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England defender Alex Greenwood says the Lionesses are keeping their egos firmly in check as they begin their quest for a maiden World Cup title in a week’s time. Greenwood’s first experience of the global showpiece was in 2015, when the Lionesses achieved a team-best third-place finish in Canada, and alongside Lucy Bronze is one of just two players on manager Sarina Wiegman’s current roster to have featured in three consecutive World Cups. Perhaps more than any previous edition, the Lionesses enter this tournament firmly among the favourites to go all the way and unseat two-time defending champions the United States after winning the Euro 2022 final to lift their first major trophy. Asked how she would rate the sense of belief in the England camp, Greenwood said: “We’re European champions for a reason. High but very humble as well, and we’re a team that’s hard-working and a team I think that’s focused on the job in hand, but I think right now the focus is on the first game and not past that.” The Lionesses, fourth in the FIFA world rankings, will first take on Haiti – 49 places below them – in Brisbane before travelling to Sydney to face 13th-placed Denmark and conclude the group stage in Adelaide against China, who are 14th. For the first time the competition has expanded to 32 teams, with the top two from each group progressing to the knockouts. The prize pot has also increased to 110 million US dollars (£84.7million), more than three times what was on offer at the 2019 World Cup in France though still paling in comparison to the 440 million US dollars (£337m) distributed after the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar. That progress is what makes this third trip particularly special for 29-year-old tournament veteran Greenwood, who has played her club football with Manchester City since 2020. Speaking after a team training session at Queensland’s Sunshine Coast Stadium, she said: “It’s the biggest Women’s World Cup we’ve had in history. It speaks for itself and I think the capability of teams in this tournament is huge. “The excitement for the tournament, what women’s football’s done and where we’re at now makes it a more attractive tournament if you want to say. But yeah, I think year-on-year and tournament-on-tournament the game’s growing and this one speaks for itself.” The Lionesses left England on July 5 and have been staying on the Sunshine Coast, where they’ve spotted kangaroos roaming the hotel grounds and have been able to enjoy local highlights from whale-watching to observing animals at the zoo. On Monday England will transfer to their team hotel in Brisbane ahead of their Haiti encounter. Keeping busy has helped alleviate some of the hardship of the long distance from loved ones and missing the comforts of home, a situation Greenwood mitigates by looking at the bigger picture. She added: “I think the dream and what we want to achieve remains consistent in my mind. So that makes obviously the sacrifice and being halfway around the world from your family a lot easier, but obviously I feel very blessed and lucky to be in this position. “So I grab the opportunity with both hands and want to make everyone proud really.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ireland’s Niamh Fahey says nothing can truly prepare team for World Cup opener On this day in 2014: World Cup winner Mike Tindall retires History to be made as Ons Jabeur and Marketa Vondrousova clash in women’s final

