Barcelona has everything in place in agreement to sell the rights to screen their La Liga matches next season to a unit of Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, ending a long-standing collaboration with broadcaster Mediapro. . The deal was rubber-stamped at a Barca board meeting on Monday and Telefonica will also take over the running of Barca’s in-house television channel, the club said on their website (www.fcbarcelona.es). . Barca did not say how much Telefonica had agreed to pay but local media reported it was around 140 million euros ($159 million), roughly in line with what Mediapro, who own the TV…
Author: David F.
Manchester United are in the market for a new midfielder this summer, says manager Louis van Gaal. . The Old Trafford boss has been criticised for playing striker Wayne Rooney in a deeper position and when asked if his priority was to sign a new midfielder he said: “Of course.” . Van Gaal was speaking ahead of Monday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie against Preston North End at Deepdale (19:45 GMT). . “I am looking for balance and I need balance in midfield,” he added. . “When I play with [Adnan] Januzaj and [Angel] Di Maria in the midfield positions, then…
Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu reiterated at a court appearance on Friday that neither he nor the club intentionally committed tax fraud in the signing of Brazil forward Neymar. . Bartomeu was a vice president under former president Sandro Rosell when Neymar was signed in 2013 and he the club have been accused of defrauding the tax office of €2.8 million in 2014. . Rosell, who has also denied wrongdoing, resigned over allegations the club did not pay several millions more in taxes it owed for 2011, 2012 and 2013, saying he wanted to protect the club’s image. . “In the…
After they sold top scorer Diego Costa and fullback Felipe Luis to Chelsea, some predicted Atletico Madrid would struggle to repeat their achievements in 2013-14 when they won La Liga and reached the Champions League final. . The high-profile departures also included goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who returned to parent club Chelsea after a loan deal, but defender Juanfran believes the arrival of the likes of Mario Mandzukic, Antoine Griezmann and, most recently, Fernando Torres means the current squad is even better. . Results on the pitch suggest he may be right. . Atletico are third in La Liga, three points…
Type the name of West Ham United striker Andy Carroll into any internet search engine and you will be greeted with page after page chronicling various failing parts of his body. . You will also find a few more describing those all too rare days when he was fit enough to terrorise defences for club and country. A torn knee ligament, and surgery on Tuesday, means there will be no more of those this season for the man who cost West Ham a club record of around £16 million to sign from Liverpool in 2013. . Past history suggests Carroll’s…
Defender Jason McCarthy confirmed Friday he has penned a new two-and-a-half-year deal with Premier League side Southampton. . The 19-year-old made his professional debut in Saints’ 3-1 win at Crystal Palace last December and has been involved in the first-team squad on a number of occasions. . Captain of the club’s Under-21s side, McCarthy’s new deal runs until 2017. . “It’s great to put pen to paper,” he told Southampton’s official YouTube channel. . “Obviously at the start of the year I knew I was out of contract at the end of the season. . “I was pleased with my…
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian has had a one match ban overturned and will be available for the Premier League side’s FA Cup fifth round tie at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. . However, West Ham were charged with failing to ensure players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion after the Spanish goalkeeper was shown the red card against Southampton in a 0-0 draw on Wednesday. . “His one-match suspension has been withdrawn with immediate effect,” the English Football Association said in a statement after a wrongful dismissal appeal on Friday. . Adrian was sent off for handling the ball…
As David Luiz geared up to play against former club Chelsea in next week’s Champions League last 16 first-leg tie, the Paris St Germain player said the Premier League leaders had improved as a team since he left eight months ago. . The centre half, who was sold to PSG for a fee that media reports put at £50 million, believes close-season signing Cesc Fabregas has made the runaway Premier League leaders a more formidable unit. . “Chelsea are better this season,” Luiz told the Evening Standard newspaper. “Above all they are better balanced following the arrival of Fabregas. .…
The Nigeria Football Federation has announced that the Super Eagles will face Bolivia in an international friendly at the Akwa Ibom Stadium on March 26. . This is coming on the heels of the cancellation of the international friendly with the Selecao of Brazil on the same date after the Confederation of Brasil Football (CBF) opted to continue with their World Tour programme in Europe. . “We have had to work at a pace to seal agreement for this match, after the Brazilian Football Federation opted out at the last hour,” Pinnick said via a statement released on Friday. .…
Borussia Dortmund experienced a rollercoaster of emotions before winning 4-2 against Mainz 05 on Friday, a first home victory of the year that moved them out of the Bundesliga relegation zone. . Last season’s runners-up needed the skills of Marco Reus, who this week extended his contract with the club until 2019, as the German international scored one goal and set up another to lift them into 14th spot with 22 points. . The visitors shocked Dortmund in the first minute when keeper Roman Weidenfeller failed to clear after a mistake and Elkin Soto lobbed the ball into an empty…
