Today’s back pages: Beardsley ban, Gatland snub, Emery vote

Beardsley snub

Wembley will host England’s 1,000th match on Wednesday, but amid the celebrations one former player will be conspicuous by his absence – although he is plastered all over the back pages of the tabloids today.

All players with 50 or more England caps have been invited to the game, but Peter Beardsley, who has 59 England caps, has not been invited to the game on account of accusations of racism against him.

The former Liverpool and Newcastle forward was found guilty of “racially abusing black players while he was coach of Newcastle United Under-23s - although he strenuously denied the claims”, reports the Daily Mirror.

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“The panel concluded that Beardsley was ‘not a racist’ but that the incidents in question were ‘obviously racist and wholly unacceptable’.

“The ban expires on April 29, 2020 and it is understood that the FA decided on balance that it would not be appropriate for him to join his former international colleagues at this showpiece occasion.”

Gatland turns down New Zealand

The Daily Telegraph meanwhile leads with the revelation that former Wales coach Warren Gatland has turned down the opportunity to coach the All Blacks as he is committed to the Waikato Chiefs in the Super Rugby competition and has also pledged to lead the British and Irish Lions on their tour of South Africa in 2021.

Gatland, who has published his autobiography, told the Telegraph: “I was asked to apply for the position now and I’ve gone back to them to say I won’t be putting my name forward, because at this point I’ve made a commitment to the Chiefs and I’ve made a commitment to the Lions.”

VAR row continues

The Times leads with the ongoing controversy over the video assistant referee VAR situation, and effort to iron out the system.

All 20 Premier League clubs will meet the referees organisation this week “with a concerned group of chairmen and chief executives calling for answers over the inconsistent introduction of technology that they feel is damaging their league.

“The main concern is the damage to the global reputation of the Premier League, with talk more focused on VAR than on the quality of the football being played. There is also concern over the lack of communication to fans inside the stadiums,” says the paper.

Emery clings on at Arsenal

Meanwhile the travails of Arsenal manager Unai Emery feature on the Metro and Independent back pages. The Spaniard has been given the dreaded vote of confidence by the head honchos at the Emirates, who say they hare the frustrations of fans but are not ready to wield the axe just yet.