Nike has issued a statement addressing the ongoing goalkeeper kit controversy after the brand refused to sell replica shirts of Mary Earps’ kit and other female shot-stoppers for the Women’s World Cup this year.
2023’s tournament might now be over, with the Lionesses just narrowly missing out on lifting the trophy in their first-ever World Cup final, but the public outcry for the sporting giant to stock and sell women’s keeper kits this year is ringing out clearer than ever.
Earlier this year, England women’s star and Manchester United’s no. 1 Mary Earps called out Nike for once again choosing not to produce women’s goalkeeper kits after insisting that she was told progress would be made following the same issue during Euro 2022.
Up until now, the company has refused to comment on the situation publicly but following Earps‘ heroic penalty save in the final and having won the Golden Glove, they have finally broken their silence — and it hasn’t exactly gone down that well…
What weasley corporate bullshit this statement is. Hey Nike – here's a phrase for you craven dopes. Just Do It. https://t.co/3LrzhXrXrW
Issuing the update on Sunday, the statement read: “Nike is committed to women’s football and we’re excited by the passion around this year’s tournament and the incredible win by the Lionesses to make it into the final.
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“We are proudly offering the best of Nike innovation and services to our federation partners and hundreds of athletes. We hear and understand the desire for a retail version of a goalkeeper jersey and we are working towards solutions for future tournaments, in partnership with Fifa and the federations.
“The fact that there’s a conversation on this topic is testament to the continued passion and energy around the women’s game and we believe that’s encouraging.”
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However, the reaction has very much been a case of “not good enough”, with people commenting, “This really is the most pointless statement by Nike”, “They should have just said ‘we fucked up, we are sorry'” and one person even quipping: “So committed to women’s football, Nike didn’t even bother to spellcheck its statement”.
If you didn’t believe there were already countless people all over the country clamouring for a Mary Earps shirt, you can make no mistake about it after this incredible moment:
The truth is, Lionesses shirt sales went through the roof ahead of the final and indeed throughout the tournament, not to mention Earps’ sadly non-existent kit being one of the most searched for online over the past few months.
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As the 30-year-old said at the time, “I can’t really sugar-coat this in any way, so I am not going to try. It is hugely disappointing and very hurtful”, adding, “What you’re saying is that goalkeeping isn’t important but you can be a striker if you want.”
It goes without saying that there are so many men, women and kids alike that would give anything to be able to wear their favourite player’s shirt and it is saddening to see Nike still failing to fix it, especially for all those little girls who admire players like Mary Earps and dream of growing up to become a goalkeeper.
That being said, it looks like Nike has clearly heard the feedback and may be looking to reconsider its ‘financial strategy’ in time for the next tournament. We can only hope they do the right thing sooner rather than later.
Featured Image — Lionesses/FIFA Women’s World Cup (via Twitter)
Sport
The best England fan zones, screenings and places showing the World Cup in Manchester
Danny Jones
The 2026 World Cup is undoubtedly the biggest sporting event happening this year, and for those looking for the best fan zones, supporter parks, and exclusive screenings, we’ve got all the best places to watch it here in Manchester.
We’re not going to get carried away and declare this as ‘England’s year’, but let’s just say we’ve got a very good squad and a head coach who has won some of the biggest footballing trophies on the planet. Now into another semi-final, we’re starting to really believe.
That being said, we have every reason to feel positive, especially with so many great Manc pubs, bars and more showing the World Cup games.
So, let’s not drag this out like a long VAR check: here are some of the best places showing the 2026 World Cup in Manchester city centre and beyond.
Fan zones, screenings and top places showing the 2026 World Cup in and around Manchester
1. The Grosvenor – Oxford Road Corridor
Up first on our list is the old Footage pub, which these days has been updated to The Grosvenor. They’re teaming up with Fireball for a big fan zone, including everything from free shots of that famous cinnamon whisky and other giveaways to quizzes, games and more.
One of Manchester’s biggest and best new food halls and bars, House of Social, is also hosting its first-ever big tournament viewing party, with five big screens being installed. Standard entry is free, while seated (£15) comes with a free drink included and a comfortable view of the action, and VIP (£30) tickets come with £15 to spend on food, too.
In addition to pre- and post-match parties with live music and even a margarita truck out in the garden section, not to mention the terrace benches with heated canopies, this one is a great package all-around. Tickets are right HERE.
In at number three, we’ve got The Faraday over in the Northern Quarter (formerly Seven Sins, for anyone unaware), which has all the games you could need – and we don’t just mean the ones up on the telly. They’ve got pool, shuffleboard, darts, and more, not to mention live music throughout the week.
