Terry found not guilty of racist abuse

John Terry has been found not guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand.

The former England captain denied in court earlier this week that he called the Queens Park Rangers defender a "f******  black c***" at Loftus Road in October.

Terry maintained that he thought that was what Mr Ferdinand said to him as they traded insults. He also said he was "angry and upset" over claims that he was a racist.

Chief Magisrate Howard Riddle said in his written judgement: "The prosecution evidence as to what was said by Mr Ferdinand at this point is not strong."

"It is therefore possible that what he [Mr Terry] said was not intended as an insult, but rather as a challenge to what he believed had been said to him.

"In those circumstances, there being a doubt, the only verdict the court can record is one of not guilty."

Terry did not make a comment as he left the court.

The 31-year-old was stripped of the England captaincy as a result of this case. The original court case was set to be in March but was moved forward to this week for footballing reasons, having the case after the conclusion of the European Championships.

Murray outclassed in Wimbledon final

Britain's Andy Murray succumbed to 17 time grand slam winner Roger Federer in Sunday's Wimbledon final, falling to a 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 defeat.

It was a great performance from the Swiss who now equals Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles and betters his record of 286 weeks at number one.

Watching in the crowd were the Prime Minister David Cameron and the Duchess of Cambridge, along with her sister. David and Victoria Beckham were also in attendance, as was Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond and the Mayor of London Boris Johnson.

Murray got off to a great start, breaking Federer in the first game of the first set. However, Federer broke back three games later to take the scorer to 2-2. The level of play was extremely high and it was Murray who made the next breakthrough, winning on Federer's serve at 5-4 and then holding his next service game to take the first set.

The second set was just as equal, with neither playing being broken until the 12th game. With the set at 6-5, Federer played a beautiful volley out of the reach of Murray to level the game at one set all.

A rain delay then forced the players off for more than half an hour with the set at 1-1. The game then resumed under the roof and an epic game which lasted 20 minutes saw Federer break Murray to take control of the third set.

Murray's body language looked downbeat as Federer won the third set. But with the Wimbledon crowd behind him the Brit appeared rejuvinated and put in a spirited fight. Federer's class shone through however and made the elusive breakthrough with a crosscourt backhand at 4-2.

The winning moment came when a Murray forehand hit the tramlines. In typical fashion, Federer collapsed on the floor, winning his first grand slam since the Australian Open in 2010.

An emotional Murray has now lost all four of the Grand Slam Finals he has been in while Federer is the second oldest man to be world number one and pockets £1.5 million in prize money.

Murray will be looking to bounce back in two weeks time as Wimbledon host the Olympic tennis tournament, an event which Federer will now be favourite to win gold.

City fans hope Mills exit doesn't come to haunt them.

Of all Sven Goran-Eriksson's summer signings last season, Matt Mills' transfer from Reading promised the most, but in the end delivered very little.

Bought for a Football League record £5 million, Mills was regarded as one of the best defenders in the Championship. He scored in the Championship playoff final the previous season but was unable to help the Royals to promotion, losing to Swansea.

Eriksson gave Mills the captain's armband and things were looking good as two wins from the first two games of the season against Coventry and then Rotherham United in the first round of the League Cup. However, the first home game of the season against Mills' old club Reading brought a poor performance. Maybe it was due to the pressure of coming up against old faces that caused it, but Mills didn't look like a £5 million defender.

Performances improved as Mills and Sol Bamba became a regular centre back pairing as City went on a seven match unbeaten run going into mid October. However, an away game at Birmingham, televised by the BBC, saw Mills pick up his first red card for a two-footed tackle on Morgaro Gomis.

Eriksson was sacked a week later and replaced by Nigel Pearson. Mills kept his place and the captaincy, but saw red again at Pearson's old club Hull City, giving away a penalty for a professional foul on Aaron McLean.


The departure of Bamba to the African Nations cup saw Mills partner Sean St Ledger in the heart of defence during the turn of the year, and things looked to be on the up. He scored his only goal of his City career in the 2-0 win at Southampton and City were still in the hunt for a playoff place.


