Stan Kirsch

Stanley Benjamin Kirsch (July 15, 1968 – January 11, 2020)[1] was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and acting coach.
Biography
Kirsch was born in New York City, New York. He began acting as a young child. His first acting job was at the age of 4 when he appeared in some Campbell's soup television commercials. Kirsch appeared in the short-lived Saturday morning TV series Riders in the Sky and on the soap opera General Hospital in 1992. He has made guest appearances in some TV shows including JAG, Family Law, and Friends.[2]

His most notable role began in 1992 on Highlander: The Series as Richie Ryan. He left the show as a regular cast member in the fifth season finale in 1997, but he made one last guest appearance in the series finale episode.[citation needed]

Kirsch made his debut as director and producer with the film Straight Eye: The Movie in 2004. In 2008, he founded his own acting studio called Stan Kirsch Studios.[3]

On January 11, 2020, 51-year-old Kirsch was found dead in his Los Angeles home.[4][5]

Selected filmography
Film
(1998) Shark in a Bottle
(1998) Reason Thirteen (short)
(2000) The Flunky
(2004) Shallow Ground
(2004) Straight Eye: The Movie (actor, writer, director)
(2005) Deep Rescue
Television
(1991) Riders in the Sky
(1992–1997) Highlander: The Series
(1992) CBS Schoolbreak Special
(1992) The Streets of Beverly Hills (pilot)
(1995) ABC Afterschool Special
(1995) Friends
(1996, 2001) JAG
(1996) Home Song
(1998) The Sky's On Fire
(1999) Love Boat: The Next Wave
(2000) Family Law
(2002) First Monday

Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham (/ˈtɒtənəm/)[2][3] or Spurs, is an English professional football club in Tottenham, London, that competes in the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been the club's home ground since April 2019, replacing their former home of White Hart Lane, which had been demolished to make way for the new stadium on the same site. Their training ground is on Hotspur Way in Bulls Cross in the London Borough of Enfield. The club is owned by ENIC Group. Tottenham have played in a first (home) strip of white shirts and navy blue shorts since the 1898–99 season. The club's emblem is a cockerel standing upon a football, with a Latin motto Audere est Facere ("To Dare Is to Do").

Founded in 1882, Tottenham won the FA Cup for the first time in 1901, the only non-League club to do so since the formation of the Football League in 1888. Tottenham were the first club in the 20th century to achieve the League and FA Cup Double, winning both competitions in the 1960–61 season. After successfully defending the FA Cup in 1962, in 1963 they became the first British club to win a UEFA club competition – the European Cup Winners' Cup.[4] They were also the inaugural winners of the UEFA Cup in 1972, becoming the first British club to win two different major European trophies. They have collected at least one major trophy in each of the six decades from the 1950s to 2000s – an achievement only matched by Manchester United.[5][6] In total, Spurs have won two league titles, eight FA Cups, four League Cups, seven FA Community Shields, one European Cup Winners' Cup and two UEFA Cups. Tottenham were also the runners-up of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League competition. The club has a long-standing rivalry with nearby club Arsenal, with head-to-head fixtures known as the North London derby.
Originally named Hotspur Football Club, the club was formed on 5 September 1882 by a group of schoolboys led by Bobby Buckle. They were members of the Hotspur Cricket Club and the football club was formed to play sports during the winter months.[7] A year later the boys sought help with the club from John Ripsher, the Bible class teacher at All Hallows Church, who became the first president of the club and its treasurer. Ripsher helped and supported the boys through the club's formative years, reorganised and found premises for the club.[8][9][10] In April 1884 the club was renamed "Tottenham Hotspur Football Club" to avoid confusion with another London club named Hotspur, whose post had been mistakenly delivered to North London.[11][12] Nicknames for the club include "Spurs" and "the Lilywhites".[13]

Initially, the boys played games between themselves and friendly matches against other local clubs. The first recorded match took place on 30 September 1882 against a local team named the Radicals, which Hotspur lost 2–0.[14] The team entered their first cup competition in the London Association Cup, and won 5–2 in their first competitive match on 17 October 1885 against a company's works team called St Albans.[15] The club's fixtures began to attract the interest of the local community and attendances at its home matches increased. In 1892, they played for the first time in a league, the short-lived Southern Alliance
The club turned professional on 20 December 1895 and, in the summer of 1896, was admitted to Division One of the Southern League. On 2 March 1898, the club also became a limited company, the Tottenham Hotspur Football and Athletic Company.[16] Soon after, Frank Brettell became the first ever manager of Spurs, and he signed John Cameron, who took over as player-manager when Brettell left a year later. Cameron would have a significant impact on Spurs, helping the club win its first trophy, the Southern League title in the 1899–1900 season.[17] The following year Spurs won the 1901 FA Cup by beating Sheffield United 3–1 in a replay of the final, after the first game ended in a 2–2 draw. In doing so they became the only non-League club to achieve the feat since the formation of The Football League in 1888.[18]

Early decades in the Football League (1908–1958)
In 1908, the club was elected into the Football League Second Division and won promotion to the First Division in their first season, and finished runners-up in their first year in the league. In 1912, Peter McWilliam became manager; Tottenham finished bottom of the league at the end of the 1914–15 season when football was suspended due to the First World War. Spurs were relegated to the Second Division on the resumption of league football after the war, but quickly returned to the First Division as Second Division champions of the 1919–20 season
On 23 April 1921, McWilliam guided Spurs to their second FA Cup win, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 in the Cup Final. Spurs finished second to Liverpool in the league in 1922, but would finish mid-table in the next five seasons. Spurs were relegated in the 1927–28 season after McWilliam left. For most of the 1930s and 40s, Spurs languished in the Second Division, apart from a brief return to the top flight in the 1933–34 and 1934–35 seasons.[20]

