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Andrey Kuznetsov, a lean, quietly spoken Russian who is probably tougher than he looks, says that for all that Andy Murray might be more vulnerable this year, he expects the world No1 to put aside recent Authentic Eddie Lack Youth Jersey poor form when they meet in their first-round match here on Tuesday. “Maybe if you see his results on clay, they are not his best, not as good as last year,” the 26-year-old world No73 said. “[Borna] Coric, for example, beat him in Madrid, so it shows that it’s possible to beat him. But the big guys prepare for the big tournaments. Maybe it was part of the plan. But in the first round of big tournaments they also need some time to find their rhythm. Andy Murray loses in straight sets to Borna Coric at Madrid Open Read more “I understand he is favourite for this match but I think I will have good chances. I did 10 days of preparation for this tournament. In New York [three years ago] I won a set against him but it was on hard court. I will watch a few matches of his on clay to prepare. “It’s always a good experience to play the world No1 [he lost the only previous time, against Novak Djokovic]. If I win, I will be a hero. If I lose, nobody will be surprised. So there’s nothing to lose for me.” Kuznetsov was not persuaded by the suggestion that the top ranking was affecting Murray’s confidence, although he will be hoping otherwise on court. “I think Andy can hold the pressure pretty good. If we talk about http://www.officialmarinershop.com/Luis_Sardinas_Jersey nerves, maybe for me, it’s a little bit easier,” he said. “I will come on court not thinking: ‘He’s world No1 and for sure is going to win.’ I will try to win, not to show good tennis or a good fight. I know I can win if I play good.” When told that Murray had been ill the past week, Kuznetsov looked unimpressed. “I did not hear that. In professional sport we always have some injuries or feeling bad here, feeling bad there. But I’m sure he will compete like 100%. But, if in the middle of the match he retires, I would be happy.” Advertisement Kuznetsov did not buy into the view either that Murray’s dip in form this year was a surprise. “You cannot be on top your whole career. Sooner or later it goes up and down, up and down. He had a very good end of last year, this year maybe not as good as he wanted but he’s still No1. Even if he would be No3, he’s still a very good player.” He did agree that the younger players are starting to make a more regular impression in big matches now, particularly the exciting young German, Alexander Zverev, whom he knows well. “Sascha is a big fighter. I played with him http://www.officialoriolestore.com/Frank_Robinson_Jersey maybe two or three years ago in a Challenger, when he was 200 in the world. I beat him 7-5 in the third set but you could see even then he was very good. There are a few more players, too.” Away from the game Murray shreds the perception that he is in some sort of spiritual trough. That is an image that predates the settled period of marriage and fatherhood – which he revealed has changed his life. Mischa Zverev, who embarrassed the world No1 on court in Melbourne, did it with a microphone on behalf of the ATP website before this tournament and they exchanged views on siblings and fatherhood. Andy Murray crashes out of Australian Open to inspired Mischa Zverev Read more “I shouldn’t let you do this after you beat me in Australia,” Murray joked. The German apologised, weakly, and asked the Scot about his one-year-old daughter, Sophia. “It’s been great, a huge change in your life. It’s the best. For me, anyway, it changes how I see my tennis and my life in general, because tennis is all I did. When I lost a tennis match I was totally down and upset; when I won it was amazing. Whereas now it’s not the most important thing any more. I would certainly recommend it” Zverev reminded Murray they both have tennis-playing brothers, although Mischa’s age-gap is bigger with 20-year-old Alexander than is Murray’s with Jamie, who is a year older. “Until 12 Jamie used to beat me all the time. I genuinely cannot remember [if their mother, Judy, favoured one over the other]. But they’ve got the younger brother syndrome; they always think everyone’s against them.” It might have seemed Brian Propp Authentic Jersey the world was against him in recent weeks but Murray has always been able to draw on considerable stores of stubbornness to prove his critics wrong. If he beats Kuznetsov, he will at least be back in a winning frame of mind
