PARIS, August 10- Forty-four French riot and para-military police officers were injured when clashes broke out after a football match between Marseille and Bastia, the interior ministry said Sunday.

In a statement the ministry said 10 members of the CRS riot police and 34 gendarmes were “injured or bruised” when violence broke out at the stadium on the island of Corsica “before and after” the Ligue 1 match, which ended in a draw on Saturday night.

A source close to the case said scores of supporters of the Bastia team attacked police officers outside the stadium, pelting them with stones and explosive devices.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called for “an end to this violent behaviour, especially towards security forces who must be respected.”

In April the Upper Corsican municipality banned supporters of neighbouring club AC Ajaccio from going to Furiani stadium for a match against Bastia.

LONDON, August 10- Paul Pogba looks to have put to bed any doubts over his future after announcing his clear intention of helping Juventus win a fourth successive Serie A title this season.

The Italy international has been strongly linked with a move away from Turin during the off-season, with Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea both reportedly weighing up bids of over £60 million for his services.

However, the 21-year-old appears unmoved by any speculation regarding his future, with his focus solely on helping steer Juve and new manager Massimiliano Allegri towards an unprecedented run of domination of the Italian top flight.

“We still want to win the Scudetto,” Pogba told reporters. “It’s going to be harder this season because we won three times in a row and now other teams won’t let us win again.

“So it’s going to be even harder and you have to show everyone that we can win again, with another coach and that’s it. I’m not scared, we can’t be scared of any team, we are Juventus and we know what we can do.

“Allegri has already been successful, the team has great confidence in him, as well as the company and the president.

“We are happy to work with him. For the moment we are taking the same form as before, we’re working a lot on ball possession. It’s all very similar.

“When you play for three years with a pattern and you win, some things you shouldn’t change much. You only need to maintain some features and improve others. And that’s what the coach is trying to do.”

LONDON, August 10- Aaron Ramsey believes Arsenal’s impressive 3-0 rout of Manchester City in the Community Shield proves they are on the verge of great things.

Arsene Wenger’s side warmed up for the new Premier League campaign, which kicks off next weekend, with a ruthless dismantling of the champions at Wembley on Sunday.

Wales midfielder Ramsey scored Arsenal’s second goal after Santi Cazorla’s opener and Olivier Giroud’s superb long-range strike sealed a morale-boosting win.

It was the perfect way to maintain the feelgood factor from last season’s FA Cup final triumph over Hull City, a victory which ended the Gunners’ nine-year trophy drought.

After going 3,283 days without silverware, Arsenal have now won two trophies in four months and Ramsey is convinced his team are destined for more success in the coming season.

“The atmosphere in the camp is great. We really want to work hard for each other and the club is on the up,” Ramsey told BT Sport.

“Everyone is excited and the arrival of Alexis Sanchez has made everyone excited.

“After the FA Cup win I really feel this club is on the up and I hope we can go on to be very successful in the coming years.”

Ramsey’s strike followed hot on the heels of his extra-time winner in the FA Cup final, while Cazorla also netted again after scoring against Hull.

“It has not been a bad place for me or Santi Cazorla. We want to play here every week!” Ramsey said.

“I have just become a lot more composed in front of goal, realising I have more time than I did in the past.

“We have prepared well and it paid off as we came out 3-0 winners. They couldn’t get near us for the first 25 minutes.”

Giroud’s brilliant 30-yard effort was the pick of the goals, but the France striker claimed he was slightly fortunate to have scored from such a distance.

“I felt I could shoot, I was a bit lucky but I did what I really wanted to do and scored,” he said.

“I think we will be stronger this year. We are getting better and better and I think we will do very well.”

LONDON, August 10- Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has confirmed his retirement from international football with France.

The 27-year-old dropped a strong hint last week that he had decided to cut short his chequered international career, having been omitted from the France squad that went to the World Cup by coach Didier Deschamps.

“I will only be 29 in 2016 for the European Championship, but the French national team doesn’t make me happy,” Nasri said in an interview with British newspaper The Guardian published on Sunday.

“Every time I go there, there is just more trouble. I face accusations about me and my family suffers from it and I don’t want to make them suffer, so it’s better to stop it and focus on my club career.”

Nasri made his France debut at the age of 19 in 2007 and has won 41 caps, scoring five goals, but his international career has been dogged by controversy.

He clashed with senior players during the 2008 European Championship and unleashed an expletive-strewn tirade at a journalist following France’s elimination at Euro 2012, for which he received a three-game ban.

