The former home of the Cobbles star, who played landlady Bet Lynch for decades, was at the centre of a planning furore earlier this year.

Unfounded rumours that there were plans for the £1.5m mansion at Primrose Hill Farm to be turned into a house of multiple occupation (HMO) for immigrants led to protests outside the Rochdale Road East site.

No valid planning application had actually been submitted to Rochdale Council at the time.

It led to concerns about disinformation being spread about the potential use of the property.

Protesters outside the property on Rochdale Road East in Heywood (Image: Danny Crompton)

Now, new proposals would see three en-suite bedrooms on the ground floor, alongside a kitchen, dining room, reception area, cinema room, and a family bathroom, according to council planning documents.

The site has been subjected to several changing applications in recent months.

Back in October 2025, a building control application for a 15-bed HMO was submitted to the council.

That application was amended on November 10, 2025, to allow for a 15-bedroom bed-and-breakfast.

Building control plans were amended again on February 11 to create 10 two-bedroom apartments and convert the stable conversion into a three-bedroom house.

Primrose Hill Farm, Rochdale Road East, Heywood. Uploaded by George Lythgoe. Credit: Manchester Evening News/Sean Hansford

The scheme was amended again on March 12 to convert the barn into a luxury residential house for one family, including an annex building.

The latest change is much like the planning application that was submitted a month earlier and is now being considered by the council’s planning officers.

Planning papers read: “Our plan aims to address the shortage of luxury housing in the area, which will bring numerous benefits.

“By increasing the supply of high-end properties, we’ll attract affluent residents and businesses, boosting local economic growth and creating jobs.

“This, in turn, will enhance the area’s reputation, improve infrastructure, and increase tax revenue for local services.

“The development will also include amenities like parks, shops, and restaurants, benefiting existing residents and making the area more vibrant.

“A key part of this plan involves restoring the historic barn, currently in a state of despair.

“Urgent work is needed to stabilise the structure, preserve its heritage, and bring it back into use.

“This will not only save a local landmark but also add character to the development, creating a unique selling point for luxury residents.

“Ultimately, our plan will revitalize the area, making it a desirable destination for luxury living and commerce.”

Rochdale Council planners will debate the application at a meeting on Wednesday, August 5.

By STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER

Published: 00:11 BST, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 03:03 BST, 5 August 2026

A ‘heavily armed’ man was arrested after he was seen wandering around Donald Trump‘s California golf course just days before the President was set to host a fundraiser there.

Trump is scheduled to headline a Republican National Committee fundraising dinner at a golf club his family owns in the Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes on Tuesday. 

Around 3:30pm on Sunday, however, a man was seen taking pictures and observing security activities around the course.

Jeanine John Taele, 38, was detained by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies shortly after, the LA Times reported.

Advertisement

Cops then found a loaded magazine in Taele’s pants pocket before searching his car in the parking lot and discovering a loaded pistol and further ammunition. 

On Monday, his residence in Downey, California was searched and they found even more weapons and ammunition, including an illegally-modified AR-style rifle, .45 caliber pistol, body armor and high-capacity magazines.

They also claimed to have found several notebooks that featured ‘concerning statements,’ as well as two radio devices.  

Taele was arrested under suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm and possession of illegal ammunition, including hollow point bullets. 

Advertisement

A ‘heavily armed’ man was arrested after he was seen wandering around Donald Trump’s California golf course just days before the President was set to host a fundraiser there

Trump is scheduled to headline a Republican National Committee fundraising dinner at a golf club his family owns in the Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes (pictured) on Tuesday

Police said that while the investigation is ongoing, there is ‘no credible threat to our communities.’  

Advertisement

Taele is also under investigation in connection with a robbery in nearby El Segundo. 

Trump is making a rare visit to California and Nevada this week to try to draw contrasts with Democrats on the economy, border security and crime, seeking to shore up support for Republicans in November elections that will determine whether his party keeps control of Congress.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment. 

Trump has faced multiple assassination attempts in recent years, most notably when he was shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania on the campaign trail in 2024.

Advertisement

A jury in 2025 found a man guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at the president´s Florida country club. 

Most recently, an armed man tried to break into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner while Trump was inside. 

