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    Furious taxi drivers slam ‘woke’ ban on flying England flags during Euros

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    FURIOUS taxi drivers have hit out at a “woke” ban on flying England flags during the Euros.Leftie London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Transport for London bosses say the St George’s Cross could “distract” other drivers and even cause accidents.Furious taxi drivers have hit out at a “woke” ban on flying England flags during the EurosCredit: AFPAnd the capital’s 125,000 drivers have been warned they could face serious penalties including losing their black cab licence if they fly the red and white banner.Drivers have hit back insisting the flags are no more distracting than the colourful paint jobs on vehicles plastered with advertisements.And they accuse Khan’s killjoys of pandering to woke concerns that the English flag is offensive to minorities.Cabbies across the rest of the nation are not affected with many flying the flag to show support for the Three Lions’ campaign in Germany.Read More on SportLondon’s 125,000 black cab, taxi, private hire and Uber drivers have all been barred by TfL from displaying mini flags – and even stickers – of any countryBosses say their rules only permit only “official taxi signs and stickers” to be displayed in or on vehicles.Black cab driver Fred Perkins, 60, based on a rank in Chelsea, West London, said: “It’s nonsense. It’s all coming down from Khan at the top, because he’s ultimately in charge.“Our society has really gone woke when we can’t fly a little flag for England for the Euros. Loads of drivers used to have flags on their cabs in years gone by.Most read in Euro 2024“How can a little flag be a distraction compared to the great big advert on the side of my cab?”David Lawrie, director of the National Private Hire Association cabbies’ organisation, which represents hundreds of London drivers, said: “Khan should not have put this rule in place.Awkward moment when BBC commentator pulls up pal for shoehorning England scenario into match commentary“It’s woke mentality. Is it because some people view the England flag as offensive?“There are St George’s flags on private hire vehicles in Manchester, so why can’t drivers fly them in London?“Black cabs can have adverts over the whole taxi for sponsorship, so it’s hypocritical to say a small flag could be a distraction compared to that.“Common sense should allow mini England flags for the Euro. The ban should be overturned.”TfL guidelines say: “Breaches of regulations could lead to a formal sanction – such as a warning, Fixed Penalty Notice, prosecution or licence review.”A TfL spokesman said: “For the safety of all passengers and drivers, we have guidelines about what can be displayed in or on taxis and private hire vehicles.“Only official signs and stickers can be displayed. Any other signage or flags are not permitted because they could cause a distraction to other drivers and other road users.READ MORE SUN STORIES“These guidelines apply to all flags and signage.”“We expect all taxi and private hire operators and drivers to comply.” More

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      Euro 2024: Reason Harry Kane’s controversial statue wasn’t put up – with fears it could’ve lead to deaths

