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SIR JIM RATCLIFFE could be forced out of Manchester United THIS YEAR.

The British billionaire, 72, invested more than £1billion to take a 27.7 per cent stake in his beloved Red Devils little more than a year ago.

Alamy

Sir Jim Ratcliffe could be pushed out of Manchester United this year[/caption]

PA

The Glazer family reportedly have a deal which means they can sell up in six months[/caption]

To say it has been a tumultuous rollercoaster ride so far would be an understatement.

Part of the minority takeover entrusted the running of the club to Ratcliffe from the Glazer family, who remain the majority owners.

And he has wasted no time in making his mark with an overhaul of the board, a new manager, hundreds of redundancies and various unpopular money-making measures – from increased ticket prices to the staff Christmas party being cancelled.

He has even made a start on plans for a brand-new £2bn, 100,000-seater stadium to replace the crumbling, leaking Old Trafford.

However, the Ratcliffe reign at Manchester United could be all over later this year.

According to Bloomberg, the Glazers have the option to sell the club in six months’ time.

And should they go ahead and proceed with it, they can force Ratcliffe to give up his United.

The report does add that Ratcliffe would have the option to make his own bid first.

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And it is understood the Ineos chief not only wants to keep his stake – but increase it if the opportunity arises.

It is unclear what the Glazers plan to do with the club.

The American family continue to own United from afar and keep a hands-off approach, even more so with Ratcliffe in charge of the day-to-day operations.

Bloomberg state, though, that the Glazers were still happy with the state of the club at the end of last year.

That is despite the club losing more than £100million in Ratcliffe’s first year and results on the pitch getting worse.

Under new boss Ruben Amorim, United are 15th in the Premier League table.

Internally, the ambitious plan is to win the title again by 2028.

Off the pitch, the financial landscape is bleak.

They posted losses of more than £300m over the last three years to put them at risk of breaching PSR rules while debts now stand at approximately £700m.

So even if the Glazers did want to sell, finding a buyer willing to take on the mess of Manchester United could be difficult.

It would likely require another mega-rich state-backed bid – similar to the one that rivalled Ratcliffe from Qatar.

And one speculative option could be for the Qataris to go back in for United – fronted by Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Al-Khelaifi, 51, is the chairman of beIN and the Qatar Sports Investment group – which in turn sees him president of Paris Saint-Germain.

But troubles are brewing with PSG and this could in theory be an ideal opportunity for the Qataris to jump ship out of PSG and taking on a new challenge.

Al-Khelaifi has clashed aggressively with rival Ligue 1 owners – even calling Lyon counterpart John Textor a “cowboy” in leaked footage from an online meeting.

He has also, according to Agence France Presse, been charged with complicity in an “abuse of power” case this month relating to a key vote.

And finally, Al-Khelaifi – who has failed to deliver the Champions League since his appointment in 2011 – has expressed his frustration that PSG will leave the Parc des Princes and look for a new stadium after the city’s mayor confirmed it was not for sale.

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United are struggling on and off the pitch[/caption]

AFP

Fans are unhappy with the way the club is being run[/caption]

AP

Nasser Al-Khelaifi may see United as a new venture if he quits PSG[/caption]

A BOLIVIAN man who owes money to a drugs gang back home was allowed to stay in the UK.

Deputy Upper Tribunal Judge Jessica Smeaton, above, ruled he can remain for his own protection, despite no evidence he would actually be at risk.

Documents show that the anonymous man overstayed his visa in 2018.

He later failed an application for asylum. The Home Office said the persecution fears did not meet Refugee Convention criteria.

But he successfully appealed to a tribunal — which was upheld by the Upper Tribunal on January 8.

Ms Smeaton ruled he has a right to a family life, a right to life, and right to be protected from torture under the European Court of Human Rights. 

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “This is a ludicrous decision. 

“Fundamental changes to human rights laws and the ECHR are needed.

“Foreign criminals and illegal immigrants should be removed — it’s that simple.”

It comes a week after news of the highly controversial decision to let a family from Gaza stay in Britain, with the ECHR also being cited.

The Home Office was contacted for comment.

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TEMPLEGATE tackles a cracking Saturday of racing looking for winners to boost the bank ahead of Cheltenham.

Back a horse by clicking their odds below.

BODHISATTVA (2.10 Newcastle, nap)

This eight-year-old was only just getting started at the end of 3m7f when second in the Edinburgh National last time. His capable rider takes off a valuable 5lb and he’ll just keep going when the others are running on fumes. All ground comes the same to him and the handicapper has been very fair in leaving his mark alone.

