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Former Chelsea and England defender John Terry has revealed he was turned down for manager roles for not having enough experience as a coach.

Terry not pursing manager careerStill works in Chelsea's academyPreviously had assistant rolesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Terry says he has given up on trying to become a manager due to the rejections he has received when applying for roles. The former centre-back previously had coaching roles with Dean Smith at both Aston Villa and Leicester after calling time on his playing career in 2018, having won every trophy there is to win with Chelsea.

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Plenty of players from Terry's era have gone into coaching in recent years, with the likes of Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fabregas, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Mikel Arteta among others getting manager roles. However, Terry has admitted he is "baffled" by some of the jobs certain figures in football have managed to snare ahead of him. 

WHAT TERRY SAID

Terry told : “I’m done in terms of coaching. I’m enjoying my life, I’m working in the Chelsea academy.

“I went for a couple of jobs and those days are gone for me. I’m enjoying my life a little bit, I’ve got my time to myself, I play a bit of golf, I’m in the academy and I have some family time as well.

“I absolutely wanted it. When I went into Villa I got great experience under Dean Smith and we got promotion, which was incredible. 

“As an assistant coach in the Premier League and the experience I’ve had as a player and an individual captain in both Chelsea and England, I thought that would be enough to get me a job. 

“I’m not saying a job in the Premier League or the Championship – but a job at League One level. 

“I didn’t even get a sniff. I had interviews and it was just ‘you have no experience’. 

“When I see some people managing today, it baffles me, it really does. 

“In terms of ‘am I frustrated’, yes, absolutely because I have a lot of good attributes to be a really good coach or a really good manager but, unfortunately, that’s not happened.”

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR TERRY?

Terry was recently spotted as a manager in the six-a-side Baller League competition but for now most of his coaching will continue at Chelsea on a part-time basis as he looks to mould the next generation of Blues stars.

Pedri admits he "found it hard to believe" that Lionel Messi was leaving Barcelona when news of a stunning exit broke in the summer of 2021.

All-time great left as a free agent in 2021Stunned the world with a switch to PSGPedri proud to have worked with legendFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi severed career-long ties with the Blaugrana when reaching the end of a lucrative contract in Catalunya. It emerged that La Liga's giants did not have the finances required to put fresh terms in place.

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An emotional goodbye was bid by Barcelona’s all-time leading goalscorer, with tears flowing before a move to Paris Saint-Germain was completed. It was only when Messi made his way to France that a switch nobody could have predicted became real to those that the Argentine icon was leaving behind.

WHAT PEDRI SAID

Pedri was just 12 months into his Barca career when Messi moved on, with the Spain international telling of how he initially refused to accept that the rumours of an impending departure were true: "It was a shock when Leo Messi left. I was playing in the Olympics, and I found it hard to believe."

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Pedri did, however, get to experience life alongside the all-time great and quickly learned that it was always best to nudge the ball in that direction. He added on working with the GOAT: "I always passed the ball to Messi. Clearly, he was better than me. He was incredible in training; we were lucky to see him."

Red soil will become black. Bounce and carry will be fleeting. And don’t expect a rank turner.In a nutshell, that is likely to be the nature of the pitch at Green Park in Kanpur, where the second and final Test of the India-Bangladesh series starts on September 27.It is understood that unlike the true bounce that lasted across the four days in the first Test in Chennai last week, the Green Park pitch will be flatter in nature, with the bounce lower and the surface becoming increasingly slower as the Test grows old. This is because of the black-soil content in the pitch.That is in contrast to the Chepauk pitch, where both teams’ seamers and spinners fetched good bounce. That was a consequence of the pitch being made of the red soil that was imported from Mumbai two years ago. The bounce was a key factor in both teams playing three fast bowlers. While the degree of turn was not huge, allied with bounce, the Chepauk pitch had enough for spinners too, as shown by the Indian pair of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who took nine wickets between them in Bangladesh’s second innings.Related

