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Simon Jordan has criticised Gary Neville and David Beckham for aiming to copy the Wrexham model by taking over Salford City.

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• Beckham and Neville take ownership
• Remainder of Class of 92 move away
• Jordan believes Peter Lim has been 'rinsed'

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Beckham and Neville have completed a takeover of Salford City, backed by a new consortium and with aims of reaching the Championship within five years. The remaining Class of '92 members are no longer shareholders but may still hold roles at the club., and Beckham has admitted to being inspired by both Wrexham and Birmingham City, two clubs owned by big American stars; the Welsh side are owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, while Tom Brady is part-owner of Birmingham.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Salford, once a non-league minnow, have enjoyed a rapid rise through the football pyramid, largely funded by businessman Peter Lim. With Beckham and Neville now at the helm, the club hopes to emulate the commercial and on-field success of Wrexham under the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, but Jordan believes Lim was "rinsed" by the pair, who have now "discarded" him. Lim actually sold his remaining shares in the club to Neville in August of last year, per The Guardian.

• WHAT SIMON JORDAN SAID

  Jordan said: "You can be damn sure this ain't their money. They've rinsed poor Peter Lim, he's had enough of it, like a crisp packet in a microwave, he's been crumpled up and thrown away. They've used his money. Minimum wage Neville has probably found somebody else to bear the cost.

  "They've got a window of opportunity because they've seen what Wrexham have done. They've seen the value of star power and that value of star power has given revenues to Wrexham via Ryan Reynolds and the other fella (Rob McElhenney), that's given them the resources to punch their way into the Championship."

  He added: "I find it very difficult to applaud Gary Neville on many things. He's a resourceful character. If you've taken the task on, it's incumbent upon you if you have a set of standards and you rate yourself, which most certainly he does, to produce an outcome that's meaningful and when they're looking at Wrexham, they must be thinking 'that's a bit of an embarrassment'."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Salford finished eighth in League Two in 2024/25 and will be targeting automatic promotion next season under their new ownership.

MatériaMais Notícias

O último domingo ficará marcado negativamente para o técnico Mano Menezes no comando do Internacional.

– VEJA A TABELA DO BRASILEIRÃO

Diante do Botafogo, ele teve o seu primeiro revés pelo Colorado e, ele aconteceu de jeito bem dolorido para o treinador e elenco.

Após abrir 2 a 0 e 13 minutos, o Internacional não soube aproveitar a vantagem numérica de 11 contra 10 jogadores e levou uma virada por 3 a 2.

Agora, Mano Menezes soma 15 jogos a frente do Colorado com sete vitórias, sete empates e uma derrota.

Calendário

Na próxima sexta-feira, o treinador terá a oportunidade de recuperar o ânimo da equipe e voltar a campo diante do Coritiba, no Beira-Rio.

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We are mere hours away from the transfer window slamming shut, and as teams around them look to change their squads, Tottenham Hotspur look ready to add more quality to theirs.

There have been a number of headline-grabbing moves in the last couple of days, from the Lilywhites’ imminent capture of Bayern Munich gem Mathys Tel to Manchester United finally getting hold of Patrick Dorgu, but perhaps the most eye-catching of them all has been Marcus Rashford’s loan to Aston Villa.

The Manchester-born superstar was completely frozen out of the Red Devils’ first team by Ruben Amorim, and while he’s not been at his best for some time, we know what he’s capable of, and in that sense, the Villans could have a real game-changer on their hands.

Incomings (From)

Fee

Outgoings (To)

Fee

Antonin Kinsky (Slavia Prague)

£12.5m

Matthew Craig (Mansfield)

Loan

Yang Min-hyeok (Gangwon)

£3.3m

Will Lankshear (West Brom)

Loan

Kevin Danso (Lens)

Loan

Yang Min-hyeok (QPR)

Loan

Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich)

Loan

However, the Englishman’s move to Villa Park could, in turn, help Spurs, as recent reports have linked one of his new teammates with a move to N17, a teammate who has won comparisons to the high-profile loanee and could be brilliant alongside Tel.

Tottenham target Aston Villa forward

According to a recent report from GIVMESPORT, Tottenham are interested in signing Villa’s dynamic winger, Leon Bailey.

