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Jim Knowles is a sexifinalist.

Barnsley have been expelled from the FA Cup for fielding an ineligible player in their first-round replay against Horsham. Seventh-tier Horsham will now progress to round two, where they will visit League Two strugglers Sutton. The Tykes were 3-0 winners in last Tuesday’s replay, after the first game had finished 3-3 at Oakwell, but have since acknowledged a “regrettable”, “unintentional” error that has seen them kicked out of this season’s competition by the Football Association. A club statement read: “Today the FA has advised us that we will no longer be able to participate in the FA Cup this season. “An administrative error was brought to our attention regarding the eligibility of a player who played in last Tuesday’s game with Horsham FC. “The club has fully co-operated with the investigation and has accepted the FA’s decision. We have been in contact with Horsham FC and would like to thank the club and chairman for their understanding and co-operation throughout this process. “We would like to apologise to our fans, players and staff for this regrettable error. “This mistake – although unintentional – falls way below the high standards we set at this club and is simply not what you deserve. “We have already conducted a full internal investigation and have subsequently put safeguards in place to ensure this will never happen again.” The FA said Barnsley fielded a player in the replay who was not eligible for the first match, which is against the rules. Forward Aiden Marsh was on loan at National League York when the first game took place on November 3, before being recalled by parent club Barnsley on November 6 and playing 71 minutes of the replay on November 14. “A Professional Game Board sub-committee has removed Barnsley from the 2023-24 Emirates FA Cup for fielding an ineligible player during their first-round proper replay against Horsham on Tuesday 14 November 2023,” an FA statement read. “The FA alleged that the player was ineligible for this replay, as he was not correctly registered and eligible for the original first-round-proper match on Friday 3 November 2023, which constitutes a breach of FA Cup rule 103. “Barnsley admitted this charge and acknowledged that the breach had occurred. The sub-committee’s members ordered that Barnsley be removed from the competition, and that Horsham be awarded the tie and progression to the second round proper. “Subject to any appeal by Barnsley, Horsham will now play away to Sutton United in the Second Round Proper on Saturday 2 December 2023.” Read More Great Britain determined to ruin Novak Djokovic’s astonishing year at Davis Cup Everton have extra motivation following points deduction – director of football What happens next for Wales as they look to book a place at Euro 2024? Clubs must be punished for failure to meet diversity requirements – Kick It Out Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s deadline to respond to FA charge extended to Friday Rob Page ‘absolutely’ adamant he will lead Wales into Euro 2024 play-offs

Everton director of football Kevin Thelwell admitted his club had extra motivation following their “wholly disproportionate” points deduction. The Toffees were docked 10 points last week for breaching Premier League financial rules over a three-year period, plummeting them from 14th in the table into the relegation zone. They looked to be set for a comfortable season after a good run of form culminated in a 3-2 win at Crystal Palace before the international break. Thelwell said on the club’s official website: “The three points from that victory may no longer be accounted for in the table – nor seven other hard-earned points amassed during this season. “But what does remain in place is the unity, focus and determination that helped earn those points on the field of play – now supplemented by the additional fuel of what we believe is a wholly-disproportionate ruling. “We are rallying in the face of a sporting sanction in the only way we can and that is our focus and hard work in supporting the team in delivering to their fullest on the pitch. We know that every Evertonian is behind us. We feel the strength of support and we will continue to use that backing to drive us on Kevin Thelwell “Everton is a special football club. It is a special football club because of its people – our players, staff and fans.” Everton have already indicated their intention to appeal against the commission’s sanction, with the appeal expected to be heard during the course of the current season. Thelwell said the club would remain “united” in their fight against the punishment. “We go into this weekend having secured six wins from our last nine outings in all competitions,” he added. “The team has displayed a level of effort, camaraderie and bravery that is synonymous with this club in earning those victories. “That spirit remains strong – unwavering. (Manager) Sean (Dyche) and the players are fully focused on the work that lies ahead and everybody at Finch Farm is united. “We know that every Evertonian is behind us. That is never taken for granted, but always hugely appreciated and valued. “We feel the strength of support and we will continue to use that backing to drive us on.” Read More What happens next for Wales as they look to book a place at Euro 2024? Clubs must be punished for failure to meet diversity requirements – Kick It Out Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s deadline to respond to FA charge extended to Friday Rob Page ‘absolutely’ adamant he will lead Wales into Euro 2024 play-offs James McClean backs Republic to enjoy ‘glory days’ after calling time on career On This Day in 2017 – Everton’s Oumar Niasse hit with retrospective diving ban

