News sport : Report: ESPN, NFL want CFP to change date of semifinal games

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College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock poses with the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy in Irving, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File) Year one of the College Football Playoff was a huge success with the two semifinal games falling on New Year’s Day. Next year, however, the two semifinal games are scheduled for New Year’s Eve.


ESPN apparently isn’t too happy about it.


According to the Sports Business Journal, ESPN executives “are lobbying CFP officials” to move next season’s semifinal games – the Capital One Orange Bowl and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl – from New Year’s Eve to Saturday Jan. 2, 2016.


On New Year’s Eve, ESPN’s broadcasts would compete with a bevy of countdown broadcasts that bring in the New Year. With ratings in mind, ESPN is hoping for a change.


From the SBJ:



Sources say that senior network executives as high up as ESPN President John Skipper are pushing for the change as a way to get better television ratings, but the CFP is unwilling to make such a move because it is committed to the original plan to hold tripleheader bowl games, including the semifinals, on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.



Despite ESPN’s wishes, the CFP isn’t budging.


“We’ve started a new tradition and we don’t to back away from it now,” said Bill Hancock, the CFP’s executive director.


The championship game drew record ratings (33.4 million viewers), while the semifinals each drew “more than 28 million viewers.” According to the SBJ, “ESPN insiders say they are prepared for double-digit drops in viewership” if the games stay on New Year’s Eve.


On top of the wishes of ESPN, the NFL is mulling the possibility of expanding its playoffs. One of its new playoff games could potentially be moved to Monday, which would “compete directly with the CFP championship.”


Because of this, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly met with CFP commissioners to discuss a potential conflict.


From the SBJ:



Sources say NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell initiated a series of high-level meetings with some of the CFP’s most influential commissioners, including the SEC’s Mike Slive and the Big Ten’s Jim Delany. Goodell approached the commissioners to discuss the potential impact an NFL playoff expansion would have on the CFP championship game.



Additionally, Goodell reportedly “told the college commissioners that any playoff expansion likely would put a wild-card game on Monday night.”


The CFP’s 12-year contract with ESPN has the title game being played on a Monday night and Hancock said the CFP office is opposed to an NFL playoff game being played on the same night.


“We picked Monday night because it was open and it was the best night for our game. We announced that in June 2012,” Hancock said. “We established that our game was going to be on Monday night for 12 years.”


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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







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Guardiola in no rush to sign extension

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Bayern Munich have signalled their desire for a contract extension with Pep Guardiola, but he seems in no rush to sign.


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Berlin - German champions Bayern Munich have repeatedly signalled their desire for a contract extension with coach Pep Guardiola but the Spaniard seems in no rush to sign a deal past 2016.


Guardiola led Bayern to the domestic league and Cup double in his first season in charge last year but any talk of a contract extension past his original three years will happen later in the year.


Despite their runaway lead in the Bundesliga again this season, any possible deal extension seems to largely hinge on Guardiola's ability to land the Champions League title this season.


Last season's semi-final exit at the hands of Real Madrid dashed the hopes of a dream first season for Guardiola and the Spaniard, who won more than a dozen titles in his four years at Barcelona, is eager to make amends.


“We still have time to talk about that (contract extension) after the end of the season in the summer. Football is today like that and completely different the next day,” Guardiola told Bayern fans during visits to fan clubs on the weekend.


“It was a big challenge for me (to work at Bayern). I have had a great time and it was a dream come true to be Bayern coach,” he said when asked specifically about a possible contract extension.


Questions about his future at the German record champions have swirled for months with club Chief Executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge saying Bayern were ready, at a any time, to sign a contract extension.


“I hope that he stays as long as possible at Bayern,” Rummenigge said in his most recent praise of the Spaniard. “Pep can stay as long as he wants to. He is not a person who seeks security. He does not need a five-year deal to know how much he earns at Bayern.”


Rummenigge also said he would respect Guardiola and not talk about a new deal before the second half of the year.


That would be after this year's Champions League winner has been determined.


