The senior Reggae Girlz may be far advanced in their preparations for the FIFA Women's World Cup, but Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts welcomed Restaurants of Jamaica's (ROJ) $7 million sponsorship as a timely injection that will ensure the Lorne Donaldson-coached team breathe much easier heading Down Under.

Ricketts believes the Girlz have not been shown enough appreciation for their historic accomplishment of qualifying for a second-consecutive World Cup but says KFC's support represents a step in the right direction and another example which he hopes other corporate companies will follow.

The one-year partnership will see KFC pumping $6 million in cash and another $1 million in products to the Reggae Girlz, who are currently in camp putting the final pieces in place ahead of the July 20 to August 20 showpiece, in Australia and New Zealand.

"We need to show far more appreciation to our Girlz and when you think of the struggles some of these players went through, the sacrifice and commitment to get a country like ours to two global tournaments consecutively, it is no ordinary achievement," Ricketts said during a press conference at JFF’s St Lucia Avenue base on Wednesday.

"So, I must recognize Mr. [Andrei] Roper and KFC for coming on board to partner with the JFF to ensure that we improve the quality of life for all these girls that constantly and consistently make us so very proud. This is something that we can gloat about and hopefully this really sends a strong signal to Jamaica as it relates to the positive and social impact that these two qualifications have on our little boys and girls," he added.

While most of their focus is currently on the World Cup, Ricketts said the Olympic Games Qualifiers against Canada in September, as well as the women's Nations League and Gold Cup, has not been lost on them, hence is call for more support.

But beyond that and despite the financial constraints, the president pointed out that his administration is intent on getting things right going forward, particularly where developing the country's football from the grassroots is concerned.

By virtue of the Girlz qualification, the JFF is assured of just over US$1.5 million from FIFA, but that figure could increase if the team goes beyond the group stage. The Girlz are drawn in Group F alongside France, Brazil and Panama.

"We are just intent on ensuring that the whole psyche of our little boys and girls are positively impacted. We struggle to meet our footballing demands when you think that we have 12 teams, six on either side of the gender, that we must take care of, it is challenging, but we are managing.

"So, I want to again mention our sponsors we had Courts last week and now KFC joining the Marley Foundation and others, but we need other corporate entities to come on board as we try to impact the social needs of the boys and girls that are interested in playing the sport," Ricketts shared.

"We must put programmes in place, and we are intent on getting a proper grassroots programme. We have a committee which is responsible for talent identification, grassroots and development, so this committee will be very active in identifying grassroots kids and having them properly harnessed and then get them in a formal setting so we can then make the transition from little kids to high school players and then inevitably, national players," the president noted.

Meanwhile, ROJ’s Brand Manager Andrei Roper explained that this partnership with the senior Reggae Girlz is an extension of that with captain and prolific goal scorer, Khadija "Bunny" Shaw.

The 26-year-old Manchester City striker, who is not in the current camp, is expected to join up with the final squad when they head to Amsterdam for a pre-tournament camp before heading to Australia.

"We really wanted to help to make the Reggae Girlz journey to the World Cup that much easier, theirs is a tremendous achievement and I don't think we fully appreciate as a nation what a huge achievement it is. They are true ambassadors for Jamaica, not just for women's sport but for brand Jamaica on a whole, so for us at KFC we pride ourselves on giving back... just supporting all those pillars of society that really represent everything positive about Jamaica," Roper affirmed.

"Women's football is an area where we did see an opportunity to really give a bit more as a brand. Last year, we started a partnership with Khadija Shaw as our big deal ambassador, so this is just a fitting extension of our relationship with Khadija, who is the face of women's football and so we are broadening our scope and partnership to the wider Reggae Girlz programme.

"So, we just want to say thanks and just to help make their preparations a bit easier because we know it’s going to be a tough group and so we want to just really make the last lap going Down Under that much easier. So great partnership for us and we are glad to be on board," he stated.

Championship clubs’ spending on wages exceeded revenue for a fifth successive season in 2021-22, according to a new report.

Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance found second-tier teams’ combined wages-to-revenue ratio was an astonishing 108 per cent, as clubs continued to chase the dream of reaching the Premier League.