Former Spurs player Arthur Rowe became manager in 1949. Rowe developed a style of play, known as "push and run", that proved to be successful in his early years as manager. He took the team back to the First Division after finishing top of the Second Division in the 1949–50 season.[21] In his second season in charge, Tottenham won their first ever top tier league championship title when they finished top of the First Division for the 1950–51 season.[22][23] Rowe resigned in April 1955 due to a stress-induced illness from managing the club.[24][25] Before he left, he signed one of Spurs' most celebrated players, Danny Blanchflower, who won the FWA Footballer of the Year twice while at Tottenham.[26]

Bill Nicholson and the glory years (1958–1974)
Bill Nicholson took over as manager in October 1958. He would become the club's most successful manager, guiding the team to major trophy success three seasons in a row in the early 1960s: the Double in 1961, the FA Cup in 1962 and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.[27] Nicholson signed Dave Mackay and John White in 1959, two influential players of the Double-winning team, and Jimmy Greaves in 1961, the most prolific goal-scorer in the history of the top tier of English football.[28][29]

The 1960–61 season started with a run of 11 wins, followed by a draw and another four wins, at that time the best ever start by any club in the top flight of English football.[30] The title was won on 17 April 1961 when they beat the eventual runner-up Sheffield Wednesday at home 2–1, with three more games still to play.[31] The Double was achieved when Spurs won 2–0 against Leicester City in the final of the 1960–61 FA Cup. It was the first Double of the 20th century, and the first since Aston Villa achieved the feat in 1897.[32] The next year Spurs won their second consecutive FA Cup after beating Burnley in the 1962 FA Cup Final.[33]

On 15 May 1963, Tottenham became the first British team to win a European trophy by winning the 1962–63 European Cup Winners' Cup when they beat Atlético Madrid 5–1 in the final.[34] Spurs also became the first British team to win two different European trophies when they won the 1971–72 UEFA Cup with a rebuilt team that included Martin Chivers, Pat Jennings, and Steve Perryman.[35] They had also won the FA Cup in 1967,[36] and two League Cups (in 1971 and 1973). In total, Nicholson won eight major trophies in his 16 years at the club as manager.[27]

Burkinshaw to Venables (1974–1992)
Spurs went into a period of decline after the successes of the early 1970s, and Nicholson resigned after a poor start to the 1974–75 season.[37] The team was then relegated at the end of the 1976–77 season with Keith Burkinshaw as manager. Burkinshaw quickly returned the club to the top flight, building a team that included Glenn Hoddle, as well as two Argentinians, Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa, whose signings were particularly uncommon in British football as foreign players from outside the British Isles were rare at that time.[38] The team that Burkinshaw rebuilt went on to win the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982[39] and the UEFA Cup in 1984.[40]

The 1980s was a period of change that began with a new phase of redevelopment at White Hart Lane, as well as a change of directors. Irving Scholar took over the club and moved it in a more commercial direction, the beginning of the transformation of English football clubs into commercial enterprises.[41][42] Debt at the club would again lead to a change in the boardroom, and Terry Venables teamed up with businessman Alan Sugar in June 1991 to take control of Tottenham Hotspur plc.[43][44][45] Venables, who had become manager in 1987, signed players such as Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker. Under Venables, Spurs won the 1990–91 FA Cup, making them the first club to win eight FA Cups.[46]

Premier League football (1992–present)
ottenham was one of the five clubs that pushed for the founding of the Premier League, created with the approval of The Football Association, replacing the Football League First Division as the highest division of English football.[47] Despite a succession of managers and players such as Teddy Sheringham, Jürgen Klinsmann and David Ginola, for a long period in the Premier League until the late 2000s, Spurs finished mid-table most seasons with few trophies won. They won the League Cup in 1999 under George Graham, and again in 2008 under Juande Ramos. Performance improved under Harry Redknapp with players such as Gareth Bale and Luka Modrić, and the club finished in the top five in the early 2010s.[48][49]

In February 2001, Sugar sold his share holding in Spurs to ENIC Sports plc, run by Joe Lewis and Daniel Levy, and stepped down as chairman.[50] Lewis and Levy would eventually own 85% of the club, with Levy responsible for the running of the club.[51][52] They appointed Mauricio Pochettino as head coach, who was in the role between 2014 and 2019.[53] Spurs finished second in the 2016–17 season, their highest placed league finish since the 1962–63 season.[54] In the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, Tottenham beat Manchester City and Ajax to advance to their first ever UEFA Champions League final, becoming the third club in London to reach a UEFA Champions League Final.[55] However, Tottenham lost the final against fellow English side Liverpool by a scoreline of 0–2.[56] Pochettino was subsequently sacked after a poor start to the 2019-20 season and was replaced by José Mourinho.[57]

Stadia/playing grounds
Early grounds
Spurs played their early matches on public land at the Park Lane end of Tottenham Marshes, where they had to mark out and prepare their own pitch.[7] Occasionally fights broke out on the marshes in disputes with other teams over the use of the ground.[58] The first Spurs game reported by the local press took place on Tottenham Marshes on 6 October 1883 against Brownlow Rovers, which Spurs won 9–0.[59] It was at this ground that, in 1887, Spurs first played the team that would later become their arch rivals, Arsenal (then known as Royal Arsenal), leading 2–1 until the match was called off due to poor light after the away team arrived late.[60]
As they played on public parkland, the club could not charge admission fees and, while the number of spectators grew to a few thousand, it yielded no gate receipts. In 1888, the club rented a pitch at Asplins Farm, next to the railway line at Northumberland Park, at a cost of £17 per annum, where spectators were charged 3d a game, raised to 6d for cup ties.[61] The first game at the Park was played on 13 October 1888, a reserve match that yielded gate receipts of 17 shillings. The first stand with just over 100 seats and changing rooms underneath was built at the ground for the 1894–95 season at a cost of £60. However, the stand was blown down a few weeks later and had to be repaired.[62] In April 1898, 14,000 fans turned up to watch Spurs play Woolwich Arsenal. Spectators climbed on the roof of the refreshment stand for a better view of the match. The stand collapsed, causing a few injuries. As Northumberland Park could no longer cope with the larger crowds, Spurs were forced to look for a larger ground and moved to the White Hart Lane site in 1899.[63]

