Manchester United defender and veteran footballer Rio Ferdinand has been left out of the 2012 England Euro squad. According to England’s new manager Roy Hodgson, Ferdinand was omitted from the squad for ‘footballing reasons’ and nothing else.

Ferdinand’s absence was revealed when Hodgson made the official 23-man team announcement on Wednesday that includes Ferdinand’s teammates Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young and Danny Welbeck.

However, Chelsea captain John Terry was selected for the team despite facing alleged racist charges against QPR player Anton Ferdinand who happens to be Rio’s brother. Terry, who denies the charges, will be facing them in court in July.

Hodgson said that: ”I selected John Terry for footballing reasons and I left out Rio Ferdinand for footballing reasons. I’ve spoken to both of them of course. I had to do that. In the last couple of days I’ve spoken to both of them and explained to them why I’ve come to the decision.”

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35 year-old Malaga Dutch striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy has retired from professional football on Monday, that ends a great career that includes playing for Championship winning teams Manchester United and Real Madrid.

He played for five seasons with Manchester United, winning the English league twice and four seasons with Real Madrid that included two La Liga titles.

Van NistelRooy told the press at a conference that ”Yesterday I played my last match as a professional. I think the moment has come for me to stop playing football – I have reached my physical limit.’

He also added that “there could be no better way to say goodbye than this, in a euphoric moment for the club.” Van Nistelrooy is referring to the club’s achievement of winning a place in next year’s Champion’s League.

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Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba who has been showing signs of improvement since he suffered from cardiac arrest in March, will reportedly be fitted with a defibrillator and be allowed to return to training soon.

The heart device will be fitted to prevent future problems for the footballer with a view to return to the playing field. The 24-year old was resuscitated and rushed to hospital following a sudden cardiac arrest during an FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane.

During his recovery at the London Chest Hospital, Muamba began showing signs of improvement over time with Trotters boss Owen Coyle revealing last week that the midfielder is walking again.

The defibrillator will be inserted during a minor operational procedure in the hope that the device will offer him extra security should the troubles return especially crucial if he returns to the game full-time.

The surgery is said to involve the device being fitted underneath the skin, usually near the armpit, so as not to become obtrusive.

Muamba is set to return to his home in the north-west this week with Bolton having been told that he can resume training soon after.

Source: Goal.com

Barcelona manager Pep Guardialo has saluted his team, hailing them ‘awesome’  for securing a fifth successive UEFA Champion’s League semi-final.

The achievement came after Barcelona’s victory over AC Milan on Tuesday that saw a final score of 3-1.

After the victory Guardiola commented that “These players are awesome because they have shown the world the way they have to compete. We are so glad to be there and I am so happy to be their coach.”

Lionel Messi scored two goals from the penalty spot to become the youngest player to score more than 50 goals in Europe’s premier league competition. Messi now holds a prestigious record as he equalled former Milan striker Jose Altafini’s record of 14 goals in one season of European football’s top club competition.

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During the post match interview for River Park TV Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson can’t hold back his amusement as he cracks up while listening to this brilliant impression of his team mate Jamie Carragher.

If you have ever listened to defender Carragher in an interview, you’ll agree that the impersonation is spot-on.

Watch the interview in the video below:

Source: Sport24

A student who mocked Bolton Wanderers player Fabrice Muamba, on Twitter, when he collapsed during a FA Cup match from a cardiac arrest was jailed on Tuesday for inciting racial hatred on the social network.

21 year-old Swansea University undergraduate, Liam Stacey, provoked anger from other Twitter users who were offended by his insensitive comments at the time that Muamba lay on the field after his sudden collapse. Among them were fellow Premier League players and former soccer player Stan Collymore.

Police were then inundated with complaints and forwarded his posts by disgusted fellow users which started with ‘LOL [laugh out loud]. **** Muamba. He’s dead!!!’

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Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba is stable but remains in critical condition after he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during the FA Cup quarter final match against Tottenham on Saturday night. The incident brought the match to a standstill at White Hart Lane.

After the shocking incident, medical examiners took two hours to revive the 23 year-old midfielder after which he was sent to the Heart Attack Centre at the London Chest Hospital where he is now being closely monitored. His heart reportedly only started beating again once he arrived at the medical facility.