Andrew Flintoff: ‘I can’t remember England this strong’ June 4, 2015 Ex-England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff tells Ross McLean how he expects his old side to beat Australia and regain the urn Former captain Andrew Flintoff insists the current England side is the strongest he can recall and one that is primed to regain the Ashes which were unceremoniously surrendered 18 months ago. England head [...]
Besieged Fifa in cash row over Henry handball June 4, 2015 CRISIS-HIT world governing body Fifa were last night at the centre of a fresh cash row over payments made to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to drop a legal case over striker Thierry Henry’s infamous World Cup handball. Former Arsenal forward Henry handled the ball in the build-up to a William Gallas strike in [...]
Football Comment: Barca playing better now than under Pep June 4, 2015 ELEVEN months ago, when they appointed Massimiliano Allegri as their new head coach, Juventus could scarcely have imagined they would be closing in on a possible treble within a year. For Allegri, who had been sacked by AC Milan earlier in 2014 and was tasked with replacing club legend Antonio Conte, retaining the Serie A [...]
Murray takes solace in clay revival and plots Djokovic French demise June 4, 2015 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray believes his standout scalps during an unbeaten 2015 clay season can ignite the fuse under his bid to overpower world No1 Novak Djokovic today and reach a first French Open final. Two-time major champion Murray recorded his maiden clay-court titles in Munich and Madrid this year, the latter secured with a first [...]
Williams sets up tilt for 20th career grand slam title June 4, 2015 TOP seed Serena Williams shook off the effects of illness and the loss of the opening set to confirm her place in the French Open final by dispatching Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky yesterday. World No1 Williams came from a set down for the fourth time at Roland Garros this year, surpassing her previous record of three [...]
This World Cup row is over, now real battle set to start June 4, 2015 Women’s football showpiece kicks off tomorrow. ALREADY the biggest ever in terms of number of teams, hopes are high that this year’s Women’s World Cup, which starts in Canada tomorrow, will also prove to the best-supported. Organisers forecast that 1.5m spectators will attend the 24-team tournament, and say another 500m could follow it on television. [...]
Fifa’s sponsors will welcome corruption scrutiny – but only for so long June 4, 2015 Corruption allegations aside, Sepp Blatter’s decision to resign was the right move for Fifa, its sponsors and football. Fifa is now faced with the challenge of rebuilding its reputation. Had it not had the monopoly on international football, the organisation would be dead in the water by now. However, responsibility for reshaping the [...]
Fifty scents: Richard E Grant on being led by his nose, speaking to peacocks and watching his neighbours ‘at it’ June 4, 2015 When Richard E Grant suggested we meet at Fulham’s exclusive Hurlingham members’ club, it seemed to make perfect sense. He lives just up the road in Richmond and it’s exactly the kind of place I can imagine him hanging out, especially after having watched him star in Downton Abbey. I had visions of wood-panelled walls, winchester sofas, views over the croquet [...]
Disgraced Fifa exec Chuck Blazer showed off meeting Vladimir Putin and Miss Universe in a weird and wonderful blog June 4, 2015 Chuck Blazer, the former Fifa official who admitted accepting bribes to vote for World Cup bids, wasn't exactly shy of showing off his jet-setting, cake-eating, Vladimir Putin-high fiving lifestyle during his time in office. Read more: Chuck Blazer admits accepting bribes for World Cup bids The details of the eccentric American's guilty plea to 10 charges [...]
David Beckham blasts “despicable, unacceptable” Fifa and calls for change June 4, 2015 David Beckham has slammed Fifa over the "despicable" allegations of corruption which have dogged the organisation in recent days. Read more: US Fifa investigation includes 2018 and 2022 World Cups The former England captain – a key figure in the country's failed 2018 World Cup bid – celebrated president Sepp Blatter's announcement that he intends [...]