White Hart Lane
The White Hart Lane ground was built on a disused plant nursery owned by the brewery Charringtons and located behind a public house named the White Hart on Tottenham High Road (the road White Hart Lane actually lies a few hundred yards north of the main entrance). The ground was initially leased from Charringtons, and the stands they used at Northumberland Park were moved here, giving shelter for 2,500 spectators.[64] Notts County were the first visitors to 'the Lane' in a friendly watched by 5,000 people and yielding £115 in receipts; Spurs won 4–1.[65] Queens Park Rangers became the first competitive visitors to the ground and 11,000 people saw them lose 1–0 to Tottenham. In 1905, Tottenham raised enough money to buy the freehold to the land, as well as land at the northern (Paxton Road) end.
After Spurs were admitted to the Football League, the club started to build a new stadium, with stands designed by Archibald Leitch being constructed over the next two and a half decades. The West Stand was added in 1909, the East Stand was also covered this year and extended further two years later. The profits from the 1921 FA Cup win were used to build a covered terrace at the Paxton Road end and the Park Lane end was built at a cost of over £3,000 some two years later. This increased the stadium's capacity to around 58,000, with room for 40,000 under cover. The East Stand (Worcester Avenue) was finished in 1934 and this increased capacity to around 80,000 spectators and cost £60,000
Starting in the early 1980s, the stadium underwent another major phase of redevelopment. The West Stand was replaced by an expensive new structure in 1982, and the East Stand was renovated in 1988. In 1992, following the Taylor Report's recommendation that Premier League clubs eliminate standing areas, the lower terraces of the south and east stand were converted to seating, with the North Stand becoming all-seater the following season. The South Stand redevelopment was completed in March 1995 and included the first giant Sony Jumbotron TV screen for live game coverage and away match screenings.[66] In the 1997–98 season the Paxton Road stand received a new upper tier and a second Jumbotron screen.[66] Minor amendments to the seating configuration were made in 2006, bringing the capacity of the stadium to 36,310.[64]

By the turn of the millennium, the capacity of White Hart Lane had become lower than other major Premier League clubs. Talks began over the future of the ground with a number of schemes considered, such as increasing the stadium capacity through redevelopment of the current site, or using of the 2012 London Olympic Stadium in Stratford.[67][68] Eventually the club settled on the Northumberland Development Project, whereby a new stadium would be built on a larger piece of land that incorporated the existing site. In 2016, the northeast corner of the stadium was removed to facilitate the construction of the new stadium. As this reduced the stadium capacity below that required for European games, Tottenham Hotspur played every European home game in 2016–17 at Wembley Stadium.[69] Domestic fixtures of the 2016–17 season continued to be played at the Lane, but demolition of the rest of the stadium started the day after the last game of the season,[70] and White Hart Lane was completely demolished by the end of July 2017.[71]

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
In October 2008, the club announced a plan to build a new stadium immediately to the north of the existing White Hart Lane stadium, with the southern half of the new stadium's pitch overlapping the northern part of the Lane.[72] This proposal would become the Northumberland Development Project. The club submitted a planning application in October 2009 but, following critical reactions to the plan, it was withdrawn in favour of a substantially revised planning application for the stadium and other associated developments. The new plan was resubmitted and approved by Haringey Council in September 2010,[73] and an agreement for the Northumberland Development Project was signed on 20 September 2011.[74]
After a long delay over the compulsory purchase order of local businesses located on land to the north of the stadium and a legal challenge against the order,[75][76] resolved in early 2015,[77] planning application for another new design was approved by Haringey Council on 17 December 2015.[78] Construction started in 2016,[79] and the new stadium was scheduled to open during the 2018–19 season.[80][81] While it was under construction, all Tottenham home games in the 2017–18 season as well as all but five in 2018–19 were played at Wembley Stadium.[82] After two successful test events, Tottenham Hotspur officially moved into the new ground on 3 April 2019[83] with a Premier League match against Crystal Palace which Spurs won 2–0.[84] The new stadium is called Tottenham Hotspur Stadium while a naming-rights agreement is reached.[85]

Training grounds
An early training ground used by Tottenham was located at Brookfield Lane in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. The club bought the 11-acre ground used by Cheshunt F.C. in 1952 for £35,000.[86][87] It had three pitches, including a small stadium with a small stand used for matches by the junior team.[88] The ground was later sold for over 4 million,[89] and the club moved the training ground to the Spurs Lodge on Luxborough Lane, Chigwell in Essex, opened in September 1996 by Tony Blair.[90] The training ground and press centre in Chigwell were used until 2014.[91]

In 2007, Tottenham bought a site at Bulls Cross in Enfield, a few miles south of their former ground in Cheshunt. A new training ground was constructed at the site for £45 million, which opened in 2012.[92] The 77-acre site has 15 grass pitches and one-and-a-half artificial pitches, as well as a covered artificial pitch in the main building.[93][94] The main building on Hotspur Way also has hydrotherapy and swimming pools, gyms, medical facilities, dining and rest areas for players as well as classrooms for academy and schoolboy players. A 45-bedroom players lodge with catering, treatment, rest and rehabilitation facilities was later added at Myddleton Farm next to the training site in 2018.[95][96] The lodge is mainly used by Tottenham's first team and Academy players, but it has also been used by national football teams – the first visitors to use the facilities at the site were the Brazilian team in preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[97]

