David Evans will send Rohaan to Royal Ascot for the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes “with every chance – as long as the stalls open!”.

Evans is still smarting from Saturday’s Epsom Dash, where four stalls – 16, 18, 19 and 20 – opened marginally later than the others.

It seemingly affected the chances of a quartet of well-backed horses, including the trainer’s Lihou, drawn 18, who finished last in the five-furlong contest.

While the stewards admitted the four stalls had opened “fractionally slower” than the remainder, they decided the chances of the four runners in those stalls were not “materially impacted” by the start and therefore took no further action.

“It was a farce,” said Evans. “Something should be done.

“I’ve been through it and unless a third of the field were affected, you can’t void the race.”

Evans is hoping for better luck when crack sprinter Rohaan takes aim at the six-furlong Group One contest on June 24.

The five-year-old powered to success in the Wokingham at the Royal meeting for a second year in succession 12 months ago, and returned to the Berkshire track in October to take the Group Three Bengough Stakes.

Having only been beaten a length in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville, Evans feels he has the capacity to continue to be competitive at the top level.

Rohaan has had one run this term, when finishing eighth of nine under Tom Marquand in a Listed race at Salisbury.

The Monmouthshire handler feels a line can be drawn under that display.

He said: “It was a bit of a non-event. I just wanted to get a run into him and see how he came back.

“He came back fine. He wouldn’t let himself down on the ground. Tom said he jumped the path and after that he was on the wrong leg all the way, but all being well he’ll definitely go to Ascot for the Jubilee.

“He’s had a long old break since his last run. I thought he was fit enough, but he had a good old blow afterwards. He just wouldn’t let himself down.

“The aim with him has been to target Ascot all year and I don’t think it will be as quick as it was at Salisbury. They put a lot of water on, but it was very warm that evening. I just wanted to get him a run and that was the only opportunity.

“He’s done his bit, but will definitely go there and he loves the track. What will be will be. He goes there with every chance, hopefully – as long as the stalls open!”

Miyu Kato secured her French Open redemption by bouncing back from disqualification to win the mixed doubles title – and then publicly hit out at the controversial decision.

The Japanese player and partner Aldila Sutjiadi were defaulted during their third-round women’s doubles match on Sunday against Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo after Kato unintentionally hit a ball girl while passing a ball to the other end of the court.

It unexpectedly became one of the biggest stories of the tournament, with players and coaches past and present criticising the decision as too harsh.

Kato was at least allowed to continue in the mixed with German partner Tim Puetz, and they ensured a happy ending to the tournament by beating Bianca Andreescu and Michael Venus 4-6 6-4 (10-6) in the final, with both claiming a first grand slam title.

Kato had been too upset to speak about the disqualification in English but prepared a speech to read out on court.

Instead of the usual platitudes, the 28-year-old fought back tears as she said: “It has been really challenging mentally for me the past few days due to the unjust disqualification from the women’s doubles.

“I want to thank the players and coaches for all the heartfelt support. I was able to use all the positive energy to move forward so I could be here today.

“It was unfortunate that we were disqualified but I’m doing my best so we can return one day and claim the women’s doubles final. Hopefully the ball girl is OK.

“Lastly, to Roland Garros, it is unfortunate for the disqualification situation but I’m looking forward to a positive result of my appeal so I can claim my points and prize money.”

Being defaulted from a tournament normally means forfeiting the ranking points and prize money you have earned but Kato is hoping the nature of the offence means that will be overturned.

The umpire initially only gave the Japanese player a warning but, with Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo drawing attention to the crying ball girl, the supervisor and referee were called to the court and eventually decided a default was merited.

Neither had seen the incident and Kato was unhappy with Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo’s role, saying in Japanese: “What I can’t swallow is that at first the chair umpire gave me warning, but then our opponents said that he had made a mistake.

“The opponent made a big appeal, and then the referee came down and overturned the decision. My opponent probably didn’t see where I hit her.”

Kato thanked Puetz for being a key support, and the German was delighted to help her create more positive memories of the tournament.

“Miyu, unbelievable what has happened the last 10 days,” he said. “I hope this helps you. I’m very happy to win even without all the drama.

