Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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Arsène Wenger admits he used to plead for financial fair play rules but says ditching them is the only way Premier League clubs will be able to compete. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/AFP/Getty Images

Disillusioned Arsène Wenger Calls for End to FFP in Major U-Turn

by David Hynter | Sep 11, 2017 | Sports

Arsène Wenger has lost faith in one of his guiding principles and called for financial fair play to be scrapped. The Arsenal manager says clubs have found a way to bluff around Uefa’s regulations and it has effectively rendered them unenforceable. He feels that if the...

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Robbie Simpson in action for Exeter City against Crewe Alexandra. Photograph: Graham Hunt//ProSports/Rex/Shutterstock

A Footballer Has Set Up a Careers Site to Help Retired Athletes Find Work

by Jonathan Drennan | Sep 10, 2017 | Sports

London- Football dressing rooms can be ruthless places. The social hierarchy is established, the wisecracks are often merciless and there aren’t many moments for introspection or worrying about what to do once your career finishes. Exeter City forward Robbie Simpson...

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Rafael Benítez no longer regards his job at Newcastle as a long-term project. Photograph: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Rafael Benítez Open to Job Offers Amid Anger Over Newcastle Transfers

by Louise Taylor | Sep 9, 2017 | Sports

Rafael Benítez has lost virtually all trust in Mike Ashley’s regime at Newcastle United and, no longer regarding his job as a long-term project, would be receptive to alternative offers of employment at similarly sized Premier League clubs. Although Newcastle’s...

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Frank de Boer has made a disastrous start at Crystal Palace but his players are struggling with an extreme transition after a relegation battle under Sam Allardyce. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters

Palace and Arsenal Epitomize Premier League’s Lack of Joined-Up Thinking

by Jacob Steinberg | Sep 9, 2017 | Sports

Now the honeymoon period has well and truly fizzled out, extinguished by so much sideways football that soon Louis van Gaal will be making a pilgrimage to Selhurst Park to see what all the fuss is about, it comes as no surprise to learn Crystal Palace appear to be...

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Kylian Mbappé endured a tough night against Luxembourg. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images

France Have All the Talent in the World but They Look Like a Team of Individuals

by Adam White | Sep 8, 2017 | Sports

There are no easy answers after France’s goalless draw with Luxembourg in Toulouse on Sunday evening. The hosts should have thumped their tiny neighbors. The disparities between shots, possession, saves made, pass completion percentages and more contemporary metrics...

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Arséne Wenger and the Arsenal bench feel the strain at Anfield. Photograph: McNulty/JMP/REX/Shutterstock

Arsenal’s Continuing Malaise at the Heart of Operations

by Richard Williams | Sep 7, 2017 | Sports

If Brian Clough was displeased with a performance, his players knew about it. There was an occasion at half-time during a Nottingham Forest match when, unhappy with a couple of failed stepovers and a cross that went behind the goal, he punched the culprit, Nigel...