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      HARRY Kane’s controversial statue was not put up for safety reasons after fears it could lead to deaths.A statue of England captain was not installed at a Transport for London (TfL) railway station because it risked “distracting train drivers”, officials have revealed. A statue of Harry Kane was not put up for safety reasonsCredit: Big Issue/Waltham Forest Council/Sculpture Machine Ltd IDThe artwork cost £7,000 to produceCredit: Big Issue/Waltham Forest Council/Sculpture Machine LtdHarry Kane will lead England at Euro 2024Credit: GettyIt was not placed at a platform at Chingford Railway stationCredit: WikipediaThe project was commissioned by Waltham Forest Council in 2019, which spent more than £7,000 on the artwork.But the England striker’s effigy still has no permanent home five years later.Depicting a life-sized Kane sitting on a bench, it had initially been planned to live at Chingford Overground Station, where the striker was brought up.Following a risk assessment by Transport for London, however, the plan was thwarted.Read More in FootballA TfL freedom of information case officer said: “Discussions with the Operations Team of Arriva Rail London – who operate the London Overground on behalf of Transport for London – around the proposal to locate the statue on the platform behind the buffer stops were high level and started in January of this year. “After initial feedback the proposal was not progressed. “A detailed assessment of the risks of locating the statue on the platform was not undertaken, therefore we do not hold this information.”They added: “Initial concerns that were fed back related to the risk that having the statue in proximity to the buffer stops could cause a distraction to train drivers as they approach the terminal (dead-end) platforms at Chingford. Most read in Euro 2024″The main distraction issue was not concerned with the statue, but the actions of persons around it, including posing for photographs on/next to it, hanging items on it such as scarfs, etc.”Had the discussions progressed further, this would have led to the commissioning of a formal safety validation workstream, including hazard identifications and a risk assessment, but a further proposal was then made to relocate the statue off station premises at Chingford, negating the requirement for commissioning of a safety validation.”Other potential locations, according to The Guardian, had included Chingford Rail Station and Ridgeway Park, which is where Walthamstow-born Kane played football as a youngster.The images, first obtained by the Big Issue, show a metallic Kane sitting on a green bench and holding a football on his thigh with his left hand.England stars land in Germany ready to be whisked to luxury Euro 2024 base as Kane and Co look to lead nation to gloryEngland’s record goalscorer, who now plays for Bayern Munich after moving from Tottenham Hotspur last summer, is said to have been positive about the statue.In February, his representatives were quoted as saying they “will be happy to go” to unveil the artwork once the location has been decided.Kane has led the Three Lions to Germany as they prepare to kick off their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on Sunday.Every member of the squad was then presented with a box containing a special shirt to be worn in the tournament.It also featured the history of the number they would be wearing and a personalised reminder of how they fell in love with the game as youngsters.Kane’s included a picture of him as a boy with the Ridgeway Rovers Football Club logo — and the words, “Harry Kane: All time goalscorer”.But a permanent home for the statue remains undetermined.The pictures, reportedly sent to the council by Sculpture Machine, have caused a stir on social media.Some questioned whether a footballer should be sitting on a bench in this way and others poking fun at its chocolate appearance.England camp scheduleHere’s how England’s schedule for Euro 2024 could look
      Sunday June 9: Player Arrivals – 26-man squad arrives at St. George’s Park
      Monday June 10: Squad fly to five-star hotel base camp in Germany
      Tuesday June 11: First training session ahead of Euro 2024
      Saturday June 15: Team travels to Gelsenkirchen for opening game vs Serbia and pre-match media conference
      Sunday June 16: Opening game vs Serbia. KO 8pm
      Thursday June 20: Game 2 vs Denmark. KO 5pm
      Tuesday June 25: Final group game vs Slovenia. KO 8pm
      Sunday June 30/Saturday June 29/Monday July 1 or Tuesday July 2: Last 16 if England win Group/Last 16 if England come second in Group/One of four best third-place teams
      Saturday July 6/Friday July 5: Quarter-finals, Group winners or one of best four third-place finishers/Quarter finals, second in Group and or one of best four third-place finishers
      Wednesday July 10/Tuesday July 9: Semi-finals, Group winner path or third-best path/Semi-finals, runner-up path or third-best path
      Sunday 14: Final, 8pm KO

      Prince William, who is an Aston Villa fan, plans to travel to Germany to watch the Three Lions when they take on ­Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia in Group C.Those selected to shoulder the nation’s hopes of winning a first major international tournament since 1966 met up at St. George’s Park on Sunday.And on Monday afternoon they landed in Germany as they headed to their five-star Golfresort Weimarer Land base camp, near the town of Blankenhain which the FA have reportedly paid £800,000 for.England kick off their tournament on Sunday June 16 against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen.The Three Lions will then play Denmark in Frankfurt on June 20, before their final group game against Slovenia in Cologne on June 25.Since their strong qualifying campaign ended in November, England have not been in ideal form going into the tournament.READ MORE SUN STORIESMarch saw England lose 1-0 to Brazil and draw 2-2 to Belgium.England then landed their first win of 2024 against Bosnia Herzegovina on June 3 with a 3-0 victory, before being stunned 1-0 by Iceland last Friday.Controversial footballer statues over the yearsFootballers around the world have become victims of dodgy sculptures over the years.
      Cristiano Ronaldo
      The superstar had a weird-looking bust displayed at Madeira airport much to the hilarity of fans globally.
      He also has another statue which fans were not to keen on.
      Diego Maradona
      One of the greatest players to ever kick a ball, Diego Maradona was further immortalised in a statue in Kolkata, India, in 2017.
      But the Argentinian’s image was not exactly reflected in the monument, which he helped to unveil.
      David Beckham
      David Beckham once launched an H&M underwear campaign with a statue of him in his pants
      James Corden also pranked Becks with a fake statue of him at LA Galaxy.
      The hilarious prank had Beckham’s face looking unrecognisable.
      Michael Essien
      The ex-Chelsea star was honoured with a bizarre statue in Ghana back in 2018.
      The out of proportion construction had fans questioning the artist.
      Mo Salah
      The Liverpool star has an out-of-proportion statue in his honour in Egypt.