The men’s world No1, Andy Murray, fears tennis players trying to boycott Margaret Court Arena at the Australian Open would cause scheduling chaos and wants http://www.officialcelticsproshop.com/Walter_Brown_Jerseythe issue brought to a head sooner rather than later. Former player Margaret Court’s public opposition to same-sex marriage has sparked furious debate around whether the show court named in her honour at Melbourne Park should be changed. Maxime Hamou banned from French Open for groping reporter on live TV Read more Murray, a long-time member and former president of the ATP players’ council – in addition to his standing as world No1 – has no doubts Court’s vocal stance is creating locker-room angst. Placing Tennis Australia under huge pressure to react – after Stosur on Monday suggested players may request not to appear on Margaret Court Arena in January – Murray said a meeting between the game’s grand slam competitors was needed to ascertain the general consensus. “If something was Tyler Zeller Jersey to be done, I think it would be a lot more beneficial to do it before the tournament starts,” Murray said. “For players to be in a position where you’re in a slam and kind of boycotting playing on the court, I think would potentially cause a lot of issuesSo I think if something was going to be happening and the players come to an agreement, if they think the name should be changed or whatever, that should be decided before the event – before the event starts. But I would imagine a lot of the players would be pretty offended by that. So, we’ll see what happens.” Stosur says tennis players could boycott Margaret Court Arena over gay marriage comments Read more While gay Dutch professional Richel Hogenkamp is the only elite player on record as saying there should be a name change, Australia’s stars competing at the French Open in Paris are strongly united in disagreeing with http://www.officialmagicstoreonline.com/Cj_Watson_JerseyCourt’s views. From grand slam champion Samantha Stosur to teenage qualifier Jaimee Fourlis, the Australians have deferred any decision about a possible name change to higher authorities, saying Court, like anyone, is entitled to her opinion. But they stand united in opposing Court’s stance. “I have no problem with gay marriage at all. I mean, that’s where I stand,” Australia’s men’s No1 Nick Kyrgios said on Tuesday. Stosur, Fourlis, Ashleigh Barty, her doubles partner Casey Dellacqua – who has two children in an openly gay relationship – and fellow men’s players John Millman and Thanasi Kokkinakis share Kyrgios’s view. “I don’t agree with what Margaret said at all. But everyone is entitled to their Authentic C.J. Wilcox Youth Jersey opinion,” Kokkinakis said. “I know a lot of people that I’m friends with are gay
If Andy Murray is to reach the French Open final for the second year in a row, confounding critics who say he will not make it out of the first week, he will have to shrug off the lethargy that plagued the start of his campaign last year and has struck again this week. In 2016 he survived two five-set matches early on. This year, as world No1, his two opening matches have taken him to four sets against low-ranked rivals when he might have got the job done with quick, cleaner victories. Andy Murray battles past Martin Klizan and more: French Open 2017 – as it happened The world No1 Andy Murray reached the third round at Roland Garros with a hard-fought 6-7, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 victory over Martin Klizan Read more In the third round against Juan Martín del Potro he will not be allowed the luxury of easing himself into the fight the way he could against the world No85, Andrey Kuznetsov, in the first round and the world No50, Martin Klizan, on Thursday, when he won 6-7, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 on Court Suzanne Lenglen in three hours and 34 minutes. For an hour against Klizan, Murray’s gears refused to mesh. For the next hour or so he was on top, then the match took a sharp swerve at the start of the fourth for the tensest of finishes. Having struggled to stay in touch with Murray, the rangy left-hander was dramatically revived after receiving treatment for his serving shoulder. He was 3-0 up in the fourth before Murray had even mouthed his loud complaint about the interruption, railing at his box and the umpire, to little effect on either front. He was on his own and needed to get his composure back against an opponent who had tried all his tricks against the French qualifier Laurent Lokoli on Tuesday – and got away Peyton Manning Youth Jersey with them. As Klizan started pounding down his serve at 196kph to go 4-1 up, his shoulder looked just fine. John McEnroe observed courtside: “How long has this been going on in our game? It brings a little drama, sure, but from the standpoint of a player who has worked on his fitness all year to try to get an edge, I can see how that could be absolutely infuriating. That’s