How Americans learned to love football July 2, 2014 WE BRITS have long enjoyed looking down our noses at Americans when it comes to football. They call it soccer, they get the terminology wrong, and they are inexplicably obsessed with viewing it through the prism of statistics. Making fun of all this has been a favourite pastime within our favourite pastime. Or at least [...]
Adam Lallana relishing first taste of Champions League at Liverpool July 1, 2014 Liverpool’s new £25m midfielder Adam Lallana says he is relishing the opportunity to play in the Champions League just three years after plying his trade in League One. Lallana helped Southampton gain promotion from English football’s second tier to a top-half finish in the Premier League. He said: “I’m grateful that Southampton accepted the offer [...]
Premier League chairman steps down June 30, 2014 ANTHONY Fry has been forced to step down as chairman of the English Premier League after a year in the role due to illness. The 59 year-old, who has spent his career in finance working for banks including Rothschild, said yesterday that he needed to scale back his business activities after suffering a stroke in [...]
Suarez bites bullet and sets up £80m Barca switch June 30, 2014 LIVERPOOL and Uruguay forward Luis Suarez last night paved the way for a big-money transfer to Barcelona by finally issuing an apology for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini. Six days after the incident that shocked the World Cup and earned him a four-month ban from all football activity, Suarez spoke of “deep regret” and promised [...]
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.
World Cup in brief June 29, 2014 France feeling the heat in Brasilia FRANCE boss Didier Deschamps fears his team may wilt in the heat in today’s last-16 tie with Nigeria in Brasilia. France played all of their Group E matches in the evening, but have an earlier kick-off time today, which will mean playing in temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. Deschamps [...]
Lucky Hodgson got off lightly, insists Scholes June 26, 2014 FORMER England midfielder Paul Scholes believes manager Roy Hodgson has been given an easy ride considering the team endured their worst World Cup campaign for more than half a century. Scholes says a foreign coach, such as previous boss Fabio Capello, would have been subjected to far harsher criticism for failing to steer England through [...]
United clinch £29m Herrera deal after late buyout clause wrangle June 26, 2014 MANCHESTER United assistant Ryan Giggs has hailed Ander Herrera as one of Spain’s brightest prospects after the club overcame a last-minute hitch to sign the £29m midfielder from Athletic Bilbao. The deal only came about after Herrera, 24, agreed to pay his own buy-out clause of €36m, with United reimbursing him immediately, after Athletic had [...]
Srinivasan named ICC chairman June 26, 2014 CRICKET: New International Cricket Council chairman Narayanaswami Srinivasan says his “conscience is very clear” after assuming the role. Srinivasan had stepped down from his previous position as chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India pending an inquiry into illegal betting during Indian Premier League matches last year. He denies any wrongdoing.
Banned for an entire season: Luis Suarez suspensions add up to 38 club games in four years June 26, 2014 Luis Suarez will have been suspended a total of 38 club matches in the four years from November 2010, the equivalent of an entire Premier League season, without having been sent off once. Fifa's disciplinary committee announced that the Uruguayan striker was banned for nine international matches and suspended from all football related activity for [...]