Kyle Magennis has signed for Kilmarnock on a two-year contract after being allowed to leave Hibernian.

The 24-year-old midfielder made 49 appearances during a near three-year spell at Easter Road which was badly affected by injuries.

The former St Mirren captain was delighted to team up with Killie boss Derek McInnes.

“The gaffer has always been interested in me and he’s someone I wanted to work with, so over the past few weeks the move has fallen into place,” Magennis told his new club’s website.

“It’s a fresh start for me. I’ve had a tough few seasons with injuries, but I’m feeling good and ready to go. I know that if I’m playing, I’ll be a big asset to the club.”

Hibs agreed to terminate the midfielder’s contract and manager Lee Johnson said: “Kyle was a well-respected member of the squad, and we wish him well for the future. He will always be welcome at Easter Road.”

Kilmarnock have also signed 22-year-old goalkeeper Will Dennis on a season-long loan from Bournemouth.

Dennis has made one first-team appearance for the Cherries, in a 4-1 FA Cup win over Oldham in 2021, and has had loan spells at Guernsey, Weymouth, Wealdstone and Slough Town.

Though it seems the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has walked back on initial contemplations to fire senior Reggae Girlz Head coach Lorne Donaldson, the smoke is not yet fully cleared as President Michael Ricketts confirmed that the board is still awaiting a report from the technical committee regarding actions to be taken against the tactician. 

SportsMax.tv understands that members of the JFF board had a meeting where a vote was taken to relieve Donaldson of his duties stemming from an issue where he told the governing football body's chairperson for women’s football Elaine Walker-Brown, not to board the team bus for a recent excursion to Dunn’s River Falls.

However, sources close to the situation revealed that Donaldson was merely relaying the message of the players, who threatened to walk off the bus if Walker-Brown boarded, as it was "not a JFF thing". This was in reference to the fact that the excursion was largely paid for by minister of sport Olivia "Babsy" Grange and Reggae Girlz ambassador Cedella Marley.

In a bid to avoid a standoff and a possible embarrassing situation in full view of an overseas crew filming a documentary, it is said that Donaldson met Walker-Brown on the way to the bus to share the players' mental and physical discomfort at her presence. This did not sit well with Walker-Brown and since then, the coach has been in the firing line.

While not confirming that as the reason for discussions regarding Donaldson, Ricketts expressed displeasure with "certain utterances", but said dismissing the coach was no longer on the cards.

"The truth is, we are unhappy with certain utterances, but that is not on the cards right now, we are just waiting on reports from the general secretary and the technical committee," Ricketts told SportsMax.tv during a sendoff event for the Girlz on Tuesday.

"The technical committee would have had a meeting with him [Donaldson], in fact, he was supposed to have had another meeting today (Tuesday) that fell through. Even though we are dissatisfied with certain utterances and pronouncements, the technical committee will make a recommendation to the JFF and then I think the board will act on that," he added.

When pressed further about the reason and timing of any actions to be taken, more so, the firing of the coach with the World Cup now less than a month away, Ricketts agreed that it would negatively impact progress.

Donaldson was expected to name the final 23-player squad for the July 20 to August 20 showpiece, in Australia and New Zealand, in the coming week, but it is now left to be seen if he will still be calling the shots after the melee.

"I don't know what the thoughts would be generally, but that (firing of a coach before a tournament) has happened all over the world before. I would want to think that it would have negative implications but the truth is, that has happened before. But we will just wait and see," Ricketts shared.

When approached, Donaldson declined to comment, stating only that he will wait to see how things play out, as he was more focused on the players' wellbeing.

This issue has now added to what has been a lengthy stand-off between the Reggae Girlz and the JFF, primarily due to a lack of compensation. In fact, the Girlz in a recent letter expressed “utmost disappointment” with the handling of their affairs by the JFF.

Among the areas of concerns outlined by the Girlz are subpar planning, transportation, accommodations, training conditions, compensation, communication, nutrition and accessibility to proper resources.

They said, despite sharing their concerns with the federation “on multiple occasions” the issues remain unresolved, and they believe the lack of interest by those in charge, threaten the integrity of women’s football in Jamaica.

