Jara's ban reduced to two games

Chile defender Gonzalo Jara has had his ban for provoking Edinson Cavani cut from three games to two, but he will still miss the hosts' attempts to win the 2015 Copa America

to the suspension. "After hearing the appeal CONMEBOL decided to reduce the sanction ... to two games," South America's football governing organisation explained in a statement in response to a Chile appeal. Jara's ban sees him miss Monday's semi-final against Peru and the final or third/fourth-place play-off.

Guus Hiddink quits as Nerthelands coach

Guus Hiddink has left his position as Netherlands
head coach after just 10 months in charge.
The 68-year-old began his second spell in charge
in August and had a contract until the end of Euro
2016
Hiddink lost five and won four of his 10 matches in
charge and leaves his position with the Dutch third
in their Euro 2016 qualifying group.
They are five points behind leaders Iceland and
three adrift of the Czech Republic in Group A.
"I am sorry that it went this way," said Hiddink.
"I thought it was an honour to again coach the
Dutch national team and I wish my successor, the
staff and the players every success on the way to
the European Championships in France."
The rest of the coaching staff - including assistant
Danny Blind - will remain in place.
Hiddink's Netherlands defeated Spain 2-0 in a
friendly in March, but suffered defeats to Iceland
and the Czech Republic to damage their hopes of
qualifying for Euro 2016.
The top two finishers in each of the nine qualifying
groups, plus the highest-placed team finishing third
will automatically qualify for the finals in France
next year. They will be joined by the winners of four
play-off ties contested by the remaining eight third-
placed teams.
Dutch Football Association (KNVB) director Bert van
Oostveen said: "I regret this development.
Unfortunately, the results of Guus's work were not
immediately visible for everyone."
The former Real Madrid, PSV Eindhoven and
Chelsea coach has also managed Australia, Russia,
Turkey and South Korea in a 28-year career.

CR7 has a galaxy named after him

A galaxy has been named CR7 after Real Madrid
forward Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the great stars of world
football and now one of the oldest and most crucial
parts of our galaxy.
Real Madrid's Portuguese forward, whose play
sometimes appears to be out of this world, has had
his name given to a galaxy which houses a cluster
of stars thought to have provided conditions pivotal
for life to flourish.
The CR7 galaxy - recently discovered by
astronomers - is said to have existed when the
universe was only 800 million years old - some 13
billion years ago.
The stars of CR7 "ultimately allowed us all to be
here by fabricating heavy elements and changing
the composition of the universe," according to Dr
David Sobral of the University of Lisbon.
Sobral, who led a group of astronomers in
discovering CR7, confirmed its name was inspired
by Ronaldo and the name of the method used to
date distant objects in the universe - Cosmic
Redshift 7.
Real Madrid star Ronaldo, who adopts the mantle
CR7 because of his initials and shirt number, won
Fifa's Ballon d'Or award in 2013 and 2014 and
scored a staggering 66 goals this season.
The former Manchester United has never been
short on confidence but it turns out he has been so
much more than a star for so long.

Harry kane happy at Spurs despite interest from Manchester United

Harry Kane says he is flattered by Manchester
United's interest in him but adds that he fully
intends to start the new season at Tottenham
Hotspur.
England Under-21 striker Kane, 21, has reiterated
his desire to stay at White Hart Lane, saying Spurs
are one of England's "big clubs".
"I am happy at Spurs and I look forward to the
future with Spurs," he said.
"I have seen there is interest but that's all I know. It
is flattering for other clubs to maybe be interested."
Kane started for England as they lost 1-0 in their
opening European Under-21 Championship match
against Portugal on Thursday.
He scored 31 goals for Spurs in all competitions
during his breakthrough campaign last season,
which ended in him being named as the PFA Young
Player of Year.
Kane's impressive year has led to reports that 20-
time English champions United are ready to offer up
to £40m for him.
When asked if it would be hard to turn down one of
the Premier League's "big clubs", Kane said:
"Tottenham are one of the big clubs. That is the
way people have to see it. I am at a big club."

Who will join the wealthy citizens this summer?

With £20bn in the bank and a continent to conquer,
club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has made it
clear Manchester City will be spending big this
summer.
They have already started the ball rolling with a
£25m bid for England and Liverpool winger Raheem
Sterling.
That offer has been rejected, but Al Mubarak is
upbeat about City's chances of landing the world's
top players, insisting the Blues are now "a club
players want to come and play for".
Here, BBC Sport wonders how a summer of
wheeling and dealing could pan out for the 2013/14
Premier League champions.
So will City be signing Messi or Ronaldo?
In a word; no. City can certainly afford to recruit
Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo but, despite Al
Mubarak's assertion that the club are now more
than their money, they remain less of a draw than
Real Madrid and Barcelona, the current home of
world football's two biggest stars.
They are also unlikely to be able to prise any other
prize assets away from European football's power
duo, which also puts the likes of Luis Suarez,
Neymar and Sergio Ramos out of reach.
City would be an attractive destination for any top
talent Real or Barca deemed surplus to
requirements, as they were when Robinho left the
Bernabeu in a then record-breaking move in 2008.
This is why they have been linked with Gareth Bale,
who endured a tough time in Spain last season, and
Karim Benzema, with reports suggesting new Real
boss Rafa Benitez will only use the French forward
as a rotation option.
However, Manchester United are also reportedly in
the market for Bale and may have the upper hand
as they can use goalkeeper David De Gea as a
bargaining chip, while Benzema is apparently not
short of admirers, with Arsenal joining United on
that list.
BBC Sport's Simon Stone says: "Some players are
unattainable for every team. City must challenge in
the Champions League to lure the very best to
Manchester."
So who are the more likely signings?
Sterling for one, although Liverpool have already
turned down one £25m offer for the 20-year-old.
The winger has made no secret of his desire to
leave Anfield and, with his self-proclaimed
motivation being winning trophies as opposed to
earning money, he would find a fitting home at the
vision of City that Al Mubarak is selling. A reported
wage of £200,000-a-week won't hurt, of course.
The quick, skilful England international also satisfies
City's need for pace and penetration from out wide,
where Jesus Navas has been found wanting, and,
at 20, their need to refresh an ageing squad with
young blood.
Another player who fits this mould is 23-year-old
former Chelsea midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, who
scored 16 goals in the Bundesliga last season for
Wolfsburg and is reportedly on City's radar,
prompting the German club to slap a £40m price tag
on the Belgium international.
One move that would trump both these would be the
recruitment of Paul Pogba, not only because he is
one of the most sought-after midfielders in the
world having helped Juventus reach the Champions
League final, but also because he represents "the
one that got away" from rivals United, who he left to
move to Italy in 2012.
It's not just established players in some of
Europe's biggest teams that City are targeting.
According to reports, they were keen on adding
Aston Villa's teenage midfielder Jack Grealish to
their academy ranks a few years ago.
The 19-year-old's breakthrough into Aston Villa's
first team has apparently revived their interest in
the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international.
Simon Stone says: "An on-form Sterling would be a
major asset and provide the raw pace City have
lacked. Pogba's arrival is far less likely."
Is City a good home for young British
talent?
Grealish to City? Let's face it, their record of signing
young British talent is patchy at best.
Winger Scott Sinclair was 23 when he joined from
Swansea City in August 2012 on a deal worth £8m,
lured by the promise of high wages and Champions
League action. He made just two Premier League
star

source:bbc.co.uk