Rob Tanner

#LCFC owner Khun Top has spoken to the UK media for the first time in a decade. 🦊Where things have gone so wrong 🦊How he is hoping to reconnect with a disgruntled fanbase 🦊Restructuring the hierarchy 🦊Whether he would consider a sale. And more... nytimes.com/athletic/69994…

When it is argued, in various football disputes, that points deductions must be imposed even for inadvertent breaches, in order to vindicate compliant clubs, one has to wonder whether that reflects a genuine commitment to consistent strict enforcement in all cases, or is simply a position adopted for the purposes of a particular case. Consistency is very important in sport - the lack of it can undermine public confidence in the integrity of the whole game. I do not comment on any one individual case, I just hope that those involved in the decision making processes can see the merit in treating each case according to its particular circumstances rather than being inflexible in some, but very flexible in others. That, I am sure, would help restore the confidence in sports arbitration we all wish for.

The result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final has been reversed, with Morocco now standing as 3-0 winners after a stunning decision from the competition organisers. The Confederation of African Football released a statement on Tuesday evening saying that Senegal had been declared to have forfeited the game, which they had won 1-0 on January 18. CAF said the decision came after an appeal from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation following that match, which Senegal won in extra time after walking off the field during normal time in protest at a refereeing decision. Full story from @bosherL here ⬇️ 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/71267…

The countdown is on to this summer’s World Cup. As things stand, who would be in your @England squad? nytimes.com/athletic/71205…

Chelsea have been punished for historic issues relating to payments between 2011 and 2018, made by third parties associated with the club, to “players, unregistered agents and other third parties.” What were the payments for? The Premier League’s sanction agreement says those payments include more than £23m paid to seven unregistered agents, or entities associated with them, in connection with the transfer and registration of seven players, including Eden Hazard, Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle and Nemanja Matic. Two further player names are redacted. There were also payments totalling over £19m noted in the agreement to two entities in connection with the transfer and registration of Willian and Samuel Eto’o, which the document says should be treated as though they were transfer fees paid on behalf of Chelsea. There is no suggestion that any of the players were involved in or aware of any wrongdoing. ✍️ @reallycerys, @SJohnsonSport and @liam_twomey 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/71229…

Does it help children enjoy their football if parents are asked not to shout from the sidelines? This is the idea behind the FA's 'Silent Support' weekend. Our writers explain what they saw and heard at some of the games - and if the scheme had any effect. nytimes.com/athletic/71206…

He's got just 22 caps for @England since 2020 and just one at a major finals. It would be a shame if injury robs Reece James another chance to shine on the biggest stage of all. Tuchel must have a back-up plan if his body lets him down again. But who? nytimes.com/athletic/71222…

Last week I went to meet some familiar football faces in a less than familiar environment. A sheer love of the game is driving these former pros at @TheNomadsFc For @TheAthleticFC nytimes.com/athletic/71077…

Spot the former #LCFC players in these line-ups

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez appears to be breaching the FA's rules regarding promoting betting companies. According to a press release from ‘bplay’, a sports betting website in his native Argentina, Martinez became a brand ambassador more than a year and a half ago. Under FA regulations, professional footballers in England are strictly prohibited from personally promoting, advertising, or endorsing betting activity that they themselves are forbidden from engaging in. More from @J_Tanswell 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/70930…

▪️ Takeaways from the Financial Times’ Business of Football Summit ▪️ Is it time to stop talking about Europe’s “Big Five” leagues as if they are equals? ▪️ Why Bradford City and Wigan Athletic might be attractive to investors ▪️ Will AFC Wimbledon trust the process? @mjshrimper is back - after a sojourn covering biathlon and curling - with his Business of Football column ⤵️ 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/70861…

■ How big is the World Cup? ■ Is FIFA really introducing mid-half commercial breaks? ■ Why don't we know the full schedule yet? ■ What is the situation with Iran? To mark 100 days to go to the 2026 World Cup, our writers answer 100 questions about this summer's tournament. Whether you're a beginner wanting to know the basics or a dedicated fan needing the latest on the teams and the tickets, we've got it covered. 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/70594…