HYLAND (3.35 Kempton, nb) 

He ran well in a Grade 1 at Kempton over Christmas. That built nicely on his back-to-back victories at Cheltenham where he saw out this three-mile trip strongly when landing a Listed prize in November. Nico De Boinville can keep things simple near the front and deliver another victory.

DILIGENT HARRY (2.40 Southwell, treble)

He took this race 12 months ago and has been laid out for it again by trainer Clive Cox.  He should take a big step forward from his comeback fourth behind Marshman at Lingfield earlier this month.

Templegate’s tips

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A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chases their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
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• Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

Throughout his decorated coaching career, Jedd Fisch has worked with several elite athletes but still sees Tetairoa McMillan as the most impressive. Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, Fisch gave his former player and top prospect a glowing compliment based on their time together in the Arizona football program. The Washington head coach, who was […]

The post Arizona football’s Tetairoa McMillan earns ‘biggest freak’ compliment from former coach appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has temporarily suspended the 1890 Scholars Program, a scholarship initiative that provides significant financial support to students attending HBCUs. The program was designed to attract more students to agricultural fields by covering full tuition, room, and board at 19 HBCU land-grant institutions. Encompassing disciplines such as agriculture, animal science, and […]

The post Vital HBCU land-grant scholarship temporarily suspended appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The 2025 recruiting cycle wrapped up earlier this month, and things are starting to intensify for the 2026 class. The summer months will definitely be the most important as a lot of visits and commitments go down then, but this is a busy time as well as a lot of top recruits are narrowing down […]

The post Michigan football joins Oregon, USC in 4-star RB’s top-6 appeared first on ClutchPoints.

They could use a little Magic in Orlando, or else this year’s squad may go down as one of the worst shooting teams in the history of the NBA. In the era of the three-pointer, no team has been as inept behind the arc as the 2025 Magic. Going into the NBA All-Star break, not […]

The post Magic’s 3-point shooting reaches historically ugly levels appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Ever since the New York Yankees announced that they would change their facial hair policy, the baseball world has been buzzing and speaking about the change. While there have been some people such as Yankees manager Aaron Boone who commented on it, another was fan Nick Turturro. He would speak about the news, saying that […]

The post Blue Bloods fanatic Nick Turturro weighs in on updated Yankees’ facial hair policy appeared first on ClutchPoints.

DEATH in Paradise viewers were left gobsmacked by a plot twist ‘no one saw coming’ amid criticism for the new series.

The BBC crime drama’s latest episode took DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet) and his team to Ambrose Distillery.

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Death In Paradise episode shocked fans with a big swerve[/caption]

BBC

Distillery owner Patrick Ambrose was murdered[/caption]

BBC

Mervin and Naomi cracked the case – but with a twist[/caption]

Owner Patrick Ambrose (Ansu Kabia) was poisoned while drinking a glass of rum.

His sudden death came as he’d been on the verge of selling up the distillery.

But a major plot twist revealed the dead man was, in fact, not Patrick Ambrose at all.

He was instead a criminal impostor named Sampson – who’d stolen Patrick’s identity almost two decades ago.

The real Patrick’s sister, Cora (Madeline Appiah), was unmasked as the murderer in the end.

Cora knew Sampson was an impostor – as she’d also killed the real Patrick, back in 2007.

She had found out her brother raped Janelle Dulice (Michelle Asante) that same evening – which the police team uncovered in their investigation.

Viewers were stunned by the plot twist, sharing their surprise on social media.

One wrote: “For those who guessed the ice was the clue congrats you were right.

“The imposter twist, i think no one saw coming #deathinparadise.”

Another added: “She killed the real Patrick, then 18 years later she killed imposter!Patrick.”

While a third said: “None of us could have worked that out, their was no clues until the reveal, surprised us all. #deathinparadise.”

A fourth remarked: “Oooh, didn’t see that coming! #DeathInParadise.”

As a fifth penned: “Well nobody could see that one coming whatsoever, right out of left field. #deathinparadise.”

Meanwhile, some viewers have slammed the latest series – convinced Death in Paradise has run its course.

Even long-time fans have been left wondering how much the show has left to give.

In the story, Commissioner Selywn Patterson (Don Warrington) – a staple since the beginning – is being phased out due “budget cuts”.

One person wrote on X: “They can’t just get rid of Selwyn as the commissioner in death in paradise what will he do?”

Another said: “I like the new guy, Mervin, on Death in Paradise. Hoping they won’t get rid of the commissioner. I adore Selwyn Patterson.”

