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      Underworld crooks who stole the 1966 World Cup finally unmasked – but did Britain’s most powerful men let them off?

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      THE two villains suspected of masterminding the theft of the World Cup in 1966 have remained under the radar for 56 years.But as Gareth Southgate and his England squad prepare to bring it home again, The Sun unmasks the crooks who attempted one of the past century’s most notorious thefts.
      England captain Bobby Moore holds the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy as he sits on his teammate’s shouldersCredit: Popperfoto – Getty
      Thief Edward Betchley was the only man convincted over the break-inCredit: Supplied
      Underworld fence Bernard ‘The Pole’ MakowskiCredit: Supplied
      We can reveal how crooked Hatton Garden diamond dealer Gerald Sattin and underworld fence Bernard “The Pole” Makowski were strongly suspected of being architects of the plot to steal the Jules Rimet trophy.
      Our investigations also expose how the pair — both now dead — escaped scot free after an apparent Downing Street deal to retrieve the cup.
      Historic confidential police intelligence documents list both men as associates of Edward Betchley, the only one of the three to be convicted of the theft of the cup from a display case at an exhibition in London.
      The files reveal a witness saw Sattin, then 34, at the exhibition at Westminster’s Methodist Central Hall.
      Read More on The Sun
      The witness, a solicitor who asked for anonymity, urged police “to make as full an investigation into this line of inquiry as I believe this to be more than a coincidence”.
      Professional thief Betchley, also now dead, was arrested four days after the theft following a ransom attempt — but the cup remained missing.
      Betchley told police he was acting on behalf of a man he knew only by the nickname The Pole.
      A Scotland Yard index of nicknames turned up Warsaw-born Makowski, then 40.
      Most read in Football
      The World Cup remained missing for a week until it was found in a South London hedge by a dog called Pickles — and England went on to win it in July that year.
      We can now reveal that before Pickles became an unlikely hero, a deal was hatched for the trophy’s return, backed by Downing Street.
      It led to charges being reduced against Betchley and no action being taken against Sattin and Makowski.
      A previously undisclosed document in Betchley’s police file reveals how Michael Halls, Principal Private Secretary to PM Harold Wilson, contacted the Director of Public Prosecutions over the case.
      Former Scotland Yard Flying Squad commander John O’Connor said last night: “There was clearly a deal with the DPP, police and Betchley to get the cup back.
      “But this document strongly suggests for the first time that it was done at the behest of Harold Wilson.
      “He wouldn’t get his hands dirty, but he would let his secretary do exactly that. It was skulduggery but it was also in the public interest to get the cup back.
      “It was even more important for Wilson, as it was days away from the General Election. Finding the cup could well have affected the outcome of the election.”
      ‘It was skulduggery’
      The 14in, gold-plated Jules Rimet trophy of the winged goddess Nike had arrived in London under tight security on January 5, 1966.
      The following day it was on display at the live TV screening of the tournament draw in West London.
      Two officials from previous winners Brazil handed the cup to Fifa president Sir Stanley Rous, who quipped: “Whether they leave it here permanently or just temporarily will be seen in July.”
      His words came back to haunt him when it was stolen on March 20.
      The FA had loaned it to stamp company Stanley Gibbons for an exhibition.
      The show was closed on the Sunday of the theft but the building was open for Methodist services.
      Gerald Sattin and girlfriend Maureen Flanagan in Las Vegas in the early 1970sCredit: Supplied
      Thames boatman David Corbett with Pickles, the collie who found the newspaper-wrapped cup under a bush in his owner’s front garden in South LondonCredit: PA:Press Association
      Two thieves broke into the first-floor hall, where the cup was on display, and the theft was discovered just after noon.
      With 11 days until the General Election, Harold Wilson, who believed a successful World Cup tournament could rescue the ailing Pound, told Home Secretary Roy Jenkins to call in the Yard’s top brass.
      Files reveal Jenkins spoke to then Met commissioner Sir Joseph Simpson and Commander Ernie Millen, who put his best thief-taker on the case, Tommy Butler, Scourge of the Great Train Robbers.
      There were two witnesses. Churchgoing Margaret Coombes spotted Betchley on the first floor at 11am and picked him out at an identity parade following his arrest.
      One of the guards, Frank Hudson, spotted a second man loitering near where the World Cup was on display.
      The suspect was never traced, though his description bore a striking resemblance to Makowski.
      The next day, the solicitor witness, who The Sun is not naming, came forward to say he had spoken to Sattin at the exhibition.
      Files show married father-of-three Sattin was questioned by police and admitted being at the exhibition.
      Sattin had a taste for high living, glamorous women, luxury cars and crime.
      Five years after the World Cup theft he began an 18-month affair with former Sun Page 3 model Maureen Flanagan.
      Now 81, Maureen said: “I knew nothing about him being involved with stealing the World Cup. He wasn’t even a football fan.
      “After we split up he was jailed for fraud and he had been to prison before he met me but it was not something he ever spoke about. All I’d say is that if you met him you’d trust him with the world — if not the World Cup.”
      As police questioned Sattin they were already moving in on Betchley, a known associate of his, who had anonymously called FA chief Joe Mears the day after the theft.
      He promised to send a parcel that would “be of interest”.
      England manager Sir Alf Ramsay, captain Bobby Moore and teammates at a lunch the day after they won the trophyCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Two days later the lid of the World Cup was delivered with a typed ransom demand for £15,000 — around £300,000 now — for its return.
      Mears rang the police and Detective Inspector Jack Buggy posed as his assistant and spoke twice to the crook by phone.
      Investigators traced the second call to a phone box near Betchley’s South London home.
      DI Buggy met the crook — Betchley — at Battersea Park and showed him “bundles of cash” in a briefcase — though it was mostly scraps of paper.
      Former soldier and dock labourer Betchley, 47, got in DI Buggy’s car and told him to drive, but in Camberwell he got spooked and ran. He was quickly captured by Buggy.
      A search for the cup at his home proved fruitless and raids on the nearby Camberwell homes of two associates, brothers Sidney and Reginald Cugullere, drew a blank.
      Relatives later said the brothers had hidden the cup in a coal shed.
      Betchley denied two charges of theft and also demanding money with menaces.
      He told police he had been offered £500 to act as an intermediary by “The Pole”, calling the nameless figure “one of his customers”.
      Two days after his arrest, magistrates bailed Betchley on a surety of £5,000, worth £100k today.
      The next day Pickles found the World Cup wrapped in newspaper in the front garden of a house in Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood, South London.
      His owner, Thames barge worker David Corbett, lived in a flat at the address.
      He went on to claim £6,000 in insurance rewards — six times the amount England’s players each received for winning the cup.
      A memo marked “confidential” and obtained by The Sun casts a further cloud of mystery around the case.
      The empty display where the cup had been keptCredit: PA:Press Association
      Thieves removed eight screws from a door to get into the exhibition hallCredit: PA
      It stated that Harold Wilson’s PPS Michael Halls asked that an unspecified matter “be given immediate consideration . . . ” and added that it was being copied to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
      Then on April 12, just over a fortnight after the cup was found, the more serious offences of theft were dropped against Betchley, despite a wealth of evidence against him.
      He later admitted two counts of demanding money with menaces and was jailed for two years.
      Police took no further action in the case.
      Ex-Flying Squad chief Mr O’Connor said: “This new information strongly suggests Sattin, Makowski, Betchley the thief and other associates were all in it together.
      “Sattin planned it and used Betchley as a professional thief, probably by going through Makowski. It was a murky old world in those days and it doesn’t get much murkier than this.
      “There was clearly a deal with Betchley and the police agreed by the DPP and which went through Harold Wilson’s private secretary.
      “We were being embarrassed by these criminals in front of the world and they would have done anything to get the cup back. It would have soured the whole World Cup tournament if the trophy had not been found.”
      The trophy went back to Brazil in 1970 when they won the World Cup in Mexico.
      As three-times winners, they got to keep it permanently — though it was stolen again in 1983 and has never been found. Its replacement, the Fifa World Cup Trophy, has been awarded ever since.
      After it was pinched in London, a replica was commissioned from London silversmith George Bird, who was sworn to secrecy.
      The copy was sold at Sotheby’s to a mystery bidder in 1997 for £240,500 — almost 25 times its estimated value.
      Read More on The Sun
      It later emerged the bidder was a representative of the FA acting on behalf of Fifa, whose secretary Sepp Blatter authorised the purchase at any price.
      The copy was later given to the National Football Museum in Manchester, where it remains on display.
      Harold Wilson believed a successful World Cup tournament could rescue the ailing PoundCredit: Rex
      The 14in, gold-plated Jules Rimet trophy of the winged goddess Nike arrived in London under tight security on January 5, 1966Credit: PA:Empics Sport More

