WORLD

ZINEDINE ZIDANE has thrown Gareth Bale’s Real Madrid future into further doubt after admitting he is planning to ‘make changes’ for next season. Bale has cut an increasingly frustrated figure at the Bernabeu and has been heavily linked with a switch to Manchester United after starting only 18 La Liga games this season. He was frozen out under former manager ...

CHELSEA boss Maurizio Sarri is not happy with fans chanting they want him out of the club. The Blues were lucky to beat Cardiff 2-1 at the weekend with supporters calling for the Italian to be axed throughout. But Sarri was defiant in his press conference today ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Brighton tomorrow night (7.45pm). He said: “I am ...

MESUT OZIL will discover on Sunday if his recent upsurge in form has been enough that Arsenal boss Unai Emery finally trusts him. The German playmaker was named man-of-the-match by Arsenal fans at the Emirates after his part in the comfortable 2-0 win over Newcastle that lifts the Gunners back up to third place. However, it has not been his ...

OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER has told Real Madrid they are wasting their time chasing Paul Pogba insisting the player has told him he is “happy” and staying put at Old Trafford. Speculation linking the midfielder with a move to the Bernabeu grew last week after the France international suggested it would be “a dream” to play for the Spanish giants. Flames ...

There are few jobs in professional sport as tough as being an elite-level football manager. The stakes at the very pinnacle of the game are ludicrously high, with a poor run of results usually ending up in the boss being given the boot. However, one solace for those men in charge of the world’s biggest clubs is that the pay ...

Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will step down before his mandate expires on 28 April, Algerian state media reports. The 82-year-old, who has been in power for 20 years, will ensure “continuity of the state’s institutions” before he quits, a presidential statement carried by APS news agency said. The news comes after weeks of mass protests demanding his resignation. As a ...

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the latest spate of xenophobic attacks in the country and called on security agencies to arrest perpetrators. He said the violence, which mostly targeted Malawian and other African nationals, in KwaZulu-Natal was regrettable, “particularly on the eve of Freedom Month” marking 25 years since the country’s first democratic elections. Last week, dozens of ...

Opponents of euthanasia have expressed concern at the creation of a “suicide machine”, which has been developed by Dr Philip Nitschke. The well-known advocate of individuals’ right to die has regularly caused controversy by assisting what he calls “rational suicides”. Having developed machines in the past that could be used by individuals to inject themselves with lethal doses of barbiturates, ...

Roger Federer jumped up one spot to fourth in the ATP rankings released on Monday after capturing his 101st career title with his victory over John Isner in Miami. The Swiss great switched places with Austria’s Dominic Thiem, who had briefly climbed to fourth after defeating Federer in the final at Indian Wells two weeks ago. Rising Greek star Stefanos ...

Manchester United have confirmed the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their permanent manager on a three-year contract. The former United striker was appointed as the club’s caretaker boss in December following the dismissal of Jose Mourinho. Solskjaer has won 14 of his 19 matches in charge, helping to propel United back into the race for a top-four finish. As ...