England captain Millie Bright will wear armbands advocating for inclusion, Indigenous People and gender equality in the Lionesses’ respective first three World Cup matches, the FA has confirmed. Players have the choice of wearing one or more of eight FIFA-sanctioned armbands at this tournament, but not the rainbow OneLove design that sparked the threat of sanctions being issued to countries – including England and Wales – during the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar. Should the Lionesses progress past the group stage, which begins with Saturday’s opener against Haiti, the player-led decision is for their skipper to switch out her armband to a new cause for each match. Bright said: “As a group, we felt really strongly about all the causes, and we couldn’t separate one from the other. We feel that they are all important and deserve recognition and our support. “We have only just come to a decision recently as we wanted to take time to process it all and to make sure we spoke collectively. “Supporting Indigenous People is massively important to us as a team, both staff and players. We wanted to come to this country and respect the past, the present and the future. We are aware of the past, but we want to move forward collectively and make the world a better place. It is something that we always pride ourselves on.” Days after their arrival in Australia, England hosted an open training session at the Sunshine Coast Stadium where they were treated to a traditional smoking ceremony – an Aboriginal custom to welcome, wish good luck and ward off bad spirits – led by the Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi people, who also presented the Lionesses with their official tournament squad numbers. On Wednesday, the team listened to a talk from Karen Menzies, the first Indigenous player for Australia’s Matildas, about the history of and challenges facing the Aboriginal community, as well as reparation efforts. Bright said: “We have been honoured with two ceremonies and to be able to have conversations and educate ourselves a little bit more on the Aboriginal people and everything which comes with the culture is amazing. I think we feel really honoured to have had the opportunity.” Should England progress to the knockout stage, Bright will wear, in order from the last 16, armbands reading ‘Unite for Peace’, ‘Unite for Education for All’, ‘Unite for Zero Hunger’, ‘Unite for Ending Violence Against Women’ and, for a potential first-ever World Cup final in Lionesses’ history, ‘Football is Joy, Peace, Hope, Love and Passion’. FIFA’s approved armband plan has been criticised for not doing enough to directly advocate for the LGBTQ+ community like the prohibited OneLove band, particularly with LGBTQ+ advocacy non-profit organisation GLAAD reporting a record 91 out players expected to participate in this 32-team World Cup. England boss Sarina Wiegman, however, has said she feels her squad, which includes several out athletes, are satisfied with the solution, and midfielder Jordan Nobbs on Wednesday insisted she and her team-mates “know our values”. That sentiment was echoed by Bright, who added: “As a team, we know what we stand for, what we believe in and we also know the changes that we want to make. “So regardless of an armband, we would like to think our actions and our morals represent everything that we believe in and stand for.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rory McIlroy has a spring in his step after fighting finish to first round Inter Miami continue to build squad with signing of defender Jordi Alba Matt Critchley century keeps Essex on track for victory over Kent

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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 7, 2023--

Tarik Skubal had a season-high 10 strikeouts in seven strong innings for his fourth consecutive win, and the Detroit Tigers handed the Athletics their eighth consecutive loss, beating Oakland 7-3

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Michael Schumacher’s family lawyer Felix Damm has revealed the reason no “final report” has been publicised on the F1 star’s health: “It’s all about protecting private things.” The seven-time Formula 1 world champion has not been seen publicly since suffering a near-fatal brain injury while skiing in December 2013 in Meribel, France. His wife Corinna has insisted on protecting Schumacher’s privacy in the near 10 years since, with his medical condition shrouded in secrecy as he continues to recover at home in Switzerland. Damm, who acts as a representative for the Schumacher family, has now given more detail as to why those close to the Ferrari icon don’t want to publicise details about his health. “It was always about protecting private things,” Damm told German outlet LTO. “We considered whether a final report about Michael’s health could be the right way to do this. “But that wouldn’t have been the end of it and there would have had to be constantly updated ‘water level reports’ and it would not have been up to the family when the media interest in the story stopped.” The lawyer also emphasised how the precedent of “voluntary self-disclosure” would have made the past 10 years even more difficult for the Schumacher family should intricate health details be made public. Damm added: “They [the media] could pick up on such a report again and again and as ‘and what does it look like now?’ one, two, three months or years after the message. If we then wanted to take action against this reporting, we would have to deal with the argument of voluntary self-disclosure. “If it is not the person concerned himself but friends or acquaintances who disclose private information, it is not a case of ‘voluntary self-disclosure’ of privacy. “Therefore, the data subject can defend himself against disclosure of private circumstances even if the information comes from an acquaintance.” Former Ferrari boss Jean Todt has a close relationship with the Schumacher family, revealing last year he has seen the German three times a week on some occasions – adding that the 54-year-old is in the “best of hands… surrounded by people who love him.” Todt also said as recently as last July that he still watches F1 races with Schumacher despite the German’s unknown medical state. “I don’t miss Michael, I see him,” Todt told German broadcaster RTL. “Yes, it’s true, I watch grand prix with Michael. But sure, I guess what I miss is what we used to do together.” Schumacher’s son Mick lost his F1 race seat at Haas last year and is now a reserve driver at Mercedes, who Michael drove for from 2010-2012. Todt is a close friend of Schumacher’s since their time working together during a successful era at Ferrari, when the German won five of his seven world titles from 2000-2004. In April, an editor of a German magazine was sacked after the Die Aktuelle publication used artificial intelligence to produce fake quotes from Schumacher. The magazine was labelled “disgraceful” by fans online for depicting the AI responses as an “exclusive interview” on their 15 April front cover. In a Netflix documentary which aired in 2021 titled Schumacher, Corinna detailed how his family have dealt with the situation and continue to “get on with their lives.” “Michael is here. Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength, I find,” Corinna said. “We’re together. We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond. And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will. “We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. ‘Private is private’, as he always said. “It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us and now we are protecting Michael.” Corinna was in attendance to collect an award last July on behalf of husband Michael, with daughter Gina and Todt joining her to collect the State Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia - the highest civilian honour available to those born within the region. Schumacher holds the joint-record for the most Formula 1 world titles with Lewis Hamilton. Read More Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin and a ‘miserable’ decline which could have consequences Max Verstappen gives blunt verdict on Sergio Perez’s Mexican Grand Prix crash Christian Horner drops Daniel Ricciardo hint as pressure mounts on Sergio Perez Kevin Magnussen’s car catches fire after high-speed crash in Mexico F1 fan banned for life after attacking Ferrari supporters in Mexico Sergio Perez lasts just 14 seconds in home race as Max Verstappen wins in Mexico

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