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      I went inside £1bn ‘HMS Wag’ where England’s girlfriends will stay at World Cup – it’s more bonkers than you’d imagine

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      WITH £400 bottles of bubbly, Swarovski crystal staircases and sub-zero snow rooms, this is a booze cruise like no other.England’s top Wags will want for nothing on the incredible £1billion MSC World Europa, where a glamorous fleet will stay to cheer on our Three Lions during the Qatar World Cup.
      The £1billion, 1,093 ft floating hotel MSC World Europa — dubbed HMS WagCredit: Getty
      Eric Dier’s fiancee Anna Modler
      Jack Grealish’s girlfriend Sasha AttwoodCredit: Instagram @sasha__rebecca
      I went aboard for an exclusive look and to check out its dazzling array of facilities which include seven pools, luxury watch shops, an exclusive range of £6,000 “royal” suites — and an 11-deck drop slide.
      England wives and girlfriends thought to be spending the tournament on the 22-deck ship include models Sasha Attwood, 26, girlfriend of Manchester City ace Jack Grealish, and Anna Modler, 24, engaged to Spurs man Eric Dier, as well as Harry Maguire’s wife Fern, 27.
      Captain Harry Kane’s wife, Katie, 29, is also tipped to be staying on MSC’s largest ever ship, where the alcohol will flow despite Qatar’s strict rules on land.
      The 1,093 ft floating hotel — dubbed HMS Wag — was christened in a glittering ceremony in Qatar over the weekend as it prepared to welcome its VIP guests at capital city Doha.
      Read More on England WAGS
      As I was led into the ship’s exclusive Yacht Club, it’s clear the Wags won’t have to worry about privacy.
      This intimate zone at the very top of the ship comes with its own exclusive restaurant and lounge bar — linked by a stunning staircase stacked with more than 8,000 octagon and pear-cut Swarovski crystals.
      By day, our Wags will be able to relax on two vast private sun decks with a large pool and two Jacuzzis, surrounded by plush loungers and beach club-style cabanas.
      There’s a bar and grill for cocktails and lazy lunches.
      Most read in Football
      MSC’s Yacht Club director Cristian Comirla said: “The needs of every Yacht Club guest are anticipated 24 hours a day by our elite team of highly-trained butlers. They will greet everyone by name and provide a totally personalised service.”
      All-inclusive suites in the Yacht Club will set the Wags back up to £6,000 each, with the grandest Owners and Royal suites the ones to covet.
      They come with hot tubs, walk-in wardrobes and Italian designer superking beds.
      Duplex suites feature double-height ceilings and two stories of luxury with Nespresso machines and free minibars stashing bottles of premium spirits and mixers.
      Christian added: “Every day the chef will prepare special treats to deliver to each suite, from delicious sweets to savoury specialities based on where the ship is docked.”
      But it would be a mistake for the Wags not to explore the rest of this vast pleasure palace.
      There are 13 restaurants plus 20 bars and lounges waiting for the 6,762 passengers to enjoy, spread out over 22 decks of unrivalled luxury.
      Qatar’s strict laws on booze include a zero-tolerance policy for drinking or appearing drunk in public.
      But with the ship docked off-shore, guests will be free to make the most of its extensive drinks menu.
      The Wags will feel right at home in the Fizz Champagne Bar where the most expensive bottle of bubbly – Armand de Brignac – will set them back a whopping £400.
      I settled down with a slightly more down-to-earth but equally delicious glass of rose champagne that cost just £13.
      And all the Brits will feel right at home in the Masters of the Sea pub, where a microbrewery will serve up Oceanic beers created using sea water.
      The Sun’s Lisa Minot sampling the good life on MSC World EuropaCredit: MSC Cruises
      Lisa braves the ship’s snow roomCredit: MSC Cruises
      All matches will be screened live here throughout the tournament, which kicks off on November 20.
      The pub is linked by spiral stair-case to the Gin Project, with expert bartenders serving up classic cock-tails from more than 70 craft gins.
      Cooling down in the fierce Qatari sunshine will be a breeze in one of the seven swimming pools – including the infinity-edge Zen – while 13 bubbling hot tubs will soothe away the stress of England’s World Cup journey.
      Wags wanting to indulge in a bit of retail therapy are in luck.
      Shops and restaurants line the World Galleria, where thousands of LED lights in the domed ceiling create stunning cinematic displays, switching from shifting desert sands to whales swimming in deep oceans.
      The heart of the ship features bars, lounges, restaurants and shops including Fine Jewellery where I got to try on the most expensive gem — a £22,000 1.02- carat yellow diamond ring. Unlike the Wags, though, I had to give it back.
      The Galleria leads to the stunning out-door Prom-enade with yet more shops, bars and restaurants.
      Wags wanting to reward their men for a job well done could splash out on a £53,000 solid gold Hublot timepiece in one of the two watch emporiums.
      The promenade is THE place to be at sunset where you can sip a cocktail or two while looking out over the Doha skyline and admire views of the 974 World Cup stadium, named after the exact number of shipping containers used to create the unique venue.
      I joined the adrenaline-addicts to tackle the ‘Venom Drop’ – the longest dry slide­ at sea that corkscrews down 11 decks to the promenade and pops out by the Malt bar where we indulged in a restorative tot of whisky.
      To calm my nerves, it was a far more Wag-tastic activity next – the peaceful Balinese-style Aurea Spa.
      Donning a huge fluffy bathrobe I soothed away aches and pains with a journey through the thermal area, dipping into the bubbling pools and experiencing the steam rooms, saunas overlooking the sea and even the sub-zero snow room with frozen ice floors and walls.
      Lisa relaxes at the spa on HMS WagCredit: MSC Cruises
      The Wags will feel right at home in the Fizz Champagne BarCredit: SUPPLIED
      The ladies can pamper themselves with £150 massages, facials and body wraps or indulge in a manicure, blow dry and even lash extensions.
      It’s not the only thing on board to amuse the Wags – by night there are West End-style shows and nightclubs featuring Ibiza-style raves as well as DJ parties on deck by the pool.
      But the most exclusive venue on the ship is an invite-only intimate speakeasy, hidden in plain sight and reserved for only the most VIP of guests.
      I got special access to this top-secret joint and can guarantee it will give the girls the chance to let their hair down and relax away from prying eyes.
      More than 14,000 England and Welsh fans have also booked rooms on the luxury liner.
      But England’s football stars may unfortunately not be able to join their other halves onboard.
      Last week, Qatar reported 307 new Covid cases and Gareth Southgate could be forced to keep his team in a strict bubble.
      The Three Lions boss and his squad will stay at the Souq Al Wakra hotel near Doha ahead of their first match against Iran on November 21.
      Read More on The Sun
      Other partners are expected to stay in five-star hotels in Dubai and commute in for matches.
      It remains to be seen if football’s coming home, but after a couple of weeks on HMS Wag its lucky guests definitely won’t want to.
      The Wags will be able to relax on two vast private sun decks with a large pool and two Jacuzzis, surrounded by plush loungers and beach club-style cabanasCredit: SUPPLIED
      Adrenaline-addicts can tackle the ‘Venom Drop’ – the longest dry slide­ at sea that corkscrews down 11 decksCredit: SUPPLIED
      The stunning staircase is stacked with more than 8,000 octagon and pear-cut Swarovski crystalsCredit: SUPPLIED More

