Sports News

The British Athletics Indoor Championships will be held across the 20-21 February 2021 at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland.

Glasgow is a prestigious venue for world-class athletics, recently hosting the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships, as well as the SPAR British Athletics Indoor Championships and Müller Indoor Grand Prix earlier in 2020. The choice of venue was carefully considered to ensure that a Covid-19 safe event could be delivered in conjunction with an environment for optimum athlete performance.

The Championships will also act as the official Trial event for the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun (POL) and World Athletics Indoor Championship in Nanjing (CHN) which are currently scheduled to take place during the following month. 

As the sport continues its return to action following a disrupted 2020 season, UK Athletics will continue to work closely with the Home Country Athletics Federations (HCAFs) and Glasgow Life in order to adhere to current and future changes to government guidelines and those specifically in Scotland. This means that under current restrictions, the event will be held behind-closed-doors.

However, it will be streamed on britishathletics.org.uk with more information available nearer to the event. The format and shape of the competition will be communicated as soon as practically possible.

CEO of UK Athletics, Joanna Coates, said: “As we look ahead to 2021, it is fantastic that we can confirm Glasgow as the host of the British Athletics Indoor Championships once again.

“The Emirates Arena has hosted world-class athletics for several years, so we are thrilled to be working with the great team there to deliver this prestigious fixture in the calendar.

“We are again sorry that whilst at present we cannot confirm a return to the arena for spectators, we will continue to monitor the government guidelines in Scotland as we build up to the event.

“Once again, my thanks go to the Emirates Arena and Glasgow Life who we are collaborating with to deliver another high-quality sporting event, and to UK Sport for their support from the Continuity Fund, which has assisted in supporting the staging of this event.”

Councillor David McDonald, Deputy Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “We are delighted to welcome back the British Athletics Indoor Championships to the world-famous Emirates Arena in February 2021.

“As a city which is more than capable of staging outstanding international sporting events, the inevitable postponement and cancellation of so many events in 2020 was incredibly difficult for Glasgow.

“We hope next year will allow the city to begin a slow and steady return to hosting world-class major sporting events, and the British Athletics Indoor Championships is the perfect event to celebrate the beginning of this process.”

Fans returned to English Football League (EFL) grounds yesterday for the first time in more than nine months as coronavirus restrictions were eased.

Luton and Wycombe, who had not played in front of fans at their home grounds since February, were permitted capacities of 1,000 for their matches.

Carlisle, Charlton, Shrewsbury and Cambridge also welcomed back fans.

Other EFL teams who played last night were in tier three areas, which prohibits supporters at elite level.

Luton and Wycombe were only permitted capacities of 1,000 but Carlisle, Charlton, Shrewsbury and Cambridge were granted 2,000 as they had staged test event matches earlier in the season.

No away fans were allowed and no supporter was able to attend if they live in a tier three area.

Arsenal will be the first Premier League club permitted to host home supporters, when they play Rapid Vienna in the Europa League tomorrow.

The first Premier League fixture to welcome fans will be West Ham's game at home to Manchester United on Saturday, before Chelsea host Leeds later that day.

With the exception of two pilot events at Warwick and Doncaster in September, horse racing has also been without crowds since March, but racegoers were able to return yesterday with Lingfield Park in Surrey, among the tracks able to welcome back spectators.

A shortlist of six contenders has been announced for the 2020 BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) award.

The nominees are Formula 1's Lewis Hamilton, jockey Hollie Doyle, boxer Tyson Fury, footballer Jordan Henderson, cricketer Stuart Broad and snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Voting will be open to the public during the Sports Personality programme on BBC One on Sunday, December 20.

The show is being broadcast live from Media City in Salford.

Football pundit Alex Scott will join the presenting line-up alongside Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan to look back on a truly unusual year of sport in front of a huge virtual audience and millions of viewers on television.

The ceremony will champion the teams that triumphed despite the pandemic, sports stars that achieved greatness even with interrupted schedules and the coaches and local heroes that made it possible.

The public can vote by phone or online on the night for the main award, with full details announced during the show.

Other awards to be announced include Team and Coach of the Year, World Sport Star of the Year and Unsung Hero, while Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford will receive a special award in recognition of his work to raise awareness of child food poverty in the UK.

