MONACO: Tyson Gay was disappointed with his performance after winning the 200 metres in a meeting record 19.72 seconds at the Monaco Diamond League event on Thursday. The 27-year-old was ahead off the bend and poised for a comfortable victory until Jamaican Yohan Blake, running in lane eight, came blazing down the home straight and [...]

MANCHESTER: Manchester United’s hopes of reaching the Champions League semi-finals could rest on Wayne Rooney’s ability to make a rapid recovery from injury to face Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Although Rooney didn’t appear with the team at Tuesday morning’s training, his ankle ligament injury is believed to be healing quickly. The England striker was injured [...]

BARCELONA: Injury-hit Arsenal believe Barcelona’s loss of suspended centre-backs Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique will be key to unlocking the door to the Champions League semi-finals. Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side, who came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 in the first leg of their quarter-final at the Emirates last week, have been rocked [...]

ROVANIEMI, Finland: Former Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen crashed into a drift of snow Friday in his debut on the rally circuit and trailed by more than 30 minutes after the first day of racing. Raikkonen was just 5.5 seconds behind leader Dani Sordo after the first stage of the Arctic Lapland Rally but then [...]

LONDON: Tottenham has decided not to rush Eidur Gudjohnsen into Saturday’s Premier League game against Birmingham. The former Chelsea and Barcelona forward joined Spurs on loan from Monaco on Thursday and Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said Friday he would give the Iceland international a week to settle in before he makes his debut. Winger Aaron [...]

LIVERPOOL: Steven Gerrard has urged Liverpool to take advantage of some home comforts and strengthen their chances of securing a top-four finish this season, starting with today’s visit of struggling Bolton. The encounter with Owen Coyle’s side is followed by the visit of Merseyside rivals Everton and Gerrard believes the brace of games at Anfield [...]

MANCHESTER: Brazil forward Robinho has a future with Manchester City after his six-month loan deal with former club Santos ends, City manager Roberto Mancini said yesterday. The 26-year-old Robinho joined big-spending City in 2008 for a British record transfer fee of £32.5mil from Real Madrid but has struggled to hold down a first-team place. A [...]

MILAN (AP): David Beckham marked his return to AC Milan with 76 effective minutes in a 5-2 rout of Genoa, helping the club rise to second in the Serie A on Wednesday. Loaned backed to Milan for a second straight year to stay fit for the World Cup, Beckham made up the right side of [...]

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s Juan Sebastian Veron (pic) turned down a personal offer from Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini to join the Premier League club, the midfielder said on Tuesday. The 34-year-old Estudiantes captain told the radio station La Red that he was phoned by Mancini, a former team-mate of his in Italy and his coach [...]

PRAGUE: Sparta Prague’s former Czech international midfielder Patrik Berger has announced that he is retiring because of recurrent injuries, his team coach said yesterday. Sparta Prague coach Jozef Chovanec said that the 36-year-old had informed him of his decision on Tuesday. “Patrik told me yesterday ‘It’s over. My knee can no longer hold up’,” said [...]