Millie Chandarana: ‘If you’re Asian or English, boy or girl, go out and play’

Millie Chandarana has come a long way since that rather unfortunate day when she had a trial for the boys’ school team. “I was eight years old and I scored a goal from the halfway line … but into the wrong net,” she says, laughing. “Afterwards my teacher told me I was good enough to join the local girls’ team but not the boys’ team just yet.”

Chandarana did not let that mishap deter her. Only a few months later she had convinced the coach for the boys’ team at school that she was good enough to play with them. The rest, as they say, is history and she now plays for UPC Tavagnacco in Italy.

The midfielder is one of few British Asian women – or men – who has made it to the top in football but she…

Rio 2016: Germany win 10-0, champions Mexico eliminated

Germany thumped Fiji 10-0 in the men s football at the Rio Olympics, booking their spot in the quarter-finals as defending champions Mexico bowed out.

Freiburg s Nils Petersen netted five times in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday, while Schalke s Max Meyer scored a hat-trick and Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry struck twice.

It was yet another drubbing at these Games for Fiji, who suffered 8-0 and 5-1 losses to South Korea and Mexico respectively.

They conceded six goals in the first half against Germany, but did at least manage to avoid conceding in the final 20 minutes.

It was the biggest men s football win at the Olympics since the United Arab Republic beat South Korea 10-0 at Tokyo 1964.

Germany s win still fell short of the record, which is held by …

Spain labour to 1-0 Euro 2008 warm-up victory over USA

Spain laboured to a 1-0 Euro 2008 warm-up victory over the USA here on Wednesday night, badly missing injured striker David Villa and midfielder Andres Iniesta.

Xavi Hernandez scored the only goal of the game in the 78th minute for a side which lacked ideas, particularly in the playmaking role in which Iniesta excels and up front where Valencia s Villa would have made a difference.

Villa is suffering from a right quadriceps injury after a training ground incident on Tuesday and tests revealed a major bruise. Iniesta missed the match because of food poisoning.

Aragones almost fielded the same side which had trouble beating Peru 2-1 last Saturday, though Santiago Cazorla and Cesc Fabregas came in for Iniesta and Villa against Bob Bradley s American side.

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Setting up goals or giving up possession – Europe´s most generous players in 2018-19

Christmas is a time for giving, and we think football should be no different.

Generosity on the pitch is at the very heart of the game, whether it be in the form of scoring crucial goals, giving the ball to your team-mates, or even gifting the odd free-kick to the opposition.

With the spirit of the (football) season very much at its peak in late December, we have decided, with a little help from Opta, to compile the most munificent players in Europe s top-five leagues in 2018-19. This is for league football only, mind you. Christmas is all about being close to home.

To offer some balance to this most extravagant time of year, we are including both positive and negative aspects of football s gift-givers. Be they kings of the assist or a little too eager to hand o…

They cannot replace what they took away from me – Sakho blames drugs ban for missing Euro 2016

Mamadou Sakho says his drugs ban was the reason he was not selected for France s Euro 2016 squad.

The defender tested positive for the fat burner higenamine in April last year and was handed a 30-day suspension, although it has since transpired that the substance was not on WADA s banned list.

Sakho, who is on loan at Crystal Palace from Liverpool, missed the Europa League final due to his ban and believes he would have been picked for Euro 2016 were it not for the suspension.

I worked so hard to prepare myself for the European Championship, to help my country, to wear the France shirt in a tournament on home soil, Sakho told the Guardian. Now I ll never do that. 

Whatever they say or do, they cannot replace what they took away from me. My lawyer …

Cazorla sees Euro 2008 final as 50-50

Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla said on Friday he sees Sunday s Euro 2008 final against Germany as too close to call, telling reporters there s no favourite.

The 23-year-old Villarreal star was a surprise inclusion in the squad of coach Luis Aragones. But he has seized his chances, coming off the bench in four games to take his cap tally to six and getting two-and-three-quarter hours of action.

Cazorla says that the 3-0 destruction of Russia in the semis gave the team a great feeling but that the squad say they know they have achieved nothing yet.

We celebrated but remained calm. Because we have a match to play Sunday, he noted candidly, both feet planted firmly on the ground.

Now we re going to stay and rest up in the hotel. We have to retain our en…

On This Day in 2019: Harry Maguire joins Manchester United

Manchester United completed the signing of Harry Maguire from Leicester for £80million on this day in 2019.

The England international, then 26, signed a six-year contract at Old Trafford with the option of a further year in a deal that involved a world-record fee for a defender.

Maguire was strongly linked with both Manchester clubs but Leicester held out for their valuation and the fee surpassed the £75million Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk in January 2018.

Maguire told United’s official website: “I am delighted to have signed for this great club. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Leicester and would like to thank everyone at the club, and the fans, for their fantastic support over the past two seasons.

“However, when Mancheste…

Week 4 NFL Touchdown Props: Rams Can't Contain Kyler on the Ground

The touchdown market has become one of the most popular and potentially profitable props in the NFL betting world. Each week, we’re going to throw down three to four units as we try to uncover some of the best weekly NFL TD props and dig into the matchups that surround them.

We learned something in Week 3: picking four square TD props is hard to come out even on. We went 1-3 SU for -1.95u last week but had two players lead their teams in receiving yards yet fail to score. TD props are hard to hit, so finding value and the best price is very important in the long haul. Onto Week 4.

FOX Bet Super Bowl 56 Promo: Opt-in to Get a $5 Free Bet

With a record 31.4 million Americans expected to bet on tonight’s Big Game, the best Super Bowl bonuses continue to roll in. FOX Bet has put its best foot forward with a simple offer any sports bettor can appreciate — a $5 free bet for new and existing customers.

Here’s everything you need to know about FOX Bet’s free Super Bowl 56 bet.

How to claim a $5 free bet from FOX Bet

Claim FOX Bet’s Super Bowl promo here if you are located in Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania. If you are registering an account with FOX Bet for the first time, be prepared to share some personal information and confirm your location before gaining access to the free wager. 

Here are the details:

  • You do not need to …

Super Bowl 57 Bet Now, Bet Later: Hop On the Total But Hold Out for Philly

Super Bowl betting is a weird and wild two-week wait until the Big Game, with the odds analyzed and over-analyzed by just about every bettor with a dollar to burn. The most important action, however, shows up in the first few hours after the Super Bowl odds hit the board.

If we look at the past 15 Big Games, the early action and initial line move has been on the right side of the Super Bowl odds in 11 of those contests. So pay close attention to the opening spread and where that bad boy moves first.

If you’re looking to take the fight to the bookies for one last time this football season, make sure you get the best odds for your opinion on either the Eagles or Chiefs. Here are the Super Bowl odds to bet now, and the odds to bet later.