As he nears his 50th birthday, Jamie Cureton is not in any hurry to call it a day after a playing career spanning 22 clubs, three promotions and three relegations.
“I’ve just registered myself as a player for the 2025-26 season and would like to make at least one appearance after my birthday,” says Cambridge City’s player-manager as he prepares his team for Saturday’s FA Cup extra preliminary round tie at Kirkley & Pakefield.
Cureton was 19 when he made his Premier League debut for Norwich City against Everton in November 1994.
Back then, Oldham Athletic and Swindon Town had just been relegated from the top flight, Neville Southall was Everton’s goalkeeper and Blackburn Rovers were on their way to being crowned champions of England.
Cureton will make it a remarkable 32 successive seasons as a player across nine tiers of English football, from the Premier League to the Essex Senior League, should he turn out for Cambridge City this campaign.
Cheltenham, Dagenham & Redbridge, Farnborough, Eastleigh, St Albans City, Bishop’s Stortford, Enfield, Hornchurch, Maldon & Tiptree and now Cambridge City, where he is about to start his second season in charge.
“Football is all I have ever known,” Bristol-born Cureton tells BBC Sport.
“I grew up in an area where trouble was around. Maybe I would have fallen into the wrong sort of crowd. Luckily, I had football.
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Coaching Saka & joining Xavi in the 1,000 club
Cureton cannot remember exactly how many appearances he has made over the past 31 years. “I lost count when I reached 1,000,” he adds.
Six years have passed since that extraordinary milestone which placed him in an elite group of players, alongside Barcelona legend Xavi and Real Madrid legend Raul, who have also achieved this feat.
According to Wikipedia, Cureton has clocked up 1,075 games and is 25th on the list of male footballers with 1,000 or more official appearances.
One of those games involved a can of hairspray from a joke shop, when the then-20-year-old dyed his hair green for Norwich’s game with fierce rivals Ipswich in 1996.
His most recent competitive appearance was on 26 April, when the 49-year-old came on as a 68th-minute substitute in Cambridge City’s 1-0 win away to Basildon Town in front of 123 fans in the eighth-tier Isthmian League North Division.
Cureton was 24 years older than team-mate Junior Mubiayi, who scored City’s winner.
“In terms of goals, in my head and from what people have told me, I’m either four or six away from 400,” he says. “I’d like to finish on 400 or above.”
Since his last professional appearance aged 41, Cureton has moved into management in non-league, with player-manager roles at Bishop’s Stortford, Enfield and now Cambridge City.
“It wasn’t something I had in my mind,” adds Cureton, who played under the likes of Martin O’Neill, Ian Holloway, Alan Pardew and the late Glenn Roeder before dropping into non-league.
“I stumbled into management. I got offered a role at Bishop’s Stortford and it just snowballed. I thoroughly enjoy it.”
Cureton also enjoyed a two-year stint as an academy coach at Arsenal between 2017 and 2019, where players under his watch included a 16-year-old Bukayo Saka.
“It’s no surprise to see him doing what he’s doing to be honest,” he says of Saka, who has 44 England caps at the age of 23.
“He’s a very nice guy, humble, no airs and graces about him. He just came in and worked hard. A clever boy as well, he was good at school.
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‘I’m older than most of their dads!’
Cureton turns 50 on 28 August, two days before his team’s home game with Wroxham.
Will he gift himself an appearance in that game and achieve his target of playing at 50?
“I won’t ever put myself above players who I feel need the opportunity and need to be playing,” says Cureton, who scored four times in 17 Premier League appearances in his first season at Norwich in 1994-95.
“I won’t pick myself over them. I’ve registered for this season in case I’m needed, in case I need to rest players.
“Towards the end of last season we’d lost a few players and had a few injuries, and there was an opportunity where I felt I could play.”
Cambridge City, founded in 1908, finished 11th in 2024-25 and Cureton is targeting a top-five finish and a play-off place in his second season in charge.
These are exciting times for the Lilywhites, who moved to a brand new 3,000-capacity ground about seven miles south of Cambridge last November.
A crowd of 1,459 watched them play Tilbury in their first competitive game at the FWD-IP Community Stadium, after 10 years of ground-sharing.
Earlier this month, 2,640 turned out at the venue to watch a friendly against neighbours Cambridge United.
“We’ve got a young squad and I’m older than most of their dads!” adds Cureton.
“If I can help any of them with their game, or even with their life, then I think I am doing my job.”
Cambridge City’s game at Lowestoft-based Kirkley & Pakefield is one of 222 FA Cup extra preliminary round ties scheduled for this weekend, 11 weeks after Crystal Palace beat Manchester City in the final at Wembley.
