plea

The new head of English rugby league has backed a call for Prime Minister Andy Burnham to approve a £30m five-year community funding plan for the sport.

Former England international Jon Wilkin has appealed directly to Burnham and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, both rugby league fans, to pledge government money to a rugby league-based social impact project.

Ian Nolan, the new chief executive of the Rugby Football League, has supported Wilkin’s plea, issued on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Rugby League show on Monday.

Wilkin wants Burnham and Nandy to follow the lead of Australia’s government, which in July announced it was committing A$250m (£130m), external over 10 years to the Pacific Rugby League Partnership.

That initiative is designed to help create sporting, educational and employment opportunities in Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, and is being led by the Australian Rugby League Commission – the country’s rugby league governing body.

Wilkin has argued that a similar plan for the north of England would benefit deprived communities.

He said: “Australia has recognised rugby league’s potential as a vehicle for social change, committing hundreds of millions to developing communities, especially across the Pacific. Why shouldn’t Britain show the same ambition for the north?

“The infrastructure already exists, the clubs, the foundations, the school and community relationships are already well established. What’s missing is a coordinated strategy and meaningful government investment.

“The ask would be simple: For the government to establish a £30m five-year Northern Rugby League social impact partnership, bringing together the RFL, professional clubs, community foundations, local authorities and government departments.

“The programme would target disadvantaged northern communities.”

Nolan, a former Manchester United executive who took up his role with the RFL on 1 October, suggested the social benefits of such an initiative would be felt more quickly because rugby league clubs are already established in their communities.

“When the government normally invest in community hubs and new things to generate something, they tend to be brand new,” he said. “And it’s really difficult then to attract people to go there because it’s a new habit, it’s a new place.

“But rugby clubs are already established in the most deprived towns in the UK. And that’s the difference. People already go there. Families already rely on them for even just moving around.”

BBC Sport has contacted the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for comment.

Former NBA player Malik Beasley has agreed to a plea deal months after initially pleading not guilty to federal charges tied to his alleged involvement in a gambling ring.

Beasley is expected to enter a guilty plea during a Dec. 9 hearing, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York confirmed in an email to The Times.

The NBA journeyman, who spent half of the 2022-2023 season with the Lakers, and several others were charged this summer with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Beasley entered a not guilty plea to all charges on July 1.

It is not clear the charges to which Beasley will be entering a guilty plea.

Beasley has been accused of illegally manipulating his performance in NBA games to ensure gamblers won prop bets on at least four occasions while he was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023-2024. According to the indictment, he and co-defendant Ed Davis, also a one-time Laker who was teammates with Beasley on the 2020-2021 Minnesota Timberwolves, conspired for Beasley to under- or overperform during certain games relative to specific statistics on which others involved in the scheme would place bets.

Beasley had previously borrowed money from Davis after accumulating millions of dollars in gambling losses. In exchange for fixing his performances, the indictment says, Beasley’s debts to Davis were “reduced or paid off.”

Also indicted were Paolo Zamorano, William Brown, Robert Gorodetsky and Ernesto Plascencia. All six defendants initially pleaded not guilty to all charges, but Brown has since pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and Gorodetsky and Plascencia also both scheduled for change of plea hearings in November.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Strictly Come Dancing viewers spotted a switch-up with the new presenters and made a plea with producers ahead of next week’s show

Strictly viewers made a plea to the big bosses after noticing a presenter switch-up for the first results show. Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe have been heavily scrutinised in their first few appearances since taking the baton from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

But after Emma and Johannes were paired together for the start of Sunday’s show, fans pleaded for it to stay that way. The pair discussed Saturday’s show with the judges and viewers took to social media to share their thoughts.

One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “JoJo and Emma finally presenting together. Now can we have them downstairs on the main show please.”

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Another added: “Emma Willis & Johannes Radebe are the only presenters the show needs. A respected individual with years of presenting on her CV & a fantastic dancer with charisma & enthusiasm flowing out of his pores #Strictly”

And a third said: “This is showing that it should be just Emma and Johannes they’ve had more Chemistry in a few minutes then two weeks of Josh. Emma upstairs and Johannes.”

However, when Emma made her way down out of the Clauditorium to reveal the votes, she was replaced by Josh, who joined Johannes to chat with the celebs. And once again he divided opinions.

One user said: “Absolutely love Josh widdicombe but I feel like he should be on it takes too, he feels a little outta place on the main show.”