not fair.” Murray, who also threatened to sit down if the umpire did not have the spidercam stilled above his serving position, said: “I was getting frustrated on the court – something I have always battled with. That’s just how I am. I feel like I have improved it from where I was in the middle of my career. Sometimes I think for my team it’s difficult to know exactly how I’m feeling or what it is I need when I’m on the court.” Advertisement They were not often left in doubt on Thursday. Did he think he would beat Del Potro? “Absolutely,” he said. The Argentinian had been detained for only an hour and a half on court two before the Spaniard Nicolás Almagro retired with an injury to his left knee. Del Potro, who lost to Murray in the Olympic final but beat him in the Davis Cup semi-final, was a set apiece at 6-3, 3-6 and 1-1 in the third when Almagro withdrew. Del Potro, seeded No29, said: “It could be another great battle – if I feel good. Andy is one of the http://www.jetsofficialsonline.com/Eric_Decker_Jersey_Cheap favourites to win this tournament. Now I know his game a lot, but I need to be in good shape and physically be stronger if we play a long match, long rallies.” Murray said: “Juan Martín, in my opinion, plays better than his ranking. He’s come back from injury and has had a lot of tough draws this year. He’s playing well. I’m sure it’ll be a great atmosphere.” The Recap: sign up for the best of the Guardian's sport coverage Read more Klizan arrived in Paris complaining of pain in his left calf and said he had reluctantly withdrawn from three lead-up tournaments at the last minute. In the first round against Lokoli he collapsed dramatically in the fourth set before recovering to take the fifth. The furious Frenchman accused him of feigning injury and refused to shake his hand. Murray started poorly again while Klizan went for his shots from the first ball. In the seventh game, a lady in pink arrived as Klizan raised his racket to serve. He paused. To whistles and boos, she eased slowly out of his eyeline, ascending the stairs with all the hauteur of a diva and disappeared from view. The Slovak, chortling and chuntering, held. But errors began to feed into his ground strokes, his temper quickened and the shape of his game began to unravel. He was there for the taking. Klizan did not look a good bet to finish the fight but he took the tie-break. Murray was livid with himself, rightly so. Then he hit a pleasing tempo. From 1-2 down he won five games in a row to take him into the third looking capable of another whirlwind finish, drilling the ball deep and wide, and all looked set for a quick denouement. By the time they reached the end of the fourth on level terms, however, nerves jangled like loose change. Advertisement They traded breaks and, two points away from a fifth set, Murray hit a double fault when http://www.ramsofficialsonline.com/Michael_Brockers_Jersey_Cheap a door slammed off-court. A baby cried as he served to hold for 5-5, and he smiled. When they got to the second tie-break, Murray, who had botched a few good chances earlier, finally drove the dagger home – probably two hours later than he would have liked. “Sometimes you think you’ve hit a good shot and he comes up with an unbelievable winner,” he said of Klizan. “When he’s controlling with his forehand it’s very difficult. I certainly didn’t want a fifth set but in the end there were some entertaining points, some great shots.” Edmund moves into third round after beating Renzo Olivo Kyle Edmund is in the curious position of being in better shape than Andy Murray. Whether it will remain that way after the weekend is asking a lot of the British No2 but he won many friends on Thursday. While the world No1 was struggling with his focus and a difficult opponent in Martin Klizan, Edmund breezed past the Italian Renzo Olivo 7-5, 6-3, 6-1. On Saturday he plays the South African Kevin Anderson, who beat the Australian Nick Kyrgios 7-5, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. The former French Open champion Jim Courier thinks Edmund is good enough to make the world’s top 10; former British No1 Greg Rusedski says he could get to “the fourth round or further”. Edmund said: “It’s nice to hear those things but I’ve still go out there and win the matches.” Earlier he paid tribute to the British fans who crowded around the small court. “As the match went along, I used the support to my benefit. I could feel me getting on top. It’s great to have British support. There’s always British accents out there you can hear, people asking for autographs and selfies later. “I knew I had to play well today, got it done in straights. You have to be ruthless, when you see the guy down you’ve got to finish him. You’ve just got to keep going.” Olivo admitted: “Yesterday [when he Brayden Schenn Womens Jersey completed his held-over match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga] was big for me. There was a lot of expectation on me. I knew I had to handle it the best way. I got into it today, but it didn’t work out.” Rusedski said on Eurosport: “This season’s been a bit tough for [Edmund]. He’s had a few tough draws and a few matches he could have won but this was huge for him. It’s his favourite surface and he has an opportunity now against Kevin Anderson. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets to the fourth round and further because he’s playing the right way. It looks like everything is turning around right now
Enes Unal has left Manchester City for Villarreal in a ￡12m deal which includes a buy-back clause in the region of ￡17.5m. The 20-year-old has agreed personal terms with the Spanish side and signed what Luc Robitaille Authentic Jersey is believed to be a four-year contract. Manchester City to promote trio of youngsters to Pep Guardiola’s first team Read more Unal joined City for ￡2m from Bursaspor in 2015 and the Turkish Super Lig club will receive a development fee for the latest transfer. The striker had not been short of options following an impressive loan spell at the Dutch club Twente. Lille, Valencia, Monaco, Schalke, Porto and Benfica had all registered an interest before Villarreal clinched the deal. The Turkey international is unable to secure a work permit to play in England under existing Home Office regulations. Unal would have had to have featured in at least 45% of the Turkish national team games over the past 24 months, which he has not, or apply for a permit under the “exceptional talent” criteria. He has been out on loan for both seasons since joining City in 2015. He spent six months at Genk in Belgium followed by a brief stint at NAC Breda in 2015-16. Unal then joined Twente in another temporary move and scored 19 goals and provided four assists http://www.officialkingsteamstore.com/Marcel_Dionne_Jersey in all competitions. He finished the season as the highest-scoring Turkish player in Eredivisie history, with 18 of his goals coming in the league. Sergio Agüero set to stay at Manchester City, declares chairman Read more The striker was called up to Turkey’s most recent two games and came on as a substitute in the 2-0 victory against Finland and started the 3-1 win against Moldova. The head coach, Fatih Terim, is expected to include Unal for the next round of international games against Macedonia on 5 June and Kosovo on 11 June. Unal has been expected to reach the very top since breaking through at Bursaspor, for whom he scored 182 goals in 110 appearances at youth levels and for the first team. He scored 24 times in 25 games for the Turkey Under-16 team before making his debut for the seniors against Luxemburg aged 17. Aged 16, Unal became the youngest player to score in the Turkish top flight with a goal against GalatasarayRiyad Mahrez has shocked Leicester City by announcing he wants to leave in the summer transfer window. Mahrez, the former PFA Player of the Year who was instrumental in Leicester’s Premier League triumph in 2016, has issued a statement stating he is “fiercely ambitious” and feels “this is the time for me to move on”. The 26-year-old has attracted interest in the past from clubs including http://www.officialcardinalsbaseball.com/authentic-3-jedd-gyorko-jersey.html Arsenal, Monaco and Barcelona, with Mahrez’s representatives having agreed a new four-year contract at Leicester last summer. However, a statement from the Algeria international confirmed his wish to depart the club who signed him for ￡400,000 from Le Havre in 2014. “Out of the huge admiration and respect I hold for Leicester City I wanted to be totally honest and transparent with them and have therefore informed the club I feel now is the time for me to move on,” read the statement. “I had a good discussion with the chairman last summer and we agreed at that time I would stay for another year in order to help the club as best as I could following the transition of winning the title and in the Champions League. “However, I am fiercely ambitious and feel now is the time to move on to a new experience. I’ve always enjoyed a good relationship with the chairman and everyone at the club, and I hope I have been able to repay the faith shown to me by my performances and commitment on the pitch during my time here.” Leicester are also yet to announce the future of Craig Shakespeare after talks with the owners this week. Shakespeare’s short-term deal, which he signed after replacing Claudio Ranieri as manager in February, expires next month. Leicester’s off-target Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez conjure a mystery Jonathan Wilson Read more Tottenham were linked with an approach for Mahrez in January but it is understood they have no interest in signing him, with Monaco’s Thomas Lemar among the Jhonny Peralta Womens Jersey chief targets for their manager, Mauricio Pochettino
