£4M to Stay Away From Rivals That's What Man Utd Paid Jose Mourinho

EFT Report, London: English club Manchester United, who have missed out on a top-four spot for the second time in three seasons, reportedly paid former Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho a staggering £4million not to take a job elsewhere. The said agreement happened midway through the season as Manchester United deliberate upon Louis van Gaal’s future at Old Trafford.

Despite winning the FA Cup on Saturday, Louis van Gaal will be leaving Old Trafford after a torrid two season spell that saw him spent over £250million on new players. It was an open secret that United’s players had become disillusioned with Van Gaal’s training methods and tactics, frustrated with his rigid way of thinking and unwillingness to change. This season United managed just 49 goals in the Premier League, their lowest goal tally in 26 years and finished 15 points behind champions Leicester City.

LvG and Mourinho

According to reports, Jose Mourinho will be on a £75million five-year deal and he will have £200million in his kitty to spend on new players as United plot a route back to the top of the English game. 

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CL: Saul Niguez Wonder Strike in Atletico 1-0 Win Over Bayern

EFT Report, Vicente Calderon: Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez scored arguably the goal of the season eleven minutes into the match gliding past four well-oiled Bayern defenders before curling the ball into the corner leaving the world best goal custodian Manuel Neuer high and dry, after that wonder of a strike Bayern never recovered. Diego Simeone’s Atletico defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in their first leg Champions League semi-final encounter at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday.

Atletico Beat Bayern 1-0 at Vincente Calderon 

Atletico Madrid started the match full of confidence as expected after despatching Barcelona in the previous round. Atletico could have sealed the match and gone 2-0 up in the 30th minute when Antoine Griezmann, the hero of Barcelona match, broke free of the German defence only for defender Javi Martinez to rattle the Frenchman as he shaped to shoot, Neuer pulling off a save at the near post. Pep Guardiola’s Bayern started without Franck Ribery, Mario Gotze and Thomas Muller, who together had scored more goals in the Champions League this season than Atletico.

The semi-final return-leg will be played at Allianz Arena, Munich on May 3. This first-leg match at Vicente Calderon is a stern warning to Pep Guardiola that a daunting task awaits his men at the Allianz Arena next week.

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CL: Madrid Held to a Goalless Draw by City at Etihad

EFT Report, Manchester: Zinedine Zidane’s Madrid and Manuel Pellegrini's City played out one of the most dullest Champions League semis of recent times at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, as Los Blancos were held to a 0-0 draw by Manchester City in their first leg encounter. With no Cristiano Ronaldo, due to a thigh problem, in the starting eleven for the 10 time European Champions, Madrid clearly lacked the finishing touch. The Portuguese superstar have 16 Champions League goals to his credit this season.

Madrid Held to a Goalless Draw by City

The opening 45 minutes saw both sides struggle to create chances with City enjoying more of the possession. Benzema had the best opening in the final minute of the half, but the France international blazed his effort over Hart's goal. City playmaker David Silva limped off before the half after appearing to tweak a hamstring, he is likely to miss the return leg. Benzema, a pre-match doubt with a knee problem, was replaced at half-time by Jese. Sergio Aguero was a no-show with Ramos and Pepe not giving an inch to the Argentine through-out the 90 minute play. Casemiro and Pepe were both denied a late winner by Hart's heroics as it ended all squad at the Etihad.

The second leg of the Champions League semi-final takes place at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, May 4 with everything to play for.

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International walking festival in China on Dec. 26

EFT Report, Beijing: An international walking festival will be held on December 26 in Xiamen city in China's Fujian province, organisers announced on Thursday.

China's freestyle skiing world champion Guo Dandan and swimming world champion Zhao Jing were named the official brand ambassadors to promote nationwide the fitness programme, Xinhua news agency reported.

The festival, which will feature 30 km professional group walking, 15 km amateur group walking and 5 km family group walking, will attract about 10,000 walkers from China and all across the globe, including a number of Olympic champions, the organisers added.

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David Beckham is 2015's sexiest man alive

EFT Report, London: Global football star David Beckham of Britain was on Wednesday named this year's "Sexiest Man Alive" by People's magazine.

British heartthrob and former Real Madrid midfielder said it was a huge honour and he was pleased to accept it.

"It's a huge honour. And I'm very pleased to accept," Beckham was quoted as saying by the magazine.

