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UEFA has set precedent on Man Utd vs Spurs Europa League final being moved to different venue

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UEFA has set precedent on Man Utd vs Spurs Europa League final being moved to different venue - SPORTbible
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UEFA has already provided its stance after calls for the Europa League final venue to be changed.

On Thursday (May 8), both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the Europa League final, which is set to take place at Sam Mames, in Bilbao, Spain on May 21.

And given the fact that both teams are from England, some have called for the showpiece to be moved to a neutral venue in the UK, which would benefit match-going supporters both financially and logistically.

San Mames, the home stadium of United’s semi-final opponents, Athletic Club, will host the final and has a capacity of 53,289.

UEFA has confirmed that each club will receive 15,000 tickets to distribute to supporters, with an additional 11,000 tickets set to be released in a general sale, with all remaining tickets offered to hospitality and sponsors.

Will Europa League final be moved?

Well, the likely answer to this question is no, if previous examples are anything to go by.

In 2019, Chelsea and Arsenal met in the Europa League final in Baku, Azerbaijan, a journey which takes the best part of six hours via plane, and that’s without considering other costs and problems.

Of course, due to the increased demand for transport, airlines hiked up prices to the dismay of many fans who felt they were being priced out of supporting their teams.

Arsenal penned a letter to UEFA explaining how they were “bitterly disappointed by the fact that due to transport limitations, UEFA can only make a maximum of 6,000 tickets available to Arsenal for a stadium with a capacity of well over 60,000".

They also mentioned the logistical issues fans would face due to the “limited transport provision”.

UEFA responded with a statement which explained how “UEFA has committed to appoint hosts only via a fair and transparent bidding process”, something usually held a couple of years in advance of the event .

The organisation went on to explain how an all-English final was “not very predictable” at the “time of appointment” and admitted that there was “little doubt that this has added significant difficulties to the event logistics” before going on to apologise.

Of course, it must be considered that this was six years ago, and the circumstances are different with Bilbao being significantly closer to England than Baku.

Has UEFA changed a final's venue before?

Yes, but due to unforeseen circumstances. The 2022 Champions League final, which ended Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool, was originally scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg, Russia.

However, the event was relocated and took place at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, France, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

What has UEFA said about the Europa League final venue being changed?

European football's governing body haven't official commented on the all-English final between United and Spurs but its website stipulates that "If the UEFA administration receives any such notification, or has any reason itself to believe that a match may not be able to be played as scheduled, it decides if any change will be made to the stadium, venue, date and/or kick-off time. Such a decision by the UEFA administration is final".

But the issues associated with the all-Premier League final are unlikely to fall within the criteria as the venue is more than fit to host the game as the problems relate to demand for tickets and transport.

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UEFA make decision on moving Europa League final after Man United and Tottenham both advance

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UEFA make decision on moving Europa League final after Man United and Tottenham both advance - SPORTbible
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UEFA have made their decision about moving the Europa League final to England clear with both Manchester United and Spurs set to feature.

On Thursday night, Spurs reached their first Europa League final in over 40 years after coming away with a 5-1 win across two legs over Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.

Meanwhile, rivals United pulled off a dominant 7-1 aggregate win over Athletic Club, setting up an all-English Europa League final at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao.

With the two Premier League sides reaching the final, some fans called on UEFA to move the final to England, and now they've made their decision.

Both United and Spurs have endured dismal seasons this campaign, with each side sitting 15th and 16th in the Premier League respectively, meaning the Europa League final offers them one last chance to redeem their season.

However, despite the huge importance of the game to the two English clubs, the Europa League final will not be moved from Bilbao after the San Mames stadium was awarded the rights to host the final way back in 2021.

The stadium, which serves as the home for Athletic Club, has a capacity of 53,289, which is expected tp be far below the demand for tickets from both Manchester United and Spurs supporters.

Each club will be awarded 15,000 tickets to distribute to supporters, with an additional 11,000 tickets set to be released in a general sale, with all remaining tickets offered to hospitality and sponsors.

