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Wrexham will host former finalists Wigan on their return to the Carabao Cup. The Welsh side, who will be participating in the competition for the first time since 2007-08 following their promotion to League Two, were paired with the 2006 runners-up in Thursday’s first-round draw. Notts County, who came up from the National League along with Wrexham, were handed a home tie against Lincoln. Leicester, Leeds and Southampton must play in the first round following their relegation from the Premier League. Leeds will host Shrewsbury, the Foxes will head across the midlands to Burton and Southampton will travel to Gillingham. The ties will be played in the week beginning August 7. The first-round draw, featuring sides from the Championship, League One and League Two, was split into northern and southern sections. The majority of top-flight sides will enter in the second round with those involved in European competitions going straight through to the third round. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The 2023/24 season is already fast approaching and the first major cup draw for the new campaign saw new English Football League entrants Wrexham mark their return with a home tie against Wigan Athletic in the Carabao Cup. While the Welsh outfit - now co-owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney - were promoted from the National League last term, the Latics suffered relegation from the Championship and will begin life in League One with minus eight points due to not having paid salaries on time. With the first round draw for the competition split into Northern and Southern sections, all 72 EFL clubs are included in the draw at this stage - before Premier League clubs enter at the second- and third-round stages. In the south, QPR face Norwich City in one of the ties of the round, while Millwall play Reading in another enticing encounter. In the north, relegated Leeds host Shrewsbury while Leicester head to Burton. Here’s the first-round draw in full and the complete schedule for the 23/24 campaign in the Carabao Cup. Full Carabao Cup Southern section first round draw: Plymouth Argyle vs Leyton Orient Forest Green Rovers vs Portsmouth Swansea City vs Northampton Exeter City vs Crawley Ipswich Town vs Bristol Rovers Newport County vs Charlton Athletic Stevenage vs Watford Cheltenham vs Birmingham City Sutton United vs Cambridge United MK Dons vs Wycombe Wanderers Millwall vs Reading AFC Wimbledon vs Coventry City Bristol City vs Oxford United Gillingham vs Southampton QPR vs Norwich City Peterborough United vs Swindon Town Cardiff City vs Colchester Carabao Cup Northern section first round draw Notts County vs Lincoln City Bolton Wanderers vs Barrow Hull City vs Doncaster Rovers Mansfield vs Grimsby Stoke City vs West Brom Sheffield Wednesday vs Stockport County Leeds United vs Shrewsbury Preston North End vs Salford City Rotherham United vs Morecambe Harrogate vs Carlisle United Burton Albion vs Leicester City Accrington Stanley vs Bradford City Derby County vs Blackpool Port Vale vs Fleetwood Town Barnsley vs Tranmere Rovers Blackburn Rovers vs Walsall Huddersfield Town vs Middlesbrough Wrexham vs Wigan Athletic Sunderland vs Crewe Full Carabao Cup schedule for 2023/24 Round One - w/c 7 August 2023 Round Two - w/c 28 August 2023 Round Three - w/c 25 September 2023 Round Four - w/c 30 October 2023 Quarter-Final - w/c 18 December 2023 Semi-Final (first leg) - w/c 8 January 2024 Semi-Final (second leg) - w/c 21 January 2024 Final - Sunday 25 February 2024 Read More Carabao Cup draw LIVE: First round fixtures featuring all 72 EFL clubs Carabao Cup 2023/24 fixture dates and schedule revealed ‘Serial winners’ can help England finally celebrate silverware – Tyrone Mings Guardiola’s Man City trophy haul in full after treble triumph Saudi Arabia money has turned transfers into ‘chaos’ – will it last? Fifa urged to make human rights key consideration for World Cup 2030 host

The first major cup draw for the 2023/24 season takes place on Thursday ahead of the new campaign starting, with English Football League clubs set to find out how they will start life in this year’s Carabao Cup adventure. All 72 EFL sides feature in the first round, which is split into north and south sections for purposes of the draw. The victors will be joined by 12 Premier League teams in the second round, before the remaining eight join in at the third-round stage. For now though it’s all about the lower league sides and the start of their journey, on the day they also discovered their league fates with the 23/24 fixture lists revealed. Manchester United won the competition last term but now another opportunity for silverware arises, with League Cup round one matches starting from week commencing 7 August and the final set for Wembley on 25 February 2024. Follow the Carabao Cup first round draw live below: Read More Opening day fixtures 2023/24: Every Championship match in first round of games Opening day fixtures 2023/24: Every League One match in first round of games Carabao Cup 2023/24 fixture dates and schedule revealed

