Michael Owen has said he “can’t believe people are questioning” whether Michael Carrick should become the permanent manager of Manchester United.

Former midfielder Carrick, who made 464 appearances for United, was appointed caretaker head coach after the sacking of Ruben Amorim in January.

The 44-year-old has won six of his eight matches in charge and the club have moved from sixth to third in the Premier League.

Former Manchester United and England striker Owen, who played with Carrick at Old Trafford between 2009 and 2012, believes he has “brought a calm back to the club”.

“I can’t believe people are questioning whether he should get the job,” Owen said on the latest edition of BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show.

“Manchester United have waited about 12 years – they’ve gone for proven, legends, everything since Sir Alex [Ferguson].

“And the one time they are starting to play well, get results, the fans are on board – you’re telling me at the end of the season if he gets third [place] they will say ‘thanks, but no thanks’. How is that possible?”

Rooney, who has praised Carrick and previously said the caretaker has given United fans a taste of the Fergie era, is in agreement with Owen.

“Everyone at Manchester United loves Michael Carrick and they are just scared it doesn’t go right. He’s done an unbelievable job,” Rooney said.

The club are understood to be looking at other candidates – along with Carrick – to take over as permanent manager in the summer.

City have reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup every season since 2018. In the last four years their record in the competition is 19 wins in 21 games, with those two defeats coming in the final against Manchester United and Crystal Palace. It is not like anything we have seen before. Guardiola said he was extremely proud of that record, but still the perceived injustice gnawed away at him. He remained in a volatile mood. It was his sixth yellow card of the season, but none have provoked a reaction as strong or as perilously close to losing control as this.

Guardiola is a ferocious competitor and apparently no longer cares who he offends. Read into that what you will regarding his future beyond the end of this season. While the rest of English football complains about the fact the 115 charges against City for breaching PSR rules have still not been resolved, he seethes at a perceived injustice of a different kind.

Guardiola made his feelings clear. For all his success, for all the trophies he has won and the dominance of English football he has overseen, he believes it has been done despite dark forces conspiring against him and his players. It has become a recurring theme in his dealings with the media.

Asked what had annoyed him so much, Guardiola replied: “When Jeremy Doku dribbles [Kieran] Trippier and goes alone to the box and is being pulled from behind, I’m not asking for a yellow card but it’s a foul.

“I will defend my team. I will tell you something – we have all the records in this country, all of them, despite everything. We have the record of the manager with the most yellow cards.

“I want all records and now I have it. Two-game ban now and I will go on holidays the next two games. Oh my god. Oh my god. There are things after 10 years I cannot understand. Review the action. Of course I’m going to defend Doku and all my teams. They continue to do it…”

It all felt a little bizarre given the result. Despite falling behind in the first half to Harvey Barnes’ fine goal, which capped an excellent opening 20-minute spell, City moved through the gears and toyed with Newcastle after equalising through Savinho. The second half was one-way traffic as two goals from Marmoush hammered home City’s superiority.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he did not think it would be “appropriate” for the Iranian soccer team to attend this year’s World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, and cited safety concerns as a reason on Thursday while the countries remained embroiled in a war.

“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup,” Trump wrote on his social media site, “but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”

Iranian leaders said earlier this week that it’s “not possible” for the country to participate in the World Cup.

Trump’s message appears to depart somewhat from what the Republican president relayed Tuesday at the White House to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who later publicly said that Trump assured him the Iranian players and coaches would be welcome.

On Thursday, the White House did not immediately clarify what Trump meant by “their own life and safety,” such as whether he anticipated threats against them while in the United States after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began Feb. 28.

Iran, one of 48 teams in the tournament, is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 before finishing group play in Seattle against Egypt on June 26. The U.S. is hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

Iran’s soccer federation has planned to take the team in June to a tournament base camp in Arizona, at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson.

Since June, Iran has been subject to a travel ban into the U.S. as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. But athletes and coaches from the target nations are exempt, which means the Iranian team would be allowed to enter the U.S.

But there are also likely fears from Iranian soccer players about playing in a tournament abroad where they could be feted by an anti-regime diaspora while their families face threats back home.

