WAWRINKA & GASQUET COMPLETE BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS FIELD

The eight-player singles field for the 2013 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is set. Stanislas Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet have clinched the final two berths following Milos Raonic’s third-round loss to Tomas Berdych at the BNP Paribas Masters.

TRIVIA!

Formula 1 - Which type of Formula 1 tyres are used in dry conditions?



- Full thread

- Slicks

- Intermediates

- Low thread

DID YOU KNOW?

A bolt of lightning killed an entire soccer team during a game in 1998!

In October of 1998, a bolt of lightning killed an entire 11-man soccer team from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The opposing team was completely unharmed. Thirty more people had burn injuries.

Some people thought the team had been cursed and that was what caused the lightning to strike them. The game was a draw at 1-1 when the lightning struck the visiting team in the province of Kasai in the eastern region of the DRC.

Eaglets Coach Manu Garca Considers Legal Action Over His Iranian Counterpart

 

Nigeria Under-17 coach Manu Garba has dismissed Iran’s accusation of age-cheating in the 4-1 defeat by the Golden Eaglets at the Fifa Under-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Three-time champions Nigeria were too hot for Iran at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain racking up three goals in the first half en route to a 4-1 win against the Asian side in the Round of 16.

Diego Maradona In Tears As He Curses On Sergio Aguero

Yesterday was Diego Maradona's 53rd birthday and the Argentine legend used the moment to address an issue that has saddened his heart  as he hit out at his former son-in-law, Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero.

Capital 1 Cup Quarter-Finals Draws

Manchester United have been drawn to face Stoke City away from home in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

The final Championship side left in the competition Leicester City have been rewarded with a home tie against Manchester City.

Tottenham will face West Ham in a London derby while Chelsea will travel to Sunderland or Southampton.

Tottenham v West Ham United

Sunderland or Southampton v Chelsea

Stoke City v Manchester United

Leicester City v Manchester City

Ties to be played  December 16th

Federer Makes It Twelve Barclays ATP World Tour Finals In A Row

Roger Federer will look to win the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for a record seventh time after securing his place in the eight-man field at the season finale, to be held at The O2 in London from 4-11 November. The Swiss was guaranteed a place Today after beating African number 1 Kevin Anderson in the BNP Paribas Masters second round in Paris.

Brazil Set to Sue Spain As Costa Renounces Brazilian Heritage

Diego Costa is currently the hottest striker in Europe and probably the most wanted striker in world football - wanted by top European clubs and even, the very best footballing countries in the world want him in their national set-up. The Atletico Madrid striker is eligible to represent the most successful country in the history of football - Brazil by virtue of birth and he can also pitch tent with reigning world champions Spain due to him having a Spanish passport. Its been a Tug of War between the two football powerhouses over Costa, until yesterday when the 25 year old decided to listen to our advice (SEE HERE) by choosing to dance with La Furia Roja over Samba.

The reason Mourinho was parading an Arsenal shirt after Chelsea win

A picture of Jose Mourinho striding around the Emirates clutching an Arsenal shirt after Chelsea's 2-0 Capital One Cup has gone viral on the internet.

According to Reuters, the move wasn't to antagonise the home fans or gloat over Chelsea's London rivals - it was actually for a very different reason.

UEFA Punish CSKA Moscow Over Racist Chants on Yaya Toure

UEFA have ordered CSKA Moscow to partially close their stadium for their next Champions League game following racist chanting aimed at Manchester City's Yaya Toure.

European football's governing body ordered the measure after their disciplinary board met to discuss the allegations that section of the crowd made monkey noises in last week's match between the two teams - an accusation denied by the Russian club (HERE).

WAG OF THE WEEK: Battle Between Caroline Wozniacki and Adaeze Igwe

Part of our mandate on this blog is to let y'all know about the delectable WAGS (Wives And Girlfriends) of your favorite Athletes... Sportunes will be a breeding ground for WAGS as these beautiful women are often scooped up by some of the worlds finest athletes. 

Many vault from being previously unknown to becoming household names as we have seen in Andy Roddick and  Brooklyn Decker. While some probably made the athletes household names like we saw in Kim n Kris. Some 'equally' shine bright like diamonds alongside their athletic spouses like Mr n Mrs Beckham.

