Wales are winless in four matches in 2026 and missed out on qualification for the World Cup after losing to Bosnia-Herzegovina on penalties in the play-off semi-finals in March.

Speaking before his side’s friendly fixtures against Ghana and Romania in June, Bellamy confirmed he had rejected club offers to commit his future to Wales.

But just weeks after the Red Dragons drew 1-1 with Ghana in Cardiff and lost 2-1 to Romania in Bucharest, it emerged that Bellamy was closing in on a return to Burnley, where he worked as an assistant to Vincent Kompany between 2022 and 2024.

Since it was confirmed Bellamy would not be joining Burnley, Wales assistant boss Piet Cremers has departed the FAW to become Club NXT boss while Chris Gunter left his role as head coach of the under-19s to join Oxford United.

Former Wales international Nia Jones feels Bellamy has bridges to build as his side prepare for a return to competitive action next month.

“[After] Turkey, his first game, he famously said it will be the worst we’ll ever be. It gets you excited, you’d want to go to war with him,” she said.

“The Bosnia game, he said we’re going all out, but we went out. He keeps saying things, and the more you say things and don’t back it up… He has got a tough job with the Nations League group, but the carrot that’s dangling is a home Euros for him.

“He’s got a bit of making up to do now given what’s happened in the last couple of months.”

Wales begin their Nations League campaign against Portugal in Lisbon on 24 September before facing Denmark in Copenhagen three days later.

Bellamy’s side then meet Norway and Denmark at Cardiff City Stadium in October.

The final two matches of the campaign take place in November with Wales travelling to Norway before hosting Portugal.

Colorado is hosting an open practice Tuesday for fans and reporters for the first time under coach Deion Sanders.

The catch: No reporting. And everyone attending must turn in their phones.

“Nothing observed at practice may be reported, published, posted, broadcast or otherwise shared in any form, on any platform, at any time,” CU said in an email. “If you are uncertain whether something is reportable, the answer is that it is not.”

Fans and media attending will be required to hand over their phones, which will be held by Colorado and returned after practice ends. Fan tickets to the practice sold out in a day.

Reporters are asked not to report or characterize injuries, player participation, depth charts, rotations, position changes, schemes, trick plays or situational packages in their reporting of the practice. They’re also asked not to report or characterize “individual player performance in team or competitive periods” or “any tactical, strategic or personnel information of any kind.”

“Violations of these guidelines may result in removal from the facility, revocation of credentials and restriction of future access for the individual and the outlet, consistent with CU Athletics media policies,” Colorado said in an email.

The vast majority of college football practices are closed to media and fans, a practice that grew in popularity in recent decades. Some programs host periodic open practices and also restrict reporting and speculating on injuries until coaches can address them at a later period.

Colorado has strictly limited media access to practice throughout Sanders’ tenure, with a select few exceptions during spring and preseason camp. Multiple YouTube channels that chronicle the program — most notably Well Off Media run by Deion Sanders Jr. — post daily clips of practice highlights and interactions between coaches and players.

The Buffaloes spent their first week of preseason camp in Colorado Springs, living at CU’s campus there and practicing at Fountain-Fort Carson High School.

Colorado went 3-9 last year under Sanders, dropping his record at CU to 16-21 in three seasons. The Buffaloes open their season Sept. 3 at Georgia Tech.

Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington said that her social media post about White privilege was not about her flagrant 2 foul on Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham on Saturday, but about a desire for “consistency across the board” in officiating, an issue that has sparked controversy throughout the WNBA season.

Carrington had posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on her Threads account and tagged the Indiana Fever shortly after her ejection from the game. She was whistled for a flagrant 2 foul after her left arm connected with Cunningham’s head and jaw as Cunningham was midair attempting a layup. The blow knocked Cunningham to the floor, but she quickly got up to confront Carrington before Fever teammate Makayla Timpson pulled her away.

“I’ve never once claimed that the assessment of the foul was White privilege (that was your assumption),” Carrington posted Monday on X, in response to commentary from sports analyst Emmanuel Acho, who said that the flagrant 2 decision was accurate. He also called her post “ignorant” and “asinine.”

“Furthermore, I’m the LAST thing from ignorant or asinine when it comes to speaking on ‘white privilege’, do ya research on that one,” Carrington continued. “I actually went to school, one of the top universities might I add, to educate myself on this exact subject. I would never use that term as a rhetorical weapon knowing the historical and social weight it holds without having the proper evidence to substantiate it.”

Carrington, who played four years at Stanford before transferring to Baylor, told reporters before the Sky’s game against the Seattle Storm on Monday night that her post was aimed at the league more broadly. She did not address why she tagged the Fever in her post.

“I would say that I would just love consistency across the board when it comes to things like that,” Carrington said when asked if Cunningham also should have received a technical by officials for her reaction to the foul.

“Whether it’s the foul that I committed, whether it’s the reaction, the retaliation, I would just love it to be consistent across the board regardless of the name on your jersey or your skin color or the score of the game, the stakes, whatever, I would love there to just be consistency when it comes to all of that,” Carrington continued. “I don’t think we’re there yet. That’s something that I’ve talked to the league about as well. I think that will eliminate a lot of frustrations that we all have.”

Criticism of officiating has been a growing issue for years in the WNBA, with complaints from players prompting the league to create a task force at the end of the 2025 season to examine areas for improvement. But officiating controversies have continued.

In her pregame comments, Carrington said she talked with the league about the situation.

“No, I don’t feel encouraged,” Carrington said about those discussions. “But that doesn’t mean you’re going to stop fighting for what I believe is right and that’s just consistency. Everyone would benefit from that. We’re all here to play our hardest and win games. There is never mal-intent with any of these things. So I think it would be fair to be consistent across the board when it comes to things like that.”

The WNBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After Saturday’s game, Cunningham said she thought Carrington’s foul was in response to Cunningham’s 2025 flagrant foul and ejection on Sky guard Jacy Sheldon, who then played for the Connecticut Sun. At the time, Sheldon and Carrington were not teammates. On Monday, Carrington said her foul was not intentional.

“Obviously, I’m just coming back from injury so maybe my timing or my lift wasn’t where it needs to get to, but … it was unfortunate I made contact with her in the way that I did, but it was never intentional,” she said. “Look, it might happen again. That’s just how I play, I’m always going to go all out and try to get a stop. I’m not just going to let an open layup happen. But … I’m never intending to hurt somebody regardless of anything outside noise or whatever the situation may be.”

Cunningham has been in the spotlight since the publication of an ESPN story last month in which she spoke in favor of excluding trans athletes from women’s sports. She was quoted as saying that she wants to “protect young girls in a locker room” and that they “shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” There have since been demonstrations and counterdemonstrations outside Fever games and teammates and opposing players and coaches have consistently been asked about the issue.

On Friday, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association released a statement denouncing “hate, abuse, and demonization” of the transgender community, but did not mention Cunningham specifically.