England international star Harry Kane said that he would feel “tremendous pride” if he received the title “Sir” (knight), but he admitted, at the same time, that he would find it “strange” if everyone called him “Sir.”
The striker of the England national team and the German team Bayern Munich won the “Golden Ball” award, presented by the French magazine “France Football”, last Monday, after an exceptional year in which he performed wonderfully with his club and his country.
Speaking about the possibility of obtaining the title of “knight” from the United Kingdom, following Bayern Munich’s victory over Magdeburg in the German Cup, yesterday, Wednesday, Keane told reporters: “Certainly, I will not refuse that.”
He added, in his statements, which were reported by the British news agency “PA Media”: “If this happens, it will be an amazing thing, and I will feel very proud, but I do not want to anticipate events or exaggerate expectations.”
When asked how he would feel if he became known as “Sir Harry Kane,” he replied, “It sounds good, but I would feel weird if everyone called me Sir, so let’s just call me Harry for now.”
Fleetwood Town posed a question: “Is this the biggest upset in the history of cup competitions ever?”
This question came from the team that plays in the English fourth-tier football league on social media, after it eliminated Arsenal, the English Premier League champion, from the English League Cup, on Tuesday, after resorting to penalty kicks.
There was no doubt about it; Fleetwood fans woke up on Wednesday still finding it difficult to believe what had happened, after one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's 66-year history.
More than 80 places separate the two teams in the English football pyramid. While the value of Arsenal's star-studded squad is worth about $1.6 billion, the value of Fleetwood's squad does not exceed $3 million, which is a small amount in comparison.
Mikel Arteta led Arsenal to five titles, including the English Premier League title last season, as well as reaching the Champions League final.
As for Matt Lawlor, Fleetwood's technical director, it has only been less than a year since he assumed his first major managerial position, as he began the task on a temporary basis last January, before he was appointed to his position permanently last March.
“I tried not to cry, and I succeeded,” said Lawlor, 38, who hails from nearby Bolton-le-Fylde. I held myself together. “My family, and my young son who is here, we are all from this region.”
He added: “I looked around and saw the fans screaming excitedly, and among them were people I knew and we grew up together. Of course, this is very special and very touching, to achieve such an important achievement at such an early stage in my coaching career.”
In the following lines, we highlight the team that achieved a resounding surprise by toppling one of the greats in English football:
“Cod Army”
Fleetwood is a coastal town located in northwest England, with a population of about 26,000 people.
The town is more famous for being the home of the famous Fisherman's Friend discs than for its football team.
The team is nicknamed "The Hunters", while its fans are known as the "Cod Army"; Due to the town's history linked to the fishing industry.
A common link between Fleetwood and Arsenal
Almost literally; Fleetwood plays its matches at a stadium called “Highbury”, which is the stadium that witnessed the biggest surprise in the cup on Tuesday.
Although this name matches the name of the former historic stadium of Arsenal, which hosted the London team’s matches between 1913 and 2006, the similarity is just a pure coincidence, and the current stadium is completely different from what Arsenal players are used to in the English Premier League.
Fleetwood's small stadium takes its name from a nearby road, has a capacity of only 5,300, and only four car parks. This forced Arsenal club representatives to search for alternative locations in the surrounding streets, according to what the British newspaper “The Guardian” reported.
The match against Arsenal was the first sold-out stadium at Fleetwood in more than a decade.
Jamie Vardy's former club
Fleetwood is particularly known as the team where Jamie Vardy, the former Leicester City and England international striker, rose to fame.
Vardy spent only one season with the team, during which he contributed to Fleetwood's rise from the fifth level, outside the professional league, to the English Football League, before moving to the ranks of Leicester City in 2012.
Jamie Vardy's transfer to Leicester City, which was then playing in the Champions League, for one million pounds ($1.3 million), remained for the longest time the most expensive transfer deal for a player outside the professional league, before this record was broken two months ago.
