test coach on Monday, will take charge of the ODI squad in this series while new white-ball coach, Rob Walter, finishes his commitments with the Central Stags in New Zealand. Walter will be in consultation with Conrad throughout. Malibongwe Maketa, the interim coach who took South Africa’s Test squad to Australia, has not been retained.Temba Bavuma keeps his place as captain, although it is understood that the leadership in red and white-ball cricket will be up for discussion under the new coaching set-up. Bavuma is not part of the SA20 and had a disastrous run as T20I captain at the World Cup in Australia but is understood to have enjoyed a break and is ready for action. “He is in a good space. In the one-day format, he has a good record. We are quite happy with where he is at the moment,” Mpitsang said.The rest of the squad includes familiar names such as Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, SA20 leading run-scorer Heinrich Klaaasen and David Miller, as well as the first-choice bowling attack of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi and allrounders Marco Jansen and Wayne Parnell. But a notable absentee is domestic one-day cup leading-run-scorer Ryan Rickelton.Rickelton missed the Test tour to Australia because he requires ankle surgery. Rickelton has opted to delay going under the knife in order to play this summer but could not travel for the Australia series because of the risk of worsening the injury and the travel time required to secure a replacement. Mpitsang confirmed he is available for selection in home internationals and could come into contention when South Africa play West Indies in February-March.”Ryan has performed really well in the last summer,” Mpitsang said. “It’s about where does he fit in at the moment. He is an opening batter. He has got good numbers. In a squad of 16, we just couldn’t get him in. We have had a conversation before we pick the squad and the medical team made it clear that the risk is not as high as when we travel abroad.”The series is the penultimate World Cup Super League encounter for South Africa and is crucial to their chances of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup. South Africa are out of the automatic qualification zone and lie 11th on the points table. They must win at least three of their remaining five matches (three vs England, two vs Netherlands) if they are to leapfrog Sri Lanka and West Indies and avoid the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in June.The three-match series will be played over six days, with the first match in Bloemfontein starting on January 27.All of the squad, except Bavuma, are involved in the SA20, which takes a break from January 25 to February 2 to accommodate for the white-ball series. South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.

Nicolás Ibáñez scored for the hosts, while Paulinho netted the goal for the visitors in Monterrey.

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The return leg will be played Saturday at Estadio Nemesio DiezToluca will advance with a draw or a winTigres are forced to winFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Tigres UANL were unable to capitalize on home advantage on Wednesday night, settling for a 1–1 draw against Antonio Mohamed’s Toluca in the first leg of the Clausura 2025 Liga MX semifinals. The result leaveswith a slight edge heading into the return leg at home.

Following the match, Tigres head coach Guido Pizarro shared his thoughts in a press conference, expressing disappointment with the performance – particularly the fact that goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán was the standout player for his side.

"We started well and took the lead, but then the opponent caught up, and at times played better than us," Pizarro said. "There are definitely things we need to change before the second leg. Having our goalkeeper be the standout figure is never a good sign. It wasn’t the result we wanted. We’ll have to make corrections and prepare for what will be a tough match."

Despite the challenges, Pizarro emphasized that Tigres will head to Toluca with the intention of securing a spot in the final. He acknowledged the difficulty of the task but expressed confidence that opportunities will arise.

"Regardless of the stats, we’re obligated to improve. It’s going to be a tight match in Toluca. There will be chances, the game will open up, and hopefully, we can take it. We need to plan well and see how to approach it," he explained.

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Tigres started strong with a goal from Nicolás Ibáñez in the 19th minute, but Toluca responded just before halftime with an equalizer from Paulinho. The 1–1 result clearly benefits , who now look to close out the series at home in front of their fans on Saturday.

Tigres, meanwhile, are in a must-win situation—and the numbers aren’t in their favor. They head into the second leg with a 614-minute goal drought as visitors and, following Wednesday’s result, have now gone 10 consecutive Liguilla matches without a win, recording seven draws and three losses. It's a streak they’ll need to break if they hope to reach the final.

Getty Images SportWHAT ANTONIO MOHAMED SAID

On the other side, Toluca head coach Antonio Mohamed expressed satisfaction with his team's performance, believing they deserved more than just a draw.

"We played a great match. We were better than the opponent and deserved to win, but it didn’t happen. We now have the advantage of playing at home, but there are still 90 minutes left. We have to remain humble and continue to respect such a historic and experienced rival. Now we rest and prepare to face them at home, where we’ll go for the win—because that’s our essence," said Mohamed.

The Argentine manager also praised Alexis Vega’s current form and voiced his frustration with Liga MX's playoff format, criticizing the long break teams endure after finishing top of the table.

"Alexis is in great form, and we hope he continues like this through the Liguilla. As I said before, it doesn’t make sense that the team finishing first has to wait 20 days and only finds out their opponent 48 hours before the match. Cruz Azul suffered the same fate last season after losing 3–0 in Tijuana. It’s something that needs to be reviewed so it doesn’t happen again," he stated.

