INSIDE SPORT: Ivan Toney cleared to travel as part of England’s World Cup squad despite remaining on bail, why Sam Quek raised eyebrows at the BBC – and the latest in the adidas/Nike battle

Ivan Toney will head to the US with England for the World Cup despite remaining on bail in connection with an alleged assault in a London club. Toney has not been charged by police.

Met Police have confirmed to Inside Sport that the investigation into the December incident, which left a man in hospital, remains ongoing. 

At the time, it had been suggested that the former Brentford striker, currently plying his trade in Saudi Arabia, may have believed he was the target of a theft, given he was wearing jewellery and an expensive watch.

Often, special permission is needed to travel for those in similar situations. 

However, Toney’s bail is unconditional and he has been granted a visa, meaning he is free to cross the Atlantic with Thomas Tuchel and the Three Lions.

England is guaranteed to have someone in the World Cup final. Katie Gilbourne may not be a name known to many but she has become the first female to ever be chosen to have the leading role in the biggest game in football. 

The Nottingham-based freelancer will operate camera one (which shows the main view of the pitch) during the showpiece game in New Jersey Stadium on July. 

Inside Sport understands that FIFA chose Gilbourne ahead of the rest due to her growing reputation as one of the best in the business.

Time may well have stood still for Nasser Al-Khelaifi when Arsenal’s Gabriel stepped up to take what proved to be the decisive penalty in Saturday night’s Champions League final. 

According to insiders, the Paris Saint-Germain president’s watch stopped working eight weeks ago but he kept it on as he felt it was a lucky omen. 

The Qatari also told friends that his WHOOP – a health tracking device – told him he had run a half marathon, despite having been sat down for 120 minutes on a drama-filled night in Budapest.

Eyebrows were raised within the BBC when it transpired that former Question of Sport captain and Olympic gold medallist Sam Quek was to host coverage of the controversial Enhanced Games. 

The former hockey player turned broadcaster worked on the so-called Doping Games in Las Vegas earlier this month. 

Beeb insiders are thought to be unimpressed and it will be interesting to see if the 37-year-old, who hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in her native Liverpool in 2023, returns to the broadcaster.

Saturday’s Champions League final was a classic adidas versus Nike battle: with PSG in Nike, while Arsenal are sponsored by adidas.

Adidas remain ball supplier and official sponsor for the competition and so have the rights to use the trophy and ball and reference the game itself in their marketing. But when the Nike team wins, they can’t feature their individually-sponsored players in their PSG/Nike kit.

Nike, meanwhile, can use PSG imagery all they want with their players, but can’t directly reference the competition or trophy they have just won.

For 2027-28 it all changes, with Nike taking over the long-coveted ball supplier. However, expect similar brand contortions at this summer’s World Cup.

Meanwhile, seasoned observers of World Cup boot brand campaigns have noted the distinct similarity between adidas’ Timothee Chalamet film Backyard Legends, complete with three versus three fantasy ‘squads’ of famous players taking each other on in a rough and ready hyper-cool tournament, and the Nike Secret Tournament ad from 2002, featuring…three versus three fantasy ‘squads’ of famous players taking each other on in a rough and ready hyper-cool tournament. ‘

There really is no such thing as a new idea,’ one veteran of the ongoing swoosh versus three-stripe wars told Inside Sport.