Study shows Premier League clubs are failing disabled supporters

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has issued a September deadline to 13 clubs that are failing to meet minimum requirements for disabled facilities

The majority of Premier League clubs are still failing disabled supporters, according to a new study.

Analysis by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has revealed that only seven Premier League clubs are providing the minimum number of wheelchair spaces, and only the same number have larger, fully-equipped toilets, known as 'Changing Places', installed.

Seven clubs are also breaking the Premier League's own rules by not publishing access statements to give disabled fans essential information about their ground, a review by the EHRC has determined.

The findings were based on responses to questions put to all 20 Premier League clubs.

What is clear is that very few clubs are doing the minimum to meet the needs of disabled supporters.

EHRC chairman David Isaac

The clubs failing to meet the minimum requirements have been given a September deadline to publish a clear action plan and timetable for improvement, or face a statutory investigation by the EHRC.

Commission chairman David Isaac said: "The end of the season is fast approaching and time is running out for clubs.

"The information we received from some clubs was of an appalling standard, __with data missing and __with insufficient detail.

"What is clear is that very few clubs are doing the minimum to meet the needs of disabled supporters.

Only seven Premier League clubs provide minimum wheelchair spaces

"The Premier League itself does not escape blame. They need to make the concerns of disabled fans a priority and start enforcing their own rule book.

"We will be meeting individual clubs and asking them to explain themselves and tell us what their plans are."

The equality watchdog said it would be opening a call for evidence from the end of the season and speaking to disabled supporters' groups to find out their experiences.

Clare Lucas, activism manager for the learning disability charity Mencap, said: "For too long Premier League clubs have neglected the needs of their disabled fans, many of whom are forced to be changed on toilet floors, because clubs are yet to install proper changing places facilities. It is simply inexcusable."

In December, SSN HQ's Geraint Hughes spent a match day with Sam Elliott and his dad Pete in one of Brighton's dedicated areas for supporters with disabilities

A statement from the Premier League reads: "In September 2015, Premier League clubs unanimously agreed to improve their disabled access provisions by meeting the Accessible Stadia Guide (ASG) by August 2017.

"Clubs are working hard to improve their facilities and rapid progress has been made.

"Given the differing ages and nature of facilities, some clubs have faced significant built environment challenges. For those clubs, cost is not the determining factor.

"They have worked, and in some cases continue to work, through issues relating to planning, how to deal with new stadium development plans, how to best manage fan disruption or, where clubs don't own their own grounds, dealing with third parties.

"Clubs will continue to engage with their disabled fans and enhance their provisions in the coming months, years and beyond."

Luis Enrique left to bemoan Barcelona's woeful first-half display at Juventus

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique could end his final season trophyless

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique admits he will struggle to forget their first-half performance against Juventus in the Champions League semi-final first leg.

Paulo Dybala's double and a Giorgio Chiellini header in Turin left Barca __with a near-impossible task and despite firing plenty of shots at Gianluigi Buffon's goal at the Nou Camp on Wednesday, the second leg ended goalless.

"I will remember what happened in the first half in the Juventus Stadium for a very long time," Luis Enrique told reporters.

"Our participation in this tournament this season has been unforgettable but we had a very poor first half in Turin and that has cost us dear.

"We tried __with all our might, but we couldn't find the route to goal. We played a very poor first half in Turin and that has cost us dearly."

Gianluigi Buffon celebrates the goalless draw at the Nou Camp

Barca rattled up 19 shots at goal on Wednesday but only managed to test Buffon once as talisman Lionel Messi sent four shots off target.

Neymar, Andres Iniesta and Sergi Roberto hurried attempts to beat the experienced Italian goalkeeper which proved futile.

"We needed to be more calm and more lucid. We tried to do everything," added Luis Enrique, who will leave the club at the end of the season after three years in charge.

Lionel Messi battles for the ball with Sami Khedira

"We had a lot of shots on goal but only had one on target. We had a great attitude and made a huge effort so it's a shame," he added.

"We leave this game feeling sad but we can't blame anyone. We tried everything until the end and kept fighting to create chances but none of them went in.

"I'm annoyed we couldn't win the game because we tried with all our strength but we couldn't find the path to their goal."

Monaco won't change approach for Champions League semi-final, says Leonardo Jardim

Leonardo Jardim insists his side will attack in semi-final

Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim insists his side will continue to play on the front foot after beating Borussia Dortmund to reach the Champions League semi-finals.

The principality side beat Dortmund 3-1 in the quarter-final second leg to secure a 6-3 aggregate win as they scored at least three goals for the fifth consecutive time in Europe's premium club competition.

"It could have been 5-3 or 6-3 because both teams missed several chances," the Jardim told a news conference.

The Ligue 1 leaders, the first team in the Champions League to reach the last four after going through two preliminary rounds, had the game almost wrapped up after early goals by youngster Kylian Mbappe and Colombian striker Radamel Falcao.

