Manchester United will not be taken over by Qatari ownership after a drawn-out process has led to the main buyer pulling out of the bidding process. BBC Sport were informed that banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani had withdrawn from the process after placing a £5 billion bid for the club, which now leaves Ineos Group - headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe - as the sole bidder for the Reds. Sheikh Jassim's bid would've also cleared the debt at the club - which currently stands to almost £1 billion. Confusion over the current owners - the Glazers - preferred sale options (selling a minority stake vs outright ownership of the club) led to a lengthy takeover process involving Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe - and it appears that timeline has now stretched out too long for the Qatari. Other reports say that Sheikh Jassim and his consortium refused to raise their offer to meet the Glazers changing expectations, leaving the bidding process in frustration. The withdrawal of Jassim from the process has rocked plenty of United fans, who have taken to X/Twitter to fume over the news, blaming the Glazers for the predicament: Ratcliffe remains the last party standing and is holding out for a minority deal in United - which will leave fans further frustrated as it keeps the Glazer family in control for the time being. It is thought that Radcliffe's deal will be the first step in a prolonged buyout with eventual control passing to Ratcliffe in the years to come. Ever since their takeover in 2005 using a leveraged buyout, the Glazers have found themselves in the crosshairs of MUFC fans who believe that the current owners are heaping debt onto the club and holding it back from its full potential. The pressure on the Glazers will now raise, though, as United fans struggle to process the reasons as to why Jassim's massive bid was rejected. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Almost two thirds of football fans oppose VAR, survey finds Leicester and Sale to face holders La Rochelle in Heineken Champions Cup pool Range of armband options for Women’s World Cup as FIFA aims to avoid repeat row

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Tributes poured in for 30-year-old French "daredevil" Remi Lucidi who loved to climb skyscrapers – often without a harness. Lucidi was at the Tregunter Tower complex in Hong Kong when he fell to his death from the 68th floor after reportedly getting trapped outside a penthouse. Lucidi began climbing skyscrapers in 2016 and travelled the world attempting to scale tall buildings. His Instagram profile, where he went by the username Remu Enigma, is a gallery of hair-rising images of Lucidi posing at the top of high-rise scaffolding and buildings in several countries, including Ukraine, Dubai, Bulgaria, and France. He turned 30 this February and commemorated the milestone by posting his picture with a cake emoji in the caption. In a photo posted on 16 July, Lucidi took a selfie while hanging off the stairs of the top of a building in Gabrovro, Bulgaria. He captioned the picture: “Life is too short to chase unicorns.” In most of the images and videos posted from his account, which has over 5,200 followers, he can be seen clinging to the spires of tall buildings without any protective gear. Last year he shared footage of him balancing on the edge of a 980-foot-high chimney in France without any harness. Lucidi’s last post on Instagram is from six days before his death, where he shared a photo of Times Square in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. That post is now filled with comments of people, expressing shock at his demise. “Stakes are high searching for amazing experiences. Eternal respect rest in peace,” wrote one user. “Lived his life to the fullest always seeking adventure, didn’t let fear get in the way,” added another person. “Life is truly short, rest easy brother... .” While not much is known about Lucidi's family, his hostel owner in Tsim Sha Tsui described him as a "healthy and fit and happy-faced" person. "He told me he was going to hike a mountain when I asked where he was going. He said he wanted to hike a lot when he was here," Gurjit Kaur told South China Morning Post. “I feel very sad,” the owner added. According to investigators, Lucidi arrived at the building in the evening and told the security guard that he was visiting a friend on the 40th floor. He is believed to have made his way to the top floor and reportedly got trapped outside and frantically started knocking on a window, startling a maid inside. Surveillance footage shows Lucidi taking the lift to the 49th floor before taking the stairs to the top. He was last seen knocking on the building's windows calling for help. The stuntman then lost his footing and fell, dying instantly. According to reports, the French consulate has been informed of Lucidi’s death while the Hong Kong police are investigating the incident. Read More Remi Lucidi death: French daredevil known for skyscraper stunts plummets to death from 68th floor Skepticism prevails as Chinese leaders promise to back private businesses to spur slowing economy Hong Kong court rejects government bid to ban protest song citing freedom of expression Stock market today: European shares open mixed after Asia rallies on hopes for Chinese stimulus Live: Fans gather inside funeral hall to mourn singer-songwriter Coco Lee Fans pay tribute to Coco Lee, Hong Kong singer who had international success