However, it proved to be a false dawn. After Leicester's 3-2 defeat at Watford, for which Mills was one of a number to be blamed after one of the poorest performances of the season, it was alleged that Mills and Pearson had a bust-up.

Rumours had linked Mills with a loan move to fellow Championship teams Leeds and West Ham. A move didn't materalise, instead being stripped of the captaincy and training with the youth team. A transfer in the summer was inevitable, with relegated Bolton Wanderers making a move, paying £2 million for his services.

Bolton will no doubt be in the mix for a return to the Premier League this season and there is no doubt that Mills is still one of the best defenders outside the Premier League. City fans will be hoping that the decision to sell him to a potential promotion rival won't prove costly come the end of the season.

Bamba departure splits fans

There hasn't been a debut like it in Leicester City's history. 46 seconds into an FA Cup third round tie against Manchester City, Sol Bamba headed home from a corner to write his name into the club's folklore.

It wasn't just his debut goal that instantly won the fans over. His physical presence and athleticism caused the Premier League big spenders all sorts of problems and kept star striker Carlos Tevez quiet for a lot of the game which ended 2-2. The chant of "Sol-Sol Bamba" to the tune of La Bamba quickly rang around the King Power Stadium and a fans favourite was born.

Bought by his former international manager Sven Goran-Eriksson from Scottish Premier League side Hibernian for £250,000, Eriksson often light heartedly likened Bamba to German legend Franz Beckenbauer as he dribbled the ball out from the back to start attacks. His confidence on the ball was refreshing to see, although at times a little too confident as he gave the ball away in dangerous places.

His performances during his first six months at the club linked him with a move to Blackburn Rovers last summer, but in September he signed a new contract to keep him at the club until September 2014.

However, the sacking of Eriksson and the return of Nigel Pearson as manager in November signalled the beginning of the end for Bamba.

Although he remained in the starting XI at the start of Pearson's second tenure, his call up to the African Nations Cup, where he was a regular starter for Cote d'Ivoire as they reached the final, saw Sean St Ledger step in his place. The arrival of fellow defender Wes Morgan from Nottingham Forest saw more places for competition and Bamba was no longer one of the first names on the team sheet.

The impressive form of St Ledger and Morgan saw Bamba on the bench after his return from Africa. An injury crisis in the central of midfield saw Bamba feature in central midfield, a position where many City fans would suggest is his best position as his surging runs further up the pitch could cause more damage to the opposition and less likely to concede a sloppy goal.

His last game for City came in the 2-1 win at Leeds on the last day of the season as he moved to Turkish side Trabzonspor. Bamba's style of play was adventurous and at times unpredictable, something Nigel Pearson clearly doesn't want from a central defender. With Pearson being a defender himself during his playing days, his sides are built from the back with a solid defence. As much of a cult hero Bamba was at the club, he was at times a reliabil

Van Persie reveals he won't sign new Arsenal deal

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has revealed he won't sign a new contract at the club.

His current contract has a year left and it is now expected that the Gunners will sell the striker this summer rather than letting him go for nothing at the end of this season.

The 28-year-old, who scored 41 goals in 53 games for club and country last season, met with manager Arsene Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis today and announced that they disagree on the future of the club.

Van Persie looks set to kiss goodbye to Arsenal fans

The Dutchman wrote on his website: "I've thought long and hard about it, but I have decided not to extend my contract. This was a meeting about the club's future strategy and their policy. Financial terms or a contract have not been discussed, since that is not my priority at all."

"I personally have had a great season but my goal has been to win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days.

"Out of my huge respect for Mr. Wenger, the players and the fans I don't want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward."

Van Persie signed for the Gunners for £2.75 million in 2004 and has scored 96 goals in 194 appearances. There will no doubt be many clubs wanting to snap up Van Persie, with Juventus reportedly having a bid of £8 million turned down yesterday. Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris St Germain are also interested in the striker.

Arsenal fans will undoubtedly be unhappy at the prospect of another big name being sold, having seen the likes of Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy all leave the Emirates Stadium in a bid to win trophies.

