Emiliano Sala: Flight organiser jailed for 18 months

David Henderson, the organiser of the flight responsible for the deaths of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson, has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

Henderson, 67, was last month found guilty of endangering the safety of an aircraft.

Sala was on his way to Cardiff City on January 21, 2019, after signing from Ligue 1 club Nantes for £15million (€20m) when his plane came down over the English Channel, killing the striker, 28, and the pilot, Ibbotson, 59.

The court was previously told Henderson arranged the flight with football agent William McKay and asked Mr Ibbotson to fly the plane as he was in Paris on holiday.

Mr Ibbotson – who did not hold a commercial pilot s licence – was not qualified to fly at night and his rating to fly the single-en…

China 1-1 Australia: Wu Lei penalty denies Socceroos

Australia were forced to settle for a point in their World Cup qualifier against China after a 1-1 draw in the UAE.

After winning 11 games in a row, including a 3-0 victory against China in the reverse fixture in September, the Socceroos are now winless in three – their worst such run since June 2018.

Australia led in this match, though, following a quiet start, as Martin Boyle s cross was headed in emphatically by Mitch Duke seven minutes before the break.

Despite creating little for the first hour, China were level on 70 minutes when James Jeggo was adjudged by a VAR review to have handled in the penalty area, allowing Wu Lei to send Mat Ryan the wrong way from the spot.

Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing stages, but neither came …

Rakitic set for new Barcelona deal

According to a recent report from AS, Ivan Rakitic will not be leaving Barcelona during the summer transfer window as many had initially though. The Croatian midfielder is believed to be a big target for Manchester United, although Ernesto Valverde is incredibly eager to keep him on the books at the Nou Camp. Rakitic has been with Barca since back in 2014 when he joined from fellow La Liga club Sevilla, where he had spent the previous three years of his career. At the age of 31 he seems to be moving into the prime of his career, both with club and country.

Barcelona are currently on a great run of form in all competitions, with many tipping them as the favourites to win the UEFA Champions League this season.

Rakitic has been a huge part of that midfield consistency in L…

Vinicius has no plans to leave Real Madrid as he sets sights on Ballon d´Or

Vinicius Junior insisted he wants to stay with Real Madrid when asked to put a price tag on his potential worth amid an excellent run of form.

The Brazil international is into his fourth season with LaLiga s leaders and has formed a fruitful partnership with Karim Benzema this campaign to put Madrid eight points clear after 16 games.

The pair rank as the joint-best attacking duo across Europe s top five leagues this term with 22 goals between them, the same amount as Bayern Munich s Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry combined.

Indeed, Vinicius has netted 10 times in 16 top-flight appearances so far, becoming the first player born in 2000 or later to reach double figures for goals in a single LaLiga season.

The former Flamengo attacker was asked to valu…

Pereira replaces Villas-Boas at Shanghai SIPG

Vitor Pereira will succeed Andre Villas-Boas as head coach at Shanghai SIPG, the club announced on Tuesday.

The former Olympiacos boss had been out of work since leaving 1860 Munich in June and replaces Villas-Boas – who quit to take part in next year s Dakar Rally – at the helm, just as he did at Porto in 2011 having worked as his assistant.

Pereira will be hoping to emulate his achievements at Porto, where he won back-to-back Primeira Liga titles. He also oversaw a domestic double during six months at Olympiacos.

Shanghai SIPG are delighted to announce Vitor Pereira as the club s new head coach, read a statement.

Pereira is renowned for having an eye for developing young players, which is tallied with our club s high regard for youth developmen…

Yalcouye becomes Hurzeler´s fifth signing at Brighton

Brighton have confirmed the signing of 18-year-old midfielder Malick Yalcouye from Swedish side IFK Goteborg.

Yalcouye joins the Seagulls on a five-year contract, arriving at the AMEX Stadium for a reported £6million fee.

The teenager, who holds dual nationality with Mali and Ivory Coast, joined Goteborg last year after making his debut in the African Champions League for ASEC Mimosas.

He made 11 appearances in the Swedish Allsvenskan, making his debut in February and scoring his first goal six games later against IF Brommapojkarna.

We’re delighted to confirm the signing of central midfielder Malick Yalcouye from IFK Goteborg on a contract until June 2029.

— Brighton Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC)

He is a talented midfielder with …

Milner still waiting for contract talks amid uncertainty over Liverpool future

James Milner s future at Liverpool is uncertain as the veteran revealed he was still waiting to hear about possible contract talks.

Milner is out of contract at the end of the season and could be set for an exit from Anfield, where he arrived on a free transfer in 2015.

The versatile 33-year-old, who helped Liverpool win the Champions League last season, said he had not heard back from the club regarding a possible new deal.

As it stands, last year we spoke to the club and asked them if they wanted to do something and they said not at that time, Milner told UK media.

We haven t heard anything since, so that s where we are at.

All I can do is concentrate on my football and do what I can, but in terms of where I am with my contract, that s what h…

Quadruple bid tough for Man City – Pellegrini

Manuel Pellegrini warned former club Manchester City of the difficulties they face later in the season in their bid for a quadruple.

City won the EFL Cup on Sunday and are still in contention for the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

Their busy schedule may have already started to take its toll as Fernandinho and Aymeric Laporte suffered injuries in the win over Chelsea.

Pellegrini, who led City to a Premier League title in 2013-14, said it would be tough for Pep Guardiola s men to compete for every trophy.

All is possible in football, he told a news conference as his West Ham side prepare to visit City on Wednesday.

The way that you continue in all the competitions is more difficult, but I said during the first season that I was in c…

Wenger ´amazed´ by questions over Arsenal future

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is not at all concerned about his position and is amazed at the focus on his future.

The Gunners came in for heavy criticism for their performance in last Sunday s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the EFL Cup final at Wembley.

Wenger has a contract until the end of next season but reports in England suggest he could be replaced this year, with Germany boss Joachim Low among those linked with the role.

However, the 68-year-old insists he is only worried about Thursday s Premier League clash with Pep Guardiola s side, having spent much of his two decades at Arsenal dismissing speculation about his job.

My position is my position. Honestly, that s the last worry I have at the moment. My focus is to get the team ready for the ga…