The report has revealed that the Birmingham outfit have made the Jamaican dynamo available in the closing hours of the transfer window, which has caught the attention of Spurs Technical Director Johan Lange.

The Dane played a ‘key role’ in bringing the former Bayer Leverkusen star to Villa Park when he worked behind the scenes there and is now spearheading the North Londoners’ pursuit of the £120k-per-week winger.

It’s unclear how much a transfer would cost the Lilywhites, but given how much they need reinforcements for the right wing and the potential partnership with Tel off the left, it’s a deal worth pursuing, even if comparisons to Rashford concern some fans.

How Bailey compares to Rashford and why Spurs should sign him

So, before looking at his potential partnership with Tel and why Spurs should go out and get Bailey, let’s examine this comparison with Rashford and where it has come from.

In this case, it primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and the Europa League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and, in this instance, has concluded that the Englishman is the tenth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Jamaican star.

The best way to see how this conclusion has been reached is by looking at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, passing accuracy, key passes, passes into the final third, aerial duels won and more, all per 90.

Bailey & Rashford

Statistics per 90

Bailey

Rashford

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.26

0.35

Passing Accuracy

70.7%

73.8%

Key Passes

1.39

1.38

Passes into the Final Third

1.22

1.19

Live Passes

28.9

30.6

Tackles Won

0.35

0.37

Carries

27.6

26.9

Aerial Duels Won

0.52

0.46

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 PL Season

However, unlike the United ace, the last time the Kingston-born maestro was at his dangerous best was only last season, so there is a reasonable chance that in a new environment and under the incredibly positive style of Postecoglou, he could get back to tearing teams asunder.

For example, in just 52 appearances for the Claret and Blue, totalling 3197 minutes, the “unplayable” game-changer, as dubbed by The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell, found the back of the net on 14 occasions and provided 14 assists for good measure, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 1.85 games, or every 114.17 minutes.

Now, just imagine that level of output off the right of Dominic Solanke, and then Tel off the left, who in just 41 appearances last season, totalling 1406 minutes, scored ten goals and provided six assists, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 2.56 games, or every 87.87 minutes.

If this deal were to pan out, Postecoglou would have two incredibly dynamic wingers to choose from and some brilliant competition for the likes of Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-min to ensure neither of their levels dropped.

Ultimately, while comparisons to Rashford might put some fans off of this transfer, it shouldn’t, as, unlike the Englishman, Bailey was at his electrifying best only last season, and a front three with him and Tel on either flank is a front three that could give any defence a real game.

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Posts 1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 3, 2025

Sonia Bompastor has ruled Lauren James out of Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool after she picked up an injury with the Lionesses.

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• James out with a hamstring problem
• Will miss FA Cup semi-final tie
• Girma could return against Barcelona

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  James pulled out of the England squad after sustaining a hamstring problem in the 5-0 Nations League win over Belgium. The 23-year-old is now set for more time on the sidelines, with Bompastor admitting James is not available for the upcoming clash against Liverpool.

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• WHAT BOMPASTOR SAID

  The Chelsea boss told reporters: "LJ came back from the international break with a hamstring injury, we have already assessed her but we need to asses her again next week to see how she is recovering. We will be going week by week but she won’t be available for the game tomorrow."

  Bompastor also spoke about record signing Girma and is hopeful: "‘For the rest of the squad, some players had little things, but nothing serious. We have Guro Reiten is back in the squad, while Maelys Mpome and Naomi Girma are close to being back in the squad. [Girma] not for this weekend, I think it’s too soon. She is really close, though, and could be included in the squad for the Barcelona game."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chelsea remain in the hunt for the quadruple and will hope to see off Liverpool at Kingsmeadow and book a place in the final of the competition. The Blues are also six points clear at the top of the WSL table, have already scooped the League Cup and face Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA

  Chelsea's injured stars will be eager to return and play a part in the business end of the season. The Blues certainly have some key fixtures up next, with a trip to Barcelona on the agenda after Saturday's FA Cup semi-final.

أعرب حسام البدري، المدير الفني السابق لمنتخب مصر والحالي لـ أهلي طرابلس الليبي، عن خالص شكره وتقديره لفخامة الرئيس عبد الفتاح السيسي، رئيس الجمهورية، على متابعته واهتمامه الشخصي، وتكليف الجهات المعنية بالتدخل السريع لحل أزمة احتجاز الطاقم الفني المصري في العاصمة الليبية طرابلس.