The Iranian women’s soccer team, which arrived in Australia to play at its Asian Cup tournament before the U.S. and Israeli bombing attacks on Iran started, did not sing the Iranian national anthem before its first game. That was widely interpreted as a gesture of protest or an act of mourning. Several members of the team stayed in Australia on humanitarian visas afterward.

At the 2022 men’s World Cup, played in Qatar, the Iranian team did not sing the anthem before a game against England and did not celebrate the two goals scored in a 6-2 loss. At that time, Iran was in turmoil several weeks after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for allegedly violating a strict Islamic dress code.

FIFA’s own evaluation was “low risk” for World Cup safety and security plans proposed by the U.S., Canada and Mexico soccer federations, which are guaranteed by their governments. Trump has often taken credit for “winning” the World Cup hosting rights in 2018, when the three neighbors easily beat Morocco in a vote by FIFA member federations.

“All parties have experience of hosting major sports events on a regular basis and established arrangements are in place for managing security and safety at stadiums and for high-profile individuals,” FIFA’s in-house inspection team wrote eight years ago.

Iranian athletes who previously defied the Islamic regime have left the country to continue their careers.

Iran’s first female athlete to win an Olympic medal, Kimia Alizadeh, a bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games in taekwondo, criticized wearing the mandatory hijab headscarf. She competed for the Olympic refugee team at Tokyo in 2021 and for Bulgaria at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Judoka Saeid Mollaei went into hiding in Germany after a dispute with Iranian team officials at the 2019 world championships. Mollaei, the defending champion, said he was ordered to lose a bout to avoid a potential gold medal match against an Israeli opponent. He got Mongolian citizenship and took silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

___

Dunbar reported from Geneva.

One Premier League icon who went from winning multiple titles to being relegated to the Championship believes Tottenham are on pace to go down

Premier League icon Joleon Lescott believes Tottenham are well on track to get relegated this season based on current form. The club sits 16th in the Premier League and just one point above the bottom three with only nine games to play this term.

Igor Tudor‘s disastrous start as Spurs boss took another nightmarish turn on Tuesday following a 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. The north Londoners are now on the verge of exiting Europe’s premier tournament at the round of 16 unless they can pull off a miracle in the second leg.

Lescott, 43, appeared on the latest episode of the All Out Football podcast alongside Mirror Sport‘s Andy Dunn and gave a dim assessment of Spurs’ prospects between now and May. And after conceding four goals in the opening 22 minutes at Atletico, it appears a drought in confidence could signal a historic period in the club’s history.

“Honestly, in terms of form, yeah,” said the former Manchester City and England defender. “Because again, speaking about experience, none of their players have experienced this fight.

You can listen to brand new episodes of In The Mixer on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

“I know last season was bad but they had a positive or a bonus of a distraction [winning the Europa League], like Europe was their kind of shining light in that season. Whereas this season now, we’re talking about players and fans that don’t know what it feels like to be in this fight.

READ MORE: Laura Woods shouts ‘wow’ as TNT Sports host gobsmacked by Igor Tudor’s post-match behaviourREAD MORE: Peter Schemichel goes off on Igor Tudor and accuses him of killing Antonin Kinsky’s career

“Like if you’re saying you’re a Forest or a West Ham, they go behind, their fans still support their team because they know they’re likely going to go behind. Now we have to get behind them to get in front and stuff and fight behind that.

“Whereas Spurs fans now are like, ‘Oh, this is nerve wracking’. And then players are like, ‘Oh, I don’t want that pass. I don’t want to show for the ball there’. But it becomes very edgy potentially.”

Lescott cited his own experience of being relegated with Aston Villa in 2016 and how “players go missing all of a sudden.” And he spoke about the increased role pressure plays in how certain players make their decisions, potentially hoping to save their own reputations.

“Say a forward where he’s taken a shot when he’s full of confidence, now it needs to be perfect,” added Lescott. “Now I need to see the whole goal rather than half of the goal.

“And then as a defender, say for me, you’re thinking, ‘I don’t want to play that ball into midfield in case it doesn’t get there, and I’ll go wide’, but now the opportunity is gone. So there’s so many elements that you probably don’t realise when you’re down there.”

