LONDON: Every time England go out of a major tournament early — which has been every tournament since Euro 96 — some new solution is raised. They need to be more like the Dutch. Or more like the French. Or more like the Spanish. Or more like the Germans. We need to hold the ball more. We
need to remain true to our traditional strengths. We need a quota on foreign players. Our players need to go abroad more. Recently, a new panacea has been suggested: A winter break.
Germany has a winter break and they are world champions. Spain has a winter break and they were dominant before the Germans. The Premier League, the argument runs, is uniquely tiring. Our players are exhausted by the time they get to a major tournament. If they have a break midway through the season, it would give them a chance to recover, so they could attack the World Cup or the European Championship refreshed.
It is an appealing argument. After all, numerous coaches have blamed the wearying nature of England’s top flight — more competitive, fewer easy games, a more aggressive, physically demanding style of football — for the relative underperformance of English clubs in European
competition over the past few seasons. There is some — although not unanimous — medical evidence that players would be less susceptible to injury with a couple of weeks off.
Set against that is the fact that for many fans, Christmas football is the best football. Crowds are bigger and infused with festive spirit. Because so many people in the UK go back to their family homes for the festive season, games become annual reunions with old friends, people who perhaps live on the other side of the world who you see once a year.
Football in Britain has always had a community aspect and this is perhaps the strongest remaining example of that.
This is a subjective point, I realize, but for me one of the joys of English football is the range of conditions as the seasons pass, from the bright optimism of August to the sun-drenched despair or joy of May, through the dark and misty nights of the autumn and the collective breath of the crowd steaming in the crisp air of December and January. To take away the Christmas programme would be to remove a large part of what soul English football has left — and frankly, if that is tough on players, they are well enough remunerated to deal with
it. Nobody these days is expected to play through a quagmire or on a frozen surface that might directly contribute to injury.
And then there are the practical considerations. Give clubs a break and would the players really rest? Or would they be flogged around the world for a series of money-spinning friendlies? The English calendar is packed anyway: Where would the games go? Do we really want a shorter summer break with the season beginning in July? Much of English football’s wealth is derived from broadcast rights: Would
television companies really accept a blank couple of weeks in December or January?
And would it, anyway, really work? After all, there was no winter break when English clubs dominated European competition between 1977 and 1984, or between 2005 and 2012. Has the game really changed so much in five or six years? If anything the trend has been the increasing power of the super-clubs and, for a whole host of socio-economic reasons, the Premier League big six, powerful as they
are, are not quite as powerful as Barcelona and Real Madrid.
But what about the national team? What about the examples of Germany and Spain? Well, yes, but what about Italy, who have a winter break but have not even qualified for the next World Cup. What about all those years before 2008 when Spain had a winter break and won nothing.
Short-term correlation is not cause. And besides, the nature of modern football is that plenty of non-English players play in the Premier League. Was Mesut Ozil any less effective in 2014 for the want of a winter break?
The winter break has become a fetish, an easy answer to a more difficult question of English underachievement. There is very little evidence it would do any good, and the cost to the game’s soul would be enormous. Jingle on.
Premier League’s winter wonderland is part of the sport’s soul
Premier League’s winter wonderland is part of the sport’s soul
Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty won’t run in the Preakness, dashing Triple Crown possibility
- Sovereignty trainer Bill Mott on Sunday morning had foreshadowed skipping the Preakness in the name of long-term interests
- This is the fifth time since Justify won all three races in 2018 that the Preakness will go on without a true shot at a Triple Crown
- No decision has been made on second-place finisher Journalism, who was the Derby favorite, or third-place Baeza for the 150th running of the Preakness
NEW YORK: Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will not run in the Preakness Stakes, officials announced Tuesday, meaning there won’t be a Triple Crown champion for a seventh consecutive year.
“We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness,” said Mike Rogers, executive VP of 1/ST Racing, which operates the Preakness. “We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision.”
