Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/674824
21 Sport maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 4 MAY 2016 FOOTBALL Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo fit to face Manchester City at the Bernabeu CRISTIANO Ronaldo has been passed fit for the second leg of Real Madrid's Champions League semi-final against Manchester City, coach Zinedine Zidane has announced. The former Manchester United forward has missed Real's last three games - including the goal- less draw in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium last week - with a thigh injury. But the Portuguese has played a full part in training ahead of Wednesday's second clash at the Bernabeu and Zidane says he is ready to return. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Zidane said: "Cris- tiano is okay. He is 100 per cent. He trained this morning and he will be there tomorrow." Cristiano Ronaldo Bournemouth hit with £7.6m fine FIFA extend Sakho's anti- doping ban to worldwide BOURNEMOUTH were fined £7.6million by the Football League for breaching Financial Fair Play rules in their promo- tion-winning season. The club's accounts were pub- lished at Companies House on Friday April 29 and they revealed the Cherries had reported a loss of £38.3million as they won the Sky Bet Championship in the 2014/2015 campaign. The Football League set Finan- cial Fair Play limits of permitted maximum losses at £6m for a sea- son, "consisting of a maximum adjusted loss of £3m plus a fur- ther maximum of £3m of share- holder investment." The size of the fine had not previously been disclosed by the Football League. Bournemouth's loss was an in- crease of some £10.3m for the previous financial period, with staff wages up to £30.4m, with turnover at just under £13m. As part of the accounts, Bourne- mouth also confirmed there had been an outlay of £4.6m for the Vitality Stadium to meet Barclays Premier League regulations as well as a £2m payment to share- holders due following promotion to the top flight for the first time in the club's history. Bournemouth, nine points clear of the relegation zone, have se- cured their Premier League sta- tus for another campaign, which will see a massive increase in revenue following the start of the new broadcasting deal from 2016/2017. In the director notes within the published accounts it was stated: "The directors continue to main- tain close control over expendi- ture and have implemented ef- fective policies and procedures to ensure the club is run efficiently and effectively." LIVERPOOL and France defend- er Mamadou Sakho's 30-day sus- pension for failing an anti-doping test has been extended worldwide by world football's governing body FIFA. The 26-year-old was banned for 30 days by European football gov- erning body UEFA after testing positive for an illegal substance following Liverpool's Europa League tie against Manchester United on March 17. The new suspension covered all games, including domestic, in- ternational, friendly and official fixtures, FIFA said in a statement, and came on top of UEFA's origi- nal European ban. France's RMC radio reported in April that the centre back had tested positive for a fat-burning substance. His suspension is provisional on an investigation by UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary body, which is yet to announce the date of his hearing. Sakho chose not to challenge the results of his original positive test and did not ask for an analy- sis of his B sample. The player, who has featured in 34 games for Liverpool in all competitions this season, was dropped by the club as soon as it was informed of the investigation by UEFA. Expectations too high at Manchester United - Louis van Gaal EXPECTATIONS at Manchester United are too high and not easy to meet, according to manager Louis van Gaal, who is looking to salvage a frustrating season by winning the FA Cup later this month. Victory against Crystal Palace at Wembley on May 21 would secure a first trophy since 2013 and could go some way towards mollifying the club's disgruntled fan base, whose team are running out of matches to qualify for the Champions League. United are fifth in the standings, four points outside the top four and with three games left to overhaul either Manchester City or Arsenal (67 points) for the final berth in Eu- rope's elite club competition next season. "Expectations are too high," the Dutchman said at United's player of the year award ceremony. "We are in a period of transition. It is not so easy. We have to meet the expectations of the biggest club in the world." The 64-year-old, who has come under scrutiny for the side's unin- spiring style of play despite a host of high-profile signings, said constant speculation in the media over his future had undermined his rela- tionship with the players. "When the media is writing for six months I am sacked already... I can cope with that. It is not new for me. For my players, it is not so easy," he added. Goalkeeper David de Gea was named the club's player of the year for the third consecutive season, while the first-team squad voted defender Chris Smalling as their player of the season. Louis van Gaal Berlusconi decision due on AC Milan takeover REPORTS say Milan owner Sil- vio Berlusconi will grant Chinese investors exclusivity by the end of the week, but a final decision won't arrive for a month. It was reported yesterday that the group of bidders wanted an answer by Wednesday, with fur- ther reports again linking Chinese magnate Jack Ma to the club. Corriere della Sera writes today that Berlusconi has taken a bit of extra time to reflect, but should sign an exclusivity agreement with the group on Thursday or Friday. The newspaper points out that this agreement isn't binding, but once it's signed there will be a pe- riod of co-management in which the Chinese group will have to approve all the club's moves, in- cluding sponsorship and players' contracts. However, the final decision from Berlusconi isn't likely to arrive for another month, according to the outlet. He will take this time to con- sider the offer and get to know the group who want to take over from him before signing a binding con- tract that would spell the end for his ownership of the Rossoneri. Silvio Berlusconi