التصنيف: أخبار

Westlife star Mark Feehily has announced he is “temporarily” standing down from all touring with the band due to what he called “health challenges”.

The 43-year-old Irish singer, who recently had surgery, said “my recovery must now become my absolute priority at this time”.

Feehily revealed he has “had ongoing medical problems” since he went for surgery in August 2020 and then developed “severe sepsis” due to a complication.

He described how over three and a half years he was treated in a hospital intensive care unit during COVID lockdown restrictions, was diagnosed with pneumonia and developed a large “incisional hernia” which needed surgery to fix.

“This would be my fourth major surgery since the start of it all, but I had no option,” Feehily said in a statement posted on Instagram.

“That surgery took place recently and thankfully it went according to plan but with that, my recovery must now become my absolute priority at this time.

“It is with the upmost level of regret that I must now temporarily stand down from all Westlife touring until a time that I have had a chance to fully recover from the turbulent journey I have been through as an individual.

“Believe me, I wish things could be different.”

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The singer is set to miss the band’s last shows of The Wild Dreams Tour, which has been taking place across the globe since 2022, and is due to head to the US and South America from 11 March.

Feehily went on to thank his family, bandmates and medical staff for their support, telling fans: “I have to make the right decision for my health and wellbeing, for my family, and for myself as a person. Please don’t worry.

“I will see you very soon beautiful people.”

The rest of the group – Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne – said they would “continue to fly the Westlife flag higher than ever” while wishing Feehily well.

His health battles have meant he missed some of Westlife’s shows back in 2022 after being diagnosed with pneumonia.

The band, alongside former member Brian McFadden, found fame after forming in 1998.

They disbanded in 2012 after 14 years of success, but reunited in 2018 without McFadden – who left the group in 2004.

Paul Pogba has been banned for four years over a doping offence – with the footballer arguing the verdict is “incorrect”.

The former Manchester United midfielder, who is now contracted to Italian giants Juventus, had tested positive for abnormal levels of testosterone.

This could potentially end his career at the top level, as he would be almost 35 by the time he’s allowed back on the pitch.

In a statement, Pogba said: “I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.

“When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations.

“As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against.”

Pogba is vowing to appeal the decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Frenchman, who won a World Cup with Les Bleus in his heyday in 2018, turns 31 next month, meaning he could be pushing 35 by the time he’s allowed back on the pitch.

The test, performed after Juventus’s 3-0 season-opening victory at Udinese on 20 August, detected the hormone, which increases endurance.

He was an unused substitute in that Serie A game.

Pogba’s positive test was also confirmed in a counter-analysis on a second sample in October, ultimately leading to the maximum sentence possible.

Juventus have not released a statement, but a source confirmed to the Reuters news agency the club has been notified and would assess the next steps.

Pogba chose not to make a plea bargain with the anti-doping agency, so the case was tried before the country’s anti-doping court.

The sentence has not been made public due to Italy’s privacy laws.

Due to injuries, he has made only eight appearances since moving back to Juventus in 2022 from Manchester United on a free transfer for a second time.

During his first spell with Juventus between 2012 and 2016, Pogba won plaudits for his performances in the Italian league and in European competition.

He has also impressed over the majority of his 91 appearances for France, particularly during the country’s 2018 World Cup campaign.

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But Pogba’s second spell at United – where he broke through as a youth player before moving to Juventus to play first-team football – is widely considered to be underwhelming.

Signed for a then-record fee of more than £80m, Pogba was an inconsistent performer for a dysfunctional United side that continued to struggle in the post-Alex Ferguson years.