As Trump flies to California, he´ll likely throw barbs at the governor, eyed as a likely candidate for the next Democratic presidential nomination.

 The entrance to Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles, in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., is seen in this photo

Advertisement

Police said that while the investigation is ongoing, there is ‘no credible threat to our communities’ 

White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said the president plans to ‘draw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom.’

Trump routinely mocks Newsom using a derogatory nickname. Newsom taunts the president in turn.

The Democrat wrote on social media on Monday that California is raising its minimum wage next year to $17.40 an hour, more than double the federal minimum. 

Advertisement

‘Donald Trump and the GOP are still defending a $7.25 minimum wage while workers scrape by. Pitiful,’ Newsom wrote.

The Wednesday letters page fears that VR gaming may be dead for another generation, as one reader wishes 8-bit classic Elite would get a big budget reboot.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Out of fashion
Depressing, but not surprising news, about how single-player games aren’t selling right now. I know it was July they were talking about but why wasn’t Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced in the top 20? We were told that did well and yet it was nowhere to be seen on PlayStation 5, beaten by a bunch of multiplayer games I didn’t even realise were still going.

The only thing I hold to is that these things seem to go in and out of fashion, with a big hit suddenly reminding publishers that people do like this sort of game. EA seem to have gone back and forth on the concept a bunch of times over the years.

I can only think of Capcom though, who just truck on making whatever they want, most of which is single-player only, and everyone seems quite happy to buy it. But I’m going to guess their budgets are a lot more sensible than a lot of these big US games. $400 million for Gears Of War: E-Day seems like insanity to me.
Casper

Warm-up act
I enjoyed the Fire Emblem games on 3DS, but I really think that was the best format for the series. Unless Nintendo is going to give the Switch games a proper budget they just look so cheap and basic. I could easily see the games running on an Xbox 360 or Wii and we’re at a point now where a lot of indie games look better than that.

Its real problem though, is it’s just another Nintendo game that you’ve got to get out of the way until you get to the good stuff. I think that’s why they’re not talking about Zelda or The Duskbloods yet, because they know that as soon as people are properly look forward to those they’ll just ignore Fire Emblem and the other minor games completely.
Clembor

Customer retention
I can see what Microsoft is trying to do with all this Xbox 360 games on PC and creating a disc-to-digital system, but it’s not going to work. They’ve realised that one of the main reasons for people sticking with one family of consoles now is so they don’t lose their collection of games from previous generations.

But I really don’t think people are going to spend £1,000+ on Project Helix, just so they can play Blinx: The Time Sweeper on it. You’d prefer to keep all your games, but I don’t think it’s going to keep many people from abandoning what is clearly a sinking ship. Not that I think anyone’s going to be in a hurry to spend the same on PlayStation 6, but at least they won’t rule it out completely.
Bonce

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Nothing new
RE: Valve and consoles. As well as the Half-Life and Portal games they released the two Left 4 Dead games, with EA handling the physical Xbox 360 releases, which were very popular and Counter-Strike on console.

Most of their catalogue has shown up on console, they’re not a prolific publisher on any format. The reason why they’re all old is because Valve pulled back somewhat from making games a long time ago, mores the pity.

Many of us hoped Half-Life 3 would stop being a meme with the Steam Machine release but alas not. The 18 year wait since Half-Life 2: Episode Two continues.

But while games were more of a priority many made their way to console and I think that would probably be the case today if they were more active in game development.

Even though the walled garden and exclusives of consoles runs counter to their philosophy of an open ecosystem.
Simundo

Don’t miss Gaming news! Add us as a Preferred Source

As a loyal GameCentral reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for gaming stories. We have all the latest video games news, reviews, previews, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.

Click the button below and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.

Advertisement

Add us as a Preferred Source

Cost of gaming crisis
As if the recent announcements about Sony going digital-only was not bad enough, and Microsoft increasing the price of the Xbox, now both Nvidia and AMD have announced GPU price increases for PCs.