• Shakib trials strap around neck as head-positioning tool in Chennai

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The slower nature of the Kanpur pitch is bound to change both teams’ selection plans. It is likely that the third seamer could be replaced by a third spinner. That means one of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel could get a chance for India.Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s selector Hannan Sarkar said on Monday in Chennai that Shakib Al Hasan is an injury doubt after his already hurting left index finger suffered a blow while batting on the fourth day. Even if Shakib plays the Test as an allrounder, Bangladesh may bring in left-arm spinner Taijul Islam in Nahid Rana’s place. The visitors also have offspinner Nayeem Hasan in the squad. He only comes into the picture if Shakib becomes unavailable, and Bangladesh still want to have three spinners in their line-up.In the last Test played in Kanpur, against New Zealand in 2021, India played three spinners in Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar. That was the first Test played at the venue since 2016, which also was against New Zealand. One common thread running through those two Tests was both lasted five days. While in 2016 India won comfortably, New Zealand batters showed admirable resistance to draw the game in 2021.While it is likely to be a toil for bowlers, batters could breathe easy and potentially score big in the absence of any tricks from the surface. In the 2021 Test, Shreyas Iyer scored a century and a fifty on debut and Tom Latham put out a rare masterclass from an overseas batter in defence against Indian spinners, scoring two half-centuries.

Liverpool are gearing up for a busy summer indeed, with FSG moving swiftly to snap up the signing of Jeremie Frimpong, who is set to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back when his £30m release clause is activated.

Trent’s quality is such that Liverpool need to replace him with multiple players. That’s why plans are reportedly being drawn to sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, who is one of the most sought-after and talented playmakers in the world.

He’s outperformed Liverpool’s similarly fielded players this season and would likely be the star of the show under the Anfield lights next year.

Of course, this shouldn’t detract from Liverpool’s principal goal this summer: signing a new centre-forward.

Liverpool lining up new striker

Darwin Nunez is allegedly set to leave, and an upgrade is surely needed for Arne Slot’s side to do it all over again next year.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Well, according to GIVEMESPORT, Liverpool are ‘on course to up the ante’ in their bid to sign Hugo Ekitike having sent scouts over to Germany to watch the Frenchman in action this weekend, with Eintracht Frankfurt facing Freiburg in the culminating game of the Bundesliga season.

Frankfurt, third, have benefited immensely from Ekitike’s dynamic attacking play this season, and it’s not surprising that they are seeking an £84m payment to part with their pride and joy.

£84m is no small sum, but it’s more payable than Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, who has been named a £150m player to dissuade suitors from placing bids this summer.

Why Hugo Ekitike is perfect for Liverpool

Ekitike is a young and hungry centre-forward with an immense amount of ability. He scores goals, but he also knits attacking play together, makes intelligent passes, outfoxes his opponents with agile movements.

He made headway toward the end of the 2023/24 campaign. Signed for a reported €35m (£30m) fee last summer, Ekitike had already been playing for Die Roten as a loanee for five months, blanking across his first nine Bundesliga appearances before netting four from five to close the campaign.

Now, the signs of a first-class player have been found and fostered. Across all competitions, the 22-year-old has posted 22 goals and 11 assists this season, with his all-around game leading football legend Wesley Sneijder to claim he has “the grace of Neymar” while journalist Graeme Bailey has described him as the “next Mbappe”.

There’s no question that securing Ekitike’s services would be a more important deal than bagging Wirtz, and that’s saying something. Wirtz is a phenomenal player, already one of the best in his position at 22.

But Ekitike, his age-mate, has been described as “one of the best centre-forwards out there” by analyst Ben Mattinson, and he’s only just getting started.

As per FBref, the Frenchman ranks among the top 10% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 7% for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for both progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90.

With an athletic and all-encompassing approach to the striker’s game, Ekitike is not just a fitting Nunez heir at number nine but indeed one of the most exciting profiles out there, with a completeness that Slot could use to fashion a new superstar.

Of course, in an ideal world, Liverpool would succeed in plucking both forwards from the German scene this summer, but it would seem prudent to address the Merseysiders’ glaring deficiency at centre-forward before turning toward the staggering sums required to win the Wirtz race.

A dream for Salah: Liverpool moving to sign "the world's best midfielder"

Liverpool boss Arne Slot’s season will be rewarded in the transfer market this summer.

2

By
Angus Sinclair

May 15, 2025

Arsenal are now in the race to sign an “entertaining” attacking midfielder who’s been likened to Eden Hazard, with Mikel Arteta believed to be a fan of the player, according to a report.

Gunners set sights on attacking midfielder

Injuries suffered by the likes of Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz have undoubtedly hindered the Gunners in their pursuit of the Premier League title, but questions also have to be asked about the performances of some of their other key players this season.