Rumours linking Manchester City with West Ham’s Declan Rice gathered pace on Thursday as the treble winners remained the focus of considerable transfer speculation. Reports suggested City were poised to launch a bid for the highly-regarded England international, who is expected to leave the London Stadium this summer. Rice has already been the subject of interest from Arsenal, who have reportedly had two bids – the second worth up to £90million – rebuffed by the Hammers. City did not comment on the reports when contacted by the PA news agency. It is already shaping up to be a busy summer at the Etihad Stadium, with the club seemingly not standing still following their successes of last season. Captain Ilkay Gundogan looks set to leave City for Barcelona having apparently turned down a new contract. It is understood the Germany midfielder has been offered a three-year deal by the Spanish champions on more lucrative terms than those proposed by City. City were keen for the 32-year-old to stay but were unwilling to match Barca’s overtures. City had tabled a one-year deal with the option of a further 12 months. Given the player’s age, this was a pragmatic decision and Gundogan will depart with their blessing. He made 304 appearances in seven years at City and won 12 major trophies, culminating in this year’s treble triumph. As skipper he lifted the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies. He also played a key role in the run-in, not least scoring both goals in the FA Cup final win over Manchester United – the first of which came in record fashion after just 13 seconds. City already have one midfield replacement in the pipeline having agreed an initial fee of £25million with Chelsea for Croatia international Mateo Kovacic. The final deal could be worth £30million if certain conditions are met. The 29-year-old, who joined Chelsea from Real Madrid in 2018, had been entering the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge. He would arrive at City as a four-time Champions League winner after three successes with Madrid and one at Chelsea. A deal for Rice, if pursued, would dwarf that. West Ham accepted after their recent Europa Conference League win that their 24-year-old captain was likely to move on before next season. They reportedly value him in the £100million bracket. He has one year remaining on his contract but the Hammers have an option to extend that by 12 months. There is also uncertainty over the future of three other senior City players in defenders Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo, and midfielder Bernardo Silva. All three have been linked with moves away. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Zak Crawley defends England ‘entertainers’ ahead of second Ashes Test Lachlan Coote retires from rugby league after fifth concussion in two years Billy Gilmour delighted to end challenging season on high with Scotland win

The 2022/23 campaign has barely finished and Luton Town’s fans’ celebrations probably haven’t yet fully finished - but already it’s time to look ahead at the new English Football League campaign and the three EFL divisions. In the Championship, Leeds United will be among the front-runners after their relegation, down from the top flight along with Southampton and Leicester City. They’ll be joined by returning faces to the second tier, with Ipswich Town promoted from League One alongside Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth - who clocked up a massive 101 points last term. Further down the league ladder, all eyes will be on Wrexham as they make a return to League Two, under the ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Each of those 72 clubs will find out their fixtures for the 2023/24 season later this month, while we already have dates for the EFL Cup and the play-off finals too. Here’s all the information you need to know. When are the EFL fixtures released? The fixtures for the 2023/24 EFL season, covering the Championship, League One and League Two, will be released on Thursday 22 June. All fixtures will be confirmed at once. What is the schedule for the 2023/24 season? As usual, the EFL calendar begins a week before the Premier League season does, with the three football leagues carrying more clubs in them and thus needing more time to fit in additional matches. The regular seasons will begin on Saturday 5 August 2023 and are due to finish by Sunday 5 May or Sunday 12 May 2024. Then it’s on to the play-offs in each of the three leagues, with the play-off final dates set as follows: League One Play-Off Final - Saturday 18 May 2024 League Two Play-Off Final - Sunday 19 May 2024 Championship Play-Off Final - Sunday 26 May 2024 What about the EFL Cup? Fans of lower-league teams always have hope for silverware in any given campaign, thanks to the EFL Cup. This season the dates for games and an eight-match run to Wembley are as follows: EFL Trophy Group Stage MD 1 - w/c 4 September 2023 EFL Trophy Group Stage MD 2 - w/c 9 October 2023 EFL Trophy Group Stage MD 3 - w/c 11 November 2023 EFL Trophy Round of 32 - w/c 4 December 2023 EFL Trophy Round of 16 - w/c 8 January 2024 EFL Trophy Quarter-Final - w/c 29 January 2024 EFL Trophy Semi-Final - w/c 19 February 2024 EFL Trophy Final - Sunday 7 April 2024 The Carabao Cup, also known as the League Cup, is also an EFL-run competition. The full schedule for that competition can be found here. Read More 2023/24 fixtures revealed for Championship as Saints start Sheff Weds Leicester confirm Pep Guardiola’s assistant as surprise new manager Liverpool loan out young defender Ramsay after injury-hit debut season Full fixture list for League Two’s opening day Full fixture list for League One’s opening day Carabao Cup 2023/24 fixture dates and schedule revealed