Ella Toone says she feels “ready and prepared” to launch into a World Cup summer with England on Monday, three weeks after the conclusion of the Women’s Super League season. Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman had long planned for a pre-tournament camp to start on June 19, but there was uncertainty when she named her World Cup squad on May 31 as talks continued over the timing of players being released for duty ahead of the showpiece in Australia and New Zealand, which gets under way on July 20. The European Club Association had in April highlighted July 10 as the earliest date for player release under FIFA regulations, and in mid-May the two bodies proposed June 23-29 as a guideline timeframe that they said “(struck) the all-important balance between players having sufficient rest while allowing adequate time to prepare”, with exact dates to be agreed between clubs and national associations. Last week the June 19 start for England’s camp was confirmed by the Football Association, which said it was “grateful for the mutual understanding of the clubs, as we have collectively worked towards a solution with the wellbeing of players at the heart.” Regarding the recent uncertainty, Toone told the PA news agency: “It’s not been ideal, but for us it’s what we can control and that was making sure we had rest and recovery, making sure we were physically and mentally getting ourselves back to where we know we need to be. “Now I’m back on it, working hard and can’t wait to go into camp.” Toone, part of Great Britain’s Tokyo Olympics squad in the summer of 2021 before helping England win the Euros last year, has been a regular starter for her country across 2022-23 and featured in a Manchester United side that achieved WSL and FA Cup best efforts as runners-up in each competition. The 23-year-old Wigan native – speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football session in Manchester – says it has been a “long season, but one I’ve thoroughly enjoyed” and has declared herself “really happy” with the agreed camp start date, adding: “I’ve had time to switch off and now I feel ready and prepared. “We have a lot of trust in our England staff and they thought the 19th was right for us and so did we as players. “It’s a World Cup, my first World Cup, so I can’t wait to get going.” Toone feels it is important player welfare and scheduling is something that continues to be looked at closely as the women’s game keeps developing, saying: “We’ve seen quite a few injuries in the WSL this season. “We have to make sure we get that rest and recovery right, as teams and as players. The women’s game is growing massively, as a club we are in the Champions League now as well so that’s extra games. It’s definitely something we all need to focus on because injuries are a big part of the game right now.” England captain Leah Williamson and Euro 2022 top-scorer Beth Mead will not be at the World Cup after sustaining ACL injuries, and Fran Kirby is also absent due to a knee problem from a 23-player group scheduled to face Portugal in a warm-up match at Milton Keynes on July 1 before flying to Australia four days later. Toone said: “It is an amazing squad. We know how much talent we have in England now. We’re obviously missing a few big names and people who were massive in the Euros win, but we’ve got to look forward and be confident in the team that’s going.” Fun Football is an initiative to give children aged five to 11 free access to the game, and Toone said: “It’s great for the next generation of young girls. “It’s something we probably missed out on and wish we’d had when we were growing up. It’s an amazing thing that McDonald’s are doing for communities and for young girls and boys to start out on their journey.” :: Ella Toone was speaking at a special McDonald’s Fun Football session to celebrate the opening of sessions in Lionesses’ hometowns during the Women’s World Cup. Toone hopes to encourage the next generation of young girls to get involved. Sign up to your nearest free session at mcdonalds.co.uk/football Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ciaran Clark and Matty Longstaff leaving Newcastle John Hollins: A Stamford Bridge fixture who turned reading game into an art form Harry Brook is hoping to realise his Ashes dream against Australia

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The Biden administration said they'll begin chartering flights on Friday from Israel to destinations in Europe, as officials scramble to get Americans stranded in the war-ravaged country back home to the US.

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