I guess my old Radeon RX 6650 XT GPU is going to have to last longer. Hopefully the rest of my PC will be as reliable as the wireless Xbox 360 controller I still use to this day for it.
Commodore Fan
Currently playing: Indiana Jones And The Great Circle via Amazon Luna. So far so good…

Reality’s end
I was reading rumours about how the price of Valve’s new VR headset has also gone through the roof, to the point where it’s going to be thousands of dollars, like Apple’s attempt at one. I’m not sure if it’s definitely still coming out but it seems obvious that it will be one of the last attempts to make VR games a thing. Not even that, it’s probably just a pet project by Valve that they don’t expect to sell to ordinary people.

For a minute there it seemed like VR was really going to break through. The PlayStation ones were both really good, inside and out, and the Meta ones were nice and cheap. They also put a ton of money into making games, which was really important as they realised that you’ve got to have the software to support the hardware.

It didn’t work out though, as we all know, which is a shame as I think some of it was bad timing, with the cost of living crisis and now the component crisis… basically too many crises, where the last thing most people were thinking about was spending hundreds on gaming hardware that might flop.

VR has been hovering around on the edge of being mainstream for decades now and I do worry that this last chance was the final one. Hardware is only getting more expensive nowadays, so if they tried it again I think things would only get worse. It’s a shame but it seems the future just isn’t happening.
Gorf

Rumour control
So I read an article saying Xbox are now thinking of not having third party sites, like Steam and Epic Games Store, selling games on Project Helix and just another Xbox.

The reason is they don’t make any money off people buying their games off those sites, instead of buying the Xbox games off them. So one of the main attractions of being a hybrid PC console may be removed…what a mess.
TWO MACKS

GC: That rumour has been downgraded to merely the possibility that Microsoft were thinking about it. And they definitely do make money from sales of their own games on other websites, just not as much as if they controlled everything.

Elitist suggestion
I also enjoyed the interview with the ZX Spectrum recreation guy and it got me thinking, as it always does when this topic comes up, of how they could reboot some of these games for the modern day. I don’t really see how things like Jet Set Willy or Monty On The Run could ever work but there are some games that do seem to have much more obvious potential.

The one that stands out to me is Elite, which isn’t even a Spectrum game. It’s even older than that and was originally made for the BBC Micro! And yet it’s what we would call today an open world game, with complete freedom to go wherever you want in the galaxy and be a pirate, a smuggler, or an honest trader.

For some reason it’s a concept that only really seems to have been popular in Europe, but I think that’s because the US and Japan don’t really know it exists. There’s only been a few American clones, like Privateer and Freelancer, which I think were quite successful, but that was a long time ago. There’s also Star Citizen, but I wouldn’t touch that with a bargepole.

Unfortunately. Starfield has probably killed off any interest in making something similar, which is a shame as it barely scratched the surface of what Elite was and didn’t have any trading aspect at all.

I would love a big budget reboot and would be perfectly happy if they attached a licence to it. like Star Wars or Guardians of the Galaxy. Anything to just get the game made, but alas all we’ve got is Elite Dangerous, which seems to be on its last legs and was never much fun in the first place.
Campbell

Inbox also-rans
It is very hard for me to imagine any scenario where a God Of War TV show ends up being good. It’s just too fantastical and weird for that and everyone’s going to end up looking silly. Poor Dave Bautista.
Josh

So basically all Sony said about the PlayStation 6 is that it’ll probably be less than £3,000. Well I’m sure my wallet is happy to hear that good news. I’ll pre-order it now.
Cybob

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE: Games Inbox: Will the Xbox reset work for Microsoft?

MORE: Games Inbox: When will Spider-Man 3 be released on PS5?

MORE: Games Inbox: Will you play the Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake or GTA 6 first?

Wild Nutrition’s Food-Grown Pregnancy + New Mother Multi blends 29 whole food nutrients, including folate, iodine and vitamin D, to support both mother and baby through every stage of pregnancy and the fourth trimester. Backed by experts, the B Corp brand’s science-led, stomach-kind approach is the reason why this supplement has over 100 five-star reviews.

The couple’s third child, a daughter, was born on Monday at a hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, weighing 6lb 9oz, and mother and baby are said to be doing well

Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank have welcomed their third child – a baby girl.

The couple’s newest family member arrived on Monday at a hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, weighing 6lb 9oz, with both mother and daughter reported to be in good health.

The birth marks an uncommon instance of a royal family member being born abroad, as Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank maintain a residence and various ties in Portugal.