The football icon and a dad of four said he isn't sure he's even deserving of the mantle.

"I never feel that I'm an attractive, sexy person. I mean I like to wear nice clothes and nice suits and look and feel good, but I don't ever think of myself that way," he said.

When the 41-year-old shared the news with his wife, Victoria Beckham, she was totally on-board.

"I would hope that she (Victoria) feels this way about me all the time anyway!" he said with a shy smile.

"But she said, 'Congratulations!'"

"We kind of laughed about it with the boys and the boys kind of laughed at me and said, 'Really?! Sexiest man alive? Really?'", the former England national team captain said.

Father of Brooklyn, 16, Romeo, 12, Cruz, 10, and Harper, 4, Beckham said he's getting the most teased from his eldest, "Brooklyn was the one who was like, 'Are you sure it's not me that's meant to be there today?'".

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New Zealand rugby great Lomu dies at 40

EFT Report, Auckland: New Zealand rugby legend Jonah Lomu died aged 40 here on Wednesday.

Lomu played 63 Test matches for the All Blacks in a celebrated career from 1994 through to 2002.

He burst onto the global stage at the 1995 Rugby World Cup when he scored seven tries in four matches, including four tries in the semi-final against England.

He had been diagnosed with a rare and serious kidney condition by 1996.

It forced him to quit the game and he had a kidney transplant in 2004, but the organ stopped functioning in 2011.

"We’re all shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden death of Jonah. We’re lost for words and our heartfelt sympathies go out to Jonah’s family. Jonah was a legend of our game and loved by his many fans both here and around the world," said New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew in a statement.

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Maradona undergoes second bypass surgery

EFT Report, Maracaibo: Football legend Diego Maradona underwent a second gastric bypass operation here after his doctor warned that the 55-year-old is 75 kg over his ideal weight.

Maradona had his first gastric bypass 10 years ago, but has since gained weight and developed complications.

"He (Maradona) told me he was feeling fine, that he wasn't in any pain," the 1986 World Cup champion's doctor Carlos Felipe Chaux was quoted as saying by BBC.

He will stay in the city for at least eight days before travelling to the capital Caracas to complete his recovery.

Maradona led Argentina to World Cup triumph in 1986 with a series of virtuoso performances, before finishing as runners-up four years later.

Apart from his weight problems, he has also struggled with obesity and alcohol addiction.

The football legend travelled to England to support Argentina in the Rugby World Cup last month, cheering on the Pumas in their pool match against Tonga in Leicester and semi-final defeat by Australia at Twickenham.

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FIFA bans Nepal, Laos football chiefs for corruption

EFT Report, Zurich: FIFA on Monday banned the Nepal football chief for 10 years and the president of the Laos federation for two years for corruption.

All-Nepal Football Association president Ganesh Thapa was implicated in bribery at elections to choose Asian delegates on the world football governing body's executive committee, reports Xinhua.

Thapa "committed various acts of misconduct over several years, including the solicitation and acceptance of cash payments from another football official, for both personal and family gain", according to a FIFA statement.

On top of the ban, he was fined 20,000 Swiss francs ($19,850) by the ethics committee's adjudicatory chamber.

In another case, Laos Football Federation president Viphet Sihachakr was suspended from soccer for two years by FIFA's ethics committee. 

Sihachakr was found to have sought and accepted a payment from another official relating to the 2011 election for a place on FIFA's executive committee. He was fined 40,000 Swiss francs ($39,700).

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Rooney slaps WWE wrestler Barrett

EFT Report, Manchester: Manchester United and England skipper Wayne Rooney slapped World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestler Wade Barrett for trying to humiliate him.

Rooney, along with United assistant manager Ryan Giggs and former team-mate Darren Fletcher, attended the wrestling "Raw" at the Manchester Arena on Monday.

"In this ring are two men who can easily be described as championship material. Which, of course, is more than can be said of Wayne Rooney and Manchester United," Barrett was quoted as saying by Daily Mail, while standing in the ring, on Monday.

Rooney was seated in the front row with his son Kai when the Lancashire-born Barrett uttered those comments, which didn't go down well with the 30-year-old fotballer.

Barrett continued to insult Rooney and even made reference to Rooney's eldest son.

"I'd hate for your little boy to sit there and watch his own father fail. Because let's face it, he gets to experience that every single time you step on a football pitch," Barrett said.

