Sports News

British Athletics has confirmed the 117 athletes who have been offered membership to the 2020/2021 Olympic and Paralympic World Class Programme (WCP).

Due to the challenging circumstances brought by the Covid-19 pandemic this year, and the impact this has had on our athletes, they have retained all athletes from the 2019/2020 World Class Programme for the year ahead. They are fully committed to continuing their support as they target the rescheduled Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021.

As a result, with limited spaces for additions to the programme, only two additional Paralympic athletes have been added to the 2020/2021 WCP. They will however be exploring options to put in place a Tokyo Support Package for those athletes who have demonstrated potential to make a final or increase the British team’s medal chances at next year’s Games.

Karim Chan and Harrison Walsh have been added to Podium Potential level on the Paralympic WCP.

Chan won gold at the World Para Athletics Junior Championships in 2019, leaping a personal best of 6.70 metres on his way to the title. Despite the shortening of the athletics season in 2020, he still achieved a season best of 6.48 metres which ranked him sixth in the world in the T20 classification, for athletes with an intellectual impairment.

F44 discus thrower Walsh set a personal best of 55.47 metres this summer which was an improvement by over four metres for the Swansea athlete. He will complete his final year on the British Athletics Para Futures Academy while also moving to the Paralympic Podium Potential level of the WCP.

The British Athletics WCP is UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded initiative to support the delivery of success at the world’s most significant sporting events. Membership onto the WCP for 2020-21 is based upon an athletes’ realistic potential to win a medal at Tokyo 2020 or Paris 2024.

There are three levels of membership of the WCP at Olympic level with numbers for 2020-21 broken down as follows: Olympic Podium (16), Olympic Podium Potential (30), and Olympic Relays (23).

There are two levels of membership of the WCP at Paralympic level with numbers for 2020-21 broken down as follows: Paralympic Podium (28) and Paralympic Podium Potential (18) (Guide Runners (2) are listed separately).

Athletes can use their discretion should they not wish to accept membership to the WCP.

World Class Programme Director, Steve Paulding, said: “The last few months have provided many challenges for everyone, so we are pleased to be able to retain all the athletes who were on the World Class Programme last year, for 2021. Additionally, we are delighted to be looking at creating alternative ways to support several athletes via a Tokyo Support Package.

“These discussions are taking place following a year in sport which has been like no other we have experienced. We want to engage and support as many athletes as possible who have shown real potential for Tokyo during the disrupted season, but we have not been able to add to the Olympic WCP.  So, we will aim to support a limited number of athletes in accessing the support which will help them achieve this.

“I’d like to thank the National Lottery and UK Sport for their continued investment in the World Class Programme. The support enables our athletes to be the best prepared in their quest for success at the world’s most significant sporting events.”

Paralympic Podium (28)

Kare Adenegan (Job King; Coventry)

Hollie Arnold (David Turner; Blackheath & Bromley)

Olivia Breen (Aston Moore; City of Portsmouth)

Jonathan Broom-Edwards (Graham Ravenscroft; Newham & Essex Beagles)

Jo Butterfield (Phil Peat / Shona Malcolm; Forth Valley Flyers)

Richard Chiassaro (Jenni Banks; Harlow)

Libby Clegg (Joe McDonnell; Charnwood)

Hannah Cockroft (Jenni Banks; Leeds City)

Kadeena Cox (Joe McDonnell; Sale Harriers Manchester)

Aled Davies (Ryan Spencer Jones; Cardiff)

David Devine (Tony Clarke, Liverpool)

Kyron Duke (Anthony Hughes / Josh Clark; DSW Para Academy)

Sabrina Fortune (Ian Robinson; Deeside)

Dan Greaves (Self; Charnwood)

Sophie Hahn (Leon Baptiste; Charnwood)

Harri Jenkins (Nathan Stephens; DSW Para Academy)

Sophie Kamlish (Rob Ellchuk; Bristol & West)

Sammi Kinghorn (Self; Red Star)

Maria Lyle (Jamie Bowie; Team East Lothian)

Stephen Miller (Ros Miller; Gateshead)

Jonnie Peacock (Michael Khmel / Dan Pfaff; Charnwood)

Gemma Prescott (Mike Wood; British Wheelchair Athletics Association)

Derek Rae (Ron Morrison; Fife)

Stef Reid (Aston Moore; Charnwood)

Andrew Small (Rick Hoskins; Stockport)

Vanessa Wallace (Alison O’Riordan; Enfield & Haringey)

Richard Whitehead (Keith Antoine; Southwell)

Thomas Young (Joe McDonnell; Charnwood)

Paralympic Podium Potential (18)

Ola Abidogun (Steve Thomas; Horwich)

Martina Barber (Paddy O’Shea; Stevenage & North Herts)

Karim Chan (John Shepherd; Charnwood)

Lydia Church (Jim Edwards; Peterborough & Nene Valley)

Dillon Labrooy (Jenny Archer; Weir Archer Academy)

Nathan Maguire (Ste Hoskins; Kirkby)

Polly Maton (Daniel Hooker; Team Devizes)

Owen Miller (Steven Doig; Fife)

Anna Nicholson (Richard Kaufman; Gateshead)

Zac Shaw (Leon Baptiste; Cleethorpes)

Luke Sinnott (Roger Keller; Bournemouth)

Zak Skinner (Aston Moore; Loughborough Students)

Ali Smith (Chris Zah; Guildford & Godalming)

JohnBoy Smith (Christine Parsloe)

Hannah Taunton (Charlotte Fisher; Taunton)

Isaac Towers (Peter Wyman; Kirkby)

Harrison Walsh (Nathan Stephens; Swansea)

David Weir (Jenny Archer; Weir Archer Academy)

Guide runners (2)

Chris Clarke (Joe McDonnell; Marshall Milton Keynes)

