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Gerwyn Price won the ninth Players Championship of 2025 with an 8-4 victory over Ian White in the final, as Luke Littler went out in the third round.

Price produced a superb 140 checkout in the fourth leg – the highest of the match – to take a 3-1 lead and kept his composure in the remainder of the contest at the Leicester Arena.

Welshman Price averaged 94.67 to White’s 96.99 and had fewer 180s – three to six – but his checkout success of 34.8% versus 28.6% proved crucial.

It was Price’s second Players Championship tournament win of the season following last month’s success in Wigan.

“I didn’t feel too good at the beginning of today – was a little bit up and down in games – but that will give a me boost for the Premier League next week”, Price told the PDC.

“I was a little bit inconsistent but I battled on. In the past I probably throw those games away. There were some ragged points but I’m glad to get a win”.

White, ranked 52nd in the PDC order of merit, had reached his first professional tour final in five years having knocked out world champion Littler in the last 32.

The 54-year-old, nicknamed ‘ Diamond’, had given Littler a scare in the fourth round of the World Championships earlier this year.

Before that match White revealed he used to beat 18-year-old Littler’s grandfather on the pub darts circuit in Runcorn in the 1990s.

In his second meeting with the Warrington teenager, White triumphed 6-5 after a thrilling deciding leg.

Littler failed to land a 102 checkout to give White a chance and he nailed 46, finishing with double top, to progress at the expense of his fellow Englishman.

White went on to score wins over Josh Rock and Cameron Menzies in the quarters and semis before he came unstuck against Price.

Gary Anderson, meanwhile, compiled a nine-dart finish in his first-round match against Krzysztof Ratajski, before he lost in the last 32.

There are 34 Players Championship events across the year and the second part of the Leicester double-header will take place on Tuesday.

Chelsea have reported a pre-tax profit of £128.4m in their financial results for the year ending June 2024.

The figure was an improvement on the first full year under the ownership of Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium, in which the Premier League club announced pre-tax losses of £90.1m.

Chelsea’s overall revenue fell from £512.5m in 2023 to £468.5m, which the club attributed to the absence of Champions League football for their men’s side.

The club credited the profit to the “disposal of player registrations” worth £152.5m and the “repositioning” of their highly successful women’s team.

Chelsea announced a restructuring and a long-term strategic plan for the women’s team in May 2024 which saw them sold to become a standalone business from the men’s side while remaining a part of the club owners ‘ wider portfolio.

Chelsea said matchday revenue increased to £80.1m for its financial year, from £76.5m in the previous results.

Chelsea’s statement on Monday pointed to how the club improved their financial health, avoiding breaking Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

The position was strengthened in the previous financial results by the sale of two hotels by Chelsea FC Holdings Ltd to BlueCo 22 Properties Ltd, a deal between companies under the control of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership.

That £76.5m sale meant Chelsea made a loss of £89.9m instead of £166.4m in their 2022-23 accounts.

Chelsea may have made an even greater gain with the sale of the women’s team to BlueCo, with that 2024 transaction worth either part or all of the £198.7m “profit on disposal of subsidiaries” mentioned in the club accounts.

Without that, Chelsea may have made a significant loss.

In a season without European football, the club again made substantial player purchases while not having a front-of-shirt sponsor.

Only when the full financial results are released on Companies House will it be absolutely clear what impact the women’s team transaction has made.

Chelsea’s strategy is entirely within Premier League rules. Uefa has more stringent rules and it remains to be seen whether European football’s governing body considers any action.

Matheus Cunha says he wants to take Wolves to “another level” and that a recent interview in which he seemed to imply he needed to leave the club had been misinterpreted.

Brazil striker Cunha said in an interview with the Observer that he has told Wolves he needs to “take the next step” and fight for titles in his career.

The former Atletico Madrid player has a £62.5m release clause in the four-and-a-half-year deal he signed in February.

Speaking in a social media video on Monday, the 25-year-old said people did not have “correct interpretation”.

“It’s impossible for the player to be honest in an interview knowing that everything can be taken in any way he wants”, he said.

“I don’t think a lot of people read the interview, and I don’t think that people have the correct interpretation. Of course the point was talking about Wolves, to show everyone how happy I am to be here, to play for this team, to play for these team-mates and of course give back all the love that they give to me.

Wolves are 17th and nine points above the Premier League relegation zone before Tuesday’s home game against West Ham, and also speaking on Monday, head coach Vitor Pereira said has no immediate concerns about Cunha as the club look to secure their top flight status.

