WION&#39;s pick of the week

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-kkr-fails-to-fill-gautam-gambhirs-shoes-at-ipl-auction-31100">Opinion: KKR fails to fill Gautam Gambhir&#39;s shoes at IPL auction</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/the-winter-olympic-torch-relay-from-land-to-sky-let-everyone-shine-31183">The Winter Olympic torch relay: From land to sky &#39;Let Everyone Shine&#39;</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/manzoor-ahmad-dar-grabs-ipl-deal-to-play-for-kings-xi-punjab-31064">Watch: Manzoor Dar&#39;s family and friends celebrate in Kashmir, as he grabs IPL deal</a>

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In pictures:&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/u-19-world-cup-meet-shubman-gill-slayer-of-pakistan-658">U-19 World Cup: Meet 18-year-old Shubman Gill, slayer of Pakistan</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pictures-indias-historic-win-against-australia-in-the-u-19-world-cup-final-665">India&#39;s historic win against Australia in the U-19 World Cup final</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/analysis-why-ajinkya-rahane-is-modern-day-rahul-dravid-of-indian-cricket-668">Why Ajinkya Rahane is &#39;modern day&#39; Rahul Dravid of Indian cricket </a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/virats-xi-vs-u-19-world-cup-captain-prithvi-shaws-xi-which-is-better-669">Virat&#39;s XI vs U-19 World Cup captain Prithvi Shaw&#39;s XI: Which is better? </a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/winter-is-over-major-january-transfers-in-europe-664">Winter is over and so are the football transfers </a>

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<big>Cricket</big>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-yuvraj-singh-to-become-new-kxip-captain-after-leading-fan-poll-31603">IPL 2018: Yuvraj Singh to become new KXIP captain after leading fan poll</a>

<a href="http://U-19 final: Manjot Kalra's ton takes India to historic fourth World Cup title">U-19 final: Manjot Kalra&#39;s ton takes India to historic fourth World Cup title</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/2nd-odi-india-romp-home-in-centurion-odi-by-9-wickets-lead-series-2-0-31746">Cricket: India cruise to victory as Chahal puts South Africa in a spin</a>

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<big>Football</big>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/football-beckham-poised-to-unveil-miami-team-31132">US Major League Soccer: Beckham poised to unveil Miami team</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/laliga-barcelona-continues-unbeaten-run-31778">LaLiga: Barcelona continues unbeaten run</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/gerard-pique-extends-contract-until-2022-31165">Gerard Pique extends contract until 2022</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/epl-crystal-palace-fight-back-to-draw-relegation-tussle-with-newcastle-31783">EPL: Crystal Palace fight back to draw relegation tussle with Newcastle</a> 
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<big>Others</big>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/shi-defeats-chou-to-clinch-india-open-31781"><big>Shi defeats Chou to clinch India Open</big></a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/rescuers-save-french-climber-trapped-on-pakistans-killer-mountain-30959">Rescuers save French climber trapped on Pakistan&#39;s &#39;killer mountain&#39;</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/putin-orders-alternative-olympic-games-for-banned-athletes-31401">Putin orders alternative Olympic Games for banned athletes</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/formula-one-abolishes-grid-girls-31391">Formula 1 ends use of &#39;grid girls&#39;</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/jagdish-singh-books-rare-india-winter-olympics-berth-31645">Jagdish Singh books India rare Winter Olympics berth</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/indian-open-sindhu-finishes-runner-up-31759">Indian Open: Sindhu finishes runner-up</a>

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Weekly compilation of sports and other related news (January 29 - February 04)

WION's pick of the week Opinion: KKR fails to fill Gautam Gambhir's shoes at IPL auction The Winter Olympic torch relay: From land to sky 'Let Everyone Shine' Watch: Manzoor Dar's family and friends celebrate in Kashmir, as he grabs IPL deal In pictures: U-19 World Cup: Meet 18-year-old Shubman Gill, slayer of Pakistan India's historic win against Australia in the U-19 World Cup final Why Ajinkya Rahane is 'modern day' Rahul Dravid of Indian cricket Virat's XI vs U-19 World Cup captain Prithvi Shaw's XI: Which is better? Winter is over and so are the football transfers Cricket IPL 2018: Yuvraj Singh to become new KXIP captain after leading fan poll U-19 final: Manjot Kalra's ton takes India to historic fourth World Cup title Cricket: India cruise to victory as Chahal puts South Africa in a spin Football US Major League Soccer: Beckham poised to unveil Miami team LaLiga: Barcelona continues unbeaten run Gerard Pique extends contract until 2022 EPL: Crystal Palace fight back to draw relegation tussle with Newcastle Others Shi defeats Chou to clinch India Open Rescuers save French climber trapped on Pakistan's 'killer mountain' Putin orders alternative Olympic Games for banned athletes Formula 1 ends use of 'grid girls' Jagdish Singh books India rare Winter Olympics berth Indian Open: Sindhu finishes runner-up

WION Sports News: Top sports results this week

Luka Milivojevic&#39;s second-half penalty secured a point for Crystal Palace as they recovered from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw at home to fellow strugglers Newcastle United on Sunday.

Mohamed Diame gave Newcastle the lead from a corner midway through the first half when he slotted the ball in at the far post after Ayoze Perez&rsquo;s cross from the right had gone through a packed goalmouth.

Palace equalised 10 minutes into the second half when they were awarded a penalty for Ciaran Clark&rsquo;s foul on Christian Benteke and Milivojevic converted despite Karl Darlow getting a hand to the ball.

Newcastle might have been two goals up at halftime but Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey made two good saves in quick succession, blocking Brazilian winger Kenedy&rsquo;s shot with his chest then diving to his left to palm away Perez&rsquo;s effort from the rebound.

Palace, who came close to a winner several times in a frantic final half hour, climbed to 14th on 27 points, three clear of the relegation zone and two ahead of Newcastle in 16th.

&nbsp;

Palace climbed to 14th on 27 points, three clear of the relegation zone and two ahead of Newcastle in 16th

Luka Milivojevic's second-half penalty secured a point for Crystal Palace as they recovered from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw at home to fellow strugglers Newcastle United on Sunday. Mohamed Diame gave Newcastle the lead from a corner midway through the first half when he slotted the ball in at the far post after Ayoze Perez’s cross from the right had gone through a packed goalmouth. Palace equalised 10 minutes into the second half when they were awarded a penalty for Ciaran Clark’s foul on Christian Benteke and Milivojevic converted despite Karl Darlow getting a hand to the ball. Newcastle might have been two goals up at halftime but Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey made two good saves in quick succession, blocking Brazilian winger Kenedy’s shot with his chest then diving to his left to palm away Perez’s effort from the rebound. Palace, who came close to a winner several times in a frantic final half hour, climbed to 14th on 27 points, three clear of the relegation zone and two ahead of Newcastle in 16th.

EPL: Crystal Palace fight back to draw relegation tussle with Newcastle

Gerard Pique headed home a late equaliser for Barcelona against Catalan rivals Espanyol to earn his side a 1-1 draw in Cornella and maintain their unbeaten La Liga record on Sunday.

The defender whistled throughout after making provocative comments which upset Espanyol fans after Barcelona knocked their rivals out of the King&#39;s Cup in January, buried Lionel Messi&#39;s free kick.

Ernesto Valverde had started the Argentine on the bench as he rotated his side but threw Messi on in the second half as Barcelona struggled to break down a stubborn Espanyol on a waterlogged pitch in driving rain.

Gerard Moreno headed home Sergio Garcia&#39;s inch-perfect cross in the 66th minute to give Espanyol hope of repeating their King&#39;s Cup first-leg win over Barcelona but Pique had the final say to move his side provisionally 12 points clear at the top of the table.

Barcelona has now gone a club record 22 league games unbeaten, surpassing the total of 21 they managed under Pep Guardiola in the 2009-10 season.

&quot;We were not able to take the three points but the conditions weren&#39;t the best,&quot; Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta told beIN Sports.

&quot;It was an entertaining derby. I wouldn&#39;t say the pitch affected us too much, we adapted well.

&quot;There were waterlogged zones but we made a great effort and came back from 1-0 down.&quot;

Espanyol saw off their arch-rivals by one goal in the first leg of the King&#39;s Cup quarter-final but could not repeat the trick here, with the visitors fighting back as they did in the second part of the cup tie.

After eliminating Espanyol Pique mocked them, saying that following their move to a new stadium in 2009 they were now a team from Cornella, on the outskirts of Barcelona, rather than from the city itself. Espanyol later reported his comments to Spanish football&#39;s anti-violence committee.

However, Pique was the winner this time, with his late goal frustrating the hosts in their bid to climb the table and move out of danger.

&nbsp;

Gerard Pique salvaged a 1-1 draw for La Liga leaders Barcelona at city rivals Espanyol, keeping their bid for an unbeaten campaign on track

Gerard Pique headed home a late equaliser for Barcelona against Catalan rivals Espanyol to earn his side a 1-1 draw in Cornella and maintain their unbeaten La Liga record on Sunday. The defender whistled throughout after making provocative comments which upset Espanyol fans after Barcelona knocked their rivals out of the King's Cup in January, buried Lionel Messi's free kick. Ernesto Valverde had started the Argentine on the bench as he rotated his side but threw Messi on in the second half as Barcelona struggled to break down a stubborn Espanyol on a waterlogged pitch in driving rain. Gerard Moreno headed home Sergio Garcia's inch-perfect cross in the 66th minute to give Espanyol hope of repeating their King's Cup first-leg win over Barcelona but Pique had the final say to move his side provisionally 12 points clear at the top of the table. Barcelona has now gone a club record 22 league games unbeaten, surpassing the total of 21 they managed under Pep Guardiola in the 2009-10 season. "We were not able to take the three points but the conditions weren't the best," Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta told beIN Sports. "It was an entertaining derby. I wouldn't say the pitch affected us too much, we adapted well. "There were waterlogged zones but we made a great effort and came back from 1-0 down." Espanyol saw off their arch-rivals by one goal in the first leg of the King's Cup quarter-final but could not repeat the trick here, with the visitors fighting back as they did in the second part of the cup tie. After eliminating Espanyol Pique mocked them, saying that following their move to a new stadium in 2009 they were now a team from Cornella, on the outskirts of Barcelona, rather than from the city itself. Espanyol later reported his comments to Spanish football's anti-violence committee. However, Pique was the winner this time, with his late goal frustrating the hosts in their bid to climb the table and move out of danger.

LaLiga: Barcelona continues unbeaten run

Neymar played &quot;cat-and-mouse&quot; with Barcelona during the close-season before his move to Paris St Germain, Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre has said.

PSG paid 222 million euros ($277 million) to trigger the buyout clause in the Brazil forward&#39;s Barcelona contract last August, making him the most expensive signing in soccer history.

Barcelona had believed Neymar was going to stay at the club, with Mestre stating he was 200 percent sure the Brazilian would be at the Nou Camp this season.

&quot;What hurt me the most was the way it happened,&quot; Mestre told newspaper Diario Sport in an interview.

&quot;We were all on tour talking with him and his father, and they were not transparent.

&quot;If he came to us and said, I want to go, like Cesc (Fabregas), Pedro, Alexis (Sanchez), and (Javier) Mascherano did, we would have reached an agreement. What you can&#39;t do is rock the boat.

&quot;He played cat-and-mouse with us. It arrived at a point where we saw where things were going so we told him we would not pay his contract renewal loyalty fee.&quot;

Neymar and his representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

Neymar renewed his deal with Barcelona in July 2016, which meant he was owed a 26-million-euros renewal bonus.

Barcelona did not pay it and deposited the money with a notary. FIFA, world soccer&#39;s governing body, is investigating an official complaint from the forward regarding the matter.

Mestre said Neymar&#39;s behaviour caused inflation in the transfer market.

&quot;He told us nothing. If he had done PSG would have been able to buy him for less money and it would have cost us less to sign players too,&quot; added the Barcelona executive.

&quot;What Neymar&#39;s behaviour created was the market inflation. We would have saved a lot of money and a lot of media noise.&quot;

Neymar renewed his deal with Barcelona in July 2016, which meant he was owed a 26-million-euros renewal bonus.

Neymar played "cat-and-mouse" with Barcelona during the close-season before his move to Paris St Germain, Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre has said. PSG paid 222 million euros ($277 million) to trigger the buyout clause in the Brazil forward's Barcelona contract last August, making him the most expensive signing in soccer history. Barcelona had believed Neymar was going to stay at the club, with Mestre stating he was 200 percent sure the Brazilian would be at the Nou Camp this season. "What hurt me the most was the way it happened," Mestre told newspaper Diario Sport in an interview. "We were all on tour talking with him and his father, and they were not transparent. "If he came to us and said, I want to go, like Cesc (Fabregas), Pedro, Alexis (Sanchez), and (Javier) Mascherano did, we would have reached an agreement. What you can't do is rock the boat. "He played cat-and-mouse with us. It arrived at a point where we saw where things were going so we told him we would not pay his contract renewal loyalty fee." Neymar and his representatives did not respond to a request for comment. Neymar renewed his deal with Barcelona in July 2016, which meant he was owed a 26-million-euros renewal bonus. Barcelona did not pay it and deposited the money with a notary. FIFA, world soccer's governing body, is investigating an official complaint from the forward regarding the matter. Mestre said Neymar's behaviour caused inflation in the transfer market. "He told us nothing. If he had done PSG would have been able to buy him for less money and it would have cost us less to sign players too," added the Barcelona executive. "What Neymar's behaviour created was the market inflation. We would have saved a lot of money and a lot of media noise."

Football: Neymar played 'cat-and-mouse' with Barca, says club vice-president

Former Italy striker Giampaolo Pazzini scored a dramatic late equaliser as Levante held Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw on Saturday, leaving Zinedine Zidane&#39;s men 18 points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Sergio Ramos headed the visitors into an 11th-minute lead with his 50th La Liga goal for the club, but Levante equalised before half-time through Emmanuel Boateng.

Isco came off the bench to put Real back in front late on, but Pazzini stunned the struggling defending champions with an 89th-minute strike on his debut.

&quot;We controlled the game, especially in the first half, and in the second we managed to do the hard part -- get back into the game and score the second goal,&quot; said Zidane.

&quot;Then we should have been ready, we could have avoided the second goal, but we didn&#39;t and it&#39;s hard because it&#39;s two dropped points.&quot;

The Champions League is Real&#39;s only realistic chance of more silverware this season, but they&#39;ll need to find a significant upturn in form to challenge Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16, first-leg tie in Madrid on February 14.

&quot;We have to work, even more, it&#39;s football and the opponent is there to try to put you in difficulty,&quot; Zidane added.

Barcelona can move 21 points clear of their arch-rivals with victory at Espanyol on Sunday when second-placed Atletico Madrid welcome third-placed Valencia to the Wanda Metropolitano.

Real didn&#39;t take long to forge ahead at Levante, as centre-back Ramos met a Toni Kroos corner with a downward header which home goalkeeper Oier fumbled into his net under pressure from Karim Benzema.

They almost doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark as Oier managed to scramble the ball away from Cristiano Ronaldo after spilling Kroos&#39; tame strike.

But Levante hit back in the 42nd minute as 21-year-old Ghanaian Boateng marked his fourth league start for the team with his first La Liga goal.

Jose Luis Morales ran through on goal as Ramos found himself caught out of position, and although Keylor Navas saved his effort, Boateng met the loose ball with a cool finish into the far corner.

The away side continued to look frail at the back and was lucky not to fall behind as Morales led another rapid counter-attack from a Real corner which ended with Navas making a sprawling save to deny Jefferson Lerma.

- Isco improves Real -

The reigning European champions improved after Isco replaced Gareth Bale midway through the second half, with the Spain midfielder shooting straight at Oier and Benzema having an effort deflected wide.

Isco&#39;s introduction did pay off with only nine minutes remaining, as Benzema capitalised on some sloppy defending and pulled the ball back for the 25-year-old to smash home his fifth league goal of the season.

Levante should have equalised in the 85th minute, but substitute Roger contrived to head wide with the goal gaping from only a couple of yards out.

The home side did snatch a point, though, as Pazzini scored less than 11 minutes after coming off the bench to make his debut.

The 33-year-old, who only joined on loan from Verona on Wednesday, easily got in behind the hapless Real defence and slotted into the far corner to pull Levante three points clear of the relegation zone.

Sevilla&#39;s push for a top-four finish and a Champions League place took a massive dent earlier on Saturday, as they were thrashed 5-1 at Eibar.

Chilean international Fabian Orellana scored twice as Eibar moved up to seventh, just one point and one place behind Sevilla.

Fifth-placed Villarreal had Daniele Bonera sent off in the first half in a 2-1 defeat by Real Betis, as Betis forward Loren Moron scored twice on his debut after being promoted from the reserve team.

Alaves pulled five points clear of the bottom three as former Barcelona man Munir El Haddadi scored what proved to be the winner in a 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo.