Nottingham Forest, who ultimately succeeded in reaching the top flight at the end of the 2021-22 season via the play-offs, spent almost 200 per cent more on wages than they earned in revenue – £58.6million compared to £29.3m – in their promotion year, according to figures in the Deloitte report.

Championship clubs’ total revenue was up 13 per cent in 2021-22 compared to the season before, reaching £676million.

However, while wage costs fell for a second consecutive year, they remained higher than revenue for the fifth season in a row.

Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said: “The glamour of Premier League promotion is spearheading the continual drive for investment in Championship clubs, often in an unsustainable manner, driving some clubs to overstretch financially.

“It is critical that long-term decisions are now made by clubs’ owners and, with the introduction of the independent regulator, focus will turn to improving the distribution mechanism of revenues between the leagues and clubs.

“This must be accompanied by appropriate governance and financial controls to ensure that any proposed solution is suitable and sustainable.”

EFL chairman Rick Parry believes the disparity in revenue between the Premier League and the Championship has created a “cliff edge” between the leagues, and argues parachute payments are also fuelling inequality within the Championship.

Deloitte’s report underlines the value to clubs of reaching the Premier League. Relative to the 2022-23 season, it says revenue from broadcasters is expected to provide a minimum uplift of more than £90m for Luton, approximately £84m for Sheffield United and £54m for Burnley, with both of those two clubs in receipt of parachute payments whilst participating in the Championship.

The report said that should a club suffer immediate relegation, assuming they are not in receipt of parachute payments at that point, under existing arrangements the parachute payments from the Premier League will continue to provide an uplift over the following two seasons of at least £80m.

For a Championship club not otherwise in receipt of parachute payments, the value of promotion will be at least £170m across the next three seasons and, if a club survives their first season in the Premier League, they will be entitled to three seasons of parachute payments and the incremental revenue will be over £290m across five years.

Discussions over a new financial settlement between the two leagues are ongoing. The Government said in its White Paper on football governance that a new regulator will be given backstop powers to impose a settlement if one cannot be agreed, but it is unlikely the regulator will be up and running until 2024-25 at the earliest.

Parry accepts that reform of the distribution package has to go hand in hand with cost control measures, which are also part of the ongoing ‘New Deal For Football’ talks between the EFL, the Premier League and the Football Association.

Bridge believes it is vital for the leagues to see the common ground they share to resolve the dispute on distribution.

“The point I would make is that the longevity of the Premier League and the ability for clubs to move up and down between the Premier League and the Championship and to achieve variety in those clubs is a good thing for the overall brand and the marketing position of English football,” he said.

“Part of the beauty of the Premier League is always that any team can beat any other team. And so at any one point in time, what we really want to see in the English game is a variety and diversity of clubs coming through the league at different points in time, bringing new storylines, bringing new faces to the league because frankly that keeps it fresh.”

Wage spending in the Premier League in 2021-22 grew by £192m compared to the previous season, but this was outpaced by a £586m increase in revenue, meaning the top flight’s wages-to-revenue ratio fell for the second consecutive season from 71 per cent to 67 per cent.

That is still a significantly higher ratio than the average of the three seasons pre-pandemic up to 2018-19 – 58 per cent.

Across Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues as a whole however, revenue growth was outpaced by wages, which stood at 12.3 billion euros (£10.5bn).

This comes at a time when the continent’s football governing body UEFA has introduced new financial sustainability regulations, including a cost control rule which by 2025-26 will limit a club’s spending on wages, transfer fees and other player and coach costs at 70 per cent of turnover.

UEFA could go even further in the future, with president Aleksander Ceferin raising the possibility of a Europe-wide salary cap in an interview in April.

Substitute Bruno Petkovic scored and won a penalty in extra-time as Croatia secured a first Nations League final appearance with a 4-2 victory over the Netherlands in Rotterdam.

The Dinamo Zagreb striker was introduced at the start of the additional period – just seconds after the Dutch had snatched an equaliser in the sixth minute of added time – and delivered a game-changing performance.

Petkovic’s driving run and shot from 25 yards put Croatia in front again before the 28-year-old, who scored an extra-time equaliser in the World Cup quarter-final against Brazil, won a penalty for Luka Modric to make it 4-2.

He also had a second goal ruled out for offside by VAR seconds before the final whistle.

