Slow Football News: Ivan and Victor, Europa and Conference League draws, De Klassieker, Liga MX

AFTER considerable discussions about the future of Brentford striker, Ivan Toney, the 28-year-old looks set to join the exodus to Saudi Arabia and sign for Al-Ahli. Toney was linked with Chelsea and Manchester United, but Al-Ahli were willing to pay £ 40 million for the England forward. Toney has yet to appear for Brentford this season, so a move was inevitable. Meanwhile, Al-Ahli are also hoping to sign Napoli’s Victor Osimhen for a fee close to £ 70 million. Osimhen, who is 25, was also on Chelsea’s shopping list, but his wages were always a stumbling block. Chelsea were desperate to acquire the Nigerian international and the club’s sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart both flew to Naples to try and secure a deal. It does seem as though it was a wasted journey.

THE UEFA Europa League draw delivered some mouth-watering all-British games after Rangers were drawn to play both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. All three clubs have interesting fixtures ahead of them, with Spurs’ eight games including home clashes with Roma and away trips to Ferencvaros and Galatasaray in addition to their match at Rangers’ Ibrox Park. United have to visit Porto and Fenerbahce, while they play hosts to PAOK and Twente as well as Rangers. As for the Gers, they have other tough ties such as Lyon at home and Olympiacos away.

THE Conference League draw included a clash between Shamrock Rovers of Ireland against Larne Town, who were making history in being the first Northern Irish side to make the league stage of a major European competition. Shamrock also travel to Chelsea and are at home to Welsh champions The New Saints. Larne, as well as their home clash with Shamrock, will receive visits from Gent and St. Gallen and have an interesting trip to Dinamo Minsk among their six fixtures. The highlight on the New Saints’ schedule is an away game against Fiorentina. Hearts also travel to Minsk and have a hard away game against Cercle Bruges. Chelsea’s toughest game on their list is at home to Gent, although away games at Panathinaikos and Heidenheim will undoubtedly be challenging.

ONE of the highlights on the Eredivisie calendar, the meeting of Feyenoord and Ajax – De Klassieker – has been postponed this weekend due to a police strike. The match, which was due to be played on Sunday September 1 at Feyenoord’s De Kuip stadium, normally has a heavy police presence of up to 300 officers, but the local authorities cannot guarantee the safety of players and spectators due to a dispute over early retirement arrangements. The fixture has a history of fan violence and in September 2023, an Ajax versus Feyenoord game in Amsterdam was abandoned after flares were thrown onto the pitch.

LIGA MX players are not happy about the lack of promotion and relegation in Mexican football, according to a survey carried out by ESPN. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Mexico’s football authorities suspended promotion and relegation to help clubs gain more stability during a difficult time. A lot of Mexican clubs were on the brink of financial trouble, so it was seen as a necessary move. However, four years later, 80% of players want movement between divisions reinstated. Crowds in Mexico are lower than pre-pandemic, although not dramatically so, but many consider Liga MX has certainly been suffering from diminished competitive integrity.

Published by Neil Fredrik Jensen

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