Jose Luis Astiazaran has denied allegations Real Sociedad bought illegal doping products during his presidency between 2001 and 2005.
Astiazaran, now the head of the Spanish football league, came under fire after Inaki Badiola, who had a stint as Sociedad president in 2008, claimed the Basque club had purchased banned substances in the six years before he took over and possibly earlier.
Speaking in an interview with sports daily AS, Badiola said he believed two club doctors had been given money to purchase the doping products from Eufemaniano Fuentes, a doctor who is on trial in Madrid for his involvement in the widespread doping of professional cyclists.
During my period as president of Real Sociedad, I never had knowledge or suspicion of illegal practices in …
Unai Emery says Thursday s Europa Conference League clash with Olympiacos is Aston Villa s biggest challenge of the season.
Villa are 4-2 down after a shock defeat in the first leg of the semi-final tie at Villa Park last week.
While they are pushing for a top-four finish in the Premier League, Emery believes attempting to overturn the deficit in Greece will prove to be Villa s biggest test yet.
This is the challenge tomorrow, the biggest challenge we’re going to face this year, playing in this semi-final, Emery said.
Enjoying the way.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial)
I will find the best performances tomorrow and really be competitive.
Of course, it s going to be very difficult here away because the atmosphere supporting th…
Switzerland should be grateful to disgraced FIFA president Sepp Blatter, while world football s governing body will struggle to replace the Swiss, according to his ex-wife.
Blatter is serving an eight-year ban after FIFA s ethics committee found him guilty of making a disloyal payment to UEFA president Michel Platini in 2011, a verdict handed down last month.
The 79-year-old Blatter, who is appealing the decision, is alleged to have authorised a payment of two million Swiss francs (£1.3million) from FIFA to Platini.
However, Blatter s former wife Graziella Blatter-Bianca has leapt to the defence of the outgoing president, who is set to be replaced in February having led FIFA since 1998.
When Sepp Blatter was suspended for eight years for acts that still…
Crystal Palace are keen on agreeing a six-month loan deal for former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner, .
The Eagles, who have not scored in any of their last five Premier League fixtures are on the lookout for a new striker with Conor Wickham the only one their current selection to have netted this season.
Bendtner has fallen out of favour at Wolfsburg – the side who he joined on a free transfer from Arsenal in the summer of 2014.
Since signing for the Bundesliga side, the twenty-eight-year-old Denmark international has racked up twenty-eight league appearances, scoring just three goals.
He notched up twenty-four Premier League goals for Arsenal while he also managed eight for Sunderland during a season-long loan spell in 2011/12.
Palace …
An emotional Leigh Griffiths paid tribute to Celtic and his team-mates after scoring his first goal since going on an extended leave of absence for mental health problems in December.
Celtic hosted Estonia s Nomme Kalju in the second round of Champions League qualifying on Wednesday and ran out 5-0 winners in the first leg.
Ryan Christie was the star, scoring twice and getting an assist, but Griffths grabbed the headlines with his first-half free-kick.
Griffiths missed the second half of last season after Celtic granted him leave and the striker ranks his goal among his career highlights after a difficult few months.
Words can t describe how good a feeling that was when the ball hit the back of the net, the Scotland forward told Celtic TV. I m absolutel…
Tottenham will finish in the top-four of the Premier League for a third straight season after a narrow 1-0 win over Newcastle on Wednesday night. All Spurs have to do to ensure a spot in the Champions League group stage is to beat Leicester at home in the final game of the season.
Have Spurs really progressed?
Spurs are often praised for their style of play. The north London side does play a good brand of football. They have no doubt progressed in the last four years under boss Mauricio Pochettino.
However, some would say what do Spurs have to show for their efforts this season. They are now a decade without a trophy. The north London club has also not progressed from last season, despite what club insiders say.
Last season Spurs accrued 86 points and finished …
Tottenham have reached an agreement for the loan signing of Giovani Lo Celso, with the club retaining an option to make his move from Real Betis permanent.
Lo Celso becomes Spurs third acquisition of the window, following the signings of Tanguy Ndombele – who completed a £55million move in July – and Jack Clarke, who was immediately loaned back to Leeds United.
Fulham s versatile left-sided teenager Ryan Sessegnon is also thought to have completed his move to White Hart Lane for a reported £30m fee, although that transfer had yet to be officially confirmed.
We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement for the season-long loan signing of Giovani Lo Celso from Real Betis with an option to make the transfer permanent, Spurs said in a statement.…
Thomas Tuchel has challenged Callum Hudson-Odoi to have the same impact from the bench as he does when starting games for Chelsea, though insists there is no issue between the pair.
Hudson-Odoi came on as a substitute at the start of the second half as the Blues trailed 1-0 at Southampton on Saturday, only to then be taken off himself as he made way for Hakim Ziyech in the 76th minute.
Mason Mount s penalty pulled the Blues level at St Mary s Stadium, but the decision taken by Tuchel to replace the replacement was the major talking point from a game that finished 1-1.
The former Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund coach explained the England international was not sharp enough during his time on the pitch, but was his criticism fair? Even…
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Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion will face each other in the Championship next week. The match will be held at the Stadium of Light and is scheduled to kick off at 8pm UK time next Monday.
Sunderland
Sunderland are playing in the Championship this season after winning promotion from League One at the end of last season. The Black Cats were once in the Premier League and were in League One for far too long for a club of their stature. And now Sunderland are back in the second tier of English football, and the hope among the fans is that they will get back into the Premier League.
Tony Mowbray’s side are 10th in the Championship table at the moment with 30 points from 21 matches. S…
Milan head coach Stefano Pioli admits he is seeing diminishing returns from his team after they crumbled to a 3-1 defeat against Sassuolo at San Siro.
A dismal day for the Rossoneri was bookended by moments of mixed fortune for Alessio Romagnoli, who scored the opening goal to put Milan ahead before being sent off late in the game, by which time Sassuolo had their winning lead.
Gianluca Scamacca and Domenico Berardi scored with excellent strikes for Sassuolo, either side of a Simon Kjaer own goal, as Milan struggled to keep pace with lively visitors.
Pioli s team finished second last season, after being overtaken by an Inter side who were relentless after chasing their city rivals off top spot. Milan went unbeaten for their first 15 games of the 2020-21 Serie A…