Brentford striker Ivan Toney has celebrated the end of his eight-month ban from football with a social media post declaring he is “free”.
Toney’s suspension for breaching Football Association gambling rules ends on Wednesday and he could return to action on Saturday in Brentford’s home Premier League game against Nottingham Forest.
Bees head coach Thomas Frank said before his side’s FA Cup replay defeat at Wolves on Tuesday night that Toney “will be absolutely on it and ready for Saturday”.
Toney has been linked with both Arsenal and Chelsea during the transfer window, but Frank is hoping to keep hold of the 27-year-old at least until the end of the season.
“It’s a team he’s really enjoying being part of, with some good mates, enjoying their football together, enjoying playing for Brentford and for the fans,” Frank added.
“We’ve done everything we can to help him through this. We’d like to keep him, but we know how football is.”
Toney’s last competitive match was in Brentford’s 1-0 defeat at Liverpool on May 6, but he has been allowed to train with his team-mates since September.
He made his England debut during a European Championship qualifying win against Ukraine last March and has scored 32 goals in 64 Premier League appearances for Brentford.
Toney was also fined £50,000 and warned about his future conduct for 232 breaches of the FA’s betting rules.
Mike Dickson, the Daily Mail’s long-serving tennis correspondent, has died at the age of 59, his family have announced.
Dickson was in Melbourne covering the Australian Open for the newspaper, which he joined in 1990.
On behalf of his family, Dickson’s wife Lucy posted a message on X that read: “We are devastated to announce that our wonderful husband and Dad, Mike, has collapsed and died while in Melbourne for the Aus Open.
“For 38 years he lived his dream covering sport all over the world. He was a truly great man and we will miss him terribly. Lucy, Sam, Ruby and Joe.”
Dickson grew up in The Wirral and worked for local media outlets before moving to the Mail, initially as a cricket correspondent, before switching to tennis in 2007.
Lee Clayton, the Mail’s global publisher for sport, described Dickson as “a giant of a journalist”, adding: “Dicko was everything you want a correspondent to be – a brilliant news hound, a terrific writer and a friend to so many in his sport.”
The Mail’s veteran boxing reporter Jeff Powell added: “A tragic loss. The only consolation is that he died doing what he loved. Being a major player of his craft at a grand slam.”
The PA news agency’s tennis correspondent Eleanor Crooks said: “Mike, or Dicko as he was universally known, was the tennis reporter that we all aspired to be.
“He knew everyone in the sport and was a master at finding the stories that mattered. British tennis journalism is a small world and Dicko was the heart of it.
“Great company in press rooms and bars around the world, he could always be relied upon for a quip or an impression. Tennis will be much the poorer without him.”
El Fabiolo remains on course for Ascot’s BetMGM Clarence House Chase on Saturday.
While most of southern England is currently white over due to a succession of freezing nights, with more to come, there is hope in the forecast that it may warm up in time for the weekend.
It would be a huge shame if the meeting does not go ahead, as Willie Mullins’ El Fabiolo is due to meet the Nicky Henderson-trained Jonbon, with the score between the two currently standing at one win each.
However, should the meeting be lost to the weather and rerouted to Cheltenham the following weekend, as it was last year, El Fabiolo appears unlikely to make the journey.
“We took him to the Curragh yesterday, Paul (Townend) rode him, he went very well so the plan at the moment is to head to Ascot at the weekend,” said assistant trainer Patrick Mullins on Sky Sports Racing.
“The plan is, as long as the race is going to go ahead, we’ll probably take the boat on Thursday afternoon. If it’s called off and he had to come home we’ll probably wait for the Dublin Racing Festival which is on our doorstep and worth great money as well.”
He went on: “To be honest I’d have thought the Dublin Racing Festival seemed the more obvious choice, but Willie, Simon (Munir) and Isaac (Souede, owners) seemed very keen to go to Ascot.
“Jonbon looks like a horse who is improving all the time and he’s a brother to Douvan, but I think we were very unlucky not to beat him in the novice hurdle (at Aintree), we got hampered at the third-last and made a mistake at the last and we beat him well at Cheltenham last year.
“You never know, the score is 1-1, hopefully we can make it 2-1 but there will be another rematch later if we don’t.
“It will be a spectacular race, great for the sport. Both teams are going in thinking they have a live chance.
“It’s a bit like in boxing when you get a trilogy. Hopefully they all get there and the race pans out as you hope, but we’re delighted with our fellow.