The 20 Premier League clubs earned record income of ￡3.649bn in the last year before the more lucrative TV deal began, a Guardian analysis has revealed. The financial statements of the clubs in the Premier League in 2015-16, the most recent year for which accounts have been published, showed they made ￡200m more than in the previous year that was itself a record. By far the biggest earners were Manchester United; the accounts for the main United company, registered in the Cayman Islands tax haven, showed income of ￡515m. It was ￡123m higher than the club with the next highest income, Manchester City. Liverpool announce ￡19.8m loss despite record ￡301m revenue Read more Income has http://www.authenticfloridapanthers.com/authentic-reilly-smith-jersey increased dramatically since then, as 2016-17 was the first year of the new TV deals, which increased from ￡5.14bn in 2013-16 to ￡8.4bn from 2016?19. That 60% uplift will be seen in the clubs’ accounts for the 2016-2017 season when they are published next year, with a similar rise expected in the money paid to players. The 2015-16 figures show wages paid to all staff not just players was ￡2.247bn, another record. That was a ￡200m increase on 2014-15 but remained steady at 61% of the clubs’ total income, a proportion seen by experts as quite sustainable. Clubs’ management of the extraordinary TV money improved immediately after the introduction of financial fair play rules for the 2013-16 TV rights cycle, which limited the amount of the increase that could be paid to players and the losses clubs could make. In 2012-13 clubs spent 67% of their income on wages and 12 clubs made a loss. In 2015-16 12 clubs made a profit, although the clubs made an overall loss of ￡117m last year due to significant losses by Chelsea, ￡85m, relegated Aston Villa, ￡81m, Sunderland, ￡33m and Everton, ￡24m. Analysis of the statements, which include ownership, shows only four clubs are principally owned in Lanny McDonald Jersey the UK: Newcastle United, Norwich City, Stoke City and West Ham United. Increased TV and commercial income, combined with the FFP rules which have made clubs more profitable, have continued to attract investors, many owning clubs via tax havens. Advertisement Of the 2015-16 members of the Premier League, seven now have substantial ownership by US investors: Arsenal, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester United, Sunderland and Swansea City. Three clubs have substantial ownership by Chinese business interests: Aston Villa, Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion, where the owner and chairman, Jeremy Peace, sold his shareholding to the Chinese billionaire Guochuan Lai for a reported ￡150m to ￡200m. Two clubs are Russian-owned: Chelsea, by Roman Abramovich, who increased his funding since his 2003 takeover to ￡1.14bn, and Bournemouth, majority owned by the petrochemicals magnate Maxim Demin. The other non-UK owned clubs are Adidas Jason Kasdorf Womens Jersey Everton, substantially owned by the Monaco-based Farhad Moshiri; Manchester City, majority owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the ruling family in Abu Dhabi; Leicester City, owned by the Thai duty-free businessman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha; Southampton, by Katharina Liebherr, a Swiss citizen; Tottenham Hotspur, owned by Joe Lewis in the Bahamas, and Watford, held by Gino Pozzo via a Luxembourg holding company. While staff at Premier League clubs, and particularly contracted matchday workers, have in many cases been paid less than a living wage, being a chief executive is a well-rewarded position. The highest paid director of Manchester United, assumed to be the executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, earned ￡2.962m in 2015-16; Daniel Levy of Spurs ￡2.843m, and Ivan Gazidis, the Arsenal chief executive, ￡2.648m. Those salaries were trumped by Richard Scudamore, the executive chairman of the Premier League, who was paid ￡3.448m in 2015-16, including a ￡1m bonus for the http://www.authenticsandiegopadres.com/Wil-Myers-Jersey TV deals of that year, and ￡1.5m for the new deals that started in 2016-17
