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      Uefa ready to switch Champions League final from Istanbul to Wembley with 22,500 Chelsea and Man City fans in attendance

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      UEFA chiefs are ready to shift the Champions League final to WEMBLEY.But only if the UK Government can give them a set of guarantees.
      Uefa chiefs are ready to move the Champions League final between Chelsea and Man City to WembleyCredit: Reuters
      SunSport revealed the personal plea from Boris Johnson to Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin after Turkey was placed on the Government’s red list.
      That would mean travellers would be required to quarantine for ten days on their return to the UK.
      Uefa are understood to be sympathetic and agree that, in the circumstances of a Covid wave in Turkey, not asking Chelsea and Manchester City fans to travel makes sense.
      But Uefa has ruled out grounds including Tottenham, Newcastle, Arsenal and Aston Villa.
      The governing body is also not considering Hampden Park or the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
      Euro bosses signalled that Wembley – with a capacity of 22,500 until the middle of June – is the only suitable venue.
      While there is growing momentum, a series of issues must be overcome.
      The first would be for the EFL and FA to agree to shift or reschedule the Championship play-off final, also due to be played on May 29.
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      Chelsea and Man City could now go head-to-head at Wembley rather than in IstanbulCredit: EPA

      That could either be moved or brought forward by 48 hours, allowing both Chelsea and City to train at Wembley on the day before the Champions League final.
      But Uefa is also seeking absolute guarantees from the Government that all media, broadcasters, sponsors and VIPs will be allowed to attend without quarantine issues.
      In addition, Uefa will ask the clubs who were involved in this season’s competition to give up part of their prize money to meet the estimated £20million-plus costs already incurred by the Turkish authorities ahead of the planned game at the Ataturk in Istanbul.
      A final decision is expected to come early this week.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
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      Man Utd fear summer of chaos if militant fans arrange anti-Glazer protests at pre-season games on foreign soil

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      MANCHESTER UNITED bosses fear militant fans could be planning a summer of discontent which will see them plotting to disrupt the club for months.Officials have already stepped up security at the club’s Carrington training ground in the wake of around 100 fans breaking into Old Trafford and storming the pitch ahead of the clash against Liverpool.
      Man Utd chiefs are worried fans are planning to disrupt the club all through the summerCredit: Guardian News & Media / Free to use by all titles in perpetuity under NMC agreement
      The protest, along with hundreds more supporters preventing the team bus from leaving The Lowry Hotel prior to last Sunday’s game, led to the fixture being postponed.
      Club officials are now concerned fans left furious by the Glazer family’s attempts to join a controversial European Super League could cause chaos over the coming months.
      A previous protest saw around 20 supporters walk into Carrington and speak to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
      A source said: “United’s success is often attributed to the fact they have fans all over the world who come out in droves to support them.
      “But what if some of those decide instead of going along to a friendly in America or the Far East, they are going to launch a similar protest.
      “It’s very hard to predict and it’s difficult to stop — and it is causing them a huge headache.
      “The green and gold protests against the Glazer ownership have been going on a long time.
      “The ESL plans have breathed new life into them and show no signs of slowing down.”
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      Prior to Thursday’s Europa League semi-final at Roma, security teams feared fans may try and stop the players arriving at Manchester airport.
      Rumours also circulated that two HQs belonging to kit sponsor adidas would also be targeted.
      The source said: “It’s a very difficult time for the people planning the security around the team and how they travel.”
      On Friday, United co-chairman Joel Glazer committed to better dialogue with fan groups after barely speaking to them throughout the 16 years his family have owned the club.
      And boss Solskjaer has called for calm — warning any further disruptions could turn a daunting run-in into an impossible one.
      United face three games in five days this week as a result of the Liverpool clash being postponed.
      Solskjaer said: “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see the challenges and the friction ahead — and it makes it more difficult for me and more difficult for the players.
      “We have to focus on getting results. I want us all to unite.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      in Boxing