Buckingham Palace released a statement confirming: “Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter, born on Monday, 3rd August 2026, at 6.20pm, at a hospital in Lisbon, Portugal.

“The baby was born weighing 6 pounds 9 ounces.

“Their Majesties The King and Queen and other members of the royal family were delighted to be informed of the news.”

The newborn becomes the fifth grandchild for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, the former Duke and Duchess of York, following the arrival of Princess Beatrice’s daughter Athena Mapelli Mozzi in January last year.

Earlier this year, the former duke vacated his Windsor residence amid public criticism over his “peppercorn rent” arrangement, relocating to the Sandringham estate, and faced arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office before subsequently being released. Eugenie and Beatrice, granddaughters of the late Queen Elizabeth II, have themselves come under the spotlight following their inclusion in the Epstein files, a collection of documents released by the US Department of Justice concerning the late convicted sex offender.

One email exchange suggested their mother Sarah took her daughters to see Epstein in the US days after he was released from prison for child sex crimes.

At the time, Eugenie and Beatrice were aged 19 and 20 respectively.

The pair absented themselves from the customary royal Easter Sunday service, with Charles’s blessing, as controversy surrounding their father intensified.

The hospital where the birth took place has not been disclosed, though the couple have expressed profound appreciation to medical personnel for their support.

Eugenie and Jack are taking their time selecting a name for their newborn daughter while cherishing precious moments together as a family.

The infant will not hold an HRH title and occupies 15th position in the line of succession, bumping her great uncle the Duke of Edinburgh down to 16th.

She becomes the 15th great-grandchild of the late Queen, and only the third born following Her Majesty’s passing in 2022.

The pregnancy announcement came in May, when Eugenie posted on Instagram a photograph showing her young son Ernest in a Chelsea football strip, alongside her other child August in a long-sleeved grey T-shirt, holding a picture of a baby scan.

Samantha Armytage cracked up live on air on Wednesday morning when she interviewed the distinctive-looking Muay Thai fighter Ryan McDonald. 

McDonald, 19, has been hailed a hero after he stepped in to protect two young women during a road rage confrontation on Queensland‘s Sunshine Coast recently.

But when he appeared on Today to chat about the incident, fill-in host Armytage, 49, appeared to be taken aback by his very tanned complexion and bleached blond hair. 

When McDonald first appeared on the screen, Armytage appeared shocked by his ‘unique’ look, laughing as she said: ‘Wow.’ 

Though she quickly recovered and continued with the interview, saying he was a ‘legend’ for de-escalating a violent situation on the Bruce Highway. 

However, the subject of McDonald’s appearance came up again later in the segment when he joked he was ‘pretty hard to miss’. 

Armytage and her fill-in co-host Tom Steinfort then started to laugh as she said: ‘You said it, Ryan. You’re quite something to look at.’

‘Unique,’ Steinfort, 42, said. 

‘Is that part of the whole thing, you know? The Muay Thai,’ Armytage added. 

‘Yeah, I guess it’s kind of my brand now. I’ve looked like this my whole life, but since I started fighting, that’s just how people know me. The blond tan guy,’ McDonald said.

McDonald went on to joke he looked like Dolph Lundgren, the Swedish-American actor and martial artist who rocks a similar distinctive look. 

‘You’re much more handsome than Dolph Lundgren,’ Armytage said. 

McDonald went viral on Tuesday when he jumped out of his car on the Bruce Highway to protect two young women caught up in a road rage incident.

Dashcam footage of the moment showed a van trying to merge into another lane of traffic on the Sunshine Coast motorway.

When McDonald first appeared on the screen, Armytage appeared shocked by his ‘unique’ look, laughing as she said: ‘Wow.’

The van driver then stopped, left his vehicle and approached a car carrying two young women.

He allegedly tried to open the driver’s door – before Muay Thai champion McDonald intervened, confronting the man as other motorists gathered nearby.

‘It was just two girls on their own in the car,’ he told Channel Seven on Monday.

‘And I was thinking this would be a good opportunity to help and use what I know to protect these two girls, or de-escalate the situation.’

McDonald and the van driver exchanged words before both men removed their shirts in the middle of the road.

However, the confrontation ended without a punch being thrown when the motorist learned that McDonald was, in fact, a professional fighter.

