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’.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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
Tyson Fury has announced he is returning to boxing yet again
Danny Jones
Tyson Fury has confirmed that he will once again be returning to the boxing ring for what feels like the umpteenth time.
Honestly, he’s come in and out of retirement so many times now that we’ve genuinely started to lose count at this point…
The Manc fighter last ‘retired’ back in January 2025, so it’s only fitting that, quite literally, almost exactly 12 months on from his last sabbatical, ‘The Gyspy King’ is making another comeback.
Sharing the almost entirely expected news at this point on social media, Fury said: “2026 is [the] year. Return of the Mac. Been away for a while, but I’m back now, 37 years old and still punching. Nothing better to do than punch men in the face and get paid for it.”
Even prior to his own announcement, the Wythenshawe-born boxer had shared multiple updates online about ‘sharpening the edge’ following his hiatus.
Earlier this month, he posted another video of himself sparring along with a caption that read: “This is how I spent my New Year. Grinding and working my ass off!
“Couldn’t think of anything better to do than this! Great things come to those who work hard. All in the name of Jesus, Little by little, on the daily, we keep climbing.”
Another clip of him hitting the punchbag with fight coaches and other members of his entourage has also surfaced online.
There’s no question that he’s still one of the biggest pugilists on the planet, but not everyone is convinced he’s tacked on the right kind of mass.
Fury often piles on weight between bouts and has fought plenty with size on his side, too.
He notably trimmed down to one of his lightest competitive statures ever for the first fight against heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, but even bulking back up wasn’t enough to secure victory.
As for his next opponent, the expectation of a third fight against Usyk is there somewhere down the line, but many feel this could also be the time we finally get to see Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua.
Featured Images — High Performance Podcast (screenshot)/@Mike_DiDomizio (via WikiCommons)
Sport
Ruben Amorim has been sacked by Manchester United
Danny Jones
Ruben Amorim has officially been sacked by Manchester United.
The Portuguese head coach managed more than a year in charge of the Red Devils, but following a bad record overall, not to mention a blockbuster interview over the weekend, they have now parted ways.
Now fully confirmed by the club itself, Amorim’s 14-month stint as Man United boss is over, and an interim manager has already been put in place.
Writing in an official statement, MUFC said: “Ruben Amorim has departed his role as Head Coach of Manchester United.
“Ruben was appointed in November 2024 and led the team to a UEFA Europa League Final in Bilbao in May.
“With Manchester United sitting sixth in the Premier League, the club’s leadership has reluctantly made the decision that it is the right time to make a change. This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish.
“The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future.”
For many supporters, it was abundantly clear that an ultimatum was likely, if not already imminent, after his visibly frustrated post-match press conference following the 1-1 draw against Leeds.
There were already reports of growing friction between Amorim and the director of football, Jason Wilcox, and his bombshell quotes on Sunday, 4 December, only added fuel to the fire.
In case you haven’t seen it, you can see the clip in question down below.
United have also confirmed that former player Darren Fletcher will be leading out the squad (which includes his twin sons, Jack and Tyler) in their next game against Burnley this Wednesday, 7 January.
As for who could be installed next, the recently resigned Enzo Maresca has already been linked with the manager’s position, and plenty are already speculating as to which sidelined/loaned-out players could return to the club following his exit.
Regardless of a wealth of initial backing by the INEOS Sports board members, in the summer transfer window, as well as from the majority of players and countless fans, Amorim exits the club with one of the worst win percentages in their history and just 15 victories to his name in nearly half a century of games.
How would you sum up the 40-year-old’s time at Old Trafford, Reds?
Danny Jones -
5th June 2024 