      Anthony Joshua says Covid lockdowns stopped him having a breakdown

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      ANTHONY Joshua says Covid lockdowns stopped him having a breakdown.The world heavyweight champ was grateful to take time off from training.
      🔵 Read our coronavirus and green list announcement live blog for the latest updates
      Boxing champ Anthony Joshua says Covid lockdowns stopped him having a breakdownCredit: Rex
      Joshua, who is closing in on a mega-fight with rival Tyson Fury, said: “I never want to say Covid has been a blessing as for 99 per cent of people it has been so life-changing and tough for people.
      “But if there is a positive we got out of this negative it’s I feel like I was going to crash.
      “There were times going into training camp I was thinking, ‘I don’t know if I am going to come out the other side of this. I am that ill, run-down’.
      “We’re spending a lot of time promoting boxing and it’s hard.
      “During the pandemic I was like, ‘Breathe. Take a second’ and I just looked around.”
      AJ, 31, looks after fighters with his 258 management firm as well as co-parenting son Joseph, four.
      The world heavyweight champ was grateful to take time off from training during lockdownCredit: PA

      The champ told footballer Troy Deeney’s podcast: “I try and make my son use his creativity. Whatever he wants to do I will always be there to catch him if he falls.
      “I will never force him into anything. He is not a trophy kid.
      “He will figure it out and if he doesn’t he has great people around him to ask advice from.”

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      Rob Atkinson desperate to help seal promotion for Oxford United as he dreams of facing former club Fulham next season

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      ROB ATKINSON can go Ful circle if he wins promotion with Oxford.The defender today hopes to help the U’s secure a League One play-off spot and is dreaming of playing against former club Fulham in the Championship next season.
      Oxford defender Rob Atkinson (left) is eyeing Championship football and facing ex-club Fulham
      Atkinson, 22, got signed up by Fulham’s academy four years ago after making a name for himself in non-league with Basingstoke.
      But the 6ft 4in ace did not enjoy his two-year spell in West London.
      He said: “I was playing in the Under-23s – I didn’t like it that much.
      “Even though I thought the players were better, the coaching was better and facilities were immense, I missed men’s football.
      “That was my first taste of academy football.
      “My whole childhood people were saying, ‘You can be scouted for this and that’ and it would be the be all and end all.
      “But I was so late to the party. I was 19 when I joined Fulham.
      “It would’ve been different had I gone to an academy if I was younger but I was already engrained in the men’s game and playing youth football was a step back and I started to hate football.
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      Rob Atkinson heads home for Oxford against Shrewsbury in League One

      “I hated playing games but enjoyed the training at Fulham. I’ve benefitted and grown as a player thanks to the training.
      “The games? I didn’t want any part of it. You don’t play well when you don’t enjoy it. I was also on the bench a lot. It was a bad time.
      “So if we do get promoted, it would be nice and mentally good to see myself at the same level as Fulham.”
      Atkinson ended up going to Braintree on loan for the last six months of his Fulham contract to play in the National League.
      And eventually ended up at Eastleigh, which is where Oxford signed him from halfway through last season.
      He said: “I started to enjoy football again at Braintree even though we were bottom of the table.
      “There was no pressure and then we started to win some games against teams that had a lot of money like Fylde. It got my career kicking on again.”
      Oxford must today better whatever Portsmouth do against Accrington AND at least equal whatever Charlton do against champions Hull.
      But Atkinson is pinching himself at how far he has come over the past year.
      Last season he could not get into the Oxford team after his move from Eastleigh.
      But not only he has started in the U’s team 40 times this season, he was named in the EFL’s League One Team of the Season after a string of impressive performances.
      Oxford defender Rob Atkinson (12) celebrates scoring against Shrewsbury Town
      Although he did get off to a bumpy start – getting sent off on his League One debut against Lincoln
      He said: “Karl Robinson’s history – as well as Oxford’s – of developing young players was a big factor in me coming here.
      “After getting sent off on my debut, it would’ve been easy for any manager to bin me off, thinking I’m not ready or good enough for League One.
      “But credit to the gaffer, he stuck by me and I’d like to think I’ve repaid his faith with good performances.
      “I’m happy with it and for being recognised for my work and must keep going.”
      Atkinson has a slightly different football path than most English footballers – as the first club he played for was Cannes in France.
      He explained: “When I was about five, I moved out to the south of France with my mum and lived out there until I was nine or ten.
      “Cannes were the local team in the area and that is how I played for them.
      “I can speak French – which is useful because there are a lot of footballers over here from France.”
      Cannes is of course famous for the Cannes Film Festival.
      And Atkinson would dearly love to star in a successful promotion bid.
      He said: “I sat on the bench when we lost the League One play-off final against Wycombe last season and everyone was devastated.
      “Some were still upset a few months after, which might explain our slow start to the season.
      “But we have some good momentum now. We’ve won five out of six and in good form at the right time.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
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      Boris Johnson calls on Uefa to allow UK to host Champs League final – with St James’, Tottenham and Emirates available

