Declan Rice’s ambition to play “at the very highest level” was behind his “tough” decision to leave West Ham.

The 24-year-old’s departure from the club he joined a decade ago in a club-record £105million deal – making him the most expensive English player in history – was confirmed by the Hammers ahead of his imminent move to Arsenal.

Rice’s last act as a West Ham player was to become only the third captain in their history, behind Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds, to lift a major trophy after last month’s Europa Conference League victory over Fiorentina.

But the England international wants to play in the Champions League and that is something Arsenal can offer.

In a letter to fans, Rice said his goodbyes after “an absolute whirlwind of emotion” over the last few weeks.

“I want you to know how tough a decision it has been for me to leave an environment that I have loved and cherished so much,” he said.

“This club and its supporters will always be in my heart, and forever a part of who I am.

“Ultimately, though, it has only ever been about my ambition to play at the very highest level of the game.

“Playing on the opposite team to West Ham for the first time will be an unusual experience.

“I’m not sure yet exactly how I will feel, but I also know you will all understand and respect that my professional loyalties have to now lie with my new club.”

Joint-chairman David Sullivan revealed last month the club had a gentleman’s agreement with Rice to allow him to leave this summer after the player turned down the offer of a highly-lucrative new contract.

“I am sorry to see Declan leave us but I believe that everyone at West Ham United should be very proud of the part we have played in his journey from the Academy of Football at Chadwell Heath to becoming the most valuable young player in English football,” he said in a statement.

“I would like to make it clear to our supporters that we did not want to sell Declan. We wanted to build our team around him and made a series of improved, long-term contract offers to secure his future.

“However, once Declan made it clear that he wished to move on and seek a new challenge, the club felt it would not be right to stand in his way, acting in the best interests of West Ham United.”

Rice made 245 appearances for the club, his last helping secure a first trophy since 1980, and manager David Moyes was understandably sad to see him leave.

“I’d like to personally thank Declan for everything he has done during his time at West Ham United,” he said.

“Obviously it is sad when we say goodbye to someone who has been with us for so long but we must now look forward.

“As history shows, no player is ever bigger than the club.

“Our entire focus now is on building upon the success we enjoyed last season, adding to our talented Europa Conference League title-winning squad as we enter our third consecutive season in Europe, and continuing to develop the best young talent through our successful academy.”

England defender Alex Greenwood says the Lionesses are keeping their egos firmly in check as they begin their quest for a maiden World Cup title in a week’s time.

Greenwood’s first experience of the global showpiece was in 2015, when the Lionesses achieved a team-best third-place finish in Canada, and alongside Lucy Bronze is one of just two players on manager Sarina Wiegman’s current roster to have featured in three consecutive World Cups.

Perhaps more than any previous edition, the Lionesses enter this tournament firmly among the favourites to go all the way and unseat two-time defending champions the United States after winning the Euro 2022 final to lift their first major trophy.

Asked how she would rate the sense of belief in the England camp, Greenwood said: “We’re European champions for a reason. High but very humble as well, and we’re a team that’s hard-working and a team I think that’s focused on the job in hand, but I think right now the focus is on the first game and not past that.”

The Lionesses, fourth in the FIFA world rankings, will first take on Haiti – 49 places below them – in Brisbane before travelling to Sydney to face 13th-placed Denmark and conclude the group stage in Adelaide against China, who are 14th.

For the first time the competition has expanded to 32 teams, with the top two from each group progressing to the knockouts. The prize pot has also increased to 110 million US dollars (£84.7million), more than three times what was on offer at the 2019 World Cup in France though still paling in comparison to the 440 million US dollars (£337m) distributed after the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar.

That progress is what makes this third trip particularly special for 29-year-old tournament veteran Greenwood, who has played her club football with Manchester City since 2020.

Speaking after a team training session at Queensland’s Sunshine Coast Stadium, she said: “It’s the biggest Women’s World Cup we’ve had in history. It speaks for itself and I think the capability of teams in this tournament is huge.