Thomas Somers (Lloyd Cowan; Newham & Essex Beagles)

Olympic Podium (16)

Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie; Blackheath & Bromley)

Tom Bosworth (Andi Drake; Tonbridge)

Holly Bradshaw (Scott Simpson; Blackburn)

Mo Farah (Gary Lough; Newham & Essex Beagles)

Adam Gemili (Rana Reider; Blackheath & Bromley)

Callum Hawkins (Robert Hawkins; Kilbarchan)

Sophie Hitchon (Tore Gustafsson; Blackburn)

Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills; Shaftesbury Barnet)

Abigail Irozuru (Self-coached; Sale Harriers Manchester)

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Bertrand Valcin; Liverpool)

Nick Miller (Tore Gustafsson; Border)

Laura Muir (Andy Young; Dundee Hawkhill)

Reece Prescod (Mike Holloway; Enfield & Haringey)

Lynsey Sharp (David Harmer; Edinburgh)

Lorraine Ugen (Dwight Phillips; Thames Valley)

Jake Wightman (Geoff Wightman; Edinburgh)

Olympic Podium Potential (30)

Andrew Butchart (Self-coached; Central)

Taylor Campbell (John Pearson; Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)

Melissa Courtney-Bryant (Rob Denmark; Poole)

Tim Duckworth (Toby Stevenson; Liverpool)

Niamh Emerson (David Feeney; Amber Valley & Erewash)

Tom Gale (Denis Doyle; Team Bath)

Elliot Giles (Jon Bigg; Birchfield Harriers)

Neil Gourley (Ben Thomas; Giffnock North)

Charlie Da’Vall Grice (Self; Brighton Phoenix)

Dewi Griffiths (Kevin Evans; Swansea)

Josh Kerr (Danny Mackey; Edinburgh)

Morgan Lake (Eldon Lake; Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)

Kyle Langford (Jon Bigg; Shaftesbury Barnet)

Chris McAlister (Marina Armstrong; Thames Valley)

Eilish McColgan (Liz Nuttall; Dundee Hawkhill)

Sarah McDonald (David Harmer; Birchfield Harriers)

Sophie McKinna (Mike Winch; Great Yarmouth)

Naomi Ogbeta (Tom Cullen; Trafford)

Shelayna Oskan-Clarke (Derek Thompson; Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)

Andrew Pozzi (Santiago Antunez; Stratford-upon-Avon)

Aimee Pratt (Vincente Modahl; Sale Harriers Manchester)

Charlotte Purdue (Nic Bideau; Aldershot Farnham & District)

Jemma Reekie (Andy Young; Kilbarchan)

Daniel Rowden (Matt Yates; Woodford Green Essex Ladies)

Jazmin Sawyers (Lance Brauman; City of Stoke)

Steph Twell (Self; Aldershot Farnham & District)

Jamie Webb (Adrian Webb; Liverpool)

Laura Weightman (Steve Cram; Morpeth)

Callum Wilkinson (Robert Heffernan; Enfield & Haringey)

Ben Williams (Aston Moore; Sale Harriers Manchester)

Olympic Relays (23)

Amy Allcock (Glyn Hawkes; Aldershot Farnham & District)

Kristal Awuah (Matthew Thomas; Herne Hill)

Cameron Chalmers (Matt Elias; Guernsey)

Zoey Clark (Eddie McKenna; Thames Valley)

Emily Diamond (Benke Blomkvist; Bristol & West)

Beth Dobbin (Leon Baptiste; Edinburgh)

Eilidh Doyle (Brian Doyle; Pitreavie)

Miguel Francis (Glen Mills; Wolverhampton & Bilston)

Matthew Hudson-Smith (Lance Brauman; Birchfield Harriers)

Richard Kilty (Michael Afilaka; Middlesbrough)

Imani-Lara Lansiquot (Steve Fudge; Sutton & District)

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Lance Brauman; Newham & Essex Beagles)

Daryll Neita (Rana Reider; Cambridge Harriers)

Ashleigh Nelson (Michael Afilaka; City of Stoke)

Laviai Nielsen (Christine Bowmaker; Enfield & Haringey)

Asha Philip (Steve Fudge; Newham & Essex Beagles)

Martyn Rooney (Nick Dakin; Croydon)

Danny Talbot (Vince Anderson; Birchfield Harriers)

Jessica Turner (Nick Dakin; Amber Valley & Erewash)

CJ Ujah (Ryan Freckleton; Enfield & Haringey)

Jodie Williams (Stuart McMillan; Herts Phoenix)

Bianca Williams (Lloyd Cowan; Enfield & Haringey)

Rabah Yousif (Carol Williams; Newham & Essex Beagles)

The resignation of Greg Clarke as Chair is not going to improve diversity at the Football Association, says former England defender Joleon Lescott.

Clarke resigned after he used "unacceptable" language when referring to Black players.

Former Manchester City, Everton and Aston Villa player described Clarke's comments as "very disturbing" and said even thinking about them made him "emotional".

"One hundred percent of black players want to see change, but that's not going to happen," he said.

He believes Clarke's comments hint at structural problems within the FA and says any successor may be unable to instigate real change.

"I don't think a 63-year-old man in 2020 is using that phrase for the first time, and that's the problem," he said. "So we now expect the next person in line will have heard this and have been a part of this. Now he's going to step up and we expect that person to take us forward.

"How do you expect change if the people that are in charge have the same mindset, or similar mindset?"

Clarke made the comments while speaking to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee via video link using the term as he was talking about the racist abuse of players by trolls on social media.

He received further criticism for comments he made referring to gay players making a "life choice", about the different career choices of people from Black and Asian communities, and about a coach telling him young female players did not like having the ball hit hard at them.

Former Huddersfield and Gillingham striker Iffy Onuora, who is an equalities officer at the Professional Footballers' Association, says it shows more education is still needed about the effect of certain words and phrases and why they are offensive.

