Everton have sealed their first acquisition of the summer, with midfielder Gareth Barry signing a permanent contract with the Club.
The three-year deal will keep the 33-year-old former loanee at Goodison Park until 2017.
An England international with 53 caps, the Hastings-born star spent last season on loan at Everton, turning out 37 times for the Toffees having joined following a deadline day swoop from Manchester City by Roberto Martinez in September.
Continue readingBarry Signs For Everton .
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano, who has died aged 88.
Di Stefano, who was regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, suffered a heart attack on Saturday and had been in an induced coma in a Madrid hospital.
Described Stefano, Ferguson said he had a ‘wonderful balance, poise, a beautiful mover, grace. A fantastic footballer.’
To follow up squirting his coach with water, cheeky chappy Ezequiel Lavezzi was at it again during Argentina training, when he impersonated Alejandro Sabella falling over while his back was turned.
Alejandro Sabella, seeing the funny side of it, laughed it off and the squad look in good spirits in the build up to their semi-final with the Netherlands.
Nothing like a bit of cheekiness to brake the tension. Tip of the hat Lavezzi.
Sky Sports revealed last month that Fulham had made an opening bid of £5million for the 27-year-old striker, who was top scorer in the Championship last season with 29 goals.
Fulham returned to the table with a new bid last week, and following lengthy negotiations, the two clubs have now agreed a deal believed to be worth around £11million.
via Transfer news: Fulham agree £11m Ross McCormack deal with Leeds | Football News | Sky Sports.
The World Cup will be in Qatar in eight years, though some human rights activists and soccer officials have been calling for a re-vote on the 2022 host; if that takes place, Qatar would likely lose the Cup due to charges of greasing FIFA officials as well as the country’s human rights problems.
But let me ask: Why did journalists not attack Russia with the same daggers eight or nine years ahead of its World Cup, set for 2018? One reason may be that the Russian regime doesn’t really care when the world points out its human rights horrors. Moscow typically does little to nothing.
Qatar, however, is responsive, and it often makes important changes to the treatment of its residents and citizens when a major government, NGO, or news organization points out flaws in its human rights record.
Continue reading Why Qatar Should Host 2022 World Cup | New Republic.
Alfredo Di Stéfano, probably the greatest player in Real Madrid’s history, has died at the age of 88.
“Real Madrid announce that its honorary president, Alfredo Di Stéfano, died today at the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón in Madrid,” confirmed a club statement. “The president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, and the club board would like to express its deepest condolences and all their love and affection to their children, their families and friends. Real Madrid extends condolences to those Madridistas around the world and those who feel emotion at the loss of the best player of all time.”
Continue reading Alfredo Di Stéfano dies at the age of 88 | Football | theguardian.com.
Tim Krul & Jesper Cillessen reflect on Louis Van Gaal’s master stoke substitution that Tim Krul come on for Jesper Cillessen specifically for the penalty shoot out.
Krul was informed before the game, that if it went to penalties and they still had a substitution to use, that he would be coming on for the shoot out.
Krul described how the Netherlands wanted to psyche the opposition and said “to see their managers face when I came was priceless”.
Ashley has arrived! AS Roma posted a tweet of new signing Ashley Cole as he arrived at the airport this morning, and, by the time he was leaving, was roundly mobbed by adoring fans.
Cole was escorted out by a clutch of men in suits amid fans who chanted and jostled for a picture.
All very rockstar.
After returning home, following a more than admirable performance in the World Cup, the Colombia squad were given a hero’s reception in Bogata on Sunday.
Thousands of proud fans lined the streets of Bogata waving flags and cheering the bus as it made its way through the home coming parade.
Marvellous stuff by the Colombians.