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      World Cup will be a superspreader event – I know the best way you can protect yourself from a flu outbreak

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      YES, I know, I know. It’s happening at the wrong time of year in the wrong kind of place and we’ll doubtless end up with the wrong result.But once it gets going, all that will be forgotten.
      Social distancing will be long forgotten as bars pack out for the World CupCredit: Reuters
      We’ll be watching and we’ll want to be watching it together.
      Because — despite Fifa’s best efforts to mess things up — this is what football does and it’s what the World Cup does in spades.
      And the great nation coming together is one aspect of this World Cup which could be really special, precisely because the timing is all wrong.
      The atmosphere, as we crowd into pubs and so on to watch the games, is going to be something else.
      READ MORE WORLD CUP
      It’s always great during the usual summer tournaments but, crammed indoors with winter raging outside, it’s going to be so much more intense.
      While frosty winds will blow their worst outside, inside we’ll be heating ourselves up to fever pitch watching the football together.
      This will be the 28th international football tournament in my lifetime.
      The other 27 I’ve watched over long summer days and evenings. And I’ve loved them.
      Most read in The Sun
      DELIGHTING AND DESPAIRING
      Now I’m really looking forward to being part, for once, of some wintry World Cup fervour.
      But, but, but. As ever in football, there is a big but.
      If we can catch football fever from each other jammed in pubs delighting and despairing at the drama, there will be other bugs we can pick up from each other too.
      When Covid came along we had to learn a whole new way of living and new vocabulary to go with it.
      There was that thing called social distancing, and the notion of certain environments being great vectors for infection, and certain occasions becoming known as superspreader events.
      I don’t think you need to be very highly qualified in epidemiology to work out that hundreds of football fans, in a confined space, shouting, chanting, jumping around, kissing and crying, will facilitate the passing of germs.
      They’ll be getting sprayed around the place like nobody’s business.
      But, whatever, the craic will be so great that a few coughs and colds will be a price worth paying.
      Some catarrh thanks to Qatar? So what?
      Except, if we’re not careful, it could be about a whole lot more than an outbreak of winter sniffles.
      Covid is always threatening to send a new wave to break over us, quite possibly in the form of worrying new variants.
      And then there’s that annual killer, winter flu.
      Something we don’t worry about enough, which is daft, because it’s not rare and it’s well worth not getting because it’s extremely unpleasant and could even finish you off.
      If only there was something we could do to keep us safe from all this, freeing us up to whip up our football passions and hug and kiss strangers without fear of spreading anything other than joy or despair.
      If only the NHS that we applauded so loudly could somehow help us out.
      If only more of us realised that, of course, the NHS not only can vaccinate us but is desperate to do so.
      Yes, join The Sun’s campaign and get jabbed for Covid and jabbed for the flu. Do The Double.
      If you haven’t done that, then ask yourself why not, especially if you’re planning to spend large parts of the next month in confined spaces with others like you, shouting at TV screens.
      I’m sorry, but if you stood and applauded the NHS but now don’t help them out by doing the double, this winter of all winters, then you’re possibly a bit of a hypocrite.
      It really isn’t hard. It can’t be that hard. Because I’ve done it.
      First I got the flu one done, then the Covid booster a week later.
      The only challenging thing was explaining to jabber number two why I still had the plaster on covering jabber number one’s work a full week earlier.
      I assured him I did wash regularly, just not very thoroughly.
      GLORIOUS WORLD CUP
      As one of Britain’s leading hypochondriacs and a serial sufferer of terrible man-colds, I’m happy to report that the side-effects amounted to not very much at all.
      I felt a little bit rough after the Covid jab but it can’t have been so bad because that very afternoon I went to see West Brom at QPR.
      And we won, which restored me to rude health anyway.
      So come on, let’s do this. Let’s get right behind England and Wales in what yet could be a glorious World Cup for us.
      Read More on The Sun
      Let’s Do The Double, then get ourselves down the pub, shut out the bleak mid-winter and enjoy the ride.
      Or, to put it another way, Do The Double so if and when the football does end in tears, you don’t have flu or Covid adding to your misery.
      Do the double and get jabbed for Covid and the winter flu More