If UEFA decided to move the final to England then they could have made use of the 90,000 capacity of Wembley Stadium, which will instead host Non-League Finals Day on May 21.

However, this isn't the first time that UEFA has made this decision, every all-English European finals in recent years has been hosted abroad, with the stadium decided long before the finalists became clear.

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Ange Postecoglou gives incredibly spiky answer to journalist immediately after reaching Europa League final

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Ange Postecoglou gives incredibly spiky answer to journalist immediately after reaching Europa League final - SPORTbible
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Ange Postecoglu clearly wasn't happy with one journalist after Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the Europa League final.

With a 5-1 win across two legs over Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt, Spurs reached their first Europa League final in over 40 years.

The London club will meet Manchester United in the final in Bilbao after Ruben Amorim's side comfortably beat Athletic Club 7-1 on aggregate to set up an all-English Europa League final.

Despite this, Spurs boss Postecoglu didn't appear to be as excited as you might expect, as he later hit out at a journalist for asking a specific question comparing his season to United's.

At the beginning of the 2024/25 season, Postecoglu doubled down on his previous promise that he would deliver Spurs fans a trophy in his second season in charge of the club, piling the pressure on himself.

Since then, the the Lilywhites have fallen to 16th in the Premier League following disappointing domestic cup runs, meaning the Europa League final is Postecoglu's last chance to fulfil his promise.

And it appears that this fact isn't lost on the Australian manager, as when he was asked for his opinion on United manager Amorim's comments that Europa League glory would not save his side’s season, Postecoglu wasn't happy.

Hitting back at the question, he said: "Why do I care what United think? Why is that relevant to me? Ask the Man Utd manager why he said that. Me, I’ve said all along that this is important.

"To be fair, you know better than me, you’ve probably followed more closely than I have. What do you think a trophy would do for this club? The question answers itself.

"But what’s happening right now is that people are fearing that. That it actually might happen.

"Because if it happens, [people will say] ‘let’s see how we can tear it down somehow, diminish it somehow by saying it’s been a poor season and that we don’t deserve this or don’t deserve that or by somehow comparing us to Man Utd.’"

Like Spurs, United have had a dreadful season in all other competitions this season, sitting 15th in the Premier League table.

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Arsenal fans may be forced to support Spurs in Europa League final vs Man Utd after Champions League bombshell

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Arsenal fans may be forced to support Spurs in Europa League final vs Man Utd after Champions League bombshell - SPORTbible
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An all-English Europa League final is an enticing prospect for most Premier League neutrals but the knock-on effect could put one group of fans into an unpleasant position.

Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. The Gunners will end the season without silverware and now need to qualify for next season's Champions League through the Premier League.

The top five teams in the table will all qualify for the Champions League, meaning Mikel Arteta and Arsenal have a handy safety net but also that Chelsea have one too.

Chelsea are currently in the all-important fifth place, two points ahead of Nottingham Forest with three fixtures left to play.

Arsenal are second, six points and several teams above sixth. Qualification shouldn't be a problem for the Gunners but if Chelsea get over the line too, the Europa League final comes into play.

The red half of North London has love for neither Tottenham Hotspur nor Manchester United and the final in Bilbao will make for uncomfortable watching any which way for those of an Arsenal persuasion.

But if they think they don't have a dog in the fight, they might have to think again at the end of the Premier League season.

Spurs and Man Utd will go head to head in the Basque Country looking to salvage an otherwise disappointing season for both teams.

Ange Postecoglou's second season in charge at Tottenham ending with a European trophy would make a point in spite of a dismal showing in the Premier League.

For United, silverware in Ruben Amorim's first partial season would indicate at least the potential to point the listing giant in the right direction.

That one of these chaotic clubs will secure a Champions League place for next season is confusing enough in its own right but the idea of Arsenal fans cheering on their bitter local rivals, even against the loathed Red Devils, is difficult to compute.

Luckily, the calculation that justifies it has already been done.

What happens to Arsenal if Man Utd win the Europa League?

If Chelsea drop out of the Champions League places and end the season outside the top five, Arsenal fans can hope in vain and good conscience that both teams lose the Europa League final.

