Former English Football League defender Tommy Spurr continues to live with worry even though his son has recently overcome cancer. The ex-Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn full-back has had to endure every parent’s worst nightmare as his four-year-old boy Rio was diagnosed with Wilms Tumour – a form of kidney cancer – last April. The disease spread to his lungs and contained anaplastic features which made it harder to cure and more likely to return. But after nine months of a punishing chemotherapy treatment and 10 days of radiotherapy Rio got the great news last month that there was no longer any evidence of the cancer. However, because of the anaplasia, doctors have said the cancer has a 50 per cent chance of returning and if it does not only does the survival rate plummet to just 10 per cent, there are no further treatment options on the NHS. Alongside Rio’s treatment, the Spurr family have been fundraising, with the former player quitting his job as a teacher, in case the worst does happen. But although they are able to enjoy seeing their little boy start to live a normal life again, the worry of what might be to come has been hard for Spurr and his wife Chloe to deal with. “The first meeting when you hear them say what it was was just horrific,” Spurr, who retired four years ago aged just 31, told the PA news agency. “It turned our world upside down and I don’t think it’s something that will ever leave me or my wife. “We were petrified because we knew he was up against it and the thought of losing our little boy was horrendous. “But fast forward to a couple of weeks ago to be told there was nothing there was a massive relief. “You want to get on with your life and forget about it but you know the risk of it coming back is still there. “My wife and I are still struggling to deal with that and live normally, it is hard to put that out of your mind, knowing he is going to get scanned again and praying and hoping they come back with nothing on. “It has been really hard. I am lucky that I have got my wife. Mentally it has been really hard, the fundraising has been keeping us going because it feels like we are trying to do something positive for Rio but even now I don’t want to sound negative but it is difficult not knowing where we are going to be in a year’s time.” If that news ever does come, Spurr wants to be in the best position possible as their only likely option is going to be treatment in America and that will not come cheaply. “This is the difficulty at the moment. We would more than likely have to access a clinical trial or something that is not available in this country,” he added. “What that is yet we don’t know because we are hoping we don’t get to that point. We were petrified because we knew he was up against it and the thought of losing our little boy was horrendous. Tommy Spurr “We know another family whose child had an identical diagnosis to Rio had treatment in America and their hospital bill for that trip was £650,000 so it is what it is. We will be as prepared as we can be but every day we are praying we are not going to be in that position.” The next step of the fundraising sees Spurr staging a charity match this Sunday, where former Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United players will go head-to-head in a Steel City Derby at the Olympic Legacy Park. Ron Atkinson and Neil Warnock will be in the dugouts, with a number of high-profile ex-players giving their time. Spurr said: “The lads are giving up their time to come and play, it’s been amazing that people want to be involved. “The number of people that have bought tickets and wanting to help has been overwhelming. Me and my wife are so thankful. “I think I’ll be playing the whole thing but I might have to give Big Ron a sign if I am struggling. Some of the lads I used to play with I have not seen for 10 years, it will be nice to catch up.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: Tottenham ready for fight to keep hold of Harry Kane 5 contenders as Justin Thomas sets out to defend US PGA Championship crown Jordan Spieth suffers injury in bid for grand slam as US PGA returns to Oak Hill

