Premier League
SWANSEA CITY CHARGED £478 FOR MASCOT APPEARANCE
Former English Premiership side, Swansea City on New Year Day received a flack from pundits following the revelation that the club charges ‘outrageous’ fee from willing parents that wanted their children to be mascots on match day.
It costs up to £478 for a match-day mascot “package” at the Championship club, research by BBC Wales found.
Only three teams in the Premier League charge more, while the experience is free at most of the top clubs. Cardiff City charge £255.
Swansea City said prices were reduced this year following relegation.
Consumer groups have branded the higher prices as “outrageous”.
For many youngsters, the chance to walk out onto the pitch with their football heroes is a dream come true.
Indeed many clubs tell parents the package is the “ultimate gift your child will never forget”.
Yet while many of the biggest clubs in the country, including Premier League champions Manchester City, do not charge for the opportunity, others are cashing in more than £700 per child.
Most packages include full kit, match tickets, photographs and autographs as well as walking onto the pitch before kick-off.
But a £270 deal at Fulham does not include kit while a £185 package at Bournemouth does not come with a ticket to the game.
Martyn James, of consumer website Resolver, said: “It’s absolutely outrageous that some richer kids can effectively buy their way to the top of the mascot list.
“When I was younger, being a mascot was a reward for super loyalty or for having been through a great deal.
“Charging any money for these packages is unacceptable – and it’s pretty unknown too.
“It makes a mockery of all the things that our national game is supposed to represent.”
Supporters on fan forums have slammed the prices as “unfair” and “scandalous”.
Swansea City said the “truly once in a lifetime experience” includes four hospitality places, a meal and half-time penalty competition on the pitch.
A spokesman added: “We’ve reduced prices this year following relegation, from £450 plus VAT to £399 plus VAT for weekend, and £349 plus VAT for weekday matches.
“We also give one space free to charity every match and this was brought in this season.”
Mascots at the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United are picked at random from their junior fan club and are free.
Cardiff City offer the chance for children aged between four and 10 to turn “dream into reality” for £255 and have sold out for many of their most popular home fixtures.
Claire Blake, of Penarth, arranged for her eight-year-old son Cian to be a mascot before the Bluebirds’ game against champions Manchester City as a birthday gift in September.
“We were lucky to get such a big game but I’m not sure we would be happy paying the same amount for games against other teams,” she said.
“Cian got a kit, signed photos and met Neil Warnock and had a great time, but the seats were poor and it was a bit rushed meeting the players.”
Season-ticket holder Tracy Morgan paid for her eight-year-old son Leo to be a mascot.
She said: “It was very expensive but it was worth every penny to see my son’s face – and my husband’s.”
Ryan Moore bought a mascot package as a Christmas gift for his six-year-old son Niall.
He said: “It’s free for some big clubs like Liverpool but a money-making scheme at others and there are so many mascots that it dilutes the experience.
“But we were pretty happy with the whole day. Niall loved it – apart from the team being hammered 4-1.”
EPL MASCOT PRICES
West Ham United £700
Leicester City £600
Tottenham Hotspur £405
Wolves £395
Crystal Palace £375
Brighton £350
Burnley £300
Fulham £270
Cardiff City £255
Watford £250
Bournemouth £185 Free: Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea, Huddersfield, Liverpool, Man City, Man United, Newcastle United and Southampton
Premier League
Maguire handed suspended prison sentence for 2020 brawl

England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence by a Greek court over a 2020 incident in Mykonos, Sky Sports reported on Wednesday.
In 2020, Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery and violence against public employees after his arrest in a brawl in which two police officers were assaulted.
Maguire, who was detained for two days following the incident and denied any wrongdoing, was handed a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and 10 days but was granted a full retrial after appealing against Greek court convictions on multiple charges.
In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing nullified Maguire’s conviction before a full retrial in a more senior court. His retrial was postponed many times.
Maguire faced allegations of non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery. The 32-year-old was convicted on all three counts but will face no prison time. His legal team will appeal against the guilty verdict, Sky Sports reported.
Maguire’s brother Joe and friend Christopher Sharman were also found guilty of offences related to the incident and received suspended prison sentences in 2020. They also denied any wrongdoing.
-Reuters
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Premier League
Timber header earns Arsenal crucial win over Chelsea

Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race as they chiselled out a nervy 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday.
Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header from a Declan Rice corner ensured Arsenal took three precious points, but it was a nervy afternoon in north London.
Mikel Arteta’s side moved to 64 points from 29 games, with Manchester City, who have played a game fewer, on 59.

Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber celebrates scoring their second goal with Gabriel Magalhaes REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Defender William Saliba had given Arsenal the lead in the 21st minute from a trademark corner routine.
But it had looked as though an own goal by Piero Hincapie just before halftime would prove costly for the hosts until Timber came to their rescue.
Chelsea, whose six-match unbeaten league sequence under new manager Liam Rosenior was halted, ended the match with 10 men after Pedro Neto was sent off for a second yellow card.
-Reuters
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Premier League
Manchester United climb to third in Premier League table with come-from-behind win over Palace

Manchester United produced a stirring second-half comeback to defeat Crystal Palace 2–1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, with captain Bruno Fernandes inspiring the turnaround that lifted the hosts into third place in the Premier League standings.
Trailing inside four minutes after a dominant start by Palace, United responded through a Fernandes penalty before his pinpoint free-kick was headed home by Benjamin Sesko to seal victory against the 10-man visitors.
The win extended interim manager Michael Carrick’s unbeaten run to seven matches since taking charge in mid-January. United now have 51 points from 28 games and are unbeaten since the January 5 dismissal of Ruben Amorim, climbing into third for the first time since May 2023. Palace remain 14th on 35 points.
“It feels like a big result, we were behind and had to show some character,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “There are a lot of games to go still, and it is important that we don’t feel that we are in the position that we need to be. We need to make as many points as we can.”
Palace, under Oliver Glasner, were electric in the opening half hour, capitalising on sluggish United play. Defender Maxence Lacroix powered home a header from a corner after muscling past Leny Yoro, scoring the earliest goal United have conceded this season.
The visitors nearly doubled their advantage when Daniel Munoz latched onto an Ismaila Sarr through ball, but goalkeeper Senne Lammens produced a crucial save.
United gradually found their rhythm before the break. Sesko forced Dean Henderson into action with a header from a Fernandes cross, and the Palace keeper also tipped a Fernandes free kick over the bar.
The turning point arrived in the 57th minute when Fernandes converted from the penalty spot after Matheus Cunha was dragged down by Lacroix. Following a lengthy VAR review, Lacroix was shown a red card, reducing Palace to 10 men.
Eight minutes later, Fernandes’ delivery again proved decisive as Sesko rose highest to nod home the winning goal.
United pushed for a third, with Casemiro’s volley drawing a diving save from Henderson and substitute Amad Diallo testing the keeper from distance in stoppage time. Joshua Zirkzee saw efforts blocked, while Kobbie Mainoo’s fierce strike drifted narrowly wide.
Carrick praised his team’s resilience. “The biggest thing for us to take from the game is really the first time that we have been in that situation going in at halftime,” he said. “Being in that position and how we react and showing that personality and belief… to then come back as we did in the second half is the biggest thing for me today.”
Palace pressed late but could not find an equaliser. Glasner admitted his side had let the game slip. “It feels like there was more possible today. A great first 30 minutes, but the red card changed it completely. The second goal just happened too quickly.”
For United, the victory reinforces growing belief under Carrick that a top-four finish—and a return to Europe’s elite competition—is firmly within reach.
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