Wales must navigate the play-offs in March to reach the European Championship finals next summer. If they do so, it will be Wales’ fourth major tournament out of the last five. Here, the PA news agency looks at their Euro 2024 story so far and what happens next. How did Wales get here? It has been a campaign of transition without talismanic captain Gareth Bale following his retirement in January and the loss of other key players such as midfielder Joe Allen. Wales began well with a bonus point away to World Cup semi-finalists Croatia – courtesy of Nathan Broadhead’s stoppage-time equaliser – and a narrow home win over Latvia. But a sour summer – back-to-beat defeats against Armenia and Turkey – would cost them dear, despite bouncing back with a 2-0 success in Latvia and a sensational 2-1 home victory over Croatia. Wales had automatic qualification in their hands heading into the final two games, but ultimately fell short with closing 1-1 draws against Armenia and Turkey. Croatia and Turkey qualified as the top two in Group D. Play-off scenario Wales will discover at 11am on Thursday morning who their semi-final opponents will be on March 21. Manager Rob Page will attend the draw in Switzerland to get a flavour of what stands in his side’s way. It is a case of one from three countries as Finland, Iceland or Ukraine will be paired with Wales in Path A. The winners of that tie will play Poland or Estonia in the play-off final on March 26 for the right to play at Euro 2024. Home sweet home Wales will have home advantage for the semi-final, which will be played at Cardiff City Stadium. That is a huge boost for Wales who have had some special nights in Cardiff in recent times, and beat both Austria and Ukraine there in the 2022 World Cup play-offs. The Nyon draw on Thursday will also decide who gets home advantage for the March 26 final. Wales got the breaks in the 2022 World Cup play-offs with two home ties. Will they be as fortunate again? Who do Wales want? Ukraine are 22nd in the FIFA rankings, six places above Wales, and present the toughest test on paper. They were third in England’s qualifying group and might already be preparing for Germany had they been awarded what appeared a certain stoppage-time penalty against Italy on Monday. Finland won six of their 10 qualifiers and finished four points behind Denmark and Slovenia, while Iceland won only three times in 10 games and were a distant fourth to Portugal, Slovakia and Luxembourg. Whoever they play, Wales enter the play-offs with confidence after an unbeaten six-game run of three wins and three draws. Read More Clubs must be punished for failure to meet diversity requirements – Kick It Out Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s deadline to respond to FA charge extended to Friday Rob Page ‘absolutely’ adamant he will lead Wales into Euro 2024 play-offs James McClean backs Republic to enjoy ‘glory days’ after calling time on career On This Day in 2017 – Everton’s Oumar Niasse hit with retrospective diving ban Performing under pressure – remembering England’s dramatic 2003 World Cup win