Crest
Since the 1921 FA Cup final the Tottenham Hotspur crest has featured a cockerel. Harry Hotspur, after whom the club is named, was said to have been given the nickname Hotspur as he dug in his spurs to make his horse go faster as he charged in battles,[98] and spurs are also associated with fighting cocks.[99] The club used spurs as a symbol in 1900, which then evolved into a fighting cock.[98] A former player named William James Scott made a bronze cast of a cockerel standing on a football at a cost of £35, and this 9-foot 6-inch figure was then placed on top of the West Stand the end of the 1909–10 season.[98] Since then the cockerel and ball emblem has become a part of the club's identity.[100] The club badge on the shirt used in 1921 featured a cockerel within a shield, but it was changed to a cockerel sitting on a ball in the late 1960s.[99]

Between 1956 and 2006 Spurs used a faux heraldic shield featuring a number of local landmarks and associations. The castle is Bruce Castle, 400 yards from the ground and the trees are the Seven Sisters. The arms featured the Latin motto Audere Est Facere (to dare is to do).[58]

In 1983, to overcome unauthorised "pirate" merchandising, the club's badge was altered by adding the two red heraldic lions to flank the shield (which came from the arms of the Northumberland family, of which Harry Hotspur was a member), as well as the motto scroll. This device appeared on Spurs' playing kits for three seasons 1996–99.

In 2006, in order to rebrand and modernise the club's image, the club badge and coat of arms were replaced by a professionally designed logo/emblem.[101] This revamp displayed a sleeker and more elegant cockerel standing on an old-time football. The club claimed that they dropped their club name and would be using the rebranded logo only on playing kits.[102] In November 2013, Tottenham forced non-league club Fleet Spurs to change their badge because its new design was "too similar" to the Tottenham crest

توماس غرافيسن

توماس غرافيسن (مواليد 11 مارس 1976 في فايله) هو لاعب كرة قدم دنماركي دولي سابق كان يلعب كلاعب وسط. سبق له أن لعب في كأس العالم لكرة القدم 2002 مع منتخب بلاده. لعب خلال مسيرته 314 مباراة سجل خلالها 32 هدفاً.

Thomas Gravesen

Thomas Gravesen (born 11 March 1976) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Gravesen played as a professional in Denmark, Germany, England, Spain and Scotland for Vejle Boldklub, Hamburger SV, Everton, Real Madrid and Celtic.

For the Denmark national team, Gravesen was capped 66 times and scored five goals, from his debut in August 1998 until he ended his national team career in September 2006. He represented Denmark at the international Euro 2000, 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 tournaments.

He is the older brother of footballer Peter Gravesen.
Club career
Vejle Boldklub
Born in Vejle,[1] Gravesen began his career in 1995 with hometown club Vejle Boldklub (VB) in the Danish Superliga, alongside a handful of youths making it through the VB youth scheme, including good friend Kaspar Dalgas. At VB he played as sweeper and defensive midfielder, and after he won silver medals in the 1996–97 Superliga season he moved to German team Hamburger SV in 1997.

Gravesen made a total of 94 appearances and six goals in three years with HSV.

Everton
Following the Euro 2000 tournament, Gravesen went to English club Everton and quickly became a favourite amongst the fans.

Gravesen played a key role in Everton's rise toward the top of the 2004–05 Premier League table. With his contract due to expire in the summer of 2005, which would enable him to leave on a free transfer, Everton sold Gravesen to Real Madrid in January 2005 for a surprisingly low fee of £2.5 million.[2]

Real Madrid
Gravesen was signed to fill a hole in Madrid's defensive midfield, a position somewhat different from his role at Everton.[3] He found immediate playing success at Real Madrid, scoring in one of his first games, a 4–0 win against Espanyol.[4] However, Gravesen would eventually find himself benched. Following public outcry over his tough style of play and the sacking of Real coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo and sporting director Arrigo Sacchi, who were in charge of acquiring Gravesen, he looked ready to leave Real Madrid in the winter transfer window of 2006. However, new coach López Caro would revive Gravesen's career at Real, picking him regularly, using him in the holding role in the new 4–1–4–1 formation Real adopted. Towards the end of the season, Gravesen once again found himself out of the team, and in May 2006 a number of clubs were reported to be interested in him.[5]

In August 2006, a scuffle erupted at a Real Madrid training session following a hard tackle by Gravesen on teammate Robinho.[6] Fabio Capello, the former Real Madrid manager, said about Gravesen: "The way he is, we won't have problems with him. He's just a little bit particular. I don't mess with him, he works well tactically. His behaviour is like this, and I don't like it, everything has to be done like he wants it to be done".[7] Gravesen looked likely to leave Real Madrid before the start of the 2006–07 season, with his agent John Sivebæk confirming that a number of clubs – including Newcastle United in England[8] and Scottish club Celtic[9] – were interested in signing the midfielder.[10][11]

Celtic
On 28 August 2006, Gravesen attended Celtic Park in Glasgow for a medical examination and, on 30 August, signed a three-year deal (with the option of a fourth) with the club, for a speculated fee of around £2 million. There was a period of uncertainty as to whether Gravesen would sign for Celtic after false rumours arose of a failed medical and of an eleventh-hour bid by Newcastle.[12]

He scored his first goal for Celtic against arch rivals Rangers on 23 September 2006. He then went on to score the first hat-trick of his professional career[13] when Celtic won 3–1 against St Mirren on 12 November. After a promising start to his Celtic career, Gravesen was replaced in the starting line-up by Dutch midfielder Evander Sno. In April 2007, Celtic manager Gordon Strachan denied rumours that Gravesen would leave the club to play for English club Sunderland,[14] but in May 2007 he declared his disappointment that Gravesen did not work harder to recapture his place in the starting line-up.[15]

On 18 August 2008, Celtic and Thomas Gravesen parted company.[16]

Loan to Everton
Gravesen re-signed for Everton on a season-long loan from Celtic on 29 August 2007. On his first game back for Everton, as a second-half substitute in the 2–1 win at Bolton Wanderers, he took the corner that Joleon Lescott headed the winner from. In his first European appearance of the season, in Everton's 3–1 victory over Larissa at Goodison Park in the UEFA Cup group stage, Gravesen set up Everton's third goal, scored by Victor Anichebe. However, Gravesen failed to make as big an impact as many Everton fans had hoped. A rare highlight was scoring a penalty in the shootout following the UEFA Cup match against Fiorentina, although Everton would go on to lose the shootout when Phil Jagielka missed the crucial spot-kick. After the last game of the 2007–08 season, manager David Moyes confirmed that Gravesen's contract would not be renewed and he would be returning to Celtic.[17]

Retirement
On 27 January 2009, Gravesen announced his retirement from professional football after he failed to find a new club after being released by Celtic. On 12 September 2009, he stated in an interview with FourFourTwo that he had been approached by a number of clubs about a possible return to football, but nothing came of these approaches.

