Van der Vaart riled by Spurs September 13, 2011 FOOTBALL: Tottenham’s Rafael van der Vaart has criticised the club for leaving him out of their Europa League squad. The Holland star, who has made a quicker than expected recovery from injury, wrote on his website: “Spurs could at least have consulted me. Anyway it’s up to the point of no return.”
Sion lose Euro fight with Celtic September 13, 2011 FOOTBALL: Celtic have retained their place in the Europa League after FC Sion lost an appeal against their expulsion. Sion beat the Hoops to reach the competition but were disqualified for fielding ineligible players. A civil court in their native Switzerland ruled they should be reinstated but European chiefs Uefa ignored it.
Boom wins Tour of Britain stage September 13, 2011 CYCLING: Britain’s Mark Cavendish goes into today’s fourth stage of the Tour of Britain three seconds behind Lars Boom after the Dutchman won yesterday in Stoke. Rabobank rider Boom pipped Team Sky’s Alex Dowsett in a 140km stage not suited to sprinters like Tour de France green jersey winner Cavendish.
Surly Serena avoids a ban and escapes with a fine September 12, 2011 BEATEN US Open finalist Serena Williams avoided a ban and escaped with a fine of $2,000 for her outburst during her defeat to Samantha Stosur on Sunday. Williams received a code violation for verbally abusing umpire Eva Asderaki during her 6-2, 6-3 defeat, after a furious rant that included the remarks: “If you ever see [...]
Greenwood: England must utilise Foden and Ashton September 12, 2011 FORMER England centre Will Greenwood has urged Martin Johnson’s side to throw off the shackles and return to the expansive style of rugby that saw them brush Australia aside last autumn if they are to make a major impact at the World Cup. The error-strewn performance against Argentina on Saturday could not have been further [...]
THE BREAKDOWN | WORLD CUP BRIEFS September 12, 2011 IT’S A KNOCKOUT FOR WALES Lock Luke Charteris has reflected on Wales’ shattering defeat against South Africa by declaring: “We are playing knockout rugby now.” Wales flew out of Wellington yesterday ready to regroup and prepare for Sunday’s Pool D showdown with Samoa in Hamilton. “It’s the World Cup, and unfortunately we are playing knockout [...]
Getting shirty: England told to sort numbers out September 12, 2011 WORLD CUP organisers have warned England they face a potential fine if they fail to fix their peeling shirt numbers. The white numbers on the controversial black jerseys began to rub off during England’s opening victory over Argentina. Rugby World Cup Ltd have said they will be seeking assurances from England that there will be [...]
Chelsea boss to quiz Torres September 12, 2011 Villas-Boas to take embattled striker to task over apparent criticism of colleagues CHELSEA vs BAYER LEVERKUSEN MISFIRING record signing Fernando Torres’ Chelsea future has been plunged into doubt after the club launched an investigation into an interview in which he appeared to criticise his team-mates’ “slow” play. Blues manager Andre Villas-Boas has vowed to quiz [...]
New signings give Warnock cause for hope September 12, 2011 QPR (0) vs NEWCASTLE (0) QPR manager Neil Warnock heralded the start of a new era after his overhauled side outclassed Newcastle but failed to crown their dominance with a winning goal. Controversial recent signing Joey Barton captained Rangers on his debut and Shaun Wright-Phillips stole the show with a dazzling display. His and Adel [...]
Wenger primed for toughest of European assignments September 12, 2011 BORUSSIA DORTMUND vs ARSENAL ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger believes his side has been placed in the toughest Champions League group he has ever encountered. Following their tense two-legged victory over Udinese in the final qualifying round, the Gunners continue their European campaign against German champions Borussia Dortmund in the atmospheric Signal Iduna Park, which is [...]