James Anderson has been fined 50% of his match fee for shoulder-barging Runako Morton during the second one-day international at Edgbaston.The incident occurred during the closing stages of West Indies’ innings when, after finishing an over, Anderson dropped his shoulder into Morton as the batsman completed a run. Morton reacted to the incident by pointing his bat at Anderson and Brian Jerling, the umpire, had to step in to keep the players apart. When Morton was dismissed, Anderson gave him a send-off to the pavilion.Both players appeared in front of match referee Mike Procter on Wednesday night and, while Anderson was hit with the penalty, Morton was found not guilty of breaching the code of conduct.”I have no problem with players being aggressive on the field because our game is all about passion and commitment,” said Procter. “But, at the same time, they have to recognize they are role models watched by people all over the world.”Cricket is, after all, a non-contact sport and when players fail to recognise that fact and engage in needless nudges, the type of which we saw yesterday, then that is where we have to draw the line.”Anderson’s 10-over spell went for 78 runs, his most expensive analysis in ODIs, and his last four overs cost 50 against a fired up Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels.Following the match England captain Paul Collingwood said: “To be perfectly honest, I don’t mind the boys getting stuck if they need to get stuck in. I don’t mind that at all. That’s cricket. Simple as that.”Chris Gayle, his opposite number, also shrugged off the incidents, insisting there was nothing personal at stake. “These guys have been playing cricket against each other for quite some time now,” he said. “We were just trying to get on top of them as early as possible and they did the same thing, so it was a little bit of give-and-take. I hope no-one takes it too seriously.”It was a heated encounter throughout with Daren Powell also becoming involved in verbal exchanges with the England batsmen.Stuart Broad was also found to have breached clause 1.1 of the code, which concerns the ICC logo policy, and was handed a reprimand. Broad wore a visible white garment under his playing shirt on Wednesday, something not permitted under clothing regulations. West Indies won by 61 runs to level the series.
Ajit Agarkar, India’s most successful bowler in the one-day series against West Indies, is returning home even as the bowlers in the Test squad had a torrid time in the warm-up match in Antigua, conceding as many as 20 extras on the first day.India lost the series 1-4, but Agarkar finished on top of the Indian bowling averages with nine wickets at 18.11 a piece. Only Ian Bradshaw, the West Indies left-arm seamer, bettered his average, conceding 17.11 runs for each of the nine wickets that he got from the four matches he played.”That I got into rhythm straightaway made a big difference. My confidence, perhaps, would have been dented had I gone for runs in the first ODI [Kingston],” Agarkar told , the Kolkata-based daily.India will next play a one-day tournament only in August-September when they travel to Sri Lanka for a tri-series and Agarkar plans to spend the time in between playing some form of professional cricket, possibly in England, where he had played for Middlesex in 2004.”I will take a complete break for about a week and, then, explore possibilities of either playing for a county or in one of the leagues. Obviously, I’ve got to establish contact with an agent… I’m definitely going to play some form of cricket,” he said.During the series, Agarkar became the seventh allrounder and the second Indian after Kapil Dev, to score 1000 runs and take 250 wickets. He is the only fast bowler in the current one-day squad to have played previously in West Indies when India won the series 2-1 in 2001-02. He took six wickets in three matches, three for 33 being his best bowling figures.Agarkar felt the reason why other Indian bowlers were not as successful as him was because they couldn’t hit the right length – which is vital on the slow West Indies pitches. Experience, he added, also counted in overseas tours.To somebody who arrived on the international scene with such gusto, Agarkar seemed resigned to the seesaw nature of his career. “The past eight years have seen me in and out a number of times… I’m disappointed, but my selection or otherwise rests with others.”
