Morecambe to pay outstanding wages after takeover
The Shrimps were forced to postpone their opening three fixtures after being suspended from the National League, but the league cleared them to begin their season after approving the deal, with the Shrimps set to host Altrincham on Saturday.A transfer embargo had been set to remain in place until all football creditors - including players, staff and HMRC - were paid, with the club saying the embargo would be lifted once those outstanding debts were settled.The deal marks the end of Jason Whittingham's tenure as owner of Morecambe after he took over in May 2018, and comes almost three years after his Bond Group put the club up for sale."All at the club would like to thank Jason and wish him the very best for the future," added Panjab Warriors.
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The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Grassroots football fever spreads across China
The Jiangsu Football City League phenomenon has ignited a nationwide wave of popular grassroots football leagues this summer, and rekindled supporters' passion for the sport. Dubbed the 'Jiangsu Super League' or 'Suchao', the amateur provincial league has been a sensation — both online and in stadiums — loved for its huge crowds, exciting play, lively fan exchanges and viral memes. Now football leagues in Jiangxi, Guangdong, and other provinces are also vying for the national spotlight by focusing on fierce inter-city rivalries, innovative formats, or rebranding existing competitions. During the fourth round of the 2025 Jiangxi City Football Super League on 2 August and 3 August, more than 70,000 spectators packed stadiums across Yingtan, Shangrao and Xinyu, with stands echoing with the roars of proud supporters. The marquee match on 2 August, when Yingtan hosted Jiujiang, drew 19,108 spectators. Over 1,100 Jiujiang fans travelled on Jiangxi's first football-dedicated high-speed train scheduled for the game. 'It was timely aid,' said Huang Ruilu, vice-chairman of the Jiangxi Football Association. 'Originally we planned to organise fan buses to Yingtan, but a one-way trip takes four hours. With matches ending around 10 pm, same-day return was nearly impossible. The special train arrived like coal in a snowstorm,' he said. Meanwhile, cities nationwide are also following the Suchao model. Harbin, Heilongjiang province, launched its seven-a-side 'Hachao' tournament on 12 July, which features 32 teams in youth, adult, and senior divisions. In Weifang, Shandong province, the 'Victory Football Super Cup', dubbed 'V Chao', ignited citywide passion with its core philosophy: 'For every citizen, fight for our hometown'. 'This tops watching the Chinese Super League!' exclaimed fan Zhang Lei. 'These players are our neighbours — delivery guys, teachers, factory workers … Seeing them pour their hearts out for our hometown is electrifying!' The latest provincial league to launch is the 2025 Guangdong Football Super League which started on 9 August and runs for four months. The competition has taken a different approach by calling itself the 'Shengchao', or Provincial Super League and undertaking a qualification and knockout format. It was organised by the Guangdong Football Association with municipal sports bureaus and local football associations as co-organisers. Unlike the city-based format in Jiangsu, the new Guangdong league features amateur clubs. 'Registration enthusiasm was extraordinary this year. By late June, we had 26 teams applying — 18 more than last year,' said Liang Junjie, head of the association's commercial development department. After rigorous vetting, 22 teams from 13 of Guangdong's 21 prefecture-level cities were selected. From 9 August to 17 August, matches will be played in two venues in Meizhou and Zhaoqing, to select 11 teams who did not participate in the provincial league last year. Those 11 teams, and five teams who participated in last year's competition, will play each other from 23 August to 27 September to decide the top four. The semifinalists will play home-and-away games from 2 November to 29 November, to determine the winner and have the chance to represent the province in the 2026 Chinese Football Association Member Association Champions League, the highest-level national amateur football competition. Nearly 70 matches will be played to determine the finalists. 'Previously, all matches used home-and-away formats, burdening teams with high venue rental, security, and travel costs,' said Liang. 'This year, only the semifinalists play home-and-away fixtures, drastically reducing expenses.' 'The popularity of the Suchao is a remarkable development in China's grassroots sports scene,' said Michal Dahl, an associate professor from Alberta International School of Recreation, Sport and Tourism of Beijing Sport University. 'It has rightly gained attention not only across the country but internationally as well,' he said. The total number of spectators for the first eight rounds of Suchao exceeded 1 million. At Nanjing's sixth-round home game, the crowd reached 60,396, a new attendance record for an amateur soccer match in China. Dahl said leagues such as the Suchao offer a refreshing model grounded in community spirit and shared joy.