“He’s not a natural super-sharp two-miler (over a fence), he does have his own style. The day he won at the DRF with Daryl (Jacob) he put down at the fourth-last, but he seems to know where he is putting his feet. He generally keeps his hind end low which gives him a good centre of balance and, touch wood, while it is his own style, it does seem to be very effective.”
An update on conditions at Ascot released on social media read: “The track is currently frozen in places under the covers in the shaded areas of the racecourse.
“This is an improvement on yesterday morning but the forecast indicates a more severe forecast over the next two nights with temperatures due to drop as low as minus 5C.
“The forecast beyond that remains conflicting with the possibility of milder conditions arriving. We will continue to monitor and update as we get closer to raceday.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has submitted his tender offer for 25 per cent of the Class A shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange as part of his deal to become the minority owner of Manchester United.
It was announced on Christmas Eve that the Ineos chairman had agreed to buy a 25 per cent stake in the Premier League club in a deal that included investing 300million US dollars (£236.7million) into their infrastructure.
As well as buying Class B shares held by the Glazer family, the announcement confirmed that Ratcliffe would offer to acquire up to 25 per cent of all Class A shares at a price of 33 US dollars (£26) per share.
That offer from his company, Trawlers Limited, for up to 13,237,834 Class A ordinary shares was confirmed in a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Wednesday.
United’s Class A share price was 19.84 US dollars (£15.64) on December 22 – the last full day before the public announcement of Ratcliffe’s offer.
On the last full trading day before the commencement of the offer the price was 21.20 US dollars (£16.71) per share.
The document read: “The offer and withdrawal rights will expire at one minute after 11.59pm eastern time on February 13, 2024, unless the offer is extended or earlier terminated.”
The filing also said upon the consummation of the offer Ratcliffe’s shares would collectively “represent a 27.69 per cent ownership interest and 28.71 per cent voting interest in the Company”.
Earlier in the day United announced their first-quarter earnings for the three months ending September 30, 2023.
Published later than usual following the conclusion of the strategic review, it showed record first-quarter revenues up nine per cent at £157.1m.
Newport manager Graham Coughlan has described hosting Manchester United in the FA Cup as the biggest game in the club’s history.
County booked a money-spinning fourth round date with the 12-time winners at Rodney Parade on January 28 by winning 3-1 at non-league Eastleigh on Tuesday.
The Sky Bet League Two outfit have become used to entertaining Premier League big guns in recent years, welcoming Manchester City and Tottenham among others, while the old Newport County played in the European Cup Winners’ Cup in the 1980s before going out of business.
But Dubliner Coughlan, a massive United fan who joked his family would be “doing Irish jigs around the house” after Newport beat Eastleigh, insisted the visit of Erik ten Hag’s side will top those occasions.
“It’ll be a hell of an occasion,” Coughlan told BBC Sport Wales ahead of the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.
“It’s a fourth round tie against Manchester United, for me the biggest club in this country, in Europe and in the world.
“I know some people would lean towards the fifth round game against Manchester City (in February 2019), but I’d say Manchester United all day long.”
Coughlan recalled before the Eastleigh replay how United had left him in tears as a four-year-old when Arsenal beat them 3-2 in the famous “Five-minute final” at Wembley in 1979.
Gordon McQueen and Sammy McIlroy had dragged United back into the game in the final few minutes before Alan Sunderland slid home at the death to win the FA Cup for Arsenal.
“We’re a big Manchester United family, we’ve been to FA Cup finals with them,” Coughlan said.
“I can’t get my head around it to be honest, they are unbelievable names.
“Just to have Manchester United coming to Rodney Parade is a hell of an achievement.
“I don’t know when it will sink in, I’m sure my family are doing Irish jigs around the house at the moment.”
Television coverage, fourth round prize money and a capacity crowd around the 10,000 mark means Newport stand to make around £400,000 from the United tie.
It is a welcome boost for the supporter-owned club who have encountered financial difficulties and are on the brink of being taken over by Huw Jenkins, the former Swansea chairman who took them into the Premier League.
Newport are due to increase capacity at Rodney Parade by starting work on a temporary stand on Wednesday.
The stand will be in place for Saturday’s sold out League Two clash with Welsh rivals Wrexham.
“Another 1,000 passionate members of the Amber Army will get the chance to back the Exiles against Wrexham and Manchester United with the erection of a temporary stand behind the North Terrace,” read a club statement.
“The club is also adding an additional 400 seats to the away stand to meet the FA’s allocation guidelines for the Manchester United tie.”
Tottenham defender Sergio Reguilon is set to join Brentford on loan until the end of the season, the PA news agency understands.
The Bees are short of full-back options with first-choice left-back Rico Henry ruled out of the rest of the campaign with a knee injury.
