MANCHESTER UNITED, Chelsea and Liverpool have become embroiled in an academy row following a controversial summer transfer, according to reports.
It’s claimed that the dispute has led to scouts from the three clubs being denied access to academy games this season.
The issues are alleged to stem from the transfer of talented 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha from Chelsea to Liverpool in the summer.
According to The Athletic, the Blues have been accused by several sources of denying opposition scouts access to academy matches.
Chelsea are said to have denied the claim, countering that they in fact have had applications for scouts to attend games at Liverpool denied.
The Reds have also denied such allegations, but added that they would likely turn Chelsea down in future, given that the agreements are supposed to be reciprocal.
In addition to Liverpool, Man Utd are also said to have had applications to attend Chelsea youth matches this season denied.
The Red Devils were also interested in signing Ngumoha from the Blues, prior to his Anfield switch.
Figures from the three clubs are claimed to have met last week with the aim of easing tensions.
But no agreement has yet been found.
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SunSport has contacted Chelsea for comment.
Ngumoha has featured three times for Liverpool’s Under-18s in the U18 Premier League this season.
He has also played in two Uefa Youth League matches for the Reds.
The winger has been capped by England up to Under-16 level.
As per The Athletic, Liverpool Under-18s boss Marc Bridge-Wilkinson said of Ngumoha last month: “He is here because he’s got potential to go and reach the first team, but besides that, there’s no pressure from us.”
OCTOBER has been full of major releases, and Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero has been one of the biggest successes.
Dragon Ball rubbed shoulders with big hitters like Metaphor: ReFantazio and Silent Hill 2, both of which sold over a million copies within a few days of launch.
Despite this, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero has reportedly sold over 3million copies in the first 24 hours.
It appears that publisher Bandai Namco is having a great year, with other hits like Tekken 8 and Sand Land.
According to a new report by Bloomberg, Bandai Namco is cutting its workforce and cancelling several titles, despite its recent success.
The report states that in April Bandai Namco moved 200 of its 1.3k staff members to separate rooms without work to do.
In Japan, it is unusual for employees to be fired, and instead companies often wait for people to resign.
The country has very strict labour protection laws, meaning that it is very difficult to fire a member of staff.
The report states that 100 people have already resigned and that more are expected to follow in the coming months.
Bandai Namco has denied using ‘oidashibeya’ (separate rooms) to encourage its employees to resign.
However, it has confirmed that some games at the publisher were cancelled.
A representative for the company said: “Our decisions to discontinue games are based on comprehensive assessments of the situation.
“Some employees may need to wait a certain amount of time before they are assigned their next project, but we do move forward with assignments as new projects emerge.
“There is no organisation like an ‘oidashi beya’ at Bandai Namco Studios designed to pressure people to leave voluntarily.”
If the Bloomberg report is correct, then the video game projects were cancelled before the huge success of Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero.
However, the resignations and cancellations would have occurred after the successful launch of Tekken 8 in January 2024.
There has been a huge number of game cancellations over the past few years following global lockdowns.
During the pandemic, many people turned to video games for entertainment as they were spending more time at home.
Video games sales soared during this period, and then slumped again as lockdown restrictions were lifted.
If you want to read more about upcoming games, check out our Stalker 2 preview.
Get the lowdown on more of the latest PS5 releases from our expert reviewers.
For Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch, check out our full game reviews section.
NETFLIX viewers are tucking into the new series of I Am A Killer to hear the true motives behind killers on death row.
The highly-anticipated fifth season of this nail-biting Netflix documentary series premiered on October 16, 2024.
Netflix‘s first-person true crime hit, I Am a Killer, is back with its fifth season after the success of previous instalments.
This true crime documentary series gives insight into the stories of six prisoners who are awaiting their fate on death row.
Each episode profiles a different prisoners story about how split-second decisions changed the course of their lives forever.
The series also features interviews with the family and friends of the convicted killers, as well as interviews with the family and friends of the victims.
While specific details about each criminal case featured on the series hasn’t been revealed, the official trailer provides some insights into what viewers can expect:
To watch the new season of I Am a Killer, ensure you have an active Netflix subscription and log in to your account on or after October 16, 2024.
The series is available for streaming exclusively on the streaming giant’s platform.
One of the convicted killers, Anthony Standifer, was convicted of killing an old lady during a robbery.
His reason for killing the old lady was that she had seen his face and did not want to go back to prison.
The lady he shot was a retired police clerk named Beverly Crowl.
Jema Donahue also appeared in season 4 for killing her husband.
Without any prior criminal history, Jema said she shot her husband in self-defense when he tried to attack her after his gun jammed.
However, she was convicted of manslaughter because she did not report his death but rather chose to bury his body.
Toby Gregory also appeared on season 4 for murdering his wife.
Toby claims his service in the military and PTSD after leaving the military caused him to murder his wife.
