Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Real Madrid’s Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, according to media reports on Thursday (August 18).
Reports suggest the deal would be worth around £60m.
The Brazilian international, who spent the 2014-15 season on loan at Porto, has been at Real since 2013, winning three LaLiga titles and five Champions Leagues with 336 appearances across all competitions.
Man United sit bottom of the Premier League table after their 2-1 opening home defeat to Brighton was followed up with a 4-0 loss at Brentford in a disastrous start to Erik ten Hag’s reign as manager .
Two well-known fighters, Thailand’s veteran Muay Thai champ Buakaw Banchamek and Japan’s Kota Miura, are ready for their fight at Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok after passing the weight measurement on Thursday.
The exhibition match between Buakaw and Miura on Friday will focus on demonstrating the difference between Muay Thai and kickboxing within three rounds.
The fight will be held along with eight other Muay Thai matches from 9.15pm. It also will be broadcast on Workpoint 23 channel.
Buakaw told The Nation that he was glad to fight again at Rajadamnern Stadium after 18 years.
“I came here [Rajadamnern Stadium] when I was 20,” he said, “I’m glad to be back in this ring to show Muay Thai martial art again.”
He vowed to do his best during the fight against the Japanese.
“It is simple, but I feel strange what should I do if I hurt Miura and am scolded by his fans,” he said.
Buakaw is considered the most successful Muay Thai fighter, having won many tournaments, such as K-1 World MAX Champion, Shoot Boxing World Cup and World Muaythai Council World Championship.
Buakaw, also known as ‘Dam Dot Com’, became popular among Japanese fans after he won the K-1 in Japan in 2011. Some fans have even flown to Thailand to greet him.
Recently, he was appointed a board member of the KickBoxing Association of Thailand and was manager of Thailand’s kickboxing team that took part in the Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi.
The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) said on Thursday any new owner of the Premier League club must be willing to invest heavily to restore its former glory amid speculation of a sale by the Glazer family.
British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has expressed an interest in buying United after Tesla founder Elon Musk said a Twitter post in which he said he planned to buy the club was part of “a long-running joke”.
The club’s owners, the American Glazer family, are under pressure with United sitting bottom of league after two games of the new season. Bloomberg reported they would consider selling a minority stake, opening the door for Ratcliffe.
“Speculation is mounting about a potential change of ownership or new investors at Manchester United. Whilst supporters have called for change, of course this has to be the right change,” MUST said in a statement on Twitter.
“Any prospective new owner or investor has to be committed to the culture, ethos and best traditions of the club. They have to be willing to invest to restore United to former glories, and that investment must be real new money spent on the playing side and the stadium.”
A new ownership structure must embed supporters and include fan share ownership, the group added.
United have lost both their league games under new boss Erik ten Hag and host bitter rivals Liverpool on Monday.
52-year-old golfer Somboon Leelathitikul jumped for joy after he won against his opponent in a playoff at the “Toyota Senior Championship 2022” in Phuket, which is the fourth tournament of the Thai Senior Tour 2022.
Somboon played against five-time Asian Tour winner Thammanoon Sriroj in the playoff on Thursday after both of them scored 13-under-par.
Somboon managed to win in the first hole of the playoff and won prize money of 240,000 baht.
He said that he was glad to win the first tournament after stopping playing for two years. He admitted that his luck played a part in this win.
Former LPGA player Supamas Sangchan took the outright lead over Kusuma Meechai by three strokes after round two of the Bt2.5 million “SAT-TWT Open Road to World Ranking at the Panorama Golf and Country Club in Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday.
The 26-year-old who is now playing mainly on the China LPGA Tour fired five birdies against two bogeys to lead on four under-par-140 in the sixth SAT-TWT Open event of the 2021-2022 calendar which gets underway from now until August 19 at the par 72 6,229-yard course.