Few coaches have enjoyed as much backing as Guardiola has in Bayern and rightly so, with his team, who won the league in record time last season, undefeated in the league so far in this campaign, having conceded a record four goals in 17 games.


They have also advanced to the Champions League round of 16 where they will face Shakhtar Donetsk next month.


Reuters






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News sport : What's the best Super Bowl ad of all time? (SBArguments)

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Creating a Super Bowl ad that people will talk about years from now is a tough task, yet a handful are always brought up this time of year. The Budweiser frogs. Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. Apple's 1984 ad.


In advance of the dozens of ads that will play between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots game this Sunday, Jay Busbee and Kevin Kaduk of Yahoo Sports each picked out their favorite Super Bowl commercial before listing their top five football pitchmen. Jay went with Reebok's "Terry Tate, Office Linebacker" spot while Kevin preferred the simple comedy genius of Budweiser's "Wassup?" campaign in 2000.


Which Super Bowl ad resonated most with you? Do you agree or disagree with Jay and Kevin? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter with the hashtag #SBArguments.


Jay and Kevin's Previous Super Bowl Debates
• Are the Seahawks the greatest defense in NFL history?
• Does Tom Brady need another Super Bowl win to cement his legacy?






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News sport : Mark Cuban thinks the NBA's fan-led All-Star voting system is 'absolutely, positively broken'

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The NBA All-Star Game is an exhibition contest. It has absolutely no relevance in the overall championship race. It is designed purely for entertainment purposes, a mid-February distraction pitched on basic cable television. It’s important to remember that.


All-Star appearances, however, are often used as negotiating tools when it comes time for players and teams to cobble together contracts. Even by those that understand that All-Star appearances shouldn’t count much as a way to tally up a player’s career accomplishments, the amount of All-Star nods are still treated like currency when it comes time to discuss a player’s Basketball Hall of Fame viability. On top of that, even the most even-keeled of NBA media types still like to hammer out arguments over who should start over whom. Even if they don’t deign to a write a haughty column over it, they’ll still think about it in passing while washing dishes or talk back to the radio or TV when others put their picks on the line.


For some reason, these things matter; and yet All-Star voting is left in the hands of fans that will typically turn the process into a popularity contest.


This isn’t why Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wants to stop fan voting, though. He’s not upset that the fans voted in Kobe Bryant to start when a dozen other Western guards would have been a better choice. No, he wants to do away with fan voting (which Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry led with over 1.5 million votes) because of a perceived bit of apathy regarding the process from voters. Cuban thinks that 1.5 million, in the grand scheme, isn’t nearly representative of the breadth of NBA fandom.


From a talk with ESPN Dallas’ Tim McMahon:



"In context of everything, that's no votes," Cuban said. "That's such a small number considering all the different options you have to vote that it's almost embarrassing. It's just no one's really looked at it that way. ... I mean, think about it. Of all the people who go to games, all the people who watch games globally, to have [1.5] million means that system's broken. Absolutely, positively broken."




[…]




"They go hand in hand," Cuban said. "We have that few votes, you're going to get one team or one player or one part of the world that skews everything. Again, if we were getting 20, 30, 50 million votes, which shows that fans just love it and wanted to participate, that'd be one thing. Then the fans have spoken.




"But when the number of voters isn't enough to even get anybody to notice ... That means basically .01 percent of NBA fans cared enough to vote, and that's saying every fan voted just once. Probably, if you include global, that means .00001 percent of fans thought enough to vote. That just shows nobody cares."




[…]




"S---, nobody even tried to hack it," Cuban said. "That's how bored they are. So, yeah, I think it's time to do away with it because we're just not getting the response that matters. I don't know how votes have trended in terms of numbers versus past years, but it's obviously not something that fans really care about, given the numbers of votes. And if they don't care about it, we shouldn't do it. We should find a better way."



Voting numbers rose this season despite a smaller time frame in which voters were allowed to place their ballot. Cuban’s point is well taken, though. The NBA has an ungodly amount of fans, and All-Star voting (which can be as simple as taking the time to write out “James Harden #NBAballot” on a Twitter account that you barely use) is easier than ever. For Steph Curry to rank as the most popular player with “just” 1.5 million votes does seem a little slim, comparatively.