&nbsp;

Sergio Ramos headed the visitors into an 11th-minute lead with his 50th La Liga goal for the club, but Levante equalised before half-time through Emmanuel Boateng

Former Italy striker Giampaolo Pazzini scored a dramatic late equaliser as Levante held Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw on Saturday, leaving Zinedine Zidane's men 18 points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona. Sergio Ramos headed the visitors into an 11th-minute lead with his 50th La Liga goal for the club, but Levante equalised before half-time through Emmanuel Boateng. Isco came off the bench to put Real back in front late on, but Pazzini stunned the struggling defending champions with an 89th-minute strike on his debut. "We controlled the game, especially in the first half, and in the second we managed to do the hard part -- get back into the game and score the second goal," said Zidane. "Then we should have been ready, we could have avoided the second goal, but we didn't and it's hard because it's two dropped points." The Champions League is Real's only realistic chance of more silverware this season, but they'll need to find a significant upturn in form to challenge Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16, first-leg tie in Madrid on February 14. "We have to work, even more, it's football and the opponent is there to try to put you in difficulty," Zidane added. Barcelona can move 21 points clear of their arch-rivals with victory at Espanyol on Sunday when second-placed Atletico Madrid welcome third-placed Valencia to the Wanda Metropolitano. Real didn't take long to forge ahead at Levante, as centre-back Ramos met a Toni Kroos corner with a downward header which home goalkeeper Oier fumbled into his net under pressure from Karim Benzema. They almost doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark as Oier managed to scramble the ball away from Cristiano Ronaldo after spilling Kroos' tame strike. But Levante hit back in the 42nd minute as 21-year-old Ghanaian Boateng marked his fourth league start for the team with his first La Liga goal. Jose Luis Morales ran through on goal as Ramos found himself caught out of position, and although Keylor Navas saved his effort, Boateng met the loose ball with a cool finish into the far corner. The away side continued to look frail at the back and was lucky not to fall behind as Morales led another rapid counter-attack from a Real corner which ended with Navas making a sprawling save to deny Jefferson Lerma. - Isco improves Real - The reigning European champions improved after Isco replaced Gareth Bale midway through the second half, with the Spain midfielder shooting straight at Oier and Benzema having an effort deflected wide. Isco's introduction did pay off with only nine minutes remaining, as Benzema capitalised on some sloppy defending and pulled the ball back for the 25-year-old to smash home his fifth league goal of the season. Levante should have equalised in the 85th minute, but substitute Roger contrived to head wide with the goal gaping from only a couple of yards out. The home side did snatch a point, though, as Pazzini scored less than 11 minutes after coming off the bench to make his debut. The 33-year-old, who only joined on loan from Verona on Wednesday, easily got in behind the hapless Real defence and slotted into the far corner to pull Levante three points clear of the relegation zone. Sevilla's push for a top-four finish and a Champions League place took a massive dent earlier on Saturday, as they were thrashed 5-1 at Eibar. Chilean international Fabian Orellana scored twice as Eibar moved up to seventh, just one point and one place behind Sevilla. Fifth-placed Villarreal had Daniele Bonera sent off in the first half in a 2-1 defeat by Real Betis, as Betis forward Loren Moron scored twice on his debut after being promoted from the reserve team. Alaves pulled five points clear of the bottom three as former Barcelona man Munir El Haddadi scored what proved to be the winner in a 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo.

Pazzini late show sees Real Madrid held at Levante

Manchester City winger Raheem&nbsp;Sterling&nbsp;has hit out at the quality of officials in England, claiming players could miss the World Cup because they&rsquo;re being &quot;butchered&quot; by bad challenges.

City star Leroy Sane was sidelined for up to seven weeks after a bad tackle by Cardiff&rsquo;s Joe Bennett in their 2-0 win in the FA Cup last weekend.

Referee Bobby Madley then failed to show a red card to West Brom&rsquo;s Matt Phillips after his knee-high challenge on youngster Brahim Diaz in the closing stages.

It follows a glut of incidents on City players this season, none of which were punished with dismissals.

Manager Pep Guardiola has repeatedly asked for referees to protect the players, but his calls appear to fall on deaf ears.

But now&nbsp;Sterling, 23, is backing up his manager, saying the nature of the tackles could put those on the receiving end in serious trouble.

He said: &ldquo;I find it a bit unfair at times. I feel that we haven&rsquo;t been protected enough in certain situations. I think some of the challenges have been awful.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not what I expect to see in a top-flight football match -- especially when teams are losing and just go out to kick players.

&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s right. I do think we need to cut down on that because we&rsquo;ve got a World Cup at the end of the year and majority of the players in the top flight and in our team will be playing in it.

&ldquo;It would be sad to see someone miss the tournament due to a silly tackle and someone gets away with it.

&ldquo;These tackles can happen -- but it can&rsquo;t be every game we&rsquo;re getting two players coming in with injuries.

&ldquo;There are going to be challenges that are badly timed and probably not all of them are intentional, but at the same time, if it&rsquo;s a dangerous tackle, it&rsquo;s a dangerous tackle.

&ldquo;I think the referees and officials need to cut these tackles out because as you can see some of the players are getting butchered out there and it&rsquo;s sad to see.

&ldquo;But I just feel we need to try and cut this out of the game.&rdquo;

Guardiola has called for officials to protect not just his stars, but all players -- though he has not had much support from his peers.

Cardiff boss Neil Warnock commented after the FA Cup tie that Guardiola should expect strong challenges in England, while West Brom manager Alan Pardew accused the Catalan of trying to get the crowd to put pressure on the referee.

It was sparked by several weeks of incidents that could have left some of the Premier League leaders&rsquo; team badly hurt.

Kevin De Bruyne was stretchered off at Crystal Palace after being hacked down by Jason Puncheon, weeks after he was on the receiving end of a studs-up challenge by Tottenham&rsquo;s Dele Alli.

Sterling&nbsp;was also caught late by Harry Kane in the first half of that match, which finished 4-1 to City.

City already has long-term injury problems with Benjamin Mendy, Gabriel Jesus and Sane still missing.

&nbsp;

Raheem Sterling has hit out at the quality of officials in England, claiming players could miss the World Cup because they’re being "butchered" by bad challenges

Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has hit out at the quality of officials in England, claiming players could miss the World Cup because they’re being "butchered" by bad challenges. City star Leroy Sane was sidelined for up to seven weeks after a bad tackle by Cardiff’s Joe Bennett in their 2-0 win in the FA Cup last weekend. Referee Bobby Madley then failed to show a red card to West Brom’s Matt Phillips after his knee-high challenge on youngster Brahim Diaz in the closing stages. It follows a glut of incidents on City players this season, none of which were punished with dismissals. Manager Pep Guardiola has repeatedly asked for referees to protect the players, but his calls appear to fall on deaf ears. But now Sterling, 23, is backing up his manager, saying the nature of the tackles could put those on the receiving end in serious trouble. He said: “I find it a bit unfair at times. I feel that we haven’t been protected enough in certain situations. I think some of the challenges have been awful. “It’s not what I expect to see in a top-flight football match -- especially when teams are losing and just go out to kick players. “I don’t think that’s right. I do think we need to cut down on that because we’ve got a World Cup at the end of the year and majority of the players in the top flight and in our team will be playing in it. “It would be sad to see someone miss the tournament due to a silly tackle and someone gets away with it. “These tackles can happen -- but it can’t be every game we’re getting two players coming in with injuries. “There are going to be challenges that are badly timed and probably not all of them are intentional, but at the same time, if it’s a dangerous tackle, it’s a dangerous tackle. “I think the referees and officials need to cut these tackles out because as you can see some of the players are getting butchered out there and it’s sad to see. “But I just feel we need to try and cut this out of the game.” Guardiola has called for officials to protect not just his stars, but all players -- though he has not had much support from his peers. Cardiff boss Neil Warnock commented after the FA Cup tie that Guardiola should expect strong challenges in England, while West Brom manager Alan Pardew accused the Catalan of trying to get the crowd to put pressure on the referee. It was sparked by several weeks of incidents that could have left some of the Premier League leaders’ team badly hurt. Kevin De Bruyne was stretchered off at Crystal Palace after being hacked down by Jason Puncheon, weeks after he was on the receiving end of a studs-up challenge by Tottenham’s Dele Alli. Sterling was also caught late by Harry Kane in the first half of that match, which finished 4-1 to City. City already has long-term injury problems with Benjamin Mendy, Gabriel Jesus and Sane still missing.

EPL: Man City players butchered by poor tackles, says Sterling

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said his team would not concede defeat in the Premier League title race if they were in the same position as Manchester United.

United manager Jose Mourinho conceded the title to runaway leaders City for the first time on Friday with the 20-times champions running second, 15 points behind City with 13 games left.

Asked ahead of City&#39;s trip to seventh-placed Burnley on Saturday if he would give up on Mourinho&#39;s position, Guardiola said: &quot;No, I don&#39;t think so. That is not going to happen.

&quot;We have shown even in our two defeats this season that we will try until the very end. We play every game to give sense to what we are doing. I know the 15-point distance is quite big at the moment. It&#39;s the same gap from six games ago.

&quot;In football and in sports anything can happen. You are good today but tomorrow you are bad. The most important thing we have done is the focus. In my experience, until everything is done, you have to be prepared for anything to happen.&quot;

City has endured a hectic season having progressed to the Champions League last 16, the FA Cup fifth round and the League Cup final apart from dominating the league and Guardiola said he would rest his players following the Burnley game.

&quot;After the game against Burnley until next Wednesday the players will be resting,&quot; Guardiola added.

&quot;The players can do whatever they want, they can travel or whatever. If they want to go and find some sunshine or stay here in Manchester, they can do what they like. They are free.&quot;

&nbsp;

United manager Jose Mourinho conceded the title to runaway leaders City for the first time on Friday with the 20-times champions running second, 15 points behind City with 13 games left

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said his team would not concede defeat in the Premier League title race if they were in the same position as Manchester United. United manager Jose Mourinho conceded the title to runaway leaders City for the first time on Friday with the 20-times champions running second, 15 points behind City with 13 games left. Asked ahead of City's trip to seventh-placed Burnley on Saturday if he would give up on Mourinho's position, Guardiola said: "No, I don't think so. That is not going to happen. "We have shown even in our two defeats this season that we will try until the very end. We play every game to give sense to what we are doing. I know the 15-point distance is quite big at the moment. It's the same gap from six games ago. "In football and in sports anything can happen. You are good today but tomorrow you are bad. The most important thing we have done is the focus. In my experience, until everything is done, you have to be prepared for anything to happen." City has endured a hectic season having progressed to the Champions League last 16, the FA Cup fifth round and the League Cup final apart from dominating the league and Guardiola said he would rest his players following the Burnley game. "After the game against Burnley until next Wednesday the players will be resting," Guardiola added. "The players can do whatever they want, they can travel or whatever. If they want to go and find some sunshine or stay here in Manchester, they can do what they like. They are free."

'I won't concede title if in Man United's position' says Pep Guardiola

The world of Latin American football is often criticized as one in which violence against women is tolerated, and now there is a new case to further soil its reputation.

Two top players -- Colombians Edwin Cardona and Wilmar Barrios -- who play for one of Argentina&#39;s storied teams, Boca Juniors, are accused of assaulting and threatening two women.&nbsp;

However, they are not the first men to face such controversy.

The region has already been rocked by cases such as that of Brazilian international Robinho who was convicted last year in Italy of taking part in a gang rape.

The former coach of the Colombian national team, Hernan Dario Gomez, had to resign after hitting a woman as he left a bar in Bogota in 2011.&nbsp;

There have been other cases in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala and elsewhere.&nbsp;

In Latin American football women &quot;are seen as things, or prey, but not as partners,&quot; said sports psychologist Oscar Mangione, who used to be on the staff of Boca Juniors.

- Winning is everything -

In the new case, the women accuse Cardona and Barrios of putting them in situations of &quot;physical and verbal violence.&quot;&nbsp;

These include an alleged ordeal in an elevator in which one of the players was wielding a knife, said Juan Cerolini, the plaintiffs&#39; lawyer.

The players were initially suspended but they were back playing last weekend, just days after their trial started and with no verdict yet returned.

The complaint seems to have been almost forgotten at their stadium, called La Bombonera.

&quot;If what they did is wrong, they had better pay. But there is always something shady going on. I want Boca to win. What can I say?&quot; said one female fan, aged in her 20s, who gave her name only as Luciana as she headed to the game in which the players returned to action.

&quot;What matters above all is the issue of usefulness in terms of the value of winning or the economic investment the team has made in a player,&quot; said Mangione.

&quot;There is no institutional policy. A kid joins the world of football at age 12 and might retire in his 30s. And in all that time he is only trained to be a football player. And this is an important span of time to train him as a man in every sense of the word,&quot; he added.

At the same time players, &quot;like it or not, are role models. And their behaviour enables a certain kind of behaviour which is not good,&quot; Mangione added.

- Cultural change -

In&nbsp;Argentina, a woman is killed every 29 hours, according to the Observatory for Violence against Women, which recorded 298 such killings last year.

That stands in sharp contrast to legislation in which &quot;Argentina is a pioneer&quot; in laws to protect women, said Ada Rico, head of an NGO called Casa del Encuentro.

&quot;You can have as many laws and measures as you want. But we are not going to get anywhere without a cultural change,&quot; she added.

Analia Fernandez, a journalist and amateur football player, said what is most common is to &quot;treat the player as the victim and not take the word of the accuser.&quot;

Right now, men&#39;s football &quot;is a place that legitimizes violence against women,&quot; she told AFP.

&quot;Our task is to begin to transform that kind of football. Here out on the field we women are changing things,&quot; Fernandez said from the pitch of her team in Buenos Aires.

&nbsp;

In Latin American football women "are seen as things, or prey, but not as partners," said sports psychologist Oscar Mangione

The world of Latin American football is often criticized as one in which violence against women is tolerated, and now there is a new case to further soil its reputation. Two top players -- Colombians Edwin Cardona and Wilmar Barrios -- who play for one of Argentina's storied teams, Boca Juniors, are accused of assaulting and threatening two women. However, they are not the first men to face such controversy. The region has already been rocked by cases such as that of Brazilian international Robinho who was convicted last year in Italy of taking part in a gang rape. The former coach of the Colombian national team, Hernan Dario Gomez, had to resign after hitting a woman as he left a bar in Bogota in 2011. There have been other cases in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala and elsewhere. In Latin American football women "are seen as things, or prey, but not as partners," said sports psychologist Oscar Mangione, who used to be on the staff of Boca Juniors. - Winning is everything - In the new case, the women accuse Cardona and Barrios of putting them in situations of "physical and verbal violence." These include an alleged ordeal in an elevator in which one of the players was wielding a knife, said Juan Cerolini, the plaintiffs' lawyer. The players were initially suspended but they were back playing last weekend, just days after their trial started and with no verdict yet returned. The complaint seems to have been almost forgotten at their stadium, called La Bombonera. "If what they did is wrong, they had better pay. But there is always something shady going on. I want Boca to win. What can I say?" said one female fan, aged in her 20s, who gave her name only as Luciana as she headed to the game in which the players returned to action. "What matters above all is the issue of usefulness in terms of the value of winning or the economic investment the team has made in a player," said Mangione. "There is no institutional policy. A kid joins the world of football at age 12 and might retire in his 30s. And in all that time he is only trained to be a football player. And this is an important span of time to train him as a man in every sense of the word," he added. At the same time players, "like it or not, are role models. And their behaviour enables a certain kind of behaviour which is not good," Mangione added. - Cultural change - In Argentina, a woman is killed every 29 hours, according to the Observatory for Violence against Women, which recorded 298 such killings last year. That stands in sharp contrast to legislation in which "Argentina is a pioneer" in laws to protect women, said Ada Rico, head of an NGO called Casa del Encuentro. "You can have as many laws and measures as you want. But we are not going to get anywhere without a cultural change," she added. Analia Fernandez, a journalist and amateur football player, said what is most common is to "treat the player as the victim and not take the word of the accuser." Right now, men's football "is a place that legitimizes violence against women," she told AFP. "Our task is to begin to transform that kind of football. Here out on the field we women are changing things," Fernandez said from the pitch of her team in Buenos Aires.

Latin American football seen as rife with violence against women

Antonio Conte had no doubt the pressure on his position would intensify after his&nbsp;Chelsea&nbsp;side&#39;s stunning 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

The Blues head coach insists his&nbsp;Chelsea&nbsp;team, the reigning Premier League champions, are over-achieving this season &ndash;- but claims he is &quot;relaxed&quot; if members of the club&rsquo;s hierarchy view things differently.

Defeat left&nbsp;Chelsea&nbsp;in fourth place in the Premier League, just two points above Tottenham Hotspur and Conte accepted there were concerns over whether the Blues would qualify for next season&#39;s Champions League.

&quot;The pressure, it&#39;s normal. It&#39;s normal for a coach, for a manager,&quot; Conte said. &quot;It&#39;s normal if you are&nbsp;Chelsea&#39;s coach.&nbsp;

&quot;After the first game this season, you (the media) tried to put pressure on my job. But I&#39;m trying to do my best.&quot;

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Chelsea&#39;s Italian head coach Antonio Conte gestures during the match. (AFP)
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The Italian added: &quot;If someone doesn&#39;t think this club deserves this table (position) or deserve this situation. I repeat: we are doing everything, we are doing 120 percent. I&#39;m exploiting this squad at the maximum level.