There has been a growing concern and appetite for change when looking at terminology and language surrounding how we describe the communities impacted by racial discrimination. The mainstream term in use is Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME). The problem with BAME, and other now outdated phrases as terminology, is that there are issues of generic and casual branding of communities. This is whilst also avoiding the varying issues impacting specific communities in more severe ways, as highlighted by the recent advocation for change through Black Lives Matter. The term BAME also leaves room for ambiguity and confusion around ethnicity, geography and nationality.

The term BAME collates large swathes of groups together and places recognition on some communities whilst ignoring others entirely. The emphasis of such behaviours tends to be on the physical differences of some while relegating ethnic and cultural complexities. The insinuation that any of the communities impacted by racial discrimination are simply 'minority' ethnic groups is uncomfortable for many due to the negative connotations that are attached to the word minority, which subconsciously makes ethnic groups seem inferior to white counterparts, and connotes a general negative subtext.

This is as well as the idea that all communities and individuals who fit into the umbrella term of 'BAME,' are impacted the same way by racism. These wide and non-specific groupings fail to recognise the multiple complex strands of diverse cultures. What we need to do is get specific and avoid the use of umbrella terminology where possible.

Systematic racism is incredibly complex and to tackle it effectively, we need terminology which is more specific to the communities experiencing racism in order to improve inclusivity. We believe the term BAME is too generic and allows organisations to hide behind this term to cover up underrepresentation and racial discrimination of specific ethnic groups. The only way we can begin to unpick and deconstruct the systematic racism and discrimination towards these varied communities, is by recognising specific communities, their underrepresentation and the experience they face with racism.

We must reflect on their experiences, work with them to resolve these issues and develop best practice. The first step to take is to stop using BAME and other such problematic terminology and to start looking at these communities in a more detailed way and identify them as specific groups, with an intersectional approach to identify any forms of multiple discrimination taking place. We must measure engagement from the varied communities more effectively and become accountable for the shortfalls to develop a more anti-racist approach.

We as a sector must recognise and highlight the varying and often multi-layered forms of discrimination and racism impacting communities. There are issues that would impact South Asians differently to the African or Caribbean communities, and within those communities are even more intersects of diversity that need to be recognised from ethnicity to intersectionality.

We need to be willing to embrace diversity as organisations and individuals, by knowing the communities we serve and once we do that; we need to understand and accept the diversity and complexity that communities and individuals self-identify as. Without this focus on measuring specific communities we will continue to fail to eradicate discrimination and exclusion. Being specific regarding the communities and individuals who are in need of support and engagement is the way forward. Sporting Equals recognised the weaknesses and hinderances of terminology and conducted a survey in October to aid in the development of best practice for our sector.

Our initial consultation was to our Associate Member network base of over 200 grassroots organisations in building our response to this call for evidence. This group represents 150,000 service users and almost 4,000 volunteers. The consultation reinforced our view that communities would prefer more specific definition of their identities. However, the communities also recognised and agreed that for organisational administrative purposes, they would be happy for a more sensitive and respectful term to be adopted.

The terms which were most highly favoured by our members included Diverse Ethnic Communities or Ethnically Diverse Communities, these terms allow the terminology to have more positive and broader spectrum. This is to ensure that organisations must become more specific as a result. We are placing the responsibility of specificity on our organisations and bodies of power to adopt these phrases, but then further specify the level of detail as to which groups they are engaging and why. These phrases require more detail and specification than an acronym like BAME. Diversity is the first and foremost point of importance, we need to recognise the diversity between the communities from their cultural diversity to their experiences of racism. But we must be wary to not use these terms in a casual and dismissive way. When speaking of research, marketing, engagement, and targets we must be very clear about which specific groups we are seeking to engage. We cannot continue to casually group people consistently with umbrella terminology – there must be a justified administrative or bureaucratic reason.

Following this, we at Sporting Equals will take this matter further consulting on where we should limit its usage, and we will then develop best practice to assist in cultivating a more welcoming sector for all communities. We must remember none of us win unless all of us win and with each of these changes we get one step closer to an inclusive and equal sector for all.

Boxing legend Mike Tyson’s first appearance in the ring for 15 years ended in a draw with fellow-legend Roy Jones Jr. 

The fight between the two heavyweights took place at Los Angeles’ Staples Centre and in light of the ongoing health crisis, the bout had no spectators or judges.