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      Rio Ferdinand reveals he has blazing rows with wife Kate – and admits it’s always over the same thing

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      RIO FERDINAND has confessed he and wife Kate have full-blown rows — and most of the time he is to blame.Though the former no-nonsense Manchester United and England footballer thanks Towie’s Kate for his reinvention, teaching him how to talk about his problems.
      Rio Ferdinand revealed he has rows with wife KateCredit: PA
      But former Man Utd footballer Rio thanks Towie’s Kate for his reinventionCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      The 44-year-old’s told of his troubles in the podcast Football Ramble, broadcast this week to mark the launch of his new three-part TV documentary series Tipping Point.
      He shared on it: “My missus will tell me a problem that she’s got going on, and I talk about it from my point of view.
      “Most men are like this, we try to help them solve the problem. And she’s going ‘I don’t want you to try and solve it’.
      “And I end up having arguments with her. We only argue about stuff like this. We get into a full-blast row because you’re trying to solve it.
      Read More on Rio Ferdinand
      “She says, ‘I don’t want you to solve my problem for me. I just want to be able to vent, and you listen, and just help me that way’.
      “As a man you’re sitting there going ‘Well why are you telling me then if it can’t be solved? Just solve it’.
      “Men feel ‘don’t discuss it if you’re not trying to make a solution’.
      “What’s the point in discussing it if there’s no solution-based foundations of why you’re making that conversation’, which is probably the wrong way to look at it.”
      Most read in Football
      Rio has become concerned about mental health in football, especially among young players.
      While playing for Queen’s Park Rangers in West London he would drive to training with team-mate Bobby Zamora.
      But Rio refused to confide to fellow players that his first wife Rebecca Ellison was dying with breast cancer.
      She passed away, aged 34, in May 2015, leaving him to look after their three children Lorenz, Tate and Tia, then aged nine, six and four respectively.
      Two years later he started dating Kate, now 31. They married in Turkey in 2019.
      But Rio said he has become a better communicator since meeting Kate, with whom he has a 23-month-old son Cree.
      He said: “I think that’s an important factor in feeling good, when you communicate how you feel to someone else or people around you that you care about.
      “It’s since I met my missus. I was never really a good communicator before that.
      “Then I met Kate. She’s really good and has got really open lines of communication, and she’s pushed me into that way of thinking.”
      Talking about why he did not tell his team-mate about Rebecca’s condition, Rio said: “A big part of my make-up as a football player was you don’t show emotion, you don’t show weakness, especially.
      “If you’re going to show any type of emotion, weakness isn’t the one you show.”
      Rio continued: “Young men in our generation, we were definitely brought up to have a stone face and a hard exterior. If you did have those feelings of vulnerability or emotions you better make sure you quash them quickly.
      Rio with Kate and dad Julian with his OBE at Windsor CastleCredit: AP
      “I very much became that, quite hardened. I had no real empathy for some people when they had issues. I wasn’t where I am today.
      “I saw people come into the dressing room who, when I look back now and I think about it, they were going through a tough time.
      “I didn’t even have any time in my headspace to even think about addressing that because I thought they were a negative impact on our team’s quest to try and win.
      “And it was such a backwards way of looking at it.
      “If you’d looked and taken an interest and spoken to those people and paid a bit more attention to those things you might have been able to help those people get back on track and then become a positive impact on your team’s chances of winning.
      “Mental health wasn’t even part of any sentence.
      “I remember Carlos Queiroz, Manchester United’s Portuguese former assistant manager, and his approach to training was very different to us English lads.
      “We were 100 miles an hour in training every day and he used to just chill in training. Come a game, he was an animal.
      “I remember one day, as we walked out to training, he was actually laying face down on the bed getting a massage.
      “I went to the coach ‘What’s going on with Carlos, what’s he doing having a massage, he’s not injured?’
      “He said ‘No, he’s not injured, he’s just had a baby and he’s a bit tired, a bit drained’.
      “Looking back now, mentally and physically, that was the right way to approach it.
      Once you open up about how you’re feeling from your mental standpoint, how light you feel after you’ve had that conversation, you can’t put into words.Rio Ferdinand
      “Whereas us English guys would just bat on, got to be hard, got to get through this, and we all kind of laughed at Carlos about that.
      “We were like ‘this is a joke’, with disbelief really, ‘we’ve all had kids mate. Jesus, what makes you special?’
      “Everyone’s case is very individual, everyone deals with things very differently.
      “My previous wife was passing away and the fella I went to training with every day in the same car, Bobby Zamora, didn’t know for a long time.
      “My team-mates, that I shared a dressing room with, didn’t know.
      “That’s football, that’s a place where I go to work and no one needs to hear that. No one needs to be a part of that.
      “I can deal with this outside. I don’t want to put any more strain and pressure on those guys, they’ve got enough pressure to win a football match. So I didn’t really feel it was a place to do it.
      “You don’t want to put an extra burden on anyone else’s shoulders when they’ve got enough going on in their life.
      “With situations like that, with hindsight, you think people would actually embrace that more.
      “They’d want to help you, they’d want to open their arms and give you a cuddle and bring you in and have a coffee together and just discuss how you’re feeling and help you along the way.”
      The angry Rio is a long way from his apparently perfect family depicted on social media.
      This week the couple were photographed outside Windsor Castle, where the once England centre back received his OBE from Prince William.
      Rio and Kate pose on the beach on holidayCredit: Instagram
      Kate gushed: “I am so proud. An inspiration to us all, my husband. I love you.”
      Tipping Point covers racism in football and sexuality and mental health in soccer academies.
      The ex-player believes many professional footballers struggle when they retire.
      He said: “I’d get up every day at 7.30, sort the kids out, drop them to nursery, go to training, get home by two o’clock. Routine, routine. All of a sudden that disappears.
      “You start seeing your missus another six, seven hours a day, ‘hold on, this is someone I don’t even know, didn’t know she was like this, didn’t know she had these habits’.”
      Rio now urges people to open up if they’re suffering mentally.
      He said: “One bit of advice I’d always give to people in workplaces, in schools or at home, is every now and again to just ask someone ‘How you doing?’ — not once, twice.
      “Because normally people can get away with going ‘I’m all right, I’m all right’.
      “And you go ‘Really, is everything all right for real?’.With that second one you might get a different answer and then a conversation could start that might help that person.
      Read More on The Sun
      “Once you open up about how you’re feeling from your mental standpoint, how light you feel after you’ve had that conversation, you can’t put into words.
      “It’s just a beautiful feeling.”