Thomas Frank has used Aaron Hickey and even attacker Saman Ghoddos out wide, while also deploying a 3-5-2 formation, but will be able to call upon recognised left-back Reguilon for the remainder of the season.
Reguilon spent the first half of the campaign with Manchester United and made 12 appearances, but returned to Spurs this month after Erik ten Hag’s side decided to active a break clause in the deal.
Another temporary move away from north London was always expected with Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou boasting plenty of competition in the left-back area.
Brentford have secured Reguilon’s services in a straight loan deal with no option or obligation to make the transfer permanent, PA understands.
One-time Spanish international Reguilon could make his Bees debut in Saturday’s Premier League home fixture with Nottingham Forest, but will sit out the trip to parent club Spurs on January 31 owing to the terms of his loan.
Rory McIlroy fears golf will remain “fractured forever” unless the opportunity to create a more global game is embraced now.
McIlroy recently laid out his dream scenario of a world tour incorporating “corporate America” and Saudi Arabian investment, but one which also elevates historic national Opens in the likes of Australia and South Africa.
The four-time major winner also suggested that LIV Golf could “turn into the IPL (cricket’s Indian Premier League) of golf”, with the Saudi-funded breakaway taking two months of the year to showcase team competition.
However, McIlroy acknowledged the difficulty of getting all factions in golf’s civil war aligned, with Sergio Garcia having already responded to his former Ryder Cup team-mate’s suggestion.
“I don’t think we want to be important for one month. We all deserve more than that,” Garcia said.
Asked about those comments ahead of his title defence in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy said: “Yeah, Sergio feels he deserves a lot of things.
“It’s [about] trying to align interests and I think right now it’s just very, very hard to align everyone’s interests in the game.
“I think what we need to do first is align interests of the players and the business and the fans and the media. And then once you do that, then you can move forward.
“It’s the aligning of interests which is the big key to trying to get to that dream scenario.
“If this global tour somehow comes to fruition in the next few years, could you imagine bringing the best 70 or 80 golfers in the world to India for a tournament?
“I think that would change the game and the perception of the game in a country like that.
“There’s so much opportunity out there to go global with it, and I’ve said this for the last few months, but golf is at an inflection point, and if golf doesn’t do it now, I fear that it will never do it and we’ll have this fractured landscape forever.”
McIlroy is seeking a record fourth victory in this week’s event after holding off Patrick Reed in controversial circumstances 12 months ago.
The pair had begun the week embroiled in a war of words after Reed threw a tee towards McIlroy after being snubbed by him on the practice range.
With McIlroy watching from the tee, Reed also became involved in another rules controversy in the third round when his tee shot on the 17th lodged in a palm tree.
The former Masters champion and rules officials used binoculars to identify the ball, allowing Reed to take a penalty drop near the base of the tree instead of having to return to the tee.
Reed insisted he was “100 per cent” sure that he could identify his ball, although television footage appeared to cast doubt on which tree it had landed in.
“I remember standing on the 10th tee [in the final round] and I think Patrick had just made eagle and I’m just like (dropping head), ‘Had to be him’,” McIlroy recalled.
“But I think just the mental fortitude I showed on that back nine to not let my emotions get the better of me and really stay focused, and yeah, just to make that birdie on the last to win by one, it meant a lot to me.”
Rory McIlroy has labelled the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award a “popularity contest” for which he forgot he was even nominated.
England and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps won the accolade in December ahead of retired England cricketer Stuart Broad and world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett, jockey Frankie Dettori and McIlroy were the three other sports stars on the shortlist, but McIlroy did not attend the ceremony, provide a video message or give a live in-show interview.
Asked ahead of his title defence at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic if he was among those who question the relevance of the award, the Northern Irishman said: “Actually, whatever the results, I forgot I was nominated.
“So that’s how much I think about it. It’s a popularity contest and I think it’s just really not what it once was.”
Only two golfers have won the Sports Personality of the Year award in its 69-year history.
Dai Rees won in 1957 after captaining Great Britain to victory in the Ryder Cup at Lindrick and Nick Faldo came out on top in 1989 after claiming his second major title in the Masters.
Matt Fitzpatrick failed to make the shortlist despite winning the US Open in 2022, while McIlroy finished second behind Lewis Hamilton in 2014, a year in which he won the Open Championship and US PGA.
James Harden is wholly satisfied with life at the Los Angeles Clippers and is hoping to see the key players in the team stick together in the coming seasons.
The Clippers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-117 on Tuesday, winning nine of their last 11 games.