Does that mean the fans should have the privilege taken away from them?


It is worth noting that, unlike in many other years, the fans more or less got this round right. Outside of the Bryant and Carmelo Anthony (who at least is having close to an All-Star season) bookends, these starting lineups are just about spot-on. Western center Marc Gasol, working in a small market without flashy stats and rarely positioned on national TV, received a due nod. Kyle Lowry may have made the starting lineup because a pair of pop stars encouraged their Twitter followers to work on his behalf, but Kyle Lowry is still starting over Dwyane Wade.


To a lot of fans, this one included, the whole thing does seem like a silly enterprise. Personally, I’ve obsessed over this league for years and spend most of my nights warmed by League Pass’ sustained glow, but I haven’t filled out an All-Star ballot since the 1999-00 season – the first that allowed for online voting at the league’s website. Even then, it was a bit of a crank call: I chose less-deserving players like Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Theo Ratliff just to see their names pop up the list.


That’s one NBA obsessive that hasn’t bothered to vote over the course of five different Presidential terms. For the NBA – a personality-driven league with incredibly rabid and intelligent fans working not just in North America but also in the Philippines, China, Australia and dozens of other outposts – to top out at 1.5 million for its most popular choice? This does seem like a slighted representation of overall interest in the league.


The fans aren’t losing their votes, though. And Mark Cuban will be the first to admit to that.


Some 1.5 million checkmarks might not be enough, but 25 million votes were cast, and probably twice as many lame “#NBAballot” jokes were made on Twitter. The system encourages fans in far-flung places, fans that will never have the chance to work up a physical paper ballot while watching a live NBA game (as was the process in years’ past), to feel like they have an impact. It allows for the league’s various social media sites and its own official website to take in click after click. It allows for discussions like these, at the midpoint between the fan results and the NBA coaching community’s own picks for reserves.


It drives chatter. For an exhibition game on basic cable on a Sunday.


Mark Cuban doesn’t think that Stephen Curry’s league-leading amount of votes is representative of the whole of NBA fandom, and he’s probably right in that regard. That doesn’t mean the NBA’s fans won’t get another chance to tally things up all over again in 2015-16, though.


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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Pro Bowl television ratings take another big dip

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PHOENIX – The Pro Bowl started with a huge, sellout crowd. Before the fourth quarter even started, there were more than a few pockets of empty seats in University of Phoenix Stadium. It cleared out even more by the end, even though the game came down to the final seconds.


Television ratings also reflected that fans might finally be tuning out the Pro Bowl. The television ratings, usually ahead of any NBA or Major League Baseball playoff game before the championship round, took a big dip for the second straight year according to Austin Karp of SportsBusiness Daily.


The overnight ratings (which aren't official, but just a first glance), according to Karp, were 5.6. That compares to 6.7 last year and 7.7 in 2013. Those are still huge numbers, compared to anything else ESPN was going to have in the Sunday night time slot, but it's still a huge drop.


The NFL probably made a mistake separating the teams into the tough-to-follow Team Irvin and Team Carter, with the players being selected in a draft the week leading up to the game. That format gives fans nobody to root for and it's about impossible to keep the teams separated in your mind. Only a small percentage of people who watched the game likely can recall who won. The AFC vs. NFC format wasn't creative, but it made the game easier to follow. The venue change could be a help if the NFL decides to move it around the contiguous United States rather than have it in Hawaii. That would expose the game to different fans. The game was, after all, a sellout in Arizona.


But other than that, the game probably can't be totally fixed. You can't have a violent game like the NFL be played in a setting in which nobody really wants to hit each other. Two of the first three plays Sunday were handoffs to Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray. Defenders held him up and hoped for a whistle instead of bringing him to the ground. It summed up the issues the Pro Bowl will always have.


And after years of blindly watching the NFL's all-star game, fans are finally turning it off. That will get the NFL's attention.