      Rio with first wife Rebecca Ellison who died from cancer in 2015Credit: Getty – Contributor
      Rio and Kate pose for a family Christmas photo on the beach More

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      I went undercover in nastiest football firm and fought fans if they broke golden rule – but there was a gutting twist

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      IN the run up to the 1990 World Cup all eyes were on the England team – not because of the players, but the thugs that followed them.The Italia ‘90 tournament ended a decade that saw football violence in the UK reach epic heights with warring fan groups – known as firms – leaving English supporters with a tarnished reputation that was feared around the world.
      Italia ’90 saw running battles involving English fansCredit: Alamy
      James Bannon blagged his way into the Millwall firmCredit: Channel 4
      As an undercover cop who infiltrated the London firm the Millwall Bushwackers in a doomed reconnaissance mission ahead of the tournament, James Bannon was in the thick of the action.
      Now the former Met officer – who appears in the Channel 4 documentary Italia ‘90: Saving English Football – tells The Sun how he gained the trust of Millwall hooligans and found himself in the midst of terrifying violence.
      “There were clubs that had reputations and you knew you were going to go there and meet opposing supporters that would want to have a fight,” he says.
      “But if I was going to be any good at what I did, I wasn’t going to be in the family enclosure. So yes, I got involved in the violence.
      READ MORE FEATURES
      “I never incited or started a fight, but I was there to gather evidence against nasty, horrible people who brought violence to football, to take them off the streets and make stadiums safer places for people to go and watch.
      “It’s a fine line and undercover policing is not an exact science.
      “You are thinking on your feet every second because you have to try and stay within the law, while being convincing at what you are.
      “I would never run at somebody and hit them. But if somebody was coming at me who wanted to hit me then, trust me, I’m going to hit them first.”
      Most read in Football
      James was just 21 when he was asked to blag his way onto the terraces in 1987.
      Presenting himself as Wandsworth painter and decorator Jim Ford, he started his mission by becoming a regular at a pub in the Old Kent Road, South London, which was favoured by Millwall fans.
      “We went there for lunchtimes all summer, when there was no football on,” he says.
      “We got to know the bar staff and the locals so when the football season started in late August, nobody gave us a second look and that gave us credibility.
      “The landlord of the pub was one of Millwall’s top boys so we also got to know him, and it moved on from there.”
      Genned up on his Millwall history, so he could pass as a fan, James says he was helped by the fact that the club was doing well and many new faces were turning up at the games.
      “We had to gain people’s trust and I was fortunate because I was only 21,” he says.
      “I played that to my advantage, telling them I hadn’t been when I was younger, and I was now going with my ‘brother in law’, who was actually the officer I was working with. No one suspected someone so young and fresh-faced of being a copper.”
      The undercover job was a reconnaissance mission ahead of the World CupCredit: Getty
      James was just 21 when he took on the missionCredit: Channel 4
      The former cop appears in the Channel 4 documentaryCredit: Channel 4
      Highbury brawl
      James faced violent mobs on many occasions – and also came close to arrest himself during a legendary clash between Millwall and Arsenal fans after an FA cup match, in January 1988.
      He was among Millwall fans in the North Bank stand at Highbury – traditionally reserved for Arsenal – who started a mass brawl which ended in 41 supporters being arrested,
      “That was the most memorable,” he says. “We met up with the landlord of the pub and ended up in the middle of the Arsenal crowd with 15 of Millwall’s top hooligans, me and my sergeant.
      “I went from the middle of North Bank, being punched and kicked en route, and punching and kicking back, on to the sanctuary of the pitch, where I was then arrested.
      “But the copper was what we used to call a ‘Cake-eater’ – an officer that drove a desk in the week and did football on Saturdays for overtime – who was probably more nervous and scared than I was.
      “Instead of taking me down the tunnel, which is where you usually go if you get nicked, he led me the wrong way, towards 10,000 Millwall.
      “As we walked I got buoyed by 10,000 Millwall fans singing, screaming and pointing at me and he got more nervous, and weakened his grip.
      “I managed to break free and dive in the crowd – so that upped my credibility with the firm.”
      The FA cup match in 1988 ended in carnageCredit: PA
      Millwall started trouble in Arsenal’s standCredit: PA
      Ambush
      On another occasion, James travelled to an away game in Leeds on the train – and was ambushed by rival fans on the return journey.
      He says: “There was a massive fight. I was scared for my life. It was my first away match and it was a baptism of fire.
      “I got hit, punched and kicked a few times but luckily, never sustained any serious injuries.
      “We learned two things from that day – Leeds are pretty tasty and never travel on the football special.
      “After that we drove to away matches.”
      The Channel 4 documentary looks at the run up to Italia ‘90, and how Italian and UK authorities attempted to control the threat posed by English hooligans by managing ticket sales, moving the opening match to Sardinia, drafting in armed police and even banning alcohol sales on match days.
      Through interviews with police, footballers and former firm members, it examines the “subculture” of hooliganism, with disenfranchised young men finding a place to belong.
      Riaz Khan, from the Leicester Baby Squad, says he was involved in fights before and after matches and adds: “You were buzzing for the rest of the week, until the following Saturday. It was great.
      “I’d never had this sense of belonging to anything cos I was an Asian kid in a white school. I saw the football hooligans had their own sense of identity, it wasn’t about colour.”
      Gary ‘Boatsy’ Clarke, who belonged to Notts Forest Executive Crew, says the hooligans were proud of their international reputation.
      “England was the number one firm,” he says.
      “I was down as one of England’s main hooligans. We were looked upon as the devil – especially the firm that went to Italia ‘90.”
      Operation aborted
      Sadly for James, the Met Police pulled the plug on his undercover operation in 1989, a year before the tournament, after trials against West Ham and Chelsea fans collapsed when scientists cast doubt on evidence gathered by undercover officers.
      “They employed people to do some of this work who weren’t very good and some of the evidence had been made up,” he claims.
      “A decision was taken by senior politicians that they couldn’t stomach another trial and lose face so all of the operations were disbanded overnight.
      “It meant that two and a half years of my life were a complete and utter waste of f***ing time.
      “We went from being doing a pretty elite job, which required huge sacrifices, both emotionally and personally, to ‘Thanks very much. Now go back to Orpington and drive a panda car.’”
      Disillusioned, James left the force and ended up writing a book, Running With The Firm, and the 1995 film I.D. about his experiences.
      He has since been an actor, run a successful property company and a short-lived commercial airline, as well as starring in a one man stand up show.
      Read More on The Sun
      Although he is frustrated his undercover operation resulted in no arrests, he says he’s not sure his team would have much impact on Italia ‘90, where British fans were involved in running battles in the street and riots after England’s three matches in Cagliari.
      “I don’t think we’d have made a huge difference,” says James. “All we’d have been able to do was give them a heads up a little bit quicker and let the authorities know who was there and likely to cause trouble, but we were never given the opportunity to justify what we were doing.”
      Italia ‘90: Saving English Football continues tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
      A bloodied England supporter in 1990Credit: Daily Mirror More

