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      What work has Marcus Rashford done for charity? Full list of Man Utd ace’s generous acts including school meals victory

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      MARCUS RASHFORD has inspired the entire nation by convincing the government to provide free school meals to poorer students during holidays.
      And the Manchester United star has always been keen to get involved with charitable causes.

      Rashford with shoeboxes full of essential items for the homelessCredit: Marcus Rashfords Instagram

      The United striker’s initiative encouraged people to wrap festive boxes full of household items

      Rashford is known for his regular acts of charity

      These are some of the charitable and kind acts the star has done in previous years.
      Helping the homeless
      In October 2019, Rashford set up a Christmas campaign in order to support the biggest front-line services for young people experiencing homelessness.
      He linked up with Selfridges to launch the campaign – teaming up to help some of the city’s biggest homeless shelters – Barnabus, Centrepoint and Lifeshare.
      The idea was for members of the public to prepare shoeboxes filled with essential items including gloves, sanitary products, hats, deodorant, thermals, toothpaste and torches. People could then drop them to various Selfridges branches to be passed on.

      He personally delivered 300 boxes to Centrepoint, and the homeless organisation took to Instagram to write of his generosity saying: “We believe that sport has the power to positively transform young lives.”
      Visiting Manchester bombing victims
      After the horrific terrorist attack in 2017, Rashford joined Man Unied teammates in visiting the wounded, most of whom were children.
      A total of 22 people were killed with a further 120 injured after suicide bomber blew himself up at the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in May 2017.
      He also attended the One Love Manchester concert that raised £2million for those affected by the devastating circumstances.

      Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard visit victims of the Manchester terror attack in hospitalCredit: Instagram @jesselingard
      Players Together Initiative
      Back when the UK was in the beginning of lockdown, Rashford took to Instgram to show his support for the Players Together initiative supporting NHS staff during one of their toughest periods dealing with COVID-19.
      He was among a myriad of Premier League footballers who donated in total of £4million to help the coronavirus efforts.
      The cause supported NHS Charities Together (NHSCT), an umbrella organisation that supports 250 separate NHS charities across the UK.
      The campaign was spearheaded by Rashford, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson included Harry Kane, Harry Maguire, Virgil van Dijk, Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne.

      Teaming up with FareShare

      The rising star has always supported various causesCredit: Getty Images
      FareShare are a charity that aim at relieving food poverty and reducing food waste.
      Rashford teamed up with them in order to raise over £20million to provide children across Manchester with food if they got free school meals whilst they were still in school.
      The initiative began in Greater Manchester but later expanded as part of a national initiative.

      Helping vulnerable school children get free meals 

      Marcus Rashford has spent Monday passionately fighting the Government to help feed hungry kids in needCredit: BBC
      Rashford wrote an open letter to MPs, urging the government to reverse its decision to not give free school meal vouchers to 1.3 million children who are eligible for it.
      The government initially refused to U-turn but Rashford’s persistence as well the support of MPs and other celebrities alike forced a change in policy.
      The likes of Sir Keir Starmer, Piers Morgan and Gary Lineker were vocal in their support for the Man Utd and England star. More

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      Carabao Cup final pushed back until end of April in bid to have fans at Wembley showpiece

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      THE CARABAO CUP final has been moved from February 28 to Sunday April 25, 2021.
      The EFL have made the decision in a bid to have as many fans as possible attend the Wembley showdown which will kick off at 4pm.

      The Carabao Cup final has been moved to Sunday April 25, 2021 – 4pm kick-offCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      In a statement, the EFL said: “This season’s Carabao Cup final has been rescheduled and will now take place on Sunday 25 April 2021, with a 4pm kick-off.
      “It is the objective of the League to stage the final with as many supporters in attendance as possible.
      “And the decision has therefore been taken to move the final from its original date of Sunday February 28, 2021 to later in the year.
      “The number of fans permitted will be dependent on Government guidance in place at the time.

      “And it is hoped that moving the date to later in the year will give clubs and their fans the best opportunity to attend in person.
      “The competition is set to continue this week, with the quarter-finals to be played across Tuesday December 22 and Wednesday December 23, with all four games live on Sky Sports.”
      Just 2,000 fans are currently allowed to attend matches in Tiers One and Two.
      But teams in Tiers three and four – which London and large parts of the South East were plunged into at the weekend – must play behind closed doors.