This was further compounded by what is said to have been a brewing issue between Marley and Walker-Brown, as it is understood that the latter made comments which were deemed offensive by the Girlz ambassador during a previous virtual meeting with the JFF hierarchy.

It is also understood that this played a part in why the Girlz refused to have Walker-Brown on the excursion.

But Ricketts pointed out that following a meeting with representatives from the team, all parties have since agreed to a truce.

“The general secretary and myself had a meeting with the players this (Tuesday) morning and it went well, of course the contentious issue is always payments and the JFF continues to struggle. We are finding some traction because we were able to get some new sponsors on board, but we owe the Girlz some money and that seem to be the main bone of contention right now,” Ricketts explained.

“There are some other smaller issues that can be corrected easily but the good thing is that they all came out of that meeting in good spirits.  Elaine [Walker-Brown] had a meeting with them afterwards and that seemed to have gone down well too.

“So we are just hoping that the goodwill now, will translate on the field of play and they will be able to execute and win some games. The coach said he believes he has a much stronger unit and, of course, we are hoping that we will not just participate but be competitive at the World Cup,” he ended.

Ryan Porteous watched his Scotland team-mates gearing up for their summer holidays after Tuesday’s win over Georgia while preparing to start his next campaign the following day.

The defender was due back at Watford for a team meeting and day three of pre-season training hours after helping Scotland to victory in difficult conditions.

The former Hibernian player is happy to get back to England, though, and get to work under new head coach Valerien Ismael, who was appointed on May 10.

“All the boys are jetting off on holiday but I’m back in,” Porteous said. “There will be a big rebuild probably at Watford so I’m looking forward to getting started there.

“I had a holiday before. We finished up on the 10th (of May) so I got away for a couple of weeks.

“Listen, I will be in good shape going back. That’s what you want as a player. Pre-season is hard enough but if you are in good physical state, as you need to be in this day and age, then it will be of benefit to me.”

The defender’s return to club duty might have been delayed at one point as the Euro 2024 qualifier looked in severe doubt because of a waterlogged pitch, with rules stating any abandoned game continues the next day.

Porteous got away from Hampden after midnight but the fans were not far in front of him after a near two-hour delay while water was swept off the pitch following a torrential downpour.

Speaking after a 2-0 win for the Group A leaders, the 24-year-old said: “We wanted the game to go on because there were 50,000 fans there. For them to come to the game, spend all that money on travel and tickets and then go home very disappointed that the game was the next day, wasn’t what we wanted.

“We wanted to play the game. We understand why they (Georgia) wouldn’t because they were 1-0 down, that’s completely understandable, but most of the fans stayed to the end.

“The fans were brilliant, because it was a late night for a lot of kids and working people as well.”

The victory made it four wins from four in Group A, Scotland’s best start to any qualifying campaign, and sent them eight points clear halfway through their schedule.

Porteous said: “It’s exactly where we want to be, but the manager keeps reiterating to us and the press that we have done nothing yet.

“We have put ourselves in a fantastic position but it’s one game at a time that will get us there. We need to stay grounded.

“Four wins probably doesn’t get you there, you have to keep going.”

Bethany England admits she “screamed the house down” when she found out the “big risk” of her mid-season transfer from Chelsea to Tottenham had paid off with a recall for this summer’s World Cup.

Having been part of the England squad that won the Euros last July and played in subsequent matches in September, the 29-year-old forward then found herself being omitted by boss Sarina Wiegman.

England was seeing limited game time for Chelsea, starting only twice in the Women’s Super League for the champions in the first half of the season, and she moved to Tottenham in January.

She went on to register 12 goals in as many league starts for Spurs, and a return to the international fold followed as on May 31 she was included in Wiegman’s 23-player group for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand that gets under way next month.

On her reaction to the recall, England said: “It was amazing for me.

“I think I’d done everything I could to get put in this position. I worked as best as I could, I was scoring the goals, so the question was just left to Sarina.

