Sport

The Hardest Geezer is back at it again as he begins his run to Germany for Euro 2024

'Back on the einser und zweier.'

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 12th June 2024

Just two months after completing the entire length of Africa, Russ Cook a.k.a. ‘Hardest Geezer’ is back out on the road once again and has set himself the challenge of running all the way to Germany for Euro 2024.

Does this guy ever just have a sit-down?

The 27-year-old fundraising athlete from Worthing in West Sussex has barely had any time off since becoming the first person to run the entire length of Africa over the course of 352 days, even chucking in a casual London Marathon just a fortnight after achieving the incredible feat.

Now, though, the Hardest Geezer grind is back underway as Cook set off from Wembley at 3:30pm on Tuesday, 11 June and intends to make it all the way to the Veltins Arena in Germany for England’s opening game against Serbia on Sunday.

Jumping back on social media to track the entire challenge just as he did for the last 12 months, the inspiring endurance runner is hoping to follow the Three Lions across the country in an effort to support them and raise money for charity throughout the Euros.

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Set to run from city to city for each fixture, his journey – at the very least – will see him travel from England’s opener in Gelsenkirchen to the Waldstadion in Frankfurt for the second game against Denmark, before moving on to FC Koln’s RheinEnergieStadion for the Slovenia match on 25 June.

However, should Gareth Southgate’s side make it through the group stages (you better believe they will), Russ is prepared to follow the boys throughout the tournament and is welcoming others to come and join him for the multiple legs in what he admits is “a race against the clock”.

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He’s also already joked that he’d be willing to sort what’s for tea if someone can sort him a bed when he makes his first stop in Harwich on Wednesday evening.

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Having worn classic England shirts on numerous occasions throughout the course of his run across the African continent, seeing him wearing Three Lions on the shirt will be a familiar sight, having also been sponsored by retro replica kit manufacturer Score Draw to keep the national team colours on show.

The best part about all of this other than us getting to tune into the Hardest Geezer’s journey every day is that he is once again raising money for The Running Charity, the same non-profit he raised over £1 million through Project Africa.

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The organisation supports young people who are homeless or have complex needs and Cook is also choosing to donate his sponsorship fees from both Score Draw and fellow retailer Sports Direct directly to the cause. What a legend.

We’re now more hopeful than ever that England make it all the way to the final; what a story it would be, especially if he can provide some added motivation and national spirit, as well as raise even more money for a vital cause along the way. It’s coming home – just not before big Russ gets to Germany.

Russ Cook, a.k.a. ‘Hardest Geezer’, is spurring on an entirely new generation of runners
The Hardest Geezer has smashed Africa and is now putting in the hard yards for Euro 2024 in Germany – a true inspiration.

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Featured Images — Hardest Geezer (via Instagram)/Raimond Spekking (via Wikimedia Commons)

Sport

Manchester United blocked from potential first signing of the summer due to INEOS ownership

Danny Jones Danny Jones Man United blocked from singing Nice defender by UEFA because of INEOS ownership

Manchester United looked to have been blocked by UEFA from making what would have been the first signing of the summer due to their co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS Group ties to his current club.

The Red Devils had lined up Ligue 1 defender Jean-Clair Todibo to fill the boots of the recently departed Raphaël Varane as one of their targets of the summer transfer window, but it looks as though INEOS‘ existing ventures have thrown a spanner in the works.

As reported by ever-reliable transfer source Fabrizio Romano on Wednesday, UEFA has apparently blocked the move for the player due to Ratcliffe and INEOS also owning OGC Nice, as the governing body is continuing to crack down on rules around multi-club ownership.

The transfer talk has now been ultimately backed up by The Telegraph‘s James Ducker, who confirmed that the association have now blocked the move for Todibo not simply down to Ratcliffe and co.’s controlling stake in the but because United and Nice have also qualified for the same competition.

While the two clubs have both been cleared to play in the UEFA Europa League next season despite INEOS’ vested interests in both teams – due to all parties agreeing that their share of transfer fees will be put into a ‘blind trust‘ – they are not permitted to complete deals with each other.

