The former England captain was charged after a member of the public told police they saw the 43-year-old on the phone while at the wheel of the car.

“The Met (Metropolitan Police) understands a postal guilty plea was subsequently received by Bromley Magistrates’ Court,” police said.

The ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid player was said to have been witnessed driving his 2018 Bentley while using his phone on November 21.

Two months earlier, Beckham was accused of “shirking his responsibility” as a role model after avoiding prosecution on a speeding charge because of a technicality.

Enlisting the services of celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman, who is dubbed “Mr Loophole”, Beckham accepted he drove at 59 miles (95 kilometres) per hour in a 40 mph zone in west London in January last year.

But Beckham did not face further action because a notice of intended prosecution (NIP) was not received until one day after the statutory 14-day time limit.

This prompted Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for road safety charity Brake, to say it was “hugely disappointing” to see the role model “shirking his responsibility and getting off a speeding prosecution on a mere technicality”.

Beckham was sent another NIP over the latest incident and was subsequently charged on February 5, according to court staff.

Using a hand-held mobile phone while driving in Britain is illegal.

The matter is listed to be heard at the court in Bromley, in the London suburbs, on Tuesday, but Beckham is not expected to attend and members of the press and public will not be admitted.

The hearing will be an administrative one where a single magistrate may choose to impose points or a fine.

Freeman also assisted Beckham in overturning an eight-month driving ban in 1999 after arguing that the footballer was trying to escape a paparazzi photographer.

“Sure, it’s frustrating and disappointing and sad to some extent,” Federer said after falling 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Austrian Dominic Thiem in Sunday’s final.

Thiem, 25, denied Federer a record sixth Indian Wells title and returned to his career-high of fourth in the world — bumping Federer down to fifth going to the second leg of the “Sunshine Double” of Indian Wells and Miami.

But Federer, the 20-time Grand Slam winner who claimed a remarkable 100th career title in Dubai last month, can afford to take the defeat in stride — especially when he’s playing well and feels his 37-year-old body is fully fit.

“It’s just not as dramatic,” he said of falling to a player who was “just a bit better when it mattered”.

“Whereas, when you’re hurt and things are difficult, maybe those hurt more.

“I’m going to Miami. The body is perfectly fine. That also always keeps me upbeat, and I feel it’s a privilege when I feel this way leaving a tournament.

“I have been playing every single day for the last three weeks. I can be very happy and proud of that fact.”

As at Indian Wells, Federer could meet fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka in the third round in Miami.

Federer is a three-time winner at Miami, but he lost his second-round opener last year after falling to Juan Martin del Potro in the final at Indian Wells.

With that in mind, Federer shied away from predicting he would bounce back in a big way from his loss to Thiem, with the Miami event’s move to a new venue adding to his sense of uncertainty.

“Now it’s totally different,” Federer said of the tournament moving from its longtime home on Key Biscayne to the Hard Rock Stadium — home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

A new stadium court inside the actual stadium is the centerpiece of the new venue, which also features a secondary grandstand court and two smaller show courts and practice courts.

“Everybody’s got to get used to center court or the conditions at the new site,” Federer said. “I’m eager to find out how it’s going to be like. There are stil a lot of open question marks. Right now I feel really good.”

Sirisak Yodyadthai

Interim Thailand coach Sirisak Yodyadthai has called for replacements after four players, including key striker Teerasil Dangda, had to withdraw from this week’s China Cup tournament in Nanning.

The quartet are Asian Cup captain Teerasil of Muang Thong United, Korrakot Wiriyaudomsiri and Sasarak Haiprakhon of Buriram United and Sanrawat Dechmitr from Bangkok United.

The withdrawal is especially tough on 30-year-old Teerasil, who will be missing his chance to earn his 100th cap, after he suffered an ankle injury during the Thai League game with Chiang Rai United over the weekend.

As Teerasil will not join the trip to China, Teerathon Bunmathan was appointed as team captain by Sirisak.