He was also left out of the France squad for the 2010 World Cup.

Nasri’s girlfriend Anara Atanes sparked controversy in May when she responded to his exclusion from the World Cup squad with a foul-mouthed Twitter attack on Deschamps and the France squad.

“Let’s face it, as long as he is going to be the manager, I don’t think I have a shot after everything that has happened,” Nasri said of Deschamps.

“It’s not just him. He did what he thought was best for his team. I understand his choice. It is not something about him. I don’t have any problem with him. It’s just everything.

“It is not him who talks in the press, it is the press who say things about me and the players as well. Before this World Cup they were saying that some players complain (about Nasri).

“Why do you want me to be in the group with some players who can’t even be true in front of me and tell me that they have a problem? I don’t want to be there. I am not happy. I don’t want to go there any more.”

- ‘It’s just stupid’ -

Meanwhile, Nasri has claimed that the abuse he receives from fans of his former club Arsenal — who City lost 3-0 to in the Community Shield — did not bother him.

“The abuse doesn’t affect me on the pitch. I just think it’s stupid,” Nasri told several British newspapers.

“I’m not an Arsenal fan, I am not from London. If we want to be honest, we are players who look at what is in the the best interests for us and our career.

“When Manchester City came, it was the best choice for me to come here. And today I have won trophies, I am really happy, I have everything and I have a better life.”

Nasri left Arsenal for City in 2011, angering fans of the north London club, and has since won two Premier League titles and the League Cup.

LOUISVILLE, August 11- Rory McIlroy seized the most satisfying major victory of his career at the PGA Championship, battling from behind against top rivals to put himself on an unimagined golf level.

McIlroy, three strokes down at the turn after leading by one after 54-holes, eagled the par-5 10th and added two clutch birdies to overtake Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler at rain-drenched Valhalla for his fourth major triumph.

“It is the most satisfying,” McIlroy said. “To win it in this fashion and this style, it means a lot. It means that I know that I can do it, I know that I can come-from-behind. I know that I can mix it up with the best players in the world down the stretch in a major and come out on top.”

The 25-year-old from Northern Ireland fired a final-round 68 to finish 72 holes on 16-under par 268 to defeat US left hander Mickelson by a stroke with Fowler and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson two adrift.

“It’s great to have that in the memory bank and great to have in the locker going forward,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy, coming off a British Open triumph just three weeks ago at Hoylake, won his other major crowns at the 2011 US Open and 2012 PGA Championship, giving him four wins in the past 15 majors.

He has matched Ernie Els and Ray Floyd, moved within one major win of Mickelson and Seve Ballesteros and shocked himself at how rapidly it all happened.

“I thought winning the Open a few weeks ago had sort of put me on a higher level in this game, but then to win a fourth major here, to be one behind Phil, one behind Seve, level with Ernie, level with Raymond Floyd, I mean, I never thought I’d get this far at 25 years of age,” McIlroy said.

“It’s something that I’m just going to have to come to terms with in a way. I was happy being a two-time major champion coming into this year and all of a sudden I’m a four-time major champion.

“It has just been an incredible run of golf and I just couldn’t be more proud of myself or happier with where my game’s at.”

- Masters, Faldo new goals -

McIlroy has said he has no designs on the record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, instead setting more modest goals like Nick Faldo’s modern-day European career best of six majors.

“I’ve got to take it one small step at a time,” McIlroy said. “The two next realistic goals are the career Grand Slam and trying to become the most successful European player ever.

“They are the next goals and hopefully, when I achieve those, I can start to think about other things. But right now, that’s what my focus is.”

McIlroy became the fourth-youngest man to win his fourth major title, older only than Nicklaus, Woods and Young Tom Morris.

But his trophy case still lacks the green jacket symbolic of supremacy at Augusta National in the Masters, a void he will try to fill next April.

“By the time January 2015 rolls around, I’ll be thinking of Magnolia Lane and I’ll be thinking about trying to slip on a green jacket for that fifth major,” McIlroy said.

- “Rory Slam” in 2015? -

Should he win the 2015 Masters, McIlroy could win a fourth major in a row at next year’s US Open at Chambers Bay, a “Rory Slam” like the “Tiger Slam” four in a row by Woods that ended with a 2001 Masters title.

“We’ll take it one step at a time. It’s 242 days away. We can’t get ahead of ourselves here,” McIlroy said.