He said: "It's just so outdated. There's certain terms we don't use any more about disabled people or gay people - we've moved on.

"It's as much the message it sounds. Don't forget people in the FA are looking up to the chairman to provide leadership, to provide that voice and to drive on some of the initiatives they are doing, as is everybody in the game."

The disgraced former FA head's departure means there are now nine people remaining on the FA board, including acting chair Peter McCormick.

Of those, four board members are women and one is from a Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background. That is in line with reforms agreed by the FA in 2017, which pledged to increase BAME representation on the board to at least 10%, have 10% representation from the LGBT+ community and 40% female representation.

It also pledged to add 11 new members to improve the diversity of the 122-strong FA council, which was overwhelmingly made up of white men over 60.

Dame Heather Rabbatts, who spent five years as the only woman and BAME member on the FA board before resigning in 2017, said Clarke's comments "revealed the fault line" in the sport.

"The leadership and management of football, one of the most diverse games on the planet, is still controlled, fundamentally, by white men," she said.

FA chief executive, Mark Bullingham, said the recruitment process would be an open system.

"Our process will be open and conform to the Diversity Code, ensuring that we are able to select the best candidate from a diverse talent pool," he said.

Match of the Day presenter and former England striker Gary Lineker said the organisation was full of "lots of old white men" and said he believes real change can only be implemented if the FA, English Football League and Premier League work together.

Former England winger John Barnes said the issue of racism needed to be tackled by society as a whole, not just football. Former FA chairman David Bernstein said Clarke's comments highlighted the FA's need for structural change.

Mumbai Indians secured a fifth Indian Premier League title with a five-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in the final.

Mumbai, the most successful team in IPL history, chased 157 with eight balls to spare as captain Rohit Sharma hit 68. Trent Boult took 3-30 for Mumbai, including Marcus Stoinis with the first ball of the match in Dubai.

Delhi were 22-3 before captain Shreyas Iyer made 65 not out - he added 96 with Rishabh Pant - but Mumbai ensured their total was never enough. The defending champions were always in control of their chase after Rohit and Quinton de Kock plundered 45 from the first four overs.

Rohit was caught at deep mid-wicket with 20 needed from 23 balls and, although Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya soon followed, Ishan Kishan's unbeaten 33 off 19 balls took Mumbai to victory. It follows their IPL wins in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 and means they have won the world's premier domestic Twenty20 competition at least twice more than any other team. This year's tournament was held in the United Arab Emirates without fans and delayed from the spring because of the coronavirus pandemic.

England pace bowler Jofra Archer was named as the most valuable player. He took 20 wickets and scored 113 runs, including 10 sixes, for Rajasthan Royals. A comprehensive win for Mumbai was a fitting end to a tournament in which they have been the outstanding team.

New Zealand seamer Boult, who starred throughout with 25 wickets, bowled a brilliant new-ball spell to put the game in their favour. Delhi rallied through Iyer and Pant, who made 56 off 38 balls, but Mumbai finished the innings impressively, conceding only 20 runs off the last three overs.

Rohit batted majestically, hitting five fours and four sixes in his trademark, classical style. His first six, over long-on off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, came from the third ball of the chase. He fell with the end in sight but so comfortable was the win that Mumbai's bench were able to shake hands in celebration before the winning runs were hit.

Delhi were appearing in their first IPL final and had lost all three previous meetings with Mumbai this season. They were underdogs before the showpiece began and suffered as their key players failed.

Australia all-rounder Stoinis edged Boult behind to fall for a first-ball duck and fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan, Delhi's highest run-scorer in the tournament, made only 15. He was bowled playing an ill-advised sweep to off-spinner Jayant Yadav in the fourth over.

Defending a low total, South Africa pace bowler Kagiso Rabada - the tournament's leading wicket-taker - could not prevent the Mumbai openers' onslaught and conceded 18 from his first over. He returned again when Mumbai lost their second wicket - Suryakumar Yadav was run out for 19 after a mix-up with Rohit - and was hit for 11 as Rohit ensured Delhi were unable to come back into the game.

Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting said: "You've got to give credit where credit's due. Mumbai have been the best team throughout the IPL.

"I am proud of this team. It is a great group of players and a great franchise. Mumbai Indians thoroughly deserved their win."

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma said: "I'm pretty happy with how things went.

"We said at the beginning we want to make winning a habit for us and guys were excellent throughout the tournament. We couldn't have asked much more. We never looked back."

English Football Association (FA) chair Greg Clarke had to resigned over the "unacceptable" language he used when referring to Black players.

During an online parliamentary hearing about the racist abuse of players by trolls on social media with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee via video link the head of the game in England caused incredibly huge offence the offence after using the term "coloured footballers" – after being pulled up about it he then said he was "deeply saddened" for using it. He was prompted to say sorry by MP Kevin Brennan, who said Clarke's lame language in reference to Black players was the kind that did not encourage inclusion,

Fellow committee member Alex Davies-Jones called it "abhorrent" and went on to say: "It speaks volumes about the urgent progress that needs to be made in terms of leadership on equalities issues in sport. I can't believe we're still here in 2020." He also faced criticism when referring to gay players making a "life choice" and a coach telling him young female players did not like having the ball hit hard at them and also said that there were "a lot more South Asians than there are Afro-Caribbeans" in the FA's IT department because "they have different career interests".

Following his resignation, Clarke said: "My unacceptable words in front of Parliament were a disservice to our game and to those who watch, play, referee and administer it. This has crystallised my resolve to move on.

"I am deeply saddened that I have offended those diverse communities in football that I and others worked so hard to include."

An FA statement followed which read: “We can confirm that Greg Clarke has stepped down from his role as our chairman."A statement from Show Racism the Red Card said Clarke's comments "only serve to demonstrate the power of language and the damage of stereotyping groups of people".

