This is the year when the game of two halves became the game of four quarters. And the greatest sport and event was damaged for fistfuls of dollars. Hydration breaks ruin the game’s flow and frustrates fans and viewers. If hydration breaks were solely about player welfare then they would be linked to the temperature in the stadia. It’s a nonsense having a three-minute break in an air-conditioned arena. Fifa should long ago have established a working party of coaches, sports scientists, national team doctors and Fifpro to agree a set temperature at kickoff, say 25C, which triggers the breaks. That would prove the breaks were for player welfare. At the moment, and to nobody’s surprise, it is widely accepted that these breaks are for US TV to accommodate commercials. Big bucks for the small screen. Fifa should have thought more about the effect on games and to fan (and viewer) experience when negotiating. Coaches’ desire for a mid-half tactical time-out masquerading as a drinks stop should be resisted anyway. Games have been played for 150 years without needing such intervention. Coaches can shout instructions. And who says that 22 mins and 67 mins is when a coach needs to intervene anyway. It’s nonsense. It’s about money. Respected and sane footballing voices from Virgil van Dijk to Mauricio Pochettino have spoken out against the breaks. Fifa should listen to them not appear only to listen to the rustle of dollar bills. It’s important that there is resistance to this from all over. Because if we tolerate this, our TV games could be next. BBC can’t do ads, ITV says it won’t follow its US counterparts. But it has been discussed by TV people. It’ll come one day. #FIFAWorldCup.

10 years ago my wife, the mum of our kids & the MP for Batley&Spen was killed by a far right extremist. At anniversaries I try to be optimistic about the future. But not this time. In the ten years since she was killed we have gone backwards & I fear our democracy is now at risk

EFL Clubs Who Have Won The Most Matches In Top Flight History 👏⬆️

Musk as a trillionaire- anyone as a trillionaire- is a grotesque economic, moral and political problem. We cannot have individuals with that level of power, whatever they might have achieved.

3⃣0⃣ #EFL Clubs from the 2025/26 season have played a part in the careers of the @England #FIFAWorldCup squad! 👏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #RaisedintheEFL

🏆 Referee announced for 2026 #SuperCup! We're pleased to share that Somali referee Omar Artan will officiate the highly anticipated match between PSG and Aston Villa in Salzburg.

Going to ask again. Where is the condemnation from Nigel Farage and Reform of last night's violence.

We're seeing a clear pattern from Reform now. We saw it in Southampton. We've seen it in Belfast. They're all over social media and the airwaves with inflammatory and provocative language. Then when violence occurs, they go to ground.

After chanting Grimsby reject all game @Meeiix was still happy to come get a photo with us. His words was all I could hear was you lot all game and last time I held this flag was Wrexham away. What a bloke🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 UTM #gtfc

This morning I asked myself, not for the first time, who is Nigel and I made some notes. And it does add up. Here is a man who sells himself as the ordinary bloke with a pint, the man of the people, the great outsider standing up against the establishment. And yet somehow this ordinary bloke always seems to arrive with a camera crew, a donor network, a friendly broadcaster, and now a parliamentary investigation into a £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire. Very normal. Very grassroots. Very “just one of the lads”. The peoples revolt, apparently, now comes with lighting, branding, fundraising dinners, professional outrage, and a small question about whether millions should have been declared properly. Everything is a betrayal when Labour does it. Everything is “nothing to see here” when Nigel does it. Housing? Blame Labour. The NHS? Blame Labour. The economy? Blame Labour. Boats? Blame Labour. A £5 million gift? Suddenly everybody must calm down and respect the process. And then came Tuesday. A young man died. A family was grieving. A country was trying to understand something horrific. And Farage stepped forward. Not with calm. Not with care. Not with responsibilty. But with his announcement of “pure cold rage”. That phrase matters. Because anger is human. Anger can be moral. Anger can demand answers, justice, accountability and truth. I understand anger. A lot of people are angry. They have every right to ask serious questions. But rage is different. Rage does not ask careful questions. Rage does not wait for investigations. Rage does not protect grieving families from becoming political props. Rage looks for a target. And that is where Farage always seems most comfertable. Not solving the pain. Not calming the country. Not asking how institutions failed and how they can be fixed. But standing beside the pain with a microphone, turning the temprature up, and calling it leadership. Warm enough to repost. Warm enough to donate. Warm enough to vote. But never calm enough to ask: “Hang on, who benefits from keeping us this angry?” That is the trick. He does not need Britain to feel hopeful. He does not even need Britain to feel informed. He needs Britain permanently one headline away from rage. Because rage is usefull. It fills rallies. It drives clicks. It turns grief into theatre. It makes slogans feel like solutions. And while everyone is shouting, nobody asks the boring questions. Where is the plan? Where is the funding? Where are the costings? Where is the responsibilty? Maybe that is who Nigel Farage is. Not the man of the people. But the man who knows exactly how to turn peoples pain into his own political stage. The Reform & Tory Sitcom continues. Same chaos. Different rosette. Anger can demand answers. Rage just sells tickets. If this speaks to you, please add your comments, repost it, and maybe follow me — not for me, but because politics needs fewer slogans and more people asking proper questions. #Farage #ReformUK