“I’m playing some great golf at the minute and I want to keep this run going as long as I can, and hopefully I’m in just as good form heading into Augusta next year and have a chance to win the career Grand Slam.

“If that happens, then we’ll turn our attention to Chambers Bay and I’ll try and get the job done. But first things first.”

For now, the torch as golf’s most dominant player has clearly passed from Woods to McIlroy.

“It’s a great place to be in, to be one of the faces of golf,” McIlroy said. “You have to welcome it and I don’t think you can see it as a burden.

“It’s a big responsibility but at the same time, I feel like I’m up to the task of handling it well.

“At 25, I didn’t think I would be in this position so I’m trying to just take it day by day and try and take every victory like this in my stride and keep going forward.”

MOROCCO, August 11- Fresh from winning Commonwealth Games silver in Glasgow, Josphat Bett won bronze in the men 10,000m finals as the African Championships kicked off in Marrakech to register Kenya’s first medal of the biennial event.

Eritrea’s Nguse Amlosom emerged as the victor to make history as the first runner from his nation ever to win gold – or indeed a medal of any colour – at the African Championships in the first final of the track and field programme.

Heading into the final lap, Amlosom, who finished eighth in the 25-lap event at the 2013 World Championships and 15th at the 2012 Olympics, was one of four athletes still in contention and was perhaps the least favoured.

Moroccan champion Mustapha El Aziz had the benefit of the home crowd behind him, while 2008 world junior champion Bett was fresh from winning the second medal at the Commonwealth Games.

Ethiopian champion Adugna Tekele was something of an unknown quantity, competing in just his second ever track race.

By this point of the race, recently crowned world junior champion Joshua Cheptegei had failed to finish, while his Ugandan team-mate and two-time Commonwealth champion Moses Kipsiro was a non-starter.

Nevertheless, it made the race no less exciting as the quartet kicked hard for the finish line. Tekele was the first to fade out of medal contention.

El Aziz pushed Amlosom all the way, but the Eritrean held on to win in 28:11.07, finishing 0.29 ahead of the Moroccan.

Bett finished third in 28:11.61.

LONDON, August 11- Olivier Giroud claims Arsenal’s convincing Community Shield victory over Manchester City proves they are ready to end their long wait to win the Premier League.

Arsene Wenger’s side wrapped up their pre-season preparations in style as goals from Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and a stunning effort from Giroud clinched a 3-0 victory over the reigning champions at Wembley on Sunday.

Just four months after finally winning their first silverware for nine years in a dramatic FA Cup final triumph against Hull, the Gunners look a far more confident and vibrant outfit than the brittle group who so often cracked under pressure in the past.

Bolstered by solid debuts from Alexis Sanchez, Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers, Wenger’s team out-played City from start to finish and France striker Giroud believes his side go into the new campaign as genuine contenders to win the title for the first time since the club’s famous ‘Invincibles’ in 2004.

“That is the target. Last year we did well until March and then we had a bad run after,” Giroud said.

“We have a good quality squad and that is why I think we will be stronger this year.

“We wanted to come back and be stronger than last year. When our German World Cup players join us we will be stronger and hopefully stay that way until May.”

Giroud’s brilliant long-range strike was perfectly timed following the £30 million ($50 million) arrival of Sanchez from Barcelona.

Wenger lost patience with Giroud’s slump in form following some lurid reports about his private life last season and sometimes preferred raw rookie Yaya Sanogo as his main striker late in the campaign.

With Wenger highlighting Sanchez’s ability to play up front as well as on the flanks, Giroud could face a battle for his place, but he says there is room for both players in the starting line-up.

“I tried to give my best in the second half. I was not really ready in the Emirates Cup last week, but I knew I would play the second half today,” Giroud said.

“I was feeling ok in the game and will be ready for the Crystal Palace match next week. It’s always great for a striker to score. I was man of the match and I will take it with pleasure.

“I have a good understanding with Alexis. It is always easy to play with this kind of player.

“He will need some more games to adapt his game to the Premier League but he is a fantastic player so I think he will do a great season.

“He has different qualities than me. He can bring his pace and technique and he is a great finisher.”

Gunners goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is equally confident Arsenal have enough quality to trade blows with City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool in the title fight.

The Pole says Arsenal’s current squad is the strongest in his eight years at the club.

“I think so, and hopefully it will be the most successful one. Looking at it on paper it probably is the strongest we’ve had,” he said.

