The Sports Matrix: Wednesday 25 January 2012

 

Wednesday 25 January 2012 01:00 GMT
Comments

City demand £25m for Tevez after stalled Milan move

Manchester City have issued a statement saying that unless Milan meet meet their £25m asking price they will not sell Carlos Tevez, their striker who has lost £9.3m in fines, lost wages and bonuses.

The City chairman, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, expressed his frustration at Tevez and adviser Kia Joorabchian's failure to negotiate the move to Milan that they sought.

"Carlos remains a player with contractual obligations to Manchester City for the next two and a half years," Khaldoon said. "Unless we receive an offer that we deem appropriate, the terms of his contract will be enforced.

"As things stand, AC Milan isn't an option for Carlos Tevez. Mr Galliani and his advisers have developed a misplaced sense of confidence from their premature discussions with Carlos and his advisers. If they want to be a consideration in this transfer window, they would do better to stop congratulating one another and begin to look on how they would meet our terms." Internazionale and Paris St-Germain have also shown interest in the Argentina striker. MORE

Woods: I go where money takes me

Tiger Woods has admitted that appearance fees have a bearing on where he decides to play. "It certainly does," the American said ahead of the Abu Dhabi Championship. "That's why a lot of guys play on the European Tour – they do get paid." MORE

Foden ready to lead from the back

Ben Foden has said that he will have new responsibilities in the Six Nations with England. "It will be interesting," he said. "A year ago [we] were fresh faces, now I'm the most capped back-three player. I'm going to have to take more of a leadership role." MORE

Portsmouth tax bill leads to petition

Portsmouth have been issued with a winding-up petition by HM Revenue & Customs over an unpaid tax bill of £1.6m. "Ensuring tax is paid on time should be at the centre of a football club's business strategy, just like any other business," said HMRC. MORE

Agent: Balotelli could leave City

Mario Balotelli's agent has said the Manchester City striker feels "persecuted" in England and could be forced to leave. "I think he is happy here," Mino Raiola said, "but if every week some referee [cautions Balotelli] maybe he'll say, 'That's enough'." MORE

Finn set to replace injured Tremlett

Chris Tremlett will miss the second Test against Pakistan, which starts this morning, with a stiff back. The injury raises doubts over his long-term future as a Test bowler. Steven Finn is the likely replacement, as England attempt to level the series. MORE

Federer and Nadal to renew epic battle

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will resume their rivalry tomorrow in the semi-final of the Australian Open. This will be their 10th Grand Slam meeting, but only their second outside a final. Andy Murray faces Kei Nishikori today. MORE

Ferguson asks for fans to be 'positive'

Sir Alex Ferguson has written to Manchester United fans asking them to behave at Saturday's game at Liverpool. It will be the first meeting of the teams since the Luis Suarez race row, and Ferguson has asked supporters to be "positive, witty and loud". MORE

Mourinho era under pressure

Jose Mourinho takes Real Madrid to Barcelona for the second leg of a Copa del Rey quarter-final, knowing even victory may not be enough to rectify disunity in the squad. Cliques have strengthened within the squad, weakening Mourinho's position. MORE

Opinion: James Lawton

A debate has been provoked by the revelation that Harry Redknapp profited from the sale of Peter Crouch in 2002. At what point might a manager be tempted to put his own interests before those of his club? MORE

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in