sentences:  In March 2020, Ashley and Sports Direct came under heavy criticism after an announcement that they would stay open despite increased government restrictions associated with the COVID-19 outbreak.Just a couple of days later, the company made a U-turn on this decision, announcing that they would be closing until given the green light to reopen by the government.Ashley turned whistleblower on industry rivals in 2000, handing the Office of Fair Trading evidence of business meetings held by sports retailers to fix the price of football shirts.