حسام البدري يكشف لـ “بطولات” موقفه من العودة لتدريب الأهلي

وقال البدري، في بيان رسمي عقب وصوله إلى مطار مصراتة، وإنهاء كافة الإجراءات الأمنية اللازمة تمهيدًا لعودته إلى القاهرة برفقة أعضاء جهازه الفني، إن الدعم الرئاسي والتحرك الفوري من قبل الدولة المصرية كان لهما الدور الحاسم في تجاوز هذه الأزمة.

وأضاف: “أتوجه بجزيل الشكر إلى كافة الجهات المعنية في مصر على استجابتها السريعة، وتدخلها الفوري لتسهيل كافة الإجراءات، وتذليل العقبات، وتوفير الحماية الكاملة لنا خلال فترة تواجدنا في ليبيا وحتى مغادرتنا.”

وكان الطاقم الفني المصري لفريق أهلي طرابلس، بقيادة حسام البدري، قد واجه أزمة أمنية مفاجئة خلال تواجده في العاصمة الليبية، استدعت تحركًا عاجلًا من قبل السلطات المصرية المعنية لضمان سلامتهم وتأمين عودتهم إلى أرض الوطن.

Last week Arsenal’s chances of winning the Carabao Cup were dented big time by Alexander Isak.

No one should really be surprised by that. The Swede is one of the most in-form players in Europe right having scored ten goals in his last nine matches across all competitions.

The Gunners have regularly been linked with his services and he showed Mikel Arteta and Co exactly what they were missing by scoring at the Emirates. Arteta even admitted after the game that it showed what can happen when you have “real quality” at the top end of the pitch.

So, the club’s head coach is all too aware that the forward line needs boasting but you do get a sense that they will hope to get by with what they already have.

The trouble is that their best player in Bukayo Saka is going to be out for some time with a hamstring injury and his deputy, Ethan Nwaneri, is now also injured. It’s all rather typical.

Arsenal's transfer shortlist in 2025

As you would expect at this time of the year, there have been plenty of rumours surrounding who could enter the Emirates Stadium this year.

The most prominent of names is Isak but with Newcastle reportedly demanding a fee of something close to £150m, that isn’t an easy deal.

Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao has been touted over the last two transfer windows.

Over the summer he was only moving if dream club Barcelona came calling and this January, the Gunners may have to make him one of their top earners to get him out of Spain. That said, Arteta ‘wants to sign’ the player this month.

This January is already about taking market opportunities and two of them are set to pass them by. Whether there was any interest, however, is unknown.

Indeed, red-hot Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush is close to a move to Manchester City while Napoli’s Georgian superstar winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia looks as though he’s on his way to PSG.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

So, where else could they turn to in 2025?

Arsenal's best Nico Williams alternative

Reports prior to Christmas suggested that Arsenal had approached the representatives of AC Milan sensation Rafael Leao regarding a possible move.

A formal offer was not made but it was made clear that Leao is far more likely to move in the summer.

Boasting an almighty release clause of £145m, a move could be made cheaper and more attainable by his rocky relationship with new head coach Paulo Fonseca.

Arsenal supporters might well be saddened to hear another move being played down as a potential summer opportunity but the fact of the matter is that signing new players in January is difficult.

The Gunners will lose out big time in the back end of this season but it’s clear they are set to attack the summer window hard.

By luring Leao away from the San Siro, he could well be a better addition than both Isak and Williams.

Supporters will, of course, look at Isak’s numbers and wonder why he isn’t the best signing. You can certainly make a case that he should be the number one priority. He’s Premier League-proven and can’t stop scoring.

That said, Arsenal have shown they can challenge and score plenty of goals with Kai Havertz in the team. In 2023/24, he scored eight goals and assisted seven in just 18 outings. Even this term he’s got eight in 21 which isn’t a bad tally at all.

Of course, the Gunners need more goals but they perhaps lack more quality in wide areas. Saka is the only consistent player in that regard with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard having contributed a combined ten goals and five assists. For context, that’s seven fewer than Saka’s overall tally.

On that evidence, Arsenal need an explosive winger and in Leao – a “world-beater” in the words of data analyst Ben Mattinson, they’d have the perfect profile.

