Saracens drawn against Toulouse and old enemy Ulster in Europe June 17, 2015 SARACENS boss Mark McCall has welcomed another showdown with Ulster after the teams were drawn together in the pool stage of the European Rugby Champions Cup. The two teams, who met at the quarter-final stage in 2013 and 2014, are joined in Pool 1 by four-time winners Toulouse and fellow French Top 14 side Oyonnax. [...]
Chelsea and Manchester City asked to assist in Neymar fraud case June 17, 2015 A Spanish high court has allowed a fraud case to be brought against Barcelona star Neymar and asked Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to assist in the inquiry. Brazilian investment firm DIS, which owned 40 per cent of the Neymar's transfer rights prior to his Barcelona move, filed a complaint which accuses [...]
Fifa crisis: Swiss banks told authorities of “suspicious” activity connected to Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cup bidding June 17, 2015 The heat has intensified on the future Russia and Qatar World Cups after Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber revealed he had evidence of over 50 "suspicious" banking relations connected to Fifa. Lauber, the head of the Swiss investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, declared he was not afraid if [...]
Shock defeat to motivate, insists Nadal June 16, 2015 FORMER world No1 Rafael Nadal has vowed to use his shock first-round exit to unseeded Alexandr Dolgopolov at the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club yesterday as motivation for a tilt at Wimbledon redemption. Fifth seed Nadal failed to convert a break in the final set and succumbed 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, as Dolgopolov claimed a [...]
Murray ready to lock horns with old foe Verdasco June 16, 2015 THREE-TIME Queen’s Club champion Andy Murray booked a second-round clash with Spain’s Fernando Verdasco after starting his grass-court season with a routine victory over Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun at the Aegon Championships yesterday. Top seed Murray dropped a service game in each set but powered through 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 19 minutes against world No63 [...]
Moore grabs Royal Ascot treble as Gleneagles delights O’Brien June 16, 2015 TRAINER Aidan O’Brien hailed Gleneagles as the best miler he has ever worked with after the three-year-old claimed his third Group One victory of the season on the opening day of Royal Ascot. The dual Guineas winner justified his odds-on favouritism in the St James’s Palace Stakes, triumphing by two and a half lengths to [...]
Chelsea close in on season-long loan deal for United reject Falcao June 16, 2015 CHELSEA are set to hand Manchester United reject Falcao the chance to revive his career with the Premier League champions by signing the 29-year-old on a season-long loan. The Blues are believed to be close to clinching a deal for the formerly prolific Monaco and Colombia striker as they prepare to tinker with their attacking [...]
Fifa slam Nobel Peace Centre in handshake row June 16, 2015 EMBATTLED football world governing body Fifa has criticised the Nobel Peace Centre for ending a co-operation agreement over their Handshake for Peace joint initiative. Fifa said it was not given advance notice of the Norway-based organisation’s decision, adding that the move impeded efforts towards fair play, peace and fighting discrimination. The Nobel Peace Centre, which [...]
Sandro facing unclear future June 16, 2015 QUEENS Park Rangers midfielder Sandro was last night facing an uncertain future as the Loftus Road club await the outcome of a Home Office inquiry to determine the Brazilian’s status. QPR have denied that Sandro, who joined the club for £6m from Tottenham in September, has been deported, despite the 26-year-old not holding a work [...]
Hales: Our new style is winning over supporters June 16, 2015 POWER-HITTING opener Alex Hales believes England’s new-found brand of attacking one-day cricket has turned the tide of public opinion in their favour after the dismay of slipping to a humiliating group-stage exit at the World Cup. Despite trailing New Zealand 2-1 in the five-match series heading into today’s penultimate fixture at Trent Bridge, England’s change [...]