Multiple athletes have gone missing following the close of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, having not returned home with the rest of their teams.

According to sports website NBS Sport, four members of the Ugandan boxing team had not turned up for their scheduled flight, with one member stating the group’s intention to seek asylum and continue their boxing careers in Scotland.

The four were named as Nuhu Batte, Angel Katushabe, Ibrahim Kemis, and Emily Nakalema.

Similarly, Pakistan Today reported that boxer Qudratullah had not returned home after the conclusion of the Games on Sunday.

Statements Made After Athletes Go Missing

Glasgow 2026 spokesperson, Sophie Ashcroft, responds to the news

Isabel Infantes via Reuters

In what was considered a successful Games, Glasgow 2026 spokeswoman Sophie Ashcroft said: “Over the last two weeks, we have welcomed 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories of the Commonwealth to Glasgow.

“As athletes and support staff leave the city, we continue to work closely with wider partners – including Police Scotland, Border Force, and UK Visas & Immigration – to ensure a safe and secure conclusion to the Games.”

Police Scotland also release statement

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police Scotland has received reports of several athletes who are unaccounted for.

Isabel Infantes via Reuters

This is not the first time that the Commonwealth Games has been subject to athletes going missing, with the 2014 edition also in Glasgow seeing athletes unaccounted for after the conclusion of the competition – along with the 2018 edition in Australia seeing around 50 competitors remaining in the country after the Games.

Athletes’ accommodation at the Games ended two nights after each athlete’s sport had concluded, in accordance with the Games’ length of stay policy.

Enhanced checks on athletes entering the UK are understood to be carried out by the Home Office to determine who can compete in major sporting events like the Games.

Future claims by asylum seekers will be considered on individual merit, considering any evidence for and against eligibility.

It was a scandal that sparked countless headlines in the English football media. John Terry was alleged to have had an affair with Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge’s then-girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel.

At the time, Bridge was a star for both club and country, but his last game for either would come in 2009. The controversy would become the story of his career, with the left-back unable to escape reference to it wherever he went.

He would join Manchester City and spend numerous seasons out on loan before retiring in 2014 after a short spell at Reading. Now 17 years on from the scandal, Bridge has rebuilt his life away from football.

John Terry and Vanessa Perroncel Affair Scandal Explained

REUTERS/John Sibley

In late 2009, 23-year-old Bridge was at the peak of his powers. He’d won the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup with Chelsea, while establishing himself as a regular for England. He’d also formed a good friendship with fellow club and international defender Terry.

Bridge had been in a relationship with French model Vanessa Perroncel since 2005, and they had a son together the following year. In 2009, the left-back would leave for Man City and break up with his partner.

Not long after, reports in the media would claim that Terry, who was and remains married to this day, started visiting Perroncel and son Jaydon at their Surrey home. Although she has always maintained it was purely “friendship” and “cannot be described as an affair,” stories of an alleged romance began to break.

Initially, the press were blocked from reporting on the case after Terry’s lawyers got an injunction imposed, but it was lifted in January 2010 when the judge claimed the injunction was put in place not to safeguard Terry’s privacy but “to protect [his] reputation, in particular with sponsors.” This led to a wave of media coverage.

Terry Stripped of England Captaincy

It got to the point where Terry was stripped of the national team captaincy by England manager Fabio Capello. On top of that, Bridge quit international football to avoid his former Chelsea teammate, despite appeals from senior figures within the Man City squad who urged him to reconsider. Amid the drama, Capello said:

Although the affair was denied, fuel was added to the flames of speculation when Terry played against Bridge for the first time since the incident in February 2010. Ahead of the game, the left-back refused to shake hands with Terry.

Later that year, in October, more than eight months after the initial story was published, Perroncel got an apology from the News of the World, which read: “On January 31 and afterwards we published some personal information about Vanessa Perroncel in articles concerning an alleged affair with the footballer John Terry. Miss Perroncel has since informed us that she would have preferred her personal information to remain private and it was untrue in any case. We apologise to Miss Perroncel for any distress caused.”

By that point, the damage was long done. But what has happened to Bridge since?

Wayne Bridge’s Life Since Retiring

Bridge played his final England game against Brazil in November 2009, and retired from club football in 2014. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Bridge accumulated over £7m ($9m) throughout his sporting career and beyond, which has helped him rebuild his life in retirement.

Having split up with Perroncel in 2009, he would later begin a relationship with the Saturdays singer Frankie Sandford. The pair would get married in 2014 and have two sons together.

Bridge has remained in the public eye since retiring, but he hasn’t been heavily involved in football. He took part in the16th series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and finished in fifth place on the programme. He also attempted to form a career in boxing.

He beat Spencer Matthews via unanimous decision in an exhibition bout to raise funds for Sport Relief and later agreed to face KSI in 2025. However, he pulled out of the fight two days later following the influencer’s outburst regarding his ex-girlfriend’s alleged affair with Terry, as he said:

“Wayne Bridge, aren’t you the guy that let John Terry smash your ex? Bridge responded: “You want to go there straightaway do you?” The former England defender later claimed that KSI “crossed a line” by raising the scandal, and he has yet to step back into the boxing ring.

Lately, Bridge has shown he doesn’t have a total aversion to football, as he now hosts The Dressing Room Podcast alongside fellow former footballers Joe Cole and Carlton Cole. He is also known to enjoy playing poker.

In 2020, it was reported that the defender is ‘still not on speaking terms’ with Terry. There’s been no indication that this has changed in the time since.

Manchester United have opened the door to a deal with Juventus for striker Joshua Zirkzee to leave on loan, according to Sky Sports Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

The Red Devils have been in the market to bolster their squad all summer, with manager Michael Carrick keen to strengthen in a number of positions ahead of the return to the Champions League this season.

But there are also expected to be some departures from within the squad as they look to balance things up, and it has now emerged that Zirkzee could be on the verge of a departure.

Juventus Ready to Strike Zirkzee Deal

Zirkzee, who has been described as ‘elite’, made the move to Old Trafford from Bologna two summers ago for around £36.5m but has struggled for form and scored just nine goals in 75 appearances for the club.

The Netherlands international has fallen behind Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha in the pecking order for the central striker role under Carrick, and an exit from the club this summer is now expected as he searches for more regular first-team football.

A return to Italy has been mooted, and it has now emerged that Juventus are ready to strike a deal for his signature after Man Utd opened the door to a potential loan.

Zirkzee is understood to be ready to leave the club in his pursuit, with advanced talks reported to have been underway for over a week.

A return to Italy is expected to help Zirkzee return to his best level and potentially claim a spot back in the Netherlands squad, after he missed out on a trip to the World Cup following his lack of appearances.

Juventus are looking to build a super attack and Zirkzee is seen as the perfect foil for new signings Randal Kolo Muani and Kerim Alajbegovic.

Zirkzee Set to Leave Man Utd

Zirkzee’s arrival at the club made a lot of sense at the time as the club looked for an alternative option to Rasmus Hojlund in attack, but it hasn’t really worked out for either party.

The player needs to play more regularly in order to find his ryhthm, and while Carrick would give him some minutes in the season, the reality is that he isn’t the best stylistic fit for how the manager wants to play and a move away suits everyone.

Juventus are ready to make their move, and United can get a decent deal at this stage of the player’s contract and transfer window, so it feels like a deal that is almost inevitable.