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      Birmingham become first EFL club to win promotion as Tom Brady’s club bounce back to Championship at first attempt

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      BIRMINGHAM CITY have been promoted from League One.Chris Davies’ side have led the way for months and sealed their return to the Championship at the first time of asking after beating Peterborough 2-1.Birmingham City have won promotion from League OneCredit: PABlues secured their return to the Championship with a 2-1 win over PeterboroughCredit: ©MI News & SportPlayers celebrate jubilantly after sealing a place in the top twoCredit: PAAlfie May opened the scoring as Birmingham won 2-1Credit: GettyBirmingham are two points away from becoming championsCredit: PAChris Davies’ side have led the way all season longCredit: PABlues knew a win would guarantee promotion, even if rivals Wycombe won at Huddersfield, which they did.Birmingham are now just two points from becoming champions, but could have their name on the trophy without playing another league game.That is because they play in the final of the EFL Trophy against tonight’s opponents Peterborough at Wembley on Sunday.If Wrexham fail to win at Wigan, Birmingham will be crowned champions, with the promotion winners still capable of reaching an astonishing 113 points.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLIf they do so they will set a record number of points in League One, surpassing Wolves total of 103 which they managed in the 2013/14 campaign.They could also set an EFL record, which is held by Reading who got 106 points in the Championship in 2005/06.Birmingham were relegated from the Championship last season – Tom Brady’s first season at the club.Promotion was a forgone conclusion however with Birmingham losing just three of their 40 league games so far.Most read in EFLBEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERSThey were favourites for top spot after spending an eye-watering £34million on transfers.Striker Jay Stansfield was brought in for a League One record fee of £15m, and he is the club’s top scorer this season with 18 goals. ‘You f***ing clown’ – Mick McCarthy reveals team-mate lost it with him after awkward communication blunder More

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      Zlatan Ibrahimovic tipped for shock Wrexham move to link up with Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

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      ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC has been tipped to join Wrexham.The striker retired in 2023, ending his career at AC Milan.Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been tipped for a shock move to WrexhamCredit: GettyOwner Ryan Reynolds has not been afraid to spend big since buying WrexhamCredit: RexIt came months after he underwent surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him out for nine months.Ibrahimovic completed his recovery from the injury and became the Serie A’s oldest goalscorer, and he has kept himself fit ever since.So former Premier League star Matt Jansen believes he could be an option for Wrexham, who could be playing in the Championship next season.Jansen told Fruity King: “It would probably suit Zlatan Ibrahimovic, although he retired.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”But money talks and they’ve certainly got it. It would be Hollywood and he’d enjoy it, wouldn’t he?”It would certainly be that type, or a big target man like Chris Wood maybe, although he’s not going to leave Nottingham Forest.”Anything’s possible with Wrexham and they’ve got the backing. With the media around them, they’ve got the idea of what they want to do.”Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have not been afraid to spend big to lure players to the Racecourse since taking over.Most read in EFLBEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERSTheir astute transfer business has helped manager Phil Parkinson achieve back-to-back promotions from the National League, and now another looks likely.They occupy the second automatic promotion spot in League One and are six points ahead of their closes rivals Wycombe in third, having played one match more.Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham mercilessly trolled by Peterborough stars after Cup heartache More

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      Crisis club Reading handed lifeline as EFL give hated owner Dai Yongge new deadline to sell before being thrown out

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      READING have been handed a lifeline after the EFL extended the deadline for owner Dai Yongge to sell the club.The Royals are subject to a takeover bid from an anonymous party.Reading owner Dai Yongge has been given an extension to sell the clubCredit: JASONPIXYongge is set to be suspended as owner of the club by the EFL after he failed the owners and directors test due to debts in China.That means he must sell up or Reading will be disqualified from the EFL.The EFL initially ordered Yongge to part with Reading by April 4 – SunSport can reveal that deadline has been pushed back to April 22.From that point, Dai will have 30 days to sell up.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLLast month Reading announced that they had entered a “period of exclusivity with a potential purchaser”.SunSport later revealed that the prospective buyer was Robert Platek, who already owns Italian club Spezia and Portuguese outfit Casa Pia.The new buyer is in talks to take over the club the stadium and the training ground.It was claimed at the time that Reading were hopeful of “a quick completion” to the deal.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERSHowever an ongoing litigation case with former prospective buyer Rob Couhig is holding up the sale process.Couhig, who previously owned Wycombe Wanderers, had agreed a £30million deal to buy the Royals.Championship club could be left without a stadium as EFL deadline loomsBut the deal subsequently collapsed with Couhig claiming he lost more than £12m in potential profits after Reading broke their exclusivity agreement. More