Further described as a a player who’s like an “early Thierry Henry”, in the words of Milan coach Stefano Pioli, cutting inside from the left and beating defenders for fun, his output is certainly better than Williams. Here’s how the two compare based on their numbers across 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Matches

50

48

Goals

12

6

Assists

13

14

Shot-creating actions *

4.93

5.01

Take-on success *

50.7%

41.6%

Progressive carries

5.57

5.81

Carries into final 3rd

3.39

2.96

Key passes

2.20

1.98

Progressive passes

4.13

2.83

As we can see, the two are pretty similar players. They love to carry the ball and take players on and they both love to create.

That being said, it’s Leao who is the more regular scorer, it’s the Milan star who takes players on more efficiently and it’s the Portuguese sensation who makes more key passes and progressive passes. That all suggests he could be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to improving Arsenal’s attacking output on the left hand-side of the pitch.

Arsenal – 44%

Arsenal – 32%

Everton – 41%

Ipswich – 34%

Brentford – 39%

Everton – 35%

West Ham – 38%

Brentford – 35%

Southampton – 38%

Chelsea – 35%

In the Premier League this term, they are the team who attack down the left the fewest times but signing a player like Leao would balance the team out and provide more high-percentage opportunities for the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Havertz to score from.

Perhaps he is the answer instead of Isak and Williams in the summer.

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December is still in its infancy, but the Scottish Premiership crown already looks to have been decided, with imperious champions Celtic marching on toward yet another league title under Brendan Rodgers’ watch, following their 3-0 win over Hibernian.

Yes, don’t count your chickens just yet, and all that, but the Old Firm giants currently sit nine points clear at the summit and with a game advantage over their closest rivals Aberdeen, who slipped up at home to St Johnstone on Saturday.

With Rangers – who take on Ross County on Sunday – currently 14 points adrift of the Hoops in third, it truly is Celtic’s league to lose, with the Glasgow outfit seeing off a spirited Hibs side to maintain their handsome advantage at the top.

Celtic's best performers vs Hibs

It certainly didn’t go smoothly at Parkhead, but with three goals scored and three points picked up, Rodgers and co will hope to move on swiftly, ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Dinamo Zagreb.

In truth, the former Liverpool boss has his goalkeeper to thank for helping to secure a valuable, hard-fought win against David Gray’s side, with Kasper Schmeichel having repeatedly thwarted the plucky visitors.

Indeed, the experienced Dane was called into action just minutes into the contest after denying Mykola Kukharevych from close range, with that one of nine saves that the veteran was forced to make, as per Sofascore.

Had it not been for the 38-year-old regularly bailing his side out of trouble – as well as some errant finishing from Joe Newell and co – there could have been a far more nervy finale at Celtic Park, with the eventual scoreline perhaps flattering the hosts somewhat.

That said, it should not take away from the Hoops’ quality in the final third, with Arne Engels rounding off a slick move with a well-taken finish to open the scoring, before Adam Idah’s header was diverted in by a helpless Newell just after the break.

Kasper Schmeichel’s game in numbers
90 minutes
9 saves
1 punch
7 saves from inside the box
45 touches
93% pass accuracy
7/9 long balls completed
2 clearances made
Stats via Sofascore

Substitute Kyogo Furuhashi then rubberstamped the victory with a delightful dink late on, following James Forrest’s threaded pass, although it was one man who didn’t get on the scoresheet that deserves notable plaudits.

Celtic's star man vs Hibs

Without Schmeichel, things may well have been very different on Saturday afternoon, although the former Leicester City man wasn’t alone in stealing the show, with skipper Callum McGregor also shining in his midfield berth.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

So often a player who goes under the radar – when he’s not firing in from range that is – the Scotsman is the true heartbeat of this side, as he has been for so long in Glasgow.

Quite simply, everything goes through the man in the middle, as it did again against the Edinburgh side, with McGregor having racked up a mammoth 131 touches, while also enjoying a staggering 98% pass accuracy rate.

Cool and composed in possession, the relentless star also made his presence felt off the ball after winning 100% of his duels, having also made three clearances and one block in that battling display.

Also still the joint-top scorer in the division, despite not getting in on the act on this occasion, the 31-year-old truly is the all-round package, with it simply a case of Rodgers deciding which duo should be the regular starters alongside him.