“The excitement for the tournament, what women’s football’s done and where we’re at now makes it a more attractive tournament if you want to say. But yeah, I think year-on-year and tournament-on-tournament the game’s growing and this one speaks for itself.”

The Lionesses left England on July 5 and have been staying on the Sunshine Coast, where they’ve spotted kangaroos roaming the hotel grounds and have been able to enjoy local highlights from whale-watching to observing animals at the zoo.

On Monday England will transfer to their team hotel in Brisbane ahead of their Haiti encounter.

Keeping busy has helped alleviate some of the hardship of the long distance from loved ones and missing the comforts of home, a situation Greenwood mitigates by looking at the bigger picture.

She added: “I think the dream and what we want to achieve remains consistent in my mind. So that makes obviously the sacrifice and being halfway around the world from your family a lot easier, but obviously I feel very blessed and lucky to be in this position.

“So I grab the opportunity with both hands and want to make everyone proud really.”

Republic of Ireland defender Niamh Fahey suspects no dress rehearsal, no matter how big the audience, could truly prepare her side for their World Cup debut.

That milestone moment is inching ever closer for the Girls in Green, whose first tilt at a global title begins Thursday against tournament co-hosts Australia on a double-billed opening day of the tournament kicking off with New Zealand taking on Norway in Auckland.

The Republic’s meeting with the Matildas proved so popular that as early as January it was moved to the competition’s largest venue, the 80,000-plus capacity Stadium Australia in Sydney.

“I don’t think you can realistically replicate that scenario, even if you wanted to try,” said Fahey, speaking at an open training session at Brisbane’s Meakin Park.

“You ready yourself like any other game and you try and not think about the outside. As cliche as that sounds, it’s 11 v 11 on the pitch and you focus on the game and yeah there’s noise, but to be honest, even in games where there’s been 40,000, 50,000, once the game is on you don’t really hear that crowd, that noise.

“It’s only the anticipation those first couple of minutes and once those five minutes, or once you’ve settled into the game I think it just becomes a formality in terms of how the game is going to pan out.

“I think if you can get through those first couple of minutes it makes all the difference, you don’t really hear it. Well, I don’t hear it anyway, so I can’t speak for everybody.”

The Republic only managed to get through about 20 minutes of their meeting with Colombia in an aborted behind-closed-doors friendly on Friday that sounded anything but amiable, with key midfielder Denise O’Sullivan rushed to hospital with an suspected shin injury.

An update on the team’s official Twitter account on Saturday morning provided an encouraging about the North Carolina Courage captain, reading: “Positive news for Denise O’Sullivan X-Ray and CT Scan show no fracture Denise will work with WNT Medical Staff on a return to play procedure.”

The PA news agency understands the decision was made to stop the match following some rough challenges in Friday’s contest.

A statement from the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) read: “The behind-closed-doors game between the Ireland women’s national team and Colombia on Friday evening was ended after 20 minutes of play.

“The game, which was held in Meakin Park, Brisbane, became overly physical and it was decided, following consultation with the match officials, to end the game.”

The Colombian Football Federation released a statement of its own which said that, while the training of its teams was “framed within the rules of the game, healthy competition and fair play”, it respected the Republic’s decision.

Republic manager Vera Pauw used the remainder of the time initially allocated for the friendly to instead run a full training session in preparation for the fast-approaching tournament opener, now her side’s next scheduled match.

Liverpool skipper Fahey has played in some massive venues before, winning the FA Cup with Chelsea at Wembley in 2015 before relinquishing the trophy to Arsenal in the finale the following year.

The 35-year-old Galway native, who watched the 2019 tournament from the stands in France, says her side are more than ready for their close-up.

She added: “We know that it’s going to be a challenge, but this is what we worked our whole careers for, to be on the biggest stage and for it to be sold out, switch to another stadium.

“Everyone was delighted with that. No one was like, ‘Oh god’, there was never any sense of trepidation, anything like that. Obviously it’s a massive occasion, there will be nerves, it’s natural.

“But that’s what you want. As an elite sports person you want the biggest stage. Everyone on this team wants to be on that pitch, wants to be on that platform, so you have to be ready to embrace it. That’s it.”