Defender Korrakot has been out of action for three weeks due to illness, while midfield Sasarak sustained an ankle problem during the game with True Bangkok. Another midfielder Sanrawat misses the exhibition event after he says he fell sick after the game with Buriram.

Suphanburi striker Chananan Pombuppha, plus midfielders Sivakorn Tiatrakul of Chiangrai United, Sanukran Thinjom of Muang Thong United and Chitpanya Tisud of PT Prachuab are the additions for the tournament, which will be played from Thursday to Monday.

If 25-year-old winger Sanukran from Phrae province gets a start he will be making his debut for the national team.

Sirisak says the four players’ absence is an opportunity for four others. “I understand the players who have had to withdraw and I don’t want to force them to play,” he said.

“However, this gives opportunities for the other players to seize and prove themselves. If they perform well they have a shot of playing in the World Cup qualifying tournament at the end of this year.”

“Also bringing in new players should inspire others [to know] that if they perform well, they will be called for the national team too.”

The squad had their first training together on Monday and will leave for China on Tuesday.

They will play their first game against China on Thursday (6.45pm Bangkok time), followed by Uruguay-Uzbekistan the following day.

The final and the third-placed playoff will both be played next Monday.

Meanwhile, Football Association of Thailand president Somyot Poompanmuang said the 47th King’s Cup in June would be staged in the provinces as Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok will be closed for renovations.

Buriram, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima and Suphanburi are the four frontrunners to stage the event.

So far only Vietnam are confirmed participants; the Thai FA is still waiting for replies from India, Uzbekistan, North Korea, Malaysia and Kyrgyzstan.

The event is set for 31 March at the iconic Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. As a result, Japanese veteran Senzo Ikeda will fill in for Leone to face Kingad.

Ticket information for ONE: A NEW ERA is available at http://www.onefc.com.

Pancrase Flyweight World Champion Senzo Ikeda has just joined ONE Championship and will take part in the highly-anticipated eight-man ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix which kicks off at ONE: A NEW ERA. He replaces Andrew Leone, who was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Ikeda, who sports a professional mixed martial arts record of 12-6-1, is a former undefeated boxer. He captured the Pancrase Flyweight World Championship with a unanimous decision victory over Mamoru Yamaguchi in August 2017, and is today a veteran of the Japanese martial arts scene. Coming off a sensational fifth-round stoppage victory over fellow ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix entrant Yuya Wakamatsu, Ikeda now seeks to leave a lasting impression in his promotional debut as he takes on Filipino phenom Danny Kingad.

Danny “The King” Kingad, a former ONE World Title challenger and a premier flyweight talent from the famed Team Lakay of Baguio City, owns an impressive professional record of 12-1. A true warrior from the mountains of the Philippines, the 23-year-old dynamo is a tremendous striker who possesses well-rounded grappling skills.

In his most recent bout, “The King” defeated rising Japanese star Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada by unanimous decision to earn a spot in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.

ONE: A NEW ERA will feature the best and brightest stars of ONE Championship, including ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang who is set to defend his title against Japanese legend and former ONE World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki in the main event.

Also, there will be a trio of co-main events. ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan will put her belt on the line against ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee. ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang will stake his middleweight crown against Japan’s Ken Hasegawa in a rematch. ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon will defend his championship against former titleholder Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes in a trilogy match.

The rest of the quarter-final bouts of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix will also be held at ONE: A NEW ERA. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is set to lock horns with Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu. In another tournament matchup, former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov will battle former ONE World Title challenger Reece “Lightning” McLaren. Also in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada will share the cage with undefeated Brazilian standout Ivanildo Delfino.

Andreescu, 18, shook off fatigue and rallied from a break down in the third set to topple the eighth-ranked German, who hasn’t won a title since she beat Serena Williams in last year’s Wimbledon final for her third Grand Slam crown.

Ranked 60th coming into the tournament, Andreescu will rise to 24th in the world with her first WTA title.