In a squad and a side where places are up for grabs, McGregor – much like Schmeichel – deservedly remains one of the few certainties in the starting lineup.

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Unbroken 98-minute last-wicket stand defies Worcestershire after Josh Baker takes four

ECB Reporters Network10-Apr-2022

Hassan Azad saw out the final day•Getty Images

A century of heroic defiance by Leicestershire opener Hassan Azad and a last-wicket stand spanning an hour and 38 minutes denied Worcestershire victory after a tense finish to their LV= County Championship match at the Uptonsteel County Ground.The 28-year-old left-hander batted throughout the final day for 104 not out as Leicestershire, who had been set 370 to win after Worcestershire declared on their overnight score, finished on 218 for 9 after last man Beuran Hendricks kept out 60 deliveries at the other end.Worcestershire had looked odds-on to open their Division Two season with a win after reducing their hosts to 82 for 5 at lunch and then 122 for 7 midway through the afternoon session after teenaged spin bowler Josh Baker produced a career-best 4 for 51.To compound their frustration, they missed a chance to remove Azad on 75 at 153 for 8 when wicketkeeper Ben Cox spilled a leg-side catch off seamer Ed Barnard. Azad’s vigil had lasted six hours and 17 minutes when the last ball was bowled.Ed Pollock’s debut century on Saturday had given Worcestershire the opportunity to set the terms for the last day and after 18-year-old orthodox left-armer Baker took three wickets in the space of 18 balls to send them to lunch on 82 for 5, Leicestershire faced a long battle to save the game that for most of the last two sessions looked likely to prove too much.Josh Baker claimed career-best figures•Getty Images

Leicestershire suffered a first setback only four overs into their second innings when Charlie Morris found enough movement to have opener Sam Evans caught behind. George Rhodes avoided a pair but was undone by a ball from Dillon Pennington that flew to point off a high part of the bat, Ed Barnard taking a fine low catch.Baker did not find too much turn but bowled with impressive control and struck in consecutive overs before lunch. He removed Colin Ackermann via another fine catch by Barnard, this time at slip, albeit off a loose shot by the Leicestershire skipper, then trapped Lewis Hill leg before and bowled Harry Swindells off an inside edge.Ben Mike stayed with Azad for a dozen overs after lunch but was then drawn into playing a ball from Pennington that left him enough to take the edge, Pollock taking a straightforward catch at first slip.Baker picked up a fourth victim in the shape of Ed Barnes when he pushed one through to have the Leicestershire man leg before on the back pad.Azad at last found a steady ally in left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson and it was beginning to look as though the second new ball might by key as the pair dug in for almost an hour.Then, in an inspired bowling change, Worcestershire skipper Brett D’Oliveira turned for the first time in the match to the legbreaks of Azhar Ali and was immediately rewarded as the Pakistan international tempted Parkinson into a drive for four and had him fishing enough at the next ball to be caught behind.Leicestershire hoped the Azad drop would prove unimportant after Pennington’s appeal for leg-before against Chris Wright was upheld, leaving the home side nine down for 173 with more than 25 overs still to play. Yet the South African international Hendricks, making his debut for the Foxes, defied all attempts to get him out, with an assuredness that only grew as the overs ticked by.

Resolutions at emergency general meeting supported by more than 80% of members

David Hopps31-Mar-2022

Headingley’s status as an international venue is secure•Getty Images

Yorkshire members have delivered a massive vote in support of Lord Kamlesh Patel’s proposals to restructure the club to address the fallout from Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of mistreatment, which brought accusations that the club was institutionally racist and also risked the potential loss of international fixtures at Headingley.More than 80% of members voted in favour of reform on all three resolutions, although disturbingly low voting figures underlines that Yorkshire have suffered both from a flood of member resignations or non-renewals – Covid may have been another influence – and that there is considerable disillusionment over the whole affair.That being so, “a plague on both your houses” appears at least an undercurrent among the Yorkshire membership – although Yorkshire have yet to find a present-day Romeo and Juliet to show them a new direction. That really would be a change in the age profile.After the result of the Emergency General Meeting, held in the Long Room at Headingley, was known, Lord Patel reacted: “We welcome the outcome of this EGM and thank the Members for their full and proper consideration, an open exchange of views, and their votes. It is an overwhelming vote for positive change.”This support will help Yorkshire County Cricket Club to be an inclusive and welcoming place and gives us the clarity and certainty we need to keep building this great club.”Yorkshire has now met the ECB’s conditions for the return of international cricket and, working with them, we’ll deliver some great events here at Headingley this summer. We’re looking forward to the start of the season, for all our teams and for cricket at all levels right across this County.”Three proposals were voted through. Lord Patel’s ratification as Yorkshire’s chairman was approved by 932 votes in favour to 155 against, with 22 abstentions. A second resolution, releasing Lord Patel and others from personal liability on decisions taken, after threats of legal action, passed by 897 to 182 (28 abstentions); and the restructuring of the board to include independent members went through by 927 to 159 (19 abstentions).Related

