Klinsmann concern at Francophone collusion June 30, 2014 USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann has voiced fears that the Algerian referee assigned to his team’s last-16 clash with Belgium tonight may favour the French-speaking opposition. “We hope it’s not a concern. Is it a good feeling? No,” said the former Tottenham forward, who expects to have Sunderland striker Jozy Altidore back to face the Group [...]
World Cup in brief June 30, 2014 Karagounis and Santos end Greece careers GREECE captain Giorgos Karagounis has retired from international football following their World Cup elimination to Costa Rica on Sunday. The 37-year-old won 143 caps and was part of the team that were crowned shock European champions in 2004. Karagounis confirmed: “This was my last game for Greece. We wanted [...]
Australia plan day-night Test June 30, 2014 CRICKET: The first day-night Test is set to take place next year and will be between Australia and New Zealand. Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland said a pink ball would be used under lights for the clash in November 2015. A venue is yet to be decided. He said: “The challenge is to try to [...]
Premier League chief steps down June 30, 2014 FOOTBALL: Premier League chairman Anthony Fry has stepped down on medical grounds three months after suffering a stroke. Fry, who only succeeded Dave Richards last summer, plans to “scale back” his commitments and said it “would not be fair” to stay on. He plans to continue as a non-executive director at Dairy Crest.
Battersea to host Formula E finale June 30, 2014 MOTORSPORT: Battersea Park has been chosen to stage the finale to the inaugural season of Formula E, the motor racing competition based around electric vehicles. The race, set to take place in June 2015, still needs to be rubber-stamped by Wandsworth council, though London Mayor Boris Johnson called it “an awesome addition to the capital’s [...]
Snodgrass seals £7m Hull switch June 30, 2014 FOOTBALL: Hull City have completed the £7m signing of versatile attacker Robert Snodgrass from Norwich. The 26-year-old is the Tigers’ second major signing of the close season, following the £8m arrival of England midfielder Jake Livermore from Tottenham. Snodgrass scored 14 goals in 74 games for the Canaries, after joining them from Leeds in July [...]
World Cup: Robben dive row as Dutch grab late win June 29, 2014 HOLLAND 2 MEXICO 1 HOLLAND winger Arjen Robben was dragged into another diving row last night after the Dutch scored two last-ditch goals to defeat Mexico and set up a World Cup quarter-final against Costa Rica. Mexico coach Miguel Herrera accused former Chelsea star Robben of cheating to win the penalty from which Klaas-Jan Huntelaar [...]
World Cup: Navas’s penalty heroics continue fairytale campaign for Costa Rica June 29, 2014 COSTA RICA 1 GREECE 1 Costa Rica win 5-3 on penalties GOALKEEPER Keylor Navas enhanced his burgeoning reputation with a stunning save to keep out veteran striker Theofanis Gekas’s penalty, as Costa Rica won a high-class shoot-out to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history. The Central American minnows, ranked [...]
Sport Comment: Futile to rail against Suarez and football June 29, 2014 FOR ALL the great football, dramatic penalty shoot-outs and spectacular skills on offer, Luis Suarez’s teeth have blighted this World Cup, and yet it’s hard to write anything rational about them without sounding like some ridiculous reactionary or ludicrous libertarian. That he is an outstanding player is undeniable. That he is a flawed human being, [...]
James equipped to deny Brazil a Hollywood ending to World Cup June 29, 2014 IF LIVERPOOL striker Luis Suarez has been the World Cup’s villain, then James Rodriguez, the dazzling Colombia No10 named after James Bond and partial to a Thunderball, is surely the hero. His two goals, including a majestic volley, sank a Suarez-less Uruguay on Saturday and cemented the graceful Monaco playmaker as the tournament’s revelation. The [...]