Jawad Iqbal

The Post Office inquiry has shed an unflattering light on the inner workings of Whitehall, a hermetically sealed world in which officials purr with reassurance, ministers unquestioningly promulgate their findings to the outside world, and the little people (in this case, innocent sub-postmasters) are fobbed off as know-nothing troublemakers. Witness after witness has expressed regrets, a sense that something more should have been done The inquiry is investigating what happened and who is to blame for the Horizon scandal. Between 1999 and 2015, hundreds of sub-postmasters were accused of wrongdoing after faulty IT software showed errors in their accounts. Many were accused of false accounting, theft, or fraud: 236 ended up in prison.

England are through to the final of Euro 24 after substitute Ollie Watkins scored in the dying seconds of normal time. Nothing beats the euphoria of a last-gasp winner. Watkins had only been on the pitch for a few minutes before he rifled a stunning low shot into the far corner of the goal. There were 90+1 minutes on the clock when the ball went into the net. Everyone – players, fans, the coaching staff – went wild.  It falls to those of us who have criticised England manager Gareth Southgate for his negativity and caution when it comes to the must-win games in the big tournaments to eat a large slice of humble pie. Southgate‘s game plan worked a treat. Who now dares to grumble that his in-game substitutions are too little, too late?

Those taking a pop at tennis star Emma Raducanu for her last-minute decision to withdraw from a mixed-doubles match alongside Andy Murray - effectively ending his Wimbledon career – are out of order. It is not Raducanu’s fault that her pulling out of the match, scheduled for Saturday evening, brings the curtain down on Murray’s illustrious career at Wimbledon. The British tennis star is worried about a potential problem with her wrist (understandable given her injury record since winning the 2021 US Open), and decided to prioritise her upcoming match in the women’s singles. It is unfair of Murray’s mother, Judy, to describe Raducanu’s move as 'astonishing' It is perfectly normal for tennis stars to focus on the singles competition over the doubles and mixed doubles.

England manager Gareth Southgate has led a charmed life for far too long – eight years and three international tournaments before this one, to be precise. The moment of reckoning is now most definitely upon him. Everything, from the reputation of this supposedly stellar group of players to Southgate’s credibility as a coach, is on the line. It all comes down to how England perform in their final group phase game against Slovenia at the Cologne stadium tonight. It is an encounter that presents opportunity and danger in equal measure. The opportunity is there because the Slovenians are eminently beatable, ideal opponents for an England team low on confidence and looking to put things right quickly.

It is still early days but Euro 2024 in Germany has yet to take off as a tournament. It is hard to say why exactly. It has not been uniformly dull – England’s failings have generated interest aplenty. The opening match between Germany and Scotland was a goal-fest, ending in a 5-1 win for Germany. In fact, there have been some brilliant goals in the tournament so far – Mert Muldur scored a spectacular volley for Turkey against Georgia on Tuesday night. There is a limited number of genuine superstars Great goals can go a long way towards making a tournament look and feel good but far too many of the games so far have been a bit hit and miss. Thursday evening’s clash between Spain and Italy is a case in point.

Tonight’s England game against Denmark at the Frankfurt Arena should be made compulsory viewing for those who blindly insist that this group of players under manager Gareth Southgate are favourites to win the Euros. No one can surely continue to believe such nonsense after yet another utterly toothless and dire display of footballing cluelessness. The match ended as a 1-1 draw but make no mistake: England were a shambles. The team showed all the familiar failings we have come to expect from them playing at major tournaments under Southgate. Brilliant and talented footballers, who regularly excel for their clubs, are reduced to shadows of themselves under Southgate’s tutelage. The team was simply bereft of direction, ambition and leadership.

Football hooliganism made an ugly return to the Euros just hours before England‘s opening Group C match against Serbia. There were violent clashes in the west German city of Gelsenkirchen between rival fans in shameful scenes. Riot police moved in quickly to restore order: a number of arrests were made and investigations are ongoing. The violence made for a tense atmosphere ahead of the game. On the pitch, England made a bright and confident start, moving the ball quickly and dominating possession. The breakthrough came in the 13th minute: a wonderful Bellingham header from a Saka cross. It was a false dawn and things went downhill pretty quickly after the half-hour mark. England took their foot off the gas and allowed Serbia back into the match.