Jon you are and always have been a legend. Your decision to share your last big story will do so much to help people afflicted with Alzheimer’s. Sending you and your family love and sharing this picture of the last ever @Channel4News I presented with you in December 2021. ♥️

A lifelong Mariner, Brian Nicholson gives his time behind the scenes at Blundell Park and the training ground, helping with everything from maintenance to stadium tours. Read more about his incredible commitment this National Volunteers' Week. 👇 #GTFC

Good luck to everyone taking part, we’ll be cheering you on every step of the way! 🎉💙 #gy10k #homelessness #fundraising #volunteer #volunteering #charity #donate #justgiving justgiving.com/campaign/harb…

Their determination and commitment have been inspiring to see! If you’re cheering from the sidelines this Sunday, keep an eye out for our runners and give them a big shout of encouragement as they take on this amazing achievement!

Fuelled and ready! 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️💙 Today we have been busy preparing healthy meal packs to help our incredible clients get race-day ready for the Great Grimsby 10K this Sunday. They have all worked hard to reach this point and are raising vital funds to give back to Harbour Place.

Over the last 36 hours, we have witnessed the very soul of Nigel Farage — his essence. It has been over a month since he went into hiding, since serious questions began to be raised over his undeclared £5M donation. A month since he appeared in front of TV cameras or underwent any questioning at all. At 8am yesterday morning, Farage released a video, from a field somewhere, calling for rage. Calling for an end to the mythical two-tier policing. Make no mistake, those were very carefully chosen words — he understood what he was unleashing, and his wish was granted last night in Southampton. On Tuesday, the Home Secretary made a statement to the House regarding the murder of Henry Nowack. There was, as always, an opportunity to question Shabana Mahmood — was Nigel Farage in attendance? No, of course not. Today, Farage was granted a question at PMQs — the showpiece spectacle of the political week in which the country's news and politics fanatics tune in to watch — was Nigel Farage in attendance? Yes, of course he was. He had somehow found his way into work after missing 77 separate votes in Parliament because … he would, at least for three minutes, be the centre of the country's political attention. His question was about the murder of Henry Nowack and the violence that erupted [on his command] last night, but he would not condemn it or call for calm. Instead, he 'suggested' that this rioting might escalate. This afternoon, he has performatively written to the BBC because someone on Newsnight dared to accuse him of inciting the violence — playing his perpetual victim card. Again. And there we see the soul of Nigel Farage — a craven, desperate for attention, evil, petty and pointless man. END RANT.

Following confirmation of his departure, Evan Khouri has penned a heartfelt message to supporters as he brings an end to a seven-year association with the Football Club. ✍️ #GTFC

Incredible. Nigel Farage mentions the violence in Southampton yesterday, but fails to condemn it.

Yep. It’s almost funny. @RobKenyonReform never came to 1 meeting on Ashton Library. Me, cllrs and residents worked backsides off to save it. In politics, berating ppl on socials doesn’t get stuff done. He’s local, angry, but no plan to actually DO anything. Like @reformparty_uk

I think the most important aspect of Farage's address to the nation is that he was gifted £5 million by a crypto billionaire and nobody's quite sure who bought his house in Clacton.