The New Zealand board has said that there was no question of not going ahead with the tour to Zimbabwe and added that they will try and avoid any contact with Robert Mugabe’s government.Martin Snedden, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, said an independent security report from Zimbabwe earlier this week had given the all-clear for the tour and that player safety wouldn’t be an issue. In response, the players unanimously agreed to the five-week tour, involving two Tests followed by a one-day tri-series with India as the third team.The detailed report regarding the security arrangements were given to the board by a Zimbabwe-based security expert, who also advised England and Australia during their tours last year. “The advice we’re getting is that as things stand at present he doesn’t think it will interfere with the tour proceeding,” Snedden told New Zealand Press Association. He added that player safety was the only grounds for not touring, as they would be liable for a minimum fine of US$2 million for unjustified cancellation under ICC regulations. Snedden said the US$2 million fine for unjustified cancellation was the bare minimum and that the touring country was also liable for all financial losses suffered by the hosts.The team have come under pressure from political parties and have been urged not to tour. Rod Donald, the co-leader of the Greens, petitioned all contracted New Zealand players in March this year and requested they boycott the tour on moral grounds. Helen Clark, the prime minister, had also said that she “wouldn’t be seen dead in Zimbabwe” under the present regime, and that she preferred the tour did not proceed. However, she didn’t take the final step of government intervention, which would also be grounds for cancelling the tour without financial penalty.Snedden outlined the advice that the board had received from the government. “Phil Goff [Foreign Affairs Minister] has suggested that it’s a good thing if we can avoid putting our players in situations where they have any contact with Zimbabwean Government officials, and we’ll be working to achieve that. The government’s taken a pragmatic approach, they’ve expressed a view that they would prefer us not to go, but they understand the contractual situation.”He felt that the cancellation of the tour would lead to embarrassment and added that the players were given all the information they needed about Zimbabwe’s political situation and had the past two months to decide whether to tour or not. “If you’ve entered into a contractual arrangement with nine other countries and you try and pick and choose later, then you expose yourself to ridicule,” he said. “The players have been through this situation a number of times in recent years. It’s an issue we’ve met head on and done pretty well. My understanding is the players are reasonably confident in the way we handle it and are prepared to trust us to do it right.”The board, headed by Snedden, have been weary of security issues in the recent past: New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan in 2002 was aborted midway after a bomb exploded outside the team hotel in Karachi; the team refused to travel to Kenya for a World Cup match in 2003 due to terrorist threats; and later that year they delayed a tour of Pakistan after receiving threats about touring during the holy month of Ramadan.
Maurice Odumbe, Kenya’s former captain, has enlisted the services of one of Kenya’s top criminal lawyers as he attempts to prove his innocence in the case filed against him by the International Cricket Council. The inquiry into allegations of match-fixing is due to start in Nairobi on May 19, and will be presided over by Ahmed Ebrahim, a Zimbabwean judge.Ishan Kapila, who will defend Odumbe, is the son of Achhrro Kapila, who represented Jomo Kenyatta in a famous pre-independence trial in 1953, after he was accused by the British government of being one of the chief instigators in the Mau Mau freedom movement.The ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit will serve Odumbe the papers within the next week. He is alleged to have received payments from at least one Mumbai bookmaker in 2002, so that he could coerce his team-mates into underperforming in matches. If found guilty, Odumbe – who has been the face of Kenyan cricket, along with Steve Tikolo – faces a life ban.
XXXX Queensland Bulls spinner Nathan Hauritz has been given theall-clear to resume training this week after recovering from aquadriceps injury suffered in the ING Cup loss to Tasmania on Saturday.Queensland Cricket medical officer Dr Simon Carter examined Hauritz thismorning and was satisfied with his recovery from the injury, describedas a muscle spasm by Dr Carter.”His recovery has been very rapid and we are quite confident he is fineto resume bowling and training this week," Dr Carter said.Hauritz is expected to play for Norths in the final round of theBrisbane XXXX first grade premiership on Saturday in light of hispositive recovery.Queensland take on Victoria next week in the Pura Cup at the Gabba from February 27 – March 2.