” He is committed. This is the present. The future, I don’t know, “Pereira said.

” He knows his potential. He is a top player. It’s normal he has the ambition to fight for titles. It’s natural. It happens with other players. But the most important thing is to be committed and help the team to achieve our targets. At the end of the season we will see. “

Cunha, who scored Brazil’s goal in their 4-1 World Cup qualifying defeat to Argentina last week which cost Dorival Junior his job, has scored 15 times for Wolves this season.

He is currently halfway through a four-game ban for acting in an improper manner when he was sent off for clashing with Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez in Wolves ‘ FA Cup defeat on 1 March.

He will sit out the visit of the Hammers and Saturday’s trip to Ipswich before being available to face Tottenham on 13 April.

Liverpool are out of the Champions League and lost the Carabao Cup final, but how will they respond as they resume their Premier League title bid?

The leaders, who host neighbours Everton on Wednesday, are 12 points clear with nine games to go.

“I can see this being another explosive Merseyside derby, like the last one was”, said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton.

“But after the international break Liverpool will be absolutely bursting to get out there and put things right”.

Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

For week 30, he takes on Liam Hincks from Liverpool DJ &amp, producer duo Tigerblind, who is a lifelong Everton fan.

Tigerblind have teamed up with world-renowned dance label Ministry of Sound for their latest single, Battery Operated.

Do you agree with their scores? You can make your own predictions below.

The most popular scoreline selected for each game is used in the scoreboards and tables at the bottom of this page.

Liam enjoyed the end of the last Merseyside derby to be played at Goodison Park, when James Tarkowski’s 98th-minute goal earned Everton a dramatic point in February, but he is not relishing Wednesday’s meeting at Anfield.

“I am dreading it, to be honest, for a couple reasons”, he told BBC Sport.

“Firstly, because of the way Liverpool are at the moment – they are absolutely flying in the league – and also because of just how bad our record is there”.

Everton won at Anfield in 2021, but that is their only victory there in their past 28 visits in all competitions since 1999.

The Toffees do go into this game in decent form, however. They are on a nine-game unbeaten run in the league under David Moyes, who replaced Sean Dyche in January.

“I got to know Sean quite well, and he is a lovely guy”, Liam added. “He came to see us play at Pacha in Ibiza last summer and he was a really good laugh.

” From getting the other side of things from him, I did feel for him when he left. I guess that is football, though, and sometimes things don’t work out.

“Moyes has come back and he obviously has a connection with the club and a lot of history. He has started to get more of a tune out of some of the players a bit more than Dyche did, especially Beto up front.

” I think the biggest thing Moyes has done is to give him confidence. It will be interesting once Dominic Calvert-Lewin comes back from injury to see how he responds to Moyes too, because he hasn’t played much under him.

“Fair play to Beto, though. There was a lot of pressure on his shoulders with a new manager coming in, and the team not scoring, but the run he has gone on]five goals in nine league games under Moyes] is just fantastic – at any other club he’d be a £60m striker”!

Arsenal’s title hopes may only be faint but they have still got to try to exert a bit of pressure on Liverpool.

Win this, and they are nine points behind the leaders before Arne Slot’s side play again. I want to see Liverpool pushed, and no other result will do.

It won’t be easy for Arsenal, though – I was at the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage in December, which finished 1-1, and that was a typical Fulham performance in that they were dangerous on the counter-attack.

They showed that day what a capable side they are, and they have several former Arsenal players in their squad who will want to prove a point again too.

Marco Silva’s side had a disappointing defeat at home to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup on Saturday, but they actually played really well in the first half of that game.

It’s hard to know where some teams are at form wise, coming out of the international break, and if Arsenal are not at the races then Fulham are going to to cause them more problems this time.

I actually think the Gunners will find a way to win this one, though.

Bukayo Saka’s return after more than three months out will lift Emirates Stadium even if he starts the game on the bench and, if they need it, he will supply a spark whenever he gets on the pitch.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-0

Wolves have got a nine-point cushion above the bottom three but they still have a bit of work to do to make sure they are completely safe.

Their best player Matheus Cunha is still suspended, and he is such a big miss. His recent comments about wanting to leave to win trophies are hardly much help to them either.

West Ham are only one place above Wolves, but are another eight points clear.

Their results have not been spectacular under Graham Potter but when I look at them, I do think they are improving – they came very close to beating Everton last time out, and actually deserved the three points there.

I’d like to pick a winner but I am not sure that will get me anywhere – this game smells of a draw.