When she finally converted her fourth match point she kissed the sun-baked court and flopped spread-eagled on her back.

– ‘It’s crazy’ –

“If you believe in yourself, anything is possible,” Andreescu said as she hoisted the crystal trophy as the youngest player ever to win one of the WTA’s prestigious Premier Mandatory tournaments.

“It’s crazy. Crazy is the word of the tournament for me. Just crazy.”

It’s another giant step in a breakout season for Andreescu, who finished 2018 ranked 178th in the world.

She has racked up 28 match wins in 2019 across all levels, including qualifying and challenger circuit wins — but Sunday’s triumph was a cut above.

She had held for 2-1 in the third when she received treatment on her right arm and shoulder and looked to be flagging when she was broken in the fifth game.

Urged by her coach at the change over to push through, Andreescu dug deep.

“After I spoke to my coach I just let it all out there,” she said. “I was really tired, so I went for my shots more,and that obviously worked.

“The next couple games I did the same thing. And I just fought till the end, because physically I wasn’t feeling too well. I fought till the end. I managed to pull through.”

She broke Kerber in the next game, taking a 15-30 lead with a lovely drop shot-lob combination, and giving herself a break point with an overhead winner before converting with another forehand winner to launch a run of three straight games for a 5-3 lead.

Andreescu had to call on her last reserves as Kerber saved three match points in the next game on the way to earning a break.

But Andreescu broke Kerber for the third time in the set to seal the victory, giving herself a break point with a blistering forehand before Kerber ended things with a ball into the net.

“She did a good job then at the end, especially the last three games,” Kerber said.

Andreescu’s run to the final included rallying from 3-1 down in the third set to beat Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round and a 6-0, 6-1 rout of former world number one Garbine Muguruza of Spain, with a three-set win over sixth-ranked Elina Svitolina putting her into the title match.

She showed no sign of nerves as she opened the match with a break of Kerber’s serve. It would be all she needed to take the set without facing a break point herself.

Kerber’s consistency and power from the baseline kept the less predictable Andreescu at bay in the second. The German came up with a massive hold for 2-1, saving two break points before taking a 3-1 lead with her first break of the Andreescu serve and from there forced the decisive set.

Andreescu follows in the footsteps of 2018 champion Naomi Osaka, who won her first WTA title at Indian Wells to launch a stellar season that has seen her capture the US Open and Australian Open titles and rise to number one in the world.

She becomes the fourth unseeded champion after Serena Williams in 1999, Kim Clijsters in 2005 and Osaka.

“Naomi did this last year,” Andreescu said. “Now to be able to have my name beside so many amazing champions it means the world to me.”

The 25-year-old Austrian, ranked eighth in the world, had fallen in two prior Masters finals, both in Madrid.

But he rallied for a third career win over Federer in five meetings, his first over the Swiss on hard courts.

Thiem earned the crucial break in the 11th game of the final set, connecting on two sharply angled passing winners to give himself a break point which he converted with a stinging forehand winner.

He sealed the match after two hours and two minutes when Federer’s backhand found the net and will now return to a career-high ranking of fourth in the world.

It was the second year in a row that Federer was denied in the Indian Wells final. In 2018 he missed out on three championship points as he fell to Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in the title match.

Federer, fresh off a remarkable 100th career title in Dubai, remains tied with Novak Djokovic for the most Indian Wells victories with five.

“I think it’s not my right to congratulate you, you have 88 more titles than me,” Thiem told Federer as he accepted the trophy.

He’s the first Austrian to win a Masters 1000 title since Thomas Muster in Miami in 1997.

But he was under attack early, saving three break points before succumbing on a fourth in the second game as Federer raced to a 3-0 lead.

Federer led 4-1 before Thiem clawed a break back, but Federer responded with another hard-won break for a 5-3 lead and captured the set with a service winner.

Coming into the contest Federer had won 20 straight finals when claiming the opening set.

But Thiem was not about to go quietly, breaking Federer for a 3-1 lead as the Swiss suddenly couldn’t put a first serve in.