“With the expection of Thomas (Vermaelen), we’ve not lost any big players and, even if somebody did leave, the manager has got good players to replace them. We are looking stronger and stronger and I’m happy with that.”

Meanwhile, City defender Dedryck Boyata insists the absence of key players Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta cannot be used as an excuse for their tame defeat.

“We were missing players but we have a big enough squad that we should be able to deal with that and play our game,” said Boyata, who made a rare start in place of rested captain Kompany.

“We don’t want to talk about the missing players.

“It was a hard game and everyone is really down because we wanted to leave here with a win.”

LONDON, August 11- Louis van Gaal says he will only bring in new players when he needs to but has admitted that Manchester United are lacking a winger of Angel Di Maria’s class.

United have been heavily linked with a move for Real Madrid’s Argentina international, as well as Fiorentina’s Colombian wide man Juan Cuadrado.

And Van Gaal has indicated it is this position that he will look to address before the transfer window closes, suggesting that his current squad is not very well balanced.

Vice-chairman Ed Woodward has insisted this summer that United are prepared to spend heavily and even break the world record, but Van Gaal feels it is most important to bring in the right players.

Asked about Woodward’s comments, he said in the Sunday Mirror: “It is a strategy of Manchester United to do that. At this moment, we have five No.9s and four No.10s – and we don’t have wingers to give us attacking width.

“Or, I should say, we don’t have wingers of the highest level, like Ronaldo or Di Maria or somebody like that. So, I have to play in another way – and you have seen that already. I only buy when I think we need to buy – in the position that is necessary.”

Van Gaal left his role as Netherlands manager to come to Old Trafford and a number of the players he took to the World Cup are reported to be possible targets, including Ajax’s Daley Blind.

He said: “If they are at the level I want them to be, then I will sign Dutch players. Nationality isn’t something that concerns me.

“But Dutch players are usually cheaper than players of other nationalities and they have usually been very well educated in the Netherlands, I believe.

“But they have to be of a level than can play well in the English Premier League. You have to ask if that is the case with every player.”

-Football365.com

LONDON, August 11- Argentine legend Diego Maradona has been caught on camera hitting a journalist over the weekend.

The confrontation took place on Saturday as the 53-year-old left a theatre where he had taken his son – Diego Fernando – to see a children’s play on Argentina’s Day of the Child.

It has been reported the journalist winked at the mother of the former Barcelona and Napoli player’s son – his ex-partner Veronica Ojeda.

Maradona, who won the World Cup as a player in 1986 and also managed his country from 2008 to 2010, is no stranger to confrontations with journalists.

In 1994, he was handed a suspended jail sentence of two years and 10 months for shooting at journalists with an air rifle outside his home. Four people were injured in the incident.

-Football365.com

LONDON, August 11- World Cup sensation James Rodriguez is in line to make his Real Madrid debut when the European champions tackle Europa League winners Sevilla in Tuesday’s all-Spanish UEFA Super Cup in Cardiff.

Madrid’s 4-1 extra-time win over city rivals Atletico Madrid in Lisbon in May ended their 12-year wait for a 10th European Cup and they now look even stronger after a characteristically extravagant close-season recruitment drive.

Rodriguez, Toni Kroos and Keylor Navas arrived at the Bernabeu after impressing at the World Cup and all are in line to feature at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The first glimpse of 80-million-euro ($108 million) playmaker Rodriguez in a Madrid shirt is keenly anticipated after he dazzled for Colombia in Brazil, scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot.

With the 23-year-old former Monaco playmaker joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in the Spanish capital, Madrid now possess three of the four most expensive players of all-time.

The trio could grace a pitch together for the first time in Cardiff, but like Kroos, who arrived from Bayern Munich after starring in Germany’s World Cup triumph, Rodriguez is short of fitness and unlikely to start.

Along with Costa Rican goalkeeper Navas, the pair only returned to training last week and coach Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that his players are some way short of peak condition.

“We had to give holidays to some players until August 5,” said the Italian.

“Therefore, we haven’t had much time to prepare for the game. We need to try our hardest in August to prepare the players in the best way possible for the new season.”

The Super Cup is one of six trophies that Madrid could win this season, but they are still searching for their first pre-season victory after two defeats and a draw on their tour of the United States.

One player who seems certain to start is Welsh forward Bale, who was born and raised in Cardiff and went to school just four miles (6.4 kilometres) from Tuesday’s match venue.