Arsène Wenger has agreed a new two?year contract at Arsenal, bringing months of uncertainly to an end Jhonny Peralta Jersey that even he admitted was damaging to the club over this past season. There will be an announcement on Wednesday to confirm the news. The manager, who has been in situ since the early weeks of the 1996-97 season, met the club’s directors on Tuesday, having demanded that they back him after Arsenal’s FA Cup final victory against Chelsea on Saturday and strong finish to the campaign. Stan Kroenke, the majority shareholder, has stood firm in support of Wenger, even during the dismal run of form from the end of January to early April, when the team lost seven of 12 matches in all competitions. They did not recover sufficiently in the Premier League and, for the first time under Wenger, they missed out on the top four. The fifth-placed finish was good enough only for Europa League qualification. David Squires on … Arsenal winning a genuinely compelling FA Cup final Read more Kroenke gave his backing to Wenger and the new contract was rubber-stamped at the board meeting. Kroenke, plainly, still believes that Wenger can, with the right http://www.officialcardinalsbaseball.com/authentic-30-jonathan-broxton-jersey.html set of circumstances, mount a challenge for the title – the winning of which would vindicate the second half of the manager’s lengthy tenure. The positive finish to the season certainly helped to make the meeting run smoothly, although there has long been the sense that Kroenke was ready to stand by Wenger. The team won nine of their final 10 fixtures, including the Cup semi-final against Manchester City and the final against Chelsea. During the 12-game slump, which included a damaging 10-2 aggregate defeat against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Ivan Gazidis, the chief executive, pushed his “catalyst for change” agenda. Gazidis has felt that certain structures and personnel around the manager needed to change and improve – such as the goalkeeper coach, Gerry Peyton – and, briefly, a power struggle flared, because Wenger was against some of the suggestions – most vociferously the notion of appointing a director of football. Wenger has also made sarcastic comments about the increasing use of analytics, which is something Gazidis has championed. Arsène Wenger’s new contract seems http://www.authenticmilwaukeebrewers.com/Jonathan-Villar-Jersey unlikely to break the cycle at Arsenal Read more Wenger has zealously guarded his control over the technical side of the club but Gazidis would tell him that any changes would not undermine that in terms of team preparation or player recruitment. Gazidis, as ever, has had to play a diplomatic game. It is expected that the sporting director-type role would be aimed at relieving some of the pressure on Wenger in areas like logistics, medicine and analytics. It remains to be seen to which specific changes Wenger has agreed. The main thing is that Wenger is staying; his current contract was set to expire on 30 June. Together with the board, he discussed pressing business such as budgets for next season and how to ensure that key players such as Alexis Sánchez, Mesut ?zil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain stay at the club. All three are poised to enter the final season on their contracts. Wenger admitted after the final game of the league season against Everton that “the psychological environment for the group of players was absolutely horrendous” at times. He blamed the uncertainty over his future, in part, for that. “For me the contract does not have a special meaning but, because of Authentic Matt Garza Womens Jersey the debate, I should have sorted that out earlier,” he said, after the Cup final
People in blackface and carrying bananas marched in an official parade in Sochi less than a month before the city hosts Cameroon for a Confederations Cup match, once again raising concerns about racism at football matches in Russia. A photograph from state news agency Tass showed a man in a Cameroon jersey with his face and arms painted black beating a drum at the Carnaval Sochi Fest parade on Saturday. A second man in blackface is visible behind him, wearing an Afro wig and carrying a drum and bananas on a string. Another man can be seen draped in a Mexican flag, wearing a sombrero and what appears to be a stick-on black http://www.officialcelticsproshop.com/Walter_Brown_Jersey mustache. Two young men in a different photograph were wearing what appeared to be Native American headdresses and fringed costumes. Cameroon will play Germany at Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, which was built for the 2014 Winter Olympics, on 25 June. Mexico will play New Zealand at the stadium on 21 JuneSochi’s mayor led more than 3,000 marchers in “bright costumes” down a main street to officially open the southern city’s beach season. The marchers in blackface were part of a section dedicated to the Confederations Cup, which will serve as a dry run for the World Cup that Russia will host next year. Advertisement Late on