Former England Under-21 striker Marvin Sordell has described football as 'a beautiful game with an ugly persona' after citing his mental wellbeing as a big factor behind his decision to retire aged 28.

EXCLUSIVE: A row over payments to departed players is holding up Bolton's takeover - and plunging the club's future into further doubt. The club have been given a deadline of 5pm TODAY.

EXCLUSIVE: The future of Bolton Wanderers is close to being secured - thanks to a £2m loan from the Professional Footballers' Association. The club have been in administration since May 13.

Bolton's players have finally been paid up to five months of overdue wages after the League One side went into administration back in May.

DANIEL MATTHEWS AT ADAMS PARK: Geoff has been watching Bolton Wanderers for 50 years. On Saturday he's at Adams Park with Pete, who is closing in on his own half-century.

The Trotters pulled the plug on their fixture at just 24 hours' notice due to welfare concerns for their young squad, who have been thrust into senior action amid the off-field problems at the club.

Hill is understood to be on the list Bolton want to have discussions with. The fact Hill would be obtainable without Bolton having to pay compensations is key given the club's financial predicament.

The EFL are dealing closely with Bury and Bolton and the latter are now at risk of being kicked out of the Football League if the protracted sale fails to materialise in the next 72 hours.

Bolton, one of the founding members of the Football League, are in a desperate fight to survive with the club hurtling towards liquidation if a deal to buy it cannot be revived.

Bury have been thrown out of the Football League in a move that is expected to spell the end for the 134-year-old outfit. Late on Tuesday night the EFL announced that the Shakers had been ejected.

The struggling club has delivered news to supporters that will provide the club with a future beyond the next two weeks after it was purchased by Football Ventures Limited.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: Sportsmail has learned that a proposal to bring in fixed sporting sanctions for missed games will be tabled as part of a wider discussion.

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: Coventry City midfielder Callum O'Hare has revealed the extent of a gruesome head injury he suffered in Saturday's 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers.

On Thursday night in Lausanne, Switzerland, three sprinters broke the 10-second barrier for the 100 metres: Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers. Gatlin’s 9.80secs was the quickest time in the world this year.

American sprinter Justin Gatlin finished the season undefeated in all of his 18 races with a 9.83 seconds 100 metre win at the IAAF world challenge meeting in Rieti on Sunday.

Sprinter Justin Gatlin ran into a new row on Tuesday when he flew home on the eve of the Beijing World Challenge, claiming organisers told him they did not want him competing.

Organisers of the Beijing World Challenge have denied that they kicked out Justin Gatlin from their meeting and said they were 'perplexed' by the controversial sprinter's claim.

The credibility of Alberto Salazar’s defence against doping allegations has been further undermined by an interview he gave about a controversial incident involving Justin Gatlin in 2006.

As Usain Bolt fulfilled his final media duties inside the Bird’s Nest stadium after winning 100m gold, with cleaners tidying around him and, a fan draped draped in the Jamaican flag screamed: ‘Yes Usain Bolt!'

KIT HOLDEN: For days on end, the manicured lawns at Bayern Munich's training ground lay empty. Not a ball in sight, not a Qatar Airways-branded tracksuit to be seen.

KIT HOLDEN: The love affair between Bayern Munich and Thomas Muller is one of modern football's immovable certainties. A local boy with a goofy grin, Muller is the apple of Bayern's eye.

PSG's Kylian Mbappe has been ranked as the fastest footballer in the world according to data from French newspaper Le Figaro, beating a lot of other famous speedsters.

Klopp is on the verge of winning the Premier League title with Liverpool, but it won't be the charismatic German's first domestic league title, having stormed the Bundesliga with Dortmund.

According to Bild, tests at all Bundesliga clubs were carried out on Friday - the day German clubs returned to training - which saw all those connected to Bayern get the all clear.

Sen. Bernie Sanders acknowledged 'you cannot win 'em all' as he congratulated former Vice President Joe Biden on his South Carolina victory Saturday.

Joe Biden snagged a trio of endorsements from his formal rivals in a show of force designed to give him momentum heading into the critical Super Tuesday contests and stop Bernie Sanders from winning.

Joe Biden, 77, was speaking at a campaign rally in Houston, Texas ahead of Super Tuesday voting today that will decide a third of the Democratic delegates on offer.

Joe Biden holds a 13-point lead over Bernie in new Reuters / Ipsos national poll, as the two candidates take their presidential nomination fight to two key midwest battlegrounds.

Both Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden are canceling their planned campaign events tonight in Cleveland due to coronavirus concerns. And CNN canceled audience for Sunday debate.

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believed playing Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in front of a full stadium was 'criminal'.

Thomas Partey's agent has dismissed claims made by the player's father, Jacob, that the Atletico Madrid star has entered negotiations to sign for Arsenal.

Diego Simeone's side prevailed at Anfield on March 11 to book their place in the Champions League quarter-finals but it came against a backdrop of sporting uncertainty because of Covid-19.

When James Rodriguez slammed home his sixth goal for Colombia at the 2014 World Cup, it was widely agreed that he had the potential to reach the very top. So where did it all go so wrong?

Darmian spent four years at United before joining Parma last summer, but saw Rashford make his first-team debut in his first year at the club before France midfielder Pogba joined a year later.

Amid unhappiness amongst relegation-threatened clubs on home advantage being lost, the Premier League made it clear last Friday that all 20 grounds could be used next season.

The Premier League may hold a seven-week 'festival of football' if the season resumes, however it must start by June 19 if it is to be completed, according to The Sun. 

Steve Parish has defended attempts to get the season back up and running amid the coronavirus pandemic, stressing not doing so would be a major financial blow to taxpayers and the football community.

If the sport is to return to complete the Premier League and EFL seasons then all matches will have to be played behind closed doors to maintain social distancing measures.

Sportsmail revealed on Sunday the Premier League want all 20 clubs to commit to doing everything they can to resume in order to prevent financial collapse.

Paul Ince has called on Manchester United to end the 'Paul Pogba circus', backing manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to build a side based around the 'United Way.'

Life is already beginning to return to the status quo in South Korea, with the coronavirus outbreak now seemingly under control and new cases in single digits following a February peak.

special' to the squad after overcoming a string of injuries and adjusting to life down south. While Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes Tierney has the ability to be a 'magnificent' player for Arsenal

Angel Di Maria's time in the Premier League was short lived, and it may not just have been to do with his form at Manchester United, as his wife has revealed the awful time she had in England.

The 37-year-old revealed she originally turned down the chance of her own TV chat show but in the end was persuaded by her husband and manager Brandon Blackstock to give it a try.

Kelly Clarkson stunned in a rhinestone-studded black dress at the Global Citizen Festival. She performed a duet version of Where You Lead with legendary songwriter Carole King.

The judges on The Voice got a big shock on Tuesday's show when they auditioned the last singer of the night.

The 43-year-old country star had everyone in tears on Tuesday's episode of The Voice after he symbolically tried to steal a struggling contestant.

Doctors Lina Bolanos, 38, and Richard Field, 49, were found dead in May 2017. Bampumim Teixeira, 33, is fighting a first-degree murder charge over the deaths.

Bampumim Teixeira (left), 33, who allegedly killed Boston doctors, Lina Bolanos and Richard Field in 2017, scrawled the words, 'he killed my wife,' on the wall of their home, a court heard on Tuesday.

The 44-year-old Los Angeles native gave a heartbreaking performance on Tuesday's episode of The Voice, but was sent home by Instant Save voters as the field narrowed to the top 10.