The EFL have released their full sets of 2023/24 fixtures for each of the three tiers below the Premier League. In the Championship, an intriguing opening weekend clash sees teams who were involved in promotion and relegation battles at the end of last term come together, starting on Friday night when Sheffield Wednesday host Southampton. The Owls came up through the League One play-offs, while Saints departed the Premier League after a dismal campaign. Elsewhere, Sunderland - beaten in the Championship play-off semis by eventually promoted Luton - face newly promoted Ipswich Town, while Leicester, relegated from the top flight on the final day last season, face Coventry City who missed out on replacing them by virtue of a penalty shoot-out defeat at Wembley in the play-off final. Relegated Leeds start at home to Cardiff, while League One champions Plymouth open their campaign at home to Huddersfield. The full opening weekend list: 04/08/202320:00Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton 05/08/202315:00Blackburn Rovers v West Bromwich Albion 05/08/202315:00Bristol City v Preston North End 05/08/202315:00Middlesbrough v Millwall 05/08/202315:00Norwich City v Hull City 05/08/202315:00Plymouth Argyle v Huddersfield Town 05/08/202315:00Queens Park Rangers v Watford 05/08/202315:00Stoke City v Rotherham United 05/08/202315:00Swansea City v Birmingham City 06/08/202314:30Leeds United v Cardiff City 06/08/202312:00Leicester City v Coventry City 06/08/202317:00Sunderland v Ipswich Town The League One opening weekend list can be found here, with the League Two fixtures here. Read More Almost two thirds of football fans oppose VAR, survey finds Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore leaves club three weeks after play-off win Jonny Evans was shocked to learn of ‘amazing’ honour

In the days after winning the treble, Manchester City had a meeting to discuss recruitment this summer, but they have not acted with the decisiveness usually expected. The club have long known their list of potential targets but any moves are dependent on who leaves. As many as six players could go, and two of them - Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva - have had offers from Saudi Arabia. Even City, who have become the most assertive force in the game through their Abu Dhabi ownership, have had all their plans affected by this summer window’s most disruptive force. The key figures in Saudi Arabia might say this is the natural order, since they are the main power in the region. It has had an immense influence on this summer’s market, maybe the biggest since Paris Saint-Germain bought Neymar for what remains a record fee. Many involved insist it surpasses the effect of the Chinese Super League in the winter of 2016-17. While the headline element in all this has been the staggering money offered for so many prime players, the main effect has been how it has abruptly changed the plans of every major club. It is difficult to remember anything like it. It’s all the more pronounced since this was expected to be a frenetic summer anyway. All of Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United planned significant comings and goings while Arsenal and Liverpool have been aiming for at least two major signings each. The competition for strikers was meanwhile set to be the driving force, from Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani through Harry Kane to Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund. Even that has been overtaken. Many of those plans have been almost totally put off, because the market has been completely transformed. A number of Premier League clubs have had new meetings this week, as they attempt to untangle so many connected issues. There is first of all the fact that the nature of every negotiation has changed. Saudi Arabian interest weighs over everything, even with players that wouldn’t yet dream of going there. It points to the biggest issue of all. Saudi Pro League money has completely inflated the market. Many within the industry are complaining that it has introduced an instability. Fees have gone up and wages have gone up. As an example, United had been looking at Hojlund for a potential price of £45m but in the last week Atalanta have almost doubled the price. Players that would have been £40m two years ago are now available at £70m. This is one other reason plans have been put off. Some clubs are waiting to see if all this settles down. Right now, though, various sources are describing a situation of “chaos”. It makes it worse that so many intermediaries are trying to get involved. It’s almost a new gold rush. Some officials have complained they have had figures come to them making promises about certain players or signings only for that to go nowhere. It may ironically mean few players go anywhere for a while. This is seen as a huge week for the Saudi Pro League itself as it attempts to convince a number of big names to join. Losing Lionel Messi was a blow and checked momentum. Ruben Neves is a fine player but he doesn’t quite match up to the megastars they want. Ilkay Gundogan, who also received an offer from Saudi Arabia, is set to rebuff them