Sport

BOX launch football lookalike competition where you can win free pints and bar tabs during the Euros

So ready for everyone to dye their hair like Gazza again.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 15th June 2024

BOX on Deansgate has launched a brand new lookalike competition where football fans can win free pints and bar tabs during the Euros this summer.

The popular chain of sports bars has multiple locations all over the country and is sure to be packed through Euro 2024. It also turns out the brand is hoping to fill its various venues with some of the best football lookalikes possible as part of a fun new giveaway.

Pretty much promising exactly what it says on the tin, the new competition will see those fortunate enough to bear a resemblance to famous footballers be handed free pints throughout the tournament. It really is as simple as that.

There’s even the chance for the most impressive footballing doppelgänger to win a table of six plus a whopping £250 at your BOX site of choice for the Euro 2024 final on Sunday, 14 July. Say no more, we’re about to get a Phil Foden trim like yesterday.

Entry terms are simple: to join you simply need to submit a photo of yourself, a friend or a family member who you believe looks similar to a footballing star.

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The easiest way to take part is to tag @theboxbaruk in your Instagram story with your lookalike image using the hashtag #BOXDOPPLEGANGER, then send a direct message containing your entry.

Probably the best part about all of this is that you get a free pint just for taking part – and no, we’re not joking. Anywhere offering free pints whilst the footy’s on get a thumbs up from us. May the best football lookalike win!

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The fun doesn’t stop there though: a weekly Euros-themed quiz every Wednesday at BOX Deansgate to test fans’ knowledge; their famous ‘Bandeoke’ is on every Thursday, as well as live bands and DJs on Fridays and Saturdays to guarantee the party continues long after full-time.

Football fans can also treat themselves to a number of European-inspired delights with a limited-edition Euro 2024 food and drink menu, featuring Currywurst Loaded Fries, Bavarian Burgers and the ‘Olympian’ pizza. Plus, you can get two-pint beer steins, mini-kegs and a host of other footy-themed drinks.

BOX’s football lookalike competition is one of many reasons it’s a great place to watch the Euros. (Credit: Supplied)

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As always with these things, full T&Cs apply (i.e. only one entry per person) but the whole thing is pretty straightforward and you can find out more information on their website.

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Laura Lewis, Marketing Director at ARC Inspirations, commented: “We’re excited for EURO 2024 to kick off a huge summer of sport at BOX. This competition is the perfect start, and we can’t wait to see all the entrants and crown the overall winner. We’re looking forward to welcoming fans at our venues and hopefully celebrating a successful summer for the England team!”

“The football is just the tip of the iceberg. We will be showing all the major sporting events, like the Cricket T20 World Cup, Wimbledon, and the Olympics. We can’t wait to see our venues filled with fans having a great time and watching their favourite sports. Not only is BOX the ultimate bar to watch, it’s also the ultimate venue to play and party this summer.”

BOX quickly found its way onto our list of where to watch the Euros in Manchester city centre and to find out what other venues we think are among the best places to witness the football finally come home (you best believe it is), look no further:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — BOX (supplied)

Sport

Ole Gunnar Solskjær says just three players have spoken to him since leaving Manchester United

Danny Jones Danny Jones Ole Gunnar Solskjaer only 3 Man United players have spoke to him since leaving

Club legend and ex-Manchester United player turned manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, has revealed that just three of his former players have been in touch since leaving Old Trafford.

Solskjær was sacked from the role as Man United head coach back in November 2021 after having been given the job permanently following an impressive winning run as interim manager.

The practically perfect start back at the helm of the club – where he starred as the ‘super sub’ during his playing days – was followed by a big slump, and the final decision was ultimately made in the wake of a 4-1 loss to Watford.

However, the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’s’ popularity among the players and the fans alike was never in question, so it’s come as somewhat of a surprise to many fans that Solskjær has said only a specific trio of United players have got in touch with him since his dream job came to an end.