Croatia, who reached the 2018 World Cup final and finished third last year in Qatar, are one win away from their first major trophy, with Spain or Italy standing in the way in Sunday’s final.

They had to do it the hard way as they recovered from Borussia Dortmund midfielder Donyell Malen’s first-half opener by scoring with their first two shots on target after the break.

Mario Pasalic’s 72nd-minute goal capped a turnaround started 17 minutes earlier by Andrej Kramaric’s penalty.

But just when it looked like they could celebrate a place in the final, Noa Lang pounced to force extra-time.

Eight minutes into the additional period Petkovic made his introduction count with the goal which put his side ahead again.

Netherlands’ desperation saw them send Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk up front but their hopes were ended when Manchester United defender Tyrell Malacia pulled down Petkovic and Modric sent goalkeeper Justin Bijlow the wrong way from the penalty spot.

Marcus Rashford could not bring himself to watch Manchester City lift the Champions League – but the Manchester United star says club rivalries are left at the door with England thanks to the group’s “strong bond”.

Erik ten Hag’s arrival sparked a marked improvement in the red half of Manchester this season, with February’s Carabao Cup triumph followed up by a third-placed finish in the Premier League.

But City stopped United ending their campaign on a high at Wembley by winning the first all-Manchester FA Cup final as they stayed on track to replicate their rivals’ historic 1999 treble triumph.

Pep Guardiola’s men did just that by beating Inter Milan in Saturday’s Champions League final – a match Rashford watched on TV, although there was only so much he could stomach.

Put to the forward that Trent Alexander-Arnold turned off the TV when United won the FA Cup as he could not bear to watch Liverpool’s rivals lift silverware, Rashford said: “It’s exactly the same.

“I like watching football, I like watching the best games so that’s what I did.

“But after they win the game, I don’t need to watch them celebrating and all that stuff, so yeah, TV off!”

City’s treble understandably sticks in the craw but there appears little chance of club rivalries impacting England like they did with previous generations.

“It is going to be funny,” Rashford said of the conversations he was expecting with the quintet on international duty.

“But, like I said, it’s congratulations to them and, for me, they deserved it, they played the best football this year.

“There’s not much more to say about it, really. The talking’s done on the pitch and they did really well this year.”

Asked if it is a strength of the England squad to go from bantering about club matters to playing well together, Rashford said: “Yeah, I think definitely that’s a part of it.

“But there’s a strong bond in this squad and there has been regardless of which players come in and that’s down to the environment.

“There’s not much more I can put it down to, so we’re looking forward to having them back here.

“They’re obviously all really good players and we need them if we want our squad to be as strong as possible.”

While club allegiances will not put a spoke in England’s wheel, Rashford does not hide from questions about United’s place in the pecking order.

For so long the dominant force in English football, the 20-time league champions are now playing second fiddle in their own city.

On the desire to be top dogs once more, Rashford said: “I think that was always the aim regardless of their success this year or the previous years.

“Let’s be honest, it’s not anything new – the only thing that’s new is that they managed to win all three.

“They are a very good team and it’s not just us that are trying to catch up to them, it’s pretty much every team as well.

“Is it a challenge? Yeah, but we can’t shy away from it. We have to face it and do our best next season.”

Rashford says United’s players and staff spoke in the dressing room after the FA Cup final about the need to kick on again as the 2023-24 campaign quickly comes into focus.

There are only 23 days between Rashford, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw playing in England’s final June qualifier against North Macedonia at Old Trafford on Monday and United playing their first pre-season match.

It is a far cry from the full summer of preparation Rashford enjoyed last year, which provided a platform for him to bounce back from the most challenging campaign of his career.

The rejuvenated 25-year-old went onto score a career best 30 goals in all competitions under Ten Hag, who the United forward credits for changing the mindset of the group and helping him find his fire again.

“He came in and he wanted to win,” Rashford said. “I feel like at times we have lacked that ambition, as I’ve said before.

“He wasn’t caring about getting into the top four, doing any of that – he just wanted to win trophies and when you strive for the best sometimes you are going to fall short as we did in areas this season.

“But you have to look at the outcome. We managed to win a trophy and get back into the Champions League spots, get to another final and it’s definitely a progression from the previous year, or couple of years before.

“He just managed to motivate me and just relight the flame that was missing.”

