‘No player will start both games’ – Palace to pick two teams

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Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner says he will field two different starting line-ups for their next two matches to protect player welfare.

Palace host Finnish side KuPS in the Europa Conference League on Thursday (20: 00 GMT), and visit Leeds in the Premier League 48 hours later (Saturday, 20: 00 GMT).

The Leeds game was moved by the Premier League from the Sunday as Palace then face Arsenal in the EFL Cup quarter-final on Tuesday 23 December.

Glasner, who also confirmed Japan midfielder Daichi Kamada faces up to 10 weeks out with a hamstring injury, said it would be “irresponsible” to play the same team twice in three days.

Palace, fifth in the Premier League, are ninth in the Conference League, just outside the automatic qualification spots for the last 16.

“No player will start against]both] KuPs and Leeds”, said Glasner. “I and we all feel responsible for the players ‘ welfare.

” I just spoke to Will]Hughes] and he experienced it a few years ago – when it was on Boxing Day]26 December] and the 28th]December], sometimes there were games, and he played it – but I just think now the intensity of the game has increased.

“Maybe you can do it once, but it’s our 27th game now]this season], and we have to think further, because we play on the 18, 20, 23 and 28]December], and 1, 4, 7 and 10 January. Therefore, it’s just irresponsible if we do this.

” We will start with two completely different teams, but of course the minutes will be shared a little bit if this is possible.

Kamada faces up to two months out

Kamada came off after 67 minutes during Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City.

“It is how it looked when he walked off the pitch”, said Glasner. “It’s a serious hamstring injury, and he will be out for at least eight to 10 weeks.

” It’s not what we want, but on the other side, it’s part of football – it’s part of sports – when you play so many games that things can happen.

“It’s not a normal muscle injury, it was just an incident with his landing and body position – he overstretched everything, the full weight on the front, and that’s why it happens.

” He usually never has muscle injuries. But unfortunately it’s part of our game. “

Glasner, whose contract expires at the end of the season, says talks over a new deal are on hold because of the congested fixture list.

” When should I talk about my contract? “he said.

” And that’s why we said, ‘ OK, let’s push it backwards when we have time ‘ because it’s not between three meetings which take 10 minutes.

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FIFA World Cup 2026 winners’ prize money doubles to $50m

The winner of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will receive a record jackpot of $50m, football’s global governing body says.

That figure is up from $42m in 2022 and $38m in 2018. But it is still less than half of what was on offer at the much less hyped FIFA Club World Cup earlier this year.

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FIFA said the total prize fund for next year’s World Cup – to be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico – is $655m, a 50 percent increase on the previous edition in Qatar.

By comparison, the FIFA Club World Cup, which was controversially expanded from seven teams to 32 and shoehorned into the football calendar, had a total prize fund of $1bn. The prize for the winning team was worth up to $125m for a tournament that faced fierce resistance from players and leagues and drew sparse crowds for some matches.

The Club World Cup, also staged in the US, was won by Chelsea.

FIFA has a different distribution model for the two tournaments. The disparity in prize money reflects factors such as clubs overseeing much higher costs through wages than national teams.

Beyond the prize money, further funds are put towards the development of football globally.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the World Cup would be “groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community”.

FIFA approved the prize money for every stage of the World Cup at a meeting of its council in Doha.

The runner-up will receive $33m with $29m and $27m going to the third- and fourth-placed teams, respectively.

The lowest prize money will be $9m and all 48 participating nations will get $1.5m to cover what FIFA described as “preparation costs”.

FIFA said, in all, $727m would be distributed to the football federations participating.

‘Helpless’ Frankie Bridge fights tears as she reveals son’s life-changing diagnosis

Frankie Bridge fought back her emotions as she discussed the struggles she faces when trying to get her youngest child to go to school

Frankie Bridge was emotional as she described her son’s life-changing diagnosis. The singer explained how youngest son Carter’s discovery led him to have an “hour long tearful meltdown”.

She also explained the 11-year-old then refused to go to school. Frankie and former footballer Wayne Bridge share two kids together, Parker, 12, and Carter, 11.

Taking to YouTube to share the struggles, Frankie looked worn down. She revealed she often feels “helpless” in her efforts to look after Carter. She said her feeling comes especially when he refuses to go to class, as the youngster repeatedly asks if he can be home schooled instead.

READ MORE: Helen Flanagan’s rocky relationship with Scott Sinclair as she blows up over nativity rowREAD MORE: Penny Lancaster admits Christmas clash with Rod Stewart and boys

She told the camera: “Carter had a bit of a meltdown yesterday, about going to school, he cried I’d say at least an hour, which is becoming a new thing, he’s been crying about going back into school quite a lot.