      Many clubs – including current holders Manchester City – had pushed for this season’s competition to be axed to make space in the crowded fixture schedule.
      The first round fixtures began on August 29.
      But such ideas were quashed and the quarter-finals will take place this Tuesday and Wednesday.
      Brentford host Newcastle while Man City travel to Arsenal on Tuesday.
      Before Stoke play Tottenham at home and Manchester United meet Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

      Arsenal could be relegated this season says Shearer who claims Gunners have no creativity and don’t work hard enough More

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      EFL wage cap threatens to turn yo-yo clubs into boomerangs – the repercussions for promotion and relegation are immense

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      IT IS certainly no accident that Norwich, Bournemouth and Watford fill the three top spots in the Championship.
      It is mainly down to the quality of the players they managed to hang on to after all three were relegated from the Premier League last season.

      It’s no surprise Norwich are top of the ChampionshipCredit: Rex Features

      Plenty of clubs have squandered their top-flight legacy, from Blackpool to Wigan, Bolton — poor battered old Bolton — to Sunderland, once known as ‘the Bank of England club’.
      Increasingly, though, clubs have yo-yo’d between the top two divisions. Now proposals from the EFL inadvertently threaten to weaponise the yo-yo into a boomerang.
      I can see the day when the same three clubs perennially fly back and forth from the Championship.
      The reason? That Championship clubs are being asked to consider annual total player salaries to be set at £18million-a-season, with a £720,000-a-year limit on each player.

      That includes tax, agents’ fees, signing-on fees and loyalty bonuses.
      This is about £12k-a-week and the repercussions are immense.
      Your team go down and you will need to sell some of your players to survive, but will only be able to replace them with players on £12k-a-week.
      This is a real leveller and leads to massive inequalities in a squad.

      Clubs like Watford could soon be boomeranging to and from the Championship Credit: Rex Features

      Your team goes up and you now have to play in the Premier League with players on £12k-a-week.
      Even after television payments, the financial problems for promoted teams will be huge.
      Imagine Bournemouth (home attendance 11k) with all of their highest-paid players on a weekly maximum of £12k, promoted to a league where the average might well be £60k.
      What kind of contribution can these teams make to the greatest league in the world?
      Even brilliant financial balancing cannot overcome the twin obstacles of rising with a team made up of pay-capped staff, followed by the instant shock of the cost of the irresistible uplift in wages and the exposure to some of the best sides in the world.
      So, I can offer one certainty — life, already tenuous for past promoted trios, would be a tightrope walk above a relative Niagara Falls.
      Without a balance pole.
      The EFL also has plans to monitor wage bills in real time, which will give them a veto to stop you signing someone if they think you are outside the wage cap.
      WISHFUL THINKING
      If you do fall foul of it they will be able to apply in-season sanctions, a fine of £3 for each £1 overspend and potential deductions of between three and 12 points.
      In case this last line reads like something Comrade Xi Jinping would impose, it does to me too. That points deduction is wishful thinking.
      There would be less than no chance of it being applied in the Premier League to a promoted club.
      There is also a danger that in the long run the Championship will drop in quality and therefore value, making it less attractive to top clubs to loan young players.
      In coronavirus times, it is proper that the EFL should be trying to protect the future of their clubs. But they must be careful not to squeeze out ambition.
      If you have an owner with £100m who wants to invest it in a Championship team, to get promoted to the Premier League, they won’t be able to as their money counts for nothing more than £12k-a-week players.
      Promotion and relegation are the oxygen of our game. It may be that the Rich Six wish to be involved in higher realms, but wherever they go one thing is for certain.
      It won’t be to the Championship, as was comically proposed in the doomed Project Big Picture, as none of their players will take 12k-a-week!

      Man Utd star Marcus Rashford takes on child food poverty in new BBC documentary Feeding Britain’s Children More

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      Alex Mowatt and Barnsley are eyeing a shock return to the Premier League months after beating relegation to League One

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      ALEX MOWATT has had a whirlwind three years at Barnsley. And the skipper insists you can never accuse the Tykes of being boring.Since joining the club they have been promoted twice, won promotion and survived on the final game of last season. And Barnsley have had five different managers Mowatt, 25, told SunSport: “There’s never […] More

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      THREE Sunderland games postponed and training ground shut for 10 days after coronavirus outbreak

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      SUNDERLAND have announced their training ground has shut for ten days with the next THREE games postponed after being hit by a coronavirus outbreak.
      The Black Cats were without EIGHT first-team stars for last night’s 1-1 draw with AFC Wimbledon.