They may have a different name on the door these days, but it’s still as enjoyable as ever.
Rounding off our top four (the Champions League spots, if you will) is the very impressive space set up by Boundary over at The Union on Manchester Metropolitan University’s campus.
Not just for students, this is much more than one for the uni kids: besides the pub itself, they’ve turned the gig and club room into a huge fan zone, with live DJ sets, super cheap drinks, 100 FREE cans of Jubel to give away for those earliest to the first game, and even 10p off Carling every time England score.
Say no more; book your spot for the Three Lions games HERE.
Next up, we have Manchester’s dedicated Oasis pub, Definitely Maybe, also over in NQ. You may associate this place more with Britpop and/or pre- and post-gig vibes, but the brilliant Afflecks music bar also has three large screens in the main room, not to mention tables and regular standing tickets available.
Food and drinks packages will also be available, and there’s even a Green Room that can host private screenings of up to 60 guests. With live music in steady supply from Friday to Sunday, this might be ideal for those weekend games;reserve your spot now.
Number six is, of course, the now-famous Road to Victory, which returns for every big international competition. Having been at multiple places before landing at the AO Arena most recently, they’re now putting on something even bigger for the semis and hopefully the final.
Making the most of the sunny weather shining down on Greater Manchester at the minute, they’re following up Castlefield Bowl’s 2026 edition of Sounds of the City with a brand-new outdoor fan zone. More than 70% of tickets have already been sold – grab yours down below while you still can.
From Road to Victory (RtV) to ‘Victory at the Baths’, over Chorlton way, is also holding a big fan zone for the latest international tournament.
We don’t need to tell you how stunning a space this will be to watch ‘the beautiful game’, but it will also have some of the best acoustics in the business when those goals go in, the limbs go up, and the pints are sent flying. Find out more and grab your tickets while you can.
Similarly, their old neighbours at Depot Mayfield are bringing back their own building-wide watchalong party, ‘We Are Football Festival’. Operating in partnership with 4TheFans, the fan park specialists return for World Cup 2026, with several big rooms to be made the most of.
One entry on the list that may surprise you is Zouk Tea Bar and Grill over at The Quadrangle, just off Oxford Rd, but it’s a decent option for anyone who wants a more laid-back setting that comes with scran and a guaranteed seat.
Now, it goes without saying that there’ll be some unreal Indian and Pakistani scran being served up here over the summer, as there is every single day, but they’re also putting up big screens for select games over the next month or so. Book your table with food starting from £29 per person HERE.
Now, we thought we’d lump a few of these into one, because St John’s – just off Deansgate and behind Spinningfields – is gradually becoming one of the fastest-growing districts in central Manchester city centre, not least of all thanks to the brilliant food and drink scene over in this small slice of the city.
With Trading Route, Courts Club, Stables Tavern and now ‘The Green’ all helping create a great atmosphere ahead of this year’s sporting summer, food, drink, and pure vibes will be in full flow.
Find out what they’ve got on right through until August.
12. O’Malleys – Central
Heading over to O’Malleys on Portland Street, right in the heart of the city centre, we may be bursting with some great Irish bars and pubs in Manchester at the moment, but O’Malleys MCR undoubtedly has some of the cheapest pints and value for money across the board.
They’re doing free entry throughout, and they’re showing every single game, so you don’t just have to be backing England.
Heading toward the outskirts for a spell, Hotel Football, which sits in the shadow of Old Trafford, is obviously a footy-obsessed venue from start to finish, but this isn’t just limited to Man United affairs.
This World Cup, they’re showing every England game and even offering special stay-overs, with dinner, as well as bed and breakfast included. Find all the options HERE.
This package comes with a stadium view and tour of Man United’s Carrington complex (Credit: Supplied)
14. GRUB On The Docks – Salford Quays
As we cross the halfway point, and since we’ve strayed just beyond the city centre, we thought we’d shout out the fantastic festival feel being set up for GRUB On The Docks over at MediaCityUK.
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Formerly known as BOX on the Docks, this new-look outdoor leisure and live entertainment hub will hopefully serve as the perfect suntrap, not to mention there’ll be plenty of boxes showing the football itself.
Any place offering free fan zones gets a big thumbs up from us, and fortunately, we already know plenty of people heading back to Nell’s for World Cup watchalongs.
Nell’s Pizza and frozen cocktails speak for themselves, but in case you weren’t aware, they have a big projector up at their Kampus location, as well as screens at their other sites, such as Common, The Beagle, and over in Salford Quays, too
The Manchester Blues Kitchen site just off Deansgate is another one that we can vouch for when it comes not only to watching the biggest sporting fixtures, having watched the Super Bowl there every year for the past half a decade, but also the footy – in fact, we watched the last Euros final in there and while the result was gutting, the night overall was excellent.