Tuesday’s defeat to Atletico was but the latest indictment on Spurs’ season, and by extension Tudor’s still-budding tenure. The Croat has lost four times in as many games in charge, two of which were London derbies fans would have hoped to win (against Fulham and Crystal Palace).

Injuries have played an unfortunate role in hampering Tottenham’s chances, but the club has spent enough in recent years to suggest they have the depth necessary to mount a much better challenge than what’s been witnessed. And Lescott is among those convinced the unthinkable could happen come May as the spectre of relegation grows larger.

ANDY DUNN EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: Subscribe now to be the first to watch the latest episodes of In The Mixer and other original shows, brought to you by Sky Bet. Watch All Out Football’s episode with Andy Dunn here.

The F1 2026 season continues with the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend after Mercedes’ George Russell sealed pole position in Australia

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The Formula 1 2026 season is well underway and there are some major changes on the to Sky Sports’ TV coverage. Mercedes’ George Russell secured pole position in Melbourne last week, with the drivers now in Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Ahead of the season, Sky Sports revealed plans to launch what it describes as ‘cutting-edge broadcast innovations’ for its F1 coverage. Fans will soon be able to view an immersive sidebar for TV viewing each race weekend that will display Race Control, in-race standings and a Recap – or replay – feature.

Other standout features of the sidebar include dedicated driver and team pages, enhanced data, explainers and improved homepage navigation. Viewers can also stream onboard cameras for every driver – complete with team radio messages – during each race weekend.

The new features will be rolled out later this year at no extra cost to Sky Sports customers on Sky Glass, Sky Stream and Sky Q devices, with a launch date to be confirmed. F1 fans who don’t currently have Sky access can subscribe from £35 per month for the broadcaster’s flagship Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle.

This includes coverage of every practice, qualifying session and race live from every race weekend this season. The package includes nine Sky Sports channels, around 100 regular TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Disney+.

Sky’s discounted Formula 1 package

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£49

£35

Sky

Get Sky Sports here

Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifier and race live with Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an introductory deal that saves £336.

As well as nine Sky Sports channels, this includes around 100 regular channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.

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There’s also an option to the £42 Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle, which comes with 35 extra channels and will soon include Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu at no extra cost from March. Sky customers can add Sky Sports F1 to their existing subscription package as a rolling monthly subscription drops from £20 to £15 with a special offer.

Virgin Media customers can get Sky Sports channels too with the provider’s £52.99 Sport bundle, which comes with more than 200 channels, 362Mbps fibre broadband and Netflix. A caveat to both Sky and Virgin’s deals is that prices may change at least twice during the 24-month contracts, including the usual April price increase.

Sky touts itself as the ‘ultimate destination’ for F1, with the new features joining existing coverage such as Pit Wall Live, The Grid Walk, The F1 Show and the returning The Notebook. The latter airs post-qualifying and post-race on Saturdays and Sundays, respectively, to deliver analysis and the latest updates from the paddock with reporter Ted Kravitz.

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Announcing the changes, Sky said: “Sky Sports is preparing for one of the most highly anticipated F1 seasons in recent years. With viewership increasing year-on-year, 2026 promises to be even bigger with new cars and rule changes coming into play.

“Featuring an expert line-up, cutting-edge broadcast innovations, and the only place to watch live coverage of all 24 races, Sky Sports remains the ultimate destination for Formula 1 fans in the UK and Ireland.”

Wrexham host Premier League Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round tonight in the biggest fixture at the Racecourse Ground since Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds became owners almost five years ago.

The Welsh side have surged from English football’s fifth tier to the second with three successive promotions and are now lying sixth in the Championship, pushing for a place in the Premier League via the play-offs.

Wrexham went into administration in 2004, and for years the club survived on volunteer labour. A week before the season kicked off, fans would turn up to paint, sweep and fix locks on the turnstiles.

They toppled Nottingham Forest earlier in their FA Cup run, but facing eight-time winners Chelsea is another step up in class.

Liam Rosenior has only lost three games since taking over at Stamford Bridge, all of them to Arsenal, but Wednesday’s 4-1 victory over Aston Villa was a marker of progress after some sloppy dropped points.

Chelsea will be mindful of a Champions League last-16 tie against PSG this week, as well as the pressing priority of qualifying for that competition via a top-five finish in the Premier League.

