Fifa bans Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini for eight years over unauthorised £1.35m payment December 21, 2015 Fifa's ethics committee has banned Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini from "all football related activities" on a national and international basis, for eight years. The committee, chaired by Hans Eckert, said the ban for the president and vice president, came into effect "immediately". Blatter has also been fined CHF 50,000 while Platini has been fined CHF 80,000. The [...]
Davis Cup hero Andy Murray crowned Sports Personality of the Year December 21, 2015 Davis Cup hero Andy Murray was last night crowned Sports Personality of the Year for the second time in three years after winning 35 per cent of the votes cast. Former Rugby League player Kevin Sinfield, who finished his career in the sport on a high by featuring in Leeds Rhinos’ treble-securing Super League Grand [...]
Revitalised Finn stakes his claim for Test spot December 20, 2015 Seamer Steve Finn fired himself into contention for a place in England’s starting XI for the first Test against South Africa, which starts on Boxing Day, after a four-wicket haul on day one of their final warm-up clash. Finn, who was initially ruled out of the tour with a foot injury, claimed 4-34 from 12 [...]
Swansea City 0, West Ham United 0: Bilic admits draws are best Hammers can do given injury list December 20, 2015 West Ham boss Slaven Bilic admitted that the depth of the club’s injury list is crucifying their bid to mix it in the upper echelons of the Premier League this season after a goalless draw against managerless Swansea at the Liberty Stadium yesterday. The stalemate was West Ham’s third in succession while the Hammers are [...]
Manchester City favourites to seal deal for departing Bayern boss Pep Guardiola December 20, 2015 Top Premier League clubs were placed on amber alert yesterday after former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola confirmed his intention to step down as Bayern Munich head coach at the end of the season. Manchester City are the bookmakers’ favourites to land the Spaniard’s signature, especially given the strong ex-Barcelona connection already in place at the Etihad [...]
Watford 3, Liverpool 0: Players lost their minds, fumes Klopp December 20, 2015 Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp accused his players of losing their minds in the wake of their Premier League horror show against high-flying Watford at Vicarage Road yesterday. A double from prolific hitman Odion Ighalo took the Nigerian’s top-flight tally to 12 for the season after on-loan Chelsea midfielder Nathan Ake had taken full advantage of [...]
Jimmy Hill: Football legend turned Match of the Day broadcaster dies aged 87 December 19, 2015 Jimmy Hill, one of the most important figures in UK football, has died aged 87 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The footballer turned broadcaster’s death was announced by his agent Jane Morgan, who said in a statement: It is with great sadness that Bryony Hill and the children of Jimmy Hill have announced that Jimmy [...]
Record number of tourists flock to the UK and spend more than ever thanks to the 2015 Rugby World Cup December 19, 2015 The tourism boom to the UK shows no signs of letting up, with a record number of international visits to the country recorded in October. The Rugby World Cup drove tourism figures sky high, with fresh figures from VisitBritain showing that a new record was set in October, not just for the number of visits [...]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens review: The best film in the series since The Empire Strikes Back December 18, 2015 12A | Dir. JJ Abrams ★★★★★ Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens opens with the now familiar golden expository text scrolling into an infinity of stars. The Empire has fallen, only to be replaced by Darth Jar Jar and his Ewok army, who ruthlessly enforce a trade blockade against the ice planet Hoth… just [...]
In the Heart of the Sea review: Moby Dick is sidelined in this shallow whale-chasing adventure December 18, 2015 12A | Dir. Ron Howard A film based on a book about a novel about a big-ass whale, In the Heart of the Sea recounts the true story of the Essex whaleship that inspired Herman Melville’s fictional epic, Moby Dick. In the movie, a bunch of swarthy dudes pop off to sea to stab some [...]