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Sunderland have sacked manager Gus Poyet after a run of just one victory in 12 Premier League games. The Black Cats are one point above the relegation zone after Saturday's 4-0 home defeat by Aston Villa. "Sadly, we have not made the progress that any of us had hoped for this season," said chairman Ellis Short. "We find ourselves battling, once again, at the wrong end of the table. We have therefore made the difficult decision that a change is needed." Poyet took training on Monday morning and then met chief executive Margaret Byrne and other board members to learn his fate. The Uruguayan had taken over as manager from Paolo Di Canio in October 2013 with the club bottom of the top flight. BBC

A footballer has been jailed for at least eight years after punching to death a referee in a Michigan United Soccer League match in America. Bassel Saad had already been booked when official John Bieniewicz adjudged him to have committed another foul and prepared to show him a second yellow card. Instead of accepting his punishment, the player reacted by knocking the referee unconscious with a single punch, leaving him lifeless on the pitch. Bieniewicz, 44, was taken to a Detroit hospital but passed away two days later, resulting in Saad being charged with involuntary manslaughter. The 37-year-old pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a minimum of eight years in prison and ordered to pay €8700 towards funeral costs by judge Thomas Cameron, who delivered a final damning verdict on Friday. He said: "For better or for worse, you've come to personify all that's wrong with many people's belief about the escalation of violence in sports." The referee's wido...

There’s no doubt in this, his closest rival, Messi, is a wehole 10 million pounds behind. Real Madrid’s talisman and Portuguese forward, Cristiano Ronaldo tops Goal.com’s list of World’s Richest Footballers. Barcelona’s Messi, who was just €2m short of Ronaldo’s wealth in 2014, continues to generate huge amounts off the field through both commercial tie-ins and property moves, which have seen him build up an extensive portfolio. Neymar charted third in the Goal Rich List, with he and his family still benefiting from a huge chunk of the forward’s transfer from Santos in 2013. Zlatan Ibrahimovic came in fourth, with Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney the fifth and final player to register personal wealth of over €100m. Goal Rich List 2015 – Top 20: – 1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – €210m 2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – €200m 3. The Neymar family (Barcelona) – €135m 4. Zlatan Ibrahimo...

A goal in each half was enough to see Chelsea secure the first major trophy of the season after beating Tottenham 2-0 in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley. Blues captain John Terry gave his side a first-half lead when Willian's free-kick dropped loose inside the box and he fired home via a deflection. Tottenham had already hit the crossbar through Christian Eriksen, but Chelsea doubled their lead just after the break when Diego Costa's shot was turned in by the leg of Kyle Walker. Spurs pushed hard to find a way back in late on but Chelsea confirmed their revenge for the 2008 final defeat and clinched a first trophy for manager Jose Mourinho since his return to Stamford Bridge. With Nemanja Matic suspended, Mourinho made a surprising team selection that included Gary Cahill, one of four changes, alongside John Terry in defence, with Kurt Zouma moving into midfield. However, it appeared to put the Blues out of sorts in the opening half and Tottenham looked capable of...

On a bizarre night in London, Arsenal find themselves on the cusp of yet another round of 16 Champions League elimination after losing 3-1 to a determined AS Monaco in the first leg at the Emirates. Arsenal dominated possession but lacked penetration, and their confusion turned into chaos when France youngster Geoffrey Kondogbia put the team from the Principality in front with a deflected strike from 25 yards in the first- half. Arsenal turned the screw insearch of an equalizer but striker Olivier Giroud was uncharacteristically wasteful considering his impressive run of form since the turn of the year, missing a number of sitters as Monaco continued to contain the Gunners. Dimitar Berbatov, on his return to North London, doubled the visitors’ advantage after the interval when rounded off a brilliant counter attack as Arsenal threw men forward. Second-half substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave the Gunners a lifeline with a stunner on 90 minutes, but their desperation turne...

Samir Nasri says Barcelona star Lionel Messi is "from another galaxy" but insists in Sergio Aguero Manchester City have a player at the same level as Neymar and Luis Suarez.City face Luis Enrique's side at the Etihad Stadium in the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie on Tuesday looking to avenge last season's defeat that saw the Premier League side crash out at the same stage 4-1 on aggregate. Barca have an embarrassment of riches in attack but were beaten by Malaga at CampNou on Saturday and Nasri is adamant that only Messi is a level above City's own array of talent. He told reporters: "Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo play in their own galaxy. But the rest, Suarez and Neymar, they are the same level as Sergio [Aguero]. We are not going to be scared." Speaking about their defeat to the Catalans last season, he continued: "I think it was too much of a big game for us. We gave Barca too much respect last year. This year is d...

