Europa League: West Ham scrape past minnows to maintain European ambitions July 23, 2015 BIRKIRKARA FC 1 WEST HAM UNITED 0 (West Ham win 5-3 on penalties, AET, 1-1 on AGG) WEST Ham boss Slaven Bilic admitted his side showed their European naivety before edging past Maltese minnows Birkirkara on penalties to reach the Europa League third qualifying round last night. The Hammers held their nerve from the spot [...]
Swastika sees Croatia docked July 23, 2015 CROATIA have been handed a one-point deduction as punishment for the swastika which became visible on the pitch during their Euro 2016 Group H qualifier with Italy last month. European governing body Uefa have also fined the Croatian Football Federation €100,000 (£70,000) and ordered them to play their next two matches behind closed doors. Croatian [...]
In-form Froome primed to clinch Tour de France title, says Thomas July 23, 2015 TEAM Sky’s Geraint Thomas believes Chris Froome is in perfect form as his colleague prepares for a decisive 48 hours in his bid to cement a second Tour de France title. Briton Froome repelled numerous attacks in the Alps for a second consecutive day to preserve his lead of three minutes and 10 seconds over [...]
Eagles swoop for QPR keeper as Real tell United to forget Ramos July 23, 2015 CRYSTAL Palace have expanded their goalkeeping options by signing former England Under-21 stopper Alex McCarthy from Queens Park Rangers. McCarthy, 25, only moved to Loftus Road from Reading last summer but failed to unseat regular No1 Rob Green and has now become the 10th departure since QPR were relegated in May. The former Wimbledon trainee [...]
Anniversary Games 2015: Five must-see events including Jessica Ennis-Hill, Usain Bolt and Mo Farah July 23, 2015 The Anniversary Games returns to the Olympic Stadium this weekend, with heroes from the 2012 Games such as Jessica Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah and Usain Bolt set to induce much misty-eyed nostalgia. Yet the event also offers the opportunity for Team GB fans to get acquainted with an emerging batch of athletes who could star at next [...]
Tour de France 2015: Should Team Sky’s sponsors be worried by doping allegations? July 23, 2015 Chris Froome leads the Tour de France in commanding fashion. More than three minutes ahead of his rivals with just four stages remaining he looks set to deliver Team Sky their third win in three years. And yet if Sunday's cycle into Paris is a procession for Froome, it could be one tinged with cynicism [...]
£32.5m Christian Benteke signing makes Brendan Rodgers the highest spending Liverpool manager in history July 23, 2015 Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has become the highest-spending manager in the club's history by signing Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke. [custom id="40"] Read more: QPR set to make £9m on Liverpool Sterling sale The Reds have made the 24-year-old forward their seventh signing of the summer by meeting the £32.5m release clause written into his [...]
Arsene Wenger: Unlike Arsenal, Manchester United no longer have patience for young players July 23, 2015 Arsene Wenger has accused Manchester United of neglecting their academy by prioritising big money signings, and reiterated Arsenal's commitment to bringing youth into the first team. Read more: This graph of every Wenger transfer shows why Petr Cech is an unprecedented Arsenal signing The Arsenal manager outlined his approach to the transfer market, insisting that buying [...]
Bullish Uefa declares victory in legal fight over FFP future July 22, 2015 European football’s governing body Uefa believes it is close to defeating a legal challenge to financial fair play (FFP) and ending a long-running debate over the legitimacy of the controversial rules. Opponents of FFP suffered a blow last week when the European Court of Justice (ECJ) refused to rule on whether the rules ought [...]
Tour de france: Froome wary of desperate tactics as he nears second title July 22, 2015 Britain's Chris Froome predicts his increasingly desperate yellow jersey rivals to launch “all or nothing” attacks in the last few stages of the Tour de France. Read more: Should Team Sky's sponsors be worried by doping allegations? Froome successfully withstood two attempts by nearest challenger Nairo Quintana to cut his more than three-minute lead [...]