Win tonight though, and Rosenior will be three games away from a major trophy which would go some way to ingratiating him with a sceptical Chelsea fanbase. Romeo Lavia is back for Chelsea, but Rosenior will not risk wingers Estevao and Jamie Gittens.

Wrexham were part of one of the FA Cup’s greatest upsets when they beat Arsenal in the 1992 third round, when Mickey Thomas scored a famous free-kick.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said: “When you go around the Wrexham area, the game most supporters will speak about is that Arsenal game, and this is our chance now to make some more memories for our supporters in the FA Cup.

“We did that with a great game against Nottingham Forest that went to a penalty shoot-out, and then obviously the Ipswich game. We’ve earned the right to have this kind of prestigious draw against Chelsea.

“We’re on a good run, and we’ve done well at home. It’s all about bringing our best performance to the table on Saturday night.”

Full team news on the way shortly.

Charmaine Hayward-Barnett, 35, was also jailed for six weeks for 20 shop thefts carried out across Harrogate over two and a half months. The town’s magistrates said she had a “flagrant disregard for people and their property”.

They made a two-year criminal behaviour order banning her from all Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Morrison Daily and One Stop shops in the town. She must pay £130 compensation.

There are nine Co-op stores, five Sainsbury’s, two Morrison Dailys and four One Stop shops in Harrogate.

Hayward-Barnett, of Woodfield Square, Harrogate, pleaded guilty to all offences. She stole:

From the Co-op: fruit worth £29.95 on January 4, fruit worth £38.40 on January 11, crisps worth £17.50 on January 17, crisps worth £8 on January 19, laundry products and groceries worth £31 on January 26, biscuits worth £9.25 on January 29; fruit worth £20 also on January 29, crème ages worth £40 on January 31, tea-bags to a value unknown on January 31, mini-eggs worth £46 on February 4, mini-eggs to an unknown value on February 5;

From Sainsbury’s: meat worth £41 on November 22, meat, salmon and potatoes to an unknown value on December 1,

From Morrisons:  laundry products worth £20 on November 24, burgers worth £5 on November 25, meat worth £45 on December 4,

From One Stop: chocolate and other food items worth £56 on December 27, meat worth £29.35 on December 29, toothpaste worth £34.80 on December 20,

From Superdrug: cosmetics worth £86 on December 19.

Statistically, attending a weekly worship service is a remarkably safe thing to do. Global annual attendance totals many billions; the number of people killed in attacks on individual houses of worship in any given year is generally less than a few hundred.

But an ambush Thursday targeting one of the nation’s largest synagogues — the latest in a spate of recent attacks targeting religious buildings — has intensified fear among clergy and worshippers worldwide.

Here is a list of some of the notable attacks that have occurred on houses of worship in the past 15 years.

United States

March 12, 2026: A man armed with a rifle rammed his vehicle into a major reform synagogue in a Detroit suburb and was fatally shot by security. The attacker drove through a set of doors and into a hallway where something in the vehicle ignited, a sheriff said. In the minutes after the attack, smoke billowed from the synagogue, which also houses an early childhood center. No one was injured.

Sept. 29, 2025: An ex-Marine smashed a pickup truck into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church in Michigan, opened fire and set the building ablaze during a crowded Sunday service and then was fatally shot by police. Four people were killed and eight wounded.

Aug. 27, 2025: Two children were killed and several others were injured in a shooting during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis. The shooter, who authorities say died of a self-inflicted gunshot, was a former student at the parish’s school.

Oct. 27, 2018: Eleven Jews attending services at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh were fatally shot by a white supremacist with a history of antisemitism. The gunman, Robert Bowers, faces execution after his conviction on multiple federal charges.

Nov. 5, 2017: A family feud is believed to have prompted the deadliest mass shooting in modern Texas history. Twenty-five people, including a pregnant woman, were killed at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.

June 17, 2015: A young man walked into a Bible study session at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and killed nine people. The victims included the senior pastor, Clementa Pinckney. The shooter was an avowed white supremacist who is awaiting execution after his conviction on multiple federal charges.