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has admitted problems "on and off the pitch" affected his performances in 2014. The 27-year-old still managed to score 41 goals in 46 games in all competitions last term, but failed his own incredibly high standards as Barca ended the season without a trophy. Messi has now acknowledged that injuries and his tax case hurt his form last campaign and he is desperate to show his true self again in 2015. "The truth is that this year I tried to get to my best form as quickly as possible. I knew I was coming off the back of a not very good year, during which I went through a lot of problems on and off the field," the Argentina international told Mundo Leo. "It was a challenge to change the image that I had given out last season and to be the player I had been in previous seasons again. That was my objective and that's how I came out at the start of this season, really up for it." The four-time Ballon d'Or winner then went ...

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has announced Diego Costa will return to the starting line-up for Tuesday’s last 16 clash against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes. The former Atletico Madrid striker has been out of action for three weeks, since he picked up a three match ban for stamping on Emre Can. “I will start him but I don’t think it’s good for a player to be three weeks or three matches without starting a game so I don’t think he’s in the best condition,” Mourinho told reporters at a press conference on Monday evening. “But at the same time Remy and Drogba played the last three matches and it was important for them to have minutes and confidence, and I know that I have them both ready now too.” Chelsea’s early exit from the FA Cup meant they had a free weekend ahead of the crunch clash, but Mourinho dismissed suggestions that being out of the FA Cup was a good thing for the Londoners as they aim for Cha...

Arsenal have been drawn against Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals, while Liverpool will host Championship side Blackburn Rovers. The Red Devils came from behind to beat Preston 3-1 on Monday night to set up the tie , while the other two Premier League giants both survived a rather predictable fifth round, with Sunderland the biggest casualties as they were knocked out by Chelsea-tormentors Bradford City, who will now take on Reading. Louis van Gaal's men will host the FA Cup holders at Old Trafford as they bid to end their own 11-year wait for success in England's most historic cup competition. Liverpool's reward for beating Crystal Palace in the fifth round is a home tie against Blackburn, who are ninth in the Championship and struggling to keep pace in the promotion race - though have pedigree in the cup, having won it six times previously. Elsewhere, Tim Sherwood's Aston Villa have been handed a West Midlands derby against Tony Pulis's West Brom...

Kolo Toure has called time on his international career a week after helping Cote d'Ivoire win the Africa Cup of Nations. The Liverpool defender, who turns 34 next month, converted a crucial penalty as Herve Renard's defeated Ghana 9-8 in a thrilling shootout in last Sunday's final. Toure revealed in December that he planned to retire after the African showpiece and has now confirmed that he has played his last game for les Elephants, having amassed over 100 caps for his country. "It is with great emotion that I inform you that it is time to say goodbye," Toure told TV channel RTI . "My goal was to win the Africa Cup of Nations and I must admit that it was a very difficult decision to make. "I do love my country and especially love football, but at some point, there comes a time to stop." Toure made his international debut in 2000 and represented Cote d'Ivoire at three World Cups. Goal.com

Usain Bolt, a six-time Olympic gold medallist revealed he would retire from athletics after the 2017 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)World Championships in London. According to the Daily Mail, an online news portal, the Jamaican 28-year-old decided on Feb. 14 to retire in 2017 after the World Championships, in spite of his former promise to retire after the Rio 2016 Olympics. The news portal then confirmed that Bolt will end his illustrious career on the same track where he retained the Olympic 100m and 200m titles he won in bursting to the top of his sport at the 2008 Beijing Games. It said that Bolt sought to add to his total of eight world gold medals at this summer’s World Championships in Beijing.“The initial plan was to sign off after Rio, but my sponsor asked me to go on for another year, to 2017 and London.“I’ll be doing one event, the 100. I’ve already discussed it with my coach. I can concentrate on that, and on retirin...

Ivory coast have won the 2015 African  Cup of Nation, beating the black stars of Ghana 9-8 on penalty shoot- out. Big congrat to them.

Reading have completed the signing of former Everton striker Yakubu, the club have confirmed. The 32-year-old will wear the number 20 shirt at the Madejski Stadium and manager Steve Clarke has hailed the signing. “An experienced goalscorer, Yakubu brings a fantastic scoring record to this club and his addition will complement the strikers we’ve already got at Reading and help us to improve as a team in latter stages of the season,” he told the club’s official website. “I know all about him as a player and I have heard very good reports about him as a personality in the dressing room. He is no-risk signing for us and I look forward to him scoring goals for Reading football club.” The Nigerian striker, who most recently turned out for Qatari side Al Rayyan, has signed a deal until the end of the season with the Championship club, who are currently 16th in the league. Yakubu could make his Reading debut against Wolves this weekend.