“I hope this is somewhat redemption with everything that has happened. We saw you get so much support from everywhere and I think it’s well deserved.”

Richard Riakporhe questioned Lawrence Okolie’s mental strength after he lost his WBO cruiserweight title and was knocked down three times during his defeat to Chris Billam-Smith in May.

Riakporhe, who is the second-ranked fighter in the WBO standings, highlighted Okolie’s lacklustre performance and questioned if issues behind the scenes played a part in the defeat.

Having switched camps earlier this year, Okolie was up against former trainer Shane McGuigan in Billam-Smith’s corner which Riakporhe believes gave him a mental disadvantage going into the bout.

“On Okolie and his performance – I don’t know, I feel like there are underlying issues that he needs to deal with because I think he’s better than that for sure,” Riakporhe said.

“Prior to the fight McGuigan was talking about mental aspects of Okolie, which we didn’t know because he’s never been tested in that regard, and that (loss) pretty much confirmed that for me. From the way he performed there may be – I’m not saying 100 per cent but maybe there’s something going on with him.

“He was training with Billam-Smith, he left his former coach McGuigan and he’s now preparing his stable-mate to beat him based off flaws that he’s noticed over the years. That’s a very difficult task if you ask me.

“If a man has sparred 300-400 rounds and you also have Okolie’s former coach in your corner that knows everything about him then you have got an advantage.”

Okolie was deducted two points for persistent holding on the night – a style Riakporhe criticised in the aftermath of the fight.

And Riakporhe called for officials to clamp down on the “very dirty tactics” which he insisted are tainting boxing’s image.

“I was surprised, I didn’t think he (Billam-Smith) was going to be able to knock Okolie down,” Riakporhe added.

“But Okolie’s style of boxing with the holding he does is pretty strange. In my opinion that’s not the noble artform of boxing for me.

“It’s some 1940s or 1930s boxing style with the grappling and holding back like in the Jack Johnson era. That’s not boxing.

“Like anything, you need to train to exploit that, but really I think that shouldn’t be allowed and that’s very dirty tactics. It’s not boxing, the referees need to be very firm, it’s not fair, it’s not good for the fans and it’s bad for boxing.”

The south London fighter vowed it is only a matter of time before he gets his hands on cruiserweight gold as he eyes a shot at the title later this year.

“My main takeaway from the fight is just further conviction that I’m the number one and that I’m the best in my mind,” he said. 

“This year (is when I will be champion). I’ve already spoken to my team and I’m ready to dance this year, it’s going to be big.”

Less-than-stellar campaigns may have left their regular-season stranglehold in peril but Wigan boss Matt Peet maintains there remains no bigger match in Betfred Super League than the Warriors’ ongoing rivalry with four-time defending champions St Helens.

The sold-out signs are expected to be propped up outside the Totally Wicked Stadium on Friday night for part two of a tussle that saw Peet’s men reign supreme in their first meeting of 2023 with a 14-6 win on Good Friday that oozed quality.

Peet’s men limped out of Magic Weekend last Sunday after a dismal 46-22 defeat to Catalans, while Saints’ season-best 48-6 win over Huddersfield cannot disguise the fact that they have reached the halfway point of the year, having nudged into the sixth and final play-off spot.

In a game given an extra dimension by the fierce loyalty inspired by two men who were brought through the ranks at their respective home-town clubs, Peet insists recent shifts in momentum matter little.

“I know other teams would like to think they’re our rivals, but really it’s Wigan and Saints because of the size of the game and two clubs’ histories and mutual respect,” said Peet.

“It’s a special game whenever you run into it and there are always sub-plots. One team might be flying and the other not doing so well but we know in games like this that form counts for nothing.

“It’s a big challenge and it’s exactly what we need. We can’t wait to get last week out of our system. The lads know they let themselves down, they got the basics wrong, and hopefully they’ll be much improved.”

In contrast, Saints head into the game on a high after what felt like a breakthrough performance against the Giants, coming in a season in which they have struggled to shrug off the after-effects of their World Club Challenge win in Australia.