for Barcelona. As one figure who has been involved in negotiations with the Saudi league says, the next few days will determine how big this wave of signings is. It has still caused huge ripples in the wider game, though. While some deals like Kai Havertz to Arsenal and Mason Mount to Manchester United should get done, an increasing feeling is that most of the main business won’t start getting done until mid July. It could be a fractious window. It is certainly one unlike any other, but may be a sign of things to come. Read More Saudi Arabia can help Chelsea solve headache — but talks raise more questions than answers First golf, now football? Saudi Arabia’s grand plan and the 72 hours that changed everything Sportswashing is about to change football beyond anything you can imagine Human rights must be key consideration in selecting World Cup 2030 host – survey Leading figures summoned to Senate hearing over shock PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger Saudi Arabia can help Chelsea solve headache — but talks raise issues

What the papers say Manchester United have reportedly made a last-ditch attempt to sign England captain Harry Kane. According to The Sun, the Red Devils have reached out to the Tottenham striker to encourage him to put in a transfer request as club bosses grow increasingly frustrated with Spurs’ unwillingness to negotiate over Kane’s position. Staying at Old Trafford, The Telegraph reports the club have joined Arsenal in pursuit of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice. United are said to be interested in a player-plus-cash deal involving England defender Harry Maguire or Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay. West Brom defender Dara O’Shea could be set for a return to the Premier League next season. The Irish Independent reports the 24-year-old Republic of Ireland international has all-but confirmed a move to Burnley, with a medical at Turf Moor on Thursday the last hurdle to clear. And the Evening Standard claims Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech is nearing a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. Social media round-up Players to watch Sandro Tonali: The Athletic says Newcastle are circling a £60million deal for the AC Milan midfielder. Bernardo Silva: The Manchester City midfielder is nearing a move to Saudi Arabia, according to Spanish outlet Marca. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

A celebrity chef has “banned” vegans from his restaurant after reportedly receiving a negative review from a customer who criticised the lack of plant-based options. On Tuesday, Chef John Mountain revealed on the Facebook page for his restaurant Fyre that the eatery would no longer be catering to vegan diners. According to Mountain, the decision to ban vegans from the Perth, Australia, restaurant was due to “mental health reasons”. “Sadly all vegans are now banned from Fyre (for mental health reasons),” the post on the restaurant’s Facebook reads. “We thank you for your understanding. Xx.” The post also included the caption: “Yep. I’m done.” and the hashtags #vegan, #not, #pleasegoelsewhere, #veganfreezone, and #nomorevegans. The decision allegedly stemmed from a bad review posted by a vegan customer, with Chef Mountain telling PerthNow that a customer had reached out to him to ask if there were any vegan options at the restaurant, and that he’d promised he would accommodate her. “A young girl reached out to me and said she was coming to the restaurant… and asked if there were vegan options,” he said. “It was my only shortfall… I said I would accommodate her, I said we had gnocchi, vegetables… and that was that.” However, according to Mountain, who previously starred on the BBC show Great British Menu, he’d forgotten about the woman’s request when she came to dine on Saturday, as he’d been busy catering a private party. “Saturday came around and sadly I’d forgotten… I had a private party I had to cater for,” he told the outlet, adding that his sous chef had reportedly reprimanded him for “not telling them about the vegan customer”. According to the UK-born chef, the woman wrote a complaint to the restaurant on Facebook the following day, in which she’d criticised the $32 vegetable dish that had been her “only option”. The woman’s message also reportedly read: “I think it’s incredibly important nowadays that restaurants can accommodate everyone and to not be able to have actual plant-based meals shows your shortcomings as a chef. “I hope to see some improvements in your menu as I have lived in Connolly for quite some time and have seen many restaurants come and go from that building and none of them last. If you don’t get with the times, I don’t hold out faith that your restaurant will be the one that does.” The restaurant reportedly addressed the woman’s complaint in a response of its own, in which it noted that it tried to “accommodate everyone” before encouraging the customer to “feel free to share your sh**ty experience”. “Thanks for your negative review… please feel free to share your sh***y experience and I look forward to not seeing you again. How very childish. You and all your vegan mates can all go and enjoy your dishes in another venue, you are now banned,” the restaurant’s response read, according to PerthNow. Although Chef Mountain admitted he’d said he would accommodate