Micah Richards was told of his father Lincoln’s death just before he went on air for England and Argentina’s World Cup semi-final tie

BBC pundit and ex-England star Micah Richards has revealed he learnt of his father’s death moments before going on air for the Three Lions’ World Cup semi-final against Argentina.

Richards was joined by presenter Mark Chapman, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney and former Manchester City team-mate Joe Hart in Atlanta, having spent most of the tournament in a studio in Salford.

The BBC’s coverage had shifted to the United States for the latter rounds, just in time to air England’s almighty collapse and bitter 2-1 defeat to Argentina. Anthony Gordon had given Thomas Tuchel’s side the lead on 55 minutes, before they set up shop and conceded two late goals.

However, shortly after the match had concluded, fan-favourite Richards shared that he had been informed of his father’s death just before going on air for the semi-final.

Richards took to social media to confirm his father’s passing, posting: “Not long before going on air today, I received the awful news that my father Lincoln had passed away. His death was unexpected, and he has left us all too soon. He was my greatest fan. He barely missed a game my entire life.

“He would take me wherever I needed to go when I was a kid and he was the proudest parent possible during my professional career. It was so rare for him to not be by my side. I know how much watching England World Cup games means to everyone at home, and how the experience bonds families together across the generations, like nothing else.

“I know, particularly as a proud old-school Yorkshireman, dad would’ve wanted the show to go on this evening. And so it did. Thinking of my siblings and all my wider family today as we remember my father Lincoln, my hero and inspiration.”

Richards has previously spoken of the profound influence his father had on his career path. He said in 2007: “I grew up in Chapeltown, a rough area of Leeds. There was all sorts of stuff – drugs and fighting. There is a point when you are 15 or 16 when you might want to get involved in it. There was definitely a temptation but I stayed grounded.

“I have been able to deal with all the stuff that has come my way. That’s down to Dad. He’s brought me up well. My Dad is a strong character. He is very principled. He’s a Rastafarian. He has set standards for me.

“It’s been great to have that sort of person behind me but at the same time I learned how to be my own man. Dad’s always been here for me. He has missed only one game I have ever played in and that was my debut at Arsenal when I wasn’t even been supposed to be in the squad.”

Tributes from across the sporting world have poured in for Richards. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who works alongside Richards on CBS, was amongst the first to reach out.

“Sending love to you and all the family,” he said. Hart, who had been working beside Richards on Wednesday evening, said: “Sending love Meeks… here for you all. RIP Lincoln.”

“Sorry for your loss Micah,” commented Juan Mata. Ex-England international Jill Scott added: “Thinking of you and your family Micah.” Former Formula 1 champion Jenson Button said: “Praying for you brother, Sorry for your loss.”

A new angle has emerged of Jude Bellingham‘s clash with Argentina’s stars after England‘s heartbreaking exit from the World Cup.

Bellingham was at odds with Valentin Barco, who did not even play in the match, in the aftermath of the Three Lions’ late collapse and 2-1 defeat in Atlanta.

It was clearly an emotional time for Bellingham, who has been one of the best players during the World Cup with six goals, and stood alone after the final whistle. 

The Real Madrid midfielder’s scrap was caught on television and now a new angle from high above has emerged, captured by a journalist from Spanish outlet Diario AS.

In the build-up to the flashpoint, one Argentina player consoled Bellingham before a group huddled near him.

Barco then turned his head to say something – it wasn’t clear towards who or in which language – and shortly after, the England star seemed to snap.

He was also at loggerheads with defender Nicolas Otamendi as other players tried to stop them

Bellingham appeared to initiate the conflict by slapping Barco on the back of the head 

He went over to Strasbourg midfielder Barco and slapped him on the back of the head. 

The full-back then turned around and pushed Bellingham with tempers flaring. Nicolas Otamendi also came over and gave the England man a shove. 

Several Argentinian players attempted to act as peacemakers, but it looked as if, even when they were separated, that Bellingham and Otamendi wanted more head-to-head action.

This came on the back of a highly passionate and rather thuggish game, so it is understandable that tensions were running high.

Ultimately, Argentina remained the calmer side when the going got tough. England took the lead via Anthony Gordon on 55 minutes, but quickly sat off, inviting pressure.

That, and the defensive substitutions made by Thomas Tuchel, proved to be England’s undoing.

Enzo Fernandez struck a peach of a strike from outside the area after 85 minutes, before Lautaro Martinez broke English hearts with a header two minutes into stoppage time.

Bellingham, who has been so brilliant throughout the tournament, appeared pained at that. In seeming frustration at Jordan Pickford, who produced a number of impressive saves, he looked to the sky, stretched out his arms, and appeared to say: ‘It’s in the middle of the goal.’