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      in Soccer

      Meet the World Cup WAGS – from a professional karate expert to an ex-Hooters waitress and a stunning Miss Belgium

      by

      WITH less than three weeks until the World Cup kicks off in Qatar, it’s not just the planet’s top soccer stars who are gearing up to try to beat the rest and be crowned the best – but their wives and girlfriends are too.From November 20, the glamorous WAGs from all over the globe will be facing off in the stands as they cheer on their famous footballer fellas in the ultimate footie and fashion showdown – but do you know who they are?
      It’s less than three weeks until the 2022 World Cup kicks off in QatarCredit: AFP
      From the wife who is a karate expert to an ex-Hooters waitress, former beauty queens and acting stars, here is your ultimate guide to the 2022 World Cup WAGs.
      Argentina
      Oriana Sabatini is one of Argentina’s biggest pop stars and has been compared to MadonnaCredit: instagram/ orianasabatini
      Oriana has been dating Roma and Argentina forward Paulo Dybala since they met at an Ariana Grande in concert in 2017Credit: AP:Associated Press
      ORIANA Sabatini is unlikely to stray from the spotlight in Qatar, as she is one of Argentina’s biggest pop stars and has been compared to Madonna.
      The stunning 26-year-old girlfriend of Roma and Argentina forward Paulo Dybala is also a model and actress, and niece of tennis star Gabriela Sabatini.
      She met 28-year-old Paulo while supporting Ariana Grande in concert in 2017.
      READ MORE ON WORLD CUP 2022
      England
      Sasha Attwood is the high school sweetheart of England and Man City star Jack Grealish
      Jack and Sasha have reportedly just closed the deal on a £5.6million mansion in the North WestCredit: Getty
      WITH past cheating allegations aplenty (him, not her), England and Man City star Jack Grealish may be hoping for an easier time on the pitch at the World Cup than he has had away from it.
      Jack, 27, has been with his former school sweetheart Sasha Attwood for years and they have reportedly just closed the deal on a £5.6million mansion in the North West.
      Meanwhile Sasha, 26, has signed to an A-list modelling agency and is believed to have secured a multi-million-pound deal with L’Oreal.
      Most read in World Cup 2022
      Belgium
      Noémie Happart won the Miss Belgium title in 2013 and was a runner-up in the Miss World and Miss Universe contests the same yearCredit: instagram/noemiehappart
      Noémie has been married to winger Yannick Carrasco for five yearsCredit: AFP
      LIKE her husband, winger Yannick Carrasco, Noémie Happart is also used to representing her county on the international stage.
      After winning the Miss Belgium title in 2013, the 29-year-old model was a runner-up in the Miss World and Miss Universe contests the same year.
      Noémie hit headlines when Yannick, also 29, scored a goal in the 2016 UEFA Champions League final, then ran into the crowd and kissed her.
      They have been married for five years.
      Spain
      Pilar Rubio is married to Spain’s Sergio Ramos and has 8.6million social media followersCredit: Splash
      Pilar and Sergio married three years ago after dating for a decadeCredit: Getty – Contributor
      SERGIO Ramos’s wife will certainly be ready for the World Cup spotlight – as she is a TV presenter back home in Spain.
      Pilar Rubio, 44, keeps her 8.6million social media followers entertained with a mix of lingerie shots and adrenalin sports such as skydiving and waterskiing.
      The mum of four has been married for three years and previously dated PSG defender Sergio, 36, for a decade.
      Uruguay
      Uruguay striker Luis Suarez is married to Sofia Balbi, who he met when he was a 15-year-old street sweeper
      Luis and Sofia have three childrenCredit: Getty
      URUGUAY striker Luis Suarez described wife Sofia Balbi as the “girl of my life”.
      They met when he was a 15-year-old street sweeper in Montevideo, and in their late teens they had a long-distance relationship after she moved to Spain.
      When Sofia, now 32, isn’t posing with her three kids on social media, she is snapped cheering for Luis, 35.
      Poland
      Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski’s wife Anna is a professional karate expertCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Robert has been married to Anna since 2013Credit: Getty
      IT might not be wise to yell anything nasty about Poland and Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski in the stadium – because his wife is a professional karate expert.
      Anna Lewandowska, 34, earned three World Championship medals before becoming a nutritionist and launching her own cosmetics line.
      She has been married to Robert, also 34, since 2013.
      France
      Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is dating former Hooters waitress Jordan OzunaCredit: Getty
      Jordan supported her partner’s club-level football matches and was there when he won the Ballon d’Or in OctoberCredit: AFP
      KARIM Benzema has scored some beauties on the pitch – and off it too, it seems.
      The 34-year-old Real Madrid striker is dating Jordan Ozuna, 32, a former Los Angeles Hooters waitress who is now a rising star in the modelling world.
      She has supported her partner’s club-level football matches and was there when he won the Ballon d’Or in October, alongside Benzema’s ex-girlfriend Cora Gauthier.
      Germany
      Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller is married to semi-professional equestrian LisaCredit: Instagram/ @lisa.mueller.official
      Thomas co-owns a horse named Dave with wife LisaCredit: Getty
      UNLIKE the stereotypical Wag, it’s clear that Lisa Muller doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty by doing a hard day’s work.
      That’s because the 33-year-old works on a farm and is a semi-professional equestrian.
      She has won medals for dressage events and co-owns a horse named Dave with her husband, Bayern Munich star Thomas, 33, whom she wed in 2009.
      Netherlands
      Model Annekee Molenaar is the daughter of former Ajax defender Keje MolenaarCredit: instagram/annekeemolenaar
      Annekee has been dating Bayern Munich star Matthijs de Ligt, since 2018Credit: Getty
      AS the daughter of former Ajax defender Keje Molenaar, model Annekee Molenaar is certainly used to spending time in the soccer stands.
      She works with Hugo Boss and Armani and has dated her boyfriend, Netherlands and Bayern Munich star Matthijs de Ligt, since 2018.
      This summer they featured on the cover of Vogue Living’s Young Love special.
      Last week 23-year-old Annekee flashed her bum in a nude black and white photo on Instagram.
      Portugal
      Georgina Rodriguez is mother to two of Cristiano Ronaldo’s six children and has 30 million fans on InstagramCredit: Getty
      Georgina met the Portugal and Man United wonderboy while working as his personal shopper at GucciCredit: AP
      SHE was the woman who showed she could tame Cristiano Ronaldo – and even he admitted his surprise that it was getting “so serious”.
      Now Argentinian-born model Georgina Rodriguez is mother to two of his six children, has 30 million fans on Instagram and even a documentary about her life on Netflix.
      She met the Portugal and Man United wonderboy while working as his personal shopper at Gucci.
      The 28-year-old is also a talented ballerina and performs at events.
      Brazil
      Raiane Lima is an influencer and the girlfriend of Arsenal and Brazil striker Gabriel JesusCredit: raianelima8/instagram
      Raiane and Gabriel welcomed daughter Helena in May this yearCredit: Getty
      INFLUENCER Raiane Lima’s relationship with Arsenal and Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus was hit last year by false claims that she had had a fling with a married Brazilian MP.
      But since the birth of their daughter Helena in May this year 21-year-old Raiane has deluged her 374,000 Insta-gram fans with loving snaps of the couple and their newborn.
      Read More on The Sun
      WALES
      Emma Rhys-Jones is the wife of Welsh wonderboy Gareth Bale
      Emma grew up two miles from Gareth and they attended the same secondary schoolCredit: Getty
      THE wife of 33-year-old Welsh wonderboy Gareth Bale will be rooting for him in probably his last international campaign.
      Childhood sweetheart Emma Rhys-Jones, 31, grew up two miles from her future husband and they attended the same secondary school.
      They married three years ago and have four kids – Alba Violet, Nava Valentina, Axel and Xander. More

