Sport

Hoax social media post that falsely claimed Rob Burrow had died slammed as ‘hateful and upsetting’

An absolutely vile rumour to spread. His poor family.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 31st May 2023

A hoax social media post that said Rob Burrow had died has been slammed by his former rugby league club as ‘hateful’.

Leeds Rhinos has urged people not to share social media content about Rob, after the fake post was shared some 13,000 times.

The club assured fans that Rob, who suffers with motor neurone disease, was ‘fine’ at home with his family getting ready for the bank holiday weekend, The Hoot reports.

The former rugby star is sadly no longer able to walk or talk as a result of the condition, which affects the brain and nerves.

Over the weekend, a fake page pretending to be Leeds Rhinos shared that Rob had sadly died in a sick hoax post.

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The actual Leeds Rhinos page condemned the ‘hateful’ social media post and reported the page to Meta, Facebook’s parent company.

In a statement about the hoax content, Leeds Rhinos said: “Please do not share any content on social media regarding Rob Burrow.

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“A fake account was set up today on Facebook to spread hateful news that is totally untrue and upsetting for the family.

“Rob is fine and looking forward to enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend with his family. We have reported the offensive to Meta and hope it will be taken down as soon as possible.”

Throughout his illness, Rob Burrow has tirelessly raised awareness for the devastating condition, with the help of his former team mate and best friend Kevin Sinfield.

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Most recently, that included the first Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon, which raised over £4 million for over 300 different charities.

And who could forget the heartwarming moment Kevin carried Rob over the finish line? Real tears were shed.

You can donate to the Rob Burrow Fundraising page here.

Featured image: BBC

Sport

Andy Cole makes the case for Ivan Toney as a January transfer target for Manchester United

Danny Jones Danny Jones Andy Cole suggests Man United should sign Ivan Toney

Manchester United legend Andy Cole has suggested that Manchester United should consider making sidelined striker Ivan Toney their next transfer target in the January window as they look to strengthen their side.

The Brentford striker is currently serving an eight-month ban following a total of 232 breaches of FA rules for gambling offences and hasn’t played since May but is, nevertheless, still considered one of the best centre-forwards in the Premier League and earned his first England call-up back in March.

Following an Athletic report which claimed an unnamed football agent has now confirmed Toney is “destined” to leave the West London club once he returns to the fold, the former Man United player and prolific number nine has said he believes Toney would be a good addition.

In an interview with Betfred, the 51-year-old said of Toney, “I like him. If Manchester United did move to sign Ivan, then he’s only going to make them a little bit better than they find themselves at this exact moment.”

The 27-year-old recently opened up on his addiction problem on The Diary of a CEO podcast with Stephen Bartlett and detailed how he plans to come back stronger than ever.

“He’s been a key player for Brentford and he’s scored plenty of goals for them in the Premier League”, says Cole; “if the opportunity came up, then why shouldn’t Manchester United consider signing him?”

While he did go on to say that the prospect depends on what the club’s recruitment plan is going forward, he insisted that given Toney’s experience at the top level now and that he’s commonly considered in his ‘prime’ years now, he could add more goal threat.

Cole even went on to suggest that Toney could form a partnership up top for United, adding, “he could even help Rasmus Højlund come through.” Højlund scored his first goal on his Champions League debut for the club in their 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich.

Although he acknowledged that it might be a step up for the forward, it goes without saying that Erik ten Hag‘s team are in a difficult period right so far this season, not to mention with absences and injuries piling up, and he also compared the potential challenge to his own move up the football pyramid.

“When I moved from Bristol City to Newcastle, did people believe I could make the step up? I don’t think they did, but I was able to. When I moved from Newcastle to Man United, did people believe I could make the step up? I don’t think so but I proved that I could, so it’s all about giving players the opportunity…”

Cole believes Ivan Toney to United would be a similar step up. (Credit: Newcastle United/Manchester United)

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“You’re never going to know whether they’re capable or not until they’re given the opportunity to show that they can do it.” Cole also argued that regardless of his well-publicised off-field issues with betting, like with United’s other ongoing dramas at present, they “shouldn’t have an impact on the players”.

Citing Brighton’s Evan Ferguson as another “really good player” that many clubs will be interested in come January and next summer, he said that the likelihood of him signing him is less favourable, noting that “if [he’s] scoring hat-tricks in the Premier League, then he’s already worth around £100 million now by that comparison.”

In contrast, with Toney’s time at Brentford somewhat soured by his struggles with gambling and criticising the club in the past, manager Thomas Frank has already admitted that he could leave “if the price is right” and given his conduct issues, it could be a more affordable one for the likes of United.

When speaking in his tell-all podcast interview back in August, Toney did reveal that he’s been a Liverpool fan all his life but that he “like[s] watching Arsenal and how they play and kind of how passionate the fans are”.

The Gunners have already been linked with a possible £50 million sweep for his signature but we’ve seen plenty of targets snapped up by rival clubs already this season. Would you take Ivan Toney at Old Trafford, United fans?

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Ivan Toney/Andy Cole (via Instagram)

Sport

Sale Sharks Academy raise over £17,000 for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital after completing Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon

Danny Jones Danny Jones Sale Sharks raise £17k for Manchester Children's Hospital Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon

Sale Sharks’ Academy team have managed to raise over £17,000 for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital after completing the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon earlier this year.

The inaugural Leeds Marathon, named after former rugby league icon and motor neurone disease campaigner Rob Burrow, took place back in May with more than 12,000 people taking part and over £4 million raised in charitable donations for various worthy causes. Immense.

While MND was obviously a key focus of the event after Burrow was diagnosed with the condition in December 2019, those joining in could choose to fundraise for any organisation and, in the instance of the Sale Sharks, they chose something close to home and their hearts.

Running the 26.2 miles in aid of the RMCH, the largest children’s hospital in the UK, Sharks Academy manager Fergus Mulchrone and six members of his backroom staff raised a whopping total of £17,048.

The Sale Sharks Academy team have done wonders for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital funding.

With help from Peninsula, who committed to matching the amount raised by Mulchrone and his coaches, the team saw their total of £7,303 raised through their JustGiving page alone, along with further donations amassed in the build-up and after the event, doubled by the organisation.

Teaming up with the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Peninsula agreed to double the total donations figure provided the Sharks hit their target; that’s exactly what they did and then some.

Following their impressive feat, the hospital tweeted: “Congratulations to Sale Sharks who ran the Leeds Marathon AND hit their £5,000 fundraising target. They’re the first to raise the £5K eligible for match-funding by Peninsula in our ‘Making a Difference…Together’ scheme.”

The initiative, which is set to run throughout the entirety of 2023, saw the HR, health and safety firm set aside £100,000 to encourage businesses to do their bit and help raise money for the hospital.

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Well done to Mulchrone and the rest of the runners, as well as everyone who donated to the deeply important charity and healthcare institution.

Elsewhere in rugby union, Fergus’ brother Charlie also recently completed five back-to-back marathons in 24 hours, raising nearly £12k for a mental health charity and an organisation that helps home parents of those in hospice care.

It might be over in The Hoot‘s territory but we’ll never forget watching Oldham’s very own Kevin Sinfield carrying his mate Rob over the finish line — one of the most tear-jerking moments of 2023/in sporting history — and seeing the friendship celebrated over the past few years has warmed our hearts.

Their story has captured the nation and has already made sure that the now annual Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon will be even bigger and better next year.

Kevin Sinfield surprised with beautiful artwork commemorating his inspiring friendship with Rob Burrow

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Sale Sharks (via Twitter)/MNDA (via Instagram)

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