London: Sacked last year after less than nine months in charge at Stamford Bridge before rebuilding his reputation at Tottenham Hotspur, Andre Villas-Boas said his return to Chelsea for a key Premier League clash on Wednesday was "not very special". "It's a club that I have gone past," Villas-Boas told a news conference on Tuesday. "I have good and bad memories like everybody else, but it's a pity it didn't...
10:25 PM, May 07, 2013
London: Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard will undergo shoulder surgery this week that will rule him out of the last two games of the season, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. The 32-year-old, who has been ever present in this season's league campaign, is now likely to miss England's friendlies against Ireland at Wembley on May 29 and away to Brazil on June 2. "The captain's injury has...
10:09 PM, May 07, 2013
Vasco: The 'Goan Supremacy' in Indian football continued as Churchill Brothers on Tuesday comfortably won their second I-League football title with a match to spare by playing out a 1-1 draw with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan. With 52 points from 25 games, the 'Red Devils' of Indian football have ensured that they will walk home with a cool prize money Rs 7 million. The power equation in Indian football has...
09:26 PM, May 07, 2013
London: Rafa Benitez, one win away from sealing a top-four finish for Chelsea in the Premier League and one more from a European trophy, ruled out extending his stay at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, saying the identity of his successor was an open secret. The Spaniard, still unpopular with a section of Chelsea's support from his days with Liverpool, has impressed as the club's interim manager and victory at home...
08:44 PM, May 07, 2013
Madrid: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has refused to tone down his rhetoric in response to a call from club president Florentino Perez for unity in an obviously divided dressing room during the final few weeks of the season. After some unsavoury sniping between Mourinho and members of his squad in recent weeks, Perez made a rare foray into the limelight on Monday when he called for the club to...
08:05 PM, May 07, 2013
Madrid: Sniping comments between Jose Mourinho and members of the Real Madrid squad have caused president Florentino Perez to make a rare foray into the limelight to call for unity at the club during the season run-in. The nine-times European champions host Malaga in La Liga on Wednesday in a rearranged fixture due to their involvement in the May 17 King's Cup final against Atletico Madrid. Second-placed Real must win...
12:14 PM, May 07, 2013
Milan: Although the title has already been secured by Juventus, there is still much to play for at both ends of the Serie A table, with AC Milan and Fiorentina fighting for the final Champions League spot. Milan is in pole position to finish third and earn a place in the Champions League qualifiers, as it is four points ahead of Fiorentina with three rounds remaining. Milan visits already-relegated Pescara...
12:10 PM, May 07, 2013
Paris: Olympique Marseille midfielder Joey Barton was handed a two-game suspended ban for calling Paris St Germain's Brazilian defender Thiago Silva an "overweight ladyboy" on Twitter, the Ligue 1 club said on Monday. "The National Ethics Committee has handed a two-match suspended ban to Joey Barton for 'inappropriate comments' after his tweets about a Paris St Germain player," OM said on their website. Barton, who has more than two million...
11:36 AM, May 07, 2013
Madrid: Real Sociedad's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in a decade suffered a setback when they surrendered the lead and lost 2-1 at fellow European hopefuls Getafe in La Liga on Monday. The Basque club's reverse at Getafe's Coliseum stadium in Madrid means they still occupy fourth and Spain's final qualification berth for Europe's elite club competition but their lead over fifth-placed Valencia has...
09:39 AM, May 07, 2013
London: John O'Shea scored a second-half equaliser as 10-man Sunderland rescued a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke City on Monday that moved them three points clear of the Premier League relegation zone. Jonathan Walters gave the visitors an early lead when he reacted smartly in the box to poke home from close range on nine minutes after his header had been blocked. Sunderland had a player sent off for...
09:29 AM, May 07, 2013
Zurich: Referees are on the front line in the fight against racism but cannot always be expected to be aware of what is going on off the field, English referee Howard Webb said on Monday. Webb took part in the first meeting of FIFA's anti-racism task force and said that one suggestion was the use of off-pitch officials to help referees identify serious incidents. "We are very much in the...
11:47 PM, May 06, 2013
Oslo: Norway's most capped footballer, John Arne Riise, says he's giving up playing for the national team to concentrate on Premier League side Fulham. Riise says on his website that he wants to "fully focus" on club football. He joined Fulham in July 2011, having previously played for Roma and Liverpool. The 32-year-old Fulham defender played in 110 internationals and scored 16 goals for Norway. Riise says he's enjoyed representing...
08:22 PM, May 06, 2013
London: Wigan Athletic, the English Premier League's great escapologists, will aim to perform their latest Houdini act by beating Swansea City on Tuesday and climbing out of the relegation zone. The third from bottom club have been perennial strugglers since being promoted to the top flight for the first time in 2005 and manager Roberto Martinez is looking to mark his 150th game in charge by taking three points off...
07:49 PM, May 06, 2013
New Delhi: A new glittering trophy awaits the 2012-13 I-League Champions, as the All India Football Federation has designed a dedicated silverware which will be handed over to the winners on the day of their coronation. The trophy, a gold-plated one and which has a full-sized silver football at the top, has been designed in Europe. It will do the rounds every year like it happens across the world. "It...
07:29 PM, May 06, 2013
Milan: Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been handed a three-match ban for spitting at an opponent. Pogba was sent off in Sunday's 1-0 win over Palermo - which secured Juventus' second successive Serie A title - after he spat at Salvatore Aronica. The incident occurred seven minutes from full time. Pogba has impressed this season after moving from Manchester United on a free transfer in the summer. Under Monday's ruling,...
06:08 PM, May 06, 2013
Berlin: France winger Franck Ribery Monday said he is eager to extend his Bayern Munich contract past 2015 having already spent nearly six years at the Champions League finalists. The 30-year-old joined Bayern in July 2007 from Marseille and has scored 51 goals with 74 assists in his 154 league games for the Bavarians to become a fan favourite at the Allianz Arena and was a key factor in Bayern...
05:57 PM, May 06, 2013
New Delhi: World football governing body's vice-president Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein on Monday backed India's bid to host the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, saying that the country was crucial for the overall development of the game in the continent. "I support India's bid to host the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. India is an important country in Asia and a crucial one for growth of the game," Al Hussein,...
05:56 PM, May 06, 2013
London: Chelsea are hopeful Belgium winger Eden Hazard can shrug off a calf problem in time for Wednesday's crucial Premier League showdown with Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge. The quicksilver Hazard was forced to miss Sunday's 1-0 victory at champions Manchester United after sustaining the injury in the Europa League semi-final win over Swiss club Basel on Thursday. "He has a problem with his calf," interim manager Rafael Benitez told...
03:46 PM, May 06, 2013
Rome: Juventus head coach Antonio Conte said he will discuss his future with the club following his side retaining the Serie A title with a 1-0 win over Palermo. "The bar has been raised higher and there is also an economic crisis in Italy. I thank president Andrea Agnelli, who wanted me here at Juventus, and for that I will be always grateful. I want what is best for everyone,"...
12:00 PM, May 06, 2013