McDonald has recorded eight victories during his fighting career, including four by knockout.

‘He came back up to me and was like ‘Are you sure you want this?’ I was like, ‘Yeah’,’ McDonald said.

A motorist reportedly backed down after realising McDonald was an experienced professional Muay Thai fighter and competitor 

Advertisement

The van driver returned to his vehicle and drove away.

McDonald said that preventing the confrontation from becoming violent was the ideal result.

‘It was the best possible outcome, to de-escalate the [situation]… everybody got home safe that day,’ he said.

Footage of the incident has since attracted more than three million views across social media, where McDonald was widely praised for helping the women.

‘What a legend to put himself in that position and defend those girls he didn’t even know,’ one social media user said.

Another person said: ‘Glad he stepped in. I’ve got daughters and granddaughters and that man trying to open the car door isn’t on.’

A third added: ‘I cannot quite believe this man stepped in to help two vulnerable women, and most of you only want to make comments on his appearance!

‘Good on you mate, I’d be glad to have you there if this happened to me or my daughter.’

Some social media users said the incident would have been a ‘scary experience’ for the women.

‘Only a complete loser of a man would try to intimidate or threaten young women. Thankfully there are still decent men around prepared to step in,’ a commenter said.

Turning Point claims “aggressive” rent rises have driven them out, despite Scotland’s drug deaths emergency

Council bosses have been blamed for the termination of a drugs crisis facility in the midst of Scotland’s drug deaths emergency.

The closure of Turning Point’s crisis centre in Glasgow now looks certain after a row over big rent increases.

The charity says the 16 bed residential stabilisation service in Commerce Street will shut down and a nearby drug crisis centre, on West Street, will move to the site instead.

Turning Point had also been running this service but management now passes to the city’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP).

Neil Richardson, chief executive of Turning Point Scotland, said: “Replacing the residential stabilisation service with a community-based model will remove 16 beds from Glasgow’s alcohol and drug support system.

“That raises important questions about how people who need intensive residential support will continue to access it.”

The crisis service is expected to switch in early October, while the stabilisation service contract is due to end on 24 October.

Richardson added: “Changes of this scale would ordinarily require significantly longer to plan and implement safely.

“Only days before this decision, we were told bringing the services in-house wasn’t considered a viable option because of the cost, disruption and lack of specialist expertise.

“We have yet to receive a clear explanation of what changed.”

Turning Point Scotland slammed “commercially aggressive” tactics and last week and said its rent had doubled from £65,000 to £131,000 a year.

The crisis was exacerbated by an £806,000 bill after Turning Point Scotland left another site after the closure of its service for women in the justice system.

The closure comes after a 14-month dispute over rent increases and repair bills with City Property – an arms-length firm that manages the Glasgow City Council’s commercial properties.

Both Turning Point Scotland and Glasgow City HSCP have blamed each other for the decision to close the service.

Staff were informed last Friday, with 87 people affected.

The 16-bed residential facility, offered six-week stays to stabilise drug use and detox from non-prescribed substances.

The crisis centre, in West Street, offers urgent care for up to 20 people at risk of serious harm or death.

Glasgow HSCP said Turning Point Scotland had “indicated that they are not able to continue with contract on the basis of financial risk”.

A spokesperson said the crisis centre “remains a priority” and would “transition with no intended gap in service”.

The spokesperson added: “This decision is based on the intentions of Turning Point Scotland and the commitment the HSCP has to its most vulnerable service users.

“The HSCP cannot comment on the relationship between Turning Point Scotland and City Property.”

City Property – which has Glasgow City Council as one of its directors – said the primary factors in the dispute were the terms of lease.

It declined to discuss details due to commercial sensitivity, and said it had been in regular communication with Turning Point to find “viable solutions”.

Scotland’s Alcohol and Drugs Minister Maree Todd said she was “very concerned” but the Scottish government could not intervene in a contractual dispute.

She added: “We have been clear that we value the work done by these services and that every reasonable opportunity to explore resolution should have been taken.”

It is the latest rent and repairs row between City Property and charity tenants in the past year.

Other tenants in dispute have included an elderly group, a family charity and a number of arts groups.