“I putted incredibly well not only to shoot scores but also to save some tough shots. On a par 5 hole, I drove to the woods but fought my way back to get close to the pin and made a birdie. Four under after two rounds is amazing for me,” said the Sukhothai-born who won the 2016 Sanya Ladies Open (co-sanctioned by LET) and 2017 Hong Kong Ladies Open, both on the China LPGA Tour.
“The course sets up pretty cruel this week. I have to be really focused and play one shot at a time tomorrow,” added Supamas, hoping to end a three-year drought of title since winning at the Kabinburi Sport Club in Prachinburi in March, 2019.
Three-time professional winner Kusuma swapped four birdies with four bogeys after 17 holes before sinking a finishing birdie for a 71. Her two-day score stood at one-under-par 143. “I tried to hit the fairways, the greens and not to hit more than two putts. The course condition is very tricky especially the green speed is a lot faster than on Wednesday,” said the 27-year-old player from Prachinburi.
“Hitting an under par on a tough course like this is quite pleasing for me. About my game plan for the final round, I will try to chill out there and try not to put myself under pressure,” said Kusuma whose best attempt on the Thai WPGA was at seventh in the third circuit this year. She is also eyeing on winning her first title in three years since her victory at the Watermill Golf Club and Resort in Hua Hin in 2019.
Trichat Cheenglab carded a 69 to trail four shots behind the lead on even par 144. “After I hit three over par in the first round, I came up with a new game plan by aiming straight to the flag positions and went for some putts up the slopes. That’s why I ended up with a 69. It would have been a bit better if I hadn’t hit some poor tee shots,” said Trichat. “I’m feeling more confident than I was in my previous events. In the final round, I hope to hit the fairways more and may use a 3-iron on some holes. Above all, I need to play with confidence,” she added. Also with a 144 was Onkanok Soisuwan which placed her at joint third along with Trichat.
Marc Cucurella may have found himself on the Stamford Bridge turf after a painful tug of his hair by Tottenham Hotspur’s Cristian Romero over the weekend but the Chelsea defender said on Wednesday (August 17) that he has no plans to get a haircut.
Cucurella had his long locks pulled by Romero shortly before Harry Kane levelled the Premier League match in stoppage time, leading to a furious Thomas Tuchel saying referee Anthony Taylor should not officiate Chelsea’s matches in the future.
When asked if he would ever get a haircut to avoid a similar fate in the future, Cucurella grinned and told reporters: “No, no, never! This is my style.”
Cucurella, however, said that Romero’s pull was a clear red card.
“For me it was clear and the video was clear, sometimes referees make good decisions and sometimes they don’t, but this is not my problem, I am focused on the game,” he added.
“I saw in the stadium they were checking for a red card and for me it was very clear, but this is football. In this game it was an error, in another game the referee would take a good decision.
“I have no problem with him (Romero), it was only one action in the game. But maybe it was an important action because it’s possible to change the final result.”
Cucurella signed for Chelsea in a reported 62 million pounds ($74.67 million) deal in the close season from Brighton & Hove Albion and the Spaniard conceded it was “a lot of money and a big responsibility” for him.
“I’m very happy to be here,” he said. “(Chelsea owner) Todd (Boehly) and the gaffer were so interested in me coming here. I need to work hard, adapt to the team and have this will to win and play good for the club.”
Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo received a police caution for smashing a 14-year-old boy’s phone to the ground following a defeat at Everton last season.
The 37-year-old apologised via social media to the young fan after the incident which happened in April.
“We can confirm that a 37-year-old man voluntarily attended and was interviewed under caution in relation to an allegation of assault and criminal damage,” a police statement said on Wednesday.
“The allegation relates to an incident following the Everton v Manchester United football match at Goodison Park on Saturday 9 April. The matter has been dealt with by way of conditional caution. The matter has now concluded.”
Video footage appeared to show Ronaldo angrily slapping the phone out of the boys’ hand as he walked down the tunnel.
The boy’s mother said he had been left with a bruised hand and that his phone screen had been smashed.
Ronaldo is reported to be seeking a move away from Old Trafford, having returned to the club a year ago from Juventus.
