Bekele cleared to take on Farah January 24, 2012 OLYMPICS: Ethiopian long-distance runner Kenenisa Bekele looks set to lock horns with one of Britain’s main Olympic medal hopes Mo Farah after the 34-year-old had his ban on competing lifted by his governing body. Bekele, the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion, was banned from representing his country for not attending a mandatory training camp.
Brown to skipper Scotland January 24, 2012 RUGBY UNION: Edinburgh hooker Ross Ford will captain Scotland in their Six Nations opener against England a week on Saturday after head coach Andy Robinson revealed Saracens No8 Kelly Brown has been ruled out of the tournament with a leg injury.
Woods influenced by money January 24, 2012 GOLF: Tiger Woods has admitted receiving appearance money affects which tournaments he chooses to play. The former world No1 is rumoured to be getting more than £1.3m to play in this week’s HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship. Asked whether the payment influenced his scheduling, Woods said: “I’d have to say yes, it certainly does.”
Redknapp used account in dog’s name for bungs, court told January 23, 2012 Trial begins into claims 64-year-old avoided tax Jury told Spurs boss had secret Monaco account Redknapp and Mandaric deny charges TOTTENHAM manager Harry Redknapp received “bungs” totalling almost £200,000 into an offshore account in the name of his pet dog and deliberately dodged paying tax on the sums, a court heard yesterday. Redknapp, who is [...]
Balotelli hit with FA charge January 23, 2012 MANCHESTER CITY striker Mario Balotelli could miss tomorrow’s Carling Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool and three crucial Premier League games after he was charged with violent conduct by the Football Association for appearing to stamp on Tottenham’s Scott Parker. The Italian striker, who won and converted the decisive penalty in Sunday’s 3-2 win over [...]
Spurs ready to overtake rivals Arsenal January 23, 2012 THE CIRCUMSTANCES of Tottenham’s defeat at Manchester City on Sunday will have stung Harry Redknapp, but he should seek significant consolation in the fact his side’s performance confirmed a shift in the balance of power in north London. To have retrieved a two-goal deficit and come within a few centimetres of beating the champions-elect underlined [...]
Murray blasts boring win as Brit bags last-eight slot January 23, 2012 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray described his 49-minute win over Mikhail Kukushkin as “boring” and “pointless” after taking his place in the Australian Open quarter-finals. The fourth seed was leading 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 when his Kazakh opponent, ranked 92 in the world, was forced to retire with a hip injury. “It was boring,” said Murray. “There was [...]
Djokovic foils gutsy Hewitt January 23, 2012 REIGNING champion Novak Djokovic hailed his first major test of the year after extinguishing a rousing comeback from home favourite Lleyton Hewitt to claim his place in the Australian Open quarter-finals. World No1 Djokovic lost his way after racing into a two-set lead and, having allowed faded star Hewitt to claw one back, was forced [...]
Unseeded Makarova dumps Serena January 23, 2012 FIVE-TIME champion Serena Williams blamed a litany of mistakes after crashing out of the Australian Open to unseeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova. The American was guilty of seven double faults and 37 unforced errors as Makarova claimed the most notable scalp of her career 6-2, 6-3. “She played really well, she went for broke on a [...]
Cook promises to lead fightback from the front January 23, 2012 ENGLAND batsman Alastair Cook insists he and fellow opener Andrew Strauss should be trusted to create a platform from which their side can strike back against Pakistan. England trail the three-match series 1-0 after last week’s 10-wicket defeat in Dubai which featured two abject batting collapses. The pitch at the Sheikh Zyed Cricket Stadium heavily [...]