Spain have named Julen Lopetegui as their new manager. Vicente del Bosque stepped down after eight years in charge following their disappointing Euro 2016 campaign, which ended at the last-16 stage. Lopetegui, 49, was sacked as Porto boss in January and has previously coached Spain at youth level.
Borussia Dortmund have confirmed they have re-signed forward Mario Gotze from Bayern Munich. The 24-year-old left Dortmund for Bayern Munich in 2013. He helped Bayern win three Bundesliga titles and also scored the winner for Germany in the 2014 World Cup final. He has agreed a four-year deal, subject to a medical.
Portugal’s Euro 2016-winning coach Fernando Santos has signed a new four-year contract. The 61-year-old guided Portugal to their first European title with an extra-time victory over hosts France in Paris earlier this month. He has coached Portugal since 2014, having previously spent four years in charge of the Greece national team. Portugal begin their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign on 6 September against Switzerland in Basel.
Italy’s Marco Cecchinato has been banned for 18 months and fined 40,000 euros for match-fixing, says the Italian tennis federation. The 23-year-old world number 143 was found guilty of altering the outcome of his match against Kamil Majchrzak at an ATP Challenger in Morocco in October. Riccardo Accardi and Antonio Campo have also been banned and fined for their roles in attempts to fix matches. Accardi was given a 12-month ban while Campo was suspended for four months. Cecchinato, who is able to appeal, was found guilty of “several other instances of sports corruption” and suspended until January 2018.
Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel has confirmed Manchester City target Leroy Sane wants to leave the German side in the current transfer window – and strongly suggested an English club are set to sign him. A fee of around £42 million is thought to be on the table, with City keen to add Sane’s blistering pace to their forward line ahead of the new season. “Leroy Sane has expressed a desire to leave the club this summer,” Heidel told the German media. Sane, 20, has been heavily linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium for some time. M.E.N. Sport revealed in January that City scouts had been dispatched to watch the winger on numerous occasions – and with new manager Pep Guardiola a known admirer of his talent, their interest has been stepped up this summer now the Catalan has officially taken over. Bayern Munich’s interest in the youngster cooled over the weekend, leaving City in pole position to land a player who was part of Jogi Low’s German squad for this summer’s European Championships.
Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the US PGA, meaning he will miss all four majors in a calendar year for the first time since his Masters debut in 1995. American Woods, 40, has not played tournament golf in almost a year and had two operations last autumn in an attempt to cure a back problem. His agent has confirmed he will not play for the rest of this season as he is not ready for “competitive golf”. The 14-time major winner has dropped to a world ranking of 628.
New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says striker Diego Costa will stay at the club next season and is of “fundamental importance” to his plans. Spain international Costa has been linked with a return to former club Atletico Madrid. The 27-year-old has scored 36 goals in 77 games since joining Chelsea in 2014. “Diego stays with us. He is working very hard. He is very happy to work with his team-mates and with me,” said former Italy boss Conte. “He is a fantastic player, a player with a fundamental importance, and there is no problem. “He is an important player, one of the best in the world, and I am sure when he goes into our ideas he will score a lot of goals for us.”
Former Premier League striker Demba Ba says he will not retire after suffering a career-threatening broken leg. Ba, now playing for Shanghai Shenhua, collapsed during a challenge in a Chinese Super League match, with his left leg giving way beneath the knee. After the match, the Senegal forward’s coach Gregorio Manzano said the injury “could end his professional career”. “This is a really bad injury but I can overcome it. I won’t call time on my career, that’s for sure,” said Ba, 31. The former West Ham, Newcastle and Chelsea forward added: “The season here ends in November and the new one starts in March. I’ll do my best to return in time for the season after that.” Ba, who joined Shenhua from Turkish club Besiktas for about £12m last July, is the top scorer in the Chinese Super League with 14 goals in 18 games.
Leicester City captain Wes Morgan has signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until June 2019. The 32-year-old defender played every minute in the league last season as the Foxes won the Premier League title. Morgan joined Leicester from Nottingham Forest in January 2012 and has made 182 league appearances for the club. “To commit my future to Leicester City is a wonderful feeling. Everyone knows how I feel about playing for this club,” he told the club website. “Lifting that Premier League trophy was a moment I will never forget and it’s still sinking in. Now we’ve got to give it everything to defend it as well as showing what we can do in the Champions League.” Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri described Morgan as a “leader and a warrior”, adding: “It’s a wonderful time to be part of this team. Now we have another huge season ahead of us and we need him.”
Paul Le Guen will not be taking up a role as Nigeria’s new technical adviser, despite an announcement from the country’s football federation. He had been named by the NFF, which said he would work alongside Salisu Yusuf, who was named chief coach. But the two parties could not come to a deal over a contract. The NFF said it had not been able to reach agreement on targets for the job, or over where the coach would be based. The Secretary-General of the NFF said that Le Guen had “rejected our terms”. French football reporter Hervé Penot, a friend of the coach said that Le Guen had had discussions but had never agreed a deal. “He met the president of the federation, his requests were not met so that was it – it was finished,” he said. A later statement from the NFF said it had “no issue with Le Guen saying he is not coming; several highly-qualified persons would be happy to coach Nigeria.” Sunday Oliseh was the Super Eagles’ last permanent coach before he quit in February in a row over his contract. Yusuf was in charge of the Super Eagles for friendly wins against Mali and Luxembourg in May. Nigeria have failed to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon, but are in the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. They have been drawn in Group B where they will face Algeria, the top-ranked side in Africa, Cameroon, as well as Zambia. The NFF’s technical committee had also recommended that former Super Eagles assistant coach Bitrus Bewarang be given the role of national technical director.