Luton’s opening Premier League home game with Burnley has been postponed.

The match – the Hatters’ first ever Premier League game at Kenilworth Road – was due to take play on August 19.

But, with the stadium needing a dramatic £10million upgrade to make it ready for top-flight football, the Clarets’ visit is off because Luton cannot guarantee any work would not impact the game at short notice.

Luton chief executive Gary Sweet said: “The joint decision to delay this fixture is regrettable, especially given the amazing progress that continues to be made on our construction works.

“Our current programme is indeed on time, but there is no additional contingency and therefore can’t give a cast-iron guarantee at this stage that a problem outside of our control, however minor, wouldn’t force a postponement further down the line and inconveniencing supporters of both clubs.

“Although this news will be a disappointment, this will make the matchday experience even greater for fans when they do get to come back.

“We would like to thank the Premier League and Burnley for their help in arriving at this practical decision.”

The Hatters, who beat Coventry on penalties in the Championship play-off final, open their campaign at Brighton on August 12.

A Premier League statement read: “The Premier League match between Luton Town and Burnley, scheduled to take place on Saturday 19 August, will now be postponed.

“Luton Town were unable to offer the League and Burnley a guarantee that ongoing work to Kenilworth Road would not impact the scheduling of this match at late notice for supporters.”

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s game with Brentford, scheduled for December 23, has been postponed due to City’s involvement in the Club World Cup.

Harry Kane has been included in Tottenham’s pre-season Asia-Pacific tour – but club captain Hugo Lloris will stay behind as the French goalkeeper looks to finalise a move to a new club.

England skipper Kane has entered the final 12 months of his Spurs contract and is attracting interest from Bayern Munich amid reports the Bundesliga champions have lodged a formal bid.

Along with some other international players, Kane returned for pre-season training on Wednesday, with new head coach Ange Postecoglou set to lay out his vision for success to the club’s leading scorer.

Spurs confirmed veteran goalkeeper Lloris had been granted permission not to travel on the tour “in order to explore prospective transfer opportunities”.

Tottenham’s stance on Kane, though, has not changed since Manchester City tried to sign the forward in 2021.

City’s advances were turned down and the north London club plan to reject any bids for the forward this summer, despite his contract now entering its final 12 months.

Another player expected to depart is Croatia winger Ivan Perisic – one of the travelling tour party – as Postecoglou trims down a bloated squad ahead of the new Premier League campaign, which starts at Brentford on August 13.

Tottenham fly out to Perth in Australia – with new signing James Maddison making the trip after the England midfielder’s £40million switch from Leicester – ahead of an opening fixture against West Ham on July 18.

Spurs will play Leicester in Thailand on July 23 before the Singapore leg, which will take in a fixture against local side Lion City Sailors on July 26 after previous opponents AS Roma, managed by Jose Mourinho, pulled out of their planned trip to Asia.

Several Tottenham players are still sidelined by injuries – with goalkeeper Fraser Forster (back), defender Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), Bryan Gil (back) and Troy Parrott (groin) all continuing their rehabilitation.

The Scottish Professional Football League has apologised to Rangers after a long-running sponsorship dispute was resolved.

The SPFL agreed a deal with car firm cinch in 2021 but Rangers claimed it compromised a prior agreement in place with then Ibrox chairman Douglas Park’s firm, Park’s of Hamilton, and did not promote the deal, winning the right to take the matter to court.

A statement released from the SPFL read: “The SPFL regrets any damage to the reputation of Rangers and Park’s as a result of the dispute.

“The SPFL has accepted that Rangers had a pre-existing contract with Park’s at the point that the SPFL entered into its title sponsorship contract with cinch in June 2021.

“All three parties have now agreed to withdraw the resulting Scottish FA arbitration, with the SPFL making a contribution to the costs of Rangers and Park’s. These sums will be donated to charity.”

SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan said: “We are delighted to have finally drawn a line under this dispute following discussions between ourselves and Rangers, and we are keen to do all we can to learn from this protracted disagreement.

