Late Rangers beat 10-man Celtic February 28, 2010 FOOTBALL: Rangers extended their lead in the Scottish Premier League to 10 points with a last-gasp 1-0 win in the Old Firm derby with Celtic. Substitute Maurice Edu bundled home the winning goal in the third minute of stoppage time, after having an earlier effort disallowed for offside. Celtic had captain Scott Brown controversially sent [...]
Portsmouth falls victim to Premiership excesses February 25, 2010 DEBT-RIDDEN Portsmouth will officially become the first Premier League club to go into administration today. Owner Balram Chainrai took the decision after failing to strike a deal with four potential buyers in time for the winding-up order in the High Court on Monday. Portsmouth will now be docked an automatic nine points – a move [...]
Pompey bid for cash advance falls on deaf ears at League February 24, 2010 PREMIER League chiefs rejected a plea from crisis-club Portsmouth for an advance on some of the payments due to them over the coming months. Pompey owner Balram Chainrai hoped to persuade League chief executive Richard Scudamore to make a special case, since they are poised to become the first top-flight club to go into administration. [...]
Portsmouth set for administration as clock ticks down on takeover talks February 23, 2010 CASH-STRAPPED Portsmouth will enter into administration on Friday in a bid to safeguard the club’s future, according to owner Balram Chainrai. Hong Kong businessman Chainrai is in talks with four potential buyers about a takeover of the south-coast club, but accepts it is unlikely that a deal will be struck before they are due to [...]
IPL will not be moved again, insists Modi February 23, 2010 INDIAN Premier League chief Lalit Modi insists the tournament will not be moved for a second year running despite security concerns. An independent report, written by British security expert Reg Dickason, has raised “serious” concerns about safety at the tournament, and now Australia’s players have refused to commit to playing until the issues are addressed. [...]
Portsmouth chief Storrie slams black hole claims February 22, 2010 PORTSMOUTH chief executive Peter Storrie has hit out at suggestions money has gone missing from the crisis club, who are facing administration unless a buyer can be found by tomorrow. Storrie hit out at television pundits for depicting a £150m black hole at Pompey, who are £60m in debt and facing a winding-up order from [...]
Champions League play-off plan is ‘hare-brained’, says Ferguson February 21, 2010 MANCHESTER United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has rubbished proposals to introduce a play-off for the final Champions League place. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, Liverpool’s Rafael Benitez and Everton’s David Moyes have all criticised the plans, which would see teams finishing fourth to seventh in the Premier League battle it out for the spot. Aston Villa [...]
United won’t snatch Jack like Rooney, insists Moyes February 21, 2010 EVERTON manager David Moyes is confident he can keep his latest teenage prodigy, Jack Rodwell, out of the clutches of Manchester United. Rodwell, 18, boosted his burgeoning reputation by climbing off the bench to score a superb solo goal that capped a shock 3-1 win over the Premier League champions on Saturday. That will only [...]
Al-Fahim facing dilemma over Pompey stake February 21, 2010 PORTSMOUTH non-executive chairman Sulaiman Al-Fahim is weighing up whether to sever ties with the financially-stricken Premier League club or increase his shareholding. Bottom-of-the-table Pompey are around £60m in debt and could disappear altogether if they do not find fresh funds before they face a winding-up order on 1 March. Al-Fahim, who retained a 10 per [...]
Ladbrokes profits hit by downturn February 18, 2010 LADBROKES went on a losing streak in 2009 with the recession leading punters to place fewer and lower bets. Pre-tax profits slumped 28 per cent to £191.3m after a tough year in which it was forced to tap shareholders for £274.6m in October. The UK’s biggest bookmaker said its 2,000 UK betting shops suffered a [...]