Archive September 3, 2025

After a number of years of injury-ravaged career, Jake Wightman claims that making it to the start line at this month’s World Championships in Japan will feel like “redemption.”

When he competes in the 1500-meter race in Tokyo, the 31-year-old Scot will have his first major championship since 2022.

Wightman won the world 1500m title in Eugene three years ago, but injury prevented him from competing in the same year’s competition. He was also forced to miss the Olympics days before the 800m race in Paris last summer.

“I don’t think I’m a worse athlete or anything like that; I think I have more to prove than I have,” he continued despite suffering a number of setbacks over the past few years.

I’m making an effort to avoid putting any pressure on it. If I enter it without expecting, I believe I will do my best.

Wightman’s injury issues mean he intends to enjoy every moment of his major Japanese comeback.

He said, “I probably didn’t realize how low some of those points were until I started racing again this year.

When I first hurt before Paris, I kind of brushed it under the rug and took a vacation, but I only felt much better when I returned to racing this summer because the process involved being involved.

Wightman refutes the claim that he is one of the most unfortunate athletes in the area despite everything.

You would assume that I am the most unlucky athlete in the world if you only knew about my career’s 2022 completion, but I have had many opportunities where things have gone my way and many people would have admired the experiences I have had, he continued.

It’s not as though my career is defined by low points, then. It has some amazing high points that stand in for me in contrast to these low ones.

For Sheffield Wednesday, things haven’t turned out too bad in the past ten days.

Fans are protesting and boycotting the club as they attempt to reduce owner Dejphon Chansiri’s income in the background, which is being fueled by the club’s financial crisis and takeover turmoil.

In response to earlier this summer, Chansiri admitted to turning down two offers for the club, one of which was worth $40 million and the other of which was worth $30 million, along with another $30,000 from a US-based group.

The 57-year-old said in a statement at the time, “I repeat that I am willing to sell, but the deal must be true on every front.”

More than two-and-a-half times what Chansiri paid when he purchased the club from Milan Mandaric in 2015, the Owls’ estimated value is believed to be around £100 million. That figure, is it accurate?

The $ 57,500 Chansiri split with a decade ago would now be worth about $ 52 million, which is only about half of what he appears to be demanding now.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire claims that the majority of EFL clubs are being sold for roughly two or two-and-a-half times their revenue. That puts Sheffield Wednesday in the “equals of about $ 40 million to $ 50 million” range.

They should be at the bottom of that scale when you consider the state of the stadium and the fact that the club doesn’t own it. The $100 million valuation has no logical support, and it seems to have no merit.

Wednesday have lost almost $ 200 million since Chansiri took over the club. He frequently turned down significant offers from rival clubs for highly sought-after players as he sought a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2000.

However, his spending has decreased significantly in recent years, and the Owls are much more likely than ever to play in League One than Premier League.

An investigation into the English Football League (EFL) is currently being conducted into the club’s financial issues, including late payments to HM Revenue & Customs, a failure to pay transfer fees to other clubs, and delayed salary payments to staff and players.

Given that Wednesday has a much smaller senior squad than other division teams and is unable to sign players on permanent contracts due to an EFL embargo, that could result in a significant points deduction and an inevitable championship relegation.

Some people now think Chansiri doesn’t really want to sell the club because he is turning down bids and offering an unrealistic price.

According to Maguire, “I think Chansiri is perhaps being a little naive.” It’s a little perplexing to figure out what his motivations are if he only tries to recover as much of his losses as he can.

His father, Kraisorn, founded the Thai Union Group, a seafood seller that earns billions of pounds annually shipping goods around the world. Chansiri is a member of one of Thailand’s richest families. Thiraphong, Dejphon’s older brother, is now in charge of the business.

Therefore, the owner of the Owls has a largely undeveloped family history and little to no actual business acumen.

Although Chansiri owns a sizable portion of the family business, Maguire claims that his personal wealth has decreased as well as his share value over the past few years.

You can have a lot of assets and have a lot of cash. He is undoubtedly not poor by his own standards, but his losses at Sheffield Wednesday and the decline in the family business have had him.

By limiting Chansiri’s income, Wednesday supporters are attempting to force him to sell.

Only 7, 801 fans were present for the penalty shootout victory over Leeds at Hillsborough earlier this week. That is 20 fewer supporters than the team’s last home game against the same Championship foes last year, which was against them.

The club reduced the cost of tickets to £15, as a result of fans’ calls for a boycott of the game.

If the club had had the same number of fans present this time, the club would have generated about £300,000 in gate sales as opposed to the roughly £120, 000 they would have taken with a significantly lower attendance.

According to Maguire, “The fans on Wednesday are committing to support the team, not the regime,” adding that this is to put more pressure on Chansiri.

Even if Chansiri’s attempts to stifle the club’s revenue do more harm, a buyer needs to be willing to offer a sum that will persuade him to finally cut ties.

Former Crystal Palace owner John Textor, who still holds the reins over both Lyon in the Ligue 1 and Brazilian club Botafogo, stated earlier this summer that he was looking for a traditional English club to purchase or to partner with. I keep an eye on the situation.