An authoritative hold put Thiem up 4-1 and on the way to forcing the third set.

“It’s been a great week for me, even though it didn’t work out,” Federer said. “Congratulations to Dominic — wonderful week and great play at the end. You deserved it.”

Alex Albon was satisfied with his weekend’s work in Melbourne yesterday after the first Thai driver in Formula 1’s modern era threatened a huge shock before settling for a respectable 14th place at the Australian Grand Prix.

In Friday’s practice, Albon suffered the dubious honour of becoming the first driver of the season to crash out, sending his Toro Rosso car spinning into the barriers. Further evidence the Thai might be out of his depth at the top level came with a panicked message from his cockpit: “Oh my God … I got my fingers stuck in the headrest and nearly hit the wall.” But then Saturday’s qualifying saw him unexpectedly surge past his more experienced Russian teammate Daniil Kvyat into 13th place on the grid.

Kvyat, with a season of F1 already under his belt, was two grid places behind as the red lights blinked out and the Thai stomped on the accelerator yesterday.

The result was a lightning start for Thailand’s new era at the top of global motorsports.

“The race started off very well, I dropped the clutch and thought ‘great, that was okay!’ I made up two positions straight away and at that time we were in the mix, as I was already one position away from the points,” said Albon, after yesterday’s racing.

Tyre problems

“That was pretty much as good as it got for me, though,” he added, complaining that the Toro Rosso tyre strategy failed to pay off.

“We were in a battle with [Alfa Romeo’s Antonio] Giovinazzi, I think he was struggling with his tyres and everyone on that strategy lost out.”

Despite losing ground to more experienced rivals as his tyres began to wear, Albon declared himself satisfied with his performance in Melbourne.

“All of the guys who stayed out on the harder compound behind overcut us. That compromised our race but I’m still happy with how my weekend went. I think we could have had points so that stings a little, but it was a good experience and I came away with a clean weekend, relatively speaking!”

His teammate Kvyat had reason to be delighted, though, after finishing 10th to earn a point and prove that the Honda-powered Toro Rosso machine is competitive among the mid-ranked cars.

“It was an excellent race today! I’m happy with the way I drove and it was really enjoyable,” said Kvyat.

“There was a lot of positives to come from the race. … We had good tyre management throughout the race and we definitely had the pace to fight for higher positions but, as we know, it’s difficult to overtake around Albert Park.

“I know we have a good package with the car and the engine, so we need to keep developing it. I’m very optimistic for the next few races and I think it’s possible to achieve good results.”

Team Principal Franz Tost was impressed by Albon’s driving accuracy on Melbourne’s tricky street circuit: “Alex did a great job … because this was his first race in F1 and it’s not an easy circuit around here. Nevertheless, he didn’t make any mistake and learned a lot throughout the weekend. After the first race weekend, we feel we have a strong package, so I’m optimistic for the next races.”

The 29-year-old Northern Irishman overcame a shaky start at TPC Sawgrass to card six birdies against two bogeys and a double-bogey to finish one clear of US veteran Jim Furyk on 16 under.

Furyk had surged into contention with a closing 67, a round which included an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys on the challenging Stadium Course layout.

The win earned McIlroy a $2.25 million winner’s cheque and could not have been better timed as he prepares for The Masters at Augusta next month where he is aiming to complete a career grand slam.

It was another battling performance by McIlroy, who was able to regain his composure at several key moments on Sunday to stay in the hunt.

A bogey on the 14th had dropped McIlroy adrift of the lead, but he fought back with birdies on the 15th and 16th to regain a one-shot lead with two to play.

The 29-year-old four-time major winner then finished with two pars to close out and seal his 15th US PGA Tour title.

McIlroy said his experience on the tour this year — where he has posted five top-10 finishes but has been unable to get over the line

The win also comes after several near-misses for McIlroy, who has posted top-10 finishes in his five previous starts in 2019.