With an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, Paul Wellens is approaching his first home clash with the Warriors as coach increasingly secure in the knowledge that his side are rediscovering their best form at the right time.

“It’s my first derby at home as a coach, which means a lot,” said Wellens. “Both myself and Matt are hugely passionate about coaching our home-town clubs, that’s a given, but the players are the ones people are paying to see.”

The prospect of Jack Welsby’s 100th game for Saints gives an already-titanic clash an additional dimension and Wellens reflected on the stunning trajectory of the 22-year-old since he made his debut in the Challenge Cup against Hull in 2018.

Wellens, who had retired as a player two years’ prior to Welsby’s first-team emergence, coached Welsby in the junior ranks and said, despite recognising his precocious talent, he could not have envisaged the speed with which his fellow full-back had surged to the top of the sport.

“I always remember knowing very little about him when he came up to the first team and he started opening up and scoring tries and you just knew then, he had something a bit special,” said Wellens.

“I was quite surprised to hear he’s only reached 100 games and when you think about what he’s achieved as an individual in those games, it is quite remarkable.

“He’s so mature for someone his age and he’s already been part of our leadership group for 18 months. The scary thing with Jack is that he is always striving to get even better.”

Steve Smith continued his love affair with batting in England, adding to his impressive collection of centuries on the second morning of the World Test Championship final against India.

Smith already had six Test hundreds to his name in English conditions and added a seventh as Australia moved to 422 for seven during a lively morning session at the Oval.

The 34-year-old came out on the wrong end of a couple of debatable lbw decisions during his recent overseas stint with Sussex in the LV= County Championship, but he was back in a familiar groove as he converted an unbeaten 95 overnight into 121.

As well as driving home Australia’s advantage in the ICC’s showpiece, it also tuned Smith up nicely for an Ashes series that is just eight days away, nudging his average in this country back past 60.

Australia resumed on 327 for three after a dominant first day, with the match progressing swiftly as 95 runs and four wickets were added in two eventful hours.

Smith wasted no time at all in passing three figures, hitting his first two balls of the morning from Mohammed Siraj to the boundary as he cashed in on a couple of looseners.

It had taken him 229 balls to get there, a gentle pace by modern standards, but it was another reminder of his ruthless ability to grind down bowling attacks.

India’s bowlers quickly settled on bouncing the set pair of Smith and Travis Head, who lit up day one with a brilliant ton of his own. He continued his rapid scoring rate to reach 163 in 174 deliveries, but eventually came undone against a relentless tactic.

After trying and failing to pick him off with a variety of bumpers, Siraj finally got his man with one that climbed towards his hip and flicked a glove as Head tried to whip towards square-leg.

Cameron Green fluffed his lines slightly at number six, guiding his first ball for four but making just two more before driving airily at Mohammed Shami and spearing a sharp catch to second slip.

India continued to drag themselves back into the fight, Smith’s concentration finally wavering when he nicked Shardul Thakur back into his stumps with an uncharacteristically lazy prod.

With Alex Carey living dangerously and Mitchell Starc running himself out for five, Australia were losing a little momentum but with plenty of scoreboard pressure already applied.

FIFA has struck a new deal with Budweiser despite banning the product from sale at World Cup venues in Qatar last year.

The new agreement with ABInBev, the company which owns the brand, makes the product the official beer of this summer’s Women’s World Cup and the men’s World Cup in 2026.

FIFA pulled plans to sell Budweiser, except for the alcohol-free Bud Zero, within stadium perimeters in Qatar on the eve of the finals last November. It was reported at the time that FIFA had come under pressure from Qatar’s royal family, in a country where the consumption and purchase of alcohol is severely restricted.

A tweet from Budweiser at the time of FIFA’s decision, which was quickly deleted, read: “Well, this is awkward.”

It was reported last year that the company would seek a reduction of around £38million on its next deal in light of the move.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on the eve of the World Cup last year: “Partners are partners in good and bad times, in difficult and easy times.

“When times are more tense, the partnership gets stronger. I am very grateful
to Budweiser for the co-operation we have had in the last years, and last couple of weeks.”

The company took the decision to ship the beer it was unable to sell in Qatar to the winning country.