Sutton’s prediction: 1-1

I am concerned how Nottingham Forest will cope without Chris Wood up front if he is out injured. At the moment it is not clear how serious his problem is.

Forest made quite a few changes against Brighton in the FA Cup over the weekend, and still got through without ‘ the Wood-chopper’, but they really need him back as soon as possible.

Speaking as a Forest fan, it’s especially annoying that he has picked up this injury while on international duty.

New Zealand have got an excellent cricket and rugby union team and I wish them every success at football, but do they really need Wood to get through their World Cup qualification campaign against the likes of Fiji and New Caledonia?

I’d argue they don’t need him, and that Wood is better than that. If I was from New Zealand, I’d probably have won about 700 caps, and there are greater priorities for Wood, which are to win the FA Cup and get Forest into next season’s Champions League.

It will be harder for Forest without him, but I still think they can repeat their win at Old Trafford in December.

Saturday’s FA Cup win over Brighton was not exactly a thriller, but as we have seen plenty of times from Forest already this season, they are not here to entertain – they are here to get the job done.

As for Manchester United, it is a big end to the season for their boss Ruben Amorim.

Bruno Fernandes has carried them a bit recently in the league, and he is their best hope of getting a positive result here.

I am not sure either side will be too bothered about having the ball, but Forest fans are happy for them to sit deep and play on the counter, even when they are at home, and they are really good at it.

Sutton’s prediction: 1-0

Bournemouth have lost a bit of form of late, going out of the FA Cup and taking only one point from their past four league games.

They really need a positive result to get back on track, so who better to face than an Ipswich team who are struggling badly?

I thought Bournemouth played well in the first half against Manchester City on Sunday and carried a goal threat – but the mindset of the Ipswich players is likely to be a bigger factor in what happens in this game.

The bottom three are doing so badly that we maybe should have relegated them over the international break – it feels like all three of them need a miracle if they are going to survive from here.

As I’ve said many times, I actually like the Ipswich model and how they play, and I am a fan of Kieran McKenna as a manager.

I have felt for them this season and, out of the bottom three sides, they have given it the best go at staying up, but it is quite a damning statistic that they are the only side in the top five tiers of English football yet to win a league game in 2025.

Maybe the international break will have done them good but this feels like an open goal for Bournemouth, who are still right in the race for Champions League football next season.

The Cherries needed two late goals to win at Portman Road before Christmas but I am not sure McKenna’s side will put up the same fight this time.

It is starting to feel like they are resigned to their fate, and they might have to think about how they will bounce back next season – if they can keep their squad together then I’d be confident that will happen.

There will be suitors for Liam Delap, of course, but if he wanted to move somewhere nice he could just come and live in Norwich – it is quite a long drive to Ipswich though.

Sutton’s prediction: 3-1

What a season Aston Villa are having, with a Champions League quarter-final and FA Cup semi-final to look forward to.

Their recruitment in January has been key – a lot has been made of how well Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio are playing after joining on loan, and rightly so.

Whether Villa can turn them into permanent signings in the summer might depend on whether they get in next season’s Champions League, however.

While this is exactly the scenario they want, finishing in the top five is going to be tough on top of everything else and it is games like this where everything might catch up with them.

Brighton drew a blank against Forest in the FA Cup on Saturday but Villa are a bit more expansive, and I feel like the Seagulls will have plenty of chances here.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-1

What a gimme this game is for Manchester City.

It is exactly the fixture they would want after their FA Cup win at Bournemouth, when Pep Guardiola was speaking about his players showing heart and soul, and the desire and passion that they need.

The way he was talking shows how much winning the FA Cup means to him, but does it mean they are back on track? I am not sure, and I don’t think this game will tell us much either because they should blow Leicester away even if they are nowhere near their best.

Leicester have not scored a league goal since the end of January, and I don’t see that changing at Etihad Stadium. They are at the stage where their fans cheer a corner, let alone a shot at goal – that’s desperate, and that’s where Leicester are at.

From what Pep was saying, he knows how important this game is for their run-in, as Manchester City look to secure Champions League football next season. I don’t think there is any chance they will slip up.

Sutton’s prediction: 5-0

Have Newcastle stopped celebrating yet? They have been on the lash for a long time after winning the Carabao Cup, culminating – for some of their fans anyway – with their trophy parade on Saturday. I am sure the players have sunk a few too.

It showed how much the club’s success means to the city, but now they have to focus on the rest of the season, because getting back into the Champions League would be massive for what comes next for Eddie Howe’s side, and how they are viewed across Europe.