US Soccer Star Alex Morgan Dresses as Miley Cyrus for Halloween

The Yankees are in Halloween spirit and our favorite athletes are doing all they can to represent. Alex Morgan a.k.a the hottest soccer player in the world (HERE) did a Miley Cirus for Halloween. The Olympic gold medalist and FIFA world player of the year finalist alongside Fellow US soccer team member Sydney Leroux paid tribute to Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke's scandalous routine during the MTV Video Music Awards.

FEDERER TURNS TABLES ON TWITTER FANS

Roger Federer is doing all he can to keep hold of his fans, with results not favoring him on court, the Swiss legend has found other ways to satisfy #TeamRoger, whom he once described as 'the people that keep him going'. A couple of months ago, after making his twitter debut, the former world number 1 participated in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) Q&A session with his fans, where he answered really personal questions ( SEE HERE).

Ronaldo Blasts Sepp Blatter for mocking him, FIFA Chief Apologises

Sepp Blatter, FIFA’s fearless leader, was caught on video speaking at Oxford University in England last week. In the video the Blatter talks about the two best players on the planet — Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 77-year Blatter labels Messi as a “good boy” and Ronaldo “the other one” with a more expensive hairdresser. He also offers his unique impression of Ronaldo on the field. 

Tears in Villareal as Yellow Submarines Mourn Loss Of 10-Year-Old Youth Player Killed By His Own Father

Achingly tragic news coming out of Spain this afternoon with reports that a member of Villarreal’s youth side has been killed by his own father in what is being described as “an act of domestic violence”.

Jorge Monzonis Sempere was only 10 years old and played with the Spanish side’s ‘Alevin F’ youth academy string.

Emmanuel Frimpong denies race tweet was Arsenal related

Emmanuel Frimpong was reported to have suffered self racism yesterday, When asked on Twitter why he hadn't been picked for Today's carling cup match against Chelsea , The Ghanian replied:

 'Sometimes I wish I was white and English #realtalk.'

World Cup winner Fabien Barthez wins GT Motorsport series

Fabien Barthez has shown he’s just as handy behind the wheel as he was between the posts.

The former Manchester United goalkeeper cracked open the champagne this weekend after being crowned champion of France’s GT Motorsport series.

Barthez and Sofrev ASP team-mate Morgan Moullin-Traffort finished fifth and eight respectively in the last two races of the championship’s concluding weekend at the Paul Ricard circuit near Marseille.

Men’s shortlists for FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 revealed

The 23-man shortlist for the prestigious world player of the year award was announced this morning, with the winner to be unveiled on January 13 in Zurich.

Bale, 24, became the world's most expensive player when he joined Real Madrid from Tottenham for £85.3million in September after scoring 26 goals for Spurs last season.

Wayne Rooney has a Low-Key 28th Birthday

Wayne Rooney is 28 today, and one will expect him to throw a big fest cos of his 'Omo Jaiye Jaiye' status (HERE)... But the United star opted for a low-key celebration at his favorite Chinese restaurant.

Sebastian Vettel Reprimanded and Fined in India

Sebastian Vettel made history in India yesterday by becoming the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to win four consecutive championships (HERE). An overwhelmed Vettel delighted the crowd at the Buddh International Circuit by pulling off a series of doughnuts on the start-finish straight, producing vast clouds of thick, grey smoke and earning himself a standing ovation. A move which the 26 year old said he had to do even though it was a breach of safety regulations;

David Beckham and Son Involved In Car Crash

 

David Beckham had a stroke of bad luck as he was leaving his home Saturday afternoon.

The former soccer player got into a car accident as he pulled out of the driveway of his Beverly Hills home, reportedly crashing into another SUV, according to X17 Online.

SerieA Season 2013/14 Review: Episode 9.

The Italian SerieA keeps getting hotter and stronger with teams battling up for spots making season 2013/14 gaining its shape in thrills, special moments and GOALS!

Inter 4-2 Hellas Verona



Inter finally came back strong after ending a three-game win-less streak by overcoming Hellas Verona 4-2 at the Giuseppe Meazza.

Serena Williams Conquers Li Na in Instabul

Serena Williams ended her best season in suitable style, coming from behind to beat Li Na 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 Today for her second straight WTA Championships title.

Williams collected her 11th title of the year and became the first player to repeat as champion at the season-ending event since Justine Henin in 2007.