English FA Women's Super League champions, Liverpool Ladies have secured the services of Super Falcons star Asisat Oshoala from Nigeria Women’s Premier League side, Rivers Angels. The 2014 African Women Player of the Year inspired the Super Falcons to win the 2014 Africa Women Championship in Namibia as well as help Rivers Angel lift the Nigeria Women Premier League and Federations Cup titles. Matt Beard's Liverpool are currently preparing for forthcoming WSL and Champions League campaigns, having retained their league title on the final day in 2014. "Since I began my football career I have always dreamt of being a professional footballer, so to be able to join the reigning Women's Super League champions is absolutely fantastic,” Oshoala said of her move to Merseyside. "Liverpool Ladies are a massive club, who have some fantastic players who I believe can help to develop my game to the next level. "It was also a big incentive to be able to play in t...

Source: Goal. com Barcelona are no longer one of the three highest-earning clubs in the world, having plummeted down the Deloitte Football Money League in 2013-14. The annual revenue list, topped for an incredible 10th straight year by Real Madrid, shows Barcelona have fallen behind Manchester United and Bayern Munich into fourth place after recording only a €2 million increase in receipts on 2012-13 – the smallest gain among the top 10 clubs. See list below:

Manchester City's hopes of retaining the Premier League title were dealt a blow as Arsenal ran out deserved winners at the Etihad Stadium. Much had been made of Arsenal's inability to beat the big clubs in the top flight ahead of Sunday's encounter, but Arsene Wenger's side proved they are no soft touch with an impressive display to consign City to a first defeat in 15 games. Santi Cazorla opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half after returning City captain Vincent Kompany was adjudged to have blocked off Nacho Monreal. City, who also welcomed leading scorer Sergio Aguero back into the starting line-up, were devoid of ideas going forward in the first half but were far more threatening after the break. The defending champions were unable to pull off a fightback, though, and there was no way back when Cazorla turned provider with a free-kick that was headed home by Olivier Giroud. It all ended 2-0 in favour of the gunner.

Jose Mourinho has broken his self-imposed vow of silence to hit out at referees and insist that "every decision is going against" Chelsea. Mourinho did not speak in public for a full week after being charged by the FA over his assertion that there was a "campaign" against his side in the aftermath of the 1-1 draw with Southampton. However, he addressed the media on Friday and revealed that he decided not to speak in public due to his fear of being punished again, though he went on to criticise the Premier League’s match officials once more and hit out at supposed double standards. "Now I can control myself, a week ago I couldn’t," he told reporters. "It would have put myself under bigger problems. It was a good decision. Now I can smile and control my words. "I am not hopeful of appealing the charge. I am not interested. I will do my work and forget about it. I think I have no chance of contesting that or winning Manager of the Month. ...

The 30th Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Saturday with hosts Equatorial Guinea taking on Congo in the opening match in Bata, the country’s largest city. Both teams are drawn in Group A alongside South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finalists Burkina Faso and Gabon, who face each other in the second group encounter later in the day at the same venue, in the 16-nation tournament. Other teams are 1968, 1974 champions DR Congo; 1972 champions Congo; 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002 champions Cameroon; 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982 champions Ghana; 1990 champions Algeria; 1992 champions Ivory Coast; 1996 champions South Africa; 2004 winners Tunisia; and 2012 champions Zambia. The rest are Cape Verde, Gabon, 2002 runners-up Senegal; 1976 runners-up Guinea; and 1972 runners-up Mali. Although defending champions Nigeria and record seven-time champions Egypt are missing from the continental party, the tournament still commands a huge amount of attention across the world following the glitte...

Cristiano Ronaldo's son Cris junior is a Lionel Messi fan the boy's father said after they met up with the Argentina captain at the Ballon D'Or ceremony in Zurich on Monday. After Ronaldo was named 2014 Ballon D'Or winner, beating four-time winner Messi into second place, the two players had a friendly exchange in the lobby of Zurich's Kongresshaus when Cris pointed at Messi and then stood up to greet him. Real Madrid's Portugal captain Ronaldo told his arch-rival Messi: "He watches a video on the internet of all of us and he talks about you," prompting a coy reaction from his son. Barcelona forward Messi chuckled and asked the young Cristiano how he was doing. "You are embarrassed now!" Ronaldo then laughed to his son. Ronaldo received his third Ballon D'Or on Monday with the Portuguese or Messi having won the award every year since 2008. Yahoo news