Sports
Bills playoff woes continue, rest really does help
CGB Spender curse continues for Bills
Every NFL fan base, for the most part, has had its share of misery.
Jets fans have gone 15 years without a playoff appearance, but if they’re old enough they remember Broadway Joe and the Super Bowl III guarantee.
Eagles fans had to watch 51 Super Bowls before their team won one. And now they have doubled that.
Packers fans have so many heartbreaking postseason experiences that would have just added to their four Super Bowls and league-best 13 NFL titles.
The list could go on and on. And then there’s the Buffalo Bills.
Bills Misery Continues
If memories of the four straight Super Bowl losses during the 90s had begun to fade there is the new misery of not even getting back to a Super Bowl despite chance after chance after chance.
This year looked to be the best opportunity for the Bills. Their personal boogeyman Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes wasn’t around. Neither was Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson or Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow. It was going to be Josh Allen against a bunch of kids (Buffalo was not going to face Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh).
Allen wasn’t just the AFC’s most experienced playoff QB; he was the best. Sure, as a wild-card team the Bills had to go on the road. But they were facing newcomers. Jacksonville had a first-year coach and a still unproven playoff QB in Trevor Lawrence. Denver had second-year Bo Nix under center. And Houston and this New England team were new to the dance as well.
This was Buffalo’s year.
Finally.
Until it wasn’t.
Heartbreak in Overtime
Saturday afternoon the Bills’ party ended the way it has every year with Allen and head coach Sean McDermott, a heartbreaking loss. This one to Denver in overtime, 33-30. The most shocking stat to come out of that game was that Allen is now 0-7 in overtime games. That’s a little hard to believe.
What wasn’t so shocking was the Bills decision to fire McDermott Monday morning.
Did some calls go against the Bills in the OT? Maybe. Since nobody knows what a catch is in the NFL anymore I’m not sure if Brandin Cooks caught that Allen pass or if it was intercepted.
All I do know is the Bills lost. Again. This time in OT. And there isn’t another fan base who has had more misery in its lifetime.
A Good Comparison
There are all kinds of comparisons being made for new Denver starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who has to take over Bo Nix (broken ankle) in the AFC Championship Game.
There is really only one.
Stidham, 29, in his sixth year out of Auburn. He has started four games in his NFL career, two for the Raiders in 2022 and two for the Broncos in 2023. He has not thrown a pass since 2023.
Jeff Hostetler was also 29 and in his fifth year out of West Virginia when he took over for an injured Phil Sims with two games left in the regular season for the Giants in 1990. Hostetler at that time had made just two prior starts one in 1988 and one in 1989.
Hostetler won the final two regular season games over the Cardinals and Patriots and swept through the playoffs with wins over the Bears, 49ers and the Bills in the Super Bowl.
Rest is Best
In three of the four games this past weekend one team had extra rest than its opponent all three rested teams won.
Denver and Seattle, both coming off byes, ousted Buffalo and San Francisco, while the Patriots beat the Texans, who had to travel off a short week.
Coaching Updates
Atlanta — Kevin Stefanski is the choice and it’s a good one. If QB Michael Pennix can get healthy he’ll have the right coach to develop him.
Arizona — Robert Saleh tops the Cards wish list, but the 49ers DC and former Jets head coach may have reservations after his experience with the Jets. Buffalo OC Joe Brady and Denver DC Vance Joseph are near the top of the wish list as well.
Baltimore — Chargers DC Jesse Minter is still the favorite.
Buffalo — This is going to be interesting. If the Bills want to stay the course and keep Josh Allen happy they could promote OC Joe Brady. If they go outside they may have their choice of candidates who would love to coach Allen.
Cleveland — The Browns are likely to go with an offensive minded coach and convince him to keep DC Jim Schwartz. Mike McDaniel, the former Miami coach, and Todd Monken, the former Baltimore OC, are possibilities.
Las Vegas — Tom Brady is very involved in the search and the hiring. Brian Flores was a long-time Patriots assistant and could be a good fit for the Raiders.
