France team manager Raphael Ibanez said on Wednesday he has "no doubts" about Bastien Chalureau's ability to move on from the controversy around his inclusion...

Success breeds success and England legend Rachel Yankey believes that the momentum from the Lionesses’ Euros crown can carry them at the World Cup despite a host of big-name absentees. Skipper Leah Williamson will miss the showpiece Down Under through injury, as will Beth Mead and Fran Kirby. It is the biggest concern for Sarina Wiegman’s squad as they look to add the global success to the European title they memorably claimed on home soil. But Yankey, who won 129 caps in a 16-year international career, has backed the team to use their experience of going all the way in 2022 to make up for the losses of established leaders. “Obviously they are missing players, which is disappointing for those individuals, but you want them to come back the fittest and strongest so you don’t want to rush them back for a massive tournament,” said Yankey, who has been assigned as a ‘Confidence Coach’, a move by Gatorade which comes in response to new data revealing that over four in ten (41%) parents believe that a lack of confidence and self-esteem are barriers which prevent teens from taking up sport. “What it is, is an opportunity for other players to really be involved in a key tournament, whether that is to gain experience or be a big part of it. “I think the squad would have learned so much from the Euros, there are different ranges of age within the squad, there are a lot of experienced players, so I think that they will be fine. “They can draw on their experiences, there is a lot of resilience within the players in that squad and I think there is good leadership and good youth. Fingers crossed they can go far. “For the players that weren’t there last year, they can look around that changing room and see so many different faces that were involved and played big parts in moments within the squad. Anybody that has been there and done it, and obviously the manager has done it twice, I think you can believe and have trust, you can settle people’s nerves by looking around and sharing experiences. “I don’t think there is just one leader in that England team. Collectively, that is their strong point. I think it will come down to how well they gel off the pitch and I’m sure they are going to do a fantastic job because they can look back on their previous experiences.” One noticeable aspect of the England squad named by Wiegman was the inclusion of just two Black players, Jess Carter and Lauren James. That is a continuation of a theme that was evident at the Euros, when Carter and Nikita Parris were the only Black players to get onto the pitch for England. The FA are aware of the issue, with Wiegman stressing that work is being done to change the make-up of the squad, while admitting it will not happen overnight. For Yankey, at one point England’s most capped footballer of either gender, and a trailblazer for Black women’s footballers, part of that trend may be due to the increased organisation of football. “There’s many different barriers that are leading to why young girls from all different backgrounds are not taking up the sport or not staying in the sport, or not getting the same opportunities to play the sport,” added Yankey, who delivered a moving Team Talk at the Gatorade’s 5v5 all-female tournament in Eindhoven, an annual five-a-side competition for 14- to 16-year-olds that featured nine female teams from across the Netherlands who all fought hard to qualify for the final and represent their local communities on a global stage. “One of the things that relates straightaway, when I think back to when I played football as a kid, I used to go out of my front door and with two boys across the road, we would go to the bottom of the street and play football. You don’t see people do that anymore. We used to go to the park and play football, you don’t really see people do that anymore. “We used to play unorganised football where we would create our games and make up our own skills. Everything is very organised at the moment and everything has a cost. “In the final years of my playing and even after retiring, I think more and more people have told me how important I was to them. Things that I didn’t necessarily think about, the way I used to have my hair braided, the colour of my skin. For some people, just the fact that I was a woman playing football. “At an early age, I understood that there was a role to play when you are playing for Arsenal and playing for England, you don’t want to let people down. But I didn’t really understand how deeply it could go into my gender and obviously my race. They weren’t things I thought about, that was really helping other people. We need more people to be going out and playing football, we need more people from different backgrounds. We need to be highlighting the game and to get more players.” Read More ‘Go get them’: William visits Lionesses to wish them good luck ahead of World Cup England World Cup goalkeeper set to leave WSL side this summer Ella Toone ‘ready and prepared’ for World Cup summer with England Qatar World Cup workers suffered ‘human rights abuses’, new Amnesty report finds Fifa accused of lying about environmental impact of Qatar World Cup Why Fifa is right about stand-off with Women’s World Cup broadcasters

Jimbo Fisher may have coached his last game for the Texas A&M football team. At the least, it would appear his days are numbered. Reports surfaced on Sunday th

Spain won the Women's World Cup for the first time in their history with skipper Olga Carmona sweeping in the only goal for a deserved 1-0 victory...

