Joleon Lescott quits England U21s role to pursue his dream of becoming a director of football… PLUS, why investigators looking into Granit Xhaka booking were thwarted - AHEAD OF THE GAME
Former England defender Joleon Lescott has left his role as England Under 21s coach as he wants to pursue a career as a sporting director.
The former Manchester City, Everton and Wolves centre back was employed as a consultant coach by the FA during this summer’s Euros, which Lee Carsley’s England side won in Georgia by beating Spain 1-0 in the final.
Carsley and assistant Ashley Cole will stay on for England’s title defence in 2025 — a campaign which begins with a qualifier against Luxembourg next month.
But Lescott, 41, will not be part of the set-up as his plan is to work as a sporting director.
He remains involved at City in ambassadorial and media roles.
Anti-corruption investigators looking into suspicious gambling activity surrounding Granit Xhaka’s infamous booking in Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Leeds 18 months ago were thwarted by the fact the biggest bets were made in unregulated cryptocurrency markets.
A Crypto operator registered in the Caribbean island of Curacao lost £400,000 on bets placed on Xhaka to be booked in a Premier League game in December 2021, but the International Betting Integrity Association were unable to take up the case as the company were not members.
The FA investigated for six months before it was escalated to a criminal inquiry, but that was dropped without any charges being brought earlier this summer. Xhaka was never accused of wrongdoing.
Chesterfield fans have been flooding message boards criticising Oldham supporters for invading the pitch after scoring an injury-time equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw last Saturday despite their own club’s recent history of ground incursion.
Pitch invasions in successive home games at the SMH Group Stadium in 2019 led to Chesterfield issuing banning orders to fans
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