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      New football regulator could see teams thrown out of the league and stadiums closed down – the game doesn’t need it

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      FOOTBALL has flourished for a century and a half.It is the world’s biggest sport and certainly one of its greater preoccupations.Stars like Man City hitman Erling Haaland have made the Prem special around the world and we must be careful about any changes we makeCredit: APIt is loved by players, ­spectators, TV viewers and children from an early age.It gives £8billion to the Treasury every year.And it provides livelihoods, dreams and dramas, excitement and disappointments.To some it is a life in itself.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLSo, what does it need?It is easier to tell you what it does not need — a regulator as judge and jury of professional clubs.Problems are plentiful — they always have been — and our first occupant is due to take their bow fairly soon.There is no question a revolution is on its way and a heck of a lot of money to go with it.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKIt will become law towards the end of the year.The bill passed through the House of Lords this week and they sent it to the Commons.Man City launched probe into Erling Haaland after he ‘left club’s mascot with whiplash’ after hit to back of headI sit in the Lords and the debate convinced me that the introduction of a regulator for professional leagues will bring little reward and a lot of work and expense.Our game has been settling wrangles forever.A regulator hasn’t been required before and isn’t now.He or she will have considerable power in granting each of the 116 clubs a licence to operate — each with separate conditions governed by the law of the land.Breaches of licence conditions could result in teams being thrown out the league, stadiums being closed down or even a stint in jail — although a few nights in the Scrubs do not seem likely.However, a serious offence could result in a named director being fined as much as £75,000 a day.The regulator also has a duty to ensure that each club is sustainable.If it is not, the club may look to sell assets, probably stars players.That’s when the riots could start.Regulators have a patchy record. One of them, Ofwat (the water services regulation authority), has been paddling round the question of dumping waste into many rivers, lakes and the sea.Swimming filthy rivers such as the Wye has become a risk to health. And the post under Ofcom has become slow and indecently expensive.Regulators are seen by many politicians as a cure-all.But, frankly, they would, wouldn’t they?Many fans may also feel this way although I suspect there will be considerable mind-changing when they realise what interference might do to their club.The Premier League’s riches and status have caused envy elsewhere — most obviously within the EFL.Many EFL clubs I speak to hate the idea of being answerable to a regulator with untold powers to tell them what to do and how to run their clubsThis is partly understandable — even if Championship clubs are reasonably well off.That  is, after all, the sixth richest league in the world,  having just signed a new £1billion TV rights deal.But while nine clubs in that division are owned by billionaires, quite a few in the lower divisions are hard up.Accrington Stanley, one of the founding members of the Football League, have not had a home crowd anywhere near 3,000 this season.And for one League Two night game in September their gate was just 791.Of course such poor relations should be propped up — and most Premier League clubs appreciate the fact.That is why we send £1.6BILLION down the pyramid while the PL Stadium Fund has contributed more than £207m towards projects including 577 clubhouses and changing rooms, 832 stands, 682 floodlights and 480 pitch improvements.Further talks on an alternative to politicians’ pet scheme should be held between the FA, the Premier League and the EFL.Many EFL clubs I speak to hate the idea of being answerable to a regulator with untold powers to tell them what to do and how to run their clubs.The initial plan for the new regulator is that a report will be published on the state of the game.This will take 18 months but there is such a lack of detail and clarity in the bill that the bundles of legal challenges will be a nightmare!Neither are the outcomes at all promising.And who would pay for the grandiose schemes?Well, it will be the Premier League of course.READ MORE SUN STORIESEvery penny spent on the regulator is a penny taken away from all the good causes, and all the pyramid funding.And, that’s the real tragedy. More

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      Reading FC reveal that transfer embargo is imminent as club break silence on EFL disqualification threat

