SPORTS AGENDA: Panathinaikos may honour George Baldock’s three-year contract following his tragic death – while Opta dispel claims footballers are playing too many matches

According to sources close to the club, Panathinaikos may fulfill George Baldock’s full contract following the tragic death of their former Sheffield United player at the age of just 31.

Baldock, an England-born Greek international, was found dead in the swimming pool of his home in Glyfada, south Athens.

He joined the Greek Cup winners on a three-year contract this summer after making 219 appearances for the Blades, including 83 in the Premier League.

Insiders say Panathinaikos is a club with strong values ​​and a compassionate owner, adding that Baldock’s family, including a heartbroken fiancée and one-year-old son, will be cared for.

One option is to honor the player’s full contract, in addition to organizing a charity match next year.

Opta counter-calendar claims

Player burnout is currently high on the agenda, with the PFA warning of possible strikes due to the perceived increased workload. However, statistics gurus Opta believe that this is not the most extreme version of the football calendar.

While there are more matches in Europe, the expanded Club World Cup next summer and more matches at World Cups and European Championships, they point out that concessions have been made elsewhere.

In England the number of top players is now 20, compared to 20 years ago, while in Europe the players are now heading into the third round of the League Cup. Replays in that competition and the FA Cup have been scrapped, as have extra-times in the League Cup until the semi-finals.

While Manchester City are allowed to play 68 games at home and in Europe (without taking into account the minimum of three and maximum of seven in the CWC), Opta says Pep Guardiola’s side are the exception and not the rule.

Last season City played 59 games, the most in Europe, followed by Fiorentina (58) and Aston Villa (56). But most teams in the continent’s top six leagues played fewer than 50 games, while five Premier League teams played just 42 games and 36 clubs played fewer than 40 games.

‘For a large part of Europe’, Opta concludes, ‘it is not a problem that players play too many matches’.

Rugby league fans flock to Old Trafford

Manchester United’s claims that a new Old Trafford will serve as a ‘Wembley of the North’ were given a boost on Saturday evening after 68,000 people descended on their existing home ground for the Super League grand final.

Last week a three-year deal was announced to continue hosting rugby league’s showpiece event and the lack of another big enough stadium outside London, not to mention the record hospitality revenues brought in during the 9-2 Wigan’s victory over Hull KR will have achieved little. to counter that narrative.

Meanwhile, it has not gone unnoticed among fans that struggling United have now released no fewer than four separate fashion collections – including a George Best range – since they last picked up three points.

The sweet taste of success

England cricketers celebrated their stunning win over Pakistan with a taste of home. Joe Root and co have been tucking into some sticky toffee pudding after their historic success in Multan, courtesy of a chef brought into the camp from the Football Association. The culinary expert also served two Sunday Roasts last week, which were well received by the group.

Many of the tour groups are avid golfers, with handicaps under 10 being common. It is perhaps no coincidence that England is home to one of the best golf courses in the subcontinent. The Rumanza Resort was designed by Sir Nick Faldo and features an 18-hole championship course and a six-hole par three. It is 7,500 meters long and includes orchards, sand pits and desert views.

Size matters in the America’s Cup

It seems size matters in the America’s Cup. INEOS owner and Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is staying in Barcelona on his swanky yacht, Hampshire II, which costs around £115 million and is around 78 meters long.

However, onlookers have noticed that Radcliffe’s beautiful ship seems to be a little overshadowed by its neighbor. Owned by Cup rival and Italian-born Swiss entrepreneur Ernesto Bertarelli of Alinghi, Vava II measures 97 meters in length – costing around £150 million after it was built at Devonport Yachts in Plymouth.

Ratcliffe, who made headlines in a BBC interview last week by not backing under-fire manager Erik ten Hag, has steadfastly refused to comment on him in the Catalan capital.

The timing of emails from the Premier League is raising eyebrows

The timing of Premier League clubs’ email updates in the wake of their legal battle with Manchester City over sponsorship rules has raised eyebrows.

On Friday, Mail Sport revealed that in a notable change of tone, chief executive Richard Masters had warned the top parties that the necessary changes – after a panel found the associate party transaction rules unlawful – would take time.

His email arrived at 5.11pm on a Friday before an international weekend, when many will have been in away mode, perhaps indicating the severity of the situation.