Premier League Announces Record £6.7bn Domestic TV Deal

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Premier League Announces Record £6.7bn Domestic TV Deal

The current deal is reported to be worth around £5 billion over a three-year cycle and covers 200 matches per season.

The Premier League announced on Monday it had agreed a record £6.7 billion ($8.45 billion) domestic television rights deal for a four-year period starting from the 2025/26 season.

The current deal is reported to be worth around £5 billion over a three-year cycle and covers 200 matches per season.

The English top flight hailed the agreements shared between different broadcasters as the “largest sports media rights deals ever concluded in the UK”.

Sky Sports and TNT Sports have retained their rights to show live matches, with Amazon, currently showing 20 matches per season, not part of the next cycle.

Sky will screen a minimum of 215 live matches per season while TNT will broadcast 52. BBC Sport and its Match of the Day highlights programme is part of the new deal.

A Saturday afternoon blackout, designed to protect attendances in the lower leagues, will remain but for the first time all matches outside of those scheduled for 3:00 pm on Saturday will be screened live.

Despite the eye-catching headline figure, the Premier League is selling significantly more games over a longer period.

“The outcome of this process underlines the strength of the Premier League,” said the Premier League’s chief executive, Richard Masters.

“It is testament to our clubs, players and managers who continue to deliver the world’s most competitive football in full stadiums, and to supporters, who create an unrivalled atmosphere every week.”

He added: “As longstanding and valued partners, Sky Sports and TNT Sports are renowned for consistently delivering world-class coverage and programming.

“We have enjoyed record audiences and attendances in recent seasons, and we know that their continued innovation will drive more people to watch and follow the Premier League.”

The Premier League said the new deal would provide financial certainty for clubs throughout professional football until at least 2029.

It is the first Premier League tender process since 2016 as the current deal was rolled over in 2021 for an extra three years due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Premier League clubs already enjoy a huge financial advantage over their European competitors due to far more lucrative domestic and international TV rights deals.

UK Announces Limits On Regular Migration

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UK Announces Limits On Regular Migration

Interior minister James Cleverly said his plan would result in 300,000 fewer people coming to the UK in the coming years.

Britain’s embattled Conservative government unveiled a raft of measures Monday aimed at cracking down on record levels of migration — a key battleground in a general election expected next year.

The UK announced it would raise the minimum salary threshold for a skilled worker visa and prevent overseas health and social care staff from bringing family dependents to Britain.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office trumpeted the proposals as “the biggest clampdown on legal migration ever”.

But critics said it would damage the state-run National Health Service (NHS), which faces staff shortages.

Immigration is set to be a key issue in nationwide elections that must be held by January 2025 at the latest, and which the main opposition Labour party is currently favoured to win.

Sunak has pledged to reduce new arrivals and has been under pressure ever since statistics released last month showed that net migration to Britain hit a high in 2022.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of people who arrived in Britain last year was 745,000 more than the number who left.

Interior minister James Cleverly said his plan would result in 300,000 fewer people coming to the UK in the coming years.

“Enough is enough,” the home secretary told parliament as he laid out his proposals, which will take effect early next year.

Cleverly said skilled foreign workers wanting a UK visa would have to earn £38,700 ($48,860), up from £26,200 and in line with the median full-time wage.

He exempted health and social care workers, but said they would be prevented from bringing family dependents.

NHS Providers, which represents hospital groups in England, said changes that might deter care workers from coming to the UK were “deeply concerning”.

Care England, a charity representing independent adult social care providers, said immigration had been “saving the social care sector”. Staff shortages have been exacerbated by Brexit.

Cleverly also raised the minimum income for family visas to £38,700 and confirmed restrictions on international students bringing dependents.

He reaffirmed that Britain would increase the surcharge that migrants pay to access the NHS by 66 percent, to £1,035.

Critics have said this effectively imposes a double charge on migrant workers, as employees also pay National Insurance charges, which go towards covering healthcare.

– ‘Do or die’ –

Cleverly added that the government would reform the “shortage occupation list”, which details jobs for which employers are not able to find enough British workers.

The Conservatives won a landslide under the leadership of Boris Johnson at the last election in 2019, largely on a promise to bring net migration numbers down.

The party has repeatedly promised that leaving the European Union, which ended the free movement of people from member states, would allow the UK to “take back control” of its borders.

But regular migration has soared since Britain formally left the EU in January 2020. In 2021, net migration was 488,000.

The ONS data piled pressure on Sunak from his own MPs to take action, with some right-wingers arguing that the issue was “do or die” for the party.

In opinion polls, the Tories, in power since 2010, lag well behind centre-left Labour, which also claims regular migration is too high.

Labour’s home affairs spokesperson Yvette Cooper accused the Conservatives of being in a “chaotic panic” over immigration.

“Today’s statement is an admission of years of total failure by this Conservative government,” she told parliament.

Sunak is also struggling to cut the number of irregular arrivals crossing the Channel from northern France on small boats.

About 30,000 have undertaken the dangerous crossing this year.

The government has deemed such crossings illegal but its much-trumpeted plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda was struck down by the courts last month.

Cleverly is due to visit Kigali soon, possibly this week, to finalise a new treaty. The government has also said it is working on “emergency legislation” to get deportation flights going by spring.

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Premier League Has ‘Gone Up A Level’, Says Arsenal’s Arteta

The Spaniard, bidding to win Arsenal's first Premier League title since 2004, said the league was even tougher this year.

Mikel Arteta said the Premier League has “gone another level up” from last season as Arsenal seek to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table at lowly Luton on Tuesday.

The Gunners, who beat Wolves 2-1 on Saturday, are two points clear of second-placed Liverpool and three ahead of champions Manchester City after the weekend games, with neither of those teams in action until Wednesday.