It was reported in December 2013 that Gravesen had been successful with his investments and was living in Las Vegas.[18]

International career
Gravesen debuted for the Danish national team in a 0–1 friendly match loss to the Czech Republic on 19 August 1998. Gravesen was selected to play for Denmark at the 2000 European Championship (Euro 2000) by coach Bo Johansson, despite concern from Johansson that he was not "psychologically stable" enough.[19]

While at Everton, new Danish national team coach Morten Olsen fully supported Gravesen and made him one of his pivotal players in the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 campaigns. His display in the 2002 World Cup qualifying game with Iceland, where Gravesen scored two goals in a 6–0 win, was so impressive that American boxer Mike Tyson asked for his shirt[3] and wore it throughout his stay in Denmark. He played all four of Denmark's matches at the 2002 World Cup, though Gravesen and his partner in the Danish midfield duo, Stig Tøfting, justified their pit bull reputations when they ganged up to play a prank on teammate Jesper Grønkjær at a World Cup training session.[20]

He missed the first group match at Euro 2004 as he was suspended due to a sending off in the last qualifying match before the tournament but he played the remaining three games before Denmark were eliminated.

On 15 September 2006, Gravesen announced his decision to end his international career, deciding now to focus his efforts solely on Celtic

Alicante airport

Alicante–Elche Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto de Alicante-Elche) (IATA: ALC, ICAO: LEAL), originally named El Altet, is —as of 2018— the fifth-busiest airport in Spain[4] based on passenger numbers, and the main airport serving the Valencian Community and the Region of Murcia. The airport is located in the municipality of Elche, about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) east of this city and about 9 km (5.6 mi) southwest of Alicante. Its influence area spans other cities in the Valencia province—the city of Valencia is located about 160 km (99 mi) north of the airport—and in the Region of Murcia. The airport is located about 70 km (43 mi) north of Murcia.

The airport is a base for Air Nostrum, Jet2.com, Norwegian Air International, Ryanair and Vueling. Passenger traffic has increased significantly in the last decade, beating its own yearly record since 2013 to date; in 2019 it set its new consecutive record at 15 million passengers. It is one of the 50 busiest in Europe. Up to 80% of all passenger flights are international.[4] The largest numbers of passengers arrive from the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and Sweden.[5] Popular domestic destinations are Madrid, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona.
El Altet airport opened on 4 May 1967, replacing the older aerodrome La Rabassa that had served Alicante since 1936. It took its name after the El Altet area (a part of Elche's countryside) where it was built. The first commercial flight that landed in the airport was Convair Metropolitan by Aviaco.[6] Iberia established a regular connections Alicante–Madrid and Alicante–Barcelona in November 1969.[7] In early 1970s passengers' traffic reached 1 million, which prompted a construction of a new passenger terminal. In 1980 the runway was extended to three kilometres.[6]

The next renovation took place during the 1990s.[7] A new office building together with operation and business centres were constructed. For the first time, five air bridges were installed to facilitate boarding.[7]

In 2011, the new terminal was opened at the airport increasing the annual airport capacity to 20 million passengers per year.[8] All flights arrive and depart from this new terminal. Terminals 1 and 2, which were in service before the opening of the new terminal, are currently closed. Works however will not be completed until 2014, as plans are to construct a connecting hallway between the new terminal and terminals 1 and 2 that will allow to exploit the passenger space of all terminals.[9]

Historically, up until 2003, Iberia was the leading airline at the airport.[10] With the decline of conventional airlines, in 2004 low-cost EasyJet took the lead.[10] In 2007, Ryanair, the largest European low-cost airline established a base in Alicante.[11] It has become the leading carrier at the airport in 2009, and by 2011 it has increased its presence further with eleven aircraft based, 62 routes, and more than 3 million passengers. However, from the end of October 2011, Ryanair has cut 31 routes due to disagreement with AENA on the usage of air bridges at the new terminal (before, they would always unload on the tarmac because it is cheaper and the dual door boarding thus enabled quicker turnaround times but the owners of the airport want all planes to use the air bridges in the new building and not unload on the tarmac).[12]

The airport is located within Elche's comarca and so there had been a historical petition from Elche to include the city's name in the official name of the airport. This was implemented in July 2013 when the name of the airport was officially changed from "Alicante Airport" to "Alicante–Elche Airport"[13] with the IATA airport code remaining unchanged, ALC.

In 2015, the number of passengers increased by 5,1% to 10,574,484. The passenger traffic has increased in every year since 2000, with the exception of 2009 and 2012. By 2015 the largest number of passengers was carried by Ryanair (2,992,984), followed by EasyJet (1,285,221) and Vueling (1,093,494). Norwegian Air Shuttle (893,319) is the "distant" four.[1][14]

On 23 July 2016 the airport registered its busiest day to date, handling 347 flights—with an average of one flight every 3 minutes—and about 58,000 passengers in a single day.[15] On 15th January 2020, it was reported that a huge fire had broken out in an office inside the terminal building. The building was evacuated and flights delayed.

