Real Madrid free to sign players next summer after transfer ban is halved December 20, 2016 Real Madrid will be free to sign new players next summer after their transfer ban was halved following an appeal. Fifa had initially banned the club from all transfer activity for two windows starting last summer, for violating rules on signing players 18 or younger. The ban was pushed back to cover this January and next summer after Real [...]
Petra Kvitova: Two-time Wimbledon champion “lucky to be alive” following knife attack during home invasion December 20, 2016 Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova says she is fortunate to be alive after a stabbing attack at her home in the Czech Republic. The 26-year-old, who won the Wimbledon women's singles title in 2012 and 2014, was severely injured on her left hand by a knife-wielding intruder during a suspected burglary on Tuesday morning. A manhunt has been [...]
Fifa fines in full: England pay £35,350 for poppy display, but who else got fined by football’s governing body? December 20, 2016 Fifa has raised £1.4m in fines from national football associations in 2016, including £35,350 from England for displaying poppies during November's World Cup qualifiers. Football's governing body has issued punishments for infractions varying from delayed kick-offs, homophobic chants, pitch invasions by dogs and not providing players for post-match interviews. England's Football Association (FA) has appealed against [...]
Exclusive: West Ham transfer boost as club signs up forex and payments provider TransferMate December 20, 2016 West Ham will today announce a deal with global payments company TransferMate that the club believes will give them a significant advantage when buying and selling players. The multi-year agreement sees TransferMate become West Ham’s exclusive foreign currency provider, meaning the club can expect to benefit from better exchange rates and lower bank fees in [...]
Everton 0, Liverpool 1: Sadio Mane’s late goal sends Reds back to second in Premier League after clash marred by Ross Barkley tackle on Jordan Henderson December 19, 2016 Everton 0, Liverpool 1 Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson refused to blame Everton midfielder Ross Barkley for a horror challenge in a feisty Merseyside derby decided by Sadio Mane’s last-gasp winner on Monday night. Forward Mane struck in the 94th minute to inflict Everton’s first Premier League defeat at Goodison Park since March and restore Liverpool [...]
Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford reveals package contained the decongestant Fluimucil December 19, 2016 Team Sky boss David Brailsford relented following weeks of doping speculation and finally revealed what was in a mysterious package delivered to a team doctor at the end of a race in 2011. Responding to questions from MPs, Brailsford divulged the package contained Fluimucil, a decongestant not included on a banned list of substances by [...]
Trevor Bayliss won’t try to influence Alastair Cook as England captain ponders future in wake of difficult India Test series December 19, 2016 England head coach Trevor Bayliss insists he will not attempt to influence Alastair Cook’s decision whether to stay on as captain as their dispiriting Test series in India nears its climax. The tourists must bat out the final day of the fifth Test in Chennai on Tuesday to avoid a 4-0 defeat after India amassed 759-7 [...]
Why Henrik Stenson and the Open made my golfing year: Sam Torrance’s 2016 review December 19, 2016 Player of the year At 40, Henrik Stenson had almost reached that stage of being the best player around without a Major when the Swede went and banished that tag by winning the Open at Royal Troon in such style. Rory McIlroy deserves a mention for his PGA Tour Championship-FedEx Cup double, but Stenson, who [...]
Andy Murray crowned BBC Sports Personality of the year for record third time December 18, 2016 Tennis world No1 Andy Murray paid tribute to his family and support staff after becoming the first person to win the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award for a third time. Murray polled 247,419 votes – more than twice that of his nearest challenger, triathlete Alistair Brownlee. Veteran showjumper Nick Skelton was a close [...]
Manchester City 2, Arsenal 1: Arsene Wenger compares referees to “lions in a zoo” after the Gunners’ Premier League title hopes suffer another blow December 18, 2016 Manchester City 2, Arsenal 1 Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger compared referees to “lions in the zoo” after his team’s Premier League title hopes sustained a second swingeing blow in what he termed “a horrible week”. The Gunners looked set to bounce back from midweek defeat at Everton when Theo Walcott fired them into an early [...]