Tuchel concluded to BBC Sport: ‘We’re disappointed, we were so close but we got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances.

‘We could not turn the ball possession around and then conceded so many crosses, chances and shots. We were close but couldn’t keep the level up after we scored.

‘Of course we wanted to go for the second goal but I did not have the feeling that offensive substitutions would help. We stayed in our 4-4-2 but we became passive, more and more passive.

‘We couldn’t win any balls, we couldn’t keep the ball so I think it was not a structural problem, we changed nothing. But the match changed completely.’

Harry Kane said: ‘I’m gutted for the boys, the team, the staff, the fans. We played a good game for the vast majority of it. Once we went 1-0 up, we seemed to try and hold on. At this level that’s not enough. Just gutted as we worked so hard to be here and the boys gave every last bit of sweat, blood, and tears.

‘We struggled to get pressure on the ball. Frist half, start of second half, we pressed well and put them under pressure. After the goal, whether it was them putting more men forward or us not being able to match them man-for-man, it was wave after wave. lads were putting blocks in but it wasn’t enough.

‘The boys are ready for any moment. When we went ahead, the messaging was to go again and get another goal. Once they scored their two goals, it was to try and find something but we couldn’t get the momentum.

‘We had a lot of good moments in this tournament, a lot of good games. We’re close, we just need to find that missing piece in the final stage of the tournament. thee tournaments take it out of you, so much effort and pressure and mentality. We’re missing that final piece.’

Dan Burn added: ‘Absolutely gutted. I thought we had the gameplan pretty well for the majority of it. But obviously, when we scored, we went a bit passive and dropped off and were ultimately punished for it.

‘We probably conceded too many chances and if you do that, they are going to get goals. Disappointing from us. We have defended games better and seen them out. When you get that close to the World Cup final, that hurts.’

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This is the moment Met Police officers rescue a lone Argentina fan from a baying mob of England supporters in Piccadilly Circus.

Police were called into action to help remove the fan from an angry crowd on Regent Street St James’s in central London after Thomas Tuchel‘s team crashed out of the World Cup last night.

Footage from Piccadilly Circus shows Met officers escorting him away from the scene as England supporters can be heard shouting before they are pushed away. 

One officer shouts ‘stay back’ as the cops push England supporters away in an attempt to bring the fan, who is wearing an Argentina shirt, to safety.

Other footage from Piccadilly Circus last night shows the Met trying to control a crowd of hundreds of people.

The Argentina fan is seen being led away by police as one officer holds on to his arm while others have their truncheons drawn, warning England supporters not to try and approach him. 

In one shot, more than half a dozen officers crowd around him to prevent the baying mob from getting face-to-face with him as they appear to shout abuse following England’s crushing 2-1 semi-final defeat at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

The Argentina fan is then brought to safety after he is escorted into a police van as he holds his palms up in the air. 

Hundreds of baying Englsand supporters crowd around the Argentina fan in Piccadilly Circus 

Boos and chants of ‘f*** Messi’ are heard as officers escort the lone fan to safety

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Officers shield the van from crowd as chants of ‘f*** Messi’ can be heard as well as synchronised ‘boos’ from England supporters. 

One England fan is captured climbing on top of a telephone box in the iconic central London square. 

Despite the team’s loss, supporters appeared jubilant as they cheered at the cameras filming the chaos while the Met tried to control the crowd. 

Some England supporters attempt to chase the van as it leaves the area but officers hold them back. 

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing from the Argentina fan or baying England supporters. 

The man wearing the Argentina shirt appears to be a YouTube prankster known as Maciej, who in separate footage from last night posted on his TikTok shows him trying to rile up England fans. 

In the short clip, the social media personality, who has over 220,000 followers on the platform, is approached by an English man telling him to ‘get the f*** out of here bro’ before he is pushed.

Another man, wearing an England shirt, asks Maciej where he is from. The prankster replies by telling him he is from Argentina, when calls for him to leave the area are repeated. 

The TikToker has previously posted videos claiming to ‘ragebait’ Tottenham Hotspur fans while wearing an Arsenal shirt.  

He brought to a police van which then drove away from the scene as England supporters attempted to chase after it

Police officers intervene and speak to fans in Atlanta as they try to keep the peace following Argentina’s semi-final victory

He is then approached by several England supporters demanding he leaves, telling him to ‘jog on’ and ‘f*** off’, while a bouncer escorts him away. 

Protesting, he asks: ‘Can I not support Argentina? What am I doing [wrong]?’ 

This is met by calls for him to ‘go home’, with one man telling him: ‘You can support Argentina but it’s not the right time.’ 

Maciej ends the video by talking to the camera, saying: ‘Someone’s crying. Who’s crying?’ 

