List of All Articles with Tag 'sp'

Real Madrid hopes Jude Bellingham will be fully fit when he faces his first “clasico” match at Barcelona on Saturday

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been banned for 10 months by the Italian soccer federation for betting on teams he played for

Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali has been banned from football for 10 months, the president of the Italian football federation (FIGC) has confirmed. Gabriele Gravina insists the Newcastle midfielder will be suspended for 10 months and follow a rehabilitation programme following an investigation over betting on matches during his time at AC Milan. It means Tonali will miss the remainder of the season for Eddie Howe’s side and be unavailable for Euro 2024, should Italy qualify. “The FIGC Prosecutor and Tonali have reached an agreement which I have already approved,” said the FIGC President. “The agreement consists of a 10-month ban plus eight months of rehab activities and at least 16 public appearances.” The 23-year-old was under investigation by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and the Italian Football Federation, who found the Italy international had broken gambling rules. Tonali, who was signed by Newcastle from Milan for £50m this summer, fully cooperated with the investigation and was handed a reduced sentence. “Rules provide a ban for a few years, but there can be a plea agreement and attenuating circumstances,” Gravina added. “The guys collaborated above and beyond expectations, so we will continue to follow the rules we had adopted.” The midfielder’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, said Tonali suffers from a gambling addiction and the player has agreed to a treatment programme for gambling problems. Tonali’s punishment comes after the Juventus player Nicolo Fagiolo was banned for 12 months, with five suspended, amid the biggest betting scandal to hit Italian football in almost 20 years. Aston Villa’s Nicolo Zaniolo has also been investigated by authorities. Read More Newcastle determined to bounce back from Champions League setback – Joe Willock Eddie Howe’s tactical move exposes Newcastle weakness in Dortmund ‘lesson’ Newcastle given reality check as summer decision returns to haunt them

Jeremy Doku is a livewire winger bringing an element of chaos to a Manchester City team otherwise under orders to play a game of control under Pep Guardiola

Marquette’s challenge is to maintain that same edge it had last year now that it’s gone from the hunter to the hunted

By Rory Carroll (Reuters) -The 2023 World Series will pit two gritty wild-card teams that have proved deadly on the

England forward Lauren James will miss the Women’s Nations League double-header against Belgium because of concussion. The Lionesses play the first of their two-parter at Leicester on Friday but the Chelsea player will not be involved as she goes through the relevant protocols after suffering a head injury. Lotte Wubben-Moy trained on Thursday and could be involved in the squad at the King Power Stadium. “We have 25 players, but they are not all fit,” boss Sarina Wiegman said. “Unfortunately, Lauren James is not ready, she won’t be ready for Tuesday also. “Nothing to worry about, she picked up a concussion and she knows we have to be careful of the protocols that we always do, so that is just too short to be ready for the two games. “Lotte is on the pitch and we will assess her today, everyone else is good.” Belgium currently top Group A1 of the Women’s Nations League with four points from their opening two games while England suffered a last-gasp defeat against the Netherlands in September. That loss places an importance on the two games against the Belgians and Wiegman, who celebrated her 54th birthday on Thursday, wants a response. “We always want to win, and expectations are high but we have our own expectations too,” she said. “Of course we lost the last game, we were not happy with that and we want to bounce back. What we are working on is improving our game, doing things right and playing very well against Belgium and getting a result. “They are really competing for something in the Nations League. They are in a very different situation at the moment, they play with different shape, with different players and are in transition. “They are very competitive, very well organised and as they showed in September they are very hard to beat.” Goalkeeper Mary Earps will get the chance to play at Leicester, where she began her youth career. Her profile has raised exponentially on the back of the Lionesses’ success in recent years, culminating in replica goalkeeper’s shirts selling out after her World Cup exploits in the summer. The Lionesses have always been accessible to fans but Earps thinks there is now a tipping point given their elevated status. “Expectation of the team is obviously a huge compliment in terms of the way teams expect us to win and things like that,” the Manchester United keeper said. “The accessibility people get to us as players is a hot topic of discussion, it’s something we as players are experiencing in a very different way in terms of the way the profile is changing. They are very competitive, very well organised and as they showed in September they are very hard to beat Sarina Wiegman on Belgium “We love to interact with the fans, but it is becoming difficult to keep everyone happy and to interact with as many people as possible. “We are so grateful that thousands and thousands of people want to come and meet us and talk to us but the reality is that if that is the expectation then we are always going to fall short. “I think the emphasis on it needs to switch. We love that we can be so connected but we are subject to a lot of comments and at times it is an addition to the game we don’t need. We love it but it is becoming difficult to maintain that.” Read More Matty Ashton and Ben Currie added to England squad for second Tonga clash Newcastle determined to bounce back from Champions League setback – Joe Willock Manuel Akanji: Manchester City are ready to win the derby at Old Trafford RFU ‘deeply disappointed’ as World Rugby closes case against Mbongeni Mbonambi World Rugby finds insufficient evidence to pursue Tom Curry racism allegation Dallas Mavericks spoil top draft pick Victor Wembanyama’s NBA debut