This essentially comes down to UEFA’s principle that no organisation or individual can exert a “decisive influence” over the running of more than one club in the same competition, something which they believe Ratcliffe could be deemed to have.

Interestingly, many have noted that Man City were able to secure a player from Girona back in February – one of their sister teams under the CFG umbrella – despite them having both qualified for the Champions League next season, though it seems his loanee status from Troyes AC led to the loophole.

Although the Manchester side is said to have eyed up Todibo as the perfect replacement for his outgoing compatriot at CB, they are by no means the only side interested in securing 24-year-old Todibo’s services this summer.

INEOS has also been informed they are free to sell him to another Premier League club, a stipulation that is said to have frustrated Ratcliffe. He also warned the division against becoming too stringent on spending rules.

The new United co-owner fears that being blocked by UEFA and the Premier League could become a regular obstacle for English teams.

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As the piece goes on to detail, the Failsworth-born billionaire responded by saying: “They’ve said we can sell him to another Premiership club but we can’t sell to Manchester United, but that’s not fair on the player and I don’t see what that achieves.”

That isn’t all of United’s defensive targets exhausted though, as they are also thought to have agreed on personal terms with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, though the Merseysiders have so far rejected their initial £35 million bid.

Speaking to Bloomberg‘s business column, the 71-year-old said: “We want to be where Real Madrid are today, but it’ll take time… It’ll take two or three summer windows to get to a better place.”

At least when it comes to finding a new centre-half, though, he and Erik ten Hag will have to find another alternative beyond the highly sought-after Jean-Clair Todibo.

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Featured Images — Equipe de France de Football/Jean-Clair Todibo (via IG)/Bloomberg

Sport

England praised for ‘almost perfect’ win over West Indies as T20 World Cup title defence kicks into gear

Danny Jones Danny Jones England cricket beat West Indies in opening game of T20 World Cup Super 8 stage

England may have made a somewhat shaky start to their T20 World Cup title defence in the group stages but look to have sparked into life following their first Super 8 game, with a convincing win over co-host nation West Indies.

In fact, they were so impressive in the opening game of the divisive phase that their performance was labelled as near perfection by ex-England bowler Steven Finn.

Speaking on BBC’s Test Match Special coverage, Finn said simply, “England turned up – the England that everyone has enjoyed watching over the last few years”, claiming that, “barring a couple of overs with the ball, this was almost a perfect performance”.

The former fast bowler went on to insist that this could be a good opportunity for them “to set a marker down” for the rest of the tournament. The star of the show was undeniably Phil Salt – exhibit A:

Salt, who was rightly awarded Player of the Match after opening the batting with 87 from 47 balls not out, produced a commanding display to give England a strong advantage from the off, including a staggering run of 30 runs in just one over.

Only more quality followed him as Johnny Bairstow stepped up to go unbeaten for 48 from 26 and seal the win over the heavy favourites by 180-4 with 15 balls to spare.

Heaping further praise on the national team set-up, including former Windies captain Kieron Pollard whose work as the new England batting coach is clearly working, Finn added: “They batted with power and bowled with skill.

“They knew that when they got the bat in hand, once they got the momentum, they could take advantage of it.”

England now find themselves in a very strong position to qualify for the semi-finals, with South Africa and the other joint-host USA left to play in this stage.

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The South Africans only managed a narrow victory over America on the same day, meaning that England seemingly boast the best form in their Super 8 group as they look to take control of the top two.

Can the reigning T20 World Cup Champions do it two years in a row?

With the Vitality T20 Blast also underway, The Hundred set to kick off next month and the live music lineup for the likes of the Manchester games already out, it’s going to be a summer full of cricket.

You can find out everything you need to know about Manchester Originals fixtures and the rest of this year’s tournament down below.

The Hundred 2024 has nearly arrived – here’s what to expect
We’ll see if England can defend their T20 World Cup at the end of this month and then it’s straight into another fast-paced format.

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Featured Image — Phil Salt/England Cricket (via Instagram)

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