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

Gianni Infantino has called an emergency meeting with senior FIFA officials in Morocco as the president faces mounting pressure over the scrapped £3.1billion World Cup stakes sale

Advertisement

Gianni Infantino has summoned senior FIFA officials to emergency talks in Morocco as his position as president appears increasingly precarious.

Following proposals to sell £3.1billion in World Cup stakes, Infantino has faced fierce criticism, with Jordan FA president Ali bin Hussein accusing him of blackmail in the latest rebuke.

It is understood that these allegations have prompted the emergency meeting.

The FIFA chief has since abandoned the proposals to sell stakes after numerous football associations threatened to boycott the World Cup should the plan proceed.

UEFA and CONCACAF – the governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean – have both called for Infantino to resign.

Jordan are the first Asian nation to follow suit, bringing the total number of countries demanding Infantino’s resignation to 91.

For the president to be removed, 106 nations must support the motion.

Jordan’s Hussein maintained that FIFA has “no shortage of issues”.

He said: “There is no shortage of issues regarding FIFA. Let me start by clarifying what some of these are from an FA perspective, in particular that of Jordan going into a World Cup for the first time.

“We are a small country with a minimal budget for our FA and had to deal with enormous hurdles.

“First, getting our fans into the USA: not all were granted visas, even though they had tickets – which we also know were sold at exorbitant prices.

“Secondly, we are being taxed by the US government through FIFA for our participation. Money that should go to players and staff.

“This was not the case for those who played and set up camp in Canada and Mexico. But we happened to be in the USA so now we face these huge costs in taxes for having participated.

“Thirdly we have been waiting for reward money for our players since December for the Arab Cup in Qatar, which is a FIFA event.

“The money our team should receive for having reached the final has not been delivered yet, while at the same time FIFA brags about how many billions they have in reserve.

“It is clear the problem really is with leadership. For months, FIFA has been refusing to help us on any of these or other matters – until it was verbally communicated to me during the World Cup that if I endorsed Infantino it would go a long way to helping our FA out.

“We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values. We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now.

“But the whole situation amounts to blackmail and we refuse to give in to that.”

The outburst from the Jordan FA president represents the latest in a lengthy series of condemnations Infantino has faced since the proposals were leaked last week.

The meeting is anticipated to take place on Wednesday, as the organisation appears to be facing considerable internal turmoil.

Last week, Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro stepped down, describing the FFE plan as a “bad deal for football”.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development, broke his silence on the matter on Tuesday and said its withdrawal was “absolutely necessary and beyond question”.

Wenger added: “I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”

FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, the second most senior figure in the organisation behind Infantino, also addressed the scheme in an email to FIFA staff, labelling it a “sad and reproachable series of events…which thankfully concluded with the project being permanently abandoned”.

MEN have approached FIFA for comment.

French transgender basketball player Julie Tetart has revealed her dreams of playing in the WNBA, potentially adding a new chapter to the ongoing debate over transgender athletes participating in professional women’s sports.

The 34-year-old center recently finished a dominant 2025-26 campaign for her team in Monaco, leading France’s second-tier Ligue 2 in both scoring and rebounding. 

Tetart averaged 21 points and 20 rebounds per game, including a record-breaking performance in March where she posted 21 points and 30 rebounds in one game.

Despite her individual dominance on the court, Tetart’s stellar statistical season drew mixed reactions in France. Media and fan uproar ensued after she was bypassed for Ligue 2 MVP honors, though she was ultimately recognized as Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Domestic Player of the Year.

Tetart, who publicly came out as trans in October 2021, admitted that playing in the WNBA remains a lifelong aspiration – though she acknowledged significant hurdles to making that dream a reality.

‘If they contact me, I won’t say no. But you have to be realistic: I’m old, and there are far better players than me!’ Tetart told OutKick.

The 34-year-old recently finished a dominant 2025-26 campaign for her team in Monaco

Her calls to play in the WNBA come amid drama surrounding transgender athlete inclusion – after Sophie Cunningham spoke about ‘protecting young girls’ from ‘biological men’ 

‘Obviously, it’s a childhood dream just like for any female basketball player, but unfortunately, it’s not possible,’ the French native wrote back. 

When pressed on why it’s ‘not possible,’ Tetart noted: ‘The league, yes. The country, no,’ hinting at potential political hurdles under the Trump administration. 