Mohamed concluded by highlighting his team’s resilience: "We handled the early goal well and showed personality. There are still 90 minutes left to prove we deserve to be in the final."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR TIGRES AND TOLUCA?

The 1–1 draw favors Toluca, who will advance to the final with either a win or a draw in the second leg, thanks to their higher position in the standings after finishing as Clausura 2025 leaders. The return leg will be played Saturday at Estadio Nemesio Diez.

Promotion was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with the initial promise that it would return after six tournaments.

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Ten Liga de Expansión clubs have officially taken their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.CAS has yet to confirm whether it will take on the caseThe last team to be relegated was Jaguares de Chiapas in 2017Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Amid ongoing controversy over the suspension of promotion and relegation in Mexican football, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has issued a formal response to an appeal filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by ten Liga de Expansión clubs demanding the reinstatement of these mechanisms.

The suspension was agreed upon in April 2020, during the height of the pandemic, providing a six-season period during which Liga de Expansión clubs could focus on consolidating their projects without the sporting pressure of promotion and relegation. According to Íñigo Riestra, FMF’s Secretary General, this measure was requested by the clubs themselves to avoid bankruptcy, as many were operating at a deficit and facing precarious financial conditions.

“The FMF General Assembly approved this temporary suspension to protect the economic stability of the clubs,” Riestra explained in an official video. Additionally, a financial rescue fund was created at the clubs’ request to ensure their survival.

To complement this strategy, an Improvement Fund was established, distributing significant resources for infrastructure and strategic development within the Liga de Expansión teams—investments that can sometimes go under the radar. This fund mandates an annual investment of 20 million pesos (1,036,418 million) from 2020 onwards to modernize stadiums and enhance sporting facilities.

At the same time, in 2022, a Certification Committee was created to set administrative, sporting, and infrastructure requirements that clubs must meet to be eligible for promotion. Starting in the 2023 season, only certified clubs that win the Campeón de Campeones are eligible for promotion; however, so far, only two clubs have met these standards.

The 10 clubs involved in the appeal—Atlante, Morelia, Leones Negros, Atlético La Paz, Alebrijes, Cimarrones, Cancún, Mineros, Venados, and Tampico Madero—argue that the absence of promotion and relegation has negatively impacted their ability to secure commercial agreements and television broadcasting rights.

In summary, the FMF maintains that the suspension was a necessary measure to prevent the economic collapse of several clubs and that the pathway for promotion remains open, albeit conditioned on meeting certain criteria that only a few teams have fulfilled so far.

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The legal action comes amid growing frustration among Liga de Expansión clubs, who claim that Liga MX has failed to provide transparency regarding the promotion and relegation system. The issue has been further complicated by ongoing controversies in Mexican football, particularly surrounding the topic of multi-club ownership.

There has been ongoing debate about whether reinstating promotion and relegation could raise the competitive level across all tiers of Mexican football. However, it is evident that Liga MX has presented significant obstacles for Liga de Expansión teams, many of which have spent recent years striving to meet the league’s demanding certification requirements.

Getty Images SportWHAT MEXICAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION SAID

"Promotion remains active through certification. A club will be promoted once at least four clubs are certified at the start of the season and one of them wins the Campeón de Campeones," reads the official statement posted on the FMF’s X account.

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AFPDID YOU KNOW?

In 2020, due to the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mexican football executives decided to temporarily suspend the promotion and relegation system in Liga MX. This decision was made to support franchise owners in the first division and strengthen Liga Expansión, with the idea that, years later, the system would return with a stronger second division. However, it seemed that this reform would remain permanent.

This decision mainly affected the teams in the second division. Teams like Atlante, Leones Negros de la UDG, Venados de Mérida, and Atlético Morelia are among those that have expressed their dissatisfaction in recent years with the suspension of promotion and relegation. But, according to Liga MX, these teams do not meet the necessary requirements to be First Division clubs. It's a stance that has been heavily criticized by executives from the mentioned teams, who have even taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Contributions from Nat Sciver-Brunt, Ecclestone and Knight not enough as England fall short

