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Sergio Aguero: The history of the FA Cup meant it was always a special competition to play in
Stake’s global representative, Sergio Aguero, reveals his memories of playing in the FA Cup, why it was a special competition for him to win, how Pep Guardiola will keep his players motivated against Peterborough in their fifth round tie, and what this side could achieve this season.
The FA Cup has an amazing history and I am proud to have won the competition
The FA Cup was always one of my favourite competitions to play in because of its history and because of the many famous players and teams to have won it.
When I was living in Spain and here in Argentina, everyone knew about the competition and its history.
We came so close to winning the FA Cup in 2013 but were beaten by Wigan in the final. It was hard for us because we had a very good team, Carlos Tevez, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta all started that game.
But we were all very new to the club and it was only the start of our journey. I think we did okay in the end!
We were back at Wembley for my second FA Cup final in 2019 and that day went much better for us when we beat Watford.
We were so happy to win it and to be a part of FA Cup history was a very proud moment for me.
The tradition of the FA Cup is one of my favourite things about the competition, it was fun to meet Prince William to get my medal after the game and the celebrations with the fans afterwards was so special.
Everyone says that the FA Cup is magical and it is true, it was always really fun to play in and you felt proud to represent your team in the competition.
The day we played in the FA Cup was
always special because there was so much excitement in the team and the fans were always extra happy to see us play well.
Playing teams in lower divisions in the FA Cup is harder than you think, so Pep will have the City players focused ahead of the Peterborough match
Not many people know how hard it is to play in the FA Cup. In England, you play a lot of matches and a lot of competitions, but as a player, it’s really exciting because you have the chance to try and win lots of different competitions, and winning finals is something that you are always proud of as a footballer, which means every game is important.
To get to the final you have to play against lots of different teams and some new ones that you might not have ever played against before. Playing against new teams and new players and at new stadiums is always hard because you don’t know 100% what you’re going to be playing against. We watch the teams in the Premier League and Champions League a lot and we all have friends and international teammates that play for them, but when you draw a team in the FA Cup that you don’t regularly get to play against or know too much about, it’s always a difficult experience.
When we played against a new team or a side in a different division, we were always expected to win, but it’s not as easy as that. Every manager always made sure the preparation for an FA Cup game was exactly the same. The training was the same, we worked hard on our jobs for the match and we went into the game knowing what we had to do, it made no difference if it was the final or first round.
This is exactly what Pep Guardiola will be doing with the team this week. Pep is a winner and he hates to lose, you don’t win the number of trophies he has without this attitude. He will be making sure the Manchester City players are ready for the game against Peterborough in the same way as if it was any other match.
There’s added pressure on Manchester City to win in the FA Cup and Peterborough will look to familiar tactics to beat them
When you are the team in a higher league and you have to travel to a team in a league below you it is difficult because the crowd are always so excited that their team might cause an upset and get to beat a Premier League team! When you get to the ground you are quickly aware that everyone really wants you to lose – the fans let you know when you arrive. It’s not just the
home crowd that are extra excited to see you lose, but it is everyone watching at home also, we know this and try not to think about it and focus on our job for the day.
We played against Wigan, again, in 2018 in the Cup at their stadium and it was one of the hardest matches. They defended so well and frustrated us, we had all of the possession and so many chances, but they scored late and knocked us out, that’s how it is in knockout football. If Peterborough think that they can win then they should watch that game and do the same as Wigan did.
Peterborough will be tough for Manchester City because the team has just travelled to Portugal in the Champions League, had a tough game against Tottenham, then they’ll play away in the Premier League threes days before the match and then they have to play Manchester United after the FA Cup game, but the team has so many good players in every position and everyone is used to this way of playing now.
Manchester City are hungry to win every competition
At Manchester City, we wanted to win everything, every match and every trophy, and that will always be the case at the club now. I think Manchester City are in a great place to win the Premier League again, they also have a good chance in the FA Cup and in the Champions League too, but this might be competitive, but I think it is possible that they win all three. Winning a treble like this would be a huge achievement and they have a team and manager that can do it this season.
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Stake published a new campaign video on June 23 showing a small-sided football match played on a pitch suspended from a hot air balloon at 10,000ft.
The video features six extreme sports content creators—Nathan Roque, Alessio Papia, Nicolo Contrada, Yasmin Xavier, Sara Vidal, and Carol Chafauzer—playing on a 12m x 20m synthetic grass platform. Stake said the 3,000kg pitch was carried by balloon during a 60-minute flight, with participants later jumping from the platform using parachutes.
The activation sits within Stake’s “It’s All At Stake” brand platform, which the company launched ahead of this summer’s global football tournament. According to Stake, the campaign is being promoted across YouTube, Instagram and X.
