Fifa crisis: Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini could receive longer bans as Ethics Committee signals intention to appeal January 12, 2016 Disgraced former Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini could yet be banned from football's governing body for life after internal ethics investigators signalled their intention to appeal to extend their existing suspensions. The two men were handed eight-year bans from Fifa in December by four Ethics judges over a £1.3m payment Blatter made to [...]
Lionel Messi Ballon d’Or 2015: The stats behind the Barcelona star’s incredible year January 12, 2016 Lionel Messi has once again been named the best footballer on the planet. For a record fifth time, Messi received Fifa's Ballon d'Or award for the best player in a calendar year after more trophies, many more goals and, of course, his quintessential jaw-dropping moments of magic categorically made 2015 one of his best years [...]
No respite for Van Gaal as FA Cup fourth round draw hands United tricky tie January 11, 2016 Under-pressure Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has been handed a potentially perilous tie in the FA Cup after the 11-time winners were pitched at Championship high-flyers Derby County in last night’s fourth round draw. Van Gaal has overseen a turbulent season at Old Trafford and one which sees United sit fifth in the Premier [...]
Arsene Wenger thinks Premier League clubs could surpass the £235m spent in January 2011 this month January 11, 2016 Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has predicted a bumper month of spending by Premier League clubs in the January transfer window that could surpass the record £235m lavished in 2011. Top-flight teams have shown signs of loosening their purse-strings following a slow start to the window, with Bournemouth’s capture of Lewis Grabban from Norwich yesterday taking [...]
Wiping world records will help to restore integrity, say UK Athletics January 11, 2016 Governing body UK Athletics has called for world records to be reset in a bid to cleanse the probity of a sport which has become overshadowed by allegations of corruption. The radical proposal is one of 14 contained within ‘A Manifesto for Clean Athletics’, which it published yesterday, and also includes lifetime bans for any [...]
Bairstow: England’s fielding woes will not be repeated in third Test January 11, 2016 England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow insists his side’s fielding will be back to its majestic best when they bid to seal a series victory against South Africa in the third Test in Johannesburg, which starts on Thursday. The tourists were unusually poor in the field, dropping as many as 10 catches, as the second Test in Cape [...]
Jordan Spieth emphatic Tournament of Champions triumph is an ominous sign for rivals Rory McIlroy and Jason Day January 11, 2016 It didn't take long for Jordan Spieth to make a mockery of Rory McIlroy’s prediction that the American world No1 would find it difficult in 2016 to replicate the form that swept him to two Majors last year. Spieth summoned a superlative performance in his first outing of the year at the Tournament of Champions in [...]
Tottenham Hotspur 2, Leicester City 2: Kane late show preserves Spurs’ cup ambitions January 10, 2016 Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino conceded his relief after a contentious late penalty from substitute Harry Kane rescued his side’s fading FA Cup hopes against Premier League high-flyers Leicester yesterday. Spurs were seconds from elimination when referee Bobby Madley awarded a dubious spot-kick, penalising Nathan Dyer for handball as the on-loan winger challenged Danny Rose on [...]
FA Cup third round: Swansea stunned as fourth-tier Oxford send Premier League strugglers crashing out January 10, 2016 Oxford United 3, Swansea City 2 Oxford United manager Michael Appleton hailed his giant killers after the League Two side knocked Premier League Swansea out of the FA Cup on Sunday in the biggest shock of the third round. Two goals in the space of 10 second-half minutes from in-form midfielder Kemar Roofe saw Oxford [...]
Six Nations 2016: Eddie Jones warns underperforming England stars it’s their fault if they’re not picked January 10, 2016 England head coach Eddie Jones insists he will not be afraid to make unpopular selection decisions as he prepares to name the first squad of his tenure this week. Australian Jones is due to name his 33-man party for next month’s Six Nations on Wednesday, and has already been tipped to replace Chris Robshaw as [...]