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      READING face a fresh transfer embargo amid uncertainty around their potential EFL disqualification.The club have shared an update on the ongoing crisis at the club, which saw owner Dai Yongge disqualified by the EFL due to his debts in China.Reading have provided an update amid their ongoing takeover situationCredit: Reading FCOwner Dai Yongge was disqualified by the EFLCredit: Rex FeaturesYongge failed the owners and directors test and must sell up or Reading will be disqualified from the EFL.The Royals are subject to a takeover and the sale is still ongoing.An exclusivity period is in place that will see the prospective owner buy the club, the stadium and the training ground.However an ongoing litigation case with Rob Couhig is holding up the sale process.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLCouhig, who previously owned Wycombe Wanderers, had agreed a £30million deal to buy the Royals.But the deal subsequently collapsed with Couhig claiming he lost more than £12m in potential profits after Reading broke their exclusivity agreement.Reading released a statement providing an update which read: “Exclusivity remains in place with the proposed purchaser, with the sales proposal including the club, Select Car Leasing Stadium, and Bearwood Park Training Facility. “All parties remain positive in the desire to complete a transaction at the earliest possible opportunity.Most read in EFLBEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS”Regarding the ongoing litigation case with Mr Couhig and last Friday’s Commercial Court hearing, the club can confirm that a formal proposal for alternative security has been made to Mr Couhig via his legal representatives. “It is hoped that the proposal will be agreed quickly in resolution of the current security impasse, to facilitate the sales process.EFL goalkeeper concedes ‘most embarrassing goal ever seen’ as fans fume ‘get him off that pitch now’ “The club would also like to clarify the current position with the EFL, and Mr Dai’s disqualification as a Director. “Under the terms of the disqualification, Mr Dai must now divest his interests in Reading Football Club and is committed to doing so to meet this requirement.”Reading also confirmed their transfer embargo was lifted after they published their 2022/23 accounts to Companies House.However they face another transfer embargo if they fail to file their accounts for the 2023/24 season before the EFL’s March 31 deadline – the club state it is “highly unlikely” they will meet the requirement. More

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      ‘You’re the worst f***ing signing I’ve ever made’, said ruthless manager to new player and wanted to ‘give him back’

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      STEVE CLARIDGE has revealed how “merciless” Barry Fry begged to send a Birmingham star back to his former club – after just one game. Journeyman forward Claridge, 57, played for over 25 clubs over his long and illustrious career.Steve Claridge has revealed Barry Fry’s epic rant about Birmingham striker Kevin FrancisCredit: X @UndrTheCoshThe former Posh chairman managed Birmingham between 1993 and 1996Credit: News Group Newspapers LtdFrancis was the target of a Fry meltdown after a poor display early in his Brum careerCredit: GettyHe joined Birmingham in 1994 after impressing for Cambridge United. The Blues were managed by the outspoken Fry, who would later become Peterborough United’s chairman-manager. Birmingham had been relegated to Division Two under Fry the previous season. And Claridge arrived alongside a host of new faces, including 6ft 7in striker Kevin Francis.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLBut in an early season away game, Francis had a stinker – and Fry let rip in the dressing room.Speaking to the UndrTheCosh podcast, Claridge said: “With Baz, if you weren’t strong, you were done.”[After the loss] he said to Francis ‘You are the f*cking worst signing, I have ever made.'”Bearing in mind, we signed 54 players that season.”Most read in FootballClaridge continued: “We paid £800,000 for Kev. [Fry] was raging ‘Is there anything left on this transfer? What do we have to pay?'”‘Give this f***er back. I can’t have him here, he’s the worst f***ing player I’ve ever seen.”EFL club owner gives update on new £2bn ‘spaceship’ stadium included in mega plans for state-of-the-art complex Claridge went on to reveal what he said to Francis when Fry’s rant was finally over.He laughed: “I told him ‘I think he quite likes you, mate! I’ve heard far worse’.”Francis – who for a time was the tallest player in the EFL – found his shooting boots after Fry’s meltdown. The striker went on to net 21 goals in 94 games for the Blues, helping them win the Division Two title. He would later go on to play for Hull City, Exeter and Stockport County.Fry also helped Blues lift the Football League Trophy alongside promotion back to Division One, now the Championship. The 79-year-old guided Birmingham to the semi-finals of the League Cup a year later, but was sacked after finishing 15th. More

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      Reading FC could become one of the most tragic stories in football history if EFL lose game of chicken with Dai Yongge