The Lilywhites reached the second round in 2004, their best run in the competition, when Cureton was playing in the Championship for QPR.
Cureton helped Bristol Rovers reach the last-16 in 1998-99 and would, if circumstances allow, like to make one final FA Cup appearance before he hangs up his boots for good.
“I never thought I would still be playing on the verge of 50,” he says. “I’m very grateful. The drive to keep on playing is what has pushed me to this point.
Lebanon’s Beirut: By the time Zainab Dhaher and her family fled their southern Lebanese village in September, Israeli shelling was rampant. After driving 13 hours to Beirut, they discovered themselves once more within Israeli fire’s reach. Repetition of the displacement cycle.
“We ran out quickly,” he said. The 34-year-old mother of two recalls having to pack clothes for her children while speaking on the phone. No one helped us as we moved from place to place. No food, blankets, or anything else.
The concern persists even a few months after a November ceasefire was agreed to by the United States. Despite the truce, Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory continue, causing a number of people to worry about resuming the conflict, while Israel continues to rule important regions of the country’s south.
Despite Israel’s continued presence in some of their villages and the ongoing destruction of others, roughly 90,000 Lebanese people are unable to return home. Hezbollah targets are still being targeted by Israeli rockets, and the organization is pressing Israel to stop.
The psychological wounds from the devastating war have, however, proven more severe and persistent than any physical harm, according to Zainab, a 34-year-old mother of two.
“I’m terrified of the sound of drones. I cry when I hear the song “Ya Rayeh Sawb Bladi” by Ahmad Kaabour, “Oh, you who is going to my land,” because it reminds me of what we’ve lost. Zainab claims she can’t sleep despite the ceasefire. “I’m always worried that my kids will experience harm.” I doubt that the pain will ever go away.
And Zainab found herself turning to ChatGPT and artificial intelligence (AI) in Lebanon in the absence of a reliable, accessible mental health system.
Israel’s occupation of Lebanon [Zeinab Shmais/Al Jazeera] exacerbated the nation’s economic crisis.
A psychological ruin state
Lebanon has experienced a near-constant barrage of crises over the past few years, including the devastating Beirut port explosion in 2020, the deteriorating public health system, and the Israeli military’s most recent south offensive, which almost 4, 000 people were killed and tens of thousands were displaced. The population’s psychological burden is becoming more difficult to ignore in the midst of this chaos.
Mental health professionals warn of a sharp rise in anxiety, depression, PTSD, and psychosomatic symptoms in the nation, particularly among those who reside close to the southern border, journalists who report on the violence, and humanitarian workers on the ground. Mental health support is still a luxury in a nation where therapy sessions cost between $40 and $100, which is more than many people can afford.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Randa Baraja, a member of the CPRM Clinic in Beirut, claims that “there is no national strategy for psychological recovery.” “We’re seeing a resurgence of trauma, not just from the most recent conflict, but also from Lebanon’s entire history of violence, including the civil war, political assassinations, and subsequent economic collapse,” said one witness. The trauma is cumulative and affects generations.
Patients using ChatGPT as a kind of emotional crutch are on the rise, according to Baraja. We’re seeing a growing trend, she says, especially among younger people, to use AI for emotional support. They ask it to diagnose them, seek comfort, and confide in it. It shows how desperately we need someone who is simply listening, or something along those lines.
She does, however, warn about the risks. ChatGPT does not provide genuine emotional connection. The human connection that is necessary for healing cannot be replicated. Further, it can impede access to qualified assistance in more dangerous ways. Although some people believe they are improving, others are frequently not.
Zainab had that experience. She tried one after reading a Facebook post that suggested using ChatGPT to perform mental health “self-tests.” The bot’s response was alarming because it listed potential diagnoses ADHD, PTSD, and schizophrenia. She admits, “It shook me.” However, I was unable to pay for therapy. I make $400 per month working in a beauty salon. Rent alone is $1, 200. According to her, “Therapy isn’t a choice for people like me,” she says in reference to the displacement home’s lease.
ChatGPT initially appeared to be a tool. But she became more and more resentful as a result. Its responses were hollow, they said. After each conversation, I started to feel more angrier. It resembled “hurry into a void”
We left the conflict, but it continued to exist.
War’s psychological effects are difficult to reverse. One in five people in conflict-affected regions are affected by mental health conditions ranging from mild depression to severe anxiety and psychosis, according to the World Health Organization.