“I got the call, tried to play it nice and cool – but I hung up the phone and screamed the house down!

“The first thing I did was ring my mum, ring my partner. Obviously I was elated, it’s been a long time since I’ve been back in this environment. It’s just a pleasure to be back here wearing the badge and I’m really excited for the summer.”

England, who has 11 goals in 21 caps, added: “I think the situation I was in (at Chelsea), I wasn’t getting used, I was stuck on the bench and as Sarina said, rightly, I wasn’t getting picked (for England) because I wasn’t playing the minutes.

“It was up to me to make sure I was not only getting the minutes but making them count and I think I did that at Spurs. I can’t thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to go out and play and be happy again.

“Ultimately it’s my career and I had to take it into my own hands and make sure that I put myself in the best position.

“I think it was just first and foremost I want to be back on the pitch, playing minutes and scoring and I’m glad I did that.

“Obviously at the back of my mind the World Cup was creeping up, I’d not been selected for a couple of camps leading into Christmas. Every player wants to be part of these big moments representing your country, going to big tournaments, so I think that was definitely a key factor in it.

“But ultimately, I think in myself I knew that I wasn’t happy. I knew that I’d been in a situation where it was going on for too long and I needed to make change.

“Change can be scary and I’ve never dealt well with change, but luckily I hit the ground running and I’m just thankful that it turned out well.”

England left Chelsea having been with them since 2016, netted 74 times for the club and won multiple trophies.

“It was a big risk, I’d been at Chelsea for seven years, that was a big part of my professional career and I didn’t really like the thought of change,” she said.

“But ultimately I didn’t want to be sat in a position where I didn’t try to give my everything to go. I could have stayed at Chelsea, could have stayed on the bench, in my comfort zone. But then I’d have been watching other people going out there to Australia, when I know it’s something I would have regretted looking back on.

“So I’m glad the risk paid off – and even if it didn’t and I didn’t come, I could have at least looked at myself in the mirror knowing I did everything I could to put myself on that flight.”

Players have been shown a range of armbands highlighting social issues which could be worn at this summer’s Women’s World Cup.

FIFA is consulting with players and national associations over the bands in a bid to avoid a repeat of the row over the rainbow-coloured ‘OneLove’ armbands which dominated the early stages of the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year.

The PA news agency understands there are different bands highlighting a range of issues and causes, including support for the rights of indigenous peoples, inclusion, gender equality, education for all and ending violence against women.

Other bands carry the slogan ‘Unite For Peace’ and ‘Football Is Joy, Peace, Hope, Love, Passion’.

The only bands set to feature something resembling a rainbow design are those supporting inclusion.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in March that everyone had learned lessons from the ‘OneLove’ armband row, and that a “solution” would be in place for the start of the Women’s World Cup.

FIFA has asked players to provide feedback on its proposal. One option could be that different bands are worn as the tournament progresses, similar to an initial plan FIFA unveiled on the eve of the Qatar World Cup.

England and Wales’ men’s teams were threatened with unlimited sporting sanctions on the day of their opening matches in Qatar last year if their respective captains Harry Kane and Gareth Bale wore the ‘OneLove’ armbands, starting at a yellow card for the skippers.

The bands were part of a wider season-long campaign which began last September, but would have sent out a particularly strong message in Qatar where same-sex relationships are criminalised.

Leah Williamson, who had been due to captain England at the finals prior to her suffering a season-ending injury in April, had been hoping to wear the ‘OneLove’ armband this summer.

The Football Association, for its part, is understood to be in regular contact with FIFA over the issue in a bid to avoid any repeat of what happened in Qatar.

FIFA has been approached for comment.

Manchester United have made an improved bid of up to £50million for Mason Mount as talks continue with Chelsea, the PA news agency understands.

Transfer movement has been slow at Old Trafford this summer, thanks in no small part to the Glazer family dragging their heels over a potential sale.

Despite that uncertainty, United have made a move for Chelsea attacking midfielder Mount, whose Stamford Bridge contract is due to expire next summer.

An initial bid was rebuffed last week by the west London club, who are understood to have turned their nose up at the Red Devils’ latest offer of £45million plus £5million in add-ons.

