Barcelona: Pep Guardiola still hasn't decided whether he wants to continue coaching Barcelona beyond this season. The 41-year-old Guardiola, who has won 13 out of a possible 16 titles since taking over the European champions nearly four seasons ago, said he would like to have made a decision already but he remains uncertain. "I would have liked to have made my decision earlier but it still isn't clear to me,"...
11:20 PM, Feb 18, 2012
Leverkusen: After seeing his defenders thoroughly outclassed by Lionel Messi, Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voeller was dismayed that his players squabbled over the souvenir when Messi gave the shirt off his back - at half-time. Messi scored one goal, set up another and hit a post in Barcelona's 3-1 Champions League win at Leverkusen on Tuesday night, when two of the home team's players were a little too keen...
02:14 PM, Feb 17, 2012
Madrid: Jose Mourinho attempted to play down title talk after fans and local media were left convinced his Real Madrid side would win La Liga after stretching their lead to 10-points with a 4-2 victory over Levante on Sunday. Cristiano Ronaldo rattled in his sixth hat-trick of the season as Real stormed back to win at the Bernabeu in some style, capitalising on second-placed Barcelona's surprise 3-2 defeat at Osasuna...
02:56 PM, Feb 14, 2012
Leverkusen: Barcelona defender Dani Alves says his side will keep fighting for the Spanish title despite falling 10 points behind Real Madrid. Alves said on Monday, "As long as the title remains undecided, we'll keep fighting and we'll see what happens in the end." The Brazilian was acknowledged the "points difference is big" in the Spanish league and said his side would congratulate Madrid if they break Barcelona's three-year hold...
02:53 PM, Feb 14, 2012
Leverkusen: Bayer Leverkusen hold a physical advantage over holders Barcelona and will be a tough nut to crack in their Champions League last-16 tie, Barca coach Pep Guardiola said on Monday. "They are a physically a stronger team than us and they will be stronger than us when we do not have possession," Guardiola told reporters ahead of Tuesday's first leg in Leverkusen. "They are dangerous from set pieces and...
01:14 PM, Feb 14, 2012
New Delhi: Ahead of the Union Budget, Defence Minister AK Antony on Monday said his ministry has spent over 70 per cent of the modernisation funds allocated to it for the current fiscal. The Defence Ministry has been sanctioned Rs 69,199 crore for capital expenditure outlay for finalising acquisition of major items such as 10 C-17 heavy-lift aircraft and 145 ultra-light Howitzers. "Already by December 31, we had spent 66...
07:06 PM, Feb 13, 2012
Barcelona: Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola refused to concede the title after Saturday night's 3-2 defeat at Osasuna, but admitted that his side's hopes of catching Real Madrid at the top of La Liga have become "more complicated." The Catalans could have drawn within four points of the leaders with a victory at the Reyno de Navarra but, as their coach admitted, the defending champions now look set to fall 10...
06:14 PM, Feb 12, 2012
Barcelona: Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano was sent off in the tunnel following a heated confrontation with the referee after his side's 3-2 loss to Osasuna on Saturday. The former Liverpool man was yellow-carded on 88 minutes by Jose Romero for protesting a decision, but shortly after the game, he was shown a second yellow for a subsequent act of dissent towards the match official. Romero also added in his post-match...
04:40 PM, Feb 12, 2012
London: Real Madrid and Barcelona are soccer's biggest moneymakers for the third straight year and look set to top their rivals for the foreseeable future. The annual review of soccer finance by Deloitte shows Madrid topping the list for the seventh straight year with revenue of $636.5 million for the year ending June 30, an increase of 9 percent from the previous 12 months. English champions Manchester United were again...
02:39 PM, Feb 09, 2012
Barcelona: Cesc Fabregas scored one goal and set up another as Barcelona beat Valencia 2-0 on Wednesday to advance to the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao. Lionel Messi lobbed a long pass that Fabregas chased down and deftly chipped over goalkeeper Diego Alves for Barcelona's 15th-minute opener. And after Sofiane Feghouli left Valencia with 10 men late on after receiving his second booking, Fabregas set up Xavi Hernandez...
