The 20-year-old, who joined the Premier League club last Thursday for a deal believed to be worth £4 million, fell asleep during a MRI scan while pondering his move to England More »Extra Time: Okore caught 40 winks during Aston Villa medical
Overblown and opportunistic? Bren O'Brien laments a lack humility in the celebrations of Australia's achievement in reaching the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil More »Opinion: A time to celebrate, not capitalise
By Steve Keating BOSTON (Reuters) - Gregory Campbell will never be the face of the Boston Bruins but he does represent the heart and soul of a team that prides itself on a blue collar work ethic and all-for-one philosophy. Campbell will not play a single minute against the Chicago Blackhawks in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup final but the fourth-liner's contributions cannot be overlooked. The hard-nosed Canadian's playoffs came to a painful end in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals when he broke his leg while blocking a slap shot. ... More »Courageous Campbell represents heart of Boston's Stanley Cup bid
Stuart Pearce's reign as England Under-21 coach came to an end on Tuesday as it was announced he would not be offered a new contract following the side's humiliating first round exit at the European championships this month. More »Pearce pays price for England U21 flop
By Steve Keating BOSTON (Reuters) - Given the genes and sporting pedigree it is not unusual that Seth Jones, son of former NBA journeyman Ronald 'Popeye' Jones, would one day follow in his father's athletic footsteps. The sporting world, after all, has an orchard of family trees bearing familiar fruit. In the NFL there is Archie Manning and his quarterbacking sons Peyton and Eli while Bobby Bonds and his home run king son Barry terrorized Major League Baseball pitchers. ... More »Former NBA player's son seen as slam dunk for big NHL career
The Malaga star says it is a "wonder" for la Roja to be as good as they were, while Thiago is pleased with the type of football they have been playing More »Isco surprised by victorious Spain U21 strength
(Reuters) - Factbox on twice Olympic 200 meters champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, who was suspended from competition on Tuesday after testing positive for a banned diuretic. Born on May 15, 1982 in Trelawny, the same parish as triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt. Married to fellow-Jamaican sprinter Omar Brown and lives in Florida. Personal best over 100 meters of 10.76 set in 2011 makes her the joint eighth-fastest woman of all time with American Evelyn Ashford and she is ranked in the top 10 over 200 with a quickest time of 21.74 from the 2008 Olympics. ... More »FACTBOX: Athletics-Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown
Championship sides Blackburn, Burnley, Bolton and Derby and League One clubs Wolves and Prestion will all face each other on the opening day of the season More »Football League mark 125th anniversary with replica fixtures
REUTERS - Aston Villa have signed towering Denmark striker Nicklas Helenius from Aalborg, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. The 22-year-old, who stands 6 feet 5 inches tall, agreed a three-year contract at Villa Park after signing for an undisclosed fee. "Nicklas is a young lad but also a full international with a good goal-scoring record in Denmark and he'll prove himself in the Premier League," manager Paul Lambert told Villa's website (www.avfc.com). Helenius scored 16 goals in 33 league appearances for Aalborg last season and has played twice for Denmark. ... More »Aston Villa sign giant Denmark striker Helenius
Spain's two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador has been nominated by race favourite Chris Froome as his biggest threat for this year's edition, which gets underway on June 29 in Corsica. More »Contador my biggest threat, says Froome
(Reuters) - Embattled Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown's manager emphatically denied on Tuesday that the twice Olympic 200 metres gold medallist was a drugs cheat. "That she should now be accused of infringing on anti-doping rules is a shock to her," Claude Bryan said in a statement after the Jamaican Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) provisionally suspended the world champion following a positive test for a banned diuretic at a meeting last month. ... More »Campbell-Brown 'is not a cheat' - manager
By Mark Gleeson MAPUTO (Reuters) - The impressive run of Egypt in World Cup qualifying over the last fortnight has much more significance for the country than just moving the tournament dream a step closer, coach Bob Bradley told Reuters. "At a time when the country is looking for things that are good, this is very important," he said of Egypt's seamless progress to the last phase of African qualifiers for next year's tournament in Brazil. ... More »World Cup success a lift for troubled Egypt