Chelsea reportedly want an extra £15m but there is a limit as to how far United are willing to go, given the player is soon out of contract and they need to strengthen in other areas this summer.

Mount would certainly help bolster a midfield that the club recognises would benefit from more options and legs, as Erik ten Hag continues to shape the side in his image.

The attacking midfielder came through the ranks at Chelsea, scoring 27 goals and providing 22 assists in 129 Premier League appearances.

The 24-year-old – a Champions League winner with the Blues – has won 36 England caps and started the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.

Arsenal have agreed a fee with Chelsea for the signature of Germany forward Kai Havertz.

The 24-year-old has emerged as a top target for the Gunners in recent weeks as they look to improve a squad that finished second in the Premier League last season.

The PA news agency understands a deal has now been struck between the London rivals, allowing Havertz to discuss terms and undergo a medical.

The deal is believed to top £65million including add-ons, with Havertz now likely to become Arsenal’s first signing of the season.

Having joined Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020, Havertz has scored 19 goals in 91 Premier League appearances for the Blues and also hit the only goal of the game as they beat Manchester City to win the Champions League in 2021.

He could swiftly be followed to the Emirates Stadium by West Ham skipper Declan Rice, with Arsenal already seeing two bids turned down.

Rice has been admired in north London for some time but a club-record fee was rejected by the Hammers on Tuesday with a £90million offer not enough to strike an agreement.

Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia and Jurrien Timber of Ajax have also been linked with Arsenal this summer.

Scotland midfielder John McGinn felt Georgia were “at it” when showing reluctance to get their Euro 2024 qualifier resumed at a sodden Hampden.

McGinn was full of praise for the team of ground staff, ball boys, stewards and Scottish Football Association officials who helped sweep the pitch of excess water following a heavy downpour in the hour before kick-off on Tuesday.

The game was suspended immediately after Callum McGregor fired Scotland into a sixth-minute lead and only resumed close to two hours later following extensive work on the pitch, several pitch inspections and false dawns.

Georgia did not appear ahead of one scheduled restart time before the game eventually got back under way at 9.33pm before Scotland went on to win 2-0.

McGinn said: “The message was ‘concentrate’ but I wasn’t doing very much concentrating. I didn’t know what was going on.

“One minute it was 10 minutes kicking off, then it’s 20 minutes, 30 minutes.. It wasn’t fair on the fans.

“I think the game could have been played a little bit earlier but Georgia were up to it, they were at it, they wanted the game stopped, which we would probably do in the same situation.

“It was difficult, it was probably difficult for the referee but I think common sense prevailed in the end and we got the game played. But it certainly could have been played earlier.”

The victory put Scotland eight points clear in Group A after they won their first four qualifiers for the first time.

McGinn said: “It feels a bit subdued. It ‘s a huge win for us. We are absolutely delighted. It was a really, really strange, night, something none of us have ever experienced. But we dealt with it in the best way possible.

“Credit to all the ground staff, everyone who got together. I saw the ball boys even helping at one point.

“It was really important we got the game played and thankfully for all of us we did.”

The conditions were far from ideal even after the resumption and McGinn suffered more than most, completely mis-kicking what had looked to be an excellent chance before the ball got stuck in a puddle just as he was about to shoot.

“Honestly, I couldn’t believe it,” the Aston Villa captain said. “I was away celebrating. I should have known the puddle was there. Big McTominay was laughing at me as we were running back.

“It’s just one of these things, you need to adapt. We have had this issue here against San Marino before. Maybe it’s something they will look at, I don’t know, I am not a turf specialist.”

McGinn dismissed suggestions that Georgia’s delaying tactics had given Scotland any more motivation.

“The motivation for us was four wins out of four,” the former St Mirren and Hibernian player said.

“It’s surreal for us as Scottish players just to say that but something has changed in that dressing room and we are certainly building something here and it’s exciting. We are looking at the table and starting to get really excited.

“Spain have got games to catch us up but we want to qualify. We are very, very close now which is exciting in itself.

