demolishes

A NON-LEAGUE club has demolished the wall that was struck by former Arsenal star Billy Vigar leading to his tragic death.

The Chichester City ace collided with the pitchside barrier during the Isthmian Premier Division game at Wingate and Finchley last month.

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Vigar, 21, was placed into an induced coma following the accident after he hit his head against the wall.

The game was suspended just 15 minutes in and was abandoned completely after he had been airlifted to hospital.

He had suffered a serious brain injury, and an operation was unable to save his life.

He sadly died just days later on September 25.

Following the tragedy, the FA insisted that it would carry out a safety review of perimeter walls in the National League.

But officials at Wingate and Finchley have already made steps to increase safety around the pitch at the Maurice Rebak Stadium.

The Daily Mail has reported that work has been commissioned to make improvements.

The ground did comply with current regulations, but the club has now demolished the wall completely.

It follows on from a petition calling on brick walls around pitches to be banned reached over 4,000 signatures.

On the immediate review, a FA spokesperson said: “[It woudl] include looking at ways we can assist National League system clubs to identify and implement additional measures at their stadiums that they determine will help to mitigate any potential safety risks.”

Meanwhile, the PFA called for an investigation and demanded that players should “not be put at unnecessary and avoidable risk”.

Vigar, from Worthing, West Sussex, spent his youth career with Arsenal after joining at age 14 and signed a professional contract in July 2022.

He worked his way up to the U21 team in North London, alongside loan spells with Derby County U21 and Eastbourne.

He left the club permanently in 2024 after being unable to progress to the senior team, joining Hastings United in the Non-League Premier before his move to Chichester.

Full statement from Arsenal

Everyone at Arsenal Football Club is deeply sorry to hear of the tragic passing of Chichester City forward and former Arsenal academy player, Billy Vigar.

Billy joined our academy on schoolboy terms aged 14, after being scouted at his hometown club Hove Rivervale FC and excelled as a striker at Hale End, scoring 17 goals in his debut season.

In 2020, his performances earned him a scholarship and joined us full-time for the 2020/21 season, his intake including current players Charles Sagoe Jr, Remy Mitchell and others such as Omari Hutchinson, Charlie Patino and Brook Norton-Cuffy.

Quick, powerful and fiercely determined, his first season as a scholar was blighted by a serious hamstring injury, but he made up for it in his second, scoring four goals in 18 under-18 appearances and signed professional terms for the club at the end of that 2021/22 season.

Billy went on to appear for us in the PL2 and EFL Trophy and proved to be an asset across the forward positions and even deputised in defence – his versatility illustrating his commitment to the coaching staff and his team.

He enjoyed loan spells at Derby County and Eastbourne Borough and at the end of the 2023/24 season,  headed back to his native south coast, signing for Hastings United – prior to a move to Chichester just last month.

As well as his significant talent, Billy will always be remembered for his love of the game, pride at representing our football club – he once called the day he was spotted by our scouts as ’the most Important of his life’ – and a character beloved by teammates and coaches alike.

Our deepest condolences go out to the Vigar family and his many friends at this extremely difficult time.

The world tennis No 1 beat Bublik in the round of 16, losing just three games and reversing a shock loss to the Kazakh in June.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner said he enjoyed the vibe of playing under the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights after he continued his hardcourt Grand Slam run by hammering 23rd seed Alexander Bublik to make the US Open quarterfinals.

The Italian tennis player came into the match on Labour Day, seeking his 25th straight major match win on his preferred surface, and never looked in danger against a tricky rival, bolting out of the blocks to win 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 on his night session debut this year.

“It’s always special to go on Ashe to play,” Sinner said after the match on Monday.

“Night matches, they’re a bit different because there’s a bit more attention, I feel. It’s a different vibe, also, around the court. It’s very loud. It’s also different to play.

“It was the first time for me this year. It was nice. You have the good and the bad if you play in the evening. It’s very special, and you feel very privileged to step onto court in the night on the biggest court we have.”