Nasim Irsan of season 4 was convicted for being an accomplice to the murder of his sister’s friend and husband.
He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Gary Black features in the previous series and shares his motives behind the murder of Jason Johnson.
He was sentenced to life without parole.
Thomas “TJ” Schifferns appears in the fourth season for shooting and killing his best friend and coworker, Jimmy McGregor.
He pleaded guilty to avoid a death sentence.
As a result, he received a minimum term of 30 years in prison.
I Am a Killer season 4 premiered exclusively on Netflix on December 21, 2022.
The convicted killers, the victims’ families, and the officials who worked on these cases narrate their experiences over six episodes.
The six episodes of the fourth series, as well as season one, two and three are all still available to watch on Netflix.
THE Kremlin has rushed to deny claims that Vladimir Putin’s health is failing in an unprecedented move.
It comes after the Russian president who is now 72-years-old admitted in a televised meeting that he has been regularly undergoing medical examinations at a top hospital in Moscow.
“Doctors at the Central Clinical Hospital, where I undergo all sorts of regular examinations, also recommend getting vaccinated with domestically produced drugs,” Putin said.
Also part of the meeting was Russia‘s health minister Mikhail Murashko who supported his boss’s calls for people to get vaccinations.
However, attention was quickly drawn to the dictator’s comments after years of speculation about his health.
Putin’s aides quickly quashed any concerns surrounding the President’s condition.
The Russian leader “has no health problems” state news agency TASS insisted while reiterating that Putin’s medical visits were routine appointments.
“He meant routine medical examinations,” Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Rumours about Putin’s health have swirled for years after the president’s “strongman” image took a hit due to dramatic changes in his appearance.
He has been seen looking exhausted, out of breath, having difficulty walking, and pulling bizarre gurning faces.
There have also been times when Putin appeared to be in some kind of pain as he strongly gripped tables while in meetings, sparking rumours of Parkinson’s.
Around the same time in 2022, experts started noting his “bloated” and “weakened” appearance with some claiming he could have had thyroid cancer.
It was initially suggested that Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine on February 24 may have been sparked by his failing physical condition.
The leader’s strict isolation rules during the Pandemic also sparked ideas that the dictator who started spending long periods in isolation had been worried about catching Covid while undergoing some form of treatment.
At the tail end of the pandemic when restrictions were being lifted across the world, Putin’s abnormally large meeting table for public appearances was widely mocked and continued to generate concern.
Most recently, footage emerged of the leader appearing to scratch at his face during another televised meeting on Wednesday.
DESPITE Putin's cultivation of himself as an “action man” - questions have long been raised over his health.
The leader’s facial features have been seen changing over time, according to reports and could lead to possible signs of a serious disease plaguing Putin.
Parkinson rumours have been thrown towards the Russian president as well as pancreatic cancer after bombshell documents were shown to The Sun.
A persisting tale is that scores of Putin lookalikes – who have undergone years of painful plastic surgery – are ruthlessly trained by the FSB and kept under “constant surveillance”.
Based on the day-to-day shifting nature of Vlad’s face and strange changes in his behaviour, commentators have alleged these stand-ins frequently attend public appearances, walkabouts and meetings.
Alongside all of this, some other tell-tale signs have loomed over him for years.
He is regularly seen twitching on his public sightings and is unsteady on his feet, and out of breath on occasion.
Mad Vlad has been seen clutching a thick blanket while watching a parade in 2022 and was even seen swaying and slurring as he spoke with a glass of champagne in his hand.
But his alleged health issues hit a new low after it emerged that he apparently soiled himself during a fall at his home.
Putin has been pictured with suspected track marks from IV treatment on the back of his hand – amid rumours he may have been suffering from other forms of cancer as well, including stomach cancer.
The ageing president is also followed around by a huge team of doctors who reportedly chaperone him on all of his trips in case of a medical emergency.
It is rumoured that he has undergone repeated botox treatments which could have caused itchiness.
The Sun has previously been told by experts and doctors that there is no doubt that his health has deteriorated.
Rumours have even swirled that the despot has a body double as he attempts to cling to power for as long as possible.
“If you watch Putin closely, it’s hard to avoid the suspicion that often some of the appearances you’re seeing are not, in fact, the same person,” Keir Giles, Russia expert at Chatham Hous previously told The Sun.
“You also notice the trends in his health over time. His health does seem to improve and deteriorate in different public appearances.
“There are some times when he looks really quite frail, bloated, puffy, shaking, having to grip onto the table and only giving very short five-minute speeches even on major public events.
“And then there are times when he appears to bounce back as a much healthier individual who is standing up and speaking for 40 minutes.
“But what is actually wrong with him is a mystery to us all.”
However, the despot appears to have no intention of slowing down as he continues to lead the nation and its attack on Ukraine.
In March, the ageing leader won the rigged election to see him continue his reign until 2030 when he will turn 77.