It’s not always certain whether Textor would or should now pass the EFL’s Owners and Directors’ Test.

Following errors in Uefa’s multi-club ownership regulations, which led to the Eagles being demoted to the Conference League from the Europa League, his ownership of Palace came to acrimony and widespread mockery from fans earlier this year.

Following the sale of his shares in Crystal Palace, “Textore does have £80m burning a hole in his pocket,” claims Maguire.

The EFL requested Chansiri’s resignation in July, saying that the current owner must either pay off his debts to a well-funded party for fair market value, putting an end to the current uncertainty and impasse.

The EFL has the power to fine clubs and owners for violations of their financial obligations, including unpaid wages and other financial obligations, and to require owners to divest their shares in some extreme cases.

However, the ownership of Chansiri’s property has not met the requirements for a forced divesture, and the club’s and Chansiri’s allegations are still in the writing stage, which means the outcome may not be certain until after the fact.

The new independent football regulator is currently being established as a result of the government’s Football Governance Bill, which was passed into law in July.

In the end, the regulator will be able to revoke owners’ licenses, effectively forbid them from playing for a football team.

However, the appointment of regulator chairman David Kogan must be approved, a board must be established, and secondary legislation must be passed before that system can be implemented. This would make it impossible to imagine the regulator imposing a resolution on Wednesday in the near future.

The EFL and regulator are unable to act as they see fit, so Chansiri has the authority to decide the club’s future, despite ongoing fan boycotts and protests putting personal and financial pressure on them.

One of the following appears to be required for a sale to be completed:

World Cup qualifier: Kazakhstan v Wales

Date: Thursday, September 4th, 2019 Kickoff: 15:00 BST

It is arguably the most awkward away fixture in European football.

For Wales, traveling to Kazakhstan away means 3, 000 miles of artificial pitch travel across six time zones.

There is little room for excuses, which necessitates a lot of planning when the goal is World Cup qualification.

Preparation is not only required for far-flung fixtures. Every day at a foreign association can be a challenge, with many staff members making an effort to make sure there are no hiccups away from home.

Wales’ preparation for this qualifying campaign began in a car in December 2024 as a result of a long journey to the World Cup.

The group’s draw took place in Zurich, with fixtures unveiled as Wales’ representatives arrived home from the airport that evening.

Staff were on standby to put wheels in motion regarding logistics for Wales ‘ away games.

While head coach Craig Bellamy and others discuss potential friendly games for empty dates on the qualifying schedule while traveling home and discussing how to avoid excessive travel costs. Kazakhstan included.

Hotels are a priority, especially with fans also eyeing up rooms. Therefore, bookings will be narrowed down at a later time even though host venues are not confirmed for up to 60 days prior to a game.

Then comes transportation, with options for and prices for charter flights.

With Football Association of Wales (FAW) bosses already okaying the cost of business class planes for the entire campaign, arrangements for the lengthy flight to Astana are nailed down after conversations with performance staff about recovery time and training schedules.

A hand-picked group of FAW staff make a first trip to Astana, complete with a fine-tooth comb.

Details are important in order to prevent surprises during game time.

From showers and changing rooms to bus drop-off areas, every detail of the stadium and hotel is captured and analyzed.

As well as conditions for the players, potential issues for supporters form part of the fact-finding mission.

Security advises whether some seats or areas are actually safe enough to be sold to traveling fans, while ticketing staff assesses facilities and counts every seat, ensuring that the number of tickets allocated matches what is actually in the stadium.

Bellamy sits down alongside senior coaching staff and members of the association’s other departments who work on logistics puzzles.

A hefty document armed with information from the reconnaissance trip is pored over with any potential problems raised at this point.

All planning is based on Bellamy’s preference for how he likes to organize Wales’ schedule around a game week, with all non-negotiables already in place.

However, there are also media days and commercial events. Trips of over four hours mean the preferred option of training at home the day before a game have to be adapted.

Decisions are made regarding when cameras can be allowed in for open training, a requirement for the Uefa, and whether to stick to UK time in a country four hours ahead of home. Every minute is recorded.

Decisions made at this meeting spark a flurry of further activities, such as timings for the vans, coaches and cars needed the other side of Astana airport.

The equipment team has already begun packing, or as they were once more well known, and will now be aware of whether they need to purchase a ball that matches the home association’s or, as in this case, if additional equipment is required for the Astana Arena’s pre-game training session.

Three weeks before the deadline of 14 days to notify clubs, Bellamy holds a final meeting on squad selection. Plans for an away trip are finalized.

Before final emails are sent, medical staff has monitored a much wider pool of players than will be chosen.

One goes to a player’s club with instructions, another to that club’s medical staff to keep open communication about the player’s likely workload or any information sharing over injury or fitness issue.

Then, each player receives an email with a congratulations message, itinerary details, and a reminder to notify them when passport details change. Kazakhstan’s email included a reminder to use alternative boots for the 4G surface.

Players enter the Vale Hotel on the outskirts of Cardiff, where the FAW offices and training facility are also located, after having a final sense check of the schedule and plans.