There will be a fantastic atmosphere at this game too, but the danger with that is we know Brentford are capable of spoiling anyone’s party with their attacking threat.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has tried to address that, by speaking about the need to finish the campaign strongly, and this is a great example of where his side cannot afford to take their eye off the ball.

I suspect they will come out of the traps very quickly against Brentford, lifted by the crowd, and go a couple of goals up before the weekend starts to take its toll on them and the fans too.

Sutton’s prediction: 3-1

I’ve been speaking about some teams like Aston Villa and Newcastle who have got a lot to play for this season, but none of that applies to Southampton.

Saints ‘ sole aim now is to pick up three more points and avoid going down with the lowest points tally in Premier League history.

What a depressing place to be for Southampton fans – only possibly saving some face by beating Derby County’s pathetic points total of 11 points from 2007-08, when Robbie Savage was captain.

Southampton took the lead when they played Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in December, although they still lost.

I don’t see the Eagles having any problems this time, though. Eberechi Eze is on fire for club and country and Ismaila Sarr found the target again in Saturday’s FA Cup win over Fulham.

Sarr has gone under the radar a bit but he is one of many Palace players to have hit form, and I don’t see Southampton keeping them out.

Sutton’s prediction: 0-2

Liverpool have had a break since going out of the Champions League and losing the Carabao Cup final, and I don’t think we will see them wobble here. Quite the opposite in fact, now their focus is just on the Premier League.

The Reds also felt wronged by Everton’s late equaliser at Goodison Park in February so there will be all of that bubbling under, and Arne Slot’s side will feel they have a point to prove.

They are going to put Everton under all sorts of pressure, but the Toffees will be well organised defensively and have an eye on a counter-attack too.

Everton boss David Moyes has transformed a team that was lacking belief, and he would love nothing more than to go to Anfield and get something.

I am expecting a typical derby, in that I would not be surprised if this is another emotional game as well as an explosive one, with maybe a couple of players losing their heads.

There will be plenty of drama along the way, but I am pretty sure Liverpool will be back to their best form and end up taking the three points.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-0

Liam’s prediction: There might be a bit of tension from the Liverpool fans off the back of their two massive defeats and with the rumours about Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk both leaving. I think Arne Slot has still got everything under control in terms of them winning the Premier League, but if there is any kind of hangover from losing at Wembley and going out of Europe, it will help us.

So, obviously being the optimistic Everton fan that I am, I am going to go for the same result we got at Goodison. The form we have been in lately, I think Moyes will have us right up for it and believing we can get something.

Liam on Everton’s stadium move: I have not actually been to the new ground yet, purposely, because I want to see it in full flow, at our first home game of next season – I can’t wait.

I will miss Goodison Park, of course, because of the amount of history there – it even smells of football – but unfortunately football is a business and the club needs to evolve and make more money.

This is a great game to finish the week off. It ended up 4-3 to Chelsea earlier in the season, and there are likely to be a few more goals this time too.

Chelsea have people like Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke back from injury to bolster their attack, but Spurs have got some key players like Micky van de Ven fit again too.

Tottenham’s league campaign has been disappointing – it is winning the Europa League or bust for them – while Chelsea are still chasing the Champions League places.

Spurs looked tired to me before the international break, so it will be interesting to see what they are like here. We know how exciting they can be on their day, it is just those days have been few and far between this season.

Chelsea have been a bit flat as well, but maybe this is the game where both teams come to life and serve up a thriller – that is what I am hoping for anyway.

Sutton’s prediction: 3-2

Chris was right about two of the four FA Cup quarter-final ties – he did not think his boyhood side Nottingham Forest would beat Brighton and was wrong about Fulham beating Crystal Palace too.

You lot did even worse, and wrongly thought Bournemouth would get past Manchester City, meaning the only prediction you got right was for Aston Villa to beat Preston.

There were eight Premier League games played in week 29, the last set of fixtures before the international break.

So far, Chris and his guest, Divorce singer Felix, have both got four correct results, with one exact score, giving them both 70 points.

For now, it goes down as a win for the BBC readers – using the most popular scoreline from your predictions for each game, you got five correct results, with one exact scores, leaving them on 80 points.

The remaining two games were rearranged because of the Carabao Cup final.

“Tyler has uniqueness. In a world and industry which is becoming more commercialised, over sanitised, robotic, structured and predictable, Tyler’s greatest strength is the opposite to all of that”.

That’s quite the sell for Southampton’s 19-year-old midfield star Tyler Dibling, especially given his basic Premier League career numbers amount to 25 appearances, 1540 minutes played, two goals and zero assists.