Sanjay Bhandari, executive chair of equality charity Kick It Out said his remark about Black players should be "consigned to the dustbin of history" and also criticised his comments concerning people from South Asia, gay players and female footballers.

DCMS select committee chair, Julian Knight, said: "It's right that Greg Clarke apologised before the committee. However, this isn't the first time that the FA has come to grief over these issues. It makes us question their commitment to diversity."

Former England striker,Darren Bent, said: "Slip of the tongue was it? Awful, just awful," whilst former West Ham, Sunderland and QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, added: "Clearly education is needed at all levels."

Clarke had been called to give evidence to the DCMS committee about the Premier League's potential bailout of English Football League clubs and the structural reforms proposed as part of 'Project Big Picture'. During the zoom call, he spoke of the “need to attract people into the sport from a diverse range of communities.”

His departure follows the FA recently launching a new diversity code with the aim of finally tackling racial inequality in the game - a commitment to diversity again is still being called into question.

Any national team unable to play in upcoming qualifying matches for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations due to Covid restrictions will be deemed to have lost the game 2-0, new guidelines say.

The guidelines, put out by the Confederation of African Football (Caf), also say a team will be considered to have lost 2-0 if it is unable to field the minimum number of players required - 11 plus four substitutes.

Normally, squads for these qualifying matches would be much larger, but some national team managers have expressed concern about their ability to get players, especially those based in Europe, to play in Africa amidst fears they could get Covid.

During the last break, Crystal Palace's Jordan Ayew and Liverpool's Naby Keita both contracted the virus while on international duty.

The Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet has complained that Polish side Gornik Zabrze have so far said that Alasana Manneh will not be allowed to join up with the Scorpions.

The guidelines also say that all matches must be played behind closed doors, although national FAs can ask for special permission to have fans in.

Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has lifted a ban on contact sport including football.

The Ghana Premier League and the Division One league are expected to resume on 30 October.

All players, technical teams and management staff of clubs will be tested regularly for Covid-19.

Spectators will be allowed to fill only 25% of the seating capacity in match venues. Wearing of masks will also be mandatory.

No spectators will be allowed at training facilities.

President Akufo-Addo said the decision was based on the drastic decrease of Covid-19 active cases and the need for national teams to prepare for international competitions.

Ghana currently has 507 active Covid-19 cases and has confirmed nearly 300 deaths.

The restrictions were imposed in March to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Children's grassroots sport played outside of school will be suspended during England's four-week lockdown, says culture secretary Oliver Dowden. There were calls for youth sport to be exempt when the new restrictions come into effect from tomorrow. But Dowden confirmed it would only be permitted in school.

"Unfortunately we need to pause grassroots sport outside school to reduce the transmission risk from households mixing," he tweeted. "As soon as we can resume this, we will."

Elite sport can continue behind closed doors during the lockdown.

Former Wales midfielder Robbie Savage, who coaches a junior team, criticised the decision to suspend children's sport in a series of tweets.

Quoting Dowden's tweet, he said: "Have you or any of your senior government officials been to a grassroots game since lockdown? Do you have any idea what it's like for thousands of grassroots volunteers? Do you know the impact of this decision on youngsters' mental and physical wellbeing?"

Youth Sports Trust chief executive Ali Oliver earlier said that under a quarter of secondary schools do not offer physical education.

"To lose some grassroots clubs will leave us with a legacy of a generation who are inactive and unable to find a way into sport," she said. Former Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee chair Damian Collins had written to Dowden asking the government to allow youth sport to continue in England after 5 November.

He called on the government to extend the definition of elite sport to include academy players at Premier League clubs and those in development centres such as the England Rugby developing player programme and Sport England's talented athlete scholarship scheme.

"Young people will currently be allowed to continue with sport at school, and we believe that the risks to the spread of the coronavirus from outdoor grassroots youth sport would be minimal," he said, in a letter also signed by former sports ministers Tracey Crouch and Helen Grant.

"There would, however, be clear and lasting benefits for these young people if the government could support this." Leisure centres and gyms will close, as will other indoor and outdoor leisure facilities.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the House of Commons that there would be no exemptions.

 Argentina legend Diego Maradona is having a "routine surgery" on a blood clot on his brain, his doctor said.

The 1986 World Cup winner, 60, was admitted to Ipensa clinic in Buenos Aires on Monday, suffering from anaemia and dehydration.

Leopoldo Luque, Maradona's personal physician, said the surgery was due to take place later on yesterday.

"He is lucid, he understands, he agrees with the intervention," Luque told reporters.

Maradona has been transferred to the Olivos Clinic in La Plata, where he will be operated on at 8pm local time (23:00 GMT) by Luque, who is a neurosurgeon.

Maradona now coaches Gimnasia y Esgrima in Argentina's top flight. He attended the side's game against Patronato on Friday, his 60th birthday.

Supporters of Gimnasia y Esgrima have been congregating outside the hospital carrying messages of support for the former Argentina forward.

His former club Napoli, who he helped to two Serie A titles, tweeted a message of support.

Former Sri Lankan cricketing great Muttiah Muralitharan says a planned film about his life will be released, despite a massive backlash in south India which caused the lead actor to quit.

A member of Sri Lanka's minority Tamils, Muralitharan defied the odds to make it on to the national team during a long civil war between Tamil separatists and the Sinhalese-majority security forces.

Then, he battled controversy over his bowling action - he was famously no-balled for "chucking" in Australia - to become one of the most formidable bowlers the cricketing world has ever seen. However the biopic of his life - entitled 800, a reference to his record-breaking 800 Test match wickets - may be his biggest obstacle yet.

Shooting has yet to start, but when a film poster featuring popular south Indian actor Vijay Sethupathi in the lead role was released there was a massive outpouring of anger.

The hashtag #ShameOnVijaySethupathi started trending across the state of Tamil Nadu, with many demanding that he turn down the role.