One-by-one squad members show up, handing over a passport to be checked, and receiving a room card.

The days of the likes of Chris Gunter and Aaron Ramsey sharing are over, with every player allocated single rooms which are mapped out and planned – though there is scope for players who are particularly close to be housed near one another.

Players have their own WhatsApp group, but a new one for information and reminders is added from the previous international.

With players who have been hurt or dropped from that organization removing them, there is no room for sympathy in either case.

It is safe to say that in the months after the 2022 World Cup, the words “Gareth Bale has left the group” rammed home the reality of his retirement.

Bellamy holds regular meetings with other departments, starting with breakfast, where they lay out plans for the day and ensure everyone is on the same page.

An advanced party travels to Astana via Azerbaijan as training begins.

As well as a final check on facilities and security, meeting rooms at the hotel are decked in Wales team branding ready for the team’s arrival.

The early travellers include the team chef, who coordinated with the performance team to create and deliver a menu to the hotel one month prior to arrival.

If certain produce is unavailable or out of season, menus are modified. Recipe cards are provided if local staff cannot quite get used to making staple foods like porridge at breakfast.

More than 60 pieces of luggage are included in the final kit, which also includes a coffee machine if the local coffee maker is deemed insufficient, widescreen televisions for half-time analysis, sponsors backdrops for the media, physio beds, and the all-important dressing room stereo. All ticked off, nothing left to chance.

Players are taken to a hotel for rest after taking a bus to land and then whisked back to the hotel for rest.

Staff members who wait for luggage will then use the second bus to convert function rooms and bedrooms into physio rooms and kit rooms. A heat press for printing shirt numbers is also part of the cargo.

A final squad list of 23 is submitted on Uefa’s registration portal at 23:00 Central European Time on the eve of a game, locking in the group who will take to the field the following day (or matchday minus-1 in Uefa-speak).

Pool A of the Rugby World Cup for women: England v. Australia

Brighton and Hove Albion Stadium Date: Saturday, September 6th, 2017 Kick-off: 17:00 BST

The emotions started to flow as Abi Burton listened to the God Save the King ring ring out in Franklin’s Gardens.

My eyes started to fill up as we sang the anthem, and I was like, “Stop it, stop it,” she told BBC Sport.

Those tears made people proud. Not just because of making it to the Rugby World Cup debut, but also because it will be the tournament’s first appearance.

The England flanker was unconscious three summers ago.

Burton initially appeared unwell a few months after returning from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She was 22 years old, depressed, and had no energy.

Doctors assumed that Burton’s severe knee injury had had an impact on his mental well-being.

However, things sprang. As she and her mother sat around the dinner table, Burton experienced a seizure. Her attitude turned manic. She slapped her mother in the face. She attempted to headbutt her younger brothers and leave the house unclothed. The kitchen knives were hidden by her family because they were worried about what Burton might do next.

She was taken to a Wakefield psychiatric ward, where doctors performed tests for bipolar or schizophrenia. and discovered that she lacked neither.

Burton continued to be distressed despite not receiving a diagnosis.

A specialist in autoimmune disease eventually discovered that Burton’s mental symptoms had an underlying physical condition. A recent blood test revealed the presence of autoimmune encephalitis, a rare condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the brain.

Burton, however, was too agitated to handle. Therefore, her family had to make the difficult choice to put her in a medically-induced coma. It was scheduled to last three days. It ended up lasting almost four weeks.

Her parents would sleep next to their daughter in the hospital car park. Burton may only have brain damage when he is released from a coma, according to them. Or perhaps no awakening at all.

She had lost more than three stone in weight when she finally recovered from her coma, walking, talking, reading, or writing.

“When you wake up, you think you’re alright,” Burton says, “the one thing really sticks with me.”

I just fell asleep under the weight as they took me up the stairs to attempt to climb them.

“I couldn’t understand why my body couldn’t do something so fundamental.” That’s when I realized that the recovery process might take a little longer than I had anticipated.

Former Sevens team-mates Burton and his teammates were competing at a home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham while this private trauma took place.

Burton’s ability to reach these heights seemed unlikely.

She joined the Premiership Women’s Rugby side Trailfinders Women in 2023 and made the Great Britain Sevens team for Paris the following summer after undergoing intensive rehabilitation for a year.

On her Six Nations debut against Wales, Burton scored two tries off the bench and was named in John Mitchell’s Six Nations squad for this year’s tournament.

Burton is aware that not every success appears on the scoresheet when she won on Saturday to defeat Samoa 92-3.

She recalls that she saw my grandparents, her parents, and my brother in the audience while singing the anthems.

It was simply incredible and exceptional. They all experienced emotional suffering.

They have endured hell and hell over the past few years, and now that my parents can see that my two younger brothers are doing the same, we just want to experience those family moments together.

In the crowd were additional well-wishers. At Franklin’s Gardens, one of the Team GB doctors also visited.

She discovered a photo of Burton in her phone as they met after the game.

“She had visited me in hospital almost three years ago,” Burton recalls.

“Wow, that actually did happen,” I said as I tried not to think too much about the journey or to just get my head in the rugby.