It was enough for Rooney to rise from his chair and challenge the Barrett to a fight. Moments later the pair came to blows with Rooney landing a slap across the former bare-knuckle boxer's face.

The blow left Barrett sprawling on the floor. The incident is believed to be scripted.

"I'm heading to Old Trafford early tomorrow morning. I hope @WayneRooney has the guts to meet me there," Barrett later tweeted on Monday.

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Bayern Munich beat Amateur 6-1 to clinch Paulaner Cup

EFT Report, Regensburg: Bayern Munich swept the Paulaner Dream Team 6-1 in front of 12,200 spectators at the Continental Arena here.

Josep Guardiola's men showed no mercy with the amateur team composed of thirty players from China, Europa and the United States that were cast to be part of Paulaner's Dream Team on Monday.

The relentless German record champions scored four first-half goals to put the game beyond doubt before the break. Meanwhile, the Paulaner Dream Team were only able to score their consolation goal thanks to the converted penalty by Peter Maier.

Bayern Munich took the reins from the kick-off and pressed Paulaner's Dream Team into defence. It was thus just a matter of time before the Bundesliga front-runners would break the deadlock.

After a number of promising opportunities Bayern captain Philipp Lahm finally slotted home into the far post corner to break the deadlock with 16 minutes into the game.

Bayern gained momentum and tripled the lead thanks to Patrick Weihrauch's brace (28th and 37th minute) before Karl-Heinz Lappe got his name on the scoreboard on the 39th, establishing a four-goal lead before the break. 

After the restart, Marcel Reimann scored an own goal to extend Bayern's lead to 5-0 at the 56th minute. Nevertheless, Paulaner's Dream Team were able to reduce the arrears following a handball penalty as Peter Maier stepped up to beat Bayern custodian Tom Starke into the bottom left with 75 minutes played.

It was a short lived joy as Bayern restored their five-goal lead only three minutes later as Lucas Scholl rounded off the 6-1 victory over Paulaner's Dream Team. It was a decent result for the amateur team considering that Guardiola's man humiliated Arsenal 5-1 and Wolfsburg 4-0 only recently.

"It was great. It was important that the amateur team had fun today. On top of that, they got an insight of the level of a Bundesliga team," Philipp Lahm said after the Paulaner Cup.

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Rahane promoted, Raina demoted in new BCCI contracts

EFT Report, Mumbai: Struggling middle-order batsman Suresh Raina was downgraded to Grade B in the new Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) centrally contracted players for year 2015-16, while batsman Ajinkya Rahane was rewarded for his recent performance with promotion to Grade A on Monday.

Left-handed Raina was in Grade A in 2014-15 year but was demoted to Grade B due to poor form. The Uttar Pradesh player has not been picked for the Test squad recently and has also performed poorly.

On the other hand, limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Test captain Virat Kohli, star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin continued their stay in the Grade A and will receive Rs.1 crore annually.

Players in Grade B are Ambati Rayudu, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Mohammad Shami who will receive Rs.50 lakh a year.

Grade C players are Amit Mishra, Axar Patel, Stuart Binny, Wriddhiman Saha, Mohit Sharma, Varun Aaron, Karn Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, K.L. Rahul, Dhawal Kulkarni, Harbhajan Singh, Sreenath Arvind who will receive Rs.25 lakh.

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said India women cricketers were brought under contract for the first time and will be divided into two grades A and B with salary of Rs.15 lakh and Rs.10 lakh annually.

"I am happy to announce that India women cricketers were brought under contract for the first time and will be divided into two grades," Thakur said here.

In Grade A, senior players Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur, M.D. Thirushkamini were named.

In Grade B, Smriti Mandana, Rajeswari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bist, Veda Krishnamurthy, Niranjana Nagarajan, Poonam Raut were named.

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BCCI prez Manohar to replace Srinivasan as ICC chairman

EFT Report, Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday decided to appoint its president Shashank Manohar as the new chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) after removing N. Srinivasan for the rest of the term.

Srinivasan, who was elected for a two-year term, was scheduled to head the ICC till June 2016. The decision to replace him with Manohar was taken at the board's Annual General Meeting (AGM) here on Monday. Srinivasan's position as the president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) is also under the scanner.