Roy Hodgson admits every Premier League manager is looking for a player like Declan Rice to anchor their team as he prepares his Crystal Palace side to come up against the England midfielder on Monday. The 24-year-old’s £105million move to Arsenal from West Ham last month made him one of four players in his position to have been bought for a nine-figure fee by European clubs during the last eight months, as the value placed by top sides on central midfielders has rocketed. Rice is part of an elite group that includes World Cup-winner Enzo Fernandez and his new Chelsea team-mate Moises Caicedo – both signed by the Blues for British record fees – and England’s Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in July, with each having been signed for fees that could exceed £100m. Hodgson’s Palace began the Premier League season with a 1-0 win at promoted Sheffield United but face a stern test when last year’s runners-up arrive at Selhurst Park, with Mikel Arteta’s side buoyed by the arrival of Rice to add steel to their midfield ahead of their return to the Champions League. Experienced manager Hodgson said that, whilst it remains the game’s great goalscorers that command the highest fees, the importance of a deeper-lying central midfielder has been proven by English football’s most successful sides. “I think it (central midfield) has always been big,” said Hodgson. “I don’t think it’s anything new. You will never be able to align it to centre forward because centre forwards will always be right up there as really big ones. “It’s still Neymar and (Kylian) Mbappe that go beyond our hundred million pounds here. Harry Kane, yes he cost just over a hundred million (when he signed for Bayern Munich), but only because he was in the last year of his contract. If he’d have had a three-year contract, Tottenham would have been asking for a lot more money. They score the goals. The game is about goals. “But I think the midfield area is an area where people within football have always understood the importance of it and the importance of getting good players in, none more so than Sir Alex (Ferguson) at Manchester United because he always had really, really top-class players in that centre of midfield, all of whom brought him trophies. “(Rice) has got strength, he’s got energy, he understands the game very well. He gets from box to box, and when he’s in each of the boxes, he does a really good job. He knows how to defend and he also has an eye for goal, so really he’s the type of player that every person is looking for.” Hodgson enjoyed the boost of winger Michael Olise turning down the chance to join Chelsea last week after Mauricio Pochettino’s side activated a £35m release clause. The France Under-21 international, who Palace signed from Reading for a relatively modest £8m two years ago and has since flourished into an accomplished Premier League performer, instead opted to agree a new four-year deal to continue his development in south London. He will be missing from Hodgson’s team to face Arsenal as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury. Yet it is Arsenal’s transfer business that occupied Hodgson’s attention ahead of Monday’s game, with Rice set to make his second Premier League start as the Gunners look to go one better and take the crown from champions Manchester City. He knows how to defend and he also has an eye for goal, so really he's the type of player that every person is looking for. Roy Hodgson on Declan Rice “It’s been an interesting development for him,” said the manager. “I’ve followed him a little bit myself through (James) Tomkins (who) told me about him many years ago. He said there’s a very good young player at West Ham, and I’ve seen that as he’s gone along. “He’s done his apprenticeship really, coming through the ranks. He’s done his years at West Ham, each year getting better, and in the end becomes an international and clubs are (thinking) ‘who can I get who’s the best at his particular job for this role?’ “Declan Rice’s name is always going to be right up there on the top of the list, as was Bellingham of course at Real Madrid.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Pep Guardiola ‘amazed’ by Manchester City hunger at start of new season I’ll be there for him – Dele Alli always has friend in Spurs star Son Heung-min Mauricio Pochettino confident of rapid Chelsea improvement after West Ham defeat