While Formula 1 may be struggling to invigorate the spectacle of racing amid another anticipated year of Red Bull dominance, one area it is not struggling in is the off-track coffers. With more races than ever before, and the bumper profits that go with it, an inevitable side-effect is wandering eyes from afar. The sport’s governing body, the FIA, has thus opened an “expressions of interest” process in January for new potential teams to join the current 10-team grid, perhaps as soon as 2025. Enter Calvin Lo: a Hong Kong-based billionaire. CEO of R.E. Lee International, the world’s largest life insurance broker, the 45-year-old has been “hooked” on the sport since glimpsing Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari on TV in the early 2000s. A trip to Shanghai for the first Chinese Grand Prix in 2004 underlined that adoration. But now, spectating from the paddock isn’t enough. “I’m having serious discussions about getting involved right now,” he tells The Independent, from an office in Singapore, with all the paperwork lying in front of him. “There’s actually quite a few proposals in front of me right now to see how I can participate. “F1 needs more teams. There’s too many talents in motorsport to not have more teams. But when I go through it, it is highly aspirational and absolutely, very ambitious. Still, I’d loved to be involved financially.” But not at the cost of his reputation. Financial prudence and sustainability are at the forefront of his thinking, with the extended FIA deadline for applications closing on Sunday. The entrance fee for any new team is $200m, shared by all the current teams. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has previously remarked that $1bn is realistically required to fight at the front, a figure Lo agrees is “fair” given the basic costs of recruitment and car development. “I won’t get myself into that vicious cycle where I can’t hit those financial markers,” he says, adamantly. “Putting money into the team is not the difficult part. It’s making sure it’s sustainable; otherwise it’s embarrassing for everyone. It’s very intricate, even with an established group of people, with all the sponsorship and the detail. “But there’s so much potential in this part of the world – it’d be so advantageous to the Asian community and to the F1 ecosystem.” Audi have already confirmed their entry in 2026, taking over from Alfa Romeo (Sauber), while American giant Ford has partnered with Red Bull for the world champions’ new powertrains division. While Lo was tight-lipped about naming potential partnerships, he did emphasise his eagerness to join forces with a new team via the current FIA process. Confirmed bids from Andretti Cadillac, as well as a mooted submission from junior formula outfit Hitech GP, were ruled out. An association with Panthera Team Asia, therefore, seems most probable at this point. Lo also has a financial link with Williams’ F1 team, who were bought by private investment firm Dorilton Capital nearly three years ago, but non-disclosure agreements preclude him from elaborating further. He was insistent, however, that any new team would not present a conflict of interest. Instead, his new venture, likely based out of Asia, would be his primary focus. The continent is a “huge untapped market” for the sport, in Lo’s view, amid the Americanisation of the sport witnessed at the weekend in Miami. An academy for drivers and academics alike is also a target. “To truly make F1 global, we cannot forget this part of the world,” he says. “There are races, but the penetration is not high and it’s wasted. “I would love to have an Asian team with a base in the Pearl River Delta [the wealthiest region in south China]. The initial few seasons would be tough but it’s important for the sport to have more exposure and commitment here. “It’d be great to have an academy here. Recruiting talents not just for F1, but aeronautics and legal avenues. For young people to be exposed to this kind of world, it could change someone’s life. “With [F1’s new regulations in] 2026 and the net-zero target of 2030, now is the perfect time to be involved behind the scenes.” Working in the shadows is just how Lo operates. Widely publicised as the “secretive” or “under-the-radar” billionaire – who has a net worth of $1.7bn (£1.3bn) according to Forbes – he covets privacy, despite a lucrative lifestyle which includes owning a suite of supercars and a collection of tip-top champagne, with a single batch costing $230m. “If I go into F1, you won’t see me,” he reveals. “It’s not my style. It’s also partly to do with my main business and working with clients. “In my view, the wealthier you are… you don’t go out and flaunt it. Well some do, most don’t!” McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes there will be at least four prospective teams interested in joining the sport, while F1’s regulations cater for only two more spots. Lo has been included in an initial application to play a financial role – even if he won’t be the face of said new team – and the FIA intends on making a decision about which teams will be granted a shot at the big time by the end of June. “By 2026, it will be a different world we live in and it’d be pretty amazing to be part of that change,” he concludes. “It’s now about looking at all the plans and making a decision truly from a financial point of view. “The skeleton is already there. It’s now just getting everyone to commit themselves.” Read More FIA formally opens applications for new teams to join F1 grid Andretti joins forces with General Motors to target Formula 1 entry FIA boss ‘surprised’ at ‘adverse reaction’ to Andretti’s F1 bid with Cadillac Aussie billionaire David Dicker enters race for new team to join F1 grid Ford to rejoin Formula 1 as engine partner for Red Bull from 2026