Economic despair amplifies the impact in Lebanon. Families are having a hard time addressing basic needs, let alone paying for therapy, with the Lebanese lira losing nearly 97 percent of its value since 2019 and rising poverty rates. Particularly in rural and underserved areas, public mental health services are inaccessible.
When Israeli forces burned her home and small business during the war, Sarah Rammal, a 22-year-old fashion entrepreneur from al-Aadaissah border town, lost it. She is now attempting to rebuild Beirut from scratch in a rented apartment there. She claims, “I felt like my life had been wiped out.” “To relieve the pain, I started ChatGPT every night.”
The routine initially worked out. Talking to a real person “felt easier.” No conclusion. But it lost its effectiveness over time. It didn’t allow me to advance. Just repeating myself with the same sense of sadness.
She eventually sought professional assistance. I felt lighter after one therapy session. AI is still used occasionally, but I now realize it isn’t a substitute.
A subdued mental health issue
The most severely affected by the most recent war were the Lebanese youth, who are already dealing with political disillusionment and economic uncertainty. According to Rani, a hotline responder for Embrace, a leading mental health NGO, young people’s calls have soared significantly in recent months.
The majority of calls are related to war. They worry about their chances in this country, she says, requesting only her first name because she is not permitted to speak to the press. More people are also mentioning using AI as a coping mechanism, according to the report. It’s simple, affordable, and free. However, it isn’t a practical solution.
The Ministry of Health of Embrace and Lebanon released a mental health app called Step-by-Step, which was created by clinical psychologists to counteract this. According to Rania, “it’s free, confidential, and personalized to individual needs.” We make an effort to help there, they say.
Siba Haidar Ahmed, a master’s student in clinical psychology, claims that many of her classmates and peers have used artificial intelligence (AI) in times of crisis. She claims that using ChatGPT frequently is not the problem. When people mistake it for therapy, they say.
AI has a temporary effect, despite its ability to provide surface-level comfort. It can inspire you with inspirational quotes or validate your feelings. However, reality strikes once the conversation is over. That sudden resumption can cause hopelessness or emptiness to increase.
The psychological recovery in southern Lebanon continues to be elusive as families try to rebuild their destroyed or damaged homes after months of shelling. Many people turn to their screens in search of comfort and algorithms-based answers.
Zainab, who is now back in her village, claims to be trying to recover, but her wounds are extensive. She continues, “We left the war.” “But the war did not leave us.”
Following the British and French examples of the United Kingdom and France, which are both facing growing international condemnation of Israel’s war on Gaza, President Donald Trump has stated that it will be challenging to reach a trade agreement with Canada.
“Wow! Canada just announced that it supports Palestine’s statehood. That will make it difficult for us to reach an agreement with them. Oh ‘ Canada!!”! On Thursday, Trump posted a message to his social media account Truth Social. The office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did not respond to a request for comment right away.
Following recent announcements from France and the UK, Trump’s post comes one day after Carney revealed that Canada will recognize Palestine at its 80th session of the UN General Assembly in September.
By August 1, Trump is threatening to impose a 35 percent tariff on all Canadian goods that are not covered by the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Canada and the US are attempting to reach a trade agreement.
Carney claimed on Wednesday that although the negotiations with Trump’s administration have been fruitful, they may not have been finished by the deadline.
Carney claimed that recognizing Palestinian statehood was necessary to protect Canadians’ long-standing interests in a “being eroded before our eyes” by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The prime minister claimed there was “no room for delay in coordinated international action to support peace” due to the civilians’ worsening suffering in Gaza.
Carney, who was referring to the organization under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, which has civil authority in some of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, refuted Carney’s claim that Canada’s intentions were “predicated on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to desperately needed reforms.”
If Canada were to win the right to recognize this state, Carney added that Abbas would need to “hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part” and “demilitarise the Palestinian state.”
France moves to Canada after the UK.
The US has criticized US efforts to grant a Palestinian state, claiming Hamas benefits from the strategy. Despite accusations made by UN experts and human rights organizations that the US ally is committing a genocide against Palestinians, the Trump administration has continued to support Israel.
Since the start of the war in 2023, the Israeli military has killed more than 60, 000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel is being condemned around the world because more Palestinians are starving, with at least 154 of them now, including 89 children, among them.
Despite Israeli denials, Trump has asserted that Gaza was clearly experiencing starvation. On Thursday, his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to visit Israel for talks on ceasefire and aid.
After President Emmanuel Macron declared that his country would formally recognize a Palestinian state at the same UN meeting, Carney placed Canada alongside France with Wednesday’s announcement.
