Jawad Iqbal

Manchester United, a mess of a club on and off the field, has come up with a novel solution to its growing problems: banning journalists from asking its manager questions. The club has blocked a number of high-profile sports reporters from attending a press conference with Erik ten Hag ahead of Wednesday’s match against Chelsea at Old Trafford.   The banned journalists include Sky Sports’ chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol; Samuel Luckhurst, the chief Manchester United correspondent at the Manchester Evening News; Rob Dawson of ESPN, and David McDonnell from the Mirror. It remains unclear whether the ban applies for just one press conference or for all future briefings with the manager until further notice.

Fifa, world football’s governing body, is an organisation that is devoid of anything resembling a moral compass. In its place, the organisation chases money. That is why it comes as no great surprise that Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup, after Australia – the only other nation considering a bid – withdrew. In reality, Fifa did everything possible to pave the way for Saudi success. Earlier this month, it unexpectedly announced that the bidding process for the 2034 tournament would take place at the same time as the one for 2030. Fifa’s decision to bring the timetable forward by three years appears to have been made without advance notice.

Harvard university is at the centre of an unprecedented backlash after some of its students released an inflammatory statement claiming Israel was ‘entirely responsible’ for the Hamas attacks last weekend. There was widespread criticism of the statement, with Harvard alumni and distinguished public officials from across the political spectrum expressing their outrage. This was in stark contrast to university leaders, whose response was best characterised as slow, inadequate and appeasing.  Harvard’s initial response was pathetic in every respect The public row was sparked by a joint statement, endorsed by more than 30 Harvard student bodies, saying that the Hamas attack ‘did not occur in a vacuum’ and that Israel was ‘entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.

What was Kevin Keegan, the former England and Newcastle manager, thinking when he decided to share his views on 'lady footballers' and female pundits talking about the England men’s team? Keegan made the remarks to an audience of about 250 people who had bought tickets to An Evening with Kevin Keegan OBE, an event held in Bristol.  'I’m not as keen, I’ve got to be honest,' he said, 'and it may not be a view shared. I don’t like to listen to ladies talking about the England men’s team at the match because I don’t think it’s the same experience. I have a problem with that.

National Theatre Wales (NTW), the country’s flagship English language company, has warned that it might be forced to close in six months’ time following a cut to its funding. The company has received financial support from the Arts Council of Wales (ACW) for the entirety of its existence but will no longer do so from next spring. NTW said it was 'deeply shocked' and plans to appeal against the cuts. Changing the minds of the arts bureaucrats who control the purse strings could prove a tall order, not least because artistic merit appears to count for little in a world dominated by fashionable but ultimately ill-defined targets such as 'participation' and 'diversity'.  If it goes, what will replace it? No one really knows.

The Premier League needs to wake up and smell the coffee: there is nothing sacrosanct about football matches that kick off at 3 p.m. on Saturdays, especially in an age when televised games are so ubiquitous. It is time to ditch the arcane rule that imposes a TV blackout of Saturday afternoon games – for the sake of the game as well as fans everywhere. Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, confirmed last month that its next broadcasting rights deal – due to start in the 2025-26 season – could see a big rise in live games on TV, increasing from the current 200 to somewhere in the region of 270. Yet Masters once again ruled out getting rid of the Saturday 3 p.m.