The film's producers have called it a "sports biography", intended to inspire young people, but critics fear a hagiography, an attempt to glorify someone who has become a controversial political issue. Much of the outrage stems from Muralitharan's comments at a presidential election event last year, at which he celebrated the end of the war in 2009 and supported the candidacy of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Mr Rajapaksa was the defence secretary when government forces crushed Tamil Tiger separatists in a brutal campaign that also left tens of thousands of civilians dead.

He said the "happiest day of my life" was in 2009 as the country could now "go on without fear". An estimated 40,000 Sri Lankan Tamil civilians are believed to have died in the last stages of the war, and it has been an emotive issue in Tamil Nadu, where the same language and ethnic identity are shared.

"Even though Muralitharan is a Tamil, he does not behave as a Tamil, and we don't want him to enter Tamil Nadu in any form - whether in person or on film," said V Prabha, a youth activist based in Chennai (formerly Madras). "Muralitharan did many wrongs during the Sri Lankan civil war, we don't want him to be a hero in the Tamil community." But Muralitharan says his words have been repeatedly "twisted" and taken out of context.

"I meant that after 2009, we had peace in this country. For me when the war finished, it was the happiest day of my life because peace came - not because Tamil civilians were killed," he said. "I did not take any sides over the war - Rajapaksa side or the other side. I was in the middle. People in India don't know what's happening in Sri Lanka."

Muralitharan has close links with India, especially Tamil Nadu. His wife is from the state and he represented Chennai when he played for Chennai Super Kings from 2008 to 2010, becoming one of the team's most popular players. So why is the film so contentious?

"In 2010, people in Tamil Nadu knew what had happened to Tamils in the Sri Lankan civil war, but they didn't connect Muralitharan to it," said Mr Prabha.

"We then started a campaign showing how he supported the Sri Lankan state, and by 2013, we were able to ban him and other Sri Lankan players here."

In 2013, the Tamil Nadu government banned IPL games with Sri Lankan players from being played in the state, due to alleged human rights violations of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Kavitha Muralidharan, a freelance journalist in Chennai, says the furore over Muralitharan's biopic has been so intense because of its lead actor, 42-year-old Vijay Sethupathi.

"Sethupathi is seen as a progressive actor, he speaks out on a lot of social issues, so for many people it was troubling to see him choosing to play the role of Muttiah Muralitharan," she said. "People in Tamil Nadu take cinema very seriously. A movie is not just a movie there - Tamil cinema and politics are inter-related."

Tamil nationalism is often infused into Kollywood, as the Tamil cinema industry is known. A number of the state's chief ministers were actors before they took to politics.

The pressure on Sethupathi to quit came from both film stars and politicians. But it was Muralitharan's surprise intervention - he asked the actor to withdraw - that decided the issue.

"Why does Sethupathi have to have unnecessary problems with this movie? Why do I want to put these problems on him?" the cricketer asks. "This is my battle, not his battle, so I will take on the battle."

The response in Sri Lanka - where he is widely regarded as a sporting hero - has been mixed.

"I would have loved to see a film about him, not glorifying him, but something which brings all aspects of his complex identity to the screen," said Andrew Fidel Fernando, a cricket writer in Colombo, who has written extensively about Muralitharan's cricketing reign. "The immediate backlash to the film seems ludicrous - we don't know what the film would have been like."

Families of Tamils who went missing during the Sri Lankan civil war are more critical, with some calling for the film to be scrapped completely.

The film's producers, Dar Motion Pictures (which made the Bollywood films The Lunchbox and Ugly) and Movie Train Motion Pictures had hoped to begin shooting 800 in early 2021. Without a lead actor, that now seems unlikely. But Muralitharan is confident that his story will be told on screen.

"It will be made. The film's not just for Tamil Nadu. The producers are from Mumbai, they want it in all languages, in Tamil, Sinhala, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Malayalam and with English subtitles," he says.

"It's a sports movie, how can it be controversial?"

Yet the furore around 800 suggests it will be difficult to sep

England World Cup winner and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton has been diagnosed with dementia.

The news follows the deaths of his older brother Jack, in July, and days after another fellow World Cup-winner Nobby Stiles, on Friday, both of whom had also been diagnosed with dementia.

Sir Bobby, 83, won three league titles, a European Cup and an FA Cup with United during 17 years at Old Trafford. He finished his career with spells at Preston and Irish side Waterford. His wife, Lady Norma Charlton, expressed the hope that the knowledge of his diagnosis could help others. Manchester United said in a statement: "Everyone at Manchester United is saddened that this terrible disease has afflicted Sir Bobby Charlton and we continue to offer our love and support to Sir Bobby and his family."

Joining United in 1953, he scored 249 goals in 758 games for the club, long-standing records which were eventually broken by Wayne Rooney in 2017 and Ryan Giggs in 2008 respectively.

Born in Ashington, Northumberland, he remained England's record goal scorer until Rooney surpassed him against Switzerland in September 2015.

At the age of 20, Sir Bobby was a survivor of the Munich air crash of 1958 in which 23 people died, including eight of his Manchester United team-mates. He inspired United to a first European Cup win in 1968, scoring twice in the final, and was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1966 after playing every minute of England's World Cup victory.

He came second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 1958 and 1959 - In 2008, he received the lifetime achievement award. United renamed Old Trafford's South Stand in honour of Sir Bobby in 2016.

Sir Bobby is the fifth member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning side to be diagnosed with dementia. In addition to his brother, Jack, and Stiles, both Martin Peters and Ray Wilson - who died in 2019 and 2018 respectively - also had the condition. Stiles, Peters and Wilson were diagnosed with it while still in their sixties. In a BBC documentary screened in 2017, Stiles' son John told former England captain Alan Shearer he was "utterly convinced" heading a football was responsible for his father's dementia.