In the absence of accountable government, functioning institutions, or benevolent leadership, the Israeli embassy in Ottawa described the monstrous barbarism of Hamas on October 7, 2023 as “rewarded and legitimizes” the state.
Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, praised the announcement as a “historical” decision, while France declared that the nations would work together “to revive the prospects of peace in the region.”
The plan of Canada goes a step further than Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, announced this week.
Without Israel’s “substantive steps,” including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza, Starmer said the UK would formally recognize the State of Palestine in September.
Carney emphasized that Canada has always been a steadfast supporter of the group of nations that hoped a two-state solution “would be achieved as part of a peace process based on a negotiated settlement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority.”
Carney cited “Hamas terrorism” and the group’s “longstanding violent rejection of Israel’s right to exist,” highlighting his attempt to reconcile his criticism of Israel’s actions with condemnation of Hamas. “Regrettably, this approach is no longer tenable,” he said.
According to Carney, the expansion of Israeli settlements throughout the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem has also weakened the peace process.
A vote in Israel’s parliament “calling for the annexation of the West Bank,” as well as Israel’s “ongoing failure,” were factors in the prime minister’s claim that a two-state solution was becoming more and less likely.
He argued that his decision was intended to safeguard Israel’s future.
Frederic Vasseur has accepted a new agreement to remain the team’s principal through the end of the year.
The 57-year-old Frenchman had agreed to a “multi-year contract for the coming Formula 1 seasons,” but his deal was scheduled to expire at the end of 2025.
Vasseur signed a three-year contract with the organization at the beginning of 2023.
Benedetto Vigna, the company’s CEO, stated: “We want to acknowledge what has been built and commit to the progress that needs to be made.”
Our confidence in Fred’s leadership is reflected in its mutual respect for shared ambition, expectations, and responsibility.
“We move forward with tenacity and tenacity, united in our pursuit of Ferrari’s desired level of performance.”
“For the trust Ferrari continues to place in me,” Vasseur said. This renewal is more than just a confirmation; it is also a challenge to maintain focus, deliver, and keep making progress.
We’ve laid solid foundations for the past 30 months, and we need to continue building on them with tenacity and tenacity.
Following the initial setback this year that he had caused, the decision is seen as an expression of faith in Vasseur’s leadership.
Following a 2022 season in which the team started off as the fastest on the grid but struggled to maintain its title challenge as a result of poor reliability, stuttering car development, and operational issues, Vasseur was appointed.
Vasseur led a turnaround that made Ferrari the only team to win a race with Carlos Sainz in Singapore at the beginning of the 2023 season.
After a slow start, they did well in the second half of the season and surprisingly missed out on McLaren’s constructors’ title.
Ferrari would have won since 2008, McLaren’s first triumph since 1998.
Vasseur’s involvement in Ferrari’s signing of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will help them add Charles Leclerc to their driver line-up starting this season.
Ferrari have struggled this season, despite the fact that they were hoping to advance and contend for both titles in 2025.
Hamilton, who is in pole position for the second race of the season, won the sprint race in China.
Leclerc finished in second place in Monaco with five, which is his best effort.
Ferrari leads Mercedes in third place, 268 points behind McLaren, and 268 behind McLaren in second place.
While most football fans across Europe patiently wait for the new season to begin, the story of the year in Sweden is already taking shape.
Champions League regulars and legendary players like Malmo, AIK, Hammarby, and Djurgarden can be found in Allsvenskan, the nation’s top tier.
However, Mjallby, based in a town of less than 1, 000 people, is playing with less than half of the season up for grabs and is on course to do so in Europe.
The merger of two local teams in 1939 led to the formation of Mjallby, who spent the majority of their 86 years atop the Swedish top flight.
The Solvesborg municipality’s residents are diligent and proud, living in a coastal region that is closely linked to agriculture and fishing.
They show up in numbers at their modest 6, 500 capacity Strandvallen home in the small town of Hallevik, with average attendances more than four times the size of the local population.
It’s by the sea, but Mjallby and Stockholm and Malmo’s vast arenas are a long way from making up for lost time.
They have won 13 of their 18 league games this season and have only experienced defeat once, finishing fifth overall in the 2024 Allsvenskan. Since July 2024, they have also gone 18 home league matches unbeaten.
Despite having one of the smallest turnovers and budgets in the division, Mjallby have already defeated title rivals Hammarby, who are currently in second place at home and away this year.
Midfielder Elliot Stroud told BBC Sport, “It’s difficult to take it all in because it’s happened so quickly.”
The 23-year-old, Mjallby’s top goal contributor in the league with four goals and five assists, is thriving in a high energy, high pressing attacking system, something only recently introduced at the club.