Ten Hag’s United have put things in place to close the gap to City next season, but the interminable takeover saga continues to provide a dark, uncertain cloud over the Old Trafford giants.

Asked if it is easy to block out the constant noise about it, Rashford said: “For me, yeah, because I am here with the national team, like I don’t want to be worrying about what’s going on in Manchester and stuff like that.

“For me, it’s just the importance on these next two games and getting the job done while also doing it as well as we can.”

Callum Wilson revealed being dropped by both Newcastle and England fuelled his determination to fight back.

The striker’s post-World Cup slump saw him confined to the bench at Newcastle as he scored just once in 13 appearances.

It also saw him left out of the opening Euro 2024 qualifying wins over Ukraine and Italy in March.

However, Wilson is back to face Malta on Friday before Monday’s visit of North Macedonia to Old Trafford after scoring 11 goals across his final 12 games for Newcastle to fire them to fourth place in the Premier League.

He said: “I was finding myself on the bench and was used to playing week in, week out. All of a sudden, I was watching from the sidelines and coming on for 10 minutes at the end of the game.

“I didn’t like that. You want to play. You work hard all week and then on a matchday it is where you want to perform and score goals. I wasn’t getting to do that and knew I had to make sure I was working even harder to get back into the team.

“It was a weird one, playing a World Cup in the winter. Club and country is totally different as well. At the club you are playing regularly: week in, week out.

“Here, it is a bit more difficult to get game time and you have to bide your time, be professional and make sure you are doing everything you can on the training field.

“So to then go back into club football was exciting, really, as I had been away from it for so long and I was thinking I am going to start playing again a little bit more, especially as I was feeling so sharp as I was at the World Cup.

“I tried to use it in a positive way but yes, mentally, you do have to reset because you go on a drought of scoring goals.

“We went to Dubai for a mid-season training camp and we had five days there when we didn’t play football.

“We got to sit back and think, ‘yes it has been a fantastic start to the season but it has turned into a bad season’ when I was out of the team so I had to basically pull my finger out and start scoring goals again.”

The Magpies’ return to the Champions League after 20 years capped a successful season but it only sunk in for Wilson after he went to Sam Fender’s gig at St James’ Park on Sunday.

He said: “I went to the concert with my wife at St James’ Park. There was a sea of black and white and, before he came out, he actually played the Champions League song and everyone was cheering and I was like, ‘this is absolutely real’.

“I could see how much it meant to everybody in the stadium at that time. Hearing the anthem in the stadium, without actually walking out to play, was surreal. This is going to happen next season and I cannot wait to get started.”

Along with his love of music, Wilson is also a keen art collector as he looks to build his portfolio.

“I’m trying to add slowly at the right time. Banksy, Daimen Hirst, Tracey Emin, a few little pieces. Mr Doodle, I’ve got that one piece,” said the 31-year-old.

“Art is art, isn’t it? It’s down to everyone’s personal preference. Me personally, I took a shine to it, in terms of investment side of things and then you actually start to get into it, ‘I’ll put that on the wall’.

“I want to get something that’s got a bit of value and means something and try and find the right pieces at the right time.”

Wales midfielder Jordan James says he knew his former Birmingham colleague Jude Bellingham was destined for stardom “from an early age”.

England international Bellingham joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year deal on Wednesday, with the Spanish giants paying an initial 103million euros (£88.5m) for the 19-year-old.

James is a year younger than Bellingham but the pair were often team-mates in making their way through the various age groups at St Andrew’s.

Asked if he thought Bellingham would reach the top, James said: “You knew from an early age. He was a level above everyone else.

“He was the main guy and it was the same at the World Cup, he was the best player for me.

“When I joined at eight years old, I used to go up and play with him, and you could see the way he dribbles and how technically gifted he was.

“He wasn’t a big grower like me either. It was just before he turned 15 that he had his growth spurt, and now he’s turned into a man. That’s what helped him a lot.

“We’ve got different attributes, it’s hard to compare myself to someone who’s at the top already and that’s where I’m trying to get to.

“But we’ve been brought up the same way, in the same club, with the same philosophies, so hopefully I can reach that height.”

Bellingham became Birmingham’s youngest ever first-team player in July 2019 at the age of 16 years and 38 days.