Arteta’s men topped the table for much of last season but faltered down the home stretch and were overtaken by Pep Guardiola’s relentless City side.

The Spaniard, bidding to win Arsenal’s first Premier League title since 2004, said the league was even tougher this year.

“The level has gone another level up and you can see it,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Monday.

“I was watching a lot of games yesterday afternoon and it’s incredible how game state changes and momentum changes in games.

“The quality the opponents have, the quality of the managers — it’s a really, really tough league and we don’t know how it’s going to continue but at the moment we are in a good place and tomorrow we want to be in a better place. To do that, we’re going to have to play really well.”

Arteta said he did not know whether his team were better than they were at the same time last year.

“I think about how we’re going to play better tomorrow and be more consistent and more difficult to beat, the things that we have to tweak and how we can use our players in the best possible way to win,” he said. “It’s still a huge marathon ahead of us.”

And he denied taking encouragement from watching City draw three league matches in a row.

“Encouragement comes from watching my team play and watching how they behave every single day, how hungry and willing they are to play every single game, the way they approach every single training session,” he said.

“That’s what gives me encouragement. What the others do is something we cannot control.”

Arteta had warm words for “special guy” Bukayo Saka, on the brink of his 200th game for Arsenal, saying there was no limit to what the 22-year-old could achieve.

“He hasn’t got any limits and he wants more and the people around him want more,” he said.

“His teammates are having a better understanding of what he needs as well. He has coaches, staff and a club that wants to push him to become better. I think it’s a good context for him to keep growing.”

Kano Pillars Teenage Sensation Abdullahi Scores Five Goals In One Game

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Kano Pillars Teenage Sensation Abdullahi Scores Five Goals In One Game

Abdullahi was one of the youth team players promoted to the senior team ahead of the 2023-2024 season after the club's temporary ban on signing new players.

Teenage Kano Pillars’ sensation, Yusuf Abdullahi, on Sunday, scored five goals in a Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) away game against Gombe United.

The Match Day 11 fixture of the NPFL 2023/2024 season, played at Pantami Township Stadium, Gombe, saw the 2019 Nigerian FA Champions thrash the home team 5-2, with 18-year-old Abdullahi scoring all five goals for the visitors.

Abdullahi was one of the youth team players promoted to the senior team ahead of the 2023-2024 season after the club’s temporary ban on signing new players.

After the youngster’s scintillating performance, the Technical Adviser of Kano Pillars, Abdullahi Maikaba, said Abdullahi’s performance deserves a call-up to the Nigerian youth team.

“My happiness is that one of the brilliant talents that is coming up in Nigeria has scored all the five goals. It is a wonderful day for Kano pillars, me, and my team,” Maikaba said.

“I have been telling him that the first goal is the key. If he can get his first goal, it will motivate him to score more. I am happy that his first goal geared him up to get four more in just one match.”

Guinea-Bissau Dissolves Parliament After Coup Bid

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Guinea-Bissau Dissolves Parliament After Coup Bid

"The date of forthcoming legislative elections will be set at the opportune moment, in line with the constitution," President Umaro Sissoco Embalo said in a communique.

The president of Guinea-Bissau issued a decree on Monday dissolving the parliament after an attempted coup in the West African nation.

“The date of forthcoming legislative elections will be set at the opportune moment, in line with the constitution,” President Umaro Sissoco Embalo said in a communique.

Army Takes Responsibility For Air Strike In Kaduna

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Army Takes Responsibility For Air Strike In Kaduna

Earlier reports had alleged that the operation in Kaduna was carried out by the Nigerian Air Force, a claim which the Service immediately refuted.

The Nigerian Army has taken responsibility for Sunday’s Air Strike that left many villager killed and several others injured at Tudun Biri village in Kaduna State.

This development was confirmed by Samuel Aruwan, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs at the end of an emergency security meeting on Monday.

10-Man Chelsea Edge Out Brighton 3-2

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10-Man Chelsea Edge Out Brighton 3-2

Chelsea recorded just their second Premier League home win of the season against Brighton, despite being reduced to 10 men before half-time.

Ten-man Chelsea shrugged off a red card for captain Conor Gallagher to edge Brighton 3-2 while West Ham drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace.

Chelsea recorded just their second Premier League home win of the season against Brighton, despite being reduced to 10 men before half-time.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men were cruising midway through the first half after goals from Enzo Fernandez and Levi Colwill.

Facundo Buonanotte halved the deficit for the visitors shortly before half-time and there was still time for Gallagher to pick up a second yellow card, changing the complexion of the match.

Fernandez restored Chelsea’s two-goal cushion from the penalty spot, but Joao Pedro struck in stoppage time to heap the pressure on the home side.

Brighton were awarded a penalty for a handball by Colwill in the 101st minute but the referee reversed his on-field decision after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor and Chelsea held on.

“Crazy — it’s the most competitive league,” said Pochettino.

“The team is tired, we are all tired but overall happy,” he added. “After Newcastle (a 4-1 defeat), we needed to show a different face. That’s why I’m happy.”

Aston Villa striker Watkins headed home a cross from Moussa Diaby in the 90th minute to rescue a point Unai Emery’s team, which kept them in fourth place.

Earlier, Leon Bailey had cancelled out an opener from Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo before Dominic Solanke put the home side back ahead.

“It shows our resilience, but we are not starting games well away from home,” said Watkins.

“If we can iron that out it will help us. Every game we want to win, we are in good form. We fancy ourselves against anybody.”

At the London Stadium, Mohammed Kudus put West Ham ahead in the first half, before Odsonne Edouard equalised in the second period to earn a point for Crystal Palace.