Sports

Irish Premiership: Cliftonville ‘not a plaything for TIG’ – Conor Devine

Published

1 day ago

August 19, 2026

TIG’s takeover has been a far from a smooth journey and has taken over two years with their first attempt halted when club members stopped talks before the group took their offer off the table in January.

However, in June, the members authorised for the club’s management committee to enter formal negotiations with TIG and Monday’s eventual vote passed with 81% in favour.

“If you stand back and look at this, Cliftonville is a club that is held dearly by so many people,” he added.

“It was owned and controlled by the membership, so obviously, members are going to be reluctant to let it go effectively, especially to a private company. I understand all of the complexities around that.

“If you want to be open and honest about it, it just goes to show how much this club means to people. I just hope when it is complete, we can move together stronger as a team.”

Devine added that the Canadian consortium will be investing long-term and that it is a “passion project” for the group.

“This is a long-term play, this is not a five, six or a seven-year thing,” said Devine.

“One of the first things the guys said to me when we looked at this was that they are 25-year people, they are long-term. That is very unusual.

“These guys have spoken about ROIs [return on investment] or return in money; this is a passion project and an impact investment into the local area.”

Sports

Sources: Austin FC set to hire Minnesota United’s Khaled El-Ahmad as chief soccer officer

Published

5 minutes ago

August 20, 2026

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Supporters in green and black jerseys stand beneath a large television screen.

Austin FC are set to bring in Khaled El-Ahmad from Minnesota United. Gary Miller/Getty Images

Aug. 20, 2026 Updated 4:46 pm EDT

Austin FC are set to name Minnesota United’s Khaled El-Ahmad as the team’s new chief soccer officer, sources briefed on the situation tell The Athletic.

El-Ahmad, 45, has been sporting director of Minnesota since the end of 2023. He joins Austin as the club undergo a major overhaul with Jim Curtin taking over as head coach after this season.

The Swede led Minnesota to the playoffs in each of his two full seasons. Austin are excited about El-Ahmad’s experience within the league and abroad, as he served as sporting director for English club Barnsley before joining Minnesota.

He will work collaboratively with a front office that is being added to, including Dean Costalas, who joined this summer as senior VP of soccer strategy. He worked with Curtin in Philadelphia.

El-Ahmad worked for City Football Group before joining Barnsley.

Hank Stebbins will take over as interim CSO for Minnesota. He is currently the team’s head of recruitment and is highly thought of within the organization and will be the lead sporting executive and is expected to be a candidate for the permanent job, sources say.

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Sports

NFL preseason live updates: Latest news ahead of Raiders vs. Texans and 49ers vs. Chargers

Published

11 minutes ago

August 20, 2026

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Hello, football fans. Welcome back to The Athletic’s live coverage of the 2026 NFL preseason!

Today, we’ll focus on all the action from two games as the Las Vegas Raiders take on the Houston Texans, with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers facing off a little later this evening.

We’ll be bringing you the latest pregame news and buildup, live play-by-play updates, on-the-ground reporting and real-time expert analysis from The Athletic’s NFL writers all night long!

Sports

Football gossip: Yildiz, Jackson, Allan, Wharton, Mateta, Martinelli, Dias

Published

18 minutes ago

August 20, 2026

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Arsenal exploring move for Kenan Yildiz, Atletico Madrid trying to finalise Nicolas Jackson signing and Manchester City in talks over Allan Elias.

Arsenal are exploring a move for Juventus and Turkey winger Kenan Yildiz, 21. (Independent), external

Atletico Madrid are trying to finalise the signing of Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson, 25, from Chelsea. (Marca – in Spanish), external

Manchester City are in talks to sign Brazilian winger Allan Elias, 22, from Palmeiras. (ESPN), external

Manchester City have enquired about the availability of England midfielder Adam Wharton, 22, but their approach has been rebuffed by Crystal Palace. (Sun), external

Tottenham are eyeing a move to sign France striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, 29, from Crystal Palace. (Football Insider), external

Inter Milan are interested in signing Brazil forward Gabriel Martinelli, 25, from Arsenal. (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian), external

AC Milan are now focused on signing a centre-back and Manchester City‘s Portugal defender Ruben Dias, 29, has emerged as a potential target. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Bayer Leverkusen’s Burkina Faso centre-back Edmond Tapsoba, 27, has emerged as a leading defensive target for Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle. (Teamtalk), external

France defender Axel Disasi, 28, is closing in on a loan move from Chelsea to Crystal Palace. (Sun), external

Barcelona are yet to make an offer for Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez, 28, but Inter Milan would not be looking to sell regardless. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Barca are also considering Spain forward Ayoze Perez, 33, and Georgia forward Georges Mikautadze, 25, who both play for Villarreal. (Marca – in Spanish), external

Liverpool, Everton and Leeds United are among the clubs monitoring Midtjylland’s 22-year-old Chile winger Dario Osorio. (Teamtalk), external

Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest are thought to be among a number of clubs considering a move for Chelsea‘s English striker Liam Delap, 23. (Independent), external

Manchester United are concentrating on signing a new left-back, with Racing Santander’s 19-year-old Spaniard Jorge Salinas a candidate as Newcastle are not inclined to sell England left-back Lewis Hall, 21. (CaughtOffside), external