Mills leaves Foxes

Bolton Wanderers have signed Leicester City's Matt Mills for an undisclosed fee.

Mills has signed a three-year deal at the Reebok Stadium and the fee is understood to be in the region of £2 million.

Mills joined Leicester for £5 million last summer.

The 25-year-old defender only joined Leicester last summer for £5 million and was immediately made captain by Sven-Goran Eriksson. But after the Swede was sacked in October and replaced by current manager Nigel Pearson, his opportunities came few and far between, making his last appearance for City in a 3-2 defeat at Watford in February.

There was talk that Mills and Pearson had had a bust-up after that game, and although neither party confirmed or denied the rumours, Mills spent the rest of the season training with the youth team.

Mills told the Bolton Wanderers official website: "This deal has worked out perfectly for me, mainly because Bolton are a fantastic club. Speaking to the manager, I have got the vibe of what the place and the club are about and the ambitions of getting back into the Premier League.

"The facilities are made for the top division and that's obviously the aim this season - to bounce back straight away. To be honest, this area is the one I feel most comfortable living in too, so geographically it's perfect. I've got friends around here so I believe I'll settle in very quickly and be able to concentrate on my football."

Trotters manager Owen Coyle added: "Matt is a player who has a high level of experience in the Championship. We are delighted to have made this acquisition as he adds strength and quality to the mix. He is 25 and has already captained teams at this level, so we know what he will bring to the squad, both on and off the pitch."

Mills is Bolton's second signing of the summer,  having signed Irish international midfielder Keith Andrews last week.

Euro 2012 Review

Spain's demolition of Italy in Sunday's Euro 2012 final was an appropriate finish to what was a great tournament.

All the pre tournament talk was the fear of hooliganism and racism rearing its ugly head in Poland and Ukraine, but apart from one incident involving Poland and Russia fans, the fans enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere both in the stadiums and the fan parks.

On the pitch, the tournament got off to an entertaining start. Many thought that the first set of games would be dull affairs, but that went out of the window on the opening day of the tournament. Poland and Greece played out a 1-1 draw with a red card apiece and a missed penalty from the Greeks, while in the second game, Russia hit four past Czech Republic.

The goals continued to flow during the group stage, with a total of 50 goals scored across the 24 group games. The final set of group games also brought about high drama. Russia somehow failed to qualify from Group A, Holland ended a miserable campaign by finishing pointless in Group B, Group C was nail biting right to the end, with eventual finalists Spain and Italy holding off a spirited Croatia, while Group D saw England finish unbeaten and more surprisingly, top the group.

The quarter finals kicked off with a dominant display by Portugal in knocking out the Czechs. Ronaldo and co had 19 shots on goal, but one was enough to see them into the semis. Germany easily brushed aside surprise package Greece, beating them 4-2 in what was dubbed as the debt derby. Spain saw off a sorry French side thanks to two goals from Xabi Alonso, while England yet again felt the heartbreak of losing on a penalty shootout, this time losing to Italy.

It was a penalty shootout that decided the first semi final between Portugal and Spain. After a cagey 120 minutes with no goals, it was Cesc Fabregas who was the hero, scoring with the help of the post. Many people's pre tournament favourites Germany came up against Italy in the semi finals and one man stole the show. Mario Balotelli scored twice to set up a final with the Spanish.

And so to the final in Kiev. Many expected a cagey final but Spain, dubbed boring throughout the tournament, showed why they are the World and European champions by outclassing their opponents. Although the 4-0 scoreline was harsh on Italy, Spain were deserved champions.

Sadly, we will probably not experience another European Championships like this for a while. UEFA's decision to expand Euro 2016 in France from 16 to 24 teams will see the quality become diluted. With 53 teams entering qualifying, it means nearly half of the teams will qualify for the group stages. There are also question marks over how the group stage will work. 16 teams will qualify for the first knockout round, but 16 into 24 doesn't go. Presumably, UEFA will decide to have six groups of four, with the top two from each group and four of the best third-placed teams making it through to the knockout rounds. Again, this could see boring games, with teams knowing that they could finish third in a group of four and still qualify for the knockout rounds.