Republic of Ireland defender Niamh Fahey suspects no dress rehearsal, no matter how big the audience, could truly prepare her side for their World Cup debut. That milestone moment is inching ever closer for the Girls in Green, whose first tilt at a global title begins Thursday against tournament co-hosts Australia on a double-billed opening day of the tournament kicking off with New Zealand taking on Norway in Auckland. The Republic’s meeting with the Matildas proved so popular that as early as January it was moved to the competition’s largest venue, the 80,000-plus capacity Stadium Australia in Sydney. “I don’t think you can realistically replicate that scenario, even if you wanted to try,” said Fahey, speaking at an open training session at Brisbane’s Meakin Park. “You ready yourself like any other game and you try and not think about the outside. As cliche as that sounds, it’s 11 v 11 on the pitch and you focus on the game and yeah there’s noise, but to be honest, even in games where there’s been 40,000, 50,000, once the game is on you don’t really hear that crowd, that noise. “It’s only the anticipation those first couple of minutes and once those five minutes, or once you’ve settled into the game I think it just becomes a formality in terms of how the game is going to pan out. “I think if you can get through those first couple of minutes it makes all the difference, you don’t really hear it. Well, I don’t hear it anyway, so I can’t speak for everybody.” The Republic only managed to get through about 20 minutes of their meeting with Colombia in an aborted behind-closed-doors friendly on Friday that sounded anything but amiable, with key midfielder Denise O’Sullivan rushed to hospital with an suspected shin injury. An update on the team’s official Twitter account on Saturday morning provided an encouraging about the North Carolina Courage captain, reading: “Positive news for Denise O’Sullivan X-Ray and CT Scan show no fracture Denise will work with WNT Medical Staff on a return to play procedure.” The PA news agency understands the decision was made to stop the match following some rough challenges in Friday’s contest. A statement from the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) read: “The behind-closed-doors game between the Ireland women’s national team and Colombia on Friday evening was ended after 20 minutes of play. “The game, which was held in Meakin Park, Brisbane, became overly physical and it was decided, following consultation with the match officials, to end the game.” The Colombian Football Federation released a statement of its own which said that, while the training of its teams was “framed within the rules of the game, healthy competition and fair play”, it respected the Republic’s decision. Republic manager Vera Pauw used the remainder of the time initially allocated for the friendly to instead run a full training session in preparation for the fast-approaching tournament opener, now her side’s next scheduled match. Liverpool skipper Fahey has played in some massive venues before, winning the FA Cup with Chelsea at Wembley in 2015 before relinquishing the trophy to Arsenal in the finale the following year. The 35-year-old Galway native, who watched the 2019 tournament from the stands in France, says her side are more than ready for their close-up. She added: “We know that it’s going to be a challenge, but this is what we worked our whole careers for, to be on the biggest stage and for it to be sold out, switch to another stadium. “Everyone was delighted with that. No one was like, ‘Oh god’, there was never any sense of trepidation, anything like that. Obviously it’s a massive occasion, there will be nerves, it’s natural. “But that’s what you want. As an elite sports person you want the biggest stage. Everyone on this team wants to be on that pitch, wants to be on that platform, so you have to be ready to embrace it. That’s it.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live On this day in 2014: World Cup winner Mike Tindall retires History to be made as Ons Jabeur and Marketa Vondrousova clash in women’s final Englishman Daniel Brown two strokes off the lead after strong day in Kentucky

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The Tennessee Volunteers found out their punishment for Jeremy Pruitt's many violations, avoiding a bowl ban by picking up an $8 million fine.Tennessee has been holding its collective breath over the investigation into widespread NCAA infractions that occurred under former head coach Jeremy...

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Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire honors the late, great Mike Leach at Big 12 Media Days.It is still so incredibly sad that "The Pirate" Mike Leach is no longer with us.The former Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State head football coach passed away during the hol...

Luton’s opening Premier League home game with Burnley has been postponed. The match – the Hatters’ first ever Premier League game at Kenilworth Road – was due to take play on August 19. But, with the stadium needing a dramatic £10million upgrade to make it ready for top-flight football, the Clarets’ visit is off because Luton cannot guarantee any work would not impact the game at short notice. Luton chief executive Gary Sweet said: “The joint decision to delay this fixture is regrettable, especially given the amazing progress that continues to be made on our construction works. “Our current programme is indeed on time, but there is no additional contingency and therefore can’t give a cast-iron guarantee at this stage that a problem outside of our control, however minor, wouldn’t force a postponement further down the line and inconveniencing supporters of both clubs. “Although this news will be a disappointment, this will make the matchday experience even greater for fans when they do get to come back. “We would like to thank the Premier League and Burnley for their help in arriving at this practical decision.” The Hatters, who beat Coventry on penalties in the Championship play-off final, open their campaign at Brighton on August 12. A Premier League statement read: “The Premier League match between Luton Town and Burnley, scheduled to take place on Saturday 19 August, will now be postponed. “Luton Town were unable to offer the League and Burnley a guarantee that ongoing work to Kenilworth Road would not impact the scheduling of this match at late notice for supporters.” Meanwhile, Manchester City’s game with Brentford, scheduled for December 23, has been postponed due to City’s involvement in the Club World Cup.