James was not too far behind making his Birmingham debut at the age of 17 years and 142 days and he has already made more than 50 senior appearances.

He was born in Hereford and twice represented England Under-20s before choosing to play for the land of his father, the former Newport defender Tony.

“The opportunity was there with England and I wanted to try something new,” said James, who travelled and trained with the Wales squad at the World Cup in Qatar.

“It was nothing against Wales, I love the country to bits. The opportunity came, but I knew straight away when I stepped foot on the pitch for England it didn’t feel the same.

“My dad is Welsh through and through, he’s put it into me. When I put that Wales shirt on, something special happens.”

It certainly did in March as James had only been on the pitch a few seconds in making his Wales debut when Nathan Broadhead scored a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser to deliver a 1-1 draw in Croatia.

Wales followed up that Euro 2024 qualifying bonus point by beating Latvia, and now aim to build on that promising start against Armenia and Turkey.

“The gaffer (Rob Page) has put a lot of trust in me, otherwise I wouldn’t be on the pitch in such a big game,” said James, reflecting on the Croatia draw.

“He’s really good with the young players. There’s a few of us like Luke Harris, Joe Low, Ollie Cooper, so that’s the next batch that will hopefully come through and be a part of it all.

“It’s more demanding in the seniors, there’s more eyes on you, but that’s what I’m here for.

“It’s where I wanted to get to and I’m trying to live up to it as much as possible.”

The return of Michael O’Neill as manager has convinced Northern Ireland’s players they can qualify for Euro 2024, according to Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

The man who guided Northern Ireland to Euro 2016 came back to the job in December, instantly fuelling belief amongst fans that they could capitalise on a relatively favourable qualifying draw after the frustration of narrowly missing out on the last tournament under Ian Baraclough.

Some of that confidence was dented by a home defeat to Finland in March, but Peacock-Farrell insists belief remains at “100 per cent” going into Friday’s match away to Denmark.

Asked if O’Neill’s experience was key to that, he answered with a clear yes.

“Obviously the Finland result wasn’t ideal, but we are fully confident that if we were to go to Finland we could get a result,” the goalkeeper said.

“Denmark is going to be a tight game and a hard game, but it’s nothing we haven’t done before and there is still a long way to go in this group and a lot can change.”

O’Neill had little time to work with a youthful squad before the games in March but has held a series of post-season training camps coming into this window, getting his ideas across to those players who are not veterans of his last spell in charge.

“It’s the ability of the players and more time under the manager,” Peacock-Farrell said. “And getting the players in and accustomed to a slightly different way of playing under the last manager…

“To be honest it’s back to how it was under him the first time. Obviously there are a lot of fresh faces, but I feel as though Michael is still Michael.

“He brings so much detail and positive energy and a great feel about the place. It’s been nice to have him back and it feels good to be away with Northern Ireland.”

Peacock-Farrell is in line to earn his 38th cap on Copenhagen on Friday. With so many senior players missing through injury, the 26-year-old is now among the most experienced players in the dressing room.

“I’m not going to be anything other than myself when it comes to training and on the pitch,” he said of the extra responsibilities. “I’ll be leading like I was anyway. As a goalie, you have to do that anyway.”

But if Peacock-Farrell is Northern Ireland’s number one, things are less clear at club level.

When he made his international debut in May 2018, he had just broken into the Leeds side, but he lost his place six months later to Kiko Casilla.

Peacock-Farrell soon left to join Burnley, but has never established himself as first choice there, and has played more games for Sheffield Wednesday – 47 – than any other club after a loan spell in 2021/22.

There was perhaps an opportunity at Burnley last summer after Nick Pope left for Newcastle following relegation, but new manager Vincent Kompany opted to bring in Aro Muric.

Peacock-Farrell had to content himself with the back-up role again, but played eight times in the league and 16 in total as the Clarets won promotion back to the top flight.

“I am in a role where you can either get a lot of games or absolutely none,” Peacock-Farrell said. “I’ve been quite happy that I got the amount of games that I have.

“We had really good cup runs and I played the back end of the season as well as a couple of games at the front. Overall I could have done with a few more games and I like to play every game, but it certainly wasn’t a bad season.”

Rickie Fowler has revealed he is one of three top US golfers looking to invest in Leeds as part of the imminent takeover by 49ers Enterprises.