&quot;But, if someone doesn&#39;t agree about this, I&#39;m here. I have to accept every situation. I&#39;m very relaxed about this. I know that I&#39;m doing a great job, a great work, me and the staff and the players.&quot;

There have been reports that Conte has angered&nbsp;Chelsea&#39;s Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich with thinly veiled criticism of the London club&#39;s transfer policy. &nbsp;

&#39;Reality&#39;

Asked whether the transfer business conducted by&nbsp;Chelsea&#39;s top four rivals had made the task of claiming a top-four finish harder, Conte replied: &quot;We have to understand that, if we want to speak about football and if we think to understand football we know very well this (a top four place) will be very difficult for us.

&quot;If we want only to dream and not see the reality &ndash;- in this case, I can tell you now we can fight to win the title this season!&quot;, added Conte, whose side area huge 18 points behind leaders Manchester City.

&quot;It will be very important to look at the reality and to know that, if we are able to reach a place in the Champions League, it will be a great success for us. Otherwise, we have a normal season.

&quot;My task is to try to be more realistic and try to transfer this to the players because of the players... if they know and understand the danger... But the players are fantastic in their commitment. They understand very well what our situation is in this season.&rdquo;

New signing Olivier Giroud watched the game from behind the dug-out but Conte said: &quot;I don&#39;t think now is the right moment to speak about Giroud&nbsp;after a bad defeat.&rdquo;

&quot;Now the most important thing is to understand we have to fight. This season will be very tough. We must be ready to struggle this season for everything.&quot;

&#39;Best feeling&#39;

Goals from Callum Wilson, Junior Stanislas and Nathan Ake in 16 second-half minutes secured Bournemouth&rsquo;s impressive victory.

The win moved Bournemouth up to tenth place, although they remain just five points clear of the bottom three.

Eddie Howe said the victory at Stamford Bridge was the best moment in his nine years, spread over two spells, as Bournemouth manager.

Howe, who has steered the club through the leagues from third-division League One, said: &quot;This is the best (feeling) because of the performance.

&quot;When we won here in our first season in the Premier League it was a historic performance, but it was backed against the wall. There was no luck connected today. It was a very strong performance. We&#39;re improving, we&#39;re getting stronger, we were very brave in our approach.&rdquo;

&quot;Full credit to the players:&nbsp;Chelsea&nbsp;are an outstanding team, but we defended very well, attacked with purpose, and the shape and balance were very good.

&quot;We were unbeaten in five coming here and wanted to keep that going, picking up points,&quot; Howe added.

&quot;To win by the margin we have is something we didn&#39;t expect but are very proud of.&quot;

&nbsp;

The defeat has left Chelsea in fourth place in the Premier League, just two points above Tottenham Hotspur

Antonio Conte had no doubt the pressure on his position would intensify after his Chelsea side's stunning 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. The Blues head coach insists his Chelsea team, the reigning Premier League champions, are over-achieving this season –- but claims he is "relaxed" if members of the club’s hierarchy view things differently. Defeat left Chelsea in fourth place in the Premier League, just two points above Tottenham Hotspur and Conte accepted there were concerns over whether the Blues would qualify for next season's Champions League. "The pressure, it's normal. It's normal for a coach, for a manager," Conte said. "It's normal if you are Chelsea's coach. "After the first game this season, you (the media) tried to put pressure on my job. But I'm trying to do my best." Chelsea's Italian head coach Antonio Conte gestures during the match. (AFP) × The Italian added: "If someone doesn't think this club deserves this table (position) or deserve this situation. I repeat: we are doing everything, we are doing 120 percent. I'm exploiting this squad at the maximum level. "But, if someone doesn't agree about this, I'm here. I have to accept every situation. I'm very relaxed about this. I know that I'm doing a great job, a great work, me and the staff and the players." There have been reports that Conte has angered Chelsea's Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich with thinly veiled criticism of the London club's transfer policy. 'Reality' Asked whether the transfer business conducted by Chelsea's top four rivals had made the task of claiming a top-four finish harder, Conte replied: "We have to understand that, if we want to speak about football and if we think to understand football we know very well this (a top four place) will be very difficult for us. "If we want only to dream and not see the reality –- in this case, I can tell you now we can fight to win the title this season!", added Conte, whose side area huge 18 points behind leaders Manchester City. "It will be very important to look at the reality and to know that, if we are able to reach a place in the Champions League, it will be a great success for us. Otherwise, we have a normal season. "My task is to try to be more realistic and try to transfer this to the players because of the players... if they know and understand the danger... But the players are fantastic in their commitment. They understand very well what our situation is in this season.” New signing Olivier Giroud watched the game from behind the dug-out but Conte said: "I don't think now is the right moment to speak about Giroud after a bad defeat.” "Now the most important thing is to understand we have to fight. This season will be very tough. We must be ready to struggle this season for everything." 'Best feeling' Goals from Callum Wilson, Junior Stanislas and Nathan Ake in 16 second-half minutes secured Bournemouth’s impressive victory. The win moved Bournemouth up to tenth place, although they remain just five points clear of the bottom three. Eddie Howe said the victory at Stamford Bridge was the best moment in his nine years, spread over two spells, as Bournemouth manager. Howe, who has steered the club through the leagues from third-division League One, said: "This is the best (feeling) because of the performance. "When we won here in our first season in the Premier League it was a historic performance, but it was backed against the wall. There was no luck connected today. It was a very strong performance. We're improving, we're getting stronger, we were very brave in our approach.” "Full credit to the players: Chelsea are an outstanding team, but we defended very well, attacked with purpose, and the shape and balance were very good. "We were unbeaten in five coming here and wanted to keep that going, picking up points," Howe added. "To win by the margin we have is something we didn't expect but are very proud of."

EPL: Conte under pressure as Bournemouth shock Chelsea

David&nbsp;Beckham&nbsp;wants to emulate Manchester United&#39;s tradition of youth development as he looks<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/football-beckham-set-to-launch-long-sought-miami-mls-club-31030"> to build success with his new Major League Soccer</a> franchise in Miami.

The English football superstar was celebrating Monday after his <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/football-beckham-poised-to-unveil-miami-team-31132">four-year wait to own an MLS franchise</a> came to end in a glitzy press conference in Florida.

Good luck messages were beamed to the new team&#39;s excited &quot;Southern Legion&quot; fan group from the likes of Neymar, Tom Brady, Usain Bolt and Hollywood A-lister Will Smith.

There is still no name for the team or logo, while controversy over the building of a 25,000-seater stadium in Overtown, a deprived area of downtown Miami where&nbsp;Beckham&#39;s ownership group have purchased a plot of land which will eventually cost in excess of $25 million.

A legal case against the sale of one part of the land remains ongoing and won&#39;t be settled until June.

&quot;This is a positive story,&quot; said&nbsp;Beckham&nbsp;when asked about appeasing those who are against his plans.

&quot;We want to be good neighbours.&quot;

Brand&nbsp;Beckham, however, is alive and well in South Florida and, of course, it wasn&#39;t long before player names were being thrown into the mix as he took questions.

&#39;Ronaldo? Ask him&#39;

&quot;Cristiano Ronaldo? You&#39;d have to ask him,&quot;&nbsp;Beckham&nbsp;said when quizzed if he would be making a move for the Portuguese superstar.

Naturally, a team in Miami needs a big name to push ticket sales and get the marketing men interested.

Yet&nbsp;Beckham&nbsp;knows about the importance of nurturing from within.&nbsp;

The former Real Madrid midfielder was part of the famous &quot;Class of 92&quot; who came through the ranks at Manchester United and helped take the club on an unforgettable, trophy-laden journey under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Beckham, along with Gary and Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs were the cream of United&#39;s crop and the new owner of the 25th MLS franchise wants to create something similar in Miami.

&quot;I have already had so many calls from top players and of course you need to bring some superstars in,&quot; said&nbsp;Beckham&nbsp;who stressed close friend Gary Neville wouldn&#39;t be considered for a managerial role because &quot;he talks too much.&quot;

&quot;There are so many names I would love to bring in,&quot;&nbsp;Beckham&nbsp;said.

&quot;We want to reach for the stars. Miami needs a star and that&#39;s what we plan on doing but my dream is to create a state-of-the-art academy where we have a hotbed of talent and bring kids through just like we did at United.

Manager search

&quot;That will make us so proud. We were a unique group of kids who saved United so much money over the years.

&quot;We all came in during 1992 and were very successful. We were only successful because of the players we came in with - Roy Keane, Eric Cantona etc as well as a manager like Alex Ferguson.

&quot;That&#39;s where my experience comes in. I understand the academies where you save money - I am talking like an owner now! - and where you bring these talented kids through.

&quot;If you can do that it would be incredible.

&quot;The ownership group have made it clear, my role is to look for the right manager. It doesn&#39;t have to be a big name. I am not saying it&#39;s not going to be but I want to focus on the philosophy of the club and the team.

&quot;That&#39;s what I want to build towards.&quot;

Naturally,&nbsp;Beckham&nbsp;will forever be associated with Old Trafford and though his eyes were firmly on his Miami prize, it was impossible for him to escape events closer to home.

Alexis Sanchez&#39;s move from Arsenal certainly caught him on the hop.

&quot;It&#39;s great to see him in a United shirt and I&#39;m sure he&rsquo;s going to be successful,&quot; he said.

&quot;I still find it hard to believe it&#39;s actually happened. It&#39;s amazing.&quot;

&nbsp;

Beckham's four-year wait to own an MLS franchise came to end but there is still no name for the team or logo

David Beckham wants to emulate Manchester United's tradition of youth development as he looks to build success with his new Major League Soccer franchise in Miami. The English football superstar was celebrating Monday after his four-year wait to own an MLS franchise came to end in a glitzy press conference in Florida. Good luck messages were beamed to the new team's excited "Southern Legion" fan group from the likes of Neymar, Tom Brady, Usain Bolt and Hollywood A-lister Will Smith. There is still no name for the team or logo, while controversy over the building of a 25,000-seater stadium in Overtown, a deprived area of downtown Miami where Beckham's ownership group have purchased a plot of land which will eventually cost in excess of $25 million. A legal case against the sale of one part of the land remains ongoing and won't be settled until June. "This is a positive story," said Beckham when asked about appeasing those who are against his plans. "We want to be good neighbours." Brand Beckham, however, is alive and well in South Florida and, of course, it wasn't long before player names were being thrown into the mix as he took questions. 'Ronaldo? Ask him' "Cristiano Ronaldo? You'd have to ask him," Beckham said when quizzed if he would be making a move for the Portuguese superstar. Naturally, a team in Miami needs a big name to push ticket sales and get the marketing men interested. Yet Beckham knows about the importance of nurturing from within. The former Real Madrid midfielder was part of the famous "Class of 92" who came through the ranks at Manchester United and helped take the club on an unforgettable, trophy-laden journey under Sir Alex Ferguson. Beckham, along with Gary and Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs were the cream of United's crop and the new owner of the 25th MLS franchise wants to create something similar in Miami. "I have already had so many calls from top players and of course you need to bring some superstars in," said Beckham who stressed close friend Gary Neville wouldn't be considered for a managerial role because "he talks too much." "There are so many names I would love to bring in," Beckham said. "We want to reach for the stars. Miami needs a star and that's what we plan on doing but my dream is to create a state-of-the-art academy where we have a hotbed of talent and bring kids through just like we did at United. Manager search "That will make us so proud. We were a unique group of kids who saved United so much money over the years. "We all came in during 1992 and were very successful. We were only successful because of the players we came in with - Roy Keane, Eric Cantona etc as well as a manager like Alex Ferguson. "That's where my experience comes in. I understand the academies where you save money - I am talking like an owner now! - and where you bring these talented kids through. "If you can do that it would be incredible. "The ownership group have made it clear, my role is to look for the right manager. It doesn't have to be a big name. I am not saying it's not going to be but I want to focus on the philosophy of the club and the team. "That's what I want to build towards." Naturally, Beckham will forever be associated with Old Trafford and though his eyes were firmly on his Miami prize, it was impossible for him to escape events closer to home. Alexis Sanchez's move from Arsenal certainly caught him on the hop. "It's great to see him in a United shirt and I'm sure he’s going to be successful," he said. "I still find it hard to believe it's actually happened. It's amazing."

Watch: David Beckham announces new Miami MLS franchise

England women&#39;s coach&nbsp;Phil&nbsp;Neville has denied being sexist and is confident he is the right person for the job despite his lack of experience.

The former Manchester United defender has been widely criticised since his appointment last week after comments he made on Twitter a few years ago came to light.&nbsp;

One tweet from January 2012 read: &quot;When I said morning men I thought the women would of [sic] been busy preparing breakfast/getting kids ready/making the beds-sorry women!&quot;

Another from December 2012 read: &quot;U women of [sic] always wanted equality until it comes to paying the bills #hypocrites.&quot;

The 41-year-old sportsman deleted the posts last week and took down his Twitter account as criticism grew.

Also, Neville has revealed a historical tweet where he wrote &quot;just battered the wife&quot; was of a sporting nature and he regrets writing it.

&quot;That tweet was not sent out in terms of domestic violence but the words were not right then and not right now,&quot; said Neville, adding that the reference was to beating his wife at sport on holiday.

&quot;I had to apologise, I didn&#39;t like the words used. I&#39;m not a sexist. I&#39;ve lived my life right,&quot; said Neville who has since deleted his Twitter account.

Neville, 41, has also been criticised for his lack of experience of women&#39;s football, but he said he had coached extensively at a high level.

&quot;I&#39;m qualified for the job, I have a (coaching) Pro Licence. It&#39;s to work in all aspects of football. I&#39;ve worked abroad. I&#39;m best qualified for this job.&quot; said Neville, who has never been a manager but coached at Manchester United, England Under-21s and Spanish side Valencia.

Neville said that just as women were now encouraged to comment on men&#39;s football as TV pundits so he should be allowed to enter the women&#39;s game without any direct experience.

&quot;The gap (between the men&#39;s and women&#39;s game) is closing and I would have thought there were not many candidates with my experience of elite players,&quot; he said.

Neville&#39;s remarks represent an attempt to draw a line under a saga that has split a women&#39;s game still recovering from the sacking of previous head coach Mark Sampson for inappropriate behaviour in a previous job.

The English FA had clearly hoped Neville&#39;s appointment would begin a new era; instead it plunged the game into further turmoil.

Neville met his new team for the first time at a training camp in Spain last week, stating that his intention was to take the team to the next level.

The former Manchester United defender has been widely criticised since his appointment last week after comments he made on Twitter a few years ago came to light, one of which said he had 'just battered the wife'

England women's coach Phil Neville has denied being sexist and is confident he is the right person for the job despite his lack of experience. The former Manchester United defender has been widely criticised since his appointment last week after comments he made on Twitter a few years ago came to light. One tweet from January 2012 read: "When I said morning men I thought the women would of [sic] been busy preparing breakfast/getting kids ready/making the beds-sorry women!" Another from December 2012 read: "U women of [sic] always wanted equality until it comes to paying the bills #hypocrites." The 41-year-old sportsman deleted the posts last week and took down his Twitter account as criticism grew. Also, Neville has revealed a historical tweet where he wrote "just battered the wife" was of a sporting nature and he regrets writing it. "That tweet was not sent out in terms of domestic violence but the words were not right then and not right now," said Neville, adding that the reference was to beating his wife at sport on holiday. "I had to apologise, I didn't like the words used. I'm not a sexist. I've lived my life right," said Neville who has since deleted his Twitter account. Neville, 41, has also been criticised for his lack of experience of women's football, but he said he had coached extensively at a high level. "I'm qualified for the job, I have a (coaching) Pro Licence. It's to work in all aspects of football. I've worked abroad. I'm best qualified for this job." said Neville, who has never been a manager but coached at Manchester United, England Under-21s and Spanish side Valencia. Neville said that just as women were now encouraged to comment on men's football as TV pundits so he should be allowed to enter the women's game without any direct experience. "The gap (between the men's and women's game) is closing and I would have thought there were not many candidates with my experience of elite players," he said. Neville's remarks represent an attempt to draw a line under a saga that has split a women's game still recovering from the sacking of previous head coach Mark Sampson for inappropriate behaviour in a previous job. The English FA had clearly hoped Neville's appointment would begin a new era; instead it plunged the game into further turmoil. Neville met his new team for the first time at a training camp in Spain last week, stating that his intention was to take the team to the next level.

Soccer: Phil Neville denies being sexist, says he is right for job as women's coach

Barcelona escaped a scare on Philippe Coutinho&#39;s first start as Lionel Messi struck with a trademark free-kick to drag the La Liga leaders back from a goal down to beat Alaves 2-1 and restore their 11-point lead at the top.

Messi whipped home a beautiful free-kick six minutes from the end to down resilient Alaves, who are just two points from the drop zone in 17th despite John Guidetti silencing the Camp Nou with a shock breakaway opener in the 23rd minute.

Luis Suarez had broken the away side&#39;s tough resistance with a sweet volley from Andres Iniesta&#39;s cross 18 minutes from the end, setting the stage for Messi&#39;s dramatic and stylish winner.

The Argentine&#39;s strike ensures that Barca stays unbeaten in the league, and keeps Atletico Madrid 11 points back despite their 3-0 hammering of Las Palmas earlier.

With Diego Costa out injured, Atletico took a while to get going and had to wait until the 61st minute to open the scoring, Antoine Griezmann latching on to Juanfran&#39;s fine ball down the right flank before dinking neatly over Las Palmas stopper Leandro Chichizola.