“We will take one step at a time and not get carried away but we are very, very close now.”

Watford have signed striker Rhys Healey from Toulouse on a two-year deal.

The Englishman moves to Vicarage Road after a three-year stint at the French club in which he scored 39 goals in 77 appearances and earned promotion to Ligue 1.

The 28-year-old previously spent two years with MK Dons having started his professional career with Cardiff.

Healey also had loan spells at Colchester, Dundee, Newport and Torquay earlier in his career.

Arsenal have been forced to pull their new home shirt from shelves while a “design error” is corrected by kit manufacturer Adidas.

The authentic home shirt, with a retail price of £110, has been made temporarily unavailable and Adidas has said supporters who had already purchased the 2023/24 jersey will be refunded.

The shirt honours Arsenal’s ‘Invincible’ season 20 years on from when Arsene Wenger’s side went unbeaten throughout an entire Premier League campaign.

Within the design, the outcome of the 38 results is detailed with a row of W’s and D’s to highlight the wins and draws from across the season.

However, the authentic shirt – that which is worn by the players on a matchday – only carried 32 of those results and has since been removed from sale.

“The 2023-24 Arsenal home authentic jerseys are temporarily unavailable while a design error is being corrected,” Adidas said in a statement to the PA news agency.

“We are working closely with the club and our partners to ensure restocked jerseys are available as soon as possible, and are offering full refunds to fans who have already bought one.

“This design error falls short of the standards we set ourselves as a brand, and we apologise to the club and its fans.

“The replica ‘fan’ version of the home jersey is unaffected and widely available now.”

The ‘fan’ shirt is the same design but is a cheaper option for supporters, retailing at £80 through Arsenal’s official club shop.

Hibernian will take on Vikingur of the Faroe Islands or Andorran side Inter Club d’Escaldes in their European opener.

Hibs begin their campaign in the second qualifying round of the Europa Conference League on July 27. Details of the fixtures are still to be confirmed.

Lee Johnson’s side were seeded in the draw and avoided some tough opponents in their section such as Danish side Aarhus or Swedes Hammarby.

Inter were seeded in the draw for the first qualifying round. They beat Faroese opposition, HB Torshavn, in the Champions League qualifiers two years ago, and also beat Fiorita of San Marino last season.

Inter ultimately went out at the second qualifying round of the Conference League last season, losing to Romanian side Cluj 4-1 on aggregate after a first-leg draw.

Vikingur beat opposition from Gibraltar in the Conference League qualifiers last season before suffering a 4-0 aggregate defeat by Slovakian side Dac in the second round.

Kyle Magnnis has signed for Kilmarnock on a two-year contract after being allowed to leave Hibernian.

The 24-year-old midfielder made 49 appearances during a near three-year spell at Easter Road which was badly affected by injuries.

The former St Mirren captain was delighted to team up with Killie boss Derek McInnes.

“The gaffer has always been interested in me and he’s someone I wanted to work with, so over the past few weeks the move has fallen into place,” Magennis told his new club’s website.

“It’s a fresh start for me. I’ve had a tough few seasons with injuries, but I’m feeling good and ready to go. I know that if I’m playing, I’ll be a big asset to the club.”

Hibs agreed to terminate the midfielder’s contract and manager Lee Johnson said: “Kyle was a well-respected member of the squad, and we wish him well for the future. He will always be welcome at Easter Road.”

Arsenal are progressing well in talks to sign Chelsea forward Kai Havertz as they prepare to launch a third bid for West Ham captain Declan Rice.

The Gunners are aiming to add to the squad that manager Mikel Arteta led to second place in the Premier League last season.

Rice emerged as a top target earlier this year, but the PA news agency understands a move for Havertz could also now be close to fruition.

The 24-year-old has hit 19 Premier League goals in 91 appearances for the Blues, but could be set to move across London and link up with the Gunners.

It is believed a new bid has yet to be lodged for Havertz, but the difference in valuation between the clubs is close.

West Ham on Tuesday knocked back a second offer for Rice, which would have made the England midfielder Arsenal’s all-time record signing.