Miami — It looks like new GM Jon Eric-Sullivan might bring Packers DC Jeff Hafley from Green Bay with him.
New York Giants — It took some doing, but the Giants got their man in John Harbaugh.
Pittsburgh — If the Steelers can convince Flores to turn down Brady and the Raiders, he could land here. Saleh is another good possibility. McDermott followed Mike Tomlin as a safety in college at William and Mary, could he follow him as head coach here? Stay tuned.
Tennessee — Titans need a QB whisperer for No. 1 pick Cam Ward. Former Packers and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy makes a lot of sense. Former Bears coach Matt Nagy is also in conversations.
without a playoff appearance, but if they’re old enough they remember Broadway Joe and the Super Bowl III guarantee.Eagles fans had to
Senegal walked off a the AFCON final after a contentious penalty awarded late in added time
By Andrew Powell for Daily Caller covering AFCON
The final for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) required extra time after both sides played to a tense 0-0 draw, culminating in dramatic scenes when Senegal’s players briefly walked off the pitch in protest after the host nation, Morocco, was given a stoppage-time penalty.
Senegal ultimately claimed a 1-0 victory in extra time, securing their second AFCON championship and their second title in five years following their triumph in 2021. However, the manner of the loss left Morocco and head coach Walid Regragui deeply dissatisfied.
Senegal manager Pape Thiaw led his squad off the field Sunday as Moroccan supporters cheered amid chaotic scenes on the pitch, with players from each team clashing over the VAR decision that granted the hosts the late penalty opportunity.
Senegal walks off in AFCON final
After a 14-minute interruption, the Senegal players returned to the field, thanks in large part to left winger Sadio Mané, who went to the locker room to urge his teammates to resume play. (RELATED: TaylorMade Hits Callaway With Lawsuit Over Alleged ‘Mud Balls’ Claims)
Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy then produced a crucial save to deny Morocco right winger Brahim Díaz from the spot, while additional Senegal supporters attempted to rush the pitch. Tensions also spilled over into the press area, where journalists were involved in physical altercations.
Following the final whistle, Regragui sharply criticized Thiaw’s choice to remove his team from the match and came to the defense of Díaz regarding the missed penalty kick.
“I think a lot of time passed before [Brahim] was able to take the penalty, and this put him off,” said Regragui, per ESPN. “The match we had was shameful for Africa.
“When a head coach asks his players to leave the pitch, when he’s saying things that already started in the press conference [before the match, when Senegal accused Morocco of unsporting tactics] … he needs to stay class, in victory as well as in defeat.
“What Pape [Thiaw] did tonight doesn’t honor Africa. He’s an African champion now, so he can say what he wants, but they stopped the match for over 10 minutes.
“That doesn’t excuse Brahim for the way he hit [the penalty], he hit it like that and we have to own it. We need to look forward now, and accept that Brahim missed it.”
Chaos after ward of penalty
The VAR call by referee Jean-Jacques Ndala — awarding a penalty for a foul on Díaz — sparked immediate chaos, triggering a physical confrontation between the coaching staffs and players of both teams that quickly spilled over into the stands. Senegal‘s prominent Gaindé supporter group appeared to escalate the surge, vaulting over the hoardings and onto the pitch in an attempt to reach the match officials and the Moroccan contingent.
Security personnel and riot police eventually stepped in, forming a cordon to separate the incensed fans from the playing surface as objects rained down onto the pitch. Senegalese supporters climbed onto the electronic boards lining one side of the field and began tearing them apart. (RELATED: Broncos’ Bo Nix Out For Rest Of Playoffs After Suffering Season-Ending Fractured Ankle Against Bills)
Authorities escorted several Senegal fans away from the area, while a steward was carried off on a stretcher after seemingly suffering an upper-body injury during the disorder.
