Hong Kong-based businessman Balram Chainrai became the fourth owner that Portsmouth have had this season, the struggling English Premier League club confirmed on Thursday.
Chainrai s company, Portpin, took a controlling interest in the financially-stricken club from Ali Al-Faraj after exercising provisions linked to a 17-million-pound loan it made to the former owner, a Saudi Arabian national based in the British Virgin Islands.
Chainrai, who is of Nepalese origin but has a British passport, hopes to stabilise the club before selling it on to new owners in order to recoup his investment.
Peter Storrie, the current chief executive, will continue to run the club on a day-to-day basis.
In a statement, Chainrai added: Portpin has made substantial loans to Po…
David Moyes accepts he will face questions over his future after Sunderland produced a performance he labelled as bad as anything I have been involved in here after a 4-1 Premier League loss at Burnley.
Andre Gray scored a first Premier League hat-trick and Ashley Barnes also found the net from the penalty spot for Burnley, who moved nine points clear of third-bottom Sunderland.
Jermain Defoe did net a consolation for Sunderland, but Moyes was goaded with chants of you re getting sacked in the morning from the home fans and also lost Lamine Kone and Victor Anichebe to first-half injuries.
We were dire today, really, really bad. It was a poor performance, and defensively especially we were all over the place, Moyes told reporters.
You have to do t…
Bundesliga outfit Schalke are weighing up January bid for Dynamo Kiev midfielder Younes Belhanda, .
Having failed to recruit a proper replacement for Julian Draxler and with Kevin-Prince Boateng also set to leave, the Miners are desperate to add a quality attacking midfielder to their ranks.
Former Bayer Leverkusen star Renato Augusto had been their primary target, but the latest reports suggest that the Brazilian will not be moving to Veltins Arena.
As a result, the Miners appear to have focused their attention on Dinamo Kiev midfielder Younes Belhanda, who should be available for €9 million.
The Moroccan surprisingly snubbed interest from top European clubs to join the Ukrainian giants in the summer of 2013, but he has since regretted the decision an…
Scotsman David Moyes has little interest in protecting Jesse Lingard for England duty but allayed fears of an injury after he was substituted in West Ham s 3-2 defeat to Newcastle United.
Lingard has been in sensational form since joining the Hammers on loan from Manchester United, forcing his way back into the Three Lions set-up.
His goal at St James Park on Saturday was his ninth for West Ham, already his best tally in a single Premier League season.
But seven minutes after that penalty strike, by which time Newcastle had restored their lead against the visiting side who were reduced to 10 men, Lingard went down and required treatment.
The midfielder had to be substituted, concerning supporters of both West Ham who have come to rely on their loan star a…
You could be forgiven for thinking the lines between reality and fantasy had blurred into one this week with the seemingly doomed experiment of the European Super League.
But fans of actual fantasy football can rest assured we have still scoured the best prospects to help you in your quest to top your private leagues and earn bragging rights among your pals.
With Premier League leaders Manchester City not in action due to playing the EFL Cup final against Tottenham this weekend, there are sure to be a few transfers needed in several teams.
That being said, take a look at our hand-selected picks, powered as always by Opta data…
ROBERT SANCHEZ
Brighton and Hove Albion have a poor record against teams in the Premier League s bottom three, winning …
(GSM) With the World Cup under way for several days now, Latin-American participants Honduras and Chile finally get to start their campaign.
Honduras are set to make their second appearance at a World Cup, having qualified before in 1982. That year, the team finished fourth in a group with Northern Ireland, Spain and Yugoslavia, and collected two points. As such, the team have yet to earn their first victory at a final tournament.
To get to South Africa, Honduras finished third in the CONCACAF qualifying zone behind the United States and Mexico.
The team played three friendlies ahead of this tournament, none of which were too promising for the central-Americans. The encounters with Belarus and Azerbaijan ended undecided, and the match with Romania was lost 3-0.<…
A thunderous roar erupted across the Spanish capital and fans danced in the streets chanting Viva Espana! as the country s first ever World Cup trophy sparked a nationwide fiesta.
The centre of Madrid was a sea of the red and gold national colours as Spain celebrated its nailbiting 1-0 extra-time win over Holland Sunday.
The deafening sounds of cheering, klaxons, firecrackers and cars horns rang out as the World Cup s perennial underachievers won the trophy in their first appearance in the final thanks to a late goal from Andres Iniesta.
The dream has come true, said the El Pais daily on its website.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he was happy and emotional.
This has been an epic match, I suffered like never before, he told Ca…
Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi claims he is enjoying football more than ever after notching an assist on his Al-Sadd debut.
Xavi played his first match in the Qatar Stars League on Sunday, with the veteran s 12th-minute free-kick picking out Lee Jung-soo, who headed Al-Sadd in front on their way to a 4-0 victory over Al-Mesaimeer.
It was Xavi s first professional appearance for any club aside from Barcelona, and the 35-year-old told Marca he loves the new chapter of his life.
I m enjoying my game more than ever, he said.
Xavi added he has not dropped his standards in Qatar: It doesn t matter that I m here. I still get angry when I misplace a pass. I can t stand it.
Al-Sadd last won the Stars League in 2012-13, while they won consecutive titles…
Connor Wickham believes Sunderland have the fighters to stay in the Premier League after they moved out of the bottom three on Sunday.
In-form Wickham s purple patch continued as he scored twice in a 4-0 hammering of fellow-strugglers Cardiff City at a packed Stadium of Light.
The 21-year-old frontman has struggled to make an impact on Wearside since his big-money move from Ipswich Town in 2011 and has spent spells on loan with Championship sides Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United.
However, Wickham has been given a new lease of life under Gus Poyet in recent weeks scoring both goals in a 2-2 draw at title contenders Manchester City and also finding the back of the net in last weekend s stunning 2-1 win at Chelsea.
He was at it again on Sunday, scoring two heade…
Anthony Martial s stunning Premier League form for Manchester United has earned the forward a France recall.
Martial has scored in four consecutive Premier League games for the first time, with his recent performances earning United s Player of the Month award for October.
And he has been further rewarded for an upturn in his performances with a place in the France squad for their Nations League clash against Netherlands and a friendly with Uruguay.
It s been a while since he s been in the French team, with good periods and more difficult periods, said coach Didier Deschamps of Martial s return to the international fold.
What he is doing in Manchester is closer to what he is able to do regularly, in terms of investment and efficiency. He is still a youn…