Latest editorial
Liverpool fans stuck outside the ground showing their match tickets during the UEFA Champions League Final at the Stade de France, Paris.
REAL MADRID have responded to Uefa’s offer to refund some fans affected by events at the Champions League final in Paris last year, describing it as “insufficient” and requesting Uefa “redress the situation and assume its full responsibility.”
The club from the Spanish capital faced Liverpool in the final in May 2022 when negligent planning and inadequate responses from those involved in overseeing the event — including Uefa, the Prefecture de Police, and other organisers including the French Football Federation — led to chaotic, dangerous incidents related to crowd control and the safety of attendees.
A comprehensive independent review released last month found that Uefa “bears primary responsibility for failures which almost led to disaster.”
ROGER MCKENZIE argues that it was correct to ban the notorious Israeli side who were likely to cause trouble in Muslim areas of Birmingham, but asks, given the occupation and slaughter in Palestine, why any Israeli team is being hosted anywhere
JAMES NALTON writes on the bizarre Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv scandal
The ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was based on evidence of a pattern of violence and hatred targeting Arabs and Muslims, two communities that have a large population in Birmingham — overturning the ban was tacit acceptance of the genocidal ideology the fans espouse, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
Joao Pedro’s emotional goals against Fluminense captured the magic of an international club competition. But even as fans bring colour and passion, the Club World Cup’s deeper issues loom large, writes JAMES NALTON