THE ACTION HAD not even reached the first water break in Longford last Sunday but he knew his race was run. After devoting a decent chunk of his life to the Tipperary senior football cause, Alan Campbell was entitled to hope for something positive to mark the end point. But there he was in Pearse Park, forced to limp off in the early stages and watch on for the next hour before the home team nudged Tipperary towards the basement of the football league for 2022. “My last-ever game for Tipperary and it ended in a hamstring tear. “I haven’t really missed a game or a minute through injury, definitely…

NEWCASTLE OWNER MIKE Ashley has claimed “dark forces” are preventing the club from becoming a football “powerhouse” after it said an HMRC investigation into its tax affairs has been dropped. Ashley’s comments came just hours after it was revealed Newcastle have taken the Premier League to the Competition Appeal Tribunal over the collapse of the takeover of the club last year. The Magpies have been subject to a tax investigation since 2017, when raids were carried out at St James’ Park during which financial records, laptops and phones were seized and managing director Lee Charnley taken in for questioning before being released without charge. However, the club have now said…

JOE CANNING WILL be fit for Galway’s Leinster SHC semi-final against Dublin or Antrim after a thumb injury forced him to sit out the final league game against Cork.  The Portumna veteran was a spectator in Pairc Ui Chaoimh as Galway picked up their fourth league victory of the campaign after a 3-25 to 2-23 the Rebels.  “It’s just kind of an old injury, a bit of ligament damage,” he said. “It’s in a splint there for two weeks, and I’ll be fine then again. I’ll be fine in two weeks’ time, just a bit of rest more-so than anything. “I’d say we’re happy enough with where we’re at, at…

SHEFFIELD UNITED SAID it is investigating after a video was widely circulated on social media purporting to show striker Oli McBurnie in an altercation with a man in the street. The footage, which has been viewed almost a million times, shows a short confrontation and shouting during which a mobile phone appears to be knocked out of someone’s hand before it is stamped on. The relegated Premier League club said in a statement: “Officials at Sheffield United are aware of the video circulating on social media and are currently investigating.” North Yorkshire Police said the incident, reported to have been filmed in Knaresborough, had not been reported to its officers.…

THE GAA HAVE confirmed that Derry and Offaly will contest the Allianz National Football League Division 3 final this weekend, with the two sides set to meet in Croke Park on Saturday. Both counties won their respective semi-finals over the weekend, Offaly beating 14-man Fermanagh while Derry got the better of Limerick. It had been expected the Division 3 title would be shared between the two counties, with the condensed GAA calendar putting pressure on fixtures. The Faithful County get their Leinster championship campaign underway against Louth in two weeks, leaving this coming weekend as their only rest week ahead of the championship. Derry are not in Ulster championship action until 11…

WEDNESDAY’S NEWS THAT Cillian O’Connor will undergo surgery to repair his Achilles tendon dealt a hammer blow to Mayo’s All-Ireland hopes. The Ballintubber star posted 1-4 before he was forced off against Clare last weekend and although the exact nature of the injury has not been made public, it’s highly unlikely he’ll play any part in the remainder of the 2021 season. Speaking on this week’s episode of The42 GAA Weekly, Kerry legend Marc Ó Sé said Dublin are the only side who could handle an injury to such a key player. “For me, Dublin are the only team in the country that can deal with injuries,” he said. “If…

THE DISAPPOINTMENT SHONE through after another big-match defeat to Dublin, but the focus moves swiftly on. Cork captain Martina O’Brien was keen to look forward after Saturday night’s Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 1 final defeat, which her side lost on a scoreline of 2-15 to 1-13. Though four-in-a-row All-Ireland champions, this was just Dublin’s second top-flight league crown, having won their first in 2018. The Rebels – who were reigning champions from 2019 – have been league specialists through the years, targeting title number 13 at Croke Park on Saturday night. The sides have dominated the ladies football landscape of late, sharing every All-Ireland title and all but…

Offaly 3-19 Louth 0-19 (after extra-time) OFFALY SECURED JUST their third Leinster SFC victory since 2007, requiring extra-time to see off Mickey Harte’s Louth in a high-scoring and pulsating contest.  Louth kicked the last three scores of the 70 minutes, almost won it with Sam Mulroy’s final kick of normal time that drifted narrowly wide and looked to have the momentum heading into extra-time. When Offaly needed leaders, it was veteran Niall McNamee who stood up. The 35-year-old had two points to his name and was involved in the first goal before he scored 1-1 in the first period of the extra period. He set-up Peter Cunningham for Offaly’s third…

CATHAL MCSHANE IS ‘looking good’ in Tyrone training ahead of their Ulster SFC quarter-final against Cavan on Saturday week. Cathal McShane is on the comeback trail. Source: James Crombie/INPHO That’s the view of Paul Donaghy, the rookie forward who showed up well during his first league campaign for the Red Hands. Joint boss Feargal Logan confirmed last week that the 2019 All-Star resumed full training with the group and Donaghy reckons he’ll be seeing action very soon. “Cathal has been back training for a while now and he’s looking good,” said Donaghy. “He had a really difficult injury to manage and he had a lot of difficulty with it but…

Updated Jun 1st 2021, 6:21 PM CARLO ANCELOTTI HAS quit his role as Everton manager to take over at Real Madrid. Ancelotti, who joined Everton on a four-and-a-half-year contract in December 2019, replaces Zinedine Zidane in the Spanish capital. The 61-year-old Italian, who previously managed Real between 2013 and 2015, guiding the club to a 10th European title, has agreed a three-year contract. Zidane resigned last week following Real’s failure to win a trophy last season. Ancelotti told Everton’s website: “I would like to thank the board of directors, the players, and the Evertonians for the tremendous support they have all given me during my time at the club. “I…