Mott told Preakness officials the plan will be to enter Sovereignty in the Belmont Stakes, the third jewel of the Triple Crown, on June 7 at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. Mott on Sunday morning had foreshadowed skipping the Preakness in the name of long-term interests.
“We want to do what’s best for the horse,” he told reporters at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. “Of course, you always think about a Triple Crown, and that’s not something we’re not going to think about.”
Sovereignty won a muddy Derby with jockey Junior Alvarado at odds of 7-1 by passing favorite Journalism down the stretch.
Owner Godolphin’s US director of bloodstock, Michael Banahan, deferred an explanation to Mott in a text message sent to The Associated Press, calling it a team decision that “both feel it’s the right direction for the horse going forward.” A message left for Mott was not immediately returned.
This is the fifth time since Justify won all three races in 2018 that the Preakness will go on without a true shot at a Triple Crown. Elevated winner Country House and Maximum Security, who was disqualified for interference, each did not participate in 2019, the races were run out of order in 2020, Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit was DQ’d for a positive drug test in 2021 and long shot Rich Strike was held out in 2022 to rest him for the previously planned five weeks.
Mage finished third in the Preakness in 2023, and Mystik Dan was second last year after his owner and trainer also were initially reluctant to run him. The two-week turnaround from the Kentucky Derby to the Preakness and changes in modern racing have sparked debate around the sport about spacing out the races.
Prominent owner Mike Repole earlier Tuesday posted on social media a proposal to move the Belmont to second in the Triple Crown order, four weeks after the Kentucky Derby and sliding the Preakness back further with the aim of keeping more of the top horses involved.
“The Preakness being run two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, in this new day and age in racing, shows the lack of vision and leadership needed to evolve this sport,” Repole wrote. “I expect the top three finishers of this year’s Derby to skip the Preakness and go right to the Belmont.”
No decision has been made on second-place finisher Journalism, who was the Derby favorite, or third-place Baeza for the 150th running of the Preakness, the last at Pimlico Race Course before it is knocked down and rebuilt. The plan is for the 2026 Preakness to take place at Laurel Park between Baltimore and Washington while Pimlico is under construction.
Trump vows ‘seamless’ experience for 2026 World Cup fans
- Vice President JD Vance, the vice-chair of the World Cup task force, said while foreign visitors would be welcome they would have to leave at the end of the tournament
- Infantino, the president of football’s world governing body, said his organization had “full and entire” confidence in the Trump administration to help deliver a successful tournament
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that all fans from across the globe would be welcome at the 2026 World Cup despite concerns over his border crackdown impacting the tournament.
Trump, who has appointed himself chairman of the White House task force for the tournament, said visitors to the US could expect a “seamless” experience.
The US is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with neighboring Canada and Mexico.
“We can’t wait to welcome soccer fans from all over the globe,” Trump said at a White House briefing alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“Every part of the US government will be working to ensure that these events are safe and successful, and those traveling to America to watch the competition have a seamless experience during every part of their visit.”
Foreign traveler arrivals in the US are expected to decline by 5.1 percent in 2025, according to one recent study by Tourism Economics.
The World Tourism Forum Institute has said a mix of stringent US immigration policies and global political tensions could “significantly affect” international arrivals.
Vice President JD Vance, the vice-chair of the World Cup task force, said while foreign visitors would be welcome they would have to leave at the end of the tournament.
“I know we’ll have visitors, probably from close to 100 countries. We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game,” Vance told Tuesday’s briefing. “But when the time is up, they’ll have to go home.”
Infantino, the president of football’s world governing body, said his organization had “full and entire” confidence in the Trump administration to help deliver a successful tournament.
“The entire world will focus on the United States of America, and America welcomes the world,” Infantino told the meeting. “Everyone who wants to come here to enjoy, to have fun, to celebrate the game will be able to do that.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said US officials were using next month’s FIFA Club World Cup as a testing ground for the World Cup, stating that the US expected 2 million overseas visitors.