British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is interested in buying Manchester United, his spokesperson told The Times on Wednesday (August 17), after Elon Musk said his plan to buy the Premier League club was all part of “a long-running joke”.
Musk, the world’s richest person, said on Twitter that he wanted to buy England’s most successful club before clarifying that it was a joke and that he had no interest in purchasing any sports teams.
The club’s owners, the American Glazer family, are under pressure with United sitting bottom of the Premier League after two games of the season. Bloomberg reported they would consider selling a minority stake, opening the door for Ratcliffe.
“If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer,” Ratcliffe’s spokesperson said. “If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership.”
The Glazers have been the target of intense criticism for their failure to invest in the team who have not won a trophy in five years.
Ratcliffe, head of chemical company INEOS, is from the Manchester area and a long-standing fan of the club.
“This is not about the money that has been spent or not spent. Jim is looking at what can be done now and, knowing how important the club is to the city, it feels like the time is right for a reset,” the spokesperson added.
Ratcliffe failed this year in an attempt to buy London club Chelsea which was ultimately bought by an investment group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Karasin-based Chommapat Pongthanarak relied on her accurate short game to card an opening 69 to build a stroke lead over former LPGA player Supamas Sangchan after round one of the Bt2.5 million “SAT-TWT Open
The 25-year-old player utilized her precise approach shots to generate five birdies against two bogeys in the sixth SAT-TWT Open event of the 2021-2022 calendar which gets underway from now until August 19 at the par 72 6,229-yard course.
“I didn’t serve that well but thanks to my approach shots that really gave me a lot of birdie opportunities. I hit close to the pins and made some great putts to produce five birdies,” said Chommapat who used to win a challenger event at this landscape years ago.
“The green condition is a lot better than it was the last time I played here. I’m not sure if I have the advantage about me winning here before, but I’m quite confident with my putt as I’ve just had a new putter which really helps me out there,” added Chommapat who won her first title five years ago in Khon Kaen.
“I don’t want to raise my hope too high this week as I still have things to improve especially my serves. I need to control the ball direction better,” she added.
Following a stroke behind was a former member on the LPGA Tour Supamas who had a roller-coaster round of six birdies against four bogeys.
Sitting two shots off the lead at joint third was another ex LPGA player Benyapa Niphatsopon who decorated her card with an eagle on the fourth hole, three birdies and four bogeys.
“I have a mixed day with some good play and some poor shots. Fortunately I hit an eagle after being two over before making a birdie putt to finish with a 71,” said the 25-year-old Bangkokian.
“To be honest, I don’t have a lot of expectations coming to this week. So, hitting one under is good enough for me. However, I hope to play according to my game plan for the next two days,” added Benyapa who was at third alongside Wannasiri Sirisampant. The SAT-TWT Open Road to World Ranking is sponsored by the Sports Authority of Thailand, National Sports Development Fund, Siam Commercial Bank, P Overseas Steal (Public Company Limited) and the Panorama Golf and Country Club in Nakhon Ratchasima. Fans can catch up with news updates on ThaiWPGA Facebook Fanpage or at http://www.thaiwpga.com.
The world’s richest man and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that he is buying English Premiere League team Manchester United.
In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Musk said: “To be clear, I support the left half of the Republican Party and the right half of the Democratic Party!”
“Also, I’m buying Manchester United ur welcome”, Musk tweeted.
It was not confirmed if he intended to follow up on his statement but fans around the world are keeping an eye on the news.
Previously, he had made statements on Twitter that led to the value of cryptocurrencies rising or dropping heavily. He also made a statement to buy Twitter but the US$44-billion bid was withdrawn in July.
Manchester United is owned by the American Glazer family after they began to invest in 2003 and bought the team in 2005 for 790 million pounds. The team’s value has skyrocketed since then to $4.6 billion, according to Forbes.
However, the team’s recent performances have left fans shocked as they languish at the bottom of the Premier League standings after two losses.
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