Harry Kane has been included in Tottenham’s pre-season Asia-Pacific tour – but club captain Hugo Lloris will stay behind as the French goalkeeper looks to finalise a move to a new club. England skipper Kane has entered the final 12 months of his Spurs contract and is attracting interest from Bayern Munich amid reports the Bundesliga champions have lodged a formal bid. Along with some other international players, Kane returned for pre-season training on Wednesday, with new head coach Ange Postecoglou set to lay out his vision for success to the club’s leading scorer. Spurs confirmed veteran goalkeeper Lloris had been granted permission not to travel on the tour “in order to explore prospective transfer opportunities”. Tottenham’s stance on Kane, though, has not changed since Manchester City tried to sign the forward in 2021. City’s advances were turned down and the north London club plan to reject any bids for the forward this summer, despite his contract now entering its final 12 months. Another player expected to depart is Croatia winger Ivan Perisic – one of the travelling tour party – as Postecoglou trims down a bloated squad ahead of the new Premier League campaign, which starts at Brentford on August 13. Tottenham fly out to Perth in Australia – with new signing James Maddison making the trip after the England midfielder’s £40million switch from Leicester – ahead of an opening fixture against West Ham on July 18. Spurs will play Leicester in Thailand on July 23 before the Singapore leg, which will take in a fixture against local side Lion City Sailors on July 26 after previous opponents AS Roma, managed by Jose Mourinho, pulled out of their planned trip to Asia. Several Tottenham players are still sidelined by injuries – with goalkeeper Fraser Forster (back), defender Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), Bryan Gil (back) and Troy Parrott (groin) all continuing their rehabilitation. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

With Pat Fitzgerald out, it will be up to newcomer David Braun to lead the Northwestern football program for this upcoming college season.In news that shocked the entire college football world, Pat Fitzgerald is out at his alma mater.The allegations that led to his dismissal are serious and ...

England boss Sarina Wiegman is awed by her World Cup hopefuls’ advocacy away from competition but readily recognises their performance on the pitch is what ultimately provides the platform. Just days after winning their first major tournament at last summer’s home Euros, the Lionesses collectively released a letter to then-Conservative leadership candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss with a host of demands including a school football provision for girls identical to that offered to boys. Their campaign paid off in March when the government responded with a new package of measures designed to grant equal access to all school sport, backed by over £600million in funding over the next two academic years. “I’m incredibly proud of their social consciousness,” said Wiegman, speaking from England’s team hotel in Queensland as the Lionesses prepare for their World Cup opener in Brisbane on July 22nd. “It’s so powerful, so strong and they articulate themselves so well. And they were ready the day after the final to put that letter in…. wow! “There’s so much leadership in this team. They really want to have a positive impact on society and a positive change and I think they’ve done really, really well because things have changed. “Now what we try to do is keep performing, keep being visible and keep using our voices to also sustain and make positive changes.” With the continent conquered, both England and Wiegman, who also led the Netherlands to their first European glory in 2017, have set their sights on the world. The Lionesses drew 0-0 with Canada in a behind-closed-doors friendly on the Sunshine Coast on Friday – in their final warm-up match before the finals get under way – with 21 members of the 23-woman squad featuring. Next up is an opening encounter with tournament debutants Haiti followed by meetings with group D rivals Denmark and China. To date, England’s best finish at the World Cup was in 2015 when they finished third, while Wiegman and her Dutch side were runners-up to defending champions the United States at the 2019 tournament in France. When you go to the grocery store and people tell you, 'my daughter was wearing that shirt, but also my son is wearing that shirt now too'. We've changed society Sarina Wiegman Last summer’s victory at Wembley launched the Lionesses into World Cup favourite territory and quickly made household names of the winning squad and their boss, who has tried to turn the spotlight towards causes she believes in, like paving better pathways for female coaches or working as an ambassador for the charity Plan International to advance equality for girls and women around the world. When compared to the “serious”, almost myopically win-focused player she once was, Wiegman said: “I think about the bigger picture a little more – absolutely. “But my main focus stays on my job. And with that job, doing well in that job, then you get those opportunities. I’m aware of that too. “You can’t change that because this is how you are. But I would not, like, do that first and then think of performance. That’s because that performance is my job and that gives me the most joy. “Yes, of course, I really love the medals, but what I’m proud of most, absolutely most, is now, young girls have perspective, and young girls can play football, and young girls can wear shirts to show whichever (player’s) achievement, and that makes me the most proud. “When you go to the grocery store and people tell you, ‘my daughter was wearing that shirt, but also my son is wearing that shirt now too’. We’ve changed society.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Michal Kwiatkowski storms to Tour de France stage win on Grand Colombier Sarina Wiegman ‘grateful’ for Women’s World Cup growth 35 years after experiment Benjamin Mendy weeps as he is cleared of sex charges