But that gushing description from one senior source at the club, speaking to BBC Sport anonymously, hints at an emerging talent interesting a host of top clubs and why there are some unsubstantiated reports of a £100m price tag on his head.

With the Saints facing an immediate relegation back to the Championship, Dibling’s future is likely to be one of the summer’s more interesting sagas, with Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Bayern Munich all reportedly chasing his signature.

Another source close to the club suggested Southampton turned down previously unreported bids of £35m from Tottenham and £30m from RB Leipzig in January, with the club valuing Dibling at £55m at the start of the winter window.

Southampton have not commented on those rumours, but what is known is that Dibling is one of the lowest paid players in Southampton’s squad and has a deal that expires in 2027, after Southampton triggered a 12-month extension option.

He signed his last contract in December 2023, when he had played just five minutes of senior football.

The England Under-21 international has so far resisted the club’s offers of a new deal in what has been a breakthrough season for him, despite a wretched campaign which could still see Southampton relegated with the Premier League’s lowest ever points total.

Dig a little deeper into Dibling’s stats, and his ball-carrying distance per game (207.3m), his total dribbles attempted (83), and his total dribbles completed (40) put him in the top 20 Premier League players.

His dribbles completed per game (2.34) and fouls won per game (2.57) place him in the top 10.

“He’s the most fearless player I’ve ever worked with”, former Saints Under-21 head coach Adam Asghar tells BBC Sport.

“He’s totally unique to anything I’ve seen before. He’s got raw physicality, pace and power, is an unbelievable ball-carrier and is always impacting games.

” In a generation of football where it’s very much about limited touches and moving the ball quickly Tyler can move it as quickly by carrying the ball rather than passing it and that’s what makes him such a special talent.

“Every game (with the Under-21s) he would always have four or five moments that would almost take your breath away.

England honours followed, progressing from the Under-16s through to the Under-21s, when he was given his debut against Spain in November.

Several coaches who have worked with him have described to BBC Sport a mercurial forward who can be” introverted “- a quiet, unassuming young man off the pitch who transforms into the main attraction on it.

Ryan Garry managed him for England Under-17s, in a group which included Arsenal duo Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

” He gets on with all his team-mates, he isn’t the main voice in the room but he wouldn’t exclude himself, “said Garry, now assistant at Belgium side Lommel, one of the clubs under the City Football Group umbrella.

” There is a completely different characteristic when he is on the pitch compared to how he is off, but it’s good – there’s nothing wrong with that. He is a lovely kid and I really enjoyed working with him.

“He showed he had X-Factor. My personal challenge was to try to get him to show that in every session. Sometimes you’ve got boys who are on camp together, it takes them a little while to adjust to the group, the schedule and they’re away from home.

” In terms of his potential – it’s huge. “

Asghar, who worked with Dibling during the 2023-24 season after joining from Sunderland said he was” always outgoing in the right circumstances”.

” Your job as a coach is to try and influence his behaviour and that’s what the talented ones will make you do, “he added.

” When you spoke to him it was clear what he wants. It could be quite blunt in terms of the training content he likes, how he wants to play the game. That’s why you can see him handle the transition to the big stage really well.

“He knows what he wants, he knows what he can bring and some things that can be maybe portrayed as aloof.

In 2022, Dibling – who had been with Southampton since he was eight – moved to Chelsea. But he only stayed at Stamford Bridge for six weeks.

Chelsea had watched Dibling for years before being able to sign him at 16, yet he encountered problems immediately.

He was unable to play and train with his new team-mates as Chelsea abided by the Premier League’s five-step review process, an investigation used during transfers for academy players before they can be registered to ensure everything is above board with the move.

While his new team-mates went to win a pre-season tournament in Germany in the summer of 2022, strengthening their bond, Dibling was training alone with a coach.

That isolation was a large reason for him struggling to settle and the clubs were still in negotiations over a fee when Dibling made his desire to return to Southampton clear after just six weeks.

Homesick, he was desperate to go back to Saints.

He confided in academy coach Jeremy Newton about how he was feeling following a game against Southampton Under-18s.

While Chelsea wanted to keep a player they believed would become exceptional, they had a duty of care to a teenager and reluctantly let him go, having not even paid a fee.

” It’s a real credit to all the]Southampton] staff who created the environment that Tyler realised what he was missing. Bear in mind he was a Chelsea fan and living out his boyhood dream, “said a Southampton source.

