MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini admits he is ready to bid for Fernando Torres if the Liverpool striker shows interest in moving to Eastlands.Mancini was given hope that he may be able to sign Torres when new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson revealed the Spain star has a

LONDON: Gavin Grant, a former Millwall and Bradford striker, will serve at least 25 years in prison for his role in the gun murder of an old friend.Grant was given the sentence at the Old Bailey after being convicted of murdering Leon Labastide, 21, outside his parents\\\' home in

BEIJING: A Chinese fan enraged by two quick red cards shown to the Qingdao Chinese Super League club at the weekend register his annoyance by launching a karate kick at the referee and shoving a linesman.The incident dealt another blow to the image of          Chinese soccer,

COLOMBO: Tharanga Paranavitana and Kumar Sangakkara tormented India`s bowlers for a second time in a row to help Sri Lanka consolidate on the opening day of the second Test on Monday.The left-handed duo, who hit centuries in the victorious first Test in Galle, put on 136 for the unbroken

SYDNEY: Inexperience playing on the sub-continent will make Australia`s bid to topple top-ranked India in the October`s Test series even tougher, senior batsman Simon Katich said on Monday.The two-Test series in October will precede the Ashes home defence against England, which starts the

MADRID: Real Madrid have called a news conference for striker Raul to say goodbye to colleagues and fans after 18 years with the La Liga club.The 33-year-old is poised to join Bundesliga club Schalke 04 on a two-year deal, local media have reported.Real president Florentino Perez and

LEEDS: Pakistan`s victory in the second Test against Australia here at Headingley has left one businessman hoping the team will return to exploit their fan-base among the local expatriate community.Leeds and the adjoining city of Bradford, often called `mini Pakistan`, are home to some

LEEDS: A Pakistani who was once world cricket`s top administrator has accused the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of dragging its feet in the bid to restore international matches to the country.Pakistan became a no-go area for cricket`s leading nations after an armed attack on the Sri Lanka

PARIS: Barely a week after being denied a move to Fulham, Ajax coach Martin Jol must prepare his team to face Greek side PAOK Salonika in the Champions League third qualifying round on Wednesday.Jol guided four-time European champions Ajax to a second-place finish behind FC Twente in the

LONDON: England captain Andrew Strauss is hoping he doesn`t again find himself witnessing a dispute involving Pakistan as the teams prepare for their first Test since a `ball-tampering` row in 2006.Matches have between the sides have generated plenty of flashpoints, be it Shahid Afridi

ARBIL: The Iraqi Football Association on Sunday decided to postpone elections for its board until further notice amid divisions which threaten to see Iraq barred from international competition.The election, originally set for Saturday, has been held up because the IFA`s governing

MADRID: Real Madrid midfielder Guti is leaving the La Liga giants after a quarter of a century and mulling an offer from Turkish club Besiktas.The 33-year-old former Spain international, who joined Real`s youth setup in 1985 and made his first-team debut a decade later, helped Real win

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will look to their third `M` to bring victory over India in the second test as they bid to replace the visitors atop the ICC test rankings.Already 1-0 up in the series, a win over India in the second test starting Monday would propel them to top spot and, according to

WARRNAMBOOL: Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev Sunday helped grant the final wish of an Indian migrant who died in Australia 63 years ago -- to bring his ashes back home.Moved by the story of the childless hawker whose ashes had been held by a funeral home for decades in the hope that

LEEDS: England national selector Geoff Miller has rejected suggestions Australia are a side on the slide.England play a Pakistan side fresh from a three-wicket second Test win over Australia at Headingley here on Saturday in the first of a four-Test series starting at Trent Bridge on

MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini continued his pre-season spending spree by signing Serbia defender Aleksandar Kolarov from Lazio on Saturday.Mancini had been keen on Kolarov for several months and completed a deal for the highly-rated left-back after Lazio accepted an

LEEDS: Pakistan`s teenage bowling sensation Mohammad Aamer described his stunning Headingley display against Australia as "just a beginning", saying he had a long way to go at international level.The 18-year-old took 11 wickets in the two Tests against Australia -- including three for 20

LEEDS: Australia captain Ricky Ponting insisted his team`s three-wicket defeat by Pakistan in the second Test would be irrelevant come the start of their bid to regain the Ashes.British newspapers were unable to contain themselves after Australia were bowled out for just 88 - their lowest

LEEDS: Pakistan coach Waqar Younis predicted a bright future for his young side after they rid themselves of one of the most unwanted records in cricket by at last winning a Test match against Australia.And former captain Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal warned England to be on their guard

THE HAGUE: A Dutch court will rule Tuesday in the latest bid by child protection services to stop a 14-year-old girl`s bid to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.The Child Protection Council of Utrecht, in the central Netherlands, asked the Middelburg district court a