Midfielder Obiang becomes first signing for West Ham under Bilic June 10, 2015 WEST Ham have followed up the appointment of Slaven Bilic as manager with their first major signing of the summer, luring Spain Under-21 midfielder Pedro Obiang to Upton Park from Sampdoria. Tough-tackling Obiang, 23, came through Atletico Madrid’s youth system but left for Italy aged 16 and established himself in the first team at the [...]
Cricket Comment: England success heralds new dawn for ODI cricket June 10, 2015 IT MAY only have been one match but I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that a new dawn may have broken in limited-overs cricket, given what we witnessed in England’s record-breaking 210-run victory over New Zealand at Edgbaston on Tuesday. I have seen players perform for their counties in domestic cricket over [...]
WIlkinson gives Toulouse switch advice to Tuilagi June 10, 2015 RUGBY World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson has urged England centre Manu Tuilagi to put his happiness first when considering a possible big-money move to Toulouse. England’s insistence on selecting only home-based players would ordinarily preclude Tuilagi from a lucrative transfer to France but his six-month international ban, following a conviction for assault, has encouraged the [...]
Prince Harry launches Webb Ellis Cup tour June 10, 2015 ENGLAND World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson joined Prince Harry yesterday to launch the World Cup trophy tour throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. The launch marked 100 days to the start of the World Cup, which gets underway on Friday 18 September when England play Fiji at Twickenham. The Webb Ellis Cup arrives in Scotland [...]
Mike Ashley steps down from Newcastle board after demanding Rangers repay £5m loan June 10, 2015 Mike Ashley has stepped down from the Newcastle United board of directors and will be replaced by newly appointed head coach Steve McClaren. Former England manager McClaren has signed an initial three-year deal with the Tyneside club, after being sacked as Derby County manager last month. By combining coaching duties with boardroom duties, McClaren will [...]
Liverpool spend more per goal than any other Premier League club June 10, 2015 If goals and entertainment is what Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) want from their team, they won't be happy with the output from Brendan Rodgers' men last season. In terms of goals scored, Liverpool spent more than the rest of the Premier League last season – despite the fact they only had the fifth-largest [...]
Floyd Mayweather retains status as Forbes’ highest-paid athlete in the world June 10, 2015 Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been named as the highest-paid athlete in the world by Forbes magazine for the second year in a row, despite having appeared in only one competitive event in 2015 so far. The unbeaten boxer, who overcame Manny Pacquiao in the richest fight in the sport's history last month, has made $300m [...]
Barcelona star Lionel Messi to face trial for alleged €4.1m tax fraud June 10, 2015 Four days after winning the Champions League, Barcelona star Lionel Messi was brought back down to earth as a Barcelona court ruled he must face trial for alleged tax fraud. Messi and his father Jorge are accused of evading €4.1m (£2.99m) of income tax in Spain through shell companies in Uruguay and Belize. Both men [...]
Fifa crisis: World Cup 2026 bidding process suspended, says general secretary Jerome Valcke June 10, 2015 Fifa has suspended the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup, according to secretary general Jerome Valcke. The bidding process for the 2026 tournament which is due to be awarded at the 2017 Fifa Congress in Kuala Lumpur, will now be postponed as Fifa wrestles with the fallout of the US Department of Justice investigation [...]
Wimbledon set to serve up aces June 9, 2015 WASH your whites and let out your waistbands; Wimbledon 2015 is just over three weeks away. Fans are gearing up for the party of the year and to cheer dour Brit Andy Murray to victory. Wimbledon is the largest annual sporting catering operation in Europe. Whether you’re just coming for the finals or staying for [...]