Mandaric no longer pursuing Sheff Wed return
Former Sheffield Wednesday owner Milan Mandaric is no longer pursuing a return to Hillsborough.In a statement to BBC Radio Sheffield, Mandaric said that after considering putting together a 'rescue package', he had decided it would not be in the club's best interest if he was to try to assist at this point.However, Mandaric understands that there are several parties interested, external in a takeover of the Owls. The 86-year-old Serbian-American businessman owned Wednesday between 2010 and 2015 before selling to current proprietor Dejphon Chansiri.Under Chansiri, the Owls have been given spending restrictions over the next three transfer windows by the English Football League following failures to pay wages on time.
Mandaric had hoped to meet Chansiri during a brief visit to the UK this week, but the current Wednesday owner is not in the country.And on reflection, Mandaric, who also owned Portsmouth and Leicester City before Wednesday, does not believe that he could devote sufficient time to "return the club to the healthy condition I left it in".He also believes that with other parties involved, his potential interest would not be constructive. "At such an important time, I would not want my involvement to either slow down or hinder these discussions," he said.Mandaric stated, however, that he would be happy to offer help to Chansiri or any new owner if requested.He added: "Nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing our team competing again for promotion in the coming seasons."Wednesday finished 12th in the Championship last season, 10 points outside the play-off places - they have not played in the top flight since 2003.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
16 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Savers won't benefit from Reeves's pension reforms, Labour's own research suggests
Rachel Reeves's radical pensions overhaul will only 'slightly' benefit savers, Labour's own research suggests. Unearthed government documents show that changes brought in by Pension Schemes Bill will provide just 'slightly greater expected returns', despite the Chancellor's promises to deliver 'bigger pots for savers.' The Bill, which is set to become law next year, proposes giving regulators the ability to force defined contribution schemes to invest in private markets. But in a best case scenario, this will only add £5,000 to an average pension pot after 30 years, Government forecasts show. Experts have repeatedly warned that the Chancellor risks 'sacrificing' people's long-term retirement goals in pursuit of economic growth. Meanwhile, Ms Reeves has claimed that the Bill is a 'game changer' that would deliver bigger returns. Currently, the majority of defined contribution schemes are invested in public markets, such as government and corporate bonds or stocks and shares. The private market, such as start-ups and infrastructure projects, only makes up a small portion of pension fund portfolios. But under Ms Reeves's changes, regulators could be given a reserve power to force schemes to invest in UK private markets. Mike Ambery, of Standard Life, said he did not expect the reserve power to be used, but he questioned why it was added to the Bill in the first place when already positively being actioned. Under the voluntary Mansion House Accord, 17 of the UK's largest defined contribution scheme providers pledged to invest at least 5pc of their assets in UK private markets by 2030. Defined contribution pensions are schemes that savers pay in to to build up a pot of money over time. Tom Selby, of AJ Bell, said: 'Pension schemes should fundamentally be investing to deliver the best possible returns for savers, regardless of where those assets are held.' 'There is a real danger in conflating the Government's increasingly desperate efforts to deliver economic growth with people's long-term retirement goals that the latter will be sacrificed in pursuit of the former. 'Ministers need to be straight with people about the risks inherent in this approach, rather than denying the uncertainty that exists and claiming this is somehow a guaranteed win-win for savers and the UK economy.' The Chancellor has already faced criticism over other parts of the Bill, namely allowing defined benefit pension schemes to transfer surplus funds back into businesses. Firms will be allowed to raid £160bn in defined benefit pension surpluses, loosening existing safeguards that protect pensions from riskier investments. Around 8.8 million savers are members of a defined benefit pension scheme. They provide a guaranteed income for life, typically based on someone's final salary. The majority of defined benefit schemes are now running at a surplus thanks to increased investment returns and higher interest rates. Steve Webb, partner at pension consultants LCP, said: 'The Government's primary objective in changing the way pension funds are invested is to boost the UK economy rather than to boost individual pensions. 'The Government's own projections suggest that even after several decades of the new approach, the impact on individual pension pots is likely to be slight. 'Given that we clearly have an under-saving crisis in the UK, with millions set for a disappointing retirement, there needs to be much greater urgency around measures to get more money flowing into pension savings'. The Department for Work and Pensions was contacted for comment.
Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Prince William stops by St George's Park to wish the Lionesses ahead of kick-off - as Sabrina Weigman's 23-player squad heads to Switzerland for the 2025 Euros
The Prince of Wales today met the Lionesses to wish them luck for the forthcoming UEFA Women's Euros that kicks off on July 2 during a special visit to England's national football centre. During his visit to St George's Park, William, 43, met with head coach Sarina Weigman as well as senior personnel at the Football Association to find out how the team is preparing for the tournament. A long-term Aston Villa supporter, William is patron of the FA after stepping down as President last July. The future King had held the position for nearly two decades before he announced his decision to scale back his role to focus more on his responsibilities as the Duke of Cornwall. After he arrived at the training centre in Staffordshire, William watched a Made for This Game activity with junior girl's football teams from primary and secondary schools where teams were formed after the Lionesses made history at the 2022 Euros. The Made For this Game campaign was designed to inspire young girls to play football after what has been described as 'English women's football 's greatest day'. Joining Prince William for today's session were former Lionesses Rachel Brown-Finnis and Kerry Davis as the trip met young players, coaches, and referees part of this grassroots movement to help girls reclaim the pitch. Before he left, William met players alongside their friends and families to hear more about their training, including speaking to players who will be competing in the tournament for the first time. William, who was dressed in a grey sport coat, also participated in a shirt-printing activity wioth staff and players in the changing rooms before joining a shirt participation of the players who are part of the England team for this year's Euros. Sporting the salt-and-pepper beard that has sent royal fans into a tizzy, William picked a light blue shirt and navy trousers for today's engagement. His visit to the training centre comes after Sabrina unveiled her 23-player squad that will be looking to defend their title when the competition begins on Wednesday. The team is very different from the one that lifted the Euros back in 2022, in turn making history, MailOnline's Harry Bamforth noted. There will be tournament debuts for seven players as Michelle Agyemang, Manchester United's Maya Le Tissier, and Grace Clinton, Manchester City's Khiara Keating and Jess Park, Chelsea's Aggie Beever-Jones, and Orlando Pride's Anna Moorhouse have all been selected. Prince William's visit to St George's Park comes after he knighted former England football manager Gareth Southgate at Windsor Castle last week. Southgate was recognised for his services to football in the New Year Honours and officially received the knighthood today at an Investiture ceremony. As England boss, Southgate led the Three Lions to the finals of Euro 2020 and 2024 as well as the semi-final of the World Cup in 2018. After Thursday's investiture ceremony, Southgate becomes the fourth England manager to be knighted, after Sir Walter Winterbottom, Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson. Following the 2-1 final defeat to Spain at Euro 2024, Southgate stepped down as England manager after eight years in charge. Earlier this month, William issued a call for urgent action against climate change as the heir to the throne highlighted the role that Indigenous People play in protecting nature. 'Their stewardship and protection are among the most effective forces for conservation,' he told a roundtable event being held at St James's Palace as part of London Climate Action Week. 'If we are serious about achieving climate and biodiversity goals, Indigenous Peoples and local communities must be central to the effort as partners, leaders, and co-creators of solutions.' Amongst those in the audience were Brazil's Minister of Indigenous Peoples and British energy minister Ed Miliband, who on Wednesday reiterated Britain's commitment to decarbonising the economy and stimulating green business growth. William's remarks on Thursday follow on from a plea earlier this month to world leaders and businesses to take immediate action to protect the planet's oceans, saying it was a challenge 'like none we have faced before'. On Thursday, the royal, 43, headed the high-level roundtable, called Nature's Guardians: On the Road to COP30 & Beyond, which was aimed at increasing funding for nature protection projects. The discussion was hosted by The Royal Foundation, of which the Prince is founder, at the London residence.
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
How plug-in solar panels could help Britons save 30% on energy bills
Your support helps us to tell the story Read more Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Britons could soon buy cheap solar panels which can be put on balconies, sheds and terraces to cut their energy bills. The plan, using so-called plug-in solar modules which typically cut bills by 30 per cent in countries where they are already used, has been announced by the government as part of a broader plan to step up solar power access. Using balconies for solar panels is already common in Germany, where 1.5 million homes use the technology. Locals have named it Balkonkraftwerk, or balcony power plant. Using solar panels this way is a lot cheaper than installing them on a roof, where scaffolding and hiring specialist workers means that even a modest eight-panel array will cost about £5,000. It will also unlock solar power for many of Britian's 5.4m households which rent. Presently, only homeowners can opt to fit solar panels unless they agree a deal with their landlord. Even then, if they moved, they would lose their panels. The proposed system is portable. This so-called plug-in power plant also means no expensive fitting is required. Instead, the panels are attached to an inverter, which steps up the voltage to the 240v used by your home's mains supply. It is then attached by a regular plug. To avoid electric shock, the inverters detect when they are unplugged and isolate the plug and its exposed electrical pins. open image in gallery Rooftop panels still produce the most ebergy but they are expensive to fit ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) The government is investigating whether a similar safe system can be deployed in the UK. Unlike a full rooftop solar system, no power can be sold back to the grid with plug-in panels. Instead, the aim is to cut electricity bills during the day from appliances like fridges, freezers and computers used by home workers. The panels also probably won't face upwards for the best power generation, since roofs are still the best for that. But plummeting solar panel prices and climbing prices for having them fitted to a roof mean that balcony panels are now a more attractive option than in previous years. Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband said solar 'is one of the cheapest and quickest to build power sources we have.' He added: 'We will push ahead on a solar rooftop revolution, while tackling the barriers of planning, grid, supply chains and skills.' In Germany, a pair of 400-watt panels could save €120 to €240 a year in electricity costs, according to consumer website Finanztip, which could be 30 per cent off a smaller flat's usage, according to manufacturer estimates. Panels can last 30 years if looked after well, and the €540 they can cost can be recouped in a few years, depending on usage.