Clubs must face sanctions if they fail to comply with diversity reporting requirements and workforce targets, Kick It Out’s chief executive has said. Data released by the Football Association on Wednesday showed the 53 clubs signed up to the Football Leadership Diversity Code (FLDC) collectively failed to meet any of the eight hiring targets set last season. The FA board has now approved the creation of a new rule which will make clubs publicly declare their workforce diversity data on age, sex, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation twice a year from 2024-25. The detail of the new rule will be worked out in consultation with the Premier League, the EFL, the Women’s Super League and the Women’s Championship but Kick, It Out chief Tony Burnett insists it must have teeth if it is going to prove effective. “The club results for the Football Leadership Diversity Code are disappointing, but they are not wholly unexpected,” he said. “In the process of setting up the code, we expressed concerns that if football wanted to drive change, it needed to be transparent about its whole workforce. “Clubs were only willing to provide limited recruitment data and there were no sanctions for failing to comply. We need sanctions for non-compliance and future diversity targets baked into FA, Premier League and EFL rules Tony Burnett, Kick It Out “Now is the time to be bolder. The FA’s intention to make reporting of diversity data mandatory for all men’s and women’s clubs is a step in the right direction. We would urge the Premier League, EFL and all its 92 clubs to make that data transparent. “But we also need sanctions for non-compliance and future diversity targets baked into FA, Premier League and EFL rules. Without that commitment, we won’t know the true scale of the challenge nor be able to find solutions to make football more representative of the people who love the game.” The FLDC was established in October 2020 in a bid to tackle under-representation in the game, but Wednesday’s 2022-23 figures demonstrate clubs’ collective failure to meet any of the targets set. Senior leadership hiring of black, Asian and mixed heritage candidates is set at 15 per cent, but clubs only achieved 9.1 per cent. In men’s clubs, the target for new coaching hires from a black, Asian or mixed heritage background was 25 per cent but clubs only managed 16 per cent. For the first time clubs’ existing workforce data was included in the FLDC data published. It demonstrated that levels of diversity off the pitch fall well below the level in the playing population, and that hiring rates are currently not high enough to drive the rapid change needed. Within the 53 club signatories, 21 per cent of senior leaders and 29 per cent of team operations are female and seven per cent of senior leaders and nine per cent of team operations are black, Asian or mixed heritage. Across the coaching workforce, 13 per cent of coaches and 11 per cent of senior coaches are black, Asian or mixed heritage. Data from the Black Football Partnership published earlier this year showed 43 per cent of Premier League players and 34 per cent of Championship players were black. Former Chelsea defender Paul Elliott, who was key to the FLDC’s creation three years ago, said on Wednesday: “Football wants the diversity off the field to match what we see on the field. “While we have work to do to improve player diversity in the women’s game, diversity on the pitch in the men’s game is a given. “Despite this, if we look at Europe’s top five leagues, there are only two black head coaches – one is Vincent Kompany at Burnley and the other is Patrick Vieira at Strasbourg. “So the challenge is not just in the UK, it’s all across Europe, but I personally have a greater expectation of progress in the UK because of the diversity of our society. “By evolving the code to mandatory reporting of workforce data, we can take a new approach with new transparency. It is a natural next step. I am pleased that the FA is leading on this topic and embedding it in the rules of the game; that will help to accelerate progress and the growth we need.” Kick It Out wants football’s new independent regulator to oversee equality standards as part of a code of football governance and to compel clubs to share representation and recruitment data. Currently, clubs in the Premier League are independently evaluated under the league’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion standard (PLEDIS), while the EFL’s Equality Code of Practice assesses work, learning, development and commitment to EDI and provides a grade of bronze, silver or gold after review. Read More Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s deadline to respond to FA charge extended to Friday Rob Page ‘absolutely’ adamant he will lead Wales into Euro 2024 play-offs James McClean backs Republic to enjoy ‘glory days’ after calling time on career On This Day in 2017 – Everton’s Oumar Niasse hit with retrospective diving ban Performing under pressure – remembering England’s dramatic 2003 World Cup win Jason Robinson has yet to watch a rerun of England’s World Cup success

