Fabio Capello was returning to England today – greeted by embarrassing photographs of Wayne Rooney enjoying a rowdy night out with friends in Manchester. The striker was photographed smoking and appearing to urinate next to a bin after emerging from a bar with wife Coleen and friends. He stayed at trendy night spot Panacea till 5.30am on Sunday and sang football songs with pals in the streets, The Sun newspaper claims. It remains to be seen what Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will make of behaviour. Rooney is due to play against an Irish League XI in Dublin on Wednesday, which ... Jump to full article >>

Many golfers see the week after the U.S. Open as an opportunity to take a break from the grind of the PGA Tour. Others see it as an opportunity to prove they can win there. John Daly doesn’t have to worry about the grind. Without a full PGA Tour card since 2006, the two-time major winner now relies on sponsor exemptions to play in events like this week’s Travelers Championship. Daly is making is first trip to Cromwell since 2002, when he sported his signature beer gut and a cigarette hanging from his lips. A lot has changed since then. Daly underwent lap-band surgery in 2009 and sa ... Jump to full article >>

Barry Hearn’s attempt to take over ownership of snooker in Britain is to face a challenge from a former Olympic competitor, John Davison, who shot clay pigeons for Great Britain from 1989 to 2003 and has promised players a guaranteed £16m in prize money. Davison, a 44-year-old millionaire who retired from working in the City last year, has officially announced his rival bid to Hearn, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Davison says he is ready to offer players a larger say in their sport and has already received support from two former world champions, ... Jump to full article >>

Another weekend of self harm at McLaren. Any more of this and we shall have to get the doctor out. This time it was a cover left in the air cooling system of Jenson Button’s McLaren that accounted for his third-lap exit. If the safety car not been out early the heat might not have built so catastrophically behind the radiator and he would perhaps have got away with it. But this is Formula One. Winning is hard enough as it is, especially around these streets, without loading the job with ‘ifs’. Button’s team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, finished where he started in fifth but n ... Jump to full article >>

David Beckham has presented England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup finals to Fifa president Sepp Blatter in Zurich. England must wait until Dec 2 to discover if their bid is successful and Beckham hopes they will have already fulfilled one part of his dream. In an open letter on why he believes England can win the right to host the 2018 World Cup, Beckham said: “Hopefully this year we will win the greatest prize in sport twice, by winning the World Cup on and off the pitch.” The 35 year-old, who was ruled out of this summer’s tournament in South Africa due to a torn ... Jump to full article >>

A shocking bold-type confession in this morning’s Sun: “FERGIE: I WANT TO BED CHERYL”. The Mill had to take quite a long breath after reading this. What to make of it? The ultimate statement of enduring longevity, perhaps. Retiring? How’s this for retiring? And while you’re at it check out my florid, hoarsely-panting 68-year-old leaked inter-generational celebrity sex tape. Maybe it’s a simple statement of fact, a knightly tribute to the nation’s favourite doll. Or more likely desperate next-generation mind games ahead of the final round of Premier Lea ... Jump to full article >>

Imagine Fernando Torres looking on in bewilderment as his own supporters celebrate defeat. Imagine the Spaniard standing by as the fans wallow in failure because it denies their rivals a moment of success. Those misplaced loyalties could make a proud competitor like Torres think about his career. The realisation that the business of winning trophies was to be had elsewhere might even make him quit. But you don’t have to imagine it. This is not fiction, or some speculative fantasy of how things might play out on Sunday if Liverpool surrender against Chelsea. It’s actually one of the ... Jump to full article >>

College basketball’s marquee rivalry apparently ends on Tobacco Road. North Carolina coach Roy Williams is picking Duke to win the national championship next week in Indianapolis, which might be considered treason by the most ardent of Tar Heel fans. The top-seeded Blue Devils play West Virginia on Saturday, with the winner meeting the Michigan State-Butler winner in the final. “I think Duke is the favorite. They’ve proven that, they’re the No. 1 seed, they deserved the No. 1 seed,” Williams said Monday, calling West Virginia his second choice. “Duke is the ... Jump to full article >>

David Beckham received a helping hand from wife Victoria as he struggled into a waiting car – two days after emergency surgery on his torn Achilles tendon. The couple flew out of Finland, where the procedure was performed on the former England captain, by private jet yesterday. The plane carrying the couple took off in a light snow shower shortly after they made the short journey from the clinic where Beckham had surgery on his left foot. The couple arrived back at ‘Beckingham Palace’ in Hertfordshire yesterday, a spokesperson confirmed. The injury will keep him sidelined for ... Jump to full article >>

The new adventure playground in Coffs Harbour’s Brelsford Park will now be smoke-free. The park has been added to a growing list of public facilities going smoke-free, such as the International Sports Stadium. In addition to the ban, alcohol and glass containers are now prohibited at skate parks in Coffs Harbour, Woolgoolga, Corindi and Toormina. Coffs Harbour Mayor Keith Rhoades says penalty notices could be issued by rangers but he is hoping people will abide by the bans. “Council believes that is the correct way to move and we’ve had representations from parents saying tha ... Jump to full article >>

The Canadian women’s hockey team apologized yesterday for a celebration in which some players drank beer and smoked cigars on the ice at Canada Hockey Place on Thursday after winning the gold medal at the Vancouver Winter Games. Photos of Canadian players whooping it up about an hour after their 2-0 victory over the United States made their way onto the Internet late Thursday. That angered Gilbert Felli, the IOC’s executive director of the Olympic Games, who said: “I don’t think it’s a good promotion of sport values.” He also promised an investigation. ̶ ... Jump to full article >>