Arsene Wenger on doping in football: Arsenal boss continues crusade against performance enhancing drugs by calling for a stronger response in football January 15, 2016 Arsene Wenger believes football's authorities may finally be starting to take a stronger stance against doping, after he has made repeated calls for the issue to be taken more seriously. The Arsenal boss expressed his hope that Fifa and Uefa will do more to ensure football does not suffer from the kind of doping scandal [...]
Cardiff City handed transfer ban for FFP breach, ending hopes of deal for Charlton striker Tony Watt January 15, 2016 Cardiff City have been placed under a transfer embargo the Football League for breaching its financial fair play (FFP) regulation – scotching hopes of signing striker Tony Watt on a permanent deal. The club says it is "extremely disappointed" in the Football League's decision, which bans them from buying players for the remainder of the transfer window, [...]
IAAF corruption probe: London 2017 World Athletics Championships bidding faces police investigation January 15, 2016 The bidding process that awarded next year's World Athletics Championships to London will be investigated by French prosecutors following the World Anti-Doping Agency's (Wada) latest bombshell report that suggested corruption was embedded in the sport. Those behind Wada's report passed on evidence of potential criminality relating to the awarding of two events and suggested that [...]
Finn deserves similar billing to Anderson and Broad, says England bowling coach Gibson January 14, 2016 England bowling coach Ottis Gibson believes seamer Steven Finn deserves a similar billing to esteemed new-ball duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad after propelling the tourists to a position of strength against South Africa in Johannesburg yesterday. Middlesex’s Finn was the pick of the England bowlers on day one of the third Test, claiming 2-50, [...]
Room review: a woman and her son are held captive by her psychotic abuser January 14, 2016 Dir. Lenny Abrahamson | ★★★★☆ Based on the book by Emma Donoghue, Room is a screenplay adaptation of the gut-wrenchingly bleak story of Joy (Brie Larson), a young woman kidnapped and imprisoned by her psychotic abuser. She shares the tiny, soundproofed space with her spirited and oblivious five-year-old Jack (Jacob Tremblay), whose severely limited understanding of [...]
The Revenant film review: Inarritu’s masterpiece about the resilience of the human spirit January 14, 2016 Dir. Alejandro G. Inarritu | ★★★★★ Cast your minds back to this time last year, and Mexican director Alejandro Inarritu’s Birdman was only a few weeks away from winning the Best Picture Oscar. A claustrophobic, wordy film that charted the breakdown of a washed-up actor, the action largely took place inside, the camera winding its way around [...]
Champagne Life review: Our verdict on the Saatchi Gallery’s first all-female art exhibition January 14, 2016 Saatchi Gallery | ★★★☆☆ Taking its name from one of the pieces on display, Champagne Life at Saatchi Gallery presents the work of 14 emerging female artists from a diverse set of backgrounds. It’s the first all-woman exhibition in the gallery’s 30-year history, somewhat surprisingly, but rather than attempt to offer an ambitious and all-encompassing commentary [...]
Creed film review: This Rocky sequel has just the right amount of nostalgia January 14, 2016 Dir. Ryan Coogler | ★★★★☆ Forty years on, Sylvester Stallone’s ultimate underdog is back. Creed follows Adonis (Michael B. Jordan), the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed, as he battles the shadow of a father he never knew and the weight of expectation to embark on a boxing career, trained by his father’s most famous opponent, Rocky Balboa. [...]
Capturing the City preview: Unseen photography on show at the Bank of England Museum January 14, 2016 Free | Bank of England Museum City workers that have to navigate their way along the labyrinthine corridors off Bank junction to get to the office every morning can be forgiven for rushing past this historical trading site, eager to escape the congested mayhem. Luckily, the Bank of England Museum – an often-overlooked gem – [...]
Football betting: Arsenal face testing trip to bogey team Stoke January 14, 2016 Arsene Wenger’s least favourite trip of the season is on Sunday, as his Arsenal side travel to Stoke. The Gunners haven’t won in their last five attempts at the Britannia and, given Stoke’s recent good form, Wenger could be in for another tough afternoon. Mark Hughes’s men will be fired up to add another scalp [...]