Ed Sheeran Buys Minority Stake in Hometown Club Ipswich 

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran arrives for the screening of the film "Songwriter" during the 68th edition of the International Film Festival Berlin, in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 23, 2019. (AP)
Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran arrives for the screening of the film "Songwriter" during the 68th edition of the International Film Festival Berlin, in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 23, 2019. (AP)
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Ed Sheeran Buys Minority Stake in Hometown Club Ipswich 

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran arrives for the screening of the film "Songwriter" during the 68th edition of the International Film Festival Berlin, in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 23, 2019. (AP)
Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran arrives for the screening of the film "Songwriter" during the 68th edition of the International Film Festival Berlin, in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 23, 2019. (AP)

Singer Ed Sheeran fulfilled "any football fan's dream" and purchased a minority stake in his hometown club, the newly-promoted Premier League side Ipswich Town.

Sheeran's total stake in the club is 1.4% and he will not join their board, Ipswich said in a statement on Thursday.

But the artist, who often attends Ipswich's home matches, will have an executive box at the Portman Road Stadium, the club added.

"Really excited to announce that I have bought a small percentage of my hometown football club Ipswich Town," Sheeran, 33, posted on Instagram.

"It’s any football fan's dream to be an owner in the club they support and I feel so grateful for the opportunity.

"I’ve lived in Suffolk since I was three, and although I have travelled the world and sometimes feel like an outsider in big cities, Suffolk and Ipswich have always made me feel part of a community and protected. It’s such a joy to be a fan of Ipswich Town."

Ipswich, who earned an automatic promotion after finishing second in the English Championship last season, begin their Premier League campaign at home against Liverpool on Saturday.



Father of Spain’s Yamal in ‘Serious but Stable’ Condition after Being Stabbed

Barcelona's Spanish forward #27 Lamine Yamal looks on during the UEFA Champions League 1st round day 2 group H football match between FC Porto and FC Barcelona at the Dragao stadium in Porto on October 4, 2023. (AFP)
Barcelona's Spanish forward #27 Lamine Yamal looks on during the UEFA Champions League 1st round day 2 group H football match between FC Porto and FC Barcelona at the Dragao stadium in Porto on October 4, 2023. (AFP)
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Father of Spain’s Yamal in ‘Serious but Stable’ Condition after Being Stabbed

Barcelona's Spanish forward #27 Lamine Yamal looks on during the UEFA Champions League 1st round day 2 group H football match between FC Porto and FC Barcelona at the Dragao stadium in Porto on October 4, 2023. (AFP)
Barcelona's Spanish forward #27 Lamine Yamal looks on during the UEFA Champions League 1st round day 2 group H football match between FC Porto and FC Barcelona at the Dragao stadium in Porto on October 4, 2023. (AFP)

Mounir Nasraoui, the father of Barcelona and Spain star winger Lamine Yamal, is in a "serious but stable" condition after being stabbed late on Wednesday in a car park in the northeastern Spanish town of Mataro, Spanish national TV broadcaster TVE reported.

The regional police force Mossos d'Esquadra confirmed the report and told Reuters three people had been arrested for attempted murder.

The 17-year-old Yamal, a soccer wonderkid who grew up in coastal Mataro -- a working-class, multi-ethnic suburb of Barcelona -- became the breakout star of the recent Euro 2024 held in Germany, helping Spain to win the tournament and scoring in their semi-final victory over France.

TVE said on Thursday that Yamal's father had been stabbed three times, twice in the abdomen and once in the chest.

Nasraoui was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Badalona, Barcelona, late on Wednesday and was expected to remain there for the upcoming hours, the report said.

TVE added that a fourth person had been arrested by the regional police on Thursday, with his involvement in the stabbing still unclear.

The broadcaster said the police were investigating a previous fight as the reason behind the incident.

Several videos could be seen on social media on Wednesday, showing Nasraoui having an argument with some individuals in the Rocafonda neighborhood and the police intervening. However, Reuters was not able to independently verify them.