India continued their run of success in the triangular tournament,with a six-wicket victory over West Indies, who found themselves twowickets down after three overs on a flat but sluggish pitch, and werenever in the game thereafter.On another clear Bulawayo morning, India won the toss again and putWest Indies in. Perhaps the move was due to some suspicion of earlylife in the pitch, although in the present dry conditions that waslikely to be minimal, and also because they are playing apredominantly seam attack, resting Harbhajan Singh.West Indies lost Chris Gayle (0) in the second over, trapped back onthe crease without footwork and lbw to seamer Harvinder Singh,recalled to the Indian team after a long absence. Daren Ganga (2)followed, caught in the covers off a leading edge to DebashishMohanty, and West Indies were reeling at 2 for two wickets, with thebowlers finding a good amount of swing, even if the pitch gave themlittle help.Wavell Hinds and Shivnarine Chanderpaul struggled against goodbowling, most of their runs coming in quick singles. Eventually Hinds(9), frustrated, lashed out at Mohanty and gave Reetinder Sodhi hissecond catch in the covers. Chanderpaul (10) followed a ball fromHarvinder that moved away, edged to the keeper, and at 26 for fourWest Indies appeared virtually out of the match. Mohanty’s openingspell of seven overs cost just 8 runs for two wickets. Sharp Indianfielding also kept the runs to the minimum.After 20 overs West Indies were only 33 for four, but then Carl Hooperdecided to open up more. He hit Zaheer Khan high over his head forfour but, tied down, hit the same bowler to mid-on to be caught for14. In the 25th over, West Indies were in desperate need of a miracleat 47 for five.They didn’t get one, but at least Marlon Samuels played a calm,responsible innings, ably assisted by Ridley Jacobs. The pair added72 most commendably in 92 balls before Mohanty returned to break thestand, having Samuels (44) caught at deepish mid-on. MahendraNagamootoo (17) continued the good work until he was out to a finefull-stretch return catch by Khan, just before Jacobs reached aninvaluable fifty off 69 balls.Mohanty finished with three for 18 off his ten overs, and India neverreally lost their control, hard though the West Indian lower ordertried. Jacobs, as he has done so often, held it all together, thistime with 53 not out, and West Indies finished on 169 for seven.India began their reply quietly, almost somnolently, scoring just 24without loss in the first ten overs. The West Indian bowling was notparticularly threatening but it was accurate enough to restrict thescoring, especially Cameron Cuffy, and Sachin Tendulkar was againsurprisingly restrained; he did not reach double figures until the14th over but had less than his share of the bowling.Sourav Ganguly (20) was first to go, controversially given out caughtdown the leg side. Cuffy completed his ten overs for just 20 runs,taking one wicket, the next one falling ironically to the erraticWavell Hinds, who had Dinesh Mongia (8) caught at the wicket. RahulDravid began with a sweetly timed drive through midwicket for three,but had added only a single when he unexpectedly came down the pitchto Mahendra Nagamootoo to be ‘gated’ and stumped.Tendulkar on 46 appeared to have a fortunate escape from being givenout caught at the wicket off Hooper. Soon afterwards he reached hisfifty off 86 balls. He then began to open up and the remaining WestIndian hopes disappeared rapidly. Badani scored 27 before he skied areturn catch to Mervyn Dillon, but Virender Shewag (11) stayed withTendulkar (81) until victory was completed without pressure and withmore than six overs to spare.
In a dour few seasons for Manchester United, the key moments have often centred around Kobbie Mainoo, from his last-gasp winner at Molineux, that FA Cup final clincher, or last season’s remarkable equaliser at Lyon.
While Harry Maguire may have secured the winner on that bonkers April night, the relief and frenzy were perhaps even more palpable when Mainoo converted in the last knockings of extra-time, sparking scenes at Old Trafford that arguably haven’t been seen in a generation.
A cynic would say that such a game, such a moment, mattered little as United went on to lose in the Europa League showpiece, but it was hard not to be swept up in the chaos and the joy.
From Ruben Amorim’s smile, to the 20-year-old’s own Joshua Zirkzee-inspired celebration, the Theatre of Dreams has had few more memorable evenings.
The hope was that such a vital goal could help to kickstart Mainoo’s journey under the new regime, yet over six months later, a 2026 exit now appears the most likely outcome.
The latest on Kobbie Mainoo's Man Utd future
Amorim, speaking after the recent draw with West Ham United, appeared somewhat irked at the repeated questions regarding his treatment of the Stockport-born star, having almost scoffed at suggestions that Mainoo could have been a more attack-minded change.