      Sunderland’s next three games have been postponed due to a coronavirus outbreakCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The Academy of Light has been closed for ten days after a total of five positive casesCredit: Getty – Contributor

      And the Academy of Light training ground has now been closed with immediate effect to prevent the virus from spreading further.
      It means games against Shrewsbury, Blackpool and Hull City will not be going ahead this month.
      But Sunderland are aiming to face Accrington Stanley on December 29 after returning to training two days before.
      An official statement read: “Sunderland AFC has today informed the EFL that it will not be able to play its next three Sky Bet League One fixtures following an outbreak of Covid-19 at the Academy of Light.

      “After one senior player tested positive for coronavirus on Monday, selected players and staff undertook additional testing and a further four cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed.
      “The individuals that have tested positive – and those that have come into close contact with them – are now observing a period of self-isolation at home.
      “Following extensive dialogue and clear guidance from Public Health England, SAFC has taken the decision to close the Academy of Light with immediate effect for a 10-day period in order to protect its players and staff and to prevent the further spread of the virus.”
      Chief Executive Officer James Rodwell added: “It is with a heavy heart that I have informed the EFL that we are unable to play our next three league fixtures. 

      “The welfare of our players, staff and opponents remains the number one priority and following detailed conversations with the relevant authorities, we have also taken the responsible decision to close the Academy of Light for a 10-day period. 
      “On behalf of everyone at the club, I wish all of those affected a swift and complete recovery.”
      Sunderland’s decision came after Black Cats boss Lee Johnson blasted the EFL for ‘dangerously’ forcing his Covid-hit side to play against Wimbledon on Tuesday.
      He was forced to make five changes to his side and name four youngsters on the bench who had played 24 hours earlier for the U23s.
      Johnson, who only took charge of Sunderland ten days ago, said: “That game should have been called off, no doubt in my mind. That was dangerous for those two sets of players.
      “I can’t help but feel angry, frustrated, at the moment I am not sure who I am angry at. I had to control the controllables. We didn’t get any help with clarity.
      “We asked the EFL for permission to postpone the game, and were told ‘If you postpone the game you will be up for sanction and you will be investigated’.
      “There was then a lack of clarity on exactly what that investigation entails, and the threat of having to potentially forsake the game and give the three points up to Wimbledon, we weren’t willing to take.
      “Don’t forget, it was all very quick and rushed. We’ve got our players’ safety to think of, and the safety of the players from Wimbledon as well as the staff. There should be much better protocols in place.

      Boss Lee Johnson was furious the EFL didn’t postpone last night’s game with AFC WimbledonCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Johnson had to call up a number of kids who had played for the U23s just a day earlierCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      “If the Bristol Rovers one is the same circumstance, then if they get off scot free, somehow we’ve been tucked up.
      “If they get deducted the points, then this becomes a good point because we’ve played the game and hustled with players who aren’t fit.
      “The EFL won’t give you the funding to do the testing, but then at the same time, they won’t help you out when there’s a circumstance that happens. It’s almost like we’ve been punished for doing the right protocols.”
      But the EFL fired back, saying: “The safety and well-being of players is a priority and the protocols that have been developed are designed to protect individuals and, if followed, will help prevent the spread of infection.
      “All EFL Clubs are aware of the processes and steps needed to take in the event of positive cases of COVID-19 and the impact this could have on their wider playing squads.
      “Throughout our extensive discussions on Tuesday it was made clear to the management of Sunderland that the option existed for them to inform the League they were unable to fulfil the fixture, but this would result in the circumstances being investigated as a result of the Club being required to fulfil their fixture obligations in accordance with the regulations.
      “This is consistent with the approach taken with other Clubs who have been faced with similar situation and the requirement to self-isolate players and staff in line with EFL and Government guidance.
      “As Sunderland has confirmed they opted not to do this for the reasons they have identified and to play in the fixture.
      “That decision rested with the Club as only they can make the determination on whether they had sufficient players available from their squad to fulfil the fixture.”

      Sunderland boss Johnson furious at EFL after being forced into dangerous Wimbledon game More

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      Watch Bournemouth stars Surridge and Stanislas in shoving match in middle of game before team-mates jump in

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      BOURNEMOUTH duo Sam Surridge and Junior Stanislas threatened to come to blows on Tuesday night as the pair had to be separated by team-mates.
      Match-winner Stanislas, 31, was left incensed after the Cherries striker opted to shoot in the closing stages of their 1-0 win against Wycombe Wanderers at the Vitality Stadium.