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang admits Borussia Dortmund’s 4-2 win over Mainz, to climb out of the relegation places, was almost as good as hearing Marco Reus had extended his contract earlier in the week. . “That was the best news of the week,” admitted Gabon goal-scorer Aubameyang after Friday’s win at Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion. . On Tuesday, Germany winger Reus ended weeks of speculation that he was set to quit at the end of the season by announcing he had signed a new contract until 2019. . The Mainz victory capped a red-letter week for Borussia, who had climbed off the bottom of…
Bayern Munich crushed Hamburg SV 8-0 on Saturday while Bas Dost scored four goals, including a stoppage-time winner, to give VfL Wolfsburg a 5-4 victory at Bayer Leverkusen on an unforgettable day in the Bundesliga. . The leaders handed Hamburg the heaviest defeat in their 52-year Bundesliga history to stay eight points clear of second-placed Wolfsburg at the top of the table and respond in style to recent criticism of their performances by coach Pep Guardiola. . Thomas Mueller, Arjen Robben and Mario Goetze each scored twice for Bayern to sink sorry Hamburg who were beaten 9-2 in the same…
Real Sociedad twice came from behind to draw 2-2 against Almeria in the Spanish league on Friday. . The hosts took the lead in just the fifth minute after Sociedad goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli badly mistimed a tackle and brought down Congo forward Thievy Bifouma in the area, with Jose “Verza” Garcia converting the penalty. . Imanol Agirretxe equalised for Real Sociedad with a well-placed back-header from Esteban Granero’s free kick in the 27th. . Bifouma then set up Almeria’s second when he raced up the left flank and sent a perfect pass toward Tomer Hemed, who scored his seventh goal…
Barcelona may be without midfielder Andres Iniesta for Sunday’s La Liga game at home to Levante (4pm GMT) after the Spain international missed training on Saturday due to a bout of flu. . “The FC Barcelona first team trained on Saturday morning after having the day off on Friday,” Barca said on their website (www.fcbarcelona.es). . “(Coach) Luis Enrique had his full squad at his disposal apart from Andres Iniesta, who has the flu,” they added. . Second-placed Barca are a point behind Real Madrid ahead of the leaders’ game at home to Deportivo La Coruna later on Saturday. .…
Real Madrid returned to winning ways after last weekend’s drubbing at Atletico but failed to convince and were whistled by their own fans during a drab 2-0 victory at home to Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday. . La Liga leaders Real were looking for an inspiring performance before Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Schalke 04 and were fortunate not to drop points with another insipid display following the humiliating 4-0 defeat at the Calderon. . Cristiano Ronaldo, criticised this week for throwing a 30th birthday party hours after the Atletico game, and Gareth Bale each struck efforts against the crossbar…
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique said he is savouring the chance to watch Lionel Messi after the Argentine notched his fifth hat-trick of the season in a 5-0 romp over Levante on Sunday. . Messi was at the heart of the action as he teed up Neymar for the opener and then struck three times either side of halftime to take his tally for the season to 37 on his 300th La Liga appearance. . Neymar was then replaced by Luis Suarez midway through the second-half and he also made his presence felt with a stunning overhead kick to round off…
Equatorial Guinea president Teodoro Obiang has pardoned 149 people who were arrested following clashes during the host country’s Africa Cup of Nations semifinal defeat to Ghana. . All those arrested have been released, Martin Ndong Nsue, president of Malabo Supreme Court confirmed on Friday. . “We were ready to go to trial for you to be punished … but the President of the Republic Teodoro Obiang, in his role as chief magistrate of the nation and father of all of you, has forgiven you and you are free,” Ndong Nsue told the accused before they were released to their families…
Queens Park Rangers have appointed caretaker boss Chris Ramsey as manager until the end of the season, the Premier League strugglers said on Friday. . The 52-year-old has limited coaching experience but has impressed the squad since taking over from Harry Redknapp who resigned last week. He steered QPR to their first away victory of the season, a 2-0 league win over Sunderland on Tuesday. . “Ramsey will work alongside Kevin Bond (first team coach) and Kevin Hitchcock (goalkeeping coach),” fourth from bottom Rangers said in a statement. . “Director of football Les Ferdinand will oversee the trio whilst also…
Under-fire striker Diego Costa, set to return for Chelsea’s Champions League tie at Paris St Germain on Tuesday following a three-match ban, believes his on-field challenges sometimes provoke “exaggerated reactions”. . The Brazilian-born Spanish international was heavily criticised after incurring a suspension for stamping on Liverpool’s Emre Can in a League Cup semifinal victory at Stamford Bridge in January. . Manuel Pellegrini, manager of Chelsea’s Premier League title rivals Manchester City, said last month that he hoped Costa’s ban would be “a good thing for him to change in the future”. . The 26-year-old former Atletico Madrid forward sees things…