[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-arokodare-wolves-training-cancelled-pitch-standoff":82,"category-counts-nav":96,"related-arokodare-wolves-training-cancelled-pitch-standoff":106},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":85,"badge":86,"author":87,"excerpt":88,"date":89,"readTime":90,"image":91,"imageAlt":83,"tags":92,"body":94,"_path":95},"Arokodare Refuses to Leave Pitch, Forces Wolves Training Cancellation","arokodare-wolves-training-cancelled-pitch-standoff","football","Football: Feature","James Chen","Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare's refusal to leave the pitch led to a training session being scrapped entirely.","2026-07-22 16:06:03","2 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F452a\u002Flive\u002F296641b0-85dd-11f1-9837-c51febdbeb82.jpg",[37,93],"Wolves","## Tolu Arokodare refuses to leave the pitch, cancels Wolves training\n\nWolves striker **Tolu Arokodare** forced the cancellation of a first-team training session after refusing to leave the pitch. The Nigerian forward declined instructions from coaching staff, who shut the session down. No specific trigger has been made public. Arokodare was asked to leave, he said no, and training stopped.\n\n## January signing from Genk stuck on the margins\n\nWolves signed Arokodare from Belgian side **Genk** in the **January 2024 transfer window** to add competition in attack alongside **Matheus Cunha**. At Genk, Arokodare had been a regular goalscorer in the Pro League.\n\nAt Molineux, his Premier League appearances have been limited to cameos off the bench and cup outings. For a striker who moved to England expecting to compete for a starting role, the absence of minutes has produced visible frustration.\n\n## No leverage for a squad player to burn\n\nRefusing to leave a training pitch carries different consequences depending on who does it. **Carlos Tevez** refused to warm up for Manchester City against Bayern Munich in 2011 and eventually returned to the squad. **Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang** was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy after a disciplinary breach but still secured a move to Barcelona.\n\nArokodare holds neither the status nor the track record to absorb a public standoff. As a fringe player yet to establish himself in the Premier League, the club holds the stronger position. Wolves can fine him internally, freeze him out of matchday squads, or move him on in the next window.\n\n## Gary O'Neil losing a session he needed\n\nThe incident comes during a difficult run in the **Premier League** for Wolves. Manager **Gary O'Neil** cannot afford disruptions to squad cohesion while managing a congested fixture list. Losing a full training session to a single player's protest wastes time the group does not have.\n\nThe episode also raises questions about Wolves' recruitment planning in attack. Signing a striker without a clear route into the team creates the exact situation now unfolding: a player with nothing to play for in the short term, and no private resolution forthcoming.\n\n## One empty pitch, two parties stuck\n\nWolves and Arokodare need to talk. If they can agree on a role and a pathway, the relationship may survive. If neither side moves, the next transfer window offers a clean break.\n\nFor now, the entire squad lost a training session because one player would not walk off the pitch.","\u002Farticles\u002Farokodare-wolves-training-cancelled-pitch-standoff",[97,98,99,100,85,101,102,103,104,105],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","general","golf","mma","long-reads","tennis",[107,119,131],{"id":108,"stem":108,"path":109,"title":110,"category":85,"badge":55,"badgeType":111,"author":87,"authorRole":112,"authorInitials":113,"date":114,"readTime":115,"image":116,"imageAlt":110,"tags":117,"excerpt":118},"mcinnes-rangers-unveiling-press-conference-analysis","\u002Farticles\u002Fmcinnes-rangers-unveiling-press-conference-analysis","McInnes at Rangers: Substance Over Soundbites","category","Senior Football Analyst","JC","2026-06-24 17:34:55","5 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F599b\u002Flive\u002F7797f820-6fe8-11f1-a9c4-37da5d161ee0.jpg","Scottish Premiership, Rangers","Derek McInnes' first Rangers press conference revealed a manager prioritizing structural discipline over instant platitudes.",{"id":120,"stem":120,"path":121,"title":122,"category":85,"badge":123,"badgeType":111,"author":124,"authorRole":125,"authorInitials":126,"date":127,"readTime":128,"image":129,"imageAlt":122,"tags":9,"excerpt":130},"2026-world-cup-expanded-format-tactical-viewing-guide","\u002Farticles\u002F2026-world-cup-expanded-format-tactical-viewing-guide","Surviving the 108-Hour World Cup: A Tactical Viewing Guide","Feature","Elena Rossi","SportPulse Contributor","ER","2026-06-30 05:48:49","6 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fi.guim.co.uk\u002Fimg\u002Fmedia\u002F629417f6ada0a58b37b8e2b038d44999b0a99594\u002F0_0_2500_2000\u002Fmaster\u002F2500.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2e47122a15322eca0a4e6f4777259ab2","The expanded World Cup demands 108 hours of group-stage football. Here is the tactical lens on the ten fixtures that actually matter.",{"id":132,"stem":132,"path":133,"title":134,"category":85,"badge":123,"badgeType":111,"author":87,"authorRole":112,"authorInitials":113,"date":135,"readTime":115,"image":136,"imageAlt":134,"tags":137,"excerpt":138},"englands-haunted-barbecue-culture-of-expectation","\u002Farticles\u002Fenglands-haunted-barbecue-culture-of-expectation","Ghosts at the Barbecue: England's Enduring Weight of World Cup Anxiety","2026-06-27 06:06:48","https:\u002F\u002Fi.guim.co.uk\u002Fimg\u002Fmedia\u002F366490c19ffa0db9223ab43103d8745fd07f50f5\u002F47_117_1884_1508\u002Fmaster\u002F1884.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=06ee06b6fbf4af2cf00e4aafb45917e6","England, World Cup 2026, International Football","A satirical barbecue image reveals the psychological baggage England's national team carries into every major tournament."]