An artist’s impression of the proposed facilities in east London for the Olympic games in 2012. Photograph: Andrew Hilton/Hayes Davidson/PA
The organisers of the 2012 London Olympics face the toughest economic circumstances outside of a state of war to put on the games, an influential member of the International Olympic Committee has said.
Kevan Gosper, an [...]

Barnsley’s Iain Hume. Photograph: Daniel Hambury/Empics Sport/PA Photos
The Barnsley striker Iain Hume was last night readmitted to hospital two weeks after fracturing his skull in the derby game against Sheffield United. The 25-year-old Canada international was released from hospital seven days ago and has since been recovering at home, but spent last night at Salford [...]

Berbatov leaves the pitch during the defeat in Serbia. Photograph: Marko Djurica/Reuters
The Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has become the centre of controversy in his native Bulgaria after his angry agent suggested the player could retire from international football because of criticism of his performances.
Last month several players, including Berbatov, were lambasted by the Bulgarian [...]

Andy Reid scores for the Republic of Ireland against Cyprus in 2004. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Here’s a good way for a manager to generate public interest in a humdrum international friendly: make an incendiary decision, one that hints at spite and hypocrisy and will almost definitely impact on the team’s long-term welfare.
Giovanni Trapattoni’s omission of [...]

The moment Mansell’s tyre blew and a nation’s hopes were dashed. Photograph: AP
The latest in our series of classic reports comes from this week in October 1986, when Nigel Mansell went into the Australian grand prix as favourite for the formula one drivers’ crown. It was the season finale and Birmingham’s finest racing driver only [...]

Roberto Donadoni has not ruled himself out of working elsewhere in the Premier League. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images
Former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni has revealed that he decided to withdraw from the race to become West Ham manager because he did not think that he was suited to the club.
Donadoni, who was dismissed by the Azzurri [...]

Mark Hughes is happy with a ‘very satisfactory week’. Photograph: Phil Cole/Getty Images
Manchester City have completed the signing of the Argentine defender Pablo Zabaleta from Espanyol for an undisclosed fee. The 23-year-old has signed a five-year deal at Eastlands, and will further strengthen Mark Hughes’s squad following the acquisition of Shaun Wright-Phillips from Chelsea on [...]

Ebi Smolarek sees yellow. Photograph: Patrik Stollarz
Bolton have completed the signing of Poland international Ebi Smolarek on a season-long loan from Racing Santander. The 27-year-old will spend the season at the Reebok with a view to signing a permanent deal next summer.
Smolarek, who was the first person ever to win the Polish player of the [...]

Andy Murray reached his fifth Masters Series semi-final with victory over Carlos Moya. Photograph: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Brad Gilbert was having a surprisingly good day, commentating on his former charge. “He knows how to play poker,” he enthused as Andy Murray made an outrageous escape from the verge of apparently certain defeat. “He knows how to [...]

Andy Cole: ‘The constant press attention made our lives untenable’. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA
A front-page clarification in the Daily Star was not enough to prevent the paper paying substantial damages and costs to ex-England footballer Andy Cole after falsely branding him a “wife-beater”.
On February 26 the Star ran a front-page headline “Footie Cole is a [...]