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      BORIS JOHNSON urged Uefa to switch the Champions League final to the UK – for the sake of the fans.Turkey will be on the UK’s Covid ‘red list’, so Chelsea and Manchester City supporters face ten days’ costly hotel quarantine on return from Istanbul after the May 29 spectacle.
      Boris Johnson is desperate for the UK to host the Champions League final on May 29Credit: Reuters
      And PM Johnson told SunSport: “The Champions League is the pinnacle of European club football.
      “And with two English teams in the final, it would be a great shame if fans were unable to attend.
      “It would be brilliant to host it here if we can. I want to help supporters of both clubs see their team in action.”
      Johnson’s intervention strengthened hopes of the game being moved after Uefa were blindsided by the red-list decision and left considering a U-turn.
      If the game was played over here up to 15,000 fans could attend.
      The UK Government will grant clubs a quarantine exemption should the final remain at the Ataturk.
      That is a relief for England boss Gareth Southgate, who otherwise faced losing Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, John Stones, Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell until four days before the June 13 opener against Croatia.
      There is no issue entering Turkey but English fans coming back would have to fork out nearly £2,000 EACH before being allowed back home.
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      Chelsea advanced to the final after beating Real Madrid 3-1 on aggregate over two legsCredit: AFP
      Manchester City proved to be too good for Paris Saint-Germain as they beat the French side home and awayCredit: EPA
      And Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned: “It does mean fans should not travel to Turkey. The FA are in discussions with Uefa already.
      “We are very open to hosting the final but that’s ultimately for Uefa.
      “We already have a successful record of matches with spectators and given two English clubs are in that final we look forward to hearing what Uefa say.”
      Uefa were planning to allow up to 6,000 fans from each club at the game, now scheduled to have a crowd of 25,000.
      But Turkey is in the grip of a new Covid wave of the virus.
      Uefa chief Aleksander Ceferin has thanked Johnson for helping save football from the threat of the breakaway Super League last month.
      Government legal threats helped persuade Big Six rebels to heed the fan backlash and quit the £4.6billion project.
      Ceferin said: “Boris Johnson is aware football fans are  working class. The reaction was very logical — he cared what happened to football, because that would affect the people, of course.
      Just seven players have managed to score a hat-tricks of CL hat-tricks

      The Government’s threat of a “legislative bombshell” helped persuade the Big Six rebels to heed the fan backlash and turn their backs on the £4.6bn project.
      And Ceferin, who spoke directly with the PM, said: “Boris Johnson is aware that football fans are from the working class.
      “They live hard, and they spend the last money to watch football matches, which is their passion, relaxation, which is part of European culture, part of history. 
      “It seemed to me the reaction was very logical – he cared what happened to football, because that would affect the people, of course.
      “It was very responsible from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to take a sharp stand on the side of the fans, not only because of the culture and love of football, but also because it ensures order in the country.”
      Johnson also contacted Uefa to offer up the UK as an option for staging extra matches at Euro 2020, although in the event there will be just one extra last 16 knock-out tie at Wembley.
      The Emirates is one possible destination where the Champions League final could take placeCredit: Getty

      “It was very responsible from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to take a sharp stand on the side of the fans.”
      Johnson also offered up the UK as an option for staging extra Euros games but there will be just one extra last-16 Wembley tie.
      Any CL final move would be welcomed by Chelsea and City fans, who are facing a four-hour flight each way, costs of hotels and match tickets —  and now that quarantine.
      Wembley is being used for the Play-Off Finals on the weekend of the Champions League showpiece.
      But Uefa had been offered the use of St James’ Park for the Euros by the FA, with other options including the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or The Emirates.
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      Premier League parachute payments may be seen as ‘evil’ – but they are vital to helping returning clubs stay competitive