The 40-year-old went on the defensive again in the pre-match press conference ahead of Bournemouth, also pointing to the ‘struggles’ of the likes of Toby Collyer, Chido Obi and Harry Amass this season as a possible justification for his use of the academy ranks.
That young trio, with a combined 28 United appearances between them, are indeed relatively unproven, but in the case of Mainoo, supporters have seen the brilliance that he can bring to the table.
A “generational talent”, in the view of ex-teammate Rasmus Hojlund, the £25k-per-week midfielder has failed to start a single Premier League game in 2025/26, with Amorim instead leaning on the experienced pairing of Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.
With the Brazilian suspended for the upcoming trip to Villa Park, Mainoo might have a route to increased game time, although it will take a lot to quieten the speculation over his future, amid reports that he is keen on joining Hojlund and co at Napoli.
A loan move to the Serie A side has been touted, while a string of Premier League clubs are also in the mix for his signature, with the Euro 2024 star seeking a more prominent role in this vital World Cup year.
As much as it would be depressing to see Mainoo depart, his relationship with Amorim appears to be heading in only one direction.
At least, however, there are those at Carrington for the United boss to call upon as potential replacements.
Man Utd already have Mainoo's replacement brewing at Carrington
Unlike last term, which saw Obi, Amass and Tyler Fredricson all promoted into the first-team set-up, no academy player has debuted under Amorim in 2025/26, even with 18-year-old Shea Lacey a regular fixture on the bench in recent weeks.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
Perhaps, with Casemiro sidelined and Manuel Ugarte also looking destined for his own exit, that situation might change before too long, with Carrington boasting a handful of exciting midfield talents worthy of closer inspection.
Homegrown stars like Jim Thwaites and Jack Fletcher have regularly been seen in first-team training, although it is 2024 arrival, Sekou Kone, who might be closest to a senior appearance, even while still stepping up his recovery from injury.
It was suggested over the summer that United weren’t looking to loan out the 19-year-old, as he was viewed as the fifth-choice option in central midfield, behind Fernandes, Casemiro, Mainoo and Ugarte.
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Signed from Malian side FC Guidars on a £1m deal 18 months ago, the teenager was notably included in the matchday squad on three occasions in the Premier League last season, memorably forming part of a youthful bench in the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur back in February.
Mainoo vs Bournemouth
Stat
Record
Minutes
29
Touches
29
Pass accuracy
88%
Key passes
1
Dribbles
1/1
Tackles
0
Total duels won
1/1
Possession lost
3
Stats via Sofascore
As a true defensive-minded midfielder, the towering gem appears to have the attributes to slot in nicely into Amorim’s midfield unit, with scout Antonio Mango among those suggesting that he can be a “beast” in the first-team ranks.
The Mali youth international has actually only made two appearances at youth level this season, after fracturing his eye socket, yet with the first-team facing a hectic festive schedule, it would be no surprise to see him parachuted in over the coming weeks.
Lauded as a “box-to-box midfielder who’s extremely efficient at both ends of the pitch”, in the view of Mango, the “hidden gem” talent could well save INEOS from having to dip into the market for a replacement, should Mainoo be allowed to head off to pastures new.
Not just Obi & Amass: Man Utd starlet will never play again under Amorim
Manchester United have a star who appears to have fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford in recent times.
The news has been confirmed, Didier Drobga will leave Chelsea at the end of the season. The Ivorian’s future at Stamford Bridge had been subject to much speculation since the club’s refusal to offer him the two year contract he required to stay. And now, having fired Chelsea to Champions League glory, he will move on after eight fantastic years. To remember the Drog, here are 10 of his more memorable moments (not all of them good)!
DROGBA’S BLUNDERS
10. Champions League 2009 vs Barcelona
Chelsea stood on the brink of knocking Barcelona out of the Champions League semi-final in 2009, but Andres Iniesta scored a priceless away goal that ended the Blues’ hopes for another year. However, Chelsea’s fury was aimed at Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo, whose performance Gus Hiddink later described as one of the worst ever. Drogba, as per usual, was most vocal in his criticisms, shouting ‘it’s a f*****g disgrace at TV cameras when he came off the pitch. Four match ban for that then Didier.