” When he didn’t have that any more, he realised the importance of it. “

Dibling then signed his first professional deal in February 2023 and six months later made his senior debut in a 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat at Gillingham.

It led to four more appearances for the first team as they won promotion back to the Premier League, beating Leeds in the play-off final.

Asghar – now under-18s head coach at Celtic – watched his transition and believes the slow adjustment period has aided his development this term.

He said:” If Tyler was to reflect on it, he’d probably say it was a bit of a frustrating year. He had to be training with the first team, which was 100% right for his development, and be part of the squads and then try to get his minutes for the under-21s on a Friday.

“Learning how to be a professional, learning how to act and behave in that environment was really important.

” In Tyler’s head he was ready, so that was where the frustration came from.

“Sometimes we had to take him off after 45 minutes or 60 minutes of the under-21s because he was required for the first-team game on Saturday, and he would have an emotional reaction.

There is a belief among some of the coaches BBC Sport spoke to that Dibling will eventually become an established number 10, despite impressing out wide for Southampton.

On his first Premier League start in September he won a penalty against Manchester United, and on his second he scored against Ipswich.

Despite surprisingly recording no assists in the Premier League this season, Dibling averages 8.5 progressive carries each game and creates more than one chance a game too. However, his successful passes per game (22.7) and passing accuracy (83.1%) are only 11th best among his team-mates.

Jack Grealish has been criticised for losing his ‘ personality ‘ on the pitch and failing to justify the £100m spent on him following his move to Manchester City from Aston Villa in 2021.

Those who know Dibling remain confident he will not suffer the same fate because the strong-willed teenager knows the environment he needs to thrive and – should he move – to choose the best option.

Paul MacDonald, of FootballTransfers.com says their Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) algorithm puts Dibling at £26.5m, given his contract situation and one season of experience.

MacDonald said:” However, the ETV algorithm rates his future potential highly. Of course, quotes of £100m are completely silly, but we’ve got him valued as the 15th most valuable under-20 player in the world. “

” As long as there is a big green rectangle, 22 players and a ball then Tyler will flourish. He just wants to play football, “a well-placed source told BBC Sport.

” Tyler knows the right fit for him. He knows what the conditions have to look like. He knows what type of manager he can work best with. I have no doubt whatever his next step looks like he will choose the right option.

Norwegian athletics coach Gjert Ingebrigtsen told a court on Monday he “loves” his children and was just an “overly protective” father as he denied abuse allegations.

Ingebrigtsen, 59, is on trial in Norway accused of physically and mentally abusing his 24-year-old son Jakob and another of his children.

Double Olympic champion Jakob said when giving evidence last week that his father “manipulated” and “controlled” him throughout his upbringing and detailed a series of alleged incidents.

Gjert addressed the court at the criminal case in Sandnes in his own defence. He said he had tried to shield all seven of his children, two more of whom also became successful athletes.

“I became a father very early, with an enormous need to protect. I became what one might call overly protective”, Gjert was quoted as saying in court by Norwegian state broadcaster NRK.

“Highlighting relevant incidents in relation to the charges may make it seem like I am being portrayed negatively towards my children. But I love my children immensely”.

Gjert Ingebrigtsen told the court the ambition of some of his children had been “absolutely extreme” when they started to participate in sports.

“I never heard ‘ could you please’, but rather entirely different demands and expectations”, Gjert said.

“The demands from the children were about district level, national level, European level, and world level. Later, ‘ Dad ‘ became ‘ Gjert’, and ‘ Gjert ‘ became ‘ the accused'”.

It was alleged in court last week that Gjert struck Jakob several times after he received a negative report about his behaviour from school when he was aged eight.

Jakob also said that in 2008, when he was about the same age, his father hit him in the face because he was late for a race.

He described another incident a year later when he alleged Gjert kicked him in the stomach after he fell off a scooter.

Jakob and his brothers Filip, 31, and Henrik, 34, who are also Olympic athletes, made public claims in October 2023 that their father – who was their coach until 2022 – had been violent.

The trio, who are among seven Ingebrigtsen children, wrote at the time that they “still feel discomfort and fear” about Gjert, who they accused of being “very aggressive and controlling”.

Gjert said at the time via his lawyer that the statement was “baseless” and he “never used violence against his children”.

Gjert was charged with one offence in April 2024 – but five cases were dropped on the strength of evidence and one other because of time constraints. A further charge was later added to the case.

In addition to his two Olympic titles, Jakob Ingebrigtsen is a two-time 5, 000m world champion, two-time outdoor world 1500m silver medallist, and 16-time European champion.