“I am particularly grateful for the constructive approach shown by all parties in helping resolve this long-running situation and am very happy to apologise if there has been any damage to the reputation of Rangers FC or Park’s of Hamilton.

“Going forward, we have also agreed to commission an independent review of governance to help ensure the SPFL can avoid any such dispute in the future. This review will commence in October 2023.

“I am pleased we have put this matter to bed at last and am now looking forward to working constructively with Rangers and our 41 other clubs at what is a hugely exciting time for Scottish football as a whole.”

A spokesperson for Rangers said: “Rangers acknowledges the apology from the SPFL and is pleased that this long running dispute has been brought to a conclusion.

“In welcoming the independent review of SPFL governance, the club wishes to give thanks for the efforts and patience of those who have driven this to a satisfactory outcome.”

It was subsequently announced that the review of governance sub-committee will be chaired by SPFL independent non-executive director Karyn McCluskey, and SPFL audit committee members James MacDonald of Ross County and Chris McKay of Celtic, with an external auditor to be appointed.

An SPFL spokesperson said: “Given the increasing scale of the SPFL and its ambitious targets for further growth, the Board has welcomed the opportunity to carry out a comprehensive and independent review of governance, ensuring that the league embraces the latest developments in best corporate practice.”

England boss Sarina Wiegman is awed by her World Cup hopefuls’ advocacy away from competition but readily recognises their performance on the pitch is what ultimately provides the platform.

Just days after winning their first major tournament at last summer’s home Euros, the Lionesses collectively released a letter to then-Conservative leadership candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss with a host of demands including a school football provision for girls identical to that offered to boys.

Their campaign paid off in March when the government responded with a new package of measures designed to grant equal access to all school sport, backed by over £600million in funding over the next two academic years.

“I’m incredibly proud of their social consciousness,” said Wiegman, speaking from England’s team hotel in Queensland as the Lionesses prepare for their World Cup opener in Brisbane on July 22nd.

“It’s so powerful, so strong and they articulate themselves so well. And they were ready the day after the final to put that letter in…. wow!

“There’s so much leadership in this team. They really want to have a positive impact on society and a positive change and I think they’ve done really, really well because things have changed.

“Now what we try to do is keep performing, keep being visible and keep using our voices to also sustain and make positive changes.”

With the continent conquered, both England and Wiegman, who also led the Netherlands to their first European glory in 2017, have set their sights on the world.

The Lionesses drew 0-0 with Canada in a behind-closed-doors friendly on the Sunshine Coast on Friday – in their final warm-up match before the finals get under way – with 21 members of the 23-woman squad featuring.

Next up is an opening encounter with tournament debutants Haiti followed by meetings with group D rivals Denmark and China.

To date, England’s best finish at the World Cup was in 2015 when they finished third, while Wiegman and her Dutch side were runners-up to defending champions the United States at the 2019 tournament in France.

Last summer’s victory at Wembley launched the Lionesses into World Cup favourite territory and quickly made household names of the winning squad and their boss, who has tried to turn the spotlight towards causes she believes in, like paving better pathways for female coaches or working as an ambassador for the charity Plan International to advance equality for girls and women around the world.

When compared to the “serious”, almost myopically win-focused player she once was, Wiegman said: “I think about the bigger picture a little more – absolutely.

“But my main focus stays on my job. And with that job, doing well in that job, then you get those opportunities. I’m aware of that too.

“You can’t change that because this is how you are. But I would not, like, do that first and then think of performance. That’s because that performance is my job and that gives me the most joy.

“Yes, of course, I really love the medals, but what I’m proud of most, absolutely most, is now, young girls have perspective, and young girls can play football, and young girls can wear shirts to show whichever (player’s) achievement, and that makes me the most proud.

“When you go to the grocery store and people tell you, ‘my daughter was wearing that shirt, but also my son is wearing that shirt now too’. We’ve changed society.”

England manager Sarina Wiegman distinctly remembers the day she and her Netherlands team-mates checked into the White Swan hotel in Guangzhou, China to launch an experiment that would forever change women’s football.