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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : North Carolina and Wake Forest schedule non-conference series

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(Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports) North Carolina and Wake Forest, two ACC rivals, took an interesting approach to filling a slot in their non-conference schedules for 2019 and 2021.


Instead of looking outside the ACC, the two programs will square off in non-conference games – one at Wake Forest on September 14, 2019, and one at UNC on September 25, 2021. Because of the ACC’s scheduling arrangements, the two teams were not scheduled to play one another in those seasons. Now they will, but the game “will not factor into the ACC standings.”


“This is a unique opportunity to play a regional rival in years that fall outside the normal conference rotation,” UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said. “We have a long history with Wake Forest that has historical value and will generate interest within our fans.”


According to a release from UNC, this home-and-home arrangement is “the first time two members of a Power Five conference have agreed to play each other in a football series originally scheduled as non-conference games.”


North Carolina and Wake Forest have a rivalry that spans more than 100 years. In 105 meetings, the Tar Heels lead the series 68-35-2. The two teams played one another every year from 1944-2004 but now play on an infrequent basis due to the rotating schedule (which is set through 2024) stemming from the conference’s expansion to 14 teams (UNC and Wake are in different divisions).


This agreement also satisfies the ACC’s requirement of each program scheduling at least one power five team in its non-conference slate.


The two programs will meet in conference matchups in 2015 and 2022.


For more North Carolina news, visit TarHeelIllustrated.com.


For more Wake Forest news, visit DeaconsIllustrated.com.


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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







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Shoot, South Africa, shoot

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The order to "shoot!" has been ringing in the ears of the Bafana Bafana attackers ahead of their match against Ghana.


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Mongomo - The order to “shoot!” has been ringing in the ears of the Bafana Bafana attackers at training over the past few days ahead of Tuesday’s match against Ghana.


The South Africans have been guilty of not pulling the trigger in their first two group matches at the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.


Bafana lost their first match against Algeria 3-1 and drew 1-1 with Senegal.


In both those matches, they created more scoring chances than the opposition.


They are getting into such good positions to hurt the opposition, but a reluctance to take a first-time shot has seen them only convert two chances so far in this tournament.


Over-elaboration has been the biggest problem, as the forwards either take too many touches or trying shift responsibility to a teammate in a better position. Some of the foreign journalists have joked that Bafana want to be like Barcelona and pass the ball into the back of the net.


With their participation on the line, striker Bernard Parker says they are going have a lot more pots from outside the penalty area to try and improve their abysmal conversion rate at Afcon.


“The coach has asked us many times when are we going to shoot. It’s just up to us as players to pick our moments. (Dean) Furman had a shot that hit the crossbar, and some of the other guys have had shots,” Parker said on Sunday.


“If we do take more shots and try and go direct, maybe we can get an opportunity we can get a corner or even a rebound. But the coach has been stressing about that.”


But Parker says they are not going to neglect their quick-passing game, which has won Bafana a lot of fans at this tournament.


But this is not a popularity contest, where you get marks for style. This is Afcon and you have to get the ball into the back of the net to win matches. It’s as simple as that.


Somebody has got to take responsibility upfront.


Parker and his teammates know this.


“I think with our ability as South Africans, we are good in combining and clicking well in the final third. But we don’t get the final pass right or take the initiative,” Parker said.


“I don’t think we are aggressive enough in taking the responsibility in the final third. So what’s happening, we tend to play according to strengths by trying to combine, but maybe we over do it in terms of making too many passes.


“The way combine, since it’s in our blood as South Africans, we play our one-twos and combinations. Maybe we should just finish it off. Maybe this time around we should shoot more often. I think we have learned a lot from what has happened and we know what to do now.”


Bafana need to beat Ghana at the Estadio de Mongomo and hope for a Senegal win against Algeria in Malabo to qualify for the quarters. If Algeria win, Bafana need to thrash Ghana to better their goal difference. A draw in Malabo will see Bafana pack their bags no matter what they do against the Black Stars.