Martin Odegaard, for instance, has fallen short of his usual lofty standards, with the Norwegian on course for his worst full season, in terms of attacking contributions, since arriving at the Emirates Stadium, having picked up just two goals and seven assists in the league.

As such, Arteta may feel that new options are required in the attacking midfield area, and sporting director Andrea Berta is personally pushing for the signing of Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-In, with the French club now willing to sell the South Korean.

Arteta has also sanctioned a move for Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss, with a £22m offer for the 21-year-old now in the works, having been a bright spark in a very poor Foxes side this season, but another option is now emerging from further afield.

Like a younger Isak: Arsenal already doing work to sign "electric" £70m gem

It’s clear that Arsenal need to sign a striker and, given that they’re unlikely to land Alexander Isak, have they found an electric £70m alternative?

By
Ben Gray

May 10, 2025

According to a report from Spain, Arsenal are now pushing for the signing of Las Palmas maestro Alberto Moleiro, but there could be fierce competition for his signature, with Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Newcastle United also keen.

Moleiro has been closely monitored for months, and Arteta believes the 21-year-old could provide a fresh injection of quality, into an area of the pitch where a lack of depth has been an issue.

The starlet has a €60m (£51m) release clause included in his Las Palmas contract, but there is a feeling the Spanish side would be willing to sanction a departure for a lower price, given that his current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2026.

"Entertaining" Moleiro likened to Hazard

The Spaniard has caught the eye with some of his performances in La Liga this season, picking up six goals and one assist for Las Palmas, while football scout Ben Mattinson has claimed he is an exciting player to watch.

Not only that, but Mattinson has claimed the youngster reminds him of former Chelsea great Hazard, given the way he dribbles, and he ranks in the 84th percentile for successful take-ons per 90 over the past year, when compared to other attacking midfielders.

Of course, Arsenal should persist with Odegaard as their first choice attacking midfielder, despite the Norway international’s drop-off in form this season, but it would be useful to have a solid alternative option, and Moleiro could be an exciting long-term addition to the squad.

And who has the highest batting average at No. 4?

