Category: Sports

REAL Madrid defender Raul Albiol has played down an incident between Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo in the aftermath of the Blancos’ Copa del Rey win over Valencia in midweek.

Several reports claimed that a heated confrontation had taken place between the Portuguese duo after Tuesday’s match, but Albiol has stressed that it was nothing more than a normal discussion.

“Ronaldo and Mourinho are both winners. They only exchanged their opinions. What happened does in no way affect the rest of the team,” the defender said at a press conference.

MANCHESTER United manager Alex Ferguson says he believes overseas players are responsible for the blight of diving in the English Premier League.

Today,United come up against Tottenham Hotspurs ‘ Gareth Bale, who has been booked for simulation three times this season, while rumoured United target Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace has also been accused of going down too easily.

Ferguson, though, is adamant that the influx of foreign players in the English top flight is to blame for the practice becoming more widespread.

“There is a connection to the foreign players coming into our game, I don’t think there is any doubt about that,” he said.

Ferguson’s remarks follow the controversial admission by Liverpool’s Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez that he dived in an unsuccessful attempt to win a penalty during a league game against Stoke City in October.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has pledged to punish Suarez over his comments and Ferguson agrees that the responsibility to police the matter falls on club managers.

“Do the sanctions come from the club or the FA (Football Association)?” Ferguson asked.

“The FA have a problem because, is it legal? How can they prove a lad has purposely dived?

“It is very difficult. The FA have always said that. Does it go to the clubs? At the end of the day, it probably does.

“We did it with Cristiano (Ronaldo). He was only a young boy when he came to us and it took him a couple of years to understand. But after that, he was fine.”

ROGER Federer says Lance Armstrong’s admission that he took performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career has affected all of sport and the world’s athletes.

“What a sad story,” Federer said after his three-set win yesterday over Bernard Tomic at the Australian Open.

“Obviously he’s hurt his sport in a big way, even though he helped it in the beginning. But now the burden they live under, all other sports maybe as well.”

Federer, a 17-time major winner, said he watched the first portion of the interview that Armstrong did with Oprah Winfrey.

“I guess all I needed to see was the first few minutes and then I knew what was the deal, and the rest I don’t really care,” Federer said. “I’m an active athlete right now, and it’s not fun times really to be in sports to a degree.”

SOUTH African referee Daniel Bennett has been appointed to handle the Black Stars Group B opener against DR Congo today at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

Bennet, a teacher at the Mondeor Primary School in Johannesburg is unarguably one of the finest referees on the continent and has officiated at every Africa Cup of Nations since 2008.

The 36-year old is no stranger to Ghana matches having handled at least two games involving the Black Stars at the previous editions of the biennial championships.

The South African was at the middle between the Ghana-Guinea group phase clash at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations as well as the quarter final clash involving Ghana and Nigeria during the 2008 edition.

According to GNA Sports, Bennet will be assisted by compatriot Siwela Zakhele and Marwa Range of Kenya with Egyptian Gehad Grisha serving as the fourth official.

REAL Sociedad scored twice after Gerard Piqué was sent off ten minutes in to the second half to pull off the massive upset of Barcelona.

Minutes after just missing a great chance after breaking Sociedad’s offside trap, Lionel Messi put Barcelona ahead 1-0. Soceidad goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was the root of the evil, sending a clearance right to Andrés Iniesta who wasted no time crossing the ball in to the center of the pitch. Cesc Fábregas put a light touch on the ball, directing it to Messi who danced around a Sociedad defender and beat Bravo with a soft shot.

Despite some close calls for Sociedad, they simply couldn’t slow down the Barcelona attack. In the 25th minute Xavi send a ball over the top to Dani Alves who settled it quickly before finding Pedro Rodriguez behind Bravo for an easy tap-in to make it 2-0.

Sociedad pulled a goal back right before halftime after an initial cross was blocked and popped up in the air at the top of the Barcelona box. Antoine Griezmann headed down the ball to Carlos Vela who moved it wide to Castro who took a touch and placed a pinpoint shot past Victor Valdés hand in to the far corner.

Sociedad kept up the pressure in the second half and things turned in their advantage in the 55th minute when defender Gerard Piqué brought down Vela and earned his second yellow card of the match and the corresponding marching orders that come with a red card.

They were quick to take advantage finding an equalizer in the 62nd minute. Barceland appeared to be on their way to at least holding on for the draw but Sociedad wasn’t done. Imanol Agirretxe finished a Carlos Martinez cross one minute in to stoppage time to give Sociedad the unlikely victory.

It’s Barcelona’s first lost in La Liga this season while Sociedad leaps up to fifth place in the table for the moment.