Michael Smolski / Football is Everywhere
Karl Marius Aksum is that coach.
When he joined Mjallby in January 2024, he had never previously coached at a senior level, but manager Anders Torstensson was impressed by his academic accomplishments and ideas.
The Norwegian, who regularly shares tactical insights on social media, has a PhD in visual perception in elite football.
The active head movements that players make before receiving the ball in order to gather information from their surroundings are the subject of the particular emphasis.
Because the players move more quickly and the press is more accurate, Aksum said, adding that staying current with your surroundings is a necessary skill in modern football.
“It’s especially important for players in the middle of the pitch, because they could have important information 360 degrees around them”.
He was given the freedom to apply other rules to revolutionize their attacking play and worked on the players’ scanning to make them “better passers and better players both offensively and defensively.”
A team that once relied heavily on crosses and set pieces now plays from the back to maintain possession and advance up the pitch as a unit.
Aksum favours “game specific” training over drills like rondos, which focus on a specific skill without recreating real match conditions.
No Playstation training is provided for players, who are given principles but never precise solutions. They must make the choices, he added.
“We had to take control,” the statement read.
It’s impressive to have just three international players and an average player age 24 competing for the title, but it’s no accident.
Rewind to 2016 and Mjallby were struggling in the third tier and close to bankruptcy.
Although they were spared what would have been a fatal relegation to the fourth tier by virtue of victory on the final day, significant adjustments were required.
Due to the 50+1 rule, wealthy owners cannot finance successful teams in Sweden because they are fans’ favorites.
Mjallby’s transformation over the last decade has been organic, and driven by chairman Magnus Emeus.
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“We took control of our costs, we have one of the lowest turnovers in the league, but we also have one of the lowest costs”, Mjallby chief executive Jacob Lennartsson told BBC Sport.
We ask “Is this making us better” for every Swedish Krona that leaves this club.
Football is all about love and passion, but having a good economy is ultimately so important.
Mjallby began to focus on developing young players and selling them as a way to survive.
Colin Rosler, the son of former Manchester City striker Uwe, was sold for £950,000 just 18 months after signing on a free transfer. Aksum has hailed Midfielder Nicklas Rojkjaer as the best player he has ever worked with. He signed for Danish side Nordsjaelland earlier this month for about £1.4 million.
The stars of this season like Gambian forward Abdoulie Manneh, centre-backs Axel Noren and Abdullah Iqbal, and Swedish midfielder Ludwig Malachowski Thorell seem destined for big moves in the future.
Former players like 30-year-old striker Jacob Bergstrom and captain Jesper Gustavsson, who both participated in that crucial final-day game nine years ago, have gained valuable experience.
Lennartsson believes there must be a balance between pursuing honors and such a strategy.
” The problem is when you start to win games, players attract bigger clubs. The goal is to convince them that what is best for the club is at play, he said.
I am aware of the players’ viewpoint. At Mjallby they will get a good education and play for one of the best teams in Sweden, but they will not get the best money.
No player ever requests to leave Mjallby and stays for a while. They may have a half or full season, but ultimately they get their desired result.
Sharing joy after difficult circumstances
While continuing to grow, what has emerged from the near-ruins of 2016 is a club that remains rooted in a tight-knit community.
Where else would a title-challenging squad’s members reside together and frequently interact with fans while shopping?
“We will have a barbecue, cook out, and hang out if we don’t have anything to do,” remarked Stroud.
“Those bonds build off the pitch and follow on the pitch too. The secret is in that. At a relatively small club, we are all so close, which is unusual.
Mjallby’s official supporters ‘ association, Sillastrybarna, has grown from less than 30 hardcore fans to at least 500, all while cultivating a positive, anti-racist and anti-sexist culture in the stands.
The Mjallby Tifo group’s choreographies and displays become more elaborate with each new season, not to mention their Stockholm counterparts.
The emotions of this season are difficult to comprehend for those who have witnessed their journey.
“The greatest feeling is sharing this moment with my mates who have been standing by my side all along this journey”, said Sillastrybarna chairman Patrik Thorell.
Michael Smolski / Football is Everywhere
After watching his team play at Mjallby, one opposition supporter wrote on social media: “It should be impossible to play football here – nobody lives here, there is one shop and only animals.
You turn right on Strandvallen, a road where the ocean meets the world. It’s amazing that they play world-class football there.
Those words have been adopted by the club as both a source of motivation and grounding.
Lennartsson continued, “We are not that big, we need to keep our feet on the ground.”