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???? FOR&Ccedil;A BAR&Ccedil;A! ????❤️ <a href="https://t.co/BUvCswTmzM">pic.twitter.com/BUvCswTmzM</a>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/957743864542121984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;The first half was not very good but the coach gave us a good talking to at half-time, and we responded well,&quot; said Griezmann, whose goal was just his seventh in the league this season but his fourth in league and cup since the turn of the year.

&quot;I feel good, I&#39;ve started the year well and I hope to continue the goals and assists.&quot;

Frenchman Griezmann started the move that led to Atletico&#39;s second, intercepting a loose pass and setting Angel Correa free to scamper down the pitch and feed Fernando Torres, who shifted the ball onto his right foot and lashed home just his second goal of the season, the 600th scored by Atletico in all competitions during Diego Simeone&#39;s seven-year reign as coach.

An easy tap-in from Thomas Partey after great work from Yannick Carrasco two minutes from time completed the second-half rout of a desperate Las Palmas, who remain second from bottom and five points from safety.

Sevilla was denied the chance to close within three points of Real Madrid and the Champions League places after Angel Rodriguez scored a controversial equaliser deep in stoppage time to snatch a 1-1 draw for Getafe at the Roman Sanchez Pizjaun stadium.

Luis Muriel had slid in a 72nd-minute for hosts but with seconds to spare Juan Cala challenged Sevilla keeper Sergio Rico for a hopeful high ball, and with the Sevilla fans and players clamouring for a free-kick, Angel lashed home the leveller and celebrated under a hail of whistles and boos.

&nbsp;

The Argentine's strike ensures that Barca stays unbeaten in the league, and keeps Atletico Madrid 11 points back despite

Barcelona escaped a scare on Philippe Coutinho's first start as Lionel Messi struck with a trademark free-kick to drag the La Liga leaders back from a goal down to beat Alaves 2-1 and restore their 11-point lead at the top. Messi whipped home a beautiful free-kick six minutes from the end to down resilient Alaves, who are just two points from the drop zone in 17th despite John Guidetti silencing the Camp Nou with a shock breakaway opener in the 23rd minute. Luis Suarez had broken the away side's tough resistance with a sweet volley from Andres Iniesta's cross 18 minutes from the end, setting the stage for Messi's dramatic and stylish winner. The Argentine's strike ensures that Barca stays unbeaten in the league, and keeps Atletico Madrid 11 points back despite their 3-0 hammering of Las Palmas earlier. With Diego Costa out injured, Atletico took a while to get going and had to wait until the 61st minute to open the scoring, Antoine Griezmann latching on to Juanfran's fine ball down the right flank before dinking neatly over Las Palmas stopper Leandro Chichizola. ???? FORÇA BARÇA! ????❤️ pic.twitter.com/BUvCswTmzM — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 28, 2018 × "The first half was not very good but the coach gave us a good talking to at half-time, and we responded well," said Griezmann, whose goal was just his seventh in the league this season but his fourth in league and cup since the turn of the year. "I feel good, I've started the year well and I hope to continue the goals and assists." Frenchman Griezmann started the move that led to Atletico's second, intercepting a loose pass and setting Angel Correa free to scamper down the pitch and feed Fernando Torres, who shifted the ball onto his right foot and lashed home just his second goal of the season, the 600th scored by Atletico in all competitions during Diego Simeone's seven-year reign as coach. An easy tap-in from Thomas Partey after great work from Yannick Carrasco two minutes from time completed the second-half rout of a desperate Las Palmas, who remain second from bottom and five points from safety. Sevilla was denied the chance to close within three points of Real Madrid and the Champions League places after Angel Rodriguez scored a controversial equaliser deep in stoppage time to snatch a 1-1 draw for Getafe at the Roman Sanchez Pizjaun stadium. Luis Muriel had slid in a 72nd-minute for hosts but with seconds to spare Juan Cala challenged Sevilla keeper Sergio Rico for a hopeful high ball, and with the Sevilla fans and players clamouring for a free-kick, Angel lashed home the leveller and celebrated under a hail of whistles and boos.

LaLiga: Messi strikes late to defeat Alaves

Former England captain David Beckham will unveil his long-sought Major League Soccer expansion team at a Monday news conference in Miami, bringing a conclusion to a turmoil-filled four-year quest.

MLS announced Friday it will &quot;make a major announcement regarding the future of soccer in Miami&quot; on Monday, inviting ticketed members of the public to what is expected to be the announcement of a 25th league club.

The team is expected to begin MLS play in 2020 at a 25,000-seat stadium to be built in Miami&#39;s Overtown neighbourhood.

Just over 11 years after announcing he would leave Real Madrid for the MLS Los Angeles Galaxy&nbsp;in a deal that included the chance to purchase an expansion team at a reduced rate, Beckham will make good on plans he first announced in&nbsp;February 2014.

Several failed stadium sites delayed his consortium&#39;s efforts, other MLS teams making their debuts while Beckham struggled to get his off the ground, unable to find an agreeable place for a specially built venue.

The group edged closer to success last year after securing a land deal for a proposed stadium project, waterfront sites and others near the Miami Marlins baseball stadium and NBA Miami Heat arena having earlier fallen though.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber said last month the Miami franchise project was &quot;the most complicated situation in any market that we&#39;ve experienced&quot; because of the Miami area political structure and fast-changing real estate environment.

The launch of the new Beckham-backed team will mark the second attempt to start a Miami-based MLS franchise.

The Miami Fusion, which made their debut in the 1998 MLS season, played for four seasons before being cut from the league after the 2001 campaign amid low ticket sales and the lowest revenues of any team in the competition.

Beckham, 42, retired in 2013 after a 20-year career that saw him win league crowns with Manchester United in England, Real Madrid in Spain, the Galaxy in North America and Paris Saint-Germain in his farewell matches.

He also played for England from 1996 to 2009, winning 115 caps.

His five-year stint in MLS with the Galaxy boosted football&#39;s profile in North America and contributed to the steady growth in attendances across the MLS.&nbsp;

When Beckham arrived in 2007, average attendances through the league were 16,770; when he ended his five-year stint they had increased to 18,807 per game. By 2017, that number had increased to 22,113.

Beckham&#39;s move to MLS was also followed by several high-profile European stars nearing the end of their careers.&nbsp;

England teammates Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard both later moved to MLS, along with Italy&#39;s Andrea Pirlo and Spanish striker David Villa.

Announcing plans for his Miami team four years ago, Beckham said he had already identified players who he hoped to lure to Florida.

&quot;It would be disrespectful for me to say what players I want in the team. But we have a list of players,&quot; Beckham said in 2014.

&quot;I&#39;ve been fortunate to play with some of the best players in the world and some of them are calling me up to ask me when Miami is happening.&quot;

&nbsp;

The launch of the new Beckham-backed team will mark the second attempt to start a Miami-based MLS franchise

Former England captain David Beckham will unveil his long-sought Major League Soccer expansion team at a Monday news conference in Miami, bringing a conclusion to a turmoil-filled four-year quest. MLS announced Friday it will "make a major announcement regarding the future of soccer in Miami" on Monday, inviting ticketed members of the public to what is expected to be the announcement of a 25th league club. The team is expected to begin MLS play in 2020 at a 25,000-seat stadium to be built in Miami's Overtown neighbourhood. Just over 11 years after announcing he would leave Real Madrid for the MLS Los Angeles Galaxy in a deal that included the chance to purchase an expansion team at a reduced rate, Beckham will make good on plans he first announced in February 2014. Several failed stadium sites delayed his consortium's efforts, other MLS teams making their debuts while Beckham struggled to get his off the ground, unable to find an agreeable place for a specially built venue. The group edged closer to success last year after securing a land deal for a proposed stadium project, waterfront sites and others near the Miami Marlins baseball stadium and NBA Miami Heat arena having earlier fallen though. MLS Commissioner Don Garber said last month the Miami franchise project was "the most complicated situation in any market that we've experienced" because of the Miami area political structure and fast-changing real estate environment. The launch of the new Beckham-backed team will mark the second attempt to start a Miami-based MLS franchise. The Miami Fusion, which made their debut in the 1998 MLS season, played for four seasons before being cut from the league after the 2001 campaign amid low ticket sales and the lowest revenues of any team in the competition. Beckham, 42, retired in 2013 after a 20-year career that saw him win league crowns with Manchester United in England, Real Madrid in Spain, the Galaxy in North America and Paris Saint-Germain in his farewell matches. He also played for England from 1996 to 2009, winning 115 caps. His five-year stint in MLS with the Galaxy boosted football's profile in North America and contributed to the steady growth in attendances across the MLS. When Beckham arrived in 2007, average attendances through the league were 16,770; when he ended his five-year stint they had increased to 18,807 per game. By 2017, that number had increased to 22,113. Beckham's move to MLS was also followed by several high-profile European stars nearing the end of their careers. England teammates Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard both later moved to MLS, along with Italy's Andrea Pirlo and Spanish striker David Villa. Announcing plans for his Miami team four years ago, Beckham said he had already identified players who he hoped to lure to Florida. "It would be disrespectful for me to say what players I want in the team. But we have a list of players," Beckham said in 2014. "I've been fortunate to play with some of the best players in the world and some of them are calling me up to ask me when Miami is happening."

Football: Beckham set to launch long-sought Miami MLS club

Brazilian soccer great Pele has collapsed with exhaustion and been forced to cancel a long-planned trip to London this weekend, the Football Writers Association (FWA) said on Friday.

The FWA was due to host a dinner in his honour at the Savoy hotel on Sunday but said the 77-year-old would not make it.

&quot;In the early hours of Thursday morning, Pele collapsed and was taken to hospital in Brazil where he has undergone a series of tests which appear to point to severe exhaustion,&quot; the FWA said in a statement.

&quot;He remains on fluids while doctors monitor his recovery. Thankfully, there is no suggestion of anything more serious than exhaustion.&quot;

Pele, who is the only player to win three World Cups, has been taken to hospital for kidney and prostrate problems in recent years and also underwent hip surgery.

Still considered the greatest player of all time, he appeared in a wheelchair at his last big international appearance in Moscow in December for the draw for the 2018 World Cup.

Brazilian soccer great Pele has collapsed with exhaustion and been forced to cancel a long-planned trip to London this weekend, the Football Writers Association (FWA) said on Friday

Brazilian soccer great Pele has collapsed with exhaustion and been forced to cancel a long-planned trip to London this weekend, the Football Writers Association (FWA) said on Friday. The FWA was due to host a dinner in his honour at the Savoy hotel on Sunday but said the 77-year-old would not make it. "In the early hours of Thursday morning, Pele collapsed and was taken to hospital in Brazil where he has undergone a series of tests which appear to point to severe exhaustion," the FWA said in a statement. "He remains on fluids while doctors monitor his recovery. Thankfully, there is no suggestion of anything more serious than exhaustion." Pele, who is the only player to win three World Cups, has been taken to hospital for kidney and prostrate problems in recent years and also underwent hip surgery. Still considered the greatest player of all time, he appeared in a wheelchair at his last big international appearance in Moscow in December for the draw for the 2018 World Cup.

Brazil great Pele collapses with exhaustion

Diego Carlos of FC Nantes recently become part of a controversy when French referee Tony Chapron sent him off by showing a&nbsp;red card in a Frensch Ligue-1 match between FC Nantes and Paris-St Germain.

He admitted on Tuesday that he was left flummoxed after referee&#39;s decision.

&quot;I did not understand at the time what had happened,&quot; the 24-year-old told Nantes&#39; website.

&quot;He fell to the ground and then I looked at him when he gave me a kick on the leg and I said &#39;what have you done?&#39; and then he gave me a yellow and a red.&quot;

In the 87th minute of the match, Carlos unintentionally collided with the match referee Chapron.

The 45-year-old referee stumbled and fell to the ground and kicked Diego Carlos with his right boot and flourished a second yellow card at Carlos.

Watch: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-why-referee-tony-chapron-is-suspended-29673">How French referee Tony Chapron &#39;tackled&#39; Diego Carlos</a>

The red card has since been rescinded, making him available for Wednesday&#39;s match at Toulouse.

&quot;I am very happy that I will be able to play at Toulouse,&quot; he added.

&nbsp;

"He fell to the ground and then I looked at him when he gave me a kick on the leg and I said 'what have you done?' and then he gave me a yellow and a red," says Carlos

Diego Carlos of FC Nantes recently become part of a controversy when French referee Tony Chapron sent him off by showing a red card in a Frensch Ligue-1 match between FC Nantes and Paris-St Germain. He admitted on Tuesday that he was left flummoxed after referee's decision. "I did not understand at the time what had happened," the 24-year-old told Nantes' website. "He fell to the ground and then I looked at him when he gave me a kick on the leg and I said 'what have you done?' and then he gave me a yellow and a red." In the 87th minute of the match, Carlos unintentionally collided with the match referee Chapron. The 45-year-old referee stumbled and fell to the ground and kicked Diego Carlos with his right boot and flourished a second yellow card at Carlos. Watch: How French referee Tony Chapron 'tackled' Diego Carlos The red card has since been rescinded, making him available for Wednesday's match at Toulouse. "I am very happy that I will be able to play at Toulouse," he added.

Diego Carlos reacts on French referee's decision

French referee Tony Chapron has been suspended after kicking out&nbsp;Diego Carlos after sending him off by showing a red&nbsp;card in a&nbsp;French Ligue-1 match between FC Nantes and Paris-St Germain.

In the 87th minute, Nantes defender Diego Carlos unintentionally collided with the match&nbsp;referee Chapron.

The 45-year-old referee stumbled and fell to the ground and kicked&nbsp;Diego Carlos with&nbsp;his right boot.

Chapron then flourished a second yellow card at Carlos and sent him off for the remaining three minutes of the game.

Nantes president Waldemar Kita was captured laughing&nbsp;at the dismissal.

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Nantes&#39; Brazilian defender Diego Carlos (C) receives a red card from French referee Tony Chapron during the French L1 football match between Nantes and Paris Saint-Germain. (AFP)
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The French Football Federation announced on Monday that Chapron would face a disciplinary hearing - and suspended him until further notice.

He will be called to appear before the French league&#39;s disciplinary commission at a later date to explain himself.

The&nbsp;French Football Federation&nbsp;said, &quot;Chapron has now accepted the contact with Carlos was accidental.&quot;

&nbsp;

The 45-year-old referee stumbled and fell to the ground and kicked, Brazilian defender who also plays for FC Nantes, Diego Carlos with his right boot

French referee Tony Chapron has been suspended after kicking out Diego Carlos after sending him off by showing a red card in a French Ligue-1 match between FC Nantes and Paris-St Germain. In the 87th minute, Nantes defender Diego Carlos unintentionally collided with the match referee Chapron. The 45-year-old referee stumbled and fell to the ground and kicked Diego Carlos with his right boot. Chapron then flourished a second yellow card at Carlos and sent him off for the remaining three minutes of the game. Nantes president Waldemar Kita was captured laughing at the dismissal. Nantes' Brazilian defender Diego Carlos (C) receives a red card from French referee Tony Chapron during the French L1 football match between Nantes and Paris Saint-Germain. (AFP) × The French Football Federation announced on Monday that Chapron would face a disciplinary hearing - and suspended him until further notice. He will be called to appear before the French league's disciplinary commission at a later date to explain himself. The French Football Federation said, "Chapron has now accepted the contact with Carlos was accidental."

Watch: How French referee Tony Chapron 'tackled' Diego Carlos

Though Real Madrid started the&nbsp;season on a high, the La Liga giant have&nbsp;struggled of late with the&nbsp;gap between them and Barcelona has widened so much so&nbsp;it&#39;s&nbsp;really tough to catch up with Catalan giant as the title rate is anything but over.

On Saturday, Villarreal registered their first victory ever at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid. Pablo Fornals of Villarreal struck with 3 minutes remaining to escape with a 1-0 win on Saturday.

Real Madrid got 11 corners and had 28 shots on target but could not convert any of them as their accuracy was below par.

&quot;We didn&#39;t deserve to lose. We had the better chances but the ball did not want to go in,&quot; said Zidane after Real&#39;s second straight home league defeat.

&quot;There is no explanation for this, I think we did everything we could. We had a lot of chances to score a goal. It&#39;s a bad result, it will last for some time. I can say nothing more to my players about what they have done. The only thing I can say is we are having a bad moment, we are struggling a bit. It&#39;s a loss that is difficult to digest,&quot; he added.

A few days back Real Madrid saw their team draw with a second-division club Numancia 2-2 in the Copa del Rey.

Madrid also drew at Celta Vigo 2-2 a week ago and lost to Barcelona 3-0 at the Bernabeu at the end of 2017.

Real is playing without their captain&nbsp;Sergio Ramos, as he is out due to&nbsp;an injury.&nbsp;He has been diagnosed with a muscular tear in the left soleus muscle.

Recently, Sergio posted his training&nbsp;video on social media which shows he is recovering fast.

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd2khTwHe1j/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Al final el trabajo tiene su recompensa siempre. &iexcl;Vamos! In the end, hard work always pays off. #HalaMadrid</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sergioramos/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Sergio Ramos</a> (@sergioramos) on <time datetime="2018-01-12T14:25:19+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Jan 12, 2018 at 6:25am PST</time>
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It is expected that he will be back&nbsp;before the first leg of the Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain on February 14.

Madrid&#39;s coach Zidane is definitely under the immense pressure of losing his job.