"We knew that they give a lot of space and we took advantage from it," Jardim said. "Now, regardless of who we will take on next, we will be facing a very experienced team."

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Monaco, however, will not change their approach ahead of a possible semi-final against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid or Juventus.

"Tonight we played a very solid game, we were in control but we showed ambition. We were always looking for the extra goal, that is the way we play, it is in our DNA," Jardim said.

"Our rivals will want to draw us (on Friday) but our ambition is to enjoy it and play __with our attacking qualities like we always do."

Monaco next take on Lyon in Ligue 1 on Sunday as they look to stay three points ahead of champions Paris St-Germain.

Premier League clubs' see revenues reach record high but make a loss overall

Manchester City's Champions League progress helped contribute to Premier League clubs’ revenue growth

Premier League clubs saw revenues rise to a record £3.6bn in 2015-16, according to Deloitte, but posted pre-tax losses overall.

The revenues generated represent a £0.2bn increase from 2014-15 (£3.4bn), the business advisory firm states, __with Manchester United and Manchester City responsible for more than half of the rise.

United's revenue grew to £515m, which saw them top the Deloitte Football Money League for the first time since 2003-04 as the world's highest revenue-generating club.

The 20 English top-flight clubs' combined operating profits (excluding player transfers, net interest charges and the value of player contracts) remain at £0.5bn after wage costs increased by 12% to £2.3bn.

But after two consecutive seasons of pre-tax profits, the clubs were back in the red __with pre-tax losses of £110m.

Manchester United's revenue grew to £515m in 2015-16

Dan Jones, partner and head of the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: "Our analysis reveals a return to pre-tax losses, following two consecutive years of pre-tax profits.

"However, it is worth noting that this is due to a small number of one-off 'exceptional' costs, and we fully expect that the Premier League's new three-year broadcast rights deal will see a return to record levels of profitability in the 2016/17 season."

Manchester United bottom of Premier League for distance covered

Manchester United are bottom of the Premier League for distance covered but face one of the most tireless teams in Burnley this Sunday.

United have hit form __with back-to-back league wins and extended their unbeaten run to 22 games after a 2-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday.

But Jose Mourinho's men only cover a league-low 106km per game on average and face the league's fifth-most agile team in Burnley, live on Sky Sports this Sunday, __with the Clarets running an impressive 113.7km per game

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Burnley have run 462km more than the Red Devils this term - the same distance as Burnley to London, albeit having played two more games.

When it comes to individual players, United defender Eric Bailly covers the least distance of any outfield Premier League player to have played more than 90 minutes this season, with 7.99km per game.

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly covers 7.99 km per 90 minutes on average

A host of his team-mates are among the league's least mobile players, including Phil Jones (8.89km), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (8.95km), Anthony Martial (9.16km) and Chris Smalling (9.21km).

Burnley's James Tarkowski tops the two teams with 15.16km per game, followed by team-mates Michael Knightly (13.06km), Ashley Westwood (12.80km) and George Boyd (11.57km).

For United, Jesse Lingard (12.04km), Juan Mata (11.97km) and Marouane Fellaini (11.71km) cover the greatest distance.

Liverpool cover the most distance per game with 116.9km, followed by Manchester City (115.0km), West Brom (114.4km) and Tottenham (114.1km).

Avg distance covered per game (km)

Club	Avg distance per game
Liverpool	116.9
Manchester City	115.0
West Bromwich Albion	114.4
Tottenham Hotspur	114.1
Burnley	113.7
Middlesbrough	113.4
Bournemouth	113.4
Chelsea	113.1
Swansea City	111.9
Hull City	111.6
Arsenal	110.7
West Ham United	109.5
Everton	109.2
Southampton	109.0
Stoke City	108.7
Leicester City	108.6
Watford	107.8
Sunderland	107.2
Crystal Palace	106.6
Manchester United	106.1

Of players that have played more than 500 minutes, Bournemouth's Dan Gosling tops the league with a lung-busting 13.22km per game on average, followed by Liverpool's Adam Lallana on 12.24km per game.

Swansea's Gylfi Sigurdsson has run the farthest of players playing more than 3,000 Premier League minutes this season, covering 376km in total - that's the equivalent of nine marathons.

Swansea City's Gylfi Sigurdsson has run the equivalent of nine marathons in the Premier League this season

Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen is the league's second-top runner on 370km, followed by N'Golo Kante (361km), Sam Clucas (360km) and James Milner (356km).

SPEED DEMONS

Perhaps surprisingly, Southampton striker Shane Long is the Premier League's fastest player this season, hitting 35.31km/h against Watford in August.

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford is the runner-up on 35.21km/h, followed by Matt Phillips (35.20km/h), Lynden Gooch, Brad Smith (both 35.19km/h) and Kyle Walker (35.18km/h).

