Chelsea’s Torres joins AC Milan on two-year loan
London: Chelsea striker Fernando Torres will join AC Milan on a two-year loan. “Chelsea Football Club and AC Milan have agreed terms for the two-year loan deal of Fernando Torres to the Italian club. The move is now subject to Fernando agreeing personal terms with AC Milan and passing a medical examination,” a Chelsea statement said Friday. The ex-Liverpool and Atletico Madrid forward joined Chelsea for a then-British record of 50 million pounds in January 2011. He scored 20 goals in 110 league matches, a far cry from his 65 goals in 102 league matches for Liverpool. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said earlier: “If he wants to leave, it’s because he wants to try a new life, a new club, probably a new league.”
Cricket fans to play alongside Bolt in his maiden India visit
Bangalore: Superstar sprinter Usain Bolt will play a four-over cricket match against a team led by Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh in his maiden visit to India on September 2 here. The interesting aspect of the game will be that seven players have been picked from among cricket fans through a contest in the social media to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience to rub shoulders with Bolt. Bolt and Yuvraj will each lead a team in the seven a side cricket face-off at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Two other Indian cricketers — pacer Zaheer Khan and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh — will also take part in the contest to be held between 4pm to 5pm. Team Bolt will have his school days friend and personal assistant Nugent Walker Jr and Harbhajan. Team Yuvraj will have Zaheer Khan while both teams will have a specialist wicketkeeper, a release said. “To be hosted by former cricketer Ajay Jadeja, the game will consist of four overs. In a unique format, Bolt and Yuvi both will be present on the pitch to bat throughout their respective over. Four runs will be deducted every time a player gets out,” the release said. (PTI)
Liverpool defender Agger returns to Brondby
COPENHAGEN: Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has returned to Danish side Brondby, the club where he started his career, for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League club said on Saturday. The 29-year-old, who won the double in Denmark with Brondby in 2005, became the country’s most expensive export when Liverpool paid a reported six million pounds for him in 2006. The tough-tackling defender has been dogged by a series of persistent injuries over the last year and with the arrival of Dejan Lovren from Southampton during the close season, Agger has slipped down the pecking order at Anfield. “The opportunity arose for me to return home to Brondby and at this stage of my career it felt like the right decision for me,” Agger told www.liverpoolfc.com. “I wouldn’t leave here to go anywhere else and that has been proven by my actions in recent seasons – I have turned down many offers to move to other Premier League and European clubs.” Agger has been capped 64 times by Denmark and twice been named Danish footballer of the year, in 2007 and 2012. (Reuters)
Ronaldo deemed unfit to play Euro 2016 qualifier
Lisbon: Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been deemed unfit to play in the Euro 2016 qualifier against Albania in September. The 29-year-old, named EUFA’s player of the year for 2013-14 Thursday, is “not in good physical condition”, Portuguese coach Paulo Bento said Friday, reports Xinhua. Asked about the fact that Ronaldo had competed in Real Madrid up to now, Bento said: “I am not in charge of what Real Madrid does. I am only in charge of the technical management of the national team. What I have is information by the medical department of the team that the player is not in conditions to compete.” Last week Ronaldo was dropped to the bench in the Spanish Super Cup second leg against Atletico Madrid after suffering a hamstring problem. Portugal face Albania Sep 7 in Aveiro in Portugal.(PTI)