      Bournemouth’s Sam Surridge and Junior Stanislas were involved in a strange shoving match after Surridge took a shot in injury-time against Wycombe Wanderers. pic.twitter.com/pS9TkqNSYe
      — Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 16, 2020

      Sam Surridge and Junior Stanislas were seen pushing each other in the closing stages Bournemouth’s win over WycombeCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Stanislas was furious with his team-mate after he opted to take a shotCredit: Rex Features

      The valuable three points took the south coast side to the top of the Championship table having picked up their tenth victory in 19 games.
      But their gritty performance has been overshadowed by the incident at the end of the match where tempers flared between Surridge and Stanislas.
      Academy graduate Surridge, 22, did brilliantly in the latter stages of the clash as he picked up the ball just inside Wycombe’s half, before driving into the box and winning his side a corner.
      However his mazy run infuriated Stanislas as he appeared to be angry that the ball wasn’t played back to him instead.

      Though football fans have argued that the former West Ham and Burnley winger – who has scored six goals in as many games – wanted Surridge to go to the corner flag to waste time.
      Stanislas confronted the England U21 international, with the two then shoving each other as team-mate Jefferson Lerma rushed in to separate the two.
      Other team-mates then got involved as they dragged the players away before referee Matthew Donohue attempted to calm the pair down.
      Boss Jason Tindall played down the incident following the full-time whistle, though he stressed he wasn’t a fan of what happened.

      Midfielder Jefferson Lerma rushed in to separate Surridge and StanislasCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      He said: “For me it just goes to show the passion of the team and how much they want to win – how much each game means to them.
      “You don’t want to see what happened but it’s no different to what happens up and down the country on the training ground from time-to-time.
      “There’s no hard feelings between the two of them. They were just frustrated at the time and passion probably got the better of both of them.
      “But they are in the changing room now, all fine, all laughing, all joking, still united and it’s all forgotten.”

      Sunderland boss Johnson furious at EFL after being forced into dangerous Wimbledon game More

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      Exeter and Cambridge fans boo players taking knee with Grecians supporter ejected from ground

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      EXETER and Cambridge fans booed players taking the knee on Tuesday night.
      A Grecians supporter was ejected from St James Park after being identified by stewards and spoken to by police.

      Exeter City’s Ryan Bowman and Harrogate striker Jack Muldoon, who later hit the visitors’ winner, were booed taking the knee before the League Two clashCredit: Pinnacle Photo Agency

      Many Exeter fans tried to drown out the booing from a few of their fellow home supporters against HarrogateCredit: Pinnacle Photo Agency

      Fellow Exeter fans tried to drown out the booing as the players took the knee in support of Black Lives Matter before their 2-1 League Two defeat against Harrogate.
      A handful of fans also heckled at Cambridge’s Abbey Stadium before their 2-1 win over Colchester in the same division as both sides took the knee.
      The anti-racism gesture had barely begun when a few boos rang out.
      But the majority of the crowd responded by clapping to show support.

      It is the second time in a week Exeter have been plunged into controversy following an allegation of racist abuse towards a Northampton star last Tuesday.
      The club and police are  investigating and have appealed for witnesses.
      And Exeter skipper Jake Taylor hit out at at Tuesday night’s booing.
      DevonLive quote the one-cap Wales winger as saying: “There is no place for it at Exeter City so I’m glad he got dealt with.

      QPR and Millwall players united for this gesture against racism after some Lions’ fans heckled their players taking the knee against Derby
      “Hopefully (the fan) gets banned and has to deal with the consequences as it shouldn’t be happening in this day and age.
      “We are a respectable club and I hope our fans would back the message that us players and staff back too.
      “It is really disappointing and not an Exeter City thing to do.
      “Both teams spoke about it before the game and we are fully onboard with it.

      “Hopefully when it happens in the future (taking a knee) it gets a better reaction than it did this evening.”
      The incidents came 10 days after Millwall fans heckled their players and Derby’s for taking a knee at The Den.
      Lions fans applauded their team and QPR for an alternative anti-racism protest three days later, with players instead linking arms before kick-off.

      Millwall fans clap and cheer at The Den as QPR take the knee ahead of Championship game More