A study by Glasgow University in 2019 found former professional footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than people of the same age range in the general population. The study began after claims that former West Brom striker Jeff Astle died at the age of 59 because of repeated head trauma and compared deaths of 7,676 ex-players to 23,000 from the general population. The inquest into Astle's death found heading heavy leather footballs repeatedly had contributed to trauma to his brain, but research by the Football Association and the

Professional Footballers' Association was later dropped because of what were said to be technical flaws. Astle's daughter, Dawn, said "players who have suffered dementia must not be a statistic" after she was left "staggered" by the study's findings.In response, the FA launched new coaching guidelines to restrict the amount of heading by under-18 players in training.

Birmingham’s Black community will be the first outside of London to benefit from a new ‘ACE programme’ launched by Warwickshire County Cricket Club (Warwickshire CCC) to reignite their passion for cricket and provide youngsters with opportunities to play and pursue a career in the sport.

Recruitment of a coach is underway, and the scheme will launch in early 2021, focusing on primary and secondary schools located in the North West of Birmingham.

Warwickshire CCC has partnered with Sport England and the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to deliver the ACE Programme in the West Midlands.

Warwickshire Cricket Board Cricket Development Manager (community) Eaton Gordon will work with coaches to deliver new cricket sessions at local schools in the region. 

Budding cricketers who come through the programme will also have the opportunity further their game through the Club’s links with Handsworth Cricket Club and in a new timetable of cricket at Holford Drive Community Sports Hub in Perry Barr.

The Club will also stage a Caribbean-themed cricket festival for families at its Edgbaston Community Sports Ground on Portland Road in the early part of the 2021 summer and its official charity, the Edgbaston Foundation, will also undertake wider social initiatives.

Eaton says: “We’re very excited to bring the ACE programme to Birmingham, which we believe can make a huge difference in reinvigorating cricket within the large African Caribbean community in the city.

“There has been a large drop in interest and engagement in the game within the black community in recent years and we have probably missed a generation of young people as a result. However, we have the ability to make a change and we are starting this programme with a blank sheet of paper and intend to breakdown any barriers that may have affected participation in the game.”

Stuart Cain, Chief Executive of Warwickshire CCC, said: “This project builds on the work we’re already doing in the local South Asian communities and will create opportunities for a community that has a proud cricketing history but has unfortunately not had the support that it deserves over recent years.

“The scheme originated in London and has totally rejuvenated interest within cricket and broken down some of the barriers that stopped Black youngsters in the capital from playing the game and finding a way on to the talent pathway, which could lead to a place in the academy programme and ultimately a career in the sport.

“Our ambition over coming years is to create a vibrant club cricket scene within Birmingham’s Black community which will bring health, wellbeing and social benefits to one of the city’s biggest communities. I also want to see an Academy where talented youngsters from all of the city’s diverse communities have the same opportunities to pursue a career in the sport and feel comfortable working alongside each other to pursue a place in the professional squad, in the same way that Manraj Johal has this season and previously Recordo Gordon.”

The ACE programme was developed by Surrey County Cricket Club at the beginning of 2020 to address a 75 per cent decline in cricket participation by members of the Black community. Today the programme has been announced as an independent charity, which has secured £540,000 funding from Sport England, delivered over a three-year period, and a grant from the ECB.

Tom Harrison, CEO England and Wales Cricket Board, said: “The ACE Programme has done a fantastic job opening up opportunities for young people from Black communities to play cricket, and I’m really pleased that the ECB can help fund its expansion. I’m excited to see what can be achieved for communities in and around Birmingham.

“We are absolutely committed to making cricket a sport for everyone. In order for that to happen we recognise that as a game, and an organisation, we have an enormous amount of work to do. We have to offer more access and opportunities for young people to play and be part of our sport. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not, and programmes like ACE play a crucial part in creating opportunities for talented young cricketers to grow and fulfil their potential as players and as individuals.”

Raja Casablanca's Champions League semi-final on Sunday against Zamalek in Cairo is in doubt after more players from the Moroccan champions tested positive for Covid-19.

Last week, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) postponed the second leg by a week to after eight Raja players reported positive for Coronavirus. After another round of testing on Tuesday, the number of positive cases now stands at 14.

Caf's Head of Communications Alex Siewe said talks are ongoing with both Raja and Egyptian authorities, who have expressed concerns.

"We are discussing with them to find a better solution for both parties," he told BBC Sport Africa.

Six Raja players will undergo re-tests, with the whole squad to then having another round.

Caf has already allowed Raja to add three players from their youth team to join the travelling party, which is set to leave for Egypt on Friday.

The Moroccan champions lost 1-0 to Zamalek in the first leg in Casablanca earlier this month and are battling to meet another Egyptian side, Al Ahly, in next month's final.

Marcus Rashford came off the bench to score a clinical hat-trick as Manchester United continued their recent momentum by taking apart RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

England international Rashford came on just after the hour mark and netted three goals in 16 minutes, first running clear to calmly slot in, then smashing in a terrific second, before drilling home a third in stoppage time. Teenage forward Mason Greenwood scored his first goal in the competition, latching onto Paul Pogba's defence-splitting pass before drilling a precise, low finish into the far corner. Greenwood produced another thumping effort straight at Peter Gulasci, while the visiting goalkeeper also kept out Anthony Martial's poked effort. But when Martial was tripped in the box with three minutes to go, he converted the penalty to score his first goal of the season.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side backed up their excellent win at Paris St-Germain in their opening game by collecting another impressive three points to extend their unbeaten run to four games. United's backline had a comfortable night, David de Gea keeping out efforts from Christopher Nkunku and Ibrahima Konate.