08:15 AM, Feb 09, 2012
Barcelona: Barcelona have reached an agreement with Alexander Hleb to release the Belarus midfielder from his contract. The 30-year-old came to Spain in the summer of 2008 but struggled to make any kind of an impression at Camp Nou. The former Arsenal player had been under contract with the Spanish and European champions until the end of the season. Hleb made 35 appearances for Barcelona during the 2008-09 season when...
10:50 AM, Feb 01, 2012
Barcelona: Barcelona may finally be feeling the pressure that comes with being billed the world's best club, coach Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday. Guardiola spoke in rallying tones ahead of Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final at Valencia after the Spanish and European champions drew 0-0 at Villarreal to sit seven points behind league leaders Real Madrid. "Living with this constant pressure of having to win and win makes it hard,...
10:38 AM, Feb 01, 2012
New Delhi: French company Dassault Aviation's Rafale has won the $10.4 billion deal to supply 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) to the Indian Air Force (IAF). According to sources, Rafale won the multi-billion dollar deal as it was found to be similar to the French Mirage 2000 fighter jet, which is already being operated by the IAF. Rafale beat the Eurofighter Typhoon to bag the deal. Rafale was preferred...
05:35 PM, Jan 31, 2012
Barcelona: Barcelona forward Isaac Cuenca has agreed to extend his contract with the club. The Spanish and European champions say Cuenca agreed to a three-year extension that will run until the close of the 2014-15 season. The highly-rated 20-year-old's existing deal is due to expire at the end of the season and his situation has reportedly attracted the interest of a number of top European clubs, including Premier League trio...
04:22 PM, Jan 29, 2012
Madrid: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho will not punish Pepe for stamping on the hand of Barcelona's Lionel Messi, saying that the defender's apology was sufficient. Mourinho said on Saturday "the player has spoken and that is enough" after including Pepe in his squad for Sunday's league home game against Athletic Bilbao. Following Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final, Mourinho said...
04:46 AM, Jan 22, 2012
Madrid: Spanish leaders Real Madrid will be wary of a surging Athletic Bilbao as they look to shake off another disappointing loss to Barcelona and focus on maintaining their five-point lead over the defending champions. Bilbao, who have won three straight and are unbeaten in seven matches, are fifth in the league and in the chase for a European place, maybe even a Champions League spot, under new coach Marcelo...
07:36 PM, Jan 20, 2012
Madrid: Another loss to Barcelona has piled pressure on Jose Mourinho, with support for the Real Madrid coach ebbing after another ill-tempered and ineffective display against their biggest rivals summed up by Pepe's ugly stamp on Lionel Messi's hand. Barcelona rallied for a 2-1 Copa del Rey victory on Wednesday for their 10th victory in 13 games, and sixth win against Madrid since the Portuguese coach took over in 2010....
11:33 PM, Jan 19, 2012
Madrid: Barcelona got the better of archrivals Real Madrid again on Wednesday as Eric Abidal scored a rare goal to give his team a 2-1 win in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. Abidal chested down Lionel Messi's scooped pass inside the area before flicking a left-footed shot under goalkeeper Iker Casillas in the 77th minute for just his second goal with the Catalan club. The Frenchman's...
04:55 AM, Jan 19, 2012
Madrid: Jose Mourinho defended Cristiano Ronaldo's form on the eve of Real Madrid's Copa del Rey quarter-final against Barcelona, describing his performance against Mallorca as his best since the coach's arrival at the club. Ronaldo has come under criticism after squandering chances in a 3-1 loss to Barcelona last month, but Mourinho said the forward's work ethic in the second half of Saturday's 2-1 win was better than all of...
11:46 PM, Jan 17, 2012
New Delhi: The winner of the multi-billion dollar deal to procure 126 combat planes for Indian Air Force is expected to be announced in two weeks time, the IAF Chief said in New Delhi on Tuesday. European EADS Eurofighter and Dasault Rafale are in the final race for Air Force's global tender to procure 126 Medium-Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA). "Right now we have to do the selection for who...
05:12 PM, Jan 17, 2012