Tuesday, the Sochi city government said in a statement that the parade was a “celebration of the different continents and a testimony of Russia’s open attitude toward traditions from around the globe.” “By no means did the carnival parade intend to insult anyone,” it said. “On the contrary, it was organized with the friendliest of goals in mind: to create a positive atmosphere. We look forward to warmly welcoming the Cameroon national team and its fans, as well as the representatives of all other countries, during the Confederations Cup.” But Russia’s track record of football-related racism has raised questions about whether non-white fans and players will be comfortable at the two huge international football tournaments. A 2015 report by the Fare network and the Moscow-based Sova Centre for information Nick Holden Authentic Jersey and analysis documented 99 racist and far-right displays and 21 racially motivated attacks by Russian football fans during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. In one case, hooligans beat up fans of Anzhi Makhachkala, a club from Russia’s mostly Muslim Caucasus region, outside matches in Moscow and St Petersburg in August 2012. International players have also been targeted. A banana was thrown at Brazilian left back Roberto Carlos at a match in St Petersburg in 2011, and fans in Moscow held up a banana banner directed at Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie in 2010. Hulk says he encounters racism in ‘almost every game’ in Russia Read more Zenit St Petersburg’s Brazilian striker Hulk said in 2015 he encountered racism in “almost every game” in Russia, and Ghanaian midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong said he was “racially abused” by the crowd while playing for FC Ufa. Russia has promised racism will not be an issue at the tournaments it will host, and the Russian Football Union appointed former Chelsea midfielder Alexei Smertin anti-racism and discrimination inspector in February. But even this news didn’t come without controversy, as Smertin had said in 2015 that “there’s no racism in Russia”. The head of the official Cam Ward Youth Jersey Russians supporter group at Euro 2016, Alexander Shprygin, has far-right affiliations and has been photographed performing a Nazi salute. He was among fans detained after violent clashes at the Russia-England match and was later deported. Lolade Adewuyi, a Nigerian journalist who was present at the Sochi parade, told Associated Press that he didn’t believe the marchers were trying to offend but were simply unaware of the impact of their actionsLuciano Spalletti has stepped down from his position as Roma manager, two days after leading his side to a second-place finish in Serie A. Under the 58-year-old’s guidance in the past season, Roma won more Serie A points and scored more goals than any side in the club’s history, but ultimately fell short of Juventus by four points in the final standings. Spalletti has been linked with the manager’s role at Internazionale, who have yet to appoint a permanent replacement for Stefano Pioli. Francesco Totti brings down curtain on ‘something beautiful’ at Roma Read more “We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Luciano Spalletti for all of his hard work and the significant contribution he has made to the club since his return,” said the Roma president, James Pallotta, in a statement on http://www.officialmarinershop.com/Luis_Sardinas_Jersey the club’s website. “This club is on a constant path of growth and that will continue with the appointment of a new coach who shares our values and philosophy and who will continue to help us take AS Roma forward.” The announcement comes two days after Francesco Totti’s final game for the club after 25 years. The 40-year-old Italian scored 307 goals in 786 games and came on in Roma’s 3-2 win over Genoa to a standing ovation on Sunday
Enes Unal has left Manchester City for Villarreal in a ￡12m deal which includes a buy-back clause in the region of ￡17.5m. The 20-year-old has agreed personal terms with the Spanish side and signed what is believed to be a four-year contract. Manchester City to promote trio of youngsters to Pep Guardiola’s first team Read more Unal joined City for ￡2m from Bursaspor in 2015 and the Turkish Super Lig club will receive a development fee for the latest transfer. The striker had not been short of options following an impressive loan spell at the Dutch club Twente. Lille, Valencia, Monaco, Schalke, Porto and Benfica had all registered an interest before Villarreal clinched the http://www.officialmarinershop.com/Kyle_Seager_Jersey deal. The Turkey international is unable to secure a work permit to play in England under existing Home Office regulations. Unal would have had