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Sacked staff seek legal action after Yorkshire purge

DCMS chair weighs in as Yorkshire crisis deepens

Latest indications are that with official membership figures standing at around 6,000, but full members – the only ones allowed to vote – down to 3,000, turnout was about 35%. Such figures must fill Yorkshire with trepidation, a once powerful county brought to its knees.Lord Patel, Yorkshire’s chair and de facto chief executive (a fact that defends his reported salary of around £200,000), had warned that failure to win the vote would make it virtually impossible for the club to pay players’ wages and complete the domestic cricket season, which begins next week.Key sponsors have also turned on the county following Rafiq’s testimony that “institutional racism” had left him close to taking his own life.The ECB wasted no time in expressing its support. A spokesperson said: “We are pleased that Yorkshire members have given their overwhelming support to these reforms. This is an important step forward in bringing about real change and setting the club on course for a more inclusive future.”We welcome the progress made by Lord Patel so far, as well as his commitment to making the club one which everyone, from all backgrounds, can be proud of. With these governance reforms now having been passed, we are satisfied that international cricket can now be staged at Headingley this summer. However, there is much work still to be done at Yorkshire and it is important that the plans set out so far are now delivered. We will continue to monitor progress closely.”Our regulatory investigation into the complaints brought by Azeem Rafiq, which is separate to this process, remains ongoing and we will update on this in due course.”Yorkshire’s immediate response might well be that of relief that the threat of removing international cricket from Headingley should now be lifted, and so avert the risk of bankruptcy.But their financial plight remains horrendous. Debts are around £20m and their opponents have predicted possible severance and unfair dismissal payments approaching £3m.Martyn Moxon stood down as director of cricket and Mark Arthur retired as CEO after accepting severance payments. As many as 14 employees, including the coach Andrew Gale, were then summarily sacked in a decision as shocking as any in Yorkshire’s turbulent history, for signing a letter which took an uncompromising stance against Rafiq’s allegations.That decision still divides the county. Nevertheless, the first major vote of the membership is an emphatic rejection of the rebellion from a rump of Yorkshire members, led by former chairman Robin Smith, a retired 79-year-old Leeds-based lawyer, who has threatened to resist change with a long-running campaign of legal action.That threat has not yet been withdrawn, and he might regard trying to prune the White Rose as a preferable occupation in old age to pruning his own roses, although it would take a considerable dollop of self-entitlement for Smith to pursue it when the members, as well as the ECB and politicians, have now spoken so loudly.Smith and his acolytes, some of them Yorkshire members for half a century or more, believe that Yorkshire’s independence is now under threat because of ECB interference and that Lord Patel has taken control in an undemocratic manner. Yorkshire counter that their restructuring actually follows Sport England guidelines.They particularly recoil at the fact that a new Board will be formed with eight independent members – not Yorkshire members – who will serve alongside two Board members drawn from the membership, the chief executive and director of cricket. Opponents have argued that Yorkshire is a co-operative society in law and so this us unlawful.Smith had also claimed in a leaked letter to Lord Patel that Yorkshire would now essentially become a subsidiary of the ECB, forever dancing to its tune, and that the shift of power to the centre would affect any other recalcitrant counties in turn.”A four to one ratio of outsiders to members as non-executives on the club’s board would so change the character of the club as to render it unrecognisable as a Yorkshire institution,” he wrote.That battle cry for independence would once have carried considerable weight across the Broad Acres, and it is some achievement for the county to have mismanaged its enquiry into Rafiq’s racism allegations so markedly that Yorkshire members have just shrugged off the risk and accepted that change is not just inevitable but desirable.