Real Madrid
James Rodriguez has shaken off a calf injury and is back in full training for Real Madrid ahead of Saturday’s Club World Cup final. The Colombian missed Tuesday’s 4-0 destruction of Mexico’s Cruz Azul after picking up the injury in a league match on December 6, but went through a full work out yesterday. Rodriguez, 23, had been limited to training alone in Morocco. Real’s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti had said on Monday he was counting on Rodriguez would be ready for Saturday’s final. Madrid will take on either Auckland City of New Zealand or San Lorenzo of Argentina in the final.
World Cup
The American lawyer Michael Garcia has resigned as Fifa’s independent ethics investigator after losing his appeal challenging the findings to clear Russia and Qatar to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Garcia has issued a statement criticising Fifa’s “lack of leadership”, saying he cannot change the culture of the world governing body. Garcia, who found on Tuesday he had lost his appeal against the findings by ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, said it would have been “impractical” to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Serie A
Massimiliano Allegri has ordered Juventus to snap out of their toothless slumber with a convincing win at Cagliari tonight. The reigning Serie A champions have allowed title rivals Roma to cut their advantage at the top to a single point by struggling through back-to-back draws with Fiorentina and Sampdoria. “Tomorrow we have to return to winning ways with a really good performance,” the Juventus manager said. “We created lots of opportunities against Samp but we didn’t exploit them as well as we could have.” Napoli meet Parma in tonight’s other game.
Leicester City
The Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson has accepted an English Football Association charge of using insulting words towards a fan. The FA has confirmed that the 51-year-old has accepted the charge of using “abusive and/or insulting words towards a spectator” during his side’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool and has requested a personal hearing. Pearson had refused to apologise to the fan.
Southampton
Defender Jose Fonte has branded Southampton’s English League Cup quarter-final defeat at Sheffield United a wasted opportunity. A second-half goal from Marc McNulty was enough to send the League 1 side through and inflict a fifth straight defeat on Ronald Koeman’s side. Fonte said: “I am angry because we had a great opportunity to go and do something special and we just blew it. Everyone needs to take responsibility, not hide in their shell.”