“We can get through with a little bit of luck. Hopefully Senegal help us, because I believe that we can beat Ghana and progress to the next round,” said Parker.


Ghana are still in the running to top the group if they beat Bafana and Senegal fail to get victory over Algeria.


So that’s why both Algeria and Senegal will be wary of playing for a draw, because they could end up missing out as well.


The Black Stars bounced back from their opening defeat against Lions of Terenga with a brilliant last-minute goal against Algeria by their inspirational striker Asamoah Gyan.


“Ghana have had more pressure than any other nation in this group.


“Maybe it’s because of their status. I think it’s going to be a hard game and I think they are going to try to win the game from the first whistle,” said Parker.


“This game is going to be tougher than the previous two we have played. It’s up to us players to get ourselves ready and fight. We know what is expected from us against Ghana.


“It’s going to be an aggressive game, because both us want to win and advance to the quarter-finals.”


The Star






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News sport : Tom Brady's feelings were hurt by deflate-gate last week

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Tom Brady's comments about the first week of deflate-gate will certainly draw a lot of compassion from people. Right.


The New England Patriots quarterback said that as the controversy over the team using under-inflated footballs during the AFC championship game brewed, and Brady was blamed by many, he felt it.



"I personalized a lot of things and thought this was all about me, and my feelings got hurt," Brady said on WEEI's "Dennis & Callahan Show." "Then I moved past it, because it’s not serving me. What’s serving me is try to prepare for the game ahead. I’ll deal with whatever happens later. I’ll have my opportunity to try to figure out what happened and figure out a theory like everyone else is trying to do. But this isn’t the time for that."



Let's pause as everyone rushes for their violins.


Brady has a point, of course, although it will be drowned out by fans' conspiracy theories. Despite no evidence that he was involved with deflating footballs he was accused of wrongdoing all week, and might be for many weeks to come. The NFL is investigating. But the NFL won't talk to Brady until after the Super Bowl, the quarterback believes, and he is ready to move on for this week. He told WEEI, "I don’t plan on talking about it at all" during Super Bowl week. And he reiterated he did nothing wrong.



"Absolutely not,” he said. “Look, I don’t want to keep getting into this. No, I didn’t and I haven’t and I never will. That’s obviously how I feel and the kind of person that I am.




“No one knows the facts. I picked 24 balls, that’s what I picked. Whatever happened after I did it and whatever the situation was where they measured them, I have no idea [about] any of those facts. I try to stay really humble and deal with the facts that I know. When you don’t know something, all I can say is I don’t know. I know that’s not always the answer that people want to hear, but that’s the reality.”



Brady also shot down the knee-jerk reaction that coach Bill Belichick sold him out last Thursday, saying that Belichick and him are always on the same page and Belichick is the only coach he wants to play for.


Even though his feelings were hurt by all of the things that were said last week, he turned it into a positive.



"Everyone will say, ‘God, it’s been a tough week for you.’ It’s been a great week for me," Brady told WEEI. "It’s been a great week for me to really be able to recalibrate the things that are important in my life and understand the people that support me and love me and care about me. That’s been the best thing to come out about this week."



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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Former Wake Forest lineman Cory Helms transfers to South Carolina

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After two seasons of starting on the offensive line for Wake Forest, Cory Helms is headed to the SEC.


Helms, a freshman All-America selection in 2013 who decided to transfer earlier this month, announced Sunday that he will round out his career at South Carolina.


Helms visited South Carolina over the weekend and committed to the program on Sunday afternoon.



Helms started 11 games at center for the Demon Deacons in 2013 before sliding over to left guard for the 2014 season. He will likely have to sit out the 2015 season with the Gamecocks due to NCAA transfer rules, but he told GoGamecocks.com that he and the school will make an appeal to the NCAA for immediate eligibility.


“I’m moving back closer to home because I live with a sick grandmother,” Helms, a native of Alpharetta, Ga., said. “That’s a big reason I’m coming here to be able to come back and help my grandmother.”


Helms took visits to Mississippi State and Texas A&M and had another scheduled for Penn State next weekend. Ultimately, he opted to end the process by choosing South Carolina.


