WELCOME TO SOCCERBANTZ

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho declined to speak to the media after the 1-1 draw with Manchester City, which maintained their five-point Premier League lead.      Assistant first-team coach Steve Holland also failed to appear, one day after Blues striker Diego Costa was given a three-match ban for a stamp. Mourinho cancelled his pre-match news conference on Friday. On Wednesday he was fined £25,000 for comments he made after the 1-1 draw with Southampton on 28 December. Mourinho had claimed there was a "campaign" to influence referees' decisions against Chelsea. Chelsea players Loic Remy and Nemanja Matic did do television interviews after the City match. Second-placed City remain five points behind leaders Chelsea with 15 games remaining.  Source: BBC Sports Akin Odunsi @gr8akin

Serena Williams said vomiting during the final helped her win a sixth Australian Open title in Melbourne. The world number one was sick in a 12-minute break while the Rod Laver Arena roof was being closed because of rain. "I've got a really bad cold," the American said after her 6-3 7-6 (7-5) win over Russia's Maria Sharapova. "I ended up throwing up. I think that helped when I got everything out of me and cleared my chest out because I couldn't breathe a little bit." Williams fired down an ace when play resumed with the score at 30-30 in the sixth game and won six successive points to take a commanding 5-2 lead in the opening set.  Serena won her sixth Australian open The 19-time Grand Slam champion also won the first six points of the second set before Sharapova fought back and deservedly took the set to a tie-break. But, after sa...

A last-minute equaliser from Song Heung-min had prevented Massimo Luongo's goal from giving the Socceroos a win over 90 minutes, but James Troisi scored the winner. Australia won the trophy for the first time Host nation Australia won their maiden Asian Cup title with a gripping 2-1 extra-time win over South Korea on Saturday. In an epic decider, substitute James Troisi struck a truly golden-goal in the 105th minute, blasting home from close range after Kim Jin-hyeon spilled Tomi Juric’s cross into his path. Australia looked like they would win the match in normal time, leading right until the death through midfielder Massimo Luongo’s first-half scorcher. But deep in stoppage-time at the end of the match, Son Heung-min stunned Ange Postecoglou’s side with a powerful finish to save his team and send the match to extra-time. Somehow the Aussies regrouped and found some more energy with the two substitutes combining for a superb winner. Juric looked well-shackled...

Chelsea striker Diego Costa insists there was no malicious intent behind the stamp on Emre Can which earned him a three-match ban from the Football Association. The 26-year-old was suspended for three games for violent conduct by the FA after an independent regulatory commission on Friday ruled he deliberately stamped on the ankle of the Liverpool midfielder in Tuesday's Capital One Cup semifinal second leg. Costa says he accepts and respects the punishment, but stresses he did not set out to hurt his opponent. "As far as what happened on Tuesday, the main thing is when I get home I can go home and I can go to sleep knowing that I've not done anything wrong, because I never meant to do that and it was not on purpose," he told the Daily Telegraph. "And you can clearly see that on the video. But it is a suspension. I have to accept that, I have to take it. Obviously I feel sad because I'm not going to be able to help the team, to pl...

Vincenzo Montella says the Colombian is on his way to Stamford Bridge in a deal believed to be worth £24.8 million, with the Italian coach praising the departing attacker's quality. Chelsea are expected to announce Cuadrado's arrival later today Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella has confirmed that Juan Cuadrado will join Chelsea imminently, with Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah set to move to Florence. The the Blues had finally landed a deal for the Colombian on Thursday, agreeing to pay £24.8 million for the attacker, just shy of his buyout clause. And Montella, who was alleged to be ready to walk out on the Viola should they sell Cuadrado, has now revealed that the 26-year-old will move to Stamford Bridge – but is excited by the potential of his replacement, Salah. "Obviously as a coach I'm sorry for Cuadrado's transfer but Fiorentina have done the right thing. If Juan has cost so much it is because he's worth it, meanwhile Salah comes to us,...