It was 1988, Wiegman was 18, and while men had been participating in World Cups for 58 years, a women’s equivalent existed only as an idea – one FIFA decided first needed to be tested in the form of a proof-of-concept, 12-team tournament at a time when even the now-dominant Americans had played just 22 matches.

Thirty-five years later, Wiegman’s Lionesses are one of the favourites to win the ninth edition of a global championship that has expanded to 32 teams, boasts a $110million (£84.7m) prize pot, has already sold out the 80,000-plus seat Stadium Australia and is expected to draw about two billion viewers from around the world.

Asked at England’s team hotel in Queensland if teenage Sarina could have ever envisioned what the World Cup has become, the now 53-year-old immediately replied: “No. No, no, absolutely not. Absolutely not. The whole, everything, it’s totally changed, and really quickly.

“And even when I was older and I think maybe 20 years ago, I would not have ever expected or not even dreamed to be in this situation, that in women’s football we would be now where we are, or even that I would be in a situation where I am now. That’s why I enjoy it so much, too.

“It’s because I am grateful that things have changed so quickly. There’s still a long way to go, but how it grew [and moved] so many steps forward, I’m just very grateful for that.”

Though women’s international competitions had taken place before, the 1988 Women’s Invitation Tournament was the first sanctioned by FIFA. Wiegman recalls that the White Swan felt “so luxurious”, but her memories of the playing conditions are foggier.

She explained: “I just wanted to play. I wasn’t bothered about pitches, [because] I wasn’t used to [them]. We didn’t have the facilities. So I found everything we had in the stadium, there were 20,000 people, and they were laughing when someone made a mistake or something, that was really strange because they had a totally different view of football than in Europe, but well, there wouldn’t be 20,000 people [in Europe] then.”

The Netherlands were ultimately beaten 2-1 by Brazil in the quarter-finals, but the competition solidified Wiegman’s desired destiny and convinced FIFA that an inaugural Women’s World Cup should be hosted by the same Chinese province in 1991.

Wiegman said: “I thought ‘this is what I want to do’, but there weren’t very many opportunities then. But I just really loved that tournament, I will never forget that tournament.”

The former midfielder remains adamant that “I’m just me and doing what I love the most” yet it is no exaggeration to say the self-described “serious” Hague native, whose CV is an astonishing chronicle of unprecedented accomplishments, has had a critical impact on the history of her beloved sport in more than one country.

Wiegman retired after earning 104 caps for the Netherlands – her career itself a feat for a girl who once chose to chop off her hair and disguise herself as a boy because she found herself barred from football because of her gender.

Since then Wiegman transitioned from PE teacher to the pioneering first head coach of Eredivisie Vrouwen side ADO Den Haag – but only after refusing an initial offer of a part-time role and insisting their ambitions were only viable with full investment.

Wiegman assisted then-Netherlands head coach Roger Reijners at the 2015 World Cup, shortly after which she became the first woman in her country to coach with a men’s professional club, Sparta Rotterdam.

She took permanent charge of the Netherlands in 2017, six months before they won the European Championship. Two years later, they were World Cup runners-up. With England’s Euro 2022 triumph, Wiegman became the first head coach to win that competition with two different countries.

Now the Lionesses boss could lead her side to the World Cup title that has so far evaded them both, decades after she boarded that life-altering plane to China and paved the way for the next wave of football-mad women just like her.

Of them, she added: “Oh yes, they’re very grateful. Absolutely, this generation – yes. I think the younger group will come, we really need to keep telling them what our identity is and where we came from, where we come from. So we know how it was, how it’s growing and where we are. I think that’s very important.”

Michael McGovern was “desperate” to join Hearts and team up with some familiar faces following his move from Norwich.

The 39-year-old former Ross County, Falkirk and Hamilton goalkeeper left the Canaries at the end of last season after seven years at Carrow Road.

McGovern, who has 32 caps for Northern Ireland and who played at the Euro 2016 finals, knows the Jambos management team of head coach Frankie McAvoy, technical director Steven Naismith and sporting director Joe Savage, as well as new club-mate, Northern Ireland striker Liam Boyce and former Gorgie and fellow compatriot defender Aaron Hughes.