      Prince William presenting Harry Kane with a special shirt to be worn in the tournamentCredit: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace More

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      London Overground line to be named after iconic England side following £6m rebrand

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      THE new names of London’s six Overground lines have been revealed, with one set to be named after England’s Lionesses.Transport for London (TfL) has announced the changes are expected to cost about £6.3m to complete.
      TFL will name one of the new London Overground lines after the LionessesCredit: Getty
      TfL announced last summer its plan to give routes distinct names to make it easier for passengers to navigate the network.
      The new names for services will be the Lioness line, the Mildmay line, the Windrush line, the Weaver line, the Suffragette line and the Liberty line.
      Each will also have its own colour.
      With the Lioness line running from Euston to Watford Junction running through Wembley, the name is to honour the achievements of the England women’s football team.
      READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
      On the map, it will be marked with yellow parallel lines.
      Sarena Wiegman had led England women to great success over the years.
      In 2022 the Lionesses won the European Championship at Wembley after beating Germany 2-1.
      And last year they were inches away from claiming another piece of silverware at the World Cup but lost 1-0 to Spain at the final in Sydney.
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      And they will not be able to redeem themselves at the Paris Summer Olympics in July as they failed to qualify after finishing second in their UEFA Women’s League Group.
      Despite a sensational 6-0 victory against Scotland back in December, table leaders Netherlands managed to finish above England after goal difference.
      Mary Earps wins SPOTY as Lioness makes history after England World Cup final run,
      Wiegman’s side will next face Austria in a friendly at the end of the month in Spain. More

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      Arsenal fans hit by travel chaos for Liverpool FA Cup clash with Londoners facing days of ‘little to no’ Tube service

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      ARSENAL fans are facing travel chaos for their FA Cup clash against Liverpool on Sunday – with tube strikes set to take place.Transport for London stated there will be “little to no service” on the underground, leaving supporters with a travel headache for the 16:30 kick-off.
      Fans will have a tough time getting home from the Emirates for Sunday’s gameCredit: Reuters
      TfL today urged passengers to “only travel if their journey is essential” from this Sunday evening until next Friday.
      Transport bosses declared that lines serving the Emirates Stadium in North London for the Arsenal v Liverpool FA Cup third round match, will end around 6.30pm.
      They added that lines will “try to remain open longer” but that fans should make their way straight to the trains following the match.
      It comes amid a dispute over pay and conditions.
      RESD MORE ARSENAL NEWS
      Arsenal – who last won the FA Cup in 2020- host Jurgen Klopp’s men following successive defeats in the Premier League.
      Mikel Arteta’s side suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to West Ham at the Emirates, after a controversial goal from Tomas Soucek and a second-half header from Konstantinos Mavropanos.
      Misery then continued for the Gunners, as they were beaten 2-1 by an out-of-form Fulham side at Craven Cottage on New Years Eve.
      Meanwhile, Liverpool – who lifted the FA Cup in 2022 – sit top of the Premier League and held Arsenal to a 2-2 draw at Anfield last month.
      Most read in Football
      Tube strikes are projected to begin on January 7Credit: PA
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      But Arsenal will look to get back to winning ways and advance in the competition they’ve won a record 14 times.
      Chaos will begin when engineering and maintenance workers take strike action this Friday and Saturday.
      The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) hit out at ‘below inflation’ pay rises for staff and claimed TfL had created a bonus pot of £13million for senior managers. More