Marcel Marcondes, chief marketing officer at ABInBev, commenting on the new deal, said: “Cheering and celebrating over a beer is a part of the experience for billions of football fans.

“We’re proud to continue offering new, meaningful ways to engage with fans and give unrivalled, immersive experiences that connect them to the sport that they love.”

New Liverpool signing Alexis Mac Allister admits playing his part in Argentina’s World Cup victory gave him a taste for more trophies and he believes he will be able to fulfil that aim at Anfield.

The 24-year-old’s arrival on a five-year contract signals the start of manager Jurgen Klopp’s much-vaunted midfield rebuild which will likely see further additions made this summer.

A fee has not been disclosed but it is understood the Argentina international had a favourable release clause, which is reported to be as low as an initial £35million, inserted into the Brighton contract he only signed in October to avoid him leaving on a free at the end of the season.

“Since I won the World Cup, I said that I want to win more trophies,” the midfielder told LFCTV.

“I think this club will help me to do that. That’s the aim, and when you are at a big club like this one, you have to win trophies. That’s what I want.

“It doesn’t matter which one. Of course, every player wants to win the Champions League and the Premier League, but I will do my best to help the team and try to win every trophy.”

Mac Allister was on Liverpool’s radar prior to his move to the Seagulls in 2019 but the club felt his development was still in its early stages, although his versatility to play in several positions was a key factor in their interest.

He became as a priority target ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, in which he played a significant part in Argentina’s victory, and Liverpool were keen to secure his services to avoid a bidding war having pulled out of the race to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Real Madrid-bound midfielder Jude Bellingham when he became too expensive.

Mac Allister said he was looking forward to working with one of the best managers in the world and Klopp was equally fulsome in his praise of the player.

“We are adding a very talented, very smart, very technically skilled boy to our squad and this is super news, really it is,” Klopp said.

“It is clear he is someone who can play in a number of positions in the midfield and is an all-rounder. He is calm and composed and someone with proper game intelligence.

“I’m really happy his next steps will now be with us and we get to work with a player who is already excellent and experienced, but also has so much more to come given he is just 24 years old.

“There is no pressure on him. He is still so young, so it is obvious he will only improve and our job is to help him take the next steps.”

Mac Allister’s age and his career appearances (160) fit in with the demographics of some of the club’s most successful signings like Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Roberto Firmino and he represents the start of an overhaul of a midfield which lost James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the end of their contracts this season.

The groundwork on the deal has been going on for some time as the club have a long-standing relationship with the player’s agent Juan Gemelli dating back to Philippe Coutinho’s transfer from Inter Milan in 2013.

Departing sporting director Julian Ward pushed the deal to completion but has now handed over transfer business to his replacement Jorg Schmadtke.

Liverpool have also been linked with Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch, Nice’s Khephren Thuram, Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone and Southampton’s Romeo Lavia and will be looking to get the majority of their business done early in time for the start of pre-season on July 8.

Mac Allister’s departure may not be the last from Brighton with Moises Caicedo, a target for Arsenal in January, attracting more interest but the Seagulls’ Argentina international left with the club’s best wishes.

“We are incredibly proud of Alexis and we are sad to see him go,” said chairman Tony Bloom.

“He did something very special, becoming the first Brighton and Hove Albion player to win the World Cup, and was a key player in our best-ever season.”

Jessica Harrington will turn to Colin Keane and Ronan Whelan to ride her strong team at Royal Ascot, but hopes Shane Foley will be back to partner Sprewell in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.

Foley suffered a broken collar bone when the Harrington-trained Snowhaven clipped heels on the home turn in the final race at Gowran Park on Monday evening.

He now faces a race against time to be fit to renew the partnership with the talented son of Churchill for the Curragh Classic on July 2.

Foley was aboard when Sprewell landed the Group Three Derby Trial at Leopardstown last month and again when coming with a withering run in Saturday’s Betfred Derby, only to find his path blocked on two occasions.

Sprewell, who was stabled with Harrington’s great friend Nicky Henderson before heading to Epsom, has taken his fourth-placed effort behind Auguste Rodin in his stride.

Harrington said: “He went to Nicky’s beforehand and he came out of the race grand.

