Soccer-Lyon must sell and Gomis could go, says president

PARIS, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Olympique Lyon need to continue cutting their payroll and are in talks to sell top scorer Bafetimbi Gomis, president Jean-Michel Aulas said on Friday.Lyon, who have not taken part in the Champions League this season for the first time since 2000, already sold top players Hugo Lloris, Aly Cissokho and Kim Kallstrom during the last transfer window in a bid to cut costs.They...

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Soccer-Bulgaria keeper Stoyanov returns home to Ludogorets

SOFIA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Bulgaria goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov has headed home to join champions Ludogorets after three years with Moldova's most successful club Sheriff Tiraspol."I want to win everything with Ludogorets," Stoyanov told a news conference on Friday. "I return to the Bulgarian championship more mature and more experienced, with many matches in European competitions."Stoyanov, 25,...

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Soccer-Boss Appleton joins Blackburn after 66 days at Blackpool

LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Blackburn Rovers appointed Michael Appleton as manager on Friday with the 37-year-old leaving Blackpool after 66 days in charge.Indian-owned Rovers, Premier League champions in 1995 but relegated from the top flight last season, confirmed the news on Twitter having sacked Henning Berg last month after 57 days.Blackburn are 13th in the Championship (second tier), one place...

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Canadian Ryder Hesjedal leads 2013 Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda cycling team

Canadian Ryder Hesjedal leads a 2013 Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda team that will be without the suspended Tom Danielson, David Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde until March.Hesjedal, named the Canadian Press male athlete of the year this week, is the defending Giro d'Italia winner."We had our strongest season in the history of the team in 2012, with our first Grand Tour win at the Giro, and we'll be...

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Cycling champion Wiggins knighted in UK New Year Honours

LONDON (Reuters) - Bradley Wiggins, the first Briton to win the Tour de France cycling race, has been knighted in a special United Kingdom New Years Honours list which acknowledges the success of the home team at the 2012 London Olympics.Just over a week after winning the Tour, Wiggins won a gold medal in the Olympic time trial, one of 65 medals collected by the British team who finished third in...

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Olympics, elections and horsing around in odd 2012

LONDON (Reuters) - Presidential preening, golden Olympic gaffes, a royal windfall for a skydiving British queen on her diamond jubilee and the endless end of days marked the odd stories in 2012 which pranced across the news in Gangnam Style.The year opened with a tale that flocks of magpies and bears had been spotted in mourning for North Korea's "Dear Leader", Kim Jong-il who died in December 2011...

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Stomach bug knocks Nadal from Australian Open

Just when Rafael Nadal had recovered from a knee injury, a stomach virus has delayed his return to tennis by a couple of months. Nadal announced Friday he will miss next month's Australian Open and probably won't play again until the end of February. The Spaniard said he needs time to recover from the virus that already prevented him from coming back this week at Abu Dhabi. Nadal has been sidelined...

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Tennis-Distracted Williams sounds ominous warning in season opener

BRISBANE, Dec 30 (Reuters) - An angry and impatient Serena Williams overcame blustery conditions at the Brisbane International on Sunday in an ominous beginning to her only tournament before her charge at a 16th major title at the Australian Open next month.The American threw her hands in the air, shook her head, gesticulated towards her coach and stomped her feet in petulant protest - but that did...

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Distracted Williams sounds ominous warning in season opener

BRISBANE (Reuters) - An angry and impatient Serena Williams overcame blustery conditions at the Brisbane International on Sunday in an ominous beginning to her only tournament before her charge at a 16th major title at the Australian Open next month.The American threw her hands in the air, shook her head, gesticulated towards her coach and stomped her feet in petulant protest - but that did little...

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