At the weigh-in prior to the fight, 54-year-old Tyson came in at 220lb, while Jones (51) came in at 210lb.

Despite there being no winner, the pair seemed to be quite content with a draw, with Jones saying: “I don’t do draws but the dude (Tyson) is so strong.

“When he hits you, his head, his punches, his body shots, everything hurts. I’m cool with the draw.”

Tyson responded by saying to Jones: “I hit you with some good shots, and you took it. I respect that.”

The pair took part in the heavyweight exhibition as a way to raise money for several charities with Tyson reportedly paid $10 million for the fight, a large amount of which he will donate.

He said: “This is better than fighting for championships. We’re humanitarians now. We can do something good for the world. We’ve got to do this again.”

The match had a ‘no knock-out’ rule that saw the two boxers engage in heavy sparring instead, with Jones describing Tyson’s body shots as ‘taking a toll’ on him.

Many of the sport’s fellow-legends expressed their satisfaction with former heavyweight champion, George Foreman tweeting, ‘Best exhibition I have ever seen’, while Amir Khan wrote, ‘Well done to my friends @MikeTyson & #RoyJonesJr. great performance from both legends. Both guys looked in great shape. I’m happy nobody got hurt, Well done [sic]’.

However rapper Snoop Dogg described the fight as watching two uncles fight at a family BBQ.

Following his commentary, many people joked that Snoop was the real winner of the fight with NBA star LeBron James tweeting, ‘My Unk @SnoopDogg is simply the greatest at whatever he does man!!!’

Former Senegal, Fulham and Portsmouth midfielder Papa Bouba Diop has died.

Diop made 129 appearances in the Premier League and also had spells in England with West Ham United and Birmingham City.

He played for Senegal at the 2002 World Cup, scoring the winner in the tournament's opening game as his country beat France 1-0.

"Once a World Cup hero, always a World Cup hero," Fifa posted on social media.

A post on Fulham's Twitter account said the club was "devastated" and, using Diop's nickname, added: "Rest well, Wardrobe."

Senegal reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, with Diop going on to score twice more in the 3-3 group-stage draw with Uruguay. He also featured at four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, including when Senegal were runners-up in 2002. He retired in 2013.

Diop helped Portsmouth, who were managed by Harry Redknapp at the time, win the FA Cup in 2008.

"He was such a wonderful character," Redknapp said. "He was fantastic for me, a great character, always happy and always had a smile on his face. He was a giant of a man.

"He had no aggression in him. He looked aggressive on the pitch because he was so big, but there was nothing nasty about him.

"My thoughts are with all his family."

Macky Sall, the president of Senegal, called Diop's death "a great loss for Senegal" while Liverpool's Senegal midfielder Sadio Mane wrote on his Instagram: "Pape Bouba, it was with a broken heart that we learned of your (death). Know that you will forever remain in our hearts even if you left without saying goodbye to us."

He was 42.

The death of former Argentina attacking midfielder and manager Diego Maradona has left the football world – neh, the world – in a state of shock as one of the greatest players of all time will be remembered for a long while.

He had successful surgery on a brain blood clot last month and was to be treated for alcohol dependency. But he suffered a heart attack at his Buenos Aires home.

A captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, he scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina, representing them in four World Cups.

He started his career with Argentinos Juniors, also playing for Sevilla, and Boca Juniors and Newell's Old Boys in his homeland and as a player for Barcelona and Napoli, he won two Serie A titles with the Italian side.

Maradona led his country to the 1990 final in Italy, where they were beaten by West Germany, before captaining them again in the United States in 1994, but was sent home after failing a drugs test for ephedrine.

Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi paid tribute to Maradona, saying he was "eternal". He said: "A very sad day for all Argentines and football. He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal. I keep all the beautiful moments lived with him and I send my condolences to all his family and friends."

During the second half of his career, Maradona struggled with cocaine addiction and was banned for 15 months after testing positive for the drug in 1991.

He retired from professional football in 1997, on his 37th birthday, during his second stint at Argentine giants Boca Juniors.

Writing on Twitter Brazil legend Pele said: "What sad news. I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend. There is still much to be said, but for now, may God give strength to family members. One day, I hope we can play ball together in the sky." Former England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, who was part of the England team beaten by Argentina at the 1986 World Cup, said Maradona was "by some distance, the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time".