By Andrew Downie RECIFE, Brazil (Reuters) - A wave of protests across Brazil have alarmed soccer organisers concerned that the unrest could affect the current Confederations Cup and even jeopardise next year's World Cup. At least 200,000 people took to the streets of more than half a dozen Brazilian cities on Monday night in the biggest demonstrations in the country for 20 years. The protests were originally sparked by a hike in bus fares but they expanded to embrace broader issues. ... More »Brazil protests pose challenge for World Cup organisers
It was initially met with ridicule, but Holger Osieck said it was simply 'about the time' to substitute fan favourite Tim Cahill for eventual matchwinner Josh Kennedy More »Osieck: I had to make something happen
The 22-year-old goalkeeper is now tied to the Carrow Road outfit until 2015 and will spend next season on loan at League One outfit Preston after a successful stint last term More »Rudd signs one-year extension to Norwich contract
Jamaican sprint star Veronica Campbell-Brown, embroiled in a doping scandal that rocked her homeland, issued an apology Tuesday but also said she was shocked to have tested positive. More »Campbell-Brown apologises for doping mess
The striker is completing the formalities of his switch to Upton Park after agreeing a £100,000-a-week six-year contract that will make him best paid player in club's history More »Carroll passes West Ham medical ahead of £15.5m move from Liverpool
A hat-trick by inspirational captain Thiago Alcantara saw Spain easily retain their European Under-21 title in Jerusalem on Tuesday with a 4-2 win over Italy. More »Thiago hat-trick sees Spain retain U-21 title
The 30-year-old winger is a free agent after being released West Brom at the end of last season, and is now discussing a move to the newly promoted Premier League side More »Jerome Thomas in talks with Crystal Palace
The Paris Saint-Germain star has offered his congratulations to la Roja following their victory over the Azzurrini, in what is their second title in a row More »Verratti: Spain U21s are worthy winners
LONDON (Reuters) - American Venus Williams has pulled out of this year's Wimbledon because of a back injury, the five-times singles champion said on Tuesday. The 33-year-old has not played since pulling out of the doubles at this year's French Open. "I will not be able to participate in Wimbledon," Williams wrote on her Facebook page. "I am extremely disappointed as I have always loved The Championships." Williams won her last Wimbledon title in 2008. Her sister Serena is the defending champion in this year's tournament which starts on Monday. ... More »Venus Williams pulls out of Wimbledon
By Kayon Raynor KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) - Jamaica's twice Olympic 200 meters champion Veronica Campbell-Brown was suspended by her national federation on Tuesday following a positive test for a banned diuretic at a meeting last month. "The Jamaican Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) can now confirm that a case concerning Mrs. Veronica Campbell-Brown is currently ongoing," the Jamaican governing body said in a statement. "She has been provisionally suspended from competition awaiting the outcome of a disciplinary panel that will be empanelled to hear this case. ... More »Jamaican federation suspends Campbell-Brown
The French champions were prepared to meet a £10 million buyout clause in the Spurs boss's contract and drastically improve his salary but the Portuguese has rejected them More »Villas-Boas turns down Paris Saint-Germain to stay at Tottenham
By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Captain Thiago Alcantara scored a first-half hat-trick to inspire Spain to a 4-2 win over Italy in the European Under-21 championship final on Tuesday. The defending champions had little difficulty in breaking down Italy's unusually hesitant defence as Barcelona's Thiago scored with an easy header in the sixth minute, a close-range drive in the 31st and a penalty in the 38th. Spain added the under-21 title to their collection of international crowns, the World Cup and the European Championship at senior level and the European under-19 championship. ... More »Thiago hat-trick leads Spain to Euro Under-21 crown
Spaniard David Ferrer failed to get back on the winning track on his return after losing in the French Open final as he lost his 's-Hertogenbosch ATP title on Tuesday, going down 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 to veteran Belgian Xavier Malisse in the first round. More »Ferrer loses title in shock first-round exit