Maicon moves to Manchester City

Drama regarding Douglas Maicon's destiny in Inter is finally over. The 31-old right back from Brazil today sign a contract with the richer club from Manchester - City, and that way ending the saga over Maicon's future in the black and blue shirt of Inter, previously linked with a transfer in Real Madrid. 

Maicon was one of Roberto Mancini's biggest wishes, with whom he previously worked when he was head coach in Inter, for a two year period of time between 2006 and 2008. 

Maicon had 235 matches for Inter in which he scored 20 goals and has 66 matches for the Brazilian national team. 

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Posted in: Football,Maicon,Man City,transfer

Athletics: Results from Zurich Samsung Diamond League

Another beautiful night in world of athletics, all thanks to top-class athletes who gave us another enjoyable meeting, with top performance results and few surprises.

Greatest surprise of the evening was that Olympic and world record holder at 800 meters, David Rudisha, was defeated by Ethiopian Mohammed Aman, setting a new national record of 1:42,53, while Rudisha ended with 1:42,81.

World fastest man, Usain Bolt, showed his dominance in the 200 meters again, giving the crowd a high performance race that ended with a meeting record of 19.66, finishing before Nickel Ashmeade with a PB of 19.85 and Jason Young with 20.08, all from Jamaica.

His training partner, Yohan Blake, won again in the 100 meters mark, as well as Bolt, setting a new meeting record of 9.76, before Nesta Carter's season best of 9.95 and Ryan Bailey of USA with 9.97, while USA's Tyson Gay was disqualified after a bad reaction from the starting block.

In the women's 100 meters event, Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won with 10.83 before USA's Carmelita Jeter with 10.97 and Allyson Felix with 11.02, while in the 400 meters, Sanja Richards-Ross showed her dominance again with winning time of 50.21 finishing before Amantle Montsho with 50.33 and Rosemarie Whyte with 50.41.

Felix Sanchez didn't make it to give himself a birthday gift with winning his fifth victory in Zurich, settling for fourth place with 48.82, while first place went into the hands of USA's Angelo Taylor with 48.29 before Omar Cisneros with 48.34 and Jehue Gordon with 48.40.

Men's 5000 meters brought a lot of excitement, where African runners showed their dominance, with Kenyan Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa winning the race with 12:59,24, before Bernard Lagat's season best of 12:59,2 and Dejen Gebremeskel with 13:00,83, Tariku Bekele finished sixth, while 10.000 meters vice-champion from London, Gullen Rup finished ninth.

In man's technical events, Ivan Urkhov (RUS) won the high jump with 2.31, Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) won the pole vault with 5.70, Tero Pitkamaki (FIN) won the javelin throw with 85.27, Fabrizio Donato (ITA) won the triple jumple with 17.29. In women's technical events, Yelena Sokolova (RUS) won the long jump with 6.92, Perkovic Sandra (CRO) won the discus throw with 63.97, while Valerie Adams (NZL) set a new meeting record in the shot put with 20.81.

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Posted in: Athletics,Results,Zurich

World class athletes at Zurich

Samsung Diamond League will once again gather world class track&field athletes for a night-to-remember meeting, tonight in Zurich, one of the two remaining meetings for this season.

What can we expect to see at Letzigrund Stadium with the appearance of 15 Olympic and 14 World Champions? Only high performance results. And the names who are going to take care of that, are the names you just can't imagine world athletics without.

Focus is set on sprint races. In men's 100 meters, world champion Yohan Blake will be challenged by US top sprinters in the names of Tyson Gay and Ryan Balley, as well as French top class sprinter Cristophe Lemaitre. Women's 100 meters race brings the names of 100 meters Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM), 200 meters Olypmic champion Allyson Felix (USA) and 100 meters world champion Carmelita Jeter (USA). In 200 meters event, world's fastest man Usain Bolt will be challenged by two other Jamaicans, Warren Weir and Jason Young. 

Women's 400 meters race brings the name of Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross competing against 400 meters H Olympic champion Natalya Antyukh (RUS), as well as six other competitors from London. Man's 400 meters hurdles is set for another brilliant performance from Felix Sanchez, who is looking forward to his fifth win in Zurich. Excitement is expected in the 800 meters event as well, where world record holder David Rudisha is prepared for another astonishing race after London. 

In woman's 3000 meters SC, Olympic and world champion Yulija Zaripova is aiming for the nine-minute barrier, followed by an unusual request from Yulija - no pacemakers in the race, where explanation is that her running technique will allow her to set the right pace on her own, so there is no need for a pacemaker.

In long distance events, runners from Africa are expected to show that they still rule with the world of long distances. Excitements are also expected in technical events, where almost entire world elite will compete in shot put, pole vault, high jump, discuss throw. 

More about the results - tonight.

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Posted in: Athletics,Samsung Diamond League,world class athletes,Zurich

Seattle Seahawks showed the door for Terrell Owens "T.O."

On his Twitter profile on Sunday T.O. published a post, saying he is no longer a Seahawk and that he thanks the team for the opportunity, adding that his faith is intact and that he is blessed beyond beleif.
Owens, who hasn't played in the NFL since 2010 due to last year's knee surgery, signed a one-year contract with Seattle Seahawks on August 6, after team coaches were impressed with the workout he showed after 18-month break.