Barclays Premier League Wrap

Chelsea 2 1 Manchester City



Chelsea stunned Man City in strange circumstances as Striker Fernando Torres scored in the final minute to give them a dramatic victory at Stamford Bridge. This match was stunning in two senses; the high pulsating game saw the rebirth of El Nino as the striker put up possibly his finest performance in a Chelsea Jersey. Secondly, Manchester City revealed to the world that they are not going to win the EPL title, I mean, with that kind of shambolic defending from Nastastic and Joe Hart, The Citizens are not going to add to the premier league title they won two years ago, atleast not any time soon.

Martin Del Potro Defeats Roger Federer on home soil, Mikhail Youzhny also upsets David Ferrer in his own backyard

Juan Martin del Potro picked up his fourth title at an ATP World Tour 500 tournament this year after he retained the Swiss Indoors Basel crown Today.

Top seed del Potro beat third seed and five-time former champion Roger Federer 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-4 in a repeat of last year’s final. The high-quality championship match lasted two hours and 21 minutes.

Funny EPL memories from the Weekend.. GIF

Take a bow for Lovren, after receiving a smack in his Arse from Fulham's Amorebieta, He just stood up and continued playing as if nothing happened.



When Ramsey was smashing the flag, he must have been thinking - 'like seriously, is this why i'm here?'..lol

Sebastian Vettel wins FOURTH Championship in Grand Style

Its Official, Sebastian Vettel is the fastest/best driver in the world, this title was conferred on him as he cruised to his sixth consecutive victory of the season in the Indian Grand Prix. The result means, regardless of what happens in the remaining three races of the season, the German will drive away with his fourth consecutive championship.

Forca Tito! Barcelona pay ElClasico Tribute to Tito Vilanova

Barcelona promised to pay an Elclasico tribute to their immediate past coach Tito Vilanova who is fighting cancer. The plan was for some section of the 98 thousand fans in the Camp Nou to hold aloft coloured cards to turn the stadium into a giant mosaic set against a message that will read ‘Forca Tito!’ , as shown above.

Barclays Premier League Review

Crystal Palace 0 2 Arsenal



Coming back from a champions league mid-week defeat against Dortmund, Arsenal got back to winning ways as they cruised past managerless Crystal Palace two goals to nil @ Selhurst park. Arsenal once again started with FIVE midfielders and at a point in the game the possession stats read 70% to the gunners, but they failed to work the Palace goalie Julian Speroni in the first half. All the gunners did was hold on to the ball and if they recognised any opening in the palace defence, they will try and explore.. but the Palace defence was water tight. Am an advocate of the passing game, but that tiki-taka game has to be progressive, you need to flirt with your opponents in the final third, Wenger obviously read my mind when he was giving the team talks during half time as his men came out all attack in the second half.

MATCH REPORT EL CLASICO: BARCELONA 2 REAL MADRID 1

The first Clasico of the season was met with much anticipation around the world with over 200 countries watching the showpiece event. Tata Martino named a realtively unchanged side that faced AC Milan midweek while Carlo Ancellotti drafted in Daniel Carvajal, Rapheal Varane and most expensive player Gareth Bale into the starting eleven. Sergio Ramos was deployed in a holding midfield role alongside Sami Khedira with Luka Modric pulling the strings in midfield.

Dominant Vettel storms to pole position in India

Sebastian Vettel was a class apart as he took pole position for the Indian Grand Prix at Buddh International Circuit in New Delhi.

Vettel's time of 1:24.119 put him over three quarters of a second clear of next-quickest Nico Rosberg.

Lewis Hamilton qualified third, while Mark Webber - on the harder, medium compound tyre - was fourth.

Fernando Alonso, who needs a second place finish to force Vettel to wait for the title should the Red Bull star win Sunday's race, also gambled on the medium tyre but could only qualify eighth.

The new Bombs Behind ELCLASICO

The Japanese in recent years have been the go to country for clubs in Europe seeking fresh, exciting talent. The Asian country have produced the likes of Hidetoshi Nakata, Shinshuke Nakamura and Kengo Nakamura while more recently Shinji Kagawa, Yuto Nagatomo and Keisuke Honda have all emerged from the hugely talented pool of players in the J- League. So when Barcelona snapped up wonderkid Takefusa Kubo,the 12 year old described as the 'new' Messi of Japan, Real Madrid were not to be left behind. In a move seemed almost competitive, the Los Merengues recently signed 9 year old Takuhiro Nakai. Sportunes presents a profile on these two geniuses on the block.