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      READING and their fans are being held hostage by a Chinese owner  edging them closer to what would be one of the most tragic stories in English football history.Supporters are genuinely scared they could become Bury The Sequel after the EFL told owner Dai Yongge to sell up by April 4 or else.Reading vs Port Vale was abandoned after home fans invaded the pitchCredit: AlamySupporters vented their fury over club owner Dai YonggeCredit: PAThe Chinese businessman has rightly been disqualified from owning a club in the Football League and ordered to sell his shares by next month.And if he fails to do so the EFL management board will meet in late April to consider the options — which include suspending the club or booting them out altogether.It has worrying echoes of the spring and summer months of 2019 when the EFL were trying to force Bury owner Steve Dale to sell the League One club that he paid only a pound for.Dale was unable to provide proof of funds to finance the club then failed to sell up and the Shakers were expelled from the League after 125 years of continuous membership.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSNow they’re plying their trade in the North West Counties League Premier Division, the ninth tier of English football.Such an Armageddon scenario doesn’t bear thinking about for a club believed to be the  seventh oldest in England.The EFL are clearly trying to force his hand — with league chiefs, Reading fans plus  club players and staff fed up after more than 500 days of Yongge failing to enact a sale.A clear choice is on the table for Yongge: sell up today for somewhere around £25million as a League One club which has potential to climb to the Premier League or get booted out of the EFL and then  pocket only a fraction of that amount.Most read in EFLThe message from Reading fans is clear as they demand actionCredit: RexBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKMost sensible people would at this point know the game is up.But on evidence so far,  applying the law of common sense — or even showing an ounce of business acumen — is something that deserts Yongge.Alan Pardew calls out the EFL amid controversial situation at Reading football clubThe Chinese businessmen — and his sister Dai Xiu Li — incredibly allowed 99-year-old Belgian team KSV Roeselare to go bankrupt with debts of only £17,000!Beijing Chengfeng, another club he owned, tumbled from the Chinese Super League to their third tier before they were dissolved in 2021.Then you only have to look at how he signed players like Liam Moore on wages believed to be around £40,000-£50,000 a week — then failed to sell him to Brighton for a fee of £9MILLION with only a year left on his deal.The defender then got crocked and walked away on a free.Yongge is known to be stubborn, which leads to all common sense going out of the window.And there are genuine fears he could dig his heels in.He has already stripped the club of its main assets — their stadium and training ground.So he could be minded to not give a hoot what happens to the club in the safe knowledge he has a couple of decent chunks of land to sell.Yongge is pictured with former Royals manager Jaap StamCredit: RexA big problem as things stand is the gaping hole between corporate law and competition rules.The EFL regulations say they can disqualify an owner and order him to sell — but cannot take the shares off him like a compulsory purchase order.Yongge could just ignore them — and, in the meantime, hold Reading FC as hostages. You take me down, you take down the club.It has become a dangerous game of chicken.And it brings into sharp focus why there must be changes in the law to protect community assets such as football clubs.So a compulsory purchase can be enacted if an owner is behaving recklessly.The good news is Yongge’s excuse that any progress on selling the club is being held up by a legal dispute with American Rob Couhig has now been  officially rejected by a court.New laws must be passed so teams like Reading cannot be held hostage by an unruly owner.The former Wycombe owner — whose takeover bid fell through last summer — wants the  £5million back he lent the club, with the training ground and stadium being put up as  securities by Yongge.Couhig’s Redwood Holdings is currently suing Yongge’s Renhe Sports Management for allegedly breaking exclusivity rules while negotiating the sale of the club last year.That is now a side issue and Yongge cannot blame that  dispute in holding up any sale.The Royals owner was finally disqualified by the EFL after it was found he had been added to a bad creditors list by the Chinese government.It is something Caroline Parker from fan group Sell Before We Dai has been lobbying the EFL over for some time.Let’s hope that Yongge finally sees sense and releases the  hostage that is Reading FC.READ MORE SUN STORIESAnd for crying out loud can Parliament and the football authorities work together to close every single loophole that allows such a person to treat one of our oldest clubs in such a reckless way.New laws must be passed so teams like Reading cannot be held hostage by an unruly owner. 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      Reading face being thrown out of EFL in 44 days as hated owner Dai Yongge is handed deadline to sell club

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      READING face being expelled from the EFL if Dai Yongge does not sell in the next 44 days.The Royals owner, 56, has failed the EFL’s owners and directors test.Dai Yongge has failed the EFL’s owners and directors testCredit: Rex FeaturesDai’s company, Renhe Sports management, has been in a court battle with former prospective Reading buyer Rob Couhig’s Redwood Holding Ltd.Couhig, who previously owned Wycombe Wanderers, had agreed a £30million deal to buy the Royals.But the deal subsequently collapsed.Couhig, 75, is claiming more than £12m in lost potential profits after claiming that Reading’s current owners broke exclusivity rules.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSAs the case unfolded, the court was told that, due to debts in China, Dai had failed the EFL’s owners and directors test.THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball. More