"BCCI's representative to ICC will be Manohar. He will take over as the ICC chairman. All members of the BCCI are unanimous to the decision taken and will work transparent in the upcoming days. Everybody in the meeting spoke about clean and clear work in the board," BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said.

Manohar said that to look into the complaints regarding conflict of interest, former Chief Justice of India A.P. Shah has been appointed.

"IPL governing council is headed by Rajeev Shukla and other members are Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ajay Shirke, M.P. Pandove and Sourav Ganguly. With regard to conflict of interest, an imbursement has been appointment by the board and former Chief Justice of India A.P. Shah will look into the complaints if any," Manohar said.

"So, whatever I had said after my appointment a month before, that we would clean up the systems and would try to run the board in transparent manner, we have done what we could and other things will be put in place in a short while from now."

Srinivasan, whose company India Cements owned Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), ran into trouble due to a series of controversies over bribery and spot fixing in the IPL as he was charged with conflict of interest by the Supreme Court.

The former BCCI president's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan -- the team principal of CSK -- was indicted for being involved in betting and spot fixing. He was banned for life from all cricket related activities.

The Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha Committee also suspended CSK and Rajasthan Royals from the IPL for two years.

The BCCI president mentioned there will be 12 Tests conducted at home in 2016, adding that Pune, Vizag, Ranchi, Rajkot, Indore and Dharmasala were the six venues which were given Test status.

"There will be 12 Tests played at home in the next year and Pune, Vizag, Ranchi, Indore, Rajkot and Dharmasala are the six venues which have been given Test status. As these stadiums have all the facilities to conduct a Test match, so we have given the Test status to them," Manohar said.

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Real Madrid backs 'innocent' Benzema over blackmail case

EFT Report, Johannesburg: Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has offered support to Karim Benzema over the allegations of attempting to blackmail his fellow teammate with a sex tape, saying that the under-fire striker was completely 'innocent' and that the club have full faith on him.

The statement issued by Real further stated that the club values and recognizes the professional commitment by Benzema, adding that the 27-year old had shown the impeccable attitude towards his side for more than six seasons.

According to Sport24, Benzema, who was released by French prosecutors, admitted during the investigation that he had blackmailed his friend Mathieu Valbuena about the sex tape in order to extort money.

However, Benzema's lawyer has denied all the allegations, saying that his client was innocent and that he had not admitted anything.

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Warne, Sachin to ring NY Stock Exchange opening bell

EFT Report, New York: Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar and legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange today, becoming the first cricketers to perform the ceremonial activity at the world's largest stock exchange.

Tendulkar and Warne are in the US as captains of an inaugural all-star line-up of 28 cricket legends from across the world for the first ever 'Cricket All Stars' series in the US.

Tendulkar and Warne will visit the stock exchange to highlight the inaugural cricket series which will take place in New York, Houston and Los Angeles. They will ring the opening bell at 9:30m New York time that will mark the start of the trading day.

The historic tour marks the first time Tendulkar and Warne will play on US soil.

The 'Cricket All-Stars' kicks off on November 7 at Citi Field in New York City with a special opening ceremony prior to the match as well as other functions and galas.

The second match will be on November 11 in Houston and the final match in the series will be on November 14 in Los Angeles, followed by a special trophy presentation to the winning team.

In the past, several Indian dignitaries, including political leaders and businessmen, have rung the opening and closing bell at the stock exchange and at NASDAQ.

Given that cricket is not a popular sport in America, it is the first time that cricketers will ring the ceremonial bell at the stock exchange.

Through extensive promotions and media appearances, Tendulkar said the idea behind the series is not only to popularise the game in America but to globalise it as there is need to have more countries play the sport competitively in tournaments like the World Cup.

"The reason for picking up a cricket bat again after retirement is to globalise cricket. That is a dream and vision Warne and I have. One day we would like the American (cricket) team also to participate in the World Cup. It would be a great moment. All cricketers have also been endorsing for having cricket in the Olympics. This is the beginning," Tendulkar told reporters yesterday

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Isner beats Federer at Paris Masters

EFT Report, Paris: John Isner came through a tense third-set tie-break to beat Roger Federer 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-6(5) at the Paris Masters.

The American secured the win on his fourth match point after two hours and 16 minutes on Friday.

Federer went down despite claiming the lone service break of the match, midway through the second set.

The third-seeded Swiss struck 13 aces and saved all six break points faced, but misfired on a forehand to drop the first set and had no answer to Isner's missile serves after that.