Seattle gave the veteran a chance to find his old top form, but things didn't went so good for T.O. Аfter a disappointing first preseason match against Denver Broncos in which he didn't complete any of the five passes towards him, he had another pale game against Kansas City on Friday night.

It was a clear sign for Seattle that Owens must join his (now former) teammates Alex Barron and Deuce Lutui, who were also cut of the team on Sunday. 

In his NFL career, Terrell Owens played for San Francisco 49ers (1996 - 2003), Philadelphia Eagles (2004 - 2005), Dallas Cowboys (2006 - 2008), Buffalo Bills (2009), Cincinnati Bengals (2010) and Seattle Seahawks (2012), with phenomenal 1,078 receptions for 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns.

With regular season two weeks away from it's start, would this be the end of T.O.'s NFL career?

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Posted in: career over,cut of,Other Sports,Seattle Seahawks,Terrell Owens

Real Madrid finally signs Modric

Finally it happened. After a long summer transfer negotiations between Real and Tottenham, Luka Modric finally arrives in Madrid. 

Croatia's best football player and Mourinho's first target for this summer, today passed the medical tests and was presented at Santiago Bernabeu, where he signed a 5-year contract. Total amount of the transfer was set at a price of 35 million euro and it's suppose to be Real's answer to the worst start of the season in 29 years. 

"Finally this happened and I'm relieved. It's the biggest challenge of my football career and I'm sure I will succeed. I have everything I need here, best coach in the world, best players, and I just need to enjoy everything and play my football." - said Modric at the press conference.
Luka Modric was born on 9th of September 1985 and with the war in Yugoslavia, he had to move to the Croatian city of Zadar, where he started to play football. At the age of 15 he was rejected by Hajduk Split, but his talent was noticed by Dinamo Zagreb where he becomes a star, winning 3 championship and 2 cup titles. Good games for Dinamo and Croatia's national team, brought him the attention of several major clubs in Europe, and in 2008 he moved to Tottenham for 21 million euro.

After 4 years, 160 matches and 17 goals in Spurs shirt, Modric moves to Real.

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Posted in: Football,Luka Modric,Real Madrid,transfer

Rooney done with Manchester United?

A day after Rooney received ugly deep cut on his right tie in a 3-2 win over Fulham, rumors about his future in "Red Devils" shirt are starting to erupt.

Horror cut will cost Rooney a month off the pitch, but the real question is - is he ever going to wear United's shirt again? Speculations say that the match against Fulham might be his last for United, and the reason for that can be found in Alex Ferguson's dissatisfaction in Rooney's performances on and off the pitch.

London tabloid Sun quotes Sir Alex Ferguson - "If I hear a player has fallen out of love with us, and is looking elsewhere I invariably help them out of the door."

Impatience between Ferguson and Rooney started by the end of 2010, when Rooney was caught several times on pictures with alcohol and cigarettes, influencing club's image. Soon after, he questioned United's ambitions and was hours from transfer to the town's rival, Manchester City. Now United's patience reached critical point and he might be sold for 50 million pounds if there is no improvement in his behavior.

Time will show if Rooney will have the same destiny as Jaap Stam, David Beckham, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Roy Keane.

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Posted in: done playing,Football,Rooney,United

FC Barcelona signs 9-year old Irish wonder kid

Latest news coming from the capital of Catalonia, are that football giant Barcelona signed Ireland's biggest football talent, who is only nine years old.

Zak Gilsenan, born Dubliner who now lives in Australia, is on his way to move to Barcelona with his family, after he managed to provide himself a place in the FCB Academy.

Zak's talent was first noticed in a football camp organized by Spurs in Australia. He was suppose to go to Spurs, but than he was noticed by a former Barcelona player who recommended him to the Catalonian club.

He passed the first trials consisted of 400 talents from all over the world in May, and was asked back in June for the second trials when that number was consisted of 90 players. In a match played between top 16 boys, Zak's talent exploded and he scored seven goals. After that he was offered a spot in Barcelona's squad.

Young Ireland now has the opportunity of becoming one of the best football players of FCB football academy, following the example of his favourite player - Lionel Messi.

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Posted in: 9-year old talent,FC Barcelona,Football,Ireland's top talent

Lance Armstrong is giving up - enough is enough

It's over. On Thursday night, seven times winner of the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong, announced that he can't continue fighting against U.S. Anti Doping Agency anymore.
In a statement for Associated Press, Lance said that there is a moment in every man's life when he has to say enough, that this moment has come for him and that he is done fighting against USADA, adding his disappointment and unbelieve how this affected on his work, family and organization.
The U.S. Anti Doping Agency declared that will strip Lance Armstrong seven titles from Tour de France and that he would probably be banned from sports for lifetime.

Armstrong retired from the sport in 2011 and was followed with a two year investigation for using banned substances, but without being charged. Investigation was closed in February, but in June USADA announced that has evidence of a doping program, a written e-mails from former Armstrong teammate - Floyd Landis, who won the Tour in 2006, but the title was taken away from him after a positive drug test.

Case of Lance Armstrong is the newest episode in the black series that hit cycling sport, where fight against banned substances is a few years late.

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Posted in: banned from sports,doping scandal,Lance Armstrong,Other Sports,quites the fight