At the direction of Thiaw, the Teranga Lions walked off the pitch amid the turmoil — though it remained uncertain whether the departure stemmed from immediate safety concerns or served as a protest against the referee’s late call to hand out the penalty after Senegal left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf made contact with Díaz inside the box in the sixth minute of added time.
While further scuffles erupted on the field between Morocco central midfielder Ismaël Saibari and Senegal centre-back Abdoulaye Seck, and Mendy receiving a booking for seemingly disturbing the penalty spot, Díaz eventually took responsibility for the kick. Lacking confidence, his attempted shot was scooped up with minimal effort by the goalkeeper.
Early in the first period of extra time, Senegal defensive midfielder Pape Gueye Produced a brilliant strike from right outside the box, giving Senegal a lead that the team would successfully defend through the remainder of the match.
Sportingpedia analysed the latest trends in the shirt designs for the upcoming 2025/26 season, investigating the front-shirt sponsors and kit suppliers for all 96 clubs competing in the five major leagues, revealing where the money and brand power lie in European football.
One of the report’s most curious revelations is that travel companies (mostly Airlines) are the most common front-shirt sponsors in Europe’s top leagues, ahead of the heavily represented Finance & Insurance and Gambling sectors. Meanwhile, Adidas has secured the largest market share among kit suppliers, beating both Puma and Nike by a clear margin. Another fact that merits attention is that eight clubs will start the season without a front-shirt sponsor at all.
Key Takeaways:
- The travel sector is a leading sponsor across all leagues, powering top clubs like Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Milan, PSG, and Lyon, featuring major airlines including Fly Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, and Riyadh Air
- Fly Emirates sponsors four teams (Arsenal, Real Madrid, Milan, and Lyon) in four different leagues – the most of any company
- Finance & Insurance companies rank second, sponsoring clubs like Liverpool (Standard Chartered), Brighton (American Express), Tottenham (AIA), Athletic Bilbao (Kutxabank), and Ligue 1’s Nice (Robinhood)
- Forbidden or extremely strictly regulated in any of the other four leagues, the Gambling sector dominates the Premier League sponsorship, with their logos emerging on the front-shirt of of 11 out of 20 teams (55%)
- 8 teams are still without a front-shirt sponsor – 3 from Italy and Spain each, 1 from England, and 1 from France
- Kit suppliers Adidas, Puma, and Nike dominate Europe’s top leagues: Adidas leads in the Premier League, Puma is most prominent in the Bundesliga, and Nike has the strongest presence in La Liga
Front-Shirt Sponsorship Trends for 2025/26 season
in Europe’s Top 5 Football Leagues by Industry
Data Source: www.footballkitarchive.com
A total of 88 teams across the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 have confirmed their front-shirt sponsorship deals for the 2025/26 season. Companies from the Travel sector lead the way, sponsoring 12 clubs while Finance & Insurance, and Gambling firms follow closely with 11 sponsored teams each. In total, the three leading sectors – Travel, Finance & Insurance, and Gambling – account for deals with 34 clubs.
The Food & Beverage and Industrial & Automotive Manufacturing sectors are tied, each backing 9 clubs. Telecommunications sponsors appear on 7 teams’ shirts, while another 7 clubs currently have no sponsor at all. Firms from the Technology sector support 5 teams, while Construction & Materials, Real Estate & Facility Management, and Recruitment companies each sponsor 4 clubs. Only 2 teams are backed by companies in the Energy sector.
Brand Battle: Kit Suppliers in Europe’s top 5 leagues for 2025/26 Season Ranked by Team Count
Data Source: www.footballkitarchive.com
When it comes to kit suppliers, 18 different brands will outfit the 96 clubs in Europe’s top five leagues. Adidas tops the list with 23 teams, followed by Puma with 15 and Nike with 13. Macron provides kits for 8 clubs, Joma outfits 7, Hummel supplies 6, and Kappa is the supplier for 4. Castore, Mizuno, New Balance, and Umbro each appear on the shirts of 3 clubs. Jako supplies 2 clubs, while Acerbis, Eye Sport, Kelme, M908, Sudu, and EA7 each provide kits to just 1 team. The combined total for Adidas, Puma, and Nike reaches 51 clubs, meaning more than half of all teams in the top 5 leagues wear kits from one of these three sportswear giants.
