Soccer-Coach Fernandez leaves bottom club Nancy

PARIS, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Coach Jean Fernandez has left Ligue 1 basement side Nancy after 18 months in charge, the French club said on Friday."On Thursday, Jean Fernandez told the players and the management he was leaving the club," Nancy said on their website (www.asnl.net).The club's academy director, Patrick Gabriel, would serve as interim coach for Saturday's home league game against Lille, they...

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Soccer-Aguero's comeback still a week away, says Mancini

LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will miss Sunday's match against Arsenal and faces another week on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, manager Roberto Mancini said on Friday.The 24-year-old Argentine, who is City's joint top-scorer this season with 10 goals, picked up the injury in City's 3-0 win over Stoke City on New Year's Day and was forced to sit out their...

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Soccer-Milito could return for Inter after injury

ROME, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Diego Milito could return for Inter Milan as they look to get their Italian title challenge back on track against struggling Pescara on Saturday (1945 GMT).The Argentine striker missed Inter's 3-1 defeat at Udinese last week due to a knee injury but manager Andrea Stramaccioni said on Friday that he was well again."Milito has recovered; he has a small problem with his knee...

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Lance Armstrong may admit he used banned drugs: NY Times

(Reuters) - Lance Armstrong, the American cyclist at the center of the biggest doping scandal in the sport's history, may admit he used performance-enhancing drugs during his career, the New York Times reported in Saturday's editions, citing unidentified sources.Such an admission would be a stunning reversal for Armstrong, who has vehemently denied doping for years.The Times reported that Armstrong,...

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Confess? Armstrong may not have much to gain

Associated Press Lance Armstrong may be considering a change in course, dropping his years of denials and admitting that he used performance-enhancing drugs — though whether such a move would help him is uncertain. The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported late Friday that Armstrong has told associates he is thinking about the move. However, Armstrong attorney Tim Herman says that...

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Golf-McIlroy breaks with first sponsor, Nike waits in wings

LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - World number one golfer Rory McIlroy has parted company with his first corporate sponsor ahead of confirmation of a deal that will make him the new face of sportswear giant Nike.U.S. PGA champion McIlroy is poised to rubber-stamp a 10-year deal with U.S. company Nike worth as much as $250 million, according to media reports.Nike is set to supply the 23-year-old Northern...

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NHL, union make progress in marathon talks

 Marathon talks between the NHL and the players' association stretched deep into Saturday night and then Sunday morning after the sides stayed apart for most of the previous two days.Once federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh convinced the fighting factions to resume face-to-face negotiations Saturday afternoon, they were able to make progress. While no one commented publicly on what was accomplished,...

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NHL, union engage marathon talks; no deal yet

The NHL and the players' association made progress during more than 15 hours of negotiations, but they likely will need more time to work out a deal to end the months-long lockout.Talks were still going strong past 4 a.m. EST Sunday. There just didn't appear to be an agreement in sight yet."Doubtful," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press in an email when asked if the possibility...

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NHL, union reach tentative agreement

It looks like there will be a hockey season after all — shortened for sure, but perhaps back in business in a week or so.The NHL and the players' association reached a tentative agreement early Sunday to end a nearly four-month-old lockout that threatened to wipe out what was left of an already abbreviated season.A marathon negotiating session that lasted more than 16 hours, stretching from Saturday...

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