Having briefly managed two sides in Argentina during his playing career, Maradona was appointed head coach of the national team in 2008 and left after the 2010 World Cup, where his side were beaten by Germany in the quarter-finals. He subsequently managed teams in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico and was in charge of Gimnasia y Esgrima in Argentina's top flight at the time of his death

In a statement on social media, the Argentine Football Association expressed "its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend", adding: "You will always be in our hearts." Declaring three days of national mourning, Alberto Fernandez, the president of Argentina, said: "You took us to the top of the world. You made us immensely happy. You were the greatest of them all.

"Thank you for having existed, Diego. We're going to miss you all our lives."

He was 60.

A hugely successful half-term sports-themed community programme which provided dozens of West Midlands youngsters with access to a range of physical activities and much-needed food parcels is to be repeated in the run-up to Christmas.

Sport 4 Life UK’s October Sports Camp took place at Hodge Hill College in Birmingham during the autumn half-term break and attracted as many as 35 people a day aged between 11 and 29 from diverse backgrounds.

And following the initiative run by the charity which uses sport to improve the life chances of young people not in education, employment or training, a number of the participants are set to complete virtual sports leader qualifications.

The event will return in the third week of December at the start of the Festive school holiday for a Winter Sports Camp, but with the format to be dictated by relevant coronavirus restrictions at the time.

CEO and Founder of Sport 4 Life UK Tom Clarke-Forrest said: “On one hand it’s rewarding for us to be making such an impact on these youngsters’ lives and I would like to thank everyone who helped to make the October Sports Camp a success. But on the other, the level of interest in our school holiday camps is growing and that is testament to the intensifying challenges young people face as a result of the pandemic and economic downturn.”

He added: “We’re now planning to run a similar event in the lead-up to the winter break in December, however, we’re mindful that the pandemic may prevent sports activities. We’re thinking therefore that if that is the case we could be looking at a food programme along with online mentoring and support rather than physical activity. One way or another we will ensure we’re there for as many young people as possible this winter, assisting them to build a positive future.”

During the October half-term Sports Camp, participants received food parcels containing essentials such as cereal bars, fruit, crisps and bottled water.

Sporting activities including football, tennis and volleyball were provided along with informal mentoring throughout the week.

Businesses and organisations interested in partnering with Sport 4 Life UK in its work supporting young people aged between 11 and 29 should contact Rob Wells, Head of Business Development, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The UK Athletics ‘Let’s Talk About Race’ programme launched this summer has culminated in a sport-wide commitment to tackle issues of racial inequality endorsed jointly by UKA and the Home Country Athletics Federations (HCAFs).

The programme was launched to review all issues related to race within the sport following the murder of George Floyd. Whilst athletics in the UK is enjoyed by a diverse community, UKA CEO Joanna Coates appealed to the sport to let UKA know how it could be better at supporting ethnically diverse communities in the long term and not just in the immediate aftermath of this tragic event.

The programme launched with a series of roundtables, bringing together voices from across the athletics community to discuss race and was followed by a series of focus groups that identified priorities which have enabled UKA to finalise the actions to be taken forward as part of the 2021-2024 Diversity Action Plan – set to be published in January. 

The headline actions agreed by the CEO forum include:

• A sport-wide commitment to address racial inequality in athletics
• Embedding ED&I in UKA & HCAF strategies
• Diverse representation at all levels of athletics e.g. Developing a Club ED & I toolkit for use
• Development & Education e.g. Mandatory unconscious bias/ED&I training in coaching, officials and workforce qualifications
• Develop mentoring/shadowing programmes
• Policies e.g. Develop and implement a Race Equality Code of Conduct agreement for officials

Joanna Coates, UK Athletics CEO, said: “Following the impact of the murder of George Floyd, UKA felt it essential to engage with the sport and take positive action against racism by delivering the ‘Let’s talk about Race’ programme in line with our commitments to the Race at Work Charter.

‘We are very proud of the work undertaken so far on this having committed to real change within the sport. But agreeing the plan is only the first step. The recommendations will be taken forward as part of our 2021-2024 Diversity Action Plan, and the sport will need to work collectively to make these changes.”

