Newcastle United s Joey Barton apologised on Thursday for punching Blackburn Rovers Morten Gamst Pedersen after being banned for three games by the Football Association for violent conduct.
The 28-year-old was charged by the FA after referee Mike Jones viewed video evidence of the incident, which he did not see when it took place in the 50th minute of Rovers 2-1 Premier League win at St James Park on Wednesday.
Hours after the FA charged Barton on Thursday, he accepted the standard three-game ban for violent conduct without the need for a hearing and apologised for the incident.
Barton, who will now miss Saturday s match at home to Fulham, next weekend s trip to Bolton and the visit of champions Chelsea to St James on November 28, said in a statement: I fully ac…
Roberto Mancini is set to trim the bulging Manchester City squad, with Roque Santa Cruz likely to return to Blackburn Rovers.
City are keen to reduce their considerable wage bill, and out of favour Santa Cruz tops a list that includes Shaun Wright-Phillips, Wayne Bridge and Emmanuel Adebayor, all of who are headed for the exit.
Santa Cruz joined from Blackburn in 2009 for a reported free of 17.5 million pounds.
But he has started just eight games in his time at Eastlands and the Paraguay international appears to be on his way back to Ewood Park, on-loan or for a significantly reduced fee.
He like all the players he wants to play, Mancini said.
For me it is difficult and I understand the situation. If he has an opportunity to go and play, it …
New weapons for Fortnite Season 2 have been revealed, and they could shake up the meta via changes to close-quarters firefights. The shotgun looks to once again be a viable option, and several past weapons–including fan-favorites with new mechanics–have been unvaulted. Here’s the full breakdown of Fortnite Season 2 weapons.
Fortnite Season 2 weapons
The loot pool has gone under heavy revisions this season, including a ton of unvaulted items especially. After the totally brand-new weapons we saw at the start of last season, this season’s weapons may be nostalgic for some players. On top of that, these returning weapons have been revised in some cases to suit the “Resistance” theme of the season. Come from Sports betting…
Luiz Gustavo has stressed Wolfsburg must keep spending if they want to challenge for top honours again.
Wolfsburg enjoyed a successful 2014-15 campaign in which they finished runners-up to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and won the DFB-Pokal.
Dieter Hecking s men also made it to the quarter-finals of the Champions League this season, where Real Madrid eventually proved to be too strong.
However, it has been a struggle domestically this season with Wolfsburg eighth in the table with just four matches remaining.
And Brazil midfielder Luiz Gustavo believes Wolfsburg must bring in more big names to remain competitive.
When I joined Wolfsburg, they told me they wanted to build a great team, the Brazil international told SportBild.
But if we …
Paris Saint-Germain duo Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Angel Di Maria have both been nominated for the award for Ligue 1 s player of the season.
Marseille midfielder Lassana Diarra and Hatem Ben Arfa, who has enjoyed a superb season with Champions League hopefuls Nice, are also up for the prize, which was won by Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette last year.
Ibrahimovic is seeking an unprecedented third award, after winning in 2013 and 2014, and remains a firm favourite after hitting 32 goals in just 27 games to help PSG to the title.
PSG boss Laurent Blanc, winner of the coach of the year prize last season, has been nominated along with Claude Puel of Nice, Stephane Moulin of Angers and Gazelec Ajaccio coach Thierry Laurey.
Ils nous ont ébloui tout au long de l a…
Market: Osasuna win
Odds: 4/5 @
Looking to extend on their recent purple patch on Friday night, Osasuna will welcome Granada to the El Sadar when this weekend s La Liga fixtures open up.
Starting with the hosts, marking their return from the international break with a stunning display on the road, the mood in Osasuna s camp will be at a red-hot high. Shocking many across Spain last weekend as they stormed their way to a 2-1 victory against Europa League champions Villarreal, Jagoba Arrasate s side are in the midst of a stellar purple patch. Opening up Friday s fixtures sat with just their goal difference keeping them outside the Champions League spots, Osasuna are enjoying a three-match winning run. With that run highlighted by an action-packed 3-2 win away at …
According to a recent report from Mundo Deportivo, Liverpool star Georginio Wijnaldum has told Ronald Koeman that he wants to stay at Anfield this summer.
This news comes in the wake of heavy interest from the Spanish giants, with Koeman being particularly interested in bringing the Dutchman over to the Nou Camp.
Barcelona fans will be particularly ‘in the know’ when it comes to understanding what Wijnaldum is capable of after he played a key role in knocking them out of the UEFA Champions League when the two sides met at the semi-final stage in 2019.
Jurgen Klopp is also well aware of the value that someone with Wijnaldum s talent and experience can add to any given squad. He may not be looking like a guaranteed starter for the Reds this season, but he woul…
Real Madrid have filed a further complaint with the Spanish authorities over alleged racist abuse directed at striker Vinicius Junior during their 4-2 LaLiga win at Osasuna on Saturday.
Real had already filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office last week after footage on social media that appeared to show Atletico Madrid fans chanting racial abuse prior to their Champions League clash with Inter Milan.
In a statement, Real said they have updated their initial complaint, as well as filing a separate protest to the Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee over the conduct of referee Juan Martinez Munuera.
Official Announcement.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
Real allege Munuera filed a “negligent” referee’s re…
Divock Origi is a player that many feel hasn t lived up to expectations at Liverpool, despite scoring some incredibly important goals in his six-year stint at Anfield.
At this point, nobody expects him to win a place in the regular starting XI given the vast quality of the attackers at Jurgen Klopp s disposal, but named to start against Championship side Preston North End in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, the Belgian showed that he can do the job when called upon.
There s only one way to start your day
Every angle of Divock s stunning, instinctive finish at Deepdale
— Liverpool FC (@LFC)
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