But if Manchester City hold their ground in third and the Blues take a Champions League spot, they'll be taking that spot in Pot 1 for the 2025-26 league phase by virtue of their UEFA coefficient points.

With six of the nine current Pot 1 clubs already qualified, City and Chelsea joining them would leave either Man Utd or Arsenal to take the final slot.

United winning the Europa League puts them in Pot 1 and leaves Arsenal in Pot 2. If Spurs beat Amorim's men in the final, Arsenal take their place.

In theory, Pot 1 teams will have the lower difficulty fixtures in the mammoth league phase.

Come on you Spurs?

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Liverpool's famous Barcelona win inspires 'disgraceful' actions ahead of Tottenham's Europa semi-final

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Liverpool's famous Barcelona win inspires 'disgraceful' actions ahead of Tottenham's Europa semi-final - SPORTbible
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Tottenham Hotspur found themselves on the wrong end of the oldest trick in the book as opposition supporters took inspiration from Liverpool's famous Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona in 2019.

Trent Alexander-Arnold masterminded the quickly-taken corner kick that made the tie famous, setting up the Divock Origi goal that made it 4-0 on the night as Liverpool miraculously overturned a 3-0 deficit from the first leg.

But there was another big assist and it came before the second leg even began. Liverpool fans set off fireworks outside the hotel where the Barcelona squad were staying, disturbing the players' sleep with the righteous rockets and firecrackers of football destiny.

The Reds set out the blueprint for European comebacks and Bodo/Glimt's fans must have had the same outcome in mind before their team attempt a historic comeback of their own.

Bodo/Glimt take on Spurs in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday facing a 3-1 disadvantage from the first leg in North London last week.

Spurs must already contend with Glimt's artificial pitch, chilly temperatures and nearly 19 hours a day of sunlight.

And their blackout curtains will have been powerless to prevent the noise of a waterside pyrotechnics display outside their hotel rooms at 2.37am with the sun already beginning to rise.

The show was 'disgraceful' according to one social media user but Glimt's home fans in the Arctic Circle are just the latest to join football's fine tradition of nocturnal noise-making about which nothing can be done.

Liverpool fans were at it again two years ago, sportingly helping Real Madrid to stay alert on the eve of a Champions League meeting at Anfield.

Neighbours Everton dished out the same treatment to Southampton and Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea, while Arsenal supporters tried in vain to thwart Manchester City before a Premier League fixture at Tottenham.

Spurs themselves were once kept awake by fans of Leeds United and the night before a Champions League match against Marseille in 2022.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was still wide awake in the fifth minute of extra time to score the goal that won that game and sent Spurs through as group winners.

Ange Postecoglou's side will hope to be rather more comfortable at the conclusion of their tie against Bodo/Glimt.

Their two-goal lead came courtesy of goals from Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke and a now-injured James Maddison before they allowed their opponents a late lifeline when Ulrik Saltnes scored with seven minutes left at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Arsene Wenger calls for Man Utd or Tottenham to be STRIPPED of Champions League place next season

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Arsene Wenger calls for Man Utd or Tottenham to be STRIPPED of Champions League place next season - SPORTbible
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Legendary manager Arsene Wenger has explained why Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur should not be allowed to play in the Champions League next season, even if one of them wins the Europa League.

United and Spurs are one step away from reaching the Europa League final as they hold healthy leads over Athletic Club and Bodo/Glimt respectively.

Both teams have endured a dismal season in the Premier League but could still end it on a high by securing Champions League football through winning the Europa League.

There could be a real possibility that six Premier Legaue teams will be in next season's Champions League.

However, former Arsenal boss Wenger has called on UEFA to review their rules about rewarding the Europa League winners with a place in the Champions League, which was first introduced in 2014.

He said on beIN Sports: "They should qualify automatically for the Europa League but not necessarily for the Champions League.

"Especially when you're in the Premier League where already five teams qualify. I think it's something [for UEFA] to think about and to review."

Wenger continued: "On the other hand people will tell you that to keep the Europa League focused, interesting and motivated you need to give them that prize [Champions League]."