Donna Fraser, Equality, Diversity and Engagement Lead at UK Athletics, said: “The murder of George Floyd sparked positive and negative conversations about race around the world and although a heart-breaking experience, we took the time to reach out to the athletics community to understand the true feelings and experiences within our sport. 

“The passion and commitment to make change from those who supported the programme really shone through and I thank them for their honesty. This is the start of a journey and I have no doubt that the athletics community will hold myself and the senior leaders at UKA and the HCAF’s accountable for the Let’s Talk About Race deliverables.” 

Thanks go to the respective Chairs of the focus groups; Imani Lansiquot, Yannick Phippen,  Michael Afilaka, Melanie Anning, Marcus Opoku, Mark Draisey and Sabrina Pace Humphreys.

Individuals and organisations who could be affected by measures to restrict advertising and trading in and around Birmingham 2022 Games locations are being encouraged to provide their views on a number of proposed exceptions.

The Birmingham Commonwealth Games Act contains offences concerning unauthorised advertising and unauthorised trading in certain places at certain times. These restrictions will help ensure we deliver on our hosting commitments for the Games. They will:

• protect the rights of commercial sponsors, whose contributions help to offset the public costs of the Games
• ensure Birmingham 2022 Games locations and their surroundings have a consistent look and feel in line with Commonwealth Games branding
• ensure people can safely access the venues and the free flow of spectators

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is working closely with the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee and our Games partners to ensure we take a proportionate approach - one that protects the rights of commercial sponsors and ensures that spectators can move easily and safely around Games locations while minimising disruption to existing businesses.

The consultation will run from 5 November until 11 January. Responses will be used to inform potential exceptions to the advertising and trading offences which we expect to be brought forward in secondary legislation later next year. An ‘exception’ is a form of advertising or trading activity (for example, public transport services) that will not be caught by the advertising and trading offences in the Act.

The restrictions will be in place in and around specified Games locations at specified times, and will only be in place when and where necessary, but there is the possibility that the restrictions could apply at any time between 7 July to 13 August (a maximum of 38 days).

A list of the Games locations that we currently expect to be affected is included in the consultation document. In most cases, we would expect the restrictions on advertising and trading to extend no more than a few hundred metres around each location’s perimeter.

However, in some circumstances, restrictions may need to extend further to ensure that designated walking routes and key transport hubs are taken into account.

This consultation does not address the timing or vicinity of the restrictions, as this will be driven by when and how Games locations are used and is the subject of ongoing operational planning. Once they have been finalised, the locations and timings of the restrictions will be set out in secondary legislation.

Karachi Kings won their first Pakistan Super League with a five-wicket victory over Lahore Qalandars in the final.

Babar Azam hit an unbeaten 63 off 49 balls as a Karachi side featuring England's Alex Hales comfortably chased their target of 135 with eight balls to spare on their home ground.

Earlier, Lahore collapsed from 68-0 to 81-4 as they posted a modest 134-7.

The tournament was halted in March by the Covid-19 pandemic and resumed with the play-off stages on Saturday.

Karachi were playing in their first final, having reached the play-offs on all four occasions since the competition launched in 2016.

Lahore had finished bottom of the table in every previous tournament. Having won the toss, Lahore started solidly through Tamim Iqbal and Fakhar Zaman, who made 35 and 27 respectively, before losing three wickets in seven balls.

Former England all-rounder Samit Patel - on the day he signed a new deal with his county side Nottinghamshire - fell for five as Karachi seamers Umaid Asif and Waqas Maqsood claimed 2-18 apiece.

Patel's Notts team-mate Hales made 11 in Karachi's chase but opener Babar, who was last week appointed Pakistan Test skipper to add to the limited-overs captaincy, played an elegant innings to see the side home.

There were 15 English players involved in this season's PSL, including Chris Jordan, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone and Lewis Gregory, who missed the play-offs because they were selected for England's limited-overs tour of South Africa which starts this week.

The 2021 PSL is scheduled to begin in February.

The family of 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles says football needs to "address the scandal" of dementia in the game. And they criticised the Professional Footballers' Association, saying there had been a lack of support for players.

The ex-Manchester United and England midfielder died in October, aged 78. He had dementia and prostate cancer. Stiles is the fifth member of England's World Cup-winning squad to have been diagnosed with dementia.