Valkerie Baynes24-Feb-2023South Africa staged their best performance of the tournament – with bat, ball and in the field – to upset England and secure a place in a World Cup final for the first time in any form of international cricket – men’s or women’s.Their victory was built on a 96-run opening stand between Tazmin Brits and Laura Wolvaardt as both racked up half-centuries for the second consecutive time in this tournament before Marizanne Kapp’s cameo of 27 from 13 balls took the hosts to 164 for 4. That left England needing their joint third-highest successful T20I run chase and joint-highest at a World Cup, matching their 2009 semi-final effort against Australia.Ayabonga Khaka and Shabnim Ismail then claimed seven wickets between them – and Brits took a Women’s T20I record-equalling four catches to put the task beyond England and set up a clash for the trophy with defending champions Australia on Sunday. All of this had seemed so far away a fortnight ago.The hosts had lost the opening match of the tournament to Sri Lanka by three runs at Newlands, setting back their campaign and were also beaten by Australia in Gqeberha. But they defeated Bangladesh in their final group game to squeeze into the knockout stages at the expense of New Zealand. Back in Cape Town on Friday, they held their nerve superbly to pull off a stunning victory before 7,507 fans.Heather Knight and England came so close•AFP/Getty ImagesIsmail, Khaka the destroyersIsmail bowled with pace and guile in the powerplay – including some aggressive bouncers, one of which was clocked at 128kph. She claimed two wickets in that time, although England had 55 runs on the board compared to South Africa’s 37 without loss. Sophia Dunkley first miscued to midwicket, where Brits took a simple catch but it was Brits’ absolute blinder from the same position to remove Alice Capsey for a second-ball duck that set the innings alight. Cramped by the short ball, Capsey steered the ball to the right of the fielder, who ran towards it and dived, clutching the ball just above the turf as her team-mates steamed in to congratulate her – none more so than Ismail, who leapt into Brits’ arms.Brits took another sharp catch to remove Danni Wyatt and give Khaka her first after Wyatt had been put down by Wolvaardt off Khaka’s bowling earlier in the innings. It looked like it would fall to Nat Sciver-Brunt, England’s in-form batter, to rescue her side, particularly when Chloe Tryon missed a caught-and-bowled chance, but Brits came to the fore again with a catch at long-on off a Nadine de Klerk slower ball.Having also had Amy Jones caught by Anneke Bosch, two wickets in two balls from Khaka to remove Sophie Ecclestone and Katherine Sciver-Brunt in the 18th over left England needing 25 runs off the remaining two overs. Heather Knight’s six off Kapp helped make it 13 off the last, but then Ismail pegged back Knight’s leg stump with three balls remaining and 12 still needed. Sarah Glenn and Charlie Dean managed just five between them before Glenn dropped to her haunches in anguish and the pair trudged off arm-in-arm as the South Africans celebrated wildly.The Brits and Wolvaardt show: Part 2After a sluggish start – South Africa scored just 14 off the first four overs after winning the toss – they started to raise the tempo led by Wolvaardt’s heave a long way over the fence at wide long-off. After the powerplay, they looked more in control as she and Brits followed up their unbroken stand worth 117 runs against Bangladesh with another key partnership.Tazmin Brits produced a second successive fifty in a must-win match for South Africa•Getty ImagesWolvaardt brought up her sixth T20I fifty with a four through cover off Ecclestone but fell three balls later to a leading edge gobbled up by Dean at cover. But that prompted Brits to flick the switch as she danced down the pitch twice in three balls to power Glenn over deep midwicket and long-on for two sixes. She brought up her half-century next ball with a four through the covers, helping herself to 17 runs off a pivotal 15th over. Brits eventually fell to a solid catch by Katherine but not before she had propelled her side towards a competitive total.Ecclestone keeps England in itEngland hadn’t helped themselves with a scrappy performance in the field, but Ecclestone’s two wickets in three balls – she snared the potentially explosive Tryon, caught attempting to pull but picking out Nat at deep midwicket for just 3 and de Klerk, bowled for a second-ball duck – momentarily derailed South Africa’s final push in the penultimate over.But then Kapp, the beneficiary of a misfield while on 2, cashed in first off a high full toss by Katherine in the final over which she pulled for a one-bounce four through deep backward square leg. Then she hammered back-to-back fours off the last two balls piercing the gap between cover and mid-off and high over deep midwicket to give the hosts the late lift they needed.

Manchester United are interested in signing Mile Svilar from Roma this summer, according to a new report.

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Red Devils interested in SvilarTalks over new contract at Roma have stalledRoma demanding around €50m (£42m/$57m)Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Per Il Messaggero, United are interested in signing Svilar this summer as the club consider alternatives to Andre Onana. Svilar has two years remaining on his deal and he is yet to agree new terms with the Serie A side, prompting suitors to explore his availability. Bayern Munich are also reportedly monitoring his situation.

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The 25-year-old enjoyed a strong season at Roma as they finished fifth in Serie A; he made 51 appearances in all competitions, keeping 19 clean sheets. United are also said to have an interest in Torino goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, with their scouts seemingly running the rule over the Italian top-flight.

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Svilar would cost around €50 million, with Roma set to make a huge profit on a player they signed for free in 2022. His wage demands also appear more than achievable for United; he is reported to want around £60,000-per-week.

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United face Leeds on July 19 in a pre-season friendly. Whether they have launched a bid for Svilar by then remains to be seen.