GB to field Olympic team
Great Britain will field a football team at the 2012 Olympics, and Sir Alex Ferguson is being lined up to manage it. Lord Moynihan, chairman of the British Olympic Association, has pledged to overcome the complex politics that have prevented such a move in the past, reports Jeff Powell in the Mail. "The Scots have led the Welsh and Irish in refusing to co-operate, fearful that the four UK bodies will be stripped of their individual voting power by FIFA and consequently reduced to entering one combined GB team in World Cups," he writes. Lord Coe has backed the plan and both he and Moynihan have approached Ferguson to ask him to consider managing the side. (Mail)
"The impact of a British team on the public and their support of the Games will be enormous... We must have a team in these Games and we will have a team." Lord Moynihan makes his intentions known
Robinson heads for Blackburn
Former England keeper Paul Robinson is set to swap Spurs for Blackburn Rovers as a replacement for Brad Friedel, who is to join Aston Villa... Chelsea defender Tal Ben Haim is set for talks with Manchester City after the two clubs agreed a £4m transfer fee for the Israel defender... Sunderland have completed the signing of Teemu Tainio from Tottenham last night and expect Pascal Chimbonda to become the second of four Spurs players to join after a medical... Middlesbrough will renew their attempts to sign Reading striker James Harper after letting Lee Cattermole join Wigan Athletic for £3.5 million.
Transfer Talk: all the comings and goings of the close season 
England truce as Broad faces axe
England's cricketing hierachy has agreed to take collective responsibility for furore over the selection of Darren Pattinson in the second Test aginast SOuth Africa. After a series of meetings between top brass including chairman of the selectors Geoff Miller, coach Peter Morres and Michael Vaughan it was decided that there should be no witchhunt. Attention now turns to the third Test, although another selection controversy looms. "While Team England may have thrashed their way through last week's mistakes, they still have a hugely challenging decision to make ahead of the third Npower Test at Edgbaston. They are likely to rest Stuart Broad, whose startlingly accomplished batting at Headingley was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise grisly performance," reports Simon Briggs in the Telegraph. (Telegraph)
Murray through, Federer out
Britain's Andy Murray won his first singles match since his Wimbledon quarter final, beating Thomas Johansson in the ATP Masters tournament in Toronto. "The British No1 struggled with his serve throughout, dropping his opening two service games in the second set, before demonstrating his resilience to triumph over the 1999 Canadian Masters champion in one hour 38 minutes," reports the Guardian. Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal eased past Jesse Levine. But, as Steve Keating writes: "The end of Roger Federer's long reign as world number one moved closer when he suffered a shock second-round defeat by Frenchman Gilles Simon." (Guardian)
Gay misses Palace showdown
American sprinter Tyson Gay has pulled out of his head-to-head with Asafa Powell at Crystal Palace tomorrow, amid fears over his fitness just three weeks before the Olympics. Gay, world 100m and 200m champion, damaged a hamstring earlier this month, but was expected to line up against Jamaican Powell tomorrow. Powell, for his part, was looking forward to the race with confidence after beating world record holder Usain Bolt in Stockholm on Tuesday."The American withdrew from the Aviva London Grand Prix and, while that is a massive blow for the organisers, the fear is that he will be undercooked for next month’s Games in Beijing," writes Rick Broadbent in the Times. (Times)
Sastre takes yellow on Alpe d’Huez
Spaniard Caros Sastre grabbed the lead in the Tour de France after blowing away the opposition on the race's most famous climb. "A superb solo attack by Carlos Sastre on the Alpe d'Huez climb propelled the Spaniard into the yellow jersey yesterday – but the tradition that whoever leads the Tour after cycling's most mythical ascent goes on to win in Paris may yet be broken," writes Alasdair Fotheringham in the Independent. Sastre has a lead of just 1min 34secs over Australian rider Cadel Evans, who remains in the hunt as he is the best time trial rider of the leading pack. The penultimate stage on Saturday is a 53km time trial. (Independent)
Transfer talk: The latest football transfer news and transfer rumours 
