Categories
football Slides Sports News

Harry Maguire given suspended sentence and withdrawn from England squad

Maguire was given a jail sentence of 21 months and 10 days, which is suspended for three years

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been withdrawn from the England squad by manager Gareth Southgate after being given a suspended prison sentence on the Greek island of Syros.

Defender Maguire, 27, was named in Southgate’s latest squad earlier on Tuesday, while his trial was ongoin

Southgate said withdrawing Maguire was “in the best interests of all parties”.

Maguire was given a jail sentence of 21 months and 10 days, which is suspended for three years, after an altercation on Mykonos.

He said after the verdict he had instructed his legal team “with immediate effect to inform the courts we will be appealing”.

“I remain strong and confident regarding our innocence in this matter – if anything myself, family and friends are the victims,” he added.

Speaking when he named his squad for Nations League games against Iceland and Denmark next month, Southgate said he had spoken to Maguire and had “no reason to doubt what he’s telling me”.

“Harry regrets the fact he has brought that sort of focus and attention to the team – he apologised for that – but also has his own side of the story,” he said.

“In these instances, I think you can only make decisions on facts that you’re aware of. Clearly if facts change further down the line or information changes, then I have to review that decision.”

Categories
football Slides Sports News

Leicester extend Vardy Contract

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy has agreed a new deal that will keep him at the club until 2023.

The 33-year-old’s current deal at the King Power Stadium was due to expire in two years.

However, Vardy has been rewarded with a one-year extension after finishing last season as the Premier League’s top scorer with 23 goals.

“It’s a special feeling to be able to commit my future to Leicester City once again,” Vardy said.

“I love playing my football in front of our fans at King Power Stadium and I’m delighted to continue this journey at such an exciting time for the club.

“We’ve a fantastic team that I believe is capable of getting even better and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together in the next few years.”

Categories
football Slides Sports News

Blind Collapses during friendly

Ajax and Netherlands defender Daley Blind collapsed during Tuesday’s pre-season friendly against Hertha Berlin.

Blind, 30, was diagnosed with a heart condition in December 2019 after suffering from dizziness during a Champions League game against Valencia.

The former Manchester United player returned to action in February after having an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted.

Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag said Blind was feeling “OK” after being substituted.

“Daley Blind’s ICD went off. He got subbed off straight away and he is feeling OK now, he is feeling fine,” Ten Hag told Dutch TV station Ziggo Sport.

“We will do research about this now.

Categories
football Slides Sports News Transfer News

Leeds Sign Rodrigo from Valencia

Leeds United have agreed a deal with Valencia to sign forward Rodrigo Moreno.

The Spain international, 29, had a loan spell with Bolton in 2010-11 and initially joined Valencia on loan from Benfica in 2014.

He went on to score 59 goals in 220 games for the La Liga club, helping them win the Copa del Rey in 2018-19.

“Valencia want to thank Rodrigo Moreno for his commitment and effort over the last six seasons,” the club tweeted

“We wish him all the best in this new stage of his career at Leeds United.”

Rodrigo, who was born in Brazil, has scored eight goals in 22 games for Spain since making his debut in 2014.

Leeds won the Championship by 10 points last season to secure their return to the Premier League after a 16-year absence.

Categories
Sports News

Usain Bolt waits for corona test results

Jamaican former sprinter and eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt is awaiting results of a recent coronavirus test while self-isolating.

Bolt, 34, revealed on social media

he will “stay at home” as a precaution despite not having any symptoms.

“Just to be safe, I’ll quarantine myself and just take it easy,” he said.

Bolt held a birthday party in Jamaica and it is understood Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling was one of the guests.

England are set to play Iceland in the Nations League on Saturday, 5 September, before taking on Denmark on Tuesday, 8 September.

“I did a test on Saturday, because I have work,” Bolt added. “I’m trying to be responsible, so I’m [going to] stay in and stay here for my friends.

“Also I’m having no symptoms, so I’m going to quarantine myself and wait on the confirmation to see what is the protocol on how I should go about quarantining myself from the Ministry of Health.”

The sprinter retired from athletics in 2017 following the World Championships in London.

He began training with Australian club Central Coast Mariners in 2018 but did not pursue a career in football.