Aug. 5, 2012: Six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in the town of Oak Creek were shot to death by a 41-year-old white supremacist who had discussed a racial holy war. One of the injured victims died in 2020 from his head wound, becoming the seventh fatality.

Australia

Dec. 14, 2025: A father and son fatally shot 15 people at a Hanukkah festival on the famous Bondi Beach. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the massacre an act of antisemitic terrorism that struck at the heart of the nation.

Dec. 6, 2024: As part of a wave of antisemitic attacks, a synagogue in Melbourne was firebombed. The building was heavily damaged, and a congregation member was injured. Australian authorities have accused Iran of directing that attack.

Congo

July 27, 2025: Several dozen people were killed in Congo’s Ituri province when rebels stormed a Catholic church during a vigil and opened fire on worshippers.

Egypt

Egypt reeled in November 2017 from the killing of more than 300 people in a startlingly grisly militant attack on a mosque in northern Sinai frequented by Sufis, followers of a mystic movement within Islam. At that point, Egypt’s military and security forces had already been waging a campaign against militants in northern Sinai.

April 9, 2017: Suicide bombers struck hours apart at two Coptic churches in northern Egypt, killing more than 40 people and turning Palm Sunday services into scenes of horror and outrage. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility and vowed to continue attacks against Christians.

Britain

Oct. 2, 2025: An attack on a synagogue in Manchester, England, by a knife-wielding assailant left two congregation members dead. According to police, it was carried out by a man who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

June 19, 2017: A man drove a van at pedestrians near a mosque in London as worshippers were leaving after prayers. One man died; a dozen others were injured. The attacker was sentenced to at least 43 years in prison. A judge said he had been radicalized by far-right and Islamophobic propaganda online.

France

Oct, 29, 2020: Three people were killed in a stabbing attack at a Catholic basilica in the French Riviera city of Nice. A Tunisian man charged with the attack was later sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, France’s most severe sentence possible.

July 26, 2016: Two assailants slit the throat of an 85-year-old priest after staging an attack on a Mass at a Catholic church in Normandy. The attackers were killed by police as they left the church. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Germany

Oct. 9, 2019: A right-wing extremist tried to shoot his way into a synagogue in Halle on Yom Kippur while broadcasting the attack live on a popular gaming site. After failing to open the building’s heavy doors, he shot and killed a woman in the street and a man at a nearby kebab shop. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

March 9, 2023: A former member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses opened fire during a service at a Witnesses hall in Hamburg, killing six people and then himself. Nine other people were wounded.

Oct. 18, 2023: Assailants threw two Molotov cocktails at a synagogue in Berlin. The firebombs burst on the sidewalk next to the building, and two people who had approached the synagogue with them ran away with their faces covered. The attempted arson shortly after Hamas’ attack on Israel drew strong condemnation.

New Zealand

March 15, 2019: A white supremacist gunned down worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch during Friday prayers, killing 51. The attacks prompted new laws banning an array of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. They also prompted global changes to social media protocols after the gunman livestreamed his attack on Facebook. The assailant was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the first time the maximum available sentence had been imposed in New Zealand.

Norway

Aug. 10, 2019: A white nationalist Norwegian, Philip Manshaus, killed his Chinese-born stepsister and then drove to a mosque in an Oslo suburb where three men were preparing for Eid al-Adha celebrations. He fired rifle shots at the mosque’s glass door before being overpowered by one of the men.

Syria

June 22, 2025: A suicide bomber opened fire and then detonated an explosive vest inside a Greek Orthodox church near Damascus filled with people praying, killing more than 20 and wounding dozens, state media reported.

It was a very different Palace line-up than started for Glasner in October. Former captain Marc Guehi joined Manchester City in January, while the arrivals of Strand Larsen, Evann Guessand and Brennan Johnson – all of whom started – infused new energy, but none were influential enough.

61 North Bondgate is believed to have been built in the late 19th or early 20th century.

However, it has been significantly altered over the years and has stood empty since 2017.

Due to structural concerns, the owner, The Auckland Project, submitted a proposal to tear it down.

Plans were given the green light by Durham County Council on March 10.

Demolition is to take place on weekdays between 8am and 6pm, and Saturdays between 8am and 2pm.

No public objections were made to the plans.