McGovern signed a one-year deal with the option of a further year and is the Tynecastle club’s first summer signing.

He told HeartsTV: “I’m delighted. Hearts are a massive club, I’m excited to be here and looking forward to getting started.

“It’s pleasing to be back because I loved my time in Scottish football.

“I loved the passion that the fans have and I’m looking forward to getting back into it, being in front of crowds and enjoying the atmosphere.

“I played with Naisy at Norwich and worked with both Frankie and Joe at Hamilton and Norwich. There are a lot of familiar faces and once the opportunity to come here came about, I was desperate to be a part of it.

“I want to be involved at a big club in Scotland. Hearts are among the biggest and it’s not something I could turn down.

“I spoke to Boycie the other day and had a chat with Aaron Hughes, who I still speak to now and again.

“They spoke really highly of the club. Hopefully I can contribute and be one of those players people speak about in the future.”

McGovern will join fellow stoppers Zander Clark and Craig Gordon – who is working his way back from a long-term injury – and he said: “It’s a really good group.

“Craig’s making his way back from injury and he did really well last season – playing fantastically.

“I’ll be pushing them both, trying to get into the team, because I’m wanting to play.

“Even if I’m not, I want to be supporting whoever is playing and trying to be a positive member of the group. That’s the way I do things.”

McAvoy said: “Michael is someone who I know very well from our time together at Hamilton Academical and then Norwich City.

“He’s got great character but, most importantly, he’s a first-class goalkeeper and you only need to look at the career he’s had to see that.

“He’ll push Zander all the way in the training as we head towards the start of the season and I’m certain our young goalkeeper will find his experience invaluable.”

Naismith said: “I played with Michael at Norwich City so I know first-hand how good of a goalkeeper he is and he has the right characteristics to fit into this group of players.

“With departures from last season and Craig Gordon working hard on his rehabilitation, we were a bit short in the goalkeeping department so when the opportunity came up to bring someone of Michael’s pedigree in, it was really a no brainer.

“The experience he’s amassed playing at the highest level in Scotland, England and internationally will be massive benefit to the squad as a whole, but particularly our goalkeepers.

“We’re excited about Harry Stone’s prospects and Michael coming in allows him to get even more game time, be it with the B team or a loan move, with a view to him coming into the first-team squad.”

Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of raping a young woman and the attempted rape of another.

The 28-year-old broke down in tears as the not-guilty verdicts were given by the jury foreman following a three-week trial at Chester Crown Court.

He had stood for the verdicts but sank to his seat, his head on his knees, wiping away tears with a white tissue.

Mendy, whose contract with the Premier League champions ended on July 1, was cleared of attempting to rape a woman, aged 29 at the time, at his £4million mansion in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire in October 2018.

He was also found not guilty of the rape of a second woman, aged 24, two years later also at his home address.

The 10-cap France international is alleged to have later told her “it’s fine, I’ve had sex with 10,000 women”, the court heard.

The jury of six men and six women were out for around three hours and 15 minutes before returning their verdicts.

Judge Steven Everett responded: “Mr Mendy can be discharged from the dock.”

His trial was a retrial, having been cleared by a jury earlier this year of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to four young women or teenagers, following a six-month trial.

Jurors failed to reach verdicts on the two counts of rape and attempted rape he was retried with.

Jurrien Timber has joined the club he “loves” after the Netherlands defender completed a £38.5million move to Arsenal.

The 22-year-old joins from Ajax on what the PA news agency understands is a five-year contract.

He becomes Arsenal’s second summer signing and joins Kai Havertz in moving to the Emirates Stadium.

Timber has 15 senior international caps and is believed to have been signed predominantly to play at right-back for Mikel Arteta’s side.

“I just love the club,” he told arsenal.com upon signing for the Gunners.

“It was because of my brothers. They were always Arsenal fans, and I just loved seeing Arsenal play. They had big players, the way they played, the style.