Federer, the 2011 Paris champion, lost the initiative in both tie-breaks on Friday. In the first-set tie-break, Isner fired a forehand winner to move ahead 3-1 before serving it out.

In the decider, the American found the critical mini-break by drawing Federer to the net and forcing the Swiss into a backhand overhead miss.

Isner will contest his 10th quarter-final of the season against David Ferrer, who topped Grigor Dimitrov 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4 in two hours and 20 minutes, also on Friday.

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FC Goa beat Chennaiyin FC; top ISL table

EFT Report, Chennai: Leo Moura and Jonatan Lucca fired home from the penalty spot as FC Goa notched up a 2-0 victory over Chennaiyin FC in an Indian Super League (ISL) encounter here on Thursday to jump to the top spot of the points table.

Moura converted a penalty in the 64th minute and Lucca scored in the 74th as Goa took their tally to 14 points from eight matches, one point ahead of second-placed FC Pune City. Chennaiyin on the other hand, suffered the fourth loss of their campaign and are placed fifth with 10 points from eight matches.

To make matters worse for Chennaiyin, their midfielder Harmanjyot Singh Khabra was sent off in the 89th minute, the second time he has been shown the red card in this edition of the ISL.

Chennai had defeated Goa 4-0 in their first leg clash in Panaji and it was not surprising to see the visitors opt for an extra man in defence. The five-man defence made it difficult for Chennaiyin to break them down, although Stiven Mendoza had several chances to open their account.

The best chance for Chennai fell at the feet of Mendoza in the 35th minute. Elano Blumer’s free kick missed all the Goa defenders and fell nicely for Mendoza, but the Colombian striker's right-footed attempt from close range sailed wide of the target.

Goa did not have too many clear chances at the rival goal but Brazilian striker Rafael Coelho, playing for the first time, showed promise. He twice managed to speed his way down the left flank, but did not cross well enough and Thongkhosiem Haokip came close in the 45th minute, but Mehrajuddin Wadoo somehow managed to push the ball out for an abortive corner.

Goa turned things around in the second session with two spot kicks, both of which were converted with ease.

The first was in the 64th minute when a long, hasty clearance by Goa defender Luciano saw Rafael race into the Chennaiyin penalty area only for Mendy to bring the Brazilian striker down. The referee awarded a penalty which Moura converted by sending Karanjit the wrong way.

Goa won the second penalty when Moura pulled a ball back from inside a crowded goalmouth for Rafael whose shot was headed towards goal. But Wadoo blocked it with his knee only for the rebound to strike his own hand. Another penalty and this time and Lucca stepped up to double the visitors' advantage.

Chennaiyin finished the match with 10 men after Khabra, who was playing his first match after serving suspension for a previous red card, was sent off for a tackle on Moura.

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Pak wins Test series against England; climbs to 2nd spot in ICC rankings

EFT Report, Johannesburg: Pakistan spinners displayed a sparkling performance to help their side beat England by 127 runs in the third and the final Test in Sharjah on Thursday and consequently clinched the three-match series 2-0.

Chasing a target of 284 runs, England were bundled out for 156 despite a valiant effort from skipper Alastair Cook (63), Sport24 reported.

Shoaib Malik, who was playing his last Test, claimed three wickets by giving away 26 runs while Yasir Shah chipped in with four wickets.

Zulfiqar Babar and Rahat Ali also shared three wickets between them.

Earlier, Pakistan had won their second Test by 178 runs while the first Test between the two sides ended in a thrilling draw.

With the win, Pakistan have climbed up to the second spot in the ICC Test ranking while England were moved down to sixth rank.

The win also saw Pakistan maintain their unbeaten record at the United Arab Emirates intact. 

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First Test: India takes on SA in Mohali

EFT Report, Mohali: Having won the Twenty20 and One Day International (ODI) series in comprehensive fashion, South Africa will aim to extend their dominance to the longest version of the game when they take on India in the first Test which starts at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium here on Thursday.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for the Indians, as it has been two years since they last played a Test series in their own country. In all likelihood, it will be a difficult task for them if the performances in the limited overs are anything to go by. 

This will be Virat Kohli's first full home series as Test captain and the Delhi lad -- who turns 27 on Thursday -- is sure to face a trial by fire.

The four-match series will be important for India as they will have an opportunity to climb to second position of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test rankings. 