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      in Soccer

      Keep politics and virtue-signalling out of the Qatar World Cup so we can enjoy it – if players don’t like it, don’t go

      by

      THE World Cup is nearly upon us, and the wall of negative noise around this year’s tournament is increasingly deafening.
      Many are appalled it’s being held in Qatar at all given the alleged corruption that is believed to have won them the rights to hold international sport’s richest and most prestigious event, and the country’s mistreatment of migrant workers and non-existent LGBT rights.
      England skipper Harry Kane will wear a OneLove rainbow armband during the World CupCredit: PA
      It all kicks off in Qatar on November 20 – but criticism of the event has become ‘increasingly deafening’Credit: Reuters
      Piers reckons if footballers are really offended by Qatar’s human rights failings, then they shouldn’t go
      Last week, Australia’s Socceroos team released an earnest video expressing concern about the “suffering” of migrant workers and the inability for gay people in Qatar “to love the person that they choose”.
      Separately, England captain Harry Kane declared he’s going to wear a OneLove anti-discrimination armband during the games to register his own protest.
      And now, Ukraine’s Association of Football has demanded that Iran be banned from taking part due to its reported kamikaze drone support for Vladimir Putin in his illegal war on their people, and also cited Iran’s “systematic human rights violations” including a brutal crackdown on domestic protests.
      So, there’s a lot of high moral outrage flying around, and there will be a lot of on-field halos glinting in the ferocious Qatar heat come November 20 when the World Cup starts.
      READ MORE FROM PIERS MORGAN
      But I can’t be the only one wishing we could just keep all the politics and virtue-signalling out of it so we can just enjoy the football?
      The time for proper serious debate about Qatar’s suitability to host the tournament was surely during the bidding process twelve years ago, not three weeks before it starts?
      And if the argument against them running it is that they have a poor human rights record, which is an undeniable fact, then what about the other 31 countries taking part?
      Specifically, if persecution of gay people is deemed a disqualifying barrier to being involved in the World Cup, then shouldn’t we be similarly outraged by the participation of Senegal, Morocco and Tunisia where it’s also illegal to be homosexual?
      Or by Ghana, whose parliament is pushing through a new bill demanding prison sentences for anyone even expressing support or “sympathy” towards gay people?
      Or by Cameroon which according to a recent report “currently prosecutes consensual same sex conduct more aggressively than almost any country in the world”?
      Most read in Football
      And don’t get me started on Saudi Arabia, where if you’re caught in a gay act, you can be chemically castrated, given life imprisonment or even executed.
      A closer look at other World Cup nations reveals further distinctly ‘problematic’ human rights issues.
      Costa Rica has serious human trafficking problems, Brazil has shocking levels of unlawful police killings and torture, Argentina is bedevilled by government and judiciary corruption, and Serbia continues to oppress Roma gypsies.
      Many of the countries already mentioned operate ongoing wars on free speech, jailing dissident citizens and journalists who criticise the government – or, in Saudi Arabia’s case, chopping them up with bone saws – and also have terrible records of mistreating migrant workers.

       Watch Piers Morgan Uncensored weekdays on Sky 526, Virgin Media 606, Freeview 237, Freesat 217 or on Fox Nation in the US

      And if modern morality failings are truly our new World Cup qualification byword, then why should either England or America be allowed to play given our invasion of Iraq in 2003 and all the subsequent global terrorism hell that illegal war unleashed on the world?
      You get my point…
      Once you play the morality card in sport, I’m not sure where you can ever end up playing it without appearing to endorse human rights abuses.
      To single out Qatar for such exaggerated horror when so many other competing countries are just as morally bad, if not a lot worse, is hypocritical.
      We’ve witnessed similar double standards in golf where leaders of the PGA Tour have berated the new Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Tour for putting money before morals – despite they themselves hosting events in places like China which has a horrendous human rights record.
       And frankly, as a sports fan, I’m sick of all the disingenuousness.
      ‘Pointless virtue-signalling ‘
      If footballers are really that offended by Qatar’s human rights failings, then they shouldn’t go and play in the World Cup.
      It’s all very well wearing armbands or issuing critical videos, but if you still go then you’re just dabbling in pointless virtue-signalling that will have zero impact on effecting any change.
      I feel the same way about all the sports journalists suddenly jumping on the anti-Qatar bandwagon and saying it shouldn’t be happening.
      You can bet your life most of them will be holding their indignant noses long enough to get on a plane to Doha for six weeks as they cover the event they are pretending to want cancelled.
      I’ll be there too for some of it, as a pundit for Fox in America during the group stage which has pitted England against the US.
      And I feel no moral dilemma about going because I understand that many of the countries playing in this World Cup make Qatar look almost benign by comparison when it comes to human rights.
      That doesn’t excuse Qatar’s problems, but it puts them into perspective.
      I also think it’s crazy that this is the first time the World Cup has ever been staged in the Middle East given the huge popularity of football in the region, and we should celebrate that fact, not ruin the party with very selective judgement.
      Read More on The Sun
      So, my message to the morality moaners is this: put your cracked halos away and just let me watch the bloody World Cup without trying to make me feel shameful or guilty about it.
      Oh, and come on England!
      The Socceroos last week became the first World Cup team to criticise Qatar’s human rights recordCredit: Getty
      Piers wants the ‘morality moaners’ to stop making fans feel guiltyCredit: PA
      This is the first time the World Cup has been staged in the Middle East – a fact we should celebrateCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