Our staff have made their choices: 🇦🇷 Lionel Messi 🇬🇭 Antoine Semenyo 🇳🇴 Erling Haaland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Elliot Anderson 🇵🇹 Joao Neves 🇫🇷 Michael Olise 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Craig Gordon 🇪🇸 Lamine Yamal 🇳🇱 Denzel Dumfries 🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (Again) 🇭🇷 Luka Modric 🇩🇪 Lennart Karl 🇯🇵 Ayase Ueda 🇸🇳 Iliman Ndiaye 🇨🇦 Jacob Shaffelburg 🇲🇦 Brahim Diaz 🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (Again? Again.) 🇺🇾 Rodrigo Aguirre 🇧🇷 Neymar 🇺🇸 Brenden Aaronson 🇸🇳 Ibrahim Mbaye 🇫🇷 Rayan Cherki 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Dan Burn 🇨🇻 Stopira 🇺🇿 Abdukodir Khusanov 🇺🇸 Malik Tillman 🇲🇽 Raul Jimenez 🇨🇮 Richard Kone 🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappe 🇨🇦 Jonathan David 🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo 🇧🇷 Rayan 🇯🇵 Ritsu Doan 🇺🇸 Matt Turner 🇭🇹 Duckens Nazon 🇨🇮 Yan Diomande 🇨🇴 Jhon Duran 🇳🇿 Finn Surman 🇨🇼 Rangelo Janga 🇨🇻 Ryan Mendes 🇧🇷 Gabriel 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Bukayo Saka 🇧🇷 Richarlison 🇺🇸 Tyler Adams 🇪🇸 Pedri 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Harry Kane 🇲🇦 Othmane Maamma 🇳🇱 Micky van de Ven 🇧🇷 Vinicius Junior 🇧🇷 Endrick 🇨🇦 Alphonso Davies 🇮🇷 Mehdi Taremi 🇦🇺 Nestory Irankunda 🇭🇹 Frantzdy Pierrot 🇵🇹 Bruno Fernandes 🇰🇷 Son Heung-min 🇪🇸 Lamine Yamal (Again) 🇦🇷 Emiliano Martinez 🇨🇴 James Rodriguez 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Harry Wilson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Jude Bellingham 🇮🇪 Troy Parrott 🇨🇮 Amad 🇨🇴 Luis Suarez (Not that one) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Morgan Rogers 🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappe (Deja vu) 🇧🇷 Endrick (A second time) 🇦🇺 Nestory Irankunda (Again) 🇩🇿 Riyad Mahrez 🇪🇨 Moises Caicedo 🇲🇽 Guillermo Ochoa 🇮🇹 Nicolo Barella 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Declan Rice 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 John McGinn 🇺🇸 Antonee Robinson 🇧🇪 Kevin De Bruyne 🇧🇷 Estevao 🇳🇱 Virgil van Dijk 🇺🇸 Christian Pulisic 🇭🇷 Luka Modric (Again) 🇩🇪 Florian Wirtz 🇨🇦 Alphonso Davies (Again) 🇫🇷 Bradley Barcola 🇳🇴 Jens Petter Hauge 🇪🇬 Mohamed Salah 🇰🇷 Lee Kang-In 🇨🇮 Bazoumana Toure 🇸🇳 Sadio Mane 🇺🇸 Christian Pulisic (Again) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Marc Guehi 🇪🇬 Hossam Abdelmaguid 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Nico O'Reilly 🇪🇸 Rodri 🇨🇮 Franck Kessie 🇪🇸 Pau Cubarsi 🇺🇾 Darwin Nunez 🇳🇴 Alexander Sorloth 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Cole Palmer 🇫🇷 Ousmane Dembele Eclectic. nytimes.com/athletic/70810…