- ‘Dream come true’ -

Scorer of the decisive second goal in the Champions League final, the 25-year-old found the net twice in the US and is relishing the prospect of playing in front of his home crowd.

“I knew the Super Cup would be played in Cardiff a good 18 months ago,” Bale told Spanish newspaper Marca.

“When I came to Real Madrid it was always a dream of mine that if we could win the Champions League, we could play in Cardiff. Now that dream has come true.”

Tuesday’s opponents will carry special significance for Bale, for it was against Sevilla last October that he scored a brace in a 7-3 win that truly launched his Madrid career.

Ancelotti’s side enjoyed less success in the return fixture, going down 2-1 in March in a game that fatally undermined their league title bid, so the reunion in the Welsh capital will also offer an opportunity for revenge.

Sevilla beat Benfica on penalties in the Europa League final in Turin to win the competition for the third time in nine seasons.

They have lost influential Croatian playmaker Ivan Rakitic to Barcelona, while Stephane Mbia — scorer of a decisive injury-time goal against Valencia in the Europa League semi-finals — has returned to parent club Queens Park Rangers.

But Spanish forward Iago Aspas could make his debut against Madrid, having joined from Liverpool on a season-long loan.

Coach Unai Emery has dismissed suggestions that the comparative lack of World Cup players in his squad will give Sevilla an advantage, but he has backed his team to pull off an upset.

“How can we possibly be favourites against Real Madrid?” he said.

“They haven’t had much time to train and won’t be at their best level, but that doesn’t make them not favourites.

“It is clear, though, that we have the capabilities and resources to enjoy a great final and win it.”

LONDON August 11-Arsenal playmaker Santi Cazorla has poured cold water on speculation linking him with a return to Spain this summer.

According to reports, Cazorla has been a target of Primera Division champions Atletico Madrid but the Spain international insists he knows nothing more than has been suggested in the papers and is only focused on doing well with the Gunners.

When asked about the links to Atletico, the 29-year-old, who scored the opening goal in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Manchester City in Sunday’s FA Community Shield, told Spanish radio Cadena Cope: “I’ve seen that in the papers, but nobody has told me anything personally and the only things I know are from the papers, so I don’t know anything.

“I’m only focused on training here and preparing well playing with Arsenal. It’s paper talk.

“I’m well, I have the confidence of everybody, the support of the fans and we hope to have a good season.”

Cazorla joined Arsenal from Malaga in 2012 having previously played for Villarreal and Recreativo Huelva in his homeland.

-ESPN FC

MARAKKECH, August 12- Kenya’s wait for a first gold medal at the 11th Africa Senior Athletics Championships in Morocco poured into Day 3 of the biennial continental showpiece after Janet Kisa took the bronze medal in the women 5000m final.

Commonwealth champion, Mercy Cherono (16:08.81) was well beaten into fifth with Kisa clocking 15:54.05 for the third medal ahead of compatriot Margaret Wangare as the Kenyan trio trailed each other across the line.

In perhaps one of the biggest shocks so far, Worlds bronze medallist, Almaz Ayana prevailed over fellow Ethiopian and World Indoors 3000m champion, Genzebe Dibaba in the final sprint for gold in 15:32.72 to take off eight seconds from teh Championship Record.

Genzebe bagged silver ten seconds adrift.

The men 800m showdown continues Tuesday with the clash between Botswana Commonwealth champion, Nijel Amos and Ethiopian World Indoor crown holder, Mohammed Aman, still on the cards after both made the semi finals.

Aman and Olympic silver medallist Amos were drawn in the same heat, but both of them finished in an automatic qualifying spot, the Ethiopian winning from the Botswana hero, 1:46.63 to 1:46.73.

Kenyan champion Ferguson Cheruiyot won the first heat in 1:45.80, while compatriot Evans Kipkorir won the third heat in 1:48.66 with Olympic 1500m champion Taoufik Makhloufi grabbing the last of the qualifying spots in second place (1:48.90).

African record-holder Isaac Makwala and Botswanan team-mate Pako Seribe were the fastest qualifiers for the men’s 400m final, clocking 45.58 and 45.62 respectively.

Nicholas Bett was the top performer in the men’s 400m hurdles heats, clocking 49.33 – the fastest performance by a Kenyan athlete for 15 years. Commonwealth champion Cornel Fredericks also easily advanced, winning his heat in 50.15.