Springboks hooker Bongi Mbonambi has been picked to play in the Rugby World Cup final after World Rugby found no evidence he racially abused an England player

Grinding out a low-scoring win is just fine for Borussia Dortmund

Joe Willock is convinced Newcastle can “beat any team in the world” as they look to bounce back from their first Champions League setback. The Magpies went down 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund in torrential rain at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening on a night when they learned just how fine the margins can be at the elite level of club football. After a hard-fought draw at AC Milan and a stunning 4-1 win over Paris St Germain, they now sit in joint second place with the Germans in Group F at the halfway stage, with both on four points, two behind leaders PSG, but facing back-to-back trips to Dortmund and Paris next month. However, asked if they could thrive in those two intensely difficult fixtures, Willock said: “Yes, 100 per cent. We can beat any team in the world when we’re at our best, I actually believe that. “We’re going to analyse this game and we’re going to look to go there and win the game. “This is where we want to be. We want to compete at this level. This is Newcastle United and we have to compete at this level. “We set out our targets at the start of the season and we want to reach them. We have a really tight group and a brilliant manager who will put us on the straight and narrow and we’ll continue pushing.” Felix Nmecha’s goal on the stroke of half-time ultimately settled a pulsating encounter which Dortmund perhaps shaded, although they were indebted to both keeper Gregor Kobel, who made a vital second-half save from Callum Wilson, and the woodwork, which denied both Wilson and Anthony Gordon in a rousing conclusion. Willock said: “We were just a bit disappointed that we couldn’t tuck away those chances. We’re competing at the highest level now. We’re going to analyse it, we’re going to look back at it and we’re not going to let it set us back too much.” If dropped points were painful for Eddie Howe’s men, so too were injuries to striker Alexander Isak, who aggravated a groin problem he picked up on international duty with Sweden, and Jacob Murphy, who suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder just minutes after being introduced as a substitute. With midfielder Sandro Tonali awaiting the outcome of an investigation into alleged breaches of betting rules which reports from Italy have suggested could see him banned for 10 months, Howe could be facing a selection crisis. In the circumstances, Willock’s surprise return from the bench against Dortmund after hamstring and Achilles problems was a welcome boost. The 24-year-old tore his hamstring during a 4-1 victory over Brighton on May 18 and was a frustrated bystander as Newcastle clinched a first Champions League campaign for 20 years after a 0-0 draw with Leicester four days later. He said: “It was very hard to deal with. On one side, I was very happy for the team and I was over the moon that we achieved what we set out to do last season, and now we’re competing in the Champions League. “But at the same time, I was disappointed to get injured. Even so, I’m back now and I’m looking to push on. I’m really happy to be back and I can help the team a lot.” Read More Manuel Akanji: Manchester City are ready to win the derby at Old Trafford RFU ‘deeply disappointed’ as World Rugby closes case against Mbongeni Mbonambi World Rugby finds insufficient evidence to pursue Tom Curry racism allegation Dallas Mavericks spoil top draft pick Victor Wembanyama’s NBA debut Wimbledon expansion plans face key hurdle One of those nights – Eddie Howe bemoans fine margins after Newcastle defeat

Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton has another strong recruiting class

No. 6 Oklahoma learned not to overlook anybody when it needed to stop a 2-point conversion inside of 2 minutes last week to preserve a 31-29 victory over UCF