Steven Lynch02-Jun-2020Sachin Tendulkar had 194 when India declared in Multan in 2004. Has anyone else been stranded in the 190s by a declaration in a Test? asked Sarv Kothandaraman from the United States
There have so far been eight undefeated innings of between 190 and 199 in Tests, including two unlucky cases of 199 not out – by Andy Flower, for Zimbabwe against South Africa in Harare in 2001-02, and Kumar Sangakkara, for Sri Lanka v Pakistan in Galle in 2012.Sachin Tendulkar had 194 when Rahul Dravid declared at 675 for 5 against Pakistan in Multan in 2003-04. Dravid did it to have an hour’s bowling at Pakistan on the second evening – and although no wickets went down that night, India did win by an innings in the end. The only higher score in this bracket was achieved by Frank Worrell, against England in Bridgetown in 1959-60. He had scored 197 – in more than 11 hours – when his captain, Gerry Alexander, declared midway through the final day. There was little prospect of a result: England batted again and pottered to 71 without loss in 42 overs. The watching English journalist Alan Ross wrote: “Alexander several times signalled to Worrell for more action but Worrell, off on some pipedream of his own, chose to ignore him. Nelson at the Nile could not have been more disdainful.” And EW Swanton noted: “When Scarlett, by repute something of a hitter, was lbw, Alexander brought Worrell in, three short of his double hundred. It was significant that Alexander’s timing did not produce a dissenting voice.”It was Worrell’s second undefeated score in the 190s in Tests – against England at Trent Bridge in 1957 he had carried his bat for 191.Australia’s Brian Taber made eight dismissals on his Test debut – is that the record for a wicketkeeper? asked Ronald Garside from Australia
The New South Wales wicketkeeper Brian Taber collected seven catches and a stumping in his first Test, against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1966-67, and his mark was equalled by Chris Read, who made seven catches and a stumping too, on his debut, for England against New Zealand at Edgbaston in 1999.Eight remains the record for a player’s overall debut, but South Africa’s Quinton de Kock made nine dismissals – eight catches and a stumping – in his first match as the designated wicketkeeper, against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2014, having made his Test debut as a batsman earlier in the year. Some years ago I came across the comment that Graham Yallop had the highest average of any Australian batsman when batting in the No. 4 position. What is the highest average at No. 4 for other countries? asked Mike Larkin from Australia
I was always an admirer of Graham Yallop, who I thought was an underrated batsman. But this, for once, is overrating him: Yallop averaged 36.76 when batting at No. 4 in Tests, which is solid rather than spectacular. He did better at No. 3, where he averaged 52.42.Leading the way for No. 4s in Tests is none other than Frank Worrell, who by coincidence is mentioned in the question above. He averaged 76.22 in ten innings in this position (I imposed a qualification of ten innings, to exclude any anomalies). Next comes Steve Smith, who so far averages 74.02 from 57 innings at No. 4.Sachin Tendulkar made the most Test runs at No. 4 – 13,492 at 54.40) – while Mahela Jayawardene (9509 at 52.24) and Jacques Kallis (9033 at 61.86) both made more than 9000.Frank Worrell has the highest average for a minimum of 10 innings at No. 4 – 76.22•Getty ImagesWho scored two hundreds in a Test without being dismissed? asked Shanthy Noronha from New Zealand
There have now been 86 instances of a batsman scoring two hundreds in the same Test, 37 of them in the current century. But there remains only one case where the man concerned was not dismissed in either innings: Sri Lanka’s Aravinda de Silva followed 138 not out against Pakistan in Colombo in April 1997 with 103 not out in the second innings.The West Indian Krishmar Santokie has figured in 12 T20Is without scoring a run. Who holds the corresponding record in Tests and ODIs? asked Ricky Dooley from Scotland
The Jamaican left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie shares top spot on this list with Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has also played a dozen T20Is so far without troubling the scorers (both have batted once; Santokie did not receive a ball, but Afridi faced two without scoring). Three other current players have appeared in 11 T20Is without scoring a run: Ben Shikongo of Namibia, Hamza Tahir of Scotland, and Mohammed Shami of India. Shikongo was dismissed by the only ball he has faced, while the others have not made it to the crease.There’s a runaway leader in one-day internationals: the South African left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi has so far played no fewer than 22 ODIs without scoring a run (he’s faced two balls in three innings). Next is another current player, the Sri Lankan seamer Kasun Rajitha with nine matches – he’s actually faced ten deliveries without scoring a run. Next come the West Indian spinner Dave Mohammed and Indian seamer Jaydeep Unadkat, who both played seven matches without scoring.Three players have appeared in three Test matches without scoring a run. The old Worcestershire seamer Fred Root never even got to bat in his three Tests, while an even older fast bowler, Lancashire’s Arthur Mold, got in three times but failed to score. More recently, the South African fast bowler Mfuneko “Chewing” Ngam played three Tests in 2000-01 without getting off the mark.Use our feedback form or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Curran also became the youngest England player to win a Man of the Match award in Tests, while Virat Kohli outscored his team-mates by a phenomenal margin

Bharath Seervi04-Aug-20180 Tests won by Asian teams at Edgbaston. India haven’t found a win in seven Tests at the venue having lost six and drawn one. The other subcontinent teams, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, have played eight and two Tests respectively without any victory. Edgbaston has been England’s favourite venue – they have won 28 Tests and lost only eight here. Their win-loss ratio here is the third-best for any team at a venue in which they have played 25 or more Tests.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 Instances of India losing while chasing smaller targets than the 194 at Edgbaston. They had lost chasing 120 in Bridgetown in 1996-97 and 176 in Galle in 2015. Three of the four smallest targets that India have failed to chase down have come in the last three years, including the Cape Town Test at start of 2018, when they lost chasing 204.11 Wickets shared by Ben Stokes and Sam Curran, at an average of 18.63. Stokes picked up six wickets and Curran four. They outbowled their senior colleagues James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who managed just six wickets between them at an average of 29.00. Curran and Stokes picked up a four-for each in the two innings.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 India-England Tests to finish by a closer runs margin than this Test, which England won by 31 runs. The Eden Gardens Test of 1972-73 ended with India winning by 28 runs. The 31-run defeat is India’s fourth-closest defeat and closest since 2000.0 England players younger than Curran to win a Man of the Match award in Test cricket. He was 20 years and 60 days old at the start of this match. He is also the youngest to win the award against India since Umar Gul at 19 years, 357 days in Lahore in 2004. Curran took England’s first three wickets in the match and contributed with the bat in both the innings, scoring 24 and 63.77.66 The control percentage of England’s batsmen in this Test. India’s batsmen managed 75%. The close control percentage figures show that bowlers from both teams dominated the batsmen. This is only the second Test in England in the last 15 years in which all four innings produced totals of less than 300. The other Test was at Lord’s in 2013. when New Zealand toured.45.87 Percentage of India’s runs that came from Virat Kohli’s bat. He scored 200 runs out of the 436 made by India. The other 10 India players managed only 214 runs in their 20 innings and there were 22 extras. The second-highest scorer for India in the Test, Hardik Pandya, made 53 runs, or just over a quarter of Kohli’s runs. Kohli hit 27 boundaries while all the other India players combined for 28.