Nigeria’s Okagbare was fresh from winning the Commonwealth Games sprint double just two weeks ago, but she showed no signs of tiredness. And just like at the Commonwealth Games, Okagbare won the 100m in a championship record.

This time, not only did she face double world silver medallist Murielle Ahoure, but she also had to contest with a stiff -1.4m/s headwind. She dealt with both, though, and came through strong at the end to win in 11.00, taking 0.03 off the championship record she set when winning this title in 2010.

It was her fifth gold medal from the African Championships. In 2010 she won the 100m, long jump and 4x100m, then two years later she picked up another gold medal in the long jump.

“When I saw Ahoure in front of me, I did not panic,” said Okagbare, who became the first athlete ever to win the Commonwealth and African 100m titles in the same year. “I stayed patient, I pushed through and I won.”

Ahoure took the silver medal in 11.03 from compatriot Marie Josee Ta Lou, who set a PB of 11.20.

CARDIFF, August 12 – Real Madrid star Gareth Bale believes that he can reach even greater heights in the 2014-15 campaign after completing his first full pre-season with the club.

The Welsh forward took time to find his feet in the Spanish capital after a protracted transfer from Tottenham Hotspur costing around 100 million euros ($134 million) a year ago, but he finished his maiden campaign by engraving his name in Madrid folklore.

After scoring a memorable winner against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, he headed home the decisive second goal in Madrid’s 4-1 extra-time win over city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final.

The goal in Lisbon means that the former Southampton youngster will forever be associated with Madrid’s historic 10th European Cup success, but he feels that there is even more to come from him this season.

“Obviously it’s a lot easier having a pre-season under your belt, rather than sitting at home waiting for a transfer to go through,” he said ahead of Madrid’s meeting with Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup on Tuesday.

“I’m in much better shape this season and I feel I can start the season at a better tempo. I’m in great shape.”

Bale’s comments were echoed by coach Carlo Ancelotti, who will be able to ally the Welshman with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and superstar signings James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos this season.

“Gareth last year had a fantastic season, because he started without a pre-season and to be in condition it took time,” said the Italian, who said Bale was “one of the best players in the world”.

“This season is different: he knows the atmosphere at Real Madrid, he knows his team-mates, he knows the club.

“I’m sure he’ll be better this season, because his pre-season was really good. He’s in perfect condition physically, mentally. I think he’ll do better.”

- Emery wary of Bale -

Tuesday’s game in Cardiff will be a homecoming for Bale, who was born and raised in the city and went to school just four miles (6.4 kilometres) from match venue the Cardiff City Stadium.

While he has described his return as a “dream come true”, he said that playing in front of a home crowd did not bring with it any added pressure.

“It’s obviously great to be back home, but the most important thing is for us to win the game and be prepared,” said the 25-year-old.

“It’s a title we obviously want to win. We need to focus on that, not so much on me playing in my home town, and hopefully win a trophy.

“I don’t feel the pressure of being back home. It’s another trophy we want to win, so I have to put 110 percent in and do my best.”

Tuesday’s opponents Sevilla learnt about Bale’s devastating ability at first-hand last season when he scored twice and supplied two assists against them during a crushing 7-3 win for Madrid at the Bernabeu in October.

“We unfortunately got to know him in the first match he played (against Sevilla) — Real Madrid 7-3 Sevilla,” said Sevilla coach Unai Emery.

“It was a beautiful game for the spectators, but a very ugly game for Sevilla. And Gareth Bale was the real star of that match.

“With a player of that calibre, if he’s on your side, you can rest easy. But if he’s against you, you have to double, triple or even quadruple the work you do before the game to prepare.”

ZURICH, August 12-Mo Farah, the reigning world and Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion, missed the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow because he collapsed and knocked himself out on a bathroom floor and spent four days in hospital.

The 31-year-old British runner explained the full reason for his absence from Glasgow after arriving in Zurich for the European Athletics Championships, where he will contest the 10,000m on Wednesday and the 5,000m on Friday.

He had originally withdrawn from the England team for the Commonwealth Games citing a lack of fitness after suffering from illness in the wake of his disappointing eighth-placed finish on his marathon debut in London in April.

“I basically had a tooth taken out because it was chipped and it got infected,” said Farah, in an interview with BBC television.

“I was in a bit of pain, but went for a run, and when I came back I literally collapsed on the bathroom floor, completely knocked out.