A mere 81 minutes after the clash began, Sinner was back in the locker room after gaining revenge for a shock defeat by Bublik on June 20, in the Halle Open final – his only loss to a player not named Carlos Alcaraz this year.

“We know each other well. We’ve had some tough battles this year, so we know each other a bit better,” the top-seeded Sinner said.

“He had a tough match last time [against Tommy Paul], finishing late. He didn’t serve as well as he does. I broke him in every set, and it gave me the confidence to play well.”

A double break helped Sinner build a 4-0 lead before Bublik could even get on the board, and the dominant 24-year-old chased down a drop shot to fire home a deep backhand winner that wrapped up the opening set with another break.

Bublik’s attempts to disrupt Sinner’s rhythm with more drop shots proved futile, but it was his service errors that left him trailing by two sets, before Sinner wheeled away to his eighth straight grand slam quarterfinal.

Up next is a meeting with compatriot Lorenzo Musetti. Sinner said it would be a great occasion for Italian tennis.

“It’s great to see. Italian tennis is in great form. We have so many players and different game styles,” he said.

“Lorenzo is one of the biggest talents we have in our sport. I’m looking forward to this one. From an Italian point of view, it’s great to have for sure one Italian player in the semis.

“I know that there are a lot of Italian players in the crowd. It makes everything special.”

Israeli forces demolish houses in Jenin refugee camp, local sources report, as assault continues for third week.

The Israeli army has demolished several Palestinian homes in the Jenin refugee camp as it continues the deadly raids across the occupied West Bank that it launched on January 21.

Explosions echoed throughout the camp overnight as Israeli forces demolished the civilian homes, Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, reported on Friday.

Witnesses said Israeli forces reinforced their presence around the camp and conducted intensive drone surveillance.

The army also continues to besiege Jenin Governmental Hospital, having bulldozed the main entrance and the main road leading to it earlier in its raids.

Earlier this week, it carried out the demolition of residential blocks in Jenin for the first time since 2002, as reported by Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub.

The Israeli military offensive, which launched two days after a ceasefire was agreed in Gaza, has targeted Jenin city, its refugee camp and surrounding towns, killing 25 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Nearly 90 percent of the camp’s population has been forcibly displaced with many seeking refuge in 39 villages and towns across Jenin governorate.

Israeli forces also stormed several areas in the Ramallah governorate and assaulted and detained two Palestinians in the Old City of Hebron as they were distributing bread.

In Beita, south of Nablus, Israeli forces assaulted ambulance crews during a raid, wounding a paramedic, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Israeli soldiers fired stun grenades directly at the ambulance, damaging the vehicle as it was responding to an emergency, it said.

Military assault on Tulkarem

For the 12th consecutive day, Israeli forces also continued their wide-scale military assault on Tulkarem city and its refugee camp in the western West Bank, causing extensive damage to infrastructure and civilian property.

Over the past few days, the Israeli army has arrested dozens of Palestinians, forced hundreds of families to flee their homes and killed four Palestinians, including a child and a journalist.

Israeli forces have also turned Palestinian homes in Tulkarem and its camp into military outposts after evicting their residents.

Witnesses told Turkiye’s Anadolu news agency that the Israeli army carried out mass arrests in eastern Tulkarem city.

Wafa reported that the Israeli army continues to besiege Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital. It is also occupying the adjacent al-Adawiya commercial complex, having converted it into a military base and surveillance post.

Tulkarem Governor Abdullah Kamil confirmed in a statement that 85 percent of the camp’s population had been displaced due to the Israeli military assault.

Offensive in Tubas

In the northern West Bank for the sixth consecutive day, the Israeli army continued its offensive in Tammun and the Far’a refugee camp in Tubas governorate.

Israeli forces have been conducting house-to-house searches in Tammun under the cover of air strikes with drone attacks targeting various locations in the town.

While no casualties have been reported, residents are suffering from a severe shortage of supplies and a near-total power outage.

The Israeli army has also made many arrests and conducted interrogations of Palestinians in the area.

In the Far’a camp, sources reported that Israeli forces targeted infrastructure, cutting off electricity and water supplies to most residents.