BEB Weekend Sports: News!

Arsenal players set to agree pay cut with Champions League incentive


Arsenal players are set to be the first in the Premier League to agree to a pay cut after being offered Champions League qualification incentives.

The Gunners players will take a 12.5% wage cut but be reimbursed if they qualify for next season's Champions League or the 2021-22 competition.

They will get a £100,000 bonus for reaching next year's Champions League.

They will each reportedly earn £500,000 for winning the 2021 Champions League or £100,000 for the Europa League.

The Gunners were in ninth place in the Premier League when the season was stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic, eight points adrift of a Champions League place with 10 games remaining.

On Wednesday, the Arsenal executive team agreed to waive more than a third of their salaries over the next 12 months.

Private discussions have taken place with the players over the "potential financial challenges ahead", with negotiations on wage cuts taking place on a club-by-club basis.

The decision came after league-wide talks aimed at a collective pay deal broke down without resolution.
The Premier League proposed a 30% pay cut, but the Professional Footballers' Association said that would affect tax contributions to the NHS.

Arsenal said in a statement earlier this week "our owners, Kroenke, Sports & Entertainment, are fully committed to supporting Arsenal through this challenging time".

They confirmed their fans will receive credits or refunds if matches are played behind closed doors or cancelled.

Newcastle United takeover deal worth £300m close


A Newcastle United takeover has moved a step closer after new documents show owner Mike Ashley has entered into a charge agreement with potential buyer Amanda Staveley.

Financier Staveley is leading a bid which involves Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund and the Reuben Brothers.

It is understood to be worth £300m.

The 31-page charge agreement lodged at Companies House lays the legal groundwork for a potential deal to be completed.

The documents include details of a £150m claim related to Staveley's firm, PCP Capital Partners, and its long-running legal case against Barclays Bank PLC.

The Premier League has also been informed of the potential deal and is understood to have begun the process of carrying out checks under its owners and directors test.

Newcastle and Staveley would not comment when approached by BBC Sport.

Ashley said in October 2017 he wanted to sell the club after 10 years in charge.

Initially, the deal was said to have been worth £340m, but the latest development will encourage many Newcastle fans who want to see Ashley end his association with the club, having taken over in 2007.

Supporters have cited a lack of ambition and have also criticised his conduct during the coronavirus pandemic where the club has charged fans for next season's season tickets.

There has also been disappointment at Newcastle being one of three Premier League clubs to have placed their non-playing staff on furlough.

News of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund being involved in a takeover first emerged in January.

Formula 1 discusses Austria season start & two races at Silverstone


Formula 1's latest plan to get the 2020 season off the ground is to hold the Austrian Grand Prix as scheduled followed by two races at Silverstone.

The first nine races have all been postponed as a result of the global coronavirus crisis and F1 is facing a moving target as it seeks a start date.

But the easing of lockdown restrictions in Austria might mean its race could go ahead on 3-5 July behind closed doors.

It could be followed by two races at Silverstone, also without spectators.

The tentative plan was outlined to teams by F1 bosses at a meeting on Thursday at which proposals to reduce the sport's budget cap to $130m (£104.6m) by 2022 were also discussed.

The proposal to run multiple races at Silverstone is not new - the circuit discussed it with F1 bosses earlier this month.

And any proposal on the calendar depends on external factors, particularly the situation with the spread of coronavirus in each individual country.
F1 bosses have said they do not want to start the season if they cannot carry it on.

Austria this week became one of the first European counties to loosen restrictions, allowing thousands of shops to open, although people are still being advised to work from home if possible.

Meanwhile, the UK government announced on Thursday a three-week extension on its social distancing guidelines, as the virus spread has not yet peaked, while France has banned mass gatherings until mid-July.

Biles motivated for Tokyo Olympics despite retirement delay


Simone Biles, winner of four Olympic gold medals, has admitted to doubts over whether she could train an extra year for the postponed Tokyo Games - but now wants to prove she can be even better at 2021's rearranged Olympics.

The United States gymnast, 23, was due to retire after Tokyo 2020 and was unsure if she could take another 15 months of preparations.
"It's a lot mentally and physically, and I doubted my ability if I could even stay on top of my game for another year," Biles said. 
"My motivation now is proving to myself that I can go another year, I can do it again, and I can hopefully be better than I was in Rio."
Biles is the most successful gymnast in World Championships history and had the chance to make the same claim at Olympic level this summer.

However, she has now had to "reset" her mind for another 15 months of hard work after the coronavirus pandemic forced the Tokyo showpiece to be postponed.
"I cried," said Biles, "I didn't really know where to start with the news. 
"Obviously right now there are bigger problems than having the Olympics postponed. 
"But in three months I was ready to clock out and be done. 
"I had my mind set for four years, so how do you go from one day being told 'hey, sorry, another year'? 
"It's hard to reset the calendar and the clock when you've been preparing your whole life to be ready at this certain time. 
"So to have that set back it was just kind of crushing."
And Biles admitted she did then consider the notion of not continuing through to the rescheduled Olympics in July 2021.

"A little bit, yes," she said. 
"It's hard but I think I'm pretty strong mentally and physically so I'll get through it just like everybody else. 
"But, I feel that I didn't come this far to just give up and I want to be the one who makes the decision if I'm done with the sport or not."




At 23, Biles describes herself as "pretty old" for a gymnast in the United States, where females in the sport have traditionally competed for one Olympiad before retiring in their teens.

The years of hard training have taken their toll on her physically, but she feels the mental aspect will prove her biggest personal challenge.

However, it is an aspect that, if she can conquer it, could deliver better results than the four golds and one bronze medal she took home from the Rio Olympics in 2016.

from Bola Esho's Blog

Comments