The American investment group are set to take charge of the club after agreeing a deal to buy out chairman Andrea Radrizzani’s controlling stake.

Fowler, along with Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, all of whom have been converted to the Elland Road cause by Matt Fitzpatrick’s Leeds-supporting caddie Billy Foster, is confident of being part of the deal.

Fowler told Sky Sports News: “There’s the group that’s moving forward with being involved with Leeds – myself, JT (Justin Thomas) and Jordan (Spieth), so potentially we’ll be a part of it.

“It’s cool to have these opportunities. I know we’re looking into it, and it would be fun if we get to be a part of it, if not we’ll continue to root for Leeds.

“Obviously they got relegated but to get to go to a Premier League game, a Champions League game any of that (would be great). It’s called football over there, we call it soccer here but it’s a massive sport and I feel like it is continuing to get bigger in the states.

“Since I haven’t been to a game, I don’t have the true appreciation until (I get to) be there and feel that energy.”

Leeds confirmed that a deal had been reached with 49ers Enterprises last week, despite being forced back to the negotiating table in the wake of their relegation to the Championship.

The American group, also the owner of San Francisco 49ers, has been a majority shareholder in Leeds since 2018 and increased its stake to 44 per cent in 2021, with the option of buying Radrizzani’s remaining 56 per cent before January 2024.

All 64 matches in this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup will be broadcast live on terrestrial TV in the UK after the BBC and ITV clinched a joint rights deal.

The move, which includes live audio commentary on BBC 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra, comes after FIFA and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) agreed to extend their existing media rights partnership.

The BBC and ITV will share the matches, including England’s Group D openers against Haiti, Denmark and China, with the exception of the final, which will be broadcast on both BBC One and ITV1.

The tournament, which is jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, kicks off on July 20 when New Zealand face Norway in Auckland, while England’s first match is against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22.

Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, said: “We have shown every Women’s World Cup on the BBC since 1999 and we are happy to extend our partnership with FIFA for the upcoming tournament.

“The growth of the women’s game is extraordinary.”

ITV will split games between ITV1 and ITV4, with catch-up on ITVX.

ITV director of Sport Niall Sloane said: “”We’re delighted to be able to bring comprehensive coverage of the Women’s World Cup, free to air to our audiences with both live and highlights broadcasts across ITV and ITVX.”

The new deal between FIFA and the EBU expands on a previous commitment to free-to-air broadcast across the continent, adding the five major markets of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as well as Ukraine.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the deal “a huge promotional and exposure opportunity for women’s football, which is a top priority for us in line with FIFA’s commitment to long-term development of the sport.”

Local businessman Mike Danson has bought League One side Wigan and paid off all their outstanding debts.

Danson, who owns a 25 percent stake in rugby league club Wigan Warriors, assumes control from Abdulrahman Al Jasmi and Talal Al Hammad, whose two-year reign was beset with problems and as a result Wigan will begin next season on minus eight points.

Clearance has been obtained from the EFL and, while a new board and chief executive are yet to be announced, manager Shaun Maloney retains his position.

Earlier this week Latics were served a winding-up petition by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs over unpaid tax bills but, as a result of the takeover, all players and staff will be paid immediately, along with other creditors.

“I am delighted to become involved in Wigan Athletic Football Club. I was born in Wigan, I grew up locally and the community of the town is close to my heart,” said Danson.

“I want to recognise that the club has a hugely-important part to play in the local community, not just for players, but for fans, employees and all its suppliers, business partners and numerous community groups.

“We have worked hard to provide the EFL with a realistic financial plan to stabilise operations.

“We look forward to a fresh start for the club and planning for the upcoming season.”

Premier League clubs have agreed measures for tackling the rise in tragedy-related chanting at football matches, with criminal prosecution of offenders a principal aim.

It comes in response to a rise in the number of incidents of chants and other behaviour taunting victims and survivors of football-related tragedies, often between rival clubs.

A Manchester United supporter was arrested following the FA Cup final at Wembley earlier this month after he was seen wearing a football shirt which appeared to make an offensive reference to the Hillsborough disaster, which claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool fans.

Manchester City and Chelsea have both apologised to Liverpool in recent months for Hillsborough-related chants sung by their fans, and appealed for supporters to stop.

