data-mm-id=”_moxwsfwyg”>America is a little on edge right now. So you can understand why people might wonder what's up with Clemson coach Dabo Swinney wearing a shirt that says "FOOTBALL MATTERS" right now. It was probably nothing, but the fact that people saw it and wondered if it was something, well, it might matter.It appears the tweet was deleted. Here you go. pic.twitter.com/wwcuEWZ8dh— Elika Sadeghi (@elikasadeghi) June 6, 2020Football Matters is not a new thought for Swinney who said it multiple times in a speech at the South Carolina State House in 2017. Still, when a picture of Swinney wearing the shirt appeared online in June 2020, enough people wondered why that Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence jumped to Swinney's defense, saying he'd been wearing the shirt for months. Coach Swinney’s shirt, in any way, is not mocking the Black Lives Matter movement. He has been wearing the shirt for months in meetings.— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) June 7, 2020Football Matters is an National Football Foundation organization with an official tire sponsor. There is a Football Matters Twitter that has been active since January 2018. In April, while promoting the NFL Draft, Roger Goodell wore a Football Matters shirt in an interview with CBS This Morning. Last night, @NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hosted the first ever virtual #NFLDraft from his basement. @nflcommish joins us to talk about how he’s planning for the fall, and the possibility of games without fans. pic.twitter.com/WLIlv3DfkG— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) April 24, 2020So, what's up with that? Would the NFL really be so brazen in dismissing Black Lives Matter and potentially antagonize the majority of their players? Is it just a coincidence? It's not like this t-shirt, which is blatantly, 100% parodying Black Lives Matter.When Black Lives Matter began in 2013, no one received a patent on things mattering. It's reasonable to believe that the NFF would have come up with this exact campaign under other circumstances. There are enough people saying the sport is too dangerous to exist that it would warrant those who love it to proclaim that football does matter.And this is where football people could simply weigh pros and cons. What does Dabo Swinney lose by no longer wearing that t-shirt? What does anyone lose by changing some branding on something that the general public isn't even familiar with? You can set up a new site called I Love Football or Football Rules or something else which is just as generic, but doesn't make people stop and wonder.Maybe in retrospect, at this point in history, with so many in the world fighting for the rights of black people, maybe they should have left this title on the drawing board. There are other ways to say how important football is without people wondering if the person wearing the shirt is making fun of something that actually means something to so many people. The league showed a new willingness to change and listen this week. The next step is actually doing something. They can go right for the big one – changing the name of that team in Washington – or they can start smaller by distancing themselves from things that could misconstrued. They can start with getting rid of an old t-shirt.
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On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a Thursday flutter, we have found a pair of helpful tips which can offer a great return for your midweek flutter.
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Marking their return from the international break with a thumping display as they punched their FA Cup Round of 16 ticket, Shandong have continued to shine on either side of June’s fortnight break. Eventually breezing their way to a stellar 6-1 romp away at Dongguan Guanlian last week, Thursday’s hosts are riding what has been a remarkable wave of momentum
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Morocco have been one of the surprise packages of the World Cup in Qatar, with the Atlas Lions shocking Belgium on their way to winning Group F, which also included 2018 runners-up Croatia.
Regragui has done an impressive job since taking over in August, with an own goal against Canada in the group stage the only time his side have conceded during his tenure.
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Liverpool selected their youngest-ever side for the EFL Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa on Tuesday.
The average age of the starting line-up at Villa Park was 19 years and 182 days, with Pedro Chirivella the oldest member of the team at 22.
Liverpool are playing two matches within the space of 24 hours, with manager Jurgen Klopp and the club s senior players in Qatar for the Club World Cup.
6 Liverpool have won each of their last six visits to Aston Villa in all competitions, all coming in the Premier League between December 2011 and November this season. Fearless.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
Klopp s side play a semi-final against Mexican side Monterrey on Wednesday, with the team for the fixture against Villa coming under the eye of Liverpo…
Didier Deschamps insisted he and his future are not the most important thing as he vowed to make France even happier after Sunday s World Cup final against Argentina.
The reigning world champions produced another ruthless performance to down Morocco 2-0 after goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani in Wednesday s semi-final clash at Al Bayt Stadium.
Argentina await as France bid to become just the third side to retain their global crown, with the Lusail Stadium showpiece signalling a likely end for Albiceleste captain Lionel Messi and potentially also for Bleus coach Deschamps.
Zinedine Zidane has long been suggested as the successor to Deschamps, whose contract expires after the tournament, but the focus remains for now on success in Qatar.
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With the likes of AC Milan also opening the new Serie A campaign, we have found a pair of intriguing tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.
19:45 Bologna vs AC Milan
While AC Milan might have gained a string of plaudits last season as they reached the Champions League semi-finals, Monday’s guests failed to find much domestic stability on either side of the World Cup’s winter break. However, eventually clinching what was a crucial top-four ticket, the Rossoneri will be hoping to open the 2023/24 campaign with an early statement here.
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Mohamed Salah is relishing the prospect of facing Real Madrid after they were confirmed as Liverpool s opponents in the Champions League final.
After Liverpool s dramatic second-leg win over Villarreal carried the Reds through to the May 28 trophy match in Paris, Madrid s taste for the epic was exhibited on Wednesday, scoring two goals in injury time and a third in extra time to eliminate Manchester City.
The 29-year-old Salah reacted on Twitter after Madrid s win, affirming that he and Liverpool have a score to settle .
He has now gone further to suggest everyone at Liverpool wanted to face Los Blancos more than their fierce Premier League rivals at the Stade de France.
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Diego Costa was hailed by Diego Simeone as a fighter who still has a future in football as the striker s Atletico Madrid career came to an end on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old former Spain international has been a fringe member of the Atletico side this season, making just seven LaLiga appearances and scoring twice.
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Costa asked to leave Atletico, citing personal reasons, and has been linked with a return to the Premier League, having previously played in England with Chelsea.
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