Former Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been cleared of raping a young woman and trying to rape another. Mendy, 28, broke down in tears as the two not guilty verdicts were delivered by the jury foreman following a three-week trial at Chester Crown Court. The French international footballer and World Cup winner had faced a lengthy jail sentence if convicted. Jurors found him not guilty of both charges following around three hours and 15 minutes of deliberations. He was cleared of attacking a 24-year-old woman at The Spinney, his £4.2million mansion in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, in October 2020. And the jury also found him not guilty of the second charge, the attempted rape of a 29-year-old woman also at his home two years before. Mendy told the jury of six women and six men, that any sexual activity was consensual. Trial Judge Stephen Everett, the Recorder of Chester, thanked jurors after discharging Mendy from the dock. Mendy was on trial for a second time, the jury failing to reach verdicts on the allegations made by the two women. In his first trial, lasting six months and ending in January, he was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to four other young women or teenagers. Benjamin Aina KC, prosecuting, told the jury in the re-trial Mendy enjoyed parties at his home and on two occasions “took advantage” of his female guests and his wealth and celebrity status turned him into a man not used to being told “No”, by women. The first complainant, woman A, a 29-year-old student, first met Mendy while in a nightclub in Barcelona in late 2017 and she became intimate with one of his friends. They kept in touch and a year later she arranged to visit Mendy’s friend at the footballer’s house, where they stayed after they all went with other girls for a night out. The morning after, when she took a shower in the en-suite bathroom, Mendy appeared uninvited, wearing just boxer shorts, and holding himself, visibly “aroused” she told the jury. Mendy is then alleged to have grabbed the woman and tried to rape her on the bed as she tried to struggle free, despite her repeatedly telling him to stop. Mendy told the jury the two were “flirting” during the night out and the next morning he went to her room and they began hugging on a bed. He said she told him she would not have sex with him because she was with his friend. Mendy said she then got upset when he told her he had already asked his friend who had told him it would be “OK”. He denied trying to rape her. Two years later, woman B, aged 24, was out with friends at a bar in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, near Mendy’s home, when they were invited back to the footballer’s house. She alleges Mendy took her phone from her, which contained “intimate” photos, then led her to his locked bedroom, as she asked for her phone back. Mendy was alleged to have told her “I just wanna have a look at you” and told her to take her clothes off. Woman B complied, leaving her underwear on, and Mendy then threw her phone on the bed. As she went to retrieve it, Mendy was alleged to have taken hold of her from behind and raped her despite her telling him she did not want to have sex. The woman said afterwards Mendy said to her: “You’re too shy. It’s fine. I’ve had sex with 10,000 women.” Mendy told the jury the woman had agreed to “play around” on the bed and denied raping her saying afterwards they swapped details to connect on Snapchat. Mr Aina, prosecuting, claimed Mendy was not used to women saying no to him. He said: “You wanted women who came to your house to party, get drunk and have sex?” Mendy replied: “If they want. “I will never force to have sex with a woman.” In a statement, Mendy’s lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, said: “Benjamin Mendy would like to thank the members of the jury for focusing on the evidence in this trial, rather than on the rumour and innuendo that have followed this case from the outset. “This is the second time that Mr Mendy has been tried and found not guilty by a jury. He is delighted that both juries reached the correct verdicts. “It has been almost three years since the police started investigating this matter. Mr Mendy has tried to remain strong but the process has, inevitably had a serious impact on him. “He thanks everyone who has supported him throughout this ordeal and now asks for privacy so he can begin rebuilding his life.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sarina Wiegman ‘grateful’ for Women’s World Cup growth 35 years after experiment Novak Djokovic clashes with umpire and fans on his way to latest Wimbledon final Michal Kwiatkowski holds off Tadej Pogacar to take solo win on Grand Colombier