Also, the club is going through the crisis&nbsp;situation of having the worst season in past 20 years. Last season, they were unstoppable and reigning the Spanish&nbsp;leagues.

On one hand, Villarreal created history but on the other Real Madrid faced a devastating loss at their home ground.&nbsp;Villarreal moved to fifth place with the victory on the table.

The defending La Liga champions are currently fourth in the table. Now, the rival club FC Barcelona sits 16 points clear of Real Madrid. No club in history has ever covered such huge margin of points.

LaLiga Table:

Club&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Points

Barcelona&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 48

Atletico Madrid&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 42

Valencia&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 40

Real Madrid&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 32

Villarreal&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 31

Sevilla&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;29

&nbsp;

After losing 0-1 against Villarreal, Real Madrid is going through the crisis situation of having the worst season in past 20 years

Though Real Madrid started the season on a high, the La Liga giant have struggled of late with the gap between them and Barcelona has widened so much so it's really tough to catch up with Catalan giant as the title rate is anything but over. On Saturday, Villarreal registered their first victory ever at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid. Pablo Fornals of Villarreal struck with 3 minutes remaining to escape with a 1-0 win on Saturday. Real Madrid got 11 corners and had 28 shots on target but could not convert any of them as their accuracy was below par. "We didn't deserve to lose. We had the better chances but the ball did not want to go in," said Zidane after Real's second straight home league defeat. "There is no explanation for this, I think we did everything we could. We had a lot of chances to score a goal. It's a bad result, it will last for some time. I can say nothing more to my players about what they have done. The only thing I can say is we are having a bad moment, we are struggling a bit. It's a loss that is difficult to digest," he added. A few days back Real Madrid saw their team draw with a second-division club Numancia 2-2 in the Copa del Rey. Madrid also drew at Celta Vigo 2-2 a week ago and lost to Barcelona 3-0 at the Bernabeu at the end of 2017. Real is playing without their captain Sergio Ramos, as he is out due to an injury. He has been diagnosed with a muscular tear in the left soleus muscle. Recently, Sergio posted his training video on social media which shows he is recovering fast. Al final el trabajo tiene su recompensa siempre. ¡Vamos! In the end, hard work always pays off. #HalaMadrid A post shared by Sergio Ramos (@sergioramos) on Jan 12, 2018 at 6:25am PST × It is expected that he will be back before the first leg of the Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain on February 14. Madrid's coach Zidane is definitely under the immense pressure of losing his job. Also, the club is going through the crisis situation of having the worst season in past 20 years. Last season, they were unstoppable and reigning the Spanish leagues. On one hand, Villarreal created history but on the other Real Madrid faced a devastating loss at their home ground. Villarreal moved to fifth place with the victory on the table. The defending La Liga champions are currently fourth in the table. Now, the rival club FC Barcelona sits 16 points clear of Real Madrid. No club in history has ever covered such huge margin of points. LaLiga Table: Club Points Barcelona 48 Atletico Madrid 42 Valencia 40 Real Madrid 32 Villarreal 31 Sevilla 29

Zinedine Zidane laments, Real Madrid struggles

FC Barcelona signed Colombia centre-back&nbsp;Yerry&nbsp;Mina to strengthen its defence. Y. Mina joined Barcelona from Brazilian side Palmeiras on Thursday on a five-year deal for a fee of 11.8 million euros ($14mn), the Catalan club announced.

He was officially presented at Camp Nou, in front of the Barca fans on Saturday.

The 6ft 5in (1.95m) 23-year-old is set to fill the void left by Javier Mascherano, who is on the verge of a 10mn euro switch to China&#39;s Hebei Fortune.

The Colombian international will be Barcelona&#39;s second signing of the January transfer window after Philippe Coutinho&#39;s 160 million-euro capture from Liverpool.

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???????????? Yerry Mina ????<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BeBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BeBar&ccedil;a</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/For%C3%A7aBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#For&ccedil;aBar&ccedil;a</a> <a href="https://t.co/V10UqeehIE">pic.twitter.com/V10UqeehIE</a>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/952156906398863360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Mina has a 100mn euro release clause attached to his contract.

With Mascherano set to leave and injured young French centre-back Samuel Umtiti widely reported to be in talks with Manchester City, Barcelona had faced being left with only two recognised centre backs in Gerard Pique and Thomas Vermaelen.

&quot;I&#39;m in love with what I see. I hope to keep smiling here and to be able to succeed,&quot;&nbsp;said Yerry&nbsp;Mina.

After meeting Barca&#39;s legend Lionel Messi he said,&quot;Messi is the best in the world. I was struck by his humility - it was very special.&quot;

&quot;It&#39;s extraordinarily satisfying. I&#39;ve always worked to get what I have now. I want to make history at Bar&ccedil;a,&quot; he added.

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???? Yerry Mina: &quot;I&#39;m in love with what I see. I hope to keep smiling here and to be able to succeed.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/For%C3%A7aBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#For&ccedil;aBar&ccedil;a</a> <a href="https://t.co/1pvxtDch4B">pic.twitter.com/1pvxtDch4B</a>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/952169616826077185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Y. Mina joined Barcelona on a five-year contract for a fee of 11.8 million euros ($14mn)

FC Barcelona signed Colombia centre-back Yerry Mina to strengthen its defence. Y. Mina joined Barcelona from Brazilian side Palmeiras on Thursday on a five-year deal for a fee of 11.8 million euros ($14mn), the Catalan club announced. He was officially presented at Camp Nou, in front of the Barca fans on Saturday. The 6ft 5in (1.95m) 23-year-old is set to fill the void left by Javier Mascherano, who is on the verge of a 10mn euro switch to China's Hebei Fortune. The Colombian international will be Barcelona's second signing of the January transfer window after Philippe Coutinho's 160 million-euro capture from Liverpool. ???????????? Yerry Mina ????#BeBarça #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/V10UqeehIE — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 13, 2018 × Mina has a 100mn euro release clause attached to his contract. With Mascherano set to leave and injured young French centre-back Samuel Umtiti widely reported to be in talks with Manchester City, Barcelona had faced being left with only two recognised centre backs in Gerard Pique and Thomas Vermaelen. "I'm in love with what I see. I hope to keep smiling here and to be able to succeed," said Yerry Mina. After meeting Barca's legend Lionel Messi he said,"Messi is the best in the world. I was struck by his humility - it was very special." "It's extraordinarily satisfying. I've always worked to get what I have now. I want to make history at Barça," he added. ???? Yerry Mina: "I'm in love with what I see. I hope to keep smiling here and to be able to succeed." #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/1pvxtDch4B — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 13, 2018 ×

FC Barcelona officially unveils Yerry Mina

The form table suggests Liverpool have realistic hopes of disrupting Manchester City&#39;s waltz towards the Premier League title when they meet on Sunday, although they must quickly learn how to cope without Philippe Coutinho.

The Brazilian playmaker completed a 142 million-pound ($192 million) move to Barcelona on Monday, meaning Juergen Klopp&#39;s &quot;fab four&quot; up front is now just a three.

Unbeaten City are 15 points clear at the top of the table, having scored more goals than anybody with 64, but fourth-placed Liverpool come second on that count with 50.

Klopp&#39;s side are unbeaten in 17 games in all competitions since they were thrashed 4-1 by Tottenham on Oct. 22.

Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah is set to return from injury and he and Sadio Mane are likely to play either side of striker Roberto Firmino.

Although Coutinho will no longer be able to provide the trio with ammunition, they still have the speed and guile to trouble Pep Guardiola&#39;s side at the back.

Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer believes the Reds can get at City&#39;s defence.

&quot;We know Manchester City&#39;s quality, we know that they&#39;re running away with (the league) at the minute, but I think, on their day, Liverpool can match anybody,&quot; McAteer told the Liverpool website.

&quot;They&#39;re so good going forward. You&#39;ve got to be (wary) of the attacking prowess that they&#39;ve got but there are areas of weakness.

&quot;If you can get in between the lines and at the two centre-halves, which I feel we can, then there are chances and goals there.&quot;

City, however, will look to repeat their dominant 5-0 victory over Liverpool at the Etihad in September, although they will be without injured striker Gabriel Jesus, who scored a brace that day.

This time they will have Virgil van Dijk in their way with the Liverpool defender set to make his Premier League debut after his move from Southampton.

Van Dijk enjoyed a dramatic debut for his new team in the FA Cup, scoring late on against Everton to earn Liverpool a derby victory.

City&#39;s Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said his team would just focus on their own performance.

&quot;We go there to win the game,&quot; he said. &quot;They will have a very strong team and they want to be there for the Champions League (places).

&quot;We just try to do the things that we do well and then we will see what happens.&quot;

Second-placed Manchester United host Stoke City on Monday, the visitors currently without a coach after sacking Mark Hughes following their FA Cup defeat by League Two Coventry City.

Coach Eddie Niedzwiecki is in temporary charge of the team for the trip to Old Trafford, with Jose Mourinho&#39;s side anxious to keep ahead of the chasing pack behind Manchester City.

The Portuguese has been embroiled in a war of words with Chelsea coach Antonio Conte, whose side host Leicester City on Saturday when a victory would see them provisionally move above United into second.

Tottenham host Everton on Saturday and Arsenal travel to Bournemouth on Sunday. Crystal Palace face Burnley, Huddersfield meet West Ham United and Newcastle United entertain Swansea City in other weekend matches.

Klopp's side are unbeaten in 17 games in all competitions since they were thrashed 4-1 by Tottenham on Oct. 22.

The form table suggests Liverpool have realistic hopes of disrupting Manchester City's waltz towards the Premier League title when they meet on Sunday, although they must quickly learn how to cope without Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian playmaker completed a 142 million-pound ($192 million) move to Barcelona on Monday, meaning Juergen Klopp's "fab four" up front is now just a three. Unbeaten City are 15 points clear at the top of the table, having scored more goals than anybody with 64, but fourth-placed Liverpool come second on that count with 50. Klopp's side are unbeaten in 17 games in all competitions since they were thrashed 4-1 by Tottenham on Oct. 22. Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah is set to return from injury and he and Sadio Mane are likely to play either side of striker Roberto Firmino. Although Coutinho will no longer be able to provide the trio with ammunition, they still have the speed and guile to trouble Pep Guardiola's side at the back. Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer believes the Reds can get at City's defence. "We know Manchester City's quality, we know that they're running away with (the league) at the minute, but I think, on their day, Liverpool can match anybody," McAteer told the Liverpool website. "They're so good going forward. You've got to be (wary) of the attacking prowess that they've got but there are areas of weakness. "If you can get in between the lines and at the two centre-halves, which I feel we can, then there are chances and goals there." City, however, will look to repeat their dominant 5-0 victory over Liverpool at the Etihad in September, although they will be without injured striker Gabriel Jesus, who scored a brace that day. This time they will have Virgil van Dijk in their way with the Liverpool defender set to make his Premier League debut after his move from Southampton. Van Dijk enjoyed a dramatic debut for his new team in the FA Cup, scoring late on against Everton to earn Liverpool a derby victory. City's Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said his team would just focus on their own performance. "We go there to win the game," he said. "They will have a very strong team and they want to be there for the Champions League (places). "We just try to do the things that we do well and then we will see what happens." Second-placed Manchester United host Stoke City on Monday, the visitors currently without a coach after sacking Mark Hughes following their FA Cup defeat by League Two Coventry City. Coach Eddie Niedzwiecki is in temporary charge of the team for the trip to Old Trafford, with Jose Mourinho's side anxious to keep ahead of the chasing pack behind Manchester City. The Portuguese has been embroiled in a war of words with Chelsea coach Antonio Conte, whose side host Leicester City on Saturday when a victory would see them provisionally move above United into second. Tottenham host Everton on Saturday and Arsenal travel to Bournemouth on Sunday. Crystal Palace face Burnley, Huddersfield meet West Ham United and Newcastle United entertain Swansea City in other weekend matches.

Football: Liverpool, without Philippe Coutinho, out to halt Manchester City march

Austrian corruption prosecutors are investigating transactions between&nbsp;FIFA, the world soccer governing body, and its Austrian counterpart OFB, a spokesperson for the prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Austrian websites addendum.org and 90minuten.at reported on Tuesday that the OFB president, Leo Windtner, was being investigated for facilitating a $100,000 transfer from&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;to a charity project in Africa that his wife was involved with.

Asked about the report, a spokesperson for the corruption prosecutors&#39; office in Vienna on Wednesday confirmed an investigation was underway but declined to name any suspects.

She added the investigation relates to events in 2014.

&quot;We are investigating the accusation that OFB officials demanded $100,000 from&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;officials with regard to the election of the&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;president. The money was supposed to go to an African soccer academy,&quot; the spokesperson said.

Addendum.org 90 and minuten.at reported that the money was sent from&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;to OFB, but OFB then sent it back.&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;eventually sent the money directly to the African project, they reported.

At the time of the transfer, Sepp Blatter was lobbying to get re-elected as&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;president. He is currently in the midst of a six-year ban from all soccer-related duties imposed by Zurich-based FIFA&#39;s ethics committee after a corruption scandal.

Windtner, who became OFB president in 2009, confirmed the transfer had taken place but said it was used for a good cause and that he had nothing to reproach himself for.

OFB,&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;and the charity were not immediately available for comment.

In 2015,&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;was caught in the worst corruption crisis of its existence. Several officials were indicted in the United States for graft, and two out of three former officials were convicted in New York in the first trial of those charged.

Blatter was re-elected&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;president in 2015 but was suspended later that year amid the corruption investigations.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

A legal representative based in Austria confirmed that an investigation for facilitating a $100,000 transfer from FIFA to a charity project in Africa was underway

Austrian corruption prosecutors are investigating transactions between FIFA, the world soccer governing body, and its Austrian counterpart OFB, a spokesperson for the prosecutors said on Wednesday. Austrian websites addendum.org and 90minuten.at reported on Tuesday that the OFB president, Leo Windtner, was being investigated for facilitating a $100,000 transfer from FIFA to a charity project in Africa that his wife was involved with. Asked about the report, a spokesperson for the corruption prosecutors' office in Vienna on Wednesday confirmed an investigation was underway but declined to name any suspects. She added the investigation relates to events in 2014. "We are investigating the accusation that OFB officials demanded $100,000 from FIFA officials with regard to the election of the FIFA president. The money was supposed to go to an African soccer academy," the spokesperson said. Addendum.org 90 and minuten.at reported that the money was sent from FIFA to OFB, but OFB then sent it back. FIFA eventually sent the money directly to the African project, they reported. At the time of the transfer, Sepp Blatter was lobbying to get re-elected as FIFA president. He is currently in the midst of a six-year ban from all soccer-related duties imposed by Zurich-based FIFA's ethics committee after a corruption scandal. Windtner, who became OFB president in 2009, confirmed the transfer had taken place but said it was used for a good cause and that he had nothing to reproach himself for. OFB, FIFA and the charity were not immediately available for comment. In 2015, FIFA was caught in the worst corruption crisis of its existence. Several officials were indicted in the United States for graft, and two out of three former officials were convicted in New York in the first trial of those charged. Blatter was re-elected FIFA president in 2015 but was suspended later that year amid the corruption investigations.

FIFA overshadowed by corruption, again

Sports stadiums in Saudi Arabia will open their doors to women to attend football matches for the first time ever on Friday, the government has announced.

&quot;The first match that women will be allowed to watch will be Al-Ahli versus Al-Batin on Friday, January 12,&quot; the ministry of information said in a statement on Monday.

It said women would also be able to attend the second match on the following day and the third one on January 18.

Women from across the vast Gulf kingdom may be able to take advantage of this new freedom as the first match will be held in the capital Riyadh, the second in Jeddah on the Red Sea and the third in the eastern city of Dammam.

The kingdom, which has some of the world&#39;s tightest restrictions on women, has long barred women from sports arenas by strict rules on segregation of the sexes in public.

Under Saudi Arabia&#39;s existing guardianship system, a male family member, normally the father, husband or brother must grant permission for a woman&#39;s study, travel and a host of other activities.

But the conservative kingdom has in recent months eased some of its most notorious restrictions on women, including the lifting of a driving ban -- set to go into effect in June.

In September, hundreds of women were allowed to enter a sports stadium in Riyadh, used mostly for football matches, for the first time to mark Saudi Arabia&#39;s national day.

The easing of social controls comes as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks to repackage the oil-rich nation as more moderate and welcoming.

The powerful crown princes&#39; Vision 2030 programme for a post-oil era stems partly from an economic motive to boost domestic spending on entertainment as the kingdom reels from an energy slump.

Saudis splurge billions of dollars annually on entertainment in the neighbouring tourist hubs of Bahrain and Dubai.

But as a part of the crown prince&#39;s reforms drive, Saudi Arabia announced in December it was lifting a decades-ban on cinemas with the first movie theatres expected to open in March.