Terminals
The New Terminal is the only terminal currently in service. Terminals 1 and 2 have been closed since the opening of the new terminal.

New Terminal
The new terminal (denoted as Terminal N) was officially opened on 23 March 2011. All flight operations at the airport were moved to this terminal on the following day. The first flight that used the terminal was a Ryanair flight to Memmingen. The terminal has an area of 333,500 square metres (3,590,000 sq ft), which is more than six times the size of terminals 1 and 2 together. It includes 96 check-in desks, 40 gates, including 15 with airbridges, and 16 baggage reclaim carousels.[16] The terminal is split into two areas, the processor where the C Gates are held, and the dock where the majority of B Gates are located. Flights within the Schengen Area use both areas of the terminal while flights to non-Schengen destinations only use the dock. This terminal was constructed to the east of Terminal 1.

Former Terminal 1
Terminal 1 (styled as T1) had 38 check-in desks numbered 1–38, along with one for special baggage which is desk number 39. It included 11 gates of which five have airbridges, which were the odd-numbered gates, and nine baggage reclaim carousels. It was closed after the opening of the new terminal on 24 March 2011. There are plans to reopen Terminal 1 in the future, which would require the construction of a connecting walkway with the new terminal, as both terminals are currently unconnected.[9]

Former Terminal 2
Terminal 2 (styled as T2) had 14 check-in desks numbered 51–64, six gates (none with airbridges), and two baggage reclaim carousels. This terminal is adjacent to Terminal 1. The terminal was opened in January 2007. Prior to the opening of the new terminal whilst it was still active it was the smaller of the two terminals. Once the new terminal had opened on 24 March 2011, it was closed together with Terminal 1. Terminal 2 now handles General Aviation and will also soon be partially converted into a new overseas Headquarters for Jet2.com

خاليدو كوليبالي

خاليدو كوليبالي (بالفرنسية: Kalidou Koulibaly) هو لاعب كرة قدم يحمل الجنسيتين السنغالية والفرنسية يلعب في مركز الدفاع مع نادي نابولي الإيطالي ومنتخب السنغال لكرة القدم
حياته المبكرة
ولد خاليدو كوليبالي في 20 يونيو 1991، لوالدين سنغاليين في سينت ديه دي فوج، فرنسا. بدأ مسيرته الكروية مع النادي المحلي سانت دي.

Koulibaly

Kalidou Koulibaly (born 20 June 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as centre back for Serie A club Napoli and the Senegal national team. He is the vice-captain of Napoli.

Koulibaly began his professional club career with French team Metz in 2010, before moving to Belgian club Genk in 2012, winning the Belgian Cup in his first season. He joined Italian team Napoli in 2014, where he immediately won the Supercoppa Italiana title.

As Koulibaly was born in France to Senegalese parents, he was eligible to represent both nations at international level, and initially played for the France national under-20 football team. He later made his senior debut with Senegal in 2015 and was a member of the Senegal squad that took part at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He was named to the side that represented Senegal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup the following year, and subsequently helped his team to the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Early life
Koulibaly was born on 20 June 1991, to Senegalese parents in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, France.[5] His father worked in a textile mill in Senegal for seven days a week and never took weekends off for five years before he save enough money to bring his mother to France.[5] He grew up in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, France, revealing that: "When you grow up in this environment, you see everyone as your brother. We are black, white, Arab, African, Muslim, Christian, yes — but we are all French. We are all hungry, so let’s go have a Turkish meal together. Or tonight, let’s all go to my house and eat Senegalese food. Yes, we have differences, but we are all equal."[5] Koulibaly says his upbringing was "heavily influenced by the multi-cultural nature" growing up.[6]

Koulibaly revealed that he first started playing football, saying: "All the kids were running around playing football with no shoes, and I was really upset by this, I guess. My mom says that I was begging her to go to the store and buy shoes for everybody, so I could play football with them. But my mother said, “Kalidou, just take your shoes off. Go play like they do.” In the end, I threw off my shoes and went to play barefoot with my cousins — and this is where my football story begins. When we got back to France, I was playing every day in the little park by our house."[5] His footballing career began with local club SR Saint-Dié.[7] He then joined FC Metz in his first spell but when was released at fifteen, which according to the club’s Academy Manager, Denis Schaeffer, Koulibaly was let go "because he was too introverted, and his level was a little below our expectations."[8]

Club career
Early career
Koulibaly began his career playing for his hometown club SR Saint-Dié's youth team; he spent two seasons playing for the club's senior team in the Championnat de France Amateur 2, before joining the youth academy of professional club Metz on 1 July 2009.[9] While at Metz, Koulibaly helped the club's under-19 team win the 2009–10 Coupe Gambardella after the team defeated Sochaux 5–4 on penalties in the final.[10] He also played for the club's amateur team in the Championnat de France Amateur appearing in 15 matches as Metz were crowned champions of the league finishing with 107 points.[11]

Metz
Prior to the start of the 2010–11 season, Koulibaly signed his first professional contract agreeing to a one-year deal. He was, subsequently, promoted to the senior team by new manager Dominique Bijotat. Koulibaly made his professional debut on 20 August 2010 in a league match against Vannes. He appeared as a substitute in a 1–0 victory.[12] Following this, Kouliably became a first team regular for the side after dispatching the place from Nuno Frechaut.[13] On 15 April 2011, he scored his first goal for FC Metz, as they drew 3–3 against Clermont.[14] Three days later, Koulibaly signed a three–year contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2014.[7] At the end of the 2010–11 season, he went on to make nineteen appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Reflecting on his first season at FC Metz, Manager Bijotat said of him, quoting: "Kalidou Koulibaly is perhaps the one who surprised the most people, while being the one who surprised me the least personally. I knew that it would come to him because it was already showing a good maturity. He's always in the right mood and does not catch fire, it's important to the job he's doing. He also knows how to analyze his own matches, which brings him to a certain regularity in his performances. Conversely, we thought Yeni Ngbakoto was the closest to the group, but it took longer to come. He had a difficult start, between suspension and injury. It took him longer to settle on the team. His game was not settled, in this area he has progressed in recent weeks and must still win in consistency."[15]