“He just had a nice trot and little canter on Wednesday morning. He looks well and I’m happy enough with him. He’s eaten up well and put on weight.

“I’m not saying he would have won or been second, but I thought he would have been third, had he had a clear run. He was blocked twice.”

Though Harrington has yet to finalise her Royal Ascot team, which looks set to include Sounds Of Heaven, who will bid to land the Coronation Stakes, she is has her fingers crossed Foley makes a quick recovery for a rematch with Auguste Rodin.

She added: “Sprewell will go to the Irish Derby next. Hopefully Shane will be back to ride him by then.

“Ronan Whelan has won a couple of stakes race for me already this year, or there’s Colin Keane. They are the two most likely jockeys to use at Ascot. We will have a nice team of horses, hopefully.”

Paul McGinley believes commissioner Jay Monahan faces a “real problem” to persuade PGA Tour loyalists they are not the losers in golf’s peace deal.

Players reacted with shock and a sense of betrayal at the proposed merger of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour’s commercial operations with those of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV Golf.

Rory McIlroy, whose previously close friendship with Sergio Garcia broke down after the Spaniard joined LIV, admitted he felt like “a sacrificial lamb” after being the most prominent supporter of the PGA Tour, only to see it join forces with an entity he “still hates”.

Monahan faced calls to resign at a heated players’ meeting on Tuesday and McGinley believes he faces a huge task to win over the players who, in some cases, turned down massive payouts to remain loyal to the PGA Tour.

“He’s obviously in a very tricky position,” former Ryder Cup captain McGinley told Sky Sports News.

“He’s got his players to back him, he’s been very, very strong anti-LIV, he’s been very, very strong trying to build up the PGA Tour. A lot of players have not gone over to LIV because of his persuasion and now all of a sudden there’s a deal done and these guys look like they’re isolated.

“And that’s the issue I have with the statement that came out a couple of days ago.

“When a deal is done in the City they make sure that both sides are the winners. And when this was announced this doesn’t look like there were two sides that were winners here.

“It may look like the LIV guys that went over there and took the money are now coming back in and they’re the winners.

“They’ve been very giddy on social media and they look like they’re the smartest guys in the room now because they went over there and that really isolates the PGA Tour players who remained loyal.

“I think that’s where there’s a disconnect for Jay and that’s where he’s got a real problem.

“The release sounded, and the optics of it were, there were winners and losers and the PGA Tour players looked like they came out on the wrong end of that. That’s why there’s so much angst among them at the moment.”

It has been reported the merger will face scrutiny from anti-trust regulators in both the United States and Europe, with Monahan openly admitting that a competitor had been “taken off the board”.

And McGinley believes there is no guarantee the deal will go ahead as planned.

“The work only starts now, there’s so many complexities here if there is going to be this merger,” he added.

“There’s so much to entangle here. How are you going to bring the guys from LIV back in, how are you going to make it equitable for the guys who remained loyal to the tours? What’s the schedule going to look like?

“It looks like a huge amount of complexity. This is far from over or a fait accompli. I think there’s so much that has to happen before we get to even a stage where there’s a kind of equilibrium, never mind anything put in place.

“The players will be looking at what’s in it for me, how much prize money am I going to get, what’s my job security?

“The players in Europe are going to think that I’m glad we have this strategic alliance (with the PGA Tour) in place, that puts us at the top table and gives us access to these incredible amounts of funds.

“Everything is open and on the table. I think the LIV events are very, very complex to integrate back in again because the players own equity in these teams.

“So if you’re going to have the likes of Rory McIlroy playing in these team events, where the other players are benefiting because they have equity and he doesn’t, how do you make that right?”

The Denver Nuggets are following the "phenomenal" Jamal Murray in the NBA Finals, says Nikola Jokic.

Jokic and Murray became the teammates in NBA Finals history to record triple-doubles as the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 109-94 on Wednesday to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Two-time NBA MVP Jokic had 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists for the first such game in Finals history, or at least the first since assists were tracked.

The triple-double was his 10th this postseason and 16th of his career, a number that trails only LeBron James (28).