It’s first-come, first-served, and their latest Southern-inspired food menu feels like the perfect fit for the North American tournament.
Another food and beer hall, Society, is another ideal spot to watch the World Cup in Manchester this summer. In fact, we’ve enjoyed it more than once already this tournament.
Not only do you have rows and rows of tables and benches to seat fans, multiple kitchens to choose from, and a great selection of locally-brewed bevs, but you’ve also got the outside area to hopefully soak up sun, suds, and energy from the crowd during the breaks.
Beloved Manchester bar and nightclub ‘JBs’ is bringing their dedicated England fan zone back for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and if you spent any time during the last edition, you’ll know the atmosphere in here is great.
Complete with shiny new booths, multiple screens, a DJ booth and more, the ‘Clubhouse’ upstairs is well worth a go for a game or two. Find ticket prices and all their other events listed HERE.
Credit: The Manc
19. The Lawn Club – Spinningfields
Heading back over towards Spinningfields direction, Lawn Club on Hardman Square is another great alternative for World Cup screenings, especially as you’ve got the indoor hut, complete with cocktail deals, AND the roomy beer garden outside.
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For those who haven’t stumbled across it before, here’s a better idea of how it’s going to look based on previous years:
Holding viewing parties for the 2026 World Cup at their two flagship homes – the taproom and their first-ever beerhouse, Seven Brothers are also offering bookings, from just you and your partner, to big private hire for groups of mates and work colleagues.
Spaces for England’s first game against Croatia on Wednesday, 17 June, are already filling up, so email either venue to reserve your spot ASAP.
Credit: Supplied/The Manc
21. 11 Central – Salford Quays
Speaking of the Seven Bros Brewing Co., another one of their brands over at Quayside in MediaCity is another place that will be showing all England games, at the very least, throughout the 2026 World Cup.
This still relatively new Salford Quays spot may go overlooked in foodie terms at times because of Central Bay next door, but one thing they do better than their neighbours is live sport on the box.
No. 22 is the brilliant Black Cat Club, brought to you by the same team behind the Michelin-recommended El Gato Negro and Canto tapas restaurants on King Street and Cutting Room Square, respectively.
To toast this year’s tournament and the last time England won the World Cup, they’re serving up a ‘Geoff Hirst’ deal, where you can grab three small plates for £19.66, or four-pint pitchers of Black Cat Lager, Red Stripe or Moretti for the same price. Here are all of their packages.
Credit: Press shot (supplied via Black Cat Club)
23. Dirty O’Sullivans – Albert Square
From Mediterranean influences to more Gaelic goodness, another recently opened Manc Irish bar is also offering great deals for this year’s World Cup, including giving away 1,000 FREE pints to those who pre-book their table at this increasingly popular pub just off the corner of Albert Square.
As we approach the final minutes of this round-up, if you will, we thought we’d throw in another favourite gaming and activity bar of ours in the form of Electric Shuffle.
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You can pay either £25 or £50 as a deposit, redeemable off your bill at the end when putting your name down, and you don’t have to book a shuffleboard table to be in the room – though why wouldn’t you? Bookings are live now.
25. Diecast – Piccadilly East
Our penultimate pick of the bunch, we couldn’t complete this squad selection without giving a nod to Diecast over towards Back Piccadilly and the edge of Ancoats.
A previous RtV host, this massive Manchester drinking hall, beer garden, gig and club venue is still well-equipped to hold a big World Cup watch party all of its own. General admission is still on sale for just a tenner, so don’t wait around.
Getting in on the fan park phenomenon, the Co-op Live arena has also turned its bar area into a massive public viewing area, with unobscured views on the big screen.
Tickets for the semis may have already sold out, but if you’re a fellow believer and are confident we’re making it into the final, you can secure your spot down below.
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A World Cup Quarter Finals to remember 🔥
General sale tickets for World Cup Semi-Final screening of England vs Argentina are SOLD OUT! FINAL tickets available to Co-op members via @coopuk app.
If we’re in extra time, we can’t think of many better places to spend that stressful eleventh hour than Manchester’s iconic Albert Hall; in fact, we have done almost exactly that for the 2022 World Cup and the Euros, and we promise, we made some unforgettable memories in here no matter how it all ended.
They’re keeping things simple here: £5 entry, and get this – the first 100 get a free pint; tickets can be found right HERE.