Paul George scored a season-high 38 points, while Harden and Kawhi Leonard chipped in with 16 points each.
Leonard this month signed a new three-year contract, reportedly worth $153million. However, that is less than he would have been eligible for, and Leonard claimed he took a lower offer in order to help the Clippers keep their other stars, like Harden and George.
For his part, Harden is extremely happy with his new team, and like Leonard, hopes to keep the core of the side together for years to come.
"I thought the same thing last year, last team I was on," Harden said when asked if he would like to see out his playing days with the Clippers. "That's why I did all those sacrifices.
"But I'm here, home. We have an opportunity. I want to be able to keep the core together for a few years and I haven't had those opportunities the last few years. So things are going well and I'm happy."
Leonard believes the majority of the Clippers lineup are planning on staying with the team next season.
"With the conversation that I have with them about it, I think for the most part everybody is coming back," he said.
"So with me signing an extension, I think it gives us a chance to sign both of those players."
The Clippers sit fourth in the Western Conference with a 26-14 record.
They found themselves 79-77 down at the end of the third quarter against the Thunder, but they lodged a comeback in the fourth.
Coach Tyronn Lue said: "We responded well. To hold onto the lead and make our own run says a lot about our team."
Jamie George has been named England captain for the Guinness Six Nations but there is no place in Steve Borthwick’s squad for Kyle Sinckler or Billy Vunipola.
George, who has previously led the Lions and Saracens, takes the role for the first time following Owen Farrell’s decision to sit out the championship in order to prioritise his and his family’s mental wellbeing.
There are seven uncapped players in the 36-man squad, but their presence is overshadowed by the omission of Sinckler and Vunipola – two stalwarts of the team for the previous two World Cup cycles.
George has won 85 England caps, plus three for the Lions, and is Borthwick’s first choice hooker.
“Last week Steve asked me to be captain for the upcoming Six Nations and I accepted with huge gratitude and enthusiasm,” George said.
“I love playing rugby for England. I hope that everyone has seen how much it means to me, I have never shied away from that.
“I am so excited about where this team can go and bringing the fans on that journey with us is something that I care about deeply.
“I believe I’m at the stage of my career where I can give my all to the captaincy and give my best on the pitch.
“I don’t underestimate the challenge ahead. Owen is a fantastic motivator and tactician, and we will undoubtedly miss his leadership.
“But I have got brilliant people around me, many of whom have won major tournaments, and utilising the great experience we have within the group is going to be crucial.”
Eydon is pencilled in to make his long-awaited debut for Andrew Balding in next month’s BetUK Winter Derby.
The five-year-old was previously trained by Roger Varian, winning the 2022 Feilden Stakes before finishing fourth to Coroebus in the 2000 Guineas, beaten just four and a quarter lengths.
However, Eydon has not run since that Classic date two years ago, with a series of injury setbacks keeping him on the sidelines before he moved to the care of Balding ahead of the 2023 campaign.
The son of Olden Times missed his intended first start for the yard at Sandown in September, but Balding reports him to be in good form ahead of the February 24 contest at Southwell.
He said: “Eydon has a very high level of form, although it has been some time since he was last on the track. He has had a few niggles, but we are really pleased with him at the moment and the Winter Derby is very much the plan.
“The intention is to go straight there without a run – we feel that is the right thing to do.”
Balding also has Dante Stakes winner The Foxes and Teumessias Fox in the Group Three, but neither appear likely to run in the Winter Derby.
The trainer added: “I am very happy with The Foxes. Our preferred option for him is the Saudi Cup meeting, but he is likely to run in the Winter Derby Trial at Southwell on January 25 as a prep. We will see how that goes and then make a decision on what to do next.
“Our other entry Teumessias Fox will stay in handicaps for the time being. He has ability and we felt it was worth giving him the option, just in case the race cuts up.”
Last year’s winner and multiple Group One scorer Lord North is one of 22 entries for the race, which will be taking place at Southwell for the first time.
Previously run over a mile and a quarter at Lingfield since its inception in 1998, the switch to Southwell has prompted an increase in distance to 11 furlongs.
David Attwood, Southwell’s clerk of the course, said: “We do not have a 10-furlong start and, when we looked at whether we could introduce one, it was only about 20 yards from the start of the bend.
“It also would have meant coming on and off the track via the turf course, which was not viable, so the British Horseracing Authority kindly allowed us to change the race distance to a mile and three furlongs.
“It is exciting because the BetUK Winter Derby will be the first Group race run here at Southwell, while the same card also features the Listed BetUK Hever Sprint.”
