Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho has issued an emotional message on social media as he confirms he will miss several of the club’s upcoming games as well as his first international call-up.
The youngster was on the receiving end of a scissor tackle by Southampton defender Kyle Walker-Peters on Sunday, which despite Casemiro receiving a red for his own accidental follow-through on Carlos Alcaraz, did not result in a booking.
Regardless, the card-worthy albeit accidental challenge left the 18-year-old writhing on the floor in pain for several minutes as United medical staff examined him before he was ultimately helped to his feet and limped off the pitch.
While Reds will have been hoping it was merely a knock, the Argentinian forward shared an update to Instagram followers on Tuesday, informing them that he will now “not be able to help [his] team in the upcoming games in what is a very important part of the season”.
Even prior to his statement, fears over the extent of his damage only worsened after TyC Sports’ Gastón Edul reported that following initial scans, Garnacho’s injury was found to be “worse than expected” and might also miss his upcoming games for Argentina.
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It is thought that he sustained an ankle ligament injury as a result of the collision and will now miss United’s Europa League Round of 16 match against Real Betis, their FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham; Argentina’s friendlies against Panama and Curaçao, as well potentially further league games.
The teenager received a first senior call-up for his country only earlier this month but as explained in the post, he is “disappointed to also miss the opportunity to be with [his] teammates in the Argentinian National Team”, noting it “would have been a great and proud moment for me and my family.”
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While Garnacho vowed to “come back stronger than ever”, Edul claims that the players could be ruled out for “six weeks” or more.
Sadly, the much nastier and more disappointing backdrop to Garnacho’s injury was the racist abuse Walker-Peters received from so-called ‘fans’ online following the match.
Issuing his own statement after the game, the 25-year-old said: “the racial abuse I received is something that no player or person should ever have to experience. We need to be better, and this is bigger than just football”. He also called on social media platforms to do more to prevent these incidents.
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He ended his message by wishing Garnacho the best and insisting, “it would never be my intention to injure a fellow professional. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you back in action as soon as possible.”
Southampton have condemned the abuse, noting that they are “disgusted and disappointed in the behaviour of those online who lower themselves to abusing players for the colour of their skin” as well as taking aim at social media platforms “who allow such hatred to breed and fester.” Garnacho and teammate Raphael Varane were two of the first to send their messages of support
Featured Image — Alejandro Garnacho (via Instagram)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
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Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
14th March 2023 
