For the first time ever in the competition, the FA Cup trophy has already been engraved ahead of the final.
History has been made before anyone’s even kicked a ball.
In what is set to be a massive day for our city, Manchester United and Manchester City will face each other in an all-Manchester final of the Emirates FA Cup at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 3 June – with it being the first time the two clubs have battled it out for the trophy in the final in the 151-year-old football competition’s illustrious history.
But that’s not the only first, as the competition’s official trophy and silverware provider has already begun engraving the cup ahead of the final for the first time ever too.
As many as 57 teams have reached an FA Cup final since the first clash all the way back in March 1872, but not once in 151 years have the trophy engravers had the chance to get busy before kick-off – until now, that is.
ADVERTISEMENT
Despite both United and City claiming several wins and successes throughout the competition’s history, the two sides have never met in an FA Cup final, and the same goes for both clubs in Sheffield, Nottingham, and Bristol – which has obviously meant that engravers haven’t had the chance to etch even the first half of any finalist’s name onto the trophy before.
All that will change this year, though, with Manchester the undoubted winner regardless of whether it’s the blue or red half leaving Wembley with grins on their faces.
ADVERTISEMENT
The word ‘Manchester’ will already be on the trophy by the time the winners have lifted it it at Wembley.
The FA says this has broken “the age-old tradition” of the winners’ name being engraved in the days or months following the Final.
Kevin Baker, CEO of Thomas Lyte – the company which has been engraving the FA Cup trophy since 2014 – says The FA approached him with the “extraordinary request” and a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” earlier this month.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Recognising the rarity of the two clubs sharing such similar names, they asked us to engrave the word ‘Manchester’ on the trophy before the momentous showdown,” Kevin explained.
“This request is unprecedented and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Engraving the trophy with the name of the city that would eventually win the title, even before the final match, is a remarkable gesture. Each stroke of the hand engraving tools symbolised the historical significance and immense anticipation surrounding this fiercely contested Manchester derby.”
Manchester United and Manchester City will battle it out to be crowned champions in the final of the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday 3 June.
Kick-off is at 3pm, and the game action is to be shown live on both BBC One and ITV.
Featured Image – The FA
Sport
FA issues statement after reports of ‘tragedy chanting’ during Man United’s FA Cup win over Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
The FA has issued a statement following reports of “tragedy chanting” during the Manchester United and Liverpool’s match yesterday.
In what football fans, pundits, and neutrals alike are calling one of the most “thrilling” games to have happened in recent memory, Manchester United clinched a last-minute 4-3 win over fierce local rivals Liverpool in the quarter finals of the FA Cup yesterday afternoon (17 March) – with surprise match-winner Amad Diallo scoring a late goal in the 120th minute.
The Reds’ defender Scott McTominay opened the scoring in the 10th minute, with Liverpool goals then following from Alexis Mac Allister and superstar striker Mo Salah just before half-time.
In the second half, another goal came for United after Antony found the back of the net in the 87th minute to take the match to extra time, and then the next 30-minutes saw Liverpool youngster Harvey Elliott and Manchester‘s-own Marcus Rashford get themselves on the score sheet in pretty quick succession to take the tie to 3-3.
With the time on the clock ticking down, and a place in the semi FA Cup semi finals within touching distance for both clubs, Reds’ winger Diallo fired the ball into the bottom right-hand corner to claim not only a win for his team, but also what was only his second goal in a United shirt.
United fans were, understandably, elated with the win over the team that has historically, and arguably continues to be, their biggest rivals.
But sadly, it appears that some fans took this excitement a little too far.
It has been widely-reported on by numerous media outlets that, during the second half of United’s extra time win, a significant number of fans in the Stretford End of Old Trafford were heard chanting ‘murderers’, quickly followed by ‘always the victims’, both in reference to the Hillsborough Disaster – with the singing said to be “audible” to the live television audience.
Other chants of ‘The Sun were right’ were also reported, and this has subsequently led to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) launching an investigation, making an arrest in connection with “tragedy chanting”, and issuing a statement condemning the incident.
The FA has also since released a statement following the reports, and has pledged to support GMP with ongoing investigations in whichever ways they can.
GMP’s statement provided by a spokesperson reads: “Incidents of tragedy chanting will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly.
“We are all familiar with fans taunting their opponents at football matches, but this is generally done in good humour and without offence. The incidents today crossed the line of what is acceptable, and we will work closely with both clubs to identify anyone responsible for committing offences during the event.”
The FA’s statement, which was shared to social media yesterday evening, also reads in full: “We are aware of the reported tragedy chanting during today’s FA Cup fixture between Manchester United and Liverpool, and we will be liaising with and supporting Greater Manchester Police.
“We strongly condemn any offensive, abusive and discriminatory chants in football stadiums, and we are determined to stamp this behaviour out.
“It is entirely unacceptable and can have a lasting and damaging impact on people and communities within our game.