Can Celtic get back to winning ways?

Last Sunday, the Hoops were beaten by the side bottom of the Scottish Premiership for the first time since November 2005, shockingly defeated 1-0 by struggling St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.

Considering Rangers also lost a day earlier, Hibs claiming a 2-0 win at Ibrox, it mattered very little, and Celtic could be crowned champions as soon as this weekend.

If Brendan Rodgers’ team beat Kilmarnock on Saturday, and then their fierce rivals are defeated at Pittodrie a day later, a record-equalling 55th top division title will be rubber-stamped.

As the Hoops target victory over Derek McInnes’ Killie, Rodgers must drop his club-record signing and unleash a fit again star instead.

Arne Engels mixed first season at Celtic

Last summer, after selling Matt O’Riley to Brighton for a reported £25m fee, Celtic broke their club record to replace him, with Arne Engels arriving on deadline day from Augsburg at the cost of £11m.

Upon his arrival, Rodgers labeled the Belgian a “young player of real quality”, while Graeme McGarry of the Herland claims the 21-year-old has ‘huge potential’.

To date, Engels has scored ten goals and registered 12 assists across all competitions, with 32 of his 45 appearances coming from the start, underlining that he has been a mainstay.

However, in more recent times, Joe Donnelly of the Glasgow Times notes that Engels has regularly ‘failed to make a significant impact’ in many Celtic matches, scoring only once in his last 12 appearances, hooked after 66 minutes in Perth last Sunday.

Thus, Rodgers must, now, ruthlessly ditch the Belgium international from the starting line-up due to his recent lack of impact at the top end of the pitch, and his dull display last time out.

The Celtic star who should replace Arne Engels

Back in February, Paulo Bernardo suffered an ankle injury during a Scottish Cup tie against Raith Rovers that saw him sidelined for five weeks, heartbreakingly missing out on the two-legged Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.

Since then, the Portuguese U21 international has seen just 28 minutes of action, coming off the bench during the 3-0 rout of Hearts a fortnight ago, before remaining an unused substitute against St Johnstone last time out.

Bernardo himself said “I can play football again, so I’m really excited”, describing the injury he suffered as “bad” but stating he will do his best and give his all during the remainder of the campaign.

Bernardo initially joined Celtic on loan from Benfica, before making the move permanent for a reported £3.5m fee last summer.

So far, he’s scored just seven goals and registered only seven assists in 70 outings in hoops, but let’s take a deeper dive into his statistics when compared to Engels.

Appearances

37

45

Minutes

1,544

2,800

Goals

3

10

Assists

4

12

Chances created

30

64

Big chances created

5

14

Passing accuracy %

87.95%

84.64%

Through-balls

2

12

Ball recoveries

74

109

Touches per 90

79

72

The table shows that, throughout the season, Engels’ statistics are better, albeit he has played around 1,300 minutes more across all competitions, which certainly skews the data.

Bernardo meantime, boasts a higher pass completion percentage, more ball recoveries per 90 minutes, and registers marginally more touches per game.

Thus, the Portuguese midfielder definitely deserves a shot against Kilmarnock, building up his match-sharpness ahead of a Scottish Cup semi-final against the side who have just beaten Celtic, namely St Johnstone, at Hampden on Easter Sunday.

Rarely-seen Celtic flop is fast becoming their new James McCarthy

The rarely-seen Celtic flop could end up becoming the new James McCarthy at Parkhead.

ByDan Emery Apr 10, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

da bet esporte： A Secretaria de Esportes de São Paulo de São Paulo e a Federação Paulista de Futebol planejam realizar a primeira edição da Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior ainda em 2023. O projeto nasceu na pasta ligada à prefeitura paulistana e foi levado pelo secretário de esportes e lazer Cacá Vianna à FPF, que acenou positivamente quanto à possibilidade de promover o campeonato.