United supporters have themselves been targeted repeatedly with chants that reference the Munich air disaster of 1958 in which 23 people died, eight of them players.

The measures, which were agreed unanimously on Wednesday at the league’s AGM, come after a working group of stakeholders from across the game was established six months ago, and will also look at issues surrounding regulation and enforcement, online abuse and education.

A Premier League statement said the measures would seek to “address the unacceptable rise in anti-social behaviour involving football tragedy-related chanting, gesturing, graffiti, online abuse and other behaviours last season.

“(These) issues have continued to cause significant distress to the victims’ families, survivors and affected-club supporters, in addition to damaging the reputation of the clubs involved and football in England and Wales.

“The action will focus on criminal prosecution, the regulatory environment, enforcement, online abuse, education and communications.

“Following further football partner sign off, full details will be publicly announced ahead of the season as part of the Love Football, Protect the Game campaign which was launched last year.”

The league also confirmed that it had agreed unanimously to amend its owners’ and directors’ test to prohibit fully-leveraged buyouts, in which prospective owners borrow all of the required funds thus loading the club with debt and interest charges.

The Glazer family’s £970million purchase of United in 2005 was largely propped up by loans, with the owners strongly criticised in the years since for taking money out of the club to service the debt.

Attendance figures for the 2022/23 season were also published with the average crowd for Premier League games hitting a record 40,267, up from 39,950 the previous campaign.

Stadiums were on average at 98.7 per cent capacity last season compared with 97.7 per cent the year before.

David Brooks does not want to be picked on sentiment on his return to the Wales stage.

Brooks is back in the Wales squad for Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier at home to Armenia – the first time he has featured for the Dragons since October 2021 when he was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma while on international duty.

The 25-year-old winger announced he was cancer-free in May last year and returned to club action for Bournemouth in March, starting the Cherries’ final two Premier League games.

Brooks signed a new four-year Bournemouth deal last August and says he must be chosen for Wales on merit.

“I was out of contract this year before I signed my new one,” Brooks said.

“Even before talks had kicked in I wanted to make it clear I wasn’t there for sympathy.

“I don’t want to be there if I’m not going to play or wasn’t in the plans.

“Once they saw me training and how I was determined to get back to, I did earn what I was given.

“It’s the same with Wales. I don’t just want to be called up to be a spare part. I’m working hard to get back in the Bournemouth XI and be starting for Wales as well.”

Brooks underwent chemotherapy treatment following his cancer diagnosis, the draining effects of which he has said left him with night sweats, weight loss and struggling to climb the stairs.

Now he is close to peak playing condition – “I probably need to change a bit of the fat to muscle” – and says that returning to the Wales camp where he was diagnosed was a “very nice feeling”.

Brooks said: “The first step after the treatment was to get back into the Bournemouth dressing room and be part of that.

“As soon as that was completed, to get back in the Wales set up was the aim. The lads have welcomed me with open arms.”

On meeting up with Wales’ chief medical officer, Jonathan Houghton, who detected that Brooks’ had cancer symptoms, Brooks said: “I do owe him a lot, he’s obviously done a lot for us. It’s always nice to see him.

“Whenever my mum and dad see him they burst out crying and give him a big hug. I can’t thank him enough.

“Getting that awful news drops and crushes your world, at that moment you hope it will get better and go back to normal at some point.”

Brooks won the last of his 21 Wales caps against Denmark at the delayed 2020 European Championship in June 2021.

His perspective on life might have changed in that time, with Brooks saying “he did not have a single care about football” when he was diagnosed “as I just wanted still be on Earth”.

But Brooks said: “I just love playing football and so as soon as I got the diagnosis, that was snatched away in the blink of an eye.

“But it’s not the end of the world if you don’t end up playing football. Football is not life or death, the main thing is being happy and healthy.

“My ambitions haven’t changed. I still want to try and get to the very top.

“The hunger and drive is the same for all the lads. We all have the same goal of reaching the Euros, the World Cup – that’s what everyone wants to play in.

“There’s a lot of new faces, people I’ve not met prior to this camp, and a lot of new staff.

“But the brief time I’ve worked with them over the past week, we’re all pushing in the same direction and trying to achieve the same goal.”