“I had this from a young age, but my brothers kind of put that in me. I liked watching Robin Van Persie of course, and Thierry Henry. They were my favourite players.”

Timber has been a long-term target for Arsenal, with his ability on the ball and his pressing already aligned with what Arteta is aiming to achieve.

“I think that I’m lucky to say that I can play as a central defender, as a right full-back, sometimes even on the midfield,” he added.

“So I think that’s a good thing and I need to keep that. I just like the way Arsenal play, is a bit similar to Ajax’s style and I like to play from the back. I can see a lot of similarities, especially in the way Arsenal and Ajax want to play.

“I’m really excited, especially now I’m here. Everyone is so nice and you can see it’s a big club. I’m excited to play for this beautiful club, and I can’t wait to start, and to see the fans obviously in the stadium.”

Timber has two Eredivisie titles to his name and was part of the Dutch side that won the European Under-17 title in 2018.

He played under Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag at Ajax and had been linked with a reunion last summer before putting pen to paper at the Emirates Stadium.

Timber will now travel with the rest of the Arsenal squad for their pre-season fixtures in the United States.

The team depart on Sunday but it remains to be seen if Declan Rice will be part of the initial party as his transfer from West Ham has yet to be completed.

The Hammers skipper is set for a £105million move across the capital but he has only just returned from holiday to complete the formalities.

The Republic of Ireland’s behind-closed-doors match against Colombia ahead of the Women’s World Cup was abandoned after 20 minutes after becoming “overly physical”.

The PA news agency understands the decision was made following some rough challenges in Friday’s contest at Brisbane’s Meakin Park, and that Ireland midfielder Denise O’Sullivan was taken to hospital and is set to undergo a scan after sustaining a shin injury.

A statement from the Football Association of Ireland said: “The behind-closed-doors game between the Ireland women’s national team and Colombia on Friday evening was ended after 20 minutes of play.

“The game, which was held in Meakin Park, Brisbane, became overly physical and it was decided, following consultation with the match officials, to end the game.

“The Ireland team then underwent a full training session to continue preparations for their opening game in FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, against Australia in Sydney on July 20.”

Vera Pauw’s Ireland team are also set to face Canada in Perth on July 26 and then Nigeria in Brisbane five days later, as the Girls in Green play at a major tournament finals for the first time in their history.

A leading sleep expert says use of sleeping tablets is “rife” in football following Dele Alli’s revelation of addiction and has called for more education in the game.

Alli laid bare his struggles in an emotional interview with Gary Neville, where he also spoke of suffering sexual abuse as a child and revealed he had undergone a stint in rehab to battle his problems.

The Everton midfielder is the latest player to suggest it is a common problem in the game after former Football League defender Ryan Cresswell opened up on his troubles to the PA news agency last year, saying it was a “big issue” among his peers.

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Sleep expert James Wilson, who has worked at West Ham, Rotherham and Lincoln, agrees it is a concern but said the pills are counter-productive for good sleep.

“You hear stories from players and members of staff that say, ‘You should go and work with this club because every single first-team player is taking sleeping pills every single night’,” he told PA.

“They are not generally good for your sleep and they are not good for recovery so that is why they are not a good idea in football. The fact they are addictive is the cherry on the cake in saying why we should not be using sleeping pills, especially as a first line of defence.

“In society in general we don’t understand the use of sleeping pills. The use is more rife in football because the job itself contributes to poor sleep, the night after a midweek game in particular footballers find it harder to sleep.

“There are two issues, one is which Dele has highlighted is that they can be addictive, depending on what type of pill it is.

“But also the sleeping tablet doesn’t give you sleep, it knocks you out. Sleeping pills impact on REM sleep and that is the stage where you go through an overnight counselling session, where your brain files the information from the day before.

“Without that REM sleep, the sleeping pill without him knowing will have contributed to him not being able deal with his mental health issues he was living with.”

Wilson attributes no blame to club doctors for prescribing sleeping pills, citing a lack of training, and says more education and a cultural change is needed across football.

“It is about education, we need to be educating players younger about sleep and we need to support players around their mental health,” he said.

