Zinedine Zidane has urged Real Madrid fans to get behind Gareth Bale and insists he does not believe the Welshman is happier playing for his country than Real Madrid.
Madrid play Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, when Bale is likely to feel the frustration of the home supporters.
The 30-year-old sparked outrage in the Spanish press this week after he celebrated Wales’ victory over Hungary on Monday with a flag from the crowd that read: “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order”.
The slogan has been adopted by Welsh fans after an interview given by former Madrid player …
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard says he will never follow Jose Mourinho’s lead and manage London rivals Tottenham.
Meanwhile Andre Villas-Boas, who coached both clubs, called the partnership between Mourinho and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy an “unusual marriage”.
Mauricio Pochettino was sacked this week and two-time Chelsea boss Mourinho jumped straight into the hot seat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
When asked if he could ever envisage managing the north London outfit, Lampard replied: “I can firmly say ‘no’, and you can replay that again in 10 years. It wouldn’t happen but I think things are different for me.”
Lampard, who played …
Pep Guardiola has reluctantly accepted Bernardo Silva’s one-match ban for a tweet comparing teammate Benjamin Mendy to a black cartoon character but the Manchester City manager again insisted that his player was not racist.
The Portuguese will miss the match at home to Chelsea on Saturday after the FA found Silva guilty of an aggravated breach of rules because his tweet included a reference “whether expressed or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin”.
Silva tweeted an image of a young Mendy alongside an image of the character representing the Spanish chocolate peanut brand Conguitos in September, deleting it …
World Athletics announced on Friday it had suspended the reinstatement process of Russian athletics and was contemplating expelling the country entirely from the sport.
The news comes a day after the president of the Russian athletics federation (RUSAF) and other senior officials were suspended for “serious breaches” of anti-doping rules, putting the nation’s track and field athletes’ participation at next year’s Tokyo Olympics in further danger.
The head of World Athletics Sebastian Coe described those banned as ‘renegade factions’.
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“The people we were dealing with have all been suspended,” …
India paceman Ishant Sharma helped skittle out Bangladesh for 106 and Virat Kohli put the hosts in the lead on day one of the first day-night Test for both the teams.
Ishant returned figures of 5-22 in India’s pink-ball debut to bowl out the tourists in the second session after they elected to bat first in Kolkata.
The home side’s batsmen then got going with the hosts reaching 174 for three at stumps, leading by 68 runs. Kohli, on 59, and Ajinkya Rahane, on 23, were at the crease.
The captain put on 94 runs with Cheteshwar Pujara for the …
Scotland were drawn Friday to play Israel in Glasgow in the Euro 2020 play-off semi-finals next March, but Steve Clarke’s team must win that game and then a second one-off away tie, if they are to make the tournament itself.
Scotland, who performed poorly in the main qualifying campaign but did win their last three matches, will fancy their chances at home to an Israel side ranked 89th in the world and who finished fifth out of six teams in qualifying Group G. They will meet at Hampden Park on March 26.
Friday’s draw at UEFA headquarters also decided who
Russia beat Novak Djokovic’s Serbia on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Davis Cup following a cliff-hanger match that went all the way to a deciding tie-breaker.
With the quarter-final level at 1-1 following the singles, the Russian pairing of Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev faced Djokovic and Viktor Troicki in the deciding rubber.
After a see-saw match of high drama the Russians came out 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (10/8) winners and face Canada, quarter-final victors over Australia, in Saturday’s semi-finals.
“It was heads or tails and the coin fell on our side,” Rublev said.
“God gave me a chance …
McCracken’s tactics were heavily criticised by former world champion Lennox Lewis among others, while the trainer’s admission that he allowed Joshua to fight on despite fearing he was concussed also drew criticism.
But Joshua, who has had McCracken by his
He gave the charge in Damaturu, Yobe State capital, shortly after inspecting facilities at the August 27 Stadium, where he addressed athletes preparing for international championship, among others, as part of activities marking his two-day official visit to the state.
Sirawoo, who appreciated the level of engagements of young talents in the sports development architecture of the state, said with determination, their dreams of becoming great players could be achieved.
“Sports
Tokyo 2020 organisers on Thursday unveiled the $523 million venue for swimming, diving and artistic swimming that will seat 15,000 fans for the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year.
Construction is 90 percent complete at the four-storey Aquatics Centre and is due to be finished on schedule by the end of February, officials said.
“We are aiming to construct a swimming venue to the world’s highest standards equipped with the latest facilities,” Tokyo 2020 venue official Daishuu Tone told reporters.
The main pool features a movable wall allowing the 50m facility to be converted into two 25m pools. The depth …
Former Scotland rugby captain Tom Smith has revealed he is battling stage four colorectal cancer.
The 48-year-old prop forward, who won 61 Scottish caps and toured with the British and Irish Lions, has received intensive rounds of chemotherapy and is also undergoing radiotherapy after the cancer spread to his liver and brain.
“I was in my hospital bed and I said to staff, ‘I’m determined to fight this’,” Smith said on the Scottish Rugby Union website.
In an interview with the BBC, the former Scotland international, who lives in the south of France, recalled how earlier this year continued pain …
Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel has again been left frustrated by Neymar after the Brazilian took time out from recovering from his latest injury to fly to Madrid for the Davis Cup tennis this week.
“I am not his Dad, I’m not the police,” said an exasperated Tuchel on Thursday, a day before PSG host Lille in Ligue 1.
That match is set to see the world’s most expensive player make his return from a hamstring injury suffered playing for Brazil against Nigeria on October 13.
“I am his coach, and he has been training well. Did I like the …