However, climbing to the summit will not be easy for the fifth ranked Indians. Trailing top ranked South Africa by a fraction of a point, the hosts will have to win all four Tests. On the other hand, South Africa will vault to 130 points and India will plummet to 96 points if the visitors win all four Tests.

Unlike the other touring teams to India, the South Africans have not only acclimatised very well but they have not lost their intensity, which can be gauged by the way they played in the T20Is and the ODIs, as well as in the two-day warm-up match against Indian Board President’s XI at Mumbai.

The Indians will be without Ishant Sharma, who is serving a one-match ban for his aggressive approach and repeated confrontations with rival players during the recent tour of Sri Lanka.

The hosts are expected to rely heavily on their spinners with in-form off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin leading the charge. He can expect strong support from the other end from Amit Mishra, who was in good form in the ODIs.

With the Mohali pitch expected to be a spin-friendly one, the Indians may opt for an additional tweaker and Ravindra Jadeja could be a perfect fit for the role. He has been in terrific form, in the ongoing Ranji Trophy and has claimed 38 wickets in three matches for Saurashtra.

Fast bowlers Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron are expected to be the pace combination if Kohli decides to to stick to his stance of playing five bowlers.

On the batting front, India will be spoilt for choices on with Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma in contention for the top order slots.

Given his form in the ODIs Rohit may expect to be called up for the first Test ahead of the in-form Pujara. Ajinkya Rahane, Kohli and Wriddhiman Saha will form the rest of the middle-order.

The Proteas will surely be counted as the favourites for this game after their stellar performances so far on this tour. Their pace attack has the speed and guile to pose difficult questions even on slow lifeless tracks. 

Veteran pacers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have bowled beautifully in Indian conditions and could always be counted upon to deliver the goods in crucial times. 

Young fast bowlers Kasigo Rabada has also done well on his first overseas tour and has quickly adjusted to the conditions. Vernon Philander, on the other hand, has not been handed too many chances so far and would be raring to prove himself.

Leg-spinner Imran Tahir will spearhead the visitors' spin attack with Dane Piedt expected to be the other spinner. 

J.P. Duminy, who bowled well in the ODI's, could also play the role of an extra bowler if declared fit. Duminy is recuperating from an injury to his hand.

His absence means Dean Elgar and Stiaan van Zyl could have to bowl more than usual.

The South African batting looks formidable with AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis in excellent form. Elgar and van Zyl will add more firepower to their batting while Temba Bavuma is expected to come in if Duminy is unable to play.

The only concern for the visitors is the form of their captain Hashim Amla. The stylish right-hander is struggling for runs and is yet to score a half-century on this tour.

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Karim Benzema arrested by French Police in sex-tape blackmail case

EFT Report: Real Madrid and France striker Karim Benzema has been arrested and questioned by the French police over a sex tape blackmail plot against fellow France international Mathieu Valbuena. 

Benzema and Valbuena in Les Bleus colour

Benzema has been placed under formal criminal investigation and is linked with a plot to extort money from Valbuena, Versailles prosecutor says, adding 'We can confirm that he is being questioned over his role in this affair’.

According to sources, their exist a tape, which allegedly show France international Mathieu Valbuena and a girl involved in sex acts and that a gang was asking between £40,000-£75,000 in-exchange of the tape. Last month former Liverpool, Sunderland, and Queens Park Rangers striker Djibril Cisse was arrested over the same plot, but later released without charge.

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CL: City on top with 3-1 thrashing of Sevilla; in knock-out stage

EFT Report: When they are on top of their game, floating through their attacking moves…Manchester City are indeed a beauty to the eyes...... Pellegrini’s Manchester City booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 3-1 win over La Liga side Sevilla, without a doubt their finest performance in Europe till date. Goals by Raheem Sterling, Fernandinho and Wilfried Bony saw City men blow away Europa League holders Sevilla in a dazzling opening 45 minutes at the Estadio Sanchez Pizjuan.

City's Raheem Sterling

With Borussia Monchengladbach drawing with Juventus in the night's other Group D tie, City confirmed their progress into the Champions League’s last-16. City currently top Group D with 9 points followed by Juventus with 8 points.

In another Champions League match played at Old Trafford, Manchester United beat CSKA Moscow 1-0 thanks to a Rooney’s header from close range.

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