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Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri hit back at his critics when introducing new manager Xisco Munoz to the media. Former Watford boss Munoz, 42, was appointed on Tuesday as a replacement for Darren Moore, who surprisingly left the club by mutual consent last month – just three weeks after leading them to promotion back to the Championship. Chansiri has come under pressure from a section of fans over Moore’s departure, with former Owls player Carlton Palmer among his critics on social media. The Wednesday chairman felt compelled to reveal in a club statement last week that Moore had left Hillsborough after asking for a contract four times bigger than his previous one. Chansiri’s outburst cast a shadow over Munoz’s unveiling on Wednesday when he said: “Carlton Palmer came out and said something. I don’t understand why you say you love this club, but you try to damage it. “When we’ve done well in the past I’ve never seen him come out. I think he just wants to get attention. “If he thinks he tells the true story, I invite him to talk to me face-to-face in front of fans and media. Don’t hide behind social media.” Spaniard Munoz, whose 10-month spell in charge at Watford ended in the sack after he had guided them to promotion to the Premier League in 2021, stressed it was time to look to the future. The former Valencia winger, who lasted seven games as Watford boss in the top flight, said: “We need a new era. I don’t want to speak about three weeks ago. We are a massive club with massive fanbase. “Everyone knows what happened before. Now it’s about what we want, what we need. This is our focus.” Neither Wednesday nor Munoz declared the length of his contract and he confirmed he was happy to work with the club’s current backroom staff while keeping an open mind about bringing in new coaches. Munoz, tasked with ending the club’s 23-year Premier League exile and establishing them in the top flight, also stressed the club could only be successful if it remained united. The former Dinamo Tbilisi and Huesca head coach added: “We need the players, the training ground and the fans. “Our first goal is we arrive and try to improve on the training ground. Now is the moment for everybody to start pushing. “If we love the club I don’t need fighting. We need the fans to push us and stay together. “It’s important when you arrive at one place you need to know what the fans are demanding. Today I spoke to the players about that and starting work hard. We have a good group.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Arrests made after two Just Stop Oil protesters disrupt play at Wimbledon Ian Poulter believes changes need to be made for golf’s merger to succeed Jodie Burrage has Centre Court debut to forget against Daria Kasatkina

UK retail billionaire Mike Ashley has shifted more of his money into a company he set up to

The Dream and Sparks meet for a second straight game after a cross-country flight, can we expect different results?Atlanta blew out Los Angeles at home, 112-84, on Sunday and will look to make it two straight over the Sparks, but this time on the road. The Dream play at the fastest tempo in the ...

Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson has reportedly requested a trade. But his agent has refuted that report. So who's correct, and why don't the two see eye-to-eye?We have a rare player versus agent showdown for the ages.Rumors were circulating that veteran goalie John Gibson want...

The Dallas Wings and Las Vegas Aces meet in Commissioner's Cup action on Wednesday night.The best team in the league and defending champion Aces' are blowing through the competition this season at 15-1. The team will look to keep on rolling against a middling Wings team that is 8-8 on ...

Jaylen Brown is eligible for a huge contract extension this offseason. There appears to be a reason why the Boston Celtics have yet to sign him yet.The Boston Celtics almost did the impossible this past playoff run in overcoming a 3-0 deficit. However, after forcing a Game 7 in the Eastern Confe...

A legendary Green Bay Packers player is still a free agent, but they still plan to play in the NFL in 2023, wherever that may be.The Green Bay Packers have had some turnover this offseason, with some big names that had been mainstays with the organization now playing elsewhere.Quarterback Aa...