There were clashes on the streets of Atlanta and Britain following England’s semi-final defeat to Argentina on Wednesday night.

Fights broke out outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia after the final whistle confirmed the Three Lions’ 2-1 defeat to Lionel Messi’s side.

Police made multiple arrests as they stepped in to calm the situation, with pictures showing several England fans being detained by armed officers.

Meanwhile in London fans caused chaos as they took to the roads of the city centre. 

A police officer breaks up an argument between Argentina and England fans outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium

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Fans are arrested in Atlanta by armed police looking to separate the two sides

US police stand guard in Atlanta as Argentina fans gather at the fan festival to celebrate

Supporters react when Argentina scored to level the game 1-1

England supporters react near the end as they watch the semi-final football match between England and Argentina at Boxpark Wembley

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Tensions had already flared inside the stadium after Argentina took a banner from fans which claimed the Falkland Islands belong to the South American nation.

The Falklands conflict had loomed large in the build-up to the semi-final tie, with rival chants about the war featuring in fan zones around the city.

After the match was over, tens of thousands of fans flooded out of the stadium to the surrounding streets, with some disputes boiling over into violence.

England fans branded the behaviour of Argentina’s supporters ‘absolutely disgusting’ and warned that things will ‘kick off, 100 per cent’.

The Atlanta Police Department deployed extra resources around the city, with officers lining the streets outside bars near the stadium after the crunch clash. 

Argentina and England fans outside bars near the stadium exchanged words – much of it Falklands-related. 

American police officers with large guns were seen placing both England and Argentina fans in handcuffs. 

The disruption is affecting services between Manchester Airport and Blackpool North, with train operator Northern warning that delays, cancellations, and changes to services are likely to continue throughout the day.

Trains through major stations including Manchester Piccadilly, Bolton, Chorley and Preston are being affected, with passengers advised to check before travelling.

Northern said via their website: “We apologise for the cancellation of this service today.

“If the train you have a ticket for is cancelled, you can travel on any Northern, TransPennine Express and East Midlands Railway service within 2 hours before or after your cancelled service was due to depart.

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“If you require any connecting services, please check information screens, visit www.nationalrail.co.uk/journey-planner or speak to a member of staff where available.”

Passengers who are delayed by 15 minutes or more may be eligible for compensation under Northern’s delay repay scheme.

Services that have already been cancelled include the 3.48pm, 4.48pm and 5.48pm departures from Manchester Airport to Blackpool North.

Southbound services from Blackpool North to Manchester Airport at 2.54pm and 3.54pm have also been cancelled, with further delays and cancellations expected as the fault continues to cause problems.

Passengers are being urged to check the latest travel information before starting their journeys, and to allow extra time for travel or consider alternative routes where possible.

Further information and live updates are available on the National Rail website and Northern’s social media channels, including @northernassist on X.

Dear Coleen

THIS is a bit of a delicate one so I need help on how to approach it sensitively. Sadly my father-in-law passed away a year ago, which was devastating for us all. We’ve been incredibly supportive to my mother-in-law but her constant presence in our lives is starting to affect my family.

She lives a few miles away but she’s always at our house, turning up unannounced at all hours and staying for days sometimes. At first it was OK but now it’s very disruptive and we’re always cancelling things for the kids because she doesn’t want to be on her own.

My husband and I have spoken to her friends and suggested social groups that would keep her busy and help her make new friends. We’ve also suggested grief counselling several times, but she won’t hear of it.

My husband’s siblings live abroad so they’re not around to help and she’s reliant on us.

I have so much empathy for her but it’s so hard to deal with and causing arguments between me and my husband. What do I do?

Coleen says

Grief is so different for everyone. Your mother-in-law is feeling lost and grabbing on to what she loves most because it feels scary on her own. It may have been a year but, when you’re grieving a partner, it can feel like no time has passed at all.

It took a long time for my sister Linda to get back on her feet after her husband died. She stayed quite a while with me, then with our other sister and, when she went back home, she had different people staying with her. The difference is, she had therapy and would also call the Samaritans when she needed to vent.

I think the point to gently get across to your mother-in-law is that, while you can carry on being supportive, you’re not professionals and are struggling a bit to know how to help.

It’s probably up to your husband to talk to her and ask how she thinks you can help. Maybe she just needs reassurance that if she’s struggling, she knows you’ll be there.

Reiterate to her friends that she’s struggling and ask them to check in and get involved. Maybe having some things in the diary to look forward to will help. Could your husband’s siblings arrange a visit or invite her over for a few weeks for a change of scene and routine? The hope is she’ll find moments of enjoyment and realise it feels good to start living again.

You can’t force her to have therapy but tell her about bereavement charity Cruse, which might help (cruse.org.uk; 0808 808 1677).

