Mourinho denies FA charge March 25, 2014 FOOTBALL: Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has requested a personal hearing and denied a Football Association charge of improper conduct after stepping onto the pitch to confront referee Chris Foy during his side’s recent defeat to Aston Villa. Mourinho was sent to the stands then later said he no longer wanted Foy to referee Chelsea matches.
New World Cup stadium doubt March 25, 2014 FOOTBALL: The Estadio Beira-Rio, could be forced to pull out of hosting five World Cup matches this summer over a lack of temporary structures. The mayor of Porto Alegre says work can only be completed if additional funding is raised and has proposed a bill be passed so investors are exempt from paying tax.
Smith sets up West Indies win March 25, 2014 CRICKET: A sensational 72 from opening batsman Dwayne Smith helped earn West Indies victory by 73 runs against Bangladesh in the World T20 yesterday. West Indies reached 171-7 and, in reply, hosts Bangladesh were bowled out for 98 with five balls to spare.
Call for cycling at Winter Olympics March 25, 2014 CYCLING: International Cycling Union president Brian Cookson wants track cycling to be switched from the summer to Winter Olympics. Cookson also suggested other indoor sports such as badminton and judo be moved, believing changes would relieve the pressure on the summer Games and allow the sports to offer a greater number of medal events.
Clubs face cap on squads under amended FFP rules March 24, 2014 SPOTLIGHT ON financial fair play in FOOTBALL CLUBS could be forced to enter weakened squads for the Champions League next season if they are deemed to have made excessive financial losses, after European chiefs Uefa made late changes to financial fair play (FFP) rules. The punishment can be levied on teams who have lost more [...]
Flagging Arsenal boosted by Ox’s red card reprieve March 24, 2014 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has predicted a positive response from his humbled team against Swansea tonight after receiving a double boost over the availability of Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Both players were spared suspensions yesterday when the Football Association transferred Gibbs’s red card to his midfield team-mate on the grounds of mistaken identity and [...]
Moyes: City win will show our strength March 24, 2014 MANCHESTER United boss David Moyes wants his side to prove they can still beat the top flight’s elite and record only their second win of the season against a top-nine team in tonight’s derby with title-chasing Manchester City. In 12 Premier League fixtures since Moyes succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson, United’s sole victory against sides around [...]
Partial stadium ban for Bayern March 24, 2014 BAYERN Munich’s Allianz Arena must be partially closed for the Champions League quarter-final with Manchester United on 9 April after governing body Uefa yesterday condemned fans’ “discriminatory behaviour” in the previous round against Arsenal. Bayern fans held aloft a banner saying “Gay Gunners” alongside a crude drawing of German playmaker Mesut Ozil, while the message [...]
Green light for plastic pitches March 24, 2014 PLASTIC pitches can return to mainstream English football next season after the Football Association ruled them permissible for use in the FA Cup. QPR were the first of several clubs to lay a synthetic surface in the 1980s, but they are currently banned from the first round of the FA Cup onwards and in the [...]
Warnock turns down Forest March 24, 2014 FORMER Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock pulled out of the race to become Nottingham Forest’s new manager yesterday after the club had earlier sacked Billy Davies. Forest, seventh in the Championship, have fallen to their lowest place in the league table since December and a 5-0 defeat to fierce rivals Derby on Saturday proved the [...]