The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Helms told GamecockCentral.com that the team’s depth at center also played a role in his choice.


“They definitely have a big need at center and I feel like I can come in and help them out big time there,” Helms said.


Helms said he bonded well with his future teammates during his visit.


“Everything was great,” Helms said. “The best part was being around the other offensive linemen. It was probably the first time I hung out with other recruits and the group of linemen I will be playing with. I felt like we had a good bond.”


Helms will enroll in May.


South Carolina went 7-6 in 2014.


For more South Carolina news, visit GamecockCentral.com.


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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







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Motaung still hopes Khune will stay

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Kaizer Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung remains optimistic that captain Itumeleng Khune will sign a new contract.


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Johannesburg - Kaizer Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung remains optimistic that captain Itumeleng Khune will sign a new contract before the end of the week.


The talented goalkeeper's current contract expires in June and with big-spenders Mamelodi Sundowns having made their intentions clear of securing the services of the 27-year-old, Motaung said it was important to finalise the deal as quickly as possible.


“The discussions are going well and Khune and his representatives are aware of our intentions,” Motaung said on Monday.


“We value Khune a lot and it is important that both parties are on the same page. We should in the next few days be reaching an agreement and really there is no pressure because he knows where we stand as Chiefs.”


Vowing not to break the bank in order to keep a player who has been at Chiefs for several years, Motaung said there was a policy at Chiefs when it came to negotiating contracts with players.


“We are a professionally run club and structures are what makes Chiefs tick.


“Our players are aware of our policies and Khune, who has been nothing less but a loyal servant, is aware how much Chiefs management value him.


“His brand is up there with the best and we look forward to having him at this club for years to come.”


The fact that Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter has included Khune in his 25-man Caf Champions League squad is an indication that Khune's future is at Amakhosi, Motaung claimed.


Having returned to action after months on the sidelines due to injury, something that cost him a place at the Africa Cup of Nations with Bafana Bafana, Motaung was a happy man.


Chiefs currently top the Premiership standings and having gone 18 league matches without tasting defeat, Motaung said Khune's presence and impact would be key going forward.


“He will bring so much as we look to the second round which will not be easy.


“We have put ourselves in a good position and having Khune at the moment where we need him the most, this will motivate other players.”


With Brilliant Khuzwayo having been good between the sticks for Chiefs, it remains to be seen who will take the number one position when the log-leaders resume their season.


“It is important to continue where we left off after five weeks of inaction.


“We also have the (Champions League) and Nedbank Cup to consider so we are excited about what lies ahead.”


Sapa






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Sturridge could return against Chelsea

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Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge could make his return from injury in their League Cup clash against Chelsea.


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London - Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge could make his long-awaited return from injury in their League Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, manager Brendan Rodgers said.


Former Chelsea striker Sturridge, who scored 25 goals for Liverpool in all competitions last season, has not played for the Merseysiders since August after a series of persistent injuries.


Sturridge travelled to the United States over the Christmas period for treatment on a thigh problem and, having since returned to training with the first team, Rodgers is hoping the England striker will be ready in time to face Chelsea.


“He (Sturridge) trained very, very well yesterday (Sunday) and that was as comfortable as he's looked,” Rodgers told a news conference on Monday.


“He looked back to normal. We won't risk it that's for sure, he's been out for a long time and we need to make sure he's ready.”


Raheem Sterling's stunning individual goal earned Liverpool a 1-1 draw in last week's semi-final first leg at Anfield.


Premier League leaders Chelsea were dumped out of the FA Cup by League One (third tier) Bradford City on Saturday and Rodgers is wary of a backlash from Jose Mourinho's side.


“They had a difficult result at the weekend but it doesn't mean they're not a dangerous team and an outstanding team,” he said.


“We know it will be a tough game but we are certainly going in with no fear and our strength is in attack.


“There will be great motivation for them to go out there with a Wembley final at stake but I'm sure there will be a wee bit of trepidation.”