From one Manc institution to another, many people still don’t know that Manchester Academy One are also showing England‘s 2026 World Cup games, and offer as affordable a package as you would expect given their obvious student-led demographic.
That being said, like at MMU, you don’t have to be at uni to make the most of this offer, which includes some of the cheapest pints you’ll find in the entire city centre, pitchers from £8 and a room that can fit the best part of 2.6k. If it sounds like a bit of you, look no further:
⚽️Join us for ENGLAND Vs ARGENTINA on the big screen in Manchester Academy 2 on Wednesday 15th July! Its coming home!
Our penultimate pick is arguably one of the best value for money spots on this list, and that’s The White Lion, which sits just on the corner of Liverpool Road and Castlefield’s historic Roman fort, ‘Mamucium’.
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Since a refurb a couple of years back, the Craft Union pub may feel fairly familiar, but this little gem boasts plenty of big ticks in the plus column, from a decent-sized terrace with canopies, multiple screens inside, pints of Boddingtons from just £3.35 – yes, really – and now even a little outdoor food hut.
The only tiny gripe is that there’s only one outdoor screen and it doesn’t have any sound, but cheap pints, a great atmosphere and a no-nonsense boozer vibe are filling the whole left by the dint taken to the likes of the Sir Ralph Abercromby.
Credit: The Manc
30. Concept Haus – Salford
Last but not least, we’re throwing a somewhat left-field suggestion from a relatively new venue whose resident Disco Puss event has made the ‘ballsy’ decision to swap dancing for football chants.
The 6,000 square foot warehouse and cove studio on Cobden Street near Pendleton may not be everyone’s radar, but with such a big space, cheap tickets with a welcome drink included, free games to fill the minutes during half-time, and plenty more, they’ve quietly put together a brilliant little package.
It may be a little bit out of the way if you live in Manchester city centre, but it’s only a short distance via public transport, and if you’re a resident Salfordian, you simply have to give it a try.
Transfers: Manchester United reportedly secure deal for player they nearly signed YEARS ago
Danny Jones
There appears to be another turn in the tale of Manchester United’s summer transfer window saga, as it’s claimed that the club are soon set to sign a player they’ve long been linked with and that they nearly bought years ago: Youri Tielemans.
Yes, more than seven years after he was first linked with a Man United move, Tielemans now looks like he could finally be making his way to Old Trafford, with several sources stating that the deal is all but done.
The Belgian midfielder, now 29 years old, has only just exited the World Cup following their defeat to semi-finalists and reigning European champions Spain, having scored twice before having to miss their last game after picking up an injury in the warm-up.
But now it seems as though he’ll be linking up with another team of Red Devils when he returns to club football next month.
WHATTTTTTTTT THE FUCKKKK???? WHERE HAS THIS COME FROMMM???
Said to be a hamstring problem, United fans will obviously hope it’s nothing severe, as the versatile box-to-box player isn’t a stranger to the physio bench, leading some supporters to question the still yet to be announced transfer.
The most serious setback of his professional career came this past season, when he was out for a total of 112 days of football – missing a total of 23 games across club and country – but prior to that, he’d never been out for more than a dozen matches.
Nevertheless, plenty of people have labelled the prospective deal ‘a bargain’, with former Leicester City star and current Aston Villa squad member thought to be making his way to the red half of Manchester for around £35 million.
Perhaps the most prevailing reaction seems to be that MUFC should have done this deal “years ago”, with several posts on social media joking that this feels like the 2019 summer window, dubbing it everything from “random” and “out of nowhere”, to “shrewd” and “a steal” at the reported price.
Many others are worrying whether they’re getting a player who’s potentially leaving the peak of his career, but it’s no secret that the club want multiple reinforcements in the middle of the park for 26/27, with Chelsea youngster Andrey Santos having now been teased by the club.
While Santos is now over the line, it’s worth noting that nothing official has been shared by United regarding Tielemans, and that’s a key thing to note given the recent U-turn made regarding recruitment.
INEOS were all but nailed on to sign another Brazilian midfielder in Atalanta’s Ederson, who also received a late call-up to the Brazil squad for this World Cup, but it was revealed earlier this month that the transfer has now been cancelled.
This comes after medical tests revealed new information regarding a knee issue in the previous campaign, which looks to have taken the deal off the table.
All that being said, the board are still expected to bring in another midfielder if possible, with a return to the Champions League and a new term with two cups meaning lots more games to play and more strength in depth required. Fears over perceived panic buying and back-up options still remain, though.
On the other hand, you could very well see another academy graduate brought through should transfer spending be limited; after all, they’ve got that big, shiny new stadium to pay for…
Danny Jones -
21st August 2023 
