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 [...]
Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph earns them £46m June 26, 2014 Real Madrid's tenth European championship crown saw them net £46m in prize money as the 32 Champions League clubs shared a total £726m this season, according to figures released by Uefa. Spain, with £133m earned by its clubs, was the country with the largest share of the pool thanks largely to a memorable all-Madrid final. [...]
City swoop for £12m Fernando June 25, 2014 FOOTBALL: Premier League champions Manchester City have agreed a £12m deal to sign defensive midfielder Fernando from Porto. The 26-year-old Brazilian is City’s second summer signing after Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna joined on a free transfer.
What Keynes can teach us about England’s World Cup failure June 25, 2014 SO FAREWELL, then, England! Yet another failure by our boys at the highest levels of football. Despite their stupendous salaries, our players were once again unable to exhibit the necessary skills, a point which seems to exercise many fans of the game. Tens of thousands, if not millions, of words have been written about the [...]
Luis Suarez bite ban: Could Suarez face a Premier League suspension? June 25, 2014 Serial biter Luis Suarez faces an anxious wait to discover his fate after Fifa launched disciplinary proceedings against the Uruguayan for appearing to bite Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, in the third such incident of his career. Those looking at the rule book today to establish how bad things could get for the Liverpool forward have [...]
Celtic drawn against Reykjavik June 23, 2014 FOOTBALL: Scottish Premier League title-holders Celtic have been drawn to play Reykjavik in the second qualifying round for the European Champions League. The first leg, to be played on 15 or 16 July, is set to take place at Murrayfield as Celtic’s home Parkhead is being readied as a venue for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.