Wales are heading to the Euro 2024 play-offs after drawing 1-1 with Turkey on a dramatic night in Cardiff. Neco Williams’ seventh-minute goal – his third for Wales – offered hope they could bridge the two-point gap between them and Croatia for the second automatic qualifying spot. But Yusuf Yazici’s controversial penalty 20 minutes from time – awarded after Wales had three stronger spot-kick appeals rejected – handed Turkey a share of the spoils and the point required to top Group D. In the end, Yazici’s leveller did not matter in denying Wales qualification as Croatia kept their side of the bargain by beating Armenia 1-0 at home. Wales go into the March play-offs where a home semi-final against Finland, Iceland and Ukraine awaits. Thursday’s draw will determine who Wales will play, with Poland and Estonia contesting the other semi-final. Wales had lost control of their destiny by drawing in Armenia on Saturday, with a performance that was as poor as the result. Boss Rob Page reacted to that disappointment by making three changes, one of which was enforced with Chris Mepham suspended and Luton defender Tom Lockyer making his first competitive appearance for Wales since September 2021. Brennan Johnson and Nathan Broadhead were also introduced on the back of Wales’ makeweight attack in Yerevan. Turkey skipper Hakan Calhanoglu, the Inter Milan midfielder, was absent through illness but Vincenzo Montella had started his managerial reign with three victories – including taking the scalps of Croatia and Germany – and their travelling support was as noisy as ever. Wales showed an intensity that was missing in Yerevan as Broadhead seized on a mistake and curled wide of the far post. But Wales did not have to wait long for the breakthrough as Harry Wilson found Williams in space on the left. Williams cut inside on his favoured right foot and with perfect placement found the corner of Ugurcan Cakir’s net from 16 yards. Turkey were visibly rattled, losing Lockyer at a corner and letting discipline slip with some unnecessary shoving as tempers threatened to boil over. Wales had no fewer than three penalty appeals in a frantic nine-minute spell. Wilson went down in a tangle of legs with with Abdulkerim Bardakci and Johnson was floored by a sliding Samet Akaydin tackle when the defender did not make contact with the ball. Akaydin then flattened Johnson from behind in a crowded goalmouth, the challenge somehow escaping the notice of Slovenian referee Matej Jug and VAR. Turkey sent on Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir for the injured Cakir and fashioned their first opening three minutes before the interval when Kerem Akturkoglu fired over. Bayindir was forced into action from Johnson, who was proving far more lively than his limp second-half showing in Armenia. Johnson brought another full-stretch stop from Bayindir after the break, but Turkey should have been level after 58 minutes. Akaydin met an Akturkoglu corner from six yards but planted his header straight at Danny Ward in the Wales goal. Ethan Ampadu saw his header held by Bayindir before Turkey equalised in contentious circumstances. Ben Davies was adjudged to have fouled Kenan Yildiz, an incredibly soft decision that was capitalised on by Yazici in nonchalant fashion. It was Turkey’s first goal in four visits to Wales. Yusuf Sari skimmed the Wales crossbar and Johnson had the ball in the net from an offside position. There were heated scenes at the final whistle and a rash of yellow cards. Wales had extended their unbeaten run to six games, but that will be of scant consolation as the disappointment of missing out on automatic qualification sinks in. Read More Clubs must be punished for failure to meet diversity requirements – Kick It Out Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s deadline to respond to FA charge extended to Friday Rob Page ‘absolutely’ adamant he will lead Wales into Euro 2024 play-offs James McClean backs Republic to enjoy ‘glory days’ after calling time on career On This Day in 2017 – Everton’s Oumar Niasse hit with retrospective diving ban Performing under pressure – remembering England’s dramatic 2003 World Cup win

Mikel Arteta has been given until Friday to respond to his Football Association charge for comments he made after Arsenal’s defeat by Newcastle earlier this month. The Gunners boss branded the VAR decision not to rule out Anthony Gordon’s goal in his side’s 1-0 defeat at St James’ Park “an absolute disgrace”. Arteta has been charged with a breach of FA rule E3.1 and initially had until Tuesday to offer his response. However, that deadline has now been extended until Friday at the Gunners’ request, the PA news agency understands. VAR made a triple check to see whether the ball had gone out of play before Joe Willock’s cross, whether Joelinton had fouled Arsenal defender Gabriel and whether Gordon had been offside. Arteta could not hide his anger after the match, saying: “You have to talk about how the hell did this goal stand up? Incredible. I feel embarrassed. “I have to now come in here and try to defend the club and please ask for help because it’s an absolute disgrace that this goal is allowed. An absolute disgrace.” Read More Rob Page ‘absolutely’ adamant he will lead Wales into Euro 2024 play-offs James McClean backs Republic to enjoy ‘glory days’ after calling time on career On This Day in 2017 – Everton’s Oumar Niasse hit with retrospective diving ban

Check out which college football upset picks for Week 13 have these Top 25 ranked teams on upset alert in rivalry week.