The Football Association is looking at whether the women’s game could be exempted from the Saturday afternoon television blackout, Baroness Sue Campbell has told MPs. Baroness Campbell, the FA’s director of women’s football, told the Culture, Media and Sport committee various options are being looked at to maximise coverage of the game on the back of the England team’s success at the Women’s Euros last summer. One of those is giving consideration to whether the women’s game could be removed from the restriction on live football coverage between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturdays under Article 48 of the UEFA statutes, which the FA currently chooses to apply. Campbell said: “I think that consistent of opportunity to view the women’s game is important. It used to be, and it still is, a little bit random. We weren’t quite sure what time and what day you were going to be able to turn on and see it. “We need to get some consistency. We have been exploring Article 48, which when it was put in practice was there for men’s football, we’d like to see could the women have that slot on television? “But whatever we do we need a regular opportunity to view the game which people can access, and we need to recognise that we have a younger audience, so sticking it on in an evening might not be the best time.” The Saturday blackout will not be affected by the EFL’s new deal with Sky Sports starting in 2024-25, but the league did receive a rival offer from the streaming service DAZN which would have required the restriction to be lifted. The Premier League’s chief executive Richard Masters said in March that his organisation was a proponent of Article 48 and did not see that changing in the near term. The English top flight is set to begin its tender process for the next three-year domestic rights cycle starting from 2025-26 this autumn. Whatever we do we need a regular opportunity to view the game which people can access Baroness Sue Campbell Former England forward Ellen White agreed with Campbell that an innovative approach was required at the same hearing. “I think we need to look at grassroots football, when that’s being played, so we can maximise the amount of families and young people that are coming to games,” she said. “Sunday at 6.45 in the evening like Sue said, schools (open the next day), then again on a Saturday at 11am a lot of grassroots football teams play, so you’re destroying the viewership then, and also the amount of bums on seats in the stadium as well. “So I think we need to look at a good day and a good time to really maximise our audiences, to get bums on seats and to grow our fanbase.” White did not agree with the idea that one way to make the women’s game more financially sustainable would be to introduce a US-style closed league. “I wouldn’t agree with it because you’ve got clubs in the Championship or lower than that, and what have they got to strive for?” she said. “For me it’s really exciting and gives a lot of opportunity for the teams in the Championship and the pyramid to try and develop and prove and push themselves that they want to be part of the Women’s Super League. I don’t think the country would want to move away from that.” Campbell said the United States was able to operate that system because of its highly-developed high school and university programmes, and to replicate that in England would “cut the head off the body” of the women’s game. Meanwhile, the chair of a different parliamentary committee has written to boot manufacturers over the lack of products designed specifically for women and girls. Caroline Nokes, the chair of the Women and Equalities committee, has written to brands including Adidas and Nike after evidence was given to her committee about the disproportionate impact of anterior cruciate ligament injuries to female footballers. Campbell said ACL injuries accounted for two per cent of injuries female players suffered but accepted they could be “catastrophic” for the individual when they did occur. “I’ve asked repeatedly, ‘Can somebody tell me the cause of this?’ and of course it’s complex – is it wearing men’s shoes, is it the training surfaces, the over-stressed calendar with not enough rest? Is it the kind of physical conditioning that people are doing?” Campbell said. “We’re encouraging more research. We’re funding more research. If we haven’t got healthy, well looked after elite players then we’re failing the game.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Hostile Headingley awaits Australia after Bairstow row – Ashes talking points Leicester fined up to £880,000 over price fixing with JD Sports Paris St Germain sack Christophe Galtier

Another day, another grid. Here are the top answers for the 93rd version of the Immaculate Grid including the Orioles, Cubs, Guardians, Mets and Mariners.Today's grid features the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Guardians, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners. The only statistical ...

Millie Bright has called for work to be done with regard to scheduling in the women’s game, stressing players are “not robots”. Bright – captain of the England squad flying out for this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand on Wednesday after regular skipper Leah Williamson was ruled out by an ACL injury, and recovering from a knee issue herself – says burnout is “always in the back of your mind” as a player. The 66-cap Chelsea centre-back, who helped England win the Euros last summer and played for Great Britain at the Olympics the summer before that, said: “It’s tough. “I’ve been doing it for several years now. Playing back-to-back tournaments, it’s hard, when you’re playing every single minute for your clubs. “That’s the demands of the game now, especially with how competitive it is getting. The quality has gone through the roof and the games are getting harder to win, especially when you’re competing for every trophy. “I still think there’s work to be done in terms of scheduling, making sure we can compete in every competition and do back-to-back tournaments, but also we are not robots, we need time to recover. “We want to perform, to be at the highest level. For me, I think the scheduling of everything needs to be looked at so we can keep the quality at the highest it can possibly be. “As a player, it is always in the back of your mind.” Injuries have been a major talking point of late in women’s football, with a particular focus on the amount of players suffering ACL damage – something that has left England heading into this summer’s tournament without not only Williamson but also Beth Mead, her Arsenal team-mate who was the Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner. I think the scheduling of everything needs to be looked at so we can keep the quality at the highest it can possibly be. Millie Bright Asked if more research was needed, Bright said: “I think there always needs to be more done. “We obviously know the (female) body is very different to the male, so the research needs to be done in that sense. “For me, it’s more than just one factor, it’s everything that comes with it, whether it’s facilities, pitches, the amount of games we are playing, the amount of rest we’re having. It’s everything together, and I think all elements need to align. “We want to be performing at the highest level but we can only do that if we are fully recovered. If you play under a lot of fatigue then you are bound to be picking up injuries. It’s just impossible to keep going. “We don’t want to see this amount of injuries. I guess it will be a topic where the conversation will never die really until we see change and something done.” Bright has not played in a match since sustaining a knee injury while in action for Chelsea in March, after which she underwent surgery. While she was not involved in the 0-0 World Cup warm-up draw against Portugal in Milton Keynes on Saturday, she has expressed her confidence that she will be ready for the Lionesses’ Group D opener against Haiti on July 22. The 29-year-old, who was “absolutely gutted” for Williamson after she got injured in April and has had “check-ins” with her, said of the prospect of captaining her country at this summer’s showpiece: “It’s a proud moment to even be going to a World Cup. “I feel really grateful to be selected to go, let alone to be put in a position to captain the girls. It is a massive honour. “But for me, nothing changes – I stay the same. I’d like to think everyone says they see the same Millie every day, no matter. I always think with or without the armband I lead for the team, I think that’s just natural to me.” On the chances of Sarina Wiegman’s team adding to their Euro glory Down Under, Bright said: “For us it’s making sure we keep two feet on the ground, which I think we’ve always done, and know the challenge ahead will be even harder than any other tournament. We will be prepared and ready to fight for the badge.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Paris St Germain sack Christophe Galtier Wimbledon schedule further affected as rain prevents play on Wednesday morning Keira Walsh fears injury ‘every time I go on the pitch’ due to increased load