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      ONE look at the two clubs already promoted from the Championship and lovers of  football in England may well be wondering whether the gap in standards between the top two divisions is widening.Title-winners Norwich and Watford are returning to the Premier League after fairly comfortable seasons.
      Championship winners Norwich celebrate their instant return to the PremCredit: Rex
      Xisco Munoz has guided Watford back to the top flight after being appointed manager in DecemberCredit: Getty
      Norwich kept faith in Daniel Farke after relegation and were rewarded with promotionCredit: PA
      And there is a possibility that Bournemouth, the third of the clubs that went down, will still win the play-offs.
      They deserve their success. But some will say the system wasn’t meant for keep-it-in-the-family, it was for blowing fresh air through the leagues.
      Many of those who did not make it will blame “evil” parachute payments, a sum of about £40million handed over to each club in the first year of relegation, falling to £35m in the second and £15m in the third and last.
      But the parachute payments are vital if promoted clubs are to have any chance of staying in the Premier League and, crucially, if they are to make a contribution to it by using the money to buy the players that allow them to have a chance of winning against some of the best teams in the world, and staying in the league.
      And if they do try to retain their PL status but fail, they will need the parachute payment.
      Without it they will go bankrupt as it is there to cover the Premier League player contracts they have taken on that will still exist if they drop to the Championship.
      And without the parachute payment, they will be forced to sell their best players to balance the books and the consequences could be deadly as shown by the number of famous old names now populating the lower divisions — Sunderland, Charlton, Portsmouth and Bolton among them.
      Ben Godfrey and Jamal Lewis helped Norwich up back in 2019 and were sold after relegation last summer as the Canaries stayed frugalCredit: PA:Press Association
      The policy at Norwich is that the only big transfer fees they will be  involved with are the ones they receive.
      As the  Canaries were re-embarking on their latest successful promotion campaign, they sold Ben Godfrey to Everton for £25m and Jamal Lewis to Newcastle for £15m. Spending amounted to £10m.
      The Canary Way is thrift, not a word you hear much of in football.
      Nothing flashy about what majority shareholders Delia Smith and husband Michael Wynn-Jones have cooked up.
      The question now has to be this . . . will their team and Watford be equipped to stay up?
      The 2019-20 season was abject for them. Norwich finished bottom of the Premier League on 21 points,  13 short of their fellow relegated clubs.
      The common reaction to such a blighted season is to sack the manager, in Watford’s case two of them. As for Bournemouth, they lost Eddie Howe.
      Not Norwich. Their board came to a conclusion that was probably as simple as this — weak team and good manager.
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      Daniel Farke stayed and he’ll be at the wheel again next season.
      The German and his staff are creative. To be a success, any club has to be.
      In their different ways, Norwich and Watford, are examples of smart housekeeping. It wasn’t good enough last time in the Prem. Next season? We shall see.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
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      Watford are back to the Premier League and so will I be – I’m using all the negative talk and smirking as motivation