Previous research has shown that ex-footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than the general population. Stiles' family said they were proud of "what he achieved, but more importantly, the man he was". But they added: "There is a need for urgent action.

"These older players have largely been forgotten and many are in ill health, like dad.

"How can it be that these players are left needing help when their own union has tens of millions of pounds available today?

"How can it be that these players are struggling when the Premier League receives £3bn a year?

"The modern player will never need the help required by the older lads. How can it be right that some of the heroes of 1966 had to sell their medals to provide for the families?

"These older players are dying like my dad - many don't have medals to sell. It is right, of course to seek to identify the cause of dementia in older players but in truth the cause is irrelevant to the older players - whatever the cause, they need help now.

"I hope dad's death is the catalyst for this scandal to be addressed."

Stiles made 397 appearances for Manchester United between 1960 and 1971, later going on to play for Middlesbrough and Preston North End. He won 28 caps for England and is the seventh member of the England team that started the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany to die, after captain Bobby Moore, Alan Ball, Ray Wilson, Gordon Banks, Martin Peters and Jack Charlton.

Stiles had a minor stroke in 2010, and was then diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and prostate cancer.

The PFA said: "Our thoughts are with Nobby Stiles' family at this very difficult time.

"The PFA Charity offers a range of support to former professional footballers and their families/carers. The support we provide is always confidential and as each family's circumstance will vary, we try to ensure that the support provided is suitable to their individual needs.

"The PFA is listening to member feedback and evaluating ways to improve the services and care provided. We are at the of beginning of a process of consultation with sections of our membership who have lived experience of neurodegenerative conditions. We will be liaising with these members and their families to determine how the services can be of greater help and more accessible for those that need it.

"The PFA will continue to fund research as part of a working group, comprised of stakeholders from across the game. Currently, we are funding three separate studies looking at neurodegenerative conditions and football."

In a statement, the Football Association said: "We continue to work closely with the Alzheimer's Society and, alongside other sport governing bodies, we are pleased to be a part of their Sport United Against Dementia campaign to help raise awareness and gain support for their valuable work.

"Collaboration across football's governing bodies is key in order to better understand this important issue collectively, and we firmly believe that all areas of football should come together for this meaningful cause."

Research from a study by neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart found that former footballers were between two and five times more likely to die from degenerative brain diseases.

It has yet to be proven whether heading is a contributing factor. But Stiles says he is "utterly convinced" heading had caused problems to the members of the 1966 World Cup team who have been diagnosed with dementia, including Sir Bobby Charlton.

Stewart's examination of former West Brom striker Jeff Astle concluded he died of a brain condition normally linked to boxers, and that it was caused by heading footballs. Last month, a coroner ruled that former Welsh international Alan Jarvis died from dementia linked to repeatedly heading the ball.

Stiles said that football was "hiding behind the fact that it's very difficult to get conclusive evidence of a brain injury" as it cannot be diagnosed until after death. He added: "It's blatantly obvious that heading the ball has given the World Cup players dementia.

"There's nothing else that they have done, although all I hear from football authorities is that they need more studies. But while they are doing that the players aren't getting the help they need and they need it now. Football hasn't reacted and in the meantime, there's been hundreds, maybe thousands of footballers who have suffered with it, and football has deliberately, in my opinion, not dealt with it because it will cost money and effect the brand.

"The research should continue, there is plenty of money to do it, to make sure that current players and youngsters coming through don't suffer the same fate as my father. But more importantly, players should be getting care and support now, substantial support and care.

"I don't think you could ever take heading out of football, but at least the players should be made aware that they make a decision to play the game knowing what the risks are."

The Premier League says it contributes £23m a year to the PFA, which goes to several charitable and development causes, including the recent study. It also has its own head injury advisory group, and is awaiting more details on concussion substitutions from IFAB, which are set to be trialled across the game from January 2021 onwards.

Lewis Hamilton clinched a seventh World Championship and became the most successful racing driver ever with a masterful victory in the Turkish Grand Prix with the Mercedes driver equalling Michael Schumacher's achievement in terms of titles, after already surpassing the German's number of race wins last month.

Victory at a treacherously wet and slippery Istanbul Park track in a topsy-turvy race was the 94th of the 35-year-old Briton's career - who was overcome with emotion in the car after the race, saying: "To all the kids out there, dream the impossible."