“I had my phone in my pocket, so when I woke up and became conscious I called Cam Levins, my training partner – the Canadian guy who came third in the 10,00m at the Commonwealth Games – and he came round and got me onto my bed.

“I was in so much pain from my stomach, and so he called an ambulance and it took me to hospital. I then had to be airlifted to the main hospital as they thought something was going on with my heart.

“It was just crazy. I was in hospital for four days and it was scary, but these things happen.

“I missed quite a lot of running. I would have loved to have come back and continued the road to the Commonwealth Games. I didn’t want to disappoint my fans and all those who had bought tickets, but I just wasn’t ready. I was nowhere near ready.”

Farah was examined by the medical staff at British Athletics and passed fit to resume training at his high altitude base at Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees.

“I was doing a track session and Paula Radcliffe was timing me and she told me I should stop,” he said.

“When someone like Paula tells you to stop, you know there is something wrong.

“And I just wasn’t right. She could see that. It took a lot out of me.

“Later on, Paula said I’d taken the easy option [in withdrawing from the Commonwealth Games], which is not fair as she’d seen me struggle. I was quite disappointed, but in myself, Mo Farah, if I’m going to turn up I have to be 100%.

“I’m not going to turn up in my home country and get beaten. A lot of those Kenyan guys I can beat when I’m 100%, but if I’m 80% or 90% I’m just asking to get beaten.

“For all the people who bought tickets, I am genuinely disappointed I couldn’t take part. But I’d been through a lot. I just wasn’t ready.

“I’ve done a lot of training since then. I’m two weeks further on, and I’m in decent shape now.”

LONDON, August 12- Cesc Fabregas is the future of Chelsea and ideally suited to stepping into Frank Lampard’s central midfield boots, manager Jose Mourinho said Monday.

Former Arsenal captain Fabregas, 27, signed for Chelsea from Barcelona in June after the London club’s record goalscorer Lampard left under freedom of contract at the end of last season.

Fabregas scored in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Ferencvaros in Budapest on Sunday – on a day when Lampard was sitting in the stands for Manchester City after signing on loan from New York City FC – in the Blues’ penultimate pre-season friendly before next Monday’s Premier League opening contest at Burnley.

Mourinho said on chelseafc.com: “Frank is the history of the club, history nobody can forget.

“Fabregas is the future; history is history but the future is more important at the moment.

“My opinion, and the opinion of my players, is that Fabregas is the right player to occupy that central position in midfield.”

Chelsea returned from Hungary late Sunday ahead of their match with Real Sociedad on Tuesday.

It is still too soon to know the full extent of the ankle injury which forced Didier Drogba off during the first half against Ferencvaros.

Drogba was quoted as saying on the club’s website: “I twisted my ankle and I couldn’t continue.

“In the next few days we are going to do some treatment and I hope everything will be better.”

MUNICH, August 12- Bayern Munich will not be recruiting any more players before the new Bundesliga season starts, according to coach Pep Guardiola.

“We don’t need any new players,” Guardiola said ahead of the German Supercup against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

“I’m very happy with the squad,” the Spaniard said, adding that Thiago Alcantara, Rafa Rafinha and Franck Ribery were on their way back from injuries.

Alcantara underwent a knee ligament operation in May, with German press predicting a comeback only in October.

But Guardiola insisted: “Thiago will come back quicker than people think, that I’m sure of.”

The former Barcelona coach, commencing his second season in charge of Bayern, also played down any talk linking the Bavarian club to Dortmund playmaker Marco Reus.

“I haven’t talked about Marco Reus with (Bayern boss) Karl Heinz Rummenigge. We already have eight midfielders. Eight! That’s enough,” said Guardiola.

Bayern have signed up Polish striker Robert Lewandowski from Dortmund and Valencia defender Juan Bernat for the season to come, meanwhile selling Toni Kroos to Real Madrid and Corat striker Mario Mandzukic to Atletico Madrid.

LONDON, August 12- David Silva has signed a new five-year contract with Manchester City, the English Premier League champions announced Tuesday.

Spain playmaker Silva, who has won two Premier League titles with City, is now set to stay with the north-west side until the end of the 2018/19 season.

Silva, 28, has been a central figure at Eastlands since joining the club from Spanish side Valencia in 2010.

“From the moment I joined the club four years ago it has felt like a second home to me,” Silva, who has also won the FA Cup and League Cup with City, told the club’s website on Tuesday.