“Often poor sleep can be caused by things going on in the players’ lives and I think within men’s football in particular we are not great at supporting men’s feelings. There needs to be more done there.

“There needs to be better-trained staff. It is more about nutrionisits, physios, or sports therapists having a better understanding of sleep so they can advise better.

“There also needs to be a cultural change. If senior and successful players are taking them then younger players look up to them and it becomes a myth.

“It is a better education, it is a better access to good sleep alternatives and that is for both players and staff.

“The problem in football is that we approach sleep like we approach training: the harder I try the better I get. If I put X, Y, Z in, I’ll get X, Y, Z out but sleep is not like that.

“It is about being in the right physiological state, dropping the heart rate, dropping core temperature. It is about being emotionally and physically secure. Natures of the job cannot create that. The more we accept that, the better our sleep will be.”

Wolves have become the first club to be sanctioned by the Football Association solely over the homophobic chant of ‘Chelsea rent boy’ by their fans.

The Premier League side have been hit with a six-figure fine and imposed with an action plan by the FA after supporters chanted the slur during a fixture against Chelsea in April.

While the FA has always condemned the use of the term, a statement from the governing body in January confirmed to clubs they could now be charged with disciplinary action if their fans engage in discriminatory behaviour – including the use of the term ‘rent boy’.

Wolves have accepted breaches to FA rule E21 following incidents where written reasons for the charges stated: “a chant by a large number of supporters for a prolonged period of approximately 20 seconds each in the 61st and also in the 71st minutes.”

Three arrests were made by West Midlands Police for alleged homophobic chanting during the game.

Wolves have been fined £100,000 and issued an 11-point action plan as it was deemed their reaction and response to the homophobic chanting was inadequate.

In its written reasons for the charges, an Independent Regulatory Commission said a public announcement made 10 minutes after the chanting was heard was “weak” while the lack of reaction from matchday stewards was also condemned.

It was noted that the post-match response from Wolves deserved praise but the commission said there had been “a clear and significant break down between taking on board what The FA has said in its statement about the Chant and actually doing anything about it.”

Included in the action plan imposed alongside the fine and to begin from the 2023/24 season, the club has to communicate the outcome and response to the charge on their website, social media and in the next matchday programme.

In their response on their official website, a Wolves statement said: “We will continue to campaign for inclusivity in football and society and to tackle discriminatory abuse whether inside stadiums or online.

“Furthermore, Wolves will not cease in its work with supporters, communities and local stakeholders to drive LGBTQ+ inclusion and ensure the game we love is a place where everyone is respected and can feel safe playing or supporting their team.”

Other points on the action plan called for a full review of steward management, development of educational programmes, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion work and a zero-tolerance media campaign.

Wolves will also have to review ticket sales policies, deploy announcements and messages to target the prevention of discriminatory chanting and have an FA compliance officer present at their next home game against Chelsea – currently scheduled for December 23.

There were 106 reported incidents of hate crime involving sexual orientation at matches in England and Wales during the 2021-22 season, according to Home Office figures released last year. That represented a 186 per cent increase on 2018-19, the last full season unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic, when there were 37 such incidents reported.

Last season the ‘rent boy’ chant was heard at Chelsea’s matches against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City, and also at the Manchester United v Everton FA Cup match, where it was aimed at then-Toffees boss Frank Lampard, a former Chelsea player and manager.

Earlier this week, a Fulham supporter was been banned from football for three years and fined after admitting a public order offence relating to homophobic chanting.

Stuart Findlay has returned to Kilmarnock on a season-long loan deal from Oxford United, pending Scottish Football Association approval.

The 27-year-old defender had two previous loan spells with the Rugby Park club in 2015/16 and 2017/18, before joining on a permanent deal the following season.

Findlay scored on his Scotland debut against San Marino at Hampden Park in October 2019, prior to signing with Philadelphia Union in the MLS before returning to the UK to sign for League One side Oxford last summer.

A statement on Kilmarnock’s website confirned Findlay’s return, adding: “Everyone at Kilmarnock FC would like to wish Stuart a warm welcome back home.”