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9. Champions League Final 2008 vs Manchester United
Chelsea and Manchester United were locked at 1-1 in Moscow in extra time with the Champions League at stake. With tensions rising, a fracas broke out on the pitch. However, Drogba showed his petulant side, slapping Nemanja Vidic in the face (brave call!) and receiving a red card. His side missed his presence in the shootout, as John Terry hit the post with the chance to win the game.
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8. Premier League 2007 vs Arsenal
While Didier was undoubtedly a special player, he became somewhat of a hate figure for opposition fans for his on-field theatrics. However, the one that really springs to mind was him and Jens Lehmann’s ‘dive-off’ after a clash in the Premier League. Oscar winning and utterly disgraceful.
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DROGBA’S HEROICS
7. Premier League 2007 vs Everton
As Chelsea struggled to keep up with Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table, they could barely afford to drop points. However, the Blues visited GoodisonPark where a resolute Everton side held them till the 87th minute at 2-2. Step forward Drogba with arguably his best goal for the club. 35 yards out, the Ivorian let rip with a half-volley that flew past Tim Howard and kept his side in touch at the top.
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6. FA Cup 2012 vs Tottenham
Neither Chelsea or Spurs had yet to register in the FA Cup semi-final in a season-defining match for both clubs. However, Drogba proved the difference, controlling a long ball and turning his marker before lashing the ball high into the top left hand corner. The Blues went onto to win 5-1 and Drogba had scored yet again at the home of English football.
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5. FA Cup 2010 vs Portsmouth
Another Wembley appearance, another Wembley winner from the Drog. While no one expected Portsmouth to ever run Chelsea close, they proved tricky opponents. Kevin Prince Boateng missed the opportunity to put his side into the lead from the spot and Drogba made him pay three minutes later, bagging a free kick to help Carlo Ancelotti’s men complete the double.
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4. FA Cup Final 2012 vs Liverpool
Chelsea were cruising at 1-0 after Ramires’s opening goal and once Drogba doubled the lead, finishing neatly just before the hour mark, it seemed as if Chelsea had sealed the win. However, Liverpool produced a stirring fightback, inspired by Andy Carroll, and in the end, Drogba’s goal, his fourth in an FA Cup final, proved to be the winner.
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3. Champions League 2012 vs Barcelona
No one gave Roberto Di Matteo’s side a chance in hell of beating Europe’s supposed best over two legs in the Champions League semi-final. To stand any chance in the Nou Camp, Chelsea had to win at Stamford Bridge. Drogba’s tireless work rate and ability to hold the ball up proved crucial, but he provided the only goal as well, turning home a Ramires cross to set up the now infamous second leg victory.
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2. FA Cup Final 2007 vs Manchester United
Manchester United and Chelsea seemed to have battled each other into submission in the first Cup Final held at the new Wembley as neither side could find the breakthrough and the match seemed destined for a penalty shootout. Drogba had other ideas though, playing a one-two with Frank Lampard before poking past Van der Sar to seal victory with four minutes remaining.
[youtube o6Y0kqrtUBc]
1. Champions League Final 2012
With Chelsea one down in Munich, the Blues won a corner with two minutes left on the clock. Having barely registered a shot all game, their chances of recovery looked slim. However, from Juan Mata’s corner, the big man rose highest of them all to nod a stunning equaliser beyond Manuel Neuer. Drogba’s influence didn’t end there either. Faced with the decisive spot kick in the shootout, Drogba personified calmness as he slotted the ball home to seal the greatest triumph in Chelsea’s history.
Brazil coach Mano Menezes said his side were ‘too obvious’ going forward after their 0-0 draw against Venezuela in the Copa America.In their opening game of the tournament in Argentina, the defending champions were unable to find a way through a determined Venezuelan defence, and at times looked out of ideas.
They came close when Milan striker Alexandre Pato hit the crossbar, but Menezes conceded his side could have played better in a heated encounter.
“The result was bad, because we played better than Venezuela,” Menezes said.