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      I’VE heard all the talk since Watford’s promotion back to the Premier League.I’ll be 33 this summer, I’ve missed a large chunk of the season through injury, I’ve been doing a lot of media work, so I won’t be playing a lot of football next season, right? Wrong.
      Watford have secured an instant return to the Premier League after being relegated last termCredit: PA
      I’m not angry about all these suggestions. I’m smirking and I’m using it all as motivation.
      People can underestimate me and assume my career is winding down but I am very far from done.
      I’m back to fitness after tearing my Achilles and calf and I’m hoping to feature in our final match of the season against Swansea.
      Then I’m going to train all summer and attack the new season head-on.
      Normally I have a summer blow-out, then go through hell in pre-season to get myself back into shape.
      But not this summer. I am still under contract at Watford and I have never been so determined to be in tip-top condition to get into the team for the start of next season.
      People are far too quick to write off players when they are over 30. But although I’m not slow, I don’t have electric pace and I do have a decent football brain.
      There is no reason why I can’t play at the top level for a good few seasons yet.
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      Troy Deeney has scored seven goals in 18 Championship games this campaign – and is promising to be ready for the Premier League next seasonCredit: Rex
      I scored 10 goals in 27 games during our last Premier League season and that is not a bad record in a relegated side.
      I’ve been doing media work for talkSPORT and The Sun and I’m now on the PFA board and have been involved in a lot of anti-racism work – all of which I have found rewarding.
      But that is not as time-consuming as people think. If they reckon I’m not focused on my football, then they don’t know me at all.
      I can’t wait to be back in the top flight, hearing our supporters roaring us on again and hearing the opposition fans calling me every name under the sun.
      I’ve missed those opposition fans almost as much as the Watford supporters – I feed off the abuse I get. I can’t wait to play at all those great stadiums again – places like Villa Park and Elland Road for the first time in years, in front of a full house.
      I’m determined to savour it more than ever, for as long as I’ve got.
      As a player when you recall great games you play in, it is the atmosphere you remember first.
      This has been the strangest of seasons and I am absolutely thrilled for all my team-mates – especially those who’ve experienced promotion for the first time.
      Watford have finished the 2020-21 Championship season as runners-up to NorwichCredit: Getty
      Playing such a central role for Watford over the last decade, I can’t pretend it hasn’t hurt my ego that I’ve not been involved anywhere near as much as I’d have liked this season.
      I have still played well at times, I’ve scored some important goals and provided assists and in the last few months, I’ve been at matches, in the dressing-room, sitting near our subs and been as vocal as I would have been out on the pitch.
      Our manager, Xisco Munoz, has made sure I’ve been involved and I’m delighted he is going to get a stab at the Premier League.
      When he arrived in December, he lifted the mood 100 per cent.
      There aren’t many managers who can strike the right balance between the arrogance you require to be the boss and the humility needed to listen to others but Xisco has got that.
      Some managers think they know it all. Some shy away from unpopular decisions. Not Xisco.
      He was a fine player with Real Betis and Valencia, where he worked under Rafa Benitez, who is a mentor to him. He wants us to play it out from the back – but he is pragmatic and flexible too.
      He is only 40 and hasn’t been managing for long. He has arrived in a new country, during the middle of a pandemic – which causes so many challenges for players and managers – and he has still managed to create an excellent team spirit.
      Troy Deeney has a contract at Vicarage Road until the end of the seasonCredit: PA

      You talk about the ‘spirit in the dressing room’ well this season, we’ve had the spirit in the marquee in the car park at Stoke, the spirit in the supporters’ club bar at QPR and the spirit in the conference rooms at Nottingham Forest.
      Those are the sort of places where we’ve been changing at away games. And half-times have often been rushed.
      Normally a manager might wait a few minutes before delivering his message but often, at away games, we haven’t had the time after we’ve reached whichever weird and wonderful places we’ve been stationed in.
      Footballers are a superstitious bunch, very particular in our preparations – but a lot of that has gone out of the window.
      We’re privileged to have been able to carry on playing the game we love during the pandemic but there have been unique challenges and I’m proud of the way we secured promotion at the first attempt.
      Finally, I know Watford’s owners have a reputation for being ruthless with managers but I’m proud of how the club stuck by its employees after relegation, when they could easily have used Covid as an extra excuse to make a raft of redundancies.
      I love this club and can’t wait to play a big part as captain in the Premier League again.
      If you think I’m anywhere near finished, then you haven’t seen the big smirk on my face!
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      Wayne and Coleen Rooney plan seaside summer holiday with their kids in wet and windy Wales

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      WAYNE and Coleen Rooney are planning a seaside summer holiday with their four kids in wet and windy Wales.The ex-England footballer and his wife, both 35, are set to rent a chalet overlooking a beach in a popular resort known locally as “millionaire’s caravan park”.
      Wayne and Coleen Rooney are planning a seaside summer holiday with their four kids in wet and windy WalesCredit: Vantage News
      The family will risk chilly 15C days and downpours after opting to avoid quarantine rulesCredit: Refer to caption
      Morning on Abersoch Beach near to The Warren resort where the family will stayCredit: Alamy
      The family used to pack their many suitcases and jet off for a luxury 32C break in Barbados before the pandemic.
      This year they will risk chilly 15C days and regular downpours after opting to avoid quarantining rules.
      They will stay at The Warren, in Abersoch, Gwynedd.
      The Rooney’s are set to rent a chalet overlooking a beach in a popular resort known locally as ‘millionaire’s caravan park’Credit: instagram.com/coleen_rooney
      The resort has its own helicopter pad, five-star facilities and is likely to cost them £5,000 a weekCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      The couple’s baggage is snapped at the airport in BarbadosCredit: Vantage News/MEGA

      The resort has its own helicopter pad, five-star facilities and is likely to cost them £5,000 a week.
      A source said: “It’s essentially a step up from camping.
      The source added: “But with a gilded twist for the rich and famous.”
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