Manchester United is "more than a club", according to Thomas Zilliacus, who bid to take over the Premier League giants in March.

Zilliacus failed in his bid for the club, which would have included the consortium he led to creating a vehicle for fans to purchase up to half of the shares.

The 69-year-old, who is the founder and chairman of novaM Group, suggested that failure was down to some members of the Glazer family being unwilling to sell.

Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani are the bidders left in the race.

Speaking to Stats Perform, Zilliacus said: "Manchester United is more than a club. It's an institution that is known all over the world.

"I've lived in Asia for a long time and Manchester United is as famous as Big Ben out in Asia.

"So it's an institution that has been there long before any of the current investors were born and it is going to be there long after we all have died.

"So I think it's more of the privilege of being a caretaker of an institution that if you become an owner of a club like United.

"I think whatever happens, it needs to be something that is beneficial to the club and its fans. And like I said, I think both these bidders have a genuine interest to improve the club and obviously are also willing to put in a lot of money."

Zilliacus did not hide his frustration at the bidding process.

He explained: "I didn't like the process in the way it was run. To be honest, I don't think it was run in a very professional manner.

"I think that probably reflects the fact that the Glazer family has six siblings and I don't think that they all have the same view on what they want to do.

"What I would normally have expected is that if you have a deadline for bids, and you get serious bidders as they got there, at least three that we know in public; Sheikh Jassim, Jim Ratcliffe, and myself, then you sit down and negotiate with those bidders.

"What instead happened here was that there was, again, a new round and again, a new round kind of starting from scratch.

"That was one reason but the main reason why we then finally withdrew was, frankly, financial. I felt, and my consortium felt that the price simply went up too high.

"It's a business that has to be profitable at the end of the day. And I think with the price tag that the Glazers put on the club, I think it is very tough to make a profit."

Asked why he wanted to take over at Old Trafford, Zilliacus said: "Manchester United has one of the biggest, maybe the biggest, fan base in the world.

"So the fan base was something that, in particular, we felt was very interesting. The other part is, of course, the club in itself. It's a club that I've been following since I was 11 years old. I'm not investing because I'm a fan, but it helps when you like the club as well.

"Last but not least, the UK as a market is very interesting because of the substantial money that is coming from media rights. So those would have been the main reasons."

Sunderland have reached an agreement to sign 17-year-old Jobe Bellingham from Birmingham for an undisclosed fee.

The Black Cats have been targeting Bellingham for some time and will complete the deal when he returns from international duty with England Under-18s.

Jobe is the younger brother of England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who also completed his move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Jobe made his debut for the Blues at the age of 16 in January 2022, and made 22 appearances for the club in last season’s Sky Bet Championship campaign.

Bellingham told Sunderland’s official website: “I’m delighted to sign for Sunderland AFC and I can’t wait to get started.

“The opportunity for young players to move here and progress is clear, so I believe this is the perfect club for me to continue my development.

“I’m grateful to everyone at Birmingham City for their support over the past 11 years and I wish them the best for the future, as I begin the next chapter of my career at the Stadium of Light.”

Brighton have announced the signing of James Milner on a free transfer from Premier League rivals Liverpool.

The former England international has agreed a one-year contract at the Amex Stadium, with the option for a further 12 months.

Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi told his club’s website: “I’m very glad to welcome James to Brighton.

“He’s an excellent addition for us and I’m sure he will help to bring us to an even higher level.”

Milner, who won 61 international caps between 2009 and 2016, began his career with Leeds and has also played for Newcastle, Aston Villa and Manchester City.

The 37-year-old won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup during eight years at Anfield.

He will join Brighton following the expiration of his Reds contract on June 30 and add experience to De Zerbi’s squad ahead of the club’s maiden Europa League campaign.

Seagulls technical director David Weir said: “His experience speaks for itself with the amount of games he has played and the trophies he has won throughout a decorated career.

“These games include European competition, which will be of huge value to us as we embark on our first season in Europe.”

Milner is currently third in the list of all-time Premier League appearances with 619, behind Gareth Barry (652) and Ryan Giggs (632).

The veteran midfielder, who can also operate at full-back, is Brighton’s second signing of the summer following the club-record arrival of Brazilian forward Joao Pedro from Watford.