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has returned to training after a long stint out with a muscle injury. The left-back sustained the problem in August, making only two appearances this season, but is back in full training ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Everton. Shaw’s absence has created a problem at left-back as Tyrell Malacia has also been injured, with United signing Tottenham defender Sergio Reguilon on loan while also using Sofyan Amrabat, Diogo Dalot and Victor Lindelof as cover. The England international was a key part of United’s success last season and he has been missed as Erik ten Hag’s side have endured an erratic start to the campaign. They are on the verge of Champions League elimination and have lost five of their first 12 Premier League games, sitting in sixth position. United’s injury situation is still not great, though, ahead of the trip to Goodison Park. Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund were added to a lengthy injury list before the international break, with goalkeeper Andre Onana picking up a problem while away with Cameroon. Read More Rob Page ‘absolutely’ adamant he will lead Wales into Euro 2024 play-offs James McClean backs Republic to enjoy ‘glory days’ after calling time on career On This Day in 2017 – Everton’s Oumar Niasse hit with retrospective diving ban

Lionel Messi said there “could have been a tragedy” after police clashed with fans during Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against rivals Brazil at the Maracana in Rio. The match was delayed by half an hour following crowd trouble in the stands, which started before kick-off and during the national anthems. In response, Brazilian police charged at the Argentina fans, with the fighting taking place in a section of the stadium that contained the visiting players’ families and friends. Some Argentina supporters ripped up seats to throw at the police, who were wielding batons, while others attempted to escape the scene. Led by Messi, the Argentina players went over to try and calm the situation. Images showed the Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez trying to grab a baton from a police officer’s hand as the Argentina players appealed for the fighting to stop. The World Cup winners then left the pitch and returned to the dressing room for more than 10 minutes. When the match eventually resumed, Argentina won a bad-tempered qualifier 1-0 to leave Brazil in crisis after suffering their third straight defeat. The clashes in the stands occurred just two weeks after similar scenes at the Copa Libertadores final between Brazilian side Fluminense and Argentine giants Boca Juniors, which was also held at the iconic Maracana stadium. “It was bad because we saw how they were beating people,” Messi told reporters after the match. “The police, as happened in the Libertadores final, were once again repressing the people with night sticks. “We went to the locker room because it was the best way to calm everything down, it could have ended in tragedy. “You think about the families, the people who are there, who don’t know what’s going on and we were more concerned about that than playing a match that, at that point, was of secondary importance.” The Argentina players were joined by Brazil captain Marquinhos as they appealed for calm in the stands. The defender said: “We were worried about the families, women and children that we were seeing in panic up there in the stands. “Down on the pitch it was hard for us to understand what was going on, it was a very scary situation.” On the pitch, Argentina took a huge step towards qualifying for the 2026 World Cup as Nicolas Otamendi’s header secured a 1-0 win, but the match was littered with fouls, skirmishes and cards. Brazil finished with 10 men after Newcastle’s Joelinton was sent off for hitting Argentina’s Rodrigo de Paul in the face. Brazil have now lost successive matches to Uruguay, Colombia and Argentina and are eight points behind the world champions in the qualifying table. The five-time World Cup winners sit sixth, which is the last spot that guarantees qualifying for the finals, after six rounds.

