Manchester United fans are hailing Casemiro as a “born leader” and the potential next club captain after a number of clips showing his inspiring behaviour during the penalty shootout in the FA Cup semi-final on Sundayappeared online.
United booked their return trip to Wembley on 3 June and secured a Manchester Derby in the FA Cup final for the first time in the competition’s history with a game-winning seventh spot kick from Victor Lindelöf after Brighton’s Solly March skied his shot over the bar.
There were some seriously impressive pens from the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho too (no doubt a big relief after the disappointment of Euro 2020) but the moment many supporters have fallen in love with is the footage of Casemiro showing his true leadership during the shootout.
As the cameras panned over the United huddle after it remained goalless following extra time, you can see the Brazilian immediately volunteering to take the first penalty and stepping up like the role model he has clearly become in the dressing room.
He didn’t have his best game today but the impact he's had is huge and undeniable pic.twitter.com/NvuhMkA9s4
As you can see, United fans were made up to see him not only slot home the first penalty — which is always so crucial in a shootout — but setting the tone and an example for his teammates to be just as confident with their spot kicks.
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Reacting to the video online, many fans have said it’s not only proof that the 31-year-old is a “born leader” but that it should definitely put him in contention to take the armband, especially with Harry Maguire‘s performances and captaincy looking so flimsy.
That wasn’t the only clip that Reds have been raving about either, as footage of Casemiro telling keeper David de Gea to distract the Brighton players whilst they took their penalties has also been circulating on social media.
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The top-level sh*thousery and mind games never stop, especially not in knockout football.
CASEMIRO AS GOALKEEPING COACH 🕺🏼🧤🔴 Amazing fan video of United midfielder urging David De Gea to wave arms & create disturbance—be like Emi, basically—before Brighton penalty during shootout. Utd eventually won on penalties & face City in FA Cup Final.https://t.co/zMvFIelIQ5
lt seems like a distant, confabulated memory to think that the former Real Madrid man and five-time Champions League winner was ever considered to be ‘over the hill’ or a desperate signing for United.
He is now widely considered one of the best signings they have made in some time, with the club’s finally acquiring the kind of midfielder destroyers they’ve been crying out for and finally starting to find the right balance in the centre of the pitch — you only have to luck at their win percentage when Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen all start together.
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The serial winner and football veteran seems to be making a habit of bringing a smile to fans’ faces whether he’s on the pitch or not, as it was only a couple of months ago in the EFL Cup final that displayed similar leadership qualities and laser focus even after the full-time whistle.
One thing is for sure, the CDM and his winning mentality will play a big role in the FA Cup final, regardless of whether the result is red or blue.
Casemiro himself might not have been able to watch when it came to the decisive penalty, but he clearly helped his teammates put their best foot forward.
As for you lot, you can watch the full thing HERE.
Featured Image — @mxnuted.aep (via TikTok)/Manchester United (via Twitter)
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)
Sport
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 -
24th April 2023 