Breakdowns by League:
- Premier League dominated by gambling sponsors and Adidas kitsIn the 2024/25 Premier League season, gambling companies sponsor 11 of the 20 clubs, accounting for more than half the league. Travel sponsors appear on 2 teams’ shirts, while the Finance & Insurance sector supports 3 clubs. One club each is backed by companies in the Food & Beverage, Technology, and Event Management (Other) sectors.Adidas is the leading kit supplier in the Premier League with 8 clubs wearing its shirts. Nike supplies 3 teams, followed by Umbro and Castore with 2 each. One club each is outfitted by Puma, Hummel, Sudu, Macron, and Joma.
- La Liga features industrial sector dominance in sponsorship and diverse kit suppliersIn La Liga, the Industrial Manufacturing sector leads all front-shirt sponsorship categories with 4 clubs. Telecommunications and Travel each appear on the shirts of 3 teams. Technology and Real Estate follow with 2 clubs apiece, while Finance & Insurance, Food & Beverage, and Home Decorations (Others) sponsor one club each. Three clubs currently have no front-shirt sponsor – Elche, Espanyol, and Real Sociedad.Adidas and Nike are the top kit suppliers, each outfitting 3 and 4 teams respectively. Puma supplies 3 clubs, while Macron provides kits for 3. Joma appears on 2 teams, and Kelme, Castore, Umbro, and Hummel cover the remaining clubs, with Hummel serving 2 teams.
- Industrial and automotive brands dominate Serie A front-shirt sponsorship as Adidas leads kit supplyIn Serie A, companies from the Industrial & Car Manufacturing sector are the leading shirt sponsors, backing 4 clubs. Food & Beverage and Travel sectors follow with 3 sponsored teams each. ‘Other’ sponsors include Pharmaceutical and Entertainment (2 clubs), Finance & Insurance (1), Construction & Materials (1), and Home Decorations (1). Three clubs will begin the season without a front-shirt sponsor – Lazio, Roma, and Verona.Adidas supplies the most kits in Serie A, serving 4 teams. Puma follows with 3, while Macron and Joma provide kits for 2 clubs each. The remaining suppliers—Nike, Mizuno, M908, Acerbis, New Balance, EA7, Kappa, and Eye Sport — each support one team.
- Finance and insurance dominate Bundesliga front-shirt sponsorship while Puma tops kit supplyIn the Bundesliga, Finance & Insurance companies are the most common front-shirt sponsors, backing 5 teams. Telecommunications firms sponsor 3 clubs, while Technology and Recruitment sectors cover 2 teams each. Other represented sectors include Industrial & Car Manufacturing, Construction Materials, F&B, Building Contractors, Home Decorations, and Bike Leasing, each with 1 sponsored team. One additional club is sponsored by a Car Manufacturer.Puma is the leading kit supplier in the Bundesliga, providing equipment for 5 teams. Adidas follows with 4, while Nike supplies 2. Jako and Hummel also support 2 clubs each. Joma, New Balance, and Mizuno each supply one Bundesliga side.
- F&B and Travel industries lead front-shirt sponsorship in Ligue 1 while Adidas tops kit supplyIn Ligue 1, the F&B and Travel sectors each sponsor 3 clubs. Recruitment firms also back 3 teams, followed by single-club representation from Real Estate, Construction Materials, Finance & Insurance, Energy, and several others categorised under ‘Other’ — including Jewelry Retailers, Logistics, Car Dealers, and Facility Management. The only team in Ligue 1 remaining without a front-shirt sponsor is Toulouse.Adidas is the most common kit supplier, providing shirts for 4 teams. Nike and Puma each supply 3 clubs, while Kappa supports 2. Macron, Joma, Hummel, New Balance, and Mizuno each sponsor one team in the league.
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