The structure of add-ons to Arsenal’s bid is believed to be the issue for West Ham, who are keen to stick to their guns and receive £100million for their skipper.

Arsenal have also been linked with moves for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia and Jurrien Timber of Ajax.

VAR has been given a massive thumbs-down in a new fans’ survey published on Wednesday.

Almost two thirds (63.3 per cent) of supporters said they oppose the use of VAR, with only 26.8 per cent saying they were absolutely or somewhat in favour of it. The National Supporters Survey was commissioned by the Football Supporters’ Association and covered 9,645 fans, running online in March and April.

Only one in 20 (5.5 per cent) of fans who had experienced the technology being used in stadiums rated their experience of it as good or very good.

The survey also found overwhelming support for the introduction of an independent regulator for English football, with 88.2 per cent of those surveyed agreeing on the need for the regulator to ensure the game is run more sustainably.

The negativity towards VAR in 2023 contrasts with the 2017 FSA survey – prior to VAR’s introduction – which found 74.6 per cent of fans favoured the use of video referees to support on-field officials with game-changing decisions.

More than three quarters of match-goers (79.1 per cent) and two thirds of TV viewers (65.4 per cent) now rate their experience of VAR as either poor or very poor.

Almost 92 per cent said decisions were taking too long to make, while 80 per cent said fans should be able to hear discussions between the
VAR and the on-pitch referee.

Referees’ chief Howard Webb is determined to provide greater transparency around VAR in the English game, within the bounds of what is allowed by the laws of the sport.

He appeared on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football programme on May 15 to talk through how a number of decisions from earlier in the season had been made, and often how complex these decisions can be and why time is needed to ensure accuracy.

He also pointed out that, under the game’s current laws, the conversations between referees and VARs cannot be broadcast live.

FIFA trialled a system where referees communicated the final outcome of VAR decisions to fans in the stadium and those watching on television at the Club World Cup in February, and is considering continuing the trial at this summer’s Women’s World Cup.

While Webb’s MNF appearance was a one-off for last season, it is understood this could become a more regular feature next season. Professional Game Match Officials Limited is also in ongoing dialogue with FSA representatives.

Fan support for independent regulation was overwhelming, with almost nine in 10 supportive of such a body being established.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said earlier this month that the Government’s consultation response on the White Paper for football governance would be published this summer, but it is not expected that a regulator backed by statute could be up and running until the 2024-25 season at the earliest.

Fans clearly feel the need for action on the way the game is run, with only 37.8 per cent saying they felt optimistic about the future of football.

FSA chairman Malcolm Clarke said: “Football has said for years that it can regulate itself. The findings from our survey show that it has become apparent to the overwhelming majority of fans that it cannot, and that independent regulation is required to safeguard the future of our clubs, and the game itself.

“Football clubs can’t continue to be allowed to mark their own homework, and so we will be pressing the Government to make sure what the regulator laid out in their White Paper becomes a reality.”

Fans are also concerned about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

One in five (21.7 per cent) fans said they were attending fewer games because of the rising cost of living, and almost a third – 31.9 per cent – had reduced their matchday spending on items such as food, drink and programmes.

The survey also found nine in 10 supporters favoured an away fan price-cap in the EFL following the announcement of its new record television deal with Sky Sports.

Manchester City have agreed a £30million deal with Chelsea to sign midfielder Mateo Kovacic, the PA news agency understands.

The treble winners are set to pay an initial £25million for the 29-year-old Croatia international, with a further £5million to follow in potential add-ons.

Kovacic, who joined Chelsea from Real Madrid in 2018, is entering the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge.

City will now look to complete the formalities of a move with the player.

Kovacic will become City’s first signing of the summer and give manager Pep Guardiola more midfield options at a time when captain Ilkay Gundogan’s future is uncertain.

Gundogan’s contract expires at the end of this month and the Germany international has not yet agreed new terms.

Kovacic, who won the Champions League three times with Real and once with Chelsea, could be one of several summer departures from the London club as new manager Mauricio Pochettino trims his squad.