As reported by the Daily Mail, no team below 12th place in their domestic league has reached the final or won the competition.

Back in 2023, Sevilla were 12th in the La Liga table when they won the trophy.

Currently, United are 15th in the Premier League table after collecting just 39 points from 35 matches. Meanwhile, Spurs are in 16th on 38 points.

Speaking ahead of the second leg against Athletic Club, Ruben Amorim admitted that his team's only focus is on the Europa League.

He said: "We are losing games in the Premier League, but we are fighting for the Europa League so we need to accept that and to think about Thursday now.

"This is the most important game for us."

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Man Utd set to lose huge Europa League final advantage over Spurs with 'announcement expected'

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Man Utd set to lose huge Europa League final advantage over Spurs with 'announcement expected' - SPORTbible
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Manchester United are reportedly set to lose a huge advantage over Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the Europa League final.

On Thursday night, the lineup for this season's Europa League final will be decided.

Currently, both United and Spurs are the heavy favourites to advance to the showpiece final, which will take place at the San Mames in Bilbao, Spain.

The Red Devils are nursing a 3-0 lead over Athletic Bilbao ahead of their second leg clash at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Spurs will head to Norway to take on Bodo/Glimt with a 3-1 lead.

Last week, it was claimed that United are set to gain a huge advantage before the potential final against Spurs due to the Premier League calendar.

Ruben Amorim's men are set to take on Chelsea on May 16, with Spurs originally scheduled to face Aston Villa on May 18.

However, as reported by The Telegraph's Matt Law, Villa vs Spurs is set to be moved to the same night as Chelsea vs United.

As a result, United's advantage of having more preparation time for the Europa League final is set to be wiped out.

Law wrote on social media: "Aston Villa v Spurs to be moved to Friday May 16, 7.30pm kick off.

"That means Spurs and Man Utd will have same preparation time for a Europa League final should they both get there. PL announcement expected today."

Speaking ahead of United's second leg against Bilbao, manager Amorim said: "We are losing games in the Premier League, but we are fighting for the Europa League so we need to accept that and to think about now Thursday which is the most important game for us.

"We know that we need to win and we need to fight to win this competition [the Europa League] to give something to our fans and to go to the Champions League."

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Unseen footage shows what Arne Slot did during Richarlison bust-up and it's got Liverpool fans talking

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Unseen footage shows what Arne Slot did during Richarlison bust-up and it's got Liverpool fans talking - SPORTbible
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New footage has emerged which shows what Arne Slot did during Harvey Elliott's bust-up with Richarlison.

On Sunday afternoon, Anfield was in full party mode as Liverpool arrived knowing a point against Tottenham Hotspur would secure the Premier League title.

Slot's men ended up winning 5-1 thanks to strikes from Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo, and Mohamed Salah, plus an own goal from Destiny Udogie. Former Reds striker Dominic Solanke netted the opener for the visitors.

During the closing stages, Elliott and Spurs forward Richarlison, who used to play for Everton, were involved in a slight altercation as the pair were booked by the referee.

Now, footage from fans inside the crowd has captured the reaction of Reds boss Slot.

As shown in the video, the Dutchman was seen turning away with a wry smile as Elliott was booked by the official.

Reacting on social media, one fan said: "Dominik Szoboszlai and Arne Slot found Richarlison's tiff with Harvey Elliott rather amusing!"

Another tweeted: "Loved this, Szobo laughing his head off, Slot even smiling in the background."

A third fan joked: "Slot got one more reason to bench him (Elliott) now." You can watch the footage below.

Reflecting on Liverpool's Premier League triumph, Slot said: "What I noticed from the first day I came in was that winning the league would be the most special trophy we could win.

"I think I felt that throughout the whole season. Although we were all very disappointed when we were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain, we always felt there was a bigger goal to achieve."

He continued: "To do that in the most difficult league in the world in a period of time where it gets harder and harder to win it is very special."

Although they are already in party mode, Liverpool are back in Premier League action this weekend when they take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.