“I think all those experiences I had starting the year helped,” McIlroy said after his win.

“I felt more and more confident each time. I just stayed as patient as I possibly could.

“I hoped that if I just stayed patient enough and waited my turn things would work out and I’m glad they have.”

Furyk meanwhile had faced an agonising wait to see if he had done enough for victory after completing his five-under-par round.

The 48-year-old US Ryder Cup captain produced two birdies in his final three holes to close on 15 under.

The highlight was a magnificent birdie on the 18th, when he drilled his second from the fairway 172 yards to within three feet of the pin for a simple tap-in.

England’s Eddie Pepperell and Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas finished tied for third on 14 under after both closing with 66s.

Pepperell’s round included a sensational, curling 50-foot birdie putt on the island green on the 17th which had given him a fleeting share of the lead.

Vegas managed to outshine Pepperell’s stunning effort on the 17th, rolling in a gargantuan 70-foot putt for birdie.

Vegas and Pepperell finished one clear of Dustin Johnson, Tommy Fleetwood and Brandt Snedeker, who shared fifth on 13 under.

But it was a disappointing final round for Spain’s Jon Rahm, who had taken a one-shot lead into Sunday’s fourth round.

Rahm closed with a four-over-par 76 to finish in a tie for 12th place on 11 under, five adrift of McIlroy.

Silva played a key role in keeping City’s four-pronged pursuit of honours on track by sparking a thrilling fightback as Pep Guardiola’s side overcome a two-goal deficit to beat Swansea City 3-2 in their FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday.

Not only did Silva score City’s first goal at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium but he also set up Sergio Aguero’s late winner in south Wales to keep alive hopes of adding the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League titles this season to the League Cup that is already in their trophy cabinet.

“All the players feel that this season can be special,” said Silva.

“Last season was special in the way we won the Premier League; this season can be special because we’ve already won one competition, we’re still playing for three,” the 24-year-old added.

“We can win three or lose all of them as well, so it will be very tough, so yeah, we know that the last month-and-a-half will be very tough.

“It will be crucial, to make something special and to try to write an important page in the history of this club, and that’s what we’ll try to do.”

In the meantime, the Portuguese midfielder was buoyed by the manner of City’s victory over Swansea.

“It’s very important to win these kinds of games as well, not only the games you win four or five-nil, but these games where you have to show character,” explained Silva.

– ‘Cannot be perfect’ –

“We could have been out after arriving at half-time losing 2-0, so we have to keep our focus, knowing our opponents are very strong.

“There are no perfect teams, so we try to improve, we know that in some moments of the game we’re not as good as some teams, and we try to improve that.

“Obviously we cannot be perfect in all moments, but so far this season, to still be in the four competitions — three left, because one we’ve won already — it’s pretty good. It means we’ve been doing a pretty good job, but we still have to improve a few things and we’ll try to do it.”

Silva will link up with Portugal before turning his attention to the end-of-season run-in, knowing momentum is with City, who have registered 18 wins and suffered just one defeat since the turn of the year.

“Our opponents have made it very complicated for us to win trophies this season, but we’ve been doing quite well and we’ll try to keep the momentum,” said Silva, speaking before City were drawn against Brighton in the last four of the FA Cup.

“In the FA Cup semi-finals, it’s one game at Wembley and anything can happen against very strong opponents.

“The Champions League is probably the most difficult competition in Europe, very difficult to win as well.

“The Premier League, very tight this season with Liverpool in a great momentum as well, so no competition will be easy.”

His starring role in Swansea rounded off a momentous week for Silva that saw him sign a new City contract reportedly worth £150,000 ($200,000 176,000 euros) a week.

“It was a special moment for me, I’m very happy to stay here, to sign a new deal with Man City, and to stay until 2025,” said the former Monaco player.

“To be honest it was a very easy decision to sign a new deal because I’ve been very happy to be here for the last season-and-a-half, a little bit more than that.

“It has been fantastic, I’ve been living the dream.”