Murray had 34 points and 10 assists and completed his first career playoff triple-double with a rebound with nine seconds remaining, and Jokic lauded his teammate for leading the Nuggets through the playoffs so far.

"He's playing phenomenally, I think, the whole playoffs," Jokic said of Murray.

"We're just following him and he's a really good leader. His energy is amazing, and we are just following.

"He's reading the game really well. He's getting guys involved, and I think he's mature, if that makes any sense, and he knows where to find the guys and how to control the game.

"It's not just us, it's the team, and like I said even before the series started, the Denver Nuggets need to beat Miami, not me and Jamal and whoever is on the other side. We as a group need to beat them."

Asked how proud he was of his record-achieving performance, Jokic replied: "To be honest, I just think it's a win because if you lose, nobody is going to even mention it. I don't care. It's just a stat."

The Nuggets' win came after they had lost Game 2 of the series at home.

Jokic added: "When you lose the game, of course it's a bad atmosphere, whatever, it's a bad momentum. But maybe it helped us to refocus and just be better in the details. But that doesn't mean that we can relax now or whatever. We need to have the same effort because they're going to be even better."

Nuggets coach Michael Malone eulogised over the performances of his star players.

"I think it's the first time in Finals history or maybe NBA history that two guys have 30, 10 triple-doubles, so that's incredible right there," Malone said.

"Regarding Nikola, nothing he does surprises me ever. This guy has shown time and time again that he's built for these moments. He thrives in these moments, the biggest stage. He did that once again tonight.

"I'm really proud of Jamal, and I could tell speaking to him yesterday, being around him the last 48 hours, that he was putting a lot of Game 2 on him, and it wasn't just him. It was me and every one of our players. It was collective.

"But that's what champions do. That's what warriors do. They battled back. I felt his presence all day long. Forget the stats for a second. I felt Jamal's presence, his energy, and he was here in the moment and for him and Nikola to do what they did tonight in a game that we needed to take, regain home-court advantage of the series was special to watch."

Reflecting on his performance in Game 2, Murray said: "I felt like I didn't bring the intensity that the moment called for. Even though I didn't play terrible, I felt like I could have done a lot more.

"Most people that have watched the Nuggets play, when I have a game like that, I'm most likely going to bounce back. Just one of those days. I think not just me but everybody bounced back. Everybody brought the energy. 

"Everybody was just coming into the game and wanting to bring the intensity that we're used to playing with."

England’s players will earn more than £200,000 each if they win this summer’s Women’s World Cup.

FIFA has set out how a record prize money pot will be distributed for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, with 270,000 US dollars (around £216,000) earmarked for each member of the winning squad.

Every player involved in the tournament is guaranteed to receive at least 30,000 US dollars (just over £24,000), at a time when the average salary in the women’s game worldwide is 14,000 US dollars, according to last year’s FIFA benchmarking report.

World players’ union FIFPRO has praised FIFA “for listening to the voice of players” on the issue of pay, and for ensuring equal conditions in terms of training facilities and transport for players at this summer’s finals compared to the men’s tournament in Qatar late last year.

A group of 150 players from 25 national teams – including players from England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland – had written to FIFA in October last year calling for equal conditions and for a guarantee that at least 30 per cent of prize money would be allocated to players.

Previously, there was no requirement for national associations to distribute a minimum amount of World Cup prize money to participating players.

The overall performance-based fund for the finals is 110million US dollars (£88.1m), more than three times what was on offer at the 2019 World Cup in France, with the players sharing more than 44 per cent of that between them.

“The confirmation of equal conditions and guaranteed per-player performance compensation at next month’s World Cup represents not only the outcome of tremendous global collective action by over 150 national team players, under the umbrella of FIFPRO and its member unions, but a constructive negotiation with FIFA over the past months,” FIFPRO said in a statement.

“They have listened to the voice of the players, and we have taken steps towards greater gender equity in our game at its highest levels. The legacy of this action is by the players, for the players, of both today and tomorrow.”

FIFA is working to make the women’s game self-sustaining, and is understood to be bearing more of the load on prize money compared to sponsors and broadcasters for this year’s tournament than it would like to in the future.