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      in Boxing

      Boxing can be a tough sport – but I just find it hard to walk away, reveals Tyson Fury

      by

      MY boxing life has been made up of two careers.The first took place between 2008 and 2015, a period in which I was unable to recognise the psychological demons dragging me down.
      Walking away from boxing is the hardest thing I have ever tried to do, says Tyson FuryCredit: instagram
      The boxer’s new autobiography Gloves Off, is out on November 10
      Tyson Fury says boxing will have a void of charisma when he finally hangs up his glovesCredit: Reuters
      They pulled on me like a rucksack full of stones, despite the fact I was on my way to becoming the heavyweight champion of the world.
      The second career kicked off in 2018 after a brutal battle with my mental health, a war I’m still locked into today.
      Through sheer will I was able to overcome my issues and return as the planet’s most entertaining pugilist.
      But then I started to think I should leave the stage while still at the peak of my powers.
      READ MORE TYSON FURY
      While I’ve long been admiral of HMS I Don’t Give A Crap, the most entertaining showman since the days of Muhammad Ali and the greatest fighter of my generation, it’s important to know that, as far as I’m concerned, boxing has always been a business with a shelf life.
      Statistically the people that stay in the game for too long have a tendency to get damaged, really damaged, and I don’t want that happening to me.
      There’s also a risk that my career has been shortened by the way in which I’ve lived my life.
      Health and nutrition was not exactly a priority for large chunks of my time as a pro: I ballooned in weight between bouts and then, during the mental health breakdown that started in 2015, I boozed, binged and tried cocaine.
      Most read in The Sun
      There was even an attempt at ending it all a year later when I pointed my Ferrari at a bridge and slammed on the accelerator, though I changed my mind at the last second and pulled ­away — thank God.
      When I eventually asked for help I was diagnosed as bipolar, paranoid and suffering from anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
      I later recovered, but my mental health issues remain a constant work in progress — from time to time I can have suicidal thoughts, though I now understand what’s needed to keep my demons at arm’s length.
      So while getting my face punched in for a living has put millions of pounds in the bank, a fighter needs to know when their time is ­up — and mine is near.
      Walking away from boxing may be the hardest thing I ever do.
      All I know is that I don’t want to overstay my welcome, ruin my legacy, or die from a big right to the side of the head.
      And believe me, an ending like that has felt worryingly real at times.
      I even experienced short-­term memory loss following that bruising encounter with Wilder in 2021, when, in the hours after the win, my head covered in tennis ball-­sized lumps, it was impossible to remember how many times I’d gone down.
      Everything was foggy, and the experience frightened me.
      No way do I want to end up living out my days in a wheelchair, or eating my dinners through a straw.
      I wanted to leave boxing at the peak of my powers, but have been tempted back, says Tyson FuryCredit: EPA
      Tyson Fury fully intended to quit boxing for good after beating Deontay Wilder in 2021Credit: Rex
      After that fight with Wilder, I told my promoter Frank Warren that I planned to retire.
      But then…Bang! he approached me with the opportunity to fight at Wembley Stadium in April 2022.
      Wembley was a showcase venue, an opportunity to bow out in style.
      And after the hardship and pain of the coronavirus pandemic, I felt I owed it to the fans.
      Boxing deserved a hell of a party, and with my triumph over Dillian Whyte, I gave them a showdown for the history books.
      I told the world it would take half a billion to drag me back into the ring.
      At one point, I was so confident that nobody was going to cough up the cash that I threw down a bet with Piers Morgan on live TV.
      He said, ‘How about if you do fight again, you have to give me a million pounds?’ Piers couldn’t believe his luck when I agreed, though I also knew that if there was a £500million fight on the cards, I wasn’t going to feel that sad about giving him a million of it. (Though he’ll get it in pound coins and fivers.)
      The other fight I’ve been interested in is a showdown to stop the nation in its tracks.
      Tyson says his battle with mental health is a never ending fightCredit: PA
      A match with Anthony Joshua would fall into this category, and in September 2022, I even offered to battle him in the UK with a 60-40 split in earnings.
      I wanted it to be a moment in sporting history, a fight for Britain.
      But so far we haven’t been able to make it happen.
      Now I’m due to fight Derek Chisora on December 3 — having already beaten him twice.
      Chisora and I used to be pals but when it came to my Wembley showdown against Dillian Whyte, Chisora tipped the other bloke to knock me out.
      I couldn’t get my head around that. How can you claim to be someone’s friend and then back another fighter to send him to the canvas?
      I really had no idea what was eating him at the time. Perhaps it was jealousy.
      I have a potential meeting with Oleksandr Usyk next year. I don’t rate his chances against me either.
      Sure, Usyk has beaten AJ twice now, but he’s hardly a killer.
      When I do finally retire, there’s bound to be a void in boxing, in the same way athletics got boring once Usain Bolt had disappeared from the scene — there’s no one around with the same charisma.
      With that in mind, staying on the stage is bloody tempting.
      You might be wondering, ‘Well, hang on, what about those risks you were talking about earlier — the ones that made you consider retirement in the first place?’ And sure, a purse is worthless if you die or get seriously injured in the process, but the thing is, I don’t plan on doing either of those things. I plan on winning.

      ADAPTED from Gloves Off by Tyson Fury, published by Century on November 10 in hardback and audiobook.

      MY PAL ROBBIE
      TYSON says he’s not impressed by celebrity but has bonded with stars like Robbie Williams — after he recorded a song on the singer’s Christmas album.
      Fury said: “Robbie’s a top bloke and we had plenty in common.
      Tyson says he has forged a bond with singer Robbie WilliamsCredit: instagram
      “Robbie and me are both people that have hit the top, having worked hard for something all our lives — him: pop stardom; me: the world heavyweight championship — only for the realities of our success to become massively destructive and very different to what we’d expected at the beginning.”
      Read More on The Sun
      Tyson said another “genuine” person was singer Ed Sheeran, who he met after a gig.
      He said: “We are both very similar in character. Ed is grounded.” More