Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!

Currently adorned by a giant pin map of Europe boasting photos of pensive middle-aged men in gilets, a dizzying array of multi-coloured Post-it notes and thumb tacks connected by what looks like a drunken spider’s web of criss-crossed red string, the wall of Football Daily’s office currently resembles an incident-room crime board from an episode of Vera. With 18 different Bigger Cup matches due to kick off in different locations around the continent at the same time on Wednesday , we’re not about to go into the evening half-c0cked as the new all-singing, all-dancing 36-team group format reaches what promises to be a denouement so dramatic you could cover it in theatrical greasepaint and stage it on Broadway.

I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay, and that I’ve had real struggles dealing with hiding that. I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well – a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being. And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviours” – former Premier League referee David Coote on how his struggles with his sexuality contributed to the “really poor choices” that cost him his job last year. Meanwhile, Paul Field, chair of the Referees’ Association, believes Coote deserves to still have a continued role in the game.

As there was no Premier League football on last night I decided to spend my evening looking at photographs on the British Cultural Archive and I happened to chance upon some photos of 90s football culture . I’m well aware nostalgia is a liar that insists things were better than they actually were but it’s still a fascinating look at a simpler, less corporate time” – Noble Francis.

While watching highlights of Brighton v Everton, an advertisement hoarding and shirt sleeve message exhorting viewers to visit a town in Florida caught my attention. At first it seemed like a strange choice, but when I realised how dreary and cold it is along the south coast of England now, it made total sense to encourage people to Kissimmee from where the sun don’t shine” – Peter Oh.

With reference to Stephen Rankin’s comments about Iliman Ndiaye’s Seagull impersonation brightening a dull game ( yesterday’s Football Daily letters ), I might add that although this is an entertainment business, the referee was not entertained, but rather booked Ndiaye for excessive celebration. Not dissimilar to Richarlison (when at Everton) and his pigeon celebration. Perhaps The Knowledge can weigh in on a player being booked before for impersonating a bird (flightless or otherwise) during a game?” – Mr Hawtree.

How did the referee manage to discern what particular breed of bird Ndiaye was impersonating? Unless I missed him leaping into the stands and nicking someone’s chips” – Kevin Goddard.

• Teenager shown straight red after foul at Molineux
• Oliver will not referee Arsenal v Manchester City

Arsenal have appealed against Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card against Wolves and their game at home to Manchester City on Sunday will not be officiated by the referee at the centre of that controversy, Michael Oliver.

Lewis-Skelly, 18, became the third-youngest player dismissed in Premier League history when shown a straight red card by Oliver in the first half of Arsenal’s 1-0 win for taking down Matt Doherty in his own half. The decision was met with disbelief by pundits, with Alan Shearer calling it “one of the worst decisions that I’ve seen in a long time”.

Office of National Statistics projects population will reach 72.5m by mid-2032, with growth driven by migration

The UK population exceeded that of France for the first time on record, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The UK population is projected to reach 72.5 million by mid-2032, up nearly 5 million from 67.6 million in mid-2022, according to figures from the ONS.

Baby shark Yoko hatched in early January, flummoxing staff and experts at a US aquarium

Birds do it, bees do it. Even educated fleas do it, according to Cole Porter’s classic song on the universal nature of sex.

But a baby swell shark born in a Louisiana aquarium that houses only females has flummoxed marine experts and raised the possibility that the species may not require such earthly pleasures to produce offspring.

• Head coach only talks to forward when addressing squad
• Trafford council back plans for Old Trafford regeneration

Ruben Amorim’s relationship with Marcus Rashford has broken down to the extent that Manchester United’s head coach only speaks to the player when addressing the squad generally.

While Rashford last played for United in mid-December and has been selected by Amorim in only one matchday squad, when he was an unused replacement, the 27-year-old is training with the first team. However, Amorim does not have individual discussions with Rashford.

Planemaker grapples with problems at commercial and defense units and fallout from west coast workers’ strike

Boeing reported an annual loss of $11.83bn, its largest since 2020, as it grappled with problems at its commercial and defense units and the fallout from a crippling strike by US west coast factory workers.

The loss demonstrates the challenges facing CEO Kelly Ortberg in turning around the US planemaker as it cedes ground to rival Airbus in the delivery race and comes under the crosshairs of regulators and customers following a series of missteps.

Ditch the squeegee and upgrade to crystal-clear results with our tried-and-tested cordless window vacuums, from Kärcher to Tower

• The best robot vacuums to keep your home clean and dust free

They may sound similar but window vacuums aren’t like regular vacuum cleaners – you can’t wave one across your windows and watch the dirt leap in. That’s because window vacs don’t combat dust, but instead suck up water.

These handy gadgets lift excess moisture off windows and collect it in their water tanks. This makes them particularly useful in places prone to condensation and to help combat damp problems, such as black mould and rotting woodwork. They can also suck up the water after you’ve washed your windows or remove moisture from the shower and mirrors in a busy family bathroom.

Best overall window vacuum:
Kärcher WV2
_{£54.99 at Amazon}

Best budget window vacuum:
Tower TWV10
_{£31.49 at Amazon}

Best window vacuum for smaller living spaces:
Kärcher WV1
_{£39.99 at Kärcher}

Hosts have won series but futures of England’s captain Knight and coach Lewis may hinge on Melbourne result

Cricket Australia is expecting a record-breaking turnout for the Women’s Ashes Test that starts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday, with local fans excited by the possibility of the hosts sealing a 16-0 whitewash.

The record crowd for a women’s Test is 23,207, at Trent Bridge in 2023, but on Tuesday Cricket Australia’s CEO, Nick Hockley, confirmed they anticipate exceeding that in Melbourne this week.

The 81-year-old actor has revealed that he has no streaming services, has never sent an email, and doesn’t even know what time it is. Perhaps he has found true freedom

Perhaps the buzziest show on TV is Severance , a twisty-turny workplace drama that is available to anyone with a subscription to Apple TV+. Of course, there are ways to watch Severance without an Apple subscription. The primary one is: be Christopher Walken, because then they will send you DVDs of it.

Talking to the Wall Street Journal , Walken explained: “I don’t have technology. I only have a satellite dish on my house. So I have seen Severance on DVDs that they’re good enough to send me.” The reason Walken receives DVDs is because he is actually in Severance, which dramatically raises the bar for people who would also like to watch it on DVD.