Its president Gianni Infantino has set a target for equal prize money at the 2026 men’s and 2027 women’s World Cups but insists broadcasters in particular must do more to make this possible.

Broadcast deals in some key markets – including the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain – are still not agreed. Last month Infantino described some of the offers FIFA had received as “a slap in the face” for the women’s game.

Manchester City bid for a trophy treble in Saturday’s Champions League final against Inter Milan.

Having seen off Manchester United at Wembley to add the FA Cup to their Premier League title, City can match the feat previously only achieved in English football by their cross-city rivals.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how this season’s City side compares to United’s celebrated 1998-99 group.

Team performance

United lost only three games in their treble-winning season but a remarkable 21 draws in 57 games across the three competitions in question sees City overshadow them in most other statistical categories.

Excluding the League Cup from both teams’ records and with their 57th and final game still to play, Pep Guardiola’s side have 41 wins (73.2 per cent) to United’s 33 (57.9 per cent), 144 goals to 121 and 25 clean sheets to 20.

They have conceded only 39 goals to their predecessors’ 56, scoring an average of 2.57 per game and conceding 0.70 compared to 2.12 against 0.98 for United.

City have also scored four goals or more on 16 occasions, 28.6 per cent of their matches and twice as many as that United side – and they have an unsurprising advantage when the two teams’ top scorers are compared…

Player stats

Erling Haaland’s extraordinary 51-goal contribution to City’s potential treble had no equivalent in a United squad that shared the burden much more equally.

Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole formed a potent front two, Yorke edging his strike partner by 18 league goals to 17 and by 29 to 24 in all competitions.

Super-sub Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored 12 league goals despite starting only nine games and 15 in the three competitions with just 14 starts alongside 20 appearances from the bench. Teddy Sheringham was even more sparingly used, but his four goals included the vital equaliser in Barcelona before Solskjaer’s even-later winner.

Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs also hit double figures, with David Beckham on nine.

Haaland won this year’s Premier League Golden Boot with a record 36 goals and will receive the same honour in the Champions League. His 12 goals – including five in a game against RB Leipzig – have him four clear of the pack and no other finalist has more than four.

He has been backed up by fellow summer signing Julian Alvarez with 15 goals in the league, FA Cup and Champions League, the same as Phil Foden, plus 13 from Riyad Mahrez and double figures too for cup final hero Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne.

Eight of Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad featured in 50 or more of the 57 games that led to the treble – goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, defenders Gary Neville and Jaap Stam, midfield trio David Beckham, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, and Cole and Yorke up front.

Just Rodri and Bernardo Silva can boast the same figure for City this term as Guardiola’s famed rotation policy and squad depth shows its worth. Haaland and Gundogan have hit 50 in all competitions, as can Jack Grealish if he plays in Saturday’s final.

The Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud are the two options under consideration for Westover following his fine effort in defeat in last week’s Coronation Cup at Epsom.

A luckless third behind Desert Crown in last year’s Derby, Ralph Beckett’s colt went on to win the Irish equivalent before failing to fire in the King George at Ascot.

He finished sixth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on his final start as a three-year-old and made a most encouraging return when runner-up to Japanese star Equinox in the Dubai Sheema Classic in March.

Off the back of that run, the son of Frankel was the 5-2 favourite to strike Group One gold on Friday – and while he was unable to keep tabs on top-class filly Emily Upjohn, connections were thrilled with his performance in finishing best of the rest, setting up an exciting second half of the season.

Barry Mahon, racing manager for Westover’s owner-breeders Juddmonte, said: “We were absolutely delighted. He was second to an exceptionally good filly, the time of the race was very strong – three seconds quicker than the Oaks I believe – and he has run a great race.

“The slow early fractions probably didn’t suit us 100 per cent, but we have no complaints. Frankie (Dettori, on Emily Upjohn) went past us at the three-pole and it was hard to get him back, but we were getting there at the line.

“He’s a high-class horse and apart from in the King George last year, he’s never run a bad race.

“The Hardwicke is a possibility. It’s probably coming too soon, but it’s a possibility. It’s a toss-up between that and the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, he’ll run in one or the other of those hopefully.”