Hull City full-back Moses Odubajo has been ruled out for up to six months with a knee ligament injury. The 22-year-old made 42 Championship appearances last season as the Tigers won promotion back to the Premier League via the play-offs. The ex-Leyton Orient and Brentford defender suffered the injury in a pre-season friendly against Grimsby Town. Meanwhile, the club have confirmed they have taken former Stoke City forward Peter Odemwingie, 35, on trial. The Nigeria international, who could feature for Steve Bruce’s side in a friendly with Mansfield on Tuesday, is a free agent after being released by the Potters at the end of last season. He ended the campaign on loan at Championship side Bristol City after recovering from a long-term knee injury. Odubajo’s injury has reduced Hull to just 14 fit senior outfield players with less than four weeks until they host Premier League champions Leicester City on the opening day of the season.
Paul le Guen has been named as Nigeria’s new technical adviser to work alongside caretaker manager Salisu Yusuf, who will become chief coach. Frenchman Le Guen, 52, has managed Lyon, Paris St-Germain and Rangers and led Cameroon to the 2010 World Cup. The appointments are subject to contract terms being agreed with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Sunday Oliseh was the Super Eagles’ last permanent coach before he quit in February in a row over his contract. Coach Imama Amapakabo and goalkeeping trainer Alloy Agu will also work with Le Guen and Yusuf, who was in charge of the Super Eagles for friendly wins against Mali and Luxembourg in May. Nigeria have failed to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon, but are in the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. They have been drawn in Group B where they will face Algeria, the top-ranked side in Africa, Cameroon, as well as Zambia. The NFF’s technical committee also recommended that former Super Eagles assistant coach Bitrus Bewarang be given the role of national technical director.
New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado is part of his plans at Stamford Bridge. Cuadrado, 28, shone in Serie A and the 2014 World Cup before joining the Blues for £23.3m from Fiorentina in February 2015, but failed to score in 13 games. He was loaned to Juventus last season, scoring four goals in 28 appearances to help them to the league and cup double. “I wanted him when I was Juventus coach. He will come back very soon and train and play with us,” said Conte.
Enugu Rangers are back to the top after their 3-2 away win at Akwa United on Saturday.
The people of southern Nigeria especially the South East geopolitical zone are crying foul over the lopsided political appointments so far done by the federal government. They say the appointments favor the North and does not reflect the federal character policy as enshrined in the country’s constitution. They accuse the president of bias, tribalism and favoritism. The Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has come out to say that not all appointments made by President Buhari are expected to be subjected to Federal character policy. Have your say here.
Sunderland and Italy winger Emanuele Giaccherini has joined Napoli on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Giaccherini, 31, joined the Black Cats in 2013 from Juventus for £6.5m but, after an impressive first season, he struggled to make an impact. He played 43 times in total for the club, scoring five goals, but spent last season on loan at Serie A Bologna. The Italian has 29 international caps and scored the Azzurri’s opening goal of Euro 2016 against Belgium.
The managing director of Oxford City Football Club has been found dead at the team’s ground. The body of Colin Taylor was discovered by a member of the public at about 9:20 am at the Marsh Lane site in Marston. Thames Valley Police said his death was not thought to be suspicious and a file was being prepared for the coroner. In a statement the club said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Colin’s family and friends at this time.” It said the directors of the club made the announcement with the “deepest sadness”. Chairman Brian Cox, who had been friends with Mr Taylor for more than 25 years, said he was “shocked” by the news.
World number eight Tomas Berdych has pulled out of next month’s Olympic Games in Rio because of concerns about the Zika virus. Berdych, 30, lost in the Wimbledon semi-final to eventual winner Andy Murray earlier this month. “It was a hard decision for me to take after a long and painstaking discussion with my dearest,” said Berdych. The Czech is the third tennis player after Simona Halep and Milos Raonic to withdraw from the Olympics. More than 20 male players have withdrawn from the golf competition at Rio 2016, with many concerned about the mosquito-borne virus Zika, which is linked to brain deformities in newborn babies. Berdych said on Twitter: “It is purely my personal decision but I still feel a need to give at least one of the serious reasons leading to this step to my supporters and fans. “It is because of the Zika virus spread in the country of the Olympics. As I have founded a family recently, to limit health risks towards my nearest is the utmost priority. “I apologise to all of you who are disappointed by my decision. I do believe that if you take a deeper account of my reasons you will understand that I have done it out of the responsibility for my family.” The United States’ John Isner has pulled out to focus on his preparations for tour events, while Nick Kyrgios will not be involved because of a dispute with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).
Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben could miss the start of the season after being ruled out for six weeks with an adductor muscle injury. The 32-year-old Dutchman missed the last two months of 2015-16 with a similar injury and pulled up in their pre-season opener against fifth-tier Lippstadt. He only made 15 Bundesliga appearances last season. Bayern face Borussia Dortmund in the German Super Cup on 14 August. The German champions’ league opener is against Werder Bremen on 26 August.
Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o announced that a charity match on Saturday in the Turkish city of Antalya – aimed at raising money for his foundation – was postponed until further notice following an attempted coup in the country. A number of football stars were already in Antalya to support Eto’o, who currently plays for Turkish side Antalyaspor, including Nigeria’s Kanu Nwankwo and Jay-Jay Okocha, Ghana’s Stephen Appiah and Michael Essien and Ivory Coast’s Kolo Toure. Ghana-born Marcel Desailly, Carles Puyol, Deco and former England manager Fabio Capello were also there for the game between a World Stars side and Turkey Stars team which had been organised to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Fundación Privada Samuel Eto’o in Turkey.
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