&nbsp;

'The first match that women will be allowed to watch will be Al-Ahli versus Al-Batin on Friday, January 12," the ministry of information said in a statement on Monday

Sports stadiums in Saudi Arabia will open their doors to women to attend football matches for the first time ever on Friday, the government has announced. "The first match that women will be allowed to watch will be Al-Ahli versus Al-Batin on Friday, January 12," the ministry of information said in a statement on Monday. It said women would also be able to attend the second match on the following day and the third one on January 18. Women from across the vast Gulf kingdom may be able to take advantage of this new freedom as the first match will be held in the capital Riyadh, the second in Jeddah on the Red Sea and the third in the eastern city of Dammam. The kingdom, which has some of the world's tightest restrictions on women, has long barred women from sports arenas by strict rules on segregation of the sexes in public. Under Saudi Arabia's existing guardianship system, a male family member, normally the father, husband or brother must grant permission for a woman's study, travel and a host of other activities. But the conservative kingdom has in recent months eased some of its most notorious restrictions on women, including the lifting of a driving ban -- set to go into effect in June. In September, hundreds of women were allowed to enter a sports stadium in Riyadh, used mostly for football matches, for the first time to mark Saudi Arabia's national day. The easing of social controls comes as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks to repackage the oil-rich nation as more moderate and welcoming. The powerful crown princes' Vision 2030 programme for a post-oil era stems partly from an economic motive to boost domestic spending on entertainment as the kingdom reels from an energy slump. Saudis splurge billions of dollars annually on entertainment in the neighbouring tourist hubs of Bahrain and Dubai. But as a part of the crown prince's reforms drive, Saudi Arabia announced in December it was lifting a decades-ban on cinemas with the first movie theatres expected to open in March.

This Friday, Saudi women to enter sports stadiums for first time

Atletico Madrid&#39;s Diego Costa scored on his home debut in a 2-0 win over Getafe and was immediately sent off for an over-zealous celebration as the former Chelsea striker marked a typically eventful return to La Liga on Saturday.

Real Betis beat fierce city rivals Sevilla for the first time in the league since 2012 by winning a thrilling derby 5-3 away from home as Vincenzo Montella lost his first game as a coach in La Liga.

Elsewhere, Valencia hit back from two straight defeats by coming from behind to beat Girona 2-1 and hold on to third place in the standings in coach Marcelino&#39;s first game back in the dugout after being involved in a serious car crash before Christmas.

Atletico are second on 39 points, six behind leaders Barcelona who host Levante on Sunday. Valencia are third with 37 while Real Madrid, who visit Celta Vigo on Sunday and have another game in hand, are fourth on 31.

Angel Correa had put Atletico ahead against Getafe in the 18th minute while Costa sent the fans in the Wanda Metropolitano stadium into delirium by scoring the second goal in the 67th, creating a mini-surge as supporters ran down to embrace their returning hero who also played for the club from 2010-2014.

Leaving the pitch to celebrate with the fans automatically incurs a booking and, as Costa had already been shown a yellow card for elbowing Djene Dakonam, referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero had no choice but to send him off.

Costa, who returned to Atletico from Chelsea for 57 million pounds ($77 million) in September but could not play until January due to a ban on the club registering new players, will be suspended for Atletico&#39;s next Liga game at Eibar.

The 29-year-old had scored his first goal in his second spell at Atletico in a 4-0 win at Lleida Esportiu in the King&#39;s Cup on Wednesday less than six minutes after coming on.

Costa was a heroic figure at Atletico&#39;s old home the Vicente Calderon for firing them to their first league title in 18 years in 2014 and he brought much-needed aggression to their front line.

No complaints

Atletico coach Diego Simeone had no complaints about Costa&#39;s sending-off.

&quot;I&#39;d like to focus on all the good things Costa did, his presence made us more direct, he strikes fear into opponents, everyone can see that and that makes us all so happy,&quot; Simeone told reporters.

&quot;The referee is here to follow the rules and not make emotional decisions.&quot;

Sevilla coach Montella, who was sacked by AC Milan in November, got off to a nightmare start in La Liga game as his new team were beaten at home for the first time in any competition since November, 2016.

Betis, who scored five goals for the first time ever against Sevilla, struck in the opening minute through Fabian Ruiz. They lost their lead twice before halftime but went 4-2 ahead in the second half through Riza Durmisi and Sergio Leon.

Clement Lenglet&#39;s goal made for a nail-biting finish but Cristian Tello sealed victory for Betis with a counter-attack goal in stoppage-time, taking his side up to eighth in the standings.

&quot;This win gives us immense happiness, we showed big hearts and cold heads,&quot; Betis captain Joaquin said.

&quot;No-one can rest tonight, anyone who gets home before five in the morning should be fined.&quot;

Atletico are second on 39 points, six behind leaders Barcelona who host Levante on Sunday.

Atletico Madrid's Diego Costa scored on his home debut in a 2-0 win over Getafe and was immediately sent off for an over-zealous celebration as the former Chelsea striker marked a typically eventful return to La Liga on Saturday. Real Betis beat fierce city rivals Sevilla for the first time in the league since 2012 by winning a thrilling derby 5-3 away from home as Vincenzo Montella lost his first game as a coach in La Liga. Elsewhere, Valencia hit back from two straight defeats by coming from behind to beat Girona 2-1 and hold on to third place in the standings in coach Marcelino's first game back in the dugout after being involved in a serious car crash before Christmas. Atletico are second on 39 points, six behind leaders Barcelona who host Levante on Sunday. Valencia are third with 37 while Real Madrid, who visit Celta Vigo on Sunday and have another game in hand, are fourth on 31. Angel Correa had put Atletico ahead against Getafe in the 18th minute while Costa sent the fans in the Wanda Metropolitano stadium into delirium by scoring the second goal in the 67th, creating a mini-surge as supporters ran down to embrace their returning hero who also played for the club from 2010-2014. Leaving the pitch to celebrate with the fans automatically incurs a booking and, as Costa had already been shown a yellow card for elbowing Djene Dakonam, referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero had no choice but to send him off. Costa, who returned to Atletico from Chelsea for 57 million pounds ($77 million) in September but could not play until January due to a ban on the club registering new players, will be suspended for Atletico's next Liga game at Eibar. The 29-year-old had scored his first goal in his second spell at Atletico in a 4-0 win at Lleida Esportiu in the King's Cup on Wednesday less than six minutes after coming on. Costa was a heroic figure at Atletico's old home the Vicente Calderon for firing them to their first league title in 18 years in 2014 and he brought much-needed aggression to their front line. No complaints Atletico coach Diego Simeone had no complaints about Costa's sending-off. "I'd like to focus on all the good things Costa did, his presence made us more direct, he strikes fear into opponents, everyone can see that and that makes us all so happy," Simeone told reporters. "The referee is here to follow the rules and not make emotional decisions." Sevilla coach Montella, who was sacked by AC Milan in November, got off to a nightmare start in La Liga game as his new team were beaten at home for the first time in any competition since November, 2016. Betis, who scored five goals for the first time ever against Sevilla, struck in the opening minute through Fabian Ruiz. They lost their lead twice before halftime but went 4-2 ahead in the second half through Riza Durmisi and Sergio Leon. Clement Lenglet's goal made for a nail-biting finish but Cristian Tello sealed victory for Betis with a counter-attack goal in stoppage-time, taking his side up to eighth in the standings. "This win gives us immense happiness, we showed big hearts and cold heads," Betis captain Joaquin said. "No-one can rest tonight, anyone who gets home before five in the morning should be fined."

Football: Costa scores and sent off on Atletico return, Betis beat Sevilla

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos could miss two to three weeks, Spanish media estimated, after the club said on Friday that he has a calf injury.

&quot;He has been diagnosed with a muscular tear of the left soleus muscle,&quot; Real Madrid said in a statement, adding that &quot;his recovery will continue to be assessed.&quot;

Ramos could be out for&nbsp;two and three weeks. That could mean he would miss the second legs of a Copa Del Rey tie against Numancia and four games in La Liga but should have time to regain match fitness before the first leg of the Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain on February 14.

Ramos suffered the injury on Thursday in a training session for players who were not selected for the first leg against second-division Numancia which Real won 3-0.

The injury adds to Zinedine Zidane&#39;s problems for the league game in Vigo on Sunday. The Real coach is already without another defender Dani Carvajal, suspended for a red card in El Clasico in December.

Recently, Ramos suffered nose injury but was recovered soon but this calf injury might affect his current momentum, as Real Madrid not doing well on the charts.

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BbrhmbYDqoR/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Volver&iacute;a a sangrar una y mil veces m&aacute;s por este escudo y esta camiseta. Gracias a todos por el cari&ntilde;o y apoyo. En nada, de vuelta. I would bleed a thousand times for this badge and this shirt. Thanks for your support. I&#39;ll be back in no time. #HalaMadrid</a>

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Ramos suffered the injury on Thursday in a training session for players who were not selected for the first leg against second-division Numancia

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos could miss two to three weeks, Spanish media estimated, after the club said on Friday that he has a calf injury. "He has been diagnosed with a muscular tear of the left soleus muscle," Real Madrid said in a statement, adding that "his recovery will continue to be assessed." Ramos could be out for two and three weeks. That could mean he would miss the second legs of a Copa Del Rey tie against Numancia and four games in La Liga but should have time to regain match fitness before the first leg of the Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain on February 14. Ramos suffered the injury on Thursday in a training session for players who were not selected for the first leg against second-division Numancia which Real won 3-0. The injury adds to Zinedine Zidane's problems for the league game in Vigo on Sunday. The Real coach is already without another defender Dani Carvajal, suspended for a red card in El Clasico in December. Recently, Ramos suffered nose injury but was recovered soon but this calf injury might affect his current momentum, as Real Madrid not doing well on the charts. Volvería a sangrar una y mil veces más por este escudo y esta camiseta. Gracias a todos por el cariño y apoyo. En nada, de vuelta. I would bleed a thousand times for this badge and this shirt. Thanks for your support. I'll be back in no time. #HalaMadrid A post shared by Sergio Ramos (@sergioramos) on Nov 19, 2017 at 6:24am PST ×

Football: Sergio Ramos suffers calf injury, Zizou in trouble

Ederson`s last-gasp penalty heroics saved Manchester City from defeat but a 0-0 stalemate at Crystal Palace on Sunday brought the Premier League leaders` record-breaking 18-match winning run to an end.

Luka Milivojevic was presented with the chance to seal a memorable victory for Roy Hodgson`s relegation-threatened side when Wilfried Zaha was brought down by Raheem Sterling in injury time.

But the Palace midfielder struck his spot-kick too close to Ederson, allowing the City goalkeeper to preserve his side`s 21-game unbeaten start to the league campaign.

City`s failure to score in a league game for the first time since last April meant they fell short in their bid to equal Bayern Munich 19-game winning run of four years ago, the longest in Europe`s five major leagues, set under their current boss Pep Guardiola.

And City`s afternoon was further soured when Kevin De Bruyne was stretchered off immediately after the spot-kick following an ugly challenge by Palace substitute Jason Puncheon.

Guardiola, who also said forward Gabriel Jesus was likely to be out for up to two months after an injury early in the game, called for referees to take firm action.

&quot;Please, referees, they have to protect players,&quot; he said. &quot;We were lucky against Tottenham and against Newcastle. Today we were not lucky.

&quot;Referees have to protect. We know how strong physically it is England but teams miss big players, not just Manchester City. The replay speaks for itself. We have to protect players.&quot;Hodgson claimed before the game there was &quot;no magic formula&quot; to competing with City, insisting his Palace side`s hopes of getting something from the game hinged on working hard and defending well while maintaining an attacking threat.

The manager could be satisfied that during the opening 45 minutes his players stuck to the prescribed plan to the extent that by the half-time break, the frustration among Guardiola`s players was obvious.

There was an early sign the visitors might not be at their best when a breakdown in communication between Eliaquim Mangala and Ederson led to the goalkeeper directing an attempted clearance against his centre-back, presenting Christian Benteke with an opportunity that he could not take.

Both sides were forced into early changes, with Palace captain Scott Dann being stretchered off in the 19th minute and City striker Jesus following shortly afterwards.

The subsequent reshuffle appeared to affect the visitors more, with Palace growing more into the game the longer the half went on.

Sergio Aguero, Jesus`s replacement, struck the post in the 28th minute with a deflected shot from the edge of the penalty area but that proved to be a rare moment of concern for home goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

And while Palace were unable to carve out many clear chances at the other end, Wilfried Zaha was a constant threat down the Palace left, frequently getting the better of City right-back Kyle Walker.

An animated conversation between De Bruyne and Leroy Sane confirmed the sense that City were growing increasingly uncomfortable.

Palace found it far harder to be as expansive after the restart, when City finally began to move through the gears.

But Hennessey proved equal to the task, blocking Leroy Sane`s close-range volley at the far post and denying De Bruyne as City struggled to find openings in a well-drilled Palace backline.

And they should have entered the final 14 minutes of the game needing a goal to get back on level terms after Andros Townsend missed the home side`s best chance of the half before Milivojevic was handed his late opportunity to clinch the points.

City`s failure to score in a league game for the first time since last April meant they fell short in their bid to equal Bayern Munich 19-game winning run of four years ago

Ederson`s last-gasp penalty heroics saved Manchester City from defeat but a 0-0 stalemate at Crystal Palace on Sunday brought the Premier League leaders` record-breaking 18-match winning run to an end. Luka Milivojevic was presented with the chance to seal a memorable victory for Roy Hodgson`s relegation-threatened side when Wilfried Zaha was brought down by Raheem Sterling in injury time. But the Palace midfielder struck his spot-kick too close to Ederson, allowing the City goalkeeper to preserve his side`s 21-game unbeaten start to the league campaign. City`s failure to score in a league game for the first time since last April meant they fell short in their bid to equal Bayern Munich 19-game winning run of four years ago, the longest in Europe`s five major leagues, set under their current boss Pep Guardiola. And City`s afternoon was further soured when Kevin De Bruyne was stretchered off immediately after the spot-kick following an ugly challenge by Palace substitute Jason Puncheon. Guardiola, who also said forward Gabriel Jesus was likely to be out for up to two months after an injury early in the game, called for referees to take firm action. "Please, referees, they have to protect players," he said. "We were lucky against Tottenham and against Newcastle. Today we were not lucky. "Referees have to protect. We know how strong physically it is England but teams miss big players, not just Manchester City. The replay speaks for itself. We have to protect players."Hodgson claimed before the game there was "no magic formula" to competing with City, insisting his Palace side`s hopes of getting something from the game hinged on working hard and defending well while maintaining an attacking threat. The manager could be satisfied that during the opening 45 minutes his players stuck to the prescribed plan to the extent that by the half-time break, the frustration among Guardiola`s players was obvious. There was an early sign the visitors might not be at their best when a breakdown in communication between Eliaquim Mangala and Ederson led to the goalkeeper directing an attempted clearance against his centre-back, presenting Christian Benteke with an opportunity that he could not take. Both sides were forced into early changes, with Palace captain Scott Dann being stretchered off in the 19th minute and City striker Jesus following shortly afterwards. The subsequent reshuffle appeared to affect the visitors more, with Palace growing more into the game the longer the half went on. Sergio Aguero, Jesus`s replacement, struck the post in the 28th minute with a deflected shot from the edge of the penalty area but that proved to be a rare moment of concern for home goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. And while Palace were unable to carve out many clear chances at the other end, Wilfried Zaha was a constant threat down the Palace left, frequently getting the better of City right-back Kyle Walker. An animated conversation between De Bruyne and Leroy Sane confirmed the sense that City were growing increasingly uncomfortable. Palace found it far harder to be as expansive after the restart, when City finally began to move through the gears. But Hennessey proved equal to the task, blocking Leroy Sane`s close-range volley at the far post and denying De Bruyne as City struggled to find openings in a well-drilled Palace backline. And they should have entered the final 14 minutes of the game needing a goal to get back on level terms after Andros Townsend missed the home side`s best chance of the half before Milivojevic was handed his late opportunity to clinch the points.

Football: Man City winning run ends in draw at Crystal Palace

Diego Costa is eager to begin his second spell at Atletico Madrid after spending the last three months confined to the club&#39;s training ground, shackled by the club&#39;s ban on registering new players, the striker said on Sunday.

&quot;I&#39;ve waited a long time for this day, I&#39;ve been working hard and training hard but there&#39;s nothing else to do, I need to play, I&#39;m tired of training,&quot; Costa told a news conference.

Costa, who fired Atletico to a first league title in 18 years in 2014, agreed a return to the club from Chelsea in September for 57 million pounds ($77 million), nearly double the price he left for more than three years ago.

He was officially presented alongside fellow Spain team-mate Vitolo -- who signed from Sevilla in July for 40 million euros -- before an open training session at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium, which local media said 20,000 supporters attended.

&quot;I&#39;m in much better shape than when I arrived, I&#39;ve prepared well and worked hard and I&#39;m ready to help the team and score goals,&quot; Costa said.

Atletico&#39;s ban on registering new players due to the illegal transfer of minors expires on Monday, meaning Costa could make his debut against Lleida Esportiu in the King&#39;s Cup on Wednesday, with his first league appearance set for Saturday at home to Getafe.

Atletico are second in the league but Costa&#39;s return cannot come soon enough for Diego Simeone&#39;s side who are nine points adrift of leaders Barcelona and had their confidence rocked by elimination from the Champions League group stage.

Their defence is as resolute as ever, conceding just eight goals in 17 games, but they have had serious difficulties creating and converting chances, scoring fewer goals (25) than the other teams in the top four.

It may not take the 29-year-old Costa long to catch up with his new teammates. Antoine Griezmann is Atletico&#39;s leading marksman with five league goals but Costa will have to prove his fitness as his last competitive game was for Spain in a World Cup qualifier against Macedonia on June 11.

