Lazio have announced that former Young Boys and Samsunspor coach Vladimir Petkovic has been installed as the club s new coach.
The 48-year-old will take over from Edy Reja, who left the club at the end of the season despite guiding his side to a fourth-placed finish in Serie A.
Petkovic had taken charge of Sion only last month, overseeing the club s two matches in the Swiss League relegation play-offs, but the Stade Tourbillon outfit did not oppose to the coach s decision to move to Italy.
The Bosnian was at the helm of Young Boys between 2008 and 2011 before taking up a coaching position at Samsunspor, who he left in January 2012 following a run of disappointing results.
Lazio, who collected 62 points from 38 matches in Serie A, have secured a place in …
Atletico Madrid returned to winning ways in unconvincing fashion as Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata earned a 2-0 LaLiga victory over Celta Vigo.
Diego Simeone s men welcomed Celta to the Wanda Metropolitano following a 2-0 defeat to Barcelona that effectively ended their title hopes.
Diego Costa received an eight-match ban for insulting the referee during that game, and Atletico were often second best against a resurgent Celta, who had taken seven points from their last three matches to boost hopes of survival.
However, Griezmann lashed home a 42nd-minute free-kick and Morata doubled their lead 16 minutes from time as Atletico increased their lead over Real Madrid who play Leganes on Monday to five points in the battle for second. Celta remain two points abov…
Tottenham forward Jermain Defoe has revealed that he could leave Spurs at the end of the season in search of first team football.
The England international has spent last few years warming the bench at White Hart Lane and he admits he was on the verge of leaving last January.
“I didn’t want to leave. I don’t go thinking, ‘I want to go to this club or that club’,” Defoe .
“But in January I just wasn’t playing enough and I did go to the manager and ask to go out on loan.
”He said to me, ‘I don’t want you to go on loan. We are trying to do something special here. Don’t go’. And so I stayed.”
Defoe is now disappointed that nothing seems to have changed as far as his status in the team is regarded.
“But still I ha…
Chelsea have threatened to bring criminal charges against anyone found to have racially abused Nicolas Jackson in the aftermath of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester City.
The 22-year-old striker missed a number of chances at Wembley as his side bowed out of the cup with a 1-0 defeat and was subsequently the target of abuse on social media.
The racist comments were left on an Instagram post he had made following last week’s victory over Everton, in which he scored his 10th goal of the season.
Two massive chances for Nicolas Jackson go amiss
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup)
In a statement, the club said: “Chelsea Football Club is disgusted by the racial abuse directed towards Nicolas Jackson via social media, following Sat…
Jonathan Walters plans to continue playing beyond the expiry of his Stoke City contract and the Republic of Ireland international wants to extend his stay at the Britannia Stadium.
Walters is out of contract at the end of the 2015-16 Premier League season and Stoke are yet to enter negotiations with the 31-year-old over an extension.
The forward has proved to be a reliable player for Stoke since arriving at Britannia Stadium from Ipswich Town in 2010.
Walters has struggled with a persistent knee injury in recent times, but he suggested that the pain is not affecting him and feels he has plenty more to offer beyond his present deal.
I m coming to one year left soon, Walters said. And it s up to the club to move things forward. I will leave it to them.<…
Israeli striker Ben Sahar is set to leave Espanyol in the summer transfer window.
The 22-year-old failed to hold down a regular place at the Catalan club since joining from Chelsea in 2009, and has spent the last two seasons on loan at Hapoel Tel Aviv and Auxerre.
My agent spoke with Espanyol s directors and after that he informed me that they do not want me to remain at the club, Sahar wrote on his Twitter page.
I am really sorry. I really like this club and its fans. Next week I will know where I will play next.
Sahar, who has 25 Israel caps to his name, made 22 competitive appearances for Auxerre in 2011-12, scoring four goals for the Ligue 1 side.
…
There were mixed fortunes for football s big guns over the last weekend and that s being kind to at least one of them.
The Premier League remains as open as ever, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham failing to win, while Liverpool got back in gear against West Brom, but Jose Mourinho s Manchester United saved a year s worth of errors for their humilitation at Chelsea.
In LaLiga, Barcelona and Real Madrid scraped narrow wins but Atletico Madrid were finally undone by Jorge Sampaoli s sublime Sevilla, while Borussia Dortmund lost further ground to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille drew blanks in a Classique that had millions on the edge of their seats wondering if anybody was going to shoot, but there was considerably more …
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has appealed the 90-day suspension handed out by the world game s governing body.
Blatter, as well as presidential candidate Michel Platini and general secretary Jerome Valcke, was handed the punishment on Thursday following approval by FIFA s adjudicatory chamber of a recommendation made by the organisation s Ethics Committee. All three deny any wrongdoing.
The sanctions can be extended by up to 45 days, which would effectively end the outgoing Blatter s reign over world football with the FIFA congress where a replacement will be chosen scheduled for February 26 next year.
Platini, who is also the head of UEFA, swiftly indicated his intention to appeal and Blatter has now followed suit.
Klaus Stohlker, Blatter s friend and a…
The Mirror understands that Manchester City will not make a move to sign Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez in the summer.
The Algeria international was the subject of a late bid from the Premier League leaders late on transfer deadline day, which was rejected out of hand by the 2016 Champions.
Since then, Mahrez has failed to attend training and was not involved in either of their last two games while he is not expected to feature in the trip to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola had been considering a move for the twenty-six year old when the transfer window reopens though he has been less than impressed with the midfielder’s actions this month.
Mahrez has been with the Foxes since January 2014 and has since racked up one hundred and sixt…
Jack Wilshere felt Arsenal were guilty of underestimating Ostersunds after the Premier League club flirted with an embarrassing exit from the Europa League on Thursday.
Arsene Wenger s side appeared to be in complete control of the last-32 tie after cruising to a 3-0 win in the first leg on Swedish soil, giving them a comfortable cushion ahead of the return fixture in north London.
However, Ostersunds scored twice in the space of 70 seconds in the first half at the Emirates Stadium to suddenly put the tie back in the balance.
While Sead Kolasinac s goal shortly after the break ended the visitors hopes of completing an improbable comeback, Wilshere knows the home side had turned in a below-par performance ahead of Sunday s League Cup final with Manchester City.