James McClean has backed the Republic of Ireland’s new generation to fulfil their potential after calling time on his international career. The 34-year-old won his 103rd and last Ireland cap in Tuesday night’s 1-1 friendly draw with New Zealand and bade an emotional farewell to team-mates and fans alike after a 11 and a half years in the green shirt during which he played at the finals of two major tournaments. McClean may not be the only man whose time in the international set-up has drawn to a close, with manager Stephen Kenny now out of contract and not expecting an extension after a disappointing Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, although the Wrexham defender is convinced the foundations he has put in place will pay dividends. Speaking after the game, he said: “I’m going to call it how I see it. There is so much ability here. These lads are young – that’s not making excuses for them. International football is a whole different level. “These will get better with experience and with that experience, I’ve no doubt that down the line, these lads will bring the glory days back – and when I say glory days, I mean qualifying for major tournaments. “They just need to believe in themselves because the ability is there, it’s just getting that consistency and doing it every single game, and I’ve no doubt that will come with experience.” McClean knows what it takes to qualify for tournaments having represented Ireland at both Euro 2012 and ast France 2016, too. It was at the latter that the Republic secured one of their most significant victories, a 1-0 win over Italy in Lille which set up a last-16 clash with hosts France. McClean said: “That night in Lille when we beat Italy was… I’ve said this before, I wish you could bottle that because if you could bottle that and sell it, you’d be laughing. Absolutely phenomenal. “It’s been absolutely amazing. From the second I stepped on the pitch against the Czech Republic in 2012, the fans here in the stadium have been absolutely phenomenal, home and away. “That was something again that was very special. I pride myself on how your nearest and dearest, your team-mates, view you as a person and tonight that showed how they viewed me. “I’ve struck up some great relationships with the lads over the years and it’s something that I will miss, the camaraderie around the squad and going into battle with these lads.” McClean announced his decision to step back from international football last month and had no regrets about doing so after his final appearance. He said: “I think this is the right time to go. Not many people get to go out on their terms. I’ve had the absolute time of my life. I’ve achieved so much. Beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve had my time. “The lads were saying tonight, ‘why didn’t you cry? I would have cried’. But I don’t see the need to cry because like I said, I had the time of my life. I’ve had so many happy memories and it’s been an absolute honour.” Read More On This Day in 2017 – Everton’s Oumar Niasse hit with retrospective diving ban Performing under pressure – remembering England’s dramatic 2003 World Cup win Jason Robinson has yet to watch a rerun of England’s World Cup success Rob Page draws on play-off experience after Wales miss out on Euro qualification Stephen Kenny admits dream job is probably over James McClean’s Republic of Ireland farewell ruined by New Zealand friendly draw

World champions Argentina’s 1-0 win over Brazil was marred by crowd trouble at the Maracana Stadium. Kick-off was delayed by half an hour in Rio de Janeiro after rival fans and police clashed, with both sets of players trying to calm the situation down before eventually returning to the dressing room before the game could commence. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was filmed trying to climb the hoarding to stop a police officer wielding a baton before being pulled away by team-mates. Once the order was restored, Nicolas Otamendi’s second-half header gave Argentina an historic World Cup qualifying victory, with Joelinton sent off for the hosts. Lionel Messi said on Argentina’s X feed: “This group continues to achieve historic things. Although today was not the most important, it is something very nice. “We needed this victory after the defeat against Uruguay. “We knew it was going to be a tough game, similar to the one in the Copa America final. They pressed a lot, they went to look for us high up and it was difficult for us to have long possessions. These games are defined by details.” It was Brazil’s first-ever home defeat in a World Cup qualifier and their third in a row after previous losses to Uruguay and Colombia, with their path to the 2026 World Cup looking decidedly shaky. The hosts were the better side in the first half and could have taken the lead just before the break but Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli saw his shot cleared off the line by north London nemesis Cristian Romero. Martinelli missed another key chance after the break, with Martinez denying him from close range. The defending champions took a 63rd-minute lead when former Manchester City defender Otamendi headed home Giovani Lo Celso’s corner with their only effort on target of the night. Newcastle’s Joelinton saw red in the last 10 minutes when he struck out at Rodrigo De Paul to compound a miserable night for the hosts, with the inquest to their poor form and the ugly scenes in the stadium set to rumble on. Read More Football rumours: Giovani Lo Celso may help solve Barcelona’s Gavi problem On This Day in 2017 – Everton’s Oumar Niasse hit with retrospective diving ban Performing under pressure – remembering England’s dramatic 2003 World Cup win Jason Robinson has yet to watch a rerun of England’s World Cup success Rob Page draws on play-off experience after Wales miss out on Euro qualification Stephen Kenny admits dream job is probably over