With a week to go before the transfer window shuts, Rodgers said he does not expect to make any new signings.


The Liverpool boss also played down suggestions that misfit striker Mario Balotelli, who is yet to score a league goal in 12 appearances since his 16 million pounds move from AC Milan in August, is to leave the club.


“We'll give Mario every chance,” Rodgers said. “We brought him in to give him every chance to show that he can perform consistently for a team at this level.


“I've seen clippings saying this morning (Monday) that's him over with here and that's not the case.”


Reuters






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PSL transfer deadline looms

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The January domestic transfer window will close on January 30th at 5pm, the Premier Soccer League said.


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Johannesburg - The January domestic transfer window will close on Friday afternoon at 5pm, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) said.


“We are bound by our rules which don't allow registrations outside of office hours, nor are we allowed to go into February,” PSL general manager of football, Derek Blanckensee, said in a statement on Monday.


“Naturally, the last week of the transfer window is very busy but from our side, we are adequately prepared to deal with the expected rush.”


Teams wishing to buy and sell players will therefore have until Friday to do any last minute business.


In what has been a fairly quiet January transfer window to date, SuperSport United have emerged as the biggest movers, with Kaizer Chiefs' Kingston Nkhatha joining the Pretoria outfit, while New Zealand international, Jeremy Brockie, also penned a deal with Matsatsantsa.


Chiefs, meanwhile, acquired the services of Chippa United's David Zulu, while AmaZulu brought in Roscoe Pietersen from SuperSport, on loan, until the end of the season.


Usuthu also signed Mamelodi Sundowns' Bongi Ntuli on loan until the end of the 2014/15 campaign.


Sapa






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Bafana won't be among the dead - Mbalula

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Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula is confident Bafana Bafana will prevail and qualify for the quarter-finals of Afcon.


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Cape Town - Sport and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula says Bafana Bafana will come out of their Africa Cup of Nations group “alive” when the final round of matches in Group C are concluded on Tuesday.


After failing to get a victory in their first two matches in Equatorial Guinea, South Africa must beat Ghana here at the Estadio de Mongomo and hope for a favourable result in the other group match between Senegal and Algeria.


However, Mbalula is confident the team will prevail and qualify for the quarter-finals of the tournament.


“It’s now or never,” Mbalula told journalists at the team’s hotel on Sunday, following his arrival in Equatorial Guinea over the weekend.


“Despite other teams winning in this group, it is still open, and going into the last match we want to win and stay in the competition.


“This group has lived up to the expectation as the group of death. I have always believed we will come out alive from the group of death. Those who will die, will die and go home. But we will not be counted among the dead. I firmly believe the team will go into the final stages of this tournament and show their courage.”


Mbalula, however, said he will not call the team a “bunch of losers” if they are knocked out of the tournament on Tuesday night.


The minister’s rant after Bafana’s first-round exit during last year’s Africa Nations Championship (Chan) on home soil is fresh in the minds of the players and administrators, but on Sunday he praised the team’s progress following their unbeaten qualifying campaign under new coach Shakes Mashaba.


“We didn’t say we are going to come here and win Afcon; we came here to compete with the best in Africa. We are in the stage of building a team and the team has played well. We came here unbeaten, so our record speaks for itself. If it happens that we don’t go through, then it was not meant to be. There is always a next time. But I’m confident we can fight and realise our victory and qualify.”


Mbalula says he is sorry it has to be Ghana who Bafana have to eliminate to qualify for the quarter-finals.


South Africans adopted Ghana at the Fifa World Cup in 2010 after South Africa were knocked out of the tournament in the group stage.


Ghana were eliminated in the quarter-finals after Uruguay’s Luis Suarez blocked Asamoah Gyan’s shot on the goalline with his hands. Gyan then struck the crossbar from the resulting penalty.


“It’s unfortunate it has come down to us and Ghana, because we have a good relationship. We called them ‘BaGhana BaGhana’, but for now we will call them ‘Ghana’. They will again be ‘BaGhana BaGhana’ after Tuesday,” Mbalula joked.


