Ancelotti: Jose paid for failure to inspire Blues December 22, 2015 Former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has cited a failure to motivate his players as the main reason for Jose Mourinho being sacked from the Stamford Bridge hotseat last week. Mourinho was axed after a dismal sequence of results which saw the reigning Premier League champions lose nine of their opening 16 matches, leaving the Blues 16th [...]
England seamer James Anderson a doubt for first Test against South Africa December 22, 2015 England's leading wicket-taker James Anderson is a doubt for the first Test against South Africa in Durban, which starts on Boxing Day, due to a calf injury. Anderson was not considered for England’s second warm-up game against South Africa A in Pietermaritzburg and went for a scan on his right leg yesterday in a bid [...]
Moeen relishing batting demotion for South Africa Test tussle December 22, 2015 All-rounder Moeen Ali is relishing his slide down the batting order when England bid to topple South Africa, the top-ranked Test team in the world, in this winter’s four-match series, which starts in Durban on Boxing Day. Moeen failed to fire when promoted to open England’s batting alongside skipper Alastair Cook during their autumn series against [...]
Blatter ban may prompt England World Cup bids December 22, 2015 Football chief Greg Dyke has confirmed that suspended Fifa president Sepp Blatter’s eight-year ban could pave the way for England to bid for the 2026 or 2030 World Cup. The Football Association (FA) ruled out another bid to host the tournament until the world governing body Fifa and its bidding processes had been reformed after [...]
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini are finished, insists English football chief Greg Dyke December 21, 2015 English football chief Greg Dyke last night insisted that the eight-year bans handed out to outgoing Fifa president Sepp Blatter and his Uefa counterpart Michel Platini represented the end of the road for the disgraced duo. The pair were yesterday suspended from all football-related activity by world governing body Fifa’s own ethics committee after being [...]
Arsenal 2, Manchester City 1: Walcott and Giroud pounce as Gunners stake title claim December 21, 2015 Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger revelled in his side’s “exceptional life” after the Gunners bolstered their Premier League title-winning credentials with victory over floundering Manchester City at Emirates Stadium last night. First-half strikes from Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud – his 15th goal of the season – powered Arsenal into a commanding lead before the Gunners [...]
Pakistan Super League draft set to land Pietersen £94,000 deal December 21, 2015 Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen is set to extend his Twenty20-playing portfolio after being selected in the first round of the draft for the inaugural Pakistan Super League yesterday. England exile Pietersen was selected fourth overall by the Quetta Gladiators behind Pakistan internationals Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik, as well as former Australia all-rounder Shane [...]
Renault completes Lotus takeover December 21, 2015 French manufacturer Renault will return to the Formula One grid in 2016 after formally completing its takeover of the financially ailing Lotus team yesterday. The car giant completed a share purchase agreement and confirmed that it would settle the debts owed by Lotus to HM Revenue and Customs and other creditors, which in turn signalled [...]
Root: We’ve now allayed fears of batting collapse December 21, 2015 Centurion Joe Root believes England have gone some way to defusing worries over a propensity to collapse after a dominant batting display on day two of their warm-up showdown with South Africa A in Pietermaritzburg yesterday. Vice-captain Root struck 117 to follow the lead of skipper Alastair Cook who notched 126 as England racked up 414-6 [...]
BBC axes Formula 1 broadcasting and new deal for Channel 4 to air next season with no adverts during live races revealed December 21, 2015 The BBC has axed Formula 1 from its TV line-up to save much needed cash as part of widespread cuts across the corporation, with Channel 4 picking up the broadcast rights instead. The BBC said it would "reluctantly" end its TV contract three years early in order to make the savings. BBC Sport must make £35m of budget [...]