to have featured in at least 45% of the Turkish national team games over the past 24 months, which he has not, or apply for a permit under the “exceptional talent” criteria. He has been out on loan for both seasons since joining City in 2015. He spent six months at Genk in Belgium followed by a brief stint at NAC Breda in 2015-16. Unal then joined Twente in another temporary move and scored 19 goals and provided four assists in all competitions. He finished the season as the highest-scoring Turkish player in Eredivisie history, with 18 of his goals coming in the league. Sergio Agüero set to stay at Manchester City, declares chairman Read more The striker was called up to Turkey’s most recent two games and came on as a substitute in the 2-0 victory against Finland and started the 3-1 win against Moldova. The head coach, Fatih Terim, is expected to include Unal for the next round of international games against Macedonia on 5 June and Kosovo on 11 June. Unal has been expected to reach the very top since breaking through at Bursaspor, for whom he scored 182 goals in 110 appearances at youth levels and for the first team. He scored 24 times in 25 games for the Turkey Under-16 team before making his debut for the seniors against Luxemburg aged 17. Aged 16, Unal became the youngest player to score in the Bryan Bickell Womens Jersey Turkish top flight with a goal against GalatasarayGareth Bale fought through the pain, obliged to take pills to get him through training and matches, but he concedes that the Champions League final in his home city might still have come too soon for him to start. Real Madrid’s Cardiff?born forward admitted that he returned too soon after surgery on an ankle ligament injury sustained in November and that he is not yet fully fit. He said he was prepared to play a substitute’s role in the match with Juventus at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, after six months of suffering. Bale’s ligament came away from his right ankle during a Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon in November and although he came back to action to score on his return against Espanyol 88 days later, he was still struggling with the effects of the operation, even though calf problems were cited as the immediate cause. Bale admits that he may have returned too soon and he was forced to withdraw in the first half of the clásico on 23 April. The 27-year-old has not played since, although he is in full training with team-mates as he works towards Cardiff. The debate in Spain has been over whether it would be Isco or Bale who starts the final but the Welshman appeared to have few doubts that it would be the Spaniard who gets the nod. Although he described the final as “very special” he will accept that. Indeed, he appears to expect that. It Mike Richter Youth Jersey has been a long road back and it is not yet over. Marcelo and Dani Alves make Champions League final a battle of the full-backs Read more “I am not 100%: I haven’t played for six or seven weeks: I obviously had my operation which still really hasn’t recovered,” Bale said. “If I’m called upon to start, I will start obviously. But to last 90 minutes: I haven’t played a lot of football this year since my operation, so that would be difficult. Isco has been playing fantastically well for us, at the end of the season, so whatever the manager decides I will [accept it]. Whether he or I start, we’ll both be cheering each other on. “I’m sure [Zidane] will speak to us and I’ll find out at some point, but I have been working hard, training now the last few days. We had a practice game on Saturday and I came through it all unscathed. I feel strong, feel fit, [but] obviously match fitness is a different thing. “It has been a difficult season, so whatever I am required to do [I will do]. I obviously have battled hard to get fit for this, and whatever is the best for the team is the most important thing: to lift that Champions League trophy is the most important thing.” As Bale explained the recovery process, he gave the strongest indication yet as to the gravity of his injury, the difficulties he faced and possible mistakes made in his rehabilitation, and the doubts it provoked. The time out of action has at least allowed him to focus more fully on a more fundamental, underlying problem: the rehabilitation of the http://www.officialcelticsproshop.com/Tyler_Zeller_Jersey ankle, which was still incomplete. “The last six or seven weeks have enabled me to rest my ankle a bit and really try to get it a bit better, and obviously recover from the injury which it caused,” Bale said. “I am not 100%, but I have been working hard, double sessions the last few weeks, to get myself as ready as I can, whether to start or to be involved at some point
