Premier League
JURGEN KLOPP, PEP GUARDIOLA COMMEND ‘HEADS-UP CAMPAIGN’ AHEAD OF COMMUNITY SHIELD MATCH
Sunday’s FA Community Shield clash between Liverpool and Manchester City will kick-off the Heads Up campaign and a season of activities aimed at driving the biggest ever conversation on mental health.
Launched with Heads Together and spearheaded by The FA president, The Duke of Cambridge, the initiative will harness the influence and popularity of football to help show the nation that we all have mental health and it’s just as important as physical health.
According to The FA, rival managers Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have both commended the campaign as they prepare to face each other again ahead of the new term.
“It’s so important, all over the world as well,” said Klopp, whose Liverpool side are in the Shield after finishing second behind Premier League and Emirates FA Cup winners City.
“I’m not an expert, but it seems to me to be an illness that doesn’t discriminate. It effects all ages, all genders, all backgrounds, all incomes and wealths, all nationalities.
“It’s a big issue but an issue where we can find a solution. People can seek help and the help is there. If this game helps more people realise that it’s something any one of us could suffer that’s good – because people should not feel embarrassed about illness.
“It’s very much an issue in professional sport as well as the other walks of life. As a coach and manager, I care about all issues that affect my players and staff. As a husband, parent and friend, I care about the issues of the people in my personal life.
“I do know as a society we have to keep pushing the message that asking for help when you need it is the most important step you can take.”
Guardiola was equally wholesome in his praise for the campaign, as he brings his team back to Wembley following their Emirates FA Cup Final victory over Watford in May.
“There’s no doubt there is a stigma that still exists
when we talk about mental health and that needs to change,” said the
former Barcelona boss.
“I want to live in a society where mental health is considered as
important as physical health, and initiatives like Heads Up are a great way of
achieving that.
“I hope everyone takes time to think about those close to them who have
suffered in silence, and let’s try and find a way of making the conversation
around mental health more open and honest. It’s the only way we will move
forward.
“Everyone at Manchester City backs the Heads Up campaign and I want to
personally thank the FA and the Heads Together charity led by The Duke of
Cambridge for the work you are doing.”
The launch moment will be marked during Sunday’s pre-match ceremony, when a short film by The Duke of Cambridge will introduce Heads Up and encourage both sets of fans to join in the singing of the clubs’ anthems, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ and ‘Blue Moon’.
The singing will be led by two community choirs – iChoir from Liverpool and Bee Vocal from Manchester – who were both created to support mental wellbeing and to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health.
The campaign will strive to raise awareness, spark conversation and signpost support for those in need, with a crisis text support service established.
If a fan wants immediate support they can also text ‘HeadsUp’ to 85258 to connect with a trained crisis volunteer, who will chat to them by text message, sharing only what feels comfortable, and help them through the moment, working together on a plan for longer-term support.
This service is available 24/7 and free to text from most mobile networks. It is run by ‘Shout’ and powered by Crisis Text Line.
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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