It’s 22 years and counting since Coventry City last graced the Premier League, over two decades of ups and downs, necessary ups as a result of downs, a whole chapter and more of club history written outside of the game’s elite. Once, the Sky Blues were synonymous with top-flight football, iconic 90s names - if not always quite among the elite - throughout the team. They were in the first Premier League campaign, the 1992/93 season, and stayed a part of that fledgling top flight for the first nine years, finishing in the bottom half each term but always there, always a tough opponent, always carrying players with a backstory, a big future, or both. But an entire generation of football fans have never seen Coventry among the top clubs. A sea-change has happened at England’s highest level since they were on the scene; they departed in 2001, two years before Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea and could now return one year after he sold it. While billions were moved around in the transfer market and in broadcast deals in Coventry’s absence, they embarked on an altogether more painful journey; should they complete the comeback on 27 May and win the EFL Championship play-off final they will become the first team to go from the Premier League all the way down to the fourth tier...and come all the way back up again. Before they can dream of all that, though, they must overcome Middlesbrough in a two-legged semi-final. The first of those games comes on home soil. A generation back, that would have been Highfield Road. For those who haven’t followed the fortunes and failings of Coventry’s ownership since then, that memorable old ground - where they played for over a century - was demolished in 2005. They moved to the Ricoh Arena, but less than ten years later there were leasing issues and disagreements, resulting in the team spending a season at Sixfields in Northampton, 33 miles away. A return to within the city limits lasted only another few years, with the 19/20 and 20/21 campaigns spent playing home games at St. Andrew’s, in Birmingham - this time 23 miles away, and in the opposite direction to Sixfields. Two seasons back at the renamed Ricoh, now the Coventry Building Society Arena have followed, with a ten-year deal to play there seemingly securing the club’s immediate future in terms of a home ground - but the stadium owners were since bought out and Coventry have only, until now, agreed a deal to stay until the end of this campaign. Closer to home, matters haven’t been much better. Investment group Sisu Capital bought the Sky Blues in 2007 to stop them going out of business, but under Ray Ranson’s chairmanship the club floundered financially and on the football pitch. Liquidation and relegation to League Two painted a bleak picture; the EFL Trophy in 2017 and promotion back to League One in 2018 offered far more of a glimpse of hope. Doug King, a local businessman, finally completed a full takeover just a few months ago and immediately insisted on a future of “transparency and clarity”, noting there was no debt on the club and no interest would be payable on loans provided to it. However, he was unable to secure the purchase of the stadium, leaving work to do there for next season. Yet even that question mark only becomes cause for excitement if Coventry can pull off the most improbable of finishes to this campaign. When King took sole ownership on 27 January - just four months to the day before the play-off final - Coventry sat 15th in the Championship. They had won nine games all season, and lost ten. They had a negative goal difference. Their first game of the new era took place the next day and they won - and they have done so, again and again, in nine of their last 19, losing only twice. Mark Robins has managed nothing shy of a minor miracle in that most mad-cap of leagues, while it’s worth noting that the final day of the regular season saw them play away at the very team they now face twice more. A 1-1 draw at ‘Boro didn’t give much away for either side, while Coventry won the early-season meeting on home soil. Robins, of course, is the former striker who - as myth, legend or partial truth tells it - saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s career at Manchester United in those pre-trophy early seasons, scoring a goal in a must-win FA Cup clash which might otherwise have seen the Scot sacked. Robins went on to play for Norwich and Leicester, before a nomadic final decade or so in the game. This spell with Coventry, his second with the club, is his sixth coaching job. He is just three games away from giving the fans their best occasion in decades. And they have had plenty of those memorable occasions before. This was a club of Dion Dublin, Noel Whelan, Darren Huckerby, Robbie Keane. And before that, of Steve Ogrizovic, Roland Nilsson, Roy Wegerle, Gary McAllister and Peter Ndlovu. They were genuinely exciting, talented, committed players who could certainly have played for the biggest sides - some indeed went on to do so - had that era been like this one, where top clubs swoop continuously on any of those below them who fare well. Now it is instead to Viktor Gyokeres, Gustavo Hamer and Callum Doyle the fans will look, in hope and in anguish, that a long and difficult road might be just weeks from the final corner. What lays around it is almost entirely unknown, yet it could also in many ways mark the most incredible full-circle journey the Premier League era has seen. Read More A tiny ground and a squad costing less than a Man City sub. So how are Luton within reach of the Premier League? When are the play-offs? West Ham overcome ghosts of Frankfurt to eye another shot at European glory Football rumours: Tottenham ready for fight to keep hold of Harry Kane On this day in 2010: Fulham beaten by Atletico Madrid in Europa League final