Hannah Dingley’s historic appointment at Forest Green Rovers has “smashed the glass ceiling”, anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out has said. The League Two club announced Dingley as their caretaker head coach late on Tuesday night, making her the first woman to manage a professional men’s team in England. Dingley has been the head of the Gloucestershire club’s academy and succeeds Duncan Ferguson on an interim basis after his departure from the club was confirmed earlier the same day. Kick It Out welcomed the news in a tweet on Wednesday morning which read: “That’s the sound of a glass ceiling being smashed! “Congratulations Hannah on becoming the first woman to manage a men’s professional football team in England.” Dingley’s first match in charge will be the pre-season friendly away to Melksham on Wednesday evening. She said: “I’m really excited for this next step of my career. Pre-season has just begun, and the full season kicks off very soon. It’s an exciting time in football. “I am grateful for the opportunity to step up and lead such a progressive and forward-thinking club.” Rovers chairman Dale Vince has spoken previously about the club’s openness to breaking new ground, and said a female coach working in the Women’s Super League was the standout candidate to succeed Mark Cooper in 2021, but that her CV had been submitted without her knowledge. On Dingley’s appointment, Vince said: “Hannah was the natural choice for us to be first team interim coach – she’s done a fantastic job leading our academy and is well aligned with the values of the club. “It’s perhaps telling for the men’s game that in making this appointment on merit, we’ll break new ground – and Hannah will be the first female head coach in English (men’s) football.” Women In Football chair Ebru Koksal tweeted in response to the news, describing Dingley as “a very qualified, capable, well-equipped coach” who had broken “norms and barriers, hopefully not only as a caretaker, but as a permanent appointment”. The EFL’s head of equality, diversity and inclusion Dave McArdle described Dingley’s appointment as a “welcome moment for English football” and added: “With many highly skilled and experienced coaches across the game, it was only a matter of time before the ongoing positive development of female coaches led to an opportunity in the first team at an EFL club. “It has always been a key priority for the EFL to create an environment in which clubs consider qualified candidates from an ever-widening pool of coaching talent and select the best possible person for a role. “This represents another step forward as we strive to make our game representative of the communities we serve.”

Leicester are to be fined up to £880,000 after “colluding to restrict competition” alongside JD Sports in the sales of club clothing, including replica kit, according to the UK competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said the Sky Bet Championship side and JD Sports have admitted to anti-competitive behaviour, which include “price fixing conduct”. The parties broke competition law between 2018 and 2021 with arrangements which limited competition in the sale of clothing, the CMA said it has provisionally found. Leicester and its parent companies have agreed to pay a fine up to the watchdog’s maximum penalty of £880,000. JD Sports will avoid a fine after reporting the illegal activity. In August 2018, JD Sports said it would stop selling Leicester-branded clothing online for the 2018-19 season, and in January 2019, JD Sports agreed it would not “undercut” the club in terms of online sales for the following season by applying a delivery charge to all orders, the CMA said. It said JD Sports continued the agreement to sell all Leicester clothing with the charge until at least January 2021. Michael Grenfell, executive director of enforcement at the CMA, said: “Strong and unimpeded competition between retailers is essential to consumers’ ability to shop around for the best deals. “Football fans are well-known for their loyalty towards their teams. In this case we have provisionally found that Leicester City FC and JD Sports colluded to share out markets and fix prices with the result that fans may have ended up paying more than they would otherwise have done. “Both parties have now admitted their involvement, allowing us to bring the investigation to a swift conclusion. “The fine that Leicester City FC and its parent companies have agreed to pay sends a clear message to them and other businesses that anti-competitive collusion will not be tolerated.” In response, Leicester stressed that no current club directors or senior management were involved in the arrangements. “These arrangements related to a limited number of bulk orders by JD Sports, which were accepted by the club’s retail sales team over the relevant period,” the club added. “There was no intention on the part of the club to unlawfully restrict the resale of the goods supplied and no material financial advantage to be gained from doing so, given the limited amount of kit supplied to JD Sports. “However, the club accepts the CMA’s findings and has taken steps to strengthen its training and compliance measures to ensure the club’s retail operations fully comply with competition law.” JD Sports also highlighted that current or former directors or senior management of JD were involved in the offending conduct and that it signed a leniency agreement with the CMA last month. The company added: “JD has taken a number of steps to strengthen its competition compliance programme and the board reaffirms its commitment to making the necessary resource available, internal and external, to ensure that this is embedded into its daily operations.” It comes almost a year after JD Sports, rival Elite Sports and Rangers were handed fines over price fixing on replica kits. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Paris St Germain sack Christophe Galtier Wimbledon schedule further affected as rain prevents play on Wednesday morning Keira Walsh fears injury ‘every time I go on the pitch’ due to increased load