“We’re processing those travel documents and visa applications already ... that is obviously going to be a precursor to what we can do next year for the World Cup as well,” Noem said. “It is all being facilitated.”
Trump, meanwhile, said he was confident of working closely with Canada and Mexico despite his broiling trade disputes with the two World Cup co-hosts.
“I don’t see any tension either,” Trump said, shortly after meeting Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney. “We get along very well with both.”
Inter beats Barcelona 4-3 after extra time to reach another Champions League final
- Substitute Davide Frattesi was the extra-time hero for Inter, firing home in the 99th minute to leave the Barcelona players slumped to the ground
MILAN: Inter Milan beat Barcelona 4-3 after extra time in another rollercoaster encounter Tuesday to reach a second Champions League final in three years.
In the end it took extra time, two astonishing Barcelona fightbacks and 13 goals — some of them mesmerizing — to separate the two sides and see Inter prevail 7-6 on aggregate.
Substitute Davide Frattesi was the extra-time hero for Inter, firing home in the 99th minute to leave the Barcelona players slumped to the ground and all his Nerazzurri teammates — including those on the bench — racing to celebrate with him.
Moments earlier, Frattesi had been encouraging the already loud San Siro crowd to make more noise and the atmosphere grew even more feverish after his strike.
Inter, which lost the final to Manchester City in 2023, will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal in Munich on May 31. PSG beat Arsenal 1-0 in London last week in their first match.
There was little sign of the drama to come at halftime, with Inter comfortably leading 2-0 after Lautaro Martínez scored and earned a penalty, which was converted by Hakan Çalhanoğlu.
But Barcelona had been in that position before, having gone 2-0 down early in the first leg last week before securing a thrilling 3-3 draw.
And Eric García scored nine minutes after the break before Dani Olmo headed in the equalizer six minutes later.
Raphina appeared to have secured the win for Barcelona when he put the Spanish side ahead two minutes before full time, tucking away the rebound after Yann Sommer had saved his initial shot.
However, 37-year-old Francesco Acerbi astonishingly leveled in stoppage time — with his first goal in European competition — to add another 30 minutes onto the tantalizing encounter.
Frattesi had proved crucial off the substitutes’ bench before, both for Italy and Inter, and so he was again, controlling Mehdi Taremi’s pass and dummying round Pau Cubarsí before curling past Wojciech Szczęsny.
Barcelona almost leveled again but Sommer made a fingertip save to push Lamine Yamal’s shot past his post.
Report: PIF’s LIV Golf investments nearing $5 billion
- Money in Sport had previously projected an increase in the PIF investment of $5 billion by the end of 2025
NEW YORK: LIV Golf’s investors are reaching into their pockets again for funding, with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund nearing $5 billion in spending on the three-year-old league.
LIV Golf Investments, the parent company for worldwide LIV Golf operations, has increased its authorized share capital twice this year, once in mid-January and once late in April, for a total of $674.3 million, according to the Money in Sport newsletter on Monday.
This brings the total spend to $4.58 billion, with $1.9 billion of that coming since January 2024.
Money in Sport had previously projected an increase in the PIF investment of $5 billion by the end of 2025.
With a reference to $82 million in revenue from January to October 2024, PIF’s filing included the first time a consolidated revenue figure for LIV Golf has been publicly disclosed.
The filing shows the latest authorizations come with three conditions: a minimum number of events this season, a minimum revenue and a finalized TV deal with Fox Sports.
LIV Golf has made significant changes this year, including Scott O’Neill replacing Greg Norman as CEO in addition to altering its team format to make all players’ scores count in every round.
LIV Golf’s first event in the US of 2025 brought record viewership for the league, with 484,000 people tuning in to watch Marc Leishman’s triumph in Miami on April 8.
Unfortunately for the Saudi-backed league, that was still less than a third of the number of people who opted to watch a standard PGA Tour event the same day.
