Transfer News
Ivan Rakitic latest Saudi-signee

🫡🧳Sevilla club legend signs with Al Shabab; Ivan Rakitic set to leave La Liga side and join Saudi side Al-Shabab. Rakitic has informed Sevilla that he plans to leave the club for the Saudi Pro League. The news comes after several months of speculation linking Rakitic with a Messi reunion. The Croatian has enjoyed a trophy-laden career across his spells with Basel, Schalke, Sevilla, and Barcelona.

• Rakitic played a key role in Sevilla’s Europa League titles in 2014 and 2015, while he won four La Liga titles with Barcelona alongside the Champions League crown in 2015

• The veteran midfield has informed his Sevilla teammates that he is set to leave this January transfer window.

• The move to Saudi Arabia makes the end to the 35-year-old’s 13-year long stay in the Spanish football top flight

🥹🏆️ Rakitic joined Sevilla for a second stint after returning from Barcelona in 2020. The Croatian is currently the Spanish' side’s vice-captain. Rakitic is out of contract with Sevilla at the end of the current season, however the club have expressed their willingness to negotiate his early exit, allowing them to reduce their wage bill. Sevilla are currently facing a tough relegation battle this campaign having won just three of their 21 La Liga matches. To his years of service blessing us with magic on the pitch, we salute and tip our cap to you Ivan.

The Football Association Cup (FA Cup)
The Magic of the Cup

🤯🫣🪄We may have witnessed one of the biggest upsets in the history of the FA Cup. Maidstone United have recorded a famous 2-1 victory over Ipswich Town to reach the fifth round of the competition for the first time in the club’s history. Per The Athletic, the win makes Maidstone the first club from the outside of the top five divisions of English soccer to reach the FA Cup’s 5th round since 1977. Maidstone now move into the Round of 16 set to take place at the end of February.

🔍️👀🫥 Meet Non-league Maidstone United, a team currently playing in the sixth-tier National League South club just about 98 places below their opponent, second-place Championship, Ipswich. Maidstone started their FA Cup run with a victory at Steyning all the way back in September. The club’s longest run in the competition – which has featured home victories against Barrow and Stevenage – was extended after this astonishing victory, achieved by converting their only two efforts on goal, booked their place in the fifth round for the first time. Ipswich, are currently second in the Championship, and are in a solid place to secure promotion to the Premier League next season. As for Maidstone United, let’s just say the magic of the FA Cup is very much alive for them.

🤕♿️🩼Not everyone can handle the magic. The game resulted in Maidstone’s first FA Cup Round of 16 appearance but also resulted in an investigation on a not-so-lucky spectator. Ipswich Town confirmed an investigation is ongoing after a Maidstone United fan fell from a stand on to spectators below. Specifically, a man was among the away supports in the upper tier of the Cobbled Stand, and during the first half goal celebrations, the man appeared to roll down the roof and fall into the tier below. It is understood that no one was seriously injured during the incident.