” Just finding it really hard, saying things like “even food tech there’s loads of writing and science and stuff” and it just really breaks my heart. I find it really difficult to keep sending him in every day.

“And I know he’s fine when he gets there, he’s doing so much better but I feel really helpless, and I don’t know what else I can do for him really. I know he wants me to say he can be home-schooled, I don’t think that would work for us, and I think it’s really important for him to socialise. I just don’t think it’s realistic for us as a family, I just don’t know what else I can do for him”.

The Loose Women panelist went on: “I don’t want him to hate the next eight years of his education. I don’t want to have to force him in everyday and just know he’s gonna struggle all day.“I just feel helpless basically. I need to look in to it, I need to talk to the school.”

She later revealed how her conversations with his teachers went. In a follow-up video, Frankie said she told them he needed more help with put in place to combat the issues he faces with dyslexia.

” It’s been a bit of a battle to get him into school, “she confessed”. They just couldn’t be nicer, at the last school it was a complete battle to get them to do anything. But at this school they’re like ‘ right let’s do this’. “

Last year, Frankie admitted her kids online life is a world from what she knew growing up. She said: “”As a parent, it’s a bit overwhelming trying to balance all the things I’m worried about.

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” Like gaming, social media, all that stuff I don’t really get. While also remembering that so much of what we do is online now. “

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, .com/@MirrorCeleb” target=”_blank” aria-label=”[object Object]Link opens in a new tab.” rel=”nofollow” tabindex=”0″>YouTube and Threads.

READ MORE: Ernest Jones’ platinum diamond ring cut by £5,000 in rare Christmas offer

‘I feel incredible’ – Evans fighting fit for Rovers’ relegation scrap

Bristol Rovers
  • 26 Comments

When Steve Evans got the call from the Bristol Rovers’ hierarchy to be their new head coach, he had one condition – he needed a hotel to stay in with a swimming pool.

Far from demanding the height of luxury because he could, a pool means that Evans can keep up his routine of swimming 70 to 80 lengths every day.

In the eight-and-a-half months since the 63-year-old was last in the dugout at Rotherham United to being appointed at League Two strugglers Bristol Rovers, Evans has lost eight-and-a-half stone in weight.

Working with a “specialist team”, he has transformed his fitness, now swimming and spending time on a bike daily alongside dieting.

“One of my insistences in the short term when I came to Bristol was they had found me a hotel to stay in until I find an apartment, I insisted a hotel with a swimming pool,” Evans told BBC Radio Bristol.

    • 1 day ago

Having gone from club to club during the four decades of his career in football, after leaving the Millers in March, Evans paused before taking another job to work on his health following a conversation with a doctor.

“[I am] feeling absolutely incredible,” Evans added. “It’s been a big journey.

“A contribution of static biking, walking the dogs at home and swimming so that journey must continue because I want to see my four-and-a-half-year-old grandson when he’s 21.”

When Evans’ daughter told him she was pregnant with the first of his four grandchildren, he can recall a friend who already had grandchildren telling him how much becoming a grandfather would change “everything you think about”.

“It’s taken a little while for it to transform me, medically and weight wise, but it’s certainly worked,” he said.

“Our grandkids stay over one night every week so it’s mayhem in our house – there’ll be nothing more than me being the Poppy going home on the back of Bristol Rovers winning a game and seeing my grandkids.

“They’re already sending me videos of the kids saying, ‘Up the Gas’.”

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‘We have enough time’

Evans’ comes into a Bristol Rovers team spiralling down the football league.

A club record 10th straight league defeat on Saturday by Swindon, with Darrell Clarke sacked hours later, has left them in the bottom two of League Two on goal difference and facing the prospect of successive relegations.

The goal of Evans’ appointment is simple – keep the club up. He even insisted on only signing a deal until the end of the season.

“I don’t want to manage in the National League – I’ve made that quite clear to two or three approaches in the last three, four months,” he said.

“My task is to fix the problem between now and the end of the season and make sure that Bristol Rovers are part of the EFL.

“And if that goes well enough we can have a true sit down chat about the future.”

Evans has been here before, with Rotherham, Leeds and Stevenage – all of whom he kept from relegation and he believes there is plenty of time to put things right.

“We have enough time, we’ve still got five, six months of the season to go,” he said.