A third posted: “If they remove the Excellent role of #CommissionerSelwyn, #DeathInParadise will no longer be a show worth watching. It will be Trash.”

Death in Paradise continues on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Cora killed both her brother and the man impersonating him[/caption]

BBC

The impostor had realised Cora was on to him[/caption]

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Fans are worried about Commissioner Patterson’s future on the show[/caption]

TOWIE’S James ‘Diags’ Bennewith and Jodie Wells come face to face in excruciatingly awkward scenes from the show’s upcoming series.

The 33-year-olds, who haven’t seen each other since their breakup, meet in a retro American-style diner, and the tension between them is undeniable.

ITV

TOWIE’S James ‘Diags’ Bennewith and Jodie Wells come face to face in excruciatingly awkward scenes from the show’s upcoming series[/caption]

ITV

They meet in a retro American-style diner, and the tension between them is undeniable[/caption]

ITV

As Jodie approaches Diags, she sweetly plants a brief kiss on his cheek[/caption]

As Jodie approaches Diags, she sweetly plants a brief kiss on his cheek, but it’s clear from the start that the encounter is far from comfortable.

“Hi. You ok?” Jodie awkwardly opens the conversation.

To which Diags responds, “Yeah, you good?”

The uncomfortable atmosphere continues as Diags awkwardly mentions, “I got you a drink,” handing her a fruit bubble tea.

“I was worried you were going to get a milkshake,” Jodie admits, adding, “No, I know you don’t like milkshakes.”

The awkwardness doesn’t end there, as Diags asks, “How you been?” with Jodie responding, “Good. How have you been?”

Diags, clearly not at his best, sighs and admits, “Well, not great, but, yeah.”

It’s clear that both are struggling to find their footing, but Jodie adds, “It’s good that we’re here, though, because we need to, like, actually talk.”

Diags agrees, “I know.”

The Sun revealed last month how Diags and Jodie had broken up after first getting together in 2023.

But we later learned the pair decided to reunite after their explosive Bali trip, with the full cast backing them.

A source told us: “Jodie and Diags have had some time apart to reassess things and have realised that they want to give their relationship another go.

“It’s still early stages but they are hoping to reconcile properly and work things out.

“Jodie has a young child and wants to do the best for him.

“She believes Diags still loves her and if they both put the graft in, they believe it will work.

“The pair are dating again and have the full support of the rest of the Towie cast.

“It’s complicated but they’re ready to iron out any issues after getting advice from their friends and having some time apart.”

On/off romance

The couple sparked rumours of a break-up last month when they unfollowed each other on social media.

They had endured an on/off romance and often left fans guessing about the status of their relationship.

But we were told that Diags and Jodie had decided to call it quits for good, despite the mum-of-one gearing up to relocate with her son to Essex.

A source said: “The pair have been desperately trying to make things work, but just couldn’t keep things on track and have decided to split.

“There was a big disagreement over moving in together, but in the end it wasn’t just that.

“They hadn’t been getting on for a while and they were very different people.”

Just the week before, they sparked rumours of rift when eagle-eyed fans noticed the pair has unfollowed each other on social media.

Jodie even went as far as removing all traces of Diags from her Instagram account.

She also seemingly took a swipe at the Towie star when she posted a video to TikTok that fans have called “shady”.

In the video, which has been viewed over a quarter of million times, the TV star can be seen lip-syncing to the words: “It’s because your son is a f*****g p***y.”

Many fans believed she was referring to Diags.

The pair have had fans hooked on their relationship from the start.

Meeting when Jodie was an extra in the reality TV show in 2023, Diags asked her and her son to move in with him the following summer.

Speaking to OK! Magazine at the time, Jodie said: “I like where James lives now. I would like somewhere a little bit more quiet. A bit more countryside.

“Somewhere, you feel like it would be quite a nice place to bring up a child, and I feel like it could be good for James as well.

“It’s bringing him away slightly from the party lifestyle and to think about more of a family lifestyle.”

Following that however, a love triangle threatened their relationship when Diags sent a drunken text to his ex Elma Pazar saying he missed her.

While he admitted it was a joke that “wasn’t funny”, Diags, who is one of Towie’s longest running cast members, said: “There couldn’t have been a worse person to send that message to.”

Jodie was quoted as saying at the time: “He’s just an idiot – he has a drink and he just thinks all of his jokes are funny, and they’re not.”

“I don’t think there was anything behind it. I just think he was just trying to be funny. But it’s a joke at my expense.”

More recently, the pair spent Christmas and New Year apart, sparking further speculation their relationship was on the decline.

Instagram

Instagram

They first got together in 2023[/caption]