Paris: France's Euro 2012 hopes have been dealt a blow with the news that forward Loic Remy has been ruled out of the tournament through injury. The Marseille striker had been a major doubt for Poland and Ukraine right from the moment he suffered a thigh strain in his club's Ligue 1 clash with Auxerre on May 13. Laurent Blanc was determined to give Remy as long as possible to...
09:17 AM, May 26, 2012
London: England's third choice goalkeeper John Ruddy was ruled out of Euro 2012 on Friday after breaking a finger in training, leaving little known Jack Butland to be promoted to the squad. Birmingham City's uncapped Butland, who was previously on the standby list, will join up with the squad next week despite never having played in the top two English divisions. "We've given a chance to the young Under-21 goalkeeper...
11:26 PM, May 25, 2012
Paris: Laurent Blanc has confessed that while he can easily see Spain winning Euro 2012, but he cannot say the same about his France side. Many pundits are tipping the defending champions to win the tournament again but there are those who believe that Les Bleus, who have been drawn alongside England, Ukraine and Sweden, could also mount a challenge. However, Blanc has claimed that it would be foolish to...
01:57 PM, May 25, 2012
London: England captain Steven Gerrard insists that the Three Lions squad will leave their egos behind for this summer's Euro 2012. The 31-year-old blamed unrealistic pre-tournament expectations for past failures, but believes that this year the pressure has been lifted somewhat. And Gerrard, who has been capped 90 times by his country, insists previous heartbreaks will stand the country in good stead for the summer. "Usually the experience I've had...
10:06 AM, May 25, 2012
With Euro 2012 around the corner and international squads being announced, managers around the world and scouts from top clubs will be on the lookout ...
01:23 PM, May 24, 2012
Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his disbelief at Rio Ferdinand's exclusion from the England squad for Euro 2012, praising the defender as "one of the best". In the lead-up to Roy Hodgson's announcement of his squad, debate focused on whether either of John Terry or Ferdinand would make the cut due to the Chelsea captain facing charges of allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, the younger brother of the Manchester United...
12:54 PM, May 23, 2012
Manchester: Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck believes that he can step into Wayne Rooney's shoes for the opening two games at Euro 2012 this summer. Welbeck and Rooney have struck up a good partnership and understanding up front for United this term and their haul of 36 goals between them was an impressive return on a first full season together. The 21-year-old star acknowledges that he could not have progressed...
01:38 PM, May 20, 2012
Paris: Wayne Rooney's suspension for the first two games of the 2012 European Championship is a great opportunity for France, who meet England in their opening match of the tournament, Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri said on Friday. France, eliminated in the group stages of both Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, face England on June 11 in Donetsk before playing co-hosts Ukraine and Sweden. "The last eight is...
09:38 AM, May 19, 2012
Kiev: A psychic pig is set to take over where Paul the Octopus left off at the 2010 World Cup by predicting the results of matches at the European championships in Ukraine and Poland. Kiev's city government said on Friday it would wheel out the porky tipster to give daily forecasts once the tournament kicks off next month. "A unique oracle hog, a real Ukrainian pig and a psychic which...
12:01 AM, May 19, 2012
Manchester: Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has admitted that he is "gutted" to have been left out of England's Euro 2012 squad. The 33-year-old centre-back, who has earned 81 caps for England since making his debut in 1997, was not included in Roy Hodgson's 23-man squad, but Chelsea captain and former England skipper John Terry was. Terry is due to stand trial after the tournament over allegedly racially abusing Ferdinand's...
09:21 AM, May 17, 2012
Paris: France coach Laurent Blanc included uncapped defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and out-of-form midfielders Yoann Gourcuff and Alou Diarra in a 26-man provisional squad for the European Championship on Tuesday. Yanga-Mbiwa contributed to Montpellier's strong title run in the French league this season and benefited from Mamadou Sakho's lacklustre season. Sakho lost his starting spot at Paris Saint-Germain under coach Carlo Ancelotti. "He's a very good defender, very tough in his...
05:01 AM, May 17, 2012
London: Former captain John Terry was included in England's European Championship squad on Wednesday despite facing trial immediately after the tournament for racially abusing an opponent. The Football Association's decision to strip Terry of the England captaincy in February over the alleged racial abuse of Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand led to coach Fabio Capello quitting. But Capello's replacement, Roy Hodgson, has included the Chelsea defender in the 23-man...
06:48 PM, May 16, 2012
London: Defender Rio Ferdinand will be omitted from England's Euro 2012 squad which is due to be announced by the new national team manager Roy Hodgson later on Wednesday, according to British media. The Times reported that when asked on Tuesday night, after Manchester United's 4-1 friendly win over an Irish Premier League Select XI in Belfast, whether Hodgson had left the 33-year-old out of the squad, Ferdinand said: "Yes."...
01:25 PM, May 16, 2012
Stockholm: Sweden will be without their most promising young striker for the European Championship, as John Guidetti will miss the tournament because of a thigh problem. Coach Erik Hamren announced a 23-man squad without any major surprises, but could find himself relying more than ever on Zlatan Ibrahimovic in attack because of injury problems. The 20-year-old Guidetti scored 20 goals in 23 games this season while on loan at Feyenoord...
11:58 PM, May 15, 2012
London: England manager Roy Hodgson has appointed former Manchester United defender Gary Neville to his coaching staff. Neville, who has been working as a commentator with Sky since his retirement at the end of last season, has signed a four-year contract with the FA. The 37-year-old will now join up with fellow coaches Ray Lewington, Ray Clemence and Dave Watson in time for Euro 2012. Hodgson told the FA's official...
06:47 PM, May 14, 2012
Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has handed England manager Roy Hodgson some good news by suggesting Darren Bent could be fit for Euro 2012. The 28-year-old has not played for Villa since February, when he ruptured ankle ligaments in his left foot in a draw with Wigan, and has still not returned to full training. However, the Villans' boss revealed that the striker's recovery has gone well and that he...
01:53 PM, May 13, 2012
London: Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has cast doubt on Scott Parker's availability for England's Euro 2012 campaign. The midfielder has missed Spurs' last three games with an Achilles injury, something which Redknapp describes as "a long-term concern". The former Chelsea and West Ham man has been a key figure in Tottenham's push for a Champions League place this term, earning himself a berth in the PFA Team of the Year....
01:43 PM, May 13, 2012
