All posts tagged: quarters

Survey reveals three quarters of fans oppose use of VAR – as majority believe it has killed joy of Premier League | UK News

Survey reveals three quarters of fans oppose use of VAR – as majority believe it has killed joy of Premier League | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

The use of VAR is opposed by 75% of Premier League fans, a survey has revealed. The poll of nearly 8,000 supporters, just over half of whom attend more than 15 home games a season, found that more than 97% disagreed that VAR makes watching football more enjoyable. Over 90% opposed the statement that it had made the match-going experience better, while 75.71% said they did not support its use, and more than 70% disagreed that it has improved the accuracy of refereeing decisions. A big source of frustration was the length of the wait for a verdict, with fewer than 3% of those asked agreeing that decisions happened within a reasonable timeframe. Image: Referee Paul Tierney consults the pitchside VAR before overturning a penalty decision to Aston Villa last week. Pic: PA Despite efforts to speed the process up, an overwhelming majority do not feel decisions are now being made more quickly. More than 90% feel the technology has also removed the spontaneous joy of goal celebrations. The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), which conducted …

Champions League holders Pyramids and record winners Al Ahly stunned in quarters

Champions League holders Pyramids and record winners Al Ahly stunned in quarters

Published by Sam Flores

CAIRO, March 21 : Holders Pyramids and record champions Al Ahly both crashed out of the African Champions League quarter‑finals on Saturday, losing to Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces and Tunisian Esperance respectively on a bleak night for Egyptian soccer. Pyramids’ 3-2 aggregate loss ended their title defence despite a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Rabat. The Egyptians won their first African Champions League crown last June, beating South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns. Rida Slim put the visitors ahead in the ninth minute at Cairo’s 30 June Stadium before Mohamed Rabie Hrimat doubled the lead with a 54th‑minute header. Fiston Mayele halved the deficit in the 62nd minute but the Egyptians could not find the equaliser that would have sent the tie straight to penalties. “This is a historic win and a historic qualification for the club,” forward Youssef El Fahli told beIN Sports. “We have the determination to fight for the title this season and, God willing, we’ll bring home the club’s second continental crown.” Royal Armed Forces will face fellow Moroccans Renaissance Berkane …

Man City host Liverpool, Arsenal visit Southampton in FA Cup quarters

Man City host Liverpool, Arsenal visit Southampton in FA Cup quarters

Published by Sam Flores

March 9 : Manchester City will welcome Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals, while Premier League leaders Arsenal travel to second-tier side Southampton following Monday’s draw. Pep Guardiola’s City secured their last-eight spot with a 3-1 victory at Newcastle United on Saturday, while Liverpool progressed with a 3-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers. City have reached the quarter‑finals for the eighth consecutive season and remain on track ‌for a fourth successive FA Cup final appearance as they chase an elusive quadruple. Record 14-times FA Cup winners Arsenal visit Southampton as Mikel Arteta’s side also bid for a quadruple having, like City, reached the League Cup final and Champions League last 16. Third-tier bottom side Port Vale pulled off the shock of the fifth round on Sunday by beating Premier League visitors Sunderland 1-0 but face a big challenge at Chelsea, who put out hosts Wrexham in a 4-2 extra-time thriller on Saturday. Leeds United visit West Ham United after the London side earned a shootout victory over visitors Brentford on Monday. West Ham’s Konstantinos Mavropanos converted …

Noem under fire for Coast Guard quarters, FEMA funding holdup

Noem under fire for Coast Guard quarters, FEMA funding holdup

Published by Sam Flores

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem‘s  immigration enforcement policy might make more headlines, but the former South Dakota governor’s leadership of other branches of DHS is also coming under fire. In a week where she was called to testify before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees about her time in Donald Trump’s Cabinet, Noem was asked to respond to accusations that she held up Federal Emergency Management Agency contracts and lived for free in the house of the U.S. Coast Guard commandant.  In his opening statement Wednesday, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary committee said Noem was “living rent-free in the official waterfront residence reserved for the commandant.” An Aug. 15 Washington Post report claimed Noem was living in the commandant’s house at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. Former DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin acknowledged that Noem was living there because of threats to her safety. Noem rejected the accusation this week, saying she is renting an apartment with her own money. “Let me clarify a couple things. I’m not in the …

Ice hockey-Czech Republic down Denmark to set up Canada meeting in quarters

Ice hockey-Czech Republic down Denmark to set up Canada meeting in quarters

Published by Sam Flores

MILAN, Feb 17 : The Czech Republic outlasted Denmark 3-2 in the men’s ice hockey qualification play-off on Tuesday, setting up the unenviable task of playing hot favourites Canada in the quarter-finals. Forward Martin Necas drew first blood in the second period and assisted on a goal from David Kampf less than five minutes later, while captain Roman Cervenka capped the scoring for the Czech team with what proved to be the game-winner. A sleepy, scoreless first period gave way to electrifying play after the intermission, as the Colorado Avalanche’s prolific scorer Necas lit the fuse with a mighty slap shot on a power play. Alexander True completed a give-and-go with Joachim Blichfeld to level it, but the Czech Republic retaliated quickly, scoring twice 69 seconds apart, when Kampf redirected a shot from Jan Rutta into the net and Cervenka beat the Danish goalie on a breakaway. A power play opportunity gave Denmark a chance to trim the lead and Nick Olesen pounced with less than three minutes to go in the period, flicking the …

Sabalenka, Alcaraz ease into Australian Open quarters, Medvedev crashes out

Sabalenka, Alcaraz ease into Australian Open quarters, Medvedev crashes out

Published by Sam Flores

MELBOURNE, Jan 25 : Aryna Sabalenka extended her reign as tiebreak queen to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals for a fourth successive year and Carlos Alcaraz joined her as Daniil Medvedev’s campaign ended on Sunday. Third seed Coco Gauff advanced to her third quarter-finals in a row with a pulsating 6-1 3-6 6-3 victory over crafty Czech Karolina Muchova in a late-afternoon contest at Margaret Court Arena, while Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur eased through. But three-times finalist Medvedev was handed another harsh lesson by his new nemesis Learner Tien, the Russian going down 6-4 6-0 6-3 to the American again at Melbourne Park. “He played great, super-aggressive. Even when I was making good shots, he was making a better shot back,” Medvedev said. “I didn’t find many solutions today on the court, which is rare, and I didn’t feel that many times in my life like this.” A day after blistering heat caused mayhem at Melbourne Park, normal service resumed as a cool change brought relief for players, fans and tournament schedulers. Twice …

5 new quarters commemorate 250 years of American independence

5 new quarters commemorate 250 years of American independence

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. While we’ve said goodbye to both the year 2025 and the penny, five new United States quarters will be finding their way into your pocket soon enough. The designs of each new quarter will honor the country’s 250th anniversary (aka its semiquincentennial). According to a press release from the U.S. Mint, the coins “commemorate 250 years of American Liberty by reflecting our country’s founding principles and honoring our Nation’s history.” They will only be available this year, which almost assuredly means they will be collector’s items in the future. Each will also be engraved with two dates: 1776–2026. Typically coins only bear the year in which they were minted, not two dates. In December 2025, the original designs for the “America 250” coins were abandoned and replaced with ones that commemorate some of the country’s founding documents and presidents. The original quarters approved by two official committees in 2024 honored Black Abolition, Women’s Suffrage, and Civil Rights, but were scrapped by …