Daily Mail
8 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Cheesecake cafe shop assistant wins £20,000 after suing for unfair dismissal when she was sacked for complaining she was too cold with the door open
A worker at a cheesecake café has won more than £20,000 after she was sacked for complaining that the shop was too cold to work in. Leila Ayad's bosses at Whipped in Covent Garden insisted on making staff work with the door open - even in winter - to encourage more customers, an employment tribunal heard. As a result she was forced to wear 'three layers and a thermal vest' while on shift and they refused to buy a heater in case of fire, the hearing was told. After Ms Ayad complained it was 'difficult to work' when the temperature inside dropped to just 12 degrees, her hours were reduced and she was later fired. She has now been awarded £21,553.51 in compensation after successfully suing for unfair dismissal. The judge said that Ms Ayad was unfairly dismissed because she made 'protected disclosures' about the temperature of the café. Ms Ayad put a message in a work group chat, which included the company owners, in November 2023 which said: 'Hey guys, I need to bring to attention the temperature in the shop is getting very cold now with the weather outside. 'I have spoken to [the shop manager] and he has let me know that we will not be getting a heater nor are we allowed to close the door. 'Please may this be reconsidered as it was very cold all day today and it's difficult to work like that. 'I was also wearing 3 layers and a thermal vest.' She worked at the West London café, specialising in cheesecake, between May 2023 and April 2024. It had a rule that its door had to be kept open to increase footfall. The tribunal was told: 'This meant that, during winter, temperatures inside Whipped café were sometimes very low.' Café co-owner and Michelin starred restaurant-trained chef Alice Churchill said that the last time the shop had a heater, it almost burnt down because a piece of paper was left on top of it overnight while it was turned on. In response, Ms Ayad said: 'I understand the trepidations, but most of us were not working then and it was not our fault, I do believe we will all be responsible. 'The shop was at 12 degrees today. 'Also with restocking the fridge etc we are constantly in cold.' The next month, she told her manager that she had heard the temperature has to be above 16 degrees indoors for the health and safety of workers. She was told this by a customer, and Googled it herself to confirm this was indeed Health and Safety Executive advice. Later the same day, Ms Churchill said in the work group chat: 'The door is to be kept open please to avoid customers walking off. 'It's made a massive difference to the business and customers not coming in as it creates a different experience. 'A heater has been ordered so I trust you will manage this and ensure this is not left on overnight.' At the end of December, Ms Ayad was five minutes late for work and her manager said that Ms Churchill was 'on her last straws' with her. But the tribunal found that staff at the café were 'frequently late'. In January 2024, Ms Ayad was called for a meeting by Jamie Musialek, Ms Churchill's husband and the co-owner of the café. She was accused of being late, having a messy stockroom, and 'criticising him and his wife at the staff Christmas party'. Her working hours were reduced from that point onwards, and she was told this was because of a lack of available shifts, but the tribunal found this to be untrue. She was sacked via email and her boss said this was because of her work not improving after 'formal warnings regarding [her] poor time keeping, attitude towards the role and respect for [her] team and workplace'. Ms Ayad was dismissed without notice and was not paid outstanding wages and holiday pay. Employment Judge Jillian Brown said: 'I considered that [Ms Ayad] was reasonable in her belief that health and safety was being endangered, because she the working environment was 12C and she had read that the Health and Safety Executive advised that the working environment should be above this.' The judge found her comments 'appeared to be for the benefit of all employees'. EJ Brown added: 'I noted that, while other employees raised issues of cold conditions, it appeared to be [Ms Ayad]'s reference to health and safety which prompted the purchase of the heater.' Her other claims, including for wrongful dismissal and failure to pay notice pay, were also successful. Whipped café closed in June 2025, and the parent company WL Retail has gone into liquidation.
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
McGinn comparisons 'a really good compliment' for Mulligan
Josh Mulligan is flattered by comparisons with John McGinn as he "strives" to emulate the Scotland midfielder and former Hibs a summer arrival from Dundee, has impressed in his early Easter Road career and scored a stunning strike last weekend to seal the 2-0 win over Livingston and set up a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final trip to Rangers next 22-year-old is now looking to help Hibs build a first-leg lead over Legia Warsaw in tonight's Conference League play-off."Obviously McGinn was a great player, he's still a great player," said Mulligan."To be compared to someone like him is a really good compliment. But I just thought I'd focus on my own game and not try to get caught up in that or start comparing myself to other players."It's a nice comparison. In the last five years, he's been a massive player for Scotland as well, probably one of the most influential."To look at him, he's someone you want to look at and strive for."With Hibs' exploits in Europe catching the eye, Mulligan hopes it can help him break into Steve Clarke's Scotland squad and become an international team-mate of McGinn."There's other players my age that have managed to break in," the Under-21 midfielder added."You try not to think about it too much. You just think, play well in the next game. If you keep doing that, you never know."The European stuff has definitely helped because you're playing against better teams and more exposure and all that stuff."Hopefully in the next two games against Legia, we can get a good result and make a bit of history as well."