Hosts Equatorial Guinea benefited from a hotly disputed penalty in the last minute of normal time to go on and beat Tunisia 2-1 in extra time in the African Nations Cup quarter-finals on Saturday in the city of Bata. Eq. Guinea players celebrating after their win against Tunisia Mauritian referee Rajindraparsad Seechurn ruled that Ivan Bolado was fouled in the 90th minute with Equatorial Guinea trailing 1-0, and on the way out of their home tournament. Javier Balboa scored from the spot-kick deep in stoppage time, and curled in a brilliant free kick in the first half of extra time to send Equatorial Guinea to the semifinals for the first time. The penalty was the turning point, and Seechurn's highly contentious decision sparked fury from Tunisian players, and the coaching staff on the sidelines. There were ugly confrontations between both camps near the dugouts after the decision, and riot police even moved in to restore order. At the final whistle, t...

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE SATURDAY Hull City vs Newcastle United Crystal Palace vs Everton Liverpool vs West Ham United Manchester United vs Leicester City Stoke City vs QPR Sunderland vs Burnley West Brom Albion vs Tottenham Spurs Chelsea vs Manchester City SUNDAY Arsenal vs Aston Villa Southampton vs Swansea GERMAN BUNDESLIGA FRIDAY Mainz vs SC Paderborn 07 SATURDAY VFL Wolfsburg vs Bayern Munich SV Hamburg vs Cologne Freiburg vs Eintracht Frankfurt VFB Sttutgart vs Borussia Monchengladbach Schalke 04 vs Hannover 96 Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia Dortmund SUNDAY Werder Bremen vs Hertha Berlin FC Augsburg vs TSG Hoffeinheim SPANISH LA LIGA FRIDAY Rayo Vallecano vs Deportivo La Coruna SATURDAY Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad Granada vs Elche Elber vs Athletico Madrid Celta Vigo vs Cordoba SUNDAY Levante vs Athletico Bilbao Sevilla vs Espanyol Almeria vs Getafe Barcelona vs Villarreal MONDAY Malaga v...

Crystal Palace have completed the signing of striker Shola Ameobi on a free transfer. The Nigerian international has signed a short-term with the Eagles until the end of the season and was a free agent after leaving Turkish side Gaziantep last month. Amoebi returns to the Premiership with Crystal Palace “I'm very excited to be here, I wanted to get back in the Premier League and having worked with the manager before it's been great to come back and hopefully help us avoid the relegation battle,” he said. “I had a couple of other clubs interested but I think my relationship with Alan [Pardew] and how much I enjoyed working with him was one of the big factor in my decision. “He instils confidence in players and he always seems to get the best out of them, certainly he did that at Newcastle and hopefully he can do that for me and the rest of the lads here.” The 33-year-old is best known for his time with Newcastle United, where he spent 14 years after break...

Spanish La Liga strugglers Levante have boosted their survival hopes with the signings of former Nigerian international forward Kalu Uche and experienced defender Ivan Ramis on free transfers. Kalu previously played for Almeria Uche arrives back in   Spain , where he previously enjoyed spells with Almeria and Espanyol, from Qatari club Al Rayyan. Meanwhile, Ramis returns to his homeland after a three-year spell with English Championship club Wigan Athletic. Both players have signed 18-month deals with the Valencian club. Levante currently sit in the relegation zone in the Spanish top flight having scored just 13 goals in 20 games. Akin' Odunsi @gr8akin

German goalkeeper Arvid Schenk has left Dundee only weeks after conceding six goals on his debut. Avid Schenk The 25-year-old's only appearance came in a 6-2 New Year's Day derby thrashing by Dundee United. Dundee's website stated: "Goalkeeper Arvid Schenk has this morning left the club at the end of his contract." Schenk had signed a short-term deal in October as Dundee sought cover for Kyle Letheren, but the Welshman has now recovered from a thigh injury. The German finally made his debut while second-choice Scott Bain was out through injury and Letheren picked up a strain in the warm-up. Dundee had never previously conceded six goals in a city derby match. Schenk began his career with Hansa Rostock and had subsequently played for the second teams at St Pauli and Wolfsburg before joining Dundee. Akin Odunsi @gr8akin

Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium could be renamed as part of a major sponsorship agreement worth 500m euros. The Santiago Bernabeu   The deal with the United Arab Emirates-based International Petroleum Investment Company was done last year. It includes naming rights for the Bernabeu, Real's home since 1947 and venue for the 1982 World Cup Final. The name the parties have settled on is thought to be The Abu Dhabi Santiago Bernabeu, although another possibility is The Cepsa Santiago Bernabeu. The decision will be approved by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who has insisted that the stadium's heritage is honoured by retaining the words 'Santiago Bernabeu' in the full title. Bernabeu is a former player, manager and president of the club, who oversaw the initial construction of the stadium. Perez secured the sponsorship in order to raise funds for the long-planned renovation of the stadium, which is expected to be completed in 2017. T...

Tottenham survived a strong fightback from League One side Sheffield United to set up a League Cup final with Chelsea after another late goal from Christian Eriksen. Eriksen was key in the victory at Sheffield Eriksen's magnificent first-half free-kick put Spurs 2-0 up on aggregate. United's 18-year-old substitute Che Adams then struck twice from close range in three minutes, bringing the prospect of extra time into focus. But Eriksen secured a 3-2 aggregate win with a composed low finish. Spurs beat Chelsea in the League Cup final in 2008 for their last piece of silverware, and the two London sides will now meet again at Wembley on Sunday 1 March, just three days after Tottenham's Europa League trip away to Fiorentina. Jose Mourinho's Blues will start as favourites but Spurs will take confidence from both their superb 5-3 win over Chelsea on New Year's Day and the canny knack of Eriksen to score important late goals. Four times this season, the Da...

Ivory Coast beat Cameroon to earn a place in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals as Group D winners. Max Gradel scored the goal that gave the Elephants the only victory in the six matches in the group, and saved them from having to draw lots. Max Gradel scored the only goal of the match He smashed in a drive from 20 yards to set up a last eight match with Group C runners-up Algeria on Sunday. Edgar Salli missed two good chances to equalise, hesitating when clean through and also blazing over from in the box. Those glaring misses left Cameroon bottom of the group - their worst finish at a Nations Cup finals - and it also means lots will need to be drawn on Thursday to decide whether Mali or Guinea, who played out the fifth 1-1 stalemate of Group D, take the other quarter-final place. Ivory Coast will be relieved to have avoided that lottery, having gone out in 1988 by that method, as they did just enough to earn the win that guaranteed them passage to ...

Serena Williams will face Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final after the pair won their semi-finals in straight sets in Melbourne. World number two Sharapova won an all-Russian contest against Ekaterina Makarova 6-3 6-2. Williams, the top seed, converted her ninth match point to beat fellow American Madison Keys 7-6 (7-5) 6-2. Britain's Andy Murray takes on Czech Tomas Berdych in the first men's semi-final at 08:30 GMT. Williams, 33, capped a fine performance with a dramatic ending as she saw seven match points slip by at 5-1, before converting her ninth with an ace and a scream in the following game. Keys, 19, matched Williams for power but not always control as the 18-time Grand Slam champion edged a tight match over one hour and 24 minutes. Serena Williams to face Maria Sharapova in the final The world number one, a five-time champion in Australia, recovered from 3-0 down to force a tie-break and clinched it with a big serve. A fired-up Willia...

West Bromwich Albion have completed the signing of Callum McManaman from Wigan  for an undisclosed fee. McManamann is relishing the prospect of a return to the Premiership The 23-year-old FA Cup winner has put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half year contract, with a 12 month option, after agreeing personal terms and completing a medical at the club's training ground on Wednesday morning. McManaman, who will wear the No.19 shirt, becomes Tony Pulis’ first signing since taking charge at The Hawthorns earlier this month. And Albion’s head coach has welcomed the versatile winger to his ranks. “I’m delighted we’ve got Callum and I believe he will be an exciting addition to our numbers,” said Pulis. “Callum is a player who can improve our options and I am really looking forward to working with him.” McManaman cannot wait to get his teeth into Premier League football again. "I'm really made up to have joined," said McManaman. "When...