Several high-profile sports stars have already tested positive including tennis world number one Novak Djokovic in June and Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic on Sunday.

Categories
football Sports News

Maguire Trial set to start

The trial of Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has begun on the Greek island of Syros.

He is represented by Alexis Anagnostakis, one of Greece’s top human rights lawyers.

The 27-year-old was released from police custody on Saturday following his arrest on the island of Mykonos on Thursday after an alleged altercation with police officers.

He is not obliged to be in attendance.

Maguire has already pleaded not guilty.

He did not comment after leaving court on Saturday and his lawyer told Sky he was a free man “right now”.

The Syros prosecutor’s office said on Friday that “three foreigners” had been arrested after an alleged altercation with police officers in Mykonos on Thursday.

The court listing for the case says the other two defendants are Maguire’s brother Joe, 28, and family friend Christopher Sharman, 29. Maguire’s father Alan was at the court hearin

Categories
football Sports News

Pogba will not leave Manchester united this season

Paul Pogba will not be sold by Manchester United this summer and new contract discussions will start soon, says the France midfielder’s agent.

The 27-year-old – an £89m signing from Juventus in 2016 – suffered from injuries last season but impressed in patches on his return as United finished third in the Premier League.

His agent Mino Raiola said: “United will not accept any bid this summer.

“We’re going to speak about a new contract soon, no stress.”

Raiola also told Sky Sports: “He is key player for Man Utd. They’ve an important project and he’s 100% included.”

Pogba, whose deal runs until next summer, made only eight appearances in all competitions before English football was suspended in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

After recovering from his ankle injury, the World Cup winner played 14 games following the resumption and helped United reach the last four of the FA Cup and Europa League and qualify for next season’s Champions League

Categories
football Slides Sports News

PJanic contacts Corona Virus

Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic has tested positive for Covid-19, the Spanish club announced on Sunday.

The Bosnian, 30, is “feeling well”, self-isolating at home and will travel to Barcelona in 15 days’ time.

Pjanic is joining Barcelona from Serie A champions Juventus in a swap deal with Brazil international Arthur.

Barca, who finished the 2019-20 season without a trophy for the first time in 12 years, begin their 2020-21 La Liga campaign on 12 September.

Categories
football Sports News

Bayern win Sixth Champions League

Bayern Munich overcame Paris St-Germain in a tightly contested Champions League final in Lisbon to claim the crown for the sixth time.

Kingsley Coman, who started his career at PSG, settled a tense affair with a 59th-minute header at the far post from Joshua Kimmich’s cross to leave the French giants still searching for that elusive Champions League triumph.

It was a night of joy for Bayern coach Hansi Flick, who added the Champions League to the Bundesliga after initially taking over as interim coach from sacked Niko Kovac in November.

In contrast, it was a night of bitter disappointment for PSG’s two attacking superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, who failed to produce their best and found themselves frustrated by Bayern keeper and man of the match Manuel Neuer when they had the best of the first-half chances.

Mbappe’s pain increased in the second half when he looked to be tripped by Kimmich in the area, but PSG’s penalty claims were ignored – leaving Bayern to celebrate being crowned champions of Europe once more, becoming the first team to win the trophy by winning every Champions League game in a single campaign

Categories
football Sports News

Harry Kane Quarantined after trip to Bahamas

England captain Harry Kane should be available for the Nations League games next month despite being in quarantine following a trip to the Bahamas.

Tottenham striker Kane, 27, was on holiday in the Caribbean when the island was added to the UK quarantine list on 7 August.

He is now in self-isolation for 14 days after returning home.

Kane is expected back in Spurs training next week before their Premier League opener against Everton on 12 September.

On Tuesday, England manager Gareth Southgate is due to name his squad for matches against Iceland and Denmark on 5 and 8 September.

There is doubt over whether players from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United will be involved because they are still on their agreed 30-day break after the end of their European campaigns.

Kane was Tottenham’s top scorer with 24 goals last season.

He suffered a hamstring injury in January and spent four months on an individual training plan to ensure he was fit to play in time for the Premier League’s restart in June after the coronavirus shutdown.

Spurs face League One side Ipswich in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.