the woman and then “didn’t,” she’d made the complaint “personal”. The chef also claimed that, as a result of the woman’s complaint, his restaurant was flooded with negative one-star reviews on Google, which he said “really hurts the business”. “F*** vegans seriously… I’m done. At the end of the day, it’s not what I want to do, they can f*** off,” he added. Mountain reiterated the sentiment while speaking to 7News, with the chef telling the outlet: “F*** vegans, I’m done with them.” Mountain also claimed that customers should “know what they’re getting from me,” as he has previously written a cookbook titled Pig. “I once wrote and sold a book called Pig which had pork recipes. People know what they’re getting from me,” he said. “I understand where vegans are coming from but my job is to make food taste as good as I can and I can’t always cater to everybody’s dietary requirements.” On social media, the chef’s ban on vegans has sparked an intense debate among customers, with some praising Mountain and Fyre, while others have condemned the decision. “Bravo! Good on you mate, great stance. It’s nowhere near where I live but I will definitely come to your restaurant now,” one comment under the Facebook post reads, while another person wrote: “Can’t wait to try this place, just booked a table! Looking forward to a nice piece of rare steak.” The restaurant has also received a flood of positive reviews on its Facebook, where many have praised both the food and the staff, while others have applauded the restaurant’s “principles” and “ethics”. “Outstanding chef. Great rules and ethics,” one review reads, while another recent review states: “Great staff, great food and a chef with principles.” However, the restaurant has also continued to face criticism over Mountain’s “ban” on vegans, with one recent review reading: “You can’t call yourself a chef if you can’t even cook veggies. Owner is very arrogant and can’t take criticism.” “Discriminating and refusing vegans into his venue, all for a complaint for not following an agreed vegan option. How disgusting,” someone else wrote. The restaurant’s alleged ban on vegans comes after a vegan landlord in New York City recently went viral after requesting that only tenants who follow a plant-based diet live in the building. The Independent has contacted Chef Mountain for comment. Read More Vegan landlord seeks tenants for $5,750 New York apartment with period features. Meat eaters need not apply Vegan family asks neighbours to close their windows when cooking meat Former vegan says meat ‘saved her life’ after diet ‘made hair fall out’ Celebrity chef bans vegans from his restaurant ‘for mental health reasons’ The Union Rye, review: Finally, a decent restaurant in East Sussex ‘As long as it tastes good’: People react to US approval to sell ‘lab-grown’ chicken

The town of Rye is one of my happy places. I go there at least once or twice a year to visit in-laws and its charm never fails to make me smile. It’s all twisting alleys and cobblestone and centuries-old houses. Retail and restaurant chains haven’t got the same hold here as they do in every other town in the UK – there’s a Boots and a Waterstones, but no Primark, H&M, Pret or Caffé Nero. There isn’t even a Costa. It’s a place that takes pride in its independent shops and restaurants. Some are quirky – a shop that sells antique French confit pots for hundreds of pounds, for example, or a pub called the Waterworks that renovated and refurbished the old, unused public toilets and now sells local beers and ciders. It’s very historic, too; the oldest hotel, The Mermaid Inn, was built in 1156 and is said to be haunted. I’m inclined to agree as my partner and I received a phone call just after falling asleep during our one night there, but no one was on the other side. Spooky indeed. But I’ve always thought there was one thing that the town desperately needed: a Nice Restaurant. Before Covid brought the restaurant industry to its knees, there used to be a family-owned Italian, Tuscan Kitchen. I never got the chance to visit for one reason or another, but my in-laws sang its praises all the time. But a couple of years ago, it closed when the family packed up and went back to Italy, understandably tired of life in the UK. Since then, the only other place to go if you didn’t want to cook and you didn’t want fish and chips has been Mahdi Lounge. It’s good, but the town has been gasping for something different. Then came The Union Rye. Previously The Union Steakhouse, the restaurant was taken over by Rajh Siva, who also runs The Plough, located closer to Winchelsea, and has since overhauled the menu to focus on modern British cuisine. The building was built in 1401 and is a rustic, relaxed space with cosy open fireplaces, exposed brick and wooden furniture. The warm and welcoming restaurant is headed by chef Ben Dafforn, previously of J Sheekey and Simpsons on the Strand in London. I visited The Union Rye recently while on a weekend away with friends, excited at the prospect of trying a new Nice Restaurant in my favourite small British town. I was first alerted to its existence by Marina O’Loughlin, former restaurant critic for The Times, and had been keen to try it for months. The four of us swept in on a Sunday night, and while it was rather empty, we hardly minded – it almost felt like having the entire restaurant