– A gente começou esse trabalho no ano passado. O futebol feminino tem crescido muito, e quando eu cheguei na Secretaria a gente apresentou essa proposta de criar um campeonato. Já tivemos as peneiras no sub-15 e sub-17, que foram feitas no Centro Esportivo Manchester, que é da prefeitura, em parceria com a Federação Paulista de Futebol, e desde o ano passado, quando eu apresentei essa proposta para a equipe que compõe Federação de começar com um campeonato pequeno, mas dando a possibilidade de São Paulo sair na frente e ter a possibilidade de fazer a primeira Copa São Paulo de Júnior Feminina – disse o secretário com exclusividade ao LANCE! durante o Sports Summit, feira de esportes que acontece no pavilhão de eventos do estádio do Pacaembú, em São Paulo, entre os dias 25 e 27 de abril.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFora de CampoJoão Guilherme relembra episódio que um torcedor tentou invadir a cabine de transmissãoFora de Campo25/04/2023Futebol NacionalQuanto ganham os clubes que se classificam para as oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil? Veja valoresFutebol Nacional25/04/2023Mais EsportesVôlei de praia: tricampeã mundial, Talita completa 200 competições internacionaisMais Esportes25/04/2023

da marjack bet： +Brasil campeão do Sul-Americano sub-17: confira quem é quem entre os nomes da Seleção Brasileira

A iniciativa também é uma forma da capital paulista demonstrar apoio à CBF na candidatura para ser sede da Copa do Mundo feminino em 2027. Haverá a concorrência europeia, na tríplice candidatura que envolve Alemanha, Bélgica e Holanda, da América do Norte, com Estados Unidos e México em parceria, e também da África do Sul, representando o continente africano. Neste ano, o Mundial acontece na Austrália e Nova Zelândia, entre os meses de julho e agosto.

– Lógico que não terão 132 equipes, como acontece no masculino, mas a gente vai dar o pontapé inicial até vislumbrar São Paulo disputar a Copa do Mundo de Futebol Femininio em 2027, que é uma grande importância também para o Brasil, não só para São Paulo. A gente vai entrar na briga , junto com a CBF, para que São Paulo mais uma vez puxe a discussão do fortalecimento do futebol feminino no Brasil – salientou Cacá.

De acordo com o secretário municipal de esportes de São Paulo, a Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior na categoria feminina tem a sinalização de adesão de algumas equipes profissionais, como Corinthians, Ferroviária, Grêmio, Internacional e São Paulo. No entanto, a confirmação dependerá de um calendário que possibilite a participação dessas equipes.

– Tem que aguardar o calendário do Campeonato Brasileiro. A gente precisa ver os locais, porque esses jogos terão torcidas. Não dá para jogar em um campo sem arquibancada, estrutura. É isso que precisamos organizar. E a Federação (Paulista de Futebol) tem uma logística importante nesse sentido – destacou o secretário.

O próximo passo para que o projeto avance será o alinhamento com o Poder Executivo de São Paulo. Reuniões entre os representantes da secretaria municipal de esporte e da Federação Paulista de Futebol com o prefeito da capital paulista, Ricardo Nunes, já estão agendadas, enquanto as entidades realizam estudos para adequar o evento com os espaços de calendários que os clubes e locais de partidas possuem.

A Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior é disputada desde 1969 – com ausências somente em 1987 e 2021. A competição chegou a 53 edições em 2023.

continua após a publicidade

The game unites the country, cutting through race, religion, caste and class in the way few other things can