Cape Argus






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Premier League clubs strike back

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Arsenal, West Ham and Aston Villa redressed the balance for Premier League teams after a flow of upsets in the FA Cup.


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London - Arsenal, West Ham and Aston Villa redressed the balance for Premier League teams after a flow of upsets in the FA Cup, securing narrow wins over awkward lower-league opposition to advance to the fifth round on Sunday.


Chelsea and Manchester City were among five teams in the Premier League’s top nine to be eliminated on Saturday on one of the most astonishing days in the famous competition’s history.


The underdogs couldn’t continue the shocks a day later, with Arsenal beating second-tier Brighton 3-2 after being sent on their way in a dominant first half by early goals from Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil.


Senegal striker Diafra Sakho came off the bench and scored an 81st-minute header to earn West Ham a 1-0 victory at Bristol City, who are second in English football’s third tier.


Villa had the toughest assignment against second-tier leaders Bournemouth, but came through with a 2-1 home win. New signing Carles Gil - with his first goal since moving from Valencia - and Andreas Weimann scored for the Premier League side.


Arsenal, who are fifth in the Premier League, are the highest-ranked team guaranteed a spot in the last 16 as Arsene Wenger’s side look to defend their title.


Walcott put Arsenal ahead in the second minute before Ozil was found by a probing pass from Tomas Rosicky and placed a finish into the corner.


Sloppy defending allowed Brighton to reduce the deficit through Chris O’Grady in the 50th minute, but Rosicky restored Arsenal’s two-goal lead by volleying home from the edge of the area. Sam Baldock then lifted a neat finish over Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny in the 75th minute. This set up a tense finish at the Amex Stadium in which Arsenal missed some gilt-edged chances to extend their lead, but always looked vulnerable at the back.


West Ham were inferior to Bristol City in the first half at Ashton Gate, clearing two headers off the line, but improved after the break. Sakho, who came on as a 57th-minute substitute, struck the bar with a fierce shot before meeting Andy Carroll’s cross with a far-post header from close range.


“Bearing in mind what has happened this weekend, it is a big result for us,” said West Ham manager Sam Allardyce.


With Villa struggling in the Premier League and Bournemouth flying in the League Championship, their clash had all the ingredients of another cup upset, and the visitors had Villa at full stretch for much of the game.


However, Villa were clinical in front of goal, surprisingly given that they are the lowest-scoring team in all four divisions in England, and Gil broke the deadlock by finding the net from 25m in the 51st minute.


Weimann then steered home Alan Hutton’s cross to make it 2-0 in the 71st minute, before Callum Wilson’s injury-time response for Bournemouth.


The win completed a positive day for Villa, with the club announcing that star midfielder Fabian Delph had signed a new 4½-year contract.


The draw for the fifth round takes place on Monday.


Sapa-AP






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Tunisia on verge of Afcon quarters

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Tunisia will only require a draw to reach the quarter-finals of Afcon, but 2012 winners Zambia face early elimination.


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Equatorial Guinea - Tunisia will only require a draw to reach the quarter-finals of the African Nations Cup but 2012 winners Zambia face early elimination for a second successive tournament if they do not win their last Group B game on Monday.


Zambia, who lie at the bottom of the standings, must beat the Cape Verde in Ebebiyin to stand any chance of progress to the last eight but even then, they could be thwarted if the Democratic Republic of Congo win their game against Tunisia, which will be played in Bata.


That scenario would leave the Congolese as group winners with five points and Tunisia and Zambia tied on four - but because Tunisia beat Zambia 2-1 on Thursday they would advance.


The Zambians' failure to register a win yet means their fate is no longer in their own hands and their woes have been exacerbated by injury to both Nathan Sinkala and Emmanuel Mayuka, who are considered as two of their key players in Equatorial Guinea.


DR Congo also have injury concerns with Premier League duo Yannick Bolasie and Youssouf Mulumbu both doubtful against the tough Tunisians.


Congo and Equatorial Guinea became the first countries to qualify for the quarter-finals as the top two finishers in Group A.


Reuters






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