Players at Women’s Championship side London City Lionesses have sent an email to their owner, Diane Culligan, urging her to sell the club. Under Culligan’s leadership, the London City Lionesses broke away from the Millwall Lionesses in 2019 and formed as a fully professional club, earning a third-place finish in the 2022/23 second tier, just three points off Bristol City who earned promotion to the WSL. But a report from BBC Sport claims the players feel the club is in danger of ceasing to exist without improved funding and structure, leading the squad to plead for action. BBC’s Emma Sanders reports having obtained access to the email sent to Culligan by all 20 London City Lionesses players, with the team currently lacking a permanent manager and facing significant financial concerns. The players implored Culligan to make a change by way of either new investment or a new majority owner to demonstrate the same courage displayed a few years ago when she created the club. “With the increasing lack of staff in key roles, a small number of players contracted, the ongoing management of injured players, the question of a manager still to be addressed, and the financial instability with the last payday, the team is filled with much doubt and a shadow of uncertainty has been cast over the club,” part of the email from players to the owner read. “In these challenging times, we as a team want to respectfully plead with you to think of the future and explore alternative ways to run this club. “The harsh reality is that without immediate action due to pre-season looming, we risk undoing all the great work that you and London City Lionesses have achieved, and also put the future of players currently contracted to the club at risk. By seeking new owners and investors who can inject much-needed financial stability, we can secure the longevity of our team.” The Lionesses found themselves at the top of the table in January, but their manager, Melissa Phillips, departed to join WSL side Brighton. The season took a somewhat unfavorable turn for the club after Phillips’ departure, but the club still managed to secure a third-place finish. In their email, the Lionesses made it clear to Culligan that they value the dedication she has shown in bringing the club to this stage, but they believe it is now crucial to allow the club to thrive in its current state. In their email, they requested her to, “once again be bold, and consider all possible avenues for the survival and growth of our club.” The club issued a statement in response to the email written by the players, conveyed to BBC Sport, insisting it remains focused on running “the club in a sustainable manner.” “We continue to strive for excellence both on the pitch and in how we manage the club. As part of this we are in active discussions with globally recognised strategic investment partners to assist with our growth. We remain committed to providing the best possible environment for the players and staff as they navigate the highly competitive Women’s Championship and seek promotion to the Women’s Super League.” The BBC report further indicates that only four players will remain under contract from 1 July, while one player had to wait for over two months to receive confirmation that a severe injury would be addressed by the club. Regardless of the outcome of the situation, it is hoped that the London City Lionesses can regain some stability and in time for when the Women’s Championship resumes in August. Read More Millie Bright offers injury update ahead of Women’s World Cup England women’s star Alex Greenwood suffers injury scare in training Staniforth added to England’s World Cup standby list amid injury worry Millie Bright offers injury update ahead of Women’s World Cup England women’s star Alex Greenwood suffers injury scare in training Staniforth added to England’s World Cup standby list amid injury worry

President Joe Biden's administration again warned Sunday of "catastrophic" consequences for the US economy if the country defaults, as negotiations with Republicans over a debt deal are expected...

Bath & Body Works on Wednesday warned of a steeper decline in annual sales as Americans deferred purchasing

Former President Donald Trump has raised formidable sums, but his political operation is burning through money as his legal troubles mount, new filings show.

Over two years, the BBC has documented women's fear, grief and resolve as their lives are supressed.

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 28, 2023--

BRASILIA Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday said that next week's summit of Amazon region

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan departed Tuesday on a flight to Egypt for his first trip abroad since fighting began with paramilitaries in April...

According to reliable Call of Duty leaker TheGhostofHope, Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 could be getting tradeable cosmetics, including skins and blueprints for weapons.

Juventus have been docked 10 points by the Italian football federation for irregularities in the club’s accounting. The Serie A side were initially hit with a 15-point sanction in January, but the penalty was rescinded after an appeal. The federation has now moved to issue a new punishment after the federal court of appeal intervened, meaning the club could miss out on European football next season. The sanctions relate to the club having artificially inflated the value of players in their accounts using capital gains. The appeal court, whilst upholding the charges against the club, acquitted officials Pavel Nedved, Paolo Garimberti, Assia Grazioli Venier, Caitlin Mary Hughes, Daniela Marilungo, Francesco Roncaglio and Enrico Vellano of wrongdoing. Former Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici, who performed the same role at Juventus from 2018-21, received a two-year global ban from football from FIFA in April over his part in the matter, forcing him to resign from his position at Spurs. The club said in a statement that they had taken note of the ruling and reserved “the right to read the reasons to evaluate a possible appeal”. They added that the decision “arouses great bitterness in the club and in its millions of supporters” who have found themselves “penalised by the application of sanctions that do not seem to take into account the principle of proportionality”. The points deduction sees the club drop to seventh in the Serie A table, a point outside the European qualification places. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

President Joe Biden rarely gives network interviews

Asian markets were mixed Friday at the end of a volatile week, with a fresh spike in US Treasury yields weighing on Wall Street and traders still concerned about...