to ourselves. Though I hope being empty at dinnertime won’t be an issue for it for much longer, as it truly deserves a visit. Resisting the urge to order the entire menu, we opted for lots of dishes to share. The seasonal menu changes on a daily basis as the chefs work with whatever fresh local produce is available, but this is exciting for me as it means trying new dishes and flavours each time I go. We started with marinated anchovies with caper berries that were simultaneously fresh, sweet and tart, and got very into a plate of ham knuckle croquettes that were fatty and rich, accompanied by a creamy aioli. We also had a rather unusual sweet and savoury granola dish, which comprised of cottage cheese-like curds with granola flavoured with fennel seeds and a jam to cut through the almost bitter, herby flavours. It was imaginative and surprising, which I took great pleasure in. Large fried sardines arrived with their heads still intact, opaque eyes and all, to be covered in burnt lemon. Fat, juicy scallops and their bright orange tongues with samphire on toast. Fried, caramelised mushrooms with hazelnuts and plenty of butter. A succulent pork chop with syrupy charred fruit. A burnt basque cheesecake to share among friends. Oh, how we feasted. The Union Rye is the Nice Restaurant that the town deserves. The dishes are bright and refreshing, but comforting at the same time. I highly recommend going with a group of family or friends so you can order plenty of dishes. It was certainly a night to remember, and I’ll be back there soon, I’m sure. The Union Rye, 8 East Street Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7JY | 01797 229289 | www.theunionrye.co.uk Read More Forest Side: Heavenly Cumbrian produce elevated to Michelin-starred proportions Papi: Pandemic troublemakers’ restaurant is a fun, flirty hit I tried the food at Idris Elba’s restaurant – he should stick to wine

Human rights must be a key consideration in selecting the hosts of the 2030 World Cup, according to a new survey. Fifty-three per cent of the 17,477 people from 15 countries who took part in a YouGov poll commissioned by Amnesty International said human rights considerations were vital in choosing the host of the World Cup and other major sporting events, rising to 60 per cent among UK respondents. Saudi Arabia has been linked with a joint bid alongside Greece and Egypt to host the 2030 or 2034 World Cup, while the Middle East state has already been selected to host the Club World Cup in December. Representatives of more than 200 national associations will vote on who should host the 2030 finals at a FIFA Congress next year. FIFA made human rights criteria part of the bidding process for the 2026 finals, which were awarded to the United States, Canada and Mexico, following the decision by the governing body’s now-defunct executive committee to award the 2018 and 2022 finals to Russia and Qatar respectively back in 2010. However, organisations such as Amnesty and Kick It Out remain concerned that not enough importance is being attached to human rights in future decision-making processes. The poll showed that, after safety and security (57 per cent), human rights was the most commonly-chosen consideration for determining tournament hosts. This was the top consideration in seven of the countries surveyed and highest in Switzerland (68 per cent), where FIFA is based. More than four times as many people chose human rights as a key factor over “commercial revenues for sports bodies” – just 13 per cent. Amnesty’s head of economic and social justice Steve Cockburn said: “It is clear that the public wants human rights to be a high priority so that the World Cup is a celebration of the game they love and never provides a platform for exploitation, repression or discrimination. “FIFA must rigorously apply the highest human rights standards in evaluating all bids to host its flagship tournament, demand clear human rights action plans and reject any bid that fails to credibly show how serious human rights risks would be prevented, independently monitored and remedied if abuses occur.” It is critical that FIFA puts human rights front and centre when choosing the host for the 2030 men's World Cup Director of the Sports and Rights Alliance Andrea Florence Andrea Florence, the director of the Sports and Rights Alliance, added: “Since 2017, FIFA has made important progress in recognising its human rights responsibilities. But human rights assessments and considerations have not been applied systematically when awarding FIFA tournaments. “To demonstrate they are serious about their own policies and statutes, it is critical that FIFA puts human rights front and centre when choosing the host for the 2030 men’s World Cup.” FIFA has been approached for comment. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ben Johnson believes Ashley Cole can help England U21s to Euro 2023 glory Leading figures summoned to Senate hearing over shock PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger Southampton choose Russell Martin as their new manager

Even with the 2023 season approaching, Nick Saban takes exception to the fact that the Alabama Crimson Tide weren't put in the College Football Playoff.The Alabama Crimson Tide are preparing for the 2023 season, in which they won't have quarterback Bryce Young or linebacker Will Anders...