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Following the announcement, customers said it is ‘such a shame’

A popular Cambridgeshire Italian restaurant is set to close its doors permanently, citing they will “cherish the memories”. Mangiare on Downham Road in Ely is set to close for good on Sunday, August 2.

Its owners said that, “with a heavy heart” the restaurant will close. This isn’t the end of Mangiare though, as its other locations in Newmarket and Frinton-on-Sea remain in operation. The restaurant has thanked customers for all their support.

The Mangiare restaurant shared on Tuesday, July 15: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce Mangiare Ely will close on Sunday, 2nd August. A huge thank you to all our wonderful guests for your support over the years.

“It has been our pleasure to serve you, and we’ll always cherish the memories we’ve made together. And if you’re nearby, COME AND ENJOY the same delicious Italian food and friendly service at our MANGIARE NEWMARKET restaurant. Thank you for everything.”

In response to the news, diners commented that it is their “favourite restaurant” and that it is “such a shame” to hear. In a recent review on Tripadvisor, one customer wrote: “We visited Ely Mangiare today and I couldn’t fault any aspect of out meal or the service. The food was sensational.”

Another previous customer wrote: “This authentic Italian ristorante offers great flavours, crowd-pleasing dishes, and a relaxed, friendly vibe.”

The vision of the restaurant comprised of the “finest Italian taste coupled with a relaxed atmosphere for a memorable experience”, according to Mangiare’s website.

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As a football coach, Thomas Tuchel has done things differently to many of his colleagues.

For example, it is extremely rare for lower league footballers to become the head coaches of top sides. But that’s what Tuchel did, playing as a defender in Germany’s bottom tiers, before going on to manage elite teams like Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

It’s also unusual for youth team coaches to become coaches to senior sides, or to make the leap from coaching relatively small clubs to some of the bigger clubs in the world. Tuchel, England’s head coach, has made these switches too, and in doing so has demonstrated two particular managerial skills: awareness and adaptability.

The two qualities complement each other. A strong sense of awareness is required to effectively assess situations and players, and then recognise how and when a team might need to change its approach. It requires the ability to evolve and mature.

And a distinct aspiration for Tuchel is not to remain the same coach that he has been in the past. He has said: “[You] need to constantly adapt your style to what is needed, and to your group, and to change yourself, and to develop and to grow.”

He is also known for his perfectionism and dedication. And according to a former colleague, his total commitment to a cause can galvanise a group if it is harnessed correctly.

The colleague said: “Extraordinarily good coaches like him are very intense, that’s part of the deal. They live and breathe football, and that attitude transmits to the team.

“They want to do everything well, and that creates a strong feel for the collective. Everybody wants to give their all, every day, every game. That’s why teams immediately get better once he starts working with them.”

Tuchel retains very high expectations of performance. He does not mask his displeasure on the sidelines, and is not afraid to tell players when they are not playing well. But his methods involve much more than direct criticism.

For instance, after visiting a professor at Mainz University in Germany, Tuchel became an advocate of a technique known as “differential learning”, which emphasises variation rather than repetition of movement in football training. It also involves presenting players with a wide variety of obstacles that demand constant adjustment, while embracing the fact that players and opposing teams are all different.

So Tuchel began to tailor practice sessions to continually challenge and stretch his players. There would be extreme variation in pitch sizes for example, or particularly difficult drills.

Tuchel said of this more creative style of training: “That influenced me a lot, because it changed my role as a coach completely.

“With this [approach] there is no right and wrong. I’m just responsible for the ideas and principles of how we play. Within those they are free to find their own solutions.”

The overall idea for Tuchel is that training ends up being so testing and so demanding, that competitive matches seem comparatively easier to cope with.

Shape-shifter, trophy winner?

Tactical versatility has also been a defining feature of Tuchel’s method. He is well known for his in-game changes, where a side might switch formation six times during a match. He wanted his players to learn to constantly adapt to new roles, shapes and systems.

However, Tuchel has recently explained that if you switch formation too often, players can be conditioned to always look to the coach for a solution. Instead they should be concentrating on how they flexibly apply fundamental defensive and attacking principles, regardless of changes in tactics.

So again, Tuuchel is open to change. He wants to empower his team to make adjustments, without always looking to him for the answers.

To him, awareness and adaptability are crucial qualities required for effective management. This means having the confidence to follow a well-formulated course of action, but also the modesty to appreciate the limits of your capabilities and remain receptive to alternative solutions.

As Tuchel has commented: “I can do it my way, but I never want to say, ‘I know how it’s done.‘

“I know nothing. I just try my things, and every day is new. There are lots of people out there in business who say they know how it’s done. But there’s not just one way to do things. You have to adapt.”

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