“On and off the pitch, I feel incredibly content and fulfilled professionally and personally, so why wouldn’t I want to stay and keep winning trophies with this fantastic team?

“Over the last four years, we have achieved so much together, establishing City as a dominating force in England and now, when I look around this dressing room, I can see no reason why we won’t become one of the top teams in the world.

“It was a straightforward decision to extend my stay here and spend my peak years at Manchester City, a club with unbelievable fans who have always supported me.”

The news will come as a boost to City following their 3-0 defeat by FA Cup-holders Arsenal in the Community Shield at Wembley last Sunday, where Silva came on as a second-half substitute.

City begin the defence of their Premier League title away to Newcastle this coming Sunday.

LONDON, August 12- Liverpool are considering a short-term move for Samuel Eto’o as manager Brendan Rodgers seeks a striker following the departure of Luis Suarez.

Cameroon international Eto’o is a free agent after being released by Chelsea at the end of last season.

While the Reds have not made an approach for him so far, he is one of a number of options being looked at, sources have told ESPN FC.

The 33-year-old striker has reportedly been in talks over a switch to Ajax as he considers his next move.

Suarez, last season’s 31-goal top scorer, was sold to Barcelona for 75 million pounds in July, and the Reds looked to have sorted out an eight million-pound deal for QPR forward Loic Remy soon afterwards.

Remy got as far as flying to the U.S, where Liverpool were on a preseason tour, to undergo a medical, only for the deal to fall through.

Rodgers brought in Rickie Lambert from Southampton for four million pounds at the start of the summer to assist Daniel Sturridge in attack, while Fabio Borini remains on the books as he is reluctant to leave for Sunderland, who have agreed a 14 million-pound deal with the Reds to sign him.

But the manager feels it is necessary to add another striker to ensure his squad has the strength in depth to cope with the demands of the Premier League and the Champions League.

Eto’o, a former Barcelona and Inter Milan player, arrived at Chelsea from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in August 2013.

He scored nine goals in 21 Premier League appearances under Jose Mourinho last season before being released.

-ESPN FC

LONDON, August 12- Former referee Howard Webb has finally hit back at claims which dogged his career that he was biased towards Manchester United.

Rival fans constantly called into question Webb’s professionalism and Liverpool’s Ryan Babel was even fined £10,000 for linking to a picture of him mocked up in a United shirt on Twitter following their FA Cup defeat in 2011.

But Webb, who retired from officiating last week to take up the role of technical director for the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, strenuously denies he ever gave United any favour.

“There’s no element of truth in it,” Webb said.

“It’s not something that affected me or played on my mind at all. It wasn’t hurtful. Much of it is tongue-in-cheek, of course.

“What does play on my mind is when I’ve made a mistake, particularly an influential one that has affected the outcome of a game. I’d be dishonest if I said it didn’t bother me.”

He added: “One newspaper listed the five games I’d want to forget over the course of my career. Well, there’s more than five. But against the backdrop of more than 500 professional games – I can think of many top professional footballers who have made plenty of mistakes but are still top professional footballers.”

Webb was considered by FIFA and the Barclays Premier League as one of the top referees in the world during his career. He officiated in two World Cups and was handed the finals of the 2010 World Cup and Champions League.

But that did not stop English fans questioning his integrity throughout his career.

Webb added: “If our integrity is questioned by people in a serious way, that’s a different matter. The level of integrity we have as a group is really high.”

-Daily Mail

LONDON, August 12- Manchester United have banned supporters from bringing iPads and tablet devices into Old Trafford this season.

There has been a growing trend in the digital age for supporters to use iPads to capture the action, sometimes blocking the view for supporters sitting behind.

There have also been private fears in some quarters that supporters may record large portions of the match with the devices.

Ahead of Louis van Gaal’s first match at Old Trafford as Manchester United manager against Valencia on Tuesday evening, supporters attending the game received an email providing information over pre-match entertainment and also detailing an update on safety procedure.

The email reads: “We want to make you aware of an update to our club policy regarding home matches. Supporters cannot bring large electronic devices (bigger than 150mmx100mm) inside the stadium.

“For example, iPads or other tablet devices and laptops are now prohibited. Also please be aware that large bags, large cameras and liquids (with the exception of a small bottle of water with the top removed) are included in our list of prohibited items. Thank you for your co-operation on this matter.”

In 2010, the New York Yankees banned iPads from their stadium but they reversed the decision two years later.

-By Daily Mail