Soccer-Hitzlsperger extends Everton stay to end of season

LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger will stay at Premier League club Everton until the end of the season, manager David Moyes said on Friday.The 30-year-old midfielder, a former Germany international, signed a short-term contract with the club in October, and has played seven times this season."Thomas is going to stay until the end of the season. He wants to play, like everybody...

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Soccer-Galliani wants a younger and more Italian Milan

Jan 11 (Reuters) - AC Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani wants to create a younger side boasting more Italians, meaning Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba is unlikely to arrive."We want a younger, more Italian Milan," he told reporters on Friday."I really liked the end of the match in Turin (the 2-1 defeat at Juventus in the Italian Cup on Wednesday) where we had all of our young attackers on...

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Soccer-Belhanda injury concern for Morocco

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Morocco midfielder Younes Belhanda will find out on Saturday whether he will be able to play in the African Nations Cup after he injured his thigh in training, the Morocco Football Federation said."It's too early now to be sure of the extent of the injury. Hopefully by Saturday morning we'll have a realistic idea of the situation," team doctor Abdelrrazak Hifti told...

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Steroids loom in major-college football

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With steroids easy to buy, testing weak and punishments inconsistent, college football players are packing on significant weight - 30 pounds or more in a single year, sometimes - without drawing much attention from their schools or the NCAA in a sport that earns tens of billions of dollars for teams.Rules vary so widely that, on any given game day, a team with a strict no-steroid...

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The saddest athletes of 2012

Disclaimer: This list is depressing enough without death and police reports; as such, we've omitted some notable tragedies. McKayla Maroney, gymnast, U.S.A. More so than Usain Bolt's dominance or Michael Phelps's swan song, Maroney's "not impressed" face will likely be the most lasting image of the London Olympics. But the levity of one of the year's most widespread memes overshadows...

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Tears and smiles by the billion at London Games

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain spent nearly nine billion pounds ($14.42 billion) to create a magical and ambitious wonderland of venues for the 2012 Olympic Games, where fans were thrilled across a capital whose grime and grandeur alike got a makeover of global glamour.The Games proved a timely shot in the arm, spiritually if not financially, for a bruised nation struggling with economic recession. The...

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Golden year for Murray, regrets for Nadal

 For Andy Murray 2012 marked a golden milestone, for Novak Djokovic the year was an emphatic reminder of his status as the world's best male player, and for Roger Federer and his army of fans it was proof that the old master's magic still sparkles.Serena Williams used the second half of the year to demonstrate that she continues to be head and shoulders above her rivals in the women's game, whatever...

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