However, she confirmed that if a WNBA franchise offered her a contract, she would be ready to step onto the court. ‘I won’t say no,’ she added.

Former WNBA player Audrey Sauret, who is French, voiced concerns earlier this year regarding trans athletes competing in women’s leagues, arguing that allowing participation creates unfair competition for biological women and risks discouraging female athletes. 

She said: ‘Ligue 2 serves as a kind of testing ground, to introduce trendy ideas, but by allowing them to participate in professional competitions, we create unfair competition, especially for younger players.

‘This can close doors and discourage aspiring athletes. This situation risks becoming commonplace, even if it’s regulated. Men and women aren’t built the same way. 

‘Changing hormones doesn’t erase gender differences. I regret that this issue wasn’t addressed much sooner.’ 

The prospect of Tetart – who stands at 6ft 3in – entering the league comes as the WNBA faces heightened scrutiny and debate regarding athlete eligibility. 

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham recently sparked widespread national discussion after publicly advocating for restrictions to ‘protect young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.’

‘If they contact me, I won’t say no. But you have to be realistic: I’m old, and there are far better players than me!’ Tetart said about her aspirations of playing in the WNBA 

Advertisement

Tetart averaged 21 points and 20 rebounds per game, including a record-breaking performance in March where she posted 21 points and 30 rebounds in one game

Cunningham’s comments have been met with backlash in the WNBA – such as when Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve wore a ‘Trans Kids Belong’ t-shirt on Sunday 

When asked to respond directly to Cunningham’s stance on transgender participation in women’s athletics, Tetart offered a brief reply: ‘Aucun’ – translating to ‘None.’

Cunningham’s comments have sparked fierce debate in recent weeks and on Sunday Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve made her feelings on the topic extremely clear – after opting to wear a ‘Trans Kids Belong’ t-shirt on the sidelines in Minneapolis. 

In recent weeks, fans have been left divided by Cunningham’s comments. While some have cheered her on the court, others have booed. And while some have brought signs praising her, others brought signs to criticize her remarks.

Back in 2022, Indiana Fever star Cunningham faced heavy backlash after sharing a post from CBS Sports host Josh Pate regarding the controversy surrounding former Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and their inclusion on the women’s team.

Pate’s post read: ‘Female collegiate athletes deserve so much better than this’. 

Cunningham was forced to release a statement over the matter, at the time, saying that she ‘stands’ with athletes, but calling for ‘fair’ competition in events.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Cunningham spoke about the backlash and doubled down on her remarks, saying: ‘I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that’.

‘I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.’

The Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences have finalized a settlement over “poaching” and exit fees.

The two conferences announced on Tuesday that all sides have reached final agreements to settle all pending litigation. The statement included Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State and The Board of Trustees of the California State University on behalf of San Diego State and Fresno State.

“With these matters concluded, the conferences and institutions can move forward with certainty and focus on serving their student-athletes, campuses, fans, and communities,” the statement said.

The conferences announced an agreement in principle in May.

The Pac-12 and some of new the schools joining the conference filed a lawsuit in California in 2024, claiming the poaching clause the league agreed to when it signed a scheduling agreement for its football teams was invalid. The clause called for payments to the Mountain West of $10 million for the first team that left, with the amount increasing by $500,000 for every additional team — to a total of $55 million.

The scheduling agreement with the Mountain West allowed Oregon State and Washington State to piece together football schedules after 10 schools left the Pac-12 in 2024, leaving the conference’s future in doubt.

The Pac-12 had its motion to dismiss denied by Judge Claudia Wilken in November after the sides failed to reach an agreement in mediation last summer.

Colorado State and Utah State filed a separate lawsuit — later joined by Boise State — against the Mountain West seeking to avoid exit fees ranging from $19 million to $38 million.

Colorado State, Utah State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Boise State are set to leave the Mountain West and join the Pac-12 this fall. The conference added Texas State last year to reach the eight-team minimum to be eligible for an automatic bid for its champion in the College Football Playoff.

Gonzaga also is leaving the West Coast Conference to join the Pac-12 as a non-football member this fall.

The Mountain West has added UTEP, Hawaii and Northern Illinois for football starting this fall.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football