However, at the start of the 2011–12 season, Koulibaly missed the first five league matches of the season, due to international commitment.[16] His first appearance of the 2011–12 season came on 9 September 2011, coming as a substitute in the 60th minutes, in a 2–2 draw against Stade Lavallois.[17] However, he served a two match suspension after being sent–off for a unprofessional conduct on Guillaume Moullec, as FC Metz lost 1–0 on 30 September 2011.[18] Despite this, Koulibaly returned to the first team and then captained the side for the first time on 2 December 2011, in a 2–0 win over AS Monaco.[19] He continued to regain his first team place until suspension and injury, which eventually kept him out for the rest of the 2011–12 season.[20] At the end of the 2011–12 season, Koulibaly went on to make twenty–three appearances in all competitions, including 10 alongside his future international teammate Sadio Mané.[21]

Genk
Koulibaly joined Belgian club Genk on 29 June 2012 after agreeing a four-year contract.[22] Among interested was Anderlecht but Genk won the race to sign him.[23]

On 23 August 2012, Koulibaly made his Genk debut in a UEFA Europa League play-off qualifying round, in which they were defeated by Swiss team Luzern 2–1 in the first leg of two.[24][25] Since joining the club, he became a first team regular for the side, playing mostly in the centre–back position.[26] In a match against OH Leuven on 25 November 2012, Koulibaly made a foul in the penalty box at the last minute of the game, which was successfully converted by Ibou, as Genk drew 1–1.[27] On 23 December 2012, Koulibaly scored his first Racing Genk goal in a 4–2 home defeat to Anderlecht,[24] in which he scored a free header from a corner, to make amends for his mistake.[28] He later helped Genk win the 2012–13 Belgian Cup after starting the whole game to beat Cercle Brugge.[29] At the end of the 2012–13 season, Koulibaly went on to make forty–six appearances and scoring once in all competitions.

The 2013–14 season saw Koulibaly began playing in the centre–back position, where he continued to form a partnership with Kara Mbodji.[30] He then scored two goals in two matches between 6 October 2013 and 19 October 2013.[31] Koulibaly started in every matches since the start of the season until he suffered a knee injury during a 2–0 loss against Lokeren on 8 December 2013.[32] A month later on 19 January 2014, Koulibaly returned to the starting lineup from injury, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Zulte Waregem.[33] Koulibaly continued to regain his place in the first team for the rest of the season.[34] However, he missed the remaining three league matches of the season, due to his imminent transfer move to Napoli.[35] Despite this, Koulibaly went on to make forty-six appearances and scored two times in all competitions.

Napoli
Koulibaly joined Serie A club S.S.C. Napoli on 2 July 2014 on a five-year contract, for a fee around the margin of £6.5 million.[36]

He made his debut on 19 August 2014 in a UEFA Champions League play-off round qualifier, in which Napoli drew 1–1 with Athletic Bilbao.[24][37] Napoli went on to lose the second leg 3–1, thus sending them out of the competition.[24][38]

Koulibaly made his Serie A debut in the opening game of the season against Genoa, playing the whole match as Napoli won 2–1.[39] He scored his first goal for the side on 24 September in a 3–3 draw with Palermo.[24][40] Koulibaly played in every match from the start of the season, before being sent off for a second bookable offence in a 1–1 draw against Sampdoria on 1 December 2014.[41]

In the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus in Doha, Qatar, on 22 December, Koulibaly scored the winning penalty in the shootout to secure Napoli victory.[42] Towards the end of the 2014–15 season, Koulibaly found himself placed in and out of the starting eleven for the side, as manager Rafael Benítez preferred Raúl Albiol and Miguel Britos as his preferred choices in the central defence positions.[43] In his first season at Napoli, Koulibaly went on to make thirty–nine appearances and scored one goal in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Koulibaly was linked with a move to Premier League side Southampton, but he eventually stayed at the club.[44] Despite this, Koulibaly became a regular starter for Napoli under coach Maurizio Sarri, and saw an improvement in his performances for the side in the number of matches.[45]

During a 2–0 win over Lazio on 3 February 2016, Koulibaly was subjected to racist abuse from Lazio supporters, prompting referee Massimiliano Irrati to suspend the match temporally; Koulibaly later reflected on this as "the first time that he really experienced any racism in football".[5][46] After the match, Lazio would go on to be sanctioned €50,000 by the league for these racist chants, and were ordered to play two home matches behind closed doors.[47] In a follow-up match against Carpi, Napoli supporters wore masks of Koulibaly in support of him; he played a vital role during the game as he set up Gonzalo Higuaín to score the only goal of the match in a Napoli victory.[48]

The matches against Lazio and Carpi saw Napoli keep two consecutive clean sheets for the second time during the season, having previously acheived this in matches between 20 and 23 September 2015.[49] Koulibaly made forty-two appearances in the 2015–16 season in all competitions.
In the 2016–17 season, Koulibaly continued to be a regular starter for Napoli under coach Maurizio Sarri and helped the side start the season well, earning four wins from their first six league matches.[50] On 19 September 2016, he signed a five–year contract with the club, keeping him at Napoli until 2021.[51] It wasn’t until 15 October 2016 that Koulibaly scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–1 loss against A.S. Roma.[52] Koulibaly continued to start every match of the season, until he sustained a knee injury during a 5–0 win over Cagliari on 11 December 2016, resulting in him being sidelined for a month.[53] After spending two months away from Napoli’s first team, due to both injury and international commitment, Koulibaly made his return to the starting lineup, playing the full 90 minutes, in a 2–0 win over Genoa on 10 February 2017.[54] Koulibaly regained his first team place for the side towards the end of the 2016–17 season.[55] He later scored his second goal of the season, in a 4–1 win over Fiorentina, on 20 May 2017.[56] By the end of the 2016–17 season, Koulibaly had made thirty-eight appearances and scored two times in all competitions.

