Rishi Sunak would have “loved to” have watched the Lionesses in the Word Cup final but has “a huge amount of work to do”, a minister has said. Claire Couthinho claimed the prime minister would also not have flown to the World Cup final if the men’s team were playing because he is “so busy”. Asked whether the PM would have made the trip to Sydney, Australia if Gareth Southgate’s team were in the final two, the children’s minister said she did “not think he would have”. “But I do know how proud he is of the Lionesses like we all are, it’s such a tremendous achievement, it was absolutely just brilliant to see,” she told Sky News. Defending Mr Sunak over claims he was paying lip service to the women’s game by not attending, Ms Couthinho said: “The foreign secretary was there and the culture secretary was also there. “This government was represented. And I know that the prime minister would have loved to have been there but he’s also got a huge amount of work to do. “And I think the travel time is probably difficult. But I know how proud he is of the Lionesses. “We all are. It’s an amazing achievement to get to a World Cup final. It’s absolutely extraordinary.” It came as World Cup legend Sir Geoff Hurst said a member of the royal family “should definitely” have attended the final. Asked if a member of the royal family not attending was a mistake, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Yes, I do. I think if the royals attend the men’s game, they should definitely. “It’s an English team, a World Cup tournament, a member of the royal family should definitely have gone. “No argument at all about that.” Mr Sunak and the Prince of Wales faced a significant backlash over their decision not to attend the World Cup final in Australia, when England lost 1-0 to Spain. Critics argued the pay would travel to the game if the men’s team reached a World Cup final. Ms Coutinho went on to tell LBC that Mr Sunak is a “huge football fan” and a “big” fan of Southampton. “And he’s got two daughters. And he’s been so excited about the Lionesses,” she said. Asked which football team the PM supports, Ms Coutinho said: “The Southampton team. Is that the Saints? Yeah, he is a big Saints fan.” William and the Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis watched the game together at their Anmer Hall country home in Sandringham, Norfolk. Read More Lionesses have ‘inspired millions’ despite falling short in first World Cup final Lionesses thanked for ‘inspiring millions’ as World Cup final set to give £185m boost to UK economy William and King tell Lionesses of nation’s pride despite World Cup final loss William and PM face running backlash over absence from World Cup final Prince William shares message after criticism for missing women’s World Cup Final ‘Disappointing’: Prince William blasted by Lionesses fans for missing Women’s World Cup final in Australia

Son Heung-min says Dele Alli will always be part of the family and hopes his former Tottenham team-mate will not “have tough times anymore” as he looks to kick-start his career. Things have gone awry for the 27-year-old since he helped Spurs reach the 2019 Champions League final, with the England international failing to make an impact at Everton after moving there in January 2022. Alli recently revealed he had considered hanging up his boots in an emotional interview that saw him talk about how he was “molested” as a six-year-old and dealing drugs aged eight. The attacking midfielder also spoke about alcohol problems, sleeping-pill addiction and addressing his mental-health issues by spending six weeks in a rehab clinic – situations he kept away from many of his nearest and dearest. The football world has thrown its support behind Alli and he was warmly greeted at Tottenham on Saturday as he watched their 2-0 win against Manchester United, where the former Spur caught up with many of his former team-mates afterwards. “Dele was always close, as a friend with me,” the recently appointed Tottenham skipper said. “It was a really tough moment for him and obviously I’m always there to support him because he’s one of my closest friends. “Christian (Eriksen), as well today. Yeah, it’s just old team-mates but I think this relationship (with Dele) is very special. “He helped me a lot settling down in the UK when I was struggling. He was helping me a lot and is still a good friend of mine. “It’s always good to see him and any time if he needs anything, any second, I will be always there for him. I don’t want him to have tough times anymore.” Put to Son that it would be great if Alli could get his career back on track, he said: “We will always support him. “Obviously it’s up to him now because he has to recover well, get fit and play well because his quality is not in doubt because he has been showing in the Premier League what he can do. “Look, I’m always supporting him, like a member of family.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Pep Guardiola ‘amazed’ by Manchester City hunger at start of new season Mauricio Pochettino confident of rapid Chelsea improvement after West Ham defeat Zharnel Hughes inspired to historic Budapest bronze by Olympic heartbreak

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