“We had the control and the initiative of the match, but we lacked clarity in some choices, mainly to find players in the finishing moments.”
“We were too obvious. The ball got to the players who were wide, but they were too far away from Pato and the play could not flow. That is something we have to work on during the week.”
“It looks to me that the pitch hindered faster plays and plays of more quality. However, that is not our problem. We have to look over our performance and correct our problems.”
Lucas Leiva admits Brazil need to improve if they are to become South American champions for the ninth time.
The Liverpool midfielder thinks he and his team-mates controlled the match but knows they must step up when they resume their campaign against Paraguay on Saturday.
“We had control of the match for the most part, we did not let them create a lot of chances,” the 24-year-old said.
“We had the ball that the defender cleared off the line and Pato’s shot against the post. In the second half, we committed more mistakes.
“Now, we have to keep on working in the next matches to play with ball possession and create more chances.”
Venezuela were also fortunate not to concede a penalty in the first half, but coach Cesar Farias was pleased to see his side improve after the interval.
“The result is not just luck. Luck always helps but we have put in a lot of hours in training,” Farias said.
“Venezuela is drawing on many thousand hours for what it takes to be successful in football.”
There were no goals at all in Group B on Sunday, after Ecuador and Paraguay drew 0-0 in the other match.
Tottenham secured an historic passage into the Champions League knock-out stages last night by easing past Werder Bremen by three goals to nil. The whole night went to plan (well, almost) and the goals were all scored at perfect times to confirm Tottenham’s dominance. After two dream results in the space of five days, what did we learn from Spurs after last nights showing?1. Keeping a clean sheet is easier when the opposition isn’t trying very hardIt’s been the main concern for Spurs fans for quite a while now, but finally we’ve stopped a team scoring a goal. Quite what kind of an achievement this is is debatable, Bremen managed only a single shot on target, but to keep a clean sheet of any kind will do confidence a power of good. William Gallas and Younes Kaboul’s partnership was good yet again and importantly they kept switched on for the entire 90 minutes, but in truth it’s hard to analyze the back-four too deeply when they were barely tested. Still, let’s dwell on this for a few days and hope and hope the feat can be repeated on Sunday.2. The Aaron Lennon and Alan Hutton debate continues
I’d like to start by saying that Aaron Lennon was fantastic. After a few weeks of taking flak that he’s lost his touch and that he disappears in games he looked back to his best, setting up two goals and generally making an nuisance of himself. But I felt that last night raised the question once more as to whether Lennon and Hutton should be on the same team. On too many occasions they seemed to be trying to occupy the same space and make similar runs, both are good attacking options but they don’t appear to compliment each other. Potentially they could make a good partnership, but some hard work needs to go on on the training ground for it to work properly.
3. Gareth Bale can miss a penalty and still come off to a standing ovation
We all know how good Mr Bale is – but last night he showed that he is at least human. His penalty last night was pretty tame, but that fact that his performance over 80 minutes meant that nobody cared about his miss, or even seemed to remember it showed just how well he played. He hit the crossbar twice and gave his full-back a good work out before being replaced by Niko Kranjcar with minutes to go. Job done.
4. Luka Modric’s game has come on leaps and bounds
Much like the Inter game, Luka Modric quietly went about his role as Tottenham’s midfield engine. We all know about his strengths as a good passer in the final third, but last night Luka was all over the pitch making tackles and winning the ball. Back in his first season we were told that he was too light weight to play in the Premier League, and in truth it looked like he was. But this season he has truly become the workhorse of the Tottenham team and his goal was a classy end to a good move.
5. Peter Crouch’s Champions League form is pretty handy
Say what you like about the failings of the man, but the stats show us that Peter Crouch has scored six goals in six Champions League games this season including a hat-trick against Young boys, arguably Spurs’ most important game of recent memory. It’s interesting to see that Crouch’s England and Champions League records are fantastic but his league form is pretty dire, does he have problems motivating himself for lesser games? That’s a question for another day, but in the meantime it seems as though Peter Crouch is becoming vital in Tottenham’s Champions League adventure.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
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