“I think we all hoped it would have been a little bit further along, and that’s no secret,” American golfer Brooks Koepka said ahead of the LIV Golf Miami tournament at Trump National Doral on April 2.
“No matter where you’re at, you always hope everything is further along. But they’re making progress, and it seems to be going in the right direction.”
Zhao’s title success at world championships shines light on snooker’s growth in China
TAIPEI: Once considered a saloon or rec-room past-time by many, snooker has long been serious business in the UK and much of the rest of the world. Now, it seems, it’s China’s turn in the spotlight.
Zhao Xintong’s crowning as Asia’s first world snooker champion has put the focus on the growth of the sport in China in a relatively short time.
“There’s a new superstar of the game,” said Mark Williams, 50, the three-time world champion from Wales who lost to Zhao in the final of the World Snooker Championship, held in Sheffield, north England, on Sunday. “It could be huge for the sport.”
Brought to China by foreign traders in the 19th century, snooker suffered during the early Communist period, when all pastimes seen as individualistic, bourgeois and foreign were frowned upon. The first ranking event to be held in Asia was the Hong Kong Open in 1989. The following year China hosted the Asian Open.
The death in 1976 of Mao Zedong, opened the doors for the sport and snooker has now moved from smoky backstreet parlors and outdoor shopfront street-side tables — amazingly kept level by the bricks they sat on — to swanky halls and practice venues.
Former world No. 1 Ding Junhui blazed the trail for Zhao and others like him, even as enthusiasm for the sport may be waning somewhat among a younger generation infatuated with e-sports and smartphone games.
Zhao himself may be the best thing to happen to China-British relations in recent years, with ties under pressure over trade and China’s curtailment of democracy in the former British colony of Hong Kong. The 28-year-old now lives and trains in Sheffield, and enjoyed strong support from the British fans at Sunday’s final.
Raised in the bustling industrial center of Shenzhen, Zhao picked up a cue at age eight and, somewhat surprisingly for education-obsessed Chinese parents, received strong support from his parents, who built him a practice room at home.
That didn’t fully shield him from the shadier side of the sport, however. He was banned for 20 months as one of 10 Chinese players implicated in a match-fixing scandal. Zhao owned up to knowledge of what was happening, although he said he wasn’t directly involved. He returned to the sport in September 2024 as an amateur. requiring him to battle his way back up the ranks.
Boost for the game in China
Dubbed “The Cyclone,” Zhao now stands at 11th in the world rankings and his combination of youth and talent is being celebrated across the country.
His expressions of disbelief at his world title was witnessed by millions of television viewers in China, with many praising him in online posts as the “pride of China” who “brought tears to one’s eyes.”
“It’s worth celebrating in China,” said Tong Jianfeng, 29 and long-time fan of the game. “Through the whole process, Zhao Xintong played smoothly. His precision is impressive.”
Huang Siyuan, also 29, agreed, “It didn’t come easy. I feel proud for Chinese billiards.”
Wang Heng, the manager and founder of Beijing Xinrui Billiard Academy, located in Tongzhou, just outside the capital, said Zhao’s success will be positive for the domestic game.
“I believe this will make Chinese players very confident because they would realize the world championship is no longer something difficult to break,” he said. “They will be more and more sure of themselves.”
‘On a pedestal’
There may already be more Zhao’s in the works. At this year’s world championships, 10 Chinese players qualified for the main draw and six made it into the final 16 — the highest ever.
“Now this will give them (children in China) power and in the future many Chinese players can do this,” said Zhao covered in confetti and a Chinese flag after taking the title.
International recognition will be crucial to the sport’s continued growth, according to Jason Ferguson, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.
“The one thing we do know about China is that snooker is treated like any other major Olympic sport, it is on a pedestal, it does get major broadcast hours and it really is supported by government and education systems,” Ferguson told The Associated Press.
“The sport is extremely well-respected. To have a world champion is really just incredible.”
