Man Utd rumours won’t distract Fonte, says Puel London (AFP) – Southampton manager Claude Puel is confident rumours linking captain Jose Fonte with a move to Friday’s opponents Manchester United won’t stop the Portugal defender concentrating on the task at hand. Fonte was a key member of the Portugal side that won Euro 2016 and is understood to be a target for several major clubs, including a … [Read more...]

Neymar leads Brazil into Rio gold medal match Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Neymar scored twice, including the fastest goal in Olympics history, as Brazil coasted into Saturday’s gold medal match with a 6-0 thrashing of Honduras at Rio’s iconic Maracana. The hosts now have the chance to ease some of the pain caused by a 7-1 humiliation at the hands of Germany on home soil at the 2014 World Cup by … [Read more...]

Bayern’s Coman suffers injury in training Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman had to be carried out of Wednesday’s training session on a stretcher after suffering an ankle injury, leaving the German champions sweating about the extent of the problem. “He was lying there and was obviously in pain, which is never a good sign,” Bayern captain Philipp Lahm told Sky. Coman injured his left … [Read more...]

Russia scrambles after work halted at 2018 World Cup venue Saint Petersburg (AFP) – With the 2018 World Cup less than two years away, Russia is scrambling to resume construction at one of the tournament’s flagship stadiums where labour disputes have threatened to derail efforts to meet deadlines.  Work on the futuristic 68,000-seater stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second city, was halted … [Read more...]

Mourning Brazil must bounce back for bronze – Marta Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Women’s football legend Marta insisted the Brazil team will keep getting better despite an agonising semi-final Olympic exit on penalties to Sweden, which goalkeeper Barbara described as being like losing a family member. Despite dominating for 120 minutes at a packed Maracana stadium in Rio on Tuesday, Marta couldn’t … [Read more...]

Marta in tears as Sweden dump Brazil in penalty shoot-out Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Sweden ended a disconsolate Marta’s dreams of guiding Brazil’s women to a first Olympic football gold medal with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win to set up a final with Germany. The five-time world player of the year walked off in tears after the upset before 70,000 people in a stunned Maracana stadium. Brazil thrashed … [Read more...]

Sling TV adds NFL Network and NFL RedZone to streaming services Sling TV has added the NFL Network and NFL RedZone to its array of streaming channels, to offer sports fans a chance to watch the best NFL action in addition to soccer, entertainment and other channels. All Sling Blue customers will automatically receive NFL Network, while NFL RedZone is available to Sling Blue customers as part of … [Read more...]

Aguero hat-trick fires City to Steaua rout Paris (AFP) – Sergio Aguero brushed off two missed penalties to score a hat-trick as Manchester City outclassed Steaua Bucharest 5-0 on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie in Romania. The result means that new City coach Pep Guardiola can breathe a huge sigh of relief as the Abu Dhabi-backed club have one foot in the … [Read more...]

Havelange, FIFA king who abdicated in corruption scandal, dead at 100 Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Joao Havelange, who died Tuesday at 100, turned FIFA into a global business behemoth and helped bring the Olympics to Rio, only to resign in disgrace after a corruption scandal. The Samaritano Hospital in Rio de Janeiro confirmed that Havelange, who had been treated there in July for pneumonia, died … [Read more...]

Burnley splash out record fee for Belgian star Steven Defour London (AFP) – Belgian international midfielder Steven Defour became Premier League newboys Burnley’s record signing on Tuesday with the English club spending a reported £7.5million (8.6m euros, $9.7m) to lure him away from Anderlecht. The 28-year-old — capped 46 times and played for Belgium at the 2014 World Cup — signed a three-year … [Read more...]