The previous owner is in prison
Andy Bailey was chairman and owner of Fleetwood until he stepped down in 2023, ahead of a 13-year prison sentence for fraud, an appeal of which was rejected in February this year.
Billy had invested more than 10 million pounds ($13 million) in the club, which during his reign witnessed a comprehensive renovation of Highbury Stadium.
In May 2023, Bailey was convicted for his role in a multi-million pound fraud, in which companies were duped into signing expensive energy contracts, and his son, Jimmy Bailey, took over management of Fleetwood in May 2024.
From amateur leagues to the overthrow of Arsenal
Andy Bailey's period in charge witnessed a remarkable rise for the club. The team achieved six promotions during 10 seasons, including entering the Football League for the first time in 2012, and qualifying for the third division (League One) in 2014.
The best position Fleetwood achieved in the English football pyramid was fourth place in the third division during the 2016-2017 season, before the team was relegated again to the fourth division in 2024.
After the team's heroic performance on Tuesday evening, although Arsenal rested some of its first-team stars, it fielded a strong squad. Fleetwood will have to immediately shift its focus towards its match on Saturday against Bristol Rovers.
Fleetwood currently ranks eighteenth in the fourth division (League Two), which includes 24 teams, making it very close to the relegation zone, especially after achieving only one win in its last eight league matches.
“Football has become more, I don’t know how to describe it, maybe more cold and abstract,” Lawlor said. But in that moment, that feeling that we all have as football fans came back: Isn’t this the essence for which we live?
He added: “I wanted us to maintain this momentum, and make this feeling that we created here something that we can repeat regularly.”
Englishman Ivan Toney, the Saudi Al-Ahly and England national team striker, is facing trial on charges of assault causing actual bodily harm, in connection with an alleged incident inside a nightclub in central London in December 2025, after he renewed his denial of the charge before the Southwark Criminal Court, on Thursday, in a case whose sessions are expected to begin in conjunction with the holding of the 2028 European Nations Cup.
Tony, 30 years old, appeared in court, where he maintained his innocence, after previously denying the charge before Westminster District Court on October 1, and chose to refer the case to the Criminal Court. Judge Christopher Hare set June 12, 2028 as the initial date for the start of the trial, three days after the start of the European Championship hosted by the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
According to “The Athletic,” the session lasted about five minutes, and the judge expressed his regret at the long wait before the trial began, pointing to the great pressure facing British criminal courts and the backlog of cases for various reasons. Tony was released on unconditional bail following the hearing, while the trial is expected to last between three and four days.
The case dates back to December 6, 2025, when the alleged incident occurred inside the “100 Wardour Street” club in the Soho area in central London, during a confrontation between Tony and a man named Saber da Silva. Details received during a previous session included accusations that the player rushed towards the man and hit him in the head, before directing several punches at him. Tony asserts that he acted in self-defense, provided that the court decides the circumstances of the incident during the trial.
On July 31, the British authorities announced that the player had been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm, following an investigation conducted by the Metropolitan Police. The charge is still under judicial consideration, and no ruling has been issued on it.
On the international level, Tony participated with the England national team in the World Cup last summer, and played ten international matches during which he scored one goal. He also came on as a substitute in the final minutes of the match against Argentina in the semi-finals, according to what was reported. But he was absent from the last list chosen by coach Thomas Tuchel to participate in the European Nations League matches.
Tony began his career with Northampton Town, before moving to Newcastle United, and went through loan experiences with Barnsley, Shrewsbury Town, Scunthorpe United, and Wigan Athletic, then moved to Peterborough United, where his name emerged before joining Brentford in 2020. He scored 72 goals during his period with Brentford, which spanned four seasons, including three in the English Premier League.
In 2024, the English striker moved to Al-Ahly Saudi Arabia, in a move that took him to the Saudi Professional League. Since joining the team, he has scored 86 goals in 107 matches.
