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Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov says he will accept rival Stan Kroenke’s bid to buy him out for £550m and take full control of the club. American billionaire Kroenke owns 67% of Arsenal through his company KSE and announced on Tuesday he had made an offer to buy up the rest of the shares. Usmanov has confirmed he has agreed to ...

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, did not report for training with the Premier League club on Monday. And it is understood the Blues do not know when the 26-year-old Belgium international will return. Courtois has been a Blues player since 2011, when he signed from Belgian club Genk and was loaned ...

Manchester City’s new signing Riyad Mahrez has shaken off an ankle knock picked up in pre-season and the forward could start Sunday’s Community Shield match against Chelsea, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday. Mahrez, who joined the Premier League champions on a five-year contract last month, was forced off the pitch after a tough challenge by Bayern Munich defender Chris ...

The defending Absa Premiership champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, will face one of their biggest tests of the season in their very first league game of the 2018/19 campaign when they host Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday. Kick-off is at 3pm, live on SuperSport. As spectators we couldn’t have asked for a better start to the league with the ...

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has allayed fears of a long-term absence for midfielder Moussa Sissoko, who suffered a hamstring injury during Sunday’s pre-season defeat by Barcelona. Frenchman Sissoko was replaced by Georges-Kevin N’Koudou in the first half of Tottenham’s International Champions Cup tie against Barcelona. The reigning Spanish champions won 5-3 on penalties after the match ended 2-2 after ...

Neymar has tackled critics who derided his play-acting at the World Cup, admitting he “overreacts” and blaming his “brat” like behaviour on his inner child. The Brazilian superstar was widely lambasted in Russia for his theatrical reactions to challenges which often left the world’s most expensive footballer wincing and rolling on the ground. “Boot studs on the shins, kick in ...

Jose Mourinho has hit out at Manchester United’s transfer window inactivity after watching his under-strength squad crash to a 4-1 defeat against Liverpool in the latest stop of their pre-season US tour. Mourinho said he expected to bring in only one new player before the new Premier League season kicks off despite submitting a list of five transfer targets to ...

Being alert from the start and avoiding giving away early points will be top of the agenda as South African’s Lions prepare to face the Crusaders in Saturday’s Super Rugby final in Christchurch. The Lions have been forced onto the back foot after going behind early in their last three games, seemingly slumbering their way through the opening exchanges before ...

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says he would “not be sitting here today” without the “great care” of hospital staff after his surgery for a brain haemorrhage in May. Ferguson, 76, has spoken publicly for the first time since going home from hospital in a video on social media. The Scot also thanked well wishers “for the support ...

Serena Williams says she is a victim of “discrimination” as she is the most drug tested American tennis player. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion made the claim in a tweet on Tuesday, after doping officials visited her. The American had previously expressed frustration about the volume of her tests earlier this month. “Out of all the players it’s been ...