Lord North is one of five entries for John and Thady Gosden, along with Lion’s Pride and Middle Earth, who both enjoyed Listed success on their latest starts, 2021 Winter Derby winner Forest Of Dean and progressive handicapper Vaguely Royal.
Australian Group One winner Dubai Honour and Mujtaba have been entered by William Haggas, with Jean-Claude Rouget’s Glaer another eyecatching possible.
Nikola Jokic lauded Joel Embiid's "historic" form after the reigning NBA MVP came out on top in Tuesday's matchup between the two superstars.
Embiid finished with 41 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, scoring 10 consecutive points in a crucial fourth-quarter run as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Denver Nuggets 126-121.
Jokic, the reigning NBA Finals MVP and two-time league MVP, scored 24 points and had 19 rebounds and three assists.
Embiid was unable to extend his 16-game streak of having at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, though only Wilt Chamberlain has had a longer such run in NBA history.
"He's a really good player," Jokic said of Embiid.
"He's playing historic right now. He's averaging 30-something points every night, and that's extremely hard to do, especially every night.
"But I mean, I'm not playing against him. I'm playing against Philadelphia. It was a good matchup."
Embiid returned the compliment Jokic's way, saying: "Both of us, we just want to play basketball and win some games.
"He deserves [the title of best player] until you knock him [off]. He's the Finals MVP. Until someone else takes that away, then you can claim that."
Not that Embiid is lacking self-confidence.
"But then again, I also believe in myself," he added with a smile. "I'll keep it at that. I've just got to get there.
"I don't think I care what people decide who's the best. I know I want to be the best, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to be the best.
"But sometimes you've got to be able to win as a team. You've got to do the best job possible to make sure that you put yourself and the team in the best position possible to win. And it seems like if you want to be the best, you've got to find a way to win. So, that's my goal."
The Sixers have won their last three games. They sit third in the Eastern Conference with a 26-13 record, behind the Milwaukee Bucks (28-12) and the Boston Celtics (31-9).
"I said it at the beginning of the season. Y'all keep talking about Boston, Milwaukee. That's fine. They might be better than us, they might be more talented than us, but I still believe we've got a chance. We just need a little bit of luck," Embiid said.
"Like I always say, we've got to be perfect. We've got to be in sync together. We've got to play with each other. It's been working pretty well this year."
Embiid's teammate Tobias Harris, who added 24 points to the Sixers' tally, added: "It was a big game for us – playing the defending champs – we wanted to see where we were at.
"We've just got to stay at it, and keep working."
Asked about playing alongside Embiid and against Jokic, Harris said: "Both of those guys are just stellar basketball players. The way they handle their business on a court, there's a reason why [the Nuggets] won a Championship last year and Joel's put in tremendous work all year."
The Nuggets have been inconsistent after going on a six-game winning streak in December, losing four of their nine outings since then.
Coach Michael Malone, though, did not seem overly concerned about Tuesday's defeat.
"This was a game that went down to the wire," he said.
"We came up short. Joel [Embiid] is a hell of a talent."
The first day of Lingfield’s Winter Million Festival has been cancelled due to a frozen track.
Officials inspected at 8.30am on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s jumps card, which was set to be headlined by the Grade Two Download The Racing App Lightning Novices’ Chase.
Despite covering the whole track with fleece last Saturday, there are frozen areas under the covers and with temperatures not forecast to rise sufficiently before the meeting, the seven-race card has been cancelled.
The Winter Million is a three-day fixture, with Saturday’s card featuring Flat racing on the all-weather track and Sunday seeing jumps action, including the richly-endowed Fleur De Lys Chase.
That card will now be further enhanced, with the British Horseracing Authority announcing the Lightning will be rescheduled for Sunday, with original entries standing but new declarations to be made on Friday morning.
There will be no National Hunt action in Britain on Thursday with Ludlow abandoned due to a frozen track following an inspection on Wednesday morning. The other scheduled meetings at Wincanton and Newcastle were cancelled earlier in the week.
Friday’s card at Market Rasen is also now subject to a precautionary check at noon on Thursday, but Wednesday’s Southwell jumps fixture did get the go-ahead following a morning check.
Wednesday’s meeting at Southwell goes ahead as planned after the track passed a precautionary inspection.
The course was raceable under the fleece covers on Tuesday, but officials felt it prudent to check conditions on raceday morning due to the prospect of freezing overnight temperatures.
An inspection was planned for 8am but clerk of the course David Attwood was able to give the go-ahead an hour earlier than that.
Southwell is the only jumps card to take place on Wednesday, with Newbury already called off.
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