Steve Evans shouts from the sidelines during his time in charge of RotherhamShutterstock

While the Gas possess the worst goal difference in the division and have scored only four times across their previous 10 league matches, Evans said he has given the players a “clean slate” but also non-negotiables: “Don’t run, don’t play.”

“The squad excited me a little bit because on paper they’re good,” he said.

“In my first proper meeting this morning my comments to the players was reminding them how good they are on paper. But there’s never a football game won on paper, it has to be won with heart, desire and passion.”

Steadying the ship through the Christmas run of games to January is the priority, with a trip to Crewe Alexandra first up before games against Bromley, Barnet and Shrewsbury Town.

He stressed the club will have money to spend in the transfer window to bolster the squad.

“The chairman and the family and Ricky [Martin, director of football] have given me every assurance that I will be able to go into the market,” he said.

“What stops me going into the market for certain positions is players performances, because who didn’t play well under Darrell Clarke may play well under me.”

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  • League Two
  • Bristol Rovers
  • Football

‘I feel incredible’ – Evans fighting fit for Rovers’ relegation scrap

Bristol Rovers
  • 25 Comments

When Steve Evans got the call from the Bristol Rovers’ hierarchy to be their new head coach, he had one condition – he needed a hotel to stay in with a swimming pool.

Far from demanding the height of luxury because he could, a pool means that Evans can keep up his routine of swimming 70 to 80 lengths every day.

In the eight-and-a-half months since the 63-year-old was last in the dugout at Rotherham United to being appointed at League Two strugglers Bristol Rovers, Evans has lost eight-and-a-half stone in weight.

Working with a “specialist team”, he has transformed his fitness, now swimming and spending time on a bike daily alongside dieting.

“One of my insistences in the short term when I came to Bristol was they had found me a hotel to stay in until I find an apartment, I insisted a hotel with a swimming pool,” Evans told BBC Radio Bristol.

    • 1 day ago

Having gone from club to club during the four decades of his career in football, after leaving the Millers in March, Evans paused before taking another job to work on his health following a conversation with a doctor.

“[I am] feeling absolutely incredible,” Evans added. “It’s been a big journey.

“A contribution of static biking, walking the dogs at home and swimming so that journey must continue because I want to see my four-and-a-half-year-old grandson when he’s 21.”

When Evans’ daughter told him she was pregnant with the first of his four grandchildren, he can recall a friend who already had grandchildren telling him how much becoming a grandfather would change “everything you think about”.

“It’s taken a little while for it to transform me, medically and weight wise, but it’s certainly worked,” he said.

“Our grandkids stay over one night every week so it’s mayhem in our house – there’ll be nothing more than me being the Poppy going home on the back of Bristol Rovers winning a game and seeing my grandkids.

“They’re already sending me videos of the kids saying, ‘Up the Gas’.”

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

‘We have enough time’

Evans’ comes into a Bristol Rovers team spiralling down the football league.

A club record 10th straight league defeat on Saturday by Swindon, with Darrell Clarke sacked hours later, has left them in the bottom two of League Two on goal difference and facing the prospect of successive relegations.

The goal of Evans’ appointment is simple – keep the club up. He even insisted on only signing a deal until the end of the season.

“I don’t want to manage in the National League – I’ve made that quite clear to two or three approaches in the last three, four months,” he said.

“My task is to fix the problem between now and the end of the season and make sure that Bristol Rovers are part of the EFL.

“And if that goes well enough we can have a true sit down chat about the future.”

Evans has been here before, with Rotherham, Leeds and Stevenage – all of whom he kept from relegation and he believes there is plenty of time to put things right.

“We have enough time, we’ve still got five, six months of the season to go,” he said.

Steve Evans shouts from the sidelines during his time in charge of RotherhamShutterstock

While the Gas possess the worst goal difference in the division and have scored only four times across their previous 10 league matches, Evans said he has given the players a “clean slate” but also non-negotiables: “Don’t run, don’t play.”

“The squad excited me a little bit because on paper they’re good,” he said.

“In my first proper meeting this morning my comments to the players was reminding them how good they are on paper. But there’s never a football game won on paper, it has to be won with heart, desire and passion.”

Steadying the ship through the Christmas run of games to January is the priority, with a trip to Crewe Alexandra first up before games against Bromley, Barnet and Shrewsbury Town.

He stressed the club will have money to spend in the transfer window to bolster the squad.

“The chairman and the family and Ricky [Martin, director of football] have given me every assurance that I will be able to go into the market,” he said.

“What stops me going into the market for certain positions is players performances, because who didn’t play well under Darrell Clarke may play well under me.”

Related topics

  • League Two
  • Bristol Rovers
  • Football