In the Group H's other game, last year's runners-up Paris St-Germain picked up their first points with a 2-0 win at Istanbul Basaksehir. United had said before the game that they were "bemused" by the government's decision not to allow fans into Old Trafford despite making the stadium a socially-distanced venue for 23,500 supporters. And with United playing their first Champions League game at home since losing to Barcelona in the quarter-final in April 2019, it was a shame the supporters missed out on their side's best performance of the campaign.

Solskjaer's side were up against the current Bundesliga leaders and a team that reached the semi-finals last term, but made the German side look ordinary with a superb, all-round performance. United's dominant display was highlighted by the fact that Leipzig had won six and drawn one of their seven games this season, conceding just three goals in the process.

Man of the moment Rashford again made an impact, netting with all three of his shots on target. Honoured with an MBE earlier in the month and continuing his fight against the government over free meals for school children off the pitch, Rashford showcased his prowess on it with a first treble in Europe's elite club competition.

His first was initially ruled out by the assistant referee for offside, but replays showed he had timed his run to perfection from behind the halfway line, bursting clear from Bruno Fernandes' raking pass and opening up his body to before slotting home. The second came with a run to the edge of the box before powering his finish into the corner, while he completed his hat-trick from close range.

Since the 6-1 humiliation at the hands of Tottenham, United have collected three victories and a draw, including back-to-back clean sheets. The much-maligned defensive duo of

Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof kept the Leipzig forward line quiet as they secured another welcome shut out. In front of them, Netherlands international Donny van de Beek was given his third start, after two in the Carabao Cup, and the midfielder was steady and tidy, completing 89% of his 28 passes and winning the ball back six times in his 67 minutes on the pitch. Such is United's depth, star man Bruno Fernandes was only on the bench, but came off it to grab another assist. Few would have expected the Premier League side to claim six points from six against supposedly the two most difficult opponents in the group.

But they have set themselves up perfectly to reach the knockout stage, with back-to-back games coming up against the pointless Istanbul Basaksehir.

After a superb time trial performance that secured his maiden victory in a Grand Tour, Briton Tao Geoghegan Hart became the fifth British winner after victory in the Giro d’Italia

The 25-year-old started the Giro d'Italia and as a support rider to Ineos Grenadiers' Geraint Thomas, only for his pre-race favourite teammate to crash out in the third stage.

Along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, the Giro is one of cycling's most prestigious events and, in winning it, Geoghegan Hart becomes the fifth British man to win a Grand Tour race and the second after Chris Froome to win the Giro.

He was part of the British Cycling development program before signing for Axeon Hagens Berman in 2014, an American Continental team of Under-23 riders managed by former professional cyclist Axel Merckx. He joined Ineos, then known as Team Sky, in 2017, supporting the likes of Thomas, Chris Froome and Egan Bernal, all former Grand Tour champions.

"All of my career I have dreamt of being top 10 or top five in a race like this”, the champion said. “During the ITT (individual time trial) my DS (directeur sportif) told me I was faster than Jai Hindley," he added.

Level with Team Sunweb's Jai Hindley ahead of the final day's individual time trial -- the first time in Grand Tour history that two riders had been tied going into the last stage -- he finished 39 seconds ahead of Hindley over the 15.7km course into Milan to capture the pink jersey.

"It's incredible. It was impossible for me to even think about winning the Giro when we started in Sicily," Geoghegan Hart said after the race.

There was more joy for Ineos as Filippo Ganna won the final stage in a time of 17:16, the Italian's fourth stage victory of the campaign and the team's seventh. Australian Hindley finished second in the overall standings ahead of teammate Wilco Kelderman.

Cure Leukaemia has been named as the first ever Official Charity Partner of the Tour de France in the UK. This partnership means that Cure Leukaemia’s major cycling event, The Tour 21, which will see amateur cyclists take on all 21 stages of the Tour de France route one week ahead of the professional event in 2021, 2022 and 2023, will be the only charity event of its kind with an official partnership with the Tour de France in the UK.

The Tour 21, which will take place from Saturday 19th June – Sunday 11th July 2021, will see a team of 25 amateur cyclists led by former footballer, blood cancer survivor and Cure Leukaemia Patron Geoff Thomas taking on all 21 stages of the Tour de France with the aim of raising £1,000,000 for Cure Leukaemia.  

This groundbreaking partnership, announced just days before the official 2021 Tour de France route reveal, is the legacy of Geoff Thomas’ phenomenal cycling achievements since his diagnosis with chronic myeloid leukaemia in 2003, just months after finishing his professional football career.

Thomas, 56, who represented England, Crystal Palace, Wolves and Nottingham Forest during his 20-year career, was initially given just 3 months to live in 2003, but thanks to treatment from Cure Leukaemia’s Co-Founder Professor Charlie Craddock CBE and a stem cell transplant from his sister Kay, Geoff went into remission in 2004 and turned his mind to supporting the doctors and nurses that helped save his life.

During his treatment, Geoff was inspired by the survival stories of others and decided to cycle the full Tour de France ahead of the professionals in 2005 to raise funds which led to him being awarded the Helen Rollason Award at that year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Geoff then went on to complete the Tour again in 2007 and then in 2015 he returned to Cure Leukaemia to take on the grueling 21 stages once more.

In 2017, Geoff cycled the Tour de France for a 4th time as well as the Giro D’Italia and Vuelta to help Cure Leukaemia raise an additional £1m towards the expansion of one of Europe’s biggest Haematology Centres in Birmingham. This year, 15 years after he first took on the Tour, Geoff was due to ride for the final time with 18 other amateur cyclists with the aim of raising £1m for Cure Leukaemia to fund the national Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP) which the charity began funding in January. Consisting of 12 blood cancer centres across the UK, TAP enables patients from a catchment area of 20 million to access potentially life-saving treatments for all forms of blood cancer through clinical trials and Geoff and his team’s efforts would have funded this network for 12 months.