What the papers say Tottenham are determined to hold on to England captain Harry Kane, according to the Daily Mirror, despite him approaching the final year of his contract. Manchester United have been leading the chase to sign the 29-year-old striker. Another England player is in Manchester United’s sights as they look for a possible replacement for goalkeeper David de Gea, 32. The Daily Mirror reports they are preparing a move for Jordan Pickford, 29, from Everton. Bayer Leverkusen’s 23-year-old winger Moussa Diaby has emerged as a possible summer target for Arsenal, according to the Standard. The French international has also been linked with Newcastle and Paris St Germain. Striker Romelu Lukaku, who turns 30 on Saturday, will return to Chelsea for pre-season training and talks with the new boss at Stamford Bridge before deciding on his future. The Belgian international has been on loan at Inter Milan. Social media round-up Players to watch Mohammed Salisu: Southampton’s 24-year-old Ghana defender is catching the eye of Everton. Dujon Sterling: The 23-year-old defender is set to move from Chelsea to Rangers on a free transfer this summer. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Friday's transfer rumours include Man Utd and Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku returning to Chelsea, Marco Asensio, Dusan Vlahovic, Victor Osimhen, Moussa Diaby & more.

China will next week host its first major international sports event since abandoning strict Covid rules, heralding the return of elite competition to the country...

The Denver Nuggets crushed the Phoenix Suns 125-100 on Thursday to become the first team to reach the NBA conference finals as the Boston Celtics forced a decisive...

Fulham were beaten 2-1 by Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final on this day in 2010. Diego Forlan’s winner late in extra-time brought the London club’s Europa League adventure to a heartbreaking end. Roy Hodgson’s side provided shocks in the competition to reach the final – beating Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk along the way – but were denied a first European trophy by an Atletico side which contained the likes of Sergio Aguero, Jose Antonio Reyes and David De Gea. Atletico hit the front in the 32nd minute when Forlan pounced on a mishit shot from Aguero to beat Mark Schwarzer from close range but Fulham were quick to level as Simon Davies smashed home Zoltan Gera’s cross five minutes later. Both sides failed to make an impression or create any quality chances in the second period and the match was all square at the end of normal time. Extra-time was needed for a result and the winning goal came in the 116th minute. Fulham looked fatigued and the Spanish side took advantage when Aguero made space down the right before passing to Forlan whose shot rolled through the legs of Brede Hangeland and past Mark Schwarzer. “I thought the game was heading for penalties,” said Hodgson. “I know they are a lottery but we fancied our chances. Then Forlan popped up with a second and we had no time to recover. “Everyone wants to finish first but at this level of achievement, after 63 games, second is something we can be very proud of as well.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jesper Fast deflected in a shot by Jesperi Kotkaniemi on a power play at 7:09 of overtime to give the Carolina Hurricanes a series-ending 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

Nikola Jokic scored 32 points, Jamal Murray added 26 and the Denver Nuggets advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2020 by beating the shorthanded Phoenix Suns 125-100 in Game 6 on Thursday night

Roope Hintz scored two goals and had an assist, Joe Pavelski scored his seventh goal of the second-round series and the Dallas Stars beat the Seattle Kraken 5-2 in Game 5

Rookie Casey Schmitt had four more hits, including a two-run homer, and Alex Cobb blanked Arizona into the eighth inning as the San Francisco Giants beat the Diamondbacks 6-2