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Jun-2019When the Sri Lanka squad left to undertake pre-World Cup training in the UK, a little over three weeks ago, a stultifying unease had settled upon their island. Rocked to its core by the seven bomb blasts that wrenched away more than 250 lives on Easter Sunday, the island’s parks and beaches had emptied, restaurants sat idle, and much of the vivacity of Sri Lankan life had given way to fear.In the weeks since, some semblance of normalcy has been restored. Classrooms are full of students again. Offices hum once more, commuter trains are packed, and the negative foreign-travel advisories – which had helped bring Sri Lankan tourism to a virtual standstill – have begun to be relaxed. Yet there are daily reminders that not all is as it once was. Armed guards stand outside churches, mosques, hotels and malls. Children as young as five must have their bags inspected before they enter school grounds. The news is a vortex of rumour, nationalist fervour, haunting admissions, and wild allegations. Analysts attempt to grapple with local manifestations of a global threat, the government attempts to chart a peaceful course forward, and every fresh revelation wages a fresh onslaught on the psyche. Here is a nation in need of a distraction – a purpose cricket has so often served.ALSO READ: ‘I’ll never forget the scene’ – Shanaka revisits Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday horrorThe game is uniquely qualified to speak to Sri Lanka in harrowing times, because there is no pursuit that cuts through race, religion, caste and class in the country quite as comprehensively. Resoundingly popular in the north – where cricket survived the deprivations of the decades-long civil war – as it is in the wild south-east, or up in the tea-growing hills, it is at once a sport beloved by the working- and middle classes, as it is controlled by elites. Once a weapon used by British to subjugate and divide (many clubs in Colombo still bear their racial names, though they abide by them no longer), cricket has in modern times become a showcase of a unified Sri Lanka: Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Christians all turn out for the national side.The man who has led the team most often this decade, for example, is half-Tamil and Catholic – two minority identities heaped one upon the other. And yet Angelo Mathews’ background was barely remarked upon when he was appointed Sri Lanka’s youngest captain in 2013. Why hail this as some progressive milestone after all, when race and religion have virtually been incidental within Sri Lankan cricket for decades?Cricket in the country is by no means without vast and debilitating woes. It is corrupt and cripplingly intertwined with politics. The apex administrative body’s constitution is a source of profound dysfunction. And yet, for all its sins, Sri Lankan cricket is unblemished by flaw. Beyond runs scored, wickets taken, and catches held, there are few considerations. Where you went to school? Well, perhaps that still has cachet. Who you pray to? What language you speak? The nation’s best ever, Muttiah Muralitharan, is a Hindu from the Hill Country Tamil community, who, having been brutalised by the British and disenfranchised for decades after independence, might fairly lay claim to being the island’s most besieged.Whatever Sri Lanka’s fortunes may be in this World Cup, the country’s fans will bear them collectively•IDI/Getty ImagesIt is unsurprising that when ethnic tensions spill over, and hateful forces mobilise, Sri Lanka’s cricketers are among the first and most forceful voices to campaign for unity. Kumar Sangakkara frequently takes to his social-media pages to deliver conciliatory sermons, his Sinhala as elegant as his English. Mahela Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya are just as quick to use their platforms to push for calm. The current crop of players do not stand idly by either – Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Upul Tharanga and Jeffrey Vandersay all have spoken out on various occasions.And theirs are not merely parroted platitudes. When new captain Dimuth Karunaratne – one of the most vocal on Twitter in the past few weeks – stands against racism, he understands, like so many captains before him, the strength in Sri Lanka’s diversity. Himself a Sinhala Buddhist who made his name opening the batting for a Catholic school, he has in his dressing room players from all over the Sri Lankan spectrum. There is Nuwan Pradeep, the Sinhala fast bowler who speaks Tamil, having grown up in a multilingual fishing neighbourhood in Negombo. There’s Mendis, the rising star in the batting order, and Catholic son of a Moratuwa trishaw driver. There are players with Burgher (Dutch or British) ancestry, and others from the deep south, from villages as Buddhist as they come. Muslims have not had substantial representation in the team in recent years (though Mohamed Shiraz did make the squad for the recent South Africa Tests, even if he didn’t play), but that is not believed to be a result of discrimination. Muslims can be counted among the most respected voices in the cricket media, and they form one of the most raucous groups within Sri Lanka’s fandom – Mohamed Nilam, a superfan, is often seen in his jester’s hat in the stands.ALSO READ: Can Sri Lanka spring another surprise, 23 years on?Cricket has its limitations. World Cup wins will do little to ease the suffering of families devastated by the blasts in Katuwapitiya and Kochchikade, or dull the profound grief of Batticaloa parents whose children were killed just as they were returning to the church building after Sunday school. A great innings will not un-burn Muslim-owned shops. Dipping yorkers will not quell divisive rhetoric, or provide political solutions to long-standing grievances. And perhaps victories will be in short supply in this particular World Cup, given the state of this team’s ODI form. In having won the Tests in South Africa in February, Sri Lanka may already have exhausted their cricket miracle for the year.But there is always the hope there will be some respite. Hope that Sri Lanka raise their game for a World Cup, as they often have done in this century, and that by some magic, a few wins can be strung together. And that even if not, and a nation is disappointed, that it will bear that disappointment as it has often done, together.