Since Costa departed for London in 2014, Atletico have spent 144.5 million euros trying to replace him.

However, Mario Mandzukic, Griezmann, Jackson Martinez, Luciano Vietto, Kevin Gameiro, Angel Correa and Fernando Torres have all failed to top his 27 league goals in 2013/14 which helped Atletico to break Barca&#39;s and Real Madrid&#39;s nine-year stranglehold on the title.

Costa also won two UEFA Super Cups with Atletico and the 2013 King&#39;s Cup.

&quot;I want to thank the club from the bottom of the heart for the effort they made to bring me back here,&quot; said Costa.

&quot;Today we present a footballer who doesn&#39;t need any introduction,&quot; said Atletico president Enrique Cerezo.

&quot;This is his home and we&#39;re going to give him the best welcome possible.&quot;

Costa, who fired Atletico to a first league title in 18 years in 2014, agreed a return to the club from Chelsea in September for 57 million pounds ($77 million), nearly double the price he left for more than three years ago.

Diego Costa is eager to begin his second spell at Atletico Madrid after spending the last three months confined to the club's training ground, shackled by the club's ban on registering new players, the striker said on Sunday. "I've waited a long time for this day, I've been working hard and training hard but there's nothing else to do, I need to play, I'm tired of training," Costa told a news conference. Costa, who fired Atletico to a first league title in 18 years in 2014, agreed a return to the club from Chelsea in September for 57 million pounds ($77 million), nearly double the price he left for more than three years ago. He was officially presented alongside fellow Spain team-mate Vitolo -- who signed from Sevilla in July for 40 million euros -- before an open training session at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium, which local media said 20,000 supporters attended. "I'm in much better shape than when I arrived, I've prepared well and worked hard and I'm ready to help the team and score goals," Costa said. Atletico's ban on registering new players due to the illegal transfer of minors expires on Monday, meaning Costa could make his debut against Lleida Esportiu in the King's Cup on Wednesday, with his first league appearance set for Saturday at home to Getafe. Atletico are second in the league but Costa's return cannot come soon enough for Diego Simeone's side who are nine points adrift of leaders Barcelona and had their confidence rocked by elimination from the Champions League group stage. Their defence is as resolute as ever, conceding just eight goals in 17 games, but they have had serious difficulties creating and converting chances, scoring fewer goals (25) than the other teams in the top four. It may not take the 29-year-old Costa long to catch up with his new teammates. Antoine Griezmann is Atletico's leading marksman with five league goals but Costa will have to prove his fitness as his last competitive game was for Spain in a World Cup qualifier against Macedonia on June 11. Since Costa departed for London in 2014, Atletico have spent 144.5 million euros trying to replace him. However, Mario Mandzukic, Griezmann, Jackson Martinez, Luciano Vietto, Kevin Gameiro, Angel Correa and Fernando Torres have all failed to top his 27 league goals in 2013/14 which helped Atletico to break Barca's and Real Madrid's nine-year stranglehold on the title. Costa also won two UEFA Super Cups with Atletico and the 2013 King's Cup. "I want to thank the club from the bottom of the heart for the effort they made to bring me back here," said Costa. "Today we present a footballer who doesn't need any introduction," said Atletico president Enrique Cerezo. "This is his home and we're going to give him the best welcome possible."

Football: Atletico pin their hopes on Costa's second coming

Raheem Sterling says Manchester City are motivated by the pursuit of silverware rather than the promise of breaking more records as the Premier League leaders chase another landmark at Crystal Palace this weekend.

Pep Guardiola&#39;s side have already turned the title race into a lengthy coronation party after winning 18th successive league matches to open up a 15-point lead over second placed Manchester United.

A slew of statistical milestones have littered red-hot City&#39;s incredible run and they can finish 2017 by claiming another notable feat.

Just hours before the New Year&#39;s Eve fireworks begin to light up the night sky&nbsp;on Sunday, unbeaten City will be at Selhurst Park looking for a record-equalling 19th consecutive league victory.

The only club in Europe&#39;s five biggest leagues to have had a winning run that long is Bayern Munich under Guardiola in 2013-14.

But, while the historic sub-plots are a welcome bonus, City winger Sterling insists it is the thought of moving another step closer to the Premier League trophy that inspires his side.

&quot;I don&#39;t think everyone is really too focused on records. The most important thing is the three points,&quot; said Sterling, who scored City&#39;s winner at Newcastle&nbsp;on Wednesday.

&quot;Once you win the game and the stats come up, that&#39;s all well and great, but you can&#39;t be thinking about that.

&quot;We&#39;ve just got to have a single focus. At the end of the day, if it happens, it happens, but we need to go there with the mentality to get the job done.&quot;

United&#39;s failure to keep pace with City has sent Jose Mourinho into a grumpy mood, with the Old Trafford chief blasting his players after their recent draw at Leicester and demanding his employers back his plan for substantial investment in new signings.

A 2-2 home draw with Burnley&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;did little to lift Mourinho&#39;s spirits, but it would have been even worse but for Jesse Lingard&#39;s brace as United recovered from two goals down.

Mourinho&#39;s side are without a win in three matches in all competitions, but Lingard claims their recovery against Burnley proves the spirit is still strong ahead of&nbsp;Saturday&#39;s&nbsp;clash with Southampton.

&quot;If we had played for another five or 10 minutes, we would have won the game,&quot; said.

&quot;We always have that fighting spirit, that never-give-up attitude and we&#39;ll see where it gets us.&quot;

Van Dijk boost

Fourth-placed Liverpool host Leicester in their first match since Reds boss Jurgen Klopp paid a world record &pound;75 million ($100 million) for a defender to land Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk.

Although Van Dijk can&#39;t officially join Liverpool until&nbsp;January 1, the Dutch star&#39;s arrival is a significant statement of intent by Klopp, who hopes fixing his leaky defence will help the team&#39;s push for a top-four finish.

Amid criticism of the hefty fee, Klopp was asked what the 26-year-old will add to Liverpool.

&quot;Quality. That&#39;s why we got him. We don&#39;t make the prices, the market does. Liverpool supporters should forget about the price,&quot; he said.

Champions Chelsea, who meet Stoke&nbsp;on Saturday, are a whopping 16 points behind City in third place.

Yet defiant Blues defender Cesar Azpilicueta says they will keep chasing the leaders until it&#39;s impossible to catch them.

&quot;Apart for Manchester City, every team is having problems. We need to fight and to keep pushing,&quot; he said.

&quot;We have another game against Stoke, our last game of the year, and it&#39;s important to keep winning. We must try to go as far as we can.&quot;

New Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal will take charge of the league&#39;s bottom club for the first time at Watford.

Carvalhal was appointed as successor to the sacked Paul Clement just days after being dismissed by second tier Sheffield&nbsp;Wednesday.

&quot;We felt we needed to get the managerial situation resolved as soon as possible and while the timing is not always perfect, we can look forward to the second half of the campaign with renewed optimism,&quot; Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins said in reply to criticism of Carvalhal&#39;s surprise appointment.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Pep Guardiola's side have already turned the title race into a lengthy coronation party after winning 18th successive league matches to open up a 15-point lead over second placed Manchester United

Raheem Sterling says Manchester City are motivated by the pursuit of silverware rather than the promise of breaking more records as the Premier League leaders chase another landmark at Crystal Palace this weekend. Pep Guardiola's side have already turned the title race into a lengthy coronation party after winning 18th successive league matches to open up a 15-point lead over second placed Manchester United. A slew of statistical milestones have littered red-hot City's incredible run and they can finish 2017 by claiming another notable feat. Just hours before the New Year's Eve fireworks begin to light up the night sky on Sunday, unbeaten City will be at Selhurst Park looking for a record-equalling 19th consecutive league victory. The only club in Europe's five biggest leagues to have had a winning run that long is Bayern Munich under Guardiola in 2013-14. But, while the historic sub-plots are a welcome bonus, City winger Sterling insists it is the thought of moving another step closer to the Premier League trophy that inspires his side. "I don't think everyone is really too focused on records. The most important thing is the three points," said Sterling, who scored City's winner at Newcastle on Wednesday. "Once you win the game and the stats come up, that's all well and great, but you can't be thinking about that. "We've just got to have a single focus. At the end of the day, if it happens, it happens, but we need to go there with the mentality to get the job done." United's failure to keep pace with City has sent Jose Mourinho into a grumpy mood, with the Old Trafford chief blasting his players after their recent draw at Leicester and demanding his employers back his plan for substantial investment in new signings. A 2-2 home draw with Burnley on Tuesday did little to lift Mourinho's spirits, but it would have been even worse but for Jesse Lingard's brace as United recovered from two goals down. Mourinho's side are without a win in three matches in all competitions, but Lingard claims their recovery against Burnley proves the spirit is still strong ahead of Saturday's clash with Southampton. "If we had played for another five or 10 minutes, we would have won the game," said. "We always have that fighting spirit, that never-give-up attitude and we'll see where it gets us." Van Dijk boost Fourth-placed Liverpool host Leicester in their first match since Reds boss Jurgen Klopp paid a world record £75 million ($100 million) for a defender to land Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk. Although Van Dijk can't officially join Liverpool until January 1, the Dutch star's arrival is a significant statement of intent by Klopp, who hopes fixing his leaky defence will help the team's push for a top-four finish. Amid criticism of the hefty fee, Klopp was asked what the 26-year-old will add to Liverpool. "Quality. That's why we got him. We don't make the prices, the market does. Liverpool supporters should forget about the price," he said. Champions Chelsea, who meet Stoke on Saturday, are a whopping 16 points behind City in third place. Yet defiant Blues defender Cesar Azpilicueta says they will keep chasing the leaders until it's impossible to catch them. "Apart for Manchester City, every team is having problems. We need to fight and to keep pushing," he said. "We have another game against Stoke, our last game of the year, and it's important to keep winning. We must try to go as far as we can." New Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal will take charge of the league's bottom club for the first time at Watford. Carvalhal was appointed as successor to the sacked Paul Clement just days after being dismissed by second tier Sheffield Wednesday. "We felt we needed to get the managerial situation resolved as soon as possible and while the timing is not always perfect, we can look forward to the second half of the campaign with renewed optimism," Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins said in reply to criticism of Carvalhal's surprise appointment.

City want trophies not records, says Sterling

Pep Guardiola refused to be drawn into a war of words with Jose Mourinho after Manchester City maintained their impressive progress towards the Premier League title.

City stretched their commanding advantage at the top to 15 points over Manchester United as Raheem Sterling sealed a 1-0 win at Newcastle to record an 18th consecutive league victory, one short of Bayern Munich&#39;s current best for Europe&#39;s top five leagues of 19 straight wins.

United manager Mourinho attempted to provoke Guardiola on Tuesday after pointing to their rivals&#39; huge spending power by claiming &quot;City buy full-backs for the price of strikers&quot; and insisting that the &pound;300 million ($402 million) he has spent since taking charge at Old Trafford 18 months ago as &quot;not enough&quot;.

Mourinho paid &pound;93 million to sign France midfielder Paul Pogba, while also recruiting &pound;30 million defender Eric Bailly, and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan for &pound;26.3 million.&nbsp;

This year, United spent &pound;75 million on striker Romelu Lukaku, as well as &pound;31 million on defender Victor Lindelof and &pound;40 million for midfielder Nemanja Matic.

In comparison, City bought three defenders -- Kyle Walker from Tottenham for an initial &pound;45 million, Benjamin Mendy from Monaco for &pound;52 million and Danilo from Real Madrid for &pound;26.5 million as part of a summer outlay that topped &pound;200 million.

When asked about the comments made by the Portuguese, Guardiola said: &quot;I&#39;m so delighted to be here to speak about what happened on the pitch.&nbsp;

&quot;About what happened with my colleague speaking off the pitch in the press conference, I&#39;m not the right guy. You want to talk about what happened today on the pitch, I will answer.&quot;

City remain on course to win the title in record time after equalling Chelsea&#39;s English top flight record of 11 consecutive away wins.&nbsp;

But Guardiola will await medical updates on Vincent Kompany, after the injury-prone skipper limped off with a recurrence of a long-term calf problem.

City face a minimum of eight games in 34 days in a hectic start to the New Year, and Guardiola added: &quot;Of course we are happy to break records but when we prepare for games we don&#39;t speak about them. Until now, we have found a way to win.

&quot;I saw the schedule in my office the other day and I wanted to escape, because it&#39;s terrible. The games we are going to play, it&#39;s tough.&nbsp;

&quot;We&#39;ve played all these games in December then in January you have the Carabao Cup and FA Cup and then the return of the Champions League in February.&nbsp;

&quot;It will be tough but it will also be tough for our opponents.&quot;&nbsp;

Guardiola&#39;s opposite number Rafa Benitez hit back at criticism of his negative approach after his team slid to a fifth consecutive home defeat, Newcastle&#39;s worst run at St James&#39; Park for 64 years to leave them just a point above the bottom three after one win in their last 11 matches.

Substitute Dwight Gayle almost snatched a dramatic late equaliser to in-part justify the manager&#39;s ultra-cautious approach, and the Spaniard said: &quot;We were in the game until the end and very close to getting a point against a very good team.&quot;

Newcastle face the key visit of relegation rivals Brighton before the turn of the year, and Benitez added: &quot;We have a couple of games in the space of a few days against teams near the bottom of the table and hopefully we&#39;ll have some of our injured players back before then.&quot;

'City buy full-backs for the price of strikers,' Mourinho said

Pep Guardiola refused to be drawn into a war of words with Jose Mourinho after Manchester City maintained their impressive progress towards the Premier League title. City stretched their commanding advantage at the top to 15 points over Manchester United as Raheem Sterling sealed a 1-0 win at Newcastle to record an 18th consecutive league victory, one short of Bayern Munich's current best for Europe's top five leagues of 19 straight wins. United manager Mourinho attempted to provoke Guardiola on Tuesday after pointing to their rivals' huge spending power by claiming "City buy full-backs for the price of strikers" and insisting that the £300 million ($402 million) he has spent since taking charge at Old Trafford 18 months ago as "not enough". Mourinho paid £93 million to sign France midfielder Paul Pogba, while also recruiting £30 million defender Eric Bailly, and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan for £26.3 million. This year, United spent £75 million on striker Romelu Lukaku, as well as £31 million on defender Victor Lindelof and £40 million for midfielder Nemanja Matic. In comparison, City bought three defenders -- Kyle Walker from Tottenham for an initial £45 million, Benjamin Mendy from Monaco for £52 million and Danilo from Real Madrid for £26.5 million as part of a summer outlay that topped £200 million. When asked about the comments made by the Portuguese, Guardiola said: "I'm so delighted to be here to speak about what happened on the pitch. "About what happened with my colleague speaking off the pitch in the press conference, I'm not the right guy. You want to talk about what happened today on the pitch, I will answer." City remain on course to win the title in record time after equalling Chelsea's English top flight record of 11 consecutive away wins. But Guardiola will await medical updates on Vincent Kompany, after the injury-prone skipper limped off with a recurrence of a long-term calf problem. City face a minimum of eight games in 34 days in a hectic start to the New Year, and Guardiola added: "Of course we are happy to break records but when we prepare for games we don't speak about them. Until now, we have found a way to win. "I saw the schedule in my office the other day and I wanted to escape, because it's terrible. The games we are going to play, it's tough. "We've played all these games in December then in January you have the Carabao Cup and FA Cup and then the return of the Champions League in February. "It will be tough but it will also be tough for our opponents." Guardiola's opposite number Rafa Benitez hit back at criticism of his negative approach after his team slid to a fifth consecutive home defeat, Newcastle's worst run at St James' Park for 64 years to leave them just a point above the bottom three after one win in their last 11 matches. Substitute Dwight Gayle almost snatched a dramatic late equaliser to in-part justify the manager's ultra-cautious approach, and the Spaniard said: "We were in the game until the end and very close to getting a point against a very good team." Newcastle face the key visit of relegation rivals Brighton before the turn of the year, and Benitez added: "We have a couple of games in the space of a few days against teams near the bottom of the table and hopefully we'll have some of our injured players back before then."

Mourinho provokes Guardiola but he does not bite

Manchester City&#39;s relentless assault on English football&#39;s record books continued on Wednesday as a Raheem Sterling goal earned them a 1-0 win at Newcastle United to extend their extraordinary record of successive Premier League wins to 18.

Sterling&#39;s fine 31st-minute finish saw Guardiola&#39;s men improve their unbeaten league sequence this season to 20 games and stretch their yawning gap at the top of the league to 15 points on a night where they dominated but were very wasteful.

Rafa Benitez started with the most negative approach St James&#39; Park can ever have seen from a Newcastle side, allowing City to monopolise proceedings before Sterling finally broke their resistance with his 13th league goal of the season.

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City hit the woodwork three times in total -- twice from Sergio Aguero and once from Kevin De Bruyne -- and they nearly paid for their profligacy in front of goal when, in rare Newcastle attacks, Rolando Aarons had a first-half chip cleared off the line and Dwight Gayle headed wide late on.

Despite a slightly sloppy second-half performance, it would have been a travesty if Newcastle, just a point above the relegation zone after their fifth straight home defeat, had been rewarded for an ultra-cautious approach.

City moved on to 58 points out of a possible 60, with their Manchester United neighbours on 43 points and Chelsea on 42.