Only Southampton's Shane Long has hit a faster top speed than Manchester United's Marcus Rashford in the Premier League this season

Rashford's pace rattled Chelsea during United's win at Old Trafford on Sunday and could be deployed against the Clarets this weekend. But Burnley have their own speedy striker in Andre Gray, who has a top speed of 34.87km/h.

Interestingly, Middlesbrough speed merchant Adama Traore has only matched veteran United midfielder Ashley Young on 34.97km/h.

Ivan Rakitic wants Barcelona to beat Real Madrid for suspended Neymar

Ivan Rakitic wants Barcelona to win Sunday's El Clasico __with Real Madrid for the suspended Neymar

Ivan Rakitic says Barcelona want to win Sunday's clash __with Real Madrid for Neymar, who misses El Clasico through suspension.

Barcelona will travel to the Santiago Bernabeu for El Clasico, which is live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm on Sunday, without Neymar, who serves the second game of a three-match suspension for sarcastically applauding his red card against Malaga.

While the Brazilian will be a huge miss for Barca, Rakitic says Luis Enrique's side are confident winning without him.

"I don't think it needs repeating that he is an important player," Rakitic told La Liga World.

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"That [Neymar's suspension] is not good is so, but it is what it is. We need to understand the situation and push on.

"In the past we have already shown that we can also win when Neymar isn't playing. Of course, it would be much better to have him with us, because he is one of the two or three best players in the world.

"We have a lot of confidence and we have a very strong team. We want to show Neymar that when he is not with us we can still do it, and hopefully we can take a victory for him."

Neymar sees red against Malaga

Barcelona go into Sunday's hotly-anticipated match three points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid having played a game more, but victory for the visitors would certainly reignite the title race.

Last season, Barca claimed and emphatic 4-0 victory over Real at the Bernabeu thanks to goals from Luis Suarez, Neymar and Andres Iniesta, and Rakitic says they will be going all out for victory again.

Luis Suarez scored twice in Barca's 4-0 win at the Bernabeu last season

"Knowing the situation we are in, we go to Madrid wanting to win that game," Rakitic added.

"We need it and we go there with a lot of confidence. In the last few years the games there have been very good and we want to repeat that this year."

Rakitic says Barcelona will go all out for victory against Real Madrid

However, Barcelona's form this season has not quite lived up to the heights of previous seasons, and head coach Enrique has announced that he will not be in charge at the Nou Camp next season.

Despite the difficulties they've faced this season, Rakitic has urged his side to forget the past and look forward as they look to finish the season strongly.

"Of course the season could have been better," he said. "We have dropped points where maybe we shouldn't have, but that's football.

Ahead of the El Clasico Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher discuss what it takes to win a match of this magnitude

"Sometimes big things happen to you because of small details. Now we have to pick ourselves up and look forward. What has happened is already behind us and the important thing is to improve together, in the way we always do."

Watch Real Madrid v Barcelona live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm on Sunday.

Juventus hold fear factor after beating Barcelona, says Leonardo Bonucci

Leonardo Bonucci celebrates Juventus' aggregate win over Barcelona

Leonardo Bonucci believes no team will want to face Juventus in the Champions League semi-finals after they knocked out Barcelona on Wednesday.

Juve followed up last week's comprehensive 3-0 beating in Turin by holding the Catalans to a goalless draw at the Nou Camp to reach the last four for a 12th time.

"It's not about who we don't want to face because none of the other teams want to face us," Bonucci told reporters after helping shut out Barca's usually prolific attack for a second game running.

Lionel Messi missed two good chances for Barcelona at the Nou Camp

"Juventus provoke fear in everyone else and now our objective is to reach the final.

"We showed great unity and solidarity. We have belief in ourselves, because scoring three goals against Barcelona and keeping a clean sheet at the Nou Camp shows we are a great team. Now there are another two steps to go.

"This side deserves praise for how we approach every game, whether we're playing Barcelona or Pescara," added the Italy defender, whose side have conceded two goals in 10 games in the Champions League this campaign.

"This is another step for our growth and now every opponent will worry about facing Juventus."

Juve have monopolised their domestic league since 2011-12 and are on course for a sixth consecutive Serie A crown this season although they have a comparatively poor record in continental competitions, winning Europe's biggest prize twice, in 1985 and 1996.

Gianluigi Buffon consoles Lionel Messi during the game against Barcelona

Gianluigi Buffon hopes the comprehensive win over five-times European champions Barcelona is a sign his side are ready to take the next step.

"We started growing a few years ago and we need to continue on it," added the goalkeeper.

"It can't just stop or plateau after this victory. It's down to us now, our destiny is in our own hands. When it comes down to who wins the trophy, fate has a hand in that too."

Juventus are now in the last four for the second time in three years under coach Massimiliano Allegri.

However, he believes they are far more equipped to win the Champions League for a third time than when they lost to Barca in the final two years ago.

"The self-belief of the team has grown a lot," said Allegri. "There are only two players who started tonight who started the final in Berlin.

"That says a lot of how well the club has recruited. We are desperate to go as far as we can and achieve something extraordinary."