Deeney goes scot-free for Chelsea gesture
LONDON • Watford striker Troy Deeney has escaped disciplinary action over his goal celebration in a shock 4-1 home win over Chelsea on Monday after football officials failed to agree on whether he had committed a red card offence.
Deeney opened the scoring from the penalty spot and then appeared to make an offensive gesture towards a section of the Vicarage Road crowd.
A three-man panel convened by the Football Association could not agree on whether his action merited a retrospective red card, so Deeney merely faces the prospect of receiving a written warning regarding his future conduct. He has already missed seven league matches this term through suspension.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Blues to drop by Perth for 1st visit in 44 years
SYDNEY • Chelsea will play Perth Glory in July in the English football giants' only Australian pre-season friendly this year, the A-League club said yesterday.
The Premier League champions are returning to the Western Australia city for the first time since 1974, with the game taking place at the new Optus stadium, which has a capacity of more than 60,000.
Chelsea are currently fourth in the league, 19 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City. Glory lie eighth in the 10-team A-League.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Federer can return to summit in Rotterdam
PARIS • Roger Federer announced on Wednesday that he will play in next week's ATP event in Rotterdam, where a run to the semi-finals would make him the oldest world No. 1 tennis player.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion is 155 points behind old rival Rafael Nadal of Spain in the rankings, with 180 points up for grabs for reaching the last four in the Netherlands.
It will be the 36-year-old Swiss' first tournament since winning a record-equalling sixth Australian Open title last month with a five-set victory over Croatia's Marin Cilic.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Valentine's promotion for S'pore Rugby 7s
Rugby Singapore is offering a special Valentine's Day discount offer for fans to experience the HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens which takes place at the National Stadium from April 28-29.
Visit www.singapore7s.sg and buy your tickets before midnight on Feb 14 to enjoy a 14 per cent discount on all categories of tickets.
HSBC card users can enjoy an additional 5 per cent discount with this offer.
Canada were the surprise winners of last year's edition.
