English actress, Lucy Davis, has revealed that she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer about a year and a half ago, saying the disease has spread to her bones and is incurable.

Davis, best known for playing Dawn Tinsley in the BBC comedy series The Office, disclosed her diagnosis in a post on Instagram on Tuesday.

She said the cancer had metastasised to her spine, right hip and ribs, adding that it was “too late for chemo.”

“I wanted to share something with you all that I’ve kept to myself for a while but for various reasons would like to share now.

“A year-and-a-half ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, which has metastasized to my bones. Specifically to my spine, right hip and my ribs. The cancer is incurable, and too late for chemo.

“The initial lump that I felt, wasn’t a ‘lump’ as such; rather a kind of hard spot. Really tiny. I almost didn’t bother getting it checked. So I guess I’m saying don’t ignore anything – get everything checked out.

“As of now, I’m trying to live out whatever might be left of my life in as fun a way as I possibly can. I always like to find the teachable moments in anything negative that happens.

“And cancer has not disappointed in that regard; there’s a lot I have learned from it, and I’m grateful for that.”

Davis said she was not afraid of what would happen next and that she had made peace with her situation.

She added, “I’m not scared of whatever comes next. I’m at peace with it. I’ll see my Gracie sooner than expected, and for me, leaving my physical body just means going home. Any and all grieving is for my family; it’s far harder for them than for me.”

Davis is also known for her roles as Hilda Spellman in the Netflix series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Dianne in the horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead and Etta Candy in Wonder Woman.

Former Morocco international and adviser to the FIFA president’s office, Houssine Kharja, has delivered a staunch defence of Gianni Infantino, accusing Europe of trying to preserve its dominance over football.

Kharja rejects criticism surrounding the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) funding scheme, arguing that member associations were simply being offered a choice.

“First of all, we need to look at things in context,” he told SOCCER212. “The president (Infantino) made a proposal for every federation. He presented his vision and each federation had the right to accept it or reject it.”

He believes the reaction says more about the wider battle for control of football than the proposal itself.

“The real problem is that Europe feels threatened by this,” Kharja claimed. “They can see football making huge progress in other continents.

“The real ambition of FIFA and its president is to ensure that football is played and developed in every corner of the world.

“The proposed funding would not really have made a difference to the big European nations, but they would have been game-changing for 150 out of the 211 member associations.”

He sees the recent World Cup as evidence of what a ‘more global’ game can produce, pointing to the performances of smaller nations as one of the tournament’s defining features.

“That’s exactly what we saw at this last World Cup. The smaller nations were able to upset the bigger nations,” he said. “That’s the beauty of football.”

“Countries who once thought that competing was a distant dream were able to see that dream become a reality, thanks to the expanded tournament that FIFA introduced.”

He rejects UEFA’s argument that global football should remain free from private-sector influence, describing the position as ‘disingenuous’ and accusing European football of double standards.

“Do you know how many private stakeholders fund the European club leagues alone?” he said. “But nobody asks where that money comes from and it causes no outrage.

“It is hypocrisy, pure and simple. They want to prevent FIFA from doing the same thing they do themselves.”

Kharja reserves his strongest language for what he sees as Europe’s attempt to retain control of the game.

“Europe is simply afraid of losing its dominance of the game,” he said. “The real battle being waged by Europe is aimed at preserving its supremacy.

“The European authorities, accustomed to ruling over world football as if they were its masters, want to maintain their own monopoly.”

Takumi Minamino was delighted to return to Anfield as Liverpool faced AS Monaco for Sunday’s pre-season friendly.

The Japan international spent two-and-a-half years with the Reds after joining in January 2020, making 55 appearances and scoring 14 goals.

During his time at Liverpool, Minamino won the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup. Now a Monaco player, he missed the 3-2 victory over his former club through injury but was thrilled to revisit the stadium.

“I’m very happy to be back here. For me, this is a very special place,” Minamino told Liverpoolfc.com.

“I have a lot of special memories. But for me, one of the best memories was against Leicester City, the cup game (in December 2021).

“We were losing 2-3 and I scored the equalising goal. A cross from (James) Milner and I scored. And we won on penalties.

“That game, for me, is one of the best memories, with the fans.”