There was some head-scratching for Championship clubs last week as they received their team booklets ahead of the new season.
As Mail Sport revealed, second-tier sides voted to increase the number of substitutes on matchday teams from seven to nine, while their League One and Two counterparts remain benched with seven.
However, when the paperwork turned up, officials were surprised to find only seven places to fill in for bills of exchange, instead of nine.
The EFL told them it was due to a misprint, leading one official to joke, “I wonder if they’re going to fine themselves?”
Meanwhile, the EFL has outlined to clubs their stance on taking the knee. Any player who wishes to make the anti-racism gesture will be given the opportunity by the referee.
There was some head-scratching for Championship clubs last week as they received their team booklets ahead of the new season
Championship clubs will increase their bench from seven to nine players next season
Everton’s slow stadium construction
Photos taken of Everton’s new stadium two years after the day work began show that it is far from being completed.
The photos, taken last Wednesday by Daily Mail photographer Bruce Adams, illustrate what still appears to be a fairly skeletal structure.
Everton say the 53,000 capacity venue, on the banks of the Mersey, should be open ‘in the final months of 2024’, but there are concerns they will have to stay at Goodison Park for another two seasons.
In comparison, Tottenham’s new home opened three years after the project was signed in 2016.
Everton’s new stadium seems far from finished after two years of construction
IPL franchise is looking forward to a hundred investments
The Punjab Kings of the IPL have held talks with Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix about possible investments.
The prospect is intriguing given the status of the Hundred, on which opinions are divided. The league faces challenges from abroad, not least from American Major League Cricket.
It is clear that civil servants are eager to bring in outside funding to make it a success.
IPL franchise Punjab Kings has held talks with Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix about possible investments
English Ashes stars awakened by fire alarm
The England cricketers were given a rude awakening ahead of the final Test when a fire alarm went off in their team hotel.
Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow were eating breakfast when the siren went off at around 8:10am on Wednesday.
They then had to leave immediately, while others came out of their rooms with bleary eyes. Perhaps as a nod to his love of the sport, Stokes was seen walking through the lobby with his precious golf clubs slung over one shoulder, while Bairstow stole a few extra minutes to finish his dinner.
It is believed that a resident on the fourth floor accidentally set off the smoke detector while ironing.
English stars Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes were awakened by a fire alarm in their hotel before the final Ashes Test
Third level Spanish side set for new docu-series
Spain’s third division CD Castellon may seem an unlikely club for TV’s next fly-on-the-wall series. But the club was bought last year by Canadian Bob Voulgaris, who made his millions betting on NBA basketball, and who plans to transform the club’s fortunes by applying his advanced data techniques.
Voulgaris has enlisted the help of sports industry veterans Robin Taylor and Dave Reddin, who in 2003 were part of the backroom England rugby team that won the World Cup and went on to be performance guru with the FA.
Castellon missed out on promotion last season and lost the playoff final, but the drama was captured on film by TV production company Little Gem. Industry insiders expect the rights to be hotly contested for a series about the club’s long climb to La Liga.
Lord Coe ready for IOC presidency
Lord Coe is a candidate to succeed Thomas Bach as IOC President in 2025.
Coe will no doubt be watching the reaction to the IOC’s three-year suspension of Sheik ‘The Kingmaker’ Ahmad from any Olympic involvement.
This followed his alleged interference in the recent Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) presidential election, while self-suspended following a conviction for counterfeiting in Switzerland. In the OCA elections, Ahmad’s brother, Sheikh Talal, was elected at the last minute by four votes amid widespread allegations of corruption and government interference.
Well-informed Olympic observers have said the IOC has taken advantage of the allegations to exclude Kuwaiti Sheikh Ahmad as a candidate (or puppeteer) in the upcoming IOC presidential election.
Lord Sebastian Coe is a candidate for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee
The Premier League’s US tour was taken by storm
An eruption in the city of Watergate. On Saturday evening, representatives of the Premier League teams playing in Washington DC attended a reception at the British Embassy.
However, a storm that saw trees felled left many – most notably Premier League chief executive Richard Masters – drenched and saw the meeting abandoned before some had even left their hotels.
Meanwhile, atrocious weather disrupted Chelsea’s road trip from Philadelphia to Washington, forcing them to cancel a Mauricio Pochettino press conference.
A storm in which trees were felled soaked Premier League chief Richard Masters
Spurs hold weekly team drinks to boost morale
There have long been concerns about staff morale at Tottenham Hotspur, with a large number of loyal loyal members no longer working at the club.
To build morale, team drinks are held every last Thursday of the month.
After the indictment of Joe Lewis, the head of the family who owns the club, and his appearance in a New York court on Wednesday, they may have needed a few boners the next night.
Tottenham hold weekly drinks to boost morale among the club’s staff
Joe Lewis, head of the family that owns the club, appeared in court in New York on Wednesday
BBC under fire for swimming reporting
The father of the British swimmer’s star swimmer at the World Swimming Championships has criticized the BBC for the lack of coverage of his success.
20-year-old Matt Richards won gold in the 200m freestyle in a British one-two for Tom Dean, then won another gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay and bronze in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay.
The BBC chose not to televise the World Championships, which could only be viewed on the Eurovision Sports website.
Richards’ father, Simon, lashed out at the broadcaster for not covering the event on their main evening news programmes. In one of a series of pithy tweets directed to the BBC, Richards said: ‘Absolutely appalling. Let your head hang in shame.’
British swimmer Matt Richards’ father has criticized the BBC for not covering the World Aquatics Championship
Nottingham Forest promotes Wendy Taylor
Nottingham Forest have promoted Wendy Taylor, the club’s communications chief, to their board.
The move is in recognition of Taylor’s work on media operations at the City Ground to bring standards to Premier League level after a 23-year absence.
Taylor previously worked for the FA and was previously Head of Communications at Newcastle.
FIFA assumes a new office
FIFA has set up a new office in Miami in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada. The office is located in the same building as the American broadcaster HBO.