Jarrod Febbraio, Director at Stake, said: “This summer sees one of the biggest cultural moments on the planet and simply showing up is no longer enough. Our ambition is to create campaigns that genuinely capture people’s attention, spark conversation and give fans something they haven’t seen before.
“At Stake, we are always looking for ways to push creative boundaries and challenge expectations around sports marketing. Whether it’s our It’s All At Stake campaign or staging a football match thousands of feet in the air, the objective is the same – creating entertainment that resonates with audiences and delivers memorable experiences around the moments they care most about.”
Stake also said the “It’s All At Stake” campaign has generated more than 200 million views across earned and social channels in the first week of the tournament.
The post Stake releases hot air balloon football match stunt at 10,000ft appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Infingame has published operational observations on what it says is driving player engagement on sweepstakes platforms, arguing that traditional online casino retention tactics don’t consistently translate to the sweepstakes model.
According to the aggregator, the strongest-performing sweepstakes products are built around progression-driven engagement, social-style competition, lightweight onboarding, and highly dynamic promotional systems. “Sweepstakes players behave very differently from traditional casino audiences,” said Jana Filagina, Head of Commercial at Infingame. “The expectation is much closer to entertainment platforms and gaming ecosystems than classic gambling products. Retention is driven by interaction quality, progression, and continuous engagement rather than purely transactional behavior.”
Infingame identified tournament ecosystems as a leading mechanic for repeat participation and session continuity, saying competitive formats outperform static reward campaigns by adding progression loops and achievement motivation. The company said operators using segmented tournament mechanics recorded higher repeat participation rates than those relying mainly on bonus-driven campaigns, and flagged “multiplier races, win races, and progression-based leaderboard systems” as particularly effective for mobile-first audiences due to short-session play patterns.
“Players want activity, not passive rewards,” Filagina said. “The strongest-performing sweepstakes platforms are creating environments where players continuously interact with missions, rankings, tournaments, and achievement systems rather than simply claiming bonuses.”
Infingame also highlighted mission-based challenge systems as a fast-growing retention lever, saying they encourage broader content exploration and higher daily return activity than standard promotional structures. Separately, the company pointed to infrastructure scalability as an operational priority, arguing that mobile-heavy, interaction-focused audiences make responsiveness and gameplay continuity central to engagement performance as operators scale across North America.
The post Infingame says tournaments and missions drive retention on sweepstakes platforms appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Isle of Man-based regulatory and licensing consultancy says it has opened in Ireland and will announce further locations.
SolutionsHub has marked its 10-year anniversary, highlighting international expansion plans from its Isle of Man base. Founder Lee Hills set up the regulatory and licensing consultancy on 23 June 2016, the day of the Brexit referendum.
The company said it has grown from a one-person operation into what it describes as “the largest regulatory and licensing consultancy on the Isle of Man,” supported by a team that includes former regulators, government officials and compliance specialists. SolutionsHub said it now supports “hundreds of businesses and organisations” across gaming, fintech and other regulated sectors, and has received “more than 55 industry awards, including three EGR awards.”
SolutionsHub said its international footprint has increased, with an office established in Ireland and further overseas offices set to be announced as part of its next stage of development. The company also said it is broadening its work into adjacent regulated industries as regulation and operational complexity evolve globally.
Hills said: “I did not begin with a detailed ten-year plan. I knew the type of business I wanted to create and the standards I wanted it to represent, but what SolutionsHub has become has been built by the people who joined the business and contributed their own knowledge, experience and commitment.
“We have never pursued growth simply for the sake of becoming bigger. We have focused on being consistent, investing in people with genuine regulatory and operational experience and making sure that growth does not come at the expense of the quality of our work.
“That has been a collective effort throughout the past ten years. Every person who has worked with us, supported the business or trusted us to advise them has played a part in reaching this point.
“The opportunity now is to take the same approach into new markets, strengthen our international presence and continue building the expertise our clients will need as regulation becomes increasingly complex.”
SolutionsHub COO Nick Wright added: “When I joined SolutionsHub, it was still a very young business, but the ambition and the standards behind it were already clear,” Wright said.
“What has followed has been a genuine team effort. We have brought together people with significant regulatory, operational and industry experience, and each of them has contributed to the business SolutionsHub is today.
“The company is larger, the team has grown and we now work across more markets, but the underlying principles have remained the same. We want to do the work properly, give clients practical support and build relationships that last.
“Reaching ten years gives us an opportunity to recognise everything the team has achieved together, while also looking ahead to what we can build next.”
The post SolutionsHub marks 10 years and plans more overseas offices appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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