In the 2017–18 season, Koulibaly played an integral role as Napoli won their first eight matches of the Serie A campaign.[57] During this streak, he scored two goals for the side, netting against Lazio and Cagliari on 20 September and 1 October 2017 respectively.[58] Koulibaly then helped Napoli go on a ten match winning streak in the league between 16 December 2017 and 26 February 2018.[59] During this streak, he scored two goals for the side against Torino and Hellas Verona on 16 December 2017 and 6 January 2018 respectively.[60] Napoli continued to closely challenge for the 2017–18 Serie A title. On 22 April 2018, Koulibaly scored a 90th minute header against league leaders Juventus at the Allianz Stadium to seal a 1–0 win for the visitors and move Napoli within one point of Juventus with four games remaining.[61] However, in their next match against Fiorentina, Koulibaly was sent off within 10 minutes for a rash foul as Napoli lost 3–0.[62] Napoli would go on to achieve a club record 91 points, but finished the season 4 points behind league winners Juventus. By the end of the 2017–18 season, Koulibaly had made forty-five appearances and scored five times in all competitions, his highest-scoring season for the club.

At the start of the 2018–19 season, Koulibaly signed a contract extension with Napoli, keeping him at the club until 2023.[63] He continued to be a regular starter for Napoli under coach Carlo Ancelotti and spoke positively about playing under him.[64] Koulibaly helped the side win thirteen matches in the league to stay near the higher positions and challenge for the league title once again.[65] He then captained Napoli for the first time in his career, helping the side beat Cagliari 1–0 on 16 December 2018.[66] However, on 26 December 2018, Koulibaly received two yellow cards in quick succession for a foul and for sarcastically applauding the referee and was sent off, as Napoli lost 1–0 to Inter Milan at the San Siro. According to Ancelotti, Koulibaly was the target of racist chants from the Inter fans and his team asked for the match to be suspended three times. Posting on social media after the match, Koulibaly wrote, "I'm sorry about the defeat and especially to have let my brothers down. But I'm proud of the colour of my skin. To be French, Senegalese, Neapolitan, and a man."[67] Inter would go on to be sanctioned by the league for these racist chants, and was ordered to play two home matches behind closed doors.[68]

After serving a two match suspension, Koulibaly returned to the starting lineup, playing the whole game and keeping a clean sheet, in a 2–0 win over Sassuolo Calcio in the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia.[69] He helped the side keep five consecutive clean sheets in the league between 26 January and 24 February 2019, including matches against A.C. Milan, Sampdoria and Parma.[70][71] On 12 April 2019, Koulibaly was involved in another racial incident, after reportedly suffering racist abuse from an Arsenal fan during a Europa League match between the two teams.[72] Two days later on 14 April 2019, he scored twice for the side, in a 3–1 win over Chievo.[73] Napoli once again finished the season as runners-up to Juventus, with Koulibaly earning the inaugural Serie A Best Defender award for the season.[74] By the end of the 2018–19 season, he had made forty-eight appearances and scored two goals in all competitions.

International career
Koulibaly was born and raised in France by Senegalese parents, and was therefore eligible for both nations. He played for the French under-20 team starting in 2011 and played six times during the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia.[75]

However, in early September 2015, Koulibaly changed federations and joined the Senegal national football team, despite the interest to call him for Les Bleus from Didier Deschamps.[76][77] He later explained his decision, saying: "I don't have any regrets because I want to write the story of the future of Senegal football and I hope I'll be able to do that."[6] Koulibaly made his debut on 5 September 2015 in an AFCON qualifier against Namibia in a 2–0 victory.[78] He was a member of the Senegal squad that took part at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.[79]

In May 2018, he was named in Senegal's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[80] Koulibaly played all three matches, as Senegal were knocked out in the group stage of the tournament after becoming the first team in FIFA World Cup history to be eliminated due to fair play tiebreaker rules.[81]

Style of play
A large, aggressive, quick, and physically strong yet elegant player, Koulibaly is recognised for his aerial prowess, anticipation, positioning, tackling, character, technique, and passing ability as a defender. He has also been praised by pundits for his overall solidity as a player, and his ability to make interceptions; however, he has also drawn criticism for giving away too many fouls. Due to his versatility, he can play both in his usual role as a central defender, or as a full back on either the right or left flank, in both a three or four-man defence; he has even been deployed as a defensive midfielder. During his time at Napoli, his ability to play the ball out from the back saw him function as a ball-playing centre-back in manager Maurizio Sarri's attacking, possession based-system.[82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90] Currently considered to be one of the best and most complete defenders in world football in the media,[86][88][91][92] his ability, playing style, tall stature, and imposing physique have earned him the nicknames K2[84][86][76] and The Wall from his fans.[93]

Personal life
In May 2019, it was announced that Koulibaly was named as an honorary citizen of Naples.[94] In April 2015, he was previously named as an honorary citizen of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges.[95] He was also popular in Naples that an entrepreneur created a pizza after him and Koulibaly, himself, spoke his fondness of the city.[96][6]

Koulibaly and his wife, Charline Oudenot, have a son together named Seni on 16 January 2016.[97] He became a second time father when his daughter Nessa was born on 28 August 2019.[98]

He is a Muslim and states that his name derived from the Quran.[5] In addition to speaking French, Koulibaly also speaks English and Italian.[5][99]

Throughout his time at Napoli, Koulibaly spoke out about racism in Italian football.[5] In October 2019, Koulibaly called on the Italian football authorities to tackle racism by giving offenders a lifetime ban from entering the stadium.[100] He had previously criticised the Italian football authorities for their lack of effort to tackle racism in January of that year.