Dundee sign striker Westley from Burnley
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The Guardian
20 minutes ago
- The Guardian
US sports lobby Home Office for travel exemption after golf caddie refused UK entry
Sports organisations in the US will press the Home Office to apply exemptions to new travel rules for American citizens entering the UK, after Harris English's caddie missed out on around £130,000 by being denied access for the Scottish Open and the Open Championship. The case of Eric Larson has alerted sport governing bodies such as the NFL and NBA, which stage games in London, that sportspeople or staff can be prohibited from entering the UK under electronic travel authorisation (ETA) rules if they have a criminal conviction. Larson was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 1995 for involvement in drug dealing and rebuilt his career as a caddie for several leading PGA Tour players after serving 10 years. Larson's past had been largely forgotten until the Scottish Open, when it was revealed that any American citizen given a custodial sentence of at least 12 months will now be denied UK entry. ETA implementation started in January this year. Larson was refused travel despite lobbying to the Home Office from the PGA Tour and the R&A. English tied 22nd in Scotland and finished second in the Open. Caddies typically receive around 10% of their player's winnings; English earned more than £1.8m from his UK trip. As things stand, Larson will encounter the same situation in 2026. The American bodies will point to the fact that Donald Trump's ban on citizens from a dozen countries entering the US – another seven have been served with restrictions – contains an exemption intended to apply to players, staff or associated families linked to the 2026 Fifa World Cup or the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. No such leeway exists presently for the UK border. 'Sporting bodies are now asking the UK to apply sporting exemptions on this system,' a senior figure within US sport said. The Home Office did not offer comment on whether it has already been asked to apply sporting exemptions on the ETA and what any response towards this might be. A source with knowledge of the Home Office position said: 'Each application for a decision outside the rules is considered on its merits but informed by previous examples and precedents.' The same source confirmed the 'mandatory and automatic refusal of entry clearance for individuals who have received a previous custodial sentence of at least 12 months'. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion The NFL will return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for matches on back-to-back weekends in October. The NBA announced last week that games will be staged in London in early 2026 and Manchester the following year. An obvious anomaly with the UK's present stance can be demonstrated within golf. Ángel Cabrera received a multiyear prison term for crimes against women. The former Masters champion, from Argentina, played in the Senior Open at Sunningdale in July. The Australian Ryan Peake participated in the Open at Royal Portrush, six years after being released from jail on a serious assault conviction. Peake is understood to hold a UK passport.
BBC News
41 minutes ago
- BBC News
New association gives players 'stronger voice'
A new, independent association for leading snooker players will give them "a stronger voice", according to its chairman John four-time world champion is a director of the Professional Snooker Players Association (PSPA) which says it is launching to "champion the sport", along with its leading names."We feel as though we've not been listened to as we should have been in recent years", Higgins told BBC Sport."The game has not moved forward with the times compared to other top sports."Snooker deserves a strong, independent players' association that stands for fairness, transparency, and progress." The association also claims the governance of snooker "should factor in more of the views of the players".It has vowed to foster a "collaborative relationship" with the sport's authorities, including the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the existing WPBSA Players' Board, and World Snooker Tour "to enhance the sport's future, while safeguarding player welfare and commercial interests".The PSPA says it has established a players board comprising of Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Barry Hawkins, Shaun Murphy, Ali Carter, Gary Wilson, Stuart Bingham, Jack Lisowski, Stephen Maguire, Mark Allen, Ryan Day and Joe Perry. Another player - Matthew Selt - has been appointed a director, alongside lawyers Ben Rees and Mark association also claims that seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has agreed to become a member, along with Chinese stars Ding Junhui and Xiao Guodong."I've had lots of discussions with Ronnie" said Higgins. "He's really excited about it, so it's full steam ahead."The fact so many of the top players are behind the new body suggests some feel they do not have enough say in the running of the World Snooker Tour (WST), particularly the commercial the 2024 World Championship, the headlines at the Crucible were dominated by talk of a potential breakaway tour. This came after the game's top players were approached to play in lucrative events in China and North America as part of a potential breakaway players sign a contract which does not allow them to compete in any outside events while WST tournaments are being played, unless they are events sanctioned by the WST, although players have recently negotiated more the WST has been increasing the amount of prize money in the game, and is preparing to stage the sport's "fourth major" in Saudi Arabia with a prize pot of more than £2m. The second Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will take place later this week in WPBSA's own players' body was formed in 2020, and the governing body says it has "a specific mandate to act in the collective best interest of members in relation to welfare and issues affecting the professional game."It says that it "acts as a channel for member concerns and provides a platform whereby issues surrounding their wellbeing can be raised at the highest levels by the WPBSA Players Board."The PSPA says it has been formed with expert guidance from leading sports law professionals, and that its key objectives include legal and commercial support to protect players' rights in sponsorship, broadcasting, and contractual matters.
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Man United 'increasingly confident of beating Newcastle to the signing of Benjamin Sesko and believe the RB Leipzig striker only wants Old Trafford move'
Manchester United are increasingly confident of beating Newcastle to the signing of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko and believe the 22-year-old 'only want to join' the club, a report has claimed. The Red Devils finally made their interest in the Slovenian striker concrete on Tuesday, with a £73.8million bid, slightly less than the improved offer worth a total of £78.2m that rivals Newcastle tabled on Monday night. While the Magpies remain in the hunt for the forward as they look to secure a replacement for their wantaway star Alexander Isak, there is a feeling that United would not have made an official approach if they had not received encouragement from the player's camp. According to Fabrizio Romano, United's confidence in completing a deal has only grown 'stronger' following the submission of their bid and the club are of the belief that Sesko only has eyes for Old Trafford. Furthermore, he claims that the club have forwarded an official contract proposal to the player while they 'keep negotiating' with Leipzig. The Bundesliga outfit have yet to respond to United's bid, but Sesko will make the final decision over his future and is now considering his options with the club and his representatives. United remained in the background while Newcastle made two attempts to strike a deal for the 22-year-old before officially entering the bidding on Tuesday, although sources are remaining tight-lipped over the move. They hope that Sesko's preference to move to Old Trafford will tip the balance in their favour even though the current offer appears to be marginally smaller. United chiefs believe their price matches the player's market value. On Tuesday, bookmakers Betfair suspended all bets for the Slovenian to move to Manchester United or Newcastle. Sam Rosbottom, a spokesperson from the bookies, has said: 'Having been odds-on 8/15 favourites to sign Benjamin Sesko on Monday, betting is now suspended for Man United to seal a deal for the 22-year-old Slovenian. 'United have already secured deals for Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha to boost their attacking ranks this summer. With his future looking unlikely, Rasmus Hojlund is 3/10 to join RB Leipzig, heading in the opposite direction to Sesko.' United have been keen to sign a centre-forward this summer after seeing No.1 target Liam Delap opt for Chelsea, and Hugo Ekitike and Viktor Gyokeres go to Liverpool and Arsenal. They have already spent more than £130m on Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha to support a new centre-forward, with Rasmus Hojlund set to leave if a new signing comes in. Newcastle, meanwhile, want Sesko to replace Isak who is intent on joining Liverpool. The Merseysiders have already had a £110m bid for Isak rejected and are unlikely to return with a better offer until Newcastle have a new striker in place. Mail Sport previously reported that Sesko became United's No 1 choice should they sign a new striker this summer, ahead of Aston Villa frontman Ollie Watkins. Leipzig have an informal agreement in place to allow Sesko to go should they receive a suitable package from the right club, and talks were held with the Slovenian and his agent Elvis Basanovic over the weekend to discuss his next steps.
