In a gut-wrenching bit of news, former Rochdale AFC player and Manchester United academy product Joe Thompson has sadly been diagnosed with cancer for the third time.
Sharing the heartbreaking update on Friday, 12 April, Thompson, who previously represented the likes of Bury FC, Tranmere Rovers, Carlisle United, the 35-year-old has revealed that the recurring Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma has now spread to his lungs.
The ex-Dale midfielder also secured loan spells at Wrexham and Southport around a decade ago, but the cancer diagnosis tragically derailed his time at both clubs.
He ultimately decided to call time on his footballing career back in 2019 and after having twice recovered from the disease, he is now facing his third battle against cancer. Giving a moving interview with BBC Sport Manchester, he said explaining it to his kids has been the hardest part.
“The conversations are just difficult.”
Former footballer Joe Thompson has revealed his cancer has come back.
He’s told BBC Radio Manchester what it’s been like sharing the news with his children.
Joe Thompson speaks candidly about his third cancer diagnosis.
The father of two also sat down with his old club Man United, who came through the academy ranks alongside the likes of Tom Cleverley, Danny Drinkwater and more, confessing, “I don’t think you could walk this road alone”.
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Thompson went on to say: “It’s far from ideal but I know that the support is here from the club. My family are imperative in my life and they are constantly helping me at the moment.
“I feel like once I have voiced it and got it off my chest, I don’t feel as suffocated as I felt. Obviously, bringing it to the football audience I am hoping that the support will be there as it has been not once, but twice before.”
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He also stressed the importance of raising awareness, especially given this is his third stroke of misfortune, adding: “There are constant reminders and from the support you get, there are positive stories, so I feel morally obliged to be one of those that do that.”
The Thompson family have now set up a fundraising page, the description of which calls his story one of “resilience and hope”. We think that’s putting it lightly.
Reflecting on how his illness has already overshadowed his time as a father far too much, he explained that he is working with oncologists and scientists and “self-funding research to uncover the root cause of my recurring illness.”
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With that in mind, the GoFundMe is as much about cancer research as a whole as it is. Having barely been up for a few hours, nearly 500 people have already donated, putting a huge £35,000+ dent in their total target of £250k. You can donate HERE.
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
12th April 2024 
