A crazy prelude to the match of the 3rd round of the FA Cup between the two most hated rivals from the north of England, Sunderland and Newcastle (Saturday, 3.45 PM EAT). The away fans pulled off an expensive but original prank, humiliating Sunderland and drawing the ire of its supporters at the club’s management.What actually happened? Within its Stadium of Light, Sunderland hold a “Black Cats” bar, which aims for fans to warm up before the game. It is actually a kind of VIP box, from the bar, you can also watch the game. Around 700 Newcastle fans splashed out huge sums of money (a single ticket costs £600) to rent the entire venue to themselves.They were left alone in it on Friday, which they used to change its decor completely. They ‘repainted’ it from red and white to black and white (the colors of Newcastle), and hung numerous slogans of their club. Photos of the bar quickly went viral.Almost 8 years in the waiting… One of the FIERCEST rivalries in England is BACK! 😤⚔️The Tyne-Wear derby returns to the Stadium of Light on Saturday as Sunderland host Newcastle. 🔴⚪️⚫️ pic.twitter.com/yPkd7ulWgk— The Aftermatch ⚽️ (@aftermatchftbl) January 4, 2024 It was a huge slap in the face for Sunderland, which has languished in lower-class football for years, while its hated rival played in the Champions League this season. Fans can still forgive bad results, but this kind of humiliation – hardly.We are talking about a club with a huge tradition. In 2007, former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley was ejected from the Stadium of Light for wearing a black and white striped outfit. There used to be order in Sunderland…Now, the majority owner of the Black Cats is the Swiss-French businessman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, a foreigner, an ‘outsider’ who cannot fully understand the hatred between the clubs of two cities twenty kilometers apart. He’s a profit-seeking man, yet the originality of Newcastle fans has earned him £420,000…This is why I questioned, whether Kyril knows what it means to us 🥲 he doesn’t get us ..or the region in fact at all .. 💰🤑💴 https://t.co/7W9oM7Vy3h pic.twitter.com/2B9xNzmpMC— Joanne Youngson (@JoanneYougson) January 4, 2024 FA CUP1/32 FINALSThursdayCrystal Palace – Everton 0-0FridayBrentford – Wolverhampton 1-1 (1-0)/Maupay 41 – Doyle 64/Fulham – Rotherham 1-0 (1-0)/De Cordova-Reid 24/Tottenham – Burnley 1-0 (0-0)/Porro 79/Saturday15:30: (1.58) Coventry (4.00) Oxford (5.90)15:30: (5.50) Wimbledon (3.90) Ipswich (1.63)15:30: (6.50) Maidstone Utd (4.10) Stevenage (1.53)15:30: (3.90) Millwall (3.50) Leicester (1.95)15:45: (4.90) Sunderland (3.60) Newcastle (1.75)18:00: (1.53) Watford (4.30) Chesterfield (6.00)18:00: (1.30) Southampton (5.80) Walsall (9.00)18:00: (1.75) Newport (3.80) Eastleigh (4.60)18:00: (1.45) Blackburn (4.50) Cambridge (7.00)18:00: (1.30) Plymouth (5.90) Sutton United (9.00)18:00: (6.25) Stoke (4.20) Brighton (1.53)18:00: (1.80) Hull (3.60) Birmingham (4.60)18:00: (7.00) QPR (4.50) Bournemouth (1.45)18:00: (6.00) Gillingham (3.90) Sheffield Utd (1.60)18:00: (1.58) Norwich (4.00) Bristol Rovers (5.90)20:30: (2.40) Sheffield W. (3.30) Cardiff (3.00)20:30: (1.20) Chelsea (6.75) Preston (14.0)20:30: (5.90) Middlesbrough (4.00) Aston Villa (1.58)20:30: (1.40) Swansea (4.80) Morecambe (7.75)Sunday17:00: (3.50) Shrewsbury (3.45) Wrexham (2.10)17:00: (1.42) West Ham (4.50) Bristol City (7.75)17:00: (1.30) WBA (5.90) Aldershot (9.00)17:00: (5.40) Peterborough (3.80) Leeds (1.65)17:00: (1.73) Luton (3.60) Bolton (5.10)17:00: (1.05) Man.City (14.0) Huddersfield (35.0)17:00: (1.38) Nott.Forest (4.80) Blackpool (8.50)19:30: (2.05) Arsenal (3.50) Liverpool (3.50)Monday23:15: (9.50) Wigan (5.70) Man.Utd. (1.25)***odds are subject to change***