He later added: "Seven is just unimaginable but when you work with such a great group of people and you really trust each other, there is just no end to what you can do together. I feel like I'm only just getting started, it's really weird."

He also added that he would "love to stay" in F1 and to continue to campaign for change when it comes to human rights, diversity and environmentalism.

Lewis won his first world title with McLaren in 2008 with further successes in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019. It was a drive befitting the monumental nature of his achievement.

"It felt so far-fetched”, the record-breaking champion said. “I remember watching Michael win those world championships. To get one or two or even three is so hard. Seven is unimaginable.

“There is no end to what we can do together, me and this team. We dreamed of this when I was young. It is so important for kids to see this and don't listen to anyone who says you can't achieve something. Dream the impossible. You have got to chase it and never give up."

Hamilton has clinched the title with three races still to go, two in Bahrain starting in two weeks' time and then a finale in Abu Dhabi in mid-December.

Former England, Liverpool and Tottenham goalkeeper Ray Clemence has died.

Clemence, who won five league titles and three European Cups with Liverpool between 1967 and 1981, was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2005.

In a statement on Sunday, the Clemence family said he "passed away peacefully today surrounded by his loving family".

"After fighting so hard, for such a long time, he's now at peace and in no more pain," they added.

As well as league and European Cup success, Clemence also won the FA Cup, League Cup and two Uefa Cups during his time at Anfield. He made 470 league appearances for Liverpool before joining Tottenham.

During his seven-year spell at Spurs, Clemence helped the club retain the FA Cup in 1982 and clocked up 330 appearances.

The legendary goalkeeper, capped by England on 61 occasions, also worked on the north London club's coaching staff and was inducted into the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame in November 2014.

Clemence made his England debut in 1972 and spent the majority of his 11-year international career in a battle with Peter Shilton for the number one shirt. He captained the Three Lions for the first and only time in a narrow defeat to Brazil at Wembley in 1981 and later took up the role of goalkeeper coach with the Football Association.

His wife Veronica, son Stephen - current assistant coach at Newcastle United, and daughters Sarah and Julie said: "The family would like to say a huge thank you, for all the love and support that he's received over the years.

"He was loved so much by us all and he will never be forgotten."

Shilton wrote on Twitter: "I'm absolutely devastated to be told of the sad news that Ray Clemence has just passed away. We were rivals but good friends.

"Ray was a brilliant goalkeeper with a terrific sense of humour. I will miss him a great deal as we've kept friends long after retiring. RIP my friend."

Liverpool great Sir Kenny Dalglish said: "Today we have lost a true legend. Clem was a fantastic team-mate and great to be around. I will never forget how he helped me to settle in at Anfield.

"Our thoughts are with the Clemence family. RIP Clem."

He was 72.

Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are to be the new owners of National League club Wrexham.

Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST) members voted overwhelmingly to back the takeover with 98.6% of those who responded backing the bid. Out of more than 2,000 trust members eligible to vote, 1,809 approved, 26 were against and nine abstained.

The trust wished the pair "the very best of luck in charge" and "look forward to what the future brings".

In a statement, the trust added: "Subject to final agreement, league and FA confirmation - the RR McReynolds Company, LLC will take 100% control of Wrexham Football Club Limited from the WST.

"Both parties will now proceed with finalising the details of the takeover, and we will update Wrexham supporters as soon as we can."

Reynolds and fellow actor McElhenney had told trust members they want to turn Wrexham into a "global force".

The takeover could lead to £2m being invested in the club, which has been in fan ownership since 2011. Board director Spencer Harris previously said he expected the club to be in Reynolds' and McElhenney's hands within a few weeks of the vote going their way. They presented their vision to trust members at a virtual meeting with voting starting the following day and ending on Sunday.

The duo also issued a mission statement and have said they intend to attend games when work commitments allow.

The pair set out their plans for the club at the virtual meeting after trust members voted 95% in favour of holding talks with the pair. They also answered fans' questions during the online gathering.

More than 2,000 trust members were eligible to take part in the vote with 75% of members who responded to the ballot needing to vote in favour for the takeover to go ahead.

Trust members had received voting packs before the presentation detailing the next steps of the proposed takeover bid by The RR McReynolds Company.

The north Wales club, formed in 1864, play in English football's fifth tier following their relegation from the Football League in 2008.

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)