Premier League
LEICESTER CITY HELICOPTER CRASH: WRECKAGE REMOVED
The wreckage of the helicopter, which crashed near to Leicester City’s stadium last Saturday has been removed.nnClub owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s body has also arrived in Thailand ahead of his funeral on Saturday.nnAccording to BBC, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has begun examining parts of the wreckage and the in-flight recorder.nnMr Vichai died with two members of his staff, the pilot and a passenger when the aircraft came down near the King Power Stadium on Saturday.nnAn AAIB spokesman said the wreckage had arrived at its specialist facility in Farnborough and inspectors gathered all the evidence that could be collected from the scene.nnThe wreckage will be “laid out and more detailed examination can continue”, he said.nn”The digital flight recorder is in our laboratory. Although subject to intense heat in the post-accident fire, initial work on it has allowed us to successfully download the recordings.nn”Our inspectors are verifying the extracted information and have started the detailed analysis of its contents,” the spokesman added.nnA black vehicle, thought to be carrying Mr Vichai’s body, was seen travelling from Don Mueang airport to the temple where the funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday.nnNusara Suknamai, Kaveporn Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer and his partner, Izabela Roza Lechowicz, also died in the crash last Saturday.nnPolice said the coroner has now formally identified all five of the victims.nnLeicester City are due to play Cardiff on Saturday, which will be their first game since the crash. They were due to play Southampton in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, but the match was rescheduled.nnThe club has confirmed that some players and staff will be flying out to Thailand after Saturday’s game.nnIn a press conference on Thursday, Leicester manager Claude Puel said the result at the Cardiff game was “not important”.nnHe added that Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, named as one of the first people on the scene after the helicopter crashed, “saw a lot of things”.nnAn eyewitness saw Schmeichel run out from the stadium on Saturday night followed by “loads of security guards and stewards”.nnPuel said: “Kasper, like the other players, has a lot of history with the chairman and they are all devastated.”nnAhead of Saturday’s game, Leicester striker Jamie Vardy told Sky Sports: “For us as players, we want to get a positive result.”nnThe 31-year-old added: “We need to make sure we go out there and honour his name and put in a performance that will hopefully get the win.nn”We all spoke about wanting to play. It’s what Vichai would have wanted and that’s what we are going to do.”nnAll Premier League games this weekend will be preceded by a minute’s silence, and players will wear black armbands.nnOn flying to Thailand for the funeral, he said: “It’s been the hardest week of everyone’s lives.nn”It’ll be massively important we attend. We are a close-knit group and one big family and one of the main reasons for that is Vichai – so it’s massively important.nn”He wasn’t just a chairman, he literally was part of your extended family.”nn nnThe night before he died, pilot Mr Swaffer emailed a carpet company requesting a blue runner for the helicopter.nnThe firm’s managing director Myles Shaw said it had now been personalised with the Leicester City logo and was being sent to the club.nn”It was something we needed to do,” Mr Shaw added.nn
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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