The nations that have scored 100 goals or more in men’s World Cups 💯 ⚽️ 🇧🇷 Brazil Total World Cup goals: 237 First goalscorer: Preguinho vs Yugoslavia, 14 July 1930 Last goalscorer: Neymar vs Croatia, 9 December 2022 Scorer of 100th goal: Pele vs Italy, 1970 World Cup final, 21 June 1970 Top goalscorer: Ronaldo (15) 🇩🇪 Germany Total World Cup goals: 232 First goalscorer: Stanislaus Kobierski vs Belgium, 27 May 1934 Last goalscorer: Niclas Fullkrug vs Costa Rica, 1 December 2022 Scorer of 100th goal: Gerd Muller vs Netherlands, 1974 World Cup final, 7 July 1974 Top goalscorer: Miroslav Klose (16) 🇦🇷 Argentina Total World Cup goals: 152 First goalscorer: Luis Monti vs France, 15 July 1930 Last goalscorer: Lionel Messi vs France, 20 Dec 2022 Scorer of 100th goal: Claudio Lopez vs Netherlands, 4 July 1998 Top goalscorer: Lionel Messi (13) 🇫🇷 France Total World Cup goals: 136 First goalscorer: Lucien Laurent vs Mexico, 13 July 1930 Last goalscorer: Kylian Mbappe vs Argentina, 20 Dec 2022 Scorer of 100th goal: Olivier Giroud vs Switzerland, 20 June 2014 Top goalscorer: Just Fontaine (13) 🇮🇹 Italy Total World Cup goals: 128 First goalscorer: Angelo Schiavio vs USA, 27 May 1934 Last goalscorer: Mario Balotelli vs England, 15 June 2014 Scorer of 100th goal: Luigi Di Biagio vs Cameroon, 17 June 1998 Top goalscorer: Christian Vieri, Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio (9) 🇪🇸 Spain Total World Cup goals: 108 First goalscorer: Jose Iraragorri vs Brazil, 27 May 1934 Last goalscorer: Alvaro Morata vs Japan, 1 December 2022 Scorer of 100th goal: Dani Olmo vs Costa Rica, 23 November 2022 Top goalscorer: David Villa (9) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England Total World Cup goals: 104 First goalscorer: Stan Mortensen vs Chile, 25 June 1950 Last goalscorer: Harry Kane vs France, 10 December 2022 Scorer of 100th goal: Marcus Rashford vs. Wales, 29 November 2022 Top goalscorer: Gary Lineker (10)

Leicester City have announced a new senior management structure at the struggling Championship club. Finance director Kevin Davies is stepping up to become the new chief executive officer, overseeing the business and financial side of the club, while director of football Jon Rudkin is assuming the role of chief football officer, overseeing all aspects of the football side of the club, including the women’s team. Davies and Rudkin will report to the club’s board of directors, made up of chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha and vice-chairmen Apichet Srivaddhanaprabha and Liu Shilai. Full story from @RobTannerLCFC ⬇️ 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/70831…

The new management structure at #LCFC has been announced. It has been long overdue. nytimes.com/athletic/70831…

We can today announce an evolved senior leadership structure designed to provide clarity of responsibility, strengthen governance and support our long-term development both on and off the pitch.

Who are you most excited to see at this summer's World Cup? With 100 days to go, we asked 100 members of staff at The Athletic to answer that question. They were encouraged to not all pick Lionel Messi (three still did), and quite surprisingly there were also two votes for Endrick. We've got reps from World Cup debutants Cape Verde, Curacao and Uzbekistan, as well as ageing superstars plotting their Last Dance and rising stars wanting to make their mark... 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/70810…

Chelsea booked the highest pre-tax loss in English football history in the 2024-25 season, per data released today by UEFA. The European Club Finance and Investment Landscape report, issued annually by the governing body, includes the 10 clubs with the highest losses in a given season. The west London outfit topped — or bottomed — that cohort last season, but it is the scale of Chelsea’s loss which stands out. In their third full season under the ownership of a consortium headed by Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly, the club booked a €407million (£342m) pre-tax deficit. Full story from @CWeatherspoon_ ⬇️ 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/70720…

On this day 10 years ago, Tottenham Hotspur were the bookmakers favourites to win the Premier League. Now they are at the wrong end of the table and the threat of relegation, unthinkable for a generation, is very real. So how did things go so wrong? 📝 @JackPittBrooke 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/70722…

Intrigue surrounds the postponement of struggling King's Lynn Town's recent game against high-flying South Shields. Leaked footage appears to show a sprinkler spewing a fountain of water onto what looks to be an already sodden pitch during heavy rain a few hours before a pitch inspection. But is there more to this than meets the eye? @RobTannerLCFC on the sprinkler controversy gripping non-league football: was it really sabotage, subterfuge or just a faulty piece of equipment? 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/70682…