Birthday Bordeaux: In praise of Chateau Lynch-Bages, the quintessential Claret and the best present an oenophile could wish for June 4, 2015 I recently had a Big Birthday, my half century in fact, so you can imagine I took excessive care with the wine list when some old friends came round for dinner. We had a lovely white Monthelie 2008 to start and a 1963 port to round off the evening. But the star of the show [...]
Buyers lured as clubs post record profits June 3, 2015 ENGLAND’S leading football clubs have become the subject of increased interest from potential buyers after entering what industry experts believe is a new era of profit-making. Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, which advises parties looking to acquire and sell teams, said it had noticed the market warming to Premier League sides in response to unprecedented financial [...]
Murray outguns Ferrer to set up Djokovic tussle June 3, 2015 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray side-stepped the disappointment of squandering a third-set match point to dispatch Spain’s David Ferrer yesterday and set up a French Open semi-final clash with world No1 Novak Djokovic. Murray recorded his first ever victory over Ferrer on clay at the fifth attempt, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, to reach the 16th grand slam semi-final [...]
Blazer reveals Fifa bribe taking in return for World Cup favours June 3, 2015 WHISTLEBLOWER Chuck Blazer last night admitted that he and other Fifa officials accepted bribes in return for voting in favour of South Africa hosting the 2010 World Cup. The revelations, made in a testimony published by the United States Department of Justice, came little more than 24 hours after besieged president Sepp Blatter announced his [...]
Olympic champ Farah’s coach Salazar in doping claim denial June 3, 2015 BRITISH double Olympic champion Mo Farah’s coach Alberto Salazar was at the centre of a doping row last night after it was claimed he helped top American distance runner Galen Rupp to cheat. It was alleged that Salazar, a former athlete and now head coach at the prestigious Nike Oregon Project, oversaw Rupp’s use of [...]
Chris Tremlett: More positives than negatives for England but Gary Ballance is all at sea June 3, 2015 Despite England’s 199-run defeat in the second Investec Test at Headingley, there were certainly more positives than negatives during the two-match series with New Zealand, which finished locked at 1-1. From where England were in the West Indies they have definitely progressed. Opener Adam Lyth stood up and scored a century in Leeds and [...]
Buick backs Jack Hobbs to gain Derby revenge on Golden Horn June 3, 2015 Jockey William Buick has tipped Jack Hobbs to gain revenge for last month’s defeat to Golden Horn at the Dante Stakes at York when the pair reprise their rivalry in Saturday’s Investec Derby. Read more: Arabian Comet can be crowned Haydock Queen Buick saddled Golden Horn to victory at the Dante Stakes ahead of [...]
Fifa crisis: Chuck Blazer admits accepting bribes for 1998 and 2010 World Cups June 3, 2015 Chuck Blazer, a former Fifa official, has admitted that he accepted bribes for World Cup bids. In his guilty plea in a secret 2013 hearing in New York, Blazer said that he and others on Fifa's executive committee accepted bribes for the 2010 and 1998 World Cups. Read more: US investigation includes 2018 and 2022 [...]
Fifa scandal: US investigation includes 2018 and 2022 World Cups June 3, 2015 The FBI's investigation of Fifa, the world's football governing body, involves scrutiny of how it awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 competition to Qatar. A US official confirmed that the awards to host the next two global competitions would form part of the probe that led to Sepp Blatter's resignation as [...]
Louis Saha: Fifa made me ashamed as a footballer and a fan – but with Blatter gone it can be fixed June 3, 2015 In a matter of days, the most anticipated game in world football is upon us. Two juggernauts of domestic football will clash as Juventus take on Barcelona in Berlin to compete for the Champions League trophy. Fans of the game of all ages and nationalities will be united, albeit from their armchairs, in the emotions [...]