Mikel Arteta revealed that many Premier League managers had been in contact with him after the Arsenal boss was charged by the Football Association for comments after the Gunners’ 1-0 defeat at Newcastle earlier this month. Arteta branded the officials’ decision not to overturn Anthony Gordon’s goal “an absolute disgrace” and waits to see the extent of his punishment. And Arteta highlighted that he and his manager colleagues were “all in this together” when it came to making improvements regarding officiating in the Premier League. “I have been in contact with many of them, I know most of them for many years and we are all in this together,” Arteta said. “We compete with each other but we understand our roles and understand our responsibility and we want to fulfil that to our best. “So everything we do has to be properly thought with good process in place and make sure we contribute to make it better. “We do meetings (with the officials) but sometimes individually. A lot of things happen.” I have been in contact with many of them, I know most of them for many years and we are all in this together Mikel Arteta Arsenal faced criticism after a public statement supporting Arteta’s comments was released earlier this month. But the Gunners manager defended his views, putting his reaction down to emotions after it was suggested his comments would set the wrong example as to how to treat referees. “I have given hundreds of opinions but you want to isolate one moment when I talked about something I believed and used it in a different way, I don’t think that’s fair”, Arteta said to a reporter. “We live the game with emotion. I react when a player scores a goal. I react when a player gives the ball away. We are constantly reacting – this is the game. “We live a game which is passionate and you play to win and so this has to happen and we have to react. “Let’s sit down here like a theatre and be on mute and see if this league and game will be interesting, it won’t. And that’s what makes it special.” Aaron Ramsdale will start in goal for Arsenal’s Saturday evening clash with Brentford as David Raya is not eligible to play against his parent club. Ramsdale’s father recently said the goalkeeper does not smile since summer signing Raya replaced him as the Arsenal number one. And Arteta responded by highlighting the attitude he demands of players who have fallen out of favour. He said: “Aaron is one of many players who is playing less than he wants. There are many unfortunately in a dressing room of 24 players. “The behaviour we demand is to challenge and to make each other better. “This is the purpose and to overcome the ability and to play and show with facts that you have to play more and show how wrong I am (for not picking him).” Read More Cristiano Ronaldo’s second-half brace inspires Al Nassr victory over Al Akhdoud Everton points penalty ‘draconian’ and ‘too harsh’ say Premier League protesters Australia see off Finland to reach Davis Cup final for second-successive year Neil Robertson not worried by slide down rankings ahead of UK Championship Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool can benefit from Alexis Mac Allister’s deeper role Kevin Sinfield says time is of the essence as he prepares to run for MND again

Corey Kiner rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns as Cincinnati piled up 204 rushing yards and the Bearcats earned their first Big 12 win with a 24-14 win over Houston Saturday night

Sergio Perez was absent from media day at the Austrian Grand Prix due to illness. The Red Bull driver, who is second in the championship standings behind team-mate Max Verstappen, “became unwell” on Wednesday night. With qualifying taking place on Friday this weekend with the sprint format in place, the 32-year-old took the decision not to go to the Red Bull Ring on Thursday. “He became unwell last night and is taking the day to rest to ensure he’s in the best possible health for this weekend’s race,” Red Bull said in a statement. Perez trails Verstappen by 69 points in the world championship. Despite two wins from the opening four races, the Mexican has struggled in recent weeks and is now only nine points clear of Fernando Alonso in third. This weekend’s action in Spielberg sees the second of six sprint weekends this season. Qualifying for the grand prix now takes place on Friday, with Saturday a designated “sprint day” with “sprint shootout” quickfire qualifying in the morning followed by the sprint race in the afternoon. Read More Are Red Bull now the most successful F1 team ever – and how long can this dominance last? What is a sprint race in F1 and how does new qualifying shootout work? F1 team bid confirmed for 2026 season after major investment

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Brentford have a deal lined up to sign a new goalkeeper with David Raya expected to leave the club amid interest from Chelsea and Tottenham.

Liverpool faces Union Saint-Gilloise at Anfield in the Europa League

The Tampa Bay Rays went retro for Tuesday’s Game 1 of their AL Wild Card series and the result flashed back to the early days of the franchise