Impotence of Serie A must rile Gattuso February 16, 2011 SO WHAT really riled AC Milan pitbull Gennaro Gattuso enough to make him pick a fight with Joe Jordan, a man whose missing front teeth are a permanent testament to his grizzled fearlessness? Insults, as the Gattuso camp suggest, perhaps. But this was evidently a man also tormented by defeat, by the humiliation of being [...]
Milan star cites provocation but facing long ban February 16, 2011 EUROPEAN chiefs will meet on Monday to decide on an appropriate punishment for AC Milan captain Gennaro Gattuso. The 33-year-old shoved Tottenham assistant manager Joe Jordan in the face following a second-half altercation with Steven Pienaar and then headbutted the 59-year-old after the final whistle. Gattuso’s agent, Claudio Pasqualin, said Jordan had provoked the midfielder [...]
Pietersen thrilled at the opportunity to act as England’s emergency opener February 16, 2011 ENGLAND batsman Kevin Pietersen insists he is ready to embrace the role of emergency World Cup opener. Pietersen, who has played the vast majority of his 110 one-day internationals at No4, was promoted to the top of the order as England struggled to a narrow warm-up victory over Canada yesterday. The South African-born star made [...]
Heidfeld given Renault drive February 16, 2011 FORMULA ONE: Nick Heidfeld will drive for Renault for the foreseeable future after it was announced that the German is to replace the injured Robert Kubica. “I’m motivated and can’t wait for the season to begin,” said Heidfeld.
Klasnic strike sees Bolton past Wigan February 16, 2011 FOOTBALL: Bolton booked an FA Cup fifth-round FA Cup tie with Fulham as Wigan were beaten by a second-half strike from Ivan Klasnic. The decisive moment came in the 66th minute when the Croat rifled beyond Mike Pollit.
Crouch is Spurs’ San Siro hero February 15, 2011 AC MILAN 0 vs TOTTENHAM 1 TOTTENHAM manager Harry Redknapp has implored Uefa to review Mathieu Flamini’s horror tackle on Vedran Corluka following the latest installment of his side’s Champions League fairytale. Peter Crouch’s 80th minute strike gave Tottenham a fully deserved first leg win, but Flamini’s two-footed assault on the Croatia defender, allied to [...]
Arsenal put faith in Van Persie February 15, 2011 ARSENAL vs BARCELONA ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has hailed Robin van Persie’s sizzling form and backed the Dutchman to deliver as the Gunners prepare for a Champions League rematch with their conquerors of last season, Barcelona. Van Persie has hit a purple patch since returning from injury, scoring 10 goals in his last eight games, [...]
Walcott threat is key for Gunners February 15, 2011 ARSENAL’S focus tonight ought to be two-fold: maximise the threat of Theo Walcott and try to neutralise Barcelona by ensuring the team unit stays as compact as possible. Walcott is a wild card as no-one else on either side has such extraordinary pace, as he has shown repeatedly this season, and did when these two [...]
Olympic chiefs: We will cope with ticket demand say February 15, 2011 LONDON 2012 organisers are confident they are equipped to cope with the increased demand for Olympic tickets following the release of the key dates for next year’s Games. Tickets do not go on sale for another month, but organisers advised that there is no advantage in rushing to register interest via the 2012 ticketing website. [...]
Contador is free to ride again after doping ban is overturned February 15, 2011 SPANISH superstar Alberto Contador expressed his relief after winning his appeal against a provisional one-year doping ban. The three-time Tour de France winner tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol during last year’s race in July. But the 28-year-old maintained his innocence, insisting contaminated meat was responsible for a failed test, and was cleared yesterday [...]