TAKUHIRO NAKAI

JAIYE JAIYE ATHLETES: USAIN BOLT

Thank God Its Friday!! Ordinarily all workers should call it a week, but that's not so for most of our professional athletes as this is actually the beginning of their week. All through weekends they are found running up and down the length of fields, Swinging golf balls, Dunking those baskets, going on some tennis rallies, Driving all over the race circuits.... After the final whistle blows, they go to the Bank to cash their cheques and they start doing things ordinary men dont do.

From week to week Sportunes will be bringing you the 'Jaiye Jaiye' of our Sport.

Bill Gates Wants Real Madrid to Play at the 'Santiago Bernabeu Microsoft'

Real Madrid are already the most valuable sports team and team brand in the world. But a a deal with Microsoft could make Spanish soccer team much, much richer if a report in a Spanish newspaper is accurate.

El Confidential is reporting that Microsoft chairman Bill Gates is negotiating to attach the name of the technology company to Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid’s home pitch. Such a deal could be worth several million dollars a year given recent other sponsorship agreements for soccer teams that like Real Madrid are global brands.

Diego Costa's Split Nationality Disorder: Reasons he should play for Spain.

Diego Costa is the hottest player in Europe right now

If there is one player right now who is supremely on fire in Europe, its non other than Atletico Madrid's burly striker, Diego Costa. The Brazilian (also Spanish) has made the Rojiblancos faithful forget the painful departure of goal machine Radamel Falcao with consistent scoring and a bullish attitude to boot. He has so far scored 10 La Liga goals and 2 in the Ucl, a rather a decent goal tally. While he may be temperamental, there is no doubting his obvious talent and surprise surprise clubs are already circling around the Vicente Calderon, looking to grab the hottest striker in Europe. For Costa however that will be the least of his problems as he just signed a new deal that will tie him to the club till 2018. The biggest issue on his mind is the tug of war between Brazil and Spain, both of whom Costa can represent. For me its easy. He should pick Spain.

San Antonio Spurs Introduce New Camo Uniform

The San Antonio Spurs have unveiled a new camouflage uniform for the upcoming season.

The green, olive, and sand-colored uniforms will be worn twice during the season, including November 13 against the Wizards.

According to the Spurs, more than 300,000 active and retired military and government workers live in San Antonio and the uniforms are designed in recognition of the city's strong military ties.

Boxing: Vitali Klitschko For President!

 

Ukrainian WBC heavyweight boxing champion,Vitali Klitschko, has confirmed he will run in his Country's 2015 presidential election.

He made this announcement in response to a bill passed in parliament that bars candidates who have lived outside Ukraine during the past 10 years.

The pro-Western Udar party MP has permanent resident status in Germany.

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

The Comeback Player of the Year recognises those players who have overcome serious injuries in re-establishing themselves as one of the top players on the ATP World Tour. The winner, as selected by the players, will be announced during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

This year’s nominees are (Year-end 2012 Ranking and 14 October 2013 Ranking):

Somdev Devvarman (656-90)
Rafael Nadal (4-1)
Tommy Robredo (115-19)
Dmitry Tursunov (125-39)

Jose Mourinho fined but not banned over Cardiff touchline outburst

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been fined £8,000 after admitting a breach of Football Association rules during last weekend's clash with Cardiff.

Mourinho was sent to the stands with about 20 minutes left of the match, which ended in a 4-1 victory for his side.

The Portuguese lost his temper with referee Anthony Taylor when he asked Branislav Ivanovic to speed up taking a throw-in, having seen Cardiff get away with time-wasting earlier in the game.

Barcelona ready to pay Vilanova an incredible tribute

Barcelona are set to pay an incredible tribute to former boss Tito Vilanova ahead of their El Clasico clash against Real Madrid this weekend.

Vilanova, a key figure in the club’s most successful period, had to step down as manager over the summer to concentrate on his battle with throat cancer.

The 45-year-old has been battling the disease since shortly after he was promoted from assistant coach to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of the 2011-12 season.