At least two of the names read out might not surprise fans, as not only was then-club captain Harry Maguire one of his first statement signings, but so was Bruno Fernandes, who now has the armband, and both have remained key players and leadership figures pretty much ever since.

Speaking to BBC Sport on the senior duo, Ole said, “For me, Harry has always been a leader and a fighter”, and never had any doubts about him deputising for him on the pitch, before going on to label both the centre-back and Bruno as “top human beings.”

As for the third, although Victor Lindelöf looks set to leave the club this summer, he’s actually been a long-serving squad member, having joined back in 2017 and been a seemingly popular figure around the dressing room, even if injury problems have sometimes hampered his minutes.

He also went on to discuss other matters regarding the club, including confessing that it’s “hard to watch” United amidst their present struggles, both under previous manager Erik ten Hag and now Ruben Amorim – even with a potential Europa League trophy consolation on the cards.

The retired striker also stated that he found the decision to let midfielder Scott McTominay go more than surprising, especially given the incredible performances he’s put on display since moving to Serie A.

Now the boss at Besiktas, the 52-year-old has won 50% of his games so far, with the Turkish side on course for a third-place finish.

For context, he only took the job back in January.

What did you make of Ole’s revelations then, Reds? And, more importantly, how do you look back on his time in charge at the Theatre of Dreams?

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Featured Images — soccer.ru (via Wikimedia Commons)/BBC Sport

Sport

The annual Manchester Remembers Foundation charity football match has shut down

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Remembers charity game 2025 cancelled

The annual Manchester Remembers charity football match has been cancelled for 2025, and unfortunately, the wider Foundation has also shut down for the foreseeable.

Set up back in 2020, the Manchester Remembers charity game was created to help raise funds for the families of those lost in the tragic 2017 Manchester Arena attack, raising nearly £200,000 in donations for multiple organisations.

It has been a truly treasured community event across Greater Manchester, welcoming thousands to the likes of Manchester City Academy Stadium and Oldham Athletic‘s Boundary Park, as well as spotlighting local musicians and notable figures volunteering their help for a deeply important cause.

However, the Foundation is now set to hang up its boots. Confirming the news over the bank holiday weekend, founders Aaron Lee and Paul Corrigan shared “a difficult statement to make and a decision not taken lightly.”

As explained in the lengthy and emotional post, it is with a “heavy heart” that this year’s charity match has now been officially cancelled, and tickets already purchased up to this point are now being refunded.

Having played a small part in helping spread awareness around the game and the Foundation since it began, we were gutted to learn of this sad news.

The 2025 MCR Remembers game was scheduled to take place this June at a new venue for the event, Bury FC’s home ground at Gigg Lane, but following what they have labelled “a lack of support” from Greater Manchester leaders and “influential people needed to carry the event forward.”

Lee – a former police officer turned firefighter who was one of the emergency responders on 22 May, 2017 – went on to share a follow-up video reflecting on the announcement.

As he puts in the piece to camera, he says that even if those who had been reached out to in recent times were to suddenly respond, that it is “sadly too late.”

Taking time to thank not only past sponsors, managers, ex-pros and celebrity players who have been part of the event in the past, but everyone who bought tickets to the event(s) over the past few years, stating simply: “We cant thank you enough.”

Lee, who was given both a Chief Fire Officers Commendation and British Citizen Award in 2024, went on to address those “so-called leaders and influential people” in a subsequent post, adding: “All we needed was a bit of help. But we were ignored. Thanks for the memories.”

Unsurprisingly, the comments on social media have been awash with messages of love, support and sadness upon learning of this year’s cancellation and the end of The Manchester Remembers Foundation after more than half a decade.

There is some hope, though, as he ends the video by saying, “Who knows if this is the end or not? […] I dare say we’ll be back at some point.” We can only keep our fingers crossed he’s right and the MCR Remembers charity game won’t be shut down for good.

Manchester will always remember.

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Manchester Remembers Foundation

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