As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, the event was cancelled leaving Cure Leukaemia with a £1,000,000 shortfall. The team is committed to completing their challenge in 2021 and through this official partnership with The Tour de France the charity is hoping Geoff and the team can exceed their £1,000,000 target and raise increased awareness of Cure Leukaemia as a leading national blood cancer charity.

Speaking about the partnership Geoff said: “I am extremely honoured that Cure Leukaemia has been named as the first ever Official Charity Partner of the Tour de France in the UK. When I embarked on what seemed a completely crazy challenge in 2005, I could never have imagined that I would not only go on to ride the globally iconic Tour de France route five times nor that our event would secure such a prestigious level of recognition from within the world of cycling.

“Ultimately, the purpose of taking on these challenges is to provide hope to blood cancer patients in the same position that I was back in 2003 and now this event is set to continue doing this after I finally hang my cleats up in July 2021. I would like to thank everyone that has helped myself and Cure Leukaemia over the years to get us to this point and I look forward to our most successful event yet when we take on The Tour 21 next June. 

“Through this partnership, the Tour 21 event in 2021 and onwards will open up a range of exclusive opportunities for our team including staying in the same hotels which will be used by the professionals a week later. I’m delighted all of our team has committed to riding in 2021 but we do have 5 places available for people to join us next June so if you are interested please do visit the website and get in touch.”

Yann Le Monner Chief Executive of Tour de France organiser A.S.O. said: “We are proud to announce Cure Leukaemia as the Official Charity Partner of the Tour de France in the UK.

The charity’s work not only benefits the whole of the UK but also has a clear aim to help hasten global progress towards finding effective treatments for all forms of blood cancer and we are excited to partner with them over the next three years.” 

Cure Leukaemia Chief Executive James McLaughlin added:  “This partnership is true testament and legacy to Geoff’s extraordinary and selfless efforts to help and inspire others over the last 17 years. In securing this partnership and association with the world’s biggest annual sporting event, we hope that it not only raises awareness of Cure Leukaemia at a global level but also provides us with the opportunity to secure increased fundraising potential from The Tour 21 and expand our range of cycling events and opportunities going forward.

“Led by Geoff, cycling has played such a key role in the growth of Cure Leukaemia since 2015 and we are immensely proud to now be officially associated with the world’s most famous and prestigious professional cycling event.”

Lewis Hamilton passed Valtteri Bottas to take a commanding victory in the Portuguese Grand Prix and break Formula 1's all-time win record. The six-times Formula 1 world champion dropped to third in a manic first two laps that ended with McLaren's Carlos Sainz leading, but fought back to crush Bottas' hopes. After both Mercedes passed Sainz, Hamilton tracked Bottas before taking the lead on lap 20. From there, Hamilton dominated to take his 92nd career Grand Prix victory.

Hamilton received a standing ovation from the socially distanced crowd, before celebrating with team members and then a long embrace with father Anthony. He said he "owed it all" to his Mercedes team, adding: "I could only ever have dreamed of being where I am today.

"I didn't have a magic ball when I chose to come to this team and partner with these great people, but here I am. Everything we do together - we are all rowing in the same direction and that's why we're doing what we're doing. And my dad's here and my step mum Linda, and Roscoe (His dog). It is going to take some time for it to fully sink in. I was still pushing flat out as I came across the line. I can't find the words at the moment."

His victory, on a humiliating day for team-mate Bottas, gave Hamilton a 77-point advantage in the championship as he moves ever closer to a seventh world title, which would match Schumacher's other surviving record.

Hamilton had to do it the hard way, cool temperatures and a sprinkling of rain at the start leaving his Mercedes grip-less on its medium tyres on the opening lap, on which he was passed by both Bottas and Sainz. But once the Mercedes' tyres were up to temperature, they wasted no time in dispatching the McLaren and disappeared into a race of their own.

Once ahead, Hamilton left his team-mate behind, pulling out a lead of more than seven seconds in the next 10 laps, and continuing to inch further clear over the remainder of the race. He extended his lead even further after they made their pit stops, as he was able to get the hard tyres into their temperature window more effectively than his team-mate.

The 35-year-old's only concern was cramp in the final 10 laps but it did not seem to affect him unduly, and he still crossed the line 25 seconds clear of his team-mate. It was a masterful performance, befitting the monumental nature of his achievement, supplanting Schumacher at the head of the all-time win lists, where the German had been for 19 years.

Hamilton said: "I really owe it all to the (Mercedes) team for their teamwork, continually innovating and pushing the barrier even higher every year. It's such a privilege working with them. It really is absolutely incredible."

It was an exciting race on a new track to F1, with overtaking and incident aplenty throughout the field.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third, after slipping down to fifth on the opening lap, while Charles Leclerc was impressive in recovering fourth place in the Ferrari after he, too, struggled for grip in the opening laps on the medium tyres and dropped to eighth.

Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly was outstanding in taking fifth, grabbing the place with a lovely move around the outside of Racing Point's Sergio Perez with two laps to go.

Perez, too, drove a strong race, recovering from a first-lap collision with Verstappen and spin, which required him to stop for fresh tyres and drop to last.

Perez came under further pressure on the last lap, this time from Sainz, who passed him to take sixth place, with the Renaults of Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel all close behind.

Kimi Raikkonen was just outside the points, after an outstanding first lap, rising from 16th on the grid to seventh place on his soft tyres, and then passing Leclerc's Ferrari for sixth, before the lack of pace of his Alfa told once the race settled down and he began to slip back.

Next weekend, F1 moves on to Imola in Italy, an historic, challenging and popular track which holds a race for the first time since 2006.

What they said

Bottas: "The opening lap was pretty good, some cars behind with the soft tyre had the upper-hand but I was really pleased I could get the lead but after that, I just had no pace today. I don't understand why."

Verstappen: "It was very low grip at the start. I tried to stay out of trouble but had a touch with Sergio Perez. He didn't give me enough space so he took himself out. I did my own race after that."