BERDYCH QUALIFIES FOR 2013 BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS

Tomas Berdych will make his fourth straight appearance at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals after becoming the latest player to qualify for the season finale, to be held at The O2 in London from 4-11 November. Following the first round results at the Swiss Indoors Basel, the Czech is guaranteed his spot among the Top 8.

French football clubs to strike over 75 percent tax

The biggest football clubs in France are far from happy with the prospect of having to pay a 75 percent tax on the salaries of their millionaire players and on Thursday announced they will go on strike.

The UCPF (Union of Professional Football Clubs), comprising France’s top two divisions, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, had previously threatened industrial action against the ‘super-tax.’

The announcement came after the UCPF met today to finalize what form their protest will take, with France’s National Assembly scheduled to debate the new tax this week.

Formula 1: Indian Grand Prix could be cancelled

This weekend’s Indian grand prix could be cancelled at the high court over unpaid entertainment taxes.

The race is considered an “Entertainment” in India and not a sport which means it has to pay a special “entertainment tax”
The petition will be heard in court on Friday and if the tax bill isn’t paid could see this weekend’s Indian grand prix cancelled.

The Indian grand prix has already been dropped from the 2014 calendar.

Yaya Toure speaks with Strength and Class after Racism ROW

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was subjected to noises that sounded like monkey chants as his side faced CSKA Moscow in Russia yesterday. We all know Moscow is the World capital of racism, last year shortly after his move to the Russian premier league, fans of Lokomotiv Moscow welcomed Congolese International Christopher Samba with bananas.

TRIVIA?

Which club is the only club to have played in an European Cup/Uefa Champions League final despite never winning a domestic league?

- Bayer Leverkusen
- Monaco
- Nottingham Forest F.C.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Tahitian league is the only top division in the world that awards points to the losing side. Contested by 11 teams, the Tahitian Super Ligue Mana offers four points for a win, two for a draw and one for a defeat.

The FA director Charles Ariitoma explained the logic behind the system to ESPN Brazil:

“We just don’t want anyone to be sad. With this system, even if a team loses every game, they won’t be on zero points at the end of the season. Football, first of all is joy.

“Since we adopted the new system, the games have gained more intensity. This has improved our football and also our national team.”

Apparently the only way a team can end the day with zero points in the bag is if they don’t turn up.

Ian Holloway Leaves Crystal Palace ‘By Mutual Consent’, Tony Pulis Hot Favourite To Take Over

When Crystal Palace called a press conference for half-past five this afternoon, the entire footballing world was fairly sure what their big announcement was going to be and, sure enough, word has broken that Ian Holloway has been relieved of his duties at Selhurst Park with the club second-bottom of the Premier League.

WAG OF THE WEEK : Sylvie Meis Van Der Vaart

 Part of our mandate on this blog is to let y'all know about the delectable WAGS (Wives And Girlfriends) of your favorite Athletes... Sportunes will be a breeding ground for WAGS as these beautiful women have become part and parcel of an athlete's life.

Uefa Champions League Matchday 3 Review

European clubs returned to top flight football mid-week play as the Champions league returned after the international break with world cup qualifiers. A night filled with sour grapes for hosts, to blue haven for visiting teams; Sportunes brings to you how the events went down on match day 3 of season 2013/14 Champions League...

AC MILAN 1-1 BARCELONA

ALEX FERGUSON - MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY: The best bits

Finally, the most anticipated book in a while is out and as expected, the ALEX FERGUSON autobiography was always going to unwind some behind the scene incidents in which most of us never knew about, sit back, relax and enjoy the best bits of the hottest book on earth right now.

Jose Mourinho: 'Samuel Eto'o did an intelligent action'

We all saw the injustice that happened in Stamford Bridge over the weekend, well if you missed it, Sportunes is reliving it with the above and below GIFS.

KASAMI JUST SCORED THE GOAL OF THE SEASON

After giving up an early goal to Crystal Palace, Fulham quickly responded with one of the more beautiful goals you will ever see.

Streaking towards the right side of the penalty area, Midfielder Pajtim Kasami played a long pass of his chest, never let the ball hit the ground and then struck a no-look goal from a very difficult angle, possibly catching the keeper unprepared to react in time. It was a little lucky, but it was also perfectly executed and still incredible...