Chelsea unimpressed by local council offer
»European champions Chelsea dismissed an offer by the local council to discuss expanding their Stamford Bridge stadium as "empty rhetoric" after a proposed move to a new home fell through.
The Premier League club's hopes of building a new 60,000-seater site at London's iconic Battersea Power Station suffered a blow when a rival Malaysian consortium was named as preferred bidder to redevelop the site.
The local council responded by pledging its support to help keep Chelsea at the home they have had since being founded in 1905.
"The door is open and the council is again ready to sit down and discuss how Stamford Bridge can be appropriately upgraded so that it is fit for one of Europe's leading football clubs," said Hammersmith & Fulham Council leader Nicholas Botterill.
However Chelsea, owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, dismissed the council statement as offering no practical solutions.
Stamford Bridge has a capacity of just under 42,000 - small by comparison with many of Chelsea's European rivals.
Jordan prince has a problem with refereeing
»Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, vice-president of ruling body FIFA, has criticised the refereeing in World Cup qualifiers in Asia after 10-man Jordan were thrashed 6-0 by Japan.
Prince Ali's countrymen were trailing 2-0 in Saitama to the Asian champions when Abdallah Salim was shown a controversial red card by South Korean referee Kim Dong-jin in the 27th minute for an elbow on Japan captain Makoto Hasebe.
Prince Ali, who is also president of the Jordanian Football Association, said: "I would like to express concerns over the refereeing we have witnessed thus far in the Asian qualifiers.
"It is certainly a highly important matter worth addressing with my colleagues on the AFC (African Football Confederation) executive committee. We are in need of a thorough assessment of our refereeing system.
"We should always strive to move forward in Asia and deliver what our players and fans deserve - fair play," added Prince Ali.
Contador to stay with Team Saxo Bank
»Alberto Contador has agreed a contract extension until 2015 with Team Saxo Bank for when he returns to competition later this year after a doping ban, the Spanish rider and his team said in a statement.
Contador, who was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title and banned for two years after failing a drugs test for the anabolic agent clenbuterol, is eligible to return to action on August 5.
"Throughout these tough two years we have stood by Alberto, so to be able to announce his return to the team is something I have really been looking forward to," team manager Bjarne Riis said on the Saxo bank website.
"Now we can put an end to the speculation and start focusing on building the team for the coming years."
Contador, who also won the Tour in 2007 and 2009, was given a retroactive ban in February after a high-profile case which was taken all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Soccer shirts found to contain toxic material
»Poland's official Euro 2012 soccer shirt contains toxins and should be banned from sale while jerseys of other teams at the finals also contain harmful substances, the European Consumer's Organisation (BEUC) has said.
The organisation, which groups together consumer rights bodies across Europe, said its members tested nine shirts of teams competing at Euro 2012 and found they all contained toxic elements including lead and nickel.
The strip of tournament co-hosts Poland, it said, should be banned from shops as it contained organotin at higher doses than the legal limit. The compound, used to reduce body odour, can harm the nervous system.
Producers of the shirts however said the jerseys fully complied with all EU and national legal requirements.
BEUC said it found lead in six shirts -- France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and Ukraine -- with levels in the jerseys of Spain and Germany exceeding those permitted for children's products.
»European champions Chelsea dismissed an offer by the local council to discuss expanding their Stamford Bridge stadium as "empty rhetoric" after a proposed move to a new home fell through.
The Premier League club's hopes of building a new 60,000-seater site at London's iconic Battersea Power Station suffered a blow when a rival Malaysian consortium was named as preferred bidder to redevelop the site.
The local council responded by pledging its support to help keep Chelsea at the home they have had since being founded in 1905.
"The door is open and the council is again ready to sit down and discuss how Stamford Bridge can be appropriately upgraded so that it is fit for one of Europe's leading football clubs," said Hammersmith & Fulham Council leader Nicholas Botterill.
However Chelsea, owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, dismissed the council statement as offering no practical solutions.
Stamford Bridge has a capacity of just under 42,000 - small by comparison with many of Chelsea's European rivals.
Jordan prince has a problem with refereeing
»Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, vice-president of ruling body FIFA, has criticised the refereeing in World Cup qualifiers in Asia after 10-man Jordan were thrashed 6-0 by Japan.
Prince Ali's countrymen were trailing 2-0 in Saitama to the Asian champions when Abdallah Salim was shown a controversial red card by South Korean referee Kim Dong-jin in the 27th minute for an elbow on Japan captain Makoto Hasebe.
Prince Ali, who is also president of the Jordanian Football Association, said: "I would like to express concerns over the refereeing we have witnessed thus far in the Asian qualifiers.
"It is certainly a highly important matter worth addressing with my colleagues on the AFC (African Football Confederation) executive committee. We are in need of a thorough assessment of our refereeing system.
"We should always strive to move forward in Asia and deliver what our players and fans deserve - fair play," added Prince Ali.
Contador to stay with Team Saxo Bank
»Alberto Contador has agreed a contract extension until 2015 with Team Saxo Bank for when he returns to competition later this year after a doping ban, the Spanish rider and his team said in a statement.
Contador, who was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title and banned for two years after failing a drugs test for the anabolic agent clenbuterol, is eligible to return to action on August 5.
"Throughout these tough two years we have stood by Alberto, so to be able to announce his return to the team is something I have really been looking forward to," team manager Bjarne Riis said on the Saxo bank website.
"Now we can put an end to the speculation and start focusing on building the team for the coming years."
Contador, who also won the Tour in 2007 and 2009, was given a retroactive ban in February after a high-profile case which was taken all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Soccer shirts found to contain toxic material
»Poland's official Euro 2012 soccer shirt contains toxins and should be banned from sale while jerseys of other teams at the finals also contain harmful substances, the European Consumer's Organisation (BEUC) has said.
The organisation, which groups together consumer rights bodies across Europe, said its members tested nine shirts of teams competing at Euro 2012 and found they all contained toxic elements including lead and nickel.
The strip of tournament co-hosts Poland, it said, should be banned from shops as it contained organotin at higher doses than the legal limit. The compound, used to reduce body odour, can harm the nervous system.
Producers of the shirts however said the jerseys fully complied with all EU and national legal requirements.
BEUC said it found lead in six shirts -- France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and Ukraine -- with levels in the jerseys of Spain and Germany exceeding those permitted for children's products.