Sports News

• Club were warned they might be employing a paedophile • FA inquiry heard one board member ‘not surprised’ Crewe Alexandra were advised by the police to sever their ties with Barry Bennell but continued to employ him for a number of years despite being warned they should “move him on”, the Football Association’s independent inquiry into the sexual-abuse scandal has been told. According to evidence seen by the Guardian, the club’s then chairman, Norman Rowlinson, decided to consult the police after he and other directors were warned in the late‑1980s that there had been a specific complaint about their youth-team coach. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2CMLcMs

• Fifth-round ties could move to midweek from 2019-20 season • Exeter manager Paul Tisdale: ‘very sad day’ if replays are scrapped Lower league club owners and executives are expected to express misgivings about plans to scrap FA Cup replays in order to accommodate a winter break in the Premier League. It is understood a winter break is a step closer to being agreed after the FA, Premier League and Football League reached a provisional agreement to play the FA Cup fifth round in midweek from the 2019-20 season. The deal would afford top-flight players the first two weeks of February off in the hope it will improve England’s chances in Euro 2020, should they qualify, and major tournaments in the future. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2GKBYmg

An evening that threatened to be problematic for Swansea City, as well as freezing cold, ended up delivering a routine victory for the Premier League club and a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1964. Tottenham Hotspur or Rochdale will visit the Liberty Stadium a fortnight on Saturday after second-half goals from Jordan Ayew and Nathan Dyer enabled Swansea to rack up a sixth successive home win at the expense of Carlos Carvalhal’s former club. Sheffield Wednesday created the better chances in a thoroughly underwhelming first half but Swansea’s class eventually told on a night when the home supporters who braved the elements were treated to free cups of tea and coffee. The football took a while to warm their hearts but the arrival of Ayew helped in that respect as the Ghanaian came off the bench at the start of the second half to score his ninth goal of the season. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2oBkEsJ

Real Madrid rested Cristiano Ronaldo and suffered a fifth La Liga defeat of the season as Espanyol’s Gerard Moreno struck late for a 1-0 win over the Spanish and European champions. The Catalan forward Moreno wasted a number of chances but his last-minute volley took a wicked deflection off the defender Raphaël Varane to secure Espanyol’s first victory over Real in 11 years. Real stay third on 51 points from 26 games, seven behind second-placed Atlético Madrid, who host Leganés on Wednesday, and 14 adrift of Barcelona, who play on Thursday. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2BWATcc

• New head coach says critics’ negativity motivates him • England take on France in SheBelieves Cup on Thursday Phil Neville believes people want him to fail as England Women’s manager. The 41-year-old knows his appointment five weeks ago caused uproar in certain quarters, a situation inflamed by the recall of sexist tweets . Yet Neville spent his playing career with Manchester United, Everton and England trying to prove his worth and is determined to show his appointment was not the mistake many believe it was. He takes charge of his first game on Thursday, against France in the SheBelieves Cup, and then faces Germany and the USA – the top two teams in the world – in New Jersey and Orlando respectively over the following six days. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2F6NBXP

• Belgian defender not fit for second leg after hamstring injury • Mauricio Pochettino will not rush Alderweireld back into side Mauricio Pochettino has made it plain Toby Alderweireld will not be fit for Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League match against Juventus next Wednesday. The central defender, who has a hamstring injury sustained in training last Thursday, is still recovering. “He is still not participating with the group,” Pochettino said when asked about Alderweireld’s prospects for the Wembley leg of the last-16 tie, which is finely poised at 2-2. “The answer is clear.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2CMI0jS

French midfielder suspended for overuse of drip treatment Nasri suspended by Uefa for six months, but can appeal Former France international Samir Nasri has been banned from football for six months for an anti-doping violation dating from 2016. Uefa says Nasri has been found guilty of using a “prohibited method” in violation of the World Anti-Doping Code and Uefa’s anti-doping regulations. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2ovFn1P