&quot;We did absolutely everything but it is difficult to play when the other team doesn&#39;t want to play,&quot; Guardiola told BBC Sport in what sounded a harsh but fair assessment of Newcastle&#39;s early passivity.

&quot;Any manager can decide what he wants. I prefer to try to play but I respect a lot what opponents do and we have to try to discover how to attack against them.&quot;

Such is City&#39;s aura now that Newcastle, almost as if Benitez was resigned to their fate from the start, invariably put 10 men behind the ball in the opening half an hour as the visitors sought an opening.

Argentine Aguero volleyed against the post after seven minutes and De Bruyne let Newcastle off with some slack finishing before the South American again struck the post on the half-hour with a right foot shot.

City even made light of the early departure of captain Vincent Kompany, who suffered yet another of his injury woes and had to limp off after 10 minutes.

Refusing to compromise their attacking approach, they simply pushed midfielder Fernandinho back into central defence and brought on striker Gabriel Jesus.

With Newcastle offering nothing, it felt just a matter of time before De Bruyne picked out Sterling brilliantly with a floated through ball which saw the England international ghost in and squeeze it left-footed past Rob Elliot from a narrow angle.

Forced to offer a response, Newcastle responded almost immediately when a fine Aarons&#39; chip brought an excellent headed goalline clearance from Nicolas Otamendi under his own bar but it was just a brief respite as City equalled the English top-flight record of 11 consecutive away league victories.

De Bruyne, with a strange mixture of commanding orchestration and wayward finishing, struck the post with one searing shot but City did appear to become a little complacent as substitute Gayle came close with an 89th minute header that went just wide.

Now, Guardiola is just one win away from equalling the record of 19 league victories in a row that he set with Bayern Munich in 2013-14, the longest winning streak achieved in any of Europe&#39;s top five leagues. 
&nbsp;

A Raheem Sterling goal earned the league leaders a 1-0 win at Newcastle United

Manchester City's relentless assault on English football's record books continued on Wednesday as a Raheem Sterling goal earned them a 1-0 win at Newcastle United to extend their extraordinary record of successive Premier League wins to 18. Sterling's fine 31st-minute finish saw Guardiola's men improve their unbeaten league sequence this season to 20 games and stretch their yawning gap at the top of the league to 15 points on a night where they dominated but were very wasteful. Rafa Benitez started with the most negative approach St James' Park can ever have seen from a Newcastle side, allowing City to monopolise proceedings before Sterling finally broke their resistance with his 13th league goal of the season. Rafa Benitez started with the most negative approach St James' Park can ever have seen from a Newcastle side, allowing City to monopolise proceedings before Sterling finally broke their resistance with his 13th league goal of the season × City hit the woodwork three times in total -- twice from Sergio Aguero and once from Kevin De Bruyne -- and they nearly paid for their profligacy in front of goal when, in rare Newcastle attacks, Rolando Aarons had a first-half chip cleared off the line and Dwight Gayle headed wide late on. Despite a slightly sloppy second-half performance, it would have been a travesty if Newcastle, just a point above the relegation zone after their fifth straight home defeat, had been rewarded for an ultra-cautious approach. City moved on to 58 points out of a possible 60, with their Manchester United neighbours on 43 points and Chelsea on 42. "We did absolutely everything but it is difficult to play when the other team doesn't want to play," Guardiola told BBC Sport in what sounded a harsh but fair assessment of Newcastle's early passivity. "Any manager can decide what he wants. I prefer to try to play but I respect a lot what opponents do and we have to try to discover how to attack against them." Such is City's aura now that Newcastle, almost as if Benitez was resigned to their fate from the start, invariably put 10 men behind the ball in the opening half an hour as the visitors sought an opening. Argentine Aguero volleyed against the post after seven minutes and De Bruyne let Newcastle off with some slack finishing before the South American again struck the post on the half-hour with a right foot shot. City even made light of the early departure of captain Vincent Kompany, who suffered yet another of his injury woes and had to limp off after 10 minutes. Refusing to compromise their attacking approach, they simply pushed midfielder Fernandinho back into central defence and brought on striker Gabriel Jesus. With Newcastle offering nothing, it felt just a matter of time before De Bruyne picked out Sterling brilliantly with a floated through ball which saw the England international ghost in and squeeze it left-footed past Rob Elliot from a narrow angle. Forced to offer a response, Newcastle responded almost immediately when a fine Aarons' chip brought an excellent headed goalline clearance from Nicolas Otamendi under his own bar but it was just a brief respite as City equalled the English top-flight record of 11 consecutive away league victories. De Bruyne, with a strange mixture of commanding orchestration and wayward finishing, struck the post with one searing shot but City did appear to become a little complacent as substitute Gayle came close with an 89th minute header that went just wide. Now, Guardiola is just one win away from equalling the record of 19 league victories in a row that he set with Bayern Munich in 2013-14, the longest winning streak achieved in any of Europe's top five leagues.

EPL: Man City march to 18th straight win

Vitaly Mutko, a Russian deputy prime minister has announced his resignation from his role as the 2018 World Cup organising committee&#39;s chairman less than six months before the tournament begins in Russia.&nbsp;

The decision comes the same month as his lifetime ban from the Olympics following an investigation into allegations of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/russian-sports-minister-mutko-in-doping-controversy-spotlight-2760">state-sponsoring doping</a>.&nbsp;

&quot;I have decided to file the claim in the CAS tomorrow,&quot; The Straits Times quoted Mutko as saying.

Mutoko will be replaced by Alexei Sorokin, who is Russia 2018 chief executive and has also take his place on the FIFA council, reports said.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/russian-sports-minister-says-doping-cover-up-stories-are-silly-revenge-296">Russian sports minister says doping cover-up stories are silly revenge</a>

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the World Cup stated that their performance and preparation will not be affected by this decision. &nbsp;

Russia is hosting next year&rsquo;s football World Cup in 11 cities including Moscow, St Petersburg and Sochi.&nbsp;

According to local Russian media, Vitaly Mutko announced the suspension from his post during Russia&#39;s RFS football federation executive board meeting.

The decision comes the same month as his lifetime ban from the Olympics following an investigation into allegations of state-sponsoring doping

Vitaly Mutko, a Russian deputy prime minister has announced his resignation from his role as the 2018 World Cup organising committee's chairman less than six months before the tournament begins in Russia. The decision comes the same month as his lifetime ban from the Olympics following an investigation into allegations of state-sponsoring doping. "I have decided to file the claim in the CAS tomorrow," The Straits Times quoted Mutko as saying. Mutoko will be replaced by Alexei Sorokin, who is Russia 2018 chief executive and has also take his place on the FIFA council, reports said. Also read: Russian sports minister says doping cover-up stories are silly revenge The Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the World Cup stated that their performance and preparation will not be affected by this decision. Russia is hosting next year’s football World Cup in 11 cities including Moscow, St Petersburg and Sochi. According to local Russian media, Vitaly Mutko announced the suspension from his post during Russia's RFS football federation executive board meeting.

Vitaly Mutko resigns as chairman from 2018 Russia World Cup organising committee

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists he is not interested in the individual goal tallies of his attacking players because they will all get opportunities to find the net.

Two goals from Roberto Firmino and one each from Philippe Coutinho, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain helped Liverpool to an emphatic 5-0 win over Swansea City at Anfield.

The victory ensured Liverpool remain in the thick of the battle for the Champions League places in fourth spot &ndash; five points behind second-placed Manchester United.

Brazilian duo Coutinho and Firmino were both particularly influential in the Boxing Day win at Anfield.

However, Klopp preferred to extol the virtues of the collective efforts of his players rather than single out individuals.

Klopp said: &ldquo;I am happy for all the boys when they score but I couldn&rsquo;t say how many he has, or how many he has, I don&rsquo;t care.

&ldquo;That is not in my interest. If we play like we play in our good moments then the boys will be in good situations. They will all score.

&ldquo;Sadio Mane didn&rsquo;t play here but he will score if we play like this, if we bring the different players in the different moments in the different situations.

&ldquo;When you see the result is 5-0 that it was an easy game but it wasn&rsquo;t an easy game. It was really hard work, I&rsquo;ve no problem with that.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really happy with what we learned from the game. It is a perfect result for us, nobody injured I don&rsquo;t think. Important three points, five goals, clean sheet so it&rsquo;s all good.&rdquo;

Klopp withdrew Firmino in the 68th minute and the German explained that he did so with one eye on a hectic period of games over the festive period even though Firmino, who has scored six in in his last seven games, wanted to remain on the pitch.

&ldquo;You could see he wasn&rsquo;t the happiest in the stadium when I took him off but at least I have to stay reasonable or serious because there are a lot of games to come,&rdquo; Klopp said

&ldquo;I appreciate Roberto&rsquo;s effort and performance always and I am happy that he scored twice but I could not say how many he has scored so far in the season.

&ldquo;I feel he is always involved and always in and around the dangerous situations for the opponents. In the first half he was right full back, he was left full back, he was everywhere. At the end he scored two goals so that&rsquo;s nice, very nice.&rdquo;

Klopp also revealed that captain Jordan Henderson and left-back Alberto Moreno, both absent from the win over Swansea through injury, will miss forthcoming fixtures against Leicester City and Burnley.

Swansea caretaker manager Leon Brittan, who expects to be in charge for their next game with Watford as no managerial appointment is imminent, felt his players were guilty of making fundamental errors at Anfield.

&ldquo;The second half after conceding a goal all belief and confidence drained from the players,&rdquo; he said.

&ldquo;We made a lot of errors, basic mistakes, and you do it against a team of Liverpool&#39;s quality you get punished. We are bottom of the league and confidence is low. It&#39;s unacceptable.&quot; 
&nbsp;

Jurgen Klopp preferred to extol the virtues of the collective efforts of his players rather than single out individuals

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists he is not interested in the individual goal tallies of his attacking players because they will all get opportunities to find the net. Two goals from Roberto Firmino and one each from Philippe Coutinho, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain helped Liverpool to an emphatic 5-0 win over Swansea City at Anfield. The victory ensured Liverpool remain in the thick of the battle for the Champions League places in fourth spot – five points behind second-placed Manchester United. Brazilian duo Coutinho and Firmino were both particularly influential in the Boxing Day win at Anfield. However, Klopp preferred to extol the virtues of the collective efforts of his players rather than single out individuals. Klopp said: “I am happy for all the boys when they score but I couldn’t say how many he has, or how many he has, I don’t care. “That is not in my interest. If we play like we play in our good moments then the boys will be in good situations. They will all score. “Sadio Mane didn’t play here but he will score if we play like this, if we bring the different players in the different moments in the different situations. “When you see the result is 5-0 that it was an easy game but it wasn’t an easy game. It was really hard work, I’ve no problem with that. “I’m really happy with what we learned from the game. It is a perfect result for us, nobody injured I don’t think. Important three points, five goals, clean sheet so it’s all good.” Klopp withdrew Firmino in the 68th minute and the German explained that he did so with one eye on a hectic period of games over the festive period even though Firmino, who has scored six in in his last seven games, wanted to remain on the pitch. “You could see he wasn’t the happiest in the stadium when I took him off but at least I have to stay reasonable or serious because there are a lot of games to come,” Klopp said “I appreciate Roberto’s effort and performance always and I am happy that he scored twice but I could not say how many he has scored so far in the season. “I feel he is always involved and always in and around the dangerous situations for the opponents. In the first half he was right full back, he was left full back, he was everywhere. At the end he scored two goals so that’s nice, very nice.” Klopp also revealed that captain Jordan Henderson and left-back Alberto Moreno, both absent from the win over Swansea through injury, will miss forthcoming fixtures against Leicester City and Burnley. Swansea caretaker manager Leon Brittan, who expects to be in charge for their next game with Watford as no managerial appointment is imminent, felt his players were guilty of making fundamental errors at Anfield. “The second half after conceding a goal all belief and confidence drained from the players,” he said. “We made a lot of errors, basic mistakes, and you do it against a team of Liverpool's quality you get punished. We are bottom of the league and confidence is low. It's unacceptable."

Klopp refuses to be star struck at Liverpool

Antonio Conte insists the battle for a top-four finish is providing Chelsea with all the motivation they need, even if Premier League leaders Manchester City out of reach.

Conte&#39;s side recovered from the disappointment of a pre-Christmas draw at Everton by beating Brighton 2-0 on Tuesday to move within a point of second-placed Manchester United.

With City on a record-breaking run of victories, Blues boss Conte admits there appears to be little chance of closing the gap.

But the Italian insisted last season&#39;s champions are still motivated.

&quot;I think in this league there is a great motivation for all. To try, I repeat, to stay there and to fight until the end,&quot; he said.

&quot;I don&#39;t know if it will win the title. It depends upon Manchester City. They are doing something extraordinary to win every game and draw only once up to now. That means you&#39;re having a fantastic run.

&quot;Otherwise, Chelsea, United, Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool would be staying there to fight. We fight for a place in the Champions League next season.

&quot;There are four places for six top teams. Last season, Manchester United and Arsenal finished fifth and sixth, no?. There is this great motivation for me, for the players, and we want to try and improve.

&quot;Our start wasn&#39;t easy this season, for many reasons. But we want to work and improve. There are many competitions.&nbsp;It&#39;s important to face every competition and be very proud to play every game.&quot;

Alvaro Morata headed Chelsea ahead immediately after half-time and Marcos Alonso added the second on the hour at Stamford Bridge.

&quot;Today it was positive to score for Alvaro,&quot; said Conte. &quot;He&#39;s our No9. Against Everton, he didn&#39;t play.&nbsp;Also, Alonso, to score five goals up to now, for a wing-back, is a great achievement.&nbsp;

&quot;But it&#39;s important to continue. Not to stop scoring. We need this alternative from our strikers.&quot;

Conte wants to strengthen his squad in January and expressed his admiration for Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal after being questioned about reports linking the Chile midfielder with a move to Chelsea.

&quot;I must be honest, it&#39;s not right to talk about a player of another team,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;Especially if you try to link this player with us. Arturo is a fantastic player, I have a great respect for Arturo, and we spent many years in Juventus together. I&#39;d always want him with me.&quot;

Brighton manager Chris Hughton also responded to reports claiming Albion have agreed a fee for Celtic striker Moussa Dembele.

&quot;I&#39;ve heard reports. As manager of this football club, I&#39;m quite sure I&#39;d know. There&#39;s been no contact between the two clubs,&quot; he said.

Albion remains close to mid-table our a solid run following last season&#39;s promotion and Hughton added: &quot;I want them to feel proud of where we are and what we&#39;ve achieved so far, but frustrated because we could have done better.

&quot;Would we have been happy at the start of the season to be in the position we are in now? The answer would be yes. But we could have done better.&nbsp;

&quot;If anything, in the second half of the season, it won&#39;t get any easier. It will get harder, if anything.&quot;

Conte's side recovered from the disappointment of a pre-Christmas draw at Everton by beating Brighton 2-0 on Tuesday to move within a point of second-placed Manchester United

Antonio Conte insists the battle for a top-four finish is providing Chelsea with all the motivation they need, even if Premier League leaders Manchester City out of reach. Conte's side recovered from the disappointment of a pre-Christmas draw at Everton by beating Brighton 2-0 on Tuesday to move within a point of second-placed Manchester United. With City on a record-breaking run of victories, Blues boss Conte admits there appears to be little chance of closing the gap. But the Italian insisted last season's champions are still motivated. "I think in this league there is a great motivation for all. To try, I repeat, to stay there and to fight until the end," he said. "I don't know if it will win the title. It depends upon Manchester City. They are doing something extraordinary to win every game and draw only once up to now. That means you're having a fantastic run. "Otherwise, Chelsea, United, Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool would be staying there to fight. We fight for a place in the Champions League next season. "There are four places for six top teams. Last season, Manchester United and Arsenal finished fifth and sixth, no?. There is this great motivation for me, for the players, and we want to try and improve. "Our start wasn't easy this season, for many reasons. But we want to work and improve. There are many competitions. It's important to face every competition and be very proud to play every game." Alvaro Morata headed Chelsea ahead immediately after half-time and Marcos Alonso added the second on the hour at Stamford Bridge. "Today it was positive to score for Alvaro," said Conte. "He's our No9. Against Everton, he didn't play. Also, Alonso, to score five goals up to now, for a wing-back, is a great achievement. "But it's important to continue. Not to stop scoring. We need this alternative from our strikers." Conte wants to strengthen his squad in January and expressed his admiration for Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal after being questioned about reports linking the Chile midfielder with a move to Chelsea. "I must be honest, it's not right to talk about a player of another team,” he said. "Especially if you try to link this player with us. Arturo is a fantastic player, I have a great respect for Arturo, and we spent many years in Juventus together. I'd always want him with me." Brighton manager Chris Hughton also responded to reports claiming Albion have agreed a fee for Celtic striker Moussa Dembele. "I've heard reports. As manager of this football club, I'm quite sure I'd know. There's been no contact between the two clubs," he said. Albion remains close to mid-table our a solid run following last season's promotion and Hughton added: "I want them to feel proud of where we are and what we've achieved so far, but frustrated because we could have done better. "Would we have been happy at the start of the season to be in the position we are in now? The answer would be yes. But we could have done better. "If anything, in the second half of the season, it won't get any easier. It will get harder, if anything."

Chelsea still have plenty to achieve, says Conte

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