With less than a fortnight until the first game, the folks at Printworks are ready and raring to go for Euro 2024 – so much so that they’ve decided to kick things off themselves with a free football tournament this weekend.
But it comes with a bit of a twist.
Ever heard of Panna football? Well, even if you haven’t, chances are you’ve seen it plenty of times before; think those noughties ‘joga bonito’ adverts, FIFA Street and playing on the cages in the park with your mates.
In short, Panna is street football at its finest and most skilful, prioritising trickery, tekkers and lightning-fast footwork above all else, and now Printworks is hosting a free tournament where you can watch, learn and take part.
Most Panna arena are usually circular or octagonal (Credit: Supplied)
Being set up in the Pumpyard area of the recently renovated entertainment and leisure centre, the 6x6m Panna pitch will see competitors aim to beat each other by scoring more goals than their opponent or by playing the ball through the other player’s legs, i.e. ‘Panna’.
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We usually just call it a nutmeg here in the UK but, you know, each to their own.
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as skinning another player up, especially in front of a crowd, but Printworks is making things even more interesting by giving away prizes to those who show the most skills over the weekend.
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What’s more is you’ll have plenty of tunes to keep your rhythm on the ball flowing and a pretty much constant light show going on above you thanks to their state-of-the-art digital ceiling, which just so happens to be the biggest in Europe.
The already eye-catching display will show bespoke football-themed content but we’re hoping it’ll be the talent on the day that leaves people most mesmerised. Expert freestyler, Roman Brezovsky, will also be joining in with the fun on Saturday, entertaining the crowds with his quick footwork and hat full of tricks.
Children of all ages and adults alike can join in on the fun completely free, pick up tips for the football tournament as well as capture all the best content from Printworks’ massive new digital screen.
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Once again, the event is only on this weekend (8-9 June from 11am to 4pm) but there’s also going to be a shed load of discounts at various in-house bars and restaurants throughout the Euros, including free pints and a whopping 25% off drinks packages throughout the tournaments at Walkabout.
We can only do about three consecutive kick-ups, so we might sit this one out but we hope to see lots of you there showcasing your skills and getting in the mood for football coming home.
Featured Images — Prime Video (supplied via Printworks)/The Manc Group
Sport
Tommy Fury announces return to boxing after his ‘hardest battle’ yet
Danny Jones
Manc boxer Tommy Fury has announced his return to the ring later this year, although he’s still keeping tight-lipped about some of the finer detailsabout his next fight.
Tommy Fury has been stuck on the sidelines for the best part of the last two years following his last boxing match against influencer and musician KSI, having reluctantly stepped away from boxing through injury and well-publicised personal issues outside of the sport.
He ultimately pulled out of his intended comeback against Darren Till ahead of what looked to be an already fraught face-off, and his been quiet on the competitive front ever since – until now.
Revealing a scheduled date for the next fight, the 25-year-old took to social media to confirm that he will be back very soon but is withholding some of the particulars for now.
Writing in the caption, the younger Fury brother said: “Two years out. One surgery. The hardest battle I’ve faced has been the mental battle of being away from boxing. But I’m back stronger, sharper, and more HUNGARY than ever.”
However, the most notable omission is who he will actually be taking on, i.e. one of the main reasons fight fans would be interested in the first place.
Although many have been left frustrated by the infrequency of his fights due to multiple cancellations, it’s clearly a concerted effort to build anticipation ahead of the event.
Sharing the date for his Budapest bout – which is coming much sooner than many would have expected (Friday, 9 May) – he signed off by adding: “It’s showtime. Let’s go!”
Besides the social media post, the local fighter published a lengthy announcement video/teaser trailer on the official Tommy Fury YouTube channel on Monday night, in which he states, “the contract has literally just been signed as we speak”.
You can watch the feature in full down below:
In truth, the majority of the video is about brand deals, but it does show getting some training done.
Hyping up his undefeated record, with 10 wins to his name thus far in his still fairly fledgling boxing career, he goes on to say he is “over the moon” and ready to get back in business.
Only time will tell whether this fight will actually go ahead as his followers have gotten more than used to seeing his matches postponed or cancelled. First and foremost, who do you think his comeback opponent is gong to be?
His name has mostly been in the headlines due to his high-profile relationship with fellow famous face Molly Mae-Hague.
The couple, who first met on Love Island back in 2019, welcomed their first child, Bambi, back in January 2023 but went on to split up last August. A docuseries covering their struggles dropped at the start of this year.
Featured Images — Screenshot (via YouTube)/Ghazi Twaissi (via WikiCommons)/The Manc Group
Sport
Belle Vue manager warns of former Aces ahead of Premiership clash
Danny Jones
Belle Vue Aces boss and Aussie speedway legend Mark Lemon has warned his side of Oxford Spires’ quality ahead of their face-off in the Premiership, especially as they prepare to come against some ex-ATPI employees.
With a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership round coming up on Monday night (14 April) and the Aces second in the table with five early points total on the board already, the CEO, Director and Team Manager isn’t underestimating the southern opponents.
Even though Oxford have had a tough start to the season, the Manchester racers can’t afford to be complacent, and Lemon has already identified some key threats on the track, including two former Aces.
It’ll be a thrilling night at the National Speedway Stadium (NSS), as always.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼…
♣️ ATPI Aces v Oxford Spires ⛪️ 🗓️ Monday, April 14, 7.30pm. 🏆 Premiership R1. 🏟️ National Speedway Stadium. 🎟️ Get ticket now: https://t.co/DREWNjxB09 🍴 Hospitality: https://t.co/RFS3gcPD99
Speaking on Sunday ahead of the races, the 52-year-old said: “I know it’s a cliche, but there really aren’t any easy meetings in the Premiership.
“We know what Oxford’s riders are capable of; Rohan [Tungate] and Charles [Wright] can be very good at the National Speedway Stadium, and that makes them dangerous.
“When you add in the likes of [Maciej] Janowski, Erik Riss and guest Dan Thompson, [Oxford Spires] are a strong side.”
33-year-old ‘Magic’ Janoswki from Poland is not only a former world number three but has four FIM Speedway World Cup gold medals to his name.
Nevertheless, the Aces have bounced back after a disappointing 50-40 defeat in the KO Cup by Ipswich Witches to record a double over King’s Lynn Stars, with a narrow loss against Leicester still showing plenty of fight and promise for the rest of the campaign.
Belle Vue Aces’ Jaimon Lidsey pushing hard against King’s Lynn – here’s hoping for more of that against Oxford. (Credit: Taylor Lanning)
Lemon went on to assure that he remains confident, however, adding: “We’re settling back into a routine. It was good that all the boys are getting confidence-building scores.
“Zach Cook, Norick Blodorn and Jake Mulford have all started winning key races and scoring well. Tate Zischke is also solving some bike issues.
“As I’ve said before, at this time of the season, it’s about building momentum. That’s the target.”
The Aces get underway against the Spires at the NSS just down the road in Gorton from 7:30pm – best of luck to all those at Belle Vue.
Danny Jones -
5th June 2024 