We spoke to a Manchester Giants player ahead of the first British Basketball All-Star Game in a decade
Danny Jones
The long-awaited return of the British Basketball League’s legendary All-Star Game is over as the event’s 10-year absence ends this Sunday in London and we had the pleasure of chatting to Jamell Anderson, the only Manchester Giants player picked for the roster, ahead of the big day.
A 33-year-old small forward, Anderson has won everything you could hope to during his time in the BBL, lifting two Championships, two BBL Cups and one cup Trophy during his five-year spell with the Leicester Riders, and is now making more history as one of just three Giants in the 2024 All-Star fixture.
Having first moved to Manchester in 2021 and then spending a season at nearby Cheshire Phoenix before returning last year, Jamell remains one of the most exciting and experienced players in the division but was still nonetheless humbled to be picked for All-Star men’s North team.
Also making wholesome headlines as the first husband-wife duo to play in the event and representing the same team, no less, we spoke about everything from Georgia and the honour of being selected for the game, to the home crowds at the National Basketball Performance Centre at Belle Vue and more.
— British Basketball League (@britishbasketm) March 13, 2024
Jamell Anderson is the only male Manchester Giants player for the first All-Star Game in a decade.
So for those who might not know too much about the event, can you give them a taster of what to expect from the BBL All-Star Game?
“Yeah, I mean, from my standpoint it’s just exciting to be part of such a big event. Like you said, it’s not been happening for the last 10 years, so there’s a lot of excitement around, first of all being a part of it, but also the fans being able to come and see some of their favourite players playing.
“There’s also the dunk contest, lots of entertainment and yeah, it’s going to be great.”
Good stuff. And, obviously, you’re the only male Manchester Giants player picked for the All-Star North team — how much of an honour is it to be representing Great Manchester on that stage?
“Yeah, I mean, I’m representing the Giants, I’m representing my hometown of Nottingham, representing my family; I’ve got a lot of flags for that game and I’m pretty excited to be there, especially with my wife and daughter.
Absolutely. You’re not the only Giants player across both events or even the only Anderson for that matter. How special is it going to be for your partner to both be playing?
“Yeah, Georgia [Anderson] is the captain of the women’s team so that’s quite special. I mean, we’ve talked about it quite a lot actually and we’re just kind of like in shock.
“We feel really, really honoured to both have been selected and it’s a unique situation to say the least.”
Definitely, what a moment to soak in. Now what about more of a background about the rest of the team and the season for those who might not be aware of the Manchester Giants?
“Everyone on my team is really exciting. We’ve got guys that can dribble amazingly with their eyes closed and pull off every move you think of; we’ve got really good shooters and guys that can literally rip the rim off. Literally.
“One of our players ripped the rim off the basket right in the middle of practice this year, so we had to stop training and wait to get a new one, I’m not exaggerating. That’s the men’s team for you.
“But yeah we’ve got a real range of talents and players and at loads of different heights as well. Small, tall, young, experienced — I think if you come to a Giants game, you’re going to tick every single box of everything that you would want from a basketball game.”
How would you describe the atmosphere at your home games over at Belle Vue?
“It’s fast-paced, it’s family-friendly, it’s loud, intense and I think that being indoors in Manchester”, he laughs, “and being able to watch something as entertaining as that is a win-win”.
Now, we’ve obviously bigged up Manchester Giants plenty here but one what about the All-Star event itself, are there any talents or opponents you’re excited to be coming up against?
“Nah, I don’t want to give any players any kudos. These are all people that I’m playing against but I would say I’m pretty excited to take the floor with all of them.
ADVERTISEMENT
“To be honest, it’s not very often you get the best players all in one place at one time and I’m just hopeful that everyone stays healthy. Also, it’s a really competitive game.”
Have you ever been involved in any kind of All-Star/mixed game like this before?
Funnily enough, me and Georgia actually played on a charity game once where we were both on the same team and she threw me an alley-oop pass and I missed it, so yeah, I was doing in the bad books for a bit after that one, but nothing like this before so I’m pretty excited about it.
Yeah, I’m sure you were doing the dishes for a while. Well, it might be down in London but for those back home who might want to check it out, where can they watch it?
So I would start by going to the British Basketball League website. Obviously, for anyone who was able to get tickets and make the trip, brilliant, but you’ll find every streaming platform and every television channel that it’ll be broadcasted on there so you can find out what time and where.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mega. And lastly, just out of curiosity, who’s your favourite basketball player of all time?
The return of the British Basketball League’s All-Star Game at the Copperbox Arena will be broadcast live on Sky Sports and their YouTube channel. Fans can tune in from 12:15pm on Sunday, 17 March HERE.
The Women’s All-Star Game, where Georgia Anderson will be leading the Northern team out onto the court starts at 12:30pm and will feature a halftime mascot and kids’ skills contest.
ADVERTISEMENT
This will then be followed by the Slam Dunk and three-point contests from 2:30pm before the men’s event tips off at 3:30pm and, as Jamell mentioned, you can find out all other information on the BBL website.
We wish the Andersons and their teammates all the best for the action tomorrow and what better way to celebrate the event’s return than by winning it for the North?