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Richarlison brutally responds to Harvey Elliott's gesture during Liverpool Tottenham game

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Richarlison brutally responds to Harvey Elliot's gesture during Liverpool Tottenham game - SPORTbible
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Richarlison has brutally hit back at Harvey Elliott on social media after he was spotted taunting the former Evertonian as Liverpool won the Premier League.

With a dominant 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, Liverpool won the 2024/25 Premier League title, taking the club to a record 20 English league titles.

Late in the match, Liverpool forward Elliott was brought onto the pitch to enjoy the occasion and see out the game, and in doing so, he was spotted having a back and forth with Spurs striker Richarlison.

And now, the Brazilian has hit back at Elliott on social media with a brutal comment mocking the Liverpool star.

Elliott replaced Luis Diaz, who scored Liverpool's first goal of the match, in the 76th minute and quickly got involved, firing off a couple of shots as Liverpool looked for another goal to see off the game.

But as the match was coming to an end in the 94th minute, the 22-year-old clashed with Richarlison who, given the result for Spurs and the four years that he played for Everton, was understandably frustrated as full-time approached.

Richarlison grabbed Elliott, leading to the Englishman hitting back by shoving his opponent before being pulled away by teammate Curtis Jones while he held up a three and a zero to mock the Spurs forward.

Reacting to a TikTok breaking down the moment and asking why Elliott held up 3 and zero, Richarlison commented: "He wants to reach 30 goals in his career I think."

Due to a lack of minutes at Liverpool, Elliott has only scored 14 goals across 143 appearances for the Reds, with a further seven goals for Blackburn Rovers, who he joined on a season-long loan in October 2020.

Meanwhile, Richarlison has scored 106 goals in 368 appearances for several clubs throughout his career, with 20 of them being for Spurs and 53 for Everton.

Fans appear to disagree on what exactly it was the Elliott was referencing in the moment, with some claiming that he was mocking the fact that Everton have gone 30 years without a major honour, and others claiming it is because Liverpool have now beaten Spurs three times this season.

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Spurs 'targeting shock name' who vowed he'd never manage the club to replace Ange Postecoglou

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Spurs 'targeting shock name' who vowed he'd never manage the club to replace Ange Postecoglou - SPORTbible
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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly considering appointing a shock name if they decide to part ways with current manager Ange Postecoglu at the end of the season.

With Tottenham Hotspur currently on track for one of their worst Premier League seasons in recent years, manager Postecoglu is clearly at risk of losing his job.

As it stands, Spurs are 16th in the Premier League table, with the Australian manager's last chance to deliver on his promise to win a trophy this season being the Europa League.

But, with some journalists claiming that Postecoglu will be sacked regardless of the result of the Europa League campaign, a new report has revealed a shock name that Tottenham are considering bringing in as their new manager.

Tottenham has perhaps the best chance in recent years to end their 17-year trophy drought as they head into a Europa League semi-final against Norwegian side FK Bodo/Glimt.

However, even if Spurs can win the semi-final and beat either Manchester United or Athletic Club in the final, Postecoglu could find himself out of a job, and according to GiveMeSport, he could be replaced by Frank Lampard.

Despite lacklustre spells in the Premier League managing former club Chelsea and Everton, Lampard has turned his managerial career around at Coventry, taking the championship club on their best run 1970.

According to the report, this impressive form has been noticed by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who has added Lampard's name to a shortlist that also includes former manager Jose Mourinho.

However, if Lampard were to accept a potential offer to return to the Premier League with Spurs, he would no doubt burn a lot of bridges with Chelsea fans.

Not to mention, the Englishman would also be contracdicting promise that he made in 2019.

During his first spell as Chelsea manager, Lampard was asked if he would ever take charge of Spurs one day, to which he replied: "I can firmly say no. And you can replay that it ten years, or whenever you want! No, it wouldn't happen.

"I wouldn't manage Tottenham, and that's no disrespect to Tottenham,

"I've got a lot of friends who are Tottenham fans and Arsenal fans. But sometimes there are feelings when you are in it about some things that you wouldn't do."

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