Football Extras: What happened to coach who tried to turn Bolt into soccer player

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Mike Mulvey, the man who tried to turn Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt into a professional soccer player, has been sacked by the Central Coast Mariners after a thumping defeat in the A-League.

The Mariners issued a statement just before 1 a.m. (1400 GMT) on Sunday stating that it "has parted ways with head coach Mike Mulvey, effective immediately".

The decision came less than two hours after the Mariners were thumped 8-2 by the Wellington Phoenix in the A-League clash in Gosford.

It equalled a record for the highest scoring match in the A-league since its inception in 2005 and the Mariners' worst defeat. They were also beaten 8-2 by the Newcastle Jets in the final round last season.

Mulvey was appointed ahead of the 2018-19 season after the Mariners finished last in the 10-team league.

They have won one and drawn four of their 21 games this season and are mired at the bottom of the table with seven points. There is no relegation in the league.

The club said they still had not made a decision on Mulvey's replacement with six games remaining in the A-League's regular season.

The 56-year-old Mulvey's pre-season was dominated by the club's decision to give eight-times Olympic sprint champion Bolt an extended trial as he pursued his ambition to play professional soccer.

Bolt, who retired from athletics after the 2017 world championships in London, had previously trained with Germany's Borussia Dortmund, South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns and Norway's Stromsgodset before moving to Central Coast.

After some stuttering performances, where Bolt himself said he was still struggling to adapt, the 32-year-old was offered a contract by the Mariners last October but only if an external third party would top up the financial terms.

Mulvey said at the time that Bolt would not be in the squad but they were keen for him to remain at the club, playing at a lower level.

Bolt's management and the Mariners, however, were unable to come to terms on a contract and the club ended the trial in early November.

It is the second time Mulvey has been sacked by an A-League club after he left the Brisbane Roar in 2014, months after he had guided them to a third title.

US women's head coach Ellis supports players' lawsuit

US women's national soccer team coach Jill Ellis threw her support behind her players on Saturday after all 28 members of the reigning World Cup champions' squad filed a suit against US Soccer for gender discrimination.

The lawsuit alleges that the women players were paid less than their male counterparts despite performing better, and were provided with inferior playing and training conditions.

"I'm definitely in support," Ellis told reporters, adding that the players called her before announcing the lawsuit but did not discuss it with her ahead of filing it.

Ellis, who as head coach is employed by the US soccer federation, is in a unique position as both a representative of the players and the athletic body targeted in the lawsuit.

"(I) recognise moments where we have to continue to push the envelope," Ellis said. "It's not hard to navigate because I'm in that world and my players know I support them."

The lawsuit rekindled the debate around gender pay equality and garnered the support of sports' biggest stars, including 23-time tennis grand slam champion Serena Williams.

"The pay gap has been there for a very long time. And this is across all industries. And soccer was no different," said two-times gold medallist Aly Wagner, who was part of the 2008 Olympic team with plaintiffs Tobin Heath and Carli Lloyd.

"I know what we went through when I was playing," Wagner said. "Things weren't always equitable."

The US women's national soccer team, a stalwart of American athletics with three World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals to their name, will enter this year's women's World Cup in June among the favourites to win the tournament.

Leslie Osborne, who played for the US women's team in the 2007 World Cup, said the suit was overdue.

"(The players) know that they have leverage going into this next women's World Cup," Osborne said.

"I think the fact that they are doing this – and every single player is doing it together – is so strong and their voice is going to be heard regardless," she added.

"And people from all over the world are watching this team go through this."

VAR will help Premier League referees next season, says Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he expected the video assistant referee (VAR) system to rid the Premier League of controversial refereeing decisions after his side scored a goal against Watford that was initially flagged offside on Saturday.

City's opening goal by Raheem Sterling in their 3-1 win sparked controversy after referee Paul Tierney changed his mind about the offside call following a discussion with his assistant.

"There should be an easy solution and next season there will be. With VAR, that will not be a problem, it will be fairer," Guardiola told reporters.

"The game is so fast and so quick, even the people sat here don't know if it is offside or onside. If we have doubts here, imagine how it is for the referee who has to make a decision in a split second.

"I am so sorry and I apologise to Javi (Gracia) and to Watford if the first goal is offside."

Other Premier League managers have backed the introduction of VAR, including Arsenal's Unai Emery who suggested that the system might prevent game-changing decisions going the wrong way.

Guardiola said the Premier League was lagging behind other European countries which had already implemented VAR in their top-flight leagues.

"Hopefully next season, like in Europe, they can accept that we install VAR in this situation and it will be fair," Guardiola added.

"Manchester City voted to install VAR this season. Some other clubs did not accept it."

The Champions League has also implemented VAR in the knockout stages this season and UEFA has released statements on its website to explain its use of the system and justify decisions made by the referees in the last-16 matches so far.