Callum O'Connell

Right on cue... Football Insider has learned that Dougie Freedman has turned down the offer to become the sporting director at #NUFC. He will remain at #CPFC.

There was a time when a European final belonged to the supporters who dragged their club there. Not anymore. When Aston Villa were handed roughly 11,000 tickets for a Europa League final in a 70,000-plus stadium, the number itself told the story. UEFA can package the event however it likes — “festival of football”, “European showpiece”, “global celebration” — but the modern European final is no longer built around supporters. It is built around clients. The supporters fund the journey. The corporates inherit the destination. Villa fans will have spent thousands following the club across Europe. Flights, hotels, time off work, loyalty schemes built over years. Yet when the final arrives, huge sections of the stadium are reserved for sponsors, hospitality guests, executives, delegates and “neutral” allocations that often end up on resale sites within hours. And supporters are expected to accept it. UEFA’s defence is familiar. Sponsors fund competitions. Broadcasters need space. Hospitality drives revenue. All true. But football crossed a line when the event surrounding the final became more important than the supporters inside it. The optics are awful because fans can see it themselves. A finalist gets 11,000 tickets while corporate packages costing thousands remain available. Genuine supporters scramble through ballots with lottery-like odds, while neutral areas fill with tourists taking photos during the warm-up. And UEFA wonders why resentment grows. Supporters are constantly called “the lifeblood of the game” until ticket allocations are discussed. Then they become an inconvenience to work around premium inventory. Football did not become Europe’s dominant sport because sponsors created atmosphere. The noise, colour and emotion UEFA sells globally every season is generated by match-going supporters — the same people increasingly pushed aside at the biggest games. The “neutral fan” concept is perhaps the biggest fiction of all. In theory it promotes access. In reality it fuels resale markets, inflated prices and thousands travelling ticketless out of desperation. UEFA could change it tomorrow. Finalists could receive 70 per cent of the stadium combined. Corporate sections could shrink. Hospitality would still exist. But that would mean sacrificing revenue. And modern football has shown repeatedly which side wins that argument. #AVFC #scfreiburg

@Sourceofboxing @arielhelwani Please just let the boy fight… It’s not nice playing on people’s weakness! Talk about his strengths… Daniel is a really nice fella and doesn’t deserve to be mocked by people or have his lack of knowledge bringing up! Nobody knows it all.. 😔

@dannyw_92 Over £100m on those two and Brennan Johnson 🙃

Crystal Palace spending near-£70m on deadline day for Jorgen Strand Larsen and Dwight McNeil is lunacy

Latest on Arsenal’s pursuit of Ebere Eze. Crystal Palace are standing firm in their demands and will not entertain offers below his £68m release clause. #CPFC #AFC footballinsider247.com/crystal-palace…

Just watching THAT goal back again... #CPFC

Just Jean-Philippe Mateta with the vibe #CPFC

No holiday this year, how will we clothe the kids, losing your dream job, feeling like a failure, mental health spiral. Don't for 1 minute see 450 job cuts as a number. It's 450 people & many will be impacted by the above. Meanwhile the Glazers have 1.3 billion in their pocket

Reports of Palace’s interest in Ben Chilwell now emerging, as first reported by myself after a chat with former Man United chief scout Mick Brown. @footyinsider247 More detail 👇 #CPFC #CFC footballinsider247.com/crystal-palace…

Crystal Palace are unwilling to entertain talks over Tyrick Mitchell's exit despite interest from Arsenal. Despite widespread reports, the left-back's contract does not expire at the end of the season, but rather in 2027, placing the Eagles in a strong position. #CPFC

Katie Taylor does it again WOW Commentary on that fight was horrendous

Oliver Glasner confirms that Newcastle United target Marc Guehi is set to play on Sunday vs Brentford. Guehi trained today #CPFC #NUFC

Leeds United are considering a move to sign Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi. Palace are keen to send him out on loan after turning down a bid from Southampton, who are expected to return. #CPFC #LUFC #SaintsFC Full story: footballinsider247.com/leeds-race-to-…

Look at those reactions! Look at what it means! #BBCEuros #Euro2024

Give the man the respect he deserves - his England sides are nothing like the ones I grew up watching. That's down to him. Done an amazing job, just one more game to go 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

@Harri_Burton The irony of moaning about immigration and then immediately saying he's going to stay living in Spain

Hilarious seeing Kroos talking about immigration, a player who has spent the last 10 years in Spain with Real Madrid. His team also includes players from all over the world - V.Junior (Brazil), Rudiger (Germany), Arda Güler (Turkey), etc. Privileged.

That first stat is absolutely ridiculous. Southgate deserves FAR more respect than he is often given. His time as England boss has been excellent.

Why we need to talk about Bukayo Saka. And what the issue represents. @MirrorFootball mirror.co.uk/sport/football…

Only just catching up on the Man City news - I know I'm late to the party - but the consequences of this case could genuinely be catastrophic for the Premier League as we know it. Every other club, bar City and Newcastle, would